“May I offer you a refill?” the waiter towered over her. Hermioered a small noise of surprise.
She shook her head and duked bak behind the book.
“Would you like to order some food? Aizer perhaps?”
“No, I’m fihank you,” she hissed. She tried her hardest to give the man a look that said Leave me alone or I’ll hex you into & must have worked beause after she pulled her beanie down farther, he’d left to hek oable. She settled bak iurowards Malfoy.
He and Pansy sat faiher, their shoulders almost touhing as their faes leaned five and take of whispers. They had a familiarity only showased betwee of friends or lovers, and Hermione kiked herself as her uriosity peaked, w what exatly they were to eah other. She let out a disgruntled sigh of frustration, suddehe notion that she should be doihihis is ridiulous, she thought. She did.
No, another version of her voie ehoed. She did. Her previous lihinking fshed aross her mie all her usual logial notions, Hermio herself ihe fantasy that she ould ontrol ening to her. Maybe if she brewed the Potion for Dreamless Sleep with better preision, or added some sort of ouo stop sleepwalking. And maybe if she fou, seluded pe, far from a be able to stop the drive to math lether fr up and takihought.
It had started with the two meo her whehe fourth floor of St. Muine iion of Pandora’s Box went h. Hermione had opened her eyes, and it was as if a new world had blossomed. When she looked betweehem, Healer Redmane and Cursebreaker Humblebud, all Hermione saotential, the invisible hands of Eros bekoy of lovers.
“You two love eah other,” she said, ahrew a hah in horror. She mao keep her newfound roma bay long enough for them te her. It didn’t stop her from notiing the way Redmane made Humblebud ugh, ering look of longier’s fae. She’d smiled ahem for their help, w what oh had really happehe A Room.
It didhere. After beio Ron’s are, she spent a few days held up iage. For the first time in her life, Hermio find soe or omfort within the pages of a book. s: A History. Instead, her gaze was drawiohe neighb about their days. Those iions whih some might find trivial, or ordinary, even Hermione herself before the Pandora i, she suddeh an iure.
“Ro breakfast the day. “Did you know Mrs. Brambleboot orders take away from the deli down the ne?”
Rht over a up of tea for her and shook his head. “Doesn’t surprise me. We order from them almost twie a week, they’re bloody brilliant.”
Hermione gri not one has ers delivered ours.”
“So?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Ron srunhed his fae. “That the oldest bloke I’ve see memory doesheir deliveries?”
“They’re meant to fall in love,” Hermione onluded.
“Have you gone mad?” Ron shoved a bisuit in his mouth. Hermione handed him a napkin while he hewed. “Katheri’s a widow. Her husband died on pox years and years ago.”
“Yes,” Hermio him. “S one means you an never fall in love again?” It was stra she didn’t see a shred of Eros’ potential in Ron. But then agai see any when she looked at herself in a mirror either. There were a few others, she’d noted, whister in her mihes. But the widow and the old deli oere a perfet math if she’d ever seen one. Ron shook his head and gave her his usual You’re absht fae and ontinued shoving bisuits in his mouth and washing them down with tea.
Hermio m so vividly, almost as if she’d wathed it happen from outside herself. A part of her held suh ao meddliii affairs of others. But some sared, small sliver of her psyhe had awakehe urse. Hermio was Eros ausing her sudden ability to see love all around.
She barely reognized her voie when she walked iold ers that Mrs. Brambleboot’s favorite fleas. She ould hardly believe she waited by the window for hours to see him hobble doalkway and knok on her door, an bouquet of blue and white flowers in his arms.
And Hermio holy believe she felt suh pure, u the small, innouous smile that lingered on Mrs. Brambleboot’s lips, a filled her eyes when she saw Rogers blush.
She maame her giddihe time Rourned home from work, o up ihiirely. She suddetle gestures he did for her, subtle touhes of tenderness ahe way his finger ed around one of her urls wheo hand her a up of tea. The towel left folded over the tub for her wheairs to take her bath. And wheo bed, she leaned over, and ut down the m’s Prophet to grasp her fae. The moment their lips met she burhe spark of something a thousaer thahat afternoon wathihes fall in love.
&ually, she was able to quiet her drive to math people together. But over the ourse of the month, it would fl