The riddle that the Grey Lady gave Hermione wasn't too hard to decipher, but she didn't understand how the Room of Requirements could be used to hide anything of Tom Riddle's. Did he have a secret clubhouse just like theirs? One which he used for his own purposes?
She walked past the wall while holding the thought of Tom Riddle in her mind but finding that it did not yield any results. Desperate, she also tried to think of the Dark Wizard and again, the wall remained blank.
Hermione tried numerous combinations and spent almost every waking moment in front of the wall, forgetting to eat and only paused to use the loo when the need presented itself. She managed to convince the room to give her a state-of-the-art washroom which had heated toilet seats and warmed rugs underfoot.
On Christmas Day, she was forced to join dinner with the remaining students and faculty. It wasn't too bad, considering that there was a spread of festive cakes and dishes like pumpkin spice and cinnamon rolls in the shape of miniature Christmas trees.
The enchanted snow that fell softly made her wistful, though she was determined to enjoy the one and only Hogwarts Christmas she was likely to have alone. It was comforting to see Hagrid at the table and he had even put on a little red hat.
"S'pose you have been enjoyin' the peace and quiet, eh?" He smiled warmly at her, figuring that she must have been spending all her time in the library, with no one else to bother her.
"Well, I guess it's a bit too quiet for my liking..." She admitted, seeing no harm in telling him the truth, but Dumbledore's blue eyes seemed to twinkle knowingly at her for a moment.
"Let us all toast to whatever may come and that even in the midst of uncertainty, we are able to find pockets of warmth and hope." The headmaster said cheerily before gulping down the cinnamead in his ornate goblet.
"Hear, hear," Hagrid responded enthusiastically and burst open another cracker after downing his drink. A pair of elf ears fell out of the cracker to his delight, and he promptly added them to the sides of his head.
Overall, it was a rather enjoyable dinner, and Hermione was relieved to be able to take her mind off the Room of Requirement and forget Rowena's lost diadem, even if for just one night. Though, if she was being completely honest with herself, she wondered how Draco was spending his Christmas...
One day before the boys were due back, she was seated with her back against the blank wall, banging the back of her head rhythmically. Imagine her surprise when she saw a pale figure approaching her.
She stood up at once, straining her eyes to see whether they deceived her. But there was no mistaking that shock of platinum blond hair or his lanky figure, especially not the way he strutted.
"Surprised, Granger?" He said in a teasing voice which dripped with mockery.
She was, indeed, pleasantly surprised, but she did everything in her power not to show it.
"Honestly, I'd be more impressed if you came with a Horcrux." She said as if she found his antics incredibly dull, though the pounding in her heart and the butterflies in her stomach were quite difficult to ignore.
A genuine smile broke over Draco's face which made the butterflies flutter even harder.
"I missed you, too." He laughed, free from any snickering or derision. It was uncharacteristic for him, but it seems that absence does make the heart grow fonder and the overwhelming surge of emotion propelled him to engulf Hermione in a hug. Hermione gave a small amused smirk as she buried her head in his chest, breathing in the very cologne she caught a whiff of in Professor Slughorn's first potions class before wrapping her arms around him.
BẠN ĐANG ĐỌC
The Lost Timeline | Dramione | ✔
Fanfiction"Do not make the mistake of thinking I care what you think of me." She looked down and saw her book in his other hand. The unexpected kindness in the midst of poison was more than she could bear and she took it from him quickly before breaking into...
