11. Chapter 11: Nothing's Going On

A/N: I could tell you all what the bible verses mean in English but let's have a little contest. An honorary award and one hundred points (to my fave house Slytherin) for the first reviewer to include the English translation in his/her review of this chapter!

If you read carefully, you would have noticed that I included the book, chapter and verse of what our favourite heroine was forced to learn in chapters 9 and 10. It's really worth finding out… Lord Granger really meant to sock it to her! If you don't own a bible, you can find online bibles in English on the net so simply enter the appropriate reference.

Good Luck!

And here's today's chapter…aaahhh, the course of true love never did run smooth….

Chapter 11: Nothing's Going On

            It was a quiet summer's evening. The air was warm and the sun hovered in the sky, reluctant to set. This was the second time they had come to Flinders Wood. The first time was five days ago when they had hunted for Fayferns. Fernseed was the pollen that grew in the flowers of a Fayfern. Fayferns bloomed only once a year- on midnight during Midsummer's Eve and they were always found near mushroom rings. They found the tiny plant easily enough and marked out the area.

On this night, their presence in the wood had a different purpose. Draco and Hermione sat facing each other on the ground near the Fayfern patch. Scattered around them were bunches of herbs which Draco had filched from the manor grounds. Both wore a look of intense concentration as they tied the herbs into silk ribbons that Hermione had provided. Only if you had gone right up to them could you have heard what they were chanting quietly…

"One for the Goddess and one for the God,

This one even and this one odd

Rosemary, rue and sweet orpineDaisy fayfern celadine…." Muttered Draco. He felt slightly ridiculous, though he had studied this in Professor Binn's class, he never thought that such old magik was actually effective. These chants were from the Herbalist era of magic, everyone knew they had been replaced with the Realist school of magic. He glanced over at Hermione and saw that she was taking this very seriously

"We read the circle about and aboutDancing gaily tout a tout tout!Thread the ring about and throughoutLaughing gaily tout a tout out!" Hermione chanted quietly, tying the herbs into the ribbon with a series of little knots.

Draco focused his attention back on his own chaplet and finished his chant.

 "One for the Lady and one for the Lord

One for the sheath, then one for the sword."

He fastened the two ends of his ribbon together and held his completed chaplet out for inspection. Hermione finished her rhyme and took his chaplet in her hands. She turned it around and pulled at it to see if it was tight enough. She nodded and handed it back to him.

"Are you sure this'll work?"

"Positive, I got the chant out of Mary. If we wear these, we will be perfectly safe on Midsummer's Eve."

"If you get taken by the fay folk don't expect me to rescue you."

"I won't. Anyway, it's roughly the same chant as the one Professor Binns had us memorize in fourth year when we were covering the Herbalists."

"I can't remember anything about History of Magic," said Draco, "You know what, Hermione, it seems that as the days wear on here, I'm starting to forget bits and pieces of my life back there."

"That's a side-effect of the Thyme Eliminus, Draco" said Hermione immediately, "Didn't you read the footnotes of your Potions Textbook? I felt it start last week."

"You did?" Draco looked relieved, "I thought I was going potty or something."

"Don't worry, it's normal. Once we've spent longer in the past than in our present lives, we'll totally forget our future lives. But that won't happen because we'd have to spend eighteen years here before it happens."

"What've you forgotten so far?"

Hermione laughed, "That sounds so silly- if I'd forgotten, I couldn't remember could I? Well anyway, I forgot some spells. Like I can't remember how to shrink something anymore."

"Reducto" said Draco.

"Yes, that's it. But it's not the only one, I forgot various other spells too. And I spent half of last night trying to remember the name of my cat."

"Crookshanks" said Draco, automatically.

Hermione smiled, "Thanks. Crookshanks. Goodness, I miss him. He was such a sweet cat….I hope Dumbledore sent him home to my parents."

"Your sweet cat tried to take my eye out once."

"That's because you sat on him in the Prefects' common room. Anyway, what about you Draco?  You said you'd forgotten some things as well…"

"Well, aside from spells which I've forgotten….what's the name of the Minister for Magic?"

"Cornelius Fudge"

"Great- I was supposed to have a meeting with him last week. And I've forgotten the names of some of the companies and stocks I'd invested the Malfoy money in. It really bothers me."

