Chapter _Hogsmead_The Magical Village
As at this time the Common room was probably going to be empty, she decided to go in there.
Hermione approached the Common room.
For some reason there was a streak of light underneath the door. But Hermione was too tired to notice that. She turned the doornob and entered the room.
- FETCH MY HAT! What is even happening here?
Several people were sitting on the benches, puffs and cushions or simply on the floor, different food boxes scattered around them.
- We nicked some Slitherin food! - answered Rea in a thick enthusiastic voice.
- Woo-hoo! - added Kial blanckly.
- We're having fun! - shouted Alicia, a flying earbud hovering next to her head: she was clearly listening to music.
- I see that. - said Hermione.
- Come through, join us! - Rea waved at her.
Hermione stumped across the room, her magically cleaned training jacket in one hand trailing on the floor.
- Hi! - said a quiet voice from one of the puffs she passed. It belonged to a person she didn't know.
She let herself drop onto a divan on a place that Rea made for her scooting a little to the side.
- Want anything? - Rea asked. Everyone else seemed replunged in conversations.
- I... I don't know, I didn't really eat anything like that before.
- Well, then, don't you worry: I've got just the thing for you.
Rea returned from a table with several boxes and made Hermione bounce a little on a linen cushion, landing right beside her.
- These are cucumber slugs, these are cabbage worms and these... ta-duh... celery bogies!
Hermione stared at it all wide-eyed:
- Impressive! We only get regular food like pea stew, or bean steak or pumpkin something, I've heard the difference is in texture...
- And you've heard right!
- It is... rather authentic.
- Yeah, right. - Rea pushed a pair of glasses up her nose, and her eyes caught glimpse of the jacket. - What do you need with all this uniform this late?
- It's just for a walk.
- Don't tell me you're training at night!
- No, I...I don't.
- Okay...
- Em, Her-Hermione ?
The latter turned and saw the unknown person.
_ _ _ _
Madam Rosmerta stood by her lesbian bar, conversing with a group of people. It was a festive night and they were dressed for a performance, with sparkly makeup and glitter all over them. Hermione waved at her and received a bright smile in return. Thinking that mme Rosmerta was fantastic, Hermione went down the slopy street dodging people that streamed in and out of the Magical Village tonight. The freshness was in the air and the night was colored with different lights coming from all over. Granger headed for her favorite cafe that had a pirate chain, stone and wood feel to it. It was dark in there as in a barrel and miniature lights shone behind the counter, illuminating bottles with various shades of green. Spots of yellowish jade added some light to tables otherwise sunk in shadow. It was very quiet here as magic muffled the sound at every table.
- Good afternoon!
- Hi! - answered Hermione, pointing her wand at several bottles on display. - Free tables?
- One by the window just cleared, otherwise there's three in the back, and two on top.
- The window, please.
- There you are.
- Thank you!
Three other people entered the place, decided to find a place by themselves, and proceeded to the top landing.
Hermione landed on a bench of massive black wood, ordered a dessert with a tap of her wand on the table and wipped out her scetch book.
Beside it in the darkness of her bag the Message Badge beamed at her.
- Oh, my hat... - she whispered annoyed.
Rea was asking whether she was in the Magical Village or not and said that they could meet there with a couple of others if she was.
Hermione drummed her fingers, anxiety mounting up, she would bet it was a physical process that was sending a cloud of cold steam spread from her stomach to her chest and finished by swirling all thoughts in her brain untill it was wiped clean and rendered blank and ineffective in dealing with whatever business was at hand.
She would like to speak out loud, but she didn't want to do that in public, "it would look weird even with a silencing spell...". "Lying isn't really a good option, though... Not with Rea, anyway. I don't want to break up with her because I fed her with lies. I kinda do care this time. What if I just tell her? She probably wouldn't want to be friends with me anymore, not even at school. Why people stop being school pals as soon as you refuse to handg out with them outside of classes?"
She let out a sigh and started to conjure her response:
- Look, I'm there but I have plans for this evening. I don't think I will be able to spend time with a bunch of people anyway. I hope you are okay with hanging out only at the Castle, because I'm really not looking for anything else... You are a wonderful person and I am glad we met, though. I appreciate every minute we've spent together at school, but you really don't have to invest time in this relationship, if it doesn't work for you that way.
H. G.
Rea stopped suddenly, Kial and Alicia stopped as well, eagerly looking around.
- Wait a second, folks.
Her eyes ran along the lines of the message. She frowned and wrote:
- Oh, it's okay! Of course, we can still hang out at school! Relax, have a nice whatever! P. S. I appreciate you told me that. Don't want make anyone feel obligated or something. It totally works .
- Cheers! Have a great time at the Village!
Five streets away, after a turn on the left and a dive under an arch, on a wooden terrace dump from the last rain and littered with autumn leaves stood Finn and Terry. Green and purple ligths were flashing from time to time through the windows of the gay bar.
-...
- If people just applied themselves_
- It's not the problem. It's the Ministry that is rotten.
- You are just jealous, because I got the job and you didn't!
- Being a caretaker here suck, okay! And I am jumping on board, if only the opportunity presents itself. But, honestly, though, did you know the Minister refused to pay his staff?
- You can find a better one.
- With five years of waiting? And it's the law that allowed him to do that.
- What do you mean?
- It shouldn't be up to him at all.
- You know what? You think we've got to decide_
A door slammed open and a couple of people almost fell out through it. Noticing others in time to step apart.
- Woops, Sorry, birds! - said a large bold guy, with a low giggle and squeezed back inside past an equally stout person with long red hair in a black travelling cloak.
Terry turned back to look at his boyfriend but the other was still goggling at the door. Finn just recognized Moody, after a brief pause Professor swept along the other and closed the door again.
- Let's go to *Barty's*
- Yeah.
_ _ - _ _