Here is chapter two! Just a reminder- all questions will be answered eventually so if it looks like there are some loose ends- that's on purpose ;)
Life tip- If you go through a drive through for fast food- after you order and the person asks you if that's it, tell them yes and that you love them. They will give you a funny look when you drive up and hand them your money and it's hilarious.
o
O
o
After they left the Sorcerer's Stone building together, Hermione and Cormac made their way around the grounds. While they walked, he told her that this was his third year of volunteer work at the camp. He explained that since his aunt was good friends with Mcgonagall and volunteered there herself every summer, that it was pretty much obligatory for him to come. As they walked, he vaguely pointed out to her some of the activities that the camp offered, and they both talked a bit about themselves, trying to get to know each other better.
Like Hermione, Cormac would be a senior this upcoming school year. He was really into sports, particularly the track team. As he was rambling about his races and wins, Hermione was unable to stop her mind from wandering to who she knew only as 'Weasley'. Why she couldn't get the infuriating boy out of her head was beyond her. She was clearly attracted to and very excited about being here with Cormac, so she was perplexed at why she was thinking about the red-head at all.
"What is Weasley's first name?" she asked, the question popping out of her mouth before she had even realized that she had been thinking it, stopping Cormac right in the middle of a sentence.
He eyed her sideways, obviously surprised that she had interrupted his track talk to ask her that question.
"Um. Ron," he said slowly, still looking at her weird.
"Oh. I'm sorry, I just-I could tell that there was some...tension between the two of you."
Cormac seemed pleased by her words, a grin spreading across his face. "Yeah, we definitely don't get on," he said as he let out a small laugh.
"Why not?" she asked nonchalantly, hoping that she wasn't being rude by asking him the question.
"Hmmm," he chewed his lip."Let's just say that Weasley doesn't like competition too much- and that he's also jealous as hell of me," he said with a smug smile.
"Why so?" she pressed, again hoping that she wasn't overstepping her boundaries, but Cormac only grinned wider.
"Because I'm better than him," he answered simply.
Hermione didn't like his answer, nor the tone of his voice he had used when he had said it. She found that she suddenly wanted the topic of conversation to be about something else, and was glad when he started to ask her more questions about herself. She started talking, telling him about everything in her life- her hobbies, her school, her family. He smiled at her sweetly the whole time she spoke, but for some reason, she was finding that she couldn't fully relax all of the way. As she was speaking, she had the sense that she probably sounded like some stiff robot, but thankfully, Cormac didn't seem to mind this, and seemed eager to listen to her anyway.
They made their way around in a circle, ending up in the parking lot where both of their cars were. Hermione grabbed her bags from her car and when Cormac offered to walk her to her cabin she graciously accepted. Once she told him which cabin that she was in he led her straight there, even carrying her bags for her once they started to head that way.
When they arrived at the front of the small cabin, he left her to get settled in, telling her that he would save a spot for her at dinner that was in a little under an hour. She thanked him, and he gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze before he made his way to his own cabin that was on the other side of the main building.
When she walked in, the first thing she saw was three bunk beds. Three of the beds already had belongings on them, so she chose the last bottom bunk available, as she had never liked the top bunk. There were two very similar looking girls in there already, putting their folded clothing on the long shelves that lined the entirety of one wall. Hermione could instantly tell that they were sisters, and this was confirmed when they introduced themselves as twins. Their names were Padma and Parvati Patil, and she decided fairly quickly that she liked them and was glad that they were rooming with her.
Hermione too, started to put away her belongings, and when she passed the cabin's only small window and peeked out, she was met with the sight of bright ginger hair. With raised eyebrows, she watched as 'Weasley' and 'Brown' basically sucked each other's faces off. Ron Weasley had his girlfriend up against a tree, and the two were pushed so tightly together, that Hermione feared for the girls well being pressed to the tree like she was. Parvati must have noticed her face, and when she walked over to take a look outside herself, she rolled her eyes when she too, spotted the pair.
"Yeah, they tend to do that a lot," she sighed. "You'll learn how to just ignore it. I swear, I've never known another couple to get it on as much as those two."
Hermione grimaced, turning away and feeling as if she had just watched a slightly inappropriate movie scene. She kept on her task of putting her things away, lightly chatting with the sisters as they told her more about the camp. This was their second year there, and also Lavender's (who she found out was Brown's first name) second year. Apparently, Ron had been there for even a few years longer than that but they hadn't met at the camp.
