Chapter 4- Dancing Sheep and Pink Pompoms
“It’s a nightmare, I tell you!” Hermione complained to Ron and Harry the next morning as she sat down across them for breakfast in the Great Hall. “I hate Malfoy! Living with him is a total disaster!” Anger flashed in her brown eyes as she remembered the events of the previous night. “He’s an obnoxious, arrogant, conceited, insufferable git!”
“We already know that, Hermione,” Ron said timidly, not really wanting to face her wrath this early in the morning.
“Did he try to do anything to you?” Harry asked, a worried look crossing his face.
“If he did, I assure you he wouldn't be sitting down in here, happily having breakfast,” Hermione said darkly.
“She’s scaring me,” Ron whimpered, tugging at the sleeve of Harry's robes.
Harry threw Ron a ‘will-you-be-a-man’ look and pulled his sleeve out of Ron’s grasp. “What did he do to you to get you all worked up, Hermione?” he asked.
Hermione told her friends everything, from not letting her into the dorm to barging into her room in the middle of the night. Except, she conveniently left out the part about her nightie. She knew that Harry and Ron, especially Ron, would take great pleasure in teasing her about it.
“Man, that must be real annoying,” Ron said, stating the obvious.
Hermione rolled her eyes. “You don’t say, Ron.”
“I’ll be happy to curse him for you though,” Ron suggested.
“I would do it myself if I could,” Hermione said, a determined look set on her face. “But Professor McGonagall expects us to cooperate and I don’t want to let her down, though it is a disgusting prospect.”
“Cooperate with Malfoy?!” Ron nearly shouted. “That’s almost as bad as having to marry him!”
“Shut up Ron!” Hermione snapped. Most of the Gryffindors were giving them curious looks. She prayed that they had not heard anything Ron had blurted. “I don’t have to marry him and I would appreciate it if the whole proposal incident remained solely between the three of us.”
“What proposal?” Ginny asked, appearing suddenly beside Hermione. “What are you guys talking about?”
“Nothing Ginny,” Ron said quickly. He looked down at his bacon and pretended to be very interested in it.
“Ron, you can’t get more obvious than that,” Ginny said as she sat down. “The bacon cannot be as fascinating as you make it seem.” She tossed her brilliant red hair over her shoulders and eyed them suspiciously. “What were you guys talking about? What proposal?”
Hermione turned to look at the pretty Weasley sister. She was very close to Hermione and ever since she had gotten over the crush she had on Harry, she had been much closer to the three. It did not feel right lying to her or keeping anything from her.
“Well Ginny…” Hermione looked around furtively and lowered her voice, “You have to promise you won’t tell a word of what I'm going tell you to anyone.”
“I promise.”
Hermione quickly explained everything about the marriage proposal to Ginny, and by the end of her speech, Ginny’s mouth hung open and her bright brown eyes bulged from their sockets.
“You're kidding!” Ginny said with a gasp.
Hermione shook her head grimly. “I'm afraid not.”
“How come you didn’t tell me this before?”
“I'm sorry Gin, I just didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”
Ginny shrugged. “It’s alright, ‘Mione. At least you told me eventually.” She glanced up at the Slytherin table, looking straight at Draco. He was sitting directly across the group and looked like he was boasting about something to his friends. “The nerve of Lucius Malfoy,” she said edgily. “I wish he had died together with his precious master.”
Hermione pursed her lips together, not knowing how to respond to Ginny’s statement. She saw Harry and Ron stiffen a little in their seats. Ginny hated Lucius Malfoy more than anyone could imagine. It was no surprise really, considering what he had done to her when she was in her first year.
“Hey Gin, we were just deciding which curse to place on Malfoy,” Ron said with a small, forced laugh. “Any ideas? We all know that you're an expert in the hex and curse department.”
“Yeah, Ginny, know any good spells to ward off an annoying Malfoy?” Harry asked, taking his friend’s lead.
Ginny grinned. “Well, I could teach you a few handy ones, Hermione, to keep Malfoy at bay.”
Hermione laughed softly. “Thanks Gin, but I think I can handle Malfoy myself. He’s not as tough as he seems and I know that for a fact,” she said, remembering the time in the third year when she had hit Malfoy. Ah, the memories.
Just then, a large eagle owl swooped down the Slytherin table and dropped a parcel in front of Draco. He picked it up and smirked. “It’s probably sweets and some food from home. My father makes sure I get the best kind of food and not boring school food all the time,” he bragged loudly so that his voice could be carried to the Gryffindor table. “And I bet the sweets are from the finest stores in London.”
