A Silent Wish
Closing Time
Hermione did not sleep that much that night, or much the rest of the week. His presence was haunting her thoughts in the day and robing her of sleep at night. Unfortunately, her curiousity was getting the best of her.
She had considered who this mystery stranger was. Though she was sure she probably didn't know this person, she couldn't help but recognize him. His voice was silky and seductive and she was sure she had heard it before, but couldn't quite place it. His facial features were strong and demanding, but gave room for being persuasive. She could almost imagine it now.
"Oh, I have one: What did the fish say when it hit a concrete wall?" Harry said with a grin on his face, "Damn!" he finished and everyone burst out laughing.
"Oh, that was good, but I have a better one: Why was the baseball stadium so cool?" Ron asked. "Because there were so many fans!" He finished and fell back in laughter.
"Ok, that was really stupid and not very funny. Looks like you take the lead," Hermione said.
"Ok, then. I have one," Ginny said in a challenging voice. "Why was the scientists head wet?" she said looking at everyone. "Because he had a brainstorm!" She blurted out and a roar of laughter filled the room.
"OK, OK, I give up, you win Ginny, that is the stupidest joke I have ever heard," Harry said holding his stomach trying to breath correctly.
Then there was silence. They all sat there trying to get their breath back and holding their stomachs.
"Well, what do we do now?" Ron asked slumping back against the back of the couch.
"I don't know. I'm out of ideas," Harry said drooping back next to Ron.
" That is what sucks about summer and no school to look forward to," Hermione said with a sigh.
"Ehm, I still have one year," Ginny corrected her.
"Well, that's true, but that's not what I am not trying to say. What I am trying to say it that there is nothing to do and I have run out of books to read," Hermione responded in return.
"Well, I never thought you would read every book in the library, Hermione," Harry said, sarcasim coating his voice.
"Never thought I would, either," Hermione said seriously. Everyone else looked at each other with confused and shocked faces.
Hermione smiled and said, "I was just kidding. Gosh, you guys are so gullible."
"Well, Ron has an excuse; mom dropped him on his head when he was a baby," Ginnt said with a nod.
Ginny, Harry, and Hermione laughed while Ron gave Ginny a death stare.
"You weren't suppose to say anything about that," he said with anger in his voice.
"Oh, it's true," Ginny, said in shock at her accurate guess. Ron got up fast and Ginny flinched.
"Guys, no fighting. We are suppose to be having fun, not fighting," Hermione said getting between the two while Ginny made funny faces at Ron. Reluctantly, they both stopped and sat back down. Hermione loved the effect she had on people.
"I have an idea. Let's go out again. Like that place we went to last weekend." Harry suggested.
"Yeah! That place was awesome! The foam was so much fun!" Ron said getting excited at the thought.
"I agree. I have never been to a dance club like that before, it was entertaining," Ginny said with a nod of approval.
Hermione didn't say anything. The events of last week went running through her head: the emotions, the feelings, the visions, the sensations, everything. All the thoughts that haunted came dashing back. Her face went pale at the thought.
"Hermione, are you OK?" Harry asked with concern.
Hermione turned her head erily toward him like a ghost before saying, "Yeah, I'm fine, I just feel don't feel too well. I will be fine in a minute."
"OK, back to the club we go," Ron, said and he and Harry got up and went to their rooms to get ready. Hermione did not move from her spot and Ginny moved from one end of the couch over to where Hermione sat.
"Are you sure there is nothing wrong Hermione?" Ginny asked with deep worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Hermione, said looking at Ginny. Seeing her unconvinced face, Hermione said in a more demanding voice, "I'm fine."
Ginny leaned back from her slightly as if trying to look at her in a different view. She looked at her for a moment before nodding silently and getting up from the couch. "Well, if you need to talk, I'm here," she said giving Hermione a pat on the shoulder as she went by.
Hermione turned her head slightly in the direction of where Ginny was and watched as she too went to her own personal room to get ready. She sighed deeply before standing up from the end of the couch and proceeding to her own room.
