A/N: YES!!! Got this chapter out before the weekend. Look out for the Harmony Podcast and I hope I answered all of your questions that you submitted. Thanks for all the positive reviews and for those who have faith in this story and me as a writer. Believe it or not, I am an H/Hr shipper. ;)
Temptation
What's the deal with my brain?
Why am I so obviously insane?
In a perfect situation
I let love down the drain.
There's the pitch, slow and straight.
All I have to do is swing
and I'm a hero, but I'm a zero.
Hungry nights, once again
Now it's getting unbelievable.
'Cause I could not have it better,
But I just can't get no play
From the girls, all around
As they search the night for someone to hold onto.
And I just pass through...
singing...
Ooohhhhh oh. Ooohhhhh oh. Ooohhhhhhhhhh.
Singing...
Ooohhhhh oh. Ooohhhhh oh. Ooohhhhhhhhhh.
Get your hands off the girl,
Can't you see that she belongs to me?
And I don't appreciate this excess company.
Though I can't satisfy all the needs she has
And so she starts to wander...
Can you blame her?
(Perfect Situation-Weezer)
~*~
"It's empty," Hermione said quietly and Ron and Harry slipped in. The girls' lavatory was empty, the only sound was a slow drip, drip of a leaky faucet.
Harry walked over to one of the sinks. "Open up," he hissed in Parseltongue. Ron and Hermione shifted uneasily, they always felt uneasy whenever Harry spoke in that language.
Hermione started when the sink dropped away revealing a pipe wide enough for a person to squeeze through. Harry looked up at her and saw that she suddenly looked very pale and frightened. She had never been down here before. The last time he had done this, he was with Ron because she was petrified and in the hospital wing.
"Are you-" he started to ask if she really wanted to do this but she cut him off.
"I'm fine!" she squeaked.
Harry still seemed uneasy about this but he lowered himself into the pipe anyway. As he slid down the slimy slide, he remembered it being just a little more spacious and toward the end, he was beginning to get a little claustrophobic. He wondered if Hermione would make it out after all.
Ron came out next, covered in slime. Followed by Hermione. Harry caught her as she shot out of the pipe. She was still very pale and she shook slightly with fright.
"Ew," she said quietly as she looked down at her clothes.
"You okay?" he asked and she nodded back. Harry lit the tip of his wand and moved forward.
"Haven't been down here in awhile," Ron said as they walked, his wand light moving around the chamber. Hermione saw him shudder violently as he saw a spider scuttle away.
She let her light to the ground and saw that there were tiny skeletons of house elves that were littering the ground. She fought down the nausea that threatened to overcome her, she was nearly sick with fear. Something dull and large caught her eye and her wand roamed over the shed skin of a very large snake. She nearly screamed.
"Harry?" she asked in a shaky voice.
"Yes?" he replied.
"There was only one basilisk, right?"
Harry stopped and looked back at her, seeing that she was eyeing the snake's skin. "Yeah, I'm sure."
He wasn't really. There was only mention of one basilisk but what if it was female? What if she laid eggs? Didn't Snape have a basilisk egg in his potions storage? Oh, crap, what if they hatched and they were walking into one giant basilisk nest?
Damn it, Hermione!
"And here we are," Ron said as they came to a large rock pile. "This is where we were nearly caved in on."
Harry could've killed Ron for saying that seeing that Hermione's eyes widened and she began to gnaw at her lower lip. A nervous habit of hers.
It was just the three of them going on this adventure alone. Isis refused to go into a chamber that previously contained a basilisk and Harry thought it best not to bring Neville down here, considering that Ginny would seriously flip her lid. Hell, she'd probably freak out anyway if she found out that the three of them came back down here.
He slowly began to climb up the rock wall, knocking a few more stones from the top to make more room for him. He apparently wasn't a scrawny twelve year old anymore. Hermione followed next, careful not to move another stone out of place for fear that she would knock one that would send this whole wall crashing down around them. Ron followed last.
They didn't have to walk too far until they came upon two stone doors with snakes on them. Hermione and Ron exchanged nervous glances. They both had never gone this far.
"Open," Harry hissed and the snakes writhed, opening the doors, the sound of stone grinding on stone filled the cavern. Hermione didn't realize how tightly she was gripping her wand until she realized the dull pain in her hand was caused from her nails digging into her palm.
Into the chamber they moved. Hermione and Ron gazed up at the enormous pillars around them, all of them with stone snakes twined around them. Hermione thought they looked menacing, as if they knew that the three of them had no business being here, their mouths curled up in silent hisses.
Harry felt the familiar unease and fear of first being down here and he kept a close eye on the shadows as they proceeded forward. The basilisk was dead. He had killed it. But the dark shadows still made him uneasy. There was a light coming from somewhere that basked the chamber in a green glow and as they stepped in front of the giant statue of Salazar Slytherin, he heard Hermione gasp and stifle a scream.
