August | Hermione Granger x OFC

Epilogue Part 20: Debbie Downers

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"I really wish I were watching Friends right now."

But she wasn't. She was lounging on her bed, knitting, while Hermione read an Arithmancy book beside her. They each had a cat in their laps. Hermione was wearing the Ravenclaw-blue jumper Robyn made her while under house arrest. Robyn's hand was giving her trouble so she was struggling to hold the needle precisely and it was slowly frustrating her more and more.

"Do you suppose Ross and Rachel will get back together?"

"Maybe. But he'll have to divorce Emily first, assuming Emily is a mug and—"

There was a knock at the door, a pause, and then a head was peeking in.

"Robyn, hi." It was Umar. "It's your brother. I found him alone in the corridor by the Room of Requirement. He's really drunk and really upset and refused to go to Slytherin common room. Could hardly walk on his own. He's in my dorm."

"Oh, Merlin." Robyn took a second to groan into her hands, and then she was reluctantly removing Jinx from her lap. She kissed Hermione's cheek and got up, not looking forward to this and yet partly relieved to give her hand a rest. "See you later."

"Do you want me to help you?"

Robyn stared at her while she walked to the door.

Hermione shook her head. "Right, stupid question."

The door shut behind her and she followed Umar across the hall to the boys' room, but she paused when she saw Olivia sitting on the spiral staircase with another cat: Bella.

"Hiya, wee chicken. You're just a wee chicken, aren't you? Yes, you are, wee chicken."

"I really hope that's not how you talk to Willow in private," Robyn said warily, and both Olivia and Bella jumped in fright. Bella went so far as to hiss at her.

Olivia laughed slyly. "Oh, hiya, Robyn. Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I really, really wouldn't."

"Ha. Yuptae the night?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Yuptae the night?"

"Are you drunk?" Robyn blurted, half-joking, half-worried.

"No! I'm saying what are you up to tonight?"

"Oh. Would it kill you to speak English?"

"...Possibly."

"Fair do's. I'm going to sort out a nervy b, as you'd call it. Wish me luck. And sorry, Bella." She held out her fingers for Bella to sniff before continuing to the boys' dorm, where she stopped at the door to ask Umar, "Didn't you see Draco anywhere? Where one is, the other typically isn't far."

Umar shook his head. "I didn't see him, but I heard him. They argued."

"Do you know what about?"

"Couldn't say. Here." He opened the door and let her in. "My bed's the one on the far right. I'll sleep with Chester." He blinked. "In a straight way."

"If you say so," she snorted. "Thanks, Umar, really."

"Yeah, no worries."

The boys' dorm was more or less identical to the girls' in all but smell (and some decoration). Robyn scrunched her nose in distaste and soldiered on, though in the darkness of the room she tripped on something damp - she didn't want to know what - and was just about able to catch herself using the curtain to Umar's bed, which she then ripped open. Beyond it, Lloyd was staring out the window at the almost-full moon with tear tracks down his pale, practically translucent cheeks.