AN: Hi again! I hope you are doing well and stay safe :)

This is a really long chapter, so let me extra thanks my beta, "bcain17", for her effort correcting some of my mistakes.

Now, let's go read!

Chapter 7: Revenge.

Hermione was so excited by the boy's reaction that she couldn't stop herself smiling. Not only had she managed to do it, but she had been able to see on their faces the expression Malfoy must have had when she entered the large dining room wearing Pansy's clothes the very first day of the deal. The fact that he grimaced at her had made her hopes plummet, so much so that she thought her goal was completely impossible. Merlin, it was Draco Malfoy whom she wanted to conquer! Considering that she was a Gryffindor and a Muggle-born, she had to be insane to think she could possibly do that, but thanks to Parkinson's threats she had not given up on her attempts and now she finally felt she was on the right track. Because his amazement at seeing her come out of the fitting room couldn't have been faked and she knew he'd wanted her body for at least a handful of seconds. Yes, Draco Malfoy had liked what he had seen, that was more than clear. She had finally achieved what she had always wanted; to be able to get his attention… but what she never imagined was that there would be another snake interested in her too.

She came back to reality when she found herself on the Hogwarts grounds, when she started to meet some students and teachers and tried to be aware that anyone could see what was inside her bag with a single brief glance. She used a reducing spell to shrink it so she could slip it into the inside pocket of her robe.

Although it was still early for dinner and since she had nothing else to do, she decided to head into the large dining room. She was about to go in when a hiss caught her attention. Someone was calling her from the shadows of a dark and not too far passageway. Hermione looked over there with narrowed eyes. Would she have imagined it? A smack at that precise moment proved otherwise.

"It's me. Get over here."

The Gryffindor looked to both sides of the corridor to check that no one could see her, and she walked briskly toward passageway.

"Hello."

"How did it go? Did you do it?" She couldn't wait until after dinner to find out.

"I di," Hermione replied, watching the Slytherin hide in the gloom. "You were right, they were astonished."

Pansy nodded before turning her gaze to the girl's hands.

"I told you to buy one of the sets."

"I kept it safe," Hermione commented as she patted the robe. Then she took out the small leather bag with the rest of the money and handed it to her. "Thanks for the loan, but I'll pay you back."

Hermione thought she saw Parkinson's eyes roll in the dark.

"If you insist… By the way, remember that we will see each other after dinner to practice and improve your duel skills. Enter the large dining room first, I will go in a few minutes so as not to raise suspicions."

The Gryffindor nodded and strode away. It was a surprise to feel such self-confidence suddenly. She went through the oak doors and sat across from her friends at the table, who apparently had just arrived as well.

"You've missed Potions a couple of times already," Harry said when he saw her. "Are you starting to cut class just a week after graduation?"

"Yes," Hermione replied with a lopsided smile and a mocking tone. "I want to be the bad girl for once."

"Speaking of bad girls," Harry still seemed to be curious to know where she had been, but Ron changed the topic of conversation before he could ask any other question. "My mother wants me to graduate in the outfit she bought Charlie when he was in his 7th year, can you believe it? That was centuries ago! The family owl dropped the package out of one of the boy's bedroom windows this afternoon and didn't even wait for me to write a letter to my mother asking her, or better yet, begging her to let me use something for the first time. She gave the animal orders to avoid having to say no, but too many Weasleys have already worn those robes to last a lifetime, don't you think? Maybe I should wear something I go buy myself, something I really like?" Ron looked really annoyed.

"You know your family's financial situation is... delicate," Hermione commented as she forked herself a little turkey. "The Twins are doing very well with the prank shop, have you thought about borrowing some money from them?"

That said, Ronald leaned back on the bench as he laughed loudly.

"The twins lending me money? That is funny."

"I'm sure won't be laughing when you have to put on that suit and come down here," Hermione said sarcastically, rolling her eyes a little. "Lavender, can you pass me the water?"

Lavender stopped chattering with her friends to look at her with an arched eyebrow. Had she asked her for something strange? This was certainly how she was making her feel with her attitude. Finally she picked up her wand and made the jug slide across the table to Hermione, who was practically sitting next to her. Frowning, she thanked her and poured herself a glass. She decided to take a quick look at the Slytherin's table while taking a small sip. Finding that Draco Malfoy's eyes were on her caused her heart rate to race wildly, but appreciating that Theodore Nott was also glancing at her from a distance caused the blood under the skin of her cheeks to burn so hot she started to feel slightly dizzy.

"Speaking of laughing things," Ronald continued, drawing her attention back to him and fixing his eyes on Harry before glancing at her. "How are you doing with the dance?"

Both became so tense that they even stopped breathing without realizing it. All the heat that had just flooded Hermione's body suddenly turned to ice. Her body temperature plummeted at those unexpected six words. No, they had not talked about it yet, they had not even mentioned it so far this year... but they were very aware that there was nothing they could do to get away from it. Ron laughed outrageously again.

