Disclaimer: Everything in the HP universe is mine, and when you're reading this your computer automatically transfers a billion to my account. Only I don't have an account. And that if you believe any of the nonsense above you're dumber than Goyle. And we all know that is impossible. And the song is "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne.
A/N: *sigh* Is summer over already? *sigh again* Anywayz. Hmm, curious. Many of you said that you'd rather pass Neville's kiss. *Neville weeps in the background* And some asked why didn't I offer Sevvie's kiss. To that question, I can only say that's because he is all mine. MINE! But I got 29 reviews anyway. WOW!
Queen-Ditz: I know this is not quick enough but I tried! Sorry and enjoy!
LuNa LoVeGoOd5: Thanks! Yeah, Chinese is my first language, English's my second. And I will try to write more, keep reading!
ElvenFaerie: Thank you! In a way I can't wait to start college, but in another I am really nervous... anyway, please enjoy!
Kryptonite: The story would end too soon if she gave up, so yeah, she probably wouldn't. Hehe. And yes, Neville is Ginny's, that's the way they were meant to be (ignore the pun, now)!
Noriko M. Chijinu: I hate to do this, but- when are you going to update? Huh??? *crack fists* Haha. As for the platinum-blonde... well, I have a surprise for you at the end of this chapter... hey hey HEY! Don't cheat! Don't scroll down now! Read the chappie first!
tashie: Sadly, I do. But ahhh I can never find the mistakes before it is uploaded... glad you like the story!
Real-fan05: Thank you! I am sure I will do fine but Hermione's less lucky... as long as her fate is in my hands. *evil crackle*
Chocolate Pudding1: Hey that's pretty much how I felt too! Well, Hermione is more or less my reflection, I guess, in this story at least. Ron and Hermy are probably going to make up, but not so soon. Just kick him if you want in the meantime. *wink*
Teri: Thanks for the correction, I have changed it immediately after I've read your review. Hope you like this chapter as well!
HPFanFicLuvr: Wow, thanks! Sevvie asked about Hermione and Ron because they 'broke up' during his class and I saw that finding something else to say was a way for him to escape the awkwardness of that moment. And welcome on board of the 'We love Sevvie' train! Haha. As for a kissy Sevvie... Well, he will appear sooner or later.
Ezmerelda: It will mean a lot to him now that he knows, but what? That you'll need to wait and see. *wink*
lyberslynn: Thanks! Hope you like this as well!
crazy2: Thanks for reviewing both my stories! Hope this chapter measures up to your standard :) !
mysticalecho: Thanks!
Amethyst9: Thank you, it's nice to know I am improving. And I just have to say... your story is wonderful.
AddisonRae: Here's more, hope you like it!
-Jae: Ahh my muses are too roused up already, they are jumping up and down on my bed. Lol! Anywayz, keep reading!
Dana Whelks: Thanks, here's more!
OtherHiccup: O I should be the one thanking your review. Keep reading!
Bullwinkle435: I've read your story and yay! I will keep reading. You do the same to my story, ok? *wink*
Danric-Lover: I will update soon, but as for the kiss from Sevvie... *check stock* Well, I do seem to have a spare one...
kurtfan5678: Cliffhangers are inhuman, but believe it or not, they are fun to write!! Lol. Please keep reading!
Serenity: Thanks! As for the chappie thingie... please refer to the author's note. It's something stupid involving the stupid ff.net and a stupid author. Be warned. It really is stupid.
ReiLynn: Thanks! Glad you like it!
evilbon32: Wow, another long review! We have something in common, I love to hear myself talk too! Haha. Glad you like the name-banter, cause I'm not exactly sure how to do dialogues... and for Acree, that b*tch, I have thrown her into the recycle bin and she would only come back if someone make a request. Or when my muse have too much sugar. As for Ron, he will be back, but later. Much later. *listens* What? I am not saying that so you'd continue to read!
kat-tak: Thankies!
I will be going to Singapore so, here's a chapter for you before I leave. Enjoy!