There, lying in front of them, at the foot of the statue, was the skeleton of the dead basilisk.
Hermione and Ron stared at it.
"Blimey," Ron muttered under his breath.
Harry looked down at Hermione who was staring at the skeletal remains. He put an arm around her and hugged her to him briefly before stepping forward. Ron followed but Hermione remained transfixed, she couldn't take her eyes off of how big it was. She didn't remember much about being petrified. She remembered being in the library with the girl from Ravenclaw when they heard it. A soft hiss, the sound of something sliding on the floor and Hermione knew, knew, that it was the basilisk. The Ravenclaw gave a startled cry and ran into the aisle where Hermione was.
"I saw…I saw…the body of a giant snake," she said.
Hermione had just been doing research on them and was scribbling down the word "Pipes". "Are you sure?" she asked and the Ravenclaw nodded.
Hermione then committed the unspeakable sin of ripping out a page in the book. "We have to get out of here," the Ravenclaw whispered as she moved down the aisle.
"Wait!" Hermione whispered, stopping her. She reached into her bookbag and pulled out a small mirror.
The two girls moved to the end of the aisle, Hermione in the lead as she held out her mirror to peer around the corner. It was clear. The two of them darted down the aisle, stopping at the next corner where Hermione once again raised the mirror to see if the coast was clear. She lifted her hand and…
That was all she remembered.
She reached out to touch the skull of the snake when Harry caught her hand. "Don't," he said in a soft voice. "The fangs are sharp and I'm not sure if they have poison still in them or not."
Hermione recoiled and followed Harry and Ron as they explored the chamber. "He was standing over there," Harry said, pointing to a shadowy corner. "Tom spent a lot of time down here. He had to have left something behind."
The three of them split up, staying within shouting distance of each other. Hermione was having no luck. Having tamped down her fear, the only creatures she had encountered where the occasional spiders and beetles. The walls of the chamber were made of smooth stone blocks and she pressed on random ones to see if they had any secrets to reveal.
"Anything?" Harry asked as he came up behind her. Hermione jumped and whirled around. "Sorry," Harry said, giving a small grin. "I guess I should have made some sort of noise."
"Don't worry about it," she shook her head. "This whole place is giving me the creeps." Harry nodded in agreement. "How are you doing?"
"To be honest, it's like revisiting one of your worst nightmares," he said softly as he rested his back against the wall.
"Oh, Harry," Hermione frowned and placed a comforting hand on his arm.
He looked up at her and gave her a small smile. "I'm going to check out these pillars," he said, moving away from the wall.
"So…how's Anthony?" he asked casually as he tapped his wand on the pillar. Hermione was still working on the wall.
"He's fine," she answered.
The past few weeks with Anthony were fine. He was gentlemanly, polite and treated her well. He was safe. But deep down Hermione knew he was a bandage covering some leaky dam of feelings that were welling and churning.
"I'm surprised he was okay with you coming down here."
"He, uh, doesn't know," Hermione answered shyly. Harry's movements with his wand over the pillar stopped.
Hermione could feel his stare burning into the back of her head and she turned around. "I'm still your best friend, Harry. That doesn't change."
Harry opened his mouth to reply but Ron's shout cut him off.
"Hey guys, I think I found something over here!"
~*~
Draco put back the book on the Goblin Wars of 534-780 in its proper place on the shelf. He had just finished the excruciatingly painful report on the topic for History of Magic class and was ready to take a much deserved break.
He walked out of the book aisle and saw that Anthony Wellington was now sitting alone at his table, his fellow classmates having left him to do what else. The Ravenclaw was studiously doing his Charms homework.
"Hello Anthony," Draco said, taking a seat across from him. The Ravenclaw made no mention of hello, he just kept writing away.
"You and the mudblood not attached at the hip?" Anthony still gave him no reply, although Draco saw his jaw tense at the derogatory term.
"I figured the two of you would be huddled together in here doing your homework. You know, two mudblood brains might just equal one pure blood one."
"What do you want?" Anthony asked with irritation. Draco smiled innocently.
"I was just having friendly conversation. So, how are you and the mudblood?"
"Her name is Hermione," Anthony growled.
"I know what her name is," Draco replied.
"Then use it properly."
"I was just curious," Draco shrugged.
"About what?" Anthony asked.
"Why someone like you is dating someone like her?"
Anthony put down is quill. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"
Draco smirked. "Trying to bask in the piece of the Harry Potter glory?"
"What?!"
"Oh come on, Wellington, be honest for once. You're already a well-liked guy, did your popularity skyrocket since you bagged Potty's ex?"
"I know this may be a hard concept for you to wrap your puny Slytherin mind around but I actually and genuine do care for Hermione very much."
"I'm sure the popularity doesn't hurt either," Draco sneered.
