“Draco, you have to understand this. The Antithesis is a very new potion, discovered only last year. At this moment, there are a few potions that may reverse the effects, but, I am afraid, they are not very good. A witch was left with no memory and, another. . .” Snape paused. “He was left with paralysis.”
“I see,” Draco said softly.
“Whoever gave you the potion hasn’t done a very good job of it, it seems to me,” Professor Snape continued. “You told me you seem to have two conflicting voices, each telling you to do the opposite?” Draco nodded. “And sometimes you seem to be yourself?”
“That was in the first few days.”
“Madam Pomfrey has a supply of the Mandrake Draught and only recently has the Draught been included in the ongoing studies to reverse the Potion. The study has not been concluded, but it seems to work in the early stages, about twenty-four hours after taking the Potion. The Potion you took does not seem to be as potent as it should be and the Mandrake Draught may cure you.”
“Really?” Draco could not believe it.
“Don’t get your hopes up too high. Come,” Professor Snape got up. “Get Potter and we will go see Madam Pomfrey.”
“I’ll go, shall I?” Andy asked, feeling he would not be wanted.
“No, stay,” Draco said. “Professor, Harry has turned very…violent.”
“Yes, I’ve seen. Perhaps we should keep him in the hospital wing.”
Professor Snape fetched Harry and brought him to the hospital wing. Draco, Andy and Professor McGonagall were already there. Professor Snape related what Draco had told him and then questioned Harry. Harry was sulky but to everyone’s relief he answered Snape. At the end of it Snape was positive both Harry and Draco had taken the Antithesis Potion.
“Professor Dumbledore will have to be informed, and the culprit expelled,” Professor McGonagall said.
“Might I suggest keeping Potter in the hospital wing and keeping this quiet?” Snape said quietly to Professor McGonagall. “Even from Potter’s best friends, it would be best. Brigand already knows, but I think beyond him no one should.”
“I agree,” Professor McGonagall said. “What about Malfoy?”
“He does not seem to be...unstable.”
Harry had now taken to taunting Draco and Draco was doing his best to ignore it, though it was rather hard.
A few minutes later both of them were given the Mandrake Draught. Draco drank his almost greedily. Harry refused to drink it and it was only after Draco and Andy had left that he finally took a sip. Harry, they had been told, would be staying in the hospital wing. They were to tell no one about what had happened.
Although Draco had been told not to expect anything for a week, he woke up the next day wondering if he was back to normal. This illusion was almost immediately shattered when Draco found himself wondering if he should visit Harry. He was starting to feel thoroughly depressed when Andy reminded him that if the Draught was going to work it would show signs only after a week. This cheered him up a little.
On the way to Arithmancy class that afternoon he heard Ron wondering out loud to Hermione where Harry was. He sounded a bit worried.
Draco took his seat in Arithmancy. Hermione sat down on his left a moment later.
Professor Vector entered the class and began to teach. They were doing a new topic that day which Draco found rather tricky. He managed to get the hang of it near the end of the lesson, to his relief. He stole a glance at Hermione. She seemed to be done. Draco took this opportunity to talk to her about something that had been on his mind for the past few days.
“Hermione?” he asked apprehensively, not knowing how she would react.
“Yes?” she looked up at Draco, surprise written all over her face. “What is it?” she said it softer than Draco had expected her to.
“I’m---” Draco cleared his throat. “I’m really sorry about calling you a Mudblood and other disgusting names. I’ve realized that, well, being Muggle-born isn’t a bad thing. I mean, for one thing, you’re one of the best witches I’ve seen and rather sensible. Like the other day in Defense Against the Dark Arts. You’re really bright, really smart, really good at magic.” Draco felt himself turning red and he hated it. “From what I’ve seen, you seem very nice and a very loyal friend, even though Ron always seems ready to dump you and Harry does everything he says. Sorry. I know they’re your best friends. The point is,” Draco said quickly before he could embarrass himself further, "my calling you a Mudblood was plain rude and an unfounded accusation. And, um, congratulations on getting 13 O.W.L.s.” Draco did not know why he had said that. It had just come out.
“Oh, um, thank you,” Hermione was taken aback; very much taken aback. She had never thought she would see the day when Draco Malfoy would apologize for something.
“So, am I forgiven?” Draco had crossed his fingers under his desk. “I understand if I’m not. I really was a little git.”
Hermione forgave him at that. Draco sounded, to her, very sincere and very sorry. Maybe he’s changed, she thought. Maybe he’s a better person now.
