After their strange discovery, they reached their classmates, obviously the lessons had already started, but even Hermione was not upset about have replaced the hour of history of magic with the hour of dragons. Despite they tried in every way to concentrate, they couldn't help but navigate with the mind among the clouds of dark smoke that came out of the nostrils of the dragons. Everyone was theorizing their own solutions to the mystery, but none of them came even close to the real solution. Many regretted not being able to say anything to their best friends, and concentrated on finding a plausible excuse that would allow them to do so; Instead Hermione, who would have imagined it?! she was thinking of the books written in ancient runes.
They dragged from one classroom to another, or in that case, from a classroom to a greenhouse; because the last lesson of the morning was herbology, which won the prize for the most boring of the month, established by the Griffindor house genaral committee for the whole year.
"I've never seen a more boring lesson than this." Sighted Harry as he came out of the greenhouse. "you're right." said Hermione who barely kept putting one foot in front of the other. "but what are you saying? Plants with healing functions are so interesting!" Neville said, almost jumping around. "Neville, all the plants are interesting to you." Neville made a disappointed face, but he knew Ron was right.
Then they went to the great hall for lunch. Hermione sat down next to Ginny who had an even more dying face than theirs, if possible. Hermione slowly ate her stew, mulling over what still separated her from returning in her bed. Unfortunately she remembered that he had to go to the library for the first translation sessions, because Harry had specifically insisted that they had to be fast, and that therefore they should start immediately. Just the thought of spending at least two hours with Malfoy, Hermione made a grimace of pain and boredom.
Then the lesson of herbology returned to her mind, she hadn't taken any notes! she was already recapitulating in her mind every single book she knew about plants with healing functions that she knew, and also in what precise bookshelf he was in, but was interrupted by the horde of questions that invested her, Harry, and Ron. All their seventh year classmates plus super investigator Ginevra Weasley, wanted to know every little detail about their first meeting, they wanted spoilers on the program of the year.
A headache began to affect Hermione and she came up with a: "why are you so interested? It's just a boring meeting of heads!" Harry gave her a knowing look that she returned with a pleading one to help her.
"Yeah, she's right, nothing interesting happens!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione were about to burst out laughing at the absurdity they had just said, and that certainly did not escape the attentive eyes of Detective Ginny, who sat next to Hermione.
"Come on, what happened?" Hermione went over to Ginny's ear and whispered to her: "okay, okay, I'll tell you all about it later in the common room." Ginny was about to scream, but a lightning look from Hermione was enough to make her recompose.
They were finishing eating the last things, when Hermione noticed that a note had arrived fluttering right in front of her and was about to land on the table.
After the lessons end, in the library, i wait you there. bring the book of runes.
D.L.M.
"oh, nice one; I didn't thought he was aware of the existence of the library." Hermione had spoken instead of thinking.
"Who?! tell me its a boy." Ginny was in ecstasy again. "Ginny! I'm with your brother!" "sincerely you look like two puzzle pieces that belong to two different puzzles, and in my personally personal opinion, you wouldn't last a day married."
Ginny was always in favour to the fact that Hermione threatened to leave her brother, because in her opinion it made her suffer and they fought far too much. Even if she wasn't going to be the real aunt of her children, she would have been in the heart, because their friendship was much stronger than the love story she had with her brother.
"Who. Is. Him." Ginny ordered. "Oh, no one." Hermione tried to silence her. "Yes sure, whatever." Ginny replied sarcastically raising an eyebrow. Hermione looked at Ginny, snorted, rolled her eyes, and after carefully removing the signature from the note with a non-verbal spell, she passed it to her.
"Is one of the runes course, we have to complete an exercise that they have assigned us." she mumbled. "so another nerd." Ginny sighed, catching a glance from Hermione who could have killed her. "I thought you would find something better, like a beautiful athlete..." "Ginny! Your brother IS an athlete. And this is just a runes classmate!" Hermione cut it out annoyed.
"happy!?" she asked her friend who was smiling. "mh, not completely; who would this nerd be?" she asked pointing to the piece of paper. "there are no laws prohibiting my silence." she retorted Hermione. "come ooooonn!" Ginny insisted.
"Is it not enough for you to know that I and another nerd, ugly and unpleasant, are only going to the library?" Hermione tried to satisfy her. "Of course not!" Ginny answered with a strange look. Hermione immediately understood where she wanted to go and stopped her before she could speak: "Please don't start with this story again! I don't want to find another boy! And then I would not be able to, I look like a cabbage with eye bags and a dead rat on top!"
"it's not true, the whole school would like to go out with the Gryffindor princess! it's not true that you look like a cabbage, you could take anyone you want. And I would be welcoming everyone as family members, even if you met him today!" that last sentence made a shiver ran down Hermione's back "even if you met him today", eww what a horrible thought. Fortunately, the thrill passed immediately with another spoonful of stew.
