CHAPTER UPDATED January 2022
Happy reading :)
Settings, stories, characters are all cannon, set in an AU, from a different POV!
Disclaimer: It all belongs to J K Rowling, apart from the obvious changes
Chapter Four: Crookshanks
"Happy Birthday!" Kevin and Justin cried in unison, both running forwards hurriedly to hug her,
"I can't believe you're sixteen already Hermione!" Kevin squeezed her waist tight whilst Justin's arms overlapped them both, encasing them in a strong hold.
"It's hardly the biggest milestone ever, is it?" Smiling broadly, she took their faces one by one, kissing their cheeks in appreciation. She then giggled at them as they both dragged her over to a small set of table and chairs in the corner of the kitchen, which was surrounded by a currently tied back curtain that could be pulled around for privacy when required.
Hermione sat fidgeting excitedly as Justin placed a box in front of her, eagerly gesturing wildly at her to open it immediately. She smiled devilishly at him and then began to undo the shiny yellow ribbon and peel back the smooth black paper, revealing a huge stash of her favourite sweets, purchased from Honeydukes Sweetshop in Hogsmeade,
"Oh, Justin thank you! Care for a sugar quill since you've been such a darling to me?" He took one from her outstretched hand, smiling gratefully, turning the sugary quill - shaped sweet in his fingers before proceeding to suck it with utmost delight. Kevin however refused politely when she offered, then quickly excused himself, disappearing in a blue flash into the already roaring fireplace.
Dobby ran forward brandishing his handmade clothing, seemingly breathless, at her, which she also gratefully accepted, earning her a low bow from him, his floppy ears bobbling about as he did so, which she returned by gracefully tilting her head towards him. Winky and Hokey appeared suddenly, a large crack echoing about the kitchen. Both were considerably smaller than the humans around them as well Dobby, due to being female elves, though Winky seemed bigger than she supposedly was due to her puffed out blouse, protruding skirt and rather large blue hat that perched upon her small head. She possessed Dobbys bat - like ears which rippled occasionally as she walked, further accentuated by her huge brown eyes and tomato - sized nose which perfectly matched her high - pitched voice.
Hokey on the other hand was the tiniest and oldest House Elf that Hermione had certainly ever seen, with her papery - skin only covered by a small linen sheet. They both dropped to the floor, bearing a large chocolate covered cake, bigger than the both of them, resting upon their outstretched arms. They held it as high towards her as they could, smiling through the grimace from the obviously unbearable weight of the cake.
"Oh, you guys, it's wonderful!" Hermione cried tearfully, quickly relieving them by taking the cake and placing it upon the small table, taking up almost all the space that was available. She lightly traced her fingers over the icing covering the wand - shaped cake, smiling all the while, particularly at the squiggly mess of letters spelling out her name.
"This is such an amazing birthday. I can barely remember the last time that I had a cake..." She smiled sadly, looking back to her very last birthday party. Her seven - year - old self had sat giggling furiously next to her mother upon their lush cream carpet, her father and now deceased grandparents smiling wildly from the sofa, sipping large mugs of tea, and eating various party treats. A few other children, her dearest of friends and family, sat around her, sipping juice, and playing with assorted party - bag fillers joyfully. That had been the last birthday that she had had friends, before the bullying she had previously suffered had really set in and they had turned on her. Labelled a 'know - it - all' and 'stuck up', she spent the next four years relatively alone, throwing herself into school to try and ignore the gnawing pain in her chest that had steadily grown in strength to consume her.
She smiled, thinking how she had run around, blowing party - whistles and singing loudly to songs that she made up the lyrics to. She had even taken the cake her mother had lovingly prepared, so carefully spelling her name atop the icing, and plunged her face into it, munching giddily, clearly oblivious to the pains of having chipped a tooth upon the porcelain crockery.
