Author's Note: Special thanks to JackMasterLooter for the comment left on my last chapter. Your kind, comprehensive comment made me so incredibly happy and just bursting with pride in my work. You made my week! Thank you so much and I hope you're doing well!3
Heads Up: Translations are at the Author's Note at the end as there will be a lot of German/Eldian used in this chapter.
Chapter 9
She leaned back into the couch with a sigh.
Hermione peered across the coffee table to the person currently occupying the seat in front of her. And modal jazz played softly in the background as they conversed.
Apparently, Armin was very partial to jazz music and liked to keep it on as they studied. Hermione could still vividly picture the way his eyes had lit up during his first Miles Davis song, and the way he peppered her with all sorts of questions and queries.
He was particularly intrigued with its history and roots in West African rhythms, oppression, blues, and the foreign concept of an ethnicity having a distinct culture despite living in a multiethnic state.
He had, at one point, even confessed to feeling a sort of kinship with African Americans who had persevered despite their unrelenting oppressors. He was, all around, smitten with the genre- the culture- the sound.
And she could definitely see why.
There was just something about the soothing tones and impromptu solos of the genre that suited him exceptionally well.
And well... There was no denying his appearance had something to do with it as well.
He was currently sitting, legs crossed, on a chesterfield chair- one of which, within the first day of their arrangement, he'd basically claimed as his.
Despite sitting with perfect posture, his shoulders were relaxed and he looked to be quite comfortable. The perfect posture was probably Levi's doing... if not him, then military life was a likely second.
He had forgone his usual green coat for a simple blue button-up that matched his eyes with sleeves that were rolled up just past his elbows. And in a similar but much more lazy fashion, she had worn pajama pants and a long sleeve tee.
They managed to keep their meetings fairly casual, like two friends chatting in completely different languages over brunch. Except it was the afternoon and I was still, essentially, his prisoner.
"Is this work... for tomorrow?" She asked as he slid her a piece of paper that looked to be a worksheet of sorts. She leaned forward to take a better look.
"Mm, I think we're pretty much done with our alphabets. We'll need to get a start on actual writing."
She practically vibrated in her seat. Homework! Sweet sweet, graded heaven! Hermione took the worksheet to examine it with much more detail.
"Oh, Thank you! I wish I would've made one for you, but next time I guess..."
He smiled at her enthusiasm, "I'll look forward to it."
He shook his head in disbelief, giggling at the circumstance, "I've never seen someone so happy to get homework before."
Unperturbed, she dreamily replied, "It's just so comfortable, so relaxing," she let her head fall against the top of the couch. She stared into the ceiling of her tent- the same way she did years ago, during the war, "Something familiar and perhaps, a bit close to home."
He leaned towards her, "Really? How so?"
She perked up at the question, regardless of his ulterior motives. Hermione was very much aware that he was interested in her answer for two reasons: to gain more possiblyincriminating evidence and to just know more. More about her, her other world, her other life...
She had, of course, refrained from telling them too much personal information- especially about her life at Hogwarts, the war, and her role in the war- but she truly saw Armin as her friend and she didn't mind letting him know.
"I went to a school for magic, you see. I didn't learn this on my own. For years I learned to hone this power within me- with some minor complications of course," she subconsciously rubbed the scar on her arm.
She was so lost in thought that she couldn't see him glance at the motion, "But those years were mostly filled with lectures and homework and study, and those years almost felt like... hedonism in the flesh."
"...Hedonism?"
"Oh yes, the pursuit of pleasure..."
"And your pleasure was..."
"Knowledge?"
"-Knowledge."
They laughed at the sudden overlapping of their words. She chuckled a bit into her statement, "Mm, yes. I was quite bookish. A know-it-all. A nerd most would say."
He nodded with an amused grin, "Ah, I'm very familiar with the experience."
"Hopefully, you didn't get too much flack for it. I'd hate to see our experiences mirror each other's too much." She began to worry a bit. From what she's learned, children as young as 15 could join the military here, and the training to actually become a member took three years. Armin looked much older than 15 but not old enough to have escaped being a child soldier.
Going through your teenage years as a "nerd" in a space designed to reward physicality must've been tough.
He scratched the back of his head, "Aha... just in the beginning... but Eren and Mikasa would always step in before anything became too bad."
