The Price Of Knowledge

The Price of Knowledge


Disclaimer: Not mine


Chapter Thirteen


I hid from Parvati until curfew, when I snuck into the room only after I saw the lights go out and the whispers in the dark subside. I drew the curtains around my bed and lay there for a long time, staring blindly at the canopy above. My mind refused to stop wandering – instead, the entire days’ events just replayed themselves, over and over, until it collapsed at last, and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

I awoke late, in spite of myself. I was habitually awake by seven in order to hit the library before breakfast. I didn’t doubt Madame Pince was wondering where I had been the past two mornings, she did, after all, get up earlier to open the library up for me. When I rolled over for the first time, I had pretended to keep sleeping as to not bump into Parvati; the second time I rolled over I realized my mistake. I threw on clothes, grabbed my book bag and rushed all the way to the Greenhouses for Herbology.

I slid into my seat just as the clock chimed nine o’clock. Neville gave me a queer look but said nothing. I took a quick look around – only a few others noticed. I did see that Ron’s chair was empty – he had to still be in the infirmary. Humph. Good.

“Good morning!” Prof. Sprout greeted everyone warmly. “Please take out your essays and put them here for marking. I hope everyone worked hard, I’ll be testing everyone on the properties of Marlin Hyacinths today.”

I heard grumbling from other students, the sound of parchment being rolled…and my stomach plummeting. There must have been a mistake.

“I’ll bring yours up, Hermione,” Neville offered, his own essay in hand.

I gulped. How could it be possible? How could I have forgotten to do the homework? “I…I…” The words just wouldn’t come. How could I have been so distracted to forget to do such an important assignment?

Neville’s eyes widened. “You did it, didn’t you?”

Had he said it louder than I imagined, or did everyone in the room suddenly go quiet?

“Hermione didn’t do the essay?” Hanna Abbott repeated.

“Hermione?” Harry cast a shocked look in my direction.

Prof. Spout waddled up to my desk and tapped her wand against it, even she looked startled. “What is this about, Miss Granger? Did you not do the assigned work?”

I stared at my instructor blankly for a moment. “I…I…didn’t.”

“Is this a joke?” Prof. Sprout asked, and I heard a few Slytherins in the back snickering. “Quiet. Why didn’t you do the essay?”

My face was growing hot and my stomach was turning. I thought I was going to be sick. “I-I don’t know. I suppose…I forgot.” Bullocks, I was too busy focusing on my libido to bother with such matters as homework. Merlin, what did everyone think of me at this moment?

Prof. Sprout frowned. “Ten points from Gryffindor and detention tonight with Filch. I’m very disappointed in you, Miss Granger.”

So was I. Although I wasn’t sure if I was more miserable having not completed the work and disappointing everyone or having to put my tryst with Draco on hold.

Normally I started assignments right after they were assigned. Normally I was the one nagging others to finish their work. Normally I wasn’t wanking and/or shagging blokes and forgetting about the reason I was at Hogwarts in the first place.

Who was I anymore?

I tried my hardest to pay attention for the rest of class, but I still felt awful. I spent most of the class attempting to earn points back, while mentally berating myself. To make matters even worse, Harry cornered me after class. His jaw was set and his mouth formed a harsh line across his ordinarily handsome face – he wasn’t happy.

Bugger. The last thing I wanted was for Harry to get involved. I felt bad enough. I didn’t want this right now.

“Hermione, we need to talk.”

No. “Okay,” I said, leaning against the desk in an attempt to seem nonchalant – the exact opposite of my insides.

“What’s going on with you lately?” Harry asked rather uneasily.

My eyes widened in mock surprise. I hoped I was a better actress than my old drama instruction led on. “What do you mean?”

“You’re a different person lately! I mean, Ron and I barely ever see you anymore, and when we do, you’re snapping at us and yesterday – sticking Ron’s homework to his forehead – albeit was deserved, was quite harsh. It hasn’t come off yet! Why are you being so secretive? What about my cloak? You borrow it days ago without telling me why and I have yet to see it back. You look different too, and the way you’re walking and talking and acting…then you don’t even do the work assigned! That’s not like you at all! What’s going on with you?”

Crap. They were all logical questions. I suppose I never considered Harry or Ron when I threw myself into my research, but why would I have? They never considered me to be anything more than a sexless bookworm.

I felt my face grow red and I took a deep breath before I spoke. “I will get your cloak back to you tonight.”

“I really care more about you than the cloak, ‘Mione. Don’t you trust me enough to tell me what is going on?” His face was scrunched up with his concern and he was staring at me rather intently, his eyes locked on my lips as if he was watching for the truth spill from me like a waterfall.

Not when what’s going on is me shagging Draco Malfoy under your nose and you’d probably hex us both into next Tuesday if you knew. “Harry…” Blimey, I didn’t want to lie but I had no choice. “Nothing is going on. I’ve been working really hard on some new projects and they are really time-consuming. I’ve been snapping at you both because I come into conversations where you both treat me like I am your personal assistant.”

My re-direct was so good Harry’s look of disguised anger turned to one of humility. “You’re right. We haven’t been good to you, have we?” He moved over to lean beside me, his hands in his pockets. His elbow brushed mine and I turned my head to stare at him.

