Hey y'all. I finally posted. Let me know what ya think!
Hermione's POV
He liked her. I knew he did. I knew it. There was no way he'd like me. She sighed resignedly, and went back to her book, sensing Cho's anticipation. Oh well. She was happy for Cho, really.
Uh huh. Of course you're happy for her. YES. Of course I am. She's one of my best friends. Mmhmm. Right. So you're not jealous at all. 'course not. Why would I be? Why am I asking the voice in my head why I'm...AHHHHH THE VOICE IS TALKING AGAIN! Hmm. Maybe this is a sign. Better think about this logically. Or, Better yet, you could listen to what I tell you. I'm sorry, what 'THE VOICE' as you have so unoriginally dubbed me, says. Nah. You sound like Ginny. You probably share a great many of her opinions. Therefore, I do not need another Ginny, much less one inside my head. Except that you need me, otherwise you'd never get anywhere. Uh huuuuh. Sure. Besides, I know who you liiiiiiiiiike. She was about to stick her toungue out at the voice-who-sounds-like-Ginny in her head, but that would be odd. And dangerous, most probably. Cause she might end up choking herself. Most probably. Anywho, she wasn't helping the situation any by just sitting here and listening to the voice-in-her-head-that-sounds-like-Gin ramble on and on about him.
He watched her walk off, with dismay and hurt and bafflement swirling uncertainly in his storm coloured eyes. What did I do? She's obviously put out about something. What could I have done? She's only known me for...well, I don't know quite how long she's known me, but we've only actually formally met about 4 days ago. What could I have done to offend her in four days? Well, you just sat down next to her. Maybe she doesn't like you that way. The thought hit him like one of Professor McGonagall's sharp raps to the head when he wasn't paying attention. Wincing, he shook the thought and smiled and Cho and Ginny.
"So, did anyone get the Muggle Studies homework?" Cho nodded. "We just needed to write an essay on the uses of computers." Cedric groaned. "Brilliant. I hate technology."
"Well, why don't you ask Mione to help? After all, she would know it better than anyone, wouldn't she?" Cedric looked at Ginny curiously, wondering if she knew anything. The second year looked perfectly earnest, and he sighed. "Well, I would, but she seems to.." He paused, grimacing, "...dislike me.." He finished. Ginny looked at him consideringly. She was quite sure that he felt something for her friend, despite whatever people might say regarding the handsome prefect and Cho. "Hermione's been going through some...stress...lately. She may not feel about you the way you think she does." Ginny remarked, choosing her words carefully. Cedric nodded and bent over his own Transfig homework. As he chewed his quill thoughtfully, Ginny smiled to herself, watching him.
Hm. He likes her. He must. Now how to bring them together, 'cause I know she likes him. Or I think she does. Lets see...library...hm. This is very...convenient. She laughed. Or would've. But laughing at the thoughts in you head, while not as insane as laughing at the voice in your head, was still pretty weird. Although, if you were laughing at the thoughts in your head, it was still a voice, technically. This could go round in circles forever. Fortunately, Ginny had more important things to do than to contemplate whether her own thoughts qualified as a voice, and therefore laughing at her thoughts made her insane. Such as go eat chocolate. She supposed she would do that. Standing, Ginny gathered her bag and began to walk off. "Gin?" Cho ventured. "Yeah?" "Where're you going?" "Uh...find Mione" She muttered, leaving Cho with Cedric.
Well, this is awkward. Huh. It wouldn't be so awkward if you talked to him! Anyways, its time for class. Ugh. Potions next.
Cho stood up, said a quick, (and barely audible) goodbye, to Cedric as she headed off to Potions. Cedric, truth be told, hardly saw her go. Mechanically, he rose and started in the direction of the History of Magic classroom.
After Hermione left them, she had gone to the library to sit and think. So far, her thoughts were just as muddled as they had been earlier. With a start, she realized she had 3 minutes to get to class. She set off at a run towards Greenhouse 8.
Oh, you idiot. You need to pay more attention to what time it is, instead of thinking about him for the entire break. Hermione found it increasingly alarming the number of times she had almost tried to stick her tongue out at the voice in her head. She supposed she really ought to see someone, before she really did stick her tongue out at herself, and someone saw her. And sent her to an asylum. Or counseling. Actually, if they sent her to counseling, it would achieve the same result. Most probably.
At the entrance of the greenhouse, she ran into Neville. "Hallo, Nev." She said, somewhat distractedly. "Nervous?" The two of them had just started to take Advanced Herbology. (It was only 7th year level.) Hermione, because her time turner permitted it, and Neville, because Professor Sprout had recommended it. "Just a bit." He smiled nervously at her. She smiled back. "Me too, actually." She confessed. She had never been all that comfortable around larger groups of older students, and she always felt as though she couldn't make eye contact.
The crowd outside Greenhouse 8 was made up of 7th year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, with the exception of Neville and Hermione, of course.
"Good midmorning, students!" Professor Sprout greeted them cheerily. "Ah, good, Miss Granger, Mr. Longbottom, good to see you!" She turned and addressed the seventh years. "Class, these two students have come up to our level on my recommendation." Still smiling brightly, Professor Sprout pulled out her reading glasses and examined a list floating in front of her, ignoring the murmur of her students.
