SABAISM | H. POTTER

FIFTEEN. | TOM RIDDLE

TWO WEEKS LATER, THE GRYFFINDOR QUARTET HAD BEEN HAVING TO COPE WITH BEING A MEASLY TRIO. Gemini, silently, appraised herself for not yet snapping whilst surrounded by fragile masculinity. Hermione had always been a buffer for the three; making sure jokes never got taken too far, Harry would lessen his advances on Gemini, and that the red haired boy wouldn't take offense to his best mates fame. It had definitely been an unspoken struggle.

"Merlin. Don't tell Wood I said this, but you'd think our workouts would've give me some muscle by now," Gemini complained to the boy's. Harry only chuckled in response; both him and Ron were quite winded themselves. Staggering under the weight of the various library books in their arms, the three finally reached Hermione's bed in the Hospital Wing. The bleached bedsheets were already covered in diversified informative novels. The bushy haired girl looked up at the sound of their pants, "Oh, good! Put those anywhere." Harry looked around, but there was not anywhere to set the bounded pages. Making no move to voice his observation; he simply dropped them and the others followed suit. Gemini bantered, "Madam Pince asked that we relay a message to you, Hermione: She'd appreciate it if you'd leave a few books for the rest of the school." At once, Ron's hand covered his mouth; not wanting his chuckles to fuel their battle of wit. As a substitute for arguing, Hermione stuck her tongue out at the girl. Laughter circumambulated them all at her uncommon actions.

"Oh, hush. I've got to keep up, haven't I?," she stated more than questioned. "Hermione. You were already ahead to begin with," Harry contested. It was misunderstood as to why the girl pushed herself too far, but before Gemini could express her concerns; a black bushy tail popped into view. "'Mione! Can I please pet it?," she yearned to do so; ignoring her friends judging looks. "Gem, calm down. Is that thing ever going away?," Ron asked. Eagerly, Hermione affirmed, "Yes. Any day now, according to Madam Pomfrey. I'm just thankful i've stopped coughing up hair balls." The other female quickly quipped, "We all are. Believe me." It was unnerving watching a fellow friend puke up, and the only contents of it being black tufts.

Pushing the matter aside; Hermione changed the subject, "Now. What about the Chamber of Secrets? Any leads?" They glumly shook their heads. "Nothing," Harry answered; afraid to damper her spirits. A nod of her head signified comprehension; and she perturbedly inquired The Boy-Who-Lived, "And has it gotten any better? I mean...is anyone speaking to you." The other two in the room winced; all of the other students had avoided Harry as if he was a walking plague. The detentions had stacked up against Gemini for all of the hexes she'd spelled towards her friends critics; of course, Hermione hadn't yet learned that. Harry cleared his throat, "Neville asked to borrow a tubeworm in Potions yesterday. I suppose that's something." Incarnating a distraction; Ron picked up a get well card that was wedged under Hermione's pillow. The girl's arms flailed in an attempt to possess it once more; as Ron recapitulated, " 'To Miss. Granger. Wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart.' You sleep with this under your pillow?" Both Gemini and Harry mercilessly cackled at their friends reddening face. Hermione quickly defended, "Of course not! I don't know how that got there. Now go. I still have six hundred pages to read in Transfiguration Through the Ages."

The three bid her well and exited back out into the dark corridors. As their limbs mounted the stairs; Ron prated, "I know Hermione's mental, but can you believe she falls for that smarmy nonsense of Lockhart's?" Gemini smirked, "No need to be jealous, Ronald. He is twice her senior." The ginger's ears flushed red at the accusation, "I'm not jealous!" Harry and herself nodded along; unconvinced but not wanting to cause an argument so late. As they continued on their walk back to the common room, their actions halted at hearing the squelch of shoes. When stopped, they looked down to see a great flood of water that streamed from the Girls' Bathroom. From within, Myrtle's insistent moaning had intensified from its usual whimper.