Black Rider
Mae and Ducky
Disclaimer -- See my stuff? Neither do I. Even the plot belongs to my friend - I am just this baby's surrogate mother.
From now on there is a Department of Potions Affairs.
Ah! Reviewers, I LOVE you!
~5 -- Flowers at the Ministry -- 5~
The rest of the week dragged by slowly, littered with calls from Ron and arguments with Severus, leading up to one of the worst weeks Hermione had had in a long time.
She walked into room 23, labeled 'Potions Testing', wishing she were back in bed. The day before, Wednesday, she and Severus had to stay until the wee hours of the morning to get their work done, and she'd barely gotten to sleep before her alarm clock was exploding in her ear again.
Severus didn't stir when the door was slammed moodily behind her, nor did he turn or make any sign to acknowledge he was aware of her entering.
She ignored him, making straight for the back of the room, to where her potions were stored, gazing into the large cauldron as she walked past.
Her robes had creases all over them, and her slightly bushy hair was worse then ever, as she had not taken time that morning to tidy up too much. Having slept in her robes might've had something to do with it.
She noticed her pocket felt odd, and she reached her hand into it, pulling out her wand. The other pocket was empty.
Did she have anything in her pockets? She couldn't remember. Really, she couldn't remember much from the past few days, except how much they sucked. She didn't even have it in her to get ready for the race tonight, much less participate in it.
She sighed and turned back to her potion.
~*~
Severus turned around after monitoring his potions activity for a few minutes, and prepared to add the next ingredient to the main potion.
By the large cauldron was a lone table, on which sat a parchment in quill. They had decided to make the checklist after the girl nearly added another pint of toads blood not two seconds after he had.
He crossed out the next ingredient on the list and added it swiftly, checking the clock to make sure he stirred it in at precisely twenty-eight hours and fifty-two minutes since the last ingredient.
As he made to turn back to his table his eye caught on something black, lying behind the cauldron on the floor.
He walked around the cauldron, his eyes fixed on the black lumps now lying in front of him, and gingerly prodded them with the end of his wand. He picked them up and turned them over in his hands - gloves. Black leather gloves. And they were quite small.
He turned to look at Miss Granger, who had her back to him, and was meddling with the ingredients around her.
In an instant he was next to her, and he prodded her slightly in the back with his wand, which he had in his left hand.
She winced, and brought a hand up to her back, and turned to look around at him, her glare cold as ice.
"I barely touched you," He said flatly, raising the gloves to her eye view.
"I have a bruise," She said coldly, eyeing the gloves he was now shoving into her face. "What are those? Why are you over here?"
He sighed impatiently. "These were on the floor, and I merely assumed that since you and I are the only people who enter this room that they were yours, as they are not mine, and I decided, out of kindness of my heart, to bring them over to you instead of pitching them into the garbage bin."
She ignored his comment and ripped the gloves out of his hand, eyeing him oddly.
"My gloves?" She said softly, now turning them over in her hands.
"Yes, well, I guess so. You're welcome."
She managed to throw him a dirty look before he turned and walked hastily off to his own set of potions.
For the millionth time that week, he had felt a sense of recognition when looking into her eyes. yes, yes, having taught the girl seven years of their lives would warrant that, but it was something else, something that he couldn't quite place.
And those gloves. he had only seen black leather gloves like that in one place previous, and that place was - but no. That would be ludicrous. They were sold everywhere, any person could have black leather gloves.
He tried, once again, to push those absurd thoughts out of his mind, and get back to the potions before him.
~*~
Hermione absentmindedly brought her hand up to her back again, barely touching the cloth covering her back as she traced the bruise on her back, courtesy of the last Unicorn Race.
She reached her hand into her pocket, and brought out her gloves again, wondering for the upteenth time why they would have been on the floor of her work place.
"Of course!" She cried aloud, and immediately threw her hand over her mouth. She knew that Severus was looking at her, and threw her gloves back into her pocket.
