The Prime Princess

Blaise, Draco and Hermione hurried into Great Hall and found empty seats in Slytherin table. Attacking their food they acted like they hadn’t had decent food for months. Draco just ate everything that came into reach of his hands and Blaise dropped also his polite manners and followed Draco’s lead. Hermione dug in and after awhile she noticed the surroundings. Everybody else were just like nothing had happened. Well, for them nothing really had happened.

Hermione sighed and gathered few sticky buns and muffins to her plate and started with desert. Ravenous young wizards continued munching and slurping like pigs. Very cute pigs but still pigs. Her gaze drifted over Ravenclaw’s and Hufflepuff’s tables to Griffindor. The Golden Trio was sitting on their regular seat and chatted with others.

So Granger is still here, grinded Hermione her teeth in thought and took a mouthful of her chocolate pudding. It tasted heavenly and without thinking she devoured it all.

Behind the Staff Table sat Professor Snape and watched his students eat like hungry wolves and considered it to be too conspicuous but his colleagues were too tired from last night’s Ball to even notice his problem. Nobody seemed to know that the four of them had been missing for quite a long time. Returning to the exact time and place they had exited caused a lot of confusion but it was the best solution with what Commander Lucianus could have come up. Rubbing his forehead, he remembered the locker-room incident and frowned. He had been weak and for that he loathed himself for that.

“So, what’s in our agenda for today?” asked Draco and looked at Hermione. For the first time he had an opportunity to stare her discolored eyes. One was so dark it almost appeared black and the other one was startling ice blue.

“If I can remember it correctly, then we have a Quidditch practice,” said Hermione and finished off her pumpkin juice.

“We have it on every bloody available moment,” groaned Draco and looked around on the table to find anything else left to eat.

“Yes, but this time you are the Seeker and I’ll sit on the stands to cheer you up,” mocked Hermione and got herself ready to leave.

“Oh yeah, the game with Huffy-Puffies,” drawled Blaise who finally had started to listen in their conversation. Draco shot him a glare.

“Are you referring to something?” asked Draco with a scowl, provoking him. Hermione, who sat between the two of them, put her hands on each one’s thighs and gave a gentle squeeze.

“Huffies can be compelling opponents if you give them a chance,” said Hermione and stood up, leaving Blaise and Draco astounded.
***
Winter came closer and close as the game with Hufflepuff approached. Draco managed to get the pitch all to himself and the team for practice. Professor Snape had lots to do with it. While the grandiose Slytherin squad prepared for upcoming game, Hermione sat in the Library and studied for NEWTs. She found it calming and familiar.

“A mere cats whisker…” read Hermione and scribbled it down on her parchment.

“You know, it would be a lot more easier if you just knew the questions,” said Raiden Rosenbaum who had strutted in to take Hermione to evening meal into Great Hall.

“And you know?” asked Hermione without looking up. She guessed the practice was over and thoroughly soaked and muddy slytherins had crawled back inside to get some warmth and food.

“I might,” told Raiden and looked over her shoulder at her Advanced Potions notes.

“Aa,” made Hermione and started packing.

Behind a bookshelf Carmen Granger covered her mouth with a hand and just stared at the leaving Prime Princess and Slytherin team’s Chaser.
***
“What the bloody hell is wrong with you?” demanded Ron, as Carmen didn’t let him near her. People in the Griffindor Tower turned their eyes onto them and just stared at flushed Head Girl and crossed out Prefect.

“Right,” sighed Harry, getting up from an old armchair and waved his hands, “The show’s over, everyone go to bed!”

The Common Room started to clear up as the Boy Who Lived had given the orders. Ron patiently waited until all the first year and third year students had disappeared, leaving only few seventh years.

“What’s the matter?” asked Ron, holding his temper. Carmen stomped around the room for a while and finally stopped in front of a fireplace.

“They are cheating!” cried Carmen. Ron and Harry just stared at her.

“Er, in what exactly?” asked Harry quietly and looked around to make sure no one heard her. The Quinn twins were in a fight of their own that looked like they were going to hex each other into toads and cows.

“In NEWTs!” screamed fuming Carmen but Quinns didn’t hear her over their own sisterly quarrel. Harry sighed in relief when Tora squealed and ran up the stairs to Girls Dormitory and Taira went after her shooting her with various curses. Twin sisters, figured Harry and turned his attention back to Carmen.

“And how do you feel about it?” asked Harry and almost got hit by a raving train.

“How do I feel? I?” raged Carmen, “These lowlife cockroaches are getting excellent marks because they cheat in tests! I should have guessed it sooner! No way could Slytherin be smarter than Ravenclaw or even Griffindor! And to think that that Ariston is the smartest bitch in the world, then they are thinking wrong! I’ll show her,” rampaged Carmen and with a second she was out of the portrait hole and running down the corridor.

“Hey! Where the fuck is she going?” yelled Ron and ran after her. As a good friend, Harry followed Ron.
***
Hermione was getting dressed in the Prefect Bathroom when she heard shouting outside the bathroom door where Draco and Blaise where waiting for her. Stuffing her shirt into her skirt, she marched to the door and pulled it open only to get pushed back inside. Ron Weasley landed on her and as he looked down, he was shocked for a second but then Hermione felt his growing erection pressing against her thigh. Hermione cocked an eyebrow at that and Ron picked himself up with a hurry, burning bright red.

“What is going on?” demanded Hermione and got to her feet. In the corridor Blaise was trying to separate Draco and Carmen as did Harry without success.

