Among Enemies and Old Rivalries Chapter 6 Snippet:
“Merlin, Weasley, did you somehow manage to avoid reading any of our O.W.L.S. material?” Malfoy barked, tone dripping with contempt and earning himself a glare from all three witches.
“Do try not to antagonize the people who came all this way from London during their time off in order to help us, Draco.” Daphne somehow managed to still sound soft and elegant despite the chastising glare she sent the Wizard.
If he felt even the slightest bit put out by her (albeit) gentle scolding, Malfoy only expressed it by rolling his eyes and choosing to ignore his friend.
“Calming Draughts, while effective, can be addictive if frequently taken in large doses,” he explained. “And if we go off what Daph just described, I highly doubt they’re being stingy with what they’re administering to her.”
Hermione found herself nodding along. “Paired with Pain Potions, which have a somewhat numbing effect, it’s very easy to become dependent on the substance. How no one ever even thought to come up with a way to modify them or somehow brew something that combines their effects in order to lessen the dosage of both potions, I’ll never know.”
“Messing with the long tried and tested brew of Calming Draught, especially if you’re trying to incorporate a pain numbing effect is nearly impossible without basically turning it into a paralysis potion,” Malfoy snorted, the look on his face indicating that this should be common knowledge to you people!
She had to – quite literally – bite down the urge to snap at him, her pride not taking the blow of not knowing something Malfoy knew very well.
“Hasn’t the Wizarding World been using those potions for more than half a century? Surely you don’t mean to tell me there’s been no progress in those years?”
The glare he sent her told her exactly how he felt about her questioning Wizarding progress.
“I understand your need to have a say on everything Granger, I really do, but if that oversized overachieving brain of yours could work for just one minute and recall that back in 1904, Asmode–”
“Dear Merlin, there’s two of them!” Ron’s exasperate groan effectively cut off Malfoy’s argument.
That was probably for the best.
She did not recall that particular chapter in their Potions book — probably because she has yet to start on the Potions essay they’ve been assigned but she was certainly not going to give Malfoy the satisfaction of having that over her.
However, despite inadvertently saving her from losing face, that didn’t mean that she appreciated his lack of desire for any academic discussion.
And that was how Ron Weasley ended up on the receiving end of Hermione Jean Granger and Draco Lucius Malfoy’s death glare.
Her friend threw his hands up in mocked surrender.
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