Disclaimer: Does this look like it belongs to me? If it did, rest assured I would have it in book format, not here. Luckily I love fan fiction, so owning these characters doesn't matter to me, I just love to play with them.
A/N: Thanks to everyone for reviewing. I love them all - nothing is better encouragement. I'm glad you're enjoying my story.
"They won't stop looking at us," Neville whispered to his friend. The Weasley twins had indeed been watching them through lunch.
"Ignore them," Hermione said as she spread caramel on an apple slice.
"You think they'll figure it out?" Neville wondered.
"Eventually, yes," Hermione shrugged. "Want to explore the grounds after Defense class?"
"Sounds good," Neville nodded. He took a blueberry muffin and wrapped it in a napkin. "Afternoon snack – you want me to grab one for you?"
Ooh, a lemon poppyseed muffin.
"Lemon poppyseed, please," Hermione answered absentmindedly. Then she shook her head. "I mean, I'll take a blueberry one too."
"All right," Neville chuckled. He was becoming used to eating with Hermione. She would often reach for a dish, almost serve herself something, before mumbling and putting it back.
Just last night he had caught her spooning herself some fish soup.
"Didn't you say that you were vegetarian?" Neville had asked.
Hermione had just stared down at her soup.
"Yes. Yes, I am. Have some soup, Neville." She had pushed it to him and served herself a fresh bowl of minestrone, all the while muttering to herself.
Neville thought it was just a strange peculiarity of hers. Hermione was level-headed in many things, but she was always scatter-brained when it came to meals.
'Stop doing that!' Hermione was thinking now. 'It's very annoying.'
Well, I can't help it that we have very different tastes, Zoe thought petulantly. I've given up a lot for you! I haven't had a steak in twelve years!
'Oh boo hoo,' Hermione sniffed. 'You'll live. Anyways, its my gag reflex we have to worry about.'
Zoe grumbled, but tried not to pay attention as Hermione ate her sandwich... Zoe hated the taste of mustard.
Instead Zoe took charge of an eye and began studying the table. She had worked out an arrangement with Hermione long ago, that if Hermione was occupied with something that didn't require much thought, she could use one eye to keep track of things and allow Zoe to have fun with the other one.
"Oh, you're doing the eye thing again," Susan said from across the table.
"Hermione, you know that's really creepy!" Hannah chimed in with a shudder.
"Sorry," Hermione smiled. "I just like being able to keep an eye on... uh, I get bored looking at my food."
Good job convincing them you're not paranoid, Zoe said, only half-joking. She knew Hermione hated driving people away with her paranoia.
"Right," Susan said softly, looking at Hermione worriedly.
She's got to be Brian's daughter, Zoe mused, her eye flicking to Susan. But she really reminds me more of Brian's sister, Amelia.
"Split a cupcake with me?" Neville offered Hermione, and she accepted.
"Let's head off to Defense," Hermione said quietly, and Neville nodded and followed her away from the table.
"I didn't mean to hurt her feelings," Hannah frowned. "I just..."
"She'll be all right," Wayne said easily to reassure Hannah.
Susan just frowned and watched Hermione go. She had learned many things from her Aunt Amelia, including to look beneath the surface that a person offered the world. In five days, she could already detect that Hermione kept her raw emotions bottled down, and avoided conflict at all costs.
The red haired girl was a very light sleeper, and she had woken several times in the past week to see a light on behind Hermione's curtains. So Hermione stayed up late reading... Sometimes past five o'clock in the morning. It seemed like she rarely slept. Nobody else had seemed to notice yet, but Susan could see the tiredness that hung over the brunette daily.
There was no doubt about it - Hermione Granger was quite a mystery – but one that Susan was determined to crack.
The instant Hermione walked into the Defense classroom, her senses were assaulted by a variety of strong smells. She felt dizzy, and swayed in place.
"Hey!" Neville reached out to grab her. "What's wrong?"
Hermione tried to breathe deeply, which turned out to be a bad idea, as she just inhaled more of the stifling aromas.
"What – what do I do?" Hermione murmured.
"Sit down," Neville said quickly. "Come on." He led her to the nearest seat, and lowered her gently into it.
"Talk to me. Tell me what happened."
"Can't breathe," Hermione said, turning to look up at Neville, her eyes glossy.
'Help me,' Hermione thought to Zoe. 'What do I do?'
For the first time in Hermione's life, she got no response from Zoe.
"Gone," Hermione gasped, grabbing onto Neville, and he grew even more anxious.
"What's gone?"
Hermione looked like she was about to speak, when suddenly she began to sneeze. They were no delicate sneezes, but gigantic, loud sneezes that rocked her entire body. They came quickly and rapidly.
"Hey, is she okay?" Ernie MacMillan had just walked in and was looking at Hermione in concern.
"I don't think so," Neville said as he dropped his bag on the ground and pulled Hermione to her feet. "Get on up, now. Let's get out of here."