"You know, Hermione is actually a very nice and caring person," Anthony retorted. "Unlike a lot of the girls here, whom I'm sure you're well acquainted with, who are fake and shallow she's real, and genuine and virtuous."
"Oh I'm sure Potty got real acquainted with her virtuous side," Draco muttered.
"You know what?" Anthony said as he picked up his homework and put it into his bag. "I don't have to sit here and listen to this crap."
Draco reached out and slammed a hand over his bookbag. "Good, then I'll get straight to the point. Dump Granger."
Anthony stared at him. "What?"
"Dump Granger," Draco repeated firmly.
Anthony shook his head. "Sod off, Malfoy," he said, yanking his bookbag out from under his hand.
Draco shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Have it your way then."
~*~
There was a smooth marble wall, flanked on either side by smaller pillars that mirrored the columns that filled the chamber, complete with the snakes that were wrapped around it. There was an archway above it with words inscribed on it in Latin.
"What does it say?" Ron asked and Harry shrugged.
"Don't know," he said then he hissed in parseltongue, "open."
Hermione was staring at the design above the archway, the snakes that made the border, the tree that was carved in the middle. Her eyes fell on the words in Latin.
Nothing happened when Harry hissed at it. "Great," Ron sighed.
Ron tried to open it with a simple "Alohomora" but that didn't work either and the two of them explored the door.
"You know, we could use your help here," Ron said with irritation to Hermione.
"I don't think we should open this door," Hermione said quietly.
Harry looked over at her and saw that she was still staring above the doorway at the arch. He walked over to her. "Hermione?" he asked her. "Do you know what it says?" He followed her line of sight.
"It says something like `Only I opened your eyes to the true nature of God'."
Harry looked at her for a moment then looked back up at the design in the archway. Only then did he notice the tree and in it was a single fruit.
"Ron," he said, "I think I found the way in."
Hermione grabbed his arm. "Harry, don't," she pleaded. "I have a bad feeling about this. The last time a snake asked Man to do something, they were expelled from the Garden of Eden."
Ron wrinkled his brow. "So you think we're going to be…expelled from Hogwarts?" Hermione gave an exasperated sigh.
Harry winked at her. "If I remember correctly, it was woman who took the apple, not man," he said as he reached up.
"Harry this is no time for historical sexism! Just don't touch-"
Harry pressed the fruit in the tree and the door swung open. She groaned. "Not good. Not good." She hung her head and buried them in her hands.
"Bloody brilliant, Harry!" Ron said admirably.
Harry grinned as he placed both of his hands on Hermione's shoulders, giving them a quick squeeze. "Couldn't have done it without you, Hermione."
"I want no credit in this, Harry," she replied, her voice muffled as she still hid her face.
Reluctantly, she followed them into the room.
Ron whimpered and turned around to run away as soon as he saw the spider webs that completely covered the furniture inside but Harry stopped him and made him march in anyway.
"Place hasn't been touched in years," Harry said and with a flick of his wand, one of the chairs was cleared off of webs and dust. Ron teetered on his feet slightly when he saw a nest of spiders scuttle away when Harry cleaned off another chair.
Hermione went to work on the bookshelves in the room. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the web vanished and a snake's head, mouth open and fangs drawn, greeted her. "He needs to hire a new decorator," she said wryly, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. Then as she looked at the books on the shelves she called out, "Harry, come here."
He and Ron joined her, both of them wide eyed as they looked at what was in front of them.
"Oh Merlin," Ron whispered.
Harry moved to the other bookshelf and cleaned it off, then the other. Ron went to work on the other side of the room. Hermione stepped forward and looked at the series of books in front of her, large dusty old tomes, whose spines were embossed in silver lettering, the covers old and faded.
Recordes of Salazar Slytherin
"Hermione. Ron." Harry quiet voice brought his friends to him from across the room. He heard Hermione inhale sharply as they stared at the object Harry had uncovered.
A Pensieve.
"What do we do?" Ron whispered.
"Nothing," Harry replied. "For now," he turned away from the tempting object. "We've been down here long enough. We'll come back another day, I'm sure our absence has been noticed by now."
Hermione turned and grabbed a couple of books from the shelf she had first uncovered. On the same track of mind, Harry shrank them down so they could stuff them in their pockets.
Retracing their steps back to the pipe, Harry reached for the rope that he had conjured up for this journey. "Hang on," he said to his friends as he wrapped his hand around it. Hermione climbed into the pipe and wrapped her arms around his waist, Ron held on tight to her ankles. The rope quickly shortened, dragging them up the pipes briskly and they landed with a clatter on the lavatory floor.
"Ugh," Ron said, flicking the slime off of him. "It's worse coming back up."
"I guess we're all a little bit gamey," Harry concurred. The three of them were coated in slime. He looked at each of them. "Tonight after curfew?" he asked.
"Room of Requirement," Hermione agreed and they headed out to dinner.