Of course! She thought, as she tried to stuff the gloves so they weren't visible. She had stuck them in her new robe after the last time she had raced. the race when she had first noticed Severus. Where he had almost noticed her.
She gasped, barely audible, and turned to look at Severus, who's back was facing her.
She had almost completely forgotten! She groaned slightly, finally remembering everything that had happened last Saturday night. He wouldn't be able to recognize her, would he? She turned back around to stare at Severus, as though that might give her the answers. The gloves. his gaze had lingered on the gloves. he couldn't have recognized those either, could he? It's not as if she had dumped her entire black riding wardrobe in front of him, along with a sign pointing to her back saying 'MY BRUISE CAME FROM BEING ATTACKED IN THE UNICORN RACE', but Severus wasn't stupid. and if he had seriously been watching the races every time she was there.
Her mind felt like exploding, and by the time the clock read ten till the end of their early work day she felt like collapsing onto the floor and sleeping there until tomorrow.
But before the day could end peacefully, there was a loud rapping at the door. Severus, who was closest, strode over to it and pulled it open, obviously not expecting the man who appeared behind the door.
Severus didn't mutter a 'hello' or even a 'what do you want', but just stared plainly, as the man with flaming red hair gaped at him.
"Pro-Professor Snape?" Ron said loudly, openly gaping at him.
"Ron?" Hermione said incredulously, swiveling around to face the doorway, her sealed potion tight in her arms. "Ron - what are you doing here?"
Ron looked from Snape, who was still holding the door, intending to slam it in his face, to Hermione, who's welcoming look wasn't nearly as friendly as Severus'.
"Hermione!" Ron said, trying to smile, still eyeing Severus out of the corner of his eye. "What is he- oh, nevermind - I brought you flowers!" He widened his smile hopefully as he lifted the bunch of slightly wilted orange flowers into the air in front of him.
Realizing that Ron was a plague that wasn't about to leave anytime soon, Snape left the door, and walked back to his potion, to continue putting it away.
Looking relieved that Snape had left his vicinity, Ron stepped forward, the flowers still raised.
"Nice. office thingy. you got here." He said slowly, looking around, trying a bit too obviously to start up a conversation.
Severus, who was now beside Hermione as they both stored their potions, snorted.
Hermione narrowed her eyes and accidentally swung her cauldron around, catching him in the side.
He staggered slightly, and a vile that he was holding slipped from his grasp and smashed on the ground, sending fly eyes rolling across the floor.
She may not like Ron at that moment, but it didn't mean he could laugh at him with her.
Severus turned and glared at her, and for a minute they stood, jaws set and eyes narrowed, as Ron stood uncomfortably in the doorway.
"Oops," Hermione said quietly, glancing at the vile. "Well, I'll leave you to clean this up, then, shall I?"
She turned around and began walking to her bag, and heard a thud, and felt a sharp pain shoot through her body.
Her hand flew up to her back, which had been violated, and glared icily at the back of Severus' head, as he wasn't facing her, but standing innocently, messing with the ingredients.
She purposely walked past him hurriedly, and threw her bag with all her might (which contained two or three books, notes, and a few quills) at Severus.
She nearly ran out of the room, past Ron, who was staring quizzically at her, and still holding up the flowers.
Hoping to evade the both of them, she ran to the lift and waited impatiently for the memos to zoom in.
Unfortunately, Ron had run, and was now running into the lift.
"Hermione!" He said, slightly breathless, and held out the flowers, which had lost quite a few petals. "Wait-!"
She sighed, leaning back, sadly accepting the cruel fate which awaited her.
"I just wanted to say -" He took in a deep breath and straightened himself, barely avoiding getting a few of the zooming memos in his face. "That I am really sorry about the last time I saw you -" He held up the flowers, and Hermione reluctantly took them, watching the orange petals fall to the floor as he had thrust them towards her. "And I wanted to know if you could please forgive me?" He smiled pathetically, and Hermione looked away and sighed.
After waiting a solid minute, in which the doors opened, memos zoomed, people left and came, he finally said quickly, "And I was wondering if you would come with me and Harry to tonight's Unicorn Race." He winced, obviously expecting her to blow up or something of the sort.
