Signum Vitalis (a dramione story)

The Effects of Potions

Hermione woke up the next morning to a vague but deeply unsettled feeling and a headache that wouldn't let her fall asleep again. The headache was an insistent bead of light pulsing against her forehead and eyes that was just painful enough to ensure that it was hard to think about anything else. She reached for a potion to help ease it, but met an empty surface instead. She peeked her eyes open and the sight of her nightstand reaffirmed it. Gone. All her potions were gone. She grumbled and pushed herself up with the help of her arms. Had Luna taken them? Hermione had thought that they had come to an agreement (to not agree) when it came to her potions.

Pushing her blankets aside, Hermione made gentle progress towards the kitchen in hopes to find her potions, wherever Luna had hid them. She opened all of the cupboards above the sink and found no trace of them. She tried the cupboards on either side of the sink. No luck there either.

"Where else would she have bloody hidden them?" she mumbled to herself.

"Hidden what?"

Hermione jumped and whirled, making a grab for her wand. It wasn't there, and she grabbed the nearest kitchen utensil instead as she faced her intruder.

"Malfoy?" Hermione said in surprise.

"Nice spatula," he replied in reference to her weapon. His hair was a little tousled and he was still in the strange black outfit from last night that was a little too like a Death Eater's uniform. In his hand he twirled a wand. Her wand.

"How the hell did you get that?"

Malfoy grinned a thin smile. "Language, Granger."

"How the bloody hell did you get that and what in Merlin's grey beard are you doing in my kitchen?" she responded, spitting the words as angrily as she could without raising her voice.

"It would seem alcohol doesn't agree with you. Don't you remember anything from last night?"

"There is no way that I invited you to stay here, no matter how drunk I was," she said as she skirted around the table towards him. She made to grab her wand and he pulled his hand out of her reach.

"Manners, really, Granger," he said and smirked.

She rolled her eyes but the moment triggered a small memory. "Did you take my wand because I was drunk?" she asked with irritation, turning her palm out to him and raising an eyebrow.

He placed the wand into her hands. "Ten points to Gryffindor," he responded theatrically.

"And a hundred points from Slytherin for this whole stupid game. Where are my potions?"

"Do you always need them first thing in the morning?" he asked more seriously.

Hermione waved a dismissive hand after setting the spatula down again. "Depends on what type of night I've had."

"And how often do screaming nightmares play into them?" he asked, not looking at her, but twirling a chair out from underneath the table before sitting on it.

"Oh. The wards." She winced a little and turned her attention to the hallway. "Poor Luna," she said as she realized she hadn't reset the wards last night that muffled noises from her room.

"So, every night, then?" Malfoy said, his eyes boring straight into hers, a little frown on his face.

"Not quite that bad," Hermione hedged. "Now explain why you are here, because even if I did say to stay, you know sure as hell that you shouldn't have."

"Rolf invited me." Malfoy leaned backwards and pulled his hands behind his head.

"Rolf?" she asked incredulously.