Hermione carefully peeked out from behind the bathroom door, searching both ways for her pursuer. Anxious, she made sure that there was nobody in sight before breathing a sign of relief.
Free from pursuit, she straightened her robes and started to make her way to class. Finally.
"Oh damn." She muttered, arriving at the classroom door only to discover that there was nobody there. There was no chance that this would just go away anymore - Hermione granger was *never* late. Everyone would notice, and she didn't have an excuse to give to McGonagall.
Gathering her courage, she tried to achieve the impossible and make herself look presentable.
She opened the door to class.
Her eyes on the floor, she quickly made her way to her seat between Harry and Ron, where she risked a glance at the rest of the class.
Every single person was staring at her. Every last one. McGonagall was frozen half way through extracting Malfoy from a giant purple slug which was trying to mate with his leg.
Malfoy's predicament was forgotten as the stern teacher tried to work out how Hermione granger came to be late to class.
Ron was looking at her with a strange expression, half way between respect and confusion. Harry was looking slightly amused, and Malfoy seemed to have lost control of his bowels.
"Mrs Granger? Why are you so late?" the teacher asked, Malfoys dissolving leg forgotten.
Hermione bit her lip. She hated lying to teachers.
"I'm sorry, Professor. I was in the library and I just lost track of time."
McGonagall considered this. On one hand, Hermione was her best student, guaranteed prefect material and would probably be Head Girl if it weren't for her heritage. It was unlikely that she would lie to a teacher, especially her head of house. On the other hand, it wouldn't do to show favouritism, so she had to do something...
"Well, you're 10 minutes late. You'll serve a detention with me tomorrow evening. 8o'clock." She said promptly.
Harry and Ron didn't looked phased by her announcement, but Hermione flinched.
This would be her first ever detention which she had earned! Obviously, the ones received when assisting Harry didn't count, nor did detentions given by Snape.
Blast that Luna!
Luna had tracked her down, somehow, inside the library. Hermione had been haunted by the girl since they had returned to school. She had met the blonde girl on the train, and they had started talking, Luna chatting about imaginary creatures and Hermione had argued with her all the way to school, barely noticing the time passing as Luna argued backwards and forwards over dozens of topics. Since then, they'd met several times - sometimes studying quietly, and other times Luna had played devil's advocate, helping her hash out her theories about a difficult essay. Luna was the only person who seemed to be able to hold an intelligent conversation with her, without trying to convince her to mark her essays or play chess.
She'd began to depend on the other girl, to seek her presence when she was fed up with Rons bickering. She'd felt like she connected with Luna, that there was someone else who looked at the world and tried to find the controls which made it work. Luna had quickly progressed to being her best friend.
Then everything had changed.
She'd been alone and angry after the first task, where Ron had expected Harry to immediately forgive him. He'd been so stupid that he'd stuck out at her. Hurt, she had sought out her only true friend.
Luna.
The ravenclaw had welcomed her with open arms, let her rage about the stupidity of boys; Ron for expecting Harry to forgive him without a word, and Harry for doing so. Why couldn't Harry see that Ron only cared for his fame?
Luna had made soothing noises, and just listened. Something few people bothered to do, instead preferring to assume that anything she had to say was worthless outside of academia. The blonde had patiently listened, nodding and encouraging, as Hermione talked and talked, until she felt that every little part of her relationship with the boys had been dug up and mentioned.
How she wanted to hit Ron every time he did something stupid, how she hated the way that nobody looked beyond her bookish exterior. How people looked down on her for reading Hogwarts: a history, even after it had saved their lives from a Basilisk. Malfoy. Snape. This stupid tournament and the stupidity of wizards.
Luna had tentatively moved closer, and embraced the older girl in a hug. Holding her tightly, Luna had rubbed her back soothingly.
They had remained locked in that embrace until morning came, when Hermione realised that she didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay in Luna's arms.
That had shocked her immensely, and she had immediately broken away, suggesting that they go to breakfast before people noticed that they'd gone.
The next few weeks had been difficult. It became harder to pretend that Luna was just a friend. Hermione would snap out of a trance to realise that she'd been staring at Luna. She would find it difficult to leave the other girls' side. She even dreamed of Luna, waking up beside her, walking through Rome and Paris, hand in hand.
There was nothing sexual about her attraction, she thought with relief. It was simply a desire for intimacy with someone who could understand her, she told herself. Nothing wrong with that.
Still, it was hard to deny that she was in love with Luna Lovegood. Hence this crazy game of cat and mouse. She kept trying to avoid Luna, but it was becoming increasingly difficult as the ravenclaw began to actively search for her, ambushing her in the library. Which was why she had been hiding in a bathroom.
It was too damn hard to stay away from the girl!
She missed the intelligent conversation, and having a friend who was interested in something other than an easy pass on a test. Someone who wanted her for more than her skill at homework.
She missed Luna like a drug. Every time she saw her it became harder to stay away.
She was jerked from her musings by the bell.
"Saved by the bell." She muttered to herself.
