A/N: Hey All, especially Snappish79! I haven't updated this story in quite sometime due to a mental block. I don't think this is a good chapter but please read it anyway and tell me what you think about it. Thanks! J
Hermione's Dagger Chapter 5
It was Hogsmeade weekend and all the third years and above, were already boarding the carriages. Ron, Hermione and Dhyana were waiting by the main door for Harry, who was late. A few minutes later, Harry appeared with a slice of toast in between his teeth and tucking his shirt into the bands of his pants. His hair was still dripping wet and sticking to the nape of his neck.
"Sorry I'm late. My alarm clock died some time during the night and I only woke up when Dhyana knocked on my door," Harry said as they got into the carriage. Dhyana casted a drying charm at is hair and Ron handed him a comb. When they reached Hogsmeade, Harry's tummy was rumbling loudly as the toast only whetted his appetite. He dragged his three friends over to the coffee joint that had opened at Hogsmeade a few years back.
The girls sat themselves down at the sofa at the corner and chatted about their students, their work and other girl stuff while they waited for the guys to bring their coffee. Just then, Hermione felt a prickly feeling at the back of her neck, as if some one was staring at her. She looked up and found a handsome stranger, black hair and onyx eyes, staring at her intently with a feral smile on his face. The stranger made her feel a little uncomfortable. She quickly cut off the eye contact and sighed with relief when the men came back with their drinks. Through out the thirty minutes that they were there, Hermione could feel the man still staring at her and she refused to look up from her coffee mug, not wanting to catch the man's eye again. Hermione almost jumped up with joy when Harry said that he was done having breakfast. As they were leaving, Hermione caught a glimpse of a pale scar on the man's face but quickly looked away when she saw that the man was smiling at her again.
~
Seth's eyes followed Hermione's every movement as she left the coffee joint. Marianne, you're more beautiful than you were 300 years ago, he thought to himself. Her thick bronze hair bounced with every step she took and made him want to run his fingers through them. I will find out who you are in this lifetime and we'll be together. He growled audibly, causing the witch who was about to sit down in the next table to get up and find a new seat, when he was Ron placed his arm around Hermione's shoulders and dragged her to the Quidditch supply shop. After I find out who you are, I'll get rid of that red haired git because no one will get between us. His lips formed a smirk that could rival Malfoy's as he began plotting Ron's demise.
~
After spending about twenty minutes in the Quidditch shop where both Harry and Ron were ogling and fawning over the new Firebolt model, Hermione and Dhyana managed to sneak away to Flourish & Blotts. Hermione sighed with relief once they were in the bookstore.
"Finally! I thought I'll never get out of there," Hermione exclaimed.
"How long do you think they'll realise that we're gone and come looking for us?" Dhyana asked, slightly worried.
"About another twenty minutes. Don't worry; they both know that I'm here. We've been doing this since our third year, so don't worry."
Having assured her friend, they both went to separate bookshelves as they waited for the men to find them. Just as Hermione predicted, Ron and Harry came to look for them at the bookstore twenty minutes later. Hermione was so engrossed in her book that she didn't realise that her two best friends were standing over her.
"Hey Hermione! Watcha doin?" Ron asked as he straddled the bench she was seating on, startling her into dropping her book.
"Oh My God! Ron, don't do that!" she exclaimed, picking up the book that she dropped.
"Hermione, we've been standing here looking at you read the book for the past five minutes and you didn't even notice," Harry said. "By the way, here's Dhyana?"
"I think she's some where over there?" Hermione said, waving her hands vaguely in the general direction of the law section. Harry went off in search of the Care for Magical Creatures professor, leaving Ron and Hermione alone. She turned to Ron to ask him what he got at the Quidditch shop but she found him staring at her with an unreadable look in his eyes. "Ron. Ron. Ron!"
"What- What?" Ron asked, his eyes snapped into focus at her face.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Because you're beautiful and I want to kiss you."
