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Pansy's Volcano	By : Bluemidget57 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 206382 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Pansy's Volcano
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-Ten
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Thirteen
- 14-Fourteen
- 15-Fifteen
- 16-Sixteen
- 17-Seventeen
- 18-Eighteen
- 19-Nineteen
- 20-Twenty
- 21-Twenty one
- 22-Twenty Two
- 23-Twenty Three
- 24-Twenty Four
- 25-Twenty Five
- 26-Twnety Six
- 27-Twenty Seven
- 28-Twenty Eight
- 29-Twenty Nine
- 30-Thirty
- 31-Thirty one
- 32-Thirty Two
- 33-Thirty Three
- 34-Thirty Four
- 35-Thirty Five
- 36-Thirty Six
- 37-Thirty Seven
- 38-Thirty Eight
- 39-Thirty Nine
- 40-Forty
- 41-Forty One
- 42-Forty Two
- 43-Forty Three
- 44-Forty Four
- 45-Forty Five
- 46-Forty Six
- 47-Forty Seven
- 48-Forty Eight
- 49-Forty Nine
- 50-Fifty
- 51-Fifty One
- 52-52
- 53-53
- 54-54
- 55-55
- 25
- 26
- 27
Chapter Twenty Six

The Headmaster seemed very interested in the quest which had led Hermione to his office this afternoon after Charms, to make such a strange request of him. She had tried her best to justify the odd idea, but since Malfoy had been conspicuous by his absence all day, she had no back-up to give her request authority. Eventually, after listening to her babble on for ten minutes, Professor Dumbledore suggested they ask the Hat it�s opinion, assuring her that if it was in agreement, then they could consult with it, but only here in his office.
Hermione had been unaware that the Hat could communicate unless it was upon someone�s head, but Dumbledore lifted it down from the self on which it rested and touched the tip of his wand to it�s point and it began to unfurl itself until the semblance of a face formed upon its worn side. �Professor,� it mumbled in the same speculative tones Hermione remembered from her very first day here. �It is most unlike you to waken me in the middle of the day.�
�Indeed, but our Head Girl here, Miss Granger, came to me with a request for your help and I thought you might enjoy the challenge of something different from your regular Sorting decisions.�
�Hmm, Miss Granger - Gryffindor, but I remember I did consider Ravenclaw. I am not at all surprised she has made Head Girl. Miss Granger, lift me to your head and let me see inside.�
Hermione swallowed a sudden lump in her throat, and wondered exactly how much the Hat would be able to see of what was currently inside her head. Everything, it appeared; as soon as she placed the Hat on her curls it began to laugh in as much as hats can. �My, my, Miss Granger,� she heard its sibilant tones directly into her ears. �What a whirlpool of confusion going on in here. I am so glad that eleven year olds minds are relatively uncomplicated. Mr Malfoy indeed - I never would have predicated that match, but it could be a very good one - � Hermione shot an appalled glance at Professor Dumbledore, horrified in case he could also hear the Hat�s speculations through his wand link which had awoken it, but the Headmaster was studying the floor plan that Hermione had brought with her and seemed to be giving them their privacy. The Hat continued, �Try not to think so hard, Miss Granger, and let me sort out what you do want of me.� It spent some more minutes probing in silence, until Hermione�s nerves were totally frayed, before sighing and continuing in a voice which became it apparent that Professor Dumbledore now could hear. �Ah, Albus, it would seem then that all yours, and indeed my own calls for unity between the Houses have done little to sway people�s minds against the tide of tradition. This saddens me greatly, but I see that your own foresight continues to outstrip the narrow vision of those around you. You have chose this year�s Head Students wisely. I would like to speak with Mr Malfoy again also if that could be arranged. I remember him as a frightened little boy, who was desperate to please his father and avoid any further painful punishments; otherwise I might have been tempted to put him in Ravenclaw also��
This was too much for Hermione; she grasped the Hat and pulled it off her head. �Honestly, if you know all that you must know Malfoy would kill me if he knew you had shared something like that about him!� She scolded it as she placed it back on Dumbledore�s desk.
