Sage | H. GRANGER

twenty four

Sage adjusted the fit of her dress, pushing back the loose curls of her hair. It was the day of the Slugclub dinner and Sage was excited to do something other then plot the death of Albus Dumbledore and the siege of Hogwarts. Sage walked out of her dorm and down the steps. Blaise Zambini stood there in his normal attire. He let out a low whistle at her appearance, a smirk playing at his lips. Sage rolled her eyes at his behavior, but did a spin to indulge him.

"Didn't know you could look so nice, Whitaker."

"Wish i could say the same, Zambini, but you look like utter shit." Blaise let out a loud laugh at Sage's snarky comment. He held out his arm for her to take. Sage graciously hooked her arm with his and followed Blaise as he lead her to the dinner.

"Tell me Corman, do you see anything of your Uncle?"

"Yes sir, i am actually set to go hunting with him and the minister of magic over our winter break." Slughorn nodded content with his answer. The professor gazed around the students who sat eating their desserts. His eyes landed on Sage who sat uncomfortable next to the one person she wanted to get off her mind.

"What about you Miss Whitaker?" Slughorn asked with curiosity. "Any plans for after school?" Sage pursed her lips, her skin warming at the feeling of everyone's eyes on her.

"No, sir. I haven't really thought about it to be honest."

"Well, i'd assume you'd want to follow your parents footsteps and work in the ministry!"

Sage cleared her throat, her mouth becoming dry. "My parent's aren't people i want to model myself after, sir." Sage spat out venomously. The air was thick with an awkward tension and everyone squirmed uncomfortably. Professor Slughorn cleared his throat and released a nervous laugh, trying to clear up the tension. He moved on from Sage, prying at another student's private life. Sage sat quietly, her chest aching with sadness. It was true, Sage hadn't thought about life after Hogwarts, because she believed that this war would be the end of her. At least, she hoped it would be.

Hermione glanced at Sage from the corner of her eye. She studied the Slytherin who pushed her food around with her silverware. Hermione could see the hidden emotions that swirled in the hazel eyes that haunted her.

"What about you Ms. Granger? What do your parents do in the muggle world?" Hermione's head snapped back to Slughorn, her cheeks heating up.

"They're dentists." She looked around the table to see everyone staring back at her with confusion, except for Harry and Sage.

"They -uh- work with teeth." Realization dawned on the faces of everyone else. Slughorn leaned forward intrigued.

"Is that considered a dangerous profession?" Slughorn asked. Hermione shook her head no.

"Although, one time this boy bit my dad. He needed five stitches." Hermione laughed at the memory, expecting the others to laugh with her. But, her face fell when she noticed everyone looking at her with the same confused face.

The dinner moved on and Sage half-heartedly listened to the conversation around her. Her mood dropped and her shoulders sagged. She had hoped to come to this dinner to forget about everything happening, but now it was just a cruel reminder. Sage could feel eyes on her, watching her. She glanced up and met the concerned eyes of Hermione. The bushy haired girl's stare didn't falter when Sage's eyes met hers. Instead, she leaned closer to the Slytherin and asked in a hushed voice, "Are you okay?"

Sage didn't answer, she just stared. She studied every perfect mark on Hermione's face. Her eyes traveled from freckle to freckle, to her eyes, to her lips, everything. Sage just stared at Hermione with eyes filled with awe. It was as if Hermione was this masterpiece in a museum and Sage couldn't look away. (Not like she wanted to anyways.)

"Sage?" Hermione questioned once more, her brows furrowed. Sage snapped out of her glance and smiled sadly at Hermione.

"I will be."

Slughorn clapped his hands together, drawing their attention back to him. "Thank you all for coming, but you best be off." Everyone got up and made their way out of the door into the now dark halls. Sage walked next to Blaise, but looked back to Hermione who was little ways away. Their hazel eyes clashed and Sage longed to throw all caution in to the wind. Sage forced her eyes to look away from the Gryffindor girl and continue out of the room. Hermione watched with heart broken eyes. All she wanted was to feel the warm touch of Sage again. Her heart longed to feel the sparks that ran through her body with every kiss, every touch, even every look. Hermione felt sudden anger bubble in her chest. Why would Sage do this to her? Why would she make her fall so hard, but not be there to catch her. But, deep down Hermione knew the answer. She knew why Sage had cut her off, but denial was all Hermione felt.
Hermione wanted to believe that something, anything, else could have caused them to part. Because anything seemed better than the reality.

Hermione shook her head, pushing the negative thoughts out of her head. She made her way to her common room, her head down and her heart heavy. Hermione felt tears slowly fall down her face, reminding her of the heartbreak she wanted to forget.

Little did Hermione know, Sage sat on her bed holding a picture of them with smiles that resembled the constellations in the sky. Tears filled the Slytherins eyes as she admired every detail of Hermione's freckled kissed face.

Both girls were heartbroken and stuck dreaming for a brighter day. But, this was just a bump in the road. These girls were made of steel, even if it felt as if they were as fragile as parchment. Hermione Granger and Sage Whitaker were destined to be together, no matter what tried to keep them apart.