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Severus glanced in her direction for the hundredth time of the night. She was hunching over some book beside the cauldron, her face hidden behind drapes of frizzy hair. He turned back to his own cauldron, and frowned at the eerie floating reflection of himself in the turquoise potion. The dungeon was exceptionally warm tonight, with fires burning and cracking beneath the two cauldrons, from where the sticky, pungent odors of herbs mixed were emitted. Aside from the warmth, everything was back in order: the room was pervaded by a silence that broke only when an occasional bubble burst in either cauldrons.
But nothing seemed normal to him somehow. His eyes drifted unwillingly towards the girl, now stirring her potion carefully. Her face was still hidden behind the shadow the dim light cast across her features. He sighed mentally and tried to focus on his own potion, which was proving harder by the minute. What had gotten into me?
She flipped a page and broke his train of thought.
She has not spoken since last week. Has she gone dumb? His reflection stared back at him blankly. He stirred the potion and watched himself dissipated into the now green potion. The week had crept past with night after night of silence-filled detentions. She had not smiled nor talked to him for seven days. He would not have thought that possible a week ago- she seemed so eager to share her thoughts with him then.
"Powdered moonstone please, professor," she said, eyes not leaving the book. He scowled and handed her the ingredient. Okay, so maybe she had spoke to him in the week, but this would be the way she spoke- polite, quiet yet evasive. He almost missed her chatters and giggles. Almost.
She added the powdered moonstone and the potion gave a hiss, startling him out of his musings. Good thing it did, he thought, adding in leech juice just in time. What has changed? I haven't, that's for sure. So it is this annoying girl here. What's her matter anyway? He remembered the emotions glittering in her eyes that night, and swore secretly. Well, it's not like she had say it out loud... can't we just pretend... wait, why pretend? Nothing happened!
His hand wandered to the ingredients sitting on the bench between the two cauldrons, and picked up a jar of crushed unicorn horns absently. Suddenly something brushed the back of his hand, and he dropped the jar.
"No!" Two voices rang in the dungeon and simultaneously both shadows dived down. Hermione reached first and when her fingers encircled around the jar, pulling it out of the fatal fall, she let out a breath that she did not realize herself holding. However the moment of relief lasted for about a nanosecond, for his hand arrived and wrapped itself around the jar, entrapping her hand in the process.
To any outside observer it would have been a very strange sight: the two of them were kneeling on the floor beside a simmering cauldron, their hands entwining on a jar. She closed her eyes and took in the sensation of his hand on top of hers. His hand was large, covering her small one effortlessly, and it was rough. She felt her breathing tightened again as the calluses on his hand rubbed against the back of hers.
He didn't know what had happened, but when his senses came back he was on the floor holding her hand and a jar. It would have been funny even, if not for the strangeness he was feeling. The glass was cool against his fingertips, but her hand was warm, and it was pulsing slightly. He stared at their hands as though they can answer his question: How on earth did he get himself in this position?
He removed his hand suddenly, hastily, like he had been burnt. She swallowed bitterly, then stood up and put the jar back on the bench. He picked it up, carefully this time. The potion looked fine to him, despite the fact that the horns were not added in precisely. The room dropped silent once again, but the atmosphere was even more awkward than before. He stole a glance at her and shook his head.
Two hours later, with the cauldron cleaned and the potion neatly placed on the shelves, she left without a word. He stared at the closed door for a long, long moment.
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"Hi Hermione," the girls chorused when she entered the dormitory.
"Hi Ginny. Hi Lavender. Hi Parvati." Hermione greeted dully in return, and threw herself into bed. Crookshanks bounced onto her immediately, but she only grunted in response. Ginny and Lavender exchanged a look.
"Hey Herm," Ginny jumped onto Hermione's bed. Crookshanks welcomed her with a loud purr, but his mistress was less happy. She glared at the other girl, her hand stopped pulling at the curtains.
"Yes?" She demanded. Ginny put on her innocent face and puppy eyes. Hermione sighed. "Gin, I am really very tired tonight and-" She halted when a pillow hit her square in the face. Lavender let out an excited squeal, "Pillow fight!"
