(HELLO EVERYONE!! Well here's Chapter 9… my longest Chapter yet! I quite like this chapter and it took me a long while before I started to actually like it. It took me on an interesting adventure and helped me release some important bits to this fan fic. I hope you'll enjoy it because I've worked really hard on it and I can't believe how long it is!)
CHAPTER 9
It was a beautiful winter afternoon. The snow was crisp and twinkling like scattered diamonds as the bright sun illuminated the magical world.
Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way to Care of Magical Creatures class. Hagrid's hut was completely covered in snow, no smoke seeped through the small chimney, and it was no longer a happy feeling to see the homely shack for neither of the threesome.
Hermione was leading the group and was heavily concentrated on a large piece of parchment.
"You've read that three times already." Ron commented.
"Just let her read." Harry said giving Ron a bit of a shove forward.
"Is it another letter from Viky?" Ron teased, but quickly stopped when Harry gave him an unpleasant scowl.
"No Ron, for your information, it's a letter from my parents… well my mum really, my dad's never been into writing letters." Hermione answered not taking her eyes off the parchment.
"How are they?" Harry asked automatically, trying hard not to look guilty.
"You already know… you were reading over my shoulder remember?" Hermione answered, still keeping her eyes on the letter and nearly tripping due to the uneven footpath, Harry caught her just in time. "Thank you Harry."
"Sorry about reading your letter Hermione." Harry said blushing slightly.
"I don't mind… after all, we were always nosy about what Sirius wrote you." She gave him a grin, folding the letter up carefully, and tucking it into one of her books.
"That's not what you would have said if it was me who read your letter." Ron mumbled under his breath.
"Sorry?" Hermione questioned.
"Nothing… lets just hurry up before we're late." Ron answered shaking his head with disgust.
"Ron… eager to get to class?" Harry gasped sarcastically.
They all broke into a cheerful laughter.
"Welcome dears. My, my, Auras are just pulsing this afternoon,"
Hermione rolled her eyes; she wasn't fond of Professor Pigott. Harry didn't mind her too much, she was a bit insane, but any Professor was better then Snape and Umbridge.
"If we all gather around, I have made a list of today's pairs. Please see who you're paired with and stand next to one another."
Harry, Ron and Hermione peered at the list together. As usual, Professor Pigott paired together one boy and one girl, but this time, the list was nearly alphabetical.
"Oh no, I'm paired with Prunella Wallington." Ron sighed, peering over at the Slytherin girl.
"Isn't she one of the girl's who's always steeling Luna's things?" Hermione asked.
Ron nodded and shuffled over to Prunella's side.
"Who are you with?" Hermione asked looking for Harry's name.
Harry groaned.
"Pansy Parkinson." He muttered with disappointment. "Lucky you… you're with Seamus."
Hermione gave him a half grin, before Harry slumped off to stand next to Pansy.
"Hey Harry, its good to have you as a partner," Pansy stated wrapping an arm around Harry. "I wonder what Professor Pigott has lined up for us, I'm not very good with magical creatures…you might have to help me."
He wriggled out of Pansy's grasp, and glanced over at Hermione. Seamus was busy talking to her; she was looking towards Harry's direction, but averted her eyes to Seamus when Harry looked at her.
"We shall be working with a magnificent mystical creature today my young observing learners." Professor Pigott said as she weaved between pairs to make sure everyone had a partner. "Today we shall be looking at the Owlbear… can anyone tell me anything about the Owlbear?"
Hermione's hand shot up into the air, but so did Draco's. Harry felt a hint of jealousy and wished he knew some piece of information on the chosen creature.
"You first Mr. Malfoy." Professor Pigott smiled.
"The Owlbear is a creature that has the head of an owl and body of a bear, there chosen living conditions would be large forests with many trees and a good number of caves. They are extremely dangerous creatures unless they have been brought up well in captivity… they could then make ideal guardians."
"Very good Draco, ten points to Slytherin… do you have anything to add Miss Granger?" Professor Pigott questioned.
"Many of the Owlbear's parts have magical components for powerful potions, particularly their course, thick hairs." Hermione stated with a grin.
"Yes very good Miss Granger, ten points for Gryffindor." Professor Pigott said happily.
