Unofficial Portkey Archive

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it belongs to JK Rowling, etc etc.

Authors Note: More Harry/Hermione interaction, hope you all enjoy. I swear I'll let them talk to each other soon. Honest. Thanks for the reviews. Enjoy!

Chapter Five

The next morning Harry woke early, opened his trunk and removed his Invisibility Cloak, the Marauders Map given to him by Remus Lupin at the end of his third year, but most importantly, his Journal. The Journal was a record of anything he found suspicious, including the actions of his fellow house members. Deciding it wasn't wise to keep such incriminating evidence around, every year he took the Journal into Slytherins Chamber and hid it there, where only he could get it, along with any other valuable possession.

He dressed quickly and set off, leaving his curtains closed and sealing them shut with an Obstruction Charm. He whipped his Invisibility Cloak over his head and crept down the stairs and out of the Slytherin dungeons. He made his way down the corridor, heading farther into the dungeons, until finally he came to the statue of a scowling wizard wearing a cloak that revealed only his mouth. Harry brought out his wand and tapped the statue once near a small mark at the wizard's elbow, which upon closer inspection was a tiny snake. The statues mouth opened and another snake protruded from the wizard's mouth.

"Open." Harry hissed in Parsletongue.

Suddenly the statue gave away, jerking to the right, and then moving backwards to reveal an entryway. Harry walked in, following the dark statue as it moved backwards into the darkness, and finally moved to the right again and clicked into place. Harry walked further into the darkness and then the statue clicked again and retraced its steps, leaving Harry in total darkness.

"Phloxmenti." Harry whispered, raising his wand. Jets of flame set out, moving themselves along the wall to many lanterns that magically lit up with the Flame Charm. Harry pocketed his wand and looked around at the lit up room. It was just as he'd left it, not like he expected it to be different. He, aside from Draco, was the only one who knew of its existence, and was the only person who could enter besides Lord Voldemort himself.

The main room was quite large, but not nearly as large as the training room and library. It was mostly bare, containing a musty green sofa and coffee table and the many doors leading to different parts of the Chamber. At the far back of the room was a small kitchen; it's cupboards stacked with a few plates and mugs, and a sink stuck into cold stone that made up the kitchens counter. Harry crossed to the nearest door and opened it, dropping his Cloak on the coffee table as he went.

He entered the bedroom, flicking his wand again and muttering another Flame Charm. The room lit up, revealing a large king sized bed with velvet sheets of green and silver pillows. A large mahogany wardrobe stood in the far corner and directly across from the bed was a huge table with legs shaped like snakes curling to the floor, stacking high with random books and pieces of paper. Harry clearly didn't like tidying up after himself. He walked over to the bed and deposited his possessions on the bed, before kneeling and pulling out a trunk hidden under the bed. He opened it with a flick of his wrist and grabbed the Journal, sticking it at the bottom of the trunk with the Marauders Map and a few other prized possessions.

Harry took to quickly tidying up, putting away the books stacked upon each other on the table and replacing them in either his trunk or the library. Then, not wanting to be caught up early, he whipped on the Invisibility Cloak and left the Chamber, heading back to his dorm. He arrived just as Draco was getting up, just managing to slip through before anyone else noticed beside his best friend. Draco saw the curtains around Harrys bed move and smirked to himself, before getting up and shouting.

"Harry! Get your lazy ass up you git."

Harry smiled to himself when he heard Draco, stuffed his Cloak in his trunk and then removed the Obstruction Charm and stepped out into view, rubbing his eyes as if he'd just awoken with the rest of them.

"It's about time," Draco said, dropping him a wink. Harry shook his head at the young Malfoys antics.

"You know me Draco."

Harry spread his arms side as if that explained everything and then followed Draco and Blaise out of the dormitory, through the common room and out of the Slytherin dungeons. They made their way to the Great Hall, arriving just as the early morning bustle did. The three Slytherins took the same seats as the night before and where soon joined by Pansy and Heather, whom both had to sit next to Blaise because Draco and Harry had sat together this time.

"Good morning Draco!" Pansy practically squealed. Draco winced and batted a hand at her, telling her wordlessly to shut up. Heather smiled at Harry, but again he wasn't paying attention, though this time not by choice, as he had just spotted the girl with the chocolate eyes enter the Great Hall. He watched her take a seat next to the same chubby boy as before and then start piling food on her plate.

"Harry?" Draco asked, nudging him roughly in the side with an elbow.

Harry snapped out of his trance and looked at Draco, and then past Draco to Professor Snape, who was hovering behind his best friend.