Those memories seemed so far away from her. She thought back to her parents at home, to whom she had not written in weeks and who undoubtedly worried for her safety, despite constant reassurances that she was perfectly content. They were unaware of her situation, and she preferred to keep it that way. They had always been so proud of her for excelling in her education, and although they were sceptical of the school, they had encouraged her to succeed regardless. She nodded indefinitely to herself, making a mental note to later write, and put them at rest.
As plates were brought over to them by other elves, they casually wished her a happy birthday as they came and went and allowed her to slice pieces for them each from the enormous cake. The vicious roar of the fire sounded behind them, and Kevin bounded gracefully in, a large ginger object netted in his arms.
"What's that Kev?" Asked Justin, curiously peering at the scowling creature, "A cat?...A very grumpy cat..."
"A half - Kneazle!" Piped in Dobby, nodding vigorously.
"I just thought, it's the big birthday really. And I know you love animals - He was the only one in the shop. Unique, just like you," Kevin grinned, clearly pleased with himself, "Happy Birthday Hermione."
He handed the feline to her, and Hermione held onto him tightly, staring intensely into his eyes. She felt a wave of understanding pass between the two of them and as she lowered him onto her knee, he sat still for a few moments. The feline then stood on his hind legs and putting his paws on her chest he gave her a good sniff and a small lick. Hermione felt as though her heart could melt, an overwhelming surge of love burning in her chest for the furry animal and a wave of gratitude towards Kevin. She looked at him lovingly and wondered if he had recalled the time that they had sat together one winter morning, some years ago, warming their feet by the kitchen stoves,
"Hermione?" He had asked her, "Have you ever thought about getting an owl? They'd be dead useful I reckon." She had put down her small copy of Charles Dickens Great Expectations and studied him thoughtfully for a moment,
"No, not at all. Why bother when there are so many to use up in the Owlery? It's not like I need one to send letters outside of Hogwarts either. Considering that you all know how the post office works, if I needed any of you, I would definitely be using that method. Who else would I need to contact anyway?" She had chuckled slightly, and began to open her book once more, but paused as he spoke again,
"How about a toad?"
"I don't think so; it'd be far too slimy for me to ever pet and too cold to cuddle. And besides, Carla would probably end up sitting on it or something; I wouldn't put it past her with such a small creature. She's just not allowed near them; she's almost killed Master Longbottom's Toad Trevor far more times than I care to remember. How it continues to live once she has a mop out is beyond me." He had given her a strange look that Hermione could not fathom, but then dropped the subject nonetheless. Smiling inwardly at the memory she looked at him fondly as he popped a small piece of cake into his mouth, 'Next logical guess I suppose'.
"Oh Kevin, he's gorgeous! Aren't you little kitty? What's his name?" She paused expectantly,
"He hasn't got one yet, you choose." She positively beamed at him, and then began thinking hard, chewing her lip in the process before nodding in approval to herself,
"Crookshanks. I'm gonna name him Crookshanks."
~x~x~x~
Ron walked up the length of the stone steps towards the boy's dormitory, yawning loudly as he went and carrying several large Potions books and a bag full stuffed to the brim with a ridiculous amount of ingredients. Pushing the door open with his back, he waddled into his room gingerly, throwing his things on the floor hastily, barely through the door, and collapsed upon his bed, panting slightly. He could see Harry looking over from his own bed, raising an eyebrow as he watched his friend's chest rise and fall with each deep gasping breath he took.
