In Perpetuum

Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Mihi crede

The group of boys sat huddled on the floor of Gryffindor Common Room. They were speaking in carrying whispers that were so carrying that they floated over to where Hermione was sitting at a spindly, little table, on the other side of the room.

The piles of books around her were so high that they created an almost impenetrable wall around her so that only a frizzy mop of brown curls was visible just above them.

Without even glancing upward at the group, she said in rather scathing tones, “The spell that you are looking for is in An Anthology of Eighteenth Century Charms. Remus if you care to cast your mind back several months, that was the book I got you for Christmas.”

James, Peter and Sirius all looked up at the auditory intrusion, each of them slightly perturbed that Hermione had been listening in on their conversation.

Remus on the other hand, stood up without a word and snuck off to his dorm. He returned a few minutes later carrying the rather heavy volume.

Heads once again were bowed in concentration, tones considerably more hushed than before.

Despite the epic amount of study Hermione was yet to complete on this evening, she was feeling decidedly generous and spoke once more the boys, in an almost bored tone.

“The spell you are looking for is ‘dissendium’.”

James peered over the top of Peter’s blonde head to bore his own hazel eyes his sister’s deep brown ones.

“If you knew the spell, why did you imply that Remus go and get the book?”

Hermione removed several stacks of books from her literary wall so that she was visible to those she was speaking to.

She shrugged her shoulders at them, but said cryptically, “I thought that you might find some other interesting spells in that book. Having said that, I highly recommend that you read Achievement in Charms. After all, you wouldn’t want anyone else reading the map, would you?”

“Of course!” said James, clapping his hand to his forehead, “I was reading about a spell that we could use to disguise the different sections.”

“Keep your voice down!” said Sirius, “we don’t need the others hearing about this. They will be all clamouring for a copy at the rate we’re going.”

He looked up at Hermione to find that one eyebrow was raised in a disbelieving facial expression. Apparently she was surprised that James had even thumbed the pages, let alone read the contents of his Christmas present.

Sirius shrugged at her, a grin lighting up his face.

Hermione noticed the way in which his silver eyes shone when he did this and the way his checks puffed out slightly in his obvious joy.

She grinned back at him, before getting up out of her seat to go sit next to him.

The map was so very close to being completed and Hermione could see the tension and excitement escalating within the guys, even feeling some of it herself as the finishing touches were being placed on it.

It would only be a little while longer, a couple of weeks at most, and she would be able to hold the functioning map in her hands once more.

Sirius had grabbed her hand and given it a gentle squeeze. She returned the pressure.

It had been five months since Sirius had asked Hermione to Hogsmeade and the relationship was progressing slowly, at best. She wished that Sirius was not so nervous about it all the time, but then she considered the implications of the situation. A pureblood wizard in a relationship with a muggleborn witch - it would not look good to his family and their peers.