Chapter 1
Anxiety
So far, Hermione had not flunked up a single exam, obtaining at least 117% on every single one, and exactly 135% on her favourite subject of all, Transfiguration. During the last exam in the latter subject she was asked to turn a water fountain into an archerfish, which she managed with flying colours by creating several dozen archerfish with one swish of her faithful wand.
She had promised to meet Harry and Ron at the Tickleswitch University Café for lunch so she swiftly made her way there, her silk black cloak sweeping the floor behind her.
Hermione Granger had certainly changed since leaving Hogwart's School. She was slim and very pretty. Presently, she entered the café and scanned the darkened café for her friends. Her attention was diverted to a corner seat when she heard a familiar, hoarse laugh. She smiled to herself as she spotted Harry and Ron laughing ferociously as usual.
"Hello!" she said cheerfully as she approached the table situated under a dim side-lamp on the brick wall. She liked the little café. It was comfortable and studious - or it had been until she heard the laughter. "How did your exams go this morning?"
"Terrific!" Rob replied enthusiastically. "Professor Cranston made the tank of enchanted seaweed explode and it spilled out all over Draco. He seems a bit lost without Crabbe and Goyle."
Hermione shuffled onto the seat next to Harry. She laughed with them, remembering how gutted Draco had been when his 'best pals' had not got into the University.
"You seem quiet Harry," Hermione said, staring into Harry's face. He seemed reserved, like he was hiding something precious. Although he had laughed many times, he didn't seem to be happy.
"I - those tests were very stressful," Harry replied finally. "I don't know how I'll cope next time."
Hermione nodded. She couldn't say she knew the feeling.
Here, I will take the time out to describe just how different she was now, in her early twenties. Her hair was straight and cropped at shoulder length. She was wearing a black and white striped top under her unfastened cloak, and a pencil skirt that shone black. She was taller now - the same height as Harry, and he was quite tall for his age. "I think we should all go out tonight, to take our mind off things, " Ron suggested. He sipped from a glass of pumpkin juice.
"Take our minds off what?" Hermione said, quite confused.
"Well, the exam stress."
"What exam stress?"
There was a short silence after that, in which Harry reached for his pumpkin juice and knocked the glass off the table, splashing it everywhere. Luckily, Hermione cleaned up the mess with a flick of her wand and another pumpkin juice was brought to the table.
"OK, well, where shall we go?" Hermione asked. There seemed to be a lot of uncomfortable silences at present.
Ron pondered for a moment. Why don't we go and practice Quidditch at the club for a while?"
Hermione wasn't quite Quidditch-mad, but she nodded and her gaze settled on Harry, as she waited for him to jump up excitedly in agreement. He didn't. He was stroking the petals of a bunch of camellias which were set in a vase in the centre of the table. He obviously hadn't been paying attention.
"Harry? Harry?" Hermione uttered, astonished that he hadn't caught up on the word 'Quidditch'. "HARRY?"
Here, Harry jumped involuntarily.
"I get the point. No need to shout," he snapped.
"What's the matter with you?" Ron asked, annoyed at his friend's behaviour. They stared for a while, trying to suss each other out. Hermione was taken aback slightly by the whole situation. Harry was never depressed. Yet she could see heavy bags under his eyes, which were peering wearily and tiredly at Ron's face. Come to think of it, he'd been quiet for the past few days. But now his silence seemed more profound. She could sense the uneasy aura around him. She sighed.
"Harry, if there's something bothering you, you know you can always tell us anything," she said gently, laying a hand on his sleeve. He looked into her calming eyes. "I know," he replied after a while. "I know I can tell you anything I want to, but there's -" Here, he paused, and then sighed and continued. "- There's really nothing wrong. So you can just sit back a little and stop pestering me. I'm fine."
Again, there was that intense silence. It seemed like the whole café had suddenly frozen in mid-sentence, and their movements had been reduced to slow motion. The usual clinking of teacups and the clatter of crocks ceased temporarily. Hermione and Ron kept glancing restlessly at each other in their anxiety. Finally, Hermione spoke:
"There's no point in us sitting here doing nothing. We should find something constructive to do."
"Like what?" Ron asked. It was obvious he was nervous and had lost all interest in everything around him. He kept fidgeting in his seat, and fingering the serrated edge of a knife in the crocks basket, and staring at his reflection in the vase of flowers then looking up and scanning the room momentarily.
"We should get some revision in while we have the chance -"
Ron sighed and Hermione stopped.
"But it would help a lot with the upcoming exams," Hermione said argumentatively. "And I think you two need to take your mind off things."
Harry snapped out of a daze and looked up as if he had just woken up from a long sleep and realised he'd missed out on something important.
"I don't feel like revising," he moaned.
"Stop snivelling," Hermione replied. She didn't mean it to be offending, as she spoke softly, looking down at him onto the top of his head, which was now resting comfortably in his folded arms across the table. "Besides, I think you need a little help."
She stood up meaningfully, showing them she wasn't giving them an option.
"Come on," she said promptly, signalling with her hands. "Let's go to the library."
Harry rose rapidly.
"I've got to get my things from my flat," he explained, although Hermione was suspicious. Without waiting for a reply he strolled off too quick for normal. Ron and Hermione watched after him, their curiosity and nerves increasing.
"But he had all his class books and assignments with him this morning," Ron mused, half to himself, half informing his friend if she cared to listen. She shrugged.
"We'd better get a move on if we intend to meet him at the library in time."
They left the café at a stroll, carrying their bags on their backs, and disappeared into the crowds of Tickleswitch University.