"Mm," she nodded, "I understand. I had two hotheaded friends back home. They would, many times, take the bait to a fight- for me, for others. It could get quite annoying, but it was nevertheless endearing." She smiled at the memory of her friends.
We really are made for each other... I could get just as hot-headed as well... Just Gryffindor things, I guess.
Armin chuckled, "The two from the portrait?" he motioned to the picture of her, Harry, and Ron at her graduation.
She nodded fondly.
"That sounds a lot like Eren. Hotheaded would be... would've been an understatement." Would've? What's that all about?
"Mikasa actually visited me yesterday, but I haven't seen Eren in a while... how's he doing?"
He took a moment to answer, "He's... okay," he gave her a pained smile. Hm? Was Eren hurt?
"Oh- okay. Well, please tell him I said hi... and to get better," she raised a brow to the boy across from her.
He coughed into his fist, "Ehem, um yes. I'll go do that- it's getting late and we have a long day ahead of us-" Us? But we don't start lessons until the afternoon...
"-so I'll need to head out."
"Oh- yes, of course." Oh my, Merlin. Is Eren okay?
"You should get a good night's rest too. We'll have a lot of work to do soon." We'll?
"We'll?"
He sent her a knowing smile. Very cryptic, sir, very.
"Well, I'll be off. And you need to get some sleep. You'll have a visitor in the early morning." What's this all about?
"Oh really? Anything you can tell me about this... visitor?"
"You've already met them, and they're important." He stage-whispered to her, "I'm not supposed to say anything anyway, but I'll give you that."
She nodded in thanks and stage-whispered back, "I see, thank you."
They both let out hushed laughs at their antics while she walked him out the tent and to her door, "Are we still on for tomorrow?"
"Mm yes, I believe so. But- well, you'll find out tomorrow." What was going on?
"Armin?"
"Goodnight, Hermione. Until tomorrow."
She hesitated, "Until tomorrow... Gute Nacht," she watched him walk down the hall and greet the night guard posted outside her door. She closed the door and sighed while leaning against its hard surface. You know what? Maybe I will get some sleep...
After I finish the worksheet, of course.
She put up a silencing charm and trudged to her tent. She finished the worksheet with ease, the simplicity of the work made her yawn with boredom and of course, exhaustion. So much so that after Hermione lazily stuffed her hair in a satin pillowcase, she dozed off at first contact with her bed.
...
She woke to a knock on her door. Her arousal was a violent one and she jumped up, startled, mind racing with confusion. After regaining her boundaries, she calmed her breath and heard another knock at the door.
She released the silencing charm and used the translation spell instead. Hermione yelled, "Wait one second! I'll be at the door!"
She groggily stepped into her slippers and walked out the tent to meet them at the door.
Now, after getting to know them better, she confirmed these two were not a father and son duo. At first glance, it would seem so, but with the difference in last name and overall disposition, it was highly unlikely they were related at all.
"Commander Erwin? I mean- Hallo, Herr Erwin. Hallo Armin," she said by herself. With the rest, she used the translation spell. "Do step inside, the tent will be a much better place to talk."
She was met with an odd stare to the top of her head and- Oh-
She hastily threw off her makeshift satin bonnet onto the bed outside the tent. "Ehem, sorry about that- do come in." Good thing Armin already knows what it's for...
The Commander brought a hand up to stop her from further opening the door, "No need, Fräulein Hermione. The message is short. We'll need you to help us rebuild towns within Wall Maria." She was about to agree when he continued.
"That is- if your magic is even equipped to handle those types of ordeals-" she internally scoffed. Of course, it's equipped.
"Of course I'll help," she looked to Armin who had sent her a soft smile, "Herr."
Hopefully, this assists in releasing me from bloody "house arrest".
"Then it's settled. We'll be having a meeting at mid-morning and Armin will of course be your escort-"
Of course?
She almost raised a brow at the Commander but caught herself before it could happen. Of course Armin? What are you trying to say...?
Am I overblowing this?
Probably.
"Bestimmt, Herr... And when will we depart?"
"Two days- if we're lucky."
"Jawohl, Herr Erwin."
"Then I will see you at noon."
"Ohne Zweifel." And the Commander walked away.