She eyed him wearily. "Harry won't come,"
"Of course he will! He already bought the three of us tickets - lucky you get off work just in time for the races -"
"Of course he won't! He spends time alone whenever he can - who cares if he's already bought himself a ticket! He has enough money to buy all the tickets, and still not care. And besides! I still haven't forgiven you."
He looked sadly at her again, and she couldn't help but feel incredibly sorry for him. Damn her sympathy!
She had wanted to just sit down and watch a race for once. And watching a race wouldn't require her having to talk to him at all. and she was so tired.
"Well, all right." She said slowly, and his face brightened immediately. "I hope the races are as exciting to watch as everyone says they are."
~*~
They entered the arena, and Hermione made a beeline for the seats closest to the track, and to the Racers entrance. The tickets gave you the area in which you had to sit, but the exact location in the section you got to sit in you chose.
She stared avidly down at the entrance that she was normally looking up from, sitting upon her beast friend, Serendipity.
Currently, however, none of the racers were positioned. Of course not, she told herself as she looked down at her watch. This was the time she normally got into the stables herself.
Ron took the seat next to the railings, and Hermione felt slightly angry. She had wanted that spot. She took the seat next to him and stared forward, feeling thoroughly excited. Oh well, she thought. I have a perfect view from right here.
They were in the front row, and not very many people were there. Many people were piling in around them now, however.
Hermione looked forward, sorting through memories of races, and injuries she had had. She looked right in front of her. Just last Saturday, she had fallen off Serendipity right there.
All the while Ron tried to explain the races.
"And they come out there, and the first one to do fifty laps wins, and each rider can do anything she wants to get the other riders out of the race, so long as it isn't by magic, and there are a couple riders that come back every Thursday, because Thursday's races are normal. On Saturday night, however, there is a special rule. Every Saturday this rule changes, and it's almost always something different - Last Saturday everyone in the crowd could use their wands on the track, but that wasn't too fun - all the riders basically were swept away in the first minute - really short race - The Black Rider won that race, too, have I told you about her? She's a rider that always wears black, no one knows what she looks like - in fact, last Saturday was the first time I even heard her speak -"
Hermione tried desperately to ignore him, and to keep herself from screaming 'I KNOW!' in his face. She tried to look as though this was news to her, and nodded, and tried to hold back a grin as he told her the wonders of the Black Rider.
Finally she could see the Riders coming out into the entrance, and tried desperately to lean over Ron to check out the people she would have been competing with. It was very hard to try and lean over Ron without touching him, as it seemed to make him feel uncomfortable in a slightly disturbing way.
Lastly the announcer came on, to explain the rules of the race.
"See that one down there? Who has the garments over the Unicorn? They usually have foreign competitors in the Thursday's races. Now he's naming each one of the riders - they don't do that in Saturday's races, they just give you what that Saturday's rule is and then they get on with it - Oh, I don't believe it!"
Hermione, who was just about to tell Ron to shut up so she could hear the commentator, heard the entire crowd, almost as one, groan and shout complaints.
"What is it? What is it?" She said urgently, looking around frantically. She was looking forward to her small vacation - hopefully the race wasn't canceled or anything.
"He's just told us the Black Rider hasn't showed up - for the second Thursday in a row! I can't believe it - I really wanted you to see her too, Hermione, she's an amazing rider - All the bets are on her, I tell you. She's what makes the races interesting -"
Hermione tried desperately to keep her face hidden from him.
Suddenly she whipped her head back around. "Ron!" She hissed. "Where's Harry!"
He looked around too, unnecessarily, and shrugged. "I dunno, I guess you were right - I'm sorry about that - he didn't miss anything though, I tell ya - any race that doesn't have the Black Rider can't be a good one."
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows, wondering what Harry could possibly say in his defense now.
"And that's not all! Another good rider, Arianna Flasts, didn't show up. It's just a bunch of foreigners and amateur riders today." Ron folded his arms, looking thoroughly upset.
