A Slytherin’s Chagrin

I was asked nicely for a sequel, but opted to write another chapter. Hope you like it, hermione278.

~2~

Pansy was in a state of panic. She had made a philter – not just any philter, but one that impaired one's judgment and lowered their inhibitions while making the drinker react on their most base desires to the person they were with. She had meant it for Draco. She was naif enough to believe that Miss Granger, the perfect example of Gryffindor probity, would keep her word and not tell her Head of House, or worse the Deputy Headmistress or the Headmaster, she had made it. No one else knew that she was planning on slipping it to Draco except Millicent, and she'd wanted to use it on Theodore Nott.

Besides, Draco was beginning to lose interest in her. He had lately been staring at Daphne's little sister, Astoria. And that just wouldn't do... no, not at all.

Pansy had waited until Draco had drunk a few sips of his wine, knowing that the threat of giving Mintsy clothes would ensure that the elf would slip the potion into Draco's glass. Pansy watched as Draco scrunched his nose at the taste, took another sip, and then sniffed at the goblet's contents. Pansy had her hand on Draco's thigh, waiting for the philter to take effect. "Draco, is something wrong with your wine?" she whispered in his ear.

"Yeah, take a sip," he replied, handing her his goblet. Pansy drank and was surprised by the light grape flavored drink that could hardly pass as wine to any sophisticated palate. "I seem to have been given the swill the teachers drink."

Pansy stiffened, handing the goblet back to him.

"If I didn't know better, Pans, I'd say I was holding a goblet from the head table," Draco sneered, watching her casually.

Pansy's eyes swept the head table looking for any sign that Draco could be right. None of them acted as if anything was amiss with their drinks, but the cup Draco was holding had the school crest on it, not Slytherin's. Which one? Oh, Merlin's balls – if Draco has... Pansy felt her face pale when she locked eyes momentarily with Professor Snape as his eyes swept down the Slytherin table and rested on her and Draco. She saw a glimpse of the crest on Professor Snape's cup just as he picked it up to take a drink. Oh, Merlin's – mother of god – was it green or not? I didn't get a good look!

Draco began to roll with laughter. "You did, didn't you? I have Professor Snape's goblet!"

Pansy felt like she was going to faint. Had Professor Snape drunk enough of the philter to effect him? Pansy was in a state near panic. How can I get the goblet away from my Head of House without raising suspicions?

"Pans, I sure hope you enjoy what you've wrought!" Draco managed to say before Professor Snape got up. "Course he'll probably thank you. My family's vintage is far superior."

"You mean your uncle's," Pansy replied coyly as she watched as Snape stormed from the Great Hall. Oh, Merlin's balls, he knows! But – yes, of course he'd know. He'll be able to brew the antidote. Thank goodness it wasn't one of the others! Like McGonagall or Hagrid. Merlin help the girl near Hagrid if he'd had any!

~*~

Draco hadn't been this amused by Pansy's inventiveness in years. He'd begun to think the girl dull. He finished his peregrination of the chthonic corridors of the dungeons and the first two upper floors and dropped off his Prefect check list to Professor McGonagall with the names of all the students caught out of bed and in hidden hideaways. Unfortunately, he also needed to stop by Snape's office to leave him a list of Slytherin students he'd warned to scurry back to the common room for not applying the proper Silencing and Disillusion Charms to hide their illicit flings.

As he approached Professor Snape's door, he saw Granger slipping out into the corridor. "So you had a detention, did you, Granger?" Malfoy sneered as he passed her, smirking inwardly at her stunned expression.

He bristled as her expression turned to a sneer. "Yes, and every night for the next four months," she had the audacity to redress him.

"You're kidding? What did you do?" he asked, looking at her in disbelief, forgetting to berate her for her insolence toward him. "There is no way you got caught Cursing anyone, and I know you didn't do anything in class. I also don't think interrupting class with your endless myriad of questions or plethora of book quotes would gain you that many detentions. So what did you really do?"

"I had the house-elves switch your goblet with someone else's at dinner and was caught," she replied.

I had Snape's goblet at dinner, I'm sure of it. Malfoy looked at her and his eyes narrowed. That was hardly sufficient for Snape to take umbrage and objurgate the chit. Snape loves the family vintage.