Immediately, she remembered when she had explained to Luna where the phrase had come from. Luna had listened to the story of how people were sometimes buried alive, and the graves would include a rope to a bell above ground. When they rung the bell, someone would come and dig them up, 'saving' them from death. Luna had then explained in her 'loony' voice that the phrase was derived from Tibetan monks who would animate large bells to scare away winged cruchsnufflers. Hermione had been confused and slightly intimidated by Luna's sudden personality change, until she noticed a very confused Victor Krum lurking nearby. The confusion on his face made it clear that he had been eavesdropping. Luna stared right at him until he left the library.
It clicked for Hermione.
"You said that to scare him away..."
Luna nodded and smiled. A big, real smile which lit up her whole face.
Hermione felt her heart ache at the memory. She liked Luna smiling. It felt good.
"Mrs Granger!"
Oh no - Mc Gonagall was back.
"Would you like to share your daydream with the class? Or would you prefer to transfigure your beetle?" she asked.
Hermione blushed bright red.
"I hope that the rest of you have managed some success?" McGonagall asked the class.
"What's this, Granger isn't the first to finish?" Malfoy taunted with glee.
"10 points from slytherin, Mr. Malfoy" Mc Gonagall said stiffly.
When Malfoy made to argue, she glared at him.
"What's up with her?" Ron whispered - once Mc Gonagall was out of ear shot, of course.
"Didn't you hear?" Lavender leaned forwards from the desk behind them to whisper.
"Luna melted her desk, all over the other students." She whispered.
"She got detention for the week, and lost Ravenclaw lots of points."
Hermione winced. The other claws didn't like Luna much at the best of times, and that was when she regularly won points in charms and divination. If she lost points it would be terrible.
Then her mind caught up with what Lavender had said first.
She had detention with Luna.
"Okay. I can do this." Hermione assured herself, breathing deeply.
She gripped the doorknob and turned it before her nerves got the better of her.
Her first real detention.
Even 'this glorious occasion' - as the twins had called it - was overshadowed by her nerves at having to spend time in close quarters with Luna.
She sighed softly and opened the door.
Inside waited Professor McGonagall, a pile of books, and a tired looking blond.
The last person drew her attention like a magnet.
Luna looked like hell.
Her hair was no longer the lustrous blond it had been; instead it was frizzy and looked as though she hadn't washed it recently. Her robes were creased, and her face was turned towards the floor. It wasn't her appearance which looked bad, it was her posture. Luna looked like a lost soul.
It made her heart ache to see her friend looking so forlorn.
Hermione was jerked back to reality by McGonagall clearing her throat.
"I am highly surprised by your behaviour recently, Mrs. Granger." She began.
Hermione winced automatically.
"I'm sorry, Professor, but I've been so busy helping Harry with the tournament and revising and ..."
"Hermione, you're not in trouble." the professor soothed.
Perhaps she was going crazy.
Yes, that was it. Otherwise, why would her head of house be telling her that she wasn't in trouble *in a detention*?
Her confusion must have shown on her face, as the professor chuckled and continued.
"You're here because you are my most capable students in transfiguration."
Hermione snuck a glance at Luna. She'd never mentioned her skill in transfiguration before, Luna was mainly interested in journalism and charms. Particularly animation charms.
She almost giggled at the memory of her applying those skills.
"... And the ministry have decided, in their infinite wisdom, to announce to Beauxbaton and Durmstrang that Hogwarts hosts an animagus training program."
"But we don't have an animagus training program..." Luna said.
Professor McGonagall looked grim.
"Unfortunately, the ministry doesn't know the meaning of the phrase 'look before you leap'. They're demanding that we produce an animagus program, and capable animagi, to top the other schools. That's why you're here."
Hermione couldn't help the giant grin which spread across her face.
Animagi!
She'd get to become an animagus - and with ministry approval!
"You'll be training here, with me, 4 nights a week."
Hermione almost gasped, and she heard an intake of air from Luna. That was a lot of time. Loads. Especially with OWLs next year...
No wonder McGonagall looked upset. This would take a massive amount of effort on her part, and all to keep the ministry happy!
Hermione couldn't make herself feel guilty, however. Animagi!
McGonagall handed both her and Luna a book on anatomy and the theory of human transfiguration.
"I expect you to read these books, take notes on the relevant parts. I expect you to study every aspect of this without my supervision."
With that, McGonagall left the room.
Hermione was slightly shocked, couldn't help but run her fingers lovingly over the new book. Knowledge was power, and she was on a major power-trip right now.
She rushed to a seat and started reading immediately.
How the bones work, the shape and form, and how they were connected together. What order one had to change them to prevent the bones from crushing one another. A rather disgusting diagram showing it done wrong.
Engrossed in her reading, she didn't notice Luna approach until the other girl was almost touching her.
"Hermione?" Luna asked timidly.
Hermione looked up from her book, immediately confused. She still didn't know what she felt for Luna, and if they were going to be spending so much time together, she needed to get over her attraction to her.
The other girls next words destroyed any chance she had of that happening.
"Are we still friends?"
Friends.
Friends was *everything* to Luna. She'd never had any friends before, she'd told Hermione. Only Ginny, and even that was only when they were both little.
