Restricted

11

The next morning Hermione woke up with a banging headache and a mind clouded with regret because she'd let him touch her again.
Now staring back at her reflection was a girl she hardly recognised, a girl with a trickle of purple bruises leading up to her ear.

Grabbing her wand she used a masking spell to cover her sore flesh, and the overwhelming trail of love bites he'd made disappeared without a trace. As Ginny and Parvati guided her to the great hall for breakfast with grins on their faces, she wondered if anybody even noticed the brewing war at all. The teachers perhaps, catching eyes with Mcgonagall she could be certain that she wasn't sleeping.

But that seemed it. Her friends seemed ok, perhaps Ginny was putting on a brave face but Hermione couldn't stomach doing that. She missed them.

She hadn't heard from Ron or Harry— Ginny had let her know that apparently Molly had, so she could rest easy wondering how far they'd got in finding Horcrux's, but everyday was a new one and a new chance to listen to Potter watch on the radio and dread the news that would crush her.

Not only did she have to worry about the boys but now she had got herself all tangled up with Theo and Draco's business. Very much entangled with Draco.

The stress of it all meant she certainly wasn't in the mood for breakfast or free study for the rest of the morning. The increasing lack of teaching due to tensions around the school enhanced the chaos of her current routine, and her school work certainly had taken a back foot compared to the research she was undergoing for Malfoy and Nott. It was addictive, such a challenge and a new way of working she found meaning too.
Instead of useless potions and charms homework that didn't challenge her intellectually.

This challenged her intellectually. He did.

She wondered if she'd ever asked Ron if he was fluent in another language, although she expected the answer would be no.

Hermione sprang back to reality as she noticed Ginny's hand loosely waving across the front of her eyes, smiling with raised eyebrows.
"Can I have that?" She pointed to Hermione's half eaten croissant and grinned, "It's just been sat there for way too long."

Hermione smiled and pushed her plate toward her, "Yep, go ahead."

"You look tired." Ginny stated as she ran her knife of soft butter along the croissant. 

"I am." Hermione yawned, picturing the way her dark circles had looked in the mirror this morning. Along with her messy waves and bruised neck.

"Your research going ok?" Ginny stuffed her mouth full and continued to speak confidently, "You know ready for Voldemort's bloody return? For Harry and Ron?"

Hermione stopped breathing and her mouth tasted all metallic, she always had been crap at lying. She cleared her throat sharply, "Fine, yes. Just fine."
Then she stood quickly, flattening down her pleated school skirt.

"Oh— you don't wanna come and revise in the common room? That and I was going to update you on some things Remus wanted you to know—

Hermione grabbed her bag, "Really Gin — I've got more work to do, I'll catch you later."

Ginny rolled her eyes and and waved at her apologetic expression as she walked quickly away and toward the place she knew only too well.