"Best not let your mind wander too much Potter," Snape advised, handing him his timetable. "You never know when you may be attacked."

Harry looked at him for a few moments, locking eyes, but he didn't feel Snape try to pry into his mind. "Right."

Snape nodded and moved along, leaving Harry behind. Draco gave Harry a look and he shook his head. Draco nodded and went back to eating his breakfast. Blaise looked suspiciously between the two, but didn't comment.

Breakfast soon passed and they went on their way to the first lesson of term, Defence Against the Dark Arts. When they arrived Snape was already there, as was most of the class, but he didn't say anything to them except wave them to their seats with a slight scowl.

Professor Snape immediately launched into a speech about the Dark Arts and Harry tuned him out. He found his gaze wandering the classroom, and again, he seemed to be drawn to a head of bushy brown hair. The girl was sitting across the room from him and a few rows forward, so all he could see was the back of her head, but he still felt himself transfixed. His attention soon returned to him when Draco jabbed in the side with his wand, and Harry looked around, hearing Snapes speech draw to a close.

"Now, for your first lesson, we are going to concentrate on non-verbal spells, something I am sure you are all novices at. Can anyone tell me an advantage in using non-verbal spells?"

The mysterious girl with the chocolate eyes put her hand up, almost hesitantly. Snapes eyes roamed the room, passing over her at least three times before settling on her finally. Harry knew the answer, but he wanted to hear the girl speak, so he kept silent.

"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform," the girl said, and Harry thought her voice was the sweetest thing he had ever heard, soft and almost inaudible, making him have to listen hard to get every word, but with a hidden strength just waiting to burst free, "which gives you a split-second advantage."

Professor Snape sneered at her. "Correct Miss Granger, but next time do try to speak up, contrary to popular belief, I am not a vampire."

The girl, Granger, flushed and lowered her head to the desk again. Harry was surprised to feel anger spike in him at his Head of House. He had hardly ever been this angry with Professor Snape, and he was considerably used to Snapes sharp tongue directed at students - namely Gryffindors.

"However," Snape continued, raising his voice slightly. "Not everyone can do this of course. It is a matter of concentration and the minds power, which some wizards lack. Now then, you will split into pairs and practise non-verbal spells. I do not want to hear a word out any mouth except my own, understood?" And he swept off to the side, waiting for students to pair up, before sweeping down and criticising them.

Harry and Draco got up and stepped away from the crowd of students bustling around to get to friends and partners. Draco raised his wand and Harry pulled his own out, meeting Draco's eyes.

"I'll attack," Draco said. "You defend, okay?"

Harry nodded and waited. Draco had his eyes narrowed, focusing with his entire mind on casting the spell without speaking. Harry relaxed, letting his mind and eyes wander, and this time when his eyes landed on the girl (Granger, his mind corrected) he wasn't at all surprised. He wasn't worried about Draco casting a spell at him, he probably wouldn't be able too for a good while yet, and even if he did, Harry had enough senses locked on Draco to easily defend it if he did. Harry wasn't worried, after having practised non-verbal spells himself last year during Umbridge rain of terror. He'd actually learnt more that year than any other year, surprisingly.

But Harry was surprised to discover, almost ten minutes into the lesson, that his mystery girl Granger had apparently figured it out, as she parried her partners (the chubby boy again, Harry noticed, didn't she have any other friends?) attempted Jinx with a quick, non-verbal Shield Charm. Harry smiled. She was obviously very smart.

Harry turned his attention back to Draco to find him almost purple in the face from concentration. Harry laughed and Draco glared at him.

"Relax Draco," Harry said. "You're trying to hard. Let your mind wander a little, then come back and try again. But don't stop breathing you idiot, that won't help."

Draco glared at him extra fiercely, but did as instructed.

"Don't concentrate too hard," Harry continued, "you have to just let it happen."

"Need I ask how you know all this Potter?" Draco grumbled.

"No," Harry replied with a smirk, "you needn't."

"You could have told me you were practising non-verbal spells you know." Draco argued. "I would have been interested."

"Sorry," Harry said, "but it was before I knew I could really trust you."

"You two are awfully chatty," Professor Snape appeared, swooping down on them like a large bat, "let's see how you do."

Harry nodded and looked at Draco, telling his best friend to remember what he told him, and then raised his wand. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the rest of the class watching them eagerly.

Several seconds passed before suddenly a jet of red light erupted from Draco's wand and Harry deflected it with a quick Protego. Draco smirked and raised his arms sarcastically over his head. Some Slytherins laughed but most of the Gryffindors scowled.

