Hermione woke up the next morning with a piercing headache. Cat was at her
bed. Smiling. "Drink this" she said and passed Hermione a glass of greenish
liquid. Hermione could hardly see through the pain, and a wave of nauseas
hit her body. She drank the content of the glass quickly, and felt the cold
liquid spread through every part of her body slowly easing the terrible
feeling of her first hangover.
"Sometimes I wonder how muggles can drink without having this ready for the morning. I have a flask with the stuff you can give to your friends"
"Cat, you are so wonderful, I love you, and this almost felt like dying. I don't know how my parents can drink. How long does a hangover last for normally" Hermione was of course now eager to swallow the knowledge.
"Depends, could be an hour for some and three days for others, or so I've heard."
"Gosh, never drink in muggle world" Hermione said in amazement.
"It can't be that bad obviously" Cat shrugged.
It was Sunday. Hermione ran to the boy's dormitory with the flask.
"Get up, come on you two" she tugged at Harry and at Ron.
The boys slowly came to life. Hermione had to force the drink into Ron's mouth as his past fears of the Durmstag three came back under the hangover fog. They went down to the common room. Harry suddenly remembered about Quidditch practice. Him and Ron left quickly for the pitch and Hermione was left to her own thoughts.
After Cat and Seb left Tom became as ignorant as a small child, and hardly responded to anything. Harry soon felt tiered and suggested they went home. Hermione found it rather mean to leave Tom in such a state, and she tried forcing Ron to stay, as he wanted to follow Seb and Cat to get "his bottle". Fortunately just as Hermione was at the verge of knocking Ron out, and throwing (although she could not find a way of how to do it just yet) Tom into the lake, Seb and Cat came back. They looked tiered all right; the alcohol seemed to have escaped their veins. Hermione could see that Cat's smile was sad. However she could not read a single change in Seb's face. Suddenly she felt sorry for her new friend. She noted that she should at least try to talk to her about it. Seb took Tom, and hugged Cat goodbye. The rest headed to Gryffindor tower in silence to tiered to speak. Apart from Ron, who could not keep quiet until the Fat Lady told him some harsh things about "being to young and to stupid to drink" that sobered him up. However all this did not worry Hermione as much as the conversation she shared with Ron in the common room afterwards. Everyone, including Harry, was in bed. Hermione and Ron could not sleep so they started talking about what they saw. Before they knew it they were talking about everything. Remembering the good old days at first. Then reveling their beliefs. Ron seemed to believe in love and money. What Hermione found quite paradoxical until he elaborated. He wanted to have someone to always be there for him and that he could always take care of. He wanted to share his life with someone like his parents shared their lives with each other. However his family's money problem worried him, and most of all he wanted to earn a lot in the future, so that his wife and kids could have anything they wanted. Hermione from the other hand wanted a career. She hasn't given her love life a single thought. Sure, she wanted someone, but she always thought it will come in time, and did not fear loneliness. She wanted to be ever busy, always moving and always thinking. Achievement and development were her goals.
And so they talked. They shared their worries and fears like they have never shared with anyone before. And suddenly Hermione felt very close to Ron. At exactly the same moment they both fell silent and she felt a great amount of pressure in the air. She found Ron suddenly very attractive, but forced the thought out of her mind quickly only to come back to it now. But she was not given time to dwell on it.
"Thinking again hon?" Cat's head popped out through the entrance to the common room.
"Kind of" Hermione smiled sadly, remembering her friend's sad smile the night before.
"Thinking about life causes trouble. Believe me. The simplest thoughts you get impulsively are the really truths about life. No point to dwell on it." Cat sat down on a chair beside Hermione's
"Cat?"
"Yes"
"You and Seb" she was not given to continue
"Another thing not worth dwelling on hon" Cat smiled, and her smile did not seem sad today. "Maybe it was just the alcohol," thought Hermione.
"But, I want to know, eh, cause I feel like you know loads more then I do"
"Alright, what do you want to know" Cat was not eager to answer questions about this issue, but it was a nice feeling to be treated like someone who "knew more" in such a nice way. Without jealousy and stuff.
"Are you guys in love?" Hermione blushed thinking the question sounded childish.
"Heavens no!" Cat laughed. "We just... we understand each other and happen to be attracted to one another, that's all there is to it" Cat felt that elaborating on the true feelings, or lack of feelings from both sides in that case, was pointless.
"I think I might be falling in love" Hermione could not believe she has said that. She did not know Cat well enough to tell her things like that.
"Well, first of all you probably aren't, you're just ... hmmmm fascinated. Second of all even if you are, as it is possible, you are young enough to still have some fun. Don't let yourself really fall in love before you've had your fun, and even if you fall in love still have your fun. As it is hard to tell love form infatuation, this advice is totally useless I guess." Cat laughed at the whole advice she just gave to her friend.
"Right" Hermione hesitated "eh, I think I might get it when I write it down. Want some breakfast? "
"Sure"
The Great Hall was almost empty, with the Gryffindor Quidditch practice; most Gryffindors were out on the pitch. The Slytheirn's likes to sleep in on Sunday. The Huffelpuffs were probably after breakfast already. Only a couple of Ravenclaws were at their table. Hermione and Cat were talking about homework when a large owl dropped a small letter onto Cat's plate. She opened it quickly. She scanned the words, her eyes moving quicker and quicker with every line she read.
"I have to go. Tell McGonagall I had a family related emergency. Remember to tell her. I'll see you soon" At these words she got up and left the Great Hall in a great rush. She bumped into Seb. He looked at her confused by her rush and the panic in her eyes. He had no time to ask what happened as she brushed past him and ran out of the castle. He could see something else in her eyes. It appeared only when she noticed him. It was disappointment.