"Nice use of the vocabulary, Miss Granger," Armin smiled as stepped inside the room. She shivered.
The way he said my name... Oh Merlin, don't think about it. You'll combust.
And he can tell when I'm not using the spell?
Of course, he can! You've been practicing with the man for weeks now, Hermione!
Hermione looked up at him while leaned up against the closed door of her room, "I happen to have this really great lehrer..." He chuckled while walking to her tent.
She pushed herself off the door to walk by his side. "Oh, really? Then you must be very lucky to have this... great teacher," he teased, taking off his jacket and placing it on a rack near the tent's entrance.
"I guess I am," she teased back. She leaned into the couch, practically lying on it, "You know, I feel quite sorry for the man who has to learn English from this one teacher. They won't get any practical application unless they're having a conversation with them."
He only grinned as he fell gracefully into his Chesterfield chair. "Good thing they talk often," he tossed her a sugar quill before getting his own. He's been having way too many of those lately. He might even rot his teeth in the process, and it would take a lot to fix- Do they even have dental care here?
"Don't eat too many- you'll rot your teeth!" She lamented, her dentist parent's words echoing in her ears.
"Oh, like you?" She felt herself flush at the implication of her having "perfect teeth".
"And Besides, Captain Levi makes us brush our teeth three times a day."
Oh?
"You know what? I'm starting to like him more and more..."
He looked fear-stricken.
"What a nightmare! If you two teamed up- I mean Hange and the Captain are scary enough as is... You and him? You'd do great things... scary great things. Like actually making us like cleaning toilets or something." That's the fear? That I could charm them into liking to clean? We captured the Beast Titan together and he's scared of my wiles? She guffawed internally.
Hermione licked her sugar quill in amusement, "That is quite the detailed description, Armin. Have you thought about this before?" She asked slyly.
He blushed instantly, "It's just a thought that's crossed my mind..."
"Mm," she smirked, "Say… I wonder if he'd like to have a nice, long discussion on dental hygiene with me," she comically rubbed her chin. "Hmm… perhaps over a cup of tea…? Oooh, he'd like that, wouldn't he?" She smirked.
Armin spluttered in response, flustered by her "threat".
At times, she couldn't believe that this was the same man who she had watched eat a man alive. There was such a large disconnect between this boy called Armin and the Titan form that performed the deed that she oftentimes had to remind herself that they were one and the same.
Hermione showed the thought away, grinning as she shifted to lay on her back while she nibbled on her candy.
"Well, I can't deny that- but only if he was in the right company," he shot back, recovered from his previously stuttering state.
"Oh, I can be right company. I'm right company for you, aren't I?"
He grinned, "I guess…"
She threw a pillow at him in response, but he only laughed as he dodged.
He then suddenly forced a nonchalant gaze, looking away in mock disregard. He crossed his arms. "We should be listening to some music, don't you think?"
He was quite the actor. If she didn't know any better, she'd think him to truly be so arrogant. But since she did...
She playfully rolled her eyes at him, his infatuation with the genre glaringly obvious, "Of course, Herr Armin. Of course, we can listen to some of your precious Jazz."
She decided to put on a more Orchestral Jazz album; those always made her feel like she was living in a movie.
From the way her life was going- she practically could be.
She fell back onto the couch, "Will we be listening to this till mid-morning?" she said before biting into her last piece of candy. Truly, she was just asking if he was staying till then, but she didn't feel like being so direct.
He understood immediately, "That's the plan." Armin chuckled, "You know- at this point, I think I've pretty much been delegated to be the "ambassador" for your world by Commander Erwin."
"Well, if so, you've been performing your duties beautifully," she gave him a chef's kiss.
His eyes crinkled in amusement at the unusual gesture, "Thank you, Miss Granger."
His words were English said in a vaguely German accent that, once again, sent shivers down her spine.
Dear Merlin… Help me.
She changed the subject to distract her racing heart, "So, what should we do till then? Should we go over the worksheet you gave me?" She cleaned her hands of the residue from her finished sugar quill.
"We can..." she pouted at his hesitancy.
"Well... then what do you suggest we do?"
"You said that your world was more technologically advanced than ours. I assume that goes for infrastructure as well," he leaned forward in intrigue.
Oh… she smiled. He doesn't just want to restore these towns, he wants to modernize them.