Ten minutes of pillow warfare later, Hermione laid on the floor with the other two girls, holding her side and catching her breath. She was nearly suffocated by the pillows aiming at her but between giggles and battle cries, breathing seemed relatively unimportant.
"That's fun," panted Ginny. Her hair was messy and sticking out, making it more like wild fire than ever.
"It is," agreed Hermione, shoving one last cushion into Lavender's lap. The other girl only laughed, too tired to retaliate.
"We should do this more often," Lavender chirped, standing up and dusting her robes. Her friends followed suit and picked up the pillows. Parvati, who hadn't joined in, saw this and remarked from her bed, "I'm so glad that's over."
"It's not," Lavender said and swiftly threw a large pillow to her friend. It hit its target with a gratifying 'smack'. Parvati stood up and pounced.
As the other side of the room went into chaos once again, Ginny looked at Hermione and patted her hand. "Feeling better?"
Hermione only nodded, unable to answer.
"Good," Ginny smiled before joining the battle.
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Sometimes I get so weird
I even freak myself out
I laugh myself to sleep
It's my lullaby
"You smell that?" Lavender asked. She was walking to the Great Hall for breakfast with Harry and Hermione. It was a Friday morning and the atmosphere was a light one that usually filled the school before a Hogsmeade weekend. Harry sniffed the air and stood straighter in alarm.
"Oh. No." He and Lavender exchanged a look before glancing at Hermione. Her sense of smell, for some reason, was less sharp than most people. She was still talking animatedly to a sixth year Ravenclaw that neither of them recognized, unsuspecting. Lavender groaned deeply. This had not happened for almost four months. In fact, it hadn't happened since their fourth year that she had forgotten all about it.
Sometimes I drive so fast
Just to feel the danger
I wanna scream
It makes me feel alive
Hermione was deeply absorbed in conversation with Dan, a Ravenclaw who excelled in Transfiguration. He was planning to register as an Animagus next month. It was a nice change, talking to an intellect who understood her theories without needing further explanations, and about subjects outside the Quidditch pitch, too. She absolutely loved talking with Ravenclaws, who in her opinion may be a bit cold but when you get to know them they really weren't that bad. Not to mention their cleverness and sharpness, which make conversing with them usually an interesting experience.
"So, what is your Animagus form?" She asked excitedly. "Had you chose one and practiced it-?"
"Oh, no I'd let my instincts choose its form," replied Dan mildly. "Which means I am not going to know what it is until the day of registration. Though I am pretty sure it won't be a bug or a fish." He winked and Hermione laughed. That was when some other girls from Ravenclaw called him and he left with a 'See ya later'. That was also when they had approached the Great Hall.
"Hey, you guys smell that?" Hermione said, sniffing at the air. Harry and Lavender carefully averted her eyes.
To walk within the lines
Would make my life so boring
I want to know that I
Have been to the extreme
So knock me off my feet
Come on now give it to me
Anything to make me feel alive
There was no denial now. The sweet scent was so strong in the air that the students could almost see it floating. Most of them shook their heads and walked into the Hall as if it held their doom. The first years stared and took in the smell, puzzled expressions intact. Malfoy, Goyle and Crabbe brushed past the three Griffindors roughly, with a grim look on their faces, and Harry would have laughed at them if not for the fact that he was wearing a similar grimace. Lavender groaned again.
But some of the students were beaming and squeaking in delight. Hermione, who had been quiet and concentrating hard to identify the odor, slowly widened her grin and her eyes lit up. She remembered the smell, and as she did the sweet taste seemed to roll on her tongue. Her two friends watched her apprehensively and prepared to pull her back if she made some frantic dash into the Great Hall.
The thought had indeed passed her mind for a second. And if not for the Prefect badge shinning so righteously on her robes, who knows what she might have done? She personally did not consider herself above dashing into the Hall in these occasions.
Her grin grew even bigger and was now stretching from ear to ear. "Oh jolly."
"Oh crap," said Harry and Lavender together fearfully.
Is it enough to love?
Is it enough to breath?
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
Is it enough to die?
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary please
The infamous Hogwarts Cinnamon Feast. Yeah, you heard it. It was the Cinnamon Feast.
