Author's Note:
Written for the rwhg_ldws challenge on Livejournal.
"I must say, Ron, I'm quite pleased at this sudden interest in academics. It's so nice --"
"Percy, will you just give me the book already?"
With an offended sniff, his brother handed over The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology. "It's not under my name so you'll have to check it out if you plan on removing it from the library."
"Yeah, I got it." Ron still hoped that one visit to the library would be all that was needed; the last thing he wanted was to spend his entire weekend here.
Grabbing the nearest empty seat, he dropped his bookbag to the floor and rifled through it till he found a quill, ink, and a few clean sheets of parchment. With a heavy sigh, he opened the book and set to work.
Madam Pince looked down her nose at him. "It hasn't been removed from the library."
"Thanks." Shaking his still-cramped hand, Ron went back to his table and gathered his things. He noted the only other student around was a Slytherin Seventh Year. Slinging his satchel onto his shoulder, he moved closer to the older girl, craning his neck to see the book she had open in front of her. It looked like there was a drawing of a Hippogriff on the right page...
The girl looked up at him with a sneer. "Problem?"
"No, no. Sorry."
He gave the book one last look over his shoulder and realized that what he thought was a Hippogriff was actually a drawing of an Abraxan.
Ready to give it up as a bad job, he glanced back towards the door in time to see something orange and furry out of the corner of his eye.
"You."
The little beast flicked his tail and fixed Ron with a bored stare before turning and trotting away. Realizing if Crookshanks was here, Hermione had to be nearby, Ron followed.
Sure enough, slumped over a table by the windows, surrounded by books, and sleeping on what looked to be an essay, was Hermione.
"Blimey." It looked as if she had books for every single class Hogwarts offered save for Divination. There weren't enough hours in the day for her to be taking so many classes! Ron reckoned she might be mental enough to study now in hopes of earning eleven OWLs later. If so, at the rate she was going, she'd wind up in St. Mungo's halfway during fourth year.
Wondering if he should wake her up, he noticed the word "Hippogriff" on the cover of one of her books. Leaning in, Ron saw that it was the one he'd been looking for: Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality.
Even after Ron promised to help her with Buckbeak's defense, she was trying to handle it by herself. Mental.
Careful not to wake Hermione, he grabbed the book, and settled in across from her.
It was going to be a long weekend.