enchantement - SOULBOUND I̲̅ || SS/HG ✔️

39. Overprotective hands

As their steps got closer to the party, Hermione could already hear the music through the endless hallways leading to the gathering. After revealing the truth to Harry, he fell quiet - unable to grasp how it was possible for someone as gorgeous and brilliant as his friend to develop feelings for the greasy dungeon bat.

"You could at least say something" she commented, getting a glims of his contorted grin as she turned her head to look at him. "Severus and I -"

"- please" interrupted Harry, his hand reaching up to silence her. "Let's not talk about your relationship with the professor. Besides, there is something far more important at stake here. Someone is playing with you like a puppet master, and you need all the help you can get. I'll join you tonight in the restricted section, let's go together after we get acquainted with everyone at the party."

Nodding back at him in agreement, knowing that another fresh pair of eyes could be useful in the search for answers, Hermione squeezed his hand in acknowledgement and entered the ballroom. She was amazed by the decoration, long colourful veils ornated the walls, giving the room a bohemian atmosphere. The music appeared overly loud from outside, yet as they crossed the door, the melody was faint, close to a whisper, soothing to the ear. Smiling at the satisfactory look on Slughorn's face as he detected her surprise, he excused himself to the seventh year students and walked towards the newcomers.

"Fancy seeing you two here, together. I was worried you decided to spend the evening with Wolemby, " he admitted, his grin stretching up to his ears. "Ms Granger I heard what happened to your initial partner. Poor Mr McLaren, Severus can be quite rigid."

Harry simply smiled back, knowing that his presence at the ball was only for business purposes. He needed to earn Slughorns' trust in order to find out what he has been hiding. Dumbledore had been adamant when it came to the need to obtain the unaltered memory from the teacher, yet Harry could see something was bothering his headmaster. Realising he had lost himself in his train of thoughts, the raven-haired boy suggested getting a drink for his ravishing friend, leaving her alone with the prying teacher.

Smiling like a child on Christmas morning, Slughorn raised his glass to one of the students who had waved at him before returning his unconditional attention to the 'muggle-born prodigy'.

"Your curriculum is quite impressive. Outstanding in all of your classes with no negative remarks other than 'unmotivated' from our lovely Seraphina."

The joyful ring in his voice irritated Hermione the most. Trying her hardest to ease the tension between her eyebrows, the witch searched in the room for something to distract her from his incessant blabbering.

"It's quite worrying to know that someone might be getting sick from spending to much time looking into the futures of others. Can you imagine?"

Feeling his insisting look on her, Hermione drifted her attention back to him, only to realise he was waiting for an answer. Which? She didn't know.

"I beg your pardon?" She simply asked, trying her best to mask the rawness in her voice.

Bending his head towards her, he whispered in her ear: "Seraphina has been sick lately, not everyone knows about it but I saw her yesterday. She was paler than a polar-bear. It was frightening, to say the least. Her gaze was unfocused and her mouth dried by the lack of hydration."

Hermione was suddenly interested in his speech, listening to every word with hidden content. "She might have the flu" she murmured back with a smirk, her eyes twinkling with mischief, "or her overly unrealistic and unexpected premonitions finally got the best of her."

Giggling at the student's emotionless response, he flicked his wrist and a coupon appeared in his grip. "You are an enjoyable company Ms Granger, but I am afraid my presence is being desired. Here, take this" he said, handing her the silver piece of paper, "you can get any beverage from the bar, for free. You remind me of someone I used to teach Ms Granger, full of life and wittiness. I hope you will come to my monthly reunions, I would love to have you at my table."

With these last words he was gone, and Harry came back to sight with two cocktails in his hand. "Please tell me they have some sort of alcohol in them" she begged, grabbing the pink beverage from his hand. "Talking to Slughorn was exhausting. He never stops, it's like me, but with less intelligence and interesting subjects."

"You finally understand how we feel when you talk about new discoveries" laughed Harry, bringing his glass towards hers - toasting. "To love."

"To love" she repeated enthusiastically before eagerly bringing the drink to her lips, eager to gulp it all in anticipation to the long evening she was about to have.

Her senses were on alert, ready to feel the aphrodisiac eliciting her pleasure as it reached her buds, tickling every inch of her body - energising her. Yet all she felt were strong hands removing the glass from her hand and a low growl in her ear. "What do you think you're doing?"

Opening her eyes, she was all the more surprised to see her lover standing not far from her face with a murderous gaze. "Me? You just took my drink, you insufferable man!"

"Insufferable? Look who's talking! I need you fully alert tonight Ms Granger, and underage drinking is illegal."

Hearing snorting from his right, Severus snapped his head towards the disturbing sound, only to find the most distasteful offspring mocking him. "Anything interesting to add Mr Potter?"

"No Sir" responded the Chosen One, feeling uncomfortable with the unexpected image of his tyrant of a potion professor bedding his best friend.

The contorted expression and the distorted images in his mind were involuntarily projected to the Slytherin, who gasped in surprise.

"No need to sound so shocked Severus, he saw us the night we were charmed." Whispered Hermione, her eyes looking back in fourth at the staring competition between the two men. "Harry will be joining us tonight in the restricted section, he will be of great help. Perhaps his invisibility cloak could be of much better use than it has ever been in the past."

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know it isn't long and the suspense is slightly dragging itself, but the next one will happen in the restricted section, and something very important to this whole mystery will be revealed. 🔑🙀🖤

Next update tomorrow, 📅📌📝

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