"I can't lie and say I don't have a few ideas. Here, let's write them down." She sat up and patted the seat next to her.
She brought out a blank piece of paper and a muggle pen, because why use a quill when you can use a pen?
They sat close enough to read from the same paper without strain, "It'd be amazing if you had towns that ran solely on renewable energy- things like wind and water. Things that you'll never run out of and don't ruin your environment, in return."
Fuck you, fossil fuels.
"Then, you could have a reliable, constant electricity grid."
"Creating a recyclable sewage system to go along with an underground, clean water pipe system would be nice. Oh- and probably a faster form of transportation between the walls and towns- a water-powered railway," she printed neatly, turning it into a bit of teachable moment for his English.
On the same paper, he wrote what she repeated for him in Eldian. "Um… I'm going to need you to explain half of those terms..."
The more she explained the wider he grinned.
Armin's eyes gleamed at her clarification, "This- this is great, Hermione!" She flushed under his praise. "I bet our engineers would have a field day with this…"
"I just hope we have enough resources for all of this-"
"Oh don't you worry about that, I've got you covered."
"Really?" he raised a skeptical brow and she couldn't blame him.
"A well-placed Geminio and we'll have everything we need."
He smiled at her use of we. "We also have another energy source we can use. We call it Iceburst stone and it's what we use to power our 3D maneuvering gear- though, I'm not sure what effects it has on the environment."
Hermione giggled, "That just means more experiments for Hange," they laughed at the thought of Hange cooing over a new project.
As their laughter tapered off, Amrin's eyes widened with ingenuity, "I think I might have a good idea for organizing the electrical grid- and all the pipes too. We won't have it localized unless it's absolutely necessary. We'll also need to-"
They poured over books for hours, using this time not only to better their use of the other's language but to rest and listen to the other read or speak about architectural design. Having set a general plan, they veered off into a different kind of conversation.
"-but genuinely, do you think getting in his "good graces" will help me get back to the forest in time for your next new moon- or even full? I've already missed your last ones- and there's really no time to waste here."
He paused to think and word his statement carefully, "I think anyone would agree- having Captain Levi as an ally would be to their advantage."
"Hmmm..." she tapped a finger against her cheek.
"What is it?"
"I know that I'm going to have to try to recreate the conditions that landed me here. It'll be the best way to find out if I can get back home... I just don't know if it was the Scouts' presence that drew me in or the forest's itself..."
He turned to meet her eyes with a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry to say, Hermione, but you'll have to truly prove yourself. You probably won't be able to step foot in that forest for months."
She groaned, slumping against the back of the couch. He patted her shoulder awkwardly.
She stared despondently in front of her, "...Do you think I'll ever get back home?"
He paused and rolled his head to lay against the top of the backrest, "...I don't know, Hermione."
They laid there, slumped, shoulder to shoulder on her couch as Jazz played in the background.
Oh sweet and lovely Lady, be good! Oh Lady, be good to me…!
She drowsily nodded her head to the song.
Some day, when I'm awfully low, when the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you and the way you look tonight.
Are the stars out tonight? I don't know if it's cloudy or bright, 'cause I only have eyes for you, dear.
Her foot tapped to the beat as she began nodding off.
After what felt like forever, a knock sounded on her door. She sat up instantly, cursing herself for losing track of time, "It must be close to mid-morning, let's-"
"Armin?"
He was fast asleep on her couch, unaware of the highly important meeting they were supposed to be at. Armin scrunched his nose in his sleep and shifted to find a more comfortable position. Despite being crunched for time, she couldn't help but stare.
He's so pretty...
She resisted the urge to brush the hairs framing his face to rest behind his ear.
Ugh, don't be such a creep.
She gently shook his shoulder, "Armin. Hey, it's time to wake up. We've got to be at the meeting. Armin?"
Another knock could be heard, a bit more insistent than the last.
He stirred and blinked owlishly at her, Ocean eyes becoming more and more aware with each blink.
"Wha-... what's going on?" He sat up slowly and brought his hair out of his ponytail. He shook his again and combed his fingers through his hair to tie it up once again.
Merlin, is my heart racing?
"Armin, it's close to mid-morning. We've got to go."