"Well done Potter," Snape said, nodding his head at them both, "Malfoy. Twenty points to Slytherin."

The rest of the class passed quickly and they soon found themselves heading down to the familiar Potions dungeon, wondering what Professor Slughorns first class would be like. Harry, Draco and Blaise were the only ones to get enough O.W.L.s to qualify for the class, and as they arrived at the dungeons, it looked like it would be a very small class indeed. Harry, Draco and Blaise joined the group waiting outside the dungeon, which consisted of four Ravenclaws, one Hufflepuff and two Gryffindors - Ron Weasley and Harry's mystery girl Granger.

Slughorn soon arrived and jovially encouraged people into the dungeon and to get out their books and Potion kits. Harry, Draco and Blaise took a table at the back and Harry found himself sitting across from Granger, who was sitting alone. He cast a quick glance at her, but then turned his attention to Slughorn, who had come wobbling over to his table.

"Blaise," Slughorn greeted, "Harry - so good to see you. I'm sorry you couldn't come to see me on the train Harry, busy I suppose?"

"Whatever."

"Yes I rather thought so." Slughorn said, then gave them a big smile and waddled off again, ignoring the fact that Harry hadn't really answered his question. He stopped at the front and puffed out his rather large chest. "Now then, I've prepared some potions for you to take a look at. Can anyone tell me what this one is?" And he pointed to the one nearest to Harry.

Harry noticed it was Grangers hand that rose into the air again and Slughorn nodded to her.

"It's Veritaserum sir," Granger answered, "and it forces the user to tell the truth."

"Quite correct," Slughorn said, "and this one?"

Granger's hand rose once again, but before Slughorn could even point at her Harry spoke: "Polyjuice Potion."

Slughorn turned a beaming smile to Harry and laughed pleasantly. "Very good."

Harry cast his eyes to Granger again to find her regarding him with a puzzled look. He smirked at her and she dropped her eyes to the desk, blushing madly.

"And this one?" Slughorn pointed to the second to last potion. Nobody spoke.

Harry watched as Granger lifted her head and glanced at him. He smiled encouragingly and nodded his head. She blushed again but raised her hand. Slughorn pointed at her with a bemused smile.

"It's Amortentia," she responded, "the most powerful love potion in the world. Recognised by it's distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen and the steam rising in characteristic spirals. It's supposed to smell different to each of us, according to what attracts us."

Granger looked at Harry again and he could swear her eyes held challenge, at least for a moment, before they reverted to looking shy again, and she cast her eyes down. Harry smirked. He definitely liked this girl.

"Excellent indeed!" Slughorn grinned. "May I ask your name miss?"

"H-Hermione Granger." She replied.

Hermione, Harry thought, smiling.

Slughorn continued to press her for information on her family, until she told him she was a Muggle-born. He seemed quite surprised.

"Sir," the Hufflepuff boy had put his hand up, apparently getting bored of the off topic chatter, "What's in this one?" He pointed to the last Cauldron.

"Oho!" Slughorn tucked his thumbs into the waistband of his trousers and puffed out his belly once more. "I think Miss Granger here knows, but why don't we let someone else answer this one."

Harry noticed with some amusement that Hermione looked slightly put out by Slughorns comment. He smiled and turned his attention back to Slughorn.

"Felix Felicis," Harry said, "basically, liquid luck."

Slughorn slapped his large hands and beamed at both Harry and Hermione. "I think I should award twenty points to both Gryffindor and Slytherin, don't you?" It wasn't clear whom he was asking, so everyone stayed silent. He then went on to give them more information about Felix Felicis and then told them they had to create the potion themselves, and the person who made the best effort would get a tiny vile of the luck potion.

Harry was determined to win it, so he quickly set out to do the best job he could at such late notice. Every now and then he looked around the room to see how everyone else was doing. The only one close to him was Hermione, whose potion looked quite like his own. At the end of the lesson Slughorn called for them to stop and Harry stepped back from his potion.

Harry heard Draco snigger with some amusement at the tarlike substance in Ron Weasleys Cauldron, but Harry wasn't interested. He knew it would be either himself or Hermione and he couldn't wait to find out whom.

When Slughorn had finished assessing all the potions, he raised his arms over his head and declared. "It was a very close call, between two brilliant attempts, but I have to say that the winner is... Miss Hermione Granger!"

Hermione smiled bashfully as Slughorn handed her the small vile of Felix Felicis. Harry caught her eye and gave her a smile as well, and she quickly turned crimson and turned away. Harry just chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Draco asked, puzzled.

"Nothing."

(----)

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