She turned her head to her right, away from Ron and the Riders' entrance, and caught a figure rushing down the walkway in her direction.
Before it registered to her to turn away, she was staring Severus Snape in the face, for the millionth time in a week.
She looked in front of her, where the riders were lined up at the line, and realized with a feeling of dread where exactly she was. She felt like hitting her head - this was the spot where Severus was always standing when watching the races! Of course she would run into him - but after gazing at her and Ron quizzically, he turned forward, to the riders, and a look of disappointment flooded his features. Hermione gazed at the riders, wondering what he was looking at and thinking about, but then she heard the wand blast - and the riders were off.
This, she thought, as she watched the riders gallop around, constantly getting into fights, being thrown off. this had to be what Harry and Ron talked about when watching Quidditch.
She was constantly on her feet, yelling at the riders, trying to figure out who was going to last. She wondered painfully why she had not decided to race today - it was aggravating watching these idiots when she could be out there with them, the wind in her face and knocking down the rest of them - and now that she was here her tiredness was completely forgotten. Entering the arena had always had that effect on her.
"Hermione!" Ron cried exasperatedly, pulling Hermione down for the eleventh time. "Sit down - those people are threatening to hex you if you keep getting in the way -"
"To hell with 'em!" She cried, and jumped to her feet again as a woman raced in front of her, about to fall of her unicorn. A woman behind Hermione conjured hands to cover the ears of a little girl sitting next to her, and looked up at Hermione venomously.
"Hermione!" Ron cried again, pulling on her arms. "You can get kicked out of the arena for this kind of stuff - save it for Saturday's races, you can do anything on Saturday nights. It's almost like a large pub gathered in front of a dog fight then - but now you have to be normal," He gave a yank on her arm and she flew backwards onto her seat.
She glared at Ron, and massaged her back, which had hit the metal part of the seat. Determined not to look any more at the track and the idiots riding on it, she turned her gaze to Severus - who was standing on the walkway, which was a couple steps lower then the first row of seats. He was leaning over it, his arms folded, the same appearance as he'd had the last time she'd seen him here properly.
Her attention was suddenly diverted as a pair of women hurtled past, engaged in a somewhat sissy fight to throw each other off their Unicorns.
Hermione, enraged by their lack of tactics, stood in an instant and shouted - "Grab her leg! Lift it and push her off - The leg! The leg! Grab the l-"
Ron yanked her arm again, and hissed in her ear, "That guard over there is staring at you, along with the rest of the crowd, and not to mention a few riders. Now, I'm sure what you're shouting is very important, but they are the riders and you are not, so-" Hermione snorted. "So, unless you want us both to be kicked out and banned for a good long time, could you please shut up?!"
"That's not a bad idea," A cold voice floated over the din, and Hermione snapped her head around. Severus hadn't turned around.
"Excuse me?" She said loudly, ripping Ron's hand off of her arm.
"I said, for those of you who are hearing and mentally impaired, that that's not a bad idea."
Hermione stood, jumped down the couple stairs to the railing, and slapped her left hand on the cold metal.
"Tormenting me and my friends at school was one thing - and making my life hell at work is another, but in my every day life can you not just leave me be?"
"If you think," He said coldly, still not turning away from the track. "That my comment pertained to that idiot's comment, then you are mistaken. I was referring to the riding tactic you were screaming out loud, just now."
Hermione closed her open mouth, and stared for a few seconds. She could feel her grip on the railing loosening and her face slightly flush. Fortunately, she was saved the opportunity to further her appearance as an idiot as Severus turned his head slightly and said,
"Have you been to many other races, Miss Granger?"
She had no clue how to answer that.
"I've. I've. been to many, yes."
"So have I." He turned around to face her completely now. "And I haven't once seen you here before."
~*~
Tell me you love it, please! And tell me any ideas that you might have for 'Saturdays Specials' rules. my list isn't to grand, and I want variety, you know, so I can kind of pick the Special rule to match the occasion, and such.