"Come on, you know that the boy and the girl with the best school record of each house start the graduation dance and you haven't even spoken to decide which foot to start with when the music starts? You know that the best Gryffindor students in our course are you two, right?

Fuck it. All the confidence she had gained that afternoon had just gone to hell.

"I don't know how to dance," Hermione said firmly, but not enough to look her future dance partner in the eye. "I'll just try not to step on Harry until the others join us and I can stop making a fool of myself."

Harry cleared his throat and swallowed hard before saying:

"Ginny has offered to give me dance classes. We're starting tomorrow, why don't you join us?" Then he looked at his friend. "I know that your sister is a very good dancer."

"Are you talking about me?" The redhead's irritating voice asked as she arrived with her classmates and sat next to Harry.

"I was saying to Hermione that tomorrow you will teach me a few dance steps before dinner. Maybe she can come so you can help us both."

The Weasley's already pale freckled skin became almost translucent with it. She looked at Harry with disbelief and a grimace for so long that he and his brother were puzzled by her reaction. Finally, the girl shook her head and tried to fake normality even though Hermione knew her brain had just collapsed.

"That... that would be nice, but I'd rather teach you separately." She poured peas on her plate with excessive energy causing a few fall to the ground.

"Or you can also teach me what you've learned with her and thus practice together for the dance," Hermione suggested. Harry seemed to agree, so she smiled slightly as she watched the Weasley girl gnash her teeth out of the corner of her eye. Satisfied, she took a last sip from her glass and got up from the table. "See you upstairs."

Pansy had seen Granger get up from the Gryffindors table and leave the large dining room, but she decided to stay a few more minutes in hers. She was waiting for some kind of comment among his friends, a look, anything that would give her a clue as to how her plan had turned out. She wanted them confused, bewildered... but they didn't show up any differently than other days. All she could say was that they were especially quiet that night.

With nothing interesting to hear, the Slytherin got up from the table and made her way to the Room of Requirement. Granger was reading a book while she was sitting on the sofa, so Pansy walked over to her and looked into the bag on the table.

"Good choice," she said. "You may not have such bad taste after all."

"The only thing that interests me now is having enough skills to keep up with Malfoy in the duel," the Gryffindor replied, setting the book aside and rising from the sofa. "By the way, I know what your next move with Harry is going to be... but there is a little problem."

"Is that a redhead problem? Because lately I'm hating her to death."

"She's red-haired and has a first and last name," Hermione said as they moved to the dueling area. "It's Ginny. She has volunteered to teach Harry for the opening dance."

The girl could see Parkinson's hands clenched into two fists on either side of her body. It was obvious that she was holding herself back from screaming at the top of her lungs.

"We have to get rid of that harpy," she muttered.

"Yes. If we can get rid of her, you could offer yourself to teach Harry. I know he won't trust you at first, but he is such a perfectionist that he couldn't bear to do something wrong. He hates dancing as much as I do, but I think he would rather accept your proposal than make a fool of himself in front of everyone.

Pansy nodded once, but was visibly upset when she turned to face her. Hermione held her breath for a thousandth of a second.

"What is your plan to get her out of the way?"

"I had thought about using the poison on her, but the symptoms only last a day and we have to reserve at least half a small bottle to give it to Ronald on Sunday. Overcoming the symptoms, if she wanted she would end up meeting Harry before graduation. And the worst part is that she has managed to spend time with him, alone.

Pansy's nostrils grew so wide that her expression immediately took on a threatening touch.

"You have to think of something to keep her away from Potter indefinitely," she growled. I don't want her near him, Granger. You have to get rid of her. Get her expelled, torture her, kill her, but get her to never come near him again.

Hermione bit her lip. Getting what she asked for was almost as complicated as conquering Malfoy. How could she make two friends to never speak to each other again? How to destroy a friendship of years in less than eight days? It would be difficult, but perhaps not impossible. After all, she was trying to seduce Malfoy… Could there be anything more arduous than that? She certainly doubted it.

"I'll do my best to keep her away," she said at last. Parkinson watched her from a safe distance. "When do we start?"

Pansy pulled her wand from inside her robe and waved it at her chest without warning. A beam of light hit her body and made her fly through the air until hitting the padded wall in the background.

"You'll have to be faster, Granger. The Slytherins don't wait for the opponent to be ready to attack."

They hadn't kept track of the time, but Pansy was sure they had been practicing for at least an hour. Granger had shown a curious prowess when she was finally forewarned and focused entirely on dueling. There wasn't such a big difference between them, but she wasn't entirely sure if her abilities would be enough to keep her up on Draco's level. At least they still had a couple of days to practice.

