Returning from winter break, the Gryffindors quietly whispered to each other as they walked into the common room. On the couch across from the fireplace there was a man with platinum blonde hair holding a girl with curly, soft brown hair in a comfortable sleep. They looked so peaceful, but then Dean Thomas strode in and immediately screamed, “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!” Hermione flipped, literally, and fell off the couch, hitting the table nearby before crashing loudly onto the floor. She rubbed her back, taking in a sharp breath, all the while glaring at Dean. Draco on the other hand was still dead asleep on the couch. Dean raised an eyebrow at her and motioned his head towards Draco.
”What were you doing?” he asked, trying to keep a sane tone in his voice. Hermione looked around at all the curious students watching the show. She sighed and silently cursed herself for forgetting that the spring term started tomorrow morning.
“I was sleeping,” she replied innocently. “That is until you rudely barged in and scared the bejesus out of me!” she concluded, with a very unfriendly tone.
Dean didn't bother to remove the scowl from his face as he took one final step, placed a hand on Draco's chest, and forcefully shook the boy. Draco groaned and swung an arm, hitting Dean directly on the nose. Dean yelled and fell back, holding his bloody nose. Draco then finally flashed his eyes open and sat up.
“You crazy bastard!” Dean nasally shouted at him. Draco turned his head to the floor and immediately understood why his hand hurt. “'Oops” was all he managed to say. Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up.
“All right everyone, show's over, go to your rooms,” she demanded. All the sixth years and under left obediently, but Seamus, Lavender, Parvati, and Dean remained.
“Have you gone insane?” Lavender asked worriedly, looking at Hermione. “Do you know who that is?” she continued, pointing at Draco, who still looked like he was asleep. “That's DRA-CO MAL-FOY, our ENE-MEEEE. You know? Slytherin? House of all evil wizards?!” she finished, making sure to emphasize all the important words. Parvati and Seamus stifled a laugh.
“I'm not evil,” Draco said stupidly as he yawned.
”You just punched Dean in the nose!” Seamus yelled.
”He woke up me! He deserved that,” Draco replied, as if that would vindicate his actions.
”Draco!” Hermione scolded, giving him the eye. “You're not helping here!”
Draco shrugged and got off the couch. “I'll go back to my room then.” He gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek and headed out the portrait hole. Everyone stared at Hermione once he was gone. Ron, Ginny, and Harry walked in on the uncomfortable silence.
“What's going on here?” Harry asked.
“Hermione and Draco were just sleeping together on that couch,” Parvati replied.
“We're gonna need something to clean it,” Seamus commented, looking at the couch like it was slimy, green slug. “You know, make sure Draco's evilness didn't rub off on it.”
“Ha. Ha. Ha. You're so funny,” Hermione replied sarcastically.
“WELL?!” Parvati continued, now directing the conversation towards the newly arrived party.
“Well what?” Ginny asked.
“Aren't you going to say something?! Hermione, number one student, perfect role model, Head Girl for crying out loud is dating Draco Malfoy! Whom I don't even want to go into...”
“Yeah. Pretty weird isn't it?” Ron responded.
Parvati dropped her jaw. “Aren't you going to talk to her about it? Make her see the light? Help her through whatever quarter life crisis she's going through?!” She then suddenly turned to Hermione. “You're not under some potion are you?” she asked, cupping her hands sympathetically around Hermione's face.
Hermione laughed and pushed the drama queen's hands off. “Draco has changed.”
“Oh dear,” Lavender said. “That's what the girl always says before she catches the guy cheating on her.”
Hermione stared at the ceiling and took in a deep breath. “Can we just forget about this for the rest of tonight? I'm tired.” Dean, having finally stopped the bleeding with a spell that Harry showed him, stood up and wiped off his face.
“Fine. But we're going to talk about this tomorrow. Don't think we'll forget.” He gave Hermione one last glare before he and Seamus went up to the boys' dormitories. Lavender and Parvati made an unsure face but then left too. That left Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny to themselves in the common room.
“Whew, can't wait 'til tomorrow,” Harry said sarcastically as he sat in his chair.
Hermione smiled and plopped down on hers. Ron and Ginny followed. They sat there for a while all thinking about their own thoughts, then Ron spoke.
“So you DID use a contraceptive right?” he asked Hermione.
“What?” Hermione asked confused. Once she was on the same page with him, she screamed,
”RON! EW! NO!”
“No?! Hermione! You should know better!” Ron replied equally loud.
“NO as in I did not SLEEP with Draco, I simply slept with him. As in I was fully clothed, he was fully clothed and we were both sleeping, FULLY CLOTHED.”
“Oh,” Ron stated rather disappointed. “Well that takes all the fun out of it.”
