A/N: I am a freak so this title is in Latin (Fleeing from Love), well, it sounds better in latin, anyway, you wait until I publish my upcoming LOTR fic... Those of you who read chapter 4 last week may have noticed after a minor dilemma that I changed the update date for this chapter to 1 November. So, thanks to: witchintraining, The Grim and Saonriyu for your reviews of chapter 4.
Amore Fuget
Hermione stood open mouthed looking at the closed door. Had she misheard him or had Hagrid really said... She shook her head and took a gulp of air, then wandered through the grounds, humming as she watched a pair of swallows; probably the last few left, swoop and glide overhead, she lay on the damp grass with her head back and watched them until their dizzying joy became nauseous and left her head spinning. She staggered to her feet and went back to the entrance hall.
All around her students were rushing into lunch, shouting and pushing. But she did not hear a word as they barged past her, as if she was watching a film, she began to feel dizzy again and lurched forward to be caught by Harry and Ron.
"Oh my god Hermione! What's happened to you?" Ron was staring at the mud on her back, her flyaway hair and her cut lip. "And why weren't you in Charms?"
"Oh it's nothing, don't worry about me... I just tripped over. Was Charms good? I better go and see Professor Flitwick..." Ron had already decided though that there was nothing for him to worry about and ran into the great hall to salvage what was left of the steak and kidney pie. Harry put his arm around her, Hermione leapt back in shock to find Harry being so affectionate.
"Come on, I'm sorry Ron's being such an insensitive bastard, do you want to go to the Hospital Wing?"
"I'm fine, honestly, I'll just go and put by cloak in the laundry basket... are the rest of my robes clean?" she quickly turned around and Harry nodded, "I'll catch you up in a minute, save me some lasagne."
After lunch the three of them wandered in the grounds, soaking up the last of the summer sunshine.
"Why don't we go and see Hagrid? We haven't spoken to him all term," Harry began to make for his hut.
"No! I mean, it's only been a few days hasn't it? And it's almost the end of lunch break." Hermione pulled them away and led them back inside. "What have you got next? I've got Double Arithmancy and I want to be on time; see you later." She walked off up the stairs without a look back.
"So we'll see you in Potions then?" Harry shouted after, and he could have sworn she shivered and quickened her pace, as if trying to get away from something. He watched until the hem of her robes swung around a door at the top of the stairs. "Ron, do you think she's alright?"
"Wh..?" Ron was staring open-mouthed at two Ravenclaw fifth years, he attempted a cool, genial wave but the two of them blushed and giggled as they walked down the hall.
"Ron! You have a go at your sister for going out with guys too old for her, those girls are in her year! Bloody hypocrite. Were you even listening to me?" Harry scowled.
"Sorry... but you know. Have you seen them before? Bit of a sight for sore eyes eh? Sorry, what were you saying?"
"Hermione? Do you think she's OK?"
"Seems fine to me, anyway Harry, she doesn't need a babysitter, she can look after herself."
"Oh yeh? Explain the cut lip this morning then," Harry stared Ron in the eye, "I'm just worried about her, that's all."
"Harry! Ron!" Neville Longbottom came thundering down the stairs, "you will never believe what I just heard about Malfoy!" they turned their heads and looked up at him. "Well, according to Parvati who heard it from her sister, Malfoy, is in the Hospital Wing with deep gash marks down his face, apparently he had a run-in with Mrs Norris. Can you imagine? Malfoy being beaten up by a cat?"
"Probably still smelt the ferret on him!" Harry and Ron would never forget the day when Moody (or at least his impersonator) had turned him into a ferret. "But, it could have been some ex-girlfriend," this was too much for Ron who was bent over emitting peals of raucous laughter.
"No! Mrs Norris is Malfoy's girlfriend!" he spluttered.
"Grow up Ron."
Hermione could hear the dim sounds of laughter as she climbed a staircase, she had known Ron long enough to realise that it was him, but what had made him so hysterical? She passed Padma Patil in a corridor who was giving anyone who would listen her full view on Malfoy's accident, it took a while for Hermione to realise what she was talking about, as it was so farfetched. Well, I suppose that is better than the truth she thought. She sighed deeply and entered the Arithmancy classroom on the fifth floor and as Professor Vector began the lesson she soon forgot her worries.