"You know Harry, no matter how many times I walk up those stairs; it just gets no easier..." Harry rolled his eyes in his direction as Ron eyed him lazily, and then returned to fiddling with his wand. Ron temporarily closed his eyes lightly before they sprung open once again at the sound of a squealing Carla, who popped up from the side of Harry's bed holding a small package in the air, a look of triumph plastered on her face,
"YES! She is complete! Look Master Harry, look!" She shoved the golden wrapped present under his nose whilst shaking it wildly. He tried to pull her hands away and take it in his own, but she simply smashed it further into his face excitedly,
"Carla?" He tried to take the package once more, failing miserably, Ron noticing as the tip of his nose began to redden, no doubt the friction burns from the shiny paper as it grazed the underside roughly, "Carla. Give it; just...Just give it to me. Carla,"
It was as though she could barely contain herself, so proud of her perfect choice of present and perfect wrapping paper that she began half shoving it into his mouth, "FWALA!" She stopped suddenly, eyes wide, and fell back to her knees. Looking down at them, a look of embarrassment washing over her as she awkwardly sank into the floor and out of Ron's view. A small hand tentatively reappeared, gift in hand and slightly shaking. Ron could almost hear her wince as Harry took it from her hands with a snort and turned it over in his own.
"What's it for?" Asked Ron giving it a quick glance, but before Harry could answer, Carla once more appeared to him from her hiding place, her arms spread wide behind him as if he had suddenly grown another head and set of arms,
"It's Hermione's birthday! Yaaaay! Present times! Cake times!" She began wiggling her body about the room, waving her hands wildly and repeatedly chanting about wonderful presents and tasty cake. Harry coughed loudly, and she froze mid-dance, only her eyes moving as they shifted over to look at him. Her large smile faltered, and her arms dropped to her sides with a loud slapping noise. She took a deep shuddering breath, trying to avoid their gaze and Ron studied her rather amused and her Harry simply looked embarrassed.
Exhaling quickly, Carla threw herself back to the floor, as low as possible, and began slowly creeping towards Harry, bottom high in the air, upon her hands and knees. Ron gave a few stifled chuckles, but allowed for a moment's pause between them as to pass them off as coughs,
"Birthday? I haven't gotten her anything." Ron said thoughtfully looking towards the canopy above his bed,
"When have you ever got her a present, mate? Have you suddenly started caring?" Ron turned to see Harry's grinning face, and felt his own begin to flush, his ears turning scarlet,
"I don't! I haven't! I was just stating the facts!" Ron flopped backwards and turned on his side away from them but remained fully aware of the look exchanged by Harry and Carla behind his back, 'Harry's always saying such dumb shit. And encouraging that girl. It's ridiculous. She'll be spreading all sorts of stuff about me to the rest of the school before I know it' He thought sourly.
There came a sudden rattling from the heater in the middle of the room and all three of them turned to look as the top sprung open and smoke began to steadily pour out over the edges and onto the floor. As it dissipated into the room's atmosphere out jumped what they momentarily thought to be a small tiger, which bounded about the room playfully and then turned to wait by the base of the heater. There came a small childish giggle and Ron raised an eyebrow in intrigue,
"Crookshanks you silly kitty, where've you gone boy?" An even frizzier than usual head popped up out of the top and Hermione proceeded to climb out, oblivious to those present in the room who were watching her intently. She fell to the floor clumsily, and the beast, Crookshanks, clawed its way onto her knees, pawing gently at her face. "Nobody's had you in a long time have they gorgeous?" She stroked his head lovingly as the fur upon his flat face stretched backwards causing him to purr in contempt. "No matter, I'll look after you now. Are you hungry?"
Ron mused at her as she stood up and left the feline upon the ground and reached into the heater. She pulled out a very large fish, hanging onto it by its tail and holding it above her sitting cat. Crookshanks looked to her smiling face and then up at the fish, before standing upon his hind legs, taking it in his mouth and using his paw to push her hand away. She gave a soft sigh of content, gladly watching him messily pull apart the fish, taking no heed to the flakes being crushed into the floorboards as he pawed at it. She seemed to be lost in her own world as she marvelled at him, Ron suddenly becoming aware that both Harry and Carla were no staring at him, silently encouraging him to make themselves known.
"You're going to have to clean that up you know." He said stonily, and she shrieked loudly, backing harshly into the heater with an almighty clang.
"MASTER WEASLEY!" She shouted at him madly as though they had not seen each other in years, pointing a long finger in his direction. He looked at her bemusedly, though she seemed not to notice nor both Harry and Carla who were trying to smother their laughs.