Hermione threw a pillow at her best friend and huffed. Ginny and Harry couldn't stop laughing.
**
Draco returned to a crowded Slytherin common room. Everyone had returned for school and were now trying to get to their rooms. He pushed his way through the crowd and finally found an open leather couch to crash on. He was about to close his eyes when Crabbe and Goyle made their presence clear by chewing loudly and making loud, smelly burps. He sat up and looked behind him.
“Hiya Draco,” Crabbe waved.
“Hi Crabbe. Goyle,” Draco greeted. “How was your break?”
“I made three Mudbloods cry!” Crabbe exclaimed happily.
Draco didn't change his facial expression, for it wasn't like him to let others know how he truly felt, but inside he wanted to punch Crabbe.
“My father has been telling me good things about you, Draco,” Goyle said more intelligently.
“Oh really?” Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. “And what exactly has he been telling you?”
“I heard you have become the Dark Lord's second man! Good on you mate!”
Draco smiled his old smile (which was really a combination of a sneer and a smile) and nodded his head. Right now, he was determined to make everyone think he was still on Voldemort's side.
“So uh... how was your break Draco?” Crabbe asked.
“Mine? Eventful. Like Goyle said, I have joined the Dark Lord. Oh, and I'm dating Mudblood Granger,” he replied.
“GRANGER?! Hermione Granger?!” Goyle practically yelled. All the kids inside the room turned to look at what was going on.
“Keep it down Goyle,” Draco scolded. “What are you looking at?!” he yelled at the younger students, who immediately tried to get into their rooms a bit faster.
“I'm just using her. She's Harry's girl right? What better way to get inside the group?”
Crabbe laughed evilly. “That's brilliant.”
Goyle nodded in agreement. Draco looked up happily at his two friends and smirked.
**
“Minerva!” Snape called urgently, barging into Professor McGonagall's office. “Minerva!”
“What?! What is it Severus?” she asked alarmed.
“It's the Headmaster,” Snape replied quietly. Professor McGonagall gasped and covered her mouth. She looked at Snape to see if he meant what she thought he meant. He gave her a small nod. She gasped again and felt around for something to keep her balanced, and when the only thing she could find was Professor Snape, she leaned herself against him and started sobbing. Professor Snape, completely caught off guard, turned his head right and left before he put a comforting hand on her back.
”You do know what this means right?” he asked after a while.
McGonagall wiped away her tears and took in a brave breath. She nodded.
“Everything is going to be all right Minerva. We believe in you. Dumbledore had faith in you, in all of us. We can keep this school safe.”
She nodded again and whispered a good night before disappearing behind her office door. Professor Snape remained where he was, not sure what to do from there.
**
Moody had called a meeting at Grimmauld Place that night. Most of the Order showed up, Dung Fletcher being the last, and not surprisingly, drunk. They all took their seats quietly and sat in silence for a while, no one knowing where to begin. Mrs. Weasley was trying her best not to cry, Charlie and Bill were comforting her. Then Moody stood up and walked over to Dumbledore's chair.
“Tonight our friend has been taken away from us,” he began, putting his hands on the chair like it was Dumbledore's shoulders. “He was...he was the greatest man I have ever known. Kind and fair to everyone he met, loved by all, and respected.” He took in a deep breath, pushing back any urge to cry.
“I am not going to let his death go un-avenged. Tomorrow, we will be put to the ultimate test. There is no doubt that this is the doing of Voldemort. Hogwarts resumes tomorrow, and I do not wish for us to close it, for it would only make the Dark Lord think we are scared. Albus believed in us all, he knows we can keep the school safe. We must keep Hogwarts safe. For him.” He paused. “Minerva. You know what this means now, don't you?”
Professor McGonagall, eyes glistening with unshed tears, unwillingly nodded her head. Professor Snape watched with concern.
“We will be with you every step of the way, Minerva,” he assured her.
“We all will,” Tonks added in. “We should all take positions at the school starting tomorrow. We'll be the extra security and keep an eye on the children.”
“Leave the media to me,” Shacklebolt said quietly. “I'll make sure they don't cause unneeded panic. And I'll keep things at the Ministry under control too.”
Moody nodded. “Alright,” he said softly. “We will also need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. We need the whole school staff to be on board. Who here wants to do it?”
Snape's eyes lit up. “I could take on that class along with Potions,” he offered.
Moody looked at him hard, then agreed. “A ceremony will be held next Saturday in honor of Albus Dumbledore on Hogwarts grounds so both students and teachers may pay their respects. See you there.” Moody then Disapparated.
Slowly, every member of the Order followed after speaking consoling words to each other.