~*~
The lake was still frozen, the ground still covered in snow but the usual path that Harry took to do his morning run was still marked. Nothing yet had turned up in the reading that he and Hermione and Ron were doing. Well, it mostly was Hermione. Ron usually began snoring thirty minutes into it and his own eyes began to glaze over after two hours and he found himself rereading the same sentence over and over. It seemed as if Hermione was the only one turning pages and even she had uncovered nothing spectacular.
But his mind was constantly on the room that they had discovered in the chamber. He could tell Hermione was thinking about it as well. Every once in awhile, while they were in class, they would catch each other staring off into space, their thoughts obviously elsewhere. He could tell they were thinking about the same thing. The Pensieve. But to be honest, Harry wasn't sure if he should go ahead and take a dive in it. Knowledge was power but ignorance was bliss sometimes.
Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to see the Slytherin quidditch team head out to the pitch for a last minute early practice before their match today against Ravenclaw. Malfoy was with them.
It gave Harry more pleasure than anyone could know, knowing that Malfoy had been kicked off the team. Not that he was any good but any little ray of sunshine and happiness that could be taken away from the Slytherin was a good thing in his book. Besides, the Slytherin team improved a bit now that they were forced to find a Seeker with some actual talent and not just a heavy pocketbook. Not that it helped them very much anyway, they would need all the help they could get against Ravenclaw, who was currently the top team at the school.
Harry jogged up the steps to the castle and up the stairs to his common room so he could get ready for the day but as he arrived on the second floor, he saw Anthony gazing out at the balcony. He turned and looked at Harry.
"Hey," he said quietly.
"Morning," Harry replied. Anthony turned to look back outside.
Harry wanted desperately to find some fault in Anthony, anything in his mind to rationalize why Hermione shouldn't be with him. So far the only thing Harry could find was that he made Hermione happy, and that made him feel like a complete shit. What was wrong with him to hate someone who was so well-liked, hell, he was even polite to Harry. He felt guilty every night for wishing that something bad would happen to him, random meteor collision that hit his bed and his bed only, that Hermione would walk in on him with another girl, or guy, he wasn't picky, or that he would just leave.
The night that he had his last big fight with Hermione, he stayed awake plotting and planning a way to win her back. He knew Ron would be on his side, he, too, wasn't too keen on the new bloke in Hermione's life. He woke up the next morning, determined, and he left the common room with a new mission in his mind.
Win Hermione back. Get Hermione back.
But he stopped in his tracks when he heard Anthony in the corridor. One sentence completely derailed him.
"Are you okay?" he had asked Hermione.
It was the way he had said it, just like he would've said it to her, with genuine concern for her well-being. Harry knew in that moment that any plots and plans he had to sabotage their relationship would only elevate Anthony to Sainthood in Hermione's mind and Harry would be sent to one of the Seven Levels of Hell.
So the plan was scratched and Harry had to flounder by himself in this stormy sea. He had other big problems to deal with but it didn't make it any easier. His feelings for Hermione were like a forgotten paper cut on his finger. It stung only when he hit it.
"They're going to need all the help they can get out there," Harry said. He didn't like the guy but a truce could be called for Quidditch.
"Yeah," Anthony muttered. Harry noticed that he was biting his fingernails and he wondered if the guy was nervous.
"Okay, well, good luck out there," Harry said and Anthony nodded. Harry continued on his way. A weird sort of feeling settled over him, sort of like the anticipation he would feel the morning of his own matches. He shook the feeling off and continued on his way.
Looking back, Harry wondered if that chance encounter with Anthony and the feeling he got was some sort of coincidence. A shitty one for that matter but a coincidence all the same.
*
Harry and Ron decided that they were not cheering for Ravenclaw so much as cheering for a Slytherin loss. That's how they rationalized any cheer from the crowd whenever Wellington made an excellent goal. Harry was past complete annoyance with Hermione and Ginny and their stupid swooning every time Anthony even glanced in their direction. He should keep his mind on the game, Harry thought sourly. In his opinion, the Seekers for both teams were terrible. He had already spotted the snitch.
Deciding to squash his feelings of resentment, he decided to concentrate on the match which was, grudgingly, pretty intense. It was when the Snitch flew past the Slytherin goal post that Harry saw it. Or thought he saw it anyway. Goyle, a Beater, swung at the bludger…but missed. And the bludger changed directions, heading directly to Wellington who easily dodged it.
Harry shook his head. Maybe he had seen wrong.
Harry found his concentration had left watching the Snitch and was now watching the bludger. Again, Goyle hit it (or so Harry thought, he was at a bad angle and couldn't see) and it went straight for Wellington again who dodged it once again. On the surface, it didn't seem unusual. Wellington was a high scoring Chaser, if you wanted to distract any player, it would be him. But something nagged at Harry underneath the surface, a distant memory of his own first Quidditch game in which his broomstick became enchanted and very uncontrollable.
