Ch. 9: Hogsmeade
True to the word she has given herself, Hermione got up before dawn and rushed through her morning routine. The previous evening, before she fell asleep, she made up a cover story, in case anybody would be awake and would see her rushing out of the common room at such and early hour: she wanted to check something out in the library before going to Hogsmeade. It was a perfect alibi because she was sure that nobody would even think to go to the library on the Hogsmeade day. To further verify her alibi, she planned to really go to the library after meeting Shion, if there was time before the breakfast.
Only when she was close to where she knew the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room was, did she realise that she didn't know the password. She turned the last corner and stopped dead as she saw the "sexiest guys in the school" standing in the corridor, chatting, dressed in black, Muggle, running clothes: tight, lycra leggings, shorts and hoodies. They looked up at her in surprise.
'Wanna run with us?' Nezumi asked with a smirk. Hermione tore her eyes away from his legs and blushed slightly. 'I would suggest something else as shoes in that case,' he added casually. His words filtered through to Hermione's brain with some delay, but she finally shook the shock away and grinned.
'I hate running,' she said and came up closer to them. 'Sexy tights,' she added, enjoying the palest of blushes that graced Ciel's porcelain cheeks.
'They're leggings,' Ciel informed her indignantly. 'And if you don't want to run then what are you doing here and up at this hour? I didn't think you had a lover in Ravenclaw,' he added, probably to pay her back for the tights comment. It worked also, because she blushed. She wanted to ask if their ancestors weren't turning in their graves to see them wearing Muggle clothes, but she bit her tongue. Literally.
'Ouch,' she exclaimed in surprise and pain, as the twins shared an amused look.
'Not as articulate as usual, is she?' Nezumi asked Ciel.
'Maybe she's not a morning person,' Ciel suggested. Hermione thought that he didn't sound much like a morning person himself.
'Oh, would you stop that? I just need to talk with Shion,' she said, finally remembering just why she was in front of the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. 'And what are you doing here anyway? If you want to run then I suggest you do get out of the castle,' she added. 'I don't want you to stink up the corridors as you sweat.'
'No worries, we're just waiting for our Ravenclaw prince,' Nezumi said. 'He has graciously agreed to accompany us on out morning run,' he added. Just as he said those words, Shion came running down the stairs that led to his House's common room.
'I'm already warmed up from these-' he was saying but he paused when he noticed Hermione and glanced hesitantly at the other two. She saw that he was wearing very much the same as the Slytherins, although he also had a scarf wrapped around his neck. 'Stairs,' he finished.
'It seems that Hermione has something to tell you that does not bare waiting till breakfast,' Nezumi said, his voice so full of hidden meanings that both Shion and Hermione blushed furiously. I really have to get out of that habit of blushing, she thought, turning to Shion, licking her lips in sudden nervousness. She glanced at the Slytherin twins, who didn't seem like they were going anywhere. Shion followed her gaze and looked back at her.
'Anything you want to say to me, you can say in front of them,' he told her. 'Although they might mock you if it's something humiliating,' he added with a small smile. When she didn't smile back, his smile faded as well and he nervously tightened the scarf around his neck. Hermione licked her lips again and ignored Ciel's muttered "man, I can't even understand what she's saying, she talks so loud" and Nezumi's responding snicker.
'I actually don't know how to start,' she said, looking into Shion's eyes and realising, with some panic, that he was not wearing contact lenses. His eyes really are bright violet, she thought. 'I kind of overheard, em,' she trailed off.
'People gossiping about me?' Shion asked with a cold edge to his voice. 'That's nothing new, you really didn't need to get out of bed so early just to tell me,' he added. She could see that he was uncomfortable with the topic and she bit her lips, shaking her head. Behind him, Ciel and Nezumi stood straighter, obviously listening.
'Michael Corner wants to spy on you to see what it is that you are hiding,' she spit out finally, in a rush, words tumbling out of her mouth and stumbling over themselves. Shion's eyes widened slightly as he took in the information. All hint of amusement was gone from the twins. Hermione looked down. 'You're my friend, so I wanted you to know. Whatever it is, he has no right to act like this,' she mumbled.
'Thanks Hermione,' Nezumi's voice said quietly, making her look up at the Slytherin. 'We really appreciate it,' he added and put a hand on Shion's shoulder. 'Let's go running?'
'Right,' Shion muttered. 'Thanks Hermione. See you in Hogsmeade?' he asked with a hopeful smile. Oh no, Hermione thought.
