Lust, War, and... Love?

Chapter 5: Boys and Loyalties

       Gentle autumnal sunshine filled the Gryffindor Common Room but Hermione failed to appreciate the beauty of the warm September day. She was staring blankly at pages of arcane runic texts. Her efforts to concentrate on her Ancient Runes homework had proven futile. Neither was she able to banish from her mind the unnerving memories of Malfoy touching her in the library. The most unsettling thing was a highly unwanted fantasy of the pureblood scum's hand caressing her privates. If they stayed any longer in the library and Madam Pince, in a sudden rush of sympathy for all lovers in the world, locked them alone there, Hermione would definitely fail to resist Malfoy's advances.

"Oi, Hermione! Have you got that book on Animal Transfiguration?" Ron's voice dragged her out of her stupor. She must, absolutely must, get rid of the Malfoy hallucinations. She must pull herself together! Her heart belonged to Ron Weasley, not Draco Malfoy. Period.

Resolutely, Hermione walked with the book to Ron's seat. When she placed it on the table in front of him, she made a point to press her body against his shoulder and remain in this position. Ron looked up at her with a perfectly lunatic smile on his face. Hermione rubbed against his shoulder lightly. Ron's grin widened.

Hermione reached for one of Ron's parchments on the table and deliberately brushed her breasts against his forearm in the process. Ron made a small sound. Two fifth-year girls at another table giggled. Perfect. A juicy gossip was now in the making. Hermione had long suspected that Malfoy always did his best to keep up with the latest Hogwarts politics and gossips. A steamy tale featuring both of the Gryffindor prefects was guaranteed to travel far and wide. It would help drive the point about her true allegiance further into that Slytherin.

The only problem was that when Hermione's chest came into contact with Ron's arm, a lurid fantasy of Malfoy's palms squeezing her breasts sprang into her mind. Against her will, Hermione emitted a slight groan which made Ron shift in his seat.

"Hermione... Could you... er... look at my DADA essay? It's in my trunk." Ron got to his feet and headed to the stair to the boys' dorms. Hermione trailed after him. Everyone's eyes were on them. Lavender Brown, who was sitting in a chair by the fireplace, looked distinctly despondent.

In the empty dorm Ron, pink in face and grinning, stood and stared at Hermione. She shifted on her feet nervously and could not think of anything better than to sit on his bed and ask to read his essay. Ron began rummaging in his trunk vigorously. Hermione reminded herself to banish all Malfoy thoughts from her mind. When she was about to give Ron a hug from behind, Dean and Seamus barged into the room, loudly discussing the recent victory of Puddlemere United over Chudley Cannons. Hermione was not sure whether or not she was happy about the interruption.

Snape was in the staff room, and Draco had to lounge in the corridor for almost an hour before the teacher came out. When Draco fed him a story about an essay on love potions for Slughorn's class and mentioned the Treatise of Osburga, Snape's beetle-black eyes bore into the his face. Draco made a sluggish effort to dispel all Granger-related thoughts from his mind. Snape said nothing and waved Draco to follow him to his office in the dungeons.

"Remedies for which potions are you supposed to cover in your essay?" Snape put the black volume on his desk.

"Amortentia... Heorte Lustbaere." Draco strained to remember other potions described in the Treatise of Osburga. "Cupido Lubidinis... The most potent love potions, Professor Snape."

"Does Professor Slughorn cover them all in his class?" Snape looked across the desk at Malfoy.

"Yes, it is the N.E.W.T. level, Sir. No one knows the Potions better than you," Draco flattered the teacher.

"What a peculiar subject to discuss in the class," muttered Snape and leafed through the Treatise of Osburga. "Hmm... Quite a book to read. The famous Osburga, a witch queen married to King Aethewulf of Wessex, a complete Muggle... Here."

Draco quickly copied a few recipes of remedies for Cupido Lubidinis and some other potions, names of which he did not register. Trying to sound casual, Draco asked, "Are the antidotes for Heorte Lustbaere in this book too, Sir?"

