Hermione spoke softly after opening the door. Although her voice sounded normal her eyes were wide with shock and embarrassment over her screaming fit. She had not expected to see Minerva outside her door when she went to answer it. In fact, she had been expecting another corpse or maybe a living male this time. She wasn't sure how to feel over someone that was not one of her soulmates knocking on her door at the moment.
"are you alright dear?"
Minerva asked, and eyebrow raised as she took in Hermione's harried state. Sighing deeply, Hermione gave up all pretense of being alright as she ran a hand through her untamed mop of brown hair.
"yes, I'm just a little stressed. The… Corpses have taken over my bedroom and although they technically aren't touching anything they are just hovering over the bed – I don't feel right going in there, so I am having to sleep on my sofa. That is if I can even sleep at all. There are Four in there Minerva! FOUR! I don't know what the hell to do with one man let alone four of them!"
She ended up ranting, her hand and arms waving in the air as she did so. Meanwhile as Hermione ranted Ginny made her way to the hallway to see what was going on. Ginny raised an eyebrow as she heard the end part of Hermione's rant before sharing a unique look with Minerva.
"its good to see you again Minnie!"
Ginny said cheerfully, although both women were concerned for one Hermione Granger.
Whilst Hermione had survived the war it didn't mean she had dealt with all that had happened during it as well as the aftermath. When they were children it never felt quite like life and death but after Cedric died, the golden trio knew the truth. For Hermione who hadn't been there it was easy to put her feelings over what had happened to Cedric to the side, then they were thrust in to was ever so suddenly, than the hunt for the horcruxes. Unfortunately, even than they didn't have time to deal with everything that had happened to them. When the war had finished with Voldemort dead, everyone had been ecstatic.
Everyone had gone back to their families, they all dealt with what they had been through and started rebuilding their lives. Hermione had done none of that. She had been the ugly, know-it-all, bookworm. She hadn't had friends before Hogwarts, and although she loved Harry and Ron, she knew their friendship had been more or less forced through a series of events. She didn't even have her family anymore as they had died in a car accident a month after being sent away. So, all she had was herself her books and a slim piece of wood for protection.
Everyone had expected the 'brightest witch of her generation' to go great things, amazing things, and so it was easy for Hermione to just ignore everything that had happened. To bottle up all her emotions, hide her nightmares, and just be what everyone expected of her.
Ginny and Minerva however were not buying Hermione's charade and no matter how hard they tried neither of them could get Hermione to face it all. Minerva sincerely hoped that Hermione's soulmates could be able to do what she and Ginny could not.
"Well I know just what you need to relax."
Minerva told her with a grin, the twinkle that reminded her so much of Dumbledore back in her eye. Before Hermione could say no Minerva pushed passed her and made her way into the sitting area, closing the door behind her.
It wasn't long before Hermione found just what Minerva had in mind – much to Ginny's approval – to relax her.
Unfortunately, it didn't' take nearly as long as it should have done for the 2 women to convince Hermione in to drinking her troubles away with an old, expensive brand of Firewhiskey. Even the Malfoys, the epitome of high society Purebloods, would have been jealous.
Since Hermione had never been the type to drink alcohol, especially something as strong as Firewhiskey, it took only two glasses for her to be drunk.
"I'm just so frustrated!"
Hermione confessed, throwing her head back against the sofa in frustration. She sat with her legs spread out carelessly, her right arm draped over her right thigh casually. Whilst her left arm rested over the armrest with a third tumbler filled the Firewhiskey in her hand balancing precariously in her grip.
"I just want to make the world better for everyone! I want the purebloods to realize that most of their traditions, rituals, and culture is important to the rest of the wizarding world. I think it should be taught in school, as a compulsory subject. I also think there should be a primary school for witches and wizards of all blood types. So, we know about this world from the very start. That way we don't have any more psychotic orphans that become dark lords because they are ostracized for being different. I also want for every Humanoid based being whether it be witch, wizard, veela, werewolf, or vampire to have equal rights. I just want to HELP!"
She ranted, only to sigh in exasperation once she had finished, rubbing her face with her hands whilst the were curled into fists.
"Is it exhausting?"
Ginny asked, trying to stifle a cheeky grin as she stared at her friend from her position on the rug in front of the fire where she sat cross legged. Hermione frowned in confusion as she looked at Ginny.
"What do you mean?"
