The Subjugation of Hermione Granger

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and all the characters are property of J.K. Rowling and whomever else has a finger in the huge franchise. I do not. I make no money nor do I claim any ownership of the people, places, and things (unless I make them up as we go). It is only to have some fun do I write this story, in hopes of some entertainment.


Hermione beamed happily as she handed her two best friends each a small leather book. Harry rolled his eyes as he opened his ‘gift’ and saw his whole year planned out for him. He looked closely at the small neat handwriting and smiled faintly as he noticed that there was even time allotted for tea with Hagrid on Sundays at two in the afternoon. He looked up into the bright brown eyes of the cleverest, most organized and down right scary girl. She was a menace to all spontaneous bouts of hilarity. At least she had loosened up a bit over the years.

“Oy, Hermione,” Ron exclaimed. “With all this time for studying, we won’t have time to actually enjoy ourselves.”

Hermione put her hands on her hips and glared down at the seated red head. His ears grew pink faintly under the hawkish eyes of his female friend as she huffed indignantly. “I’ll have you know that you will indeed have fun this year Ronald Weasley.” She leaned over his shoulder and jabbed a finger at a Saturday. “See. Right there, fun!”

The boys broke out into laughter. Hermione stood up with a frown. Seeing the sour expression, Harry pulled Hermione into his lap and put his hand on her shoulder. “You’re too precious Hermione,” Harry laughed. “Only you would think to schedule for fun.”

“I thought you would want to, you know, hang out, sometime,” Hermione stated uncertainly. “Look if you don’t like the agenda’s give them here.” The young witch stood up quickly and reached for the little book Ron held in his hand.

Ron pulled it back swiftly and then tossed it around Hermione to Harry’s waiting hands. The red head then put his large hands on Hermione’s waist. She let out a small squeal of surprise as she was yanked onto Ron’s lap. “We never said we didn’t like them. We’re just teasing you.”

\"Ronald!\" Hermione shrieked. Her cheeks burned crimson.

“Oh get a room you three,” Lavender Brown said icily as she and Parvati Patil entered the Gryffindor common room. The two girls shot Hermione a cold look as the bushy haired girl squirmed away from Ron’s tickling fingers. “Passing Hermione around between the two of you like she was some sort of trophy or prize. Really!”

Hermione jumped off Ron’s lap and tilted her head to the side at Lavender’s harsh tone. A small smile brightened her face. Slowly turning back to her friends, her expression quickly changed to one of hopeful innocence. She batted her eyes and said in a little voice, “You will use the schedules right?”

Sighing heavily, Ron nodded. “Of course Hermione.” With a clap of her hands and one last surreptitious glance over her shoulder at her two dorm mates, Hermione gave Ron, then Harry a peck on the cheek. She noted with satisfaction the quiet outrage of Lavender. It was rather funny watching the other students get bent out of shape over little innocent gestures of friendship.

“I just don’t see why there needs to be such an exact study schedule,” Ron continued. “You have us studying most of the time. If you didn’t notice, OWLs were last year.”

“Just because the OWLs are done, doesn’t mean you get to rest on your laurels,” Hermione stated. “This year will be even tougher. We have advanced Transfiguration, advanced Charms, advanced DADA…”

“Not to mention advanced Potions,” Harry said with a shudder. “How did I get stuck in that class?”

“It’s quite simple Harry,” Hermione said in a knowing tone. “You wish to become an Auror. Potions is a prerequisite to the training. Professor Snape will only take advanced Potions students into his NEWT level course. Viola, you have to take Advanced Potions. It’s elementary.”

“Thank you Sherlock Holmes,” Harry said dryly.

“Who’s Sherlock Holmes?” Ron asked perplexed. Shaking his head to let the question go, he smiled brightly at Harry. “Glad I’m not taking Advanced Potions. You have three classes a week with the greasy git. And two of them are double classes.”

“You still have your work cut out for you,” Hermione stated.

Ron pulled Hermione back to his lap and rested his head on her shoulder. “That’s why I have you and Harry.”

Hermione leaned back stiffly with an awkward smile. “If you think I’m doing your work for you, you have another thing coming.”

Harry stood up and pulled Hermione to her feet. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk while the weather is clear. We can go visit Hagrid. Maybe he’s got another dragon’s egg ready to hatch.”

“He better not!” Hermione exclaimed. “Remember what happened last time. We ended up the pariahs of Gryffindor. I don’t relish going through that again.”

“That was Malfoy’s fault,” Harry stated simply. “And that had nothing to do with Norbert.”

Hermione noticed Harry’s dark scowl and quickly took his hand. “Come on. I thought you said you wanted to go for a walk. I’m about ready for some fresh air.” Hermione pulled them quickly from the common room, sparing no time to grab a jacket or a robe. It was September and still rather nice out, after all. The young woman didn’t want to wait around and let her friend’s ire get the better of him. After more than five years with Harry and Ron, Hermione felt she knew how to handle them.

The weather was beautiful as the three friends walked by the lake. The setting sun cast sparkling orange and purples over the water, the sky bare of clouds or other blemishes. A light breeze ruffled the leaves in the trees and the smell of pine wafted around them. Ron picked up a flat stone and tossed it across the water, the rock skipping three times before disappearing under the surface of the lake with a plop. Harry smiled lightly at his friend and picked up his own stone. Letting the stone fly, it skipped four times and then sank to the bottom of the lake.

Hermione watched her two friends compete to see who could skip a stone the most times and smiled. These were the best times. They didn’t have any cares. School was going to start tomorrow, they were together and having fun. The bushy haired brunette shivered lightly. Amending her last thought, she figured that there were warmer ways to have fun.

