Tension in the Laboratory

Hermione made her way toward Gryffindor tower, where she had a small suite of rooms, little more than a kitchenette, a bedroom, and a small sitting area. But just as she was getting close to the tower, and bracing herself for the inevitable run-ins with students and faculty, someone called, “Hermione!” and she looked up to see Harry and Ginny coming down the corridor from the other direction.

“W-what’s brought you here?” she blurted out.

Ginny and Harry exchanged a concerned look.

“You remember. Homecoming? The big Quidditch game?” Harry said.

Oh, right. Bloody Quidditch. She really should have paid more attention to it. Every year, the first Quidditch game of the season was a big alumni weekend, when parents and relatives swarmed the grounds of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. “I forgot,” she murmured.

Ginny and Harry exchanged that look again. “Want to have a pint with us?” Ginny said. “We’re going to the Hog’s Head Inn.”

“Er—will Ron be there?”

Ginny glanced at Harry. “Yes. But it’ll be all right, Hermione, really—“

“No, thanks.” Hermione backed away. “Things aren’t going so well right now. Not so well with…” She again couldn’t think what to say. Harry was going to start thinking the name was Taboo.

“Snape?” Ginny provided.

Hermione nodded once. “And there’s nothing Ron wouldn’t like to do more than gloat! It’ll be horrid, and I just couldn’t take it tonight.”

“It won’t be like that,” Harry said, awkwardly touching her shoulder. “Ron’s not like that, really. He and Luna are very happy. He won’t hold a grudge.”

“Then I’ll have to see how happy he is,” Hermione moaned. “Not tonight. Really.”

“No, I think you should come,” Ginny said forcefully. “Don’t you, Harry? She needs to be around friends. Come on, Hermione. Have a pint with us.”

They looked so worried that Hermione managed a watery smile. “Well, maybe just for a moment.”

In no time, they had made their way to the edge of the grounds and Apparated to the Hog’s Head Inn. The bartender nodded to them as they entered and went back to drawing pints. Ginny and Hermione went to find a table while Harry ordered their butterbeers at the bar.

By the time he returned, Hermione and Ginny were talking a little, and Hermione looked slightly further from the verge of tears. Then Ron walked up.

“Harry!”

Everyone moved over to make room for him and Luna, and Hermione felt her heart sink.

When Ron saw her, he nodded in her direction and turned red. “Hello, Hermione,” Luna said. “You don’t look well.”

Hermione held her smile on her face as if it were an egg with all the insides blown out. “I’m fine. How are you?” she said.

Luna gave her a funny look.

“How’s Snape?” Ron asked.

“Gnarly knees,” said Luna said, gazing at the ceiling. Ron turned even redder.

“I mean, how are classes, Hermione?”

“Oh, they’re good.” She was going to let it pass at that and say as little as possible, but then she decided to unbend a little. “You remember Peters and Byington?” Ron rolled his eyes. “Well, I have to teach them, and they’re always trying to stir up trouble. They remember when I was Head Girl.”

“It must be hard,” Ron said.

“Well, it’s fun, too,” Hermione replied, and told them about the rotten vegetable lesson, leaving out the part about Snape. Everyone laughed and drank and laughed some more. And while they were laughing, Hermione watched them, feeling strangely unconnected to everyone at the table or even at the pub. She felt as if she were looking down a long, dark tunnel at her friends, and when they would turn to look back at her, she felt a stab of sadness as she saw the kindness in their eyes and also saw how they came in two pairs, and how she sat alone.

When Harry made some noises about ordering food, Hermione knew instantly that she would never be able to eat a bite. “It’s been lovely seeing you,” she said to the two couples, “but I have to get back to Hogwarts and grade some papers before tomorrow’s game. Otherwise, I’ll be hopelessly behind.” That made two lies, since Hermione had no papers to grade and was deeply unsure that she would be attending the game.

“Don’t you ever stop studying?” Ron said. “Ow! Luna, that hurt!”

“Gnarly knees,” Luna murmured at the ceiling.

“Er—maybe I should walk you back,” Ron amended uncomfortably.

“Oh, that’s all right,” Hermione said, but Luna broke in, “You look awful, Hermione. Do you need some tea?”

Hermione wanted to tell Luna how rude it was to say that someone looked awful, but instead, she heard herself saying, “Tea would be lovely, thanks.”

“I’ll be back later,” Luna said to Ron. She leaned down and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Ron’s face suddenly looked as though he had been standing in front of a bonfire. “Bye, Harry and Ginny.”

And Luna stood up. Hermione followed. In a few moments, they were in Hermione’s rooms, with a kettle heating on the tiny cookstove and a few candles casting a dim but cozy glow to the small space.

“What’s the matter?” Luna said from the little sofa. “Are you and Professor Snape not getting along?”

“Does everyone know about Snape?” Hermione moaned.

“Well, not everyone. Just me and Ron. And Harry. And Ginny. And probably—“

Hermione made a noise. The kettle began to whistle. “I’ll get it,” said Luna.

A few seconds later, she pressed a mug of strong tea into Hermione’s cold hands. “What’s happened?” Luna asked.

Hermione didn’t know why, but she was aching to tell someone, so she told Luna the whole story, leaving out the details of what Snape had done in the dark.

“Have you asked him about it?” Luna said.

“What is there to ask? Any way you look at it, it looks bad.”

Luna agreed that the conversation with McGonagall sounded damning. “But you have to give him a chance, don’t you? He did used to look at you that last year, after you reached your majority, and afterward when you were studying under him. I kind of thought he might fancy you.”

“He fancies my job, that’s all.”

“It didn’t seem that way,” Luna said, frowning.

Hermione sighed. “I can’t think of a single reason why he would say what he did to Professor McGonagall if it weren’t true,” she said. “So I’m not going to talk to him any more. It’ll be hard, since we’re both faculty, but I can’t think of another way.”

Luna still looked puzzled. “Well, all right,” she said vaguely. “Well, anyway, you have to sit with us during the game tomorrow.”

“No, no, really, I have these papers—“

“I don’t see any papers,” Luna cut in.

Hermione scowled. “Well, they’re not right here, but—“

“I don’t see any anywhere,” Luna continued, with an exaggerated but rather unfocused gaze around the tiny suite.

This time, Hermione stewed silently.

“Come on,” Luna said. “It’ll be fun. You’ll forget about Snape, or maybe you’ll decide to talk to him. Come on. We all want to see you.”

Hermione thought about it for a few seconds. “Are you going to say ‘gnarly knees’ to Ron some more?”

“Oh, probably,” Luna said dreamily. “I seem to have to say it once or twice a week, at least.” The two young women giggled.

“Well, all right, then,” Hermione said. The giggling had felt so good. “I’ll meet you beside our bleachers.”