Mehehehehehe. I LOVE this story! ^^
Mae and Ducky
Disclaimer -- See my stuff? Neither do I. Even the plot belongs to my friend - I am just this baby's surrogate mother.
From now on there is a Department of Potions Affairs.
Ah! Reviewers, I LOVE you!
~5 -- Flowers at the Ministry -- 5~
The rest of the week dragged by slowly, littered with calls from Ron and arguments with Severus, leading up to one of the worst weeks Hermione had had in a long time.
She walked into room 23, labeled 'Potions Testing', wishing she were back in bed. The day before, Wednesday, she and Severus had to stay until the wee hours of the morning to get their work done, and she'd barely gotten to sleep before her alarm clock was exploding in her ear again.
Severus didn't stir when the door was slammed moodily behind her, nor did he turn or make any sign to acknowledge he was aware of her entering.
She ignored him, making straight for the back of the room, to where her potions were stored, gazing into the large cauldron as she walked past.
Her robes had creases all over them, and her slightly bushy hair was worse then ever, as she had not taken time that morning to tidy up too much. Having slept in her robes might've had something to do with it.
She noticed her pocket felt odd, and she reached her hand into it, pulling out her wand. The other pocket was empty.
Did she have anything in her pockets? She couldn't remember. Really, she couldn't remember much from the past few days, except how much they sucked. She didn't even have it in her to get ready for the race tonight, much less participate in it.
She sighed and turned back to her potion.
~*~
Severus turned around after monitoring his potions activity for a few minutes, and prepared to add the next ingredient to the main potion.
By the large cauldron was a lone table, on which sat a parchment in quill. They had decided to make the checklist after the girl nearly added another pint of toads blood not two seconds after he had.
He crossed out the next ingredient on the list and added it swiftly, checking the clock to make sure he stirred it in at precisely twenty-eight hours and fifty-two minutes since the last ingredient.
As he made to turn back to his table his eye caught on something black, lying behind the cauldron on the floor.
He walked around the cauldron, his eyes fixed on the black lumps now lying in front of him, and gingerly prodded them with the end of his wand. He picked them up and turned them over in his hands - gloves. Black leather gloves. And they were quite small.
He turned to look at Miss Granger, who had her back to him, and was meddling with the ingredients around her.
In an instant he was next to her, and he prodded her slightly in the back with his wand, which he had in his left hand.
She winced, and brought a hand up to her back, and turned to look around at him, her glare cold as ice.
"I barely touched you," He said flatly, raising the gloves to her eye view.
"I have a bruise," She said coldly, eyeing the gloves he was now shoving into her face. "What are those? Why are you over here?"
He sighed impatiently. "These were on the floor, and I merely assumed that since you and I are the only people who enter this room that they were yours, as they are not mine, and I decided, out of kindness of my heart, to bring them over to you instead of pitching them into the garbage bin."
She ignored his comment and ripped the gloves out of his hand, eyeing him oddly.
"My gloves?" She said softly, now turning them over in her hands.
"Yes, well, I guess so. You're welcome."
She managed to throw him a dirty look before he turned and walked hastily off to his own set of potions.
For the millionth time that week, he had felt a sense of recognition when looking into her eyes. yes, yes, having taught the girl seven years of their lives would warrant that, but it was something else, something that he couldn't quite place.
And those gloves. he had only seen black leather gloves like that in one place previous, and that place was - but no. That would be ludicrous. They were sold everywhere, any person could have black leather gloves.
He tried, once again, to push those absurd thoughts out of his mind, and get back to the potions before him.
~*~
Hermione absentmindedly brought her hand up to her back again, barely touching the cloth covering her back as she traced the bruise on her back, courtesy of the last Unicorn Race.
She reached her hand into her pocket, and brought out her gloves again, wondering for the upteenth time why they would have been on the floor of her work place.
"Of course!" She cried aloud, and immediately threw her hand over her mouth. She knew that Severus was looking at her, and threw her gloves back into her pocket.
Of course! She thought, as she tried to stuff the gloves so they weren't visible. She had stuck them in her new robe after the last time she had raced. the race when she had first noticed Severus. Where he had almost noticed her.
