Xavier

Angelusblood@yahoo.com

I apologize in advance for the long delay

Chapter Ten – Xavier

Dried leaves and twigs cracked and splintered underneath her booted foot as she silently made her way through the dark forest. It was already well past sunset, and the comforting blanket of night had already settled over Hogwarts. Dressed in Muggle jeans that sat low on her hips along with boots, forearm guards and gloves similar to those parts of the Quidditch uniform, she felt no need to worry about some of the more dangerous species of flora and fauna residing within the forest.

Even though the beginning of the week had been nothing but stressful, a sense of peace was slowly returning to Hermione's way of life. In retrospect, the exemption from classes and prefect duties really helped her to focus on getting her emotions and magic back in order. For the past two days, a good amount of Hermione's time was spent either in the headmaster's office, the library, or her rooms.

It was now late Friday evening, exactly one week since she discovered the boys' betrayal. However, this time she wasn't crying her eyes out in the Astronomy Tower. This evening, she was out with Hagrid, traipsing about in the dark forest, running various errands for the headmaster. Hunkering down, Hermione methodically went about the tedious task of gathering the varying wild mushrooms that grew in the woods at the base of many of the larger trees. Sighing tiredly, she moved to wipe the moisture from her brow when she heard an amused chuckle coming from behind her. Hermione quickly turned and jumped to her feet, wand at the ready. Her wand immediately dropped back down to her side and a bright smile lit up her face at the sight of her long-time friend. The little witch then brushed herself off before throwing herself into the centaur's arms.

"Xavier, how are you? It's been so long since I've seen you," Hermione said excitedly.

"It's good to see you, too; we missed you this past summer. You said you'd be spending it with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, right? Did you enjoy yourself?" Xavier asked.

"Oh, yes, I did spend it with them and it was... nice. I don't think I'll be doing it again anytime soon though. It's just that I missed being here and seeing everyone," she said, trailing off into an awkward silence.

Xavier merely nodded silently in response; it was obvious there was something wrong with his young human friend, but he knew when to keep silent, and now appeared to be one of those times.

"Well then, tell me how your classes have been coming along. The O.W.L.s are this year, are they not? Although, I'm sure if they were to place that test in front of you now, you'd pass with flying colors," Xavier said, chuckling good-naturedly, and it only seemed to intensify at the horrified look that now graced Hermione's face.

"Don't even joke about something as serious as that. I still have all of this year's work to complete, along with reviewing the previous year's as well. Then, of course, it's not just the written tests themselves. There are the practical portions and –"

"Goodness, Hermione, calm down. I was only teasing you, girl. Besides you worry far too much. I'm sure you'll do just fine. You're usually at least two to three chapters ahead of everyone else as is, and don't even try to tell me that you've forgotten your lessons from previous years."

It looked as though Hermione was about to argue when suddenly she stopped short; the teasingly stern look on Xavier's face was enough to force a small giggle from her lips, and the mood lightened considerably.

"So, besides your classes progressing splendidly – as usual I might add – what else has been going on? I heard from Hagrid that that friend of yours, Ronald Weasley, got himself into a spot of trouble. A bit of an accident with some... deadly nightshade, I believe.

"Oh, I'm not exactly sure as to what happened. I just know that he had to serve a detention with Professor Snape," Hermione stuttered quietly.

"Alright, what's going on?" Xavier asked point blank.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"I mean you stuttering and stumbling over what happened to one of your best friends. For years, you could tell me just about every minute detail as to the actions between you three, and now, you've given me such a brief synopsis that not even a house-elf would accept it at face value."

"It's... complicated," Hermione said, sighing heavily.

"Well, why don't you try anyway? I've never seen you at such a loss for words," he said teasingly, hoping to lighten the mood a bit, and was pleased when he was rewarded with a small smile for his efforts.

"Ah, well, it started last week. Wow, I can't believe it was only a week ago... Anyway, as I was saying, it started last week, just a few hours before the Halloween feast, actually. I had finished my studies for the day and decided to start getting ready. Normally, it wouldn't have been such a big deal, but this year they were making a dance out of it and then of course, this year I had Ron to go with... well, I was excited," she said.