"You've forgotten, that an Owlbear's feathers are desired in wands…of course, they're very expensive and rarely does such a wand ever choose a witch or wizard." Draco added.
"That's complete rubbish." Hermione said shaking her head. "Owlbear wands haven't been made for centuries, I'm sure it's because they contain no magical abilities."
"You're wrong… Owlbear wands are still made, they're just difficult to come across, my wand is eight and three quarter inches long, and contains an Owlbear feather and three hairs, each a different color." Draco grinned holding his wand out for Hermione to see.
Hermione strolled over and peered carefully at Draco's wand, there on the side was a carved N.K-OLBR.
"Nigel Kormburn, the famous wand creator." Hermione muttered under her breath.
Draco nodded.
"Sorry." Hermione apologized in a faint voice as she hung her head and returned to her place next to Seamus.
Harry wasn't aware of how angry he was until he realized he had been gripping his wand so tightly, that his hand had turned a bright red and felt clammy.
"Well," Professor Pigott spoke as if nothing eventful had just happened. "we have a few Owlbear's that have been raised in captivity. You'll all get a chance to have a good look at this wonderful creature. Please be sure to complete a labeled sketch of the Owlbear, including the anatomy, what this creature eats, and how to go about protecting yourself in case of an encounter."
Harry found a comfortable place to sit and began to sketch a picture of the Owlbear. Pansy sat down right next to Harry, and took out her sketch book and quill.
"Magnificent creatures aren't they?" She stated taking a look at what Harry had already drawn.
"Yeah." Harry answered quickly without even looking at her.
Pansy Parkinson had grown up a lot in the time frame that Harry had known her. To Harry, Pansy was never a very pretty looking girl, but she wasn't unattractive either. Her pale face had matured, so she no longer looked like an angry pug, her dark shoulder length hair was now long, sleek and perfectly straight. She was tall, slender and appealing in a dark kind of way, but Pansy's purple eyes still contained a dangerous flicker.
`She'll never be as beautiful as Hermione.' Harry thought observing the makeup that covered Pansy's face.
Harry hadn't noticed how close one of the Owlbears had wandered to the place where he and Pansy were sitting. He felt Pansy grasp his arm firmly, whimpering with fear.
"Pansy, let go please." He said firmly.
Pansy held on tighter and whimpered louder.
"Harry, look out!" He heard Hermione scream.
Harry cautiously looked behind him. The Owlbear's enormous yellow eyes stared at him. Pansy nearly jumped into Harry's lap when the Owlbear let out an angry hiss.
"We have to get out of here, just get up really slowly, and we'll calmly walk away from it okay?" Harry said gently to Pansy.
Pansy didn't have time to answer, she fainted.
"Great, just great." Harry muttered heaving Pansy onto his shoulder. He looked around to see if Professor Pigott was anywhere in sight. She was near Hagrid's hut helping some students and wasn't aware of what was happening behind her, he would have shouted for some help, but he was sure that it wouldn't be a very good idea.
Harry glanced at Hermione who was slowly edging closer with her wand pointed. Harry figured she wasn't casting spells for fear of hitting Pansy and him.
Harry slowly began to back away from the large beast who gave another hiss; he was extremely grateful he had to carry Pansy Parkinson and not Millicent Bulstrode.
Suddenly, the Owlbear turned its yellow eyes towards Hermione, and without warning, started to charge towards her. The sudden change of attack startled Hermione, she took a step back, still pointing her wand, but she tripped on something, and fell to the ground. As she hit the snow with a crunch, she lost her grasp on her wand, and watched it soar out of her reach.
Without even thinking, Harry dropped Pansy and started to run as fast as his legs would carry him towards Hermione.
The Owlbear now stood over Hermione, hissing and slashing an enormous paw with claws like giant butcher knives.
"Hermione move!" Harry yelled still running towards her.
Hermione saw the Owlbear's gigantic pointy beak heading straight for her body, she screamed and rolled to the right just before the beak would have pierced her. The Owlbear struck again, gasping, Hermione rolled to the left.
She felt Harry's strong arms lift her from the snow, and carry her to safety.
"Metallium!" He heard Professor Pigott shout; he knew the creature was now chained to the ground.
