Getting Out Of There

Chapter one: Where She Stands

"Wow you are amazingly dumb Hermione! He is totally into you! I saw him checking out your backside while we were in potions today with those brutes! And I really have no idea why you are complaining seeing as Dean is rather cute " Lavender would have continued to gush on and on and on, but Hermione had to think of herself and stop the girl.

"Oh yes!" Proclaimed the brunette more loudly then was actually necessary. "It is just so wonderful of him to stare at my butt while making a shrinking solution. I am sorry Lav, but that just weirds me out a bit to much!"

Ginny, who had been sitting quietly on the side watching this display suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. Hermione glared at her and Ginny just shrugged. She did stop laughing however although she would not stop smiling no matter how hard Hermione meanly stared.

"I can't believe I have locked myself in this dormitory for fifteen minutes having this conversation with you two airheads."

Actually it wasn't that surprising to anyone else. Ever since the summer before sixth year Hermione had been hanging around with more girls. And doing more girl-ish things. This was a result of a long talk Mrs. Granger had had with her now seventeen-year-old daughter. The two had discussed how Mr. and Mrs. Granger were very concerned about their daughter hanging around a bunch of boys all the time. They thought it might make a huge dent in her social life. They were right of course, but Hermione had worked hard and was repairing the damage.

So being the kind of girl she was Hermione had done something about it. She started by bonding with Ginny when she went to the burrow and had gradually moved up and on to become a close friend of the gossip queens. Not surprisingly, this didn't help to ease her study schedule any. Now that Hermione had finally decided what she wanted to do with her life.

She planned on becoming a teacher. Not a teacher at Hogwarts though. No way. There was too much for her here. She wanted to go a place where she wasn't known as the smartest witch in her class and where she had not been head girl. Hermione planned on moving to America. It was perfect. She got to escape her controlling parents, learn to be on her own, and get away from the sick rumors that had been following her around ever since that one night in Hogsmeade with Viktor…

Back to the now, Hermione puffed off to the library. This was her sanctuary where she could never be alone. She came here because she knew she could get alone time, but always be found when she needed it. It never failed; someone always was kind enough to come into the library and interrupt her form getting to much into her own thoughts.

Today the interrupter of her thinking time was a Slytherin. Now normally Hermione did not like it when someone she did not know personally bothered her. It made her nervous. Hermione was a pretty popular girl so a lot of people knew to leave her to herself and not ask questions, but people she had not befriended often bugged her.

Blaise Zambini walked into the library under pretense of looking for Madam Pince. He had supposedly been loud and now got to serve a wonderful evening dusting bookshelves. He suspected she really had it in for him seeing as far as he knew no one had ever got a library detention. And the worst part was he hadn't even done anything! He wasn't even being all that loud. Just laughing really.

When he spotted Hermione alone at a table he placed a smirk across his lips and walked up to her. "You finally drove them away, eh? Your ridiculous studying habits that while admirable are quite insane have finally made you the lonely nerd I knew you to be?"

Hermione took a deep breath and was about to look up and insult her attacker right back but instead chose to make an observation instead. "Blaise Zambini you are wearing so much white you match the snow outside!" And she looked so shocked at his wardrobe he almost laughed.

For a minute they both just kind of stayed where they were. Neither had been expecting what she said. And seeing as they didn't really get along at all the awkwardness was more intense then it should have been.

Oddly though Blaise found himself liking what he saw when he gazed down at her. So he asked in what he assumed was a casual manner and to his credit it was, "Would you like to go for a walk around the lake?"

This was, sadly, one of the most interestingly amusing situations she had ever found herself in. Blaise had of course given her hell. But only because she was a Gryffindor and Draco Malfoy was his friend. He was one of the only Slytherin's whose parents had nothing to do with lord Voldemort and was in the snake house purely because of his pure bloodline. Which if truth had to be told he was very proud of and he did often look down on those of muggle decent.

But today was different. It was just an interesting day and something had to happen or Hermione felt she might scream. Life at Hogwarts was fun, but monotonous. So she said yes.

Sadly they didn't have a perfect time with perfect conversation and fall perfectly in love. In fact it was amazingly awkward for the pair of teens. They made small talk of course. Discussed classes and the professors and their families a little bit. They even made each other smile a bit.

Somehow they got to the topic of what they wanted to do after graduation. Hermione hadn't really discussed this with anyone, but it seemed easy to bring it up with someone she didn't think she was ever going to talk to again.

"I want to be a teacher." Hermione stated matter of factly.

"Of course you do," said Blaise. "All of you do." When Hermione gave him an indignant look he added, "I mean all you geniuses. Ya know, you guys want to pass on your knowledge or something."

"I guess." Hermione pulled her cloak tighter around herself. Sure it was obvious, but he seemed as if he were getting personal or something with the whole future conversation. "I just really want to help people who got into bad situations like I did. I wanna reach out and tell the truth and make sure no-"

"What happened?" Blaise had wanted the story form her since forever and so had everybody else. He figured now was as good as time as any to ask seeing as she had brought it up.

"Don't worry about it. It's all over now." Hermione's voice was quiet as she continued with, "Hey, we are back at the doors." Blaise rolled his eyes. "Well okay so I 'spose you know, but I was trying to say let's go inside because I am freezing!"

With that she stepped away form him and ran up the stairs to the big oak doors. She stopped at the top for a minute and looked at him in a way that said 'Coming?' he nodded and followed her up and through the doors.

Once both of them had dusted snowflakes off of their cloaks Hermione turned to Blaise in a very business like manner and said, "Well, I think we both should head back to our common rooms before we are seen with each other."

In reply he said, "Honestly, with Voldemort in hiding I don't care who sees us together. It doesn't really matter you know."

Hermione was floored. Sadly, this kid was deeper then she had thought and she liked that about him. "O. Well Yes then. I still need to get to bed. Good night."