“I hope he stuffs his face with all that candy and becomes so fat and ugly that even a ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ won’t be able to move him around,” Ron growled. “What a big show-off.”
“I hope he chokes on them,” Harry muttered.
“I could hex them if you want me to,” Ginny suggested as innocently as she could.
Ron looked pensive for a moment or two. “Or maybe I could””
“I think that’s enough, all of you,” Hermione said before the conversation continued. “We’ve got to get to Transfiguration now.” And to think that she was the one annoyed with Draco.
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Hermione diligently took down notes for the last lesson of the day- Potions. As much as she hated the teacher, she enjoyed the subject very much. Unfortunately, she was sitting in front of Malfoy for this lesson, and he was being particularly frustrating. He and his friend, Zabini, kept sniggering at regular intervals and she had a sinking feeling that Draco had told him about her nightie.
Today, they were revising fifth year potions and were to make the Draft Of Peace. She paired up with Neville Longbottom, a fellow Gryffindor and the two started work immediately.
Neville was being extra careful in making the potion. He was terrified of Professor Snape and Hermione knew that the last thing he wanted was to be reprimanded by him. She was glad for his meticulousness because she despised sloppy work.
“Longbottom, five points from Gryffindor,” Snape said as he swept past their cauldron.
“What for?” Hermione asked incredulously.
“I don’t see the need to tell you that, Miss Granger,” he snarled. “Another five points for questioning me.”
Draco and Zabini sniggered.
Hermione sighed inwardly and saw Neville giving her an apologetic look. She managed a smile, indicating to him that it was not his fault. They continued brewing the potion, trying to be even more careful than before. Neither of them wanted to lose any more house points.
Suddenly, in the midst of her potion making, a big sheep danced across Hermione’s eyes. It resembled the ones on her white nightgown. She blinked a couple of times and saw another one dance by. She looked around to see if anyone else had noticed the big, dancing sheep, but not even Neville seemed aware of it.
Upon hearing silent laughter from behind her, Hermione figured that it had to be Draco’s doing. Somehow, he had managed to conjure dancing sheep that only she could see. She looked away to try to block out the images of the sheep, but they kept appearing in her line of vision, dancing in front of her eyes.
Focus on the potion, Hermione, focus, she willed herself. But it was close to impossible to focus with sheep dancing in front of your eyes. Worst still, the sheep were now dancing with large, pink pompoms in their paws.
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake!” Hermione said at the top of her voice. Then she slapped her hands over her mouth, realizing that she had spoken a little too loudly. Immediately, the sheep popped out of sight.
Snape glared at her and she heard snickering from behind her. “What did you say, Miss Granger?” he asked.
“Nothing, sir,” she mumbled as the whole class turned to look at her. She could see that most of the Slytherins were enjoying this moment and she prayed that she was not going red in the face. Harry and Ron stared at her, questioning looks on their faces.
“Ten points from Gryffindor.”
Hermione could not believe her luck. It was her first day of potions and already she had managed to lose fifteen points for Gryffindor. All thanks to Draco Malfoy and the stupid, dancing sheep with pink pompoms.
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Draco was walking back to his dormitory after the day’s lessons. It had been a pretty long day and he was thankful that the day ended with double potions. At least he had the opportunity and satisfaction of watching those pathetic Gryffindorks being crushed by Professor Snape. Best of all, the dancing sheep he had conjured for Hermione had done a wonderful job to ensure more points deduction.
As he entered the dorm, he was glad to see that the common room was empty. Draco plopped down on the couch and dumped his bag beside him. Then, remembering the parcel from his father, he rummaged his bag to get it out. He could use a little snack.
Draco ripped open the parcel open to reveal a black box. Opening the lid, he saw a variety of sweets laid out in the box for him. But that was not all that was in the box. In one corner, there was another parcel wrapped in brown paper. Chewing on a liquorice stick, he tore open the brown paper and saw a cherry-colored liquid contained in a glass bottle. There was a note attached to the neck of the bottle.
Still chewing on the stick, he removed the note from the bottle and read it:
Draco,
This is a love potion. Use it only when the both of you are in your dorms, alone. Add five drops to Granger’s drink and add five to your own. It will make the both of you drowsy, so ensure that the both of you fall asleep on the same sofa/bed/chair. Upon waking up, when the two of you see each other, the potion will have its effect.