The Hat seemed to smirk slyly, despite it�s actual lack of a mouth, and it�s voice still reached her although it was no longer in contact with her. �Maybe, or maybe not - but I think the knowledge will not be ill-used by you Miss Granger, will it?� and Hermione was forced to shake her head. She knew she would never tell anyone what the Hat had just revealed to her, and she was hardly able to appreciate the enormity of the meaning behind it�s casual revelation, although she knew that later she would spend hours pondering over the implications of that tiny snippet of information. �I will consult with you on this matter,� the Hat said suddenly becoming all business. �Come to see me after classes this week, and bring Mr Malfoy with you,� after which it fell silent.
�Well, my dear,� the Headmaster said as he replaced the Sorting Hat on its shelf. �That is a rare honour. The Hat does not agree to reveal itself to many people. It must have seen some very good things in your heart to decide to help you. Now, tell me about your visit with Mr Pringle. Is he not an exceptionally interesting person-?�
Hermione entered the Great Hall for dinner that evening and was not surprised when Lavender and Parvati claimed her again demanding updates on the Hogsmeade date which had been set for the Saturday after next. Hermione knew they had no idea how grateful she was for their continued intervention which was giving her plausible reasons for avoiding sitting with Harry, Ron and Ginny. The girls knew she and Ron had split up; they had both expressed sorrow that things hadn�t worked out - and maybe there was some solidarity with their former dorm- mate, but most of their excitement genuinely stemmed from the thought of Formal Robes and dinner in a 5 golden broomstick hotel. After they had finished eating, Padma and Mandy Brocklehurst came over to join them and the whole subject had to be covered again.
Hermione sat watching Mandy with fascination, unable to forget Draco�s contention that she was the only 7^th year who had never been given a detention with Snape. She wondered how the girl would react if she baldly sat here and told Mandy that she would have to sit next to Professor Snape for the duration of the dinner which she was currently so excited about. Would that dampen her enthusiasm any? �What do you think of Professor Snape?� she asked Mandy suddenly before she could over-think the idea.
Mandy looked at her in surprise. �Well,� she said slowly, and Hermione was impressed to see that the other girl was giving the question serious thought and not just falling back on the standard, Oh he�s a greasy bat, (git, vampire - take your choice -) reply that most students would give. �I think he�s a very brilliant man, but he has very little patience for people whose intelligence doesn�t match up to his own. He�s socially inept, but also incredibly hard working and dedicated. He stretches us to the extent of our abilities, and therefore make us better students -� Hermione gaped at Mandy�s assessment, not only for it�s accuracy and unbiased fairness, but for the realisation which came with it that Draco had the situation pegged down to a T. She would never have believed that the Slytherin could be so perceptive or observant. Lately she was uncomfortably forced to face the fact that her own prejudices had affected her ability to see Draco clearly. He was turning out to be so much more, so much deeper than he appeared on the surface. It was nastily humbling, and she didn�t like it much. �Oh, and his voice - it�s like pure sex,� Mandy leant over and whispered to Hermione mischievously, �Can�t you just imagine that voice whispering naughty things into your ears as he takes you to bed!�
Hermione had been utterly unprepared for that revelation, and her shock sent her scrambling to her feet. Mandy giggled at her reaction and the other girls spun around to see what was so funny, but Mandy shook her head and mouthed, Tell you later! behind the Head Girl�s rigidly embarrassed back. �I have to - I need to talk to Malfoy,� Hermione spluttered out, swinging away from the table and walking straight into Anthony Goldstein who appeared to have been making his way across to the Gryffindor table to talk to her. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of him. Thank Merlin; someone normal!

His face lost its cheerful smile as he took in her flushed cheeks and flustered demeanor. �What�s the matter, Hermione?� he asked in concern.� Are you feeling ok?�
�Yes, I�m fine! I am really. Just had a little shock, that�s all. I was just on my way to see Malfoy. I have to update him on some stuff for the social evening. Do you want to come along with me?�
Tony found his smile again, agreeing quickly and they walked towards the Slytherin table. In truth Hermione was glad of his support; despite the easier atmosphere between herself and Malfoy, approaching the Slytherin Prince in his lair was still a pretty daunting task, particularly under the venomous eyes of people like Pansy Parkinson, whom Hermione was still waiting on to hex her over the episode with the spying. Great Merlin, thank the Gods she had backed out of that disaster before Draco had first touched his mouth to hers.
