can we watch the stars together
Hermione shakes, goosebumps rising on her arms as she stumbles through the overgrown vines surrounding the overpass. The thorns tangle in her hair and she chokes down a sob as she yanks them away, eyes fleeting around like a hunted animal.
The footsteps sound even louder in the quiet and she quickens her pace, trying to avoid making too much noise.
She tries not to dwell too hard on the throbbing pain shooting up her back and instead focuses on making it to the willow. They won’t find me there, she thinks, not daring to look back.
“There’s no one here,” one of the patrollers bites out loudly, and the brunette feels her mouth twist into a smile. “Captain, we don’t have time to chase after some bloody kneazle. The reapings are hours away and we’re wasting precious time when we still need to finish setting up the defensive measures!”
The captain grunts, and Hermione sighs in relief when she hears the footsteps retreating. She staggers to a stop when she's sure she’s far away enough, straining her ears to catch any sound of movement. She knows she’s off the hook when she only hears the hum of the wind brushing against her cheek and she’s grateful for the cover the moonless night brought her.
“Finally,” the brunette slides down the wall, gulping in large breaths as her chest heaves from exertion. She fumbles to undo the bag at her side, taking out the reason behind her late night escapade.
It’s a book. Of course it is , she imagines her mom saying, lips tugging up into a smile fondly. Only my daughter would do something so dangerous for a piece of paper.
She tries to banish the thought from her mind. “Focus, Hermione,” she mumbles to herself, fingers twitching as she finally manages to get it open.
“Focus on what?” A voice asks to her left and she jumps back, mouth dropping open in a silent scream.
The boy opens his eyes in panic. “Don’t yell!” He cries out, holding his hands up. “It’s just me!”
“Who- when did you- how ?” Hermione splutters, relaxing a little when she sees he’s around her age. Not a death eater or an Unspeakable then, she thinks, shoulders sagging in relief. “You can’t just scare someone like that!”
The boy bristles. “Bloody hell, I was just trying to find a place where I could have some peace and quiet before you came and started talking to yourself,” he defends himself, shaking out the leaves that fell on him when he was laying down. Hermione slumps forward, trying to stop the laughter bubbling up when the nerves finally catch up to her.
“Are you laughing?” He says incredulously when he hears her snort. The brunette tries to focus on her hands, trying hard not to laugh at the way his brows furrow. “At me ? Have you gone mad?”
She cackles, letting the book in her grip fall to the ground as she clutches her sides.
“You’ve got dirt on your nose, by the way,” Hermione utters when she’s finally calmed down and sees his face flushing a deep red. He scrubs at his nose and she feels even more laughter bubble up when he misses it by a few inches. “Right there,” she offers, pointing at the spot before he finally rubs it away.
“Thanks,” he grumbles, rolling his eyes when he notices the book on the ground. Curiosity shines in his eyes as he looks back up at her, all previous traces of annoyance gone. “What’s that?”
“A book,” she says and he knocks his head back, groaning loudly.
“Obviously, I’m asking why you have a bloody book with you at this hour of the time! Especially since it’s the day before that ,” he spits out the last word and Hermione finds herself agreeing with the sentiment.
She doesn’t think it’ll hurt to let him know. “A book about the world before the games.”
He stares at her blankly. “So, nothing like forbidden spells or curses?”
“That’s illegal!” She huffs out, offended at the thought. “I could be killed or worse, jailed!”
”You’re already doing something illegal by being out here at night!” He yells, tugging his hair as he looks at her in disbelief. “You need to get your priorities sorted!”
They take one look at each other and burst into laughter. Hermione finds her cheeks warming when he looks at her, eyes reflecting the stars above.
She prays his name isn’t called.