"Reviveeo." Professor Pigott chanted to wake Pansy up from her faint.
Harry lay Hermione down on the snow in order to get a better look at her; he wanted to make sure she wasn't hurt.
"Hermione, are you okay?" He asked removing his winter gloves, and cupping her cheeks in his hands.
"Yeah." She answered giving him a grin.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" Harry asked again.
"No." She answered slightly shaking her head.
"I'll take you to the castle so Madam Pomfrey could have a look at you." He stated.
"Don't be silly Harry, I'm fine, honestly." She said pulling herself into a sitting position.
Their faces were inches away from each other. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold, and small flakes of snow scattered the curls that weren't hidden beneath her red winter hat. Harry felt his heart pounding within his ribcage; their matching breaths could be seen hovering through the frosty air.
"Harry, Harry, thank you for saving my life!" Harry felt Pansy Parkinson launch herself at him, and firmly embraced him.
"Hermione wait!" Harry called struggling to untangle himself from Pansy's grasp, as he watched Hermione amble towards Seamus.
"Class dismissed." Professor Pigott announced.
He saw Hermione change direction towards the castle.
"Hermione wait!" He called again jogging to her side.
"She likes you Harry." Hermione said slowing her pace down so Harry could keep up.
"If she hasn't noticed, I'm not interested." He spat with venom in his tone.
"You're not?" She halted and looked him straight in the eyes.
"No Hermione, I'm not." He answered frowning.
"You don't think she's pretty?" She questioned.
"She is." Harry said truthfully.
Hermione started walking again, and Harry followed.
"But that doesn't mean I like her." He added.
Hermione chuckled.
"What?" He asked confused.
"Cho." Hermione answered.
"Huh?"
"Cho Chang." She said rolling her eyes.
"What about her?" He asked.
"She was pretty."
"So?" He still didn't understand why she was acting like this.
"And you liked her for it."
"I didn't like her for being pretty." Harry said feeling a bit hurt.
"And because she played Quidditch." Hermione stated.
"She was in Ravenclaw so I knew she had to be smart… besides, that was two years ago, I was kind of stupid then."
"No you weren't… I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into me." She said taking him by the arm.
"It's okay Hermione." He said giving her a grin and allowing her to lean into him. "What have we got next?"
"Potions." Hermione answered glumly.
"I thought you like Professor Vector." Harry said a bit surprised.
"I do, its just… never mind."
Harry knew he wasn't going to get any more information out of Hermione, so they silently meandered into the school, and into their next class.
It was extremely unpleasant to walk from the frosty outdoors, to the warm interior of the school, and then have to go down into the cold dungeons for Potions class. Hermione sat at the back of the classroom and was quickly joined by Seamus. Harry sat at the front of the classroom and let out an exhausted sigh when Pansy chose to sit next to him.
"I thought you had to go to the hospital wing." Harry muttered through gritted teeth.
"No… I feel fine thanks." Pansy answered.
"Good afternoon class, we'll start with a few notes." Professor Vector stated pointing at the chalkboard. "We'll be brewing the mild Controlling Potion, can anyone tell me anything about it?... yes Miss Granger?"
"The Controlling Potion, works like the Imperius Curse, except that the person you are to control must drink the potion. A mild Controlling Potion control's an individual for five to ten minutes and can only be controlled by the individual who made the potion."
"Very good Hermione, take five points for Gryffindor."
Harry was expecting to see Draco add something, but Hermione seemed to cover the topic quite well. He stole a quick glance towards Draco's direction and noticed he was concentrating his attention on Pansy. He didn't know why, but he felt bad for Draco, he seemed to really like her, and she was completely ignoring him.
Harry was frantically scribbling the notes from the chalkboard, when he felt a hand glide across his thigh, his eyes widened and he stared at Pansy.
"Sorry, I dropped my quill, I'm just trying to reach it." She said looking innocently into his emerald green eyes.
"The third ingredient is what Miss Granger?" Professor Vector asked.
"I, I… I'll get it for you." Harry said quickly reaching over and picking her quill up off the floor.
Harry heard a book crash to the floor, he looked back and saw Hermione picking up papers that scattered the stone surface.