'Um, I actually,' she started, not knowing what to say again. Nezumi rolled his eyes, while Shion seemed slightly disappointed. They obviously expected what she was going to say and she wondered if that meant she didn't have to make excuses.
'We get it, no worries,' Ciel said calmly, saving her. 'We'll see you on Sunday in the library, if you come, but now we really have to run. Literally,' he added, saying the last word with such obvious dislike that Hermione wondered why he bothered to go running. As the other two turned away from her, he nodded his thanks as well.
She nodded back and watched them go, amused at Nezumi poking the other two to warm up their arms. They complied eventually, probably just to shut the other boy up. It should be funny to see them run, she thought, especially since Ciel doesn't sound like he's into it. She smiled, thinking that Shion was lucky to have friends like that.
Oh, I have friends like that as well, she thought, shaking her head and going to the library. I am sure that if I was in that situation, Harry and Ron would do everything to make me feel better, she thought. She shivered at the idea of her hair turning white as a result of some curse and the thought make her pause. She mentally rewound that thought.
Curse?
Was there a curse that would change a person's appearance? She thought about the question even as her feet led her to the library. Where should she start to look? Mentally, she made a list of books that could be worth a shot, at least as the beginning of the search. By the time she reached the library, she even crossed one of those books out because she remembered just about everything that was written in it and she didn't think it would be interesting.
Madame Pince only looked at her with surprise, but said nothing and Hermione buried herself in the books, only stopping when a shadow fell onto the page. She looked up to see Ron, Harry and Ginny, all looking at her in surprise. She snapped the book shut and, babbling about how she forgot the time while reading, went to put it away before they could read the title. When she was back, three amused faces greeted her.
'We kind of thought you would lose the sense of time,' Harry said. 'So we made sandwiches for you and brought your coat. Everybody else is ready to go to Hogsmeade I suppose, so we should join them.'
'Right, sorry,' Hermione exclaimed earnestly, taking her coat from Ginny. 'Thanks.'
'We weren't sure if you prefer ham or cheese, so we put both,' Ron said, handing her the sandwiches, which she took with a slightly unfocused look in her eyes. Ham or cheese? Who cared about things like that?
'Thanks,' she said again, accepting the food as they made their way out of the library and then out of the castle. Her mind was still stuck on the book she was reading, about curses that could be found in abandoned buildings. It wasn't exactly what she was looking for, but it was so fascinating that she couldn't stop to read. She wished there was any, politically correct, way of discussing that topic with Safu and Shion. The former was quite interested in Charms and would surely find some of the stuff Hermione found interesting, but what if they thought she was sniffing? Alright, she was sniffing, but they didn't need to know, did they?
'Are you alright, Hermione?' she heard and looked up at Ginny, realising that they were almost in Hogsmeade. She blinked. 'Luna just passed and she said that your eyes had this kind of glazed look, as though you were bitten by what-it-was-called. You didn't even twitch when she snapped her fingers in front of your eyes and said that it was definitely the bite and we got worried.'
'She did say that butterbeer was a good remedy,' Ron interjected. 'Shall we go to Three Broomsticks for a drink and hope that it doesn't rain when we are out?' he asked. Hermione felt Ginny elbow her in the side. This was, of course, a perfect opening. She smiled at Ron.
'Yeah, why don't we go?' she asked, watching how he grinned back at her brilliantly. She supposed that he didn't even hear Harry saying that he wanted to buy something and would join them later. To not spoil the situation, she didn't even acknowledge Harry's words but followed Ron to the Three Broomsticks. She actually couldn't wait to see his expression when he would realise that they were alone.
'Say, Harry-' Ron started and turned to see that Harry wasn't there. He blinked at Hermione in surprise. 'Where's Harry?' he asked. Hermione opened her mouth and closed it, realising that she forgot what Harry said.
'I, he said he wanted to buy something?' she said, finishing with an unsure look on her face and waited for the verdict. Ron looked at her, then behind her, then back at her and then he blushed like a lobster and mumbled that they should go in because it was cold. Hermione thought that there was something charming about the way he behaved and followed him inside, deciding to ignore it that he didn't let her pass first.
Unfortunately, the inn was full and Madame Rosmerta, seeing them enter, said that they should try to find a place with somebody else. After all, they were all Hogwarts students, she said. Overwhelmed, Hermione looked around, her stomach turning as she saw that the only two free chairs were next to Safu and Nezumi.