It was as if a light bulb went off in his head. That rogue bludger was really after Anthony and Crabbe and Goyle were doing a piss poor job of pretending to hit it. He began to wonder if anyone else had noticed it. He was just about to say something to Ron about it when the bludger finally hit its target.
Hermione gasped as it hit Anthony. He cried out and grabbed his arm, the sudden motion caused him to fall off of his broom, hitting a Slytherin Chaser below him before he hit the ground. Harry and Ron just stood there in shock with the other Gryffindors, Hermione and Ginny moved among them to get out of the stands and on to the pitch.
*
The crowd of the Ravenclaw quidditch team hovering around Anthony's bed cleared out leaving Hermione behind to stay with him.
"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked him with concern.
"Nothing a few potions and rest won't cure," he replied. He was propped up on the bed, one arm in a sling and bandages wrapped around his ribs. He had already taken the Skele-Gro for the broken bones in his arm and ribs. He had a few cuts and bruises to compliment the injuries as well.
He moved his leg over to make room for Hermione who sat on the bed. "You guys still won," she said with a smile.
"I take my victories where I can get them," he smiled back at her and giving a small laugh, wincing slightly. He glanced across the ward where a few Slytherins were keeping company with their Chaser. Draco Malfoy was among them. Anthony locked eyes with him and, smirking, he reached toward Hermione and pulled her to him for a soft kiss.
"Thanks for being here with me," he said to her when they pulled away.
"No problem," she replied. She wanted to add that the Hospital Wing was like a second home to her with all of the trio's injuries but she gave it a second thought. "Did you want me to drop off your homework tonight?"
"Could you do that?" he asked and she smiled. Once again, Anthony pulled her down for a kiss and when they parted Malfoy had left the wing.
Hermione managed to drop off Anthony's homework and reunite with her friends by dinnertime in the Great Hall.
"How's Anthony?" Harry asked.
"He'll be out by tomorrow afternoon or evening," she replied as she filled her plate with food.
"Damn," Ron muttered, "I was hoping he'd be out for the rest of the season."
"Ron!" Hermione and Ginny hissed at him. Harry stayed out of it but he silently admired his friend for having the guts to speak his mind. Or maybe the lack of restraint.
He wanted to voice his theory with Hermione but thought better of it. He wasn't entirely sure that the bludger was charmed somehow but he wouldn't put it past a Slytherin if that was the case. It was nearing the end of the season and Harry was sure that there were some desperate teams out there making their last minute runs for the championship.
~*~
Harry had to leave again after dinner for another meeting at the Ministry so Hermione read in the library with Ron. "Hey, look at this," she said, turning the ancient book around for Ron to read.
He perused the page of the tome for a moment before he looked up at her. "Horcrux?"
Hermione let out a breath. "The first mention of such a thing. It doesn't go into detail on what it exactly is or how to exactly create one but, if you're Voldemort, you can get the gist of it here. Or at least the seed was somehow planted."
"You have to remember to show that to Harry," Ron said, returning the book to Hermione. He began to pack away his things.
"Rounds?" she asked and he nodded. "I think I'll be heading back to the common room as well," she sighed, closing the book and putting it away. "I wanted to get started on some of my knitting." Ron rolled his eyes.
"Spew still alive and kicking, huh?" he asked.
"S.P.E.W.," she said exasperatedly, "and yes, it's still going strong. I've recruited Anthony as a member."
"Yeah, I'm sure you did," Ron muttered.
"Your mum would be proud of me, Ron. I have moved on from socks and hats to sweaters," she said proudly.
"Make one for Dobby that says `I heart Harry Potter' on it and he'll think he'd died on gone to heaven."
Hermione and Ron parted ways outside of the library and she walked the corridors alone. She wondered how Harry was doing, what he was doing. She couldn't wait for him to get back so she could tell him about Salazar's entry on horcrux's.
Her wanderings led her to the third floor girl's lavatory and she stepped inside. It was empty as usual and she reveled for a moment in the mind numbing rhythm of the water dripping from one of the leaky taps. She walked over to the tap that never worked, the one that led to the Chamber far below the school. She bent over and let her finger graze the etching of the snake.
"What are you doing here?"
Hermione jumped and started at Moaning Myrtle's voice and she whirled around. "I was just-"
"You aren't supposed to be here!" the ghost shrieked.
"Myrtle, I-"
A whooshing sound cut her off and right before her eyes, Draco Malfoy suddenly landed in the middle of the bathroom in a cloud of green smoke. Hermione let out a started gasp loud enough to catch his attention. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw her.
"Hermione!"
She looked at him, her eyes wandering to his arm where his sleeve was rolled up. Draco hastily tugged at the fabric but it was too late. Hermione had already seen the Dark Mark on his arm and she turned to flee the bathroom.
"Hermione, wait!" Draco called out as he ran after her.
