The Coven

thecoven4

Disclaimer: Please don’t sue. Just playing with the characters.
A.N. I must credit Snapeaholic for her work as my beta. (Holy Toledo Batman... I have a beta!)

The Coven

Chapter 4: Recruiting

Ginny returned to the Gryffindor common room. Hermione had sent her back to continue working on her quidditch game plays. If she didn’t get them done in quick order, it would attract Ron and Harry’s attention, and thrls rls couldn’t have that happen. Ron would never understand. He would have a monster hissy and ruin everything they were planning. Secrecy was a major factor in this. If word reached the Slytherins, it would eventually get to Voldemort and the DeathEaters.

Ginny returned to the table she was at earlier just as Harry and Ron entered the common room.

Ron walked to his sister. “How are the plays coming along?”

“Fine Ron, I should have something to show you within the hour.”

“Great! I think that I’ll go and polish my Cleansweep. Maybe we can get some fly time in later.”

“Okay, see you later.” Ginny then looked up at Harry. The brunette was smiling down at her, and she felt her stomach flip flop.

“Gin, would you like some help?”

“If you don’t have anything better to do, Harry.”

Harry pulled up a chair next to hers. As he leaned in toward her, she covertly studied him. His face and body had filled out over the summer. He no longer had that stretched-too-thin look he had had as a child. ‘I guess the Dursleys finally fed him over the summer. Not out of the goodness of their hearts, I’m sure. Probably scared shitless over Remus’s surprise visits.’ Ginny kept sneaking looks at Harry. His eyes were really amazing - green, the color of emeralds, slivers of green ice. His hair still stuck up in every direction, but it was black as night and looked incredibly silky. Ginny had to contain the urge to push her fingers through his hair. And oh, he smelled so good - like chocolate and vanilla. She knew of his fondness for chocolate, but where did the vanilla scent come from? His shampoo perhaps? It didn’t matter to her; she would just love to eat him up with a spoon either way. ‘Ginny are you ever going to get over this boy? It is not going to happen!’ She sighed audibly.

“Gin, are you okay?”

Ginny blushed slightly. “Oh, I’m fine. Sorry.” She smiled shyly. “So, what do you think about this play? Lydia cuts to the right...”

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Hermione lay on her bed in her dorm room. ‘Whatorniorning!!!’ She had thought she might lose control of her bladder in her attempt to tell Ginny her plan, and that was telling her best girlfriend. How was she going to recruit other coven members if she couldn’t explain the spell without sounding like a complete fool? She had to outline her proposal, write a speech, come up with something so she wouldn’t fumble again.

Ginny’s first assignment after returning to the common room, was to discretely contact the sixth and seventh year female members of the DA. She was to tell them that they were going to meet Tuesday evening right after dinner. They were to meet in the Room of Requirement. Hermione would present her proposal at that time. She had to have something ready. It was going to be a much harder sell to them. Hermione was not as close with any of the r gir girls, and they did not have as much at stake as she and Ginny did. Ginny could lose her brothers and parents. Hermione could also lose her parents if Voldemort decided to attack the families of muggle-born witches and wizards. Then there was Harry and Ron. She couldn’t lose her best friends; she just couldn’t.

Hermione got started on her speech and a little sign-in sheet for the girls. Actually, it was one of Hermione’s patented confidentiality contracts that she was famous for. After Marietta Edgecombe, no one doubted Hermione’s intent with a contract. Break it and you would pay!

She had finished the sign-in sheet when there was a tap at her window. It was large barn owl. ‘Ah, the permission slip from Professor McGonnagall. Goody!’ She gave the owl a treat from a tin that she kept on her windowsill and bade the bird ‘adieu’.

‘Time for more research!’ Hermione grabbed her bag and headed for the library.

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Hermione had volumes and volumes to pour over. Her breakthrough book on covens only mentioned the mus eus exemplum spell. Now she had to find the incantation for it. She needed all the facts on the ritual. ‘The spell hasn’t been performed since the middle ages. I need to be very careful to get all my informationoverover all my bases.’ If done incorrectly, the spell could leech the power of the wizards participating in the ritual instead of copying or cloning their power. ‘That would be a most horrible outcome.’ Another complication could come from the witches in the ritual. If they were not strong enough to take in the new power given to them, they could fall into a permanent coma or die. ‘Scary stuff. McGonnagall won’t let us continue unless I can convince her that we can do this.’

Hermione grabbed a copy of “Advanced Spells of the 15th Century”, “Advanced Spells of the 16th Century”, and “Validus Veneficium Scribere”. That was a good start.

She turned to leave the restricted section, when a book moved out from a shelf. ‘Well that has never happened before. It must really want to be read.’ Hermione tentatively reached for it. The title blazed out at her. \"The Wizarding KSutrSutra\" ‘Holy Shit!’ Hermione looked around the library. No one was looking at her. Everyone was studying.
She walked over to a window in the restricted section and slowly opened the book. ‘Oh my!’ The illustrations in the book were moving like wizard photographs. ‘This is pornographic.’ Her eyes were glued to the pages nevertheless.

Suddenly she sensed a someone approaching. She could feel him before she could hear him. Then his scent reached her nostrils. Sandalwood, Asian spices, potions ingredients. Heady stuff. She froze in place.

“Miss Granger.” ‘Oh, it’s those eyes again!’

“Professor Snape. Lovely day we are having.” She smile shyly at him.

“Miss Granger, do you have permission to be in the restricted section.”

“Oh yes sir. I am working on a project for Professor McGonnagall, and she gave me permission.”

