Strange magic. (Dramione)

Chapter Seven-Bathroom Bewilderment.

Chapter Seven.

Hermione practically ran down the corridors, almost sending herself and several other people flying on several occasions.

She had to go back on herself four times because the moving staircases wouldn't stop... well, moving.

Racing down a corridor on the second floor, she saw some people giving her funny looks, but she didn't care. She could not be late on the very first day!

She was just about to pass the Girls' bathroom on the second floor when she heard a sort of wail coming from inside.

"Oh, Merlin, I do not have time for Moaning Myrtle today."

Another wail.

Hermione groaned, debating whether she should go into the bathrooms or just run off.

Myrtle gave yet another theatrical moan before giving up and hissing,
"Would you just get in here?!"

Hermione heaved a great sigh before giving up and entering the abandoned toilets. She faked a small smile and tiptoed her way into the room.

She immediately noticed that something was off about the room. There was some sort of metallic tinge to the air, one could almost taste it. She brushed it off quickly, quietly saying,

"Good Morning, Myrtle."

"Is it?!"
Was her reply from the young ghost-who, at that moment in time, was sat facing away from Hermione with her arms folded : clearly in a huff.

"Is it a good morning when I have another shedload of new witches, all bright as buttons and proud as punch with their newfound abilities, that think they can just waltz in here like they own the place and not give a damn about anyone that might already live here? Is it a good morning when there are more students at Hogwarts than ever before, none of whom seem to give a damn that ghosts have feelings too? I may not be able to feel that book going through me, but I sure as hell know it's there! Is it a good morning when not one, but two little wretches came in here before and had the nerve to laugh at me, and ask if I was real? Don't you say good morning to me, Miss Granger. All I am is good and it never gets me anywhere! Why should I even bother!"

Hermione would have tried to be civil but at that moment in time she was tired, crabby and frustrated. In the end, the nicest thing she could think to say was,
"All you are is good? Really?"

This was met with a sharp glare from Myrtle as she stormed over to Hermione, clearly even more enraged than a moment before.

"Oh I'm sorry, but would you care to cast your thoughts back over who it was who pointed you in the direction of the basilisk in second year? Or who helped your famous buddy when he was being completely clueless towards the triwizard tournament back in fourth year? Who it was who hasn't alerted anybody about the shady things you and your little friends have gotten up to in here over the years?"

There was a short pause before Myrtle spoke again, and this time she seemed much calmer : maybe even a little taunting.

"Even last night, I pointed that little boyfriend of yours into your direction. If it weren't for me, you might have spent all night in that corridor. Anyways, I know you don't want to be here, so you can just go away and have your breakfast.
Go on. Leave!"

She yelled the last part, and Hermione was turning to leave. Just as she was halfway out of the door, she called back
"Ron isn't my boyfriend."

As the heavy door swung shut, Hermione could have sworn she heard Myrtle call back
"I never said he was."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Shrugging it off, she jogged the rest of the way to the great hall. However hard she tried, she could not get Myrtle's words out of her mind. What was she on about? Everyone knew that (up until last night, at least) Ron and her were dating.
So why on earth was Myrtle being so cryptic? The only man who found her last night sure as heck wasn't her boyfriend, after all. But she made it sound as though he was. She couldn't mean...
No.

No, she couldn't.

Shaking off the thoughts, she noticed that she had been stood in front of the hall doors for several seconds, so out of it that she hadn't even noticed that she
had reached her destination.

Heaving open the great doors that stood between her and the rest of the Hogwarts students, she hoped that everybody was too busy stuffing their faces to notice that she was late.

Thankfully, they were. She grinned. Nobody would even notice her slip in a little late, and she wouldn't have to miss any start-of-year notices.

She quickly scanned the Gryffindor bench, looking for her friends. She found them, but before she even took one step towards them, she was greeted with a sight that made her freeze in her tracks.

Lavender and Ronald were sat at the Gryffindor table together, being all...
cuddley.

She watched, sour-faced, as he popped a grape into her mouth and she smiled at him. Taking a few steps back, she half-turned and started walking back the way she came.

Looks like she was going to potions a little early today.