"Oh- right, right. Let's go. Sorry about that, I don't usually fall asleep like that," he walked over to the rack to put on his coat.
"It's no problem..."
She smoothed over the wrinkles of her clothes- these are my pajamas...
"Oop- Sorry- Give me a sec," and she transfigured her sleepwear into a mint green, bishop-sleeved maxi dress. "Okay- now let's go."
He quirked a brow at her, but she could see the beginnings of a blush on his cheeks. She sent him a sly smile as she shrugged. I guess he's never seen me in a dress before... I haven't worn one here yet, have I?
She thought back- I guess I haven't...
She walked over to nudge him towards the exit, "No time to waste, Ocean eyes. We've got a meeting to attend."
"Ocean eyes?" His eyes lit up at the nickname.
"Mhm," she nodded enthusiastically, "Your eyes are like seeing two whole Oceans surrounded by a whole bunch of face," she chuckled while chaotically gesturing to his face.
"They even look like this beach I used to visit with my parents back home," she said fondly, walking with a bit of skip to her step.
She closed the door behind her and nodded in thanks to the guard as they walked down the corridor.
She watched as he stared, gobsmacked, at the end of the hall. His face was tinted pink and he let out a shaky breath. Is he alright?
Of course, he isn't, Hermione. He's never even seen the Ocean before, never mind the fact that he didn't even know it existed till a couple of weeks ago...
She placed a hand on his upper arm to soothe him. They stopped in the middle of the corridor and he looked down to meet her gaze, "When you see the Ocean- because I trust that you will… you'll find that you will not be able to look in a mirror without being reminded of it," she slightly jested.
"That you'll always have a little piece of it with you," she brought her hand back to her side and set out to continue walking when he stopped her.
"Hermione."
He brushed the hair away from the side of her face to place his hand on her shoulder, "I... Thank you," he sent her a small smile, eyes crinkling with sincerity.
I- he... Merlin, I think I-
To save face from her rapidly beating heart and star-struck gaze, she forced herself into "Hermione mode"- automatically quoting Shakespeare from memory.
"I speak as my understanding instructs me and as mine honesty puts it to utterance," she began walking forward.
He chuckled at her use of "The Winter's Tale" quote, following after her. She was pleased to find that he had recognized the quote- even despite it being awkwardly translated to Eldian. It was probably due to her extremely zealous spiel about the play during one of their first meetings...
"I can't wait to read it when I'm fluent."
"Trust me. It's much better to watch- Maybe one day- when we've cracked the code, you can travel to my world instead."
"Only if I have you as my guide," he teased, truly doubtful that it would ever get to that, but she could tell he was happy nonetheless.
They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence, twisting and turning till they reached a room only Armin truly knew.
When they reached their destination, Armin opened the door for her. She nodded to him in thanks and found herself in company with the usual suspects, along with a few more... unfamiliar high-ranking officers in the Scouts.
She was met with their expectant stares.
Merlin, let's just hope we can deliver...
Author's Note:
Hopefully, Armin and Hermione's interactions don't seem forced or sped up. I want their relationship to be as plausible and natural as possible.
If their relationship seems to be going too fast in a bad way please let me know! To clarify, Hermione has been in Paradis for a little over three weeks at this point, basically a month.
Translations:
Gute Nacht: Good Night
Fräulein: German language honorific for unmarried women, comparable to Miss in English
Herr: German language honorific for a man, corresponding to Mr. or in direct address to Sir
Bestimmt: For sure! (Enthusiastic in a way)
Jawohl: Absolutely, Affirmative, and/or Yes sir!
Ohne Zweifel: Without a doubt
Lehrer: teacher
You can start requesting Armione one shots for me to do, I've already posted two on my ao3 account and my Tumblr (both of which use the same username as my FFN acc)
I have the Tumblr (where I will and do post additional info, one-shots, and memes for this fic) and my Pinterest board for Hermione linked in my bio:)
I also don't want to seem pushy, but I really love reading comments and reviews, so if you have the chance to do so, I'd love to see them.
Once again, thanks to all that followed, favorited, or reviewed the last chapter. It was great to see! Normally, if you have an account and have left a review, and are wondering about my response→ I send them through PM, so I think you can find them in your emails or Private Messaging Inbox.
Hope you enjoyed!