FanFiction
Just In
Community
Forum

More

Linked by Philyra912
 Books » Harry Potter Rated: T, English, Romance, Draco M., Hermione G., Words: 61k+, Favs: 4k+, Follows: 920, Published: Jun 18, 2005 Updated: Jan 5, 2006
 2,542 Chapter 2: Unexpected Side Effects
Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter universe. Sue me at your own risk, because all you'll get is a pile of student loans and a cat with three legs. I'm rather attached to the cat, but you can have all the loans you want.
A/N: Now that I know people are reading, let me outline my plan: I will try to update every few days, though I can't promise anything. The first two chapters have been done for a while, and I have the fourth chapter completed though not thoroughly edited. I also have scenes from later chapters written out because they wouldn't leave my head until I did. I will admit, however, to having trouble with Chapter 3. I know what needs to happen, but it's rough going because a lot of information needs to be outlined but not a lot of action takes place. Therefore, I have a question for my readers: Would it be unbearably boring if most of Chapter 3 was an excerpt from a book that Hermione is using to research the potion? Tell me your opinions as quickly as possible and I'll try to get the chapter out as soon as I can. Now, on to the story!
Chapter 2: Unexpected Side Effects
An hour later, Hermione and Malfoy were just finishing their potion. Despite the occasional trade of insults, the potion-making process had gone comparatively smoothly. He was knowledgeable about the potion and surprisingly attentive to detail, but she found that she would rather have a friendly but inept partner than a snide and arrogant but relatively competent one. Their potion was done before any other group even showed signs of wrapping up. Panicked questions and snapped admonishments filled the room as Hermione finished clearing the ingredients and seated herself beside Malfoy.
"I suppose we should wait for everyone else to finish up," she said, looking around and bouncing slightly in her chair with anticipation. "Oh, I hope we do all right. I need this to go well." Malfoy had his feet up on the desk (something no other student would dare to do in Snape's class) and was staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head.
"Your potions always go well, Granger," Malfoy said in an exasperated voice. "Must you continue to nag us all to death with your constant fretting?"
"Well said, Mr. Malfoy." Malfoy glanced over casually and Hermione spun around to find Snape standing behind her.
"If you are quite finished lazing about during my class, Miss Granger, perhaps you might be willing to test your potion and possibly have a chance of passing this assignment?" Hermione blinked at him speechlessly, her mouth open but soundless. Malfoy slid his long legs off the table and straightened up with a small smirk as Snape smiled sourly at Hermione and stalked away.
"Well, you heard the man, Granger. How about you get off your ass and do some work around here?" He stood up and began pouring small doses of the potion into slim glass vials. She stood up and was about to let loose with a scathing retort when he placed one of the vials in her raised hand and gently tapped his own against it.
"Cheers, Granger. If this poisons me, my father will hold you entirely to blame." Before Hermione could respond, Malfoy had thrown back the potion with a grimace. Hermione did the same, and felt like grimacing herself. The potion tasted acrid and metallic, and she resisted the urge to make a very unladylike retching sound.
All the sudden, she felt a rush of penetrating, warm tingling wash through her body, beginning in her stomach and flooding out to her extremities. Following the not-unpleasant warmth came a strange sensation that at first she couldn't place. A few moments later, she recognized it as disdain, and a scant moment after that, recognized that it had not originated with her. Malfoy's emotions drifted inside her like changing tides, surging and receding, first dominated by expectation, then curiosity, then a wariness that told her he found the sensation as disquieting as she did.