“Are you two boys finished? I would like to get back inside. Besides, it’s getting close to supper time.”

Harry looked around and noticed Hermione leaning against a tree with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She was shivering lightly. His laughing eyes sparkled in the fading light. “Why didn’t you bring a jacket or your robes, Hermione?”

“I was anxious to get outside. It’s been so beautiful out lately.” Hermione strode over to them and bent down to pick up a rock. “And besides, I didn’t expect you two to become embroiled in a rock skipping contest. Who won?”

Ron let a wide grin play across his face. “I did. I got six skips.”

Hermione shook her head in amusement. “Little boys,” she commented quietly, although loud enough for her friends to hear. She walked to the edge of the lake and looked at the water. She tilted her face up into the breeze for a moment and closed her eyes. When the air around her stilled, Hermione pulled her arm back and let the rock fly. All three teens watched the rock skip along the surface of the water eight times before it disappeared. A long tentacle snapped the water sending a spray of water at them. Hermione squealed as she was sprayed with the cold water. She danced away from the edge with the sound of the boys laughter behind her.

“Wow!” Ron exclaimed. “How’d you do that?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Really Ron, it’s quite simple. You just have to take the angle of the throw, the velocity of the rock and the smoothness of the water and combine them. I noticed you two were trying to skip the rock over the water when the wind was blowing. That makes the water a bit choppy and the rocks were hitting the waves. Instead of bouncing over them like you obviously thought, it slowed them down. Besides, you two are taller then me and getting closer to the water is more difficult. You need to throw the rock along the surface and let it glide.”

Ron looked confused and shook his head to clear away the cobwebs. “Too much information,” he said in a daze. “I refuse to learn anything until tomorrow.”

“You probably won’t learn anything then either,” Harry quipped.

Hermione sighed in exasperation as the two boys squared off in a mock battle. “Will you two stop that. I’m cold and would like to go in now.”

Harry straightened and looked at his female friend. He moved over to her and slid his hands over her arms, trying to rub the chill out. “Sorry Hermione,” he said as his hands worked over her arms. “Wow, you’re really cold.”

They walked swiftly back towards the castle. The sun was gone now and the sky was speckled with stars. The moon shone down on them and cast an ethereal light over the grounds. As they neared the castle, the large heavy doors swung open and out stepped Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe. Draco patted his stomach in satisfaction and smiled evilly at the approaching teens. “What a wonderful meal.”

Hermione stopped and turned an angry glare at her two friends. “We missed supper!”

Harry and Ron shrugged in repentance.

The three Slytherins stood at the top of the stairs and didn’t move. Draco crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. “Well, well, well,” he drawled with a smirk. “If it isn’t Pothead and the Weasel. And let’s not forget the mudblood whore of Gryffindor.”

Harry and Ron sputtered in outrage. As they reached into their pockets for their wands, Hermione stepped between them and climbed the steps to face Draco. With her hands on her hips, she looked up into the cold blue eyes of the teen. “Well at least my companions are intelligent and handsome Malfoy.” Turning her eyes to Crabbe and Goyle, Hermione looked them up and down disdainfully. “Shame you can’t say the same for whom you associate with.”

The two oafish teens glared hatefully at Hermione and took a menacing step forward. Draco waved them back angrily and leaned down and looked fiercely into Hermione’s rich brown eyes. His hot breath huffed over her face. The girl was surprised that his breath wasn’t as rancid as the words that spewed from his mouth were. “It is of no consequence whom I associate with Granger, but rest assured I could do much better then Potter and Weasel.”

Hermione tried to suppress her giggle but it bubbled forth against her will. Draco stood straight quickly, surprised by her reaction. His face turned to rage quickly. “So you’re saying that Harry and Ron aren’t good enough for you but some other boys are?” Harry and Ron laughed at Hermione’s question.

“I didn’t say that!” Malfoy exclaimed.

“Oh, no need Malfoy,” Hermione laughed. “It’s quite obvious to me now. You are a quite proper dandy. The way you slick your hair back. It can’t be out of place after all. The way your robes are the finest material.” Hermione reached out and ran her fingers over the lapel of his robes. “Silk? Nothing can be out of place with you. The fact that you are always seen with those two should be a dead giveaway.”

Draco pulled away from Hermione’s probing fingers and looked at the faces around him. Harry and Ron were beside themselves laughing. Hermione stood in front of him with a smug look on her face. Looking behind him, Draco saw that Crabbe was looking down at the ground while Goyle was extremely interested in the night sky. With his face red from embarrassment and anger, he swung his robes around him and pushed the two loutish teens aside. He flung the doors open and stopped just inside. Looking over his shoulder, Draco locked his hateful glowing eyes on Hermione. “You will pay for this insult mudblood.” He quickly strode through the foyer and disappeared down into the dungeons, Crabbe and Goyle hurrying behind him.

“That was brilliant Hermione,” Ron exclaimed. He thumped her on the back making her stagger slightly. She cast a bewildered look toward her friend. He didn’t notice as he guffawed into the night.

Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione’s waist, hugging her from behind. “You are the cleverest witch in the world.”

Hermione blushed at the praise from her friends and smiled with them. She shivered again and slowly pulled free from Harry’s embrace. “Well, I suppose I won that round, but let’s do go in. I’m still quite cold. Maybe Dobby will give us some food also.” With the two boy’s approval, the three friends dashed into the castle and let the large doors swing closed behind them.