"Yes, I know what Pansy bribed Mintsy to put in your goblet, so I thought I'd have Kreacher switch the goblets with your Head of House."

Draco's pale face went snow white. But if McGonagall found out, I could be given detention for inebriation or worse, expelled for having the house-elf slip me wine in my goblet every night.

"Oh, yes," she replied, grinning maliciously. "And he knows whose cup he received."

Draco's mind whirled on the best course of action to turn this disadvantage to his favor. Maybe if I bribe Snape with a few bottles of my uncle's private reserve to keep comity between us... maybe offered a few bottles to Dumbledore... I could just claim that the elf made a mistake.

Hermione turned to go and then paused, looking at him over her shoulder. "Oh, and thank Pansy for me, will you?"

Draco stared at her dumfounded by her question. "Whatever for?"

"Oh, she'll know. She's serving detention with Hagrid tomorrow, so I'd warn her to be careful not to repeat the same mistake," Hermione snarled as she walked away, laughing.

Draco entered Snape's office and walked toward the door to his lab. Professor Snape was standing in the doorway, brushing the sleeve of his frockcoat, adjusting his collar and running his hands down his torso as if he were prinking in a mirror. Draco was momentarily taken aback at the display of vanity Snape was demonstrating, never having considered Snape to be a fop or lionize about his appearance.

"What is it, Mr. Malfoy," Snape lambasted Draco for gaping at him.

"I wanted to give you my report, sir," Draco said diffidently.

"Well," Snape said, crossing his arms. "Get on with it."

Draco nodded. Maybe I was mistaken... he thought as he told Snape what he'd failed to report to Professor McGonagall about his fellow Slytherins.

~*~

Hermione saw Pansy, the bellwether of the Slytherin girls, as soon as she turned from her friends in the Entrance Hall to head for the stairs leading down into the dungeons. She heard her name as she stepped down the first few steps, turning her head in time to see Pansy waving off her bevy of friends and seemingly to be hurrying over to catch up with Hermione.

Not wanting to be caught on the narrow stairs with Pansy, in case she wanted to hex her, Hermione hurried down to the bottom landing, hearing Pansy call out her name as the girl followed after her. "Granger, wait, I just have a question!"

Hermione turned to face the girl as she caught up to her in the chthonic corridor of the dungeons. "I want to know what you meant by that comment to Draco?" she demanded with her usual disdain.

"I'm sorry? I don't know what you are referring to." Hermione replied offhandedly. "I've had the misfortune to talk to Malfoy several times today."

"Last night," Pansy snarled, affronted. "You told him to thank me and that I should not repeat the same mistake – or something like that. What did you mean?"

"Did you enjoy your dinner?" Hermione asked, coyly. "I particularly found the Sheppard's pie comestible. I assume that the beverage in your goblet tonight was a favorable compliment to the meal?"

Pansy glowered. "My drink was the same as everyone else's."

"Well, then you will have no difficulties with Professor Hagrid tonight, will you?" Hermione said, slightly glib, as she walked away.

Pansy stopped her after only a few feet and grabbed her arm to force her to turn around. "I don't know what you mean," she said, narrowing her eyes and putting her hands on her hips.

Hermione smiled. "I am well aware of the philter you put in Draco's goblet last night, and it was me who had the goblet switched on him."

Pansy visibly blanched. "It was you – but how? How did you know?"

"You know I know you brewed an illicit philter, Parkinson. I overheard you telling Millicent Bulstrode, and I know you both planned on using it on your beaus. You made me swear not to tell on you." Hermione watched the anger flash in the girl's eyes. "You know that brewing love potions is strongly frowned upon and as a prefect you know that you could lose your standing if caught."

"You switched the goblets again, didn't you?" Pansy hissed. "You swore that you'd not tell."

"I didn't. Last night I simply switched Draco's goblet for Professor Snape's." Hermione smiled as Pansy's mouth gaped open. "I also have a house-elf that will do what I ask, if asked properly. And until you turn in the cauldron of potion to Professor Snape, you have no idea where or whose goblet you will be spiking."

"You wouldn't?" Pansy asked aghast.

