A Dance Through Thyme (Harry Potter)

Gefangen

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Trapped

The cover of the book slammed down with exceptional force, and a number of expletives were released under Hermione’s breath as she noticed the crimson red apples on the table next to her change colour to a crisp green. She had been thinking about how hungry she was, and how many hours it was until dinner; but surely, the mere thought of that would not be enough to change the apples to the variety which she usually favoured.

Picking up one of the apples, and examining it in the flickering firelight, she focused her eyes on the piece of fruit, willing it to change back with only her eyes. Much to her consternation, it did not change back.

These kinds of occurrences had been somewhat frequent, even more so in the previous few days. Funny things would happen. Things would change with very little conscious thought on Hermione’s part.

In the several weeks that she had been virtually trapped in the Room of Requirement, Hermione had been unable to perform magic as she normally did. It seemed that now this was the case, the magic, the very essence of her being seemed to be exploding out of her at the most inopportune moments.

Yet, despite these happenings, Hermione could not help but get the strongest sense of déjà vu when strange things did happen. It was like she had experienced it before, or perhaps watched someone else who was experiencing this bizarre phenomenon. What she wished, was for Dumbledore to be here and explain what was happening to her. Dumbledore was wise and all knowing. He had seemed to have experienced all, and he would have almost certainly come across this kind of uncontrolled magic in younger, untrained, witches and wizards.

Remus, who visited Hermione the most out of all the Marauders, refused to believe that her magic was escaping her in such a way. He had only seen a glimpse of what Hermione was capable of with a wand, when she borrowed one of theirs, and thus maintained the belief that she was too in control of her magic for something like this to happen.

Sirius and James visited less but still sustained a reasonably good relationship with Hermione; however, she had not seen Peter since the evening when they had first been introduced. Thus, Peter had no input on the topic, whatsoever. Sirius suggested that Hermione’s inability to perform magic at her usual level left her body burdened by it, and therefore needing to expel it in some way.

James thought it an amusing personal quirk, when Hermione tried to explain herself, and he did not take the issue any further. This left Hermione siding with Sirius for the first time in their friendship – a feeling that Hermione was not necessarily accustomed to, but it seemed to be the only plausible answer.

Reminiscing on the evenings the group had spent together immediately turned Hermione’s focus towards Remus. He had not visited her for several days, and this weighed heavily on her mind, even more so then the issue of her haywire magic. She missed her friend. However, did she still see him as just a friend?

Hermione was very conscious of her initial reaction of Remus, particularly because she still felt the same fluttering in her chest every time he came into contact with her. Her heart would pump furiously whenever he would say her name. Although she was technically several years older than Remus, she had not ever experienced that with any other person she had been remotely interested in, especially a person who was practically forbidden to her.

There was no part of Hermione’s brain that could justify her emotions. Remus was a stranger to her. He was a school boy, and she was an independent adult who, in her opinion, ought to know better. However, there was a part of Hermione’s brain that was always left questioning if Remus felt the same. Did he feel that surge of electricity when they accidentally brushed up against one another? Or, did he get the same swooping feeling, low in his belly, as Hermione often did when he would agree with something that she had to say? But, most of all, Hermione wondered if she would ever be able to gauge his true feelings. He was such a gentlemen to her, and she did not foresee any situation where he might deem it appropriate to talk about Hermione in anything other than a friendly manner.