Quiesetis

AN
this is my x-mas present to ya\'ll. I hope you like it! ^^
Remember, R/R!!!


Ch. 11



The sun rose in the horizon, with it bringing a new day; more specifically, the first day of classes. Hermione woke early, and trudged her way down the long corridor towards the marble staircase. The morning was exceptionally cold, and it pained her to walk and breathe. It also didn’t help that she was carrying her heavy book bag either. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally made it. Pushing open the large doors, she walked over to the Gryffindor table and eased into her seat. Taking shallow breaths, she looked around and found the hall rather empty. With painstakingly slow movement, she ate her breakfast that consisted of porridge. Soon after, the doors opened again and the hall was filled with laughter as Ron and Harry came in.

They took seats next to her, Harry on the left and Ron on the right, and began eating after greeting her. Several brown owls made their way through the hall and three landed rontront of the friends. They carried their class schedules. After sending the owls on their way, they chatted happily about their first day back and about their classes.

“Hey, I’m happy that I don’t have to deal with potions this year,” announced Ron.

“Even though potions is an important subject,” began Hermione with a hint of her usual bossy tone, “I’m glad as well.”

“What, do my ears deceive me or did Hermione actually admit to be happy about not taking a class?” asked Harry.

“Oh, our little girl is growing up,” Ron said, sniffling and wiping a non-existent tear from his eye.

“This calls for a…” began Harry.

“Group hug!” both boys yelled.

The merriment that was being shared by the boys was quickly gone when they heard their friend yelp, not in surprise, but in pain. They both left her go immediately and were shocked to see her face twisted in pain.

“Hermione, are you all right?” asked a scared Ron.

Before they could ask any more questions, she stood and hurried out of the hall.


**********

The entire weekend, Draco had been observing her. It wasn’t because he was concerned for her well-being - far from it- but rather because as a Malfoy, he expected the very best. That included academic rivals. If he was to beat her, it was not to be under the condition that her personal problems were getting in the way. At many points throughout his observation, he found himself thinking about what his father would say. ‘Draco, just what are you doing? Skulking around after the mudblood? Malfoys do not skulk. However, if you are doing this to kill her or destroy that annoying Potter boy, then so be it. If not, I strongly suggest you cease your actions!’ Draco would usually laugh at that, marveling at how even after death, Lucius still found a way to criticize his actions.

Lucius’ death did not come as a surprise to either him or his mother. What else would one expect from a cowardly man other than kill himself after only enduring six months in Azkaban? Draco was made the head of all the Malfoy wealth, interests and assets on his sixteenth birthday; the very day that Lucius took his pitiful life. From that day on, Draco made it his duty to run things in such way that would make his father turn and curse in his grave, for that verasonason. He’d become indifferent towards Voldemort and his cause; which was to his benefit, for not long after that, Potter had defeated him and all of Voldemort\'s followers were put in Azkaban. Not only that, but he also nullified the marriage contract that was drafted on his first birthday. The contract betrothed him to Pansy Parkinson. This action came as a relief to both teens, considering that even though they were both really good friends, they held no form of romantic feelings towards one another.

It was early in the morning and Draco was stealthily following her to the Great Hall. He couldn’t help but notice the limp that she walked with and the almost painful breaths that she took. He quickly slipped into the hall as the doors were closings, and heard the voices of Potter and Weasely approaching. Draco sat at the far end of the Slytherin table, giving him a clear vantage point of Granger. He was about to forget his mission when he heard a painful yelp coming from the Gryffindor table. He raised an eyebrow at the girl’s expression, and bit back a comment as she rushed out. Shrugging off the entire matter, he took to buttering his toast.


***************


“Ah, Ms. Granger,” the voice of Albus Dumbledore called out from behind her, “I need to have a word with you in my office now, please.”

Hermione had barley reached the stairs on her way to the hospital wing, when he called. Taking a ragged breath and wiping her tears away, she turned to face the Headmaster.
“Of course, sir”

Dumbledore led the way, and after taking several short cuts –all of which Hermione had never seen before- they both ended in front of the stone gargoyle thad thd the entrance to his office. Saying the password –Peppermint Toads- they rode the spiral staircase to the top.