"we have a free hour at the end of the lessons, you could come to the dormitory so we prepare you!" Ginny proposed smiling. "Why?" Hermione asked worriedly. She knew why, but she didn't want to believe it. "It seems obvious to me! You're going out with a boooooooyyy!" "oh god, Ginny! I'm going to do my homework in the library with a nerd!" Hermione called her friend back to reality."is always a date!" she contested. Even if Hermione had tried to dissuade Ginny for the rest of the day she would not have succeeded, so she gave up nodding.
"Okay Ginny, but promise me one thing." Ginny was about to explode. "what?!" she would have accepted everything if she would be allowed to prepare Hermione for her "date" "be clement with me." said Hermone pleadingly. "alright, alright." Ginny, however, kept a mischievous look thinking about her makeup trousse.
After they had finished eating, they said goodbye and headed for their respective lessons, in the case of Hermione, Transfiguration and D.A.D.A. She was excited at the idea of knowing the new professor, and still hoping that one wouldn't try to kill them. The Gryffindors entered the defence against the dark arts' class with the Ravenclaws and she sat down with Luna waiting for the professor.
After a few minutes the witch came out of her study. "hello students, I'm professor Aida Anemonaeris, and I'll try to teach you defence against the dark arts; even if after what happened here, not more than a few month ago, I don't really think you need a teacher. In any case, I'm thirty-two years old, I love dogs and coffee." She said writing her name on the blackboard near the desk.
"If you'll have any doubt about my lessons, I'll be at your disposition all the time. If I'm not in my study, I'll probably be at the quidditch pinch. I absolutely love quiddich, I was playing in my house team when I was studying here in Hogwarts, as seeker and team captai. Sorry Gryffindors, but go, go team Ravenclaw!" she yelled wile all the Ravenclaw part of the class clapped loud for the new teacher.
She didn't look that bad, she wasn't old or creepy like mad-eye, she wan't neither a tod or a werewolf; and she seemed funny and available.
Hermione followed happily the lesson frequently interrupted by the professors' jokes; even if she already knew more than half of what the teacher was saying. Because she had read a book about it!
They had an hour after the lesson because Professor Vitius was ill. Hermione went to her dormitory; but when she was finally in front of the fat lady's portrait, she wasn't there. So she started looking and calling her around the stairs. Only after about ten minutes she found her chatting at a wedding reception.
"Excuse me!?" the fat lady turned and saw a quite angry Hermione. "What do you want!?" asked the fat lady in reply making a grimace of annoyance. "I would like to enter my dorm!" Hermione yelled. "well, don't you see I'm talking?!" the fat lady silenced her winking to her gossip companions. "of course; but it's your job to be in your portrait to guard Gryffindor' dorm!" Hermione clarified. "now there are lessons, why are you here?!" the woman tried to make her go away. "because we have a free hour. Will you let me in now?" Hermione asked impatiently. "Okay!" the fat lady said surrendered, greeted her entertainers and walked with Hermione to her painting.
"well, well, password." "jumping demiguise." Hermione replied. "well then." finally the girl was able to access her dormitory and ran to her room.
Ginny was already there waiting for her, even if she had a different schedules, Ginny should have had Vitius at first class, and all the other were anticipated of one, so she had a free hour at the end.
"Where were you? I waited for you a lot, now we are late, I don't know if we can prepare in time." Hermione saw the worry in Ginny's eyes and also a hint of anger, so she tried to justify herself: "the fat lady was chatting at a wedding reception, I had to drag her to the portrait first. I'm sorry." Actually she didn't mind so much, maybe Ginny wouldn't had enough time to fill every inch of her face with makeup, or to discuss animatedly and for a long time about clothes.
"it's alight Ginny, do what you can." Hermione said with fake regret. At those words Ginny rushed to the wardrobe and took a pair of dark blue jeans and a light blue sweatshirt with some Japanese writing that faded from bright pink to white. It was Ginny's favourite. "You see? nothing over the top, absolutely. Now come to the bathroom. Hair and maaakeuup!"
Hemione couldn't do much, she dragged herself to the mirror, and as if she was a doll, Ginny made her makeup. She put on some mascara and lip gloss, but when Hermione saw that she was pulling out other things from her trousse, she began to give determined grievances.
"Why don't you leave your hair loose today, since we returned to Hogwarts you have them always up!" Ginny proposed after losing the fight with Hermione for the rest of the makeup.
"I keep them tied because it is more comfortable to study, and then they are so messy and frizzy!" she took a lock of hair that was all tangled.
"how long you don't look at the mirror exactly?!" Ginny asked impatiently. "Why?" Hermione asked, not understanding. "your hair is no longer the ruffled and messy as before; it is brown and also a little honey, and then it is easy to comb, not too rebellious. You're not that bad at all actually." "if you say so." Hermione said not very convinced while Ginny was fixing her hair.