Malfoy turned around as she approached the table, seeming to know she was coming to him. Goyle or Crabbe, sitting opposite him may have given him advance warning, and a smile seemed to be forming itself on his face until he saw who was standing at her elbow, and it fizzled out into a more habitual scowl. �Goldstein,� he acknowledged curtly. �Granger, do you need something?�
Hermione was aware of Tony stiffening up beside her marginally, and wondered what the problem between the two men was. She had always thought that Tony had been on the Slytherin list of acceptable outsiders before. Maybe it was all down to Head Boy; Draco had it, Tony had wanted it and each felt threatened by the other. They were certainly bristling towards each other now like a couple of dogs readying for a fight. She determined to step in before there was any unpleasantness. �Yes, I wanted to tell you I went up to the Headmaster and mentioned your hat suggestion -� she began and Draco�s attention was fully back on her again.
�You did? But I thought we were doing that together - I would have come with you.� He said irritably, and she gaped at him.
�That was definitely not what you implied last night!� she hissed, too annoyed to monitor her words. �You definitely told me to go and do it myself! Well I did! And it will help, but we have to go back to Dumbledore�s office to do it.�
People were beginning to take an interest in their little altercation now. The whole of the Slytherin table was staring avidly, and a few people from other tables had turned their way also. Hermione was mad at him for being so inconsistent, but Draco - unreasonably jealous that Goldstein had pushed his way between them again - just wanted to snap at anyone. He resisted the temptation to hex boils all over the Ravenclaw�s face, and stood from his seat.
�Come on then, Granger,� he snapped. �Let�s go and see the Headmaster.� He grabbed her wrist and began tugging her after him. Pansy began to rise in protest, but one look at Draco�s face warned her to stay put, and she subsided back onto the bench.
Tony also made as if to follow them, but Hermione quickly shook her head pulling faces at him. It�ll be ok, she mouthed before she had to turn back to Malfoy or be in danger of falling over her own feet. Draco continued pulling her behind him until they had achieved a good distance from the Great Hall, when he suddenly slowed down and pushed her sideways into a small alcove behind a suit of armour.
�Ok,� he muttered as she tried to catch her breath. �Why is that Ravenclaw always hanging about these days? Every time I turn around I seem to fall over him!�
�What?� she hissed. �You drag me out of the Great Hall in front of half the students and teachers like a crazy person, and all you have to say for yourself is to ask about Anthony Goldstein? Are you nuts?�
Suddenly deflated, Draco fell back against the wall beside her. �Probably,� he muttered. �Why don�t you tell me what the Hat said to you?�
Hermione blushed as she remembered the revelations about Draco�s younger self, and tried to concentrate on the neutral things she could share with the Head Boy. She slid slowly down until she was sitting on the floor and after a slight hesitation, Draco dropped to join her. He listened as she spoke quietly about the hat�s sadness over the lack of unity within the school, and of Dumbledore�s opinion of Dilman Pringle, and as he let her voice wash over him, his fingers were inching slowly across the space that divided them until they closed hesitantly around her own.
Her words faltered slightly at the contact, but then she returned his clasp with a reassuring squeeze and continued as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She told him finally although grudgingly that he had been right about Mandy Brocklehurst, and recounted edited parts of her conversation with the other girl, to his great amusement.
When they finally stood up again and left the alcove, Hermione was feeling a lot happier than she had earlier. She just wished that she could understand the sudden mood swings Draco was exhibiting. Just when she had thought they were managing to create some kind of harmony between them he seemed to fly off kilter for no apparent reason. She wondered if she would ever be able to be completely comfortable around the formerly always (and currently sometimes) impossible Slytherin. He had held on to her hand until he checked that no one would see them emerge from behind the rusty armor, and had then walked back to the main entrance at a distance of several feet, as if being any closer to her would possibly contaminate him. He was totally incomprehensible to her, the prat, and the more insights she got the more confusing he became.