~*~
Harry watched as Miles placed a single rat in one cage and placed it next to another cage that had another three rats in it. The lone rat had dark fur and was turning the pages of a tiny book, looking very bored and disinterested. "This is Artemus," he explained to Harry. "Notice how the females ignore him and pay attention to Hercules." Indeed Harry could see the two females with white fur and pink tails crowding around a larger and more healthy looking brown rat. They were feeding him pieces of cheese.
"Poor little fellow just can't catch a break. The females won't mate with him," Miles sighed then grinned. "Until now." Harry and Cho huddled around the cage as Miles took out a dropper from a vial and put one drop on the little brown rat.
At first it seemed that nothing was happening. Then, all of a sudden, the two female mice stopped feeding Hercules and began to lose interest in him as they moved to the other side of the cage.
"Amazing!" Cho said as they watched as the females squeaked and gestured suggestively to Artemus who looked just as confused as Hercules did over their female counterparts' behavior.
"What is that?" Harry asked, gesturing to the vial.
"Pheromones," Miles replied. Cho raised her eyebrows.
"Pheromones," Harry repeated in disbelief.
"Very powerful stuff, Harry. It is a complex form of communication in nature. There are all types but this one is a sex pheromone." Harry and Cho stepped away from it. "It's what makes the animal world go `round." Miles placed a drop of it on Harry's skeptical head. "Those females are finding Artemus to be quite the catch for a mate."
"How?" Harry asked, Artemus didn't look any different.
"Smell," Miles answered.
"Smell."
"Harry, wizard or muggle, our bodies are hard-wired the same. Any reaction we have is a result of chemical signals sent from the brain. This stuff," Miles held up the vial, "is the chemical signal that says `Hey there, aren't you a fine looking mate. Care to copulate?'"
"You expect me to believe that that stuff, that I can't even smell by the way, attracts females and makes them want to-"
"Oh Harry!" Cho said in a husky voice, cutting Harry off and planting a big kiss on his lips as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Ack! Mrmphr mmrackrm," Harry mumbled as his arms flailed helplessly as Cho attacked him. Miles chuckled and picked up another bottle and sprayed it on Cho. She coughed and spluttered in Harry's arms then looked up at him.
"Oh. My. God," she said as she quickly moved away from him. She was blushing furiously. Harry was equally awkward. Cho began to sniff the air. "I can't smell. Miles what did you do, I can't smell a thing!"
"It'll wear off by the morning," Miles replied.
"Trust me, Cho. It's probably for the best," Harry muttered. "Hey how do I get rid of this stuff?"
"It'll wash out with your next shower, no worries Harry."
"What are you doing with that stuff anyway?" he asked.
"Perfume company contracted me to make it for them. They are planning to put very dilute amounts of it into their newest perfume."
Harry's eyes widened slightly at the thought of the hundreds of Romilda's out there who might purchase this stuff. "Is that such a good idea?"
Miles smiled. "Harry, Harry, don't be so uptight about it," he said, then frowned thoughtfully. "You don't need a vial of this stuff do you?"
"Um, no. I'm fine."
Miles shrugged and put the vial away. "I'm still working on what you asked about. It's going to take a few more weeks," he said. "But since I'm working on chemical reactions on the brain. I thought you might find this useful." He handed Harry a bag of what looked like light green marbles. "Toss one of these at the foot of your Death Eaters in an attack and Poof! It releases a chemical that disorients them, rendering them helpless for about a minute."
"Clever, Miles," Harry said. "Say, have you ever heard of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes or the owners?"
Miles frowned. "No, I don't believe I have? Are they in research?"
"Sort of. I'll bring you something from them next time."
~*~
"Hermione!"
"Let go of me! HEL-" Draco clamped a hand over her mouth as he grabbed her and dragged her into a nearby broom closet.
He shoved her up against the wall and whispered fiercely to her. "I just want a chance to explain."
"I will scream," Hermione hissed back. "I swear to you I will scream and Ron will hear. He's on patrol and-"
"I'm not going to hurt you Hermione!" Draco said with exasperation. His hands were grabbing her shoulders.
"You're a…a…Death Eater!" Hermione whispered frantically with wide eyes. "Harry was right all along."
Draco's eyes narrowed and he slightly shook her. "What do you mean Potty was right?"
"He told us you were last year. I didn't believe him but he was right. Are you going to lie right to my face? I saw the mark, Draco!"
Draco stared at her. "I'm a Death Eater," he confessed and Hermione closed her eyes and let out a small whimper. "I was born to be a Death Eater, I was groomed for it." He let go of her and she gently pushed him away from her.
"Stay away from me," she whispered.
"Please, Hermione, you have to believe me. I need your help. I'm in a little over my head right now."
"You let those people into Hogwarts last year. You allowed them to attack us. You killed Dumbledore." Her accusations were cutting and painfully accurate.