The three of them settled into their usual seats. Hermione's eyes gleamed at the sight of the breakfast while almost every other Griffindor regarded the food with disgust. The usual pancakes, waffles, bread, muffins and scones were replaced by every possible kind of cinnamon rolls and buns. There were some with chocolate, some with raspberries, some with jelly. There were hills of cinnamon donuts and creampuffs. The usual jam and maple syrup's place was taken by various kind of cream. Even the drink, which were normally milk or pumpkin juice, changed to hot apple cinnamon tea or iced cinnamon honey.
The Hall was even noisier than usual. Students were protesting and fidgeting around the cinnamon-topped pies.
"Cinnamon GREATNESS!" Hermione shouted over all the noise, giggled and began filling her plate with cinnamon goodies.
"You are too happy," Lavender muttered under her breath.
"Has anyone ever told you that your weird?" Harry shouted back and poked his small cinnamon puff with a fork.
"NO!" She shouted giddily and began to bite into a piece of cinnamon bun. Harry shook his head.
Sometimes I get so weird
I even freak myself out
I laugh my self to sleep
It's my lullaby
"Why can't we have this every morning?" She complained, chewing on her third donut.
"Because if we had this every morning we'd all die from high cholesterol within a month," replied Parvati, eyeing the food with aversion. She had not touched any them.
"At least I can die in peace then," retorted Hermione as she started to raid the plate of cinnamon-chocolate-rolls. Neville looked at her in awe.
"You sure you won't burst?"
"Pffft," was her answer. She was never exactly thin, but she thought her figure was okay. Well, she did not think a lot about her figure anyway. She had better things to do with her time than to sit back and meditate on her curves-
"Merlin's beard, I forgot." She shot up suddenly, still munching on a cookie. She had promised to do some research for Professor McGonagall, but in the week of awkwardness and evasion, she had easily put that away from her mind. And as promises tended to be, it was not remembered until the last minute. She glanced at her watch. Thirty minutes left. Still enough time for a quick visit to the library.
She pulled out a parchment from her bag and with a simple incarnation, transfigured it into a paper bag. Ignoring the gawks from her fellow housemates, she stuffed it with cinnamon sticks and sprinkled them (the cinnamon sticks, of course) with vanilla sugar. Then she ran off to the library.
Let down your defenses
Use no common sense
If you look you will see
that this world is a beautiful
accident turbulent succulent
opulent permanent, no way
I wanna taste it
Don't wanna waste it away
She ran along the corridor, her heels clanking audibly against the stony ground, all dignity forgotten. At least I still have these sticks. She thought to herself, and bit the end of a stick slightly. It was still warm in her mouth. Cinnamon was her mother's favorite spice. It was also her grandmother's. Therefore their house was always filled by the same sweet taste every Thanksgiving and Christmas. She loved the smell, it reminded her of family. Thinking of family, she remembered that she was able to see them in less than twenty-four hours, and her heart soared.
"Is it enough to love? Is it enough to breath?" One second she was singing light-heartedly and skipping down the stairs, not looking where she was going.
Oooof. The next second she bumped into a wall and was numbed for a moment, unable to speak.
"Miss Granger?" A cold voice spoke. Hermione's eyes darted upwards with difficulty and saw Severus glaring down at her.
For a long moment she was lost again in those tunnel-like eyes. She knew she should look away, but she had not looked straight into those eyes for so long that it was only until now she discovered how much she longed for them. Every defiance, every pretence she built melted away, and she didn't care.
Severus was stunned. Not surprised, stunned. He was just doing a routine morning patrol when something fell into him without warning. He caught the person easily, and was relatively unharmed. But it was obvious that whoever bumped into him was less lucky. He was about to snarl when the student looked up, and it was none other than Hermione Granger. She had not speak, for the impact of crash had deprived her of the ability of speech, but her eyes were more telling than anything else.
She was the one to recover first, surprisingly, and stepped away from him. This all seem way too familiar, she thought idly while looking down and fingering with the stitches on her cuff. "I am sorry, professor."