"Yes Granger, that's me, or is your brain not working properly?" He said coldly, though with a hint of laughter laced in his words. It didn't matter how many times he spoke to her; it always came out the same ways. Cold, nasty, stony. He seemed to have an inability to be nice in her presence and it bothered him so. He sighed inwardly. All he had ever felt was an overwhelming sense of duty to protect his family from the repercussions of the outside world and to keep up appearances. Yet it seemed to always come at the expense of others, particularly Hermione.
There came a sudden loud hiss from beside her. Crookshanks' back was arched, eyes flaring and spitting in his direction, evidently displeased by his presence. "Shut that dog up, will you?" Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and gathered her new pet into her arms,
"He is not a dog!" He saw her gulp heavily whilst breathing deeply and cuddling into her new companion who slinked around her shoulders, peering evilly at him. He swung his legs over the edge of his bed and walked swiftly towards her, kneeling to her level and staring directly into her eyes. He saw them flicker slightly under his gaze and he flushed slightly, a momentary tightness in his chest that subsided as quickly as it had arrived,
"Granger. If I say it's a dog, it's a dog. If I say there's fish on the floor, there's fish on the floor. If I say you need to clean up that fish, GET...IT...CLEANED!"
He watched her flinch as he ranted at her, eyeing Carla as she rose quickly, clearly getting ready defend Hermione. Before she could open her mouth to speak however, Harry held up a hand in her direction, indicating that she sit, which she did so, silent and still under his stern gaze. Hermione looked up at Ron, a terrified and desperate look in her eyes, and his mouth became suddenly dry.
Angered by his body's confusing reaction he towered over her, making sure she met with his full fiery temper as he bared down on her. They stood for a few seconds, looking at each other, studying their reactions, guessing each other's next move, all the while trying to ignore Crookshanks' various attempts to scratch his face. She finally bowed her head and nodded quickly, clearly not wanting to look at him and dragged a spitting Crookshanks with her into the heater begrudgingly and letting the lid clatter noisily shut behind her.
~x~x~x~
Harry and Ginny both sat in large comfy armchairs in front of the brightly roaring fire of Gryffindor Common Room. They were casually chatting about their up - and - coming Quidditch Match against Slytherin that was all but two weeks away and occasionally watching as Crookshanks slinked off in various directions, apparently chasing something unseen to them,
"You seriously need to get Ron training more. He's not bad, but not brilliant." Ginny turned to him awaiting an answer expectantly. He sat with his eyes closed in contemplation, facing towards the ceiling, and the seriousness upon his face made her flush deeply. Her chest tightened as she studied him.
She had always liked Harry; from the moment they had met upon Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Yet, his place as her brother's best friend had always prevented her from voicing her feelings, leaving her feel a little ashamed of the flutter she felt whenever he looked at her or her inability to breathe whenever he smiled. She felt inferior to him. He was The Boy Who Lived. She was certain he only felt sympathy towards her. She was the daughter of a poor Pureblood family with nothing to offer him. It certainly may have seemed to outsiders that Harry felt no shame towards associating with them, but she was sure that to be romantically involved with one of them would have been another matter. He had not even cared as she had flaunted various suitors in front of him, reacting similarly to Ron with an overprotective brotherly attitude,
"Harry?" She croaked out, clearing her throat slightly and turning her face away from him so that he could not see her blush.
"You're too harsh Gin, he tries all he can, I can't ask for much more from him. He just lacks confidence is all." He sighed deeply and looked over at her. The light from the fire cast over him gracefully, catching his green eyed and setting them ablaze. Her mouth dried slightly, and she gulped, shaking herself a little, 'You're his best mate's sister. Practically his sister. Stupid dumb thoughts, shut up and go away!" She thought dismally, trying to quash the sickening feeling within her stomach.
