Honeysuckle

Blossoms

Hermione walked swiftly towards the castle greenhouse, her heavy black woolen cloak keeping most of the crisp early December air from reaching her. She gave off a sense of purpose and focus as she walked leaving no one she passed with a desire to interrupt her from the task she was set on. It was not unnoticed by many in the school, especially the Gryffindors, that her demeanor had been shifting over the year. It could be the influence of the Durmstang and Beaubextons students who held themselves to what appeared was a higher standard than the Hogwarts students. Many noticed that her hair had tamed considerably and that her chin was often held at a slightly higher tilt than the previous years. Hermione also found that it was easier to allow the snide remarks about her fierce desire for knowledge and academics as well as those about her parentage to slide off her back. Her growing proficiency in wizarding customs coupled with Draco and Astoria's explanation that her upbringing was quite up to par with most in the more elite circles of wizarding society had stripped away her self-doubt. Although her cloak kept out most of the chill some still made its way through the fabric and chilled her skin. She was grateful for the soft maroon and gold woolen scarf that was wrapped around her neck and the maroon leather gloves that were a gift from her grandmother Granger. Hermione was thrilled when her grandmother had presented her with the gift over the summer holiday when she went to visit with her parents one late July weekend. Her grandmother had pulled her aside to her study to present the gifts and stated that she knew the rich gold and maroon fabrics would suit her uniform well over the following school year with a wink and a hug before shooing the girl outside with the rest of the family. Hermione was determined to not let that one go until she could dig all the information from the matron as she could.

Once out on the grounds the heels of her black knee high boots made soft clicking noises on the stone pathway. She chuckled to herself when she thought about Astoria's reaction to her outfit moments before she made her way to the greenhouse. Hermione had a free period and had met with the Ravenclaw girl to make sure that she was still intent on going to the ball with Neville and to plan on how she was going to go about prompting the boy to ask her. Astoria had openly gaped at the gifts from her grandmother and the boots she had asked her mother to purchase and send to her. The younger girl exclaimed that if muggles had clothing items of this quality and of marvelous designs such as the boots that she would try and find a way to spend the entire summer with Hermione just so she could go shopping in muggle stores. It had taken Hermione several moments to calm herself from her laughter after Astoria's outburst and had bid the girl good bye with a slight curtsy as she left to find Neville.

Hermione knew where Neville mostly spent his free period as she often talked with the wizard late in the evening after most of the students had retired to their beds. They found that it was hard for either of them to sleep for the first few years of their school years due to various reasons, Hermione the only one to know of his parents' unfortunate condition and she confided in him her fears of being an outcast in both wizard and non-wizard society. Neville loved Herbology and always lit up whenever the topic of plants was mentioned. Hermione knew that this was a subject that Neville was going to surpass her in and was certain that he would love the Yule gift that she purchased for him, a book on tropical muggle plants. She eased her pace as she neared the greenhouse reaching out to grasp the handle of one of the massive frosted glass doors. Immediately she was greeted with a blast of heavy warm air that seemed to cling to her. Grateful that she took the time to braid her still wild curls, she pulled down the hood of her cloak and began to undo the scarf. Once the scarf was removed she removed the warm leather gloves and quickly released the three gold buckles that secured the cloak at her left shoulder, quickly placing them on one of the cleaner tables in the center of the magical menagerie and making her way over to its other occupant.