“Please come in and take a seat,” he said, ushering her in, and proceeding to take a seat behind his large desk.
Once they were both seated, Dumbledore offered her some tea.

“No thank you, sir,” she replied, trying hard to keep her pain at bay.

“Ms. Granger, I must insist on you at least trying it,” he said, eyes twinkling, “This is a special tea, that many people say contains soothing elements.”

“Very well, Professor,” she said, taking a saucer and tea cup and sipping it’s hot contents. Almost immediately, the pain and discomfort that she felt were gone. Dumbledore chuckled at her surprised reaction, but sobered soon enough.

“Ms. Granger, there is a reason that I called you in here for,” he said leaning back into his chair.

“Has it anything to do with my duties as Head Girl?”

“No,” he said simply. At her confused expression, he continued, “It has to do with your responsibility, but not as Head Girl. I received a letter, addressed to you, late last night. I have it in my possession, unopened and unread of course. However, I have a strong feeling as to what it contains.”

Hermione took the letter once the Headmaster handed it to her. She then quickly opened and read its contents. She paled, once she finished reading.

“You have permission to do as is told,” he said quietly.

“Thank you, sir,” she said in a firm voice, standing up.

“Oh, and may I suggest that you don’t visit Madame Pomfrey until after you return?” he asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, “So that the doctors aren’t suspicious on your miraculous recovering.”

“I won’t,” she said smiling slightly, “Is it possible then, to have some of that tea until then?”

“Of course. I’ll tell the house-elves to keep a pot ready in your room every morning. I believe that three to four cups throughout the day should suffice.”

She nodded.

“Now, to arrange our schedules,” he started, “When are you to leave?”

“Next week.”

“Good, good. I expect you to inform your instructors and pick up any assigned work. Now, off with you. This is the first day of classes after all.”

“Good day, Professor,” Hermione said exiting his office.

Dumbledore remained standing, hands behind his back, looking at the door. The beating of strong wings were heard, anning ing the arrival of Fawkes, the headmaster’s phoenix. It let out a single cry, easily understood as to questioning what was wrong with the Headmaster.

“Nothing, my dear friend, nothing,”


*****************

“Hey, Hermione, are you all right?” Harry quietly asked.

They were sitting in their respective desks in Transfiguration, waiting for both Ron, who’d forgotten his textbooks, and Professor McGonagol. Before she could answer, Ron burst in and promptly sat next to Harry, breathing hard. Taking notice of her, he tried to ask what had occurred that morning as well, but due to his inability to speak at the moment, he opted to look at her with concern shining in his eyes.

“Look, it’s my fault for not telling you,” she began, “This summer, I was involved in an accident that left me with several broken ribs. They haven’t healed completely, and when you guys hugged me, well, let’s just say that there was a lot of pain.”

Both boys looked shocked and guilty at the fact they’d inadvertently caused her pain.

“Please forgive us!” they both blurted out.

“Like I , it, it really wasn’t your fault,” she said smiling.

“What happened?” Ron asked after a moment of silence.

“I really don’t want to talk about it, if you guys don’t mind.”

At that instant, the professor entered the class with a stern look on her features and promptly began the lesson. The class was a welcomed distraction for Hermione, enabling her to forget her problems and focus on the class. For two other people, it provided them time in which to mull things over.

“Ron, what did you see at the station, that got you acting strange?” Harry asked.

“It was Hermione,” he said, finally after thinking about it.

“And?”

“I saw some guy kissing her,” he said quickly, eyes looking at the mug they were to turn into a canary.

“Oh.”

“I thought I was over my crush on her, you know?” Ron said after awhile, “but when I saw them together…”

“You got jealous,” Harry finished, nodding slowly.

“Exactly. I don’t want to be that loser that pines away after the girl that he can’t have.”

“Not to get your hopes up, but maybe that bloke wasn’t her boyfriend.”

