Riddles.

Chapter IV

Riddles.

After a while, waiting gets boring. - Irrelevant quotes brought to you by twelvensfield. I'm very grateful to all of you who have waited this long. But writing is hard for a fourteen-year-old girl.

Author's Note:

Voila! This chapter's a little shorter so hopefully it won't take as long for the next one to come out, as it is sort of the other half of this one. Although, mind you, I (sadly once again) haven't written it yet. I assure you that it will be spewed out at some point in the near future. I know the waiting gets boring, even if you're not that invested in my tedious writing.

Disclaimer: Please just stop torturing me with this nonsense.

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Chapter IV

Hermione waltzed into the Great Hall, spotting Luna immediately: even the vast stone walls couldn't hide her striking hair, shining in the fog-tinted light.

As she approached the Slytherin table, she felt a familiar pulling sensation towards the back of Professor Quirrell's head, but brushed it off - sleep deprivation's really starting to take a toll, she thought. She began to notice that almost all of the Slytherin table was sneaking glances at her every five seconds, trying (and failing) to be discrete.

Slowing down her pace to revel in this new development - realising that almost the entirety of the Slytherin population had been counting on her expulsion - Hermione sought out her blonde-haired fairy friend.

It was as if Luna had felt the gaze glued to the back of her head, turning to meet her silvery eyes with Hermione's chocolate ones. The fairy smirked, cocking her head in the direction of Draco and his suddenly ash-white face. Hermione's own smirk fell on her lips as her gaze flicked over his pasty complexion. Their eyes locked and he tried desperately to regain his rapidly deteriorating composure.

Now a huge grin spread itself over Hermione's face, her lips beginning to crack slightly: another sign that she needed to take more care of her body. The closer she got to the table, the more she could see the fear etched onto his usually stony features. Bending down slightly to whisper in his ear, her voice was at a volume only he could hear.

"Are you alright, Draco dear? You look like you've seen a ghost." His expression abruptly morphed into one of anger as he gritted his teeth, the smoke fuming out of his ears visible from a mile away. Hermione turned to walk to the other side of the table to sit across from a now giggling Luna. She called back over her shoulder to him as she did.

"Oh, and I think your father wants a word." Hermione flipped her hair as she turned, her smirk growing even wider as she watched the rage fall off his face in seconds. The terror that claimed his features not moments ago was reborn, his whole frame quivering at the thought of his father's wrath.

A giggle threatened to burst out of Hermione's lungs, all her years of experience schooling her emotions evading her as she struggled to stifle the snicker with a hand.

She joined Luna and both girls had to look away from each other to stop their grins widening so much that their faces split in two like little China dolls.

Finally gaining her composure once more, Luna motioned for Hermione to look behind her at the growing table of professors. Snape, who was, for once, not glaring daggers at the newly appointed Dark Arts professor, had turned his attention to the Slytherin table. The corner of his mouth lifted in a subtle one-sided smirk directed at Hermione.