The Sortinghat's Mission

Chapter 27

Hermione woke up with a roaring headache the next day, and she chose for the first time in her life to skip a whole school day, she wouldn't care to listen anyways. Her head was pounding so hard she thought she might have cracked it right open. Every little move felt like razor blades cutting through her nervsystem. She groaned loudly. To her relief she was alone in her dormitory, the others had probably let her sleep. Or they were too angry with her to even care if she skipped school. It was most likely the second option.

She rose slowly from her bed, wanting to go brush her teeth. It felt like mold was growing upon them. After just a few steps towards the bathroom she felt like she might pass out from the pain in her head. She was just thinking that she had never experienced anything like this hangover, when she felt her insides churn up and move towards her throat. Swiftly she made her way towards the toilet and barfed for a good minute or two, nearly not being able to catch her breath between the heaving. In the end she kept heaving but nothing came out, gaining nothing but her body fighting for oxygen. Tears had rolled down her cheeks, reminding her sourly about yesterday.

Hermione slapped her hand over her forehead in realization. Yesterday. Fucking hell. She had told Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort, that she hadn't even been born yet. She had told him that she had lied from the start. And he had told her about his feelings, making her understand why he had looked so angry upon seeing her and Malfoy together. And then she had sniffed him again. And they kissed. He had wanted to. He had even been...sweet... about it. Even stopping before it got out of hand. And considering how intoxicated she had been it surely would have. He could have taken advantage of her but he didn't. Somehow she knew that Malfoy would have. The last thing she had thought she would feel for Tom Riddle was gratitude, but apparently hell had frozen over.

After throwing up she felt a lot better, but her headache hadn't really given out. Hermione summoned her wand non verbally and it came soaring through the air into her hand within seconds. She pictured Slughorn's potions cabinet and summoned a sobering potion. After a good minute it came through the open door, landing in front of her. Quickly she downed it, instantly feeling the hangover leave her body. Thank heavens for potions.

A shower was what she needed, and a good one. Maybe even a bath. Remembering the password to the prefect's bathroom that Millicent had been so kind to give her a month or so ago she gathered her things and went there, hoping she wouldn't run into someone.

Luck was apparently with her because she moved without seeing another soul, dead or alive, around the castle. She passed the statue of Boris the Bewildered and stopped before the fourth door.

"Freshly bathed" she said, begging that they hadn't already changed the password.

Thankfully, the door swung open and admitted her to the wonderful view of the prefect's bathroom. The first thing she saw was the large swimming pool tub with bath taps surrounding it all. She knew for a fact that these bath taps could give you different colors, bubbles, foam, as well as scents. She preferred the lavender one.

Hermione moved towards the taps and opened three of them at the same time, getting the tub filled with pink water and bubbles, but the scent of lavender. Sighing with content she quickly stripped herself of her clothes and put her hair up in a loose bun before getting in. It was almost too hot, but that was just how she liked it. She was just going to lay her head down on the edge of the pool to relax when she heard the door swing open. Startled, she quickly drew in more bubbles to conceal her body, cursing under her breath. Why had she been so careless that she forgot to lock the door?

Someone walked in and stopped right behind her; she didn't dare move from her spot. Much because she could conceal her face like this, maybe pass for someone else. But moreover, her naked body couldn't be seen like this; just her shoulders and neck.