"Well, I'm still not seeing what's wrong. What happened?" Xavier asked.

Hermione sighed heavily before stepping back to lean against the trunk of a nearby tree as she slipped down to the ground. Tucking her feet underneath her, she gestured for Xavier to get comfortable as well.

"Like I said, it was only a few hours before the Halloween feast..."

...:::...

It was just a few short hours before the Halloween feast and the fifth year Gryffindor girls' dormitories were in absolute organized chaos. Lavender and Parvati were running about the room, chatting happily as they continued to go through their expansive collection of formal robes and jewelry. Hermione couldn't help the small smile that curled on her lips at the sight that greeted her as she looked in the mirror. She had grown into a lovely young woman over the summer between her third and fourth year and now it showed, as the formal maroon robes hugged and accentuated her young curves. The Gryffindor's hair had also finally come into its own, falling around her shoulders in soft, silky curls.

The next few moments were filled with a heavy silence as Ron Weasley stared shocked and open mouthed at his girlfriend. He quickly got his bearings and pulled himself off of the young girl in front of him and tried to make his way toward Hermione. Before he could even move to defend his actions, Hermione turned and took off running. Hesitating for only a moment, Ron barreled out of the shed and took off as well, all the while calling her name frantically. Suddenly his footsteps came to a halt as he watched Hermione head straight for the dark forest and disappear into the trees.

...:::...

"Wow," Xavier said.

"Yeah," Hermione replied in kind.

The two just continued to sit in a companionable silence, just listening to the sounds of the forest.

"I could break his legs for you," Xavier suggested in a conversational tone.

Hermione turned and looked at her friend, an incredulous look adorning her face before she noticed the slight smirk curled on his lips, causing her to burst into a fit of giggles.

"Although the sentiment is greatly appreciated, I'd rather just leave Ron alone. He's not worth the trouble it would bring you. You've got enough of your own problems. Which reminds me, how are things on your end?" Hermione asked.

"Things have gotten better, what with the end of the war; all the opposing factions are slowly beginning to dwindle, and the centaurs are slowly but surely beginning to come together again. There's a lot that needs to be done... but we're getting there. So, tell me, are you going to be spending your holiday at the castle this year?" he asked with a smile.

"Oh, yes, it looks that way."

"That's good. I'm sure Hagrid will be quite pleased. He'll have someone to take with him when he goes off in search of 'the perfect tree,'" Xavier teased.

"Oh, Merlin! I swear, I went that one year and I thought my finger tips were going to fall off. I think we spent hours tromping about looking for a bloody tree. Of course, most every single one we passed was more than perfect, but they were never quite good enough. I don't think I could do that again even with all the warming charms in the Wizarding world," she said with a laugh.

The two continued to laugh and trade stories for some time until Xavier finally began to make his goodbyes.

"It was so good to see you again, Hermione," Xavier said sincerely before heading back into the darkness of the wood.

Sighing softly, Hermione turned and gathered up her earlier findings and began to head off in the opposite direction, back toward the edge of the forest. It wasn't long before she could hear loud, lumbering footsteps not too far off in the distance. She then heard Hagrid's voice call out for her. Concerned, she broke into a run, heading in the direction his voice seemed to be coming from. Breathing heavily, Hermione suddenly came to a stop when she saw Hagrid tending to an injured unicorn. She immediately looked to the gamekeeper for instructions.

"Good, you're here, Hermione. Poor little thing has hurt its leg. We've got to get her up and walkin'. If we can get her to the stables, I'll be able to fix her up soon enough, and she'll be on her way again in no time."

The two soon made short work of wrapping the gentle beast's leg and got her up and walking again. With a few soft words and gentle strokes along its flanks, Hagrid was able to slip a length of rope around the unicorn's neck to lead her out of the forest. They were soon walking along the forest's edge and were headed toward Hagrid's hut. Hagrid had some meat for his supper in one hand and the length of rope connected to the unicorn in the other. He sent Hermione and Fang off with a quick jerk of the head. He then made his way for the stables only a short distance away. Hermione opened the door to the hut, letting the large dog inside first before following.

