All About The Secrets (And Maybe Some Unity)
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
Chapter One: Taste the Rainbow
Hermione Granger woke up.
Oh, yes indeed she did, but it was certainly against her will. She was snuggled comfortably in her bed, curled up under the fluffy comforter and there very well may have been a smile plastered on her lips due to her nice dreams about Malfoy and ponies. She was content in her state of drowsy half-awareness. The rest of the girls of Gryffindor were crowded around, chattering and blabbering about their plans over the Christmas break. Hermione heard in and outs of gossip and thoughts on Harry's preference of boxers or briefs. She shifted slightly to warm her left big toe, which was surprisingly cold. Lavender picked up on the movement.
"Oh, Hermione!" She sing-songed, springing onto the girl's bed.
Hermione's brain screamed at her to stay still. Her thoughts fought back and forth with each other, listing the pros and cons. Hermione figured a few minutes had passed, then only to remember Lavender would have said her name six million more times. She sometimes forgot that her mind ran at the speed of a cheetah on crack. However, her eyelids seemed not to receive the message and cracked open to reveal the girl on the bed, who was grinning at her like a madwoman. Hermione grumbled.
A round of giggles came from the girls, along with little things to prod Hermione into a vague state of consciousness.
"What're you doing over winter break?" Lavender inquired happily. Hermione stared at her through heavy-lidded eyes.
"Malfoy…?" she mumbled with a sort of 'duh' expression on her face, then fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes, immediately falling back asleep.
The room was completely silent and Lavender was staring at Hermione's sleeping form, her jaw hanging open.
"She's going to do Malfoy?"
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
Hermione stalked into the Great Hall, rubbing her eyes, her robes billowing behind her. Mondays were always the worst. As she sat down at the Gryffindor table, she earned a few confused looks. She blinked and glanced at Harry and Ron, who were eyeing her in the same way.
"What?" She inquired.
"Don't you 'what' us," Ron said in an accusatory tone.
"...What?" Hermione repeated, confusion evident in her voice.
"What are you doing over break, Hermione?" Harry asked gently. Hermione raised a brow.
"Going to see my family. Why?"
"We heard differently," Ron said, almost triumphantly. "We heard you're gonna do Malfoy."
"What?" Hermione screeched. Almost the entirety of the Gryffindor table ceased whatever they were doing and took a moment to stare. It took the Gryffindor bookworm a minute to regain herself, taking a deep breath. "That's disgusting." Her housemates turned back to their chatter.
"Lavender told us," Ron said.
Hermione groaned and rolled her eyes. "I remember this conversation."
"Can you please enlighten us?" Harry asked. "For God's sake, we have no idea what's going on."
Hermione sighed and in one long breath she exclaimed, "I was sleeping, Lavender asked me what I was doing for break, I had been dreaming about ponies and Malfoy, I accidentally said Malfoy."
Ron and Harry gaped.
"That's all."
"Malfoy and-"
It took Ron longer to process what she'd said than Harry.
"Wait, wait, wait. Malfoy and ponies?" The Weasley interrupted.
Hermione inwardly cursed herself.
"Carnivore ponies. Eating Malfoy," she lied.
"Ah. Excellent dream," Harry exclaimed before taking a sip of his orange juice.
Hermione nodded, relieved, then grabbed for a plate, glancing across the tables at Malfoy. He was staring at her, unamused, with a single brow arched.
All the way at the Hufflepuff table, Laurie chewed on her toast thoughtfully, like a squirrel, staring across the Great Hall at Hermione, who was staring across the Great Hall at Malfoy, who was staring across the Great Hall at her.
"I shink I can tashte the shexual tension," she said through a mouthful of toast. "And eh tashtes like..." The young girl took a moment to smack her lips together, swallow and think it over. "Cherries. Definitely tastes like cherries."
"That's your jam," Anne pointed out dryly, looking at her out of the corner of her eyes.
"Oh." Laurie glanced at her toast for a second, then shrugged and took another rather large bite. Anne set her spoon down and patted her mouth with a napkin.
"But yes, I agree. The sexual tension is palpable," she said.
"And cherry?" Laurie asked hopefully. Anne glared. The other girl sighed and continued eating her toast, but after a moment Anne hummed.