She gasped, barely audible, and turned to look at Severus, who's back was facing her.
She had almost completely forgotten! She groaned slightly, finally remembering everything that had happened last Saturday night. He wouldn't be able to recognize her, would he? She turned back around to stare at Severus, as though that might give her the answers. The gloves. his gaze had lingered on the gloves. he couldn't have recognized those either, could he? It's not as if she had dumped her entire black riding wardrobe in front of him, along with a sign pointing to her back saying 'MY BRUISE CAME FROM BEING ATTACKED IN THE UNICORN RACE', but Severus wasn't stupid. and if he had seriously been watching the races every time she was there.
Her mind felt like exploding, and by the time the clock read ten till the end of their early work day she felt like collapsing onto the floor and sleeping there until tomorrow.
But before the day could end peacefully, there was a loud rapping at the door. Severus, who was closest, strode over to it and pulled it open, obviously not expecting the man who appeared behind the door.
Severus didn't mutter a 'hello' or even a 'what do you want', but just stared plainly, as the man with flaming red hair gaped at him.
"Pro-Professor Snape?" Ron said loudly, openly gaping at him.
"Ron?" Hermione said incredulously, swiveling around to face the doorway, her sealed potion tight in her arms. "Ron - what are you doing here?"
Ron looked from Snape, who was still holding the door, intending to slam it in his face, to Hermione, who's welcoming look wasn't nearly as friendly as Severus'.
"Hermione!" Ron said, trying to smile, still eyeing Severus out of the corner of his eye. "What is he- oh, nevermind - I brought you flowers!" He widened his smile hopefully as he lifted the bunch of slightly wilted orange flowers into the air in front of him.
Realizing that Ron was a plague that wasn't about to leave anytime soon, Snape left the door, and walked back to his potion, to continue putting it away.
Looking relieved that Snape had left his vicinity, Ron stepped forward, the flowers still raised.
"Nice. office thingy. you got here." He said slowly, looking around, trying a bit too obviously to start up a conversation.
Severus, who was now beside Hermione as they both stored their potions, snorted.
Hermione narrowed her eyes and accidentally swung her cauldron around, catching him in the side.
He staggered slightly, and a vile that he was holding slipped from his grasp and smashed on the ground, sending fly eyes rolling across the floor.
She may not like Ron at that moment, but it didn't mean he could laugh at him with her.
Severus turned and glared at her, and for a minute they stood, jaws set and eyes narrowed, as Ron stood uncomfortably in the doorway.
"Oops," Hermione said quietly, glancing at the vile. "Well, I'll leave you to clean this up, then, shall I?"
She turned around and began walking to her bag, and heard a thud, and felt a sharp pain shoot through her body.
Her hand flew up to her back, which had been violated, and glared icily at the back of Severus' head, as he wasn't facing her, but standing innocently, messing with the ingredients.
She purposely walked past him hurriedly, and threw her bag with all her might (which contained two or three books, notes, and a few quills) at Severus.
She nearly ran out of the room, past Ron, who was staring quizzically at her, and still holding up the flowers.
Hoping to evade the both of them, she ran to the lift and waited impatiently for the memos to zoom in.
Unfortunately, Ron had run, and was now running into the lift.
"Hermione!" He said, slightly breathless, and held out the flowers, which had lost quite a few petals. "Wait-!"
She sighed, leaning back, sadly accepting the cruel fate which awaited her.
"I just wanted to say -" He took in a deep breath and straightened himself, barely avoiding getting a few of the zooming memos in his face. "That I am really sorry about the last time I saw you -" He held up the flowers, and Hermione reluctantly took them, watching the orange petals fall to the floor as he had thrust them towards her. "And I wanted to know if you could please forgive me?" He smiled pathetically, and Hermione looked away and sighed.
After waiting a solid minute, in which the doors opened, memos zoomed, people left and came, he finally said quickly, "And I was wondering if you would come with me and Harry to tonight's Unicorn Race." He winced, obviously expecting her to blow up or something of the sort.