Snape's eyes drilled into him from under his greasy hair. Draco looked down at his notes to avoid his stare. The teacher turned a few more pages and pushed the book back to the student.

Draco copied the recipe which had an exceptionally long list of ingredients. St. John's-Wort powder, finely shredded boomslang skin, essence of persimmon, carraffean bean juice, caramelized wolf hair, Nvembe purple vinegar - the list went on and on. It was clear that it was going to be a major pain and expense to procure everything. One of the ingredients made Draco a little worried. Buds of Alban Eilirenne harvested before the dawn of the day of the vernal equinox, mashed and added to the potion immediately.
"Sir, what's Alban Eilirenne?" Draco inquired cautiously.

Snape, who was busy writing in his parchments, answered without as much as raising his head, "It is a bulb plant which blooms on the day of the vernal equinox. Otherwise known as Nuntius Vernus."

"Where do they sell these plants? I've never heard of them before, Professor Snape."

"They are not very common. I believe Professor Sprout has a few of them in the greenhouses. The buds make an extremely potent ingredient in some potions but their usability is very limited. They must be used within an hour after harvesting. Otherwise the buds turn black and rot. The potion that contains them must be consumed within twenty-four hours after preparation."

That did not bode well... Draco tried to ask as nonchalantly as he could, "Are there any other counterpotions that don't call for the Alban Eilirenne buds? I imagine if someone consumes Heorte Lustbaere in summer by accident, what would he do then?"

Snape raised his pallid face from his parchments and gave his favorite student a long stare. "It is just a school essay, I assume?"

"Yes, of course, Sir. But I'm curious how it's handled in the real life." Draco was on needles now.

"Draco, Heorte Lustbaere is not something you're likely to stumble upon at an average store. If you ask about it in Knockturn Alley, those who know about the potion will pretend they didn't hear your question. It's almost believed to have a mind of its own."

"Oh...but the recipe can still be found in books, Sir."

"At this point our library has got only one book that describes this potion - the Treatise of Osburga, which you apparently found in the Restricted Section."

"Yes, I was looking everywhere. Amortentia is not a common potion either, Sir."

"Amortentia? It is a textbook staple," Snape snorted dismissively. "Heorte Lustbaere is a very ancient recipe but also is a highly incriminating one. Used very rarely and thence its effects have scarcely been researched. Only one antidote is known, and it can be made only on a certain night of year."

Draco's heart sunk. "So... Hypothetically speaking, if someone digests the potion, he might have to wait for the whole year to be treated?"

"Exactly. I believe Professor Sprout mentions Nuntius Vernus in her seventh year curriculum."

"That's so interesting." Draco tried to express the proverbial joy of learning. "But what if there's still a year to go? The Treatise of Osburga says the results can be as bad as... as terminal insanity."

"If both of the parties are available for regular contacts, the danger of insanity should not be a concern. The standard practice for this type of potions is to have the victims monitored at St. Mungo's. They make sure the most immediate needs of the patients are met safely until the remedy is available."

"Er... Thanks, Professor Snape. " Draco's brains were disintegrating further. He handed the book back to the teacher, picked up his book bag and turned around to leave. When his hand was already on the door handle, Draco heard Snape's sarcastic voice. "Mr. Malfoy, I don't think I need your notes on the potions."

Did he give himself away? Draco snatched his parchments from the desk and darted out of the room.

After putting a good distance between himself and Snape's office, Draco halted and cussed profusely under his breath. Two startled first-year Slytherin boys ducked to the other side of the corridor and sped past him. He was burning to ravish Granger with all of his passion and madly aching to cast each and every Unforgivable Curse on Crabbe and Goyle. His homework for Monday was still largely undone and he saw no way he could do it in his muddled state of mind. Then his growling stomach reminded Draco that it was dinnertime.