Bubblegum Pink and Chocolate Tweed (Prequel to DCMN)

Chapter 10

AN: *falls to the floor* *dramatic gasps* *clutches hand theatrically to heart* could...could it be? An update?

Yeah. Sorry bout that. School and soccer sucked all the creative juices out of me and Doctor Who consumed all my free time. So that left me with 0.00000 time to write. Scandalous, I know, a writer who isn't writing XD. Anyways, just wanted to apologize for my loooonnggggg hiatus and letting you all know I'm back and glad to be here!

He jerked away as if scalded, and Hermione flinched away too. "Er, information. We're looking for information."

Hermione nodded, eyes cast down towards her trainers. "Right."

"Hermione?"

"Yeah?" she said, and then looked up, regretting it immediately as his gaze held hers. She wondered what on Earth he was going to say to her.

Ron seemed to be asking himself the same question. Why'd he call her name if he didn't know what to say?

"Are, are you alright?" he finally asked, feeling his ears flare red. Bloody hell.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Something about her tone reminded him a little too much of first year and she'd answered too quickly.

"Hermione," he said again, and this time it wasn't a question but an answer, if she wanted it.

On sudden impulse she leaned the few feet over and hugged him tightly to her. She planted a kiss on his cheek.

Ron felt his eyes widen and he was vaguely aware that she was saying something but he could only hear the blood pounding in his ears and the static in his mind.

"C'mon then yeah? Searching for information," was all he'd caught. He went to answer her but thought better of it, not trusting his voice at all.

He leaned back against the mahogany bookshelf behind him, chin jerked sky ward. There was definitely a reason he'd reacted like this and he'd think about that later. Until then, he nodded his head to Hermione who had been patiently staring at him, he'd help Hermione.

Still, for the life of him, Ron couldn't understand why he was so bothered that it was only his cheek she'd kissed.

XxXxXxXxXx

"What'd you find?" Lily asked, eyes glinting as everyone gathered around.

Alice held a small silver..thing in her hand.

"It's..a key," Sirius said, looking intently at it. And sure enough, it was a regular old silver key on a broken necklace chain. The key itself looked as though it could fit in any flat in Britain. So it was normal, then.

"Now the question is, whose is it?" James' hazel eyes were lit up with excitement. Being left behind here while everyone else took off in pursuit, boring. But this, a mystery and finding clues with his friends, well this was just brilliant.

The group, who had been so keen on getting closer to the key, missed the sound of footsteps approaching over the babble in the group.

"That, I believe," said a man with a deeper voice and a thick Northern accent, "belongs to my friend. Don't mind me, really. Just passing through."

The group turned as one, eyes wide as they took in the man before them.