Sea and Serpent (PJO/HP)

Chapter 16. Library and an annoyance

Amaryllis shrugged, not going any further into details. It might have been better for them to think that than to know someone else had been there. Because there was no way her brother’s enemy would have helped her.

“I know that… I just…”

Hermione spoke, saying exactly what made Amaryllis afraid to tell them. “If there was something off, you need to tell Professor Dumbledore.”

Amaryllis hung her head. Hermione only spoke from what she knew. And Amaryllis had nothing to base the feeling she got from the man who visited her, other than that he meant no harm. “There’s nothing wrong. I was just running through theories.”

Hermione shifted in her seat and placed the book she had been reading down. Her brown eyes stared at her, but she could tell the brown-haired witch was contemplating something. “That’s good. And I don’t mean to sound rude, but do you have dyslexia?”

Amaryllis and Susan asked at the same time. “A what?”

Hermione sighed, barely holding back an eye roll. “Not a what. It’s a learning disorder. It’s where people have a hard time reading and spelling.”

“Does that make the letters float off the page and rearrange themselves? Because if not, then I don’t need it.”

“Well, yes. I don’t think it’s common, but some kids can have it. Haven’t your relatives or teachers done anything about it?”

Amaryllis scoffed at the thought of that. “My aunt and uncle couldn’t care less about what’s wrong with me. As for school, they just thought I wasn’t trying hard enough. Something simple was never just simple for me. I dealt with it and Harry helped me with classwork when I had begun to fail classes the more we grew up.”

Hermione’s expression fell. Her eyes softened; sympathy and guilt swirling in the mix. Not at her, but for her.

Amaryllis hated the type of sympathy that was aimed at what was wrong with her. What she went through was always overlooked by what could have been—if she were normal. But she wasn’t. And that was something she had to come to terms with to do what she could to prove those wrong.

“I got used to it.” Amaryllis shrugged, not used to others understanding how affected she had been by something she couldn’t control.

“But we’re here for you. Whatever that may be,” Susan added with a small smile.

Hermione quickly agreed, saying that at least she tried with her classwork while Harry and Ron went off and caused trouble and rushed their work and asked for hers.

Amaryllis said that was just like Harry. And Ron seemed similar in that it only added to their procrastination, making them both worse.

Hermione laughed alongside Susan. They may not have gotten close, even though Amaryllis had introduced them, Susan still hadn’t opened to the idea of sitting at another house’s table yet, and Amaryllis never pushed her to make the move. So, she spent time between the two tables and talking with Harry, Ron, and Hermione between classes and breaks.

“Your relatives sound horrible though. Harry would never talk about them much, or—” Hermione’s expression fell slightly, her gaze cast toward the book in her hands— “he tells Ron when I’m not around.”

Amaryllis exchanged a look with Susan. “What do you mean? I thought you three were friends.”

Hermione pursed her lips. “I did too. It’s… maybe I’m overthinking it, but Ron seems to make comments about my love to read and how right I have to be all the time when I correct something they got wrong or try to help with the spells.”