Mosag Snape and the Sorcerer's Stone

Why Girls Should Never Wander Off Alone

The bathroom was echoey. The echo that could help you notice when other people showed up. You could hear the faucet that was always dripping or the ceiling the creaked.

I liked bathrooms like this. Nobody used the bathrooms like this. That made them safer places to hide for crying.

Hermione's sobs lightened when I opened the door. Not enough to hide that she was crying. It was enough so that you wouldn't know who was crying.

While she figured herself out I moved to the stall beside her's.

"You should use Argon brand shampoo in the blue bottle. It does wonders." I informed, over her tears.

She continued crying so I continued talking.

"I found it ages ago. It works better than the salon rubbish. You should start with Argon oil of Morocco, tell your mum it's the blue bottle. I use tea tree, because it's better for hydration, also it smells like mints!"

Hermione sniffled. "Wha...what are you...saying?"

"That your hair is gorgeous and your hair care stuff is rubbish." I replied matter-of-factly. "Mum told me that friends tell each other stuff about hair. I never got it, but if it'll cheer you up then I'll be a normal girl for a bit."

"...we're...friends?"

"No. But I'd like us to be." I admitted, surprised at how much I meant it. "So what do you think? Argon? I'm not a hair stylist, so I can't offer s professional opinion. Just a helpful suggestion."

Hermione was still sniffling. "Wh-Why are we still ta-talking about hair?"

"...I don't know what else to talk about." Was my soft reply. "Mum told me 'books' weren't a proper topic."

"Books aren't a proper topic?!" Hermione gasped.

"You feel personally attacked, right?!"

"In fact I do!" Hermione replied, sounding more her usual self than before.

"Right? Books are a perfect talking point! Not a talking-thing, no one talks while reading unless to children."

"I...I was reading a book, a muggle one, called Matilda." Hermione sniffled.

I reached into my pocket, pulling out some of the tissues I had packed. "Oh I love that book." I smiled. "Miss Honey was my favorite."

"Wasn't she just?" Hermione agreed. I slipped the tissues under the stall Hermione accepted them with hesitance. "And then, I could move things with my mind like she could." The bookish witch had the smile in her voice. "It was scary, for all those years, thinking I was a witch like in the stories or Miss Trunchbull. Until I got my letter from Hogwarts."

"...I still think I'm a freak." I admitted. Hermione's look of surprise could be felt through the bathroom stalls. "It's true, though. I've accepted that I'll always be a freak."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Which was true. Finding out about my powers of reality walking had been a struggle. To come from a family without the ability was like being set adrift with only a sail.

"How did you find me?" Hermione asked. She didn't give me time to answer. "Oh. I bet the others were talking about it." She decided, morously.

"No, actually, they weren't." I answered before she could. "Just, when I was in muggle school, I used to hide in the bathroom to cry. Can't resist a good bathroom to cry in." I admitted, curling next to the toilet seat.