“I believe you agreed I was nothing more than a prude who would attract no attention?”

Harry blinked. “Did I agree to that?”

I nodded, gaining confidence. I stood up straight, placed my hands on my hips. “I am no different than anyone else here! Just because I study hard and like to learn does not make me some sort of misfit. I am not invisible!”

“No. No, you’re not.” I felt Harry’s eyes move up and down my body with…approval?

I paused further ranting. Did Harry just check me out?

“Okay, I get your point, but do you have to be so secretive? We are your friends, ‘Mione. Maybe we can help you.”

I shook my head, more to clear the image than disagree. I couldn’t imagine either boy helping my sexual discovery. Bugger, they were like brothers! Incest was not on my list of sexual quirks - that was for certain. The thought of Harry between my legs…I shivered. Harry’s eyebrow rose when he noticed. I didn’t like it.

“What about the look?”

The look. Like I was a model or something. I almost laughed. “What look?”

Harry blushed and cast his glance down. “You look different. More…pretty. Feminine. Kind of…sexy.”

I didn’t want to laugh, but a smile came to my lips without hesitation. “Really?”

He looked up and licked his lips, then nodded.

Shite. Was Harry interested?

“We should get going, I’m sure there is more homework I didn’t do for the next class,” I cleared my throat and gestured for the door.

Harry stayed motionless for a moment, and then nodded again. “I hope not. I’ll walk you to your next class.”

And my life was a little weirder.



“Miss Granger! You’re early. I like that.” The moment I entered Filch’s large maintenance office, I felt my skin crawl. The room was filled with boxes, crates, chests and an assortment of magical odds and ends. I think I even spied a sarcophagus in the corner. For a man that kept the school so immaculate…his office was a complete and unmitigated disaster.

Mrs. Norris sat on the remnants of a broken desk, her glowing eyes on me, watchful and knowing. Why hadn’t anyone hexed that bloody cat yet?

“I hear you have been a very naughty girl Miss Granger.” Filch drawled out, approaching.

Great, now Filch was coming on to me.

“I have a very special task for you tonight.” His voice startled me – I didn’t realize he was standing inches away. I jumped back. His breath smelled like tuna. It was disgusting.

His very special task was cleaning the Transfiguration classroom without magic, after all day students were changing goblets into rats and leaving very hairy messes behind. I was cursing McGonagall the entire time. Was it so hard to cast a freakin’ Scourgify?

Filch had left me to my own devices. “You should be done by ten or so. You hope.” And such wonderful wisdom: “If it moves on it’s own, you should probably take out your wand.” So as I scrubbed each desk and swept and mopped the floors, all I really wanted was to turn my brain off.

I wasn’t so spoiled by magical ability that I didn’t do things the muggle way, I just took advantage of having an easier time doing simple tasks, like cleaning. I was working myself into quite a sweaty mess, but at least the mindless busywork was going to put me to sleep the moment I got back to the dorms – and further away from Parvati’s advances.

Not that the idea wasn’t exciting. It actually was quite appealing. Who understands a woman’s body better than another woman? And I could finally have someone to talk about sex with.

Of course the problem with shagging Parvati? I didn’t find her remotely attractive. She actually was quite annoying. She played dumb to impress the boys, fawned over them after Quidditch matches, and wore pheromones. If I were going to shag anyone of the same sex, it would be a woman, not a little girl pretending.

I took a break around nine-thirty. I was almost finished when I heard a distinct giggling.

“You are so bad!”

I would have recognized the voice anywhere. Pansy. But where was it coming from? I strained to hear more, find out where the sound was coming from exactly.

“This was a really great idea. But what are you waiting for?”

Pansy again. I could hear her voice from the vent between the classrooms, but who was she talking to?

“Forget him! He couldn’t do it for us before, why do you think he could do it now? We don’t need him, Millie.”

So she was with Millicent again. Now my curiosity was peaked. I leaned forward to try and catch some of what she was saying in return, but obviously she was speaking too quietly. Pansy didn’t bother with subtlety or an “indoor” voice. The two girls were in a relationship, weren’t they? Who was this guy they were referring to? Was he a sexual partner, ménage-a-trois, or was he something else? Something told me it was about sex.

“What do you mean Salazar’s chamber was used? I would have known if he went down there. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Do you want to do this or not?”

Salazar’s chamber…the shag parlor! Were they talking about Draco?

“Fine. Look, I don’t get you! Why are you all over me then waiting for him the next minute? Is this for show, Millie? Or do you want to be with me? I think I need to know if this is going to happen because, guess what? I’m out. I’m not pretending. I want to fuck you. I want to fuck you because I want you, not because I’m pretending so other people will want me. So make up your fucking mind, because I’m sick of this crap!”

I heard muffled sobbing and a door slam. I felt very bad for Pansy then – she was not having an easy time managing her love life and her sexuality, especially when it was Millicent who was not being honest. Was she just playing the part for attention?

And Draco, how did he fit into this? It seemed so…confusing and complicated.

Then again, who was I to talk?

Complicated was becoming my middle name.

Tbc...