She doesn't see it coming, though she should. They're having lunch in the Great Hall when it happens, and maybe Hermione is distracted by something that the Marauders are doing a little further down the table, so she does not notice the moment someone slips something into her glass of juice (orange, as pumpkin juice is foul, the sort of foul refreshment only uncreative purebloods could think of).
She rolls her eyes at the antics of the three men as Professor McGonagall doles out detention and docks points, and makes a mental calculation of how many points she has to raise to make up for this loss, if they want to win the House Cup.
If it could even be said that Gryffindor deserves it at this point, because it does not.
Then, distracted, she reaches for her juice and drinks, not detecting the sickeningly sweet scent of a love potion. They learned how to brew those with Slughorn just yester, though why, she has no bloody idea.
"Hey, Granger," someone calls to her right, while the potion takes effect, and she sneezes -
And foils their plans.
Her gaze lands on Lily Evans sitting across from her, and her heart does a wha-bump!, and she is left awe-struck.
"Lily," she sighs, full of longing. "Your hair is so beautiful."
Lily Evans had been delving into 'Greater Beasts of Oceania' over her lunch when Hermione decided to compliment her hair. Blinking, she looked up from her place on the page to tilt her head, eyeing Hermione quizzically.
"Uh, thanks?" Raising an eyebrow at the other girl Lily couldn't help the way the last word turned up at the end, making it a question. The remark had come out of left field after all, and Lily wasn't sure what had inspired it in the first place. Uncertainly she reached up to smooth her fingers through a sheaf of her hair, wondering if there was something stuck in it.
"You alright Hermione?" She looked - odd. Like she was very happy to see Lily, even though Lily usually sat across from her at meals and it was nothing out of the ordinary.
"You're so pretty," she sighs again, and then when she spies Potter to the side giving her a completely baffled look, she decides this is it. This is her chance.
She reaches out and grabs Lily's hand. "Go to Hogsmeade with me?"
Uncertain of what to make of this, Lily decided that there was nothing to make of it. Why on earth would Hermione ask her to Hogsmeade for any other reason than to spend time in the bookstore avoiding James and his vile friends.
Even if the grabbing of her hand had been a bit weird.
"Right now we've got Runes, but sure of course Hermione, I figured we were going," Lily patted the top of Hermione's hand, smiling.
"Hermione are you alright?" She didn't know if hanging out with one another while in town qualified as the best weekend ever, ever, and the fact that Hermione was apparently, and quite suddenly of the opinion was becoming increasingly odder the more Lily considered it.
"With who?" Lily hadn't even known Hermione had taken a liking to anyone. The pair of them were usually tucked away in whatever work there was to do to discuss those sorts of things.
"Me?" Lily was so shocked she squeaked the question out, grasping onto Hermione's hand as she leaned forward, her expression growing serious. "Should we not, um, discuss this not in the middle of the Great Hall perhaps?"
"What?" she asks, bewildered (and unaware that her voice carries). "Why? I'm not ashamed of my affection for you, Lily Evans." And louder even, "And I will fight whoever dares to criticise them!"
"It's just rather sudden," Lily said hastily, her hand tightening around Hermione's. "Don't you think we ought to talk about this alone back upstairs?"
Her expression breaks into sadness, immediately. "Oh no - I've been rubbish at showing it, haven't I? Shit, of course I have been, you didn't even know that I harboured these undeniable and intense feelings towards you..."
"Hermione it's not that!" The emotionality confirmed Lily's suspicions and she moved to get up. "I'd just really rather we discuss these things away from fart-based humor, wouldn't you?" She tilted her head towards where Potter and his friends were sat, bantering among themselves and snickering before looking back to her friend, trying to hide her concern. Hopefully Hermione wouldn't be too upset by being led up to the hospital wing.
Oh, she will absolutely be somewhat upset of being taken to the hospital wing - but not more upset than she will be when she realises that someone spiked her drink with a love potion. Until then, however, there is the sudden one-eighty degree turn, because Lily wants to spend time alone.
"Alright, you're right, let's get out of here." A smile as she packs her books. "You lead the way, Lily."
Lacing her arm through Hermione's Lily tried not to look too relieved that the other girl had consented to go along with her idea of a hasty exit.
"Why didn't you say something sooner?" she finally said, sincerely curious of what Hermione's response would be, and eager to keep her talking as she began to navigate them towards Madame Pomfrey's wing.
The irony is that this part is true, despite the potion. "I didn't think that you'd care - with all the applications for your mastery, and with how openly you reject Potter's advances every time, I didn't want to get laughed off."
Which is why it's strange that she's talking to her right now, honestly. "I...couldn't stand the silence anymore."
"Potter's an utter wanker, you don't want me around purely to stroke your ego, there's quite a big difference." Lily was certain that once Hermione came to her senses they'd do a lot of walking back of things said on the way to hospital, but she was being completely sincere.
"You'd want to be wonderful together, you would not just want me to sit around watching you be great."
Since Lily is holding onto her arm, she will feel it when Hermione squeezes her closer, full of feeling.
"Of course I do," she declares, no hesitation. "I've always thought that we were great as friends, but together? We'll take the whole world by storm, Lily."
