Anyone But Me

Chapter Forty-Two

The next morning she sat on her bed with Crookshanks cuddled in her lap and absentmindedly disentangled the mats from his fur. He had gone off on one of his occasional adventures, probably into the Forbidden Forest by the looks of him. It wasn't unusual for the cat to disappear for days and end up reappearing a little worse for the wear. At least this time he had come back uninjured.

A steady low growl let her know that he wasn't exactly happy with what she was doing, but he did not attack her. She was the only one who could get away with grooming him without any scars to show later. While he had gotten his temper under control over the years... His personality still led him towards a more solitary lifestyle. Something she showed respect for by allowing him free reign.

She couldn't help the snort as the memory of how that had been such an issue between her and Ron in Third Year popped into her head. The benefit of hindsight allowed her to feel vindicated in the choice but now she could also understand where he had been coming from. If anyone tried to hurt her baby she would hex them into oblivion without a second thought... She leaned down and placed a quick kiss to the top of his head and murmured. "Should have let you eat that nasty rat..."

He huffed as if he understood and agreed with her assessment before jumping from her lap and finding his favorite napping spot on her pillow. She sighed as she stood up and wiped the excess hair from her skirt and blouse. There was no reason to look as disheveled as she felt from another night of no sleep. As soon as the sun had started to rise she was at the Owlery. The note she attached to the same school owl she had sent to her parents was short and to the point.

Meet me tonight where things go to disappear... Please?

It had taken her all night to make the choice not to elaborate. She was afraid of another Nott situation. Besides... If she gave it all away in writing he would have no reason to show up to hear her out... Manipulative? Just a tad, she could admit that. But she needed to play all of her cards if she wanted a chance to explain.

She added the standard black sweater to her uniform before she slipped into robes and grabbed her bag. Another quick scratch right behind the ears for Crookshanks was the last thing she did prior to leaving the dorm and heading down to an early breakfast.

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When she finally surfaced from the Arithmancy chart she was surprised to find that the tables were nearly full with students. During the time she had been working her deep concentration had blocked out the sounds that came from the other occupants in the room enjoying their meals. The sudden burst of volume that hit her eardrums had her blinking for a few seconds as she tried to reorientate herself.

"Ahh! There she is!" Ginny said teasingly from her right.

She startled but quickly turned to face her with a sheepish grin on her face. "Sorry... How long have you been there?"

"I'm finished eating. The look on your face told me to leave you alone unless I wanted to spend the day nursing wounds... So I let you be." The girl said, playfully pushing at the top of her shoulder.

"Come off it! I am not that bad!" Hermione replied with a roll of her eyes as she shifted from the shove.

It was Ginny's turn to roll her eyes and draw out the single word response. "Suuuure..."

"If I am such a horrid beast, why are you messing with me? You would think you would be afraid..."

"Oh please... I didn't interrupt you. I was smart, which means I am safe from a tonguelashing... For now." The redhead explained with a smirk.