As she had been doing all week, Pansy was the last to enter her common room at night. Distracted, she thought of all the ways she could get rid of Ginevra Weasley, and while all of them were illegal, she did not rule out having to decide on one if Granger didn't get down to business. She rejoiced in the thought of the sounds her throat would make if she strangled her with her bare hands when a conversation caught her attention a little further. She had thought that everyone would be in bed by now, but apparently a couple of people were still awake in the dungeons. She leaned her back against the wall, keeping out of the field of vision of the boys whose voices she recognized perfectly.

"I don't know what she's playing, but I'm going to find out what it's about."

"Why do you think she's up to something?" Theo's voice asked.

"Because of her behavior. Don't you notice her acting strangely?"

Pansy wanted the wall to swallow her at the thought that Draco had discovered her. Had she done something to make him suspicious of her? Did he know that she was conspiring around him, that she was helping Granger to get him to notice her on the condition that the Gryffindor did the same to Potter? Her eyes widened as a fleeting thought crossed her mind. What if Snape had said something to him? What if he had implied that he should be careful with her? Draco seemed so angry that the idea didn't seem far-fetched at all. She swallowed hard. Everything would have gone to shit if he found out about her dirty deal with Granger.

"I don't look at her enough to answer your question."

"Do you take me for a fool?" Pansy could perfectly visualize in her head the expression of rejection that Draco would be giving Theo at the moment. "Even the most stupid kid in the castle knows your strange and disgusting crush on Granger."

Pansy breathed a sigh of relief as she felt she could breathe again. They weren't talking about her, they didn't think she was betraying them… no, that afternoon's incident with the lingerie had led to them talking about Granger now. Just as she wanted. Despite still feeling her heart racing, Pansy put a smile at her face.

"That's none of your business," Theo snapped, his voice much deeper than usual. That he didn't try to deny his accusation was… interesting.

"Oh, that's for sure. You can go on with your interests of dubious taste... but don't try to make me stupid because I'm not. Didn't you notice when she walked around the castle in tight clothing and platform ankle boots? We are talking about Granger! Or when she "dazzled" everyone with her Quidditch skills without ever riding a broomstick before?" Pansy leaned out long enough to see Draco gesturing the quotes with his fingers. "Now she dares to challenge me to a duel and then buys lingerie at the most expensive store in Hogsmeade. Are you going to tell me that all this doesn't seem strange to you?"

"Not so much as to consider that she is plotting something against you."

Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Sometimes I think the sorting hat must have sent you to Hufflepuff, the house of those who never find out anything."

Pansy decided to enter the scene at that time. She walked to where they were and pretended to just arrive. She also pretended to be surprised when she looked up and saw them sitting there.

"Well, hi," she said. "I thought you would already be in bed."

"We thought you were in the girls' bedroom," Theo commented. "Where did you come from?"

"Better not ask," Draco interjected with his characteristic arrogance. "She's gone all night and returns at dawn. Whoever the boy is, I'm sure she makes him happy."

"Very pleased, you know," she replied proudly, coming over and sitting on the sofa next to Theo.

The blonde rolled his eyes and scrambled to his feet.

"I've had enough of you for today, I'm going to bed."

Pansy caught Theo's arm as he made a move to follow him and kept him sitting next to her until Draco entered the boys' room and closed the door behind him.

"What?" Asked the boy. Pansy got into the role she was playing and gave her friend a puzzled look.

"What are you doing with Granger?"

"What do you mean?"

"Because she asked me to see you tomorrow at Hogsmeade. Seriously, what are you playing? With a Gryffindor?"

"Wait, Granger asked you what?" Theo looked like the living image of the Blood Baron. He had become livid and speechless.

"Yes, she came up to me in the hallways and told me, verbatim." Pansy straightened up and tried to imitate Hermione's tone of voice and gestures: "Tell Nott I'll see him tomorrow in Hogsmeade... if he wants to."

The boy frowned a lot as he ran a nervous hand through his thick hair.

"But that's impossible. I have nothing to do with her, I don't think we've spoken more than a handful of words in all these years."

Pansy nodded slightly and pretended to be thoughtful.

"Maybe she likes you." Theo looked at her with wide eyes. "Perhaps she has realized that after graduation she won't see you again and want to try to get to you."

"Do you think so? I don't know, this is very strange. Surely she and her friends just want to tease me."

"Why would they want to?" You are the only Slytherin who have never had problems with them. Also, this has nothing to do with her friends, but with her, and I don't think Granger is that kind of person..."

Pansy examined Theo's expression carefully, and after a long minute concluded that he was torn between what he wanted and what he thought was right.

"Tell me one thing," the girl said, breaking the silence and raising an eyebrow. "Do you like Granger? Be honest with me."

"No!" He replied immediately. The question seemed to offend him, but his expression relaxed when they were silent again and he found that his friend was not judging him. "Well, maybe."

"Wow... not that I approve of something like that, you know, snakes and lions together?" She faked a shudder. "But you know very well that you don't need anyone's permission to go out with whoever you want. If you really like her, go ahead. Maybe it's your last chance."

