= Wands High =

Chapter 42 - 22 May 1998, Friday

- What is that lovely smell?

Upon entering the room, the rest of the company right behind him, a most peculiar sight came into view, mostly confirming that it was indeed Hermione who had been the source of the half-scream from earlier.

The girl had her wand in hand, seemingly doing her very best to keep it raised high enough in order to hold a levitation spell of a large smoking tray, all the while kicking with both feet in mid-air, refusing to surrender to Daynen's barrage of tickling attacks.

- Maybe we should give them some privacy? – Tyler carefully suggested, to whom stumbling onto the sight felt rather inappropriate.

Orianna only puffed her cheeks.

- As if! Then we'll have to spend the whole weekend eating on the porch. Have you two been cooking at all?

Hermione's face, despite indicating that she was feeling rather uncomfortable being the object of so many stares, had kept its bright expression and her squeaking had now ceased – most likely due to the fact she wasn't being tickled anymore.

- She has been cooking – Daynen said, by the looks of it not too happy that this many people had so abruptly entered the room. – I was just helping so it gets done quicker.

- You'd better grab that plate, Ri – Hermione motioned. – I can only protect it for so long!

Orianna proceeded to pick up the apple pie and take a deep sniff, making a grimace straight after.

- And you were going to eat it all without sharing it, huh, Mr. I-Don't-Care-About-Anything?

- Not all of it – Daynen replied, face all serious and finally letting go of Hermione's waist. – I was just going to taste it, is all.

Once the girl's feet had touched the floor, she ended up almost instantly turning around, giving him a light tap on the head with her wand.

- Is he okay? – Orianna heard a half-whispering Zadie mutter.

- Maybe one day you'll get it – was Jessie's response and even without turning around, Orianna knew that her friend had been smiling widely.

- Well – James said with a raised voice, - I am not usually one to interrupt, but, seeing as we already have done so, would it perhaps be possible to get a bite or two of that delicious smelling pie, by any chance?

The next half an hour was spent in shuffling between seats, exchanging of plates and passing around a steamy tray of apple pie, followed by the serene sound of chewing and muffled conversations.

- You aren't eating – Orianna, who had taken a seat next to Hermione, heard the girl whisper in Daynen's ear, but her old friend only shook his head. He had leaned back, not really doing much else but watch as the rest of the group munched away at the delicious dessert, an uncharacteristic expression on his face.

- That's okay – he said, reaching for a lock of Hermione's hair, which was in real danger of being consumed alongside with the meal. - It was never really about the pie itself.

Orianna realized that she instinctively expected the other girl to get at least mildly irritated due the lack of interest he had just expressed, but nothing of the sort seemed to happen. Instead she observed as Hermione simply smiled and ran down the fingers of her clean hand across Daynen's forehead, barely touching the skin and eyebrows, before extending a small bite of pie towards his mouth with the other, which he almost immediately took.

This wasn't an anomaly, she judged. By the looks of it, her friend had finally found someone who understood him.

He was just happy.