Since then, when her mother had died, she had rejected the outside world and taken up a facade of insanity to protect herself from people inquiring about her mothers death.
By the time she had reached Hogwarts, the facade was so entrenched that she didn't know any other way to act, so she remained friendless. Until Hermione.
Hermione couldn't deny her this. She'd been so concerned with her reaction to Luna that she hadn't considered what the effect of her actions was on her.
"Of course, Luna. I'm your friend."
Tears appeared in Luna's eyes, and she grabbed Hermione in a hug.
Hermione froze, not willing to move. It felt nice to be held by the other girl, but it felt better to comfort her. Her hands betrayed her as they went around the blonds waist, one rubbing her back and the other threading through Luna's hair.
After the hug was over there was an awkward moment when Hermione realised that she didn't want to let go. It wasn't romantic, she told herself, it was cathartic (A/N relief of built up stress)
Luna, now with a smile on her face, turned to her book and started reading. Hermione continued from where she had left off, tearing through the book like a whirlwind. Becoming an animagus was a dream come true for her.
She'd never actually dreamed of being an animagus, specifically, but being selected to learn something so complex and advanced gave her a thrill down her spine.
"Has harry had any luck with his egg?" Luna asked, about half an hour later.
"No, he hasn't. But then he hasn't really tried." Hermione giggled. She'd missed being able to talk like this.
"Boys. Is he going to leave it to the last minute, or does he expect you to do it?"
Hermione paused.
There was merit in her implied question. Could harry solve the clue himself, or was he totally dependent on her?
In their first year, they'd needed her to solve the potions riddle. Without her, they'd have died, or worse, Quirrel would have got the stone. In their second year, she was the one who worked out that it was a basilisk, and in their third year it was her who realized that Professor Lupin was a werewolf. She couldn't name a single time where Harry or Ron had taken the initiative without her prompting, or outright telling them what to do.
She frowned. She'd never looked at it like that before.
"I don't know. He might expect me to come up with something, but I think he would leave it to the last minute to solve anyway."
Luna smiled her mysterious smile, which always made Hermione feel as though she knew far more about what was going on that she let on. It was like Dumbledore and that twinkle his eye.
"I think that you'd solve it anyway. You can't leave anything unanswered."
Hermione blushed at the almost-compliment. Was it a compliment? It was from a ravenclaw, so probably.
"We tried to open it, and it just made a kind of screaming noise. Nothing works, burning it, silencing it, revealing spells. It just seems to repel magic - we can't even summon it."
Luna looked thoughtful.
"Hermione, how much do you know about ancient runes?"
"I've taken the class, this year and last year, but I don't see how they could be useful."
"No, you need to open your mind."
This was the one annoying thing about Luna - she was focused on opening your mind, weather you wanted to or not.
"If it still can't be summoned, that means that there is still anti-summoning magic in place. If a spell is in place after such a long time, then..."
"Then it must be written in runes, I know." Hermione finished for her. Luna grabbed her arm excitedly.
"But Hermione!" she said, elongating the end of her name.
"It it's in runes, then why not have it triggered by a rune?"
She blinked. It was such a simple idea, but a good one. Unless you knew to look for the runes, it would be almost impossible to discover what the trigger was, except by trial and error. Looking at the runes would simplify the whole task into a simple translation from Norse - or whatever kind of runes were being used - into English, then decoding them to find what was the needed trigger.
"But, how are we going to get the runes in the first place?" Hermione asked, confused. One of the problems with runes was that they could be written anywhere, even on the inside of the material. They could be written in the thickness of paper, slipped between layers of whatever was used to make the egg.
Luna just snorted.
"We'll just ask professor Flitwik if we can use his thumoscillicope."
Hermione blinked once, as Luna tightened the hold on her arm, and began to pull her out of the class room, without her bag.
"Luna! Wait!"
Luna relinquished her hold on Hermione, who quickly rushed over to her bag and reverently placed her new book inside.
"We don't have the egg, and we can't really go and bother professor Flitwick now, can we?"
"It's okay, he's checking in on the charms club tonight." Luna told her.
"Come on!"
With that, Luna slipped her hand into Hermione's and intertwined their fingers.
Before Hermione could protest, she was being pulled away from the room and towards the unknown.
And she couldn't stop smiling.
A/N:
Well, thus ends another chapter.
I chose to end it here so that I could get another chapter out tonight. I find if I try to make the chapters too long then I lose track of what the characters have already done that chapter and it gets repetitive. ( I had Luna taking Hermione's hand about three times in this chapter before I realised and remove them all. Lol )
Also: A *HUGE* thank you to everyone who reviewed!
A big special thanks to rubyparker93, who somehow reviewed within like an hour of me posting the first chapter. 3.
Ruby: Thanks for your suggestions. I was wondering what I was going to do with Harry, and using one of those pairings would give me a way to have him accept Hermione/Luna right off, which removes angst.
Also thanks to obscure999.
Alex.
P.S. I would love ideas for animagus forms, possible other members of the animagus club or pairings for Ron.
Updated: Done a major spellcheck. God, I hadn't noticed how many spelling mistakes there was in this! Sorry, everyone who had to read that.