The boy scratched his head before jumping off the couch. Too much information to assimilate to stay seated. He felt the need to move, to feel that this was still real life and he was not having a dream.

"There is something I don't like..." he finally commented. Pansy mentally braced herself for what he might object to. "Why is she asking you to tell me instead of talking to me directly?"

Pansy snorted. She thought it would be somewhat more difficult.

"Hit your head against the wall to see if there's still anything in there," she said sarcastically. "You and she have never spoken. Surely she would be ashamed to ask you for a date and she went to the girl closest to you, that is, me," she pointed out to herself while rolling her eyes, as if that was the most obvious thing she had ever said. She thought she could see how the corners of his lips rose slightly.

"And how do I know where she wants to meet? Didn't she tell you anything?"

"She hasn't said anything to me," she replied. "She said she would pass you a note if you accepted. I guess tomorrow I will have to make some kind of sign when I see her... I don't know, you know how strange that girl is."

"Good." Theo squared his shoulders and nodded. The idea of having a date with Granger seemed to like him more and more as he assimilated that this was surely completely real. "With signs or whatever you want, but let her know that I will be there... And don't you dare tell anyone."

Pansy watched the boy until he closed the door to his bedroom behind him. She got up and gently brushed her hair back. It had been easy.

Hermione shuffled her foot in despair as she waited for her friends to go down to the common room for breakfast. Why did they always take so long? She didn't want to be late for the first class of the day! Parvati Patil was one of the few people left there, she saw her pick up her books and notes from one of the tables and walk in the direction of the portrait, but she couldn't stop her eyes from flying to those scrolls she was holding.

"Wait," she said. The girl stopped walking and looked at her in puzzlement. Hermione didn't understand why she was frowning like that, but that didn't stop her from asking. "Are those your last notes from Potions? Would you mind lending them to me to duplicate them?

She knew she should skip Snape's classes for the sake of dealing with Parkinson's, but deep down she couldn't bear the thought of missing out on valuable information. What if the teacher had said something interesting that wasn't in the books? It wasn't safe but… could she live with the intrigue? Parvati was one of the best students taking notes and at some point they had even shared those of some subjects to contrast information, but for some strange reason, now she wrinkled her nose a little while looking her up and down.

"Get your own notes," she snapped.

Hermione watched her leave the portrait with her head held high. What was going on lately? Why suddenly all the Gryffindor's girls seemed not to like her?

"Let's go?" Said Harry, who had just come to her side.

Once in the large dining room, Hermione listened to her friends comment on their plans for that afternoon when her eyes met Pansy's by chance. They had stayed after eating, but something in the way she looked at her told her that she really needed to see her sooner. She nodded at her and she responded in the same way, confirming her suspicions. She'd barely tasted her toast, but Hermione sighed, gathered up her things and left the great dining room without explanation.

She went up a couple of flights of stairs and waited in the hallway for Parkinson's footsteps to get close enough.

"I'm here," she said when she saw her appear. "My first class is on the castle grounds so I don't have much time."

Pansy looked both ways before tugging on the sleeve of her robe and dragging her to a nearby girls' bathroom.

"If you were someone else, I wouldn't be in such a hurry, but since I know you have to mentalize yourself not to panic..." She shrugged. "I've already got you a date with Theo."

Hermione took a breath and nodded. Although she still had her doubts about it, at least she was already forewarned.

"Okay… and when is it? Tomorrow, the day after...?

"Today," she replied firmly.

"Today?" She almost screeched. She was right, she was about to panic.

"Yes, today is the best day to have the first contact. Tomorrow we have the Quidditch match and on Sunday you will duel with Draco. You need to get it right, he seems to want to meet you and we don't have much time."

Hermione sighed. The day before she had loved to be the reason for his excitement at the village store, but how to play with a person's feelings without feeling the least bit guilty? What's more, would she be able to do it or would she run as soon as I saw him approach? She closed her eyes for a few seconds, long enough to picture Malfoy grabbing her butt to pull her to his body as he pressed his lips against hers. Yes, she shouldn't forget the reason she was risking the course. She reminded herself of everything she wanted to win the prize, link her hands to his on the pillow, and let him take her all night. The mere thought of feeling his bare skin against hers made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

"Okay, where are we meeting? I guess on some hidden street in Hogsmeade, right?"

"Yes, but he still doesn't know. I think he still has his reservations, so you'll have to write a note with the time and place and hand it over to him when you see each other in the hallways. This will convince him that this is not a joke. Oh, and be sure to go to the Room of Requirement and choose the clothes you are going to wear. Don't even think about appearing in the school robe, remember that it is a date."

Hermione was processing all this when a sound of pipes put them on guard and wands raised. It didn't take more than a few seconds for a ghost to come out of one of the taps there. Both girls lowered their arms when Myrtle appeared on the scene.