�I have patrol duty tonight,� he said stiffly as they parted company before the Great Hall. �I have to meet Hannah Abbott at 10.00. Perhaps we could spend a bit of time going over the seating again beforehand. So far we seem to have only assigned 3 out of the 53 guests. If we keep up at this speed, we might have everyone arranged by sometime in the New Year! I�m sure that won�t make Mr Pringle very happy this Saturday though.�
Hermione giggled slightly at this. She was only just coming to appreciate his dry humour, and the minute answering twitch of his top lip told her that he knew she had enjoyed his sarcasm. She made her way to the library feeling a lot better than she had in weeks. It would probably only last until the next minor skirmish between them but it felt pretty good right now.

*******************
They met outside by the main doors as they had done the Saturday before. Draco had only managed to maintain his cool façade throughout the week by imagining the long dark journey back from Hogsmeade and his plan to escalate their intimacy by small stages during every visit.
A delicious rumour had reached his ears by way of Blaise Zabini on Thursday evening; the word in the other houses that Ron Weasley had been �put on hold� was the phrase Blaise had used, until the end of the school year. Reports were in that the Head Girl had no time for romance because her work schedule was too heavy, and that the Weasel had been asked to wait until after they had completed 7^th year.

Hah! Draco had thought, Over my dead body will he ever get her back! Blaise had imparted this life-altering news in such a casual offhand manner that Draco might possibly have overlooked it had his inner radar not been so finely tuned to any sentence which contained the words Granger, Head Girl or Ron Weasley.
Draco had been sitting in his place at the head of the Slytherin table and had just agreed - against his better judgement - to approach Professor McGonagall on behalf of Julian Webster, a third year who had lost twenty house points over the absence of a homework assignment. Blaise was sitting with Pansy - bless him, he seemed to have taken it upon himself to keep her out of Draco�s hair as much as possible. Pansy was as usual bemoaning the state of her love life, and had been making nasty comments about all the other couples who would have to be separated for the Social evening.
Her vitriol was especially reserved for the Head Girl and Draco had almost filtered out her complaints about Hermione when Blaise remarked mildly, �Pans, I hear they aren�t even together any more. It appears Granger wanted more time for her studies, and asked Weasley if they could cool things off until the end of the year. So I doubt she�ll be in tears about him having to sit elsewhere.�
�They�ve what?� Pansy all but screeched, then burst out into giggles. �I always knew she wasn�t as clever as they all said. Who else would ever look at her? Stupid, ugly little Muggle swot. Should have hung on to the only boy stupid enough not to mind that hair!� More of the same followed, whilst Draco sat glued to his seat unable to decide whether to give into the burning rage which wanted to hex her for saying such obnoxious things about Hermione, or to leap up and dash over to the Gryffindor table and demand to know if it was true.
He stared fixedly at his planner trying to keep all traces of emotion off his face and pretend he wasn�t even listening to their conversation. He needed more information, damn it! Unwittingly, Blaise came through. �Pansy,� he rebuked mildly, �You know that�s not true any more. She�s nothing like the disaster she was in first year - and she�s actually a nice person, too! Maybe you should get to know her -�
�Zabini, you�ve been drinking too much fire whiskey! I think your brain is rotting. When have you ever talked to Granger -how could you possibly know what she�s like?� Pansy snorted, and Draco echoed silently, Yes, when did you talk to her, and why don�t I know about it?

�I�ve spoken to her,� Blaise commented. �She�s always been very accommodating when I�ve approached her. And I listen to what other people have to say; she�s held in quite high regard by all the houses. Everyone can�t be wrong. I think Goldstein is going to try for her, anyway. Be interesting to see if she was serious about devoting her time to her studies, or if it was just an excuse to dump Weasley.�
Therefore, when Draco arrived for their appointment with Mr Pringle, flushed with his new knowledge of her single state and his own plans for the afternoon - and found Pansy Parkinson, Hannah Abbott and Padma Patil also waiting with Hermione - he thought he had walked into some weird alternate universe.
