Enchanted ~ A Hermione x Draco fanfic

Antidotes

One of the bigger problems with pretending to steal a potion that would expose you as a liar, was, well, that it would expose you as a liar.

With Pansy's watchful eye, Astoria was forced to actually steal a potion that was deemed Snape's pride and joy, rather than pretend to steal it. It was a tricky business, and after two apprehensive weeks, Astoria had thankfully collected enough to supposedly bring out Draco's secret.

Astoria had three options.

1.Face the consequences.

2.Break up with Draco before Pansy could get to him.

3.Tell Draco the plan and make him take an antidote.

Of course, number three appealed to her more than the other two, but there was also the problem accompanying the antidote. How could they make it?

Neither of them were good enough at Potions to succeed without help. Snape wasn't an option; he'd realise the plan straight away. In fact, all teachers would gather their suspicions. Hermione was out of the question. That left the library and it's exceeding selection of potion-books.

Madam Pince was an irritable-looking woman with a shrivelled face that resembled closer a vulture rather than a librarian. With fittingly parchment-coloured skin and piercingly cold eyes, Madam Pince was not to be messed with.

'Oi,' she called out to Draco with a shriek, 'what are you doing here?'

It seemed she also had a good memory of the time he used a textbook of hers as a landing mat in quidditch.

'I'm looking for a book.' He said rather obviously.

Irma Pince scowled. His silly little broom had damaged her books enough. 'Well, Quidditch Throughout The Ages has been taken out, so if you'd like to remove yourself from my library-'

'That's not the book I want, I'm looking for one about potion antidotes. Do you have any?'

The librarian gasped. 'Of course I do, but you're not getting your filthy little hands on-'

'Thanks,' Draco grinned, cutting her off, 'that's all I needed to know.'

And before she could wobble out from behind her desk to chase after him, Draco was securely in the Potions section of the library.

'Magical Drafts and Potions, Spell potions, Potion Opuscule, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Moste Potente Potions, Magical Drafts and Potions, Advanced Potion-Making...Ahah!' He flicked through the shelves.

In Draco's fingers was a huge book that looked like it'd been burnt, eaten by moths and suffered large amounts of water damage. Madam Pince must've had to take a holiday, thought Draco smugly. The green leather-bound front was barely readable, but the spine still held the name of the book in spindly silver letters.

'The Bourne Book of Antidotes!'

The pages were wavy (the water damage) and in the worst condition any reader will have seen. After a good few minutes making out the contents page, Draco flipped to page 263. The letters were smudged but still readable.

'ANTIDOTE TO VERITASERUM

Veritaserum, or the Truth Serum, causes the drinker to reveal one's secrets. The antidote is higher level Potions and regrettably difficult to brew, but with the precise ingredients, it can be done.'

'Belladonna, lovage, salt and... The blood of the drinker?!'

'That'll taste horrible.' Said a voice, and Draco spun around to see Pansy, darkly looking up and down at the book. 'What antidote would you be brewing, Draco?'

Draco's eyes widened. 'Just something to cure a dreamless sleep. Someone gave me a potion for a dreamless sleep a couple weeks ago, but it's not as peaceful as you'd think.' He lied seamlessly.

But it wasn't a good enough lie. Pansy replied smugly, 'you wouldn't mind making an extra dose, would you then? I know someone of a similar ailment.'

Draco was one step ahead. 'Ah, but it wouldn't work- drinking my blood would kill anyone else when mixed, it says in the book.'

And before she could counter-argue, he'd practically skipped to Madam Pince's unoccupied desk, left a scribble of a note marking the absence of the book, and left.

And he went straight to Myrtle's bathroom to brew up a delicious blood, belladonna, salt and lovage stew, using the book with some difficulty. 

*~*~*

Snape had not failed to notice the absense of some of his ingredients from his personal stores. The belladonna had disappeared first, leaving only a single pinch of the dusty contents scattered across one shelf. Snape instantly looked to his main source of missing materials - Harry Potter. However, when interrogated, Harry admitted no knowledge of the missing plany remains, and was let go. The loss of lovage was very nearly undetected. Snape had only spotted its absense when it was required in a potions practical lesson. He dismissed the missing lovage, but when two vials were taken, along with a bag of pure salt, he was sure it was no accident.

Thankfully, weeks had passed since the brewing, and when the antidote was finally made by an overjoyed Draco, he made it his first priority to tell Astoria.

'That's brilliant! Pansy's starting to get restless now, we can give it you tomorrow, probably.' Astoria grinned, showing off her pearly whites. She smiled bashfully at Draco, and consiously ran a hand through her waves of chocolate-brown hair. 

Draco, however, ignored the flirtacious gesture and continued, looking boredly at his shoes. He sighed, and said, 'Good. I'll sprout some random nonsense about meeting Snape for extra credit lessons. She knows how crap I am at potion making.'

Astoria frowned, and opened her mouth to argue, but Draco was already striding back to the Slytherin common room. Draco's last words ran through her head, and she flinched for no reason in particular. With a nervous twitch at the side of her upper lip, she thought panickedly, ''She knows how crap I am at potion making..' I really hope not.'

*~*~*~*

A/N :: sorry it's so short! I thought it would be dramatic to stop here >:)

- Savannah