"Girls!" She exclaimed regretfully before flying quickly to the Gryffindor. "I've been looking for you ever since Snape found your friend's wand."

"It's okay, Myrtle. We know you didn't give us away, it wasn't your fault that he knew where it was," Hermione reassured her.

"Oh, that's not what I wanted to tell you." The ghost rubbed her hands nervously. "Although I don't know if I should..."

"Talk now!" Parkinson urged her.

"Okay! It's just that since Snape discovered that I helped you with your plans, he forbade me to return to my bathroom as punishment..."

"Sorry to hear that," Hermione wailed.

"Yes, I have been forced to wander through the pipes of the entire castle, I have come to places where I had not even been in my years as a human and ... I have witnessed something that concerns you. A redheaded girl in a Gryffindor robe is saying horrible things about you to every student in the bathroom. I have witnessed it three times since Snape denied me access to my one, but I am sure it will have been more. From the things she said, she seemed to hate you too much."

Hermione had been speechless at the revelation. Ginny was talking bad about her everywhere? Knowing what it was like shouldn't have surprised her at all, but it certainly had. And a lot.

"What things?" She wanted to know. Something told her that what she would hear next would not be to her liking.

"Well... things. Very ugly things. Hint that you're a little... easy with men."

"She called you a whore," Parkinson translated.

"Yes, I didn't want to use that term, but that's the way it is. She is making sure every girl to know that you have slept with most of the boys at school regardless of their house or age, that you have even slept with several at once and... well, in short, you always wanted to be the center of attention."

The Gryffindor only realized she was digging her nails into her palms when they started to bleed. That explained the reason for the sudden hostility of her companions... Why did she allow herself to be humiliated in this way? Hermione had never disrespected her like she had for so many years. But that had just changed. She no longer cared that she was her friend's sister, she had gone too far, so much that it had gone from being simple and foolish jealousy to becoming personal. Very personal.

"You're good?" The ghost asked when she noticed the tears that had just flowed from her eyes.

"Shhh!" Parkinson interrupted her. "Leave her, she's pulling out her little Slytherin side."

Yes, of course she was fine. Those tears were not of sadness, but of anger. Of contained anger. Of wanting to see her burn as they used to do with witches and knowing that she was not allowed to. It was helplessness, frustration. But she was more than willing to exploit at once that tiny Slytherin side Parkinson said she had and make them all pay together.

Hermione wiped her face on the sleeve of her robe and filled her lungs with air in one fell swoop. She couldn't see herself, but she was convinced that her face reflected a rather unusual fury in her. Parkinson remained silent until Hermione turned violently to see her.

"I have to get rid of her," the Gryffindor growled.

"Do you want me to "accidentally" push her down the stairs?" Parkinson offered.

Hermione shook her head. She had never had too much pride or self-esteem, but this time they even came out of his skin pores. That was her fight and she was going to fight for her honour. All those plans that had refused to go out during the week suddenly popped into her head.

"No, this is too personal for that. I have to be the one to finish her off, and I don't even have to touch a damn hair of her to get it." Everything was forming at lightning speed in her mind, all the pieces fit perfectly. "But I will need your help."

"I would have been insulted if you excluded me from the plan to get rid of that little idiot," Pansy replied with ill-contained malice. "Tell me what it is about."

"Harry and Ron are going to The Three Broomsticks this afternoon, all you have to do is follow them without them noticing and throw an obliviate at them when nobody sees you. Will you be able to do it?"

Pansy rolled her eyes.

"If that's going to keep Weasley's harpy from getting close to Harry again, then obliviate is my middle name."

"Great," Hermione said confidently. "I take care of everything else."

As much as she wanted, there was no way to get to Hagrid's class on time, but against all odds that didn't pose a problem at all. She was tired of being the good and responsible girl that everyone could tease or laugh at. That was going to change that same day. She would no longer leave anyone to take her from granted, she would begin to assert herself at that precise moment. Suddenly she felt the need to experience the ecstasy of youth, to demonstrate that she too could be the bad girl and make horrible decisions without caring about the consequences, wasn't she already doing it?

She went straight to the Room of Requirement and conjured a piece of parchment and a feather. With the paper still floating in the air, she wrote the address and time in the best handwriting she could, folded it, and put it in her pocket. Then she walked over to the hangers at the back of the room and started looking at the hanging clothes. The fabric was as delicate as it was beautiful, and the clothes looked fresh from someone like Parkinson's closet… but she also deserved to be able to put on something that felt sexy, something that made her feel comfortable and safe at the same time. She picked up a set and stepped into the fitting room. She was going to show everyone that she was not as different from them as they thought.

She started with a couple of clothes and ended up trying everything on. It felt strange, but at the same time it looked damn good. She thought that maybe she could get used to it over time.