"But class is starting in five minutes," Ernie called after him.
Neville really couldn't care less about class at the moment.
They were in the hallway then, with the door closing behind them, and Hermione's sneezes began to let up.
"Hey, we're going to the Infirmary," Neville said firmly. "Madame Pomfrey will have a look at you."
Hermione's eyes slowly returned to their natural state as she stopped sneezing.
"Back," she whispered.
"Yes, you're starting a bad habit," Neville agreed, propelling her towards the stairs. "Back to the Infirmary we go."
Hermione just smiled dazedly. That wasn't what she had meant.
'What happened?' She asked Zoe.
I don't know, Zoe sounded scared. It was like I was asleep... But it wasn't a good sleep, I felt... trapped, stifled.
'What made you sleep?'
Something in that room, I'm sure of it.
Hermione thought, remembering the strong smells.
"It was something in that room," she stated out loud.
"Maybe you have allergies," Neville said as he wrapped an arm around her waist and began walking her down the stairs.
Hermione turned to look at him while they walked.
She had never let anyone this close to her... (Besides her parents, who she knew she could trust.) The plan had been to protect Neville – but he had quickly slipped under her defenses, becoming the first friend she'd ever had.
Zoe had forgotten how good it felt to touch someone else, to be held. She hadn't had that in so long...
Hermione shivered a little, and Neville held her tighter.
"We're almost there," he promised, and then stopped suddenly. "Hello, Professor."
Severus Snape stood on the stairwell, looking at them.
"Is something the matter?" he drawled, seeing how Hermione hung in Neville's arms.
"We went into the Defense room," Neville told him as he began to walk again. "She got dizzy, and then she started sneezing uncontrollably – it didn't stop until I brought her outside."
"See Madam Pomfrey, then," Snape said, nodding to them. "I doubt it is serious." With that, he walked away, and Neville was struck with anger. To have such a cavalier attitude to Hermione's health... no matter what she said, he didn't have to like Snape, and he wouldn't.
In a minute they were in the Hospital Wing, and Neville was explaining the situation to Madam Pomfrey.
"It sounds like a bad allergic reaction," Pomfrey decided, and took them back upstairs to talk with the Defense Professor.
The Professor turned out to be called Quirrell, and he was rather funny-looking, Neville decided. He had pale skin, lips that trembled even when he wasn't talking, and wore a large purple turban. It would have been funny if their conversation hadn't been so serious.
The class waited while Quirrell brought one item at a time out to the hallway where Hermione waited.
The fifth item he carried out was a pot with incense sticks and a large purple gemstone in it. He held it up, and Hermione began to sneeze again.
Quirrell raced off with it, and stashed it in his office.
"S-so s-so-sorry," he said to Hermione, quite apologetic.
"It's all right," Hermione said as she blew her nose in a handkerchief. "I'll be all right now."
"G-good, we can st-start the l-lesson," Quirrell said, and beckoned them back into the room.
Pomfrey gave Hermione a small hug before she left.
"You better not come to see me again for a while," she said with kind, soft eyes.
Hermione just smiled and accepted the hug. She really was getting better at this affection business.
She sat down in at the desk where Neville had left their bags, between Neville and Justin Finch-Fletchley.
"Glad you're okay," Justin smiled at her, quite friendly.
"Thanks," Hermione murmured, and the lesson began.
They didn't practice a single spell, instead learning the history of the Dark Arts, as told by a man with a high voice and a stutter.
Neville sighed quietly. This was even worse than potions...
After a few minutes, Hermione let her bangs fall into her face to obscure her eyes.
Zoe still couldn't focus or think properly with the object of her allergies only a room away, but at least she wasn't falling asleep anymore. Zoe guessed that either the gemstone, not the incense, may have been the cause of the problem. She had heard from a few older students that Professor Quirrell was very paranoid about the dark arts. It may have been meant to keep spirits away, dark or otherwise – and Zoe was definitely an added spirit. Zoe felt a little angry at Quirrell. If he wasn't so paranoid, he might be able to realize that not all spirits are dark. She might be stuck in Hermione's head, but she would never hurt her intentionally.
This is dreadful, Zoe moaned after listening to Quirrell for only a minute. She had had several good DADA teachers at her time in Hogwarts, and even the worst one (out of ten - none had lasted more than a year, including her memorable 4th year when the teacher had been replaced three times) was twenty times more interesting than Quirrell.
Hermione closed her eyes and tuned out, not bothering to listen, instead chatting with Zoe. When Zoe focused only on the conversation, she didn't feel sleepy or have trouble thinking. It was a good lesson in concentration for both of them.
Finally the bell rang, and Neville poked Hermione in the side to get her up.
"You okay?" He asked as they slowly walked out.
"Headache," Hermione grimaced. It wasn't entirely a lie.
"Still up for exploring the grounds?"
Hermione smiled at him.
"Yes, I am."