They spent all afternoon and evening working on homework. It was only
a week into the school year, but their teachers had started them off
strong. There was no time to relax, now that their N.E.W.T.s were next
year. Ron wanted to take the evening off, but Hermione was quick to remind
him that he and Harry had Quidditch practice Sunday, and would not have
time to finish everything then. Ron sighed deeply, but agreed she was
right.
But as soon as darkness fell, the common room began to fill up with the other Gryffindors, and Hermione could no longer concentrate. Thoughts of her parents, the Death Eaters, and Voldemort's twisted plot to break Harry filled her head.
She needed to get out. She needed an escape. Books had always been there for her before. But they weren't working now. Not with all this noise in the room. Not with all this noise in her head.
"Harry," she said softly. "Can I borrow your cloak?"
"Why?" asked Ron suspiciously.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "To go to the library. It's too loud in here."
"Yeah, sure," said Harry.
"Do you want me to come too?"
"No, Ron, go ahead and take the night off if you have to. I'd rather be alone."
"Oh," said Ron in a small voice.
Hermione took her things up to her dorm room, and returned a minute later with just her backpack, which was nearly full. Harry returned soon after, sat down, and slipped the invisibility cloak to her under the table. Hermione shoved it into her backpack and made her way out of the common room. It was a quarter till nine, so she had fifteen minutes before she absolutely had to put the cloak on. But she slipped it on as soon as she was sure the coast was clear, just in case.
She made her way down to the entrance hall, and then out into the night. On the one hand, she couldn't believe she was doing this, but on the other hand, she felt better already.
She was pretty sure that Hagrid was in Hogsmeade tonight, like he was most Saturday nights, but she checked around his cabin anyway, for any sign that he might be in the forest. She could see Fang sleeping by the fire through the window, and took that as evidence that Hagrid was out for the night. She turned toward the Forbidden Forest, and began making her way down the path.
Hermione moved slowly and quietly toward the clearing, not wanting to draw any attention to herself, alone in the forest after dark. She kept the cloak on her as often as she could, but she didn't want to rip it in the brambles, so revealed herself to the forest during her slowest moving times.
Finally she came to the clearing. She removed the cloak and placed it neatly in her backpack, which she laid against a nearby tree.
"Grawp?" she said.
Grawp had another fire going, and was again staring avidly into it. He only noticed her when she said his name. He turned to look at her, and another smile broke out.
"Hermy!" He looked around her. "Where Hagger?"
"He's not here, Grawp. It's just me."
Grawp looked at her for a second, and then again stretched out his hand toward her. Except this time he grabbed her.
**********
Hermione made it to the prefect girls' bathroom without running into anyone. "Niffler," she said to the sleeping portrait of a majestic looking witch. She was underneath the invisibility cloak, but the witch never opened her eyes to check.
Hermione climbed into the bathroom and sank down on the tile, finally pulling off the cloak. She caught a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror. She looked so unfamiliar. Her robe was torn, her face and hands all scratched up. Her hair was bushier than ever. But her eyes. her eyes were different. They were so revealing. They showed it all. Everyone would know.
She reached across to some of the taps for the large, swimming pool of a bathtub, and turned a few to full blast. She specially chose the ones with potions that would heal her scrapes, so that Ron and Harry wouldn't ask her why her trip to the library had resulted in injury.
When the tub was full, she slipped off her clothes and slid into the luxuriously warm water. It was so good. It had been so good. But it shouldn't have been. It shouldn't have happened at all. Granted not much actually had happened, when you consider the possibilities, but it was enough. It was something.
But was that what she had wanted? Was that why she had gone out there? It seemed at the time as though it had just happened without any warning, but now Hermione wondered. She had wanted something to wake her up, and she was certainly awake now.
With a sudden pang of horror, Hermione wondered if Grawp was going to tell Hagrid about it. "But no," she thought. "Surely Hagrid hasn't taught him those words. He couldn't tell him."
Hermione took a deep breath and sank underneath the surface of the bath. She ran her fingers through her hair, washing the dirt and leaves out. Then she ran her fingers down her body. A new part of her was open. She could not close it now. When she had finally managed to dry her hair, she walked over to her backpack, still lying by the door. She dropped her towel on the floor and took out the extra set of clothes she had had the foresight to pack before leaving Gryffindor tower. She dressed and repacked her bag. And, making sure the invisibility coat completely covered her, she made her way back. It was very late by the time she got back to the common room. Ron was the only one still up. When Hermione climbed in through the portrait hole, he hastily shoved some books he had been reading into his backpack. "What took you so long?" "I decided to take a bath. Why are you still up?" "Oh, just reading, you know." He wasn't looking directly at her. She wondered fleetingly if he knew, if he could tell. She wanted to ask him if she really did look different, but of course she couldn't. "Here's Harry's cloak, can you give it to him?" "Right," he said. He looked at her for a few seconds as though he had a burning desire to say something, but then he looked away. He was making her nervous. She couldn't stay in there with him. "Well, I'm going to bed, then," she said. "Yeah. Yeah, me too."