The hour passed quickly and she was leaving the Room of Requirement to go to her second class of the day... but just as she was about to turn the corner to go down the stairs, she found a group of Slytherins in the hallway. They were all standing next to the Arithmancy classroom, surely waiting for Professor Vector to arrive to start the lesson. She found Pansy and her friends immediately. Malfoy leaned against the wall while she and Nott remained in front of him. Only the latter noticed her presence at first, their eyes met and both felt a chill run down their spine. Hermione was only aware of being pinned to the ground when she decided to walk again, but instead of turning the corner, her steps led her directly to meet him. She felt braver than ever, her desire to show her rebellious side once and for all had eaten away her insecurities and her modesty.

Nott couldn't take his eyes off her as she got closer, but his face reflected the horror of someone who didn't want to be seen with a Gryffindor in front of everyone. Hermione didn't care what the others may think. Malfoy and Parkinson noticed her the moment she gave the Slytherin a mischievous glance and slowed down a bit to brush her hand with his.

Pansy watched her walk away with a light but firm step. She didn't turn to see him over her shoulder one last time, she just kept going and disappeared into the crowd. The Slytherin glanced quickly at her friends. Theo kept the hand she had passed the note to inside his pocket as he looked away trying to hide his nervousness. Draco collided with the boy's shoulder as he passed between him and Pansy and entered the classroom with an angry air. Pansy couldn't know for sure if his reaction was because he didn't like that Theo had something with Granger or that Granger was seeing someone else. There was a big difference between the two possibilities, but somehow the two of them created havoc inside Draco. Now she just had to find out which one it was.

Hermione tried to focus on the classes that remained until lunch, but she was so eager to carry out her plan that she could hardly think of anything else. She came out of her thoughts when Harry stomped on her under the table. Hermione returned to reality and looked at her friend's raised hand without understanding anything.

"Professor Flitwick has asked who is doing the volunteer work," he whispered covertly.

"Oh." She instinctively raised her hand, and she did it so quickly because Merlin knew that she never left a job undone... except for that one. Now that she thought about it, she realized how little time she had left and the tranquility with which she was taking it. But that deal had turned her world upside down, and at that moment she didn't even know if in the end she was going to have time to finish it.

"Ah, I see that the Hufflepuffs are being more applied in the final stretch," said the professor. "Five points for Hufflepuff!"

Ronald snorted next to her as she leaned in a little towards Harry.

"How are you doing work?"

"Not too well," he replied. "If it had taken five minutes less and I could have gotten that book out before Parkinson's I would surely have finished it ... but now I depend on her to finish it and return it to the library."

"Didn't you tell me that she offered to consult it with her?"

"Yes, why?" The boy definitely didn't understand where she wanted to end up.

She moved a little closer to his ear and whispered:

"Instead of waiting for her to return it, why don't you ask her when she's going back to the library to go with her? After all, she doesn't seem to mind sharing the book with you."

"I know, but…"

"Didn't you think she might return it so late that you won't have time to finish the job on time?"

The boy stared at the book in front of him for a few seconds.

"You're right, but how do I ask her something like that?"

"Try doing it like the last time, getting closer to her. Surely it doesn't seem like a bad idea, I already told you that I feel that this girl has changed," added Hermione, remembering the words that Parkinson said about herself while occupying her body.

"Any questions? None? Don't forget to practice the Avis Charm for the next day, but don't attack anyone with it! Is it clear?" Exclaimed the little professor, sitting on his desk.

Impatient as she was, Hermione was the first to rise from her seat. She quickly gathered her things and left the classroom to go to the large dining room at the desperate pace of her friends.

"What's the matter?" Harry worried. "I see you a little... hyperactive."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. Nerves were eating her up inside, and although it was more than evident to everyone she just couldn't calm down.

"I guess I'm a little hungry."

"It makes sense considering that today you have hardly had breakfast."

"I'd be eating up the torches on the walls if I were you," Ronald added.

"I'd rather wait until I get to the great hall," Hermione scoffed.

The boys prattled on a bit about how good it was that it was finally Friday and how eager they were to play that crucial game against Slytherin tomorrow. It was the last time for them to face the snakes at Hogwarts and they wanted to be fully prepared, so they were saying that this afternoon they would have a butter beer and return to the castle to rest. Hermione disconnected from that conversation and took the path to the large dining room to go over her plan and make sure everything went perfectly.

She saw her as soon as she entered. She spotted her among so many other Gryffindors without even having to search for her. There she was, stunning with her straight hair and her face of never have harmed a fly. Yes, there was the girl who had had no qualms about smearing her everywhere with lies and deceit. A half smile appeared on Hermione's face as she approached her table. Yes, there she was.

She managed to make Harry sit in front of the redhead while she took a place next to her friend. They served themselves and began to eat. A little further, Dean was reading the weekly magazine the twins had created to keep their clientele informed of new products and upcoming inventions that would be on sale in their store.

