CHAPTER TWELVE
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Lavender, Ginny and Neville were sitting around the fireplace, trying to warm up after their snowball fight. The boys were happily eating their way through some of their Christmas presents, and Ginny and Lavender were painting each other's nails. Hermione was finishing her arithmancy essay. Somehow, it wasn't working, though, and finally, in exasperation, she threw it down.
"About time," Ginny said.
Hermione rolled her eyes and then sighed. "So when are you two off?" she asked Harry and Ginny.
"About half an hour," Harry said. "You all packed, Gin?"
"I still can't understand why Ginny gets to go and we don't," Ron complained, voicing what Hermione was only too polite to ask.
"Because we only need one extra person," Harry said wearily. "And we need a small person, and we will be acting quite a bit, I've gathered, as we are in the open. So unless you want to decrease drastically in size and snog me in random places, Ron, Ginny will be fitting the position best," he added as Ron started to protest.
Ron's ears went red and he muttered something. "We'd best get going guys," Harry continued. "Hopefully we'll be back by New Years..."
Harry and Ginny stood up and Hermione did likewise, throwing herself at Harry in a bear hug. "Oh, do be careful, Harry. I don't like it when you go. And this will be the longest you've been away... You'd better look after him, Ginny," she added sternly across to the red head, who rolled her eyes.
"And who will be looking after me?" Ginny sighed in mock anguish.
Hermione laughed and went to hug Ginny as Harry said his goodbyes to Ron, Lavender and Neville.
"You're only too capable to look after yourself, Gin. But be careful."
"You too. Don't do too much work. It is the holidays after all. And don't worry about Zabini. All guys are twats!" Ginny said viciously.
"Hey!" Ron and Harry exclaimed. "I'm not a twat," Ron complained when Ginny and Hermione glanced at them.
"Are you suggesting that you are not a guy?" Ginny asked coolly to Hermione's snigger. "Well, come on Harry...See you guys later!"
Once Harry and Ginny had left, Lavender turned to Hermione. "You coming to dinner?" she asked.
"Um... not really hungry actually. I might go for a walk."
"Oh good!" Neville said unexpectedly. "You could come with me to feed my lily."
Hermione, who had really wanted to spend some time alone, hesitated. "Does it need to be fed now, Neville? It's dark... and the greenhouse is ages away from here..."
"Exactly! I hate going down there, but if you're there with me... The Liquidifying Lily must be fed at seven in the morning and evening without fail, I'm afraid. Please?"
"Um... yeah... ok. Let me just get my cloak. See you guys later," she added without excitement to Ron and Lavender.
It was cold outside and dark. Neville and Hermione crunched through the snow, their wands lit in front of them. Neville, ecstatic that he wasn't alone this time, was chatting without cease and made Hermione wish she had managed to find an excuse to get out of going with him. By the time they arrived at the greenhouse, Neville was telling her the exact method to feed the lily, a procedure which took, on good days, at least half an hour. Hermione sighed inwardly.
"Listen, Neville, sorry but I think I'd better get back. I need to finish that essay."
"Oh. Ok." The boy's face dropped noticeably. "Well, thanks anyway. I'll see you later."
Hermione headed back towards the castle; however she didn't go back to the common room. Instead, she walked past the main hall, where the noise was quietening down, and out along to the cloisters in the Transfiguration and Charms courtyard. The little fountain in the middle of the courtyard was frozen over once again. It had had an anti-freezing charm on it on Christmas day, but it had obviously worn off. Though Hermione could feel the cold air on her cheeks, she had placed a warming charm on her cloak and so headed off into the snow once more towards the fountain. She pressed her fingers to the small basin and then proceeded to touch the flat level of ice. It instantly numbed her fingers and an idea came to her mind. Pulling her wand out of her pocket, she tapped the ice and muttered a small incarnation. The water unfroze and started to fall again. Smiling at the soft sound, Hermione took a step back, gazing at the dormant roses. While water was one thing, she was not about to attempt to defrost and re-grow the roses, no matter how much she wanted to see some bright yellows and pinks.
