A Debt Repaid

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I will only say this once for the entire story. I own only the plot. Everything else is J.K. Rowlings. Too bad for me. :(

"Hurry up Hermione!" Ron yelled up the stairs to the girl's dormitory.

"I'm coming!" Hermione shouted back. How could she continue to be top of the class if she was never actually in class on time? She wondered idly, gathering her things into her bag and running down the stairs.

"If you're going to take this long to get ready every morning then we're not going to wait up for you." Ron said decidedly.

"I was only slow because I couldn't find my potions essay. Boys?" she asked accusingly, giving them a stern look.

"Fine!" Harry admitted guiltily. "We may have taken it to check ours." Both boys stared at their shoes as Harry took her essay out of his bag and held it out to her.

"You guys know you could have asked and I would have helped you." Hermione smiled at them and shook her head, taking the essay from Harry and placing it in her bag. "We better get to class quickly. It would be awful to have detention with Snape."

Harry and Ron both made a disgusted face, "Agreed." The boys walked out of the common room with Hermione following closely behind.

As the golden trio was running down the stairs Peeves yanked on the hem of Hermione's robes causing her to crash down toward the fourth floor landing; Quills, ink, and parchment flying everywhere from her school bag.

"Hermione!" Harry and Ron shouted in unison. When they got to her they saw that she had a small gash on her forehead, and had scraped her hands on the rough stone steps trying to catch herself.

"Help me up please?" The boys each grasped an arm and hauled her ink covered self to her feet. She took out her wand and did a quick scourgify, hissing in pain as the cleaning spell hit her wounds.

"Let's get to class." She said and took a step forward. She had hit her head pretty hard on the step so she wobbled and almost fell again if not for Harry and Ron who caught her before she fell. The boys shared a worried glance.

"We should probably get you to the hospital wing." Harry said with a concerned tone. "We don't want you to have a concussion."

Hermione looked at Harry as if he were crazy. "What and miss class? Not a chance."

Ron and Harry shared a look. Harry then put a silencing spell on her so she couldn't protest while Ron used a body binding jinx so she couldn't run (or in her current condition stumble) away. They then proceeded to grab each of her arms and haul her to the hospital wing.

Madame Pompfrey was very surprised to find a bound and silenced Hermione between Harry and Ron who were struggling to keep her still.

"Peeves pulled her robes and she tripped and fell down the stairs. So far all we can tell is that she has a gash on her forehead and scraped palms but we think she has a concussion because she was very wobbly when she stood up." Harry said dragging Hermione inside and placing her on a hospital bed.

"But why is she tied up?" Madame Pompfrey asked, binding the girl to the bed.

"She would rather die than miss a day of classes." Ron explained with a smile.

"Well alright I can take it from here. You boys had better get to class or professor Snape will have your skins." Madame Pompfrey shooed them out the door and closed it firmly behind them.

"Now Ms. Granger let's get to work on you." Madame Pompfrey said, casting diagnostic charms and grabbing various potion bottles and salves.

Harry and Ron arrived out of breath at the potions classroom.

"Would you two care to explain your whereabouts for the first half of my class and why Ms. Granger is not with you?" Snape questioned with his usual scowl upon his face.

"Well you see professor," Ron said nervously. "We were running down the stairs to get to class when Peeves grabbed Hermione's hem and tripped her."

"She was hurt pretty badly so we took her to the hospital wing and then ran here as fast as we could." Harry finished.

"Well I shall deduct ten points from Gryffindor for each of you and you both will have detention with me tonight." Snape said with a sneer.

Potions had been miserable for everyone. Snape had already been in a foul mood before Harry and Ron had shown up late because some first years had blown up a cauldron in his earlier class.

Snape finished his lecture, assigned homework, and ended the class.

Before they could reach the door Snape called Harry and Ron to his desk. "You two will fill a large order of the three common healing potions for Madame Pompfrey.

"How many of each Potion do we make Professor?" Harry asked, dreading the answer.

"One-hundred." Snape said, smirking.

Harry and Ron both groaned.

"No complaining. You will meet me here tonight after classes are over, Dismissed."

Draco smiled to himself leaning against the wall outside his Godfather's classroom and walked towards his next class with a small smile on his face.

Once classes were over Harry and Ron headed down to the dungeons to serve their detention.

Hermione was still in the hospital wing because she in fact did have a concussion, and Madame Pompfrey wanted to keep her there overnight just to be safe.

"Drink this dear it will help you sleep." Madame Pompfrey said, handing her a bottle of dreamless sleep potion.

Hermione downed the bottle, and not two minutes later she was fast asleep.

Meanwhile Harry and Ron weren't having any fun. Halfway through the second batch of potions Professor Snape sent them out into the corridor to get an ingredient for him.

"So," A voice said from a shadowy alcove, "Which one of you bumbling idiots pushed Granger down the stairs? Thanks, I think that's the first time anyone other than that know-it-all got to answer a question in class."

"Shove off Malfoy. We would never push Hermione down the stairs." Harry said, Irritated that the ferret would insinuate that either of them were capable of such a thing.

"Well, enjoy your detention anyways Pothead, You too Weaslebee." He said with a smirk turning on his heel and heading off into the shadows.

They watched his retreating figure until he was no longer visible. "Why do you think he hates us?" Ron asked.

"I don't know maybe because we've been jerks to him and vice versa since first year?" Harry replied.

"That might have something to do with it, but I still think he's a slimy ferret."

Draco was thinking about the conversation he'd had with Pothead and Weaslebee when his patrolling took him close to the hospital wing.

Hmmm, he thought, I'll just pop in real quick and check on her then I can finish this damn patrol.

He opened the door and looked for her. She wasn't hard to find considering she was the only occupant. He walked over to her and sat in the chair next to her bed. He thought about the year ahead and years previous. Ever since the Yule ball in fourth year he had come to terms with his attraction to her. Now it was seventh year and the attraction was stronger than ever.

As long as she's not with Weaslebee I still have a chance. He stared at her face as she slept, it was usually scrunched up when she was thinking hard about something, but was relaxed in sleep. He watched over her for a few minutes then stood from the chair and walked to the entrance to the infirmary.

When he got to the door he turned around getting a last glimpse of her, "Sweet dreams Granger." He whispered and left the room.

A/N Hello! I have returned. I have decided to start working on this story from the ground up so expect to see the current chapters updated before I post anything new. Thanks for reading!