The Confectionary Chronicles || HP/SPN

Lollies and Loki- CH23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:

Hermione wasn't sure what her expression was like as she and Loki made their way together down to the Great Hall that morning. It must have been something awful, because Helena and Sylvianne both looked horrified. It was Sylvianne who was quickest to realise what was happening.

"Are you– are you leaving?" She asked in a tremulous voice. Helena looked distraught.

"What? No! Hulda, you cannot leave us! Who will teach us to be skjaldmær like you, if you go?" She demanded tearfully. Hermione could feel the tears stinging at her eyes and she sniffed noisily. Loki's hand dropped to her shoulder and he squeezed gently, offering both silent support and an apology.

Helena jumped to her feet and dashed over to her, Sylvianne just moments behind. Loki let go and stood back slightly as both young girls threw their arms around her, hugging tight.

"Why can you not stay with us?" Helena demanded. "Everybody at Hogwarts would be thrilled to have you here as a student!"

"It would be awesome." Sylvianne said softly, with a wobbly smile. Hermione couldn't help her tears as she smiled back at Sylvianne.

"So, so awesome," she agreed, wiping at her tears. "But I... I can't."

Sylvianne started crying then; quiet, hitched little sobs. Helena forwent any kind of delicacy altogether and just bawled. Hermione felt like her heart was breaking as she clung to them, knowing that when she left today she'd never ever see them again.

~

Far from the excitable mood of the previous day, a gloomy upset had settled over Hogwarts as everyone gathered in the Entrance Hall. Hermione had packed her things with Loki's help before going with Helena and Sylvianne to say goodbye to the House Elves, Bertramus and even the newly enchanted Cuthbert, which kept bursting into poetry and song. When it saw(...?) the tear-tracks on Helena's face, it(...?) had quite sorrowfully recited: "Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean; Tears from the depth of some divine despair; Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes; In looking on the happy Autumn-fields; And thinking of the days that are no more*."

"The spellwork is quite difficult and extraordinarily delicate," a rather tired Rowena explained as she looked exasperatedly down at the Hat her daughter was sorrowfully patting. "And we made the mistake of exposing it to Helena far too soon."

Hermione couldn't help laughing at that, even as Helena pouted at her mother. Now atop her head, Cuthbert also appeared to be attempting to pout. Seeing a Hat trying to mimic Helena's expression was one of the strangest things Hermione had ever seen, which was really saying something, and cheered her up slightly so it was with a slightly lighter heart that she hugged Helena, Sylvianne, Gerda and Greta all goodbye in the Entrance Hall.

She hadn't really gotten to know the other children of the Founders that well, but she did say a polite farewell to them, as well as giving Helga, Rowena and Viviane shy hugs. Gunther Gryffindor then surprised her, by stepping over to her and clearing his throat slightly.

"Hulda, I believe I owe you an apology," he said. "You were quite correct; you are a most capable fighter. And I have a gift for you."

A very startled Hermione accepted the wooden sword that had been attached to the belt of Gunther's tunic until he presented it to her. Much to her puzzlement, the practice sword appeared to be made of a far nicer wood then the ones they'd used for the duel and as she turned it around in her hands, she noticed that Hulda had been engraved into the hilt.

"If we ever meet again, I will be challenging you to another duel," Gunther said with a grin that made his blue eyes sparkle. "I will be expecting a good match from you!" To her surprise, Hermione felt her cheeks heat slightly, but she ignored the strange squirming feeling in her stomach as she grinned back at him.