Suddenly she became aware of a dark figure watching her in the corner. Without showing that she had realised the presence of someone else, she gazed steadily ahead wondering why she had been so foolish to leave the main building after dark. Suddenly, she spun around and cried, "Petrificus Totallus!" and then cast a shield for herself. The figure in the corner fell stiffly and Hermione waited poised for any attacks. When she realised she and the figure were alone, she moved towards the body. She suddenly regretted her hasty action. It was most likely to be a student. Or a teacher. Hermione wasn't sure which would be worse. A teacher may have more difficulty recovering but a student would surely let the rest of the school know. Did you hear? The Head Girl attacked a student! She thought she was about to be attacked. A tad neurotic don't you think?
She knelt down at the figure's side, pushing back the black hood. It was Zabini. He was watching her with a patient expression, however Hermione was starting to panic. Duty won over, and she muttered the counter curse, but did not help him up, instead walking off as quickly as possible. She was beginning to regret her decision to get away from Neville.
"Hermione! Wait."
Having just hexed the boy, she could not refuse the request and so stood frozen, waiting to see what he did next.
"Hermione..." he reached her, his black hair shadowing his face. "I'm sorry for startling you. I was just watching you. Not that I blame you. I behaved despicably the other day. It wasn't like me. I just want you to know that... it wasn't you I was angry with... Those guys had worked me up and..."
He trailed off at Hermione's stony expression.
"Well... yeah... um... would you be able to read my essay? You didn't get to the other..."
Hermione laughed sourly. "You know? Ginny's right. Guys are all the same bloody gits as each other. I get enough of this from Harry and Ron and even Malfoy without you too. First it's 'Oh haha, Hermione, you are such a work-a-holic, you are so freakish!' and then when they realise that they need help it's, 'Oh Hermione, you're really, really smart. Can you do my work for me please?' No thanks. Get lost Slytherin."
Zabini closed his eyes and turned his head. Hermione stalked away, trying not to listen to his voice.
"Oh, shit, Hermione! I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry I..."
Hermione was suddenly stopped by his hand curling around her arm once more. It was not painful, but tight enough for her not to struggle loose. She turned to look at the boy and inwardly cursed him for looking the way he did. "Let go of my arm, Blaise," she said quietly.
He ignored her. "I want your opinion, Hermione. I want to hear what you have to say on the number pi or seven or daisies or something! Hell, I want to hear your voice. I want to talk to you. And I won't let go of your arm until you promise not just to walk away."
"So if I hex you and then walk away that's fine?" Hermione said as viciously as she could muster.
The slytherin just looked at her with a slight sigh.
"Fine. Where's this bloody essay?" Hermione asked, trying not to smile.
Blaise, on the other hand, did not refrain from doing so. The look on his face as he gently pulled Hermione back to a seat under the cloisters near a wall lantern and dug into his pocket for a piece of parchment was contagious and Hermione was soon grinning like a banshee.
The essay was good. Hermione had anticipated thus but was still surprised when reading it. After quickly re-reading it, she told Blaise so. He smiled smugly.
"I really like the connection you made between nine, Merlin and the 1300s. Makes sense. Do you think I could use it?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Thanks. Oh, yeah, I was a bit confused by this. 'Original markings of many numbers were in truth closely related to the sun and moon, and thus the magical properties.' What does that mean?"
"Oh... well that relates to astronomy. You don't take it do you? Well, you know how runes often relate to the magical properties of a name? Well, I'm not sure, but I think that it would relate to the
original drawings of numbers too. Makes sense. And as the moon is often in the process of discovering runes and the sun in drawing them, I concluded that, by extension, so do numbers."
"Wow! I had never thought about that! Wonder if it's right. If it is then that's really cool. Oh yeah there was something else..."
Hermione scanned down the parchment, her brows knitting together.
"Hermione?" came the Slytherin's deep voice.
"Mmm?" she asked, looking up from the paper, a focused expression on her face, thinking about runes and numbers and history. So engrossed in them she did not notice the change in Blaise's expression. Rational thought only fled her mind when he lent forward and placed his lips chastely on hers.
A/N: Hehehehe Cliffy haha. These chapters are getting longer and longer... hope you managed to get through this! Thanks sooooooooo much for the amazing support you have all been giving me. Certainly makes me so much more motivated! Love you all :)
