Hermione's Little Secret

A/N~~ ok, another chapter way earlier than i'd planned, but hey, i can't go against the people emailing me for more. don't get mad when my next one isn't til saturday though!

thanks for the encouragement. it's been nice meeting a lot of you, chatting and in IM. I really enjoy it.

Keep reviewing. heck, even the piss poor critics (and you know who you are) are still leaving reviews and my friend and I writing are having a total review contest so yay! i'm winning it!

New chapter tomorrow!!!
Adrianna finds out!;)

until next time,

marti




Friday morning Lilah headed down to the front gate on her own. Her father had to discipline some of his students in the common room. She pulled open the large front doors of the castle and let herself out. On the front stone steps sat a Hogwarts student, not that much older than her, staring out across the lawn.

“Amanda, I’m not going back in. I don’t feel much like eating right now.”

“I’m not Amanda. I’m Lilah. Lilah Malfoy.” Lilah said as she walked down the stair to stand at the bottom. The two blond girls stared at each other for a moment, their eyes narrowed. Something seemed familiar about the younger girl to Adrianna.

“I’m Adrianna Weasley. You’re Professor Malfoy’s daughter, huh? We’re having dinner together tonight. I think my mum and your dad are dating.”

“No way. Once Mom gets over her thing, we’ll go back to America and her.” Lilah stated firmly, shouldering her Strawberry Shortcake backpack.

“Yeah, well, he and my mum were in bed together the other night. Do you think they were cross-stitching? Naked?” Adrianna smirked at the girl whose face fell in shock.

“I don’t believe you. My daddy wouldn’t do that.”

“Where I was standing, that’s what he was, arse naked in my mum’s bedroom.”
Lilah turned a pale shade of green and started crying silently. Adrianna jumped up and approached the girl.

“I’m sorry. You know the saying misery loves company? Well, that’s what I was doing. I didn’t mean to upset you so much. Do you want me to walk you down to the gate? RJ’s already left.”

“Oh, goodie. Another Weasley to deal with.”

“He’s not so bad if you forget he’s a boy. And a pig. And a pain in the arse. Alright, he’s pretty bad, but he’s my little brother, so I’m biased.” Adrianna walked beside the girl. They weren’t that different in size and shape, although the other girl wore clothes her mother would have hexed into rags. But she was raised American, and her grandfather said that Americans were odd jobs.

“I’m glad I don’t have a brother.”

“Really, he’s not so bad. Of course, I grew up with him. You might want to beat him with your mind and wit rather than fighting with him. Use your head, Malfoy.” Without Lilah knowing it, she had walked down to the gate with the first year girl.

“Thanks, Weasley.”

“Just call me Adrianna…or Rianna. I’ll see you tonight at dinner. Bye!” She waved the younger girl off toward the village then turned back towards the castle with a sigh. She had Potions this afternoon and she didn’t’ know if she could look at her teacher without laughing at the memory of him standing in her mother’s room with part of her sheet covering his bits and bobs.


Draco stood in front of his class, facing the students as they entered quietly. He could only hear the chalk writing the instructions on the board behind him. He cocked an eyebrow at the two Slytherin girls who entered, Amanda giggling, while his daughter kept her head down with a deep blush on her cheeks. He bit back a grin and snapped at the final students to enter: Gryffindors, of course. Hermione was probably going to bite his head off for the twenty-five points he docked the two students.

“Open your books to page 94. You will be brewing a giggling potion. It’s quite easy, even for the dunderheads in this class. You have one hour. The ingredients are there on the side table. One person from each desk, please go and get enough for the two of you. You will be testing your own potions at the end of class, and being graded on efficacy and appearance. It should be a bright blue, with silver streaks through it. Begin!” Draco walked around to his chair and sat down, watching the entire class closely. He had a Neville Longbottom want-to-be. He wasn’t quite as bad as his former classmate, but it was a close call. Of course, the boy was in Gryffindor.

Adrianna bent her head in determination. She wanted to have the best potion in the class. She’d been studying with Headmaster Snape since she could stir a cauldron. She knew she could have it done in only forty minutes, too.

Draco watched the girl out of the corner of his eye. She was just as studious as her mother, determined and brilliant. He could tell by the essay she’d handed in early for him. It had been longer than requested, like Hermione’s had been for Severus.

“Thirty-five minutes left, class. You’re potion should be a red color now. Once you add your next ingredient it will change to the blue I mentioned earlier. The silver streaks will appear at the end of this stage.” He noted for the class. His dunderhead, Travis Fimmel, was looking completely lost. Draco made a mental note to have an antidote handy when the boy tested his potion.

Adrianna sat back after 44 minutes. She had finished and now she waited for the end of class. She noticed her teacher noticing her and she buried her head in her book, trying to avoid his eyes. She waited while her classmates finished their potions around her.

“You’re finished. Put out your fires and remove your cauldrons from them. Fill one vial and mark it with both partners names, then take a cup and prepare for me to come around.”

He walked from one desk to another, giving each student the antidote after they’ve started giggling. Or in Travis’ case, turning green and inflating. Finally, Professor Malfoy stopped before the two girls. She looked up without looking him directly in the eyes.

“Bottoms up, Miss Weasley.” He grinned nastily at her. She tipped the cup back and took a healthy swig, unlike her classmates who had only sipped. Immediately she felt the humor bubble up through her and she started giggling.

