The Prime Princess

Hermione lay in her large four-poster canopy bed and just smiled. She loved to be back in her VIP Suite in Slytherin’s Dormitories. It felt so homey and calming. From distance she heard Pansy rumbling in their compartments common room and looking for something.

“Oh,” sighed Hermione suddenly as she remembered that she had taken her book to read last late night in bed. She crawled out of bed, crabbed the book and sauntered out of her bedroom.

“Hey, you looking for this?” asked Hermione and waved the book in her hand.

“Yes! We have Herbology today and I haven’t read anything about Brugmansia arborea, which is a very beautiful but poisonous decoration plant!” babbled Pansy and snatched the book form Hermione and started skimming the pages to find a right chapter.

“I believe Sprout wouldn’t…”

“It’s not the point! Longbottom is there and he knows almost everything about the green stuff growing everywhere!”

“Aa,” made Hermione and spotted Millicent who was dragging herself out of her bedroom. She looked still sleepy but cute in her amused way as she eyed Pansy.

“You have time to read that stuff at breakfast too,” Hermione reminded her and before she got ready to go up into the Great Hall, she hopped under the shower and changed her clothes. The day seemed to start just fine. Hermione combed her hair in front of bathroom mirror and she just looked fine for the day. Nothing could ruin her happiness.

In the breakfast table Hermione sat between Pansy and Millicent. The morning mail was arriving and three owls landed in front of her. One had a Daily Prophet, the other had a candy box and the last one had a neat envelope.

Pansy took the paper and opened it to conceal Hermione from nosy eyes, as she ripped open the letter and recognized her mother’s handwriting.

“It’s from home,” whispered Hermione and read the letter, “My mom says I did wrong when I broke up with Lucius. She wants me to accept his apologies and move on like nothing had happened.”

Pansy and Millicent looked at her and she could read their faces that they agreed with her mother. The remaining two owls were waiting for her answer and didn’t go away before they got it.

“But why don’t you? Lucius is a good catch,” asked Pansy.

“I can’t. He… he cheated me,” hissed Hermione, “And so did you. How can I trust him?”

“Trust his love,” said Millicent and she smiled at Vincent and Gregory over the long table.

“You wanna say his maniacal obsession?”

“Obsession isn’t much far off from love,” said Millicent solemnly.

“They all are obsessed!” hissed Hermione and took out a sheet of paper from her school bag and started writing a short letter to her mother, saying that she was going to take a break from all sort of relationships. Getting rid of one owl, she started dealing with chocolates. Belgium chocolate, to be exact. Lovely gesture but she wasn’t convinced in the sincerity behind it. Taking another piece of paper, she wanted to write to Lucius that she was on diet but thought better to just thank him for the candy.

Herbology took place in a heated greenhouse number 9. Slytherins and griffindors stared at each other for a while before Professor Sprout entered and started talking about poisonous plants that where usual in households. And just like Pansy had said, Neville was answering most of the questions correctly. Finishing with Brugmansia arborea, Sprout went on with Digitalis purpurea. Hermione remembered seeing that plant quite often in gardens and elsewhere. Learning that only eating 2 or 3 leaves were already deadly enough to die. That had given some ideas to slytherins who had started to whisper and giggle when they looked at griffindors.

Getting out of Herbology, griffindors and slytherins returned together to the castle and went to DADA class. Pansy and Millicent, who were anxious to learn something interesting that they could use when they needed to tame 1st year students, surrounded Hermione.

“Today we’ll take Patronus,” said the DADA Professor and looked around to find some volunteers for demonstration. Professor chose Harry from Griffindor and Hermione from Slytherin and called them in front of the classroom.

“Think of something happy and say Expecto Patronum and–” but Harry had already conjured his silver stag that leaped from the tip of his wand and hopped around for a while before disappearing into mist. He had done that before and knew how to conjure one but Hermione wasn’t going to stand that.

She raised her wand and looking at Harry, she yelled: “EXPECTO PATRONUM!”

A silver bull soared out from her wand and stood in front of Hermione with its long and wide horns lowered for a strike. Huffing and buffing, the huge and angry Patronus scraped its hoof along the floor when targeting Harry.

