"One strand of goosegrass…"
"I added the Honeywater."
Hermione talked out loud as she mixed the potion in the face basin of the girl's bathroom.
For a week she has been suffering from a cold and a strep throat. Without muggle medicine around her she decided that a magic potion would have to do. After searching all over the library for a book which had the instructions for making the potion which cure what she had, she broke into the room where she had her Potions class with Snape. She knew it was dangerous but it was necessary. She could not go one more week suffering this sickness.
Finding what she needed for the potion, they weren't rare ingredients after all, she hid them under her cloak and made her way to the girl's bathroom making sure that nobody saw her by tipping around corners and hiding between crooks when she saw or heard someone approaching.
"A piece of Asphodel…" Hermione declared the last ingredient on the list. Mixing it well with a spatula, Hermione filled a cup with the potion. It was thick and warm. She did not look forward to drinking it but she knew that it was what she had to do.
Holding her nose, she placed the glass to her lips, drinking the substance inside the glass as face as she could.
A minute later she started to feel the Asphodel kicking in and knowing what was about the come, she placed the cup quickly in the sink and sat on the ground.
Her whole world was black a minute later.
"Hermione." Someone gently shook Hermione's shoulders.
"Hermione." The person called again.
Hermione slowly opened her eyes to see Padma Patil stooped over her.
"Are you ok?" She asked Hermione.
Sitting up, Hermione scratching her head, replied, "Yeah, I am fine."
"Is this where you come to mix your potions? The sink?" Padma asked humorously.
Smiling, Hermione responded, "It's the best place to mix potions. You should try it sometime."
"I will. Are you sure you are fine? Do you want me to take you to Madam Pomfrey?"
"No. I am sure I am ok. I think I just need to get some rest." Hermione explained.
"Ok. Make sure you do that." With that Padma left Hermione alone.
Hermione cleaned out the sink of the remaining potion and cleaned up, before exiting the bathroom.
It was the afternoon, and a few students were walking by in the hallway.
There were three third year boys walking by, and as they passed Hermione, they looked at her and then suddenly started to giggle among themselves.
Hermione started to become self-conscious. Was there something on her face, she wiped her hands along her face to make sure that there was nothing.
As she approached the Gryffindor tower, she encountered Neville.
"Hey, Neville. Have you seen Harry or Ron?"
Neville just stared at her face.
Hermione had to move her hands in front of his face in attempt to get his attention.
"Yes! I mean no, I have not seen them."
"Alright, but if you do, then tell them that I was looking for them, Ok?"
"OK." Neville responded, staring at her face again.
Hermione was getting a bit creeped out by his behavior. She smiled, and then walked towards her dorm.
"Bye, Hermione." She heard Neville exclaimed after she was out of site.
Why was everybody being so weird? She thought, as she went to her bed to take a nap.
Hermione woke up the next morning almost forgetting about the events of yesterday.
She felt better. The cold and strep throat was gone, so the potion must have worked well.
Hermione got up and started to dress for her day. She then went to the Gryffindor's common room where she spotted Harry and Ron. She approached them.
"Did Neville gave you my message?"
Her two best friend turned to her, stunned. They started to stare at her.
Great, first Neville, and now them?
Something was definitely strange around here.
She moved both her hands in front of them to let them know that she was waiting.
As soon as they snapped out of there trance, Harry proclaimed, "Oh my God, Hermione."
"Oh my God, what?" She asked a bit irritated.
"Your hair is so nice." Harry responded, reaching up to touch her hair.
Ok, something was definitely wrong. Harry was complimenting her hair?
Pulling back slightly, Hermione responded, "Thanks…", not knowing what else to say.
Ron just continued to stare at her.
"Are we going to go eat breakfast or are you going to sit there and stare at me all day?" She asked her two best friends.
"Guys!" She shouted at them, when they did not answer her question.
They jumped a little at her exclamation. "Eat… We should go eat." Ron responded, finally snapping out of his creepy staring.
"Good." Hermione replied.
Breakfast for Hermione was the norm, expect for all the staring and attention that she was getting from the people around her, majority of them, guys.
They all looked away, every time she tried to make eye contact with them.
She turned to Ginny, who sat beside her, "Is it just me, or is there something really weird going on today?"
"Apart from the fact that most of the boys in here are staring at you. It's just you." She responded.
"Do I smell or something?"
"No. You smell ok."
Before she could propose more question to Ginny, an owl flew in the hall, dropping a letter in front of Hermione.
That's weird. Hermione did not expect any letters today.
"Who is it from?" Ron asked with his mouth full of food.
Ignoring him, Hermione opened the letter.
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Seriously, Shakespeare?
She was a bit impressed that whosoever sent her this letter went out of their way to find a Muggle poem to send to her.
She skimmed through the poem to see if the person signed the letter, but when she got to the end the only thing she saw was:
Love, your secret admirer.
P.S. Find me at the library at 10.
She was a bit tempted to go, just for the fun for it, but during the next hour, Hermione received over six different letters, all signed by a love interest, some wanting to meet her some place at some time, others just confessing their undying love for her, even though they know that she would never return their love.