"Sometimes I wonder how muggles can drink without having this ready for the morning. I have a flask with the stuff you can give to your friends"
"Cat, you are so wonderful, I love you, and this almost felt like dying. I don't know how my parents can drink. How long does a hangover last for normally" Hermione was of course now eager to swallow the knowledge.
"Depends, could be an hour for some and three days for others, or so I've heard."
"Gosh, never drink in muggle world" Hermione said in amazement.
"It can't be that bad obviously" Cat shrugged.
It was Sunday. Hermione ran to the boy's dormitory with the flask.
"Get up, come on you two" she tugged at Harry and at Ron.
The boys slowly came to life. Hermione had to force the drink into Ron's mouth as his past fears of the Durmstag three came back under the hangover fog. They went down to the common room. Harry suddenly remembered about Quidditch practice. Him and Ron left quickly for the pitch and Hermione was left to her own thoughts.
After Cat and Seb left Tom became as ignorant as a small child, and hardly responded to anything. Harry soon felt tiered and suggested they went home. Hermione found it rather mean to leave Tom in such a state, and she tried forcing Ron to stay, as he wanted to follow Seb and Cat to get "his bottle". Fortunately just as Hermione was at the verge of knocking Ron out, and throwing (although she could not find a way of how to do it just yet) Tom into the lake, Seb and Cat came back. They looked tiered all right; the alcohol seemed to have escaped their veins. Hermione could see that Cat's smile was sad. However she could not read a single change in Seb's face. Suddenly she felt sorry for her new friend. She noted that she should at least try to talk to her about it. Seb took Tom, and hugged Cat goodbye. The rest headed to Gryffindor tower in silence to tiered to speak. Apart from Ron, who could not keep quiet until the Fat Lady told him some harsh things about "being to young and to stupid to drink" that sobered him up. However all this did not worry Hermione as much as the conversation she shared with Ron in the common room afterwards. Everyone, including Harry, was in bed. Hermione and Ron could not sleep so they started talking about what they saw. Before they knew it they were talking about everything. Remembering the good old days at first. Then reveling their beliefs. Ron seemed to believe in love and money. What Hermione found quite paradoxical until he elaborated. He wanted to have someone to always be there for him and that he could always take care of. He wanted to share his life with someone like his parents shared their lives with each other. However his family's money problem worried him, and most of all he wanted to earn a lot in the future, so that his wife and kids could have anything they wanted. Hermione from the other hand wanted a career. She hasn't given her love life a single thought. Sure, she wanted someone, but she always thought it will come in time, and did not fear loneliness. She wanted to be ever busy, always moving and always thinking. Achievement and development were her goals.
And so they talked. They shared their worries and fears like they have never shared with anyone before. And suddenly Hermione felt very close to Ron. At exactly the same moment they both fell silent and she felt a great amount of pressure in the air. She found Ron suddenly very attractive, but forced the thought out of her mind quickly only to come back to it now. But she was not given time to dwell on it.
"Thinking again hon?" Cat's head popped out through the entrance to the common room.
"Kind of" Hermione smiled sadly, remembering her friend's sad smile the night before.
"Thinking about life causes trouble. Believe me. The simplest thoughts you get impulsively are the really truths about life. No point to dwell on it." Cat sat down on a chair beside Hermione's
"Cat?"
"Yes"
"You and Seb" she was not given to continue
"Another thing not worth dwelling on hon" Cat smiled, and her smile did not seem sad today. "Maybe it was just the alcohol," thought Hermione.
"But, I want to know, eh, cause I feel like you know loads more then I do"
"Alright, what do you want to know" Cat was not eager to answer questions about this issue, but it was a nice feeling to be treated like someone who "knew more" in such a nice way. Without jealousy and stuff.
"Are you guys in love?" Hermione blushed thinking the question sounded childish.
"Heavens no!" Cat laughed. "We just... we understand each other and happen to be attracted to one another, that's all there is to it" Cat felt that elaborating on the true feelings, or lack of feelings from both sides in that case, was pointless.
"I think I might be falling in love" Hermione could not believe she has said that. She did not know Cat well enough to tell her things like that.
"Well, first of all you probably aren't, you're just ... hmmmm fascinated. Second of all even if you are, as it is possible, you are young enough to still have some fun. Don't let yourself really fall in love before you've had your fun, and even if you fall in love still have your fun. As it is hard to tell love form infatuation, this advice is totally useless I guess." Cat laughed at the whole advice she just gave to her friend.
"Right" Hermione hesitated "eh, I think I might get it when I write it down. Want some breakfast? "
"Sure"
The Great Hall was almost empty, with the Gryffindor Quidditch practice; most Gryffindors were out on the pitch. The Slytheirn's likes to sleep in on Sunday. The Huffelpuffs were probably after breakfast already. Only a couple of Ravenclaws were at their table. Hermione and Cat were talking about homework when a large owl dropped a small letter onto Cat's plate. She opened it quickly. She scanned the words, her eyes moving quicker and quicker with every line she read.
"I have to go. Tell McGonagall I had a family related emergency. Remember to tell her. I'll see you soon" At these words she got up and left the Great Hall in a great rush. She bumped into Seb. He looked at her confused by her rush and the panic in her eyes. He had no time to ask what happened as she brushed past him and ran out of the castle. He could see something else in her eyes. It appeared only when she noticed him. It was disappointment.