"Let me take a look at it?" Harry asked when he saw that the boy had finished reading it and had left it on the table.

"Sure," Dean replied, holding it out before he started eating his molasses tart.

"Oh, I thought of you when I read it this morning," Ginny said with a dazzling smile. "I know that there are several things that will fascinate you. I could get you a discount if you want."

Harry didn't pay much attention to what the redhead was saying, and although that must have caused her general discomfort by now, Hermione understood that it was time to take action. She slid down the bench to get closer to her friend.

"Hey, this looks really interesting here," she said, brushing the boy's hand as she pointed to one of the products on the page.

Her body and Harry's were uncomfortably close, there was practically no space between them and Hermione felt like she was committing some kind of incest. But judging by the face Ginny was putting on at the time it was absolutely worth it.

"Yes, although I think I'll stop by before going to the Three Brooms to buy this one..." the boy commented as he sneaked away from her a little.

"Wait Harry, you have something here," Hermione said softly before running her thumb over her tongue and bringing it to his face. She rubbed it at the corner of his lips as she tried not to die of disgust and tried to bite her lip in a sensual way. She stroked his bottom lip a bit before deciding enough was enough. She couldn't bear to keep doing that, she felt really horrible. She returned to her place and tried to behave normally while she hoped that no one but the three of them had noticed this insinuating moment on her part. She knew very well that Harry would not give it much importance despite having been a rather "erotic" situation. Of course, Ginny's reaction was also expected to be how it finally was. Hermione could hear her internal screams and feel her body burn at the same time. That redhead was about to set herself on fire, her eyes even reddening from the rage that had gripped her. Hermione looked at her out of the corner of her eye and smiled on one side, long enough to make her feel threatened.

She poured herself a little more salad and stared at her plate until she finished. Now all she had to do was attend the last two classes of the day and hope Parkinson did her job well.

The Slytherin couldn't shake off the image of Granger rubbing Potter in the great hall in what was left of the day. Although she already knew that this was going to happen, it didn't make her less disgusting. At least the Weasley's head seemed to explode as she witnessed the scene, just as Granger predicted when she explained her the plan.

"Did you tell anyone?" Asked a voice beside her. They were leaving their last class, and although Theo was in no rush she definitely was.

"Well, no, but the way Granger gave you the note, it seemed like she was the one who wanted everyone to know."

They both looked at the blonde who was walking briskly a few meters further.

"Do you think he knows it?"

"Surely. Does his opinion matter to you?"

Theo shook his head.

"What worries me is... him. You know him as well as I do and you know he doesn't play fair."

"Does any Slytherin do it?" Pansy narrowed her eyes at him. "You are not a saint either."

"I don't pretend to be... but I know where the limit is. I don't know if you understand me."

"I understand you perfectly. We both know that his attitude is because something has bothered him," the girl commented as she nodded toward Draco. "And also quite a lot. I think that after so many years he considers Granger as something "his own", something personal, and you are going to meet with her overnight."

"Do you really think he may be interested in her?" Theo had to hold back too much not to laugh out loud.

"Of course, I don't know if deep down he will have a romantic interest in her, but what is undeniable is that he feels something. All the hatred he profess must have an explanation."

"You and I have witnessed how mean he has been with her since first year."

"Yes, Granger has always been her toy and now you are playing with her. You know he doesn't like his things to be touched." Theo turned to the dungeons but Pansy made her way to the main floor. "See you later."

Her friend nodded and left without saying a word. What she liked most about being with him was that she didn't have to make excuses, he really didn't care about the lives of others and what they had to do with them.

Pansy walked to sit on one of the benches near the door that opened onto the Hogwarts grounds. She had to control all the people who passed by, she couldn't allow Potter and his friend to get lost in the crowd... otherwise the blame of the plan going wrong would be only hers.

You could tell that it was Friday in the fact that half of the castle was taking advantage of the free time to go to Hogsmeade or go out for a walk in the gardens. Pansy was so focused on finding Potter that she almost had a heart attack when she turned her head and saw Professor Snape standing next to her. He kept his eyes straight ahead and his hands clasped behind his back. His face was impassive and he seemed to be carrying out his routine task of controlling the students, but Pansy knew perfectly well that the only one he was watching was her. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that with him there she couldn't launch an obliviate to the Gryffindors. Now she was looking in all directions, aware that she had been in shock for a couple of minutes. Would she have lost them? Would her blunder have scuttled Granger's plan?

She held her breath when she finally spotted them in the distance. They were talking to each other absentmindedly and people seemed to pass them by, it was the perfect situation to point the wand at them without anyone noticing... but Snape didn't take his eye off her, and according to the warning he had already given her and Granger in his office, he wasn't going to stop watching them until the course ended.