**
Breakfast the first day back was extra rowdy. Everyone was everywhere and no one seemed to notice that their Headmaster was not present. Professor McGonagall had to perform many spells and curses before she finally got the students' attention.
“Children!” she reprimanded. “Sit down and be quiet!”
Everyone looked up at the Headmistress and obeyed. McGonagall was so frustrated and tired now that she didn't have the energy to be sad anymore.
“Last night Headmaster Dumbledore passed away.”
Instantly, the room erupted with noise. One kid shouted, “WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!”
“ENOUGH!” McGonagall screamed. Then she cast a silencing charm on all the students.
”Hogwarts is still safe, rest assured. School will continue as usual. In every hallway on every floor there will be an adult supervising. These are trained wizards and witches, do not try to pull off anything stupid. If you see anything peculiar or have any concerns you may talk to them. A ceremony for Headmaster Dumbledore will be held on Saturday. All are invited and encouraged to attend. You may resume your breakfast.”
She sat back down and started eating, apparently comfortable with the complete silence. Then Hagrid cleared his throat. “Um, Professor, I mean, Headmistress?”
She looked up at the giant and gave him a questioning look.
“You might want to take that silence charm off the kids.”
She blinked then said, “Oh! Right.” She finished the spell and the students immediately started talking, but were much better about the noise level this time. She smiled and finished her breakfast.
**
“Today, I have a special treat for all of you!” Hagrid said merrily once class began.
“Oh no,” Draco whispered to Crabbe and Goyle. “What's the lunatic gonna make us do now.”
Hermione, having overheard him, shot him a cold glare. He grinned at her and mouthed, “I still think Hagrid's a lunatic!”
Hermione rolled her eyes and turned her head back to the front of the class. Harry looked back to give Draco a glare too. Draco smirked and whispered something to Goyle, who laughed at what he said. Goyle then grinned at Harry, which made Harry very uneasy. Hagrid came back into sight carrying three large, glass jars of something. The students took a step back as he put the jars on the ground.
“This, my friends, is something you don't see everyday!” he told them while putting on big rubber gloves. He carefully opened one of the lids and let the gooey blue thing inside crawl out of the jar. It moved like a slug; it sort of slid in a very slow and unbearable fashion all the while leaving a trail behind it. It headed towards the students and they all immediately jumped back. Hagrid laughed and walked over to the thing.
“This is called a Duplicat. It does exactly what it sounds like; it duplicates.” Hagrid dropped a coin on the ground and immediately the Duplicat transformed itself, on contact, to look identical to the coin. The class gasped in amazement then burst out into cheers. Hagrid smiled, finally able to give the students a good time. He turned around to get the other two jars when Draco shoved his way over to the Duplicat and began to pick it up off the floor. He was suddenly launched back into the students with an electrical force. Hagrid turned around and widened his eyes as he realized what had happened.
“Draco!” Hermione screamed, running to him. “Hagrid! What happened?!”
“He ain't supposed to touch it! You have to get him to the hospital wing immediately,” Hagrid replied hurriedly. Without another word, Hermione pulled Draco up and started running towards the school. Harry and Ron, seeing how difficult is was for her to carry Draco all by herself, stepped forward to help, but Crabbe and Goyle shoved them back and helped Hermione escort Draco to the hospital.
**
Immediately after they entered, Madam Pomfrey pointed out a bed to lie the unconscious boy on, as if she was expecting it. Then she ran into another room to get a mixture of potions.
“What happened?” Crabbe asked Hermione.
“I don't know. I've read an article on Duplicats in the Daily Prophet before, but all I remember is that they are a rare newfound species.”
“Who are poisonous and will give you an electrical experience if you touch them, literally,” Madam Pomfrey finished for her, reappearing with an armful of vials and equipment.
“You see how his finger has turned blue? The Duplicat's poison is planting itself there and will soon spread through his whole body if I don't get this vaccination into him fast enough.”
“Will...will he die?” Crabbe asked, on the verge of tears. Hermione glared at him, which only made him burst into loud, uncontrollable sobs.
“Mr. Goyle, will you please escort your friend outside? I do not need this noise inside my hospital; especially when I'm about to perform a dangerous procedure.”
Goyle frowned and pulled Crabbe away. “We'll return to class and visit him later,” he told Hermione as he left. Hermione watched them leave with confusion. Why are they being so nice to me, she thought to herself. But her thoughts were brushed away when she saw Madam Pomfrey pull out an amputating device from her bag.
“What...what's that for?” she asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.
“The only way to stop the poison from spreading is to cut off where it is planted.”
Hermione felt like fainting but kept strong for Draco. She walked over to the other side of the bed and held his hand. Even when he wasn't conscious he was still warm. She watched as the nurse cleaned the blade of the knife.
“Can I help with anything?”
