Forbidden Paths

Chapter 2

Harry, Ron and Hermione were walked in to the Great Hall for breakfast when suddenly Harry went rigid and stared along the Ravenclaw table. Hermione walked right into him and said, “What did you stop for? You nearly broke my nose.”

“Can’t go in there,” Harry said stiffly, “Cho’s in there.”

“What! I though you’d gotten over Cho last year?” She said astounded at Harry’s attitude.

“Well, he had until they ran into oth other last night,” Ron said with a huge grin spreading across his face.

“What happened? Why didn’t you guys tell me this until just now?” Hermione said outraged at the fact that she hadn’t learned this information earlier.

“Well, we ran into each other in the Owlery and Cho said ‘Hi Harry!’ and I said ‘Hi Cho how was your summer?’ and she said it was fine since the real truth about Cedric’s death had been revealed. Then I said ‘Oh that’s great,’ we talked a little more and she said she was sorry about all those row’s we had last year and I told her not to worry about it, to make a long story short we started snogging and just as I slipped my tongue in her mouth Malfoy walked in and saw us smiled and ran out. I guarantee you that the whole school knows by now.”

Hermione was surprised by this information and the great detail that Harry had gone into, “So what if the whole school knows you just have to go in there and face it you can’t not eat the whole year just because of that one incident,” Hermione grabbed Harry’s hand and pulled him in to the Great Hall. As soon as they walked in there was a roar of laughter from the Slytherin table and Malfoy had his eyes closed his hands around an imaginary girl’s waist and his tongue was darting in and out of his mouth.

At that moment Cho leapt up in tears from the Ravenclaw table and ran out of the Great Hall with Harry hot on her trail.

Ron lunged toward the Slytherin table and Hermoine grabbed his robes and sat him down on the bench. “It’s so not worth it, getting detention over him,” Hermione said in a soothing voice. But secretly she couldn’t wait to get to Potions to give Malfoy a piece of her mind.

As she walked into Potions class Draco smirked and said, “ Did Potter take Cho somewhere to do a bit more than snogging? If you know what I mean,” Malfoy asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Malfoy you are such a b…” but exactly what he was Malfoy never found out because at that moment Professor Snape walked in and Hermione took heat nat next to him.

“Today you will be starting one of the three projects you will complete for me this year. It will be on an immensely difficult potion called The Draft of the Phoenix tears,” Hermione’s mouth opened in awe she had only read about this potion in her course books she never thought that she would be attempting to brew it, “This is a healing potion that can heal anything from broken spines to a paper cut. That’s why it will take a month to finish this potion.”

Hermione’s face fell as she remembered who her potions partner was. She grimaced as she thought how much time they would be spending together if they wanted to get a good grade on this project. She glanced at him here sneered and before he could say anything nasty she looked away.

After class Hermione went up to Malfoy and he said, “What is it Granger? Don’t get to close you might slime up my robes.”

“All I wanted to say is that we should get a head start on our project so I was wondering if you would come to the Library at 8 after dinner to work on it.”

“Whatever as long as I can wear my poncho my dad just bought me so I don’t get the smell of Muggle-born on my robes,” Draco said and before Hermione could retaliate he ducked into his Charms class.

After dinner with Harry and Ron, Hermione sadly made her way up the stairs to the library where she found Malfoy in the back of the Library behind a shelf of books.

“Let’s get this over with,” he said

Hermione nodded in agreement. She sat down next to him and reached for one of the books on the shelf that contained information on the ingredients of the potion that they were about to concoct. As she did her arm accidentally brushed Malfoy and he said, “I knew I forgot something! My poncho! Look what you’ve done to my new robes,” he pointed to his arm and smirked.

“Cut the crap Malfoy! Let’s just get started on this project so we can get back to normal with me not ever having fraternize with you,” he eyes glittering and her cheeks red.

Malfoy hady sey seen her like this once and then she smacked him clean across the face and stalked off. So he quickly shut up and returned to reading the book about phoenixes.

The hours dragged by as Malfoy and Hermione worked diligently in the library. Only speaking when they found something important. At the end of the study session Hermione quietly said, “This was nice.”

“What was nice?” Malfoy snapped he knew what she was going to say before she said it.

“You and me here in a room together will out arguing,” she said with a smile.

“Don’t geed ted to it! I rather like making fun of you. It’s one of the things that puts the perk in my day. Other than Potter getting suspended from playing Quidditch last year ‘cause that was a hoot,” said Malfoy slapping his knee in mock hilarity.

“Actually it sure was funny when Harry got suspended,” Malfoy’s eyes narrowed not believing what she was saying, “It was funny when you were cowering and whimpering on the ground as Harry Geo George beat you to a pulp. If Madam Hooch had gotten the and frozen Harry then you would have had lasting damages done to your arrogant, pompous arse.”

Hermione knew she had pushed all the right buttons because Malfoy quickly stood up and left the Library in a huff. She glanced at Madam Pince and she got the message that it was closing time and she quickly gathered her things and left too