Bitter Sweet Love

Bitter Sweet Love

Disclaimer: The Story idea is mine, but the characters are not. They belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am merely borrowing them for a short period of time.

Well I am impatient *grins to self* I wanted to write the next chapter since I had it on my mind, and I decided to upload it even though no one has reviewed. Come on, review *shakes fist*, even if you want to say it sucks! I don\'t want to give away too much, but it is rated NC-17 for a reason and I am guessing that there might be some saucy scenes between our two main characters in the next 3 or 4 chapters. Depending on how much I write for each chapter.

Well onto the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it.

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Chapter Two: DADA

Draco was tired of waiting for the day to end, he had been pacing around his room since classes had been excused. Walking around his study, he found some time to grade some of the essays that had been turned in the previous day. He picked up a particular one, and it reminded him vaguely of someone but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, as he looked over the essay he noticed that the handwriting and content of the assignment was flawless. Done by a first year no less, Draco was especially curious as to where she would be able to find such information on the Unforgivable Curses, most young students did not know of them, and if they did it wasn’t in such great detail. The question only asked what the three curses were, not the definition, but there it was in neat handwriting.

Cruciatus Curse - The Cruciatus curse was one of the three Unforgivable curses. This specific curse caused the victim to have excruciating pain, and if prolonged the victim would possibly slip into madness. The incantation that is given for this specific curse is Crucio, which in Latin means, “torment”.

Imperius Curse - The Imperius curse was another curse known as one of the Unforgivable curses. This curse differed greatly from the Cruciatus curse, but it was still just as terrible. When one cast the curse onto another, the victim was completely under the control of the caster. The incantation for this curse is Imperio, which in Latin can mean three things: “order”, “govern”, and “command”.

The Killing Curse - This curse is by far the worst, in my mind anyway. To be able to snatch someone’s life away that quickly with no remorse is sick, and I cannot believe that someone ever created this spell. When this spell is cast there is no turning back, saying the incantation “Avada Kedavra” the victim who is hit by the spell loses all breath of life instantly in a flash of green light.

Turning the page over he scanned the page to see if it was written by a familiar last name, but the girl’s name didn’t ring a bell helping Draco to assume she was a muggle-born.

“Why does this all seem like deja-vu?” Draco wondered out loud to himself as he tried to put the pieces together. “I don’t even know this girl, yet she is giving me this reminder in the back of my head of someone long forgotten.”

Draco paced around his room for what seemed like the better part of an hour when Dobby appeared at his side with a plate full of sandwiches and some tea. Thanking Dobby, he placed the plate on his table and began to eat some food while sipping on his warm tea. Regarding the girl’s paper as nothing, just lack of sleep on his part Draco called Dobby back for the plate and his cup, and bid him goodnight before climbing into his four poster bed. Just when he was about to fall asleep, the headmaster appeared in his fireplace requesting his company.

“I wonder what the old man wants now,” groaned Draco as he slipped on a pair of socks and some pajama bottoms before heading over to the fireplace.

***About the Same Time***

Hermione had just stepped through the fireplace, and was quickly casting a cleaning spell over her, so she wasn’t covered in soot. Letting her eyes adjust to the dim lighting she quickly spotted Dumbledore and rushed over to him.

“Professor!” Hermione gushed giving him a big hug, contact from a fatherly figure she had long since forgotten when her parents were brutally murdered in the war before the fall of the Dark Lord.

