Chestnuts Roasting Over The Open Firewhiskey: A Hogwarts Christmas Tale

A New Brew

After a few moments of his silent staring, Hermione started to devise a plan. If her suspicion was correct, a love potion could wear off between a few hours and a few days, depending on the type. Should it be a strong potion, she'd have to put up with this strange behavior for days, and it certainly seemed strong. She could go to Slughorn for help with an antidote, but then she'd likely be stuck talking to him for hours on Christmas Eve. That was potentially worse than dealing with a disgustingly lovesick Draco Malfoy. She could go to another professor for help, but what if they thought she slipped him the love potion on purpose? She knew that typically people were meant to fall for the person who gave them the potion, so any professor might assume she had dosed this boy against his will and now regretted it. She also didn't know how to factor in Draco's reaction upon being cured. Would he blame her too? Hermione was especially curious how the potion maker had brewed this potion to force the blond currently invading her personal space to have feelings for her. Was the potion meant to frame her? Or just make her the butt of whatever joke this was? Regardless, she determined her best course of action would be to brew an antidote and administer it as soon as possible.

"Mal- Draco," she whispered sweetly, his given name sounding foreign in her mouth. "Why don't you come with me somewhere a little more private?" Hermione cringed internally at how that sounded, but she knew if she played along that it would be easier to get him to agree with her. She grabbed her bag and stood up, giving him her sweetest smile.

"I like the sound of that," he muttered with a dreamy smile still plastered on his pale face as he shot up with her.

"I'm sure you do," she laughed, taking his hand and leading him towards the Potions lab. She mentally congratulated herself on acquiring Slughorn's permission to work in the lab over the break. It made up for the disaster that was his Christmas party before break started. She shuddered, remembering how Connor McLaggen leered at her the entire night, eager for her attention.

"Could you keep calling me that?" Malfoy asked as he walked with her, his large hand dwarfing her own. She noticed his hand was softer than she expected as he laced his fingers though her's.

"Calling you what?"

"Draco. I like the way it sounds when you say it," he muttered, suddenly much closer to her. Hermoine's pulse quickened, uncomfortable with having this drugged boy so near to her. "I'm going to dream tonight of you saying it,"he added, his voice like honey.

Her stomach dropped. "Merlin, this is astounding. Draco Malfoy has the capability to be rather charming...even in an embarrassingly forward way," she thought, looking away from him. Hermione imagined what they boys would do if they were here. Would Harry be laughing? Maybe if it was a different Slytherin sweet talking to her while under the influence. He was so violently suspicious of Draco, especially this year, that he'd likely attack him on sight. What would Ron do? Ron. Well, he'd probably be lip locked with Lavender, too busy to notice. Hermoine sighed heavily as they approached the Potions Lab, stopping at the door and fiddling with the charmed keys she'd collected from a handful of her teachers.

"Sickle for your thoughts, gorgeous?" Draco practically purred, a gentle smile playing on his lips as he leaned against the stone wall. " His lips look soft, " Hermione realized. He'd really grown into his features more since last year, shedding his sharpness for a more filled-out look. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed how handsome his face had become before. The image of him shirtless just outside the prefect bath popped into her mind, forcing her cheeks to turn a rather festive color. Her eyes were still on his lips when they started moving closer to her, Draco gently grabbing her arm to pull her in.

"Stop that," she said crossly, swatting away his touch. " Did he really just try to kiss me? " Turning away from him and finally finding the correct key, she unlocked the Potions lab and motioned for him to enter.