When they arrived at the club, Hermione felt uneasiness that she had felt on that night last week, but she quickly shook it off. You are suppose to be having fun, not worrying about such a stupid, immature thing that didn't mean anything, she thought to herself.
"Wow, it's crowded tonight," Ginny said looking out at the packed crowd of people, "But that makes it so much fun!" she said heading out to the crowd and disappearing.
"Interesting, she seemed to have completely vanished," Ron said in awe.
"Tag, you're it," Harry said punching Ron on the arm and running toward the crowd.
"Hey, that's not fair. You got a head start," Ron said running in after him. It was funny to see two nearly full-grown men act like little chlidren. Hermione laughed at their cute personalities.
She suddenly felt extremely lonely. It made her vulnerable.
Slowly, Hermione walked toward the crowd. The music rang in her ears and she could feel her head bumped to the beat. The music was a fast beat party favorite and she felt her body react to it. As she started to dance, a man came over to her casually while he danced.
"May I dance with you?" he asked with a sweet smile and a respectible distance away. The man was probably 18, no older. He had brown hair that sloped upward at the front and was about 5'11". He was well formed from what she could see, but he wasn't too big to be intiminating.
"Sure," she said giving him a friendly smile. He crept a little closer and smiled shyly.
"I'm Hermione," she said breaking the ice and trying to make him a little more comfortable.
"I'm Derek, nice to meet you," he said smiling and holding out his hand. She shook it and smiled back at him.
"I'm impressed. I didn't think that someone who came here would be so formal and sweet," she complimented him with a grin.
"I didn't think I would find someone here who was so beautiful and polite, either," he responded. She blushed and looked down at the floor.
"I don't like liars," Hermione told him looking him in the eyes.
"I wasn't lying," he said with a warm smile and gentle eyes back.
"Thanks," she said quietly and appreciatively.
He looked into her eyes as they danced together. She stared back and she felt comfortable, strangely. His eyes were gorgeous and kind at the same time and it made her feel like she was safe.
Derek moved to her slowly keeping his eyes on hers, reading her eyes to make sure he was doing the right thing. He saw no sign of dislike or discomfort, so he reached his hands out and placed his hands on her waist. She gasped slightly and he made to draw back.
"No, it's OK," she said grabbing his hands and putting them back on her waist. She took a step toward him and put her arms around his neck. It was his eyes now that seemed to look shocked.
"I'm not all innocent," Hermione told him with a sly smile.
"I wasn't saying you were," he replied with a smirk. She smiled back at him and moved her hips with the music. Their eyes kept locked on each other as the music changed. They kept the beat and he pushed her slightly closer to him. She breathed in quickly at his move, but quickly recovered and calmed. She was starting to get uncomfortable, but she figured it came with the sensation.
Derek took his eyes off Hermione's for one second as he moved his hands to her hips and pulled her toward him so they were touching. He pushed her into the rhythm as the music changed and Hermione filled with panic. She stepped back from him abruptly and bumped into the person behind her.
"Sorry," she said with an embarassed smile to the person she ran into.
"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Derek asked with concern.
"No," Hermione gulped, "you didn't. I need to go use the ladies room," she said pointing toward the restroom.
"Oh, yeah. I'll get us some butterbeers. I'll meet you back at the counter?" Derek asked hopefully. Hermione nodded anxiously and headed toward the bathroom. The bathroom was up the candle lit stairs and she started to climb.
The candles got dimmer and dimmer as she accended the stairs. The darkened hall toward the top of the stairs made her even more uncomfortable and she took deep, long breaths to try to calm herself.
"It's just dimmer, nothing wrong," she told herself and she felt her knees shake.
Hermione reached the top and she surveied her surroundings. The candles on the wall were down to the bottom of the wax stick and the wind blowing through either ends of the hall didn't help either. There were rooms on either side of the hall, but neither side gave any visible sign of the womens' restroom. She took a left and tried the three doors down the hall.
She walked a few steps down the hall to the first door on the left. She pushed it open slowly to find an abandoned room. When she opened the door, the dying candle next to the door went out. Hermione quickly closed it and moved on to the next door.
