Back in the room on the second floor Pansy sat on the bed moping. She wasn't happy about being excluded and though she could see how separate questioning would keep them both honest, such a refined tactic was hardly expected of this gentle looking witch. What was her agenda, Pansy begun to wonder until the door screeched opened once again and Rose beckoned her over from the doorway.
Pansy stepped into the hallway where Hermione stood seemingly absent-minded or otherwise deeply concerned about something. She had her hands stuffed in the pockets of her hoodie and didn't have the decency to explain the situation as they followed Rose up another floor. Pansy elbowed and nudged her unlikely companion who only retracted back with a warning stare.
Rose stopped when they reached a rickety wooden ladder that lead up to the attic. "You'll find everything you need up there. I'll bring you some breakfast in the morning."
"Thank you so much." Hermione shook Rose's hand.
Pansy was beginning to feel invisible, so she stepped in to demand some answers. "Don't you need to talk to me Madame?" She asked politely.
"No need dear, your friend told me everything." Rose simply said before leaving.
Pansy bit her lip not to say something inappropriate. She didn't appreciate being infantilized at this age and after everything. Unfortunately the feeling wasn't too unfamiliar. Pansy could recall repeatedly being enumerated what she lacked to make her own decisions, usually by her parents or whoever else was there to bar her from her desires. Experience was atop of that list, even though they'd condescendingly acknowledge that she couldn't possibly attain it yet. All this made her so infuriated, but her rage subsided when they climbed up to the attic.
Old and dusty as it was, the room had some kind of a cosy charm. A single, but sizeable window stood on the slanted attic wall between two beds. Mere moonlight somewhat lighted the room before Hermione flipped the light switch and proceeded to leisurely sit on the left bed, a gesture which made matters worse. Once again not having a say in the matter was too much for Pansy. "I want that bed!" She demanded.
"Fine, they look the same to me." Hermione relocated across with a smirk.
Clearly Granger found the whole situation comical, looking at ease for some un-assumable reason. Pansy decided it was time to get some answers. "So what the fuck was that?!" She snapped. "What's the deal? We get to stay? And why did you exclude me form the talk?!"
"I didn't…" Hermione started.
"Really?! I don't believe that, so just tell me, what decisions have you made in my stead?!"
"None." Hermione said calmly. "As far as what's the deal, Rose said we could stay, but she needs some help fixing the place. I suspect that's not all, but it shouldn't be too difficult. Oh, and she said you could help inside the house, cleaning the rooms and such I, but only when your ankle heals."
"That's generous." Pansy accepted with a bit of sarcasm. "And is that all?"
"Yes."
Pansy sighed with relief. "I guess I have to earn my keep… though I never thought I'd be a damn maid."
"I'm sure it's not below you after everything." Hermione assured her with a bit of spite which Pansy didn't bother addressing.
"So you intend to stay?" Pansy enquired.
"Given the situation, I'm inclined to. And you're free to leave if you so wish."
"You keep saying that, but… given the situation, as you said, that could be dangerous?"
Hermione nodded. "The way I see it, they won't spend too much time looking for us, so if we can remain inconspicuous a while, that would probably be best. And they've already sort of checked this place."
Having finished this necessary conversation and after a moment of silence Hermione took her towel and went for the small bathroom that was connected to the room. It truly was too small for all the things that fit inside, Hermione realized. An old-fashioned bathtub, a toilet and a sink with a rusty mirror where all crammed inside. Hermione was sure glad for each of those however little room they left to move around.
Hermione cleaned the wound on her hand. It wasn't too deep which is why it didn't get infected, and thus further treatment would be arbitrary. Hermione was concerned, however, with what she saw in the mirror. It was quite chilling after such a relaxing warm bath.
This was the influence of time and change that unobserved can add up to such a sudden, terrifying visage. Her face looked tired with huge overnight scars that grew ever larger as she peered longer.
"What's the matter?" Pansy asked peaking from the cracked door. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I might just have." Hermione leaned in closer and pulled the skin to smooth the superfluous lines that formed beneath her eye. "You think you're far enough ahead and all the while…"
"You've lost?" Pansy finished.
"Apparently so…" Hermione concurred inspecting the whites of her eyes which where streaked with enumerable red lines, chaotically curving over their canvas. Bloodshot eyes where just one of the effects of nights spent at that place where her sleep was riddled with fear, broken with nightmares pertaining to very real and dreadful possibilities.
"Are you quite finished?!" Pansy asked, finally losing patience. She didn't feel the urge to barge in first and even let Hermione take her time, but this too had limits.
When tired Pansy limped back to her bed, Hermione was already asleep. Pansy knew that she'd be too in just a moment, though she'd rather lie in bed and think a while. Her first thoughts melted with the sound of distant thunder and whatever other utter chaos was going on outside. Whatever, she thought dozing off into a long rejuvenating sleep beneath a warm blanket.