||Now It's Just Us||

Chapter 6

Hermione woke up feeling great after a completely dreamless sleep. And she hadn't even taken a dreamless sleep potion. This was her sixteenth day of peaceful sleep. The realisation made her smile like an idiot. 

There was a tapping sound that sounded too loud in the morning silence. Her senses still groggy with sleep, she couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Maybe Carson was up to something? 

The tapping sounded again.

Hermione looked around her room, now utterly confused. Just as she decided to draw out her wand, she spotted a dark silhouette against the curtain drawn over her window. Hermione walked over in stumbling steps, and drew the curtain aside. 

"Hello," Hermione opened the window to let a majestic tawny owl swoop in, "I've never seen you before, who do you belong to?"

Hermione untied the letter from the bird's leg and stroked it's feathers. The owl hooted approvingly. Once Hermione had paid the knuts, the owl hooted and swooped through the window into the early morning sky.

The envelope didn't feel like a familiar kind either. Curiosity got the best of her, and she tore open the envelope to access the letter inside.

As she read, she grew excited. By the time she was done reading, her spirits were high and flying.

"Granger, something's wrong with that thing in the kitchen."

Hermione ran a hand over her face. Why was this man so awfully annoying?

"What?" Hermione asked sourly as she opened the door.

Carson stood in front of her with a jar of marmalade in his hand, looking slightly terrified of something. Perhaps it was the state her hair was in. Hermione sub consciously raised a hand to flatten her hair somewhat.

"What happened?" Hermione repeated her question, tapping her foot impatiently. She was getting late already, not to mention she had to tame her hair before leaving.

"The toaster or whatever you call it isn't working," Carson said grumpily.

Hermione stomped to the kitchen and looked the toaster over. He had placed two slices of bread in it like how she had taught him.

"It's not working because you haven't plugged it in," Hermione harshly pushed the plug into place. Her spirits, which had been zooming just some time ago, had now dropped to very near rock bottom where they were used to being most of the time.

"Right," Carson turned a little red, "I knew that."

"And that's why you got me out here?" Hermione scoffed.

"Why are you in such a bitter mood?" Carson frowned.

"I was doing just fine until before the moment you knocked on my door," Hermione replied sarcastically. She was feeling particularly vindictive at the moment. She turned and hurried to take a shower.

She had just started enjoying the sting of the hot water, when Carson knocked again.

"What is it now, Carson?" Hermione yelled over the sound of the shower.

"We have only one bathroom, thickhead, and I need to use the loo."

Hermione smiled wickedly.

"You'll have to wait, or you can go ahead and wet yourself," Hermione smirked as she shouted back at him.

"Granger, you've been in there for fifteen minutes, get out!"

"Shut up, please."

She felt satisfied when she heard his steps fade away.