Harry's eyes flickered suddenly over her head, and she turned seeing that Carla had just walked in, smiling devilishly at him. Ginny scowled at her as he blushed furiously and turned to look at his feet.
There came a sudden and alarming shriek as Carla crashed to the floor and out of sight, drawing the attention of all those seated around the room who looked amusedly in her direction.
"Crookshanks!" She heard her cry and Harry immediately stood up, half tutting to himself at when he expected to find as he walked towards the chair behind which she cowered,
"Carla?" He asked, pulling it away to expose her upon the floor, arms and legs splayed out and a large pile of clothes strewn across and about her, a particularly colourful pair of Harry's underwear upon her head, "Carla!" He quickly whipped them from her and stuffed them inside his robes hastily before beginning to remove the other various garments from her, pulling her hair back and revealing her face, "Are you okay?"
She nodded, a little flustered, trying to brush the hair still further from her face, obviously highly mortified and fully aware of the sniggering students around them and a certain young, red-headed girl glaring at the contact Harry kept with her. Ginny was furious with herself for allowing her emotions to get the better of her and used every ounce of willpower to straighten her face and look uncaring.
As they were busy gathering the last items of clothing, neither she nor Harry noticed the large spider that scuttled past them hastily, Ginny eyeing it gingerly before a manic Crookshanks bounded up to them, half standing upon Carla's face and launching himself after it up the stairs towards the dormitories.
~x~x~x~
Hermione huffed loudly as she reached the seventh floor of the castle, having spent the past hour outside in the Transfiguration Courtyard with Justin. She had been manually beating the dust out of the fluffy rug that was often left by Master Weasley's bed that he insisted on dragging his feet across with great fever every time he had been outside. Her arms were swollen, and her back ached, barely able to carry the heavy rolled - up load up to Gryffindor Tower along with a plate full of snacks for him.
Recently all she had felt was pain and soreness. The earrings that she wore sent persistent uncomfortable reminders from her Master that he expected her to complete all the tasks that he had set her, and she felt his constant irritation emanating through them. He was clearly annoyed today, and he couldn't have picked a worse time to be. What had started off as an amazing birthday morning had quickly spiralled into chaos and the afternoon had felt like an eternity. She had expected minimal from Master Weasley, she doubted very much that he was even aware it was her birthday, but surely from Carla's rather obvious exertions he should have guessed something was happening.
She flushed to herself a little, 'Why the hell am I wanting him to think about me on my birthday?' Her mind flashed back to his arms being around her and his lips upon her cheek and she burned crimson, her skin tingling at the memory. 'For Merlin's sake girl, get a grip,' she scolded herself. She absolutely infuriated herself getting caught up in something so miniscule. She had concluded that it wasn't necessarily Master Weasley that flustered her, it was the thrill of it all. A Master being so bold towards their slave girl and the ease with which they could have been seen. It was a sudden rush that turned her stomach into knots and feeling dizzy. He himself was a never - ending torment.
Now here she was, having beaten his rug spotless and having cleaned the floors, as well as washing all of his clothing, and writing a hurried lie of a letter to her parents explaining how much of a 'wonderful' time she was having. As she had been banned from using the fireplaces and heaters by Master Weasley she slowly trudged her way up the staircase from the kitchens, bringing along with her a tray ladened with snacks for him.
Reaching the Fat Lady who was dozing peacefully, she regretfully awoke her and mumbled the password along with a quick apology about the disturbance. She swung forward to permit Hermione admittance and she hurriedly clambering through the portrait hole. As she passed through the small passage, she turned towards the fire, noting Mistress Weasley glaring at someone in front of her, who Hermione could not see for the obstruction of the sofa. She looked up suddenly and noticed her entering, her gaze hardening, "You? This is your fault!"