In the middle of their chat, the door swung open and Lavender walked in, a bit breathless but smiling widely. The three girls already had greeted each other before Hermione had come in, so Lavender turned her eyes towards her, curious.
"Hi!" she said happily. "I'm Lavender! Or-rather 'Brown' around here. What's your name?"
Hermione stuck out her hand, still feeling embarrased at what she had witnessed through the window. "I'm Hermione-uh- 'Granger'."
Lavender shook her hand. "So... Cormac eh?" she raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
Hermione couldn't help the blush rise in her cheeks. "I mean, I don't know- we'll see."
Lavender nodded. "Well, he sure seems to like you anyway," she said as she flung herself onto the bed right next to Hermiones that had several bags on it.
"Do you know him well?" Hermione asked, wanting to know more about Cormac from other's perspectives.
Lavender gave her a half smile. "You could say that, but there was some...drama last year and-well- let's just say that we don't talk anymore."
Hermione was curious to learn more, but the twins started talking about how their year since last summer had gone and the moment had passed. All of the girls except Lavender were putting their things away as they spoke, the blonde choosing to lay on the bed and twist her hair with her fingers. Hermione asked about the two empty bunks and they told her that the two other girls would be there probably sometime in the next few days and it was typical for some people to show up later.
They all chatted easily, and Hermione started to feel more comfortable being there, even finding that Lavender wasn't nearly as annoying as she had previously thought. Before she knew it, a loud bell sounded out, signalling that it was now dinnertime.
Lavender told them to go on without her, that she was waiting for Ron to come and walk her to the place where dinner was, so Hermione took off with the twins. On the walk over, she explained to them about her already having plans to eat with Cormac. They told her that they understood, and that they already had made plans to sit with another group of people who they knew well so it wasn't a problem.
The building that they were headed to was called 'The Great Hall' and it was where all of the meals were prepared and served. When she walked in, she looked around the cafeteria, searching for Cormac. Although the room was quickly filling up, she spied him sitting at a table to the side, sipping on a soda. There were two trays in front of him and she couldn't help the giddy feeling that overcame her when she realized that he had already gotten her food. On the plates were sloppy joes, along with corn and apple slices. Smiling shyly, she walked over to him and sat down.
"Hello, Granger," he said smoothly, patting the bench between them, urging her to sit even closer.
Blushing, she complied, sliding her body closer to him, watching as his smile grew as she did so. They started to eat, falling into casual conversation and Hermione talked about how fascinating the buildings and the history of them were. She was surprised when Cormac told her that this was all new news to him as he hadn't known any of what she was saying. Despite being there for three summers in a row, he didn't really know anything about the camp's history, and Hermione was all too happy to fill him in.
In the middle of their conversation however, she trailed off when she caught sight of Ron Weasley marching into the cafeteria, looking murderous. Lavender was behind him, trying to grab onto his arm and pull him back out, her face worried. He paid her no attention however, as his eyes swept the room, looking for someone or something. When his eyes got to their table, he scowled further before quickly marching towards them. There was something scary about the way he looked, his eyes were cold and he looked liable to kill anyone who got in his way. When he reached the table he stood across from them, his body towering over them as he leaned over to get closer to Cormac.
"What the fuck are you trying to pull, Mclaggen?" he almost shouted, his eyes on Cormac as if he wanted to murder him.
"Ron," Lavender pleaded, continuing to try and pull him away by his arm, but his body barely budged, his eyes not leaving Cormacs.
Bewildered, Hermione turned to watch Cormac, who slowly wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin as if he had all the time in the world, seemingly unaffected at all by what was happening.
"I have no idea what you are talking about Weasley," he said calmly, looking up at the furious boy with a smile on his face.
"The fuck you don't!" Weasley retorted, growing impossibly angrier, his face red.
Cormac shook his head slowly. "I really don't. I've been spending time with Granger here, and haven't left her side since the orientation. She can vouch for me." He turned his eyes to Hermione, his face the picture of innocence.
Hermione had to stop her mouth from gaping open. While she had been with him, they had also separated for almost an hour right before dinner. She was not a liar, but she desperately didn't want to cause any more drama, or ruin what was starting to bloom between her and Cormac. She felt split in two, not knowing whether to lie or tell the truth, but in the end she decided to defend Cormac, and ask him for details later.
Her voice slightly shaking at the intense look that Ron Weasley was giving her, she nodded her head and started to speak. "Yes, it's true, he's been with me." She lifted her chin up, looking into his deep blue eyes. "So whatever it is that you think Cormac has done, I can assure you, he hasn't."