Once inside, she quickly deposited herself in a chair and propped her feet up. Hagrid soon entered the house and offered the young witch some tea, which she happily accepted. Hermione then went about stripping off the gloves and forearm guards before settling back in her seat once more.

"So what did you find for yourself on this outin'?" Hagrid asked curiously as he bustled about.

"Hmmm, nothing terribly exotic this time around; mostly just a variety of mushrooms, a few wild grasses, and a bit of a variety of non-poisonous plants. I mean, I know I'll put all of it to good use, but I was hoping to find some new things to experiment with... Oh! But you'll never guess who I ran into earlier," she said excitedly.

"Oh, yeah, who?" Hagrid asked curiously, as he set down two cups of tea.

"Xavier!"

"Are you kidding me? I haven't seen him in Merlin knows how long. Well, you know things got a bit chaotic just before the ending of... well, you know. It's a shame though, centaur against centaur... but I've heard whisperin' of things finally quietin' down a bit," he said.

"That's what Xavier said, too. He said that basically most of the opposing factions have been dismantled and that things are slowly returning to normal. It's weird to sometimes remember that it all ended just a year ago," Hermione murmured softly, bringing the steamy liquid to her lips.

"Too right, seems like so much longer."

The two then lapsed into a comfortable silence; the crackle of the fire and Fang's breathing were the only sounds that filled the small room. Hermione soon finished her tea and began to take her leave. Hagrid handed her a note, just in case she ran in to Filch during his rounds. Stepping out of the hut and into the night air, Hermione began to leisurely make her way across the grounds and back toward the castle.

Weaving her way through the outer corridors, she was suddenly bombarded by a rather large fluttering object. Hermione cried out in surprise and tumbled to the floor, as did the bird. Muttering a soft curse, Hermione looked up and eyed the bird warily before recognizing that it was the same bird she had met the other day in the garden.

"Well, hello there... What on earth are you doing inside the castle?" she murmured to herself quietly.

The bird merely squawked softly in response before trying to hop away, when suddenly a loud and raspy 'meow' could be heard from just down the hall around one of the corners.

"Mrs. Norris! Damn, that means Filch isn't too far behind." Hermione swore softly as she caught sight of the large cat's shadow out of the corner of her eye.

Turning back toward the bird, she was surprised to find it gone. Her eyes quickly scanned the hallway in search of the bird. However, another 'meow' resonated throughout the space, this time much closer. Hermione quickly gathered herself up and took off in the opposite direction. Even with the note she procured from Hagrid, there was still a very good chance Filch would try to drag her to the dungeons for detention with Hogwarts' resident Potions master. Hermione continued to run down the halls and up the stairs, all the way up to Gryffindor Tower; only when she reached the Gryffindor painting did she come to a screeching halt.

Hermione cleared her throat as politely as possible. The fat lady snorted softly before cracking an eye open. Sleepily, the painting asked for the password, and Hermione quickly replied, not even waiting for the painting to fully open before slipping inside. The common room was unsurprisingly empty, save for the occasional wandering ghost. Trudging tiredly up to her room, Hermione kicked off her shoes at the door and slowly made her way toward the bed, leaving a trail of clothing in her wake.

Standing at the foot of the bed, Hermione gave a large stretch before quickly slipping off her current top and bra. She then grabbed the larger shirt lying carelessly at the end of the bed and slipped it on. Unbuttoning the top two buttons of her jeans, Hermione then tossed herself into bed and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

...:::...

"He's a disgusting, slimy, conniving bastard! That jerk knew exactly what he was doing when he had me picking those bloody weeds as punishment. I swear he's not fit to be a teacher. He shouldn't even be allowed interaction with anyone in civilized Wizarding society!"

"Uh, don't you think you're over-reacting just a little bit? I know this is Snape we're taking about, but he did give you those gloves for a reason –"

"Are you seriously taking that snake's side over mine!?!" the boy screeched loudly.

"No, of course not, but it really isn't about taking sides, is it? Snape is a bastard and we both know it, but he'd never intentionally physically hurt either of us. This thing with Hermione has both of distracted," Harry said reasonably.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Still doesn't stop this bloody itching, and Merlin's balls, I'm disgusting, Harry. I mean just look at me. I'm covered in this... junk. You can't mean to tell me that that jerk had no idea that this would happen if I touched those stupid weeds," Ron whined.

