An Outdated Map

Thursday

A/N: I'm 2 Tuesdays late! I'm sorry my lovelies! Life got in the way and I've been incredibly busy. Here's another chapter for you!

Playlist: An Outdated Map: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1v0sepRQZF6r8M8T5Cxtru?si=UPsY3QJtS92uYOqwckqkiQ

Disclaimer: JKR owns HP

"Is it just our bodies?

Are we both losing our minds?Is the only reason you're holding me tonight'Cause we're scared to be lonely?"Scared to Be Lonely (feat. Dua Lipa) – Martin Garrix

Waking up that morning, Hermione felt heavy. She stared up at the ceiling, counting the cracks she saw. She was vaguely aware of her evening from the flashes of the memories that sat in her mind's eye. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she was disappointed. She'd hoped that coming back would help her put everything to rest. Help her finally move on. Her mind – her strongest asset – was letting her down.

Feeling a prickling of tears at the corner of her eyes, she squeezed them shut and took a deep breath in. Refusing to let herself wallow, she rolled out of bed. With determined steps, she made her way into the small adjoining bathroom. Reaching out, she tapped her wand against the faucet in the shower and watched the water spurt to life. Distracting herself, she began her recovery ritual. She began listing the elements in the periodic table.

Undressing and hopping into the shower, she upped the temperature to near scalding and revelled in the sting on her skin. The pain reminded her that she could still feel. That she wasn't as dead inside as she felt. Without any precursor, her tears flowed in hot waves down her cheeks, melding into the water from the tap. She bowed her head forward, letting the water fall. Using her forearms, she leaned forward against the tiles and stayed there. She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on the sounds around her. The constant flow of the water. The gurgling of the drain. The swish of hair as it swayed.

She had no concept of time while she was in there. All she knew was that she'd been standing there long enough for the temperature to drop down to freezing. As a rolling shiver ran down her spine, she shook it off. Reaching blindly past the curtain for her wand, she located it and waved it with a flourish to put a stop to the downpour.

With a sigh, she flipped her hair back, twisting it around her fist and wringing out the excess liquid. Summoning a towel, she wrapped it around her body and took a step to stand in front of the mirror.

"Oi!" Fred's voice exploded from behind her, "Warn a bloke before you decide to walk around half-naked."

She whipped around to see the translucent version of the ginger covering his eyes and a distinct red colour deepening around the tips of his ears. She felt her tongue curl back behind her teeth, her retort ready to fire but something about the way he angled his head away stopped her. He seemed genuinely embarrassed for intruding on her privacy. He may not have expressed it properly, but he hadn't meant to offend her.

She sniffed, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead to collect the droplets resting there. Closing her eyes for a quick second, she let out a breath.

"Shite!" She swore quietly to herself.

She caught the movement as Fred's mouth dropped open, having obviously heard her.

"Did the Hermione Granger just cuss?" He asked.

Forgetting that she was only clad in a towel, he dropped his hand and stared at her with amused shock. His gaping mouth turned up into a mischievous smirk as he processed that, yes, she had indeed cussed in front of him. He wiggled his eyebrows at her, revelling in the secret he now had of her. Cursing wasn't something she partook in during school. Even during the war, she refrained as much as she could.