"S, Sorry Professor, I… didn't hear what you asked." Hermione answered.
"The third ingredient in the Controlling Potion is what?" Professor Vector asked again.
"Oh… urrm… I… I don't know Professor." She answered blushing.
The entire class stared at Hermione. Never had Hermione failed to answer a teacher's question.
Harry felt a lump form in his throat, Hermione didn't look very well, if she wanted, he would escort her to the hospital wing.
Professor Vector looked like he was hit with a stunning spell. "It's right on the chalkboard Miss Granger."
"Oh, right, sorry." She mumbled.
"Are you sure you're alright Miss Granger?" Professor Vector asked with a great deal of concern.
"Yes… I'm fine."
Harry found that hard to believe, he decided he would keep a close eye on her.
Harry and Pansy worked efficiently to complete their potion. Pansy was much better at getting perfect amounts of ingredients measured out, and Harry was very good at making sure everything was placed in the potion in the correct order, and at exactly the right time. He was surprised to see they made a pretty good team.
Every so often, Harry took a quick glance to see how Hermione was. He noticed her hands were trembling, but she seemed fairly concentrated on getting her potion done with Seamus.
"We're done Professor Vector." Pansy stated raising her hand.
"Very good, now we'll just wait for the rest of these students to finish." Professor Vector answered with a smile.
Eventually, everyone had finished brewing their Controlling Potion.
"Good, now you will each pour some into a beaker and you and your partner will trade beakers. Then, one partner at a time, will take the potion, while the other will control their partner for five to ten minutes… There will be absolutely no distasteful commands given, this includes making your partner kiss someone, making your partner fall in love with someone, and any type of sexual action is forbidden. If I see any such actions, the controller will find themselves in a lot of trouble and may even face expulsion!" Professor Vector warned.
Harry felt suddenly nervous being partnered up with Pansy, what would she make him do?
"You can control me first Harry." Pansy said taking Harry's beaker and drinking down the potion.
Harry glanced over at Hermione and noticed she had chosen to drink the potion first.
"Urrm, okay…pretend you're a chicken." Harry commanded. It was the first thing that came to mind.
Pansy flapped her hands, clucked and tried to dig a hole in the floor. Harry grinned, Ron would have loved to see this.
Harry looked to see what Seamus made Hermione do.
She was sweeping her hair back with one hand, strutting around the classroom ruffling every boy's hair and giving them a warm seductive smile.
Harry felt the anger rising in him. "Stop it Seamus!" He yelled.
"I'm not doing anything Harry, it's allowed you know." Seamus said with a frown. He then called Hermione over to his side.
Hermione had hiked up her skirt, loosened her tie and had the first three buttons from her white collar shirt undone. She sat down in Seamus's lap, gave him a pout and said. "What do you want me to do?"
Harry's anger was slowly rising, the candles lighting the cold dungeon flickered.
Seamus gave Harry a long searching look, then commanded Hermione to put her skirt back down, button her shirt and tighten her tie.
"Okay Hermione, now act like Trelawny." Seamus commanded.
Harry gave Seamus a small grin; it was funny seeing Hermione meander around the room giving students predictions about painful, dreadful deaths in the same mystical tone that Professor Trelawny had always used.
Harry turned his attention back to Pansy, and was about to give her a new command, but noticed that she had already returned to her normal self.
"Your turn Potter." She said handing him the glass.
Harry nervously drank the potion. It had an awful taste, but not nearly as bad as the sleeping potion he often had to take in the hospital wing.
"Okay Harry, lets start with something simple… bark like a dog." He heard Pansy instruct.
Harry did as he was told.
"Good okay… pretend that you're playing Quidditch." He heard Pansy command.
Harry got on his invisible broom and ran around the room turning abruptly and squinting in an attempt to find a golden snitch that wasn't even there.
He heard some people laugh.
"Need directions to St. Mungo's Potter?" Draco spat in an amused tone.
Harry wanted to shoot a remark back at Draco but couldn't.
"Okay Harry, come back here." Pansy instructed.
Harry did as he was told.
"Now… Granger's not under the spell anymore, so… go up to Granger, uuhh, Hermione I mean, and tell her how ugly she is. Find the meanest words you can say, and say them clearly to her face." Pansy's lips curled into an evil, malicious grin.
