Hermitcraft Harry Potter AU

Chapter Fourteen: Smoothing out the Wrinkles

"Mumbo?"

Mumbo felt his stomach twist as Grian's voice floated out from between the bookshelves, coming closer by the second. He snapped The History of The Quod House and its Impact on the Wizarding World closed, stuffed it between the wall and the bookcase, and pulled a random book from the shelf above him.

"Yeah?"

Grian rounded one of the bookcases and smiled as he caught sight of the Hufflepuff sitting on the ground against the stacks.

"Hi!" Grian chirped, squatting down next to him. "What are you doing all the way back here? I didn't even know the library was this big"

"Oh just reading-" Mumbo closed the book and read the title "-Magical Remedies for the Problems of the Adolescent Boy??"

He felt his cheeks burn and threw the book to the side as Grian muffled his laughter behind his hand.

"Wow Mumbo what problems are you having?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I-I'm not! I j-just-"

"Mumbo, Mumbo it's fine! I saw you pull out a random book, I just couldn't waste the opportunity"

He continued to giggle while Mumbo hid his face in his hands.

"Is it possible for me to talk to you without embarrassing myself?" He muttered into his palms.

"What?"

"N-nothing"

"Oh... ok"

Grian bit his lip and tugged at the hem of his robes as silence fell between them.

"Uh, look Mumbo... I need to ask you something"

Mumbo glanced up and was surprised to see just how anxious the little bunny was.

"What's wrong?"

"I... well I just..." he sighed. "Are you guys mad at me?"

Mumbo blinked.

"Huh? We? W-what are you talking about?"

"It's just for the last couple weeks you, Scar, Stress, and Iskall have been acting... weird when I'm around. You guys stop talking whenever I come over, and have been, like, overly polite... and you've been running off to the library every time I ask if you want to hang out... I just... did I do something?"

The look on his face was that of a kicked puppy, and Mumbo felt his chest constrict painfully.

He sighed and pulled The History of The Quod House and its Impact on the Wizarding World out from behind the bookcase, placing it face up on Grian's lap.

"Oh..." Grian gripped the book gently and lowered his eyes. "I understand. I'll... just go then"

He began to stand up.

"No!"

Before Grian could fully make it to his feet, Mumbo grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the ground.

"Ow!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Mumbo cried. "But please don't go!"

Grian crinkled his eyebrows in confusion and gently pulled his hand away from Mumbo's grasp.

"I don't understand. I thought because of... the house, you didn't want to... associate with me anymore" he looked at the book. "You guys wouldn't be the first"

"No, no, Grian, that's not it, really! We..." Mumbo bit his lip. "I guess we didn't know how to bring it up, or-or if we even should bring it up! We just didn't want to make you uncomfortable. Really though, it-it doesn't matter"