Pansy immediately clutched his arm desperate to stake her claim publicly before anyone else had a chance to speak. �Draco!� she cooed, �Isn�t it exciting? Hannah spoke to Professor Sprout and got her to approve us all coming into Hogsmeade so that we can inspect the facilities on behalf of our Houses, too.�
�Oh really, Pansy?� Draco growled darkly as he prised her fingers off his sleeve and set her at arms length away from him. �In that case I don�t perceive there�s any need for you to come then, as I will be able to conduct any and all inspections on behalf of Slytherin.� His frustration knew no bounds; who could have allowed this to happen, just when he was so close to getting somewhere with Hermione. His eyes were drawn helplessly to the Head Girl, only to find that she was staring hard at Pansy as if she couldn�t decide whether to resent her intrusion, or giggle at the mortified expression on her face.
Of course, eventually her Gryffindor sense of fairness won out; Draco realised he would have been disappointed if it hadn�t even though it sentenced them to an afternoon with Parkinson. �That�s a bit harsh, Malfoy,� she stated briskly. �They�ve all been given permission to come by one of the Professors; I don�t think either of us actually have the authority to rescind that. Shall we go to the carriage?�
Pansy looked momentarily as if she would refuse to go on principal because it was Granger who had supported her right to do so, and Draco tried to send stay here vibrations across the intervening space, but in vain. Pansy - probably for the first time in her life - bit her tongue and behaved sensibly. She turned and followed Hannah and Padma who had already started towards the waiting coach.
Draco waited for Hermione to walk past him and caught her wrist briefly. He didn�t say anything until she turned to look curiously at him, and even then merely smiled at her. She paused a moment and finally returned a dazzling smile which made his heart rate accelerate and his toes curl up in his boots .
When they emerged into the driveway it was to find that the other 7^th year prefects were still waiting by the side of the coach. Hermione�s smile faltered as she asked, �What are you waiting for?�
�The door won�t open,� Pansy replied snottily. The epithet stupid was implied but unspoken.
Hermione frowned and walked up to the carriage, turning the handle easily and standing back to allow the other girls to enter. �It must be charmed to work just for us,� Draco murmured in her ear as he came to stand beside her. He thought he saw a shiver run along her spine as he put particular emphasis on the word us.
Hannah and Padma had seated themselves on one side of the coach and Pansy was hovering indecisively as if she couldn�t decide where to sit, which was awkward as the interior of the carriage was neither sufficiently high nor wide to encourage standing around. Hermione sighed, sitting down opposite the other two girls and left Draco to sort the rest of the seating out. In his mind, there was no competition; he could either sit with Padma and Hannah and avoid Pansy altogether or he could sit with Granger and have Pansy attach herself to his other side. He dropped into the seat beside Hermione and within seconds Pansy had squirmed in on his other side. He made a deliberate point to fidget in his seat to emphasize the lack of space before arranging himself so that he achieved the maximum possible contact with the Head Girl along the length of their bodies.
The journey passed with excruciating slowness. Hermione conducted a conversation with the girls opposite her, which Pansy had no interest in, leaving Draco to deal with her flirting and suggestions. He truly thought he might have gone mad if it hadn�t been for the grounding touch of Granger�s side pressed against his. She made no overt move to return his contact, but she had made no attempt to move away from him, either. He wished he had the nerve to slip a hand over and take a hold of hers under the cover of their robes, but he didn�t think it was dark enough even in the dimly lit interior for that to go unnoticed. On the way back, though��..
When they arrived at the hotel and the purple uniformed door wizard approached the coach, Pansy bounced out first, obviously intending to be lying in wait for Draco when he emerged. She found herself outsmarted when Draco took the opportunity to graciously hand the other girls down the step to the ground, and if his hand held Hermione�s tighter and a fraction longer than either Hannah or Padma�s then only the two of them were aware of the fact.