Harry's heart gave a leap and he found himself screaming inside, but he wasn't able to control his legs which carried him across the room to where Hermione stood.
"Hey Harry." Hermione said giving him one of her famous welcoming grins.
Harry felt hate pulse through his body, and he began to fight the sensation with all his strength. Fighting the Controlling Potion wasn't like fighting the Imperius Curse, it was a completely different sensation. Harry no longer felt the desire to resist the command given; he no longer questioned why he should follow the instruction. The only thing that stopped Harry from doing as he was told, was hurting Hermione.
Harry concentrated on all the good things Hermione had done for him. He desperately tried to re-create the warm, yet feverish feeling, which swept up and down his spine and through his entire body when Hermione would hold him close.
"Harry?... Professor I think something's wrong with Harry!" Hermione called to the current Potions teacher.
The look on Harry's face was that of intense pain.
"I think he might pass out." Hermione said taking a hold of his arms in case her theory came true.
"Mr. Potter, can you hear me?" Professor Vector questioned, giving Harry a slight tap on the cheek with his fingers.
Pansy watched from a distance, furious that Harry hadn't done as she had commanded. She looked at the clock and knew that any moment, Harry would be returning to his normal self. One thing that made her feel grateful was that Harry wouldn't remember what he had done, or what she had commanded. No one ever did.
Harry's stiffened body suddenly began to relax, he felt the hatred melt from his thoughts. He was finally returning to normal.
"Harry?" Hermione whimpered.
"Its okay Hermione, I'm okay now." Harry said giving her a reassuring embrace.
"What happened?" She asked just before Professor Vector had a chance to ask.
"I was just fighting the Controlling Potion." Harry answered.
"Fighting the Controlling Potion?" Professor Vector's eyes widened. "That's not possible Mr. Potter."
"I was controlled to say the meanest words I could to Hermione's face… I just couldn't let that happen." Harry shrugged.
"Fascinating… you remembered what you were asked to do?" Professor Vector asked with an excitement that resembled Lockheart's whenever someone asked him for an autograph.
"Uhh, yeah… why wouldn't I?" Harry asked extremely confused.
"It's unheard of for anyone to remember anything they've done or have been asked to do when under this potion Harry." Hermione explained.
"I guess there's a first for everything then." Harry grinned strolling over to his desk, and taking his books off the table.
"Class dismissed." Professor Vector announced.
Harry shot Pansy Parkinson a venomous look of disgust, and accompanied Hermione out of the Potion's classroom.
******
Harry, Hermione and Ron sat comfortably in the Gryffindor Common Room reviewing for exams. Hermione managed to convince Ron that if he studied for exams sooner, he wouldn't have to cram so much information into his head at once.
"What's the fifth ingredient for the Reverse Memory Potion?" Harry questioned flipping the pages as if expecting the answer to just jump out at him.
"Three komodo lizard tongues." Ron answered.
Harry and Hermione looked at one another, and then stared at Ron.
"What?" Ron asked.
"Ron, you're not in Potions class." Hermione stated.
"I know… Luna was reading that chapter and kept repeating the ingredients to herself, and I just happened to remember what they were."
"Luna should read to you more often." Harry laughed clapping Ron on the shoulder.
"I think it's so great that you two are going to the ball together." Ron grinned at his two best friends.
Harry felt hot around the collar and he was sure his face was burning red.
Hermione suddenly found the current book she was reading extremely interesting, and hadn't noticed she was holding it upside down.
"Oh come on you two, you both know you'll have a great time together. Everyone knows you've been crazy about one another for," Ron tried to say before he got a firm jab in the ribs by Harry's elbow.
"We're not going together Ron." Hermione mumbled keeping her concentration on the book before her.
"What? … What do you mean you're not going together?" Ron's tone of voice was starting to rise with frustration.
"Who are you going with then Hermione?" Ron asked with a calmer tone of voice.
Hermione looked pleadingly into Harry's bright green eyes, he knew exactly what she wanted; she didn't want Ron to know that she was going with Seamus.
"That's my business." She stated matter-of-factly.
