Anyone But Me

Chapter Eighty-Two

Hermione stood over the hunched form of the blonde wizard as he studied his notes for Transfiguration by dim torchlight. He was patiently waiting for her to appear to his brief summons. Propped up underneath the bizarre tapestry, he leaned against the wall with one leg extended out into the walkway while the other was bent and served as a lectern for his parchment. Perfectly at ease, he wasn't out of place even though it was the middle of the night and he was reclined in the middle of an abandoned corridor.

Unnoticed beneath the magicked cloak, she relived the inundation of remorse when she finally read the single word that was hastily scribbled on the scrap of paper. Her worries over the influence his message would have on her were warranted. It had taken everything in her not to sob aloud and bring attention to the tucked-away corner of the common room she had found solace in after her conversation. None of the other cheerful students that surrounded her could have possibly understood the gratuitous reaction if they had read the simple request.

Please

A harmless and honest expression that was used casually every day was able to upend her entire outlook. Their obstinance had cost them too many precious seconds of their dwindling time together. Six short weeks was all that they had left... All she had left to convince him...

How could she have been so stupid?

Nervousness at his reception to her newest terms was the only thing that stopped her from announcing her arrival. That and being able to watch him at rest, when he believed himself to be completely alone. It was intimate on a whole different level than she was used to. The way he squinted at the paper each time a lock of hair fell into his eyes instead of brushing them into place, waiting until he could not see through the haze of blonde strands before fixing the mess. Or the way he would unconsciously reach up and pinch his chin every so often while he read a particularly baffling section of text.

He looked up, yet again, to check for signs of her approach. Clearly not caring if he was caught by any other authority figure that could happen upon his relaxed form, his eyes darted from one end of the long passageway to the other. The third exasperated sigh of the night passed from between his lips as he turned back to his scribbled account of Thaddeus Thurkell's abusive use of the Erinafors incantation on his seven squib sons.

She knew that if she made him wait much longer he would think that she had made her choice and ignored his invitation. However, the bile that was stuck in her throat stopped her from vocalizing her presence. Anxious over the unknown... She was afraid that if she opened her mouth she'd get sick. Rather than risk that specific complication, Hermione gently tapped the side of his thigh with the rounded tip of her sneaker.

The abrupt pressure with no known origin caused him to jolt up from his relaxed position. His alert gaze went right through her hidden form as he searched for the source. Acting on instinctive reflex, it didn't take but a second for him to understand and try to discreetly lower the hand that was prepared to pull his wand from his pocket.

He quickly got to his feet and completed the silent ritual to summon the door to his room. Once it had fully materialized, he opened up the passageway to the secret sanctuary and waited for her to enter. His lips were pursed in an attempt to stop the triumphant smile from breaking across his features.

Her trepidation doubled as the memories of the last night they had spent together rooted her to the spot. Afraid that everything would end up going wrong and lead to another round of frenzied quarreling. She swallowed down a fresh wave of sour bile at the grim image.

Defeated frustration began to distort his cautious optimism when he didn't feel the telltale signs of her brushing past. He stayed quiet for a few more heartbeats and then pivoted on the spot before venturing inside the brightly lit suite. Leaving her with little time to make her final decision...