“Hermione dear please, call me Albus... anything but professor. I am no longer you’re professor,” Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes,”I am glad to see that I was correct in assuming that your visit here would be prompt upon your reading of the letter contents?”
“This is true prof...er...Albus,” Hermione stuttered out the last part, not used to addressing the man in front of her so informally. “I do wish you would explain this to me a little more clearly though, I really don’t quite grasp what the letter is saying. That is partly why I came here, I would prefer a better explanation of the situation.”
“Ah yes, indeed, I assumed as much so I took the liberty upon myself to leave a few things out that would be best explained in person. But first, are you hungry? I was just about to have Dobby bring me up a little late night snack, I could have him bring you something along as well.”
“Oh, that would be wonderful, I had some Chinese earlier but I never got around to finishing it,” Hermione said blushing,”Did you know, I did my best to block out any memory of the wizarding world for the past two years, and when that owl began to peck at me I offered it my Chinese take-out so it would enjoy the food when it returned. I feel so foolish.”
“Hermione, sometimes the things in life that make you feel foolish are the things that drive you to not become that way,” Dumbledore said smiling and then looking up when a “POP” sounded, “Ah, Dobby pleasant timing, I do believe you haven’t forgot dear Hermione have you?”
“Miss Hermione! I am so pleased! Did you bring Harry’s Wheezy?” Dobby said practically jumping at the sight of Hermione, and the questioning the whereabouts of Ron.
“Oh...” Hermione said casting a downward glance, and then smiling brightly up at Dobby, “Not this time I am afraid, but I will bring him to visit you soon.”
“Oh thank you greatly Miss! Dobby’s needing to tend to other duties,” Dobby said with a ‘POP’.

Hermione looked up to Dumbledore with a slightly sad expression before noticing the feast Dobby had laid out before them. She forgot how wonderful the food always was at Hogwart’s, and she hadn’t had a really proper meal in her two years away from the school due to her job, and low income. Hermione and Dumbledore sat and enjoyed the food over a little bit of small talk, before washing away all the food with a little bit of Butterbeer for Hermione (she wasn’t a real big fan of Firewhiskey having only tried it once and waking the next morning feeling like she had died, and with her underwear on her head) and Firewhiskey for Dumbledore.
As the two sat in front of the fire letting their stomachs settle, Dumbledore looked up at Hermione and decided that now was the best time for her to know everything.

“Hermione, I explained to you in the letter about the Potions Master position being available, and I am sorry to say that I won’t be able to offer you that job anymore. It seems Severus isn’t too keen on giving the job up just yet, so if you were thinking about accepting the job I have been thinking that I would much rather have you teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, especially in the light of things that are beginning to take place.” Dumbledore said slowly, so that Hermione cold take in each word and understand what he was telling her.
“In the light of things to come... Albus I remember in the letter you said something about the Dark Lord being reincarnated, could you explain that to me? Is the information you received even reliable?”
“Yes, the source is very reliable, and this is what I have come to understand from everything,” Dumbledore continued only pausing momentarily to fill up on a little more Firewhiskey. “A follower of Voldemort, Bellatrix Black had escaped the battlefield unharmed. How she managed to stay alive with ten Auror’s that had managed to hit her at once with a powerful stunning spell is still something I do not understand. Bellatrix was bidding her time, she wanted the effects of the war to calm down before she made any attempt to revive her Dark Lord. Listening to old stories her grandparents used to tell her as a child, she learned of a very secret ancient spell that would bring one back from the dead completely curse free. If the person being revived had good intentions... well Voldemort does not have good intentions but with the half life he has been granted he will be able to do some damage before he is taken down again.”
“He... has.. You mean the life he is going to be granted don’t you?” Hermione stuttered still unsure about the whole thing.
“I only wish I could say that, Voldemort is back, he is not back to complete power but it will only take a few months before he has regained all of his power. What I had been hoping for is that you would do something for the Order.” Dumbledore said looking intently at Hermione, “If you do not wish to take part in it than you are free to go. But I would like you to hear this first, before you make any decisions.”
“I will gladly listen Albus,” Hermione stated.
“Very good, well, I would like you to work undercover with another wizard who already has agreed to the plan. He is a spy for the Order, but that is not what I want you to do, what your duty would be is to teach the DADA class all that you know, and that will be your cover. If you are a teacher nobody would suspect you to be doing the most dangerous job that the Order has to get accomplished. Voldemort and his followers would assume it to be an Auror because any Slytherin child with parents who were death eaters wold mention you were missing a lot during school so if you were always there and they mentioned you at their house, the children would say that they didn’t think it was you because you were always at school or in your office grading papers.”
“All right, teaching is a cover story... what else?” Hermione said still not comprehending everything.
“What would happen is, I would like you and the other wizard to locate this ancient magic that Bellatrix used to revive Voldemort. Our spy can get inside clues, and that will help in your research. Until you know everything about it, and the whereabouts you will be staying at Hogwarts. However once you and your partner learn everything you can about it, and its whereabouts we will have Ron Weasley step in to take your place teaching the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.”
“But Albus I thought you wanted it to look like I was always at the school?” Hermione said flustered, “If Ron is taking over the remainder of my class than that would just look suspicious.”
“My thoughts exactly Hermione, which is why I will have Severus brew up enough Polyjuice potion to last for Ron until you return. I daresay that you will have to supply some hair for the mixture, but I don’t think you will object to pulling out a few strands here or there, if that is, you decide you would like to help us.”
“It seems farfetched, but, I can’t just sit back and let the Dark Lord take over again after Harry gave his life so that others could live freely. I will stand and fight with you Albus, I will not run away anymore,” Hermione said smiling up at the older man, “Though, I am curious as to why you would like this ancient magic researched?”
“That, my dear, will be revealed in due time as I am sorry to say I cannot tell you at the moment. But as soon as you learn of the secrets behind this magic, you will be the first to know.” Dumbledore said standing up and grabbing a handful of floo powder, “Now Hermione, are you ready to meet your partner?”

