The Last Black (Hermione Granger x Male Reader) Vol.2

CHAPTER EIGHT: September 1995

The morning we needed to leave for school was chaotic. Thankfully, mum had already sorted everything out for me. My trunk was packed, my broom stashed in its case, and Steven was waiting patiently on my shoulder. She had hardly left my side since I'd bought her only a couple days ago. The small black kitten was either on my shoulder as I walked around Grimmauld Place, lying beside me as I read, or on my lap whilst I studied. Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, didn't seem too pleased to have her around, and I felt as though I needed to assure him that I hadn't replaced his company by feeding him lots of treats and giving him ear scratches whenever he came into my room to see me. Steven was far too playful for the older cat; when she wasn't glued to my side, she'd be trying to get him to play with her, however, the only response she'd get would be a harsh hiss from the ginger cat.

I was just double checking my satchel when a knock came at my bedroom door. "Come in," I called, and the door opened to reveal Hermione Granger stood behind it.

"You ready to go?" She asked and I nodded my head, slinging my bag over my shoulder and picking up my trunk and broom. "There's not enough space in the ministry cars, so your mum said you would drive me," she then said, and I nodded once more.

Mum was desperate for me to make up with Hermione. She hadn't explicitly told me this, but it was sort of obvious. Whenever Hermione came into my room, I could hear her shuffling outside the door excitedly, and whenever Hermione volunteered to do the dishes after dinner, she'd make me help her and then leave the room. It was actually pretty infuriating. It was as though she didn't quite fully comprehend the fact that if I ever had something with Hermione Granger there would always be the risk of me turning into a monster and ripping her to shreds.

And I cared too much about the Gryffindor to ever put her at that sort of risk.

We walked downstairs with our luggage in hand and made our way to the front door where everybody was leaving. Mum wasn't able to come to the train station this year, she had to be at work earlier than usual, but she'd assured me she'd pick the car up once she'd finished. She was just pulling on her cloak when we walked past her. Her arms reached around my shoulders and she pecked my cheek. "I'll see you at Christmas," she promised, "be safe! And take care of yourself!" It was a brief goodbye, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

Hermione and I made our way over to my car and I popped open the boot. She could barely lift her trunk over the lip though, so I grabbed it off of her and placed it in myself. "Thanks," she said nervously before making her way to the passenger side door and climbing in. I stuffed my belongings in and then climbed into the driver's side. Once the black Ministry cars pulled away off down the street I followed.

Hermione tried to say something, but I didn't particularly want to talk to her, so I stuck a cassette into the tape deck and turned up the volume. She seemed a little taken aback by this, but I talked myself out of reacting. The less I showed I cared for her, the less she'd try and talk to me. It wasn't as though I didn't want to talk to her, because I did, it was just that every time we were alone, I couldn't help but want things to be the same as they were last year.

She attempted to talk to me again on a couple occasions: once when I was waiting to pull out onto a roundabout, and once when I needed to stop to let some muggles cross the road. Each time she tried to strike up a conversation I would start humming to the music loudly. I knew I was being a little rude, and perhaps a bit pathetic, but it was rather amusing watching her get wound up.

Eventually she had had enough though. "(Y/N) BLACK! WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME FOR ONE MINUTE!" She bellowed. I turned down the volume of the stereo and glared at her. I'd never heard her speak so loudly.

"Sorry Granger, were you trying to say something?" I asked facetiously; I found myself hilarious. She scowled at me.

"I've been trying to talk to you for the past ten minutes!" She scolded. I shrugged my shoulders.