Over a tray of cheese
Hermione awoke to bright lights and the quiet murmur of voices. Cracking her eyes open, she was met with the bright white lights and scratchy linen sheets of the Hospital wing. Slowly opening her eyes and sitting up, Hermione brought a hand to her head and mumbled, “What happened?”
Instantly the discussion stopped and Madame Pomfrey rushed to her side.
“Slowly, slowly,” She instructed, “You have been asleep for two days Miss Granger, please take your time.” She reached to the bedside table and pulled out a dark green vial, “Drink this please.” She said.
Hermione did as she was told and took the vial from Pomfrey’s hand. Tilting her head back, she quickly swallowed its contents, trying her best not to cringe away from the putrid taste.
“That’s it dear. How are you feeling?” Madame Pomfrey asked, waving her wand across Hermione’s body to run her diagnostics.
“Fine,” Hermione groaned. At the look she received in return she revised her answer, “Well at least better, anyway.”
Still met with a disapproving glare, Hermione took a moment to further take in her surroundings. She was at the back of the hospital wing, tucked up against the windows. Despite a few other occupied cots towards the entrance, the hospital wing was mostly empty. Warm light filtered through the tall windows and danced across the stone beneath. There was a slight motion to her left. Gently turning her head, so as not to disrupt the diagnostic, Hermione found herself face to face with Professor Black.
“Welcome back Miss Granger, you gave us all quite a fright.” She said.
“How did I get here?” Hermione asked, “Last I remember I was on my way to potions.” She carefully left out the bits of conversation she had heard the last time she was conscious.
Madame Pomfrey interrupted with a response. “You were highly sleep deprived Miss Granger. When was the last time you had a good night of rest?”
“Yes Hermione,” Professor Black added, “You were lucky one of the Beauxbatons students ran into you in the hallway and brought you straight here, it wouldn’t do to have you lying about on the floors of the dungeon now would it?” She asked raising an eyebrow.
Hermione tilted her eyes down and to break her eye contact with the professor. She knew that wasn’t the full story, but she wasn’t willing to ask Professor Black about it further.
“Ah yes,” Madame Pomfrey interjected. “Quite the kind young lady, that one was.” Turning back to Hermione she added, “Now Miss Granger, to ensure you get some sleep, you will have to take one vial of this potion directly before bed for at least the next week. If you find your sleeplessness does not improve, come see me and I will produce more for you.” She handed Hermione a small pouch of clear vials filled with a dark blue, swirling liquid. Once it was securely in her hands, Madame Pomfrey added, “And you best make sure I see you attending all the meals in the Great Hall from here on out. Miss one and I will make sure you are on bed rest for the remainder of the term!”
Taking her words as the dismissal they were, Hermione gathered her things and made her way towards the door. Realizing quickly she was not alone, she turned her head towards her professor.
“Miss Granger,” Professor Black said, “Do come see me in my office this evening.” With nothing more, she whisked past Hermione and out the door, her robes billowing out behind her.
Hermione stood there for a moment, establishing her bearings before making her way out of the hospital wing and towards the Great Hall, she hadn’t eaten in days and she could feel her stomach rumbling up a fuss.
Hermione walked through the quiet Hogwarts halls, enjoying not being surrounded by students for once. It was the late afternoon so most students were at quidditch practice or studying in the library or their house common rooms. Making her way into the great hall, she was unsurprised to see it mostly vacant, just a few students scattered across the tables eating sweets, playing wizards chess, or studying.
Noting her usual seat at the end of the Ravenclaw table was unoccupied and that most of her table was vacant, Hermione made her way to sit down. Instantly a cup of tea turned up at her elbow and a plate of bread, jam, cheeses, and soft fruits settled in front of her. Thanking the house elves and Hogwarts for the treat, she slowly picked up a piece of baguette and spread some jam on it.
She paused as she felt the warm sensation in her chest return but, as she was too tired and too hungry to do anything about it, she decided it was best to just get whatever strange and unnecessary confrontation that was likely to happen over with.
To her surprise, the people who approached her table were not the blonde-haired blue-eyed goddesses she had been avoiding but rather Potter and Weasley. They sat down across from her and Ron instantly reached for the cheese on her plate. Murmuring a quick incantation beneath her breath, Hermione was pleased to see when his hands harmlessly bounced away.
“Hey,” Ron groaned, “There’s enough here to share!”
“What if I don’t want to share Mr. Weasley?” Hermione responded, a small smile pulling at the corner of her lip.
Slamming his hands down on the table, Hermione could see Ron’s face beginning to turn a tomato red in his anger. Harry placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Let her be Ron, she’s been in the hospital wing for two days.” He added.
Hermione frowned, did the entire school know of her episode?
Her musings were interrupted by the arrival of a blond haired, glaring Draco Malfoy.
“Potter, Weasley” he spit out, “What are you doing wandering so far away from your stupid mudblood friend? And don’t you have detention with Professor Snape? Oh just you wait until I tell my mother about this.”
Not needing to be reminded, Harry, with a glare in Draco’s direction, and Ron, with a glare towards Hermione, rose from the table and exited in the direction of the dungeons.
“Thanks Draco,” Hermione said.
He winked at her and stole a piece of fruit from her platter, “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better Hermione.”
With that, he walked off towards the Slytherin table where his friends were engaging in an animated discussion about potions.
Just as she reached for a second helping of bread and jam, five blue clad bodies entered the great hall and moved to take the seats opposite her. Hermione’s hand stopped inches from her mouth as she took them in. They were truly beautiful. The four women had long flowing hair in different shades of bronze and silvery blonde. The gentleman with them was tall and lean, his shoulders broad and his eyes a vibrant green. Two of the women, both with blue eyes, reached forward quickly to help themselves to the fruits and cheeses on her platter. Hermione didn’t dare stop them, however, memorized by the two pairs of golden eyes staring back at her.
Three glasses of pumpkin juice and two cups of tea appeared before the new arrivals.
Other than the presence of food, Hermione couldn’t understand why these beautiful Beauxbatons students would choose to sit by her, of all people.
Her thoughts were interrupted by one of the golden eyed girls in the middle. She held her hand out to Hermione across the table.
“Bonjour,” she said as Hermione slowly reached towards her hand, “My name is Fleur Delacour. I don’t think we have had the pleasure of being introduced.”
“I’m Hermione,” the Ravenclaw replied.
The moment their hands touched, a sensation overtook Hermione that she would never be able to put words to. It was as if she was flying, high above the clouds but also safe in the cocoon of a warm home, cradled gently and completely at peace.
Noticing the smirk on the beautiful blonde’s lips, Hermione quickly released her hand and dropped their eye contact.
It did not detour Fleur, however, as she simply smiled and moved on to introduce the people surrounding her.
“This is Marco Blanchet,” she said, indicating to the young gentleman, “and this is Celene Cartier and Josephine Black-Martin.” She indicated to the two women happily eating off the platter. They all kindly nodded in her direction.
The last to be introduced was the girl sitting next to Fleur. Her eyes had not left Hermione since she arrived and, if Hermione looked closely, she could see the deep sadness and profound hope swirling in their golden depths.
“Isabelle Dubois,” the girl spoke softly, “a pleasure to meet you Hermione.”