"Sorry? You are practically flying down the stairs!" He reproached, unleashing his sudden fury and worries in a resounding snarl. She kept her eyes cautiously on the hem of her robes. The stairway fell into a dead silence as the last of his echo disappeared. After what seemed like an eternity, when he was sure that she was about to break down under his scrutinizing glare, she reached into her robes and pulled out a bag of squished pastry that resembled something that has appeared in his horrid meals.
¡@"Oh no, it's all squashed," she looked at the bag sadly and sighed like it held the source of her misery. He stared incredulously at the mesh that was once a delicacy (to some, at least). She nearly broke her neck and was facing his full wrath, and all she cared was some squashy who-know-what? He opened his mouth as if to let out another deafening shout, but shut it again in defeat.
"Well I can always get more in the kitchen, I guess," she said to herself brightly and thrusted the former cinnamon sticks into his hands. "See you then, professor." With that she flashed him a toothy smile, and whirled past him in a manner that reminded him greatly of himself. He stared at the sticky mess in his hand, then at the back of the girl as she skipped more steps and sang in the distant.
Is it enough?
Is it enough?
Is it enough to breath?
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
Is it enough to die?
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary please
But he was not fooled. That was a blue trace of melancholy in her brown pupils, not a deep one, but it was there. Beneath all those joyous acts there was a certain sadness that prevented the mirth she tried so hard to radiate from reaching her eyes. When he looked straight into her clear, swimming orbs he almost reached her soul. This is not good, Severus, the tiny voice warned in a whisper. Not good at all.
Closing his eyes wearily, and momentarily forgetting that he was in fact standing on a public stairway that any student could saw him with a bag of mashed cinnamon sticks, he answered, I know.
Maybe you should keep your Legilimency to yourself next time, the voice said with an edge of a smirk.
You know that's instinct, he retorted. No student had ever made him feel helpless, but Granger succeeded. What am I to do with her now?
And naturally the voice, hearing a question, left without answering.
----------
For a terrible moment, she felt completely vulnerable and near naked in front of him. It was not a pleasant sensation, knowing that he could read her fears, her misery, her deepest secrets. She hated being weak.
Had the smile tricked him? She chewed on her lip absently, and groaned. Very unlikely. He must be a very skilled Legilimens if he could reach her feelings so easily, just by a simple eye-contact, and she had to admit that the possibility of tricking him was dim. Or maybe she was just plain fathomable. Maybe being in love really involves more than sweet little talks. She sighed. She had to seriously reconsider her decision. That seemed very faraway now, her confession to Lavender, not to mention naive and stupid and unpractical...
"You are incredibly quiet for a student who is going to meet her parents in half an hour," Professor McGonagall gave her a sideway look. She shook her head and smiled at her teacher.
"I am just happy," she replied. It was true. She was starting to feel a little sick at keeping her emotions to herself. After the pillow fight incident, she realized how she must have worried her friends, returning to the Common Room every night tired and snappish. She was determined not to let her bitterness show since then. It was enough that she was miserable, there was no need to rub it on everyone else. So she went through her lessons with a smile and laughed at every joke Fred or George came up with, and finally, everyone was satisfied. The same tactic applied to her detentions. She would avoid any conversation or eye contact, and it was slowly driving her crazy.
All in all, this was the perfect timing to be away from Hogwarts for a while. She missed her parents and family dearly, and looked forward to meeting them. Janica, her favorite cousin, was getting married. She could talk with her all night long, about girl stuff and nonsense and laughed at the models in the magazines, maybe share a cookie or two, like they used to before she left for Hogwarts. Yes, she missed those times, especially now that she was troubled and traumatized. The thought of a fluffy sleepover appealed to her like a warm lick would to a wounded kitten.
"You will floo to the Leaky Cauldron, Miss Granger, where I believe your parents are waiting for you. Please return before curfew on Sunday night." McGonagall was instructing her. She nodded and walked closer to the fire. Grabbing a pinch of of Floo powder, she threw it into the fire and said, "Leaky Cauldron!"
The fire turned green and as she stepped into the fire, the nauseating feeling came and tucked her into a tornado before she could brace herself.