Both of them talked quietly until the end of Arithmancy, about everything under the sun. It was nice, Draco thought after Arithmancy. Hermione had the intellect Pansy did not have. Maybe he could catch up with her in the library and they could talk.
Draco groaned inwardly, He was (and wanted to) mix with Gryffindors and Mud---Muggle-borns, something he had promised himself he would never do. Well, it wasn’t like Hermione was your average Muggle-born Gryffindor. She was different---somehow.
* * *
Hermione found herself looking forward to going to the library---well, more than she usually was. Draco was usually there and she found herself looking forward to talking to him. She shook her head. It was crazy. She was actually looking forward to seeing and talking to Draco Malfoy. Until a few days ago he had been the bane of her life.
Hermione walked past the closed door of the hospital wing. The hospital wing had become a bit of a curiosity over the past few days because everyone was sure Harry Potter was there. Even Hermione and Ron were not sure. They had asked professor McGonagall about Harry, but she had just said Harry was fine and would probably be back at his lessons in a week or two. It was maddening. They were his best friends and the teachers would not even tell them what had happened to Harry.
“Hey, Hermione!”
Hermione spun around. The speaker had been Ron.
“Where were you?” he asked, catching up to her.
“Library.”
“You’ve been spending a lot of time there. More than usual, I mean.” Hermione did not answer. Ron gestured to the hospital wing. “Still closed, huh? Maybe Harry’s been Petrified or something, we were crushing Mandrake roots during Herbology.”
Hermione laughed it off. “There’s no Basilisk here, Ron. Harry killed it ages ago.” She frowned suddenly. “Speaking of Harry, he’s been acting very oddly. Before he, well, disappeared, I mean.”
“Yeah, how about Neville ending up in the hospital wing?” Ron responded, as he rounded a corner. “And dropping food on Malfoy! Seriously, though, what Harry did to Neville was---“
“Inhuman and disgusting,” Hermione finished for him. “It wasn’t Harry at all. It wasn’t even Dra---Malfoy.”
Ron shook his head, climbing the stairs. “It’s like his personality just got warped or something and he became evil Harry.”
Something Ron said rang a bell in Hermione’s head, but what it was she did not know until they were in the Gryffindor common room.
“Oh! Ron, remember in potions Dra---Malfoy asked Professor Snape about a potion to change your personality? Snape said yes, there was such a thing and Harry seemed really interested. . .I’m sure I know what potion Snape was talking about. . .but Harry couldn’t have taken it. Snape said it’s really complex. . .”
“Probably so we wouldn’t try and make it,” Ron said. “Strawberry tart,” he said to the Fat Lady, and the portrait hole opened.
“No,” Hermione frowned. “I don’t think so. Ron, I think he was talking about the Antithesis Potion.”
“The what?”
“The Antithesis potion.” Hermione took a seat and Ron did the same. “It’s a new potion and very dangerous. There’s no cure. It’s also really powerful and the effects either last for a very long time or it’s permanent.”
Ron was flabbergasted. “What? But, Harry, if he’s taken it. . .”
“It would explain why he was mean all of a sudden,” Hermione said. She bit her lip. “Oh, I really hope he didn’t take it.”
Ron snapped his fingers as an idea occurred to him. “Maybe that’s why Harry’s in the hospital wing! Dumbledore’s trying to cure him.”
“Why keep him there, though?”
“Well, he wasn’t exactly very, well, you know---” Ron lowered his voice, "stable. I mean, what he did to Neville, and remember Seamus and Dean? That was a rotten trick to play on them. Really rotten. I don’t think even Malfoy would have done a thing like---” Ron stopped suddenly.
“What?”
“Well,” he said slowly. “If Harry took the potion and he’s mean, what if Malfoy took the potion too, and became all nice?”
“No way,” Hermione said vehemently.
“Well, think about it, Hermione! Malfoy’s really nice all of a sudden, everyone’s seen that. Oh, and remember he disarmed Harry while he was threatening Neville? He hasn’t teased or bullied any of us since, well, since Harry’s been acting oddly.”
“No, it can’t be,” Hermione said. “He was really sincere when he apologized to me---”
“He what? He apologized to you? How come---how come you never told me?” Ron demanded.
“And he lent me his quill and gave me some parchment,” Hermione went red. “He’s actually really nice to talk to.”
“You’re talking to him?” Ron was almost speechless with shock. “He apologized to you and you accepted it? You do know this is Malfoy we’re talking about.”