It is highly effective if used correctly. Just one of the many ways to get the two of you together.
I hope you have been trying very hard to be nice to her because I want her as a daughter-in-law whether you like it or not. I will be checking out the progress between the two of you in a few days and I want good news.
From,
Your Father
Draco looked down at the bottle in his hand. Use a love potion on Granger and himself? He was revolted by the idea. How could his father send him something like this? Shaking his head, he used all his might to toss the bottle of cherry-colored liquid out of the window.
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Later that evening, Hermione entered the Head’s common room. Right after potions, she had rushed off to the library to clear her head as well as to calm down. She had finished all her homework in the library and even managed some light reading after that. Upon entering the room, she saw Draco sitting at the table scribbling furiously, with Transfiguration books opened up in front of him.
At once, the events that had occurred during potions came back to her. She felt a surge of anger and stomped over to him. Dumping her bag with a loud ‘thud’ on the table, she glared at him, hands on hips. “You were the one who made sheep dance in front of my eyes, isn’t it, Malfoy?!” she asked accusingly.
Draco looked up from his work. “Oh, that?” he chortled. “That was me alright. But I couldn't have done it without your nightgown. It inspired me.”
Hermione blushed slightly. “Shut up about the nightgown already!”
Draco raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Are you kidding me? I still have the whole Slytherin to tell.”
“No way!”
“Yes way,” Draco answered simply. “They’ll be delighted to know this bit of very interesting information. Imagine the looks on their faces when I tell them that the Mudblood wears a nightie with dancing sheep and big red hearts to sleep. Oh, and the large pompoms.”
Hermione lashed out her wand from her robe and pointed it right in front of Draco’s face. “Listen to me, Malfoy,” she hissed, “I want you to stop insulting me. Stop calling me Mudblood or I’ll turn you into something worse than a ferret. Much worse.”
Hermione watched with glee as the color faded from Draco’s face and he turned a shade paler than he already was. At this very instant, she was in no doubt that he was recalling the time in the fourth year when Professor Moody had turned him into a ferret. Seeing the wand pointed at his face, he suddenly seemed very nervous.
“Y…you wouldn't dare do anything to me, G…Granger,” he said, stammering slightly. “You're too much of a goody-two-shoe.”
Hermione bit her bottom lip. Draco was partially right. She would never do anything to him, but no harm in making it seem like she would. Just to scare him off a little.
Draco seemed to have noted the hesitation in her eyes and took the situation to his advantage. Grabbing her by the wrist, he pulled her down to the table. He heard her utter a small gasp as he brought her down. He got a good grasp of the hand in which she held her wand and his other hand had a tight grip on her other hand. Bringing his face down close to her ear, he whispered menacingly, “You haven’t got the guts.”
Hermione quivered vaguely upon feeling his breath against her ear. She tried to wriggle out of his grasp. “Oh yes I do,” she said, but not sounding like she meant it. “I'm not a coward.”
“Well, in case you haven’t notice, you're really quite helpless right now,” Draco said with a smirk, pressing her down even more. “And you don’t seem very brave to me now. In fact, you seem a tiny bit scared.”
“Let go of me, Malfoy. Otherwise, you're really going to get it,” Hermione warned, trying to sound as brave as possible.
“What are you going to do? Bite me?”
“I just might.”
“Ooo, kinky, Granger.”
“Just get off me!” Hermione yelled, feeling a blush rising up her cheeks at his statement. “Aren’t you getting irked being in such close proximity of a Mudblood?”
And that did it. Draco stood up from her and dusted his robes, as though being that near to her had caused his robes to become soiled. “I almost forgot,” he murmured, throwing her a dirty look.
Rising from the table, she walked a good distance away from Draco and aimed the wand at him again. “If you ever try that ever again, I'm going to curse you into oblivion,” she threatened. “And I'm not afraid to do it.”
“Believe me, that’s not going to happen ever again,” Draco ensured with a scowl.
Hermione spun on her heel and headed straight for her room, leaving Draco alone to complete his transfiguration essay.
“I cannot believe you were so close to that girl,” Salazar Slytherin remarked from the wall.
“Yeah, neither can I,” Draco snorted. He shook his head and continued with his essay. Truth be told, he was almost beginning to enjoy that moment with Hermione. Almost.
I think I had a little too much candy.
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