The Cupboard Series 1: The Cupboard Under The Stairs

Chapter 10

Life at Hogwarts settled into something much more comfortable for Hermione than the first couple of months had suggested her magical education was going to be.

Every lesson she was learning something new, something exciting. She consistently mastered spells and potions and knowledge faster than everyone else in her year, but, with Harry's presence beside her, had learnt to hold her tongue, at least a little bit, when it came to sharing that knowledge with her classmates.

Harry's rescue of her from the troll after that disastrous charms lesson had caused, if not a proper friendship, then at least a mellowing and politeness with her fellow Gryffindors. Lavender and Pavarti included her in the occasional conversation at night in their dorm room. And while she could tell that Ron still didn't think that much of her, he at least managed to keep his thoughts to himself.

Everything change, every small difference, now meant that her time at Hogwarts was enjoyable rather than the torture that it was threatening to become, was down to Harry.

He was her constant companion. He was there beside her in every class and at every meal. They walked from one class to the next side by side and, though she was the one doing most of the talking, they talked all of the time. Not that Harry really ever said anything about life before Hogwarts, but Hermione held out hope that that'd change in time.

She'd been hoping that he'd become her homework and study partner too, but that hadn't happened yet. Thinking about it, she wasn't sure where he was doing his homework. It wasn't the library or the common room. She would have suspected his dorm room, except that Neville was adamant that Harry only turned up there just before curfew, and that was only to go straight to bed.

Harry's disappearances were the one big mystery that plagued her thoughts as the weeks progressed steadily towards Christmas. As soon as the last class for the day was finished, he'd rush off and disappear for the rest of the night. Occasionally, he'd reappear for dinner, before once more vanishing. Every time he did, her frown grew steadily deeper.

She'd tried following him to see where he disappeared to, but not once had she ever been able to discover his secret.

She knew that it all came down to his innate shyness. He absolutely abhorred being stared at. Every time that he noticed someone staring or pointing, he'd scowl, try to flatten his hair over his scar and shrink within himself while increasing his pace to get out of sight as fast as possible.

Unfortunately for Harry, while his fame as the Boy-Who-Lived had faded somewhat within the walls of Hogwarts, he'd managed to make himself even more famous in his short stay in the castle. But then, battling and defeating a twelve foot mountain troll and becoming the youngest Seeker in a century (and an amazing one at that), would tend to do that.

All that aside, there was one more thing that Harry had done that was even more momentous, at least in Hermione's eyes. He'd become her friend. Her best friend. Her first friend ever. And she cherished him for it.

She tried to not boss him around or tell him what to do like she had done with all of the other kids who'd she'd tried to befriend in her schools before Hogwarts. Honestly, she did. But this hiding himself away was starting to become too much.

Before the Christmas holidays started, she vowed to find out where he was going. She knew that it wasn't healthy to be constantly hiding away – and with how much she had hidden away behind books over the years, she knew exactly what she was talking about. No, as far as Hermione was concerned, he needed to be with people to get over his fears and, as his friend, she was going to help him do it.

Besides, she really wanted a study partner.

-oOoOo-

"Righto, chaps, put your trowels in the corner and any leftover dragon dung back on the heap. First lesson back after the break, I want a three foot essay on the different types of fertilisers useful for growing common household plants and the merits and disadvantages or using each one," Professor Sprout instructed as she tugged off her thick dragon-hide gardening gloves.