With that Dumbledore blew the powder into the flames and stuck his head in for a chat, it only took a few seconds before his head was back in his office finishing another drink of Firewhiskey. Hermione sat patiently waiting to see who her partner was, she half expected it to be Severus as he was the only spy for the Order that she knew of... she wasn’t expecting the man that did come out of the fireplace.
Staring in the direction of the fireplace, Hermione was amazed to see an attractive young man standing before her shirtless, and wearing a pair of tight pajama pants and slippers. With his sharp facial features, and perfect chest Hermione could barely hide her excitement at seeing the young man before her. He swept some of his golden locks out of his face, and then his hand began to travel down his side, almost teasingly. Resting by his hip for a moment, he brought it down and began to scratch himself. Oh, that’s attractive, Hermione said to herself looking away positively disgusted now.

***
Looking up, Draco noticed the young woman sitting before him, and instantly recognized her as Granger. That’s who that girl reminded me of earlier, Draco silently cursed himself for even trying to remember Ganger. Noticing that there was a big change about her, he gave her a thorough look over before deciding that she had finally grown up. Her long legs enticed him, but not as much as her slightly parted pink lips that looked so inviting, Draco couldn’t believe he was thinking these thoughts, and about Granger no less! Sure he didn’t despise muggle-borns anymore as much... but this was his arch-nemesis! And Merlins beard!! Was she meant to be this attractive?

Dumbledore smiled softly to himself before breaking the tension that occurred between the two the instant Draco came into the room.
“Hermione, Draco is going to be your partner in crime, and the same goes for you Draco. Hermione will be working with you.” Dumbledore said, “I know you two have had your differences, but I am hoping that now that you both are fighting for the same side that you might take it upon yourselves to overlook certain differences between the two of you. If you actually take the time to get to know each other better, you’ll realize that you two aren’t that much different than you think.”
“Not likely,” Draco snorted to himself so silently that no one even heard him.
“Draco, I would like you to accompany Hermione to her new office and living quarters. She will be taking over DADA, so I am sure you know where the living quarters are.” Dumbledore said to the blushing Draco.
“Sure thing Albus, and then can I go to bed? I was just about to fall asleep when your wrinkled face appeared into my conscience state.” Draco said slightly miffed but with a laughing tone to his voice.
“Yes, you can I will no longer bother you anymore tonight. I hope you have a good sleep in the morning Hermione and I would like it if you came down to my office tomorrow after breakfast.
“Sure thing Albus, it was nice seeing you and I will talk to you in the morning. Good night,” Hermione said waving and then walking out the door with Draco walking out behind her.