She asked, unable to figure out what Ginny was talking about. Whit a mischievous grin Ginny responded;
"I asked if its exhausting stifling that much passion. Hermione you need to loosen up and have some fun! I know that the world needs you to save it – we all do – but you're still young. You need to be out there dating and sleeping with guys you'll hate in the morning. You need to taste a variety of cocktails, gamble in Las Vegas, and maybe – just maybe – end up being swept off your feet once you've kissed enough frogs! Work isn't everything you know."
Needless to say, Hermione didn't take this all that well. In fact, it was only Minerva topping off Hermione's dwindling glass of Firewhiskey that stopped Ginny from tasting her own Bat Bogey Hex.
"C'mon Hermione. There has to be someone you have found attractive!"
Ginny bagged, softening her brown eyes into a very good imitation of the classic 'puppy eyes'. With another liberal mouthful of Firewhiskey poured down her throat, Minerva noticed that Hermione was finally letting her guard down.
Hermione bit her bottom lip in thought as she slouched deeper into the sofa.
"Well…. There was one… no, it would have never happened, and no one would have understood."
She eventually said, shaking her head stubbornly. Ginny and Minerva were both extremely intrigued so like a dog with a bone they refused to give up on it.
"Come on! You can tell us. We won't tell anyone!"
Ginny insisted to the witch Minerva nodded her head with a mischievous smile that few people had ever seen before.
"Okay but promise you won't laugh."
Hermione eventually gave in, to which both women nodded enthusiastically. I was rather endearing really how much both Ginny and Minerva – both adults, one more senior then the other – looking like teenagers hearing about the latest crushes and talking about boys.
"It was professor Snape. His voice…. Oh gods, that voice could make any woman's knickers fall off if he just used it! And His fingers so long, and he was so precise. So intelligent with unbreakable focus! If he just applied it to a woman… Gods, she would have been the luckiest woman alive. He was the first man I ever fantasied about…"
She gushed, much to the shock of both her best friend and her master. It wasn't that Hermione has a huge crushed on Severus Snape but that implied fact that Hermione had in fact fantasied not only about him but others too.
"There were others Hermione?"
Minerva asked, unable to help herself. Everyone always assumed Hermione had never felt anything lustful for anyone. Especially when nothing ended up happing between Hermione and Ron after the kiss during the Final battle at Hogwarts. Even that kiss, the only thing that anyone had ever seen that could be considered close to lust, seemed nothing then a process on Hermione's end. It was, unfortunately, something that her peers and elders – those that obviously were not her friends – teased her on endlessly. Fortunately, Hermione was made of stronger stuff after the War and thus refused to let it seem that they got to her. She couldn't say it didn't affect her. It did. She however refused to let them think they had won.
"yes. There was Charlie… He's so burly! And brave… He faces Dragons every day! Those muscles… its so hard not to look at them when he's around so I often end up going into another room or burying my head into a book, so I don't give myself away. I can't help it if I blush every time, I see a man I fancy… and I swear I'm no loose woman! Just because I like a few men – some that are definitely not the good sort I can tell you – doesn't mean I'd ever do anything about it. Most are either appear downright evil and others are way out of my league."
Both Minerva and Ginny were about to tell her no one could be out of her league, but Hermione waved her hand to cut them off. Hermione knew everyone saw her as nothing more than a bookworm and a teacher's pet. Even her part in the war was simplified down to just being the book expert despite she had done more than her fair share of fighting for the light. She wasn't some little woman sidekick that was there for book quotes and revering the famous Quidditch players as Rita Skeeter wished everyone to believe.
"For example, the ones that are out of my league is Severus, Charlie, and Bill. Oh, Bill! I knew he was handsome before he got scarred. However, there was something more after… is it awful that I find the fact that he's a Werewolf a turn on? To have such a primal power and instincts focused on you, one woman, as they scream at him to mate with you… it leaves me feeling all hot. Oh, and then there was the dastardly twins – sorry Gin but I seem to have a thing for you family except the one that everyone seems to want me to have a thing for - those troublemakers always up to something. I would catch myself hoping they would do something 'naughty' to me on more than one occasion. Then we have my bad boy that I wouldn't go near, but I couldn't stop myself from thinking dirty things about. Lucius Malfoy."
She rambled, unable to stop once she got started. When she had finished, she frowned into the bottle.
"You didn't put any veritaserum in this did you?"
However, before anyone could answer Hermione's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted. The alcohol ending up being far too much for her.