Harry's lips quirked in response as he took in his friend's appearance. He had waited up for Ron to return after being caught by Filch the other night. It had been almost four hours before Ron finally made it back to the boys' dormitory. Of course, before he even made it fully past the door, he was bitching about how Snape had him traipsing about in the dark forest. When Harry finally got the youngest Weasley boy to settle down, it was clear that there was something slightly off with his appearance, which Harry immediately brought to his friend's attention. A bright red flush seemed to have covered Ron's face. However, due to Ron's ranting and raving, both just wrote it off as a reaction to his emotions.

It soon became apparent that they were both wrong. Within a matter of hours, Ron's skin had taken on a grotesque pigment, a mixture of his natural skin color and any number of shades of red. His skin began to itch uncontrollably, which was soon followed by painful, oozing boils sprouting up all over his already uncomfortable skin. Even with being immediately rushed to Madam Pomfrey, Ron's skin was still a mess.

"I really want her back," Ron whispered sadly.

"We'll get her back... It's just going to take some time, that's all," Harry replied.

"Yeah, I know, but it just hit me. That this will be the first Christmas for us where not everyone is worried about when and if You-Know-Who is going to show up, and Hermione might not be there to share it with us."

"Don't think like that. We're barely into November, and even if Hermione is cross with us, she wouldn't not come and at least see your mother."

"Uh, yeah about that... I think I might've done something I shouldn't have," Ron admitted worriedly.

"Do I even want to ask?" Harry asked, and his eyes fluttered shut as if he were in pain.

"Well, I was just frustrated with everything! I didn't know what to do. Hermione doesn't even want to look at me, let alone talk to me. You wouldn't and still aren't doing any better than I am when it comes to that. Fred and George are absolutely worthless when it comes to stuff like this, and Ginny may be my sister but she's also a girl... I just didn't know what to do –"

"Ron! Just what did you do?"

"I wrote a letter to Mum."

"You did what?"

"I wrote my mum a letter; I didn't know what to do!"

Harry couldn't help but groan quietly as he leaned forward to drop his head into his hands.

"What did you say, exactly, in this letter?" Harry asked, his question muffled by his hands.

"Visiting hours are long over, Mister Potter," Madam Pomfrey advised as she came in to check in on her one and only patient.

Harry smiled slightly before nodding to Ron; they exchanged a few more pleasantries before Madam Pomfrey ushered Harry out and left Ron to his thoughts.

As Harry made his way back toward Gryffindor tower, he could only hope that Ron had told his mother the truth. He loved the youngest Weasley boy like a brother, but sometimes he'd tell little white lies to save his own arse, especially when it came to avoiding Molly Weasley's wrath.

...:::...

"How's that...project of yours coming along, Albus?" Minerva asked quietly, as she sipped at her tea, her eyes staring into the roaring fire that snapped and crackled within the hearth.

"It seems to be progressing nicely; it's quite a bit of work for one wizard alone to complete, but I believe I've found the perfect solution regarding that aspect of it. However, we both know that is not what you came here to talk about," the headmaster replied, a slight smile curled on his lips.

"Yes, well, I will admit I am concerned...very concerned actually, about Hermione. I thought she was...handling herself much better. It's been so long since an outburst of that magnitude," Minerva said and smiled slightly before setting her cup and saucer down on a nearby table.

"I wouldn't worry too much. There's been a slight upheaval within her little world, which is the cause for the incident. Mister Weasley's and even Mister Potter's actions have caused a rift that just cannot be easily repaired with a few kind words and gestures here and there. It's a shame, but the three of them are drifting apart; it's all part of growing up, I'm afraid. They've been through so much together, it's about time they began to come into their own," Albus said wisely.

"I suppose you're right, it's just so disappointing to see a friendship such as theirs deteriorate that way."

"They may find their way back to one another just yet," he said with a smile.

End of Chapter Ten

Author Note: To answer HeroVillian's question over at Fanfiction[dot]net - yes there is quite a bit of mystery going on but there will be romance. Patience is a virtue.

Next: Hermione and Severus begin to work together... finally!