Chapter 30: Of Slytherins and Gryffindors

Professor Snape was not the only reason why the last two weeks had been so difficult. Sage had to try to deal with Amanda, and as they were partners for their Muggle Studies project even Professor Snape could not keep her away simply because Sage was grounded. No, he had kept a fast watch over the two of them working on the project in his classroom. Every time he left Amanda talked to him about the Yule Ball, holding his hand under the table.

He was beginning to have suspicions that her desire to be his girlfriend was going to be more of an annoyance than it was worth. He found himself much more enamored of her as a friend. Perhaps he simply needed to get used to it. He had never had a girlfriend before, and he was not much used to intimate physical contact either.

The other side of the coin was that he also had another end of term project due for Ancient Runes, and Hermione happened to be his partner for that class. His uncle had given him permission to work on it in the library with her, threatening that he would be by to check and make sure they were actually there and working. He recalled their first day working on it quite well. Hermione had found out about his going to the Yule Ball and exactly who he was going with.

They had been working steadily for three hours translating encryptions on Egyptian Pyramids and it did not seem to be ending anytime soon. There were no closer to figuring out how to break the curse on the vault than they had been hours earlier. Suddenly, Hermione closed her book with a huff.

"We're looking in the wrong place, you know. Some of this signs aren't in here. Are we meant to ellucidate their meanings ourselves?"

Sage looked up at her, raising an impatient eyebrow. "If we translate enough of it, I'm sure that we can deduce the rest and be perfectly fine. Books don't have all the answers, Hermione."

"I know that. It's just, what if we translate as much as we can and then cannot finish? It would be too late to pick another rune."

"Then it will just have to be good enough, won't it. The magnitude and difficulty of what we picked, and how much we did figure out, are what is important. There may not be any definite answers."

She sighed and opened the book again, regarding him slightly over the book. "I suppose."

Sage eyed her as she began to read again, before looking back down at his book. But before long, he felt her eyes on him again.

"Can I help you with something, Hermione. You're staring."

She shrugged, "I was just thinking that it is loud in here. So many people are staying for the holidays because of the Yule Ball and all. I know it is supposed to be such a great time, but all these people really hamper the reading atmosphere of the library."

"If you focus, it'll drown out. If you like, we can go down to the potions classroom, my uncle would allow us to use it?" He said this knowing that she would be opposed. She was still put off by Professor Snape.

Instead she completely took off in the area she had begun in, "Speaking of the Professor, is he letting you go to the Yule Ball even though you are grounded?"

He glared at her. What was she getting at and why wouldn't she let it go and simply study. "Yes, he is letting me go, but only because he is required to go. He likes to be where he can keep an eye on me."

Her eyes glistened strangely. She sat up a bit straighter, holding back her smile.

"So, have you asked anyone yet? Ron and Harry haven't."

"Actually, I haven't asked anyone."

She sat up in her chair like she was in class, preparing to jut her hand into the air eagerly to answer a question.

"Are you planning to ask anyone?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. She was certainly acting odd. "No. Someone's asked me already."

Her face fell. She quickly recovered. Her disappointment, however, showed in her eyes.

Sage raised both of his eyebrows, wondering what she was on about. Had he said something to ruffle her?

"A girl asked you? Who?"

"Mandy Macnair."

Hermione stared at him blankly, her ears pink.

Sage furrowed his brow. Did Hermione forget who Mandy was?

"You know, the Slytherin Keeper, she sat with us during the dragons."

"I know who she is," Hermione blurted out quite loudly.

Is she jealous? After this summer, I didn't think she would, er, didn't think that she liked me, like that.

"Hermione, jealousy isn't very suiting to you."

She turned pink, this time in anger. "I'm not jealous, Sage. I just, I." She paused. "You are nothing alike."

"Thanks for your input. We're seeing each other, so I'd have to disagree." When he'd made that decision, he had absolutely no idea.

Hermione stood up, "You're dating each other?"

Sage screwed up his face bitterly, "Yes, is that a problem?"

"No, I just thought you weren't capable of those feelings, or was that letter just a bunch of lies."

"No, you know it wasn't."

"What then?"

"I just don't have-. I mean she doesn't-."

"You just don't have what? Feelings like that for her? She just doesn't what? Sage? What?"

He stood up, indignantly, towering over her. He crossed his arms.

"She just doesn't demand things of me like you do."

"That's a lie, Sage Snape, and you know it. What I said was true wasn't it?"

He growled, "What do you want from me, Hermione?"

"You very well know. I want you to be true to yourself. I was right, you don't have those kind of feelings for her. You're hiding behind her."

"I am being true to myself, you just don't seem to want to accept that. Mandy makes me happy, she makes me feel comfortable."

"Ron and Harry do that for me, and I don't have those feelings for them!"

Sage began to stuff the books into his bag, huffing in anger, trying not to blow up at her in the middle of the library. People were already looking at the two of them. Including Viktor Krum. Sage did not want to air his business around anyone from Karkaroff's school.

"You're just jealous. You are supposed to be my friend, Hermione. Isn't that what you keep telling me? That you are just trying to be my friend?"

"I am your friend, Sage. I just want what is right for you and she isn't."

"Then who is right for me, Hermione, you?"

"I didn't say that!"

"No, that's just what you said."

"It's not," she answered quietly.

He picked up his black leather bag, "Perhaps we can work more on, you know, actual work tomorrow."

She reached out and grabbed his arm, holding her emotions in. Yelling at him never did work.

"Wait, Sage, I'm sorry. I, er, don't want to aggravate you, really. I do only want what will make you happy."

He turned and raised an eyebrow at her, letting his bag drop slightly. "Fine," he snapped, sounding more angry than he wanted to. He sighed, "Hermione, can we just drop this and try to finish this project?"

He sat back down and began to take the books back out, while Hermione actually began reading hers again. This time she wasn't staring at him over the book. He put an elbow down on the table and lost himself in the words of the text and in his thoughts.

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