At the reception desk, Draco requested that one of the porters be allowed to show the girls around the function facilities and the suites available for the guests whilst he and Hermione kept their appointment with Dilman Pringle. Pansy looked ready to object, but managed to stifle it for she knew they had been lucky to negotiate this much involvement. The Head Girl and Boy left to meet their host and the others sat in the lobby waiting for their guide.
Draco knocked on Pringle�s door and when they received a muffled Enter, he opened it for her and allowed Hermione to precede him into the office. He placed his hand in the small of her back as they walked to the chairs Pringle had placed before his desk.
Hermione was a bundle of nerves; she was unable to decide whether all the fleeting touches and moments of contact were deliberate or whether she was reading too much into simple acts of courtesy. If it were anyone other than Malfoy, she would have opted for the latter, but despite his enormous improvement in attitude recently she had never know him to show any courtesy to anyone, Muggle or otherwise, so this new strangely old-fashioned courtliness was quite distracting. She wished she could be sure she wasn�t reading more into it because she wanted to rather than because it was actually happening.
Dilman Pringle soon put a stop to her private musings as he took their diagrams and plans off Draco, spreading it across his desk and snorting loudly at their attempt. They truly had put a considerable effort into having something to show Pringle. Hermione privately thought it wasn�t too bad for a first draft, although after having consulted with the Sorting Hat for thirty minutes last night, they had both accepted that several things would need changing. Hermione had never realised a hat could laugh at you beforehand; it was a sobering experience.
After he contained himself, Pringle assessed them across the span of his desk. �I suppose it could have been worse,� he conceded eventually. �At least you put some effort into it. You do realise it�s quite acceptable to ask for help. You might find that insight from your teachers could be quite useful in a project of this nature. They have after all been observing you for seven years.�
Draco and Hermione exchanged glances. Pringle�s amenable behaviour seemed very changed from the previous week. �We did ask the Sorting Hat to give an opinion,� Hermione ventured eventually when Draco seemed unwilling to offer anything.
Pringle�s eyes lit up considerably. �Hmmm, did you indeed?� he asked eyeing them speculatively. �I am quite impressed. That does show a spirit of independent thinking. We�ll look at this again next weekend; if you consult with the teaching staff I think you might find you have a working plan by then. For today, let�s look at menus, and allow me to show you some examples of the entertainment available at the hotel.�
Two hours passed faster than they could have imagined, and soon Pringle was shaking their hands and seeing them out of his office. His smile was bigger and more genuine today, and for some reason it gave Hermione a sense of achievement that they had somehow managed to please the odd little man.
Upon returning to the lobby, they found the other three girls to be nowhere in sight. The wizard at the reception desk informed them that the tour of the hotel had been concluded in under an hour, so they had headed to the village leaving a message that they would return at 4.00, if Draco and Hermione had not come to find them before that.
Immediately, Hermione felt her pulse pick up; she wasn�t sure if she wanted Draco to suggest they follow the others, or suggest that they didn�t.

Draco was determined not to return to the castle until it was dark out. Pansy and the other prefects had totally ruined his journey out here; he was hoping the dim interior of the coach would disguise some hand-holding and modest snuggling, since anything more erotic was obviously out of the question. Hermione had not seemed to object to the minor physical liberties he had been taking this week, so he was going to enjoy all the opportunities he could. He just wished she would fess up to the termination of her relationship with Weasley before he totally lost his credibility and begged her to confirm it was over.
�They have a coffee bar here, I think,� he suggested as they stood uncertainly in the hotel lobby. �We could go there and wait for the others.�
Hermione was vacillating between running off in search of safety in numbers, and the illicit desire to spend more time alone with him. �Don�t you have things you need to get in the village?� she compromised eventually, throwing the ball back into his court.
�I do,� he said thoughtfully, �But all the 7^th years are having a Hogsmeade visit next Saturday, so it can wait until then. Let�s go and get something from the bakery and wait for the girls.�
Hermione scolded herself for the rush of pleasure that went through her at the realisation that he preferred to spend an hour with her than to chase the others up and return to the school. All of a sudden she remembered that there were no lights in the carriage and wondered if she could manage to sit next to him on the way back to Hogwarts as well.
God, she had it so bad!
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Pansy's Volcano