She almost screamed, after someone pulled her behind one of the statues and covered her mouth. Panic awoke in her body almost instantly and she started to wiggle furiously, trying to break free.
"Calm down", Leslie hissed into her ear, making Hermione freeze on the spot.
What was it with those girls?! She could swear that they had deliberately tried to give her a heart attack!
"What the hell, Les?!"
"We're hiding", the girl whispered, staring intently at one point above Hermione's shoulder.
"Seriously? Why?"
Her roommate didn't answer, but her cheeks tinged pink, making Hermione narrow her eyes with suspicion.
"Leslie?", she asked with warning in her voice, trying to get to the bottom of their current position.
"Fine... Ewan will be here in about one minute"
Hermione looked at her with disbelief and tried to leave their hideout, but Leslie grabbed her by the arm and forced her to stay.
"Come on, Hermione", her friend moaned pleadingly and sounded so desperate that Miss Granger had no other choice than to bear with her.
"Are you at least going to tell me why are we observing him from behind this statue, instead of just talking to him?"
"Because I'm stupid, that's why", Leslie muttered and blushed even harder. "Look, our talk got me thinking about everything. I know that I fucked up and I thought that maybe... That maybe I could fix it"
Hermione tried to stop herself from smiling, but did a really bad job, as a chuckle escaped her mouth. Leslie smacked her in the arm, looking extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed.
"You think you can fix it by stalking him?"
"No. I just... I don't know how to talk to him. He probably hates me", Les groaned and squeezed her eyelids shut.
"No, he doesn't", Hermione protested with a grin and watched her friend open her eyes with a hopeful look shining through them.
"Did he tell you that?", her voice sounded excited, although she tried to hide it.
Hermione raised her eyebrows with amusement and smiled.
"I'm not telling you anything. It's up to you and Ewan to figure it out"
Leslie opened her mouth to answer, but then the door flew open as Ewan's class has ended, forcing her to grow even redder and awfully silent. Hermione wondered what was she planning to do, because sitting behind the statue didn't appear all that smart.
Ewan walked out of the classroom with one of his friends, Gideon Lithe, laughing loudly and making Leslie inhale sharply. She looked like a giant fish, with her cheeks puffed out and her lips shaped like a nozzle. Hermione bit her lip, trying to stifle in laughter, seeing as her friend seemed to be frozen in time.
There was no way in hell that Leslie was going to do something and Hermione decided that everyone needed help sometimes. With a wicked grin, she pushed Leslie from behind the statue, making her fall directly into Ewan's arms. She almost snorted out loud, when the girl started to resemble the statue behind which she had been hiding. Ewan looked simply flabbergasted, slight pink hue on his cheeks.
Both of them stood in the middle of the corridor, staring at each other for over a minute, until Leslie decided that she had enough of making a fool out of herself.
"HEY, EWAN!", she yelled in a panicked voice, despite him standing right next to her.
Hermione couldn't hold it anymore and she started to shake violently from inaudible laughter. If anyone took a picture of her at that exact moment, she'd probably die out of embarrassment, because she must have been looking like an extremely ugly tomato.
"Um, hi?", Ewan answered, looking slightly confused. "Why were you hiding behind that statue?"
"WHAT?! NO, I WASN'T", Leslie laughed in response, shooting Hermione an angry glance. "I was just standing there. For no reason, you know?"
"That's... great?"
"Yeah"
"Yeah"
Silence fell between them, as they kept staring at each other without blinking. Hermione calmed herself down and kept watching the entire scene with a gentle smile. They looked so adorable together, that it seemed almost unreal. She really hoped that they were going to sort everything out and at least get back to being friends again. Both of them deserved having that special someone in their lives and Hermione couldn't be more happy for them.
"It was nice talking to you", Ewan finally stated and smiled timidly.
"Sure!"
Leslie scratched her head with embarrassment, clearly not knowing what to do next. Ewans seemed equally baffled, as he kept looking at the girl in front of him with such intensity, that Hermione feared he might scare her away.
"So, I guess I'll see you sometime?", Les finally choked out and Ewan nodded eagerly.
Neither of them made a move, though, making Hermione giggle lightly. Her amusement got even bigger when they finally decided to split. Leslie stepped to the left, as Ewan stepped to the right, causing them to bump into each other. The situation repeated once again, forcing Ewan's friend to snort loudly. His reaction clearly embarrassed the pair even more, as they tried to part ways again – Ewan stepped to the left and Leslie to the right.
"Sorry!", the girl squealed with her face red as a tomato.
Ewan grabbed her shoulders and pushed her to the side, smiling widely. This time, they walked past each other, making Hermione sigh in satisfaction. It would probably take some time, but she had no doubts that they will end up together and that thought was incredibly touching. Leslie and Ewan deserved happiness.
With a smile still plastered on her face, she walked out from behind the statue and resumed her stroll towards the library.
"Merlin, I'm so hungry", Gracie groaned and looked at the chicken with such want, that it made everyone else giggle.