“And you need a copy of the Kama Sutra for your project?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Yes sir. I like to be thorough.” Hermione emphasized the last word. ‘Oh my god, am I flirting with HIM???’

“Very well Miss Granger, I will leave you to it.”

Then Severus Snape leaned in toward Hermione, his mouth inches from her ear.

“Page one hundred forty-seven is a personal favorite. Enjoy.” His breath brushed across her jaw. Then Snape left in a flurry of black robes.

Hermione stood rooted to the ground. ‘What just happened?’ She open the book to page one hundred forty-seven. The illustration surprised her. It showed a woman bent over at the waist holding her ankles while the man held her hips and pounded into her from behind over and over again. Hermione felt heat rising to her face.

“The man is definitely on the short list.” She said out loud to no one.

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Ginny searched for Hermione after dinner. After the common room, she knocked on Hermione’s dorm room door. Hermione opened her door with a flick of her wand to let her friend in. As Ginny entered, she found Hermione sprawled on her bed deeply engrossed in a book. Nothing unusual, until Ginny saw what was occupying Hermione’s full and undivided attention.

“Oh my God Hermione, what are you reading?”

The men and women in the book’s illustrations were going at it like rabbits.

“Move over, I want to get a look at this too.”

Hermione made room for Ginny at that point. Both girls stared at the pages. Ginny and Hermione both cocked their heads to the right to get a better look at page fifty-six.

“Is that supposed to feel good?”

“I guess so, Ginny it it wouldn’t be in the book, right?”

“It looks like a major back strain could r. r. A woman’s body doesn’t naturally bend that way. Where did you get this anyway, Hermione?”

“The restricted section. You will never guess who I ran into while I was there!”

Hermione told Ginny about her run in with Snape.

Ginny smiled at her friend. “I think that either he is lusting after your young, nubile form, or he is just yanking your chain.”

Hermione snorted. “Yanking my chain! Wherever did you pick that expression up?”

“Oh Dad likes to try muggle phrases now and then. Did I get it right?”

“Yeah, you did. Are you ‘yanking my chain’ about Snape? Except for the run in at the library, he has never paid any attention to me. Except in class of course, but that is only to call me ‘silly girl’ or to say ‘do put your hand down Miss Granger’”, Hermione said in her best Snape voice.

Ginny laughed. “No I am not. He has been watching you lately. Sometimes at meals and sometimes in the corridors. I think he has the hots for you.”

Hermione could feel her cheeks heat up. ‘I hate to blush.’ “Ginny seriously, stop teasing me. Umm, why don’t we get to work on our project.”

She closed the book and put it away. Ginny sighed. She was really enjoying the book.

“Okay, but only if we can get boo book out again when we are done.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were a bit pervy, Ginny Weasley.”

“Hey! I am not pervy, just curious. It is only natural. Especially with what we are planning on doing in a month. I think we should study up on sex. We don’t want to be totally unprepared when the time comes.”

“My goodness Ginny! You are starting to sound like me! Don’t let Ron catch you talking like that, or you will never hear the end of it. Actually, he might blame me for it.” She grinned. “Okay, let’s get to work.”

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Hermione couldn’t keep her hands still at dinner on Tuesday evening. The last two days had dragged at a snails pace for her. ‘Only one hour left. Ginny and I willw whw who will be our sisters then.’ She smiled to herself.

Harry and Ron were watching Hermione closely. For the past two days, Hermione wasn’t herself. She seemed preoccupied. She didn’t raise her hand in class, and she was daydreaming of all things - very un-Hermione like behavior.

Hermione sensed the boys’ watchful e &# ‘Must act normally.’

“Harry, Ron, what do you have planned for this evening? Would you like to study transfiguration with me in my room tonight?”

‘Now THAT sounds like Hermione,’ thought Ron.

“Um, no thanks Hermione. Ron and I were going to do a le fle flying after dinner,” Harry replied.

“Well, okay then. Ginny would you like to study with me tonight?”

Hermione turned to Ginny with her back to the boys. She crossed her eyes at Ginny.

“Oh sure, Hermione. I would LOVE to study with you”, Ginny gushed.

Hermione barked a laugh while Ron and Harry just looked at each other.

“Barking mad, I’m telling you”, exclaimed Ron.

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It was time. Ginny and Hermione arrived in the Room of Requirement ten minutes before the other girls. Hermione looked up as the girls started entering the room. There were the Hufflepuff girls: Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. The Ravenclaws, Padma Patil and Luna Lovegood, were next. Finally, the two other Gryffindor girls, Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, arrived.
Hermione looked at the six girls. ‘These are good people. I am not afraid, I am not afraid. I can do this.’

“Ladies, I am glad that you are all here. I know that you are wondering why I have called you here tonight. It will be clear to you soon. Let’s begin...”

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A.N.

Thank ya’ll for your reviews. Theyn aln alot to me. I never expected such a positive response to my first fic. Bless you.

Aoibheann - I will try to be as sensitive as possible. As long as you know than NONE of this is to be taken seriously.

Zephyr, XxphoenixX, buttercup - Thanks for the reviews. I could REALLY get used to . (. (smiles)

rubberduck - I just thought Hermione would talk like that, especially to a professor. She just seems the formal type to me. She’ll loosen up when she is with friends.

LadyBrannon, jenbachand, FriendlyQuark - You will have to wait and see. Hopefully the answers will be forthcoming.

Validus Veneficium Scribere - Powerful Magic Spells
Once again, I do not know Latin, so I am using a dictionary. If anyone knows of a free web site I can use, please let me know.