The idea made Lily smile, though she was swift to remind herself that it was the potion talking. "The world wouldn't be able to contain us," she said with a smile, letting Hermione go in favor of wrapping a steadying arm around her shoulders. At least, she told herself it was steadying, and not because she liked the things Hermione was saying, as fictional as she knew they were.
"We'd have a wonderful library," she added thoughtfully, knowing she shouldn't. Getting a hold of herself, Lily walked a little more purposefully towards the hospital wing with Hermione.
"I'll build you two," she promises, fervently. Then she pauses, and mutters, "Granted I don't know how to assemble furniture just yet, but I'm sure that we can figure it out. Or I can figure it out - just whatever makes you happy."
"Hermione," Lily began, gently squeezing her friends hand as she took her around a corner, and to the doors of the hospital. "Come see Madam Pomfrey and then we'll talk about it, alright?" Without hesitating, knowing that the moment the school matron caught wind of a student in need she would set on the pair of them, Lily pushed open the door of the infirmary, tugging Hermione. "Come on."
She is so very wrapped up in the fact that Lily agreed to go on a walk with her, and that she's listening, that she barely notices until she's at the Infirmary doors where it is that Lily's taken them.
"This isn't the Common Room," she states, the obvious. "Why am I meant - why do you want me to see Pomfrey, Lily? I feel fine."
Not wanting to outright lie to her friend Lily shook her head, trying to gently, and vaguely raise her concerns without having to be deceptive.
"You're so warm Hermione! I'm excited to be with you too but you feel like you've got a fever," Lily lifted her free hand to brush over the other girl's cheek, smiling at her before she turned to look for the school matron.
Is she warm? She raises her hand to check, and sure enough the side of her neck feels hot, like she has been startled into a bright blush from that touch. Lily knows what she's doing - it's one of the reasons Hermione is so in love with her, truly! So she trusts Lily, she really does.
"I suppose...alright."
Luckily, for both of them, Madam Pomfrey manifests herself in that very moment, so Hermione does not have time to reconsider.
lancifolium; let me go to hell
She doesn't see it coming, though she should. They're having lunch in the Great Hall when it happens, and maybe Hermione is distracted by something that the Marauders are doing a little further down the table, so she does not notice the moment someone slips something into her glass of juice (orange, as pumpkin juice is foul, the sort of foul refreshment only uncreative purebloods could think of).
She rolls her eyes at the antics of the three men as Professor McGonagall doles out detention and docks points, and makes a mental calculation of how many points she has to raise to make up for this loss, if they want to win the House Cup.
If it could even be said that Gryffindor deserves it at this point, because it does not.
Then, distracted, she reaches for her juice and drinks, not detecting the sickeningly sweet scent of a love potion. They learned how to brew those with Slughorn just yester, though why, she has no bloody idea.
"Hey, Granger," someone calls to her right, while the potion takes effect, and she sneezes -
And foils their plans.
Her gaze lands on Lily Evans sitting across from her, and her heart does a wha-bump!, and she is left awe-struck.
"Lily," she sighs, full of longing. "Your hair is so beautiful."
straight to hell!
"Uh, thanks?" Raising an eyebrow at the other girl Lily couldn't help the way the last word turned up at the end, making it a question. The remark had come out of left field after all, and Lily wasn't sure what had inspired it in the first place. Uncertainly she reached up to smooth her fingers through a sheaf of her hair, wondering if there was something stuck in it.
"You alright Hermione?" She looked - odd. Like she was very happy to see Lily, even though Lily usually sat across from her at meals and it was nothing out of the ordinary.
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She reaches out and grabs Lily's hand. "Go to Hogsmeade with me?"
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Even if the grabbing of her hand had been a bit weird.
"Right now we've got Runes, but sure of course Hermione, I figured we were going," Lily patted the top of Hermione's hand, smiling.
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hermione on a love potion becomes leslie knope
oh my god they are leslie and ann
yep
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"Alright, you're right, let's get out of here." A smile as she packs her books. "You lead the way, Lily."
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"Why didn't you say something sooner?" she finally said, sincerely curious of what Hermione's response would be, and eager to keep her talking as she began to navigate them towards Madame Pomfrey's wing.
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Which is why it's strange that she's talking to her right now, honestly. "I...couldn't stand the silence anymore."
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"You'd want to be wonderful together, you would not just want me to sit around watching you be great."
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"Of course I do," she declares, no hesitation. "I've always thought that we were great as friends, but together? We'll take the whole world by storm, Lily."
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"We'd have a wonderful library," she added thoughtfully, knowing she shouldn't. Getting a hold of herself, Lily walked a little more purposefully towards the hospital wing with Hermione.
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Whatever makes Lily love her back.
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"This isn't the Common Room," she states, the obvious. "Why am I meant - why do you want me to see Pomfrey, Lily? I feel fine."
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"You're so warm Hermione! I'm excited to be with you too but you feel like you've got a fever," Lily lifted her free hand to brush over the other girl's cheek, smiling at her before she turned to look for the school matron.
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"I suppose...alright."
Luckily, for both of them, Madam Pomfrey manifests herself in that very moment, so Hermione does not have time to reconsider.
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