“He was really sincere, he really was! And, Draco actually is rather---“ Hermione did not finish.
Ron groaned loudly. “You’re even on first name terms! Hermione, you’ve got to see through this, you’ve got to! The only reason Malfoy is nice to you is because he’s under the influence of the potion! It’s not really him. It’s like Harry, look how mean he is---”
“Exactly! Everyone has a good and bad side, Ron! That’s Harry’s bad side and this is Draco’s good side! It’s just that Harry’s good side prevails a lot more than the other---”
“And Malfoy? I suppose you’re going to say he’s got a good heart inside him somewhere, is that it? He doesn’t, Hermione, he’s an evil little git---”
“He’s not!” Hermione said shrilly. She got up and stomped up to the girls’ dormitories, found hers and slammed the door behind her. She leaned against the closed door, her heart beating rapidly.
She had just defended Draco Malfoy. Who, until now, had been slimy idiotic Draco Malfoy and also a very stupid git. Until now. Now she saw him as nice, sweet and a different person.
A different person. She did not want to believe that Draco had taken the potion. She wanted to believe that he had changed, realized the error of his ways. Become the boy she had come to know.
He was sincere, she tried to convince herself. Really sincere. But Harry had been really mean too. It had looked like he had actually enjoyed being mean! The thought made her shiver.
Ron had a point, she had to admit. It was logical. She did not want to believe it. But she had to find out if he had taken the potion. If he had, then...she sighed. It was too bad.
* * *
Draco wandered around the bookshelves aimlessly. The title of an old library book jumped out at him.
“Executions of the Seventeenth Century,” Draco read. He raised his eyebrows. “Sounds interesting.” He knew for a fact---his father had told him---that seventeenth century executions had been utterly inhuman and, in Draco’s opinion, made for a good read. He had been meaning to read up on it but had never got round to it.
Draco sat down at a table and opened the book. There was a disgusting picture of a mutilated -- something. It looked like at had once been a human. Draco smiled to himself. It looked like the book was going to be a really good read. He flipped the pages. Yes, loads of pictures. I’ll borrow the book, Draco decided as he began to read.
He was so engrossed in the book he hardly noticed someone sit down beside him. He was tempted to tell that person to bugger off, but he figured Hermione could sit down on the other side. Besides, the book was far too interesting than to tell someone to go away.
“Hi, Draco.”
“Wha---oh! Hi,” Draco said, realizing the speaker was Hermione. Was it just him, or did she seem just a little bit colder than usual?
“What are you reading?” she asked.
“Executions of the Seventeenth Century,” he said proudly. “Really interesting. I don’t think you’ll like it, though.”
Hermione eyed one of the pictures. “Definitely not. That’s disgusting!”
Draco shrugged. “Well, for you. I find it fascinating.” He wanted to tell her it was very nice, but didn’t. This pleased him. A week had passed since taking the Mandrake Draught and he was starting to think a bit like himself again.
“I need to ask you something,” Hermione said seriously. “Did you take the Antithesis Potion? Did Harry?”
Draco looked at her with considerable surprise. “How do you know about the Potion?”
“I read about it.” Hermione bit her lip. “You took it, didn’t you? And Harry? That’s why you’re so nice all of a sudden and Harry’s so mean, isn’t it?”
Draco hesitated. He wasn’t to tell anybody, but she knew a lot already. Besides, she had a right to know. She was Harry’s best friend. “Someone slipped the Potion into our pumpkin juice. I don’t know who. Harry’s in the hospital wing. The Professors deemed him, well, a little unstable and decided to keep him there. We’re taking the Mandrake Draught to try and cure us.”
“Does it work?”
Draco hesitated again. “I don’t know.” It wasn’t exactly a lie; he wasn’t sure the Draught was working.
“So, apologizing to me the other day, and all those nice things you did, they weren’t really you?” Hermione asked softly.
“What? No, I mean yes, I mean, no it wasn’t me but the apology was real. I meant it, I really did. I don’t think you’re a Mudblood, I really don’t,” Draco said desperately.
“How do I know you’re not lying?”
“I’m not, I swear,” Draco said.
“You know what I mean. How do I know you’re being you or just being nice?”
Draco fell silent. He didn’t know himself.
“It’s not really you, is it?” Hermione had tears in her eyes. “I’ve enjoyed your company and our talks but...I can’t talk to you anymore. I can’t talk to a false personality. Goodbye.”
And before Draco could say anything, Hermione got up and left the library.