Anxiety
So far, Hermione had not flunked up a single exam, obtaining at least 117% on every single one, and exactly 135% on her favourite subject of all, Transfiguration. During the last exam in the latter subject she was asked to turn a water fountain into an archerfish, which she managed with flying colours by creating several dozen archerfish with one swish of her faithful wand.
She had promised to meet Harry and Ron at the Tickleswitch University Café for lunch so she swiftly made her way there, her silk black cloak sweeping the floor behind her.
Hermione Granger had certainly changed since leaving Hogwart's School. She was slim and very pretty. Presently, she entered the café and scanned the darkened café for her friends. Her attention was diverted to a corner seat when she heard a familiar, hoarse laugh. She smiled to herself as she spotted Harry and Ron laughing ferociously as usual.
"Hello!" she said cheerfully as she approached the table situated under a dim side-lamp on the brick wall. She liked the little café. It was comfortable and studious - or it had been until she heard the laughter. "How did your exams go this morning?"
"Terrific!" Rob replied enthusiastically. "Professor Cranston made the tank of enchanted seaweed explode and it spilled out all over Draco. He seems a bit lost without Crabbe and Goyle."
Hermione shuffled onto the seat next to Harry. She laughed with them, remembering how gutted Draco had been when his 'best pals' had not got into the University.
"You seem quiet Harry," Hermione said, staring into Harry's face. He seemed reserved, like he was hiding something precious. Although he had laughed many times, he didn't seem to be happy.
"I - those tests were very stressful," Harry replied finally. "I don't know how I'll cope next time."
Hermione nodded. She couldn't say she knew the feeling.
Here, I will take the time out to describe just how different she was now, in her early twenties. Her hair was straight and cropped at shoulder length. She was wearing a black and white striped top under her unfastened cloak, and a pencil skirt that shone black. She was taller now - the same height as Harry, and he was quite tall for his age. "I think we should all go out tonight, to take our mind off things, " Ron suggested. He sipped from a glass of pumpkin juice.
"Take our minds off what?" Hermione said, quite confused.
"Well, the exam stress."
"What exam stress?"
There was a short silence after that, in which Harry reached for his pumpkin juice and knocked the glass off the table, splashing it everywhere. Luckily, Hermione cleaned up the mess with a flick of her wand and another pumpkin juice was brought to the table.
"OK, well, where shall we go?" Hermione asked. There seemed to be a lot of uncomfortable silences at present.
Ron pondered for a moment. Why don't we go and practice Quidditch at the club for a while?"
Hermione wasn't quite Quidditch-mad, but she nodded and her gaze settled on Harry, as she waited for him to jump up excitedly in agreement. He didn't. He was stroking the petals of a bunch of camellias which were set in a vase in the centre of the table. He obviously hadn't been paying attention.
"Harry? Harry?" Hermione uttered, astonished that he hadn't caught up on the word 'Quidditch'. "HARRY?"
Here, Harry jumped involuntarily.
"I get the point. No need to shout," he snapped.
"What's the matter with you?" Ron asked, annoyed at his friend's behaviour. They stared for a while, trying to suss each other out. Hermione was taken aback slightly by the whole situation. Harry was never depressed. Yet she could see heavy bags under his eyes, which were peering wearily and tiredly at Ron's face. Come to think of it, he'd been quiet for the past few days. But now his silence seemed more profound. She could sense the uneasy aura around him. She sighed.
"Harry, if there's something bothering you, you know you can always tell us anything," she said gently, laying a hand on his sleeve. He looked into her calming eyes. "I know," he replied after a while. "I know I can tell you anything I want to, but there's -" Here, he paused, and then sighed and continued. "- There's really nothing wrong. So you can just sit back a little and stop pestering me. I'm fine."
Again, there was that intense silence. It seemed like the whole café had suddenly frozen in mid-sentence, and their movements had been reduced to slow motion. The usual clinking of teacups and the clatter of crocks ceased temporarily. Hermione and Ron kept glancing restlessly at each other in their anxiety. Finally, Hermione spoke:
"There's no point in us sitting here doing nothing. We should find something constructive to do."
"Like what?" Ron asked. It was obvious he was nervous and had lost all interest in everything around him. He kept fidgeting in his seat, and fingering the serrated edge of a knife in the crocks basket, and staring at his reflection in the vase of flowers then looking up and scanning the room momentarily.
"We should get some revision in while we have the chance -"
Ron sighed and Hermione stopped.
"But it would help a lot with the upcoming exams," Hermione said argumentatively. "And I think you two need to take your mind off things."
Harry snapped out of a daze and looked up as if he had just woken up from a long sleep and realised he'd missed out on something important.
"I don't feel like revising," he moaned.
"Stop snivelling," Hermione replied. She didn't mean it to be offending, as she spoke softly, looking down at him onto the top of his head, which was now resting comfortably in his folded arms across the table. "Besides, I think you need a little help."
She stood up meaningfully, showing them she wasn't giving them an option.
"Come on," she said promptly, signalling with her hands. "Let's go to the library."
Harry rose rapidly.
"I've got to get my things from my flat," he explained, although Hermione was suspicious. Without waiting for a reply he strolled off too quick for normal. Ron and Hermione watched after him, their curiosity and nerves increasing.
"But he had all his class books and assignments with him this morning," Ron mused, half to himself, half informing his friend if she cared to listen. She shrugged.
"We'd better get a move on if we intend to meet him at the library in time."
They left the café at a stroll, carrying their bags on their backs, and disappeared into the crowds of Tickleswitch University.