"Palpable, but not cherry. More like... strawberry."
Laurie slammed her hands on the table, earning a few glances from her fellow Hufflepuffs.
"That was it! Strawberry! I totally thought it was cherry because of my toast," she said loudly, explaining it to the people around her, pointing at the piece of bread in her hand. They all stared, frozen in whatever positions they had been in. "But... it was... actually... strawberry... Um. Yeah." She coughed, then turned to Anne, covering her face in embarrassment.
"They're all staring at me," she whispered, flickering her eyes back and forth between her housemates and her friend.
"You're screaming about flavors. I'd stare at you too," Anne told her nonchalantly, taking another spoonful of cereal into her mouth.
Laurie's eyes widened and she dropped her toast on her plate. She put one hand on top of the other, staring intensely at Anne, wiggling her thumbs.
"Aaaaaawkward," she whispered.
Suddenly, an owl collided with Laurie's head, causing her to bump against Anne, who choked on her cereal. An envelope dropped in front of the choking girl. She rubbed her scalp furiously, glaring at Laurie as she finally stopped choking. She opened it hastily and read the letter inside, her brows furrowing.
"What is it?"
"I'm reading," Anne mumbled, eyes skimming over the page.
"What is it?" Laurie repeated loudly. The other girl flailed one of her hands, slapping Laurie angrily, a frown plastered on her face.
"I said I'm reading, you twit!"
Laurie pouted and returned to eating her toast.
"Your mother's a twit," she grumbled irritably.
"Oh," Anne exclaimed shortly, blinking and putting the letter back down on the table.
"What'd it say?" Laurie inquired. Anne turned to her.
"Well, you know how I was supposed to go home for the break-"
"You're going home for break?" Laurie interrupted, her green eyes widening.
"No-"
"What am I going to do here all by myself?" Laurie wailed.
"Laurie, no-"
"I can't believe you're abandoning me!"
Anne huffed, the people around them staring once again.
"Will you please just-"
"You don't love me anymore!"
"What? I never-"
"I can't even-"
"Laurie!" Anne yelled. The other girl tried to catch her breath, her cheeks pink.
"Yes?" She inquired calmly.
"Will you please listen for once? Note the 'was supposed to' in my first sentence. I am not leaving for break, so will you please just calm down?"
"Oh, you're not leaving? Good," Laurie said nonchalantly, turning back to the food on her plate, as if she hadn't just been wailing and practically sobbing. Anne rolled her eyes and reached for her drink.
"Wait."
Laurie had frozen in place and was sniffing the air like a dog. Anne furrowed her brows.
"What is wrong with you, today, Laurie? You're mad," she exclaimed.
"The taste. It changed," Laurie said shortly, looking around the hall. "It tastes like blueberries."
"Really, are you insane-"
A shriek came from the end of the hall. Hermione stood up in a rush, nearly toppling over the bench. She slammed her hands on the table, looking across the hall straight at Malfoy, whose face contorted in confusion. The Gryffindor jerked her head towards the doors of the Great Hall, just slightly, almost imperceptible, then she stormed out, a piece of paper in her hands.
A few eyes followed her out, then most of the occupants of the Great Hall resumed whatever it was they had been engaged in. Laurie and Anne watched carefully and when they saw Malfoy stand from his seat and casually exit the hall, they both glanced at each other knowingly.
Anne smirked.
"You ready?" She inquired, raising a brow, ready to jump off of the long bench.
Laurie pulled a pair of sunglasses out and slipped them onto her face, her expression serious.
"Let's roll."
"...what is wrong with you today?"
Laurie shrugged before standing up, brushing her robes off. Anne rolled her eyes and relinquished her seat at the table, stalking off. Laurie rushed after her. The two bounded out of the great hall after the couple.
Unaware to all of the goings on outside of them, the four students did not see a set of eyes watching them the whole time.
Those eyes belonged to a curious Professor Minerva McGonagall.
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
AN: So, um, it took me five years. But here's a sequel! I'll actually work on this, I promise. I'm really having a lot of fun writing it. Reviews are always much appreciated. Thank you kindly.
- Aeris