"Professor Snape already knows it was Draco's goblet he got last night. And, no, I didn't tell him. He knew." Hermione watched as Pansy squirmed, looking down the corridor to see if they were being overheard. "Hagrid received Draco's goblet tonight. I sure hope you didn't think to add your philter to the wine tonight. If you did, I'd turn in the cauldron and get the antidote from Professor Snape," Hermione said, hoping that she'd heed her admonition.

"You have nothing on me, and Draco's father will have this incident forgotten," Pansy said smugly, although she was extremely pale.

"Draco's father is no longer enjoying gubernatorial privileges," Hermione said with a smile. "So I suggest you send Hagrid an owl telling him that you are sick and go immolate the residual potion, if you have any, or face the consequences. But you'll have to excuse me; I have a detention with Professor Snape, and I cannot be late."

A wicked gleam showed in Pansy's eyes. "That's right! You had a detention with Professor Snape last night, didn't you? And he took the philter."

"Yes," Hermione admitted. She thought her patience with the girl was simply laudable. "And thankfully, I knew which potion you brewed and was able to assist him with the antidote. However, I now have several detentions with him for giving him the said philter. So if you will pardon me, I really have to go."

Pansy's eyes narrowed. "But you were not expelled."

"Nope," she replied and turned to leave. "But I have to atone for my actions, don't I? Good night." She hurried off to meet with her new paramour, hoping he hadn't changed his mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Notes:

The word list (swiped from the past week's list from dictonary.com).

The August 31st list of words:

1. comity

2. berate

3. peregrination

4. naif

5. chthonis

6. redress

7. fop

The words from September 6th:

1. gubernatorial

2. admonition

3. comestible

4. glower

5. immolate

6. bevy

7. laudable

.......Words with Definitions. ......

comity \KOM-uh-tee\, noun:

1. A state of mutual harmony, friendship, and respect, especially between or among nations or people; civility.

2. The courteous recognition by one nation of the laws and institutions of another.

3. The group of nations observing international comity.

------------ --------- --------- --------- -

berate \bih-RAYT\, transitive verb:

To scold severely or angrily.

------------ --------- --------- --------

peregrination \pehr-uh-gruh-NAY-shun\, noun:

A traveling from place to place; a wandering.

------------ --------- --------- ---------

naif \nah-EEF; ny-\, adjective:

1. Naive.

noun:

1. A naive or inexperienced person.

------------ --------- --------- ---------

chthonic \THONE-ik\, adjective:

Dwelling in or under the earth; also, pertaining to the underworld

------------ --------- --------- --

redress \rih-DRES\, transitive verb:

1. To put in order again; to set right; to emend; to revise.

2. To set right, as a wrong; to repair, as an injury; to make amends for; to remedy; to relieve from.

3. To make amends or compensation to; to relieve of anything unjust or oppressive; to bestow relief upon.

noun:

1. The act of redressing; a making right; reformation; correction; amendment.

2. A setting right, as of wrong, injury, or oppression; as, the redress of grievances; hence, relief; remedy; reparation; indemnification.

------------ --------- --------- ---

fop \FOP\, noun:

A man who is overly concerned with or vain about his dress and appearance; a dandy.

------------ --------- --------- --------- -

gubernatorial \GOO-ber-nuh-TOR-ee-uhl\, adjective:

Of or pertaining to a governor.

------------ --------- --------- --------

admonition \ad-muh-NISH-uhn\, noun:

1. Gentle or friendly reproof.

2. Counseling against a fault or oversight; friendly caution or warning.

------------ --------- --------- ---------

comestible \kuh-MES-tuh-buhl\, adjective:

1. Suitable to be eaten; edible.

noun:

1. Something suitable to be eaten; food.

------------ --------- --------- ---------

glower \GLAU-uhr\, intransitive verb:

1. To look or stare angrily or with a scowl.

noun:

1. An angry or scowling look or stare.

------------ --------- --------- --

immolate \IM-uh-layt\, transitive verb:

1. To sacrifice; to offer in sacrifice; to kill as a sacrificial victim.

2. To kill or destroy, often by fire.

------------ --------- --------- ---

bevy \BEV-ee\, noun:

1. A group; an assembly or collection.

2. A flock of birds, especially quails or larks; also, a herd of roes.

------------ --------- --------- --------- -

laudable \LAW-duh-bul\, adjective:

Worthy of praise; commendable.