"Let's see, Miss Granger, you will be paired with Mr. Shepard, Mr. Longbottom, you will be paired with Ms. Patil. They will assist you in understanding and getting caught up with the class. Neville gave Hermione a scared look, as he was a bit antisocial.
Hermione, however, completely missed his look of terror, because she was looking at a boy in Gryffindor, who, now that Neville thought about it, looked quite a bit like her. In fact, they could be related! He hadn't known she had relatives at Hogwarts. If she did, would mean she would no longer be a muggle born? Neville looked back and forth between the two. They did look alike...He shook his head. He was confusing himself.
There was a tap on his shoulder, and he turned, to find himself face to face with Pria Patil. She smiled at him, and he smiled back shyly.
Hermione & Ian
"Well, fancy seeing you here, Mr.-I-go-to-Eton." He had the grace to look embarrassed. "Well, its not like I could just up and say, Oh yeah, I go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and--- what are you laughing at?" Hermione shook her head, laughing too hard to respond at the moment. Luckily, no one had noticed, as most people (cough cough) were doing what they were supposed to be, Herbology.
Finally, she managed..."well...No...I mean- I wasnt laughing at you, I know you couldn't've, but its not like you didn't know who I was! Anyway, I was just making fun." She explained. "So why didn't you say anything? We've already established you knew who I was. You couldn't be –that- out of it." Ian laughed. "You've got a point there." She rolled her eyes. "Very funny." He grinned. "I try." She wondered how it was so easy to talk to him.
"Hey, Ian, I didn't know you had a half sister!" A blonde girl came up to them. He had a very confused look on his face. "...I don't." he told her, glancing at Hermione, who was frowning, trying to figure out what she meant. The blonde girl looked from him to Hermione and back. "But aren't you two—" She paused. Hermione and Ian shook their heads. "Yeah. This is Mione. She's not my sister, or my half sister, or my step sister or anything else with the word sister in it." He told the blonde girl. "Ah. Right, sorry bout that." The blonde girl walked away, blushing slightly. Hermione looked after her strangely. "What on earth...?" Ian nodded. "My thoughts exactly. Well, best get started, then. Today we're supposed to be working on growing tomatoes." A slow grin spread across Hermione's face. "Killer tomatoes?" She asked. "Ha. Ha. Ha." Ian said. "Somehow, I knew you were going to say that." She grinned. "Nope, just regular tomatoes. Did ya know they supposedly have magical properties?" Hermione hazarded a guess. "Telepathy?" He blinked. "Well, yes. How'd you know that?" She shrugged. "Must've read it somewhere." He laughed. "Of course." She hit him playfully, and they got to work.
Neville's anxiety was quickly wearing off, and he was actually enjoying himself quite well. Pria Patil, he found, was quite nice, and possessed a bit of a green thumb. When he mentioned this to her, she burst out laughing, and said, "Why thanks, Neville, but its nowhere as green as yours." They both laughed, and Neville found he felt as at ease as he usually felt during Herbology.
Too quickly, the period was over, and it was time to clean up and head off to lunch. After they had been dismissed, Ian and Hermione could be found walking to the Great Hall, heatedly debating several different subjects, both muggle and wizarding, and all at the same time, not to mention practically at the speed of light, as though they were trying to be as indecipherable as humanely possible. (But, of course they weren't.)
The two sat down at the Gryffindor table and continued their debate. They were attracting a mounting deal of attention, as a 3rd year girl speaking very very quickly with a 7th year guy, plus the fact that they looked like they could be related and no one had noticed the similarity before, was definitely perplexing most people.
Around them, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Parvati had come to sit down and, they'd hoped, eat their lunch in peace, or relative peace. Suddenly, both Hermione and Ian stopped abruptly, as a sneering voice remarked. "Huh. Well look at that. Mudbloods do mix." "Shove off, Malfoy." Ian said, smiling brightly at him. "Else I'll be happy to introduce you to the dragon-cat crossbreed I've created." His evil scientist laughter was quite convincing. Malfoy looked puzzled. "But that's impossible." Ian's smile was starting to look a bit demented. Grinning even wider, he shrugged. "Your call, Drakie." Draco scowled. "C'mon boys, lets go." He and his cronies made an exit. At that exact moment, Ron looked up from his lunch. "D'you reckon there might be a way to kill him without anyone getting mad at us?" he asked. "Yep. Kill his parents first." They all laughed, and left the table, Ron, Harry, and Hermione to DADA, Ginny to Transfiguration, and Ian to Charms. As the trio left, Ron remarked, "Y'know, I could definitely get used to that Ian guy." Hermione just laughed and shook her head.
So, what did y'all think? Too weird? Too freaky? Too un-Mione/Cedric-y? (Don't worry, the latter is coming soon.) I didn't really like this chappie too much, but whatever. My brain is fried 'cause we had a science exam today, and I'm pissed off at my mum and my sister and certain others. Its really getting to me. Anywho, review! (Please please please. Reviews make my day, and I'm having some seriously crappy days lately.)
Love & Chocolate,
Milli