But as soon as darkness fell, the common room began to fill up with the other Gryffindors, and Hermione could no longer concentrate. Thoughts of her parents, the Death Eaters, and Voldemort's twisted plot to break Harry filled her head.
She needed to get out. She needed an escape. Books had always been there for her before. But they weren't working now. Not with all this noise in the room. Not with all this noise in her head.
"Harry," she said softly. "Can I borrow your cloak?"
"Why?" asked Ron suspiciously.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "To go to the library. It's too loud in here."
"Yeah, sure," said Harry.
"Do you want me to come too?"
"No, Ron, go ahead and take the night off if you have to. I'd rather be alone."
"Oh," said Ron in a small voice.
Hermione took her things up to her dorm room, and returned a minute later with just her backpack, which was nearly full. Harry returned soon after, sat down, and slipped the invisibility cloak to her under the table. Hermione shoved it into her backpack and made her way out of the common room. It was a quarter till nine, so she had fifteen minutes before she absolutely had to put the cloak on. But she slipped it on as soon as she was sure the coast was clear, just in case.
She made her way down to the entrance hall, and then out into the night. On the one hand, she couldn't believe she was doing this, but on the other hand, she felt better already.
She was pretty sure that Hagrid was in Hogsmeade tonight, like he was most Saturday nights, but she checked around his cabin anyway, for any sign that he might be in the forest. She could see Fang sleeping by the fire through the window, and took that as evidence that Hagrid was out for the night. She turned toward the Forbidden Forest, and began making her way down the path.
Hermione moved slowly and quietly toward the clearing, not wanting to draw any attention to herself, alone in the forest after dark. She kept the cloak on her as often as she could, but she didn't want to rip it in the brambles, so revealed herself to the forest during her slowest moving times.
Finally she came to the clearing. She removed the cloak and placed it neatly in her backpack, which she laid against a nearby tree.
"Grawp?" she said.
Grawp had another fire going, and was again staring avidly into it. He only noticed her when she said his name. He turned to look at her, and another smile broke out.
"Hermy!" He looked around her. "Where Hagger?"
"He's not here, Grawp. It's just me."
Grawp looked at her for a second, and then again stretched out his hand toward her. Except this time he grabbed her.
**********
Hermione made it to the prefect girls' bathroom without running into anyone. "Niffler," she said to the sleeping portrait of a majestic looking witch. She was underneath the invisibility cloak, but the witch never opened her eyes to check.
Hermione climbed into the bathroom and sank down on the tile, finally pulling off the cloak. She caught a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror. She looked so unfamiliar. Her robe was torn, her face and hands all scratched up. Her hair was bushier than ever. But her eyes. her eyes were different. They were so revealing. They showed it all. Everyone would know.
She reached across to some of the taps for the large, swimming pool of a bathtub, and turned a few to full blast. She specially chose the ones with potions that would heal her scrapes, so that Ron and Harry wouldn't ask her why her trip to the library had resulted in injury.
When the tub was full, she slipped off her clothes and slid into the luxuriously warm water. It was so good. It had been so good. But it shouldn't have been. It shouldn't have happened at all. Granted not much actually had happened, when you consider the possibilities, but it was enough. It was something.
But was that what she had wanted? Was that why she had gone out there? It seemed at the time as though it had just happened without any warning, but now Hermione wondered. She had wanted something to wake her up, and she was certainly awake now.
With a sudden pang of horror, Hermione wondered if Grawp was going to tell Hagrid about it. "But no," she thought. "Surely Hagrid hasn't taught him those words. He couldn't tell him."
Hermione took a deep breath and sank underneath the surface of the bath. She ran her fingers through her hair, washing the dirt and leaves out. Then she ran her fingers down her body. A new part of her was open. She could not close it now. When she had finally managed to dry her hair, she walked over to her backpack, still lying by the door. She dropped her towel on the floor and took out the extra set of clothes she had had the foresight to pack before leaving Gryffindor tower. She dressed and repacked her bag. And, making sure the invisibility coat completely covered her, she made her way back. It was very late by the time she got back to the common room. Ron was the only one still up. When Hermione climbed in through the portrait hole, he hastily shoved some books he had been reading into his backpack. "What took you so long?" "I decided to take a bath. Why are you still up?" "Oh, just reading, you know." He wasn't looking directly at her. She wondered fleetingly if he knew, if he could tell. She wanted to ask him if she really did look different, but of course she couldn't. "Here's Harry's cloak, can you give it to him?" "Right," he said. He looked at her for a few seconds as though he had a burning desire to say something, but then he looked away. He was making her nervous. She couldn't stay in there with him. "Well, I'm going to bed, then," she said. "Yeah. Yeah, me too."