Before Hermione could respond to his comment, Ron leaned forward and captured her lips with his. He felt her stiffen a little before responding to the kiss. Her lips were soft and tasted like mints. When the kiss ended, he brushed away a stray lock of hair away from her face and caressed her cheek gently. He looked into her eyes and willed her to say something but when she looked away, he felt his heart drop.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," he said softly. He tried to turn away from her but her arm stopped him.
"Ron I …" Hermione started but the arrival of Harry and Dhyana interrupted her.
"So, are we ready for lunch?" Harry asked his friends brightly, not knowing what he interrupted.
"Yeah sure, I'll just go pay for this," Hermione mumbled and went to the cashiers.
Lunch at the Three Broomsticks was quiet and awkward. Both Harry and Dhyana kept looking at Hermione and Ron as they weren't talking and just pushing food around their plate. All the attempts at conversation fell flat as neither Hermione nor Ron attempted to contribute to the topic.
After the plates were cleared, Ron and Harry went to settle the bill. Dhyana had to go to the ladies so Hermione waited for her three friends outside of the pub. She leaned against the wall and her mind drifted back to the kiss in the bookstore. Hermione was so caught up in analyzing her feelings and thoughts on the kiss that she didn't realise that someone had walked up behind her. The tap on the shoulder startled her. She let out a squeak and whipped around to find her face to face with the handsome stranger from the coffee place. The uneasy feeling she had, returned five fold.
"Hi, I'm Seth. Seth Kane. I think I saw you at the coffee place this morning right?" said the man.
"Yes. I'm Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you," Hermione said, shaking his hand and giving him a polite smile. Please hurry up guys, she thought, not wanting to be alone with Seth any more than she had too.
"So, what do you do?" he asked.
"I teach charms at Hogwarts. What about you?"
"A little of this, a little of that," he said vaguely.
"I see," Hermione said, smiling politely. She turned to look at the door of the pub and mentally wishing her friends would just hurry up.
Noticing her impatience, he asked, "Waiting for someone?"
"My friends." Just then, to Hermione's relief, Ron stepped out of the pub. "My boyfriend is here. It's nice to meet you," Hermione said and gave him a small smile before going over to Ron. As Hermione turned, Seth's face contorted into a mask of rage and his clenched fist glowed subtly with power. I will kill him slowly and painfully, Seth thought as he watched Hermione took Ron's hand and led him away.
"Ron, let's go back to Hogwarts. I don't want to stay here anymore," Hermione said softly pulling Ron towards the carriages.
"Hermione, what's wrong?"
"I'll explain on the way back. Please, can we go back?"
Seeing her urgency, Ron followed her to the carriages and got in after her. He heard Hermione let out a sigh of relief once the carriage started moving out of Hogsmeade.
"Hermione, tell me what's wrong? Why were you so anxious to leave?"
Hermione proceeded to tell him about the man that was staring at her that morning. She shuddered as she remembered his eyes and the way he looked at her.
"He didn't try anything right?" Ron asked.
"No. He didn't do anything," she whispered.
"That's good because if we did, I might turn this carriage back so that I can pound his face to the ground."
"It's alright Ron. Thanks for accompanying me back."
"No problem."
The rest of the ride back to the school was silent, each staring out of the window entertaining their own thoughts. When the carriage stopped, Ron helped Hermione down from the carriage and they walked back to their quarters together. Ron accompanied Hermione to her door and he mumbled a goodbye before walking away. For the second time that day, Hermione stopped him from leaving by grabbing his arm. Ron turned to face her slowly with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. Hermione cupped his face gently with her hand and leaned up to kiss him gently on his lips.
"Ron, I don't want you to be sorry for the kiss you gave me earlier today. I would be lying if I told you that I hadn't thought about kissing you this pass few months. I'm not sure how this will change our friendship but I want to find out," she said softly when she ended the kiss.
"So do I Hermione. So do I," he replied as he bent down to kiss her once more.
