The Light

Chapter 38- The Rock

Hermione stared at him.

"What do you mean hide my Slytherin side?" She asked, trying to dispel the awkwardness. She readjusted her grip on the curtain, which was still the only thing covering her body.

Avery raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on the change of subject; he seemed just as relieved as she was.

"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent underneath it," he recited.

"Shakespeare," Hermione recognised in surprise.

"Macbeth-" he specified.

Hermione opened her mouth to tell him that she knew which exact play it was from and that she could indeed tell him at what point the line was spoken, when they were interrupted.

The door burst open, and an avalanche of cold escaped into the shop. Hermione retracted her hand from the dress as though she had been burnt, and moved it to clutch the curtain tighter. Her head shot to look at who it was.

"Oh," Lily exclaimed. Her cheeks were flushed, darkening each second, as she stared at them. Her eyes flicked to Avery. "The- er, boys are waiting for us at The Three Broomsticks."

Hermione's mouth parted. She looked at Avery's chin, which she could just see if she didn't tilt her head back, but she could feel him watching her. He hadn't even looked at Lily, and he was still holding the dress between them. They were so close- Hermione hadn't even realised; only the curtain separated them.

"Okay," she said finally. Her eyes met his.

He raised his eyebrows at her, and Hermione cleared her throat, looking away quickly, before she pulled the curtain back along and hastily got dressed. Once she was decent, and she had grabbed her hat and coat, she left the dressing room. Lily had moved completely into the warmth now, but she was still standing in the doorway, uncomfortably staring at her feet. Hermione looked to her left and saw Avery leaning against the side of the changing room, frowning at the redhead. His eyes cut to her when he noticed she was there.

"Hermione?" Lily prompted.

Hermione felt like she should say something to him, like goodbye or thank you, or maybe something completely unrelated. He just stared unwaveringly at her. Her tongue was glued to the bottom of her mouth and her jaw didn't seem to want to move. She put her hat between her teeth and struggled to put her coat on, reaching back and fumbling for the arm hole.

Avery sighed laboriously and stepped closer to her. He took her coat and held it out, guiding her arms into the sleeves. She felt her face ignite as he spun her around, grabbed her hat from her teeth and shoved it on her head, pushing it right down over her eyes. Hermione huffed.

She adjusted it so she could see and glared at him, but it faded when she saw the blank look on his face. Again, she knew she should say something, but the words wouldn't come.

Eventually, she just nodded and moved over to Lily. The redhead hooked her arm through Hermione's, before leading her out of the shop. Hermione looked back once, but Avery had disappeared amongst the rails of satin and frills.

It had stopped snowing, and the path had been worn down to a glassy ice slip. They both clung onto each other, watching their feet carefully to try and avoid falling.

"So," Lily said. Hermione felt her throat go tight with anticipation. "You two are friends?"

"Not exactly..."

"I see," she nodded. Lily cleared her throat and asked, "And were you, er, naked behind that curtain?"

"Not exactly," Hermione winced, glancing at her friend and said, "Underwear."