Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co. belong to Ms J.K.Rowling.
Author's Note: I'm sorry I took so long to update. But anyway my fanfic is quite deserted. I think it's because of the timezone; even most Asians prefer to write at night rather than now, in the afternoon. But oh well. Haha, enjoy this one! It's still very slow moving I must admit, but the next chapter will be more exciting! :)
"Boys and girls, please look at the revised timetable very carefully. We have altered the venues of certain lessons due to some areas which we are putting as out of bounds for all students. This will include the classroom for tomorrow's Potions, Charms, and the Herbology lesson late this week…"
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"Why do you think the teachers made those areas out of bounds?" asked Dean Thomas, looking rather puzzled as the troop of Gryffindors made their way round the bend to go down for Care of Magical Creatures class near Hagrid's hut. "I mean, Professor Dumbledore never mentioned anything about such things at the start of the year!"
"Sounds like a hasty decision to me," said Harry, pursing up his lips.
"What makes you say so?" asked Ron, in surprise that Harry made such an immediate conjecture.
"Because the school cares too much about its students' safety. If the administration knew those areas are going to be some form of trouble for us (or we the source of trouble for those areas) they would have long forbidden us from accessing them from the start of the year."
"That's a sound theory," remarked Seamus Finnigan, thoughtfully, as they descended the staircase to move out into the open courtyard. "But like Dean asked, what's so freaked about those areas?"
"Blimey, Snape taught us there! That's where Neville got his foot scalded and his face…" before Ron could finish, the Gryffindors broke out into peals of laughter. Neville looked a bit offended, then he stuck out his tongue in mock fury. Harry gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder, while Seamus ruffled his hair in a rather affectionate manner (the guy kind of affection – no other meaning intended) and Neville smiled a little. Now the only person in the group of laughing Gryffindors who wasn't laughing, or even showing a hint of a smile, was Hermione.
Harry noticed his good friend's melancholy expression. "Hermione?"
Hermione didn't respond. She kept on looking at the ground as they trudged towards the brick steps that would lead them to Hagrid's hut just down the slope of the castle grounds. Harry cocked an eyebrow to Ron, who shrugged his shoulders and carried on walking. Fed up that both his friends seemed to be behaving rather immaturely, Harry walked a bit quicker to catch up with Dean and Seamus in front.
With Harry now in front, Ron and Hermione were sort of walking side by side. Ron made no attempt to catch up with his best friend, while Hermione was rather deep in thought. Finally Ron could bear the silence no longer, and ventured to ask,
"So…what have you been doing lately considering you haven't met Harry and I very often in the common room these days?"
It was longer than what Ron intended to say, so he turned a bright red when he finished, but swallowed hard and looked expectantly at Hermione for a reply.
None.
Ron took a deep breath and ventured another attempt. "What d'ya think about the closing of those areas that we can't use as classrooms anymore…I think…"
Most of the Gryffindors had already gathered at Hagrid's hut door. The giant was probably getting his lesson ready in the hut. Hermione still looked at the ground as she walked.
"Hermione!" Ron hissed shrilly.
"Oh, oh!" Hermione suddenly broke out of her trance. "Oh, what?"
"Oh what all right! I should be asking you that!" Ron glared at her, rather furious that he had actually wanted to be nice and chat with her but only ended up getting a dazed expression from her. Must be thinking about that rat! Lately, Ron had been conjuring up a story of Hermione and Draco probably getting together and dating and having great fun and him brainwashing her into thinking her two friends were probably just a bunch of meddlesome nitwits. With the image of Hermione in Draco's arms firmly imprinted in his mind, he pursed up his lips dissatisfactorily and hurried to the front to join Harry, leaving Hermione rather puzzled and a little hurt.
Hermione saw Ron edge towards the front to listen to Hagrid – she decided staying at the back of the crowd would make her less conspicuous and so she could remain in deep thought and forget about Ron's horrid expression. However, Hermione not being in the front was somehow very conspicuous. Hagrid noticed the absence of the prized student, and scanned the lot of students for her, only to find her musing a little at the back.
"So, y'all sixth 'ears 'n I hope y'all get to 'noe 'em Peastwiggers betta, eh? Oh ye, I 'aven told ya about 'em Peastwiggers. Can anyone tell me what they'r?"
Harry scratched his head, then sighed and shook his head lightly. Even the Ravenclaws looked stumped. Ron instinctively tried to search for Hermione within the scope of his vision (he didn't want to conspicuously turn to the back) but obviously failed to.
Hagrid knew the only one who could answer his question perfectly was Hermione. And there she was, standing at the back of the class, looking entirely dazed and zoned out. Very, very unlike Hermione Granger.
"'Mione?"
Hermione shook out of her dazed self again. "What?"
Everyone stared at her. It was unlike Hermione Granger to ask a teacher to repeat a question, given her amazing ability to pay the fullest attention in the dullest class, and her parrot memory that never failed to draw envious stares. Today's Hermione Granger looked like any ordinary Hogwarts student, with a particularly lethargic vibe about her. It was as if all of her energetic soul had been sucked out completely, leaving behind a rubbery figure with no skeleton.
Hagrid raised his eyebrows. "'Haps ye might tell me what 'em Peastwiggers are?"
"Oh. Erm. Well." Hermione bit her lip and massaged her forehead slightly, then cleared her throat. "They're some kind of four-legged birds – labelled birds because of their wings – and they have bright blue feathers with the ability to…"
"'Em green feathers, Ms Granger, not blue 'uns," corrected Hagrid, looking worried.
"I'm sorry," muttered Hermione, feeling her face grow hot as the two houses of people seemed to edge in, peering rather queerly at her. She could feel the headache coming back; the one that she always had to nurse after the horrible nightmares. Was this what Harry experienced, leading to his outbursts last year? Was this why he was so agitated and volatile? And somehow she was beginning to see a faint silhouette of the minion the Dark Lord wanted in her "dreams". Someone tall…blond…and it made her uneasy to know who she was guessing it would be. "I have a headache."
The students relaxed a bit. It was only a headache unnerving Hermione. Hagrid gave a sigh of relief and offered some words of comfort in a bid to soothe her ache.
But Harry and Ron knew better; it was definitely more than a headache. In fact, it involved somebody – somebody whom Ron was immediately conjuring up an image of charming serpents to coil around his neck, arms, legs…the ultimate prince of serpents…