It was simply impossible that she was still so thin, as she kept eating tons of food, making Hermione watch her with bewilderment.
"You're always hungry", Leslie chuckled and grabbed the bowl containing mashed potatoes, snatching it right out of Amy's reach.
"Hey! I was about to do that!", the blonde exclaimed with outrage, staring Les down.
"And now you're not"
Hermione shook her head, smiling slightly. Each day looked exactly the same, but she was far from bored. The routine of being friends with those girls made her feel like she belonged here, despite everything that's happened. The thought that she was about to stay in the castle for Christmas, all alone, was really depressing. Especially with the upcoming training sessions that Moody planned for her during their summer meetings. Her muscles clenched painfully at the mere thought of having to endure hours of running and fighting.
Her sigh must have sounded incredibly pained, as all eyes darted towards her within a second.
"Herms, what's wrong?", Gracie asked worriedly, deciding that Miss Granger was far more important than the chicken lying on her plate.
They knew her well enough to know, that her sighing and distant looks were a sign of something troubling her. Merlin knew, those things happened way too often for anyone not to notice.
"Nothing, really. I just realised that I'm going to miss you while you're gone for Christmas", she smiled weakly.
"Oh... Hermione, that's so sweet", Leslie rolled her eyes, clearly amused by this sudden expression of feelings.
Hermione shot her an angry glance, but smile was still gracing her lips.
"Shut up, you cold-hearted wench", Grace scolded her dark-haired friend. "I bet you wouldn't be so happy to stay all alone in the castle either!"
"She's not going to be alone, though, is she? Snape is staying here", Amy pointed out, waving her fork in the air.
Hermione's smile faltered as she realised that it was only going to make things worse. After all, she was supposed to spend her days in the Room of Requirement, getting beat up to a mush of sweat and tears. Severus was way too observant not to notice her disappearances and his questions were the last things she wanted to endure.
"Yeah, I know. But he's not you, guys"
Despite her grim thoughts, she mustered a wide smile, that made all the girls look at her tenderly.
"We're going to miss you too!", Gracie chirped and decided to hug her from across the table.
As a result, her glass filled with pumpkin juice rolled over, making Amy squeal in panic. Her skirt was now completely drenched, yet again, in pumpkin juice. Leslie choked on her potatoes, not being able to stop her laughter. Hermione's cheeks started to hurt, as she tried to remain calm, but seeing Grace's guilty smile and Amy's furious blush made her lose it completely.
The sound of her laughter made everyone turn their attention in her direction. Normally, it would have caused her to blush and calm down, but right now she was completely unable to do so.
"Oi, Granger!", she heard James' voice reaching her from Gryffindor table. "What's so funny?!"
"Your ugly mug, for instance!", Sirius replied, and laughter erupted in the Great Hall, as Hermione tried to catch her breath.
In the meantime, Amy was wiping her skirt furiously, as Grace kept scratching her head with a disturbed look in her eyes. She clearly tried to assess whether she had to make a run for her life, or maybe pretend that she wasn't there.
"Freaking Grace's grace", Amy muttered and threw the napkin on her plate.
She took a deep breath, grabbed Leslie's plate and smacked its content into Grace's chest, covering her shirt with mashed potatoes.
"THOSE WERE MINE!"
Leslie was clearly outraged, but even she couldn't stop herself from laughing at the sight of Grace's shocked face.
"It serves you right for laughing at my expense!", Amy stated proudly and then got up and marched off the Great Hall, her stained skirt making her look as though she'd peed herself.
Some people chuckled and pointed their fingers towards her, but the girl wasn't going to let them mock her.
"QUIET! Unless you want to suffer detention till the end of the year!"
With a bang, she exited the hall, her head held up high.
"She's mental, I'm telling you", Leslie nodded in affirmative and then switched her gaze to Grace, who still looked at the plate glued to her chest with pure shock. "I'm going to need that, Gracie"
Hermione chuckled lightly and sighed once again. Merlin, Hogwarts would be so boring without them.
"Well, well, well... Look who we have here", Mulciber's voice reached her ears, as she jerked her head up and tried to blink away her sleepiness.
How could she fall asleep in the library once again?! It wasn't safe to walk the corridors after curfew, even with a permission from Dumbledore. She knew better than to just let herself be caught unguarded.
"Me, so it would seem", Hermione answered, smiling coolly despite the anger boiling inside her body.
Out of all people who could have found her, it had to be him. What was she, the most unlucky person in the entire world?
"Not a pleasant sight, unfortunately", the Slyhterin shot her a look full of contempt that made her grind her teeth.
"Likewise", she muttered under her breath and started to gather her things.
Before she could finish it, he grabbed her arm and pushed her onto the shelve. The books lying on top of it trembled dangerously, forcing her whole body to tense even more. Marcus Mulciber pressed himself against her, smiling viciously as Hermione tried to free herself from his grasp.
"Let go of me", she growled at him, but the boy only chuckled.
"But don't you like being manhandled, Mudblood?", he asked with irony. "That's what you're good for, anyway"
Oh, how she hated the likes of him. It made her gut wrench so badly, that she wanted to puke.