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"Owww," falling roughly from a fireplace with ashes in her hair was not her ideal way of meeting parents. A hand took her hand and she gratefully stood up. It was her father.
"Mommy! Dad!" She squeaked loudly, forgetting that she was in a pub. Her parents beamed at her. Her father pulled her into a bone-crushing embrace, saying, "how's my favorite lollypop?"
"I am fine, Dad," she laughed and turned to her mother, who smiled warmly and hugged her. She hid her face in her mother's shoulder, inhaling the familiar scent of anesthetic and mint. Pulling away slightly, she regarded her mother's graying hair and increased lines around her eyes. "I miss you, Mommy!"
"Me too, dear," Rachel Granger looked at her only child closely. She had not grow taller, but something inside had changed. She restrained from pointing that out. "Come, let's go home."
Hermione took her parent's hand. With her father on the left and her mother on the right, she exited the Leaky Cauldron, content to be just a spoiled kid.
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That night, Hermione's family went over to Janica's home. After a gratifying supper, her parents left, leaving Hermione with Janica, who was delighted to have someone to pass the night with. "Come, I'll show you to our room," she said suddenly, pulling Hermione up.
Hermione took in the surroundings curiously. Janica had moved to Charles, her fiancé's house two months ago. Charles came from a large, traditional wizard clan. However, Hermione had not met him yet, for they believed that it was not auspicious for the bride to see the groom before the wedding.
"What if he hates me?" She wanted to know.
"He will love you, and if he doesn't, I will not marry him," Janica said seriously.
"What am I going to call him? Cousin-in-law or something?" She was still not satisfied. Janica nudged her in the ribs playfully.
"Charles, and just Charles, please. Come on, Piggy, I should be the one worrying!"
"Don't call me Piggy," it was a nickname Janica called her long ago. Her cousin ignored her and pushed open a door.
"Wow," Hermione breathed. The room was pretty much like a normal muggle room, which was amazing itself when it was found in a wizard's home. The room was lined with a pure white carpet, and in the middle of the room sat a big double bed. There were some shelves and a coffee table and a couch and a television. There was a fireplace, too, the only thing reminding Hermione that she was in a wizard household. French windows lined the west wall, where a small balcony was installed and when the breeze came in, the chiffon curtains flew. Another door on the opposite wall led to a bathroom.
"Don't just stand there, come in!" Janica pulled the stunned girl in, and grinned. "Like it?"
"Love it," Hermione replied, and when she had gotten over the shock, she said, "I don't know why would anyone bother to put carpets in your room, Jan. You'd just get them dirty in an hour."
Janica poked her tongue out at her and slumped onto the bed.
"Charles can fix it in a wave of his wand."
Hermione threw herself beside the other girl. Janica turned to face her. "I mean, you can do magic, right? You can do like, anything you like with magic, right?"
"It's not like that, Jan," Hermione replied neutrally. "We do have laws. And even magic has its limits. We can't revive the dead, for example-"
"But you can do much more than we can," Jan sighed. "It's amazing when Charles changes a light bulb or fixes a meal with some incarnation. You magical people seemed so much stronger than us."
"Muggles are in many ways greater than wizards," Hermione did not understand Jan's point. "For example, a wizard can never figure out how to cook without magic, or how electricity works, or- they can't light a match, for crying out loud! We are way too dependent on magic, if you ask me. Few wizards can survive the Muggle world without a wand, and that's-"
¡@"But you can't say magic's not fun," Jan pressed, interrupting her rant.
"Well..." Hermione trailed off.
"I sure wish I am a witch," Jan concluded with a sigh and sat up.
Hermione stared at the white ceiling and said nothing, unable to come up with an answer. The following silence was a long awkward one. She blinked uncomfortably.
She had not spend as much time with Janica since she went to Hogwarts. They did see each other over the summers or during Christmas holidays, but those meetings were brief and imperceptibly, but surely, they drifted apart. Hermione felt that she should go bang her head on some wall- she was so tactless! She had met few Muggles over the years, and much fewer those who knew what she really was, and now Janica's envy was so easy to understand that she wondered why could not she see it a minute ago. Why have we kept our identity a secret? This is why.
