Hero of the Story || James Potter x Hermione Granger Fanfiction

17 | sweetheart, you look a little tired

The brunette could already feel a headache forming. "Think whatever you want, blimey," she said with an exasperated glance at her Ravenclaw friends.

"Speaking of the Marauders," Alex said with a hopeful glint in her eyes. "Is Sirius Black dating someone?"

"Marlene McKinnon, I suppose," Hermione said, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "Why?"

Alex made a face. "Shame," she said with a sigh. "How about Remus Lupin?"

"None as of the moment," the brunette said, her eyes already straying back to her parchment.

"Mmhmm, okay, noted," the blonde said with a faraway look on her face. "So, James Potter is off limits, of course, since he only has his eyes on Lily... so that leaves your brother?"

"You're interested in my brother too?" Hermione asked with wide eyes.

The blonde girl merely shrugged. "He grew a little taller over the summer and he's shed that cute baby fat," she explained. "He's nice to look at too, you know."

Hermione grimaced. "I'd rather not know, thank you very much," she said. "But I think he fancies Mary MacDonald and— why are we talking about boys instead of studying again?" Hermione flustered a bit, realising she was gossiping about her Gryffindor friends, and glowered at the other girls.

"It's Valentine's Day," Michelle simply stated, as if that answer explained her question perfectly.

"Right," Hermione said with a sigh.

"Come on, Hermione, let's have a break today. Dumbledore cancelled all the classes after all," Dorothy said, grasping onto Hermione's arm to stop her furious scribbling. "My mother sent me a box of chocolates and Alex smuggled some wine from the kitchens, so you know, we can hang out in our dormitory and talk about boys and how ridiculous they are."

"I don't like talking about boys," Hermione snorted.

"Talk about Arithmancy then, Merlin's balls!" Alex exclaimed with an amused smile. "Just as long as we don't spend the rest of our time here in the library. It's bloody depressing. Come on, Hermione!"

The brunette hesitated, her headache already pounding. She knew she needed to rest, but she also knew she'd get terribly uncomfortable if she didn't finish her studying for today. "Maybe later," she answered as compensation. She smiled when the girls looked disappointed. "Look, you can go on without me. I'll catch up later."

"Sure?" Dorothy asked with a sigh. "The chocolates Mum sent are insanely delicious, honest."

"It's fine," Hermione said with a laugh. "Besides, I love toffees more than any kind of chocolates."

Alex made a face. "Who likes toffees more than chocolate?" she said.

"I do," the brunette retorted, slightly offended.

"Are you really sure, Hermione?" Michelle tentatively asked. "We can... well, we can wait for you before we hang out in our dormitory?"

She thought it was sweet how they wanted to wait for her. But, she'd seen the disappointment on their faces and she didn't want them to have any negative feelings today. It was Valentine's Day after all and if anyone in this school deserved a break today, it would be Hermione Pettigrew's study partners.

"I'll be fine," Hermione reassured. "You go on without me. I promise I'll head back soon."

The three girls exchanged glances before Dorothy sighed. "All right," she said. They started gathering their things and stood up from their seats. "But please, Hermione, don't study yourself crazy today, yeah? It's Valentine's Day. Love yourself a little."