Hermione stared at her ludicrously, baffled by her sudden outburst, looking behind her to see if she had been followed. Finding no one, she turned back to the young woman and raised an eyebrow,
"Excuse me?" She asked politely. Mistress Weasley turned on her and stood, pointing to the couch before her, her lips pursed tightly together. The sudden fury upon her face gave Hermione the distinct impression that she was incredibly lucky to not have been backhanded straight through the window. She hesitantly stepped forward and saw both Carla and Harry sat together upon it, a clear cut down her face as Harry tried various healing spells to seal the wound. She looked at all three of them, more bewildered than before,
"Your filthy ignorant cow!" Mistress Weasley drew herself to her full height and puffed out her chest to make herself seem more intimidating. Hermione did not miss Master Potter shooting her a disgusted and disappointed look, though noted that he did not deter her from humiliating Hermione in front of the few Gryffindors that were scattered about the Common Room. "You've let him loose!" She continued, though her voice seemed to falter a little. Looking between the two of them she had the distinct impression that Mistress Weasley was crumbling under the shame of his gaze. "He's done this to Harry's slave, it looks hideous!"
Hermione cringer internally, realise that she was referring to Crookshanks and she felt instantly guilty. Carla's collar was stained with dried blood, and she was mumbling profuse apologies to Master Potter about making a mess, but Hermione remained rooted to the spot staring at them.
"That's enough Ginevra. It can't be helped. It's not so bad anyway." He said coldly and nodded to Hermione curtly. Mistress Weasley looked as though she were about to speak once more but was cut through by a shriek that echoed down from the boy's dormitories, promptly followed by a fear riddled bellow,
"GRANGER!"
Hermione stilled considerable and felt the colour drain from her ace as Master Weasleys voice echoed over her, anxiety flooding her. Mistress Weasley smirked whilst Carla and Master Potter looked at one another in shock, no one daring to even ask what had happened. She remained as still as possible but could feel a slight wobble down the side of her face as she twitched involuntarily, waiting for him to speak again.
"GRANGER!" His voice came louder this time, followed by an earth - shattering bang as a door was thrown violently open to scream at her once more. "ARSE! HERE! NOW!"
She dropped the rug and tray of food onto a nearby table immediately and sprinted up the stairs as fast as she could, breathing rather heavily and not once daring to look behind her, trying to ignore the stifled sniggers of the other Gryffindors. As she collapsed against the wall at the top of the stairs, she looked up to see Master Weasley, dressed only in his underwear, glaring at her furiously. She did not even have time to be embarrassed about his state of undress as he took hold of her upper arm and brought her towards the doorway and into the room. He extended a shaking arm towards his bed, rage evidently pulsating through his veins, his breathing stressed as his chest puffed and deflated at a speedy pace, while he leant against the doorway.
She cautiously crept forwards, bent low and looking around fearfully. However, whatever had terrified him so did not make itself known and she stood up straight, thoroughly bewildered and turned to look at him. He had moved swiftly to stand behind her and she jumped a little at his proximity. He gave her a shove, again in the direction of his bed, which was in disarray as though it had been casually thrown together.
He gave a nod, and she nervously extended a hand, almost not daring to draw back the covers, deciding that she didn't want to know. Hermione pulled her hand back to herself quickly, having talked herself out of it, yet when he pushed her again, she felt she had no option but to reveal what was concealed underneath. She grasped the edges and without warning, whipped them back quickly, holding her breath in tight before giving a sigh of relief. Littered in the bed were a few small dead spiders and a curled up Crookshanks, who turned to face them both lazily, lolling onto his back sluggishly, clearly happy with himself. Hermione gave a small chuckle but was startled to hear a whimper from her Master. Turning, she found him sat upon Master Finnigan's bed, refusing to come closer and eyeing his own bed suspiciously. She looked at him curiously a small smile tugging at her lips, almost debating whether to dare to ask,
"Master? What's wrong?" He twitched slightly, looking fearfully in her direction,
"Nothing," He squeaked, before clearing his throat, "Nothing." He said, in a much deeper voice than normal, "It's disgusting, get rid of them and your pig with fur!"