Madam Pomfrey looked up at Hermione and after studying her determined expression, smiled.
”Here, give him this,” she replied, handing Hermione a yellow vial. “Make sure he drinks every drop of it. It's to make sure he stays asleep for at least ten more minutes, for the surgery.”
Hermione nodded as she took the vial from the nurse. She tilted Draco's head back gently and slowly poured the potion into his mouth. When she was finally able to get him to drink all of it, she looked back up to see the nurse watching her.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked panicked.
Madam Pomfrey smiled and shook her head. “Have you decided what you are going to do when you are older, Hermione?”
Hermione blinked and shook her head. “I'm not sure yet.”
“You'd make an excellent healer.”
Hermione blushed and smiled to herself. “Thank you.”
Madam Pomfrey nodded, then turned her attention back to the knife. “Okay, there is going to be a lot of bleeding after I cut the infection off, I need you to apply this potion (she pointed to a red bottle) immediately to his finger to stop him from losing too much blood. Can you do that?”
Hermione nodded eagerly and grabbed the bottle while getting into position. She closed her eyes as the knife met Draco's index finger. Once she heard an unpleasant thud, she opened her eyes and carefully dropped a couple of drops onto the half finger. Inside, she was ready to vomit, but that wouldn't fare well for Draco if she did. The potion sealed all the vessels in Draco's finger together so no more blood would pour out. Madam Pomfrey then took out another bottle from her bag. It was labeled, 'PartGro'.
“Let me guess, from the same company as “SkeleGro”,” Hermione asked amused. Madam Pomfrey laughed.
“They're not the best at making creative names,” she replied.
Once the liquid met Draco's mouth, the boy sprung up, and like Harry's reaction to SkeleGro, spit it out.
“AUGH!!! What is that?!” he screamed.
“Draco!” Hermione cried, then launched herself onto him with a hug. Draco fell back onto the bed and let out a small laugh.
“Hey, wasn't that cool?!” he said.
“COOL?!!” Hermione repeated angrily. “You scared me to death! Look, you lost your finger!” she continued, shoving his own hand in his face. Draco paled.
“What did you guys do...” he asked, becoming even paler by the second.
“It's the only way to cure the poison; we had to amputate your finger,” Madam Pomfrey explained.
“Oh no,” Draco said. “NO!!! I was just playing a joke on you guys!!! I did a research on Duplicats a while back and learned all about the dangers of them. Then, when I saw Hagrid come out with them, I made my finger look like an infected finger, and then I used a spell to launch myself back when I bent down to touch it!!! But the spell backfired, and I actually got knocked out when I swung back, so I couldn't tell you guys it wasn't real.”
Hermione's jaw dropped. Madam Pomfrey simply glared at him like he was an asylum patient. Draco turned pink and look down.
“I just wanted to see your reaction. And I didn't even get that,” he admitted embarrassedly to Hermione.
Hermione instantly grabbed his pillow and smacked him as hard as she could on the head.
“NOW WHAT?!” she cried. “You're so stupid Draco! That is the worst joke anyone could have played. AUGH! Boys are so DUMB!” And at that, she stomped out of the hospital. Madam Pomfrey had the same reaction, expect she was more mature about it and simply shoved the bottle of PartGro in his face and walked away saying, “Three goblets every thirty minutes for four hours.” Draco groaned and painfully downed the first dose of medicine.
**
“Arthur,” Voldemort greeted as the red haired man walked into his office.
“You didn't tell me I was going to kill the Headmaster,” Mr. Weasley said immediately.
“Does that bother you?” Voldemort questioned dangerously.
“No sir,” he replied softly.
“Good. Now, I need you to do something else for me. I'm afraid I've lost contact with young Mr. Malfoy. Return home for a while, ask your children about it; I believe Draco has gone astray. He has probably been poisoned by that Mudblood's words.”
“But sir, my family already suspects me to be working with you. You told me if I told Dumbledore a believable story, he would get the word out for me, and I'd be able to go home safely.”
“Believe it or not, Weasley, that wine was not intended to kill the old buffoon. You were not the reason of his death. He really did die naturally.”
“But then why did you just say...”
“I just asked if you would have a problem with killing someone,” Voldemort replied slyly.
Mr. Weasley bowed his head and nodded. “I'll report back to you when I have found something out.”
**
Harry and Ron spent the rest of the day listening to Hermione vent about Draco's prank gone wrong. When she finally finished, Ron informed Harry that DA meetings were going to be set every Wednesday at 8 PM in the Room of Requirement. When all conversation finally wore out, they went to bed after a very eventful first day back.
**
Hahahah, that is the most random ending. I just wanted to finish this chapter so I could post earlier. =) Hope you guys liked it.