Sage | H. GRANGER

twenty two

The door to the class opened, interrupting the professor's lecture. Sage turned her head to see who came in, her eyes curious. There was Harry and Ron, awkwardly, trying to explain their tardiness to Professor Slughorn. Sage rolled her eyes and turned back around. Alaric nugged Sage with his elbow, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Are you going to tell me why the Granger girl keeps staring at you?" He asked in a hushed whisper. Sage's eyes widened and she turned to face Hermione. Hermione's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she tried to make herself look busy. Sage frowned, her heartbreaking a little more.

"Maybe, it's a long story for another time." Sage finally answered back, her voice so small Alaric strained to hear her answer. He could sense the sadness that was thick in her voice and that turned his faint smile into a frown. The potions professor had cut their hushed conversation short restarting his once interrupted lecture.

"Can anyone tell me what this is?" Slughorn said with an excited tone. Sage and Hermione's hands were the first to shoot up while the other students stood by without a care.

"Miss Granger?" The professor called out. Sage let her hand fall to her side, refusing to look at the Gryffindor girl.

"Well sir, it's Amortentia. The most powerful love potion in the world. It is rumored to smell like what you love." Hermione said, slowly stepping forward to the cauldron of potion along with some other girls.

"For instance," Hermione started, taking a cautious step towards the pot of liquid. "I smell -uh- honey. And mint. T-there's ink and fresh parchment." Sage. I smell Sage. Hermione wanted to scream at the top of her lungs while her eyes flicked between the potion and Sage. She took a step back, her eyes shut tightly. Hermione felt Harry place his hand on her shoulder trying to comfort the internally distraught girl. Sage watched the girl intently, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

"How about another example?" Slughorn asked rhetorically, his eyes scanning the nervous students. "Miss Whitaker, what do you smell?" Sage was pulled back into reality with her name being called. Internally groaning, Sage took a step towards the cauldron. She inhaled deeply, the smell hitting her like a ton of bricks.

"I smell lavender." Sage started after taking a shaky breath. "I smell lavender and old books. There's some ink and that smell of an oncoming storm." Sage's voice cracked as she finished. She stepped back without another word, prying her eyes from the Granger girl. She felt Draco grab her hand to reassure her. She took a deep breath and tuned out the professor's voice.

Sage had spent the whole summer training herself to forget Hermione. She trained so she wouldn't fall to pieces when she crossed paths with the Granger girl. But, she couldn't help the tear that slipped down her cheek.

Draco pulled Sage back to their table and sighed at the sight of her crestfallen face.

"C'mon, Sage. We are brewing the draught of living death." With a dejected sigh, Sage forced herself to begin her work. It was  long and tedious process. Every step to make the potion took way longer than Sage had anticipated. With an annoyed groan, Sage threw down the knife in her hand and sat down on her stool.

"You look like a child with all that pouting you're doing." Alaric said with a smirk. Sage rolled her and grabbed the uncuttable bean. She threw it at Alaric and giggled when it bounced off his chest and into his potion.

The rest of the lesson was filled with the students struggling to complete the complex potion. At the end of class, Professor Slughorn had awarded the felix felicis to Harry. Sage rolled her eyes as everyone around her had clapped for the Gryffindor. Her eyes scanned the room and fell of Draco who bergrudienly clapped for Harry with a dark look on his face. Sage sighed softly, removing her eyes from Draco. She knew why he was in such a dark mood now. That potion could have made their task so much easier. The amount of effort that is already being put into their task was draining and that potion could have been their golden opportunity.

The class was dismissed and Sage walked alongside Alaric and Draco. She halfheartedly listened to Alaric's ramblings, sparsely adding her input. Her eyes flickered to Draco who seemed deep in thought.

"I'll be back." Draco said without sparing the others another glance. Sage went to protest but before she could say anything, Draco was already gone.

"What's up with him?" Alaric asked with distaste. Sage sighed and shook her head.

"I wish i could tell you."

    With those words left hanging in the air, Sage and Alaric continued on with their stroll. The chill air nipping at their exposed skin, and the sun beaming down on them.

    "So, what is going on between you and Hermione?" Alaric asked while nudging Sage with a cheeky smile. Sage frowned, her heart aching at the sound of her beloved's name.

    "Nothing." Sage had started, taking a seat on a bench in the now clear hall. "At least, not any more."

    Alaric furrowed his brow in confusion. Sage sounded so heartbroken. "What do you mean?"

    "Before everything that happened over the summer, we were together. It was short lived, but it was everything that you could possibly imagine. I had joined her when they started up Dumbledore's Army and i finally felt right with myself. I was doing right with myself, i wasn't following my parent's footsteps. I was a good person doing good things, but then-"

    "You fought at the ministry, right?" Alaric had asked, interrupting Sage.

    "No, before i could actually fight, i got separated from the group in the Department of Mysteries. Death eaters were coming at us and we were just running. I took a wrong turn and i ran into a death eater. My father. As soon as i realized it was him, Hermione had found me. He grabbed her and threatened her." Sage paused and took a shaky breath. The painful memories hitting her harder than ever. "He wanted me, so i gave myself up."

    "Why? I mean there must have been something that could have been done." Alaric tried to reason.

    "No." Sage shook her head with a sad smile. "You don't know what kind of man my father is. When he says something, he keeps his word. I couldn't let Hermione be his next target. I care about her too much to let that man harm her." Sage sighed and looked away from Alaric.

    "Why don't you tell her that?"

    "She already knows. At least, i think she does."

    "Does she know about-" Alaric gestured to her left arm.

"No and she never will. Its for the best." Sage snapped, the very thought of the dark mark that stained her skin irking her. Alaric nodded without a word. Sage sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

    "I'm sorry, it's just after everything that happened last year it's hard to think about Hermione ever finding out about this. I'm not the same person anymore. I've done horrific things, Alaric. Unforgivable things. I'm a monster and the last thing i want to do is hurt Hermione with this entire thing."

    "You're forgetting that she is best friends with Potter. Either way, she is screwed. You aren't a monster, Sage. Just because you do bad things, doesn't mean you're a bad person. This is all your parents doing. You just want to protect your friends and I'm sure if you explain this to Hermione, she would understand."

    "I'm not going to risk her safety for my own sake."

    "Open your eyes, Sage. If she cares about you just as much as you do her what you do to protect her, separating yourself and ignoring both of your feelings, it's only hurting her. You would do anything for her, right?"

    Sage nodded without hesitation.

    "Then just give her an explanation, something, anything. You owe that to her."

    Alaric was right, but Sage knew that. Of course Sage thought about how this would hurt Hermione. It's all she thought about. It pained her to see the fleeting glances and glazed eyes Hermione had, but Sage knew this was right no matter how wrong it felt.

    "I know that, i do, but i can't tell her. It's for her own good, Alaric. I love her too much to put her in harm's way."

    In that moment, Sage had fully realized her feelings for Hermione. Sage was tragically in love with Hermione and it scared the hell out of her.