“Ooookay, I think this is enough,” said the Professor when Hermione’s bull still looked heatedly at Harry like he was a dementor. Hermione called off her Patronus and went to sit next to Pansy and Millicent to look others having a go with the spell.

“That was amazing!” said Pansy.

“How come yours is a bull?” asked Millicent, “I thought yours would be something…”

“Something girly?” asked Hermione, “Well, I am a Taurus and so is my Patronus.”

Something fuzzy soared past them – a fox and on the next second a wolverine landed on their table. The silver animal stared at them for a while and then jumped off.

“Sorry about that,” said Draco as he walked past their table and again conjured his Patronus that really didn’t seem to fit with him at all.

“I would have guessed a snake or scorpion perhaps,” said Millicent and looked Draco being friendly with his silver animal.

“So, what’s yours?” asked Pansy quickly and turned to look at Millicent who took out her wand and pointed it to Professor itself. A silver groundhog soared out of her wand and Pansy seemed to be quite stunned.

“What is that?” asked Pansy and looked at the creature before it disappeared.

“Groundhog,” said Hermione and smiled, “You did it for the first time. Longbottom over there is still trying.”

“My turn!” giggled Pansy and cast the spell. Her first try was also successful and a silver raccoon jumped out of her wand and sat onto the table before them. The raccoon eyed them curiously and then vaporized into silver mist.

“Well, now we know who’s your inner animal,” said Hermione and snickered when Pansy wasn’t pleased with the form of her Patronus and went to complain to the Professor. Millicent went to aid her boys with the spell and left Hermione alone to amuse herself with watching students conjuring their Patronuses.

“Feisty Patronus you got there,” drawled one very familiar voice and suddenly Hermione felt very alone when Draco sat on Millicent’s seat.

“Lot of claws yours have,” replied Hermione but didn’t look at him. She was afraid to look at him because he looked so much like his father. Only Narcissa’s softer features had given him some handsome elements she had started to love in him before she had lost faith in him.

“How are you holding up?” he asked, giving a small hint of concern in his voice. “I mean the accident and…”

“I’m fine. Don’t need drugs anymore,” said Hermione and unexpectedly looked at him and found his honest silvery eyes staring at her.

“That’s good to hear. Prefects meeting is tonight at 8 PM, right after the Quidditch,” said Draco and smirked when Hermione gasped. She had forgotten that she was in Quidditch team or was a Prefect.

Draco stood up and went to practice his Patronus. Hermione just sat there and wondered how she could have forgotten what was going on. Pansy returned and sat down with a huff. She was still displeased with her Patronus but Professor had assured that the shape of the Patronus could sometimes changes but it was always with the change in the heart.

“I just don’t get it. Why not a swan or deer or anything that wasn’t so bloody ridiculous!”

“Oh, don’t worry. Weasel has a terrier,” said Hermione laughing as the raccoon again sat on their table and went to snoop around in the things left there.

“Yes, and what a terrier says? Loyal canine, a slave to its master! Oh, and very restless little beast! That’s what it says. Mine says… um, Mione, am I really nosy?”

Hermione looked at her friend and smiled widely.

“Of course you are! You like to poke your nose in everything, and you like beautiful things,” said Hermione as she caught the silver raccoon snatching her key-chain that had shiny crystals on it.

“But, but… a raccoon? Isn’t it too… I don’t know… said out loud?”

“And it’s cute just like you,” finished Hermione.

“Oh, if you say so.”

“And why aren’t you participating the class?” asked the Head Girl and Hermione looked at Carmen who was towering over her as she stood next to her.

“I don’t need. My Patronus is perfect comparing to your otter, which is… um, pathetic. How could something so small ever defend you from a swarm of dementors?”

“Size doesn’t matter!”

“Now, where have I heard that before? Perhaps from Viktor?” teased Hermione and just to scare her a little more, she conjured her Patronus. The huge bull puffed in irritation like a steam engine and aimed Carmen with its mighty horns.

“That’s enough for the day!” called Professor over the class.