Dramione

Chapter 4 (Finally)

Hermione sat down at her desk in double potions and set up everything she'd need for class. She glanced up as someone sat down at her desk.

"Hello Harry." She said

"Hermione, look, I know you don't want to hear this but I really am sorry about what Ron and I did,"

"It's fine Harry," her tone, and the fact that she wouldn't so much as look at Ron even after he sent her a charmed paper airplane note, betrayed that it wasn't fine but Harry decided not to press it, they had done wrong by Hermione, betraying her trust like that and she had every right to be mad at them.

"Good afternoon class, instructions are on the board, you are to work in pairs and minimal talking please Today you will be brewing Pepper-Up potion, passable samples may be used in the infirmary." Snape flicked his wand at the supply cabinet "everything you need should be in the student supply cabinet, should you need something else, come to me." He watched them gather their ingredients impassively and only after they started brewing did he sweep around the dungeon critiquing.

"My My My, Weasley and Malfoy what a...curious pairing...at least your potions of to a good start, 5 points to Slytherin Mister Malfoy."

"Why is it green Longbottom, it's supposed to be purple. Mr. Nott I trust you can fix this mess. 3 points from Gryffindor."

"Miss Granger, Mister Potter, it's the right colour at least, 2 points to Gryffindor." Harry opened his mouth to be indignant about the unfairness of this situation but Hermione kicked him under the table, not wanting to lose any points. The rest of potions passed mostly without incident, unless you count Crabbe and Goyle's cauldron exploding near the end of class and almost showering them all in botched Pepper-Up potion.

"Crabbe, Goyle, 10 points from Slytherin and detention with me, that is the 4th cauldron this fortnight, the rest of you may pack up flasks of your completed potion and leave them on my desk, labelled with your names. And then you may pack up and go. Everyone who was finished and packed up hastily wrote their names on a label and fled the dungeon headed for their next classes. Harry and Ron, with a giggling Neville in tow, headed for Trelawney's tower while Draco and Hermione headed for Professor Vector's arithmancy classroom with a pensive yet smiling Theo Nott trailing after them.

That night at dinner Hermione sat with Draco and his friends at the Gryffindor table, this was the only arrangement which would allow them to all sit together as the Slytherins were just a little hostile toward Hermione.

"Theo what is the matter with you? You've been smiling like a loon since potions, Crabbe and Goyle didn't get you with their botched potion did they?" He didn't answer he just grinned while Neville laughed.

"That must be it, Neville's been the same way ever since double potions." Hermione looked between Neville and Theo.

"Oh! Ronald use your head, they didn't get hit with the botched potion, not matter how badly you botch a Pepper-Up it won't make you happy for the rest of the day. Zabini," she whispered.

Blaise looked up "Oh! But Theo never mentioned anything, what about Longbottom?"

"Not to me but maybe to the boys, it's been 5 years and it takes a sudden cauldron explosion and they're all giggly? I don't think so, it must have been building for a while. We need to" she went back to whispering in his ear and the others couldn't hear her but they came out of their brainstorming session wearing matching determined expressions. That evening as they were headed up to astronomy Theodore and Neville were ahead of them chatting and grinning and the others were plotting.

"Alright, we couldn't say it at dinner because they would have heard us but frankly this is ridiculous, we need to get them alone together so they can work this out. It's obvious that they have crushes on each other...how about after astronomy tonight? Leave them packing up, the last ones alone on the astronomy tower?"

"Hermione, blokes don't go for that sort of sappy rubbish."

"Honestly Ronald, emotional range of a teaspoon. Harry what do you think?"

"I think it's a good plan, leave them packing up so they have to at least talk to each other and see where it goes from there." They climbed the rest of the way up the tower in silence and had a very eventful Astronomy lesson. They were learning more about the Andromeda galaxy. But to all and one it was obvious that Neville and Theo weren't paying attention, they were too busy trying to not make eye contact.

After class professor Sinistra called to them, "Longbottom, Nott, 5 points from each of you for not paying attention in class today, I'm also assigning you extra reading on top of the short essay on the characteristics of the Andromeda galaxy that the rest of the class is doing, it's 14 inches, due next week, on November 24th and I want you to check out these books," she scrawled a list on a piece of parchment for them "for extra reading, the chapter assignments are beside the book title. I'm also going to give you this," she scrawled a few more book titles down and on a separate piece of parchment wrote a note allowing them into the restricted section. "The books on the bottom of the list are for extra credit reading and, should you so desire, your assignment is to summarize the noted chapters of each and hand it in with your essay." They mumbled their thanks to professor Sinistra and made their way down the tower with their bags. Neville slipped on a stair and Theo grabbed his arm and they ended up face to face.

"Wouldn't want you to go tumbling down the astronomy tower Longbottom, that's a very long way to fall."

"Thanks," He breathed "Uh, I should, um,"

"Yeah, me too," but they stayed close to one another. They heard someone clanking in the corridor below and sprang apart just as Peeves came zooming around the corner and up the stairs. The journeyed the rest of the way down the tower in silence and when they reach the entrance hall Theo turned.

"Longbottom, would you, maybe, like to get a butterbeer with me at the 3 Broomsticks next Hogsmeade weekend?"

Neville flushed furiously but in the shadows Nott couldn't see that. "Uh, sure, want to meet there around, say 2?"

"2 o'clock it is. Until then." Theo smiled and departed for the Slytherin dorms while Neville turned and tripped on his way up the stairs to Gryffindor.

"Pumpkin Pasty," he said and the door swung open, he climbed through the portrait hole and sat down heavily in a chair.

"Hey Nev, what took you so long?"

"How was your chat with Theodore?" asked Hermione.

"Um...um...it..."he couldn't seem to find the words "We're getting butterbeer next Hogsmeade weekend."

"But Neville that's not until December 3rd!"

"I know." He looked a little dazed. He drifted off to bed not really paying attention to anybody, he almost tripped over Seamus at the dormitory entrance. He was sitting on the step looking forlorn and the expression on his face brought Neville sharply back to earth.

"What's up Seamus?'

"Oh, hi Neville, it's nothing really." His shoulders shook slightly and he looked ready to bolt. Neville crouched down beside him.

"Pull the other one, what's up?" Ron and Harry came up the steps just in time to hear Seamus' reply

"It's Dean."