“She started it!” howled Draco in response as he got kicked in stomach. Hermione brushed past Ron, who tried to hide his embarrassment, and stepped into the corridor with annoyed look on her face.

“I don’t care who started,” growled Hermione and glared at bushy haired witch taking pleasure in attacking slytherins.

“Tempus Katalepsis!” roared Hermione, feeling a sting in her palm and a sharp pain that left her breathless but didn’t knock her out cold. Everything around her froze in time. Gasping, she straightened her back and waved at Blaise who she hoped to be most reasonable. Released from the spell, Blaise blinked his blue eyes and looked around.

“Wha…” started Blaise but Hermione motioned him to be quiet.

“I just want to sort things out,” said Hermione and with his help, they carried the frozen figures inside the bathroom so no patrolling Professor or Prefect could suspect a thing. Placing griffindors into safe distance from slytherins, Hermione released Harry from her spell.

The Hero of The Century flexed his fingers as he stared at Hermione. She didn’t look like murdering him or threatening him with some nasty curse. She just waited. And so did Harry. He didn’t like to do business with Slytherin but Carmen had driven him to it.

“Why is a Head Girl attacking Slytherin Prefect and a Head Boy?” asked Hermione. Harry didn’t detect anger or venom in her voice. He had hoped she’d sound like Professor McGonagall but instead he found something else. He noticed the discolored eyes and the paleness of her skin. He wondered if that had been always that way or was it a new trend.

“Answer me,” said Hermione.

“Carmen believes you are cheating in tests,” told Harry and looked down.

“And do you believe her?” asked Hermione and approached him. Harry sensed the movement before he saw her up close and took a step backwards.

“Does it matter?”

“Of course it matters!” blurted Blaise in anger, as his House had been insulted. Hermione looked over her shoulder and noticed the Mark on Blaise’s forearm shine with a silver-white glow. The Greek God subdued under her gaze.

“Can I trust Mister Weasley over here to release him?” asked Hermione and looked at Ron who was in a strange position. Harry gulped and breathed hard as he tried to see what was in her mind. Hermione smiled and leaned over a bit.

“You don’t want to see into my mind,” whispered Hermione, her lips slightly touching his ear shell. Pulling back, she saw a blush crawling over his cheeks. Harry avoided her eyes and got a glimpse of Blaise who stared daggers at him.

“Yes, you can,” told Harry and felt the hair on the back of his neck to stand up as a wave of magic past him and freed Ron from the time lock. The redhead looked puzzled and when he noticed Hermione, he almost fell over as he continued to hide the affect she had on him.

“Is everything okay?” she asked and looked at Ron.

“Okay,” nodded Ron. Hermione looked at Blaise again and something in her eyes said him to come over. Blaise took a deep breath and sauntered to Hermione, stopping right behind her so his body was in contact with hers. Hermione leaned back and let her head rest on his shoulder as she consulted with him. Ron and Harry just stared at the sight. Finally she straightened herself up and looked at the two griffindors.

“I’m going to released the Head Boy and Head Girl and it’s our duty as Prefects to prevent chaos. Are we agreed on that? Do you ensure that Granger wont do something stupid she might regret? And I’ll make sure that Draco wouldn’t kill anybody. So, is it a deal then?” asked Hermione, as Blaise got ready to hold back Draco. It was only fair that she released both of them on the same time.

“Wow, she can do wandless magic,” gasped Ron and a quarter of a second later Carmen came out of the time lock with a scream she hadn’t finished. Draco saw griffindors and the anger rose like tidal wave. He wanted to hurt Granger for kicking him. His Mark on his cheek glowed brightly as Blaise wrestled him onto the floor and just held him down. On the opposite direction of the room Ron was dealing with cursing and kicking Carmen who threatened to tell on Slytherin.

Hermione stood in between and just let the wild ones rant until collapsing. Harry stood with her and assessed the situation. He felt no anger that was usually there when meeting with rivaling slytherins. Just serenity like he knew Hermione long ago and just now noticed it. Several minutes later Draco had stopped being an ass and sat sprawled out on floor next to Blaise and watched the relentless show going on, starring Carmen Granger.

“Hey, Potter, is she ever civil?” asked Draco and smirked. Harry just scowled at him and looked at Carmen who still didn’t give up. She was determined to fight free and make Slytherins life very hard. In the end Ron got fed up. He pulled her up from the tiled floor and threw her into the bath size of a pool.

Draco and Blaise applauded and cheered for Ron as Carmen struggled to the surface and crawled out of the water. Her make-up was running down her face, making her look like a raccoon. Slytherin Princes were laughing hard as the dripping wet Carmen faced Ron and bitch-slapped him across the face.

“You!” she hissed at Ron, “How dare you? I’m Head Girl!” she screamed and stomped to Hermione and Harry.

“A very wet Head Girl!” called Draco and laughed. “Was that the only way to get you wet?!”

“Fifty points from Slytherin for making rude remarks on Head Girl!” shouted Carmen and glared at Draco who still couldn’t stop laughing. Blaise was already on his back and gasped for air.

“Camme!” barked Harry at his friend.

“It’s alright,” said Hermione and put an assuring hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure we deserved it.” Harry stared at her and wondered what had happened to the old Ariston bitch he knew.

“But Head Boy will deduct fifty points from Griffindor for Miss Grangers inappropriate manners,” added Hermione. Now there is the bitch I know, thought Harry smiling.

“Yes, fifty points for whatever she said!” howled Draco and closed his eyes so he didn’t have to see Carmen who looked like a member of Kiss.