Hello everyone~
**duck and covers in anticipation for a swarm of rotten tomatoes from booing crowd, but there is only silence as everyone has already left, because they wouldn't wait any longer**
**gets up and looks around**
**clears throat**
It's been sooo long. Apologies, a sudden truckload of exams sprung up on my back. This is the first installment of my "Concept Competition" works, and is an interesting combo of Alec and Hermione {new and full of possibilities}! If you really think about it, if they were in the same universe, they might get along quite well. Now on to the story!
Feel Better Hotcakes
Hermione's P.O.V.
Oh no, oh no, oh no!? Today of all days I'm late? It's gonna be our anniversary, and I'm gonna be sweaty, tired, gasping, and ten minutes tardy?! I told Ron and Harry that they had to do the summer spells essay by themselves, and yet they wouldn't listen and I ended up helping them with their notes, and oversleeping.
I manage to rush in the library, only alerting a small amount of people sitting on the green, striped, coffee table chairs nearby. Skipping two steps at a time, I hurriedly climb the 1st to 4th floor escalators, and turn the nearest right corner to find a young teenage boy, about my age, with shining _ eyes and dark brunette hair, slightly falling on his right eye. He sits at a square glass table, resting upon a wooden leaf green chair. He looks up and gives me an understanding look. I sigh, and sit down on a wooden blue chair opposite him, placing my red beanie on the bottom right corner, next to his light blue, cat covered, notebook.
"Sorry for the wait, N.E.W.T's coming up and all."
He chuckles and puts down the book he's holding. "Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes". I smile, knowing that that book is completely in Alec's taste.
"No probs. Was just catching up on this new book. Did you know that the fastest woman in Greece Atalanta's weakness was three pieces of fruit?"
I raise my left eyebrow.
"Why yes, yes I did know that. I have read the book you know?"
Alec sighs.
"Argh, I can't keep up with you Hermes."
I laugh.
"You still keeping that up, Aphrodite?"
Ever since we paired up to win the Greek mythology quiz during the 4th annual book club decathlon, we got along like peas in a pod. After the competition, we gave each other nicknames after Greek gods. We joked around, and I finally had found someone who had, well, the same intellectual level, or at least, has a sense of responsibility.
We walk out of the library giggling like teenage girls, even though we're 17. Making a way to the nearby café, Crystal Cakes, Alec kicks a red, dented coke can across the pavement.
"So, anything 'new-t' with your N.E.W.T's?"
I scoff. Alec and his bad puns.
"Nothing much. Just studying, studying, and, oh, what's that? Just around the corner? Oooh it's more studying! Who would've guessed?"
He gives me a sympathetic glance, and we enter Crystal Cakes, only to walk into Alec's younger sister, Isabel. I back off, but before I could I apologise, she shoots me a glare {sharpened with her skillfully applied eyeliner}.
Honestly, I'm not surprised that she did that. The last time I met here, which was the first time, she stared at me in shock for about 4 minutes, then darted off, prettily of course, as it seems that she can't do anything ungracefully in the first place. The real question was why. Did Alec say something and it rubbed her the wrong way? Did she just wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Did she think I was wearing the same blush as her, even though I was just so embarrassed that I didn't wash my hair that morning, that I was blushing?
We shuffle awkwardly to a table for two next to the rectangular glass window pane. I hurriedly sit down at the coffee coloured, wooden chair, looking outside at the passing civilians, not wanting to focus on what was so dislikable about me that someone was forced to flee. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alec sit across me, placing his books on the round table of the same colour as the chairs, and he rubs the top of his head.
"Don't let her bother you, Hermes. You haven't done anything wrong. I'll see if I can sort out the misunderstanding,"
He looks at me expectantly, but I just continue staring at each passerby, as if my problems would just flow out of my eyes. I give in, and slowly turn my head towards him. I give him a hopeless look.
"How," I speak, my voice barely projecting. "do you even know it's a misunderstanding? What if I really did something wrong?"
He stares straight at me, and gives me a hard stare. It's like he's seeing right through me.
"How can you have done something wrong? What could you have done wrong?"
He grasps my hand, and I just sigh.
"I - I just want to get along with everyone. I mean, I've been friends with you for a while, and I don't want that to be changed because of my faults."
Alec grasps my hands tighter. He seems to be determined to convince me that everything will be alright.
"We'll be ok. You know we will be. Come on, I'll even order you your favourite, hotcakes and parfait! Lighten up, ok?"
His hopeful look directed at me makes me feel much better. I return it with a weak smile.
After all, being upset won't help the situation. I shake off my doubtful feelings, and Alec sees I'm feeling better.
"Well, those hotcakes do make me feel better"
He brightens up, and laughs.
"That's it,"
He lets go of my hand, and I slightly wince, as my palms immediately grow colder, missing the warmth. Alec waves a waiter and orders the hotcakes, parfait, and a side of fries for him.
We joke around for the rest of the evening, and when even the street lights or getting sleepy, we part our ways. I snuggle up in my rainbow scarf, feeling warm in my blue mittens, even though my boots are buried in the snow, piling up on the street pavements.