"So. I understand that you've found yourself a boyfriend?" Breaking the silence, Janica steered the subject to a safer ground.
"Boyfriend?" Hermione echoed.
"Yeah, the boy you mentioned in your last letter. Is it- Don?"
"Don...? I don't know a- oh, Ron!" She had mentioned Ron in her last letter? Well, this just proved she had not written to Jan for a long time. "Heck no! Ron is just a- a- classmate." Her tongue stumbled and the word 'friend' nearly got out.
"Is there any other...?" Jan prompted hopefully. Hermione shook her head, but paused. Should she tell her about Severus? Can she? Dare she?
Jan shot up abruptly. "I will go get some cookies and popcorn." She left the room without looking at Hermione, who was starting to think that the night was going to be a long one. What would Jan think about me liking a man twenty years older? She felt bad about hesitating to tell Jan her problem. They used to talk about everything. Why should that have changed? She asked herself.
When Jan returned with a huge jar of cookies and a bowl of popcorn, Hermione sat up and smiled. "I am ready, Jan."
----------
She told Jan all about her crush- how she fought hard before accepting it, how she went through many doubts and traumas, how Ron reacted negatively but Harry, Lavender and Ginny stayed with her, how she got herself enough detentions to last a lifetime, and how Severus reacted to her change. Jan was a fabulous listener, as she had always been, and did not interrupt her. Hermione was relieved that she had not shown any disgust or judged presumptuously.
"So, he's your teacher?" Jan said after Hermione finished, and reached for her tenth oatmeal cookie.
"Yeah," she nodded and took a cookie herself.
"Wow," Jan munched thoughtfully. "That's a lot to take in at one time." She admitted.
"I know, I can't take it in myself, everything's happening too fast."
"What does he look like?" Jan was curious- what kind of man, not exactly a young one at that, could have captured her little cousin's heart?
Hermione looked up at the ceiling and thought. "Well, he is tall, almost six feet. He is quite pale, and has ink-black eyes, a crooked nose and thin lips that are usually curled into a sneer. He always wear a scowl and oh, his hair is the greasiest one that you can imagine."
"Sounds attractive," Jan raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically. Hermione laughed.
"He is."
"Didn't you just say that he is harsh and sadistic?"
"He is not perfect. Far from it, in fact," she replied. "Actually I am reconsidering my choice. To follow my heart's will... it all seem very stupid now."
"Hmmm... tell me, what do you like about him?"
"I- well I think there's nothing I like about him. I just do," Hermione tried to sound convincing. She had not thought about this before.
"Nonsense. There must be something about him that attracts you. His looks? His sense of humor?"
Hermione nearly choked on her cookie. She coughed a bit before answering. "Sense of humor? If he had a sense of humor then he's doing a very good job hiding it." Then, seeing Jan's expression, she added, "I think- his intelligence?"
"It is possible that people with the same wave-length are attracted to each other," Jan said sagely. "But you have to know what you like about a person before you can fully determine whether you want to love him or not."
"I still don't know whether I should give up," Hermione confessed and helped herself with a cinnamon cookie. "Maybe...?"
Jan smiled. "Maybe we should make a list of the things that you like about this guy." She stood up and a moment later, returned with two pens and a pad of paper. Hermione looked at her uncertainly, but took a pen anyway.
The night slowly grew deeper as the two lied on their bellies and began to list what they liked about their men. Everything was back to what they were five years ago, when two little girls laughed over magazines and snacks.
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A/N: Phew. Finally. This chapter is not too good, I am writing under the constant threat of evil writer blocks!! Agrhhh. But I've done it. The cinnamon scene is so forced I almost scraped it. Anyways, the next chapter will be better, I hope.
And now, as for the surprise promised to Noriko... *dun dun dun* I have written a new story, "A tangling dilemma", featuring DRACO/Ginny/Neville. It is a serious fic with a plot planned already. It will be my first angsty fic, and it will be dedicated to NORIKO, my first ever reviewer, without whom I would never have gone this far. Please go and read/review it! Thanks!
Please leave your email, anonymous reviewers, to be on my update list. REVIEW PLEASE!