She followed the boys with her eyes as they moved away from her and got closer and closer to the exit. Her shoulders slumped a little as she lost all hope, she thought that there was no way to solve that when a scream caught her attention. Everyone nearby turned and raised their heads to see someone suspended at the top of the stairwell. She couldn't make it out clearly, but she would assure that it was the Hufflepuff boy who had interrupted her moment with Potter in the library a few days earlier… did he say his name was Martin? Pansy shook her head. What mattered now was not the name of the boy Peeves was holding by one foot and threatening to knock him down, but that Snape had run out there and she was free again to do what she must.

Heart pounding from the action of the moment, she ran to the Gryffindors and, camouflaging herself among the others, pointed the wand at the nape of their necks and cast the spell at them, muttering it under her breath. Then she put it back inside the robe and turned to leave. She strained her ears to hear them wonder where they were supposed to be going. She could almost imagine them frowning and scratching their heads in confusion. She had finally been able to fulfill her part of the plan and that made her smile from ear to ear.

"Parkinson?"

Wow, she wasn't expecting that. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to see the Gryffindor.

"Potter?"

"Yes, uh..." As she had imagined, he was scratching his head at the moment. "I was wondering if you would like to share the book another time. I can adjust to your library hours, but I need to finish that project."

Pansy parted her lips as she noticed his. He was proposing to see her again at that table away from everyone, to delight her again with his presence even if it was in complete silence. Just being able to rest her eyes indefinitely on his perfect features was already a gift.

"Sure... I'll go for a while after dinner," she said. Then she looked disdainfully at the way his friend tugged at the sleeve of his robe.

"Dude, you have to be rested for tomorrow's game."

Pansy wanted to kill him with her eyes. Potter sighed.

"Okay, I will be there. I guess I prefer to have a good grades."

Pansy turned around and kept walking, but she didn't stop listening to what those two were talking about.

"Do you remember where we were going?" Potter asked.

"No, but we can go back to the common room."

Well, maybe that Weasley wasn't such a jerk after all.

Hermione had returned to her common room on the excuse of finishing the job. She had several books open in front of her, but she was sitting and waiting for everything to happen. She hoped Parkinson's would not fail, and she hoped Ginny would do her part as well, even though she didn't know she was part of the plan.

She turned another page without even having read the previous one. She didn't have to, there was no one there at the time. Everyone was celebrating that it was finally Friday but she felt that pretending to pay attention to the book helped her get a little into the role.

It wasn't long until the sound of footsteps broke the stillness of the room. Hermione swallowed hard and braced herself. Hopefully it was Ginny and her plan came out the way she wanted.

"You!"

She looked up from the book. Sure enough, there she was. She gave her her best smile as she got up from the table.

"Ginny, I thought you were going to the Three Brooms with Harry and your brother."

"Damn bitch," the redhead spat, wielding her wand and aiming it at her chest. "Do you take me for a fool?"

That was unexpected. Her eyes widened when she realized she was unarmed. Her wand was on the table, so she raised her hands and looked at her in confusion.

"I don't know what you're talking about, why don't you put your wand down and talk about it calmly?"

"SHIT, NO!" Ginny's face was tinting so red that she could barely make out the freckles on her skin. "Do you think I don't know your intentions? Huh? Do you really think I don't notice all your attempts to get Harry to notice you? You're pathetic!"

"Ginny, I don't know what you think you've seen, but I promise you it's not what you think. Harry and I are just friends."

"LIAR! All you want is to get him away from me! But listen to this, damn witch, Harry is mine! He is only mine and I will make you understand once and for all!"

"Ginny, you're confused, I don't want anything with…"

"Flipendo!"

Hermione flew through the air and hit one of the shelves there. The girl winced as she rubbed her back a little and tried to get to her feet, without success. This was definitely not the padded wall of the Room of Requirement.

"Ginny…" said the voice of another Weasley.

When she raised her head she saw her friends looking at the redhead with their mouth open. She didn't know how long they'd been there, but it was sure they'd seen and heard enough. In a matter of seconds Harry came to see Ginny as if she were his worst enemy, examined her with a grimace of disgust and turned his back to go to help the girl who was still on the ground. He crouched down beside her and held out his hand to help her up.

"You're ok?" He whispered with concern.

"I..." Hermione looked at the girl who was standing just beyond. It seemed that being discovered had left her shocked. "I don't know, Harry, my back hurts."

Harry saw Ginny again, this time with hatred in his eyes. Ronald just didn't seem to understand his sister's behaviour.

"You better go," he said insisted.

Hermione leaned on Harry to get up, her hands clasped and the boy's arm around her waist. It hurt, she couldn't deny it, but definitely not enough that she couldn't give the redhead one last, sneaky smile. Because yes, the truth was that she hadn't expected that she could be so mental to attack her like that, but the good news was that her plan had gone perfectly. And now Ginny was out of the way.

Review? :)
Thanks for reading!
Cristy.