Hermione heard noises coming from the next room and cautiously approched it. Is that what I think it is? Hermione asked herself as she drew closer. Putting her hand on the knob, she opened the door a crack. She didn't need to take a second look and nor did she want to. On the bed across the room was movement under the covers.
"Well, then, I'll just leave," Hermione said, though she was sure they didn't hear her.
She crepted to the next room toward the window. As she got closer to the door on the room, she could see something on the door: an inscription. It read: Gentlemen. Well, that helps explain things. At least now I know there has to be a womens' restroom, Hermione thought to herself as she turned to the other direction.
There were only two doors on the other side of the stairs. Which door is it? That is the question, she told herself with a laugh.
She walked up to the door and squinted as she looked for an inscription. When she saw that there was none, she moved to the next one.
"Finally," she said with a disappoiinted sigh. She opened the door and walked inside without worry.
The candle inside, like all of the other candles, was down to its last moments of life. Hermione took the matches from beside the candle and took them over to the candles by the sink. She struck a match and lit two of them.
Hermione turned on the water and filled her hands with it. Splashing her face, she looked up at herself. What are you doing? It was nothing last week and it was nothing now. It was simply a guilty pleasure and nothing bad will happen if you stay in control of the situation, Hermione thought to herself. She was furious with the childish way she was acting. Just go back there and act normal, be yourself, he will understand, she said with confidence.
She wiped off her face with a paper towel and headed back out the door. She walked out and closed the door quietly behind her. As she walked back toward the stairs, she saw a light flicker from the door that she had not stepped into, yet. A light flicker about once every five seconds. It was almost mezmerizing and her curiousity took over again.
She walked over to the room wide eyed and dazed. What could be in there? Hermione asked herself. She thought about whether she should go in or not, but the light told her yes. She walked over to the door and put her hand on the doorknob. Turning it slowly, Hermione held her breath. She pushed it open and became confused. The light had stopped flickering and in the middle of the room laid a single candle. That's strange, she thought.
Hermione walked into the middle of the room to get a closer look at the candle. She bent down on her knees and found no sign of electricity, so what was the flickering?
As she went to touch the candle to get a hand on inspection, the door swung shut behind her. She wipped around in surprise and heard the door lock. As fast as the door swung shut, the candle went out. Hermione could smell the smell of smoke as she looked back into the darkness at the candle she could no longer see.
Filling with fear, Hermione slowly stood and her heart began to race. It's OK, there is just no light, no problem, Hermione lied to herself.
She stared for a moment into the darkness to try to adjust to the light, but the room was completely dark. She strained to hear for movement, but she heard nothing. She tried to smell something out of the ordinary, but all she could smell was the faint aroma of smoke.
Finally, Hermione decided to try to find something to break the lock or at least unlock it. She bumped into a piece of furniture that she suspected to be a dresser. She thought about how she must have looked in the dark. She was squinting for every bit of light and stumbling over things in the room.
A sudden thought struck her. The dresser! There had to be something in the dresser that could help her. She felt around for the dresser again and found the top. She moved her hand over the top and found nothing but a drink coster. She moved down to the first drawer and opened that one. As she moved her hand over the bottom of the drawer, she found an object. When she picked it up, she felt it and figured it out to be a pencil. She was about to head to where she believed the door to be, but stopped instead. She thought it would be better if she got all the objects she could find and then go over to the door instead of stumbling back and forth.
She moved down to the second one down and opened it. She sighed when all she found were stacks of paper.
She moved down for the next drawer, but all she got was floor. She had to manage with what she found a pencil.
Slowly, and more graciously this time, Hermione got over to the door. She smoothed her hands over the door by the doorknob and found the keyhole. She inserted the pencil into the keyhole and probed to find the slide. Just when she found it, the pencil broke. Damn! she thought and was caught off guard at her own boldness.
"Ha, ha, ha," Hermione heard a familiar voice chuckle in amusement. She froze at the sound and her heart skipped a beat. "It's closing time, Miss Granger."