“Prof---Professor Malfoy has a…hahahaha….pale arse! Hahahaha! He…hahaha….was wearing….hahaha….a ….sheet…hahahaha!” Adrianna snorted as she bent over double. She must have made the potion stronger than she thought. Draco glared at her as the rest of the class joined in, not induced by their potions, but by their classmate’s antics. He gripped her chin and opened her mouth, pouring the antidote down her throat. She swallowed convulsively and felt the laughter shrivel up and die inside her. In horror, she looked up at her professor with tears in her eyes.

“Oh, my goodness. I’m so sorry, Professor.” Adrianna cried.

“Why don’t you go to the Infirmary Wing, Miss Weasley? You look a little distraught.”

“Alright, sir.” She whispered and gathered her books, rushing through the class to slam out the door.

Instead of going to Madame Pomfrey, she headed up to the Headmaster’s office, hoping Uncle Severus would have a few minutes to chat with her. She told the eagle the password (Salazar), and walked up the spiral staircase.

“Headmaster Snape?”

“Miss Weasley, what are you doing out of class? You still have half an hour in Potions.”

“Professor Malfoy told me to leave. I…uhm…had a minor incident.” She stood in front of his desk, watching him drop his reading glasses down near his inkwell. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“What happened, and are you in trouble?”

“We were doing giggling potions, I drank too much and told everyone about him being naked with a sheet, and I’m not in trouble, per se. He didn’t say I was in trouble, actually.” Rianna bit her bottom lip after explaining, waiting for his next words.

“Sit down. How are you? The other night must have been quite traumatic.”

“It was uncomfortable. And kind of gross. I was going to go see Mum, but she’s got fifth year classes right now.”

“It’s alright. I should give you these reports to write. The Minister would probably find it a vast improvement on the scathing remarks I usually leave for him. How Albus and Minerva handled the Ministry without turning the lot of them into flobberworms is beyond me.”

“Aunt Minnie was always tempted. She turned that auditor into a rubber ball for RJ, remember?” Adrianna grinned with him at the memory. Last month, the Headmistress hadn’t woken from an afternoon nap. She had been in perfect health it seemed, but the multiple hexes and curses thrown at her before Adrianna’s birth, along with injuries she’d sustained from the final battle with Voldemort had weakened her heart.

“I wouldn’t be so charitable. I’d turn them into weasels and feed them to Hagrid’s Hippogriffs.” Severus leaned back in his chair. Normally, he’d have let her sit with him, like a favored grandchild, but she was now a student and he had to maintain a professional distance from her. He missed the closeness they shared, but he couldn’t show favoritism towards any students. He refused to do that again, not after being forced to during his spying years for Voldemort, when he had to overlook the shortcomings of his Slytherins and torture all other Houses. ‘Well, except Potter and Weasley. Now that was a joy, really.’ He smirked at the thought.

“I really didn’t mean to embarrass Professor Malfoy, sir. It was what I was thinking about when I took my potion, and I drank it instead of sipping like everyone else.”

“Of course, you are more confident of your brewing skills. I’d dock you points for being a know-it-all, like your mother. Have you talked with your mother about what happened the other ni—“

“Headmaster! There’s a problem in the Great Hall. A Muggle fisticuffs fight!” Bart Hemp came running up the staircase, panting from the exertion. Severus surged to his feet and stalked around his desk.

“I’ll be back in a moment, Adrianna. Come along, Hemp; let’s see about getting you some help with mopping this weekend, shall we?” Severus snarled and left with the Squib following close behind. Whoever had been fighting was going to know what it felt like to be disciplined by the new Headmaster Snape. Adrianna felt sorry for the students and hoped she didn’t know any of them.

She looked around the office; it hadn’t changed much since Minerva had died. There were more Slytherin colors, and her portrait slept on the wall next to Albus Dumbledore’s, but it didn’t look much different. On top of the far bookshelf sat the Sorting Hat. When she was little she’d come up here and wear it to have the most interesting conversations with it. She wondered if it would talk to her now. She had been thinking about her Sorting. It was weird that she was the first Weasley to be sorted anywhere other than Gryffindor and she wanted to ask it if it was sure. She ‘accio’d’ the Hat and greeted it, then plopped it on her head.


~~The Not-Quite-Weasley again. You’re in the right House. Don’t bother trying to change my mind. I never make a mistake. You’re not quite Gryffindor enough for that House and Ravenclaw is just not right for you.~~


“Why are you calling me that?”


~~You’ll see, little girl. That’s not my knowledge to divulge. Just remember that Not-Quite-Weasley doesn’t mean Not-a-Weasley. Now put me back before that horrible Slytherin replacement comes back and has me sewn into a bloody bonnet!~~


Too perplexed to grin, she tossed the Hat back up to its spot and returned to Severus’ desk as she heard him stomping up the stone staircase.

“Bloody Ravenclaws. They’ll be cleaning the stones in front of the hall long after their children finish their education here!”

“I think I’ll head back to my common room, Unc---I mean Headmaster. I’ll see you this weekend.”

“Alright. Have a good day, Miss Weasley.” Just as she had started down the stairs, he called her attention back. She turned to look into his black eyes. They were filled with concern, for her.

“My door is always open for you, as Headmaster, and as your friend.”

“Alright. Bye.” She jogged down the circular stairs with Severus watching after her, envying the energy of youth. He hoped that the planned dinner tonight went well for everyone. There were so many people that could be hurt while Draco and Hermione figured out their relationship.


All Adrianna could think of while she hurried through the corridors towards the Slytherin entrance was that things were going to change, soon. She shuddered and forced herself to not worry about what the Hat said. It was over a thousand years old, maybe it was senile like Uncle Severus claimed.