"I swear to you, Hermione, I didn't mean for it to happen. The Dark Lord forced me to do it. He said he would kill me and my parents if I didn't. Please believe me, Hermione." He reached out for her but she recoiled from him.
"Oh God, don't touch me!" she hissed.
"For crying out loud, I'm not even out of Hogwarts yet! What kind of man sends a kid to do a job he couldn't do himself? He set me up for failure. He really wanted to get his Death Eaters into the castle, he didn't care what happened to me."
"You and Snape…" Hermione couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.
"I don't know how he did it. Dumbledore was weak. I could tell. I didn't know Potty was with him. You have to believe me when I say that I wasn't going to do it. I couldn't do it. Dumbledore was the only one who saw more to me than just being a lemming in the Dark Lord's army."
"And yet you still stand by Voldemort's side," Hermione spat at him.
"I don't have a choice, Hermione. He'll kill my mother if I fail the mission he's given me."
Hermione's eyes widened. "You told him about the horcruxes didn't you??
"I swear I didn't and I promise you that I won't."
"Your promises don't mean a thing to me," she sneered. For a moment, Draco looked crushed but the look was gone in the blink of an eye.
"He wants me to befriend you, Ron and Harry and report to him what you are doing," Draco confessed.
Hermione stared at him.
"You bastard!" she said in a hysterical whisper as she slapped him across the face.
"Hermione wait!" he reached out and stopped her from leaving. She hit him on his arms and shoulders.
"Let me go, you bastard. You son of a bitch!!"
"Hermione, why do you think I'm telling you this?"
"I don't give a fuck what you say!"
"He's setting up an attack in London. He told me to tell you this to gain your trust. I'm being honest with you!"
Hermione jerked her knee upward making contact with Draco's groin and he crumpled to the floor, groaning in pain.
"I'm not going to let you near Harry!" she screamed at him. "I'm not going to give you chance to hurt him, do you hear me?!"
She turned around and yanked open the door of the broom closet only to run into Filch and Mrs. Norris.
"Well, well, well," he said to her, looking with his greedy eyes over her shoulder at Malfoy who was still on the floor. "I'm full for detentions tonight. But I'll be expecting you and Mr. Malfoy tomorrow night instead."
Hermione's chin was quivering and she just ran through the hall, hot tears spilling down her cheeks until she reached the safety of her common room. Thankfully, it was empty and she leaned back against a wall to slide down it. She didn't know why she was so upset with what Draco had told her. But she put her arms around herself and waited until she calmed down. She would wait for Harry. She had to tell him what Draco had told her. Again, tears began to spill down her cheeks.
~*~
Harry had almost made it to the common room undetected but he made the mistake of being over confident and taking off the invisibility cloak just as Filch and Mrs. Norris rounded the corner.
"Ah, Mr. Potter," Filched grinned as if he had just received the best gift ever.
Harry sighed. "Where and when?" he asked.
"Tomorrow night in the dungeons," Filch answered.
With a weary exhale, Harry opened the portrait door and stepped inside.
It was beyond late and he expected the common room to be empty but found Hermione, instead, sitting at a table, her head resting on it. There were books scattered around her and she appeared to be sleeping. Harry took a moment to capture this scene in his memory forever.
He approached quietly and squatted beside her. "Hey, Hermione," he said softly. "Wake up, it's late." He reached out and brushed her hair off of her face.
Hermione stirred and blinked her eyes. "Harry?" she asked. "What time is it?" she asked, sitting up and yawning.
"A little after midnight, what are you-"
"Oh, Harry! So much has happened tonight!" she grabbed his hand suddenly. "Sit down, I have something to show you first."
Harry took a seat in the chair across the table from hers as she rummaged through the books they had taken from the Chamber. She picked one out and opened it, thumbing through the pages until she stopped at one and handed it to him.
"Read this," she said as he took it from her.
Was it just her imagination or was Harry looking a little more fanciable than usual? There was just something, ahhh, about him. Delectable? Ravishing? She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Was it suddenly very warm in the room? Her sweater was already off but it was so hot in this room. Not as hot as Harry of course. Oh God, who knew that reading could be so, so…sexy. She unbuttoned the top few buttons of her blouse.
"Horcruxes?" Harry said aloud as he read. "Salazar mentioned them? I wonder if that's where Tom got the idea?"
"Why don't we put the silly book away for now?"
Harry froze and his heart stopped. He slowly looked up from his book and saw that Hermione was on the table and slowly approaching him in a most feline-like manner. She stopped in front of him and pulled the book out of his hands. Harry didn't stop her. He didn't think he could. At the moment, he had suddenly lost all ability to move.
He could see down the front of her blouse as she leaned in to press her lips against his. Mmm, was that the cotton candy lip gloss flavor? That was his favorite. When did she put it on? Then it suddenly clicked in his feeble little brain.
The pheromones.
That crap was still on his hair.
His old and familiar friends, the Angel and the Devil, popped up onto his shoulders.