“Yea, right,” he scoffed, “I’m confident enough in my sexuality to admit that the bloke wasn’t bad on the eye. Hermione would definitely be with him.”

“Look, why don’t you just ask her about it?”

“And get laughed at?”

“Fine, you wuss, I’ll ask her,” Harry said getting exasperated.

“Harry, don’t”

“Hermione!” he whispered loudly across the aisle.

“Geez, have you gone daft?” Ron cried softly, pulling Harry’s sleeve in an attempt to quiet him.

“Hermione!” Harry whispered again, ignoring Ron.

“Boys! Is there something you two want to share with the class?”

“No, Professor,” Ron and Harry said simultaneously, blushing.

“Being that today is the first day of classes, I will let you both off with a warning,” she said looking at them in the eye, “but be warned, any other interruption and I’ll be deducting points and handing out detentions. Is that clear?”

“Yes, professor.”

“Good. Now get to work!”

When the class came to an end, Harry and Ron waited outside for Hermione, who’d said she’d needed to speak with the professors about Head Girl business.

“I can’t believe you two!” Hermione said stepping out into the hallway, startling the boys, “The first class of the school year and you two already got in trouble!”

“Hey, we only got yelled at,” Ron said defensively.

“Exactly, it’s not as if we lost points or got detention,” Harry reasoned.

“It’s the principle of the thing!” she cried. Groaning in frustration, she started to briskly walk to their next class, making them jog to catch up to her.

“What were you two doing that caught McGonagol’s attention?” Hermione asked after a while.

Ron shot Harry a look, pleading him not to say anything.

“Well,” Harry began, green eyes twinklmiscmischievously, “I hope you don’t find this intrusive or anything, but I-we, were wondering if you have -”

“Fuzzy slippers!” Ron shouted.

“Fuzzy slippers?” both Hermione and Harry asked, stopping in their tracks to look at him.

“That’s right,” Ron said, “Harry and me were wondering if you had fuzzy slippers because we were thinking about getting you a pair for your birthday. However, since this arse opened his big mouth, you won’t be getting them.”

A pronounced silence followed Ron’s hasty explanation.

“Ronald Weasley,” Hermione said, “I’ve known you for seven long years, and during that time, I’ve come to the conclusion that you can’t lie to save your arse. Now, quit lying and tell me the truth!”

“But it’s the truth!” Ron claimed.

“Harry?”

“Back me up, mate!”

“We were wondering if you had a boy-”

“Fuzzy slippers!” Ron repeated, this time a bit shrilly.

“Petrificus Totalus,” Hermione said, pointed her wand at her slightly hysterical red-hd frd friend, “Sorry, Ron. Now, Harry, what were you saying?”

“Hermione, don’t think that we’re stalking you or anything, nor that we’d disapprove of it…”

“Spit it out already!”

“Ron saw some bloke kissing you at the King’s Cross,” Harry said hurriedly, as to not evoke the wrath of Hermione, “ae wee were wondering if he was your boyfriend.”

Hermione blinked and began to chuckle.

“Finite Incantatum,” she said, pointing her wand at Ron, “Who you saw was my oldest friend, Tony. We are not, nor have we ever been, a couple. Did you see a girl next to me?”

“Yes,” Ron admitted.

“She is his girlfriend. I’ll be honest with you two, when I was younger, I had a big crush on him. Luckily, that is history. Besides, our relationship is like the kind we have.”

“Say, just how big was your crush on him?” Harry asked curiously.

Hermione gave him a sheepish grin.

“Think Lockhart.”

“What?”

“Well, enough talking. Let’s get to class or we’ll be late!”

AN:
\'k, i just want ya\'ll to know that the story will begin to make sense! All these chapters do have a purpose, and aren\'t here to take up space, Granted, it is my fault that they\'ve caused some of ya\'ll to have some headache. Sorry about that.
i want to make sure that ya\'ll know that i\'m not mad or whatnots; i just wanted to clarify some things.
hmm...maybe i just got ya\'ll even more confused. lol. well, that\'s enough of my rambling, Don\'t worry, i won\'t do this again.