Hermione was puffing and out of breath, a heavy bag of potions ingredients hitting her legs with every stride she took. "Come on," she heard one of her best friends call from further down the corridor, "we're almost there." She didn't understand how he could be running so fast. Sure his legs were longer than hers, but he was carrying a cauldron, a glass jar and the thick volume Moste Potente Potions, which they had recently borrowed from the library.
They reached the door they had been running towards and she saw Ron take a nervous glance around. Hermione pushed past him, rolling her eyes, and muttered, "Ron Percy's still in the library, we passed him on the way here, remember?" She heard him sigh and follow her, both completely disregarding the large 'Our of Order' sign that was visible on the door.
They quickly peeked through all of the cubicle doors in the unused girls bathroom, looking for Moaning Myrtle, a ghost they had had an unfriendly encounter with the last time they had been in the bathroom. "Good, she's not here," Ron said with relief. "We'd better get started then." Hermione nodded.
Entering a cubicle together, Ron put the cauldron down and set up everything they would need as she took the heavy volume from him and flicked through it to the page they required. She put the bag down and Ron looked at her expectantly. She ignored him and put her head in her hands.
"Hermione?" Ron said timidly. "Are you alright?" There was a moment of silence until she spoke.
"I'm fine, Ron. I'm just anxious about Harry," she replied softly and lifted her head up. "It was just so unexpected and… who could have done that? I don't think it could have been the Slytherin team: the Quidditch kits have been locked up." Ron looked at her for a moment, deep in thought.
"Well," he said slowly. "If it was them, the sooner we get this done, the sooner we'll know."
Hermione sighed and pulled out her wand, muttering a spell to produce a small, waterproof fire in the jar she had brought.
"Hermione," Ron said suddenly, startling her.
"Yes?" she said absently, picking up a handful of fluxweed, examining it and carefully putting a measure in the cauldron.
"If… if that had been me in Harry's place, would you still be, you know, this worried?" Hermione looked up at Ron in shock. "I-I'm just curious, that's all," he added quickly.
"Ronald, of course I would be this worried about you if you had lost all of the bones in your right arm. Why wouldn't I be? In fact," she said, placing another measure of fluxweed, "I would probably be even more so." Hermione smiled up at him whilst a grin bigger than any other she had ever seen grace his face appeared on it.
"Really?" he asked quietly, seemingly in excited disbelief. All Hermione could do was chuckle and nod.
"It's me," a voice said, surprising the both of them out of their short moment and making Hermione gasp and drop another measure of fluxweed into the cauldron carelessly with a splash. She gave Ron a small, bittersweet smile and peered through the keyhole, not surprised in the slightest to discover Harry there.
How was it? Love it? Hate it? This was my first fanfic ever so please let me know your thoughts in a review!