"Harry, you know better," the Angel lectured.
"Dude, go with it," said the Devil.
"Um…Hermione…" he said between kisses. "You're not…acting…yourself…right now."
"Yes I am," she purred. "I've been wanting this for so long."
Oh God, please don't say that.
"That was consent in my book!" the Devil piped up.
"Harry this is just like the time when she was inebriated," the Angel said.
Oh, she was nibbling on his ear. Blood was rapidly leaving his brain and going south. "Pheromones," Harry managed to croak out. "I've got…pheromones…"
"Why yes you do, Harry," she cooed in his ear before she began to place kisses on his neck.
"No, I mean…" Harry summoned all the willpower he had left and gently pushed Hermione away from him. The Angel patted Harry on the shoulder approvingly as the Devil wailed into his hands. "We really have to stop now."
Hermione grinned at him.
And, oh, was it a wicked grin.
Then, she reached out and gently removed Harry's glasses from his face, carefully folded them, then lay them to rest on top of the books.
"Hermione…"
She tucked her lovely, luscious legs close to her and rotated on her bum so she was sitting on the table facing him. Then…she slowly parted them, placing her bare feet daintily on his thighs. She was wearing pink colored knickers and Harry briefly wondered if they were the ones that had the lace trim at the top or the little pink bow. He silently prayed they were the ones with the little pink bow. She scooted herself forward and off of the table, her feet sliding off of his thighs to give way to her calves, then her knees, then her thighs as she slid onto his lap, straddling him.
The Angel and the Devil on his shoulder were speechless for once, their mouths wide open.
"You're on your own on this one," the Angel said in a strangled voice.
It really didn't matter what the Angel said anyway. All self-control that Harry had was blown away by what Hermione had just done and his lips sought hers in a heated and passionate kiss.
Her hands were frantically pushing his cloak off of his shoulders before they went for his tie, ripping it loose. Harry wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing her closer to his hardened desire for her. His other hand tangled in her hair, pressing her further into his kiss. He tasted the faint metallic taste of blood, he was kissing her so hard. She was untucking his shirt, pulling it from his trousers, her hands quickly and expertly unbuttoning it as she had done so many times before.
Her fingernails grazed his chest and Harry let out a low hiss. His hands must have been digging painfully into her waist but he couldn't help it. She was nibbling on his earlobe, gently tugging it then moving her wonderful lips over his neck to his other earlobe to do the same. His hands moved to the hem of her blouse, already untucked and his fingers wandered over her hot and soft skin. He pressed Hermione further against him, eliciting a quiet moan from her lips. He moved one hand from her waist and down her front. He groaned when he discovered that her knickers were damp. He brushed the fabric aside and pressed two fingers into her warm heat.
"Oh God, Harry," Hermione whimpered. She was driving him crazy. He needed her too badly. She let out a moan of protest when his fingers left her but he put his hands on her waist and lifted her back to sit on the table. He climbed up after her, lowering her to its flat surface as he knocked all the books to the floor with a wave of his hand. Hermione reached for his belt, fumbling with it before Harry took over to undo it.
"Make love to me, Harry," she whispered.
"I will," he whispered back. "Oh God I will."
But it still felt wrong. No matter how much he wanted Hermione at this moment. He knew that when this stuff wore off, she would hate herself. And possibly hate him. He couldn't stomach the thought.
"Harry?" Hermione asked him when he stopped.
"You have no idea how much I want to do this with you," he said, looking down at her and brushing her hair from her face. "But not like this."
"What are you-"
"Stupefy," Harry said softly, gently tapping his wand to her forehead.
She lay still underneath him. Harry exhaled. "You're going to be the death of me, Hermione, I swear it."
He moved off of her and fixed her clothes, arranged her so she sat in the chair like he had first found her when he stepped into the common room. Then he went upstairs to shower and get that stuff out of his hair as well as take care of some…er, business. Lucid, clean and coherent, he went back downstairs to Hermione.
"Ennervate," he said softly and she blinked her eyes open.
"Oh, Harry, you're back," she said, her brow wrinkling in confusion. She had just had the most graphic dream.
"It's late, you should get back to bed," Harry said.
"I had the most strange dream," she absently before shaking her head. "Wait! There's something I have to tell you."
She showed him the book and what she had found. Then she told him about Draco and what he had said to her.
"What are you going to do?" she asked him when she was done.
Harry exhaled. "Sleep. It's been a really long night and I don't have the strength to even puzzle out the Ferret right now."
Hermione gathered her books and walked with him to the stairs.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Yeah," he replied, smiling softly at her. "I'm just tired. Good night Hermione."
"Night, Harry."
She watched her friend as he slipped into his dorm, closing the door behind him. Her tongue tentatively touched her lips and she tasted her cotton candy flavored lip gloss. She looked up at Harry's door once more before going up the stairs to her own.
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