(a/n: Thank you everyone who reviewed. I'm so glad you liked it. Please review again!)
Demiguise
Hermione stretched and yawned, her muscles aching and creaking as her right ankle cracked in protest. She kept her eyes tightly shut, trying to block out the light that she knew would greet her if she relaxed her sight. It felt too early for waking. Hermione slowly glided her hand to her eyes, shielded them as best she could, considering that her hand was in a fist. She uncurled her sore fingers, feeling each one pop as she kept her thumb down on her palm. Her eyes remained closed, but a fluttering sensation tickled her eyelids, rough butterfly kisses touched her forehead.
Hermione withdrew her hand quickly. The feeling stopped. She put her hand to her face again, the sensation began. This time however, Hermione slowly took her hand away, attempting to calm whatever she had in her hand. 'Was it a mouse?'
Using extreme caution, Hermione opened her eyes to a squint and lifted her thumb off her palm. A glinting gold object flitted faintly on her creamy skin, and then remained still.
"A key?" wondered Hermione aloud.
'Impossible' another part of her mind shouted, 'Why in Merlin's name would I be holding a key?'
For a minute, all Hermione did was stare blankly at her hand, it had closed up again. Her tired mind tentatively recalled the events of the last, well, last day.
'How could I be so daft! Stupid, stupid, stupid!' Hermione mentally made note to ask someone, anyone, to hit her in the head…repeatedly. 'It was a snitch. Of course I had to go be gallant about it, try and be heroic and now look where it's gotten me. I'm in a…where am I?'
At this moment Hermione finally took a look at her surroundings. She was in a bed, of course, and a very white one at that. So white in fact, that Hermione quite thought it would give her a headache if she stared too long. The colour of her walls, in the little box room, was a bright sunny yellow that she supposed was to raise her spirits. A fake window was on the wall opposite of her bed. Outside of it she could see a small fair haired boy riding a broomstick. Immediately her stomach revolted, and a sickly feeling crept up her throat. She turned away from the window and caught sight of a very harassed woman with an ugly expression on her face standing in her doorway.
"Don't lie there and gape. Get out of your bed. I'd say it's about one o'clock." The woman (Hermione presumed she was a nurse, by her blindingly white outfit) accused.
Hermione fumbled around with her covers, trying to catch hold of them while keeping from loosing the snitch. She was about to remove the blankets completely when she looked down and noticed something. Her face immediately turned bright red, and she mumbled something to the nurse, who looked, if possible, even more annoyed that when she first seen her.
"Are you going to get up? Speak up girl, you can't expect me to hear you if you squeak and talk like a mouse!" The nurse seemed about ready to leave.
"I said,"Hermione repeated, her cheeks still very flushed, "That I am naked."
"Oh." The nurse's expression softened for a second then returned to its normal hardness. The nurse turned on her heel and left the room. Hermione was confused but the nurse returned minutes later with a pile of cloth. She threw them onto the coverlet and said, "Here. Get decent, someone is here to see you." With that she walked away, closing the door behind her.
The pile of cloth turned out to be a bra, underwear, a simple black skirt, and a large green sweater. Hermione assumed these came from the lost and found. She dressed and tramped out of the room, first stopping at the door to slide into the slippers next to it. She continued her walk, wondering who her mystery visitor was.
Hermione wandered the corridors, thinking and pondering on the fact that she had no idea where she was and how she was supposed to get somewhere if she didn't know where she was going. Luckily, a man stopped her when she found she had been going down the same hallway more than once. He seemed familiar.
"Well, err, I'm not sure if it's proper, seeing as you are here, but, oh Merlin! Welcome to the Team!"
"Huh?" was the first thing that popped out of her mouth.
"The Quid ditch Team. The Chudley Cannons!"
"Ooh, ha-ha. Yes, right." Hermione laughed hesitantly, she still was a little groggy, and she felt like she had been drinking too much butterbeer. She looked at the man again. She noticed his hand was extended. She took it in hers and shook.
"Now for proper introductions. I'm your captain, Charlie McCain, also a fellow beater. You've replaced Galvin Gudgeon. He had to retire due to loss of his right hand, but I'm sure you already knew. Poor chap. And you are?"
"I am Sonia Mileck. But of course you already knew that." Hermione was well rehearsed and her mind was now much clearer than it had been a few minutes ago.
"Well, actually…" Charlie's face grew red." I sort of make it a point to not know who any of the, well the, your names. So yes. Anyway, Mileck, have you read the daily prophet lately?"
Hermione made a point to read the daily prophet for information, however minor it might be. However, she hadn't had the chance recently. "No. Why do you ask?"
"Well there's an interesting story in there. Aha, I believe I have a copy, you can borrow it from me."
Charlie took out his wand and a small folded piece of paper. He preformed an enlargement charm on it and handed the newspaper to Hermione.
"Well then, here you are, the story's on the fourth page. Very good. I'll be up front, the sign will point you. Come when you've finished and we'll sign you out." He disappeared around the corner.
Hermione found a comfy armchair and settled down to open the paper. Before she could do so however, a slightly out of breath Charlie came back around the corner.
"Just so you…know, we've got…your…stuff." He smiled and ran around the corner once again.
Suddenly the armchair didn't seem as good. Hermione got up and put her back against the wall, slid down until her body was comfortable, and began to read.
(a/n: Okay I have something to confess. When I didn't have an acount here and didn't start writng and all, I never understood why poeple always wanted reviews. Now I do, sort of. It's a very happy feeling to know someone read something you wrote. I know it sounds stupid but it feels very nice. Makes me warm and fizzy. I hope you like this chapter!)
