AN: Hey guys! So...yeah, this chapter is pretty much filler while work out some details about the future of this fic. Didn't want to leave you guys waiting and an AN chapter is fuck'n Hersey as far as I'm concerned. Oh, if you guys are into Naruto, I have another story going. Wrote it on a whim and it might not be the beat work ever, but some people like it so... Check it out and see if you do or not.
::::-::::
Hogsmead, 2:30pm
At the same time Harry was training with knives, Ron and Hermione were having a pretty bad day. You see, one Draco Malfoy and his little ban of misfits decided to pick on them while they were looking at the shrieking shack (if anyone ask Hermione, she'd say it was pretty weird name). Normally it wouldn't have bothered them too much, seeing as it was a fairly regular occurrence. That was before the snow balls started flying. The hail of spherical frozen water particles was annoying and kinda pissed off Hermione.
Then she was hit in the face, which sent her over the edge. She trudged up to Draco and clocked him square in the face, which resulted in him having a bloody nose. Seriously, the amount of blood that came out almost made her feel bad. Up until he ran to one of the teachers and got her (and Ron for some reason) in trouble.
They were currently sitting in one of the many buildings waiting to be scolded (more so Hermione than Ron, as he had no idea why he was in trouble in the first place). She had a scowl on her face and her arms crossed. He was just waiting contently to explain how he did nothing wrong. After a few moments of silence he decided to ask the question that had been on his mind, mainly our of boredom.
"Where did you learn to hit like that anyway?"
Brought out of her sullen mood and dark thoughts (thinking on ways she could get Draco back for this), she perked up and answered.
"Oh, my older brother taught me. Well, I mean he's not really my brother but I still think of him as one!"
She obviously liked talking about him. It became apparent to Ron as she didn't stop. He began to regret his question. Just a little bit.
"He and his family are regulars at my dad's dental clinic. They visit so often our families have actually become friends. I mean, we were even invited to a few of their birthdays and have invited them to a few of our get togethers. He's only a few years older than me."
Oh god, he had to interject before it was too late. He almost couldn't stand it anymore.
"Why'd he teach you how to throw a punch though?"
She paused for a second to try and remember why. Mission successful, objective achieved, sweet few moments of silence.
"Oh, I think he said something like, 'Self defense is an important skill for one to know, especially for a young lady.' Even though he says that, he a bit of a wimp himself. He's also afraid of heights. Plus, he didn't teach me himself, he knew someone who could and had them do it. On tip of that, he's afraid of heights."
By this point his just tuned her out (and kinda hoped to get the scolding over already). His prayers were answered when Professor McGonagall appeared before them and Hermione was silenced.
As far as things went, the process was actually pretty standard. Hermione got told her actions were unacceptable and stuff. She tried to defend herself by pretty much calling Draco a dickhead (she didn't actually use the word but sentiment was there). McGonagall still wasn't having it, telling her alternative actions she could've taken. Then the professor got on his case for not preventing it from happening. Honestly, he was only half listening anyways (Having his ear talked off earlier really took it out of him).
In the end, Hermione got a weeks detention. He was let off the hook with little more than a warning.
On the way back to Hogwarts Hermione ask a question that pulled him back to full attention.
"I've been meaning to ask, have you noticed anything different about Harry lately? I mean he's been acting weird."
This actually interested him because he noticed it too. He actually said as much to Harry's face. Harry simply brushed it off.
"I have actually. Sometimes I hear him talking to himself at night. He also hasn't been getting as much sleeping as he use to."
And that was only the tip of the iceberg that was his concerns about his friend. The way he always looked over his shoulder was concerning.
"I wonder what's changing him. Has to be something pretty big for it to get this bad. That level of paranoia isn't healthy."
Too caught up in their own conversation, the pair failed to notice that they made it back to the gryffindor common room.
Or that Harry was behind them. Though, to be honest, he was getting better at moving like his mentor.
Needless to say, they both jumped when he put his hands on their shoulders and spoke.
"Who are you guys talking about?" The tone was teasing. He was highly amused by what his friends thought. Maybe he should've told them about his training and stuff to ease their minds. Eh, better late than never.
'Oh you keep telling yourself that.'
'I don't need your opinion on this!'
'You do and you know it!'
'No, I actually don't. Would you please inform me on why your opinion matters here?!'
Unknown to him, he was muttering his side of the thought conversation out loud. Which naturally had a negative effect on his already concerned friends. They simply backed away and went to their respective beds. Dealing with this unprepared was a disaster waiting to happen.
When he finally snapped back to reality, he noticed they were gone.
'I've got to stop zoning out, I think its getting worse.'
'I told ya you'd go crazy. Trust me, I know this stuff. I mean, I am in your head after all.'
'A fact I hate with a passion. You make my friends think I'm going crazy. I'm not...yet'
'You finally admit it! Score one for me!'
Having had enough of his alter ego for the day he decided to think about the black key he was to receive. It was pretty exciting in certain ways. He was certainly going to keep his current wand of course, that was just good sense. Being briefed on a black key's abilities it made sense to keep another wand around, if only to take full advantage of the abilities it offered. Eh, it was all a problem for another day. Plus, he was tired from today's training session.
::::-::::
AN: So yeah, not the best work but I think it passes...(if it doesn't please tell me). I might not work on this one for a while. I've just hit a wall on this one. My other one is giving me ideas almost daily so yeah...
UNTIL NEXT TIME!