She watched as Lavender's eyes dropped guiltily at her words, but Cormac beamed, his arm going around her shoulders.
She barely managed to hold eye contact with Ron, who was studying her intently, his eyes narrowing as if he didn't believe her in the slightest.
"Oh yeah?" he spit out, his anger now directed at her. "Well I know for a fact that that is a load of bullshite! Besides, whatever your name is- this is none of your goddamn business and you need to just stay out of it!"
Cormac rose, his eyes now annoyed as he faced the other boy. "That's certainly no way to talk to a lady Weasley. I think you should apologize."
Hermione lowered her gaze as once again, Ron Weasley's eyes met hers. "No. She's lying," he said, his voice unwavering and Hermione could not make herself say anything else, or even look at him again.
"You just stay the fuck away Mclaggen. I'm warning you," she heard him say, his voice much quieter but still filled with venom.
Hermione lifted her eyes to watch as Lavender finally managed to pull him away, giving her and Cormac one final glare before turning and following his girlfriend.
"Nice talking to you!" Cormac rang out, his voice again amused and Hermione gaped at him, wondering why on earth he was trying to continue this argument.
Weasley half turned, his face furious, but Lavender turned as well, pushing the front of her body to his and grabbing his face, speaking to him quietly but sternly. Hermione was sure that she was telling him to ignore Mclaggen, or something along those lines, as she watched him take a deep breath before nodding and continuing on, walking out of the cafeteria hand in hand with her.
Hermione didn't say anything as Cormac let out a small laugh. "What a fucking goon," he said, not hiding the scorn in his voice. "I have no idea how he managed to snag Lavender. What the hell does she see in him anyway? It definitely has nothing to do with attractiveness, he's a bloody ginger." He spit out the word as if it were dirty.
Hermione bit her tongue, unable to stop the thought that she was finding Cormac somehow less attractive the more time she spent with him.
"It's very obvious that you two have...bad blood between each other," she said slowly, picking up her sloppy joe and taking a bite. She wanted to ask him why he had basically forced her to lie for him, and if he had actually done whatever had upset Ron Weasley so much, but she couldn't bring herself to ask.
Corman nodded in affirmation, taking his own bite. When he swallowed, he turned to her with a grin. "But enough about him, what do you say we go for another walk after this?"
Hermione managed a smile and a nod, but she couldn't stop the sick feeling in her stomach. She had always prided herself on being an honest person, but she had just intentionally lied to protect someone that she frankly, barely even knew. If that wasn't bad enough, the fact that Cormac had persuaded her to lie like she had, made her feel less about him. He was smiling at her now as if nothing had just happened, as if he couldn't be bothered to admit that he had been in the wrong at all. He hadn't even thanked her for lying for him- although she wouldn't be able to pretend that she was glad that she had done it.
Once they were finished, they got up and made their way out. The sun was setting now, and Cormac led them out to the obstacle course, under a large wooden deck that had a small bench under it. Hermione noticed that the place was very secluded and away from prying eyes. She gulped at the look in Cormac's eyes as he pulled her down on the bench next to him.
He took her hand in his. "I'm sorry for all of the drama you've had to deal with today Granger," he said softly, giving her hand a squeeze. "I know it was probably a lot to deal with on your very first day here, but I hope that you'll forgive me and keep on giving me chances."
The smile that he gave her made her start to blush. Maybe she had been too hard on him, although internally. After all, she had no idea about what had gone on between him and Ron Weasley and it was wrong of her to jump to conclusions on either side. She also reminded herself that Cormac hadn't been the one yelling and flipping out; that had been Ron, so she could at least give him that.
She licked her lips, not missing the way that Cormac eyed her mouth as she did so. "Thank you. It has been a lot, but at the same time, it really is none of my business and- I have really enjoyed the other parts of the day so…"
He gave her a wide grin. "Well good. I'm glad to hear that."
His voice had gotten deeper, and he scooted even closer to her. His hand dropped hers so he could start rubbing lightly on her upper thigh, and she couldn't help but tense up a bit at the action. Although not entirely unpleasant, she wasn't sure what he wanted from her right then. They had just met that day, and she wasn't sure how fast was 'too fast', or even where they went from here.
Before she could dwell on it further however, he cupped her cheek and moved his head down, capturing her lips with his. Being taken by surprise, she froze for a moment before responding, her lips moving softly against his. Oliver had kissed her a few times, but she hadn't really liked it much, as it had seemed that he had had no idea what he was doing. She could tell though, that Cormac knew exactly what he was doing, so she concentrated on copying his movements, hoping that she didn't seem as inexperienced as she really was.