"I suppose I'm not going to get it out of you am I?" Ron sighed. "So who are you going with Harry?"
"Me?... oh… uuhh… a girl." He answered avoiding Ron's eyes.
Hermione peered sideways from the upside down Charms book at Harry.
"Well I sure hope it's a girl… do we know her?" Ron asked again.
"No… you don't know her." Harry mumbled. "Look, I'm tired, I'm going to bed… I'll see you both tomorrow."
"Okay, but lets make sure we all get a table together for the ball." Ron grinned.
"Yeah… sure." Harry said feeling sick. He was fairly confident he'd be able to find a girl that Hermione and Ron didn't know who would be glad to go to the ball with him, but the truth was he didn't want to go with anyone… anyone but Hermione.
Harry slumped up the stairs to the Boys Dormitory.
"Hey Harry, are you excited about the ball tomorrow?"
"Yeah… excited." Harry answered.
"I know you'll have a great time Harry." Seamus said giving Harry a grin.
Harry felt the anger and jealousy surge through his veins. He marched up to Seamus's face as Seamus slowly backed into the wall behind him.
"Listen… if you dare hurt Hermione in any way tomorrow, I'll curse you to fucking hell and back!"
"Easy Harry, I'm not going to hurt Hermione, I promise you." Seamus said raising his hands in surrender.
********
Hermione lay in her large, cold, lonely bed wondering who Harry would be bringing to the Pre Graduation Ball tomorrow. The ball was an important event for all seventh year students, because it would be the last official gathering that included every seventh year student. After all, not everyone will have the privilege of attending the Graduation Ball Party, because not every student will be lucky enough to graduate from Hogwarts.
Hermione sighed and curled herself into the fetal position to keep warm. What would tomorrow be like? Would Harry save her a dance like he had promised? Or would he be too busy with this new girl?
Hermione tried hard not to feel jealous, Harry deserved to be happy; out of all the people Hermione could think of, Harry definitely deserved it the most.
Her eyes felt heavy, and she gave a silent yawn before she drifted off to sleep.
******
She was standing in the Great Hall. All the desks were removed, and the entire room was completely empty except for a Wizard who stood waiting for her at the other side of the room.
"Don't be afraid, Hermione." He said.
That voice sounded familiar to her. She took a deep breath and walked towards him as the white light from the many windows blinded her sight. Her shoes tapped gently on the stone floor with each step she took, and echoed through the room.
"Sirius?" She gasped.
He smiled gently at her.
"I missed you," She said falling into his outstretched arms. "We all missed you, especially Harry."
"I know." He said as Hermione pulled away from the embrace.
"Come on," She said taking Sirius by the hand. "lets go see Harry now, he'll be so happy to see you, I can't wait to see the look on his face!" She grinned.
Sirius stayed glued to the spot where he had been standing. When Hermione searched his face, he gave her a soft smile and shook his head.
"Harry can't see me Hermione."
"Of course he can, he's probably in the Boy's Dormitory, I can get him for you if you like." She said with excitement in her tone.
"I'm here to see you Hermione." Sirius answered.
"Me?... why me?" Hermione questioned looking surprised.
"You're here to take a test, so let's get started."
"Test?" Hermione suddenly felt ill. "I haven't studied, I'm not ready!"
"I have faith in you Hermione, you can do it… you are after all, the brightest witch in your year. I know I've said that you're like Molly, but the truth is, you're so much like Lily."
"Harry's mum?" Hermione asked, more to herself then to Sirius. It wasn't a question; it was more that she was surprised.
Sirius nodded. "Now…shall we begin?"
"Okay." Hermione agreed.
"Good." Sirius said taking out his wand.
With a quick swish and a few chosen words, a large wooden table appeared in the middle of the room. He waved his wand once again and two large bottles filled with two different potions appeared on the table.
Hermione strolled over to the table. On her left hand side was a blue potion, and on her right hand side was a yellow potion.
"What do I have to do Sirius?"
"The action is very simple Hermione, the choice is what is difficult." Sirius answered with a sad look in his eyes.
Hermione still didn't understand what was required of her.
"The blue potion symbolizes your happiness Hermione. It's your family, your achievements, your dreams, and true love… The yellow potion is Harry's happiness, his dreams and his true love."