"Gin, it's perfect, thanks! However, I bring an hair tie with me, just in case." said Hermione looking in the mirror almost without recognizing herself. Then she looked at her watch and made a desperate face. "oh dear Ginny, I'm late!" Actually she wasn't, but it made her worry not being early. "Ok, then go! And good luck!" "Thanks Gin, I will need it. It's a boring task with a hateful person!" Hermione answered already outside the door with the runes text book, and the secret ones, in her arms, or in her old, quite ruined bag. "when I come back, or tomorrow, I'll tell you all about the meeting, I promise." she added, only making her head come out from the edge of the door.
Hermione ran down the corridors until she reached the library' door, but about ten meters before she slowed down and began to take deep breaths to catch her breath; she didn't want it to seem that she cared about that meeting enough to run for not being late.
She entered the library quietly, but saw no one, then someone called her from the back of the room. "Granger, I'm here!" it was Malfoy. He was sitting at the back of the room behind the last shelves, where there were some tables, but very few people knew about were her favorites because there wasn't anyone to disturb her while reading. So Hermione was very surprised that Malfoy was really sitting there.
"I know what you are thinking, didn't you expect me to know the library so well?" he asked mockingly. "em... actually... no." she gave up and put the books on the table. "it's understandable. Even if you don't see me, I disappear here often. To be one of the best in classes, you have to come here quite often." Hermione was slightly surprised, and annoyed by what he said. "One of the best in the class? Really?" "Of course, you never look back, right Granger?! And instead, there is also someone else who's clever." Malfoy replied proudly with a grin printed on his face. Hermione looked at him as if he had said the stupidest thing in the entire universe, even if it wasn't so; in fact she had never noticed, but for her, he will always be an idiot who says idiocy.
"So, shall we start yes or yes? Or you're gonna stare at me for the rest of the time?!" asked Malfoy arrogantly. "I would prefer to stab myself while dancing macarena, rather than spend two hours closed here with you. But yes, we should start." Hermione grumbled opening the old leather cover book on the first page and also placed the books of ancient runes on the table. Malfoy took a notebook from his bag to write the translation.
"I see that you also brought the rabid rabbit that you dare to call like your hair." Said Malfoy trying to stay away from the messy Hair of Hermione that covered exactly his nose. "Always so nice. Ten point to Malfoy, for his innate ability to make fun of people." she said as she was McGonagall. "You translate the page on the left and I translate on the right" Hermione ordered.
"I dont't do what people order me, especially if the order comes from the mouth someone like you." Hermione noticed that he avoided calling her a mudblood, or was it just a case? "I translate on the right and you on the left." he affirmed. "but you're sitting on the left." she pointed out. Then Draco got up from his chair and moved it to the right. "Solved." he replied quikly and with his usual point of arrogance. Hermione decided to drop it, and began translating the left page.
They were quite quick in translation; without realizing it they had launched a sort of competition on who finished translating their page first. They both worked very hard and not a word was heard. Because pride would never allow him to lose against a Gryffindor mudblood, and she would rather kill herself than let the Slytherin prince win, she would never loose against a deatheater.
After about an hour, they looked surprised, frightened, and curious to know the opinion of the other.
"Do you understand what I understood?!" asked Malfoy. "I'm afraid so." Hermione replied worried. "I think we should tell the others." Malfoy nodded. "But until we are sure of what we think has happened, I don't want to alarm anyone. Let's fix it in a couple of weeks."
Hermione quickly wrote the letters, then Malfoy called his owl, because Hermione didn't have one, and they sent everything.
We had discovered some incredible things in the ancient books. We don't wan't to alarm you for nothing, therefore we will continue traducing to check if our theories about what happened are right.
There will be a meeting to inform you all; in the secrete passage of the fourth floor, the mirror one. If you don't know where it is, or how to enter, ask Harry; he'll explain you everything. In two weeks, Saturday first October, when everyone is in Hogsmeade.
D.L.M and H.J.G.
"Well. now, however, I want to go to dinner!" said Malfoy snorting arrogantly. "You are always the usual Malfoy. I, on the other hand, have to stay and do some research on herbology to retrieve the notes of today's boring lesson." "wait, wait, wait, Hermione Granger, the nerd for excellence, who finds boring a lesson?!" "and so?! I'm just showing my humanity! If I didn't miss a lesson or get bad grade sometime, I'd be a robot! Failing is human." she replied cunningly. "I don't believe you, just the fact that you stay here just for that is disturbing."
"I need those notes or I won't pass the test!" "Don't say nonsense, you would pass it because you studied the whole herbology program even before get to Hogwarts. But if you really need it, you can take mine. I have a copy." "thanks, but why do you want to lend them to me? You have always been hateful to me, and vice versa." "Because I only passed half of the exams by copying from you, I have to return the favour. It's called education, Granger; I thought you had one." "yeah, you don't contradict yourself, prickly like a needle. But thanks." Hermione replied coldly.
"Well, see you next time." she continued getting up taking her things and Malfoy's herbology notebook. She won't wish him good night, since when enemies wish each other good night? "At the next Granger." and with that he collected the books and without adding anything else, he went out of the library.