"I said, let go of me!", she tried again, although her efforts to break free were completely futile.
Moody would kill her, if he knew that someone managed to trap her so easily. Oh, that is, if Mulciber wouldn't do it first.
"Not so fast, Mudblood. You see, I am very displeased with you and your actions. Not only you defile our world with your mere presence, but you also fail to realise it, walking the corridors like you belong here. And truth to be told, you're nothing more than a bug, that needs to be squished under the heel of my boot"
Her eyes stung with tears that appeared out of nowhere, despite her desperation to stay strong. Something in his words struck a chord deep inside her body, making all of her negative memories resurface. Marcus Mulciber had the same, haunted look on his face, that Bellatrix wore when she tortured her and that similarity scared her to no end.
"The only one that needs to be squished is you", she spat at him, her voice strong and confident, despite the fear that crept into her heart.
The boy clicked his tongue with dissatisfaction and he made his grip even stronger. His body pressed into hers even more, making it really hard to breathe easily.
"Severus is telling me that you're really smart, but somehow I highly doubt it. If you were, you would know not to speak to me that way, Mudblood"
His eyes moved across her body, making her nauseated. She was unable to make a move at all, her wand lying safely in the pocket of her robes, completely out of her reach.
"It's very sad, though... If you were a Pureblooded witch, we would welcome you into our ranks immediately. You seem to know things. Things, that could be very valuable to our Lord", he smiled evilly and then sighed theatrically. "If only I could access them somehow without you joining us..."
Hermione froze, realising what he was talking about. She gathered her strength at once, preparing her mind for his invasion. If Mulciber learned about her abilities in Occlumency, there would be no chance she would be left alone. Her affiliation with the Order would become clear as the day, putting at risk not only her, but also Dumbledore and every other member. She had to pretend not to know anything about it. She had to feed him false memories, that were carefully selected by Moody himself as those sufficient to fool anyone into believing her innocence.
His eyes bore deep into her own, as he muttered the incantation. Before she could express her surprise at his abilities to use wandless magic, she was sucked into her own mind, memories flying around her in a whirl of colours and flashes.
She saw herself and her parents in France, during one of the summer holidays. Her mother kept yelling at her dad, for allowing Hermione to eat three scopes of ice cream. The older woman was dissatisfied, as ice cream weren't good for the teeth and her little girl had just had one of her teeth treated. Mr Granger looked incredibly guilty, but as soon as Hermione's mother turned around, he smiled at his daughter, winking playfully.
The memory changed to a more recent one. She was standing behind the counter in Honeydukes, smiling at the customers and helping them find anything they needed. There was this boy, who kept pulling his mother's robe, trying to get her to buy him his favourite Sugar Quill. Hermione skipped the counter and kneeled before him, handing him the Quill with a smile. She lectured him, so that he would stop pestering his mom, since she cared for him very much. The boy smiled at her sheepishly and thanked her for the sweet.
The force of Mulciber's invasion increased, surprising Hermione greatly. She didn't expect him to possess such skill in Legillimency, so she wasn't ready for his strong assault. Another memory appeared, but this time, it wasn't one of those pre-planned pictures that Moody chose.
She was pressed against the wall, but this time, it wasn't Mulciber's doing. Sirius' silvery eyes bore deep into her own, making her heart race like crazy.. She could almost feel the softness of his lips, his taste and gentleness of his touches. Her heart started to ache instantly, as longing and need awoke in her body, lighting her senses on fire.
Out of all memories, this had to be the one she was forced to relieve... The one that made it impossible for her not to look at Sirius with need in her brown eyes.
Before she could do something, Mucliber's presence was gone, as he moved away and shot her a truly disgusted look.
"You're making me sick", he informed her with a scowl on his face, that made her smile inside.
"What... What did you do to me?", she gasped, playing her part perfectly, as he snorted.
"Seems like you don't know as much as I thought you would. I shouldn't be surprised. After all, you're just a filthy, little Mudblood. The Dark Lord will be very pleased to hear, that you're nothing more than a weed that needs to be eradicated"
With that, he shot her one final disgusted glance and walked away. Hermione slid down the shelve, with her heart beating strongly against her chest. She tried to calm her nerves, but her hands refused to stop shaking violently, as her lungs seemed to constrict painfully, making it impossible to breathe.
She made a huge mistake. Underestimating Mulciber just because she had managed to teach him a lesson once was so incredibly stupid, that she wanted to rip her hair off her head for doing so. At the same time, she couldn't help but to feel relieved. That one memory that slipped away from her grasp has proven itself to also be the one that got Mulciber to back out of her mind, convincing him that she wasn't worth the attention after all. It was something that she was looking forward to, for such a long time and now she had finally gotten it. Hermione was far from happy, though. She simply couldn't help but wonder - what would happen if her mistake had allowed Mulciber to learn all her secrets?
The answer to that question was so grim and depressing, that before she could stop herself, tears started to roll down her cheeks uncontrollably, matching the raindrops that were slowly sliding down the window.