Hermione nodded to show she was listening.
"You have a very important, and difficult choice to make… it is by no means a fair choice Hermione. If you choose the blue potion you will achieve your dreams, you will be granted true unfaltering love, and you will have family. If you choose the yellow potion, you sacrifice your happiness for Harry's happiness."
"I understand Sirius, and I have made my choice." She answered.
"I ask you to think about this carefully Hermione." Sirius pleaded.
"I don't need to Sirius… I already made this choice a long time ago." Hermione stated reaching a hand towards the large wooden surface.
Hermione's chest felt stiffened, her heart thundered in her chest, and her fingers trembled with fear, but she didn't even hesitate reaching for the chosen potion.
"Are you sure that's what you want Hermione?" Sirius questioned.
Hermione nodded and brought the bottle to her soft, pink lips, and tilted it back. The yellow liquid drifted from the bottom of the bottle, towards Hermione's mouth, as it traveled towards her it started to swirl gently and turned a bright emerald green before reaching her throat. The yellow potion tasted strange, it made her feel cold inside, and a strong smell of Quidditch, fresh soap and cologne made her feel dizzy.
Hermione felt herself beginning to spin. It became difficult to see Sirius as the white, blinding light returned.
"You have my blessing," She heard Sirius's voice echo through her head. "You have my blessing,"
*
"Hermione?" She felt someone shaking her awake.
"You have my blessing."
"Hermione, come on get up lazy bones!"
Hermione groaned. What a bizarre dream. She forced her eyes open and saw two large blue eyes staring into her brown ones.
Hermione pulled the covers up over her head, hoping Luna would just give up and leave. She felt the covers being pulled off the bed… she should have known better.
"We have to get your ready for the ball princess." Luna smiled.
"It's not until this evening Luna." Hermione moaned.
"It's already the afternoon, you've been sleeping for a long time… We have to make you look Fantasto-Fabo-Fabulous for… Seamus."
Hermione rolled her eyes and knew there was no way she would be able to worm her way out of this situation.
*******
Harry sat in Potions class next to Pansy Parkinson. Hermione sat at the back of the classroom next to Seamus.
"We'll be brewing Controlling Potions today." He heard Professor Vector announce.
"But Professor, we just made Controlling Potions yesterday." Harry said without raising his hand.
"Don't complain Potter, just do as you're told."
Harry shrugged and noticed that his potion was already complete. In fact, looking around the classroom, everyone had finished making their potions.
He glanced back at Hermione who was drinking the potion down. It was a yellow potion that began to swirl around, and turned green before reaching her mouth.
Harry didn't know why, but he felt sad for Hermione.
Harry stared at the beaker before him that was filled with a blue liquid.
Pansy drank her potion. Harry commanded her to act like an Owlbear. She did as she was told.
Harry turned around to watch what Seamus would command Hermione to do.
"Go dance with Harry Hermione." Seamus instructed.
Harry was confused, what was Seamus doing?
Hermione made her way towards Harry and placed an arm around his neck and her hand on one of Harry's.
"Ouch." Hermione jumped as Harry accidentally stepped on her toes.
"Sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to." He said looking embarrassed.
"Ouch." Hermione jumped again when Harry stepped on her toes for a second time.
"I, I'm so s,sorry Hermione."
The harder Harry tried the more he stepped all over Hermione's toes.
"If you don't stop stepping all over my feet, I'll go dance with Seamus." She snapped angrily.
*
"Hoot!"
"Hermione?"
"Hoot!"
Harry forced his eyes open. What a strange dream, more like a nightmare, but Harry was fairly thankful it didn't involve Voldemort. It seemed like Aberforth's spell really did do wonders on controlling the pain across his scar.
`It's too bad he can't mend broken hearts.' Harry thought bitterly.
When his eyes had adjusted to the bright room, he spotted Hedwig perched near his bed.
"Morning Hedwig." Harry said removing the rolled up parchment from her tawny leg.
Harry stroked her feathers gently for a few moments, she gave him an affectionate nip before she spread out her snowy white wings and flew out one of the many windows.
`This must be from Dumbledore!' Harry thought quickly unraveling the parchment.
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