Bathwater

For Turning Blue and Holy Ceremonies

Two quick things - 1) The text in Itallics are memories, so I hope no one gets confused. 2) This is NOT the last chapter. There's one more to go.

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 "No, grab the wand! The wand, you idiot!"

"I can't think of a spell at the precise moment, you cow!"

"Do it the muggle way!"

"She isn't breathing! Hurry!"

Clink. Clink. Clink.

"You would think," a drawling voice spoke, "two people who've just had a showdown at the Ministry, argued like two five year-olds over a box of sweets, who were summoned by the Headmistress upon their immediate arrival, and spent an hour locked in her office with a pair of real snakes, that you would walk with less of a racket."

"Lay her on the floor!"

"Hermione, breathe! Breathe!"

"Pansy, don't slap her!"

"Don't yell at me, Ginevra! I'm trying to get her to stop turning blue!"

"Will both of you shut up? You two dumb witches are making everything even worse!"

There was an immediate eye-roll. "Oh, excuse us. Were we disturbing you?"

"Don't give me that tone, Granger," Blaise Zabini took a step towards the couple in front of him, exposing his handsome, dark features by the candlelight of the corridor. A giant smirk stretched across his face as his pearly-white teeth gleamed tauntingly in the dim light. "It's past midnight and certainly past curfew. I could hear you two stomping your way out from the Head Office as I tried to catch up on some assignments."

Hermione gagged. "Can we please not talk about homework?"

Blaise raised his eyebrow, the smirk still on his face. "What's this? Has the Brightest Witch of the Age finally realized that coursework is the biggest load of dung ever?"

"No," Draco Malfoy replied, more animated than he'd been all night. "It's just that Thomas and Lovegood had been doing their 'assignments' in the grounds and were caught by Filch. And just the mere image of….Thomas and Lovegood working rather hard can put anyone in shivers."

Blaise shook his head while he clucked his tongue. "Oh, those two pesky kids. They were using those quills that were forbidden by the Ministry, eh?"

Hermione and Draco exchanged a look with one another.

In the hectic moment of yelling and insults, Pansy Weasley and Ginny Potter turned to stare at Luna Lovegood with astound eyes. Both of them were struck silent at the mere fact that the corkiest and most eccentric Ravenclaw they'd ever set their eyes on had just shouted at them with such severness. Luna was even frowning at them, looking about a second away from cursing the two other witches.

"If both of you are going to stand there and shout insults at each other, please leave." Luna kept her glare. "The main concern here is to help Hermione not to start a war."

Ginny lowered her head, her red curls sprung around her as she found the floor momentarily amazing.

Though she had been startled—and somewhat proud—by Luna, Pansy scoffed. She turned to the heaving brunette, and with her palm in a fist, Pansy proceeded to punch Hermione's back.

Three loud gasping noises pierced the chamber.

"You see? She needs no bloody medical assistance, just a good hit." Pansy looked down at the brunette nonchalantly.