Disclaimers, notes, ratings: see part one.
A/N: Thanks so much for all the feedback, guys – that's the best response I've ever gotten for a single chapter! You're all wonderful – I hope this lives up to your expectations.
Self-Hatching Chocolate Eggs go out to my Beta – the marvelously brilliant Courtney. Thanks, Chica – I owe you!
~August~
A Dreadful Beginning
Monday 28 August~
Hair bushiness (on
scale of 0 – 10): 5 (blech). School
assignments completed: 2. Hours spent
on study: 4 (fair). Chocolate eggs
consumed: 2 (but they were gifts, so would have been rude to refuse). Number of times tempted to hit Ron over head
with `Hogwarts – a History': 12.
11 am: Ugh.
Classes arranged this semester so that I have a brief break before
lunch. Should be reviewing `Wizarding
Wonders of the 5th Century' for History of Magic, but I'd rather hide. Harry and Ron are behaving abominably. Actually, Harry's not so bad – he just
wanders around, looking rather lost next to that long redheaded streak (Ron has
gotten quite a bit taller over the summer, if that were even possible). I wonder if he is being reminded of Cedric
and You-Know-Who, now that he is back at Hogwarts. I tried to talk to him about
it, but of course he said, "I'm fine," and then became completely
absorbed in mending his quill nub. It's
so annoying. And Ron – he's the real
problem. Every time I look up lately
he's watching me. It's very unsettling,
that look. Like I'm sort of a chess
problem he's trying to work out. Have
the terrible feeling he's plotting something.
I asked him about it, and he nearly bit my head off.
"Stop it!"
He blinked as if
against a bright light. "Er –
what?"
"Looking at me!
What – do I have something in my hair?"
"What on Earth
are you talking about, Hermione?" he asked a bit grumpily. He did, however, seem to wince when I
mentioned my hair. Oh dear.
"Since the
station yesterday – you've been watching me. You'd better not be up to
anything, Ron Weasley, or I'll—"
His face tuned red
with anger. "I'm not up to
anything. I don't know what you're
talking about. Now, if you don't *mind*,
I'm trying to listen to Professor Binns."
Which is ridiculous
because he's never listened to a word Profession Binns has said in his entire Hogwarts
career.
Ugh. Will ignore Ron for the rest of the
day. Annoying prat.
3 pm: Neville has given me belated birthday
present, during Herbology. I think that
class might just make him a bit bolder than usual - but he still blushed quite
a bit.
"Hermione!"
I started and nearly
fell off my stool. Neville stood next
to me, shuffling his feet and looking nervous.
"Yes,
Neville?"
"I…erm…I forgot
to give you your birthday present earlier.
Um…here," he said quickly, thrusting a small, brightly wrapped
package into my hands.
Next to me, Harry and
Ron stopped talking.
"Oh…oh,
well…thanks. That's very sweet of you
to remember, Neville," I replied.
Ron looked over the
top of Harry's head to my end of the bench.
"What did you get her, Neville?" he asked curiously – the
great interfering twit.
Neville blushed pink
all the way across his chubby face, and looked intently at his feet. Curious as well (well, who wouldn't be? And
I *adore* prezzies, after all!), I tore open the wrapping paper.
"Wicked!"
Ron offered, "Frizzy Friller's Self-Hatching Chocolate Eggs!"
I shot a glare at
him, and he suddenly remembered that we were not presently on speaking
terms. Harry piped in with, "Good
call, Neville – Hermione loves those!"
Oh, hoo-*rah*. "Yeah…this is marvelous, Neville. Thank
you."
He nodded bashfully,
muttered a `Happy Birthday', and went back to his workbench. I gazed on the two chocolate eggs in
dismay. Oh dear. First day back in school, and already I'm
contemplating breaking my resolutions.
That simply *will not* do. I'll have to save them – maybe give
them to roommates as expression of goodwill?
8 pm: Sod the roommates. Have eaten both chocolate eggs in fit of
self-pity. Friends are uncaring and
mean. After a miserable day spent ignoring
*him*, decided to retire to the Common Room for some study,
conversation, and maybe a good chess match.
He didn't ask
me. He didn't even *ask*. And *I* certainly wasn't going to
bend over backwards to make things easy for him, so I turned to Harry for help.
Harry looked between
the two of us. Ron was very studiously
avoiding our gaze, and was instead wiping imaginary dust from his chessboard.
Harry shrugged helplessly.
Fine. Ron can just go ahead and be that way. See
if I care!
It wasn't as if I was
feeling teary because of him, anyway.
It was just I was absolutely exhausted all of a sudden – it *is*
the first day of classes, after all.
And I didn't run out of the Common Room because I was upset,
either. I just don't see any use in lollygagging
when you've a specific destination in mind.
When I got up to my
room, the two chocolate eggs were resting temptingly in their bright foil
wrappers. They looked very cozy tucked
in the jumper Mrs. Weasley had made me last year. As everybody knows, Self-Hatching Eggs need a nice warm
environment to hatch in or else they'll sour.
Through experimentation I've discovered that Weasley jumpers are capable
of producing exactly the temperature required.
After a great deal of
shaking, the first one burst open and a tiny model of Padraig Moondust
serenaded me with a high-pitched rendition of `Happy Birthday'. Wonderful luck - Padraig Moondust is the
last singer I needed to complete my collection of Wizard Musicians of the
1970's. How incredibly thoughtful of
Neville to get it for me (though, I suppose, it was more luck than anything
else on his part, as well)! Much more
thoughtful than *some* people I could mention.
Second egg hatched as
well. A white knight on an armored
war-horse trotted onto the bed, looking annoyingly perky. The knight flipped up his visor and gave me
cheerful miniature smile. This, of
course, made me burst into tears *again*. I sniffled a bit and popped a piece of the chocolate eggshell in
my mouth. And another. Then pulled paperback copy of 'Enchanted
Rendezvous' out from under my mattress – the passionately embracing couple
on the cover looked at me curiously and then went back to snogging.
Stupid, horrible day.
Oh – look. There's
one more piece of chocolate.
Well, perhaps things will
look better tomorrow.
TBC…
Review?