When his tongue demanded entry into her mouth, she hesitantly allowed it. Although she didn't feel fireworks, she found she rather liked the feeling, and figured that the whole 'feeling fireworks while kissing' thing was just an expression anyway. Cormac's hand slid even further up her thigh and down in between her legs. He wasn't quite cupping her, but close enough, and she was suddenly glad that she was wearing jeans. When his other hand started to slowly creep up her shirt and drag along her belly, she broke from the kiss, panting.
"I ought to go take a shower," she told him breathlessly. "I want to get to bed early, because tomorrow is supposed to be a really busy day.
He sighed, seemingly a bit frustrated, but then gave her a small smile. "Of course. But promise me that we will sneak away tomorrow for a little fun break?" he asked, giving her a small wink.
She gave him a small nod and he laughed, helping her up. He walked her to her cabin, giving her a light peck on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow," he told her as she opened the door to walk inside. She watched as his eyes looked behind her into the cabin and saw that he was staring at Lavender who was standing inside.
"Hey Brown! How's it going?" he smirked.
Hermione watched as Lavender rolled her eyes. "Beat it Cormac. I've already had a hell of a time trying to fix the mess that you have already managed to make," she replied irritably.
Hermione felt her heart drop. She had been trying to tell herself that Cormac hadn't really done anything to cause the almost fight that had happened at dinner, but apparently she had been wrong.
"It's not my fault that Weasley has a temper," he told Lavender cooly.
Lavender turned in a huff, walking to the shelves behind the door, out of sight from outside. Cormac turned back to Hermione, as if just realizing that she was still there.
"I'll see you at breakfast then," he told her stiffly, his mind apparently on something else.
She nodded. "Yes. Goodnight," she said quietly before making her way inside and closing the door behind her.
Lavender was still at the shelves, carefully unpacking and putting her clothes in little piles neatly on them. Padma and Parvati were both sitting on a bottom bunk, comparing their schedules for the week and seeing how close they would be working together, and the two other bunks were still empty so Hermione knew that the other girls still hadn't arrived. Hermione walked to her own bunk and started going through her small bag, grabbing toiletries so she could make her way to the showers.
"Thank you for earlier," came a voice now behind her, almost making her jump in surprise. She whirled around to see Lavender, smiling sheepishly at her.
"For what?" Hermione asked, confused.
"For covering for Cormac," she said simply before letting out a sigh. "Even though it didn't really work. Ron saw right through it, but hey, at least you tried."
Hermione nodded, not knowing what to say. Lavender apparently thought that she had just been trying to stop a fight from happening, which only made her feel impossibly worse about the whole thing. "Oh. Yeah, no problem," she finally muttered, turning back to her bag and not wanting to talk about it any longer.
"Anyway," continued Lavender. "I'll try and keep Ron away from him. Mcgonagall has already assured me that she will be making sure that they are nowhere near each other as far as schedules go, but she says that they better start behaving during mealtimes as well, so I suppose that we both have to help distract them if you know what I mean."
Hermione turned her head to look at the other girl, not getting what she meant at all.
Lavender must have realized this, as she hurried to clarify. "I just mean that we can't let our boys near each other."
Hermione wasn't quite sure to make of Lavender calling Cormac her 'boy'. She finished picking up what she needed and turned. "I mean, I've just met Cormac today, so I wouldn't exactly call him 'mine', but yes, I would like to keep today's happenings a one time instance, so I'll help."
Lavender smiled gratefully before pulling her in for a quick hug. "Thank you! You're an angel!" she gushed to a bewildered Hermione before she turned around and continued to unpack.
Hermione then walked out of the cabin, bag in hand, towards the showers. The girls and the boys showers were in one small building, separated by one wall. The doors were right next to each other, and when Hermione was about to open the door and go in, the boy's door swung open, and Ron Weasley walked out, his bag slung over his shoulder.
Hermione froze and tried to ignore the intoxicating smell of him, and also the way that his damp hair hung over his forehead as he swept it to the side. He was wearing a vest with basketball shorts, and she noticed for the first time just how freckled his skin was.
When he saw her, his face darkened and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but paused at the wide-eyed look on her face. He closed his mouth, letting out a sigh as he shook his head and walked past her, not bothering to look back.
After she regained her senses, she hurried into the shower room, grateful that there were only a few others there who were minding their own business. As she was showering, she wondered why being that close to Ron Weasley had made her heart beat so fast.