Severus Snape had had four lessons in the remaining two periods after his sixth-year DADA and he was feeling the strain. He sipped some more of his freshly made Energy Renewing potion and sighed; he was in his office sprawled across a chair. The staff room had been full of talk about Malfoy's 'accident', apparently Lucius Malfoy had asked for the case to be reviewed, though whether the Ministry would be taking orders from a Death Eater currently in Askaban was debatable. Snape had decided he much preferred the confines of his own office, where he could sit undisturbed in the gloom and mull over his emotions. He swilled the last sip of potion around in his goblet as one would do with tea, and drained it. He rose up collecting his midnight black robes around himself and walked down the hallway to his Potions classroom where a class of second-years were throwing bat wings across the room. They stopped immediately and stood behind their benches sheepishly awaiting their punishment, but were surprised when it didn't come.
Snape had come in nonchalantly and sat down at his desk, he waved his wand at the board to show the instructions for the lesson and sat in a stupor staring at the ceiling. The past few days flashed through his mind; that smile, the first kiss, seeing her face in the DADA lesson, Malfoy's gashed cheek, Hermione on the floor in tears and subconsciously he brought his hand up to dry his eyes. He didn't notice the curious students whispering as they looked up from their cauldrons. When the lesson finally finished Snape went back into his office relieved to find that he would not need to go back for another lesson, he prepared himself for the double DADA lesson he had next.
Hermione came out of Arithmancy more cheerful after just earning twenty house-points she put her books into her bag and reached down to get the things for her next lesson, it was only when she felt the slimy leather binding of her splattered Potions book that she remembered her dilemma. She stood transfixed on the stairway, should she go and try and forget, or should she skip it and avoid a reoccurrence of this morning's DADA lesson? Of course she had already missed Double Charms today and skipping three periods in one day was not what you'd expect from a model student like herself. Even so she made for the library but half-way there she met Harry and Ron.
"Hermione! You're going the wrong way, Potions next." Ron grabbed her by the arm and began to pull her towards the dungeons.
"No Ron, it's OK, I just feel a bit ill, I was going back to the common room, tell Sev...Snape for me would you?" She pulled in the other direction,
"No Hermione, you've already missed Charms today, come on, nothing like a good Potions lesson to cheer you up."
"Shut up Ron, if Hermione's feeling ill let her do what she wants," Harry butted in,
"But Harry, we can't have Miss-know-it-all skiving can we?"
"I am here you know!" Ron smiled curtly and led her into the Potions classroom he had pulled her to whilst they'd been arguing. "Ron! I don't wa..." Snape was already sitting at his desk.
"Come in Potter, Weasley...Granger. I believe you are already ten minutes late, and then to come in shouting, really; not behaviour I'd expect from sixth-years. Sit down! Begin the Potion on the board immediately. Do you have a problem Miss Granger? Or would you normally stand there looking like a fish?"
Hermione stood gaping in the middle of the classroom; how could he have been so malicious? Five hours ago he'd been there with his arms around her and now he was shouting at her, OK so she'd given him the boot but she hadn't realised he'd react like this.
"Fifty points taken Miss Granger, for your insolence, now sit down!" Snape roared as he towered above her. She whimpered and ran from the room. "Potter, Weasley! Get back in your seats! Now! Silence!" around him the class was shaking as the last of his shouts echoed and vibrated across the room, chasing Hermione out into the hallway. Snape sat back down, breathless with regret, how could he have lost his temper so? He clenched teeth and his fists until his knuckles whitened and he passed out.
A/N: Randomness as usual, I didn't write it all in one sitting my moods and the music I was listening to changed, I guess that shows! Little action in this chapter as it only covers about 4 hours, is that to little a time if I'm going to get to the end of the year which I so easily presumed would happen in chapter 1?! Oh well... Now there's a little button in the left-hand corner of your screen, and it's really not too much exertion to press. :-P
