Chapter Ten

I awoke with a start. Hogsmeade trip today! This means that I'm actually meeting Cho and Katie today. I checked the time: ten in the morning! I was late!

I was scheduled to meet them in The Three Broomsticks at ten thirty. This would allow for enough time to socialize before going to lunch since the deadline to return to Hogwarts was around one.

Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch would also be attending. After all, I didn't really know these girls and I didn't want to just sit with any random pair of girls. This was a good thing but I worried that it would make me more dependent on Professor McGonagall.

"Deep breaths," I told myself. I'm sure that they will both be just as nice in person as they were when I wrote to them.

"Time to pick out clothes!" I said to myself. It wasn't that it was crucial that they thought I looked nice, it was that I didn't want to look like trash just because I couldn't find a robe that didn't have ink on it.

I rummaged through my trunk. "Too much ink and no time to remove it magically," I thought, taking out one of my favorite sweaters that Crookshanks had knocked a bottle of ink onto. "How did that get in there?" I wondered aloud as I took out one of my church dresses. A note fell out.

Meet a nice boy and wear this when you go out for Valentine's Day!

Love, Mum and Dad

"Typical," I thought. I looked at the dress more closely and shook my head as I added it to the pile of clothes I would not wear today. "Too dressy."

"This will do," I thought as I took out a pair of jeans and a red sweater. I rushed to the bathroom to get changed before running back to my room to attempt to tame my hair.

"Why must you fluff out when I get stressed?" I whined. It hardly seemed fair. It seemed that every emotion color of the rainbow was accompanied by my hair frizzing out: I laughed, it frizzed; I cried, it frizzed; I got nervous, it frizzed and I got blotchy.

Finally, I pulled it back in a half ponytail and rushed to the common room after grabbing my wand.

My stomach lurched as I walked down the stairs and saw Ginny. "Not now," I whispered to myself.

Ginny smiled her hello to me and the butterflies in my stomach took flight again.

"Morning, Ginny!" I called happily. Damn my crushes. It wasn't that I always had a crush, though it certainly seemed that way, it was just that when I had one I fully gave my heart. Then, when my feelings are not returned (and I've never bestowed them upon a person that could or would return them), it makes for a crushing blow.

"You really need to control your bloody emotions more!" I whispered to myself.

"Meeting Cho and Katie today?" Ginny asked me, smiling.

I smiled weakly in response. I love you! I wanted to scream.

I knew this would not be wise, though, since I often misconstrued feelings of friendship and whatnot with those of actual love. Besides, there was an extremely slim chance that Ginny would return the feelings if they were real. She definitely thought of me as more of a sister.

I rushed down to the Hogsmeade entrance as I looked at my watch. "Please don't let me be late," I silently prayed as I entered The Three Broomsticks.

Looking around, I saw McGonagall's distinctive bun just above the crowd. She was sitting with Madam Hooch and an Asian girl that looked vaguely familiar.

I tried to collect myself and walk over to the table confidently. I don't think it worked, though.

"Hello everyone!" I said, sitting down next to the Asian girl.

"Hello," they each answered.

"Hermione, this is Cho. Cho, Hermione." Professor McGonagall said.

I turned to Cho and shook her hand, "Nice to meet you."

She smiled warmly. "Katie couldn't make it today. Wood scheduled an emergency practice."

"Oh! I do remember Harry being called down for that," I said, nodding.

"Okay," Professor McGonagall said, "now you tow have met. We're going to go."

I felt my stomach lurch. Surely she was kidding?

Professor McGonagall, Madam Hooch, and Cho all began laughing.

"Calm down!" McGonagall said. "She looks so scared! Get a little blotchy there, Hermione?"

I laughed weakly. Why does she do this stuff to me? "That's really not fair. You know how nervous I already am. You're going to tease me, too?"

She nodded. "Really, though, your eyes got really wide and I can see the hints of blotchiness."

I glared at her. This was really not funny to me.

"Now that we're all here, I have things I need to get. So, you two can come if you want." Professor McGonagall told us as she stood up.

Quickly, I stood as well. Nothing against this Cho girl, but I don't really know her well enough to hold a conversation with no help from mediators of sorts.

We all left The Three Broomsticks and began to head towards Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop.

"Make conversation!" McGonagall told Cho and I. Madam Hooch also walked along, not talking. Professor McGonagall turned and shifted her stare between Hooch and Cho. "Holy Merlin! Quidditch-Os really have no social skills!" McGonagall exclaimed. To no one's surprise, she led most of the conversations as we walked through Hogsmeade.

I was surprised, though. Cho, this girl that I had really only talked with through owl, was very easy to talk to and very easy to like. I hadn't thought that I wouldn't like her, I just hadn't expected for the quick bond over friendship through owl to carry though so easily.

When we parted upon reaching the castle, I walked away with a funny feeling. Sure, I had been made fun of, but I also knew deep in my heart I had one more person to talk to. This was good. Very good.

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As my crush on Ginny subsided in the weeks following, I realized that I was getting a new crush. Well, not really a new crush. I was starting to get a crush on Professor McGonagall again! It took me a surprisingly long time to connect my blotchiness to her, though. I hadn't ever gotten blotchy before I developed my crush on her. Now that I have a crush on her, and a rather debilitating one at that, I was always blotchy. It mostly happened when she teased me.

I always feel so foolish around her and I can't understand why! I feel so embarrassed, though. I sit in her class and feel nervous and jittery. It is paranoia coming back to rear its ugly head or is it subconsciously linked to something else. I had no idea.

I always seemed to being doing something embarrassing in front of her, as well. She would always tune into a conversation that Harry, Ron, and I were having at exactly the worst time. She would tune in when whatever we were saying made me sound bloody ridiculous!

My brain flashed back to this morning when I had been sitting in her office waiting to talk to her. I had begun to carry a bottle of water from the muggle world with me at all times. I found that drinking water calmed me down.

A student I didn't really know said something that struck me as hilarious just after I had taken a sip of my water.

I tried to cover my mouth, but I wasn't quick enough. I spit water all over her desk! I was absolutely mortified. I felt my eyes widen and I just froze. I had no idea what to do.

"Yeah… You're going to have to clean that up," Professor McGonagall said, laughing.

Quickly, I ran for a towel from the lavatory and began sopping up the water.

"That was really gross," McGonagall said, her laughter dying down. "Ew! You missed a spot."

I hurried to clean that, too, up.

Ron and Harry walked into her office knowing that I would be there.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Hermione just spewed!" Professor McGonagall screeched, her laughter quickly picking up.

I felt heat rise to my cheeks and I knew my hands and neck were growing blotchy. "I didn't spew! That implies vomiting and I didn't vomit. I laughed really hard and spit water."

Professor McGonagall stared at me, still laughing. She turned back to my friends who were also laughing, at this point. "Hermione spewed!" she repeated.

I snapped back to the resent, realizing that my cheeks were growing hot and I was getting blotchy just thinking about it.

I laid down on my bed for the night pondering on two intriguing questions:

Why does she do this stuff to me?

More importantly, why do I let her get to me?