"I didn't know you ran the Malfoy estate now," Hermione was surprised, "Are you really in charge of all of it?"

"Yes," Malfoy pulled out a leather cord out of the collar of his shirt and there was the ring. "This is the Malfoy signet ring. The head of the family always wears it."

Hermione nodded. "I saw it on your finger in Potions NEWT. But I didn't know what it meant."

Malfoy gave a small sigh, "It means, Hermione, that I am the head of the Malfoy family now since Lucius isn't around anymore. I basically run the whole estate- including seeing to the upkeep of Malfoy Manor and our other personal properties, and I also oversee our investment portfolio."

"Kind of like what my father does here, with Audley and Fanhope to help him."

"Exactly."

"I've been helping out now that he's away. It's not easy at all- Audley and Fanhope bring up thorny issues like having to collect and pay tithes, and whether we should rotate the lands and that sort of thing."

"Well," Draco looked amused that Hermione had actually helped out in running an estate, "We're a bit more advanced than that back at Malfoy Manor. We have lawyers and bankers to help us. Everyone thinks our fortune is piled in heaps of galleons in Gringott's bank, but it isn't. It's invested in various companies and projects around the world. Or at least, I invested it after taking over from Lucius."

Hermione was impressed, "You know how to invest?"

Draco shrugged, "I'm a fast learner. I lost some at the start, but I've always been interested in that sort of thing. I was going to work at Gringott's in the Muggle Investment Department once we graduated from Hogwarts."

"You? Work? I can't imagine that."

"Well, you're right. Malfoys don't actually work. We just sit on Directors Boards mostly, and I was going to be on the Directors Board at Gringotts."

"That's more like it. Wow…I didn't know you had to do all this…" Hermione's voice trailed off. She thought of her last year at Hogwarts. While she, Ron and Harry were throwing stink-bombs at the first years, Draco was balancing investment portfolios. No wonder he had been too busy to harass them much.

"You wouldn't, would you? We weren't exactly friends back then."

Hermione smiled, feeling a flush beginning to creep onto her cheeks. Since that night, neither had mentioned anything about the growing friendship, or whatever, between them. The hunt for fernseed had gone smoothly, both had been careful not to mention anything awkward. She was beginning to convince herself that she had imagined everything.

"I wasn't aware we were friends now" Hermione threw a bunch of herbs at Draco.

He threw a larger bunch back at her, "You're right. I am but your lowly servant, your ladyship."

"Oh don't be silly," she giggled as he got onto his knees in front of her.

"How may your humble servant serve you today?"

"Draco Malfoy…"

He suddenly grabbed the hem of her dress and kissed it, "I am not worthy to kiss the hem of your gown…"

Hermione squealed and yanked her dress back.

"Servant, you overstep yourself." She said, haughtily. "I sentence you to one month of my company." She was shocked by her daringness. There was short silence.

"M'Lady,  methinks you mix your punishments and rewards." he said, softly.

The summer sun was at last beginning to set. In the dusk, Hermione saw the gleam of the last rays of the sun fall gently on Draco's silver-blonde hair. His clothes were plain and rough, but that did not hide what a fine body he had. And his eyes…those blue-gray eyes that looked at her with such softness… She could swear that that he was leaning towards her…

"Draco," she said, turning away, "I wonder that Harry, Ron and Blaise are doing now."

            "Who cares?" Draco whispered.

            "Please," she said, standing up abruptly, "don't."

            "Don't what?" he snapped, reddening.

            "Just don't." Hermione said, her voice becoming thin. "I have to leave now."

She remembers my engagement, thought Draco bitterly, and knowing goody-goody Granger, she will never let herself forget it. "Suit yourself." He said rudely.

Hermione felt terrible. "Why do you have to spoil everything?" she said.

"Oh yes, it's my fault as usual."

"Draco…"

"Why don't you call me Ferret Boy. Go on, you know you want to."

"That's not true."

"Prissy little tease, get out of here." Even as he said the words, Draco regretted them. Hermione's eyes filled with tears, and she grabbed her lamp.

            I've blown it all. I messed it all up even before I began. Shit. Anyway, what the fuck, let her go. Draco watched her vanish into the darkness. Aaaw shit, what have I done. He got up and chased after her.