'I suppose we have to come back later,' Ron told her over the racket of too many people talking. 'Shall we find Harry?' he asked. Hermione closed her eyes briefly, imagining the scene that would play out if they found Harry and Ginny in some romantic place. Did Ron not see the free places she did, or did he not want to sit with them? Do I tell him that there's a place or do I stay quiet? Ron will hate to sit with the others and maybe he'll be mean, she thought, at least until Nezumi or Ciel tell him to get lost if he wants to be a pain. Harry and Ginny will skin me alive if Ron walks in on them kissing, she argued with herself. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for what would come.
'There's two places there,' she told Ron and pointed. As they looked, Safu noticed them and waved at Hermione, who waved back, thinking that there was no return now. 'I guess we can at least say hi,' she added. 'Otherwise it's just rude.'
'Who-' Ron started and then his expression turned cold. 'You want me to sit with the Slytherins?' he asked, blushing as Hermione grabbed his hand so that he wouldn't escape.
'No, I'm asking you to sit with me,' she replied and Ron's blush deepened. She led him through the crowd and greeted Safu and the others when they were close enough to hear her. They were sitting at a seven person table, with Ciel at the head, between Lizzy and Shion. One free place was next to Safu and the other, opposite from Ciel and next to Nezumi and Hermione took the first one without hesitation.
'You brought a lobster with you?' Ciel asked after they exchanged shouted greetings over the noise in the inn. Hermione bit her lip to stop herself from laughing and introduced Ron to everybody and everybody to Ron. While she was at it, she asked Ron to behave, in such a way that nobody could hear, and kicked Nezumi under the table when the Slytherin opened his mouth to comment. This was going to be an interesting day, she thought, when Nezumi laughed.
Eventually, an awkward conversation restarted around the table, with Lizzy and Shion trying to involve Ron, who was all but sulking, for good twenty minutes, before giving up. Hermione was going to give him a piece of her mind when they were alone finally. He was being so rude when everybody else was visibly trying to be polite. Well, the twins were doing their best to ignore Ron, but it was already something, wasn't it?
Only when they were leaving, Nezumi said that he was going to weasel out of paying for the drinks, because Ciel owed him money. Ron turned bright red, while Shion and Lizzy hissed Nezumi's name with such fury that Hermione thought they might have ignited the hair on his head. She was torn between wanting to defend her friend and laughing at the really innocent remark, because Nezumi didn't even look at Ron when he said it, so it could have been over interpretation on the part of everybody else. It could have been, if not for the tiniest of smirks that twisted the corners of Nezumi's lips almost imperceptibly.
'That was not funny,' she said finally, feeling obliged to defend Ron. She wasn't truly angry though, somehow knowing that Nezumi didn't mean anything bad by the comment. Those five were always teasing each other mercilessly and Hermione was already immune to their jibes. Ron would really profit from hanging out with them, she thought, as they left the inn.
'Oh my, the silence,' Ciel commented when they were out. 'I never again want to go into that place when it is like that,' he added seriously. Lizzy hanged on his shoulder and asked if he wouldn't even do it for her. Ron seemed suddenly interested, although he did his best to not show it.
'Would you not do that in public?' Ciel asked her. How he managed to not blush, Hermione didn't know, but he didn't. He didn't sound angry either.
'Speaking about public,' Nezumi got their attention. 'Isn't that Potter with Weaselette?' he asked, nodding towards the direction of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Hermione turned and saw, indeed, Harry and Ginny leaving the tea shop, holding hands.
'Harry,' she muttered in despair. She thought that the Boy Who Lived survived with enough brains to know that he needed to make himself scarce if he really didn't want Ron to see him with Ginny. Next to her, Ron was too shocked to even react to Nezumi calling his sister "Weaselette". Hermione tried to grab his hand, but he already moved forward and she decided that she was not brave enough to follow.
'And here I was, thinking that we're spoiling your date,' Safu said thoughtfully as Ron exploded, getting the attention of just about everybody on the High Street. 'I was even thinking on how to let you guys go alone without making a fuss of it,' she added. Hermione blushed at the insinuation.
'Way to come out with a relationship,' Ciel commented as they all watched the complete fiasco that was Ron screaming at his best friend about betrayal.
'Yup, it might even erase Weasley's memories of you and Lizzy,' Nezumi shot back and grunted, probably because Shion elbowed him for the comment. Hermione closed her eyes to not see Harry's betrayed expression as he noticed her.
'Do you think I can hang out with you today?' she asked in a rush. 'Maybe I can move to Ravenclaw until Harry and Ginny won't want to kill me anymore?' she suggested.