She frowned slightly before smiling widely. Biting her lip a little in hesitation she could feel her features soften,
"Are you afraid of spiders?" He shot her a disgusted look and straightened himself out, standing again and trying to look threatening,
"No, I am not!" His voice quivered slightly, and she smiled at him giddily, chuckling to herself,
'He can be kind of cute I guess…For such a troll anyway,' She mused to herself.
"I'm not!" He shouted at her, face blazing red, burning with shame. It was curious to see this side of him, his frosty attitude and anger had been his predominant attitude for the last five years and she found it strangely refreshing. It made his seem more human and somewhat vulnerable.
Ignoring his outburst, Hermione turned from him and began gathering the spiders into her hands, giving Crookshanks a quick stroke which he accepted gratefully and a tap up on the nose,
"You naughty kitty," She stroked under his furry chin and then turned to place the dead spiders inside of the heater. As she snapped it shut tightly, her smile remained whilst Master Weasley sulked to himself,
"How cute." She hummed quietly, noting how he flushed darker than before. Although she had been talking about Crookshanks, she decided not to clarify, instead enjoying one of the rare moments that Master Weasley was uncomfortable and squirming in her presence. The great ginger ball of fluff slinked off the bed and made his way to her, suavely shaking his hind legs as he walked, stretching all the while.
"He needs a bath." She said, picking him up and giving him a quick sniff, "Smelly Crookshanks. Look at you, you've got little spidey legs all in your fur. Let's get you all scrubbed up and then we'll put your new collar on that Viktor has bought you." She giggled,
"Krum bought you something?" Master Weasley asked suddenly, lifting his head from the floor, and looking at her intently. She studied him a little, nervous about responding, but feeling it would probably be more favourable to be honest,
"Umm, well yes. He wrote to Kevin asking what he could buy me…you know, for today. And he kind of just went with the whole cat theme, I guess. You know, to help me out, and make him feel a little more at home with me. He's very thoughtful like that." An awkward silence passed between them momentarily and all she could hear was his loud and arduous breathing,
"You are back in contact with him properly then Granger?" His voice was strange and flat, like all the energy had dissipated from him. She snook a quick glance at him, unsure of how to respond. Hermione always found it curious of how much of an interest he took in her relationship with Viktor, his bitterness enduring beyond any reasonable measure of time.
"I would have never expected you to know...I'm only a servant anyway," She felt her own heart drop as the words left her lips, feeling dejected and hurt by her own words, "It's not important,"
"That's true enough." He said flatly, allowing even more silence to follow, and it seemed as though he was just as stuck for words as she was as they avoided each other's gaze. It was becoming incredibly embarrassing, and she was beginning to think that she preferred it when he was shouting at her; at least it wasn't awkward then. She knew what to expect and how to handle him. This was simply unbearable. The discomfort between them had steadily grown over the past year or so, taking her back to when they had first met, long before they had learned to coexist with one another. It was as though all those years of reluctant cohabitation had been reversed and they were back to square one.
Crookshanks began to squirm in her arms, almost seeming to sense the oncoming of water and now desperate to get away. This brought Hermione back to her senses suddenly, and she looked at him tentatively,
"Oh...Can I go and bathe him Master? Please?" He stared at her blankly,
"Err, yeah." He replied cautiously, and her face must have twisted slightly as he raised an eyebrow at her. Her shock must have been evident on her face, and she nodded slowly,
"He needs it," Master Weasley added quickly, "I'm not too keen on that monstrous thing as it is, never mind making the room smell like shite." She nodded again and backed away very slowly, a bored looking feline draped about her arms, attempting to make a run for the tightly shut door.
"And keep him out of my bed!" He raised his voice at her as she turned away from him, her hand brushing the doorhandle as she made to exit the room, before his voice came over her once more, softer this time.
"Er, you know, 'Mione...well, yeah…happy birthday…"
Japan's Arc Angel x
