Chapter 10

                                    

                                          
You jump off of your bed in a panic, your cheeks burning red and the breath stuck in your throat. Someone had been in the room. They must have seen you touching yourself.
                          
You want to run from the room and see who it was. But something stops you from moving. You realise it is fear. What if you do catch the person, what would you say to them? It was obvious what you were doing, so what else could you say to them.
                          
You throw yourself back on your bed and scream into your pillow. It was all too embarrassing.
                          
After a few more minutes you roll over onto your back and stare at the ceiling. As you do you notice the hair stuck to your face where you are slightly sweaty. Urgh, I need another shower, you think to yourself.
                          
As there is no-one else in the room you just strip off all your clothes and throw them on the floor next to your bed. You notice a cool breeze coming through an open window and it sends shivers over your bare skin. You can feel the tiredness in your muscles as you walk across to the bathroom.
                          
You turn on the shower, then stretch and yawn as you wait for it to get to the right temperature. After a moment you step forward and feel the water gently washing over you. It feels so good on your skin that you swear there must be some kind of charm placed on the showerhead.
                          
A few minutes later you step out the shower feeling more relaxed. You grab one of the big fluffy towels from the side and wrap it around yourself.
                          
As you walk back to your bed you remember that Hermione had used her wand to dry you off last time you had a shower. She wasn't here now and she hadn't taught you how to do the spell yourself. You sigh and flop back on top of your bed still feeling damp and wrapped up in a towel. It had been such a busy morning you were exhausted. Maybe a quick nap would make you feel better, you think. So you shuffle about to get comfortable and drift off to sleep.
                          
You wake up a couple of hours later feeling refreshed. As your eyes open you see Hermione sitting on her bed staring at you. When she notices you are awake, she turns away blushing.
                          
You stretch your arms out and yawn, and as you do you notice how cold you feel. Your skin shivers as you are only loosely covered with just a towel.
                          
"Hey y/n, are you okay?" asks Hermione. "You look really cold, your skin is all covered in goosebumps."
                          
"Oh, yeah," you say, and you pull the towel back up to cover yourself better. "I fell asleep after I got out the shower without drying myself off first."
                          
"Oh silly you," says Hermione. "Here, let me warm you up."
                          
And with that, Hermione jumps up off her bed and sits herself down next to you and gives you a big hug. You feel a little uncomfortable hugging her with just a towel wrapped around you, but she feels so warm you soon snuggle closer to her.
                          
After a few minutes of hugging Hermione, you start to feel the warmth coming back to your skin. As you pull back away from her, you see the hug seems to have had the same effect on Hermione as her face looks flushed.
                          
"There, you look much better now," says Hermione, and gives you a quick kiss on the cheek.
                          
Then Hermione quickly gets up off your bed.
                          
"Well, err, I'll just let you get dressed now," says Hermione. "I, erm, just need to go to the bathroom before we go for dinner."
                          
And with that walks off to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
                          
You quickly throw your towel on the floor and grab some clothes out of your trunk.
                          
Hermione comes back out the bathroom looking flustered after you have finished getting dressed and are tying your hair up with a scrunchy.
                          
"Are you ready?" says Hermione as she plays with her hair. "Let's go get something to eat."
                          
After you clamber out of the Gryffindor common room, Hermione links her arm with yours and you walk together down to the Great hall. As you go Hermione tries to fill you in on all the lessons you missed that afternoon.
                          
When you reach the Great hall you spot Ron and Ginny sat at the table. Once they two of you have sat down and said your hellos, you notice someone is missing.
                          
"Where's Harry?" you ask, as you fill your plate with spaghetti and some cheesy garlic bread.
                          
"He's got detention with Umbridge," says Ron. "He had to go to her office, though I thought he would be finished by now."
                          
"Detention, on the first day of term," you say, between bites. "How did he manage that?"
                          
"Not much," says Ron with a shrug. "Just told everyone that Lord Voldemort had returned. Then Umbridge called him a liar and gave him detention. The usual"
                          
"Poor Harry. I hope he's okay," says Ginny.
                          
"I can't believe the ministry are so blind," scoffs Hermione. "They are treating everyone like fools."
                          
"Do you think Harry will be hungry?" Ginny asks. "Dinner time is nearly over, he'll miss it."
                          
"Yeah, could be," you say, and you look around at all the food in front of you. "Maybe we should take something for him to eat?"
                          
You grab a couple of bread rolls from the bowl near you, and carefully wrap them in a napkin and slip them in your pocket.
                          
You go back to eating your food. After a few more mouthfuls you push the plate away.
                          
"Mmmm, that was yummy, but I am stuffed," you say putting your hands on your belly.
                          
"No room for dessert?" asks Ginny. "They've got profiteroles," she whispers with a grin.
                          
"Uungh," you groan dramatically. "Maybe just a couple," you whisper back and give Ginny a wink.
                          
You and Ginny giggle, while Hermione rolls her eyes at you both.
                          
After a while the four of you make your way back to the Gryffindor common room. As you go through the opening, Ginny spots some of her other friends and runs off to join in with the game they are playing. You spot Harry sitting alone on the sofa in front of the fireplace, and so the three of you head over to join him.
                          
"Hey Harry," you say, and you pull the bread rolls out your pocket. "We thought you might be hungry."
                          
"Yeah, thanks y/n," Harry says, and he reaches out to take the rolls.
                          
As he does, Hermione notices something odd about his hand.
                          
"Harry, what's wrong with your hand?" she asks in shock. "Did Umbridge do that to you?"
                          
"It's nothing," Harry says and tries to cover it with his sleeve.
                          
"That's wrong, she can't torture you like that," Hermione says outraged. "We need to complain about her."
                          
"Complain to who? My parents?" Harry says. "I haven't got any of those, have I."
                          
You cringe when Harry says that. None of you know how to respond so you all sit in awkward silence.
                          
"Well, I've got a letter to write," Harry says eventually. "Thanks for the rolls y/n."
                          
And with that Harry gets up from the sofa and stomps off towards the boys dormitories.
                          
"Well I guess it's getting late, I might go to bed now too," you say as you watch Harry leave.
                          
"You've only been up 2 hours," says Hermione. "How can you be tired again already?"
                          
"Yeah, well, it's bedtime now," you say with a shrug.
                          
Hermione rolls her eyes at you. "Okay, come on then. Let's go upstairs," she says.