She eyed him wearily. "Harry won't come,"
"Of course he will! He already bought the three of us tickets - lucky you get off work just in time for the races -"
"Of course he won't! He spends time alone whenever he can - who cares if he's already bought himself a ticket! He has enough money to buy all the tickets, and still not care. And besides! I still haven't forgiven you."
He looked sadly at her again, and she couldn't help but feel incredibly sorry for him. Damn her sympathy!
She had wanted to just sit down and watch a race for once. And watching a race wouldn't require her having to talk to him at all. and she was so tired.
"Well, all right." She said slowly, and his face brightened immediately. "I hope the races are as exciting to watch as everyone says they are."
~*~
They entered the arena, and Hermione made a beeline for the seats closest to the track, and to the Racers entrance. The tickets gave you the area in which you had to sit, but the exact location in the section you got to sit in you chose.
She stared avidly down at the entrance that she was normally looking up from, sitting upon her beast friend, Serendipity.
Currently, however, none of the racers were positioned. Of course not, she told herself as she looked down at her watch. This was the time she normally got into the stables herself.
Ron took the seat next to the railings, and Hermione felt slightly angry. She had wanted that spot. She took the seat next to him and stared forward, feeling thoroughly excited. Oh well, she thought. I have a perfect view from right here.
They were in the front row, and not very many people were there. Many people were piling in around them now, however.
Hermione looked forward, sorting through memories of races, and injuries she had had. She looked right in front of her. Just last Saturday, she had fallen off Serendipity right there.
All the while Ron tried to explain the races.
"And they come out there, and the first one to do fifty laps wins, and each rider can do anything she wants to get the other riders out of the race, so long as it isn't by magic, and there are a couple riders that come back every Thursday, because Thursday's races are normal. On Saturday night, however, there is a special rule. Every Saturday this rule changes, and it's almost always something different - Last Saturday everyone in the crowd could use their wands on the track, but that wasn't too fun - all the riders basically were swept away in the first minute - really short race - The Black Rider won that race, too, have I told you about her? She's a rider that always wears black, no one knows what she looks like - in fact, last Saturday was the first time I even heard her speak -"
Hermione tried desperately to ignore him, and to keep herself from screaming 'I KNOW!' in his face. She tried to look as though this was news to her, and nodded, and tried to hold back a grin as he told her the wonders of the Black Rider.
Finally she could see the Riders coming out into the entrance, and tried desperately to lean over Ron to check out the people she would have been competing with. It was very hard to try and lean over Ron without touching him, as it seemed to make him feel uncomfortable in a slightly disturbing way.
Lastly the announcer came on, to explain the rules of the race.
"See that one down there? Who has the garments over the Unicorn? They usually have foreign competitors in the Thursday's races. Now he's naming each one of the riders - they don't do that in Saturday's races, they just give you what that Saturday's rule is and then they get on with it - Oh, I don't believe it!"
Hermione, who was just about to tell Ron to shut up so she could hear the commentator, heard the entire crowd, almost as one, groan and shout complaints.
"What is it? What is it?" She said urgently, looking around frantically. She was looking forward to her small vacation - hopefully the race wasn't canceled or anything.
"He's just told us the Black Rider hasn't showed up - for the second Thursday in a row! I can't believe it - I really wanted you to see her too, Hermione, she's an amazing rider - All the bets are on her, I tell you. She's what makes the races interesting -"
Hermione tried desperately to keep her face hidden from him.
Suddenly she whipped her head back around. "Ron!" She hissed. "Where's Harry!"
He looked around too, unnecessarily, and shrugged. "I dunno, I guess you were right - I'm sorry about that - he didn't miss anything though, I tell ya - any race that doesn't have the Black Rider can't be a good one."
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows, wondering what Harry could possibly say in his defense now.
"And that's not all! Another good rider, Arianna Flasts, didn't show up. It's just a bunch of foreigners and amateur riders today." Ron folded his arms, looking thoroughly upset.
She turned her head to her right, away from Ron and the Riders' entrance, and caught a figure rushing down the walkway in her direction.
Before it registered to her to turn away, she was staring Severus Snape in the face, for the millionth time in a week.
She looked in front of her, where the riders were lined up at the line, and realized with a feeling of dread where exactly she was. She felt like hitting her head - this was the spot where Severus was always standing when watching the races! Of course she would run into him - but after gazing at her and Ron quizzically, he turned forward, to the riders, and a look of disappointment flooded his features. Hermione gazed at the riders, wondering what he was looking at and thinking about, but then she heard the wand blast - and the riders were off.
This, she thought, as she watched the riders gallop around, constantly getting into fights, being thrown off. this had to be what Harry and Ron talked about when watching Quidditch.
She was constantly on her feet, yelling at the riders, trying to figure out who was going to last. She wondered painfully why she had not decided to race today - it was aggravating watching these idiots when she could be out there with them, the wind in her face and knocking down the rest of them - and now that she was here her tiredness was completely forgotten. Entering the arena had always had that effect on her.
"Hermione!" Ron cried exasperatedly, pulling Hermione down for the eleventh time. "Sit down - those people are threatening to hex you if you keep getting in the way -"
"To hell with 'em!" She cried, and jumped to her feet again as a woman raced in front of her, about to fall of her unicorn. A woman behind Hermione conjured hands to cover the ears of a little girl sitting next to her, and looked up at Hermione venomously.
"Hermione!" Ron cried again, pulling on her arms. "You can get kicked out of the arena for this kind of stuff - save it for Saturday's races, you can do anything on Saturday nights. It's almost like a large pub gathered in front of a dog fight then - but now you have to be normal," He gave a yank on her arm and she flew backwards onto her seat.
She glared at Ron, and massaged her back, which had hit the metal part of the seat. Determined not to look any more at the track and the idiots riding on it, she turned her gaze to Severus - who was standing on the walkway, which was a couple steps lower then the first row of seats. He was leaning over it, his arms folded, the same appearance as he'd had the last time she'd seen him here properly.
Her attention was suddenly diverted as a pair of women hurtled past, engaged in a somewhat sissy fight to throw each other off their Unicorns.
Hermione, enraged by their lack of tactics, stood in an instant and shouted - "Grab her leg! Lift it and push her off - The leg! The leg! Grab the l-"
Ron yanked her arm again, and hissed in her ear, "That guard over there is staring at you, along with the rest of the crowd, and not to mention a few riders. Now, I'm sure what you're shouting is very important, but they are the riders and you are not, so-" Hermione snorted. "So, unless you want us both to be kicked out and banned for a good long time, could you please shut up?!"
"That's not a bad idea," A cold voice floated over the din, and Hermione snapped her head around. Severus hadn't turned around.
"Excuse me?" She said loudly, ripping Ron's hand off of her arm.
"I said, for those of you who are hearing and mentally impaired, that that's not a bad idea."
Hermione stood, jumped down the couple stairs to the railing, and slapped her left hand on the cold metal.
"Tormenting me and my friends at school was one thing - and making my life hell at work is another, but in my every day life can you not just leave me be?"
"If you think," He said coldly, still not turning away from the track. "That my comment pertained to that idiot's comment, then you are mistaken. I was referring to the riding tactic you were screaming out loud, just now."
Hermione closed her open mouth, and stared for a few seconds. She could feel her grip on the railing loosening and her face slightly flush. Fortunately, she was saved the opportunity to further her appearance as an idiot as Severus turned his head slightly and said,
"Have you been to many other races, Miss Granger?"
She had no clue how to answer that.
"I've. I've. been to many, yes."
"So have I." He turned around to face her completely now. "And I haven't once seen you here before."
~*~
Tell me you love it, please! And tell me any ideas that you might have for 'Saturdays Specials' rules. my list isn't to grand, and I want variety, you know, so I can kind of pick the Special rule to match the occasion, and such.
Mehehehehehe. I LOVE this story! ^^