snow in July

I saw her at lunch, at dinner and the next morning at breakfast. She smiled welcomingly at her friends, sometimes joking so loudly that fragments of her phrases reached our table. I have never seen such an active person before. Theo could compete with her in this, but would immediately lose. Sometimes she was tiring. There was a lot of it, it filled every molecule of air so that it seemed that she would sneak into the lungs. Hermione. Strange name. Slightly naughty, but sweet, like a chocolate covered cherry. It stretches on the tongue and is not bitter at all. She shouted out the answers first in general Charms classes, jumped funny while playing ball in physical education class, and most definitely never combed her hair. They enveloped her like a shield from the whole world. And she didn’t even look at me once in two days. Not the slightest hint that we know each other. It’s not like I was keeping an eye on her — not at all. But always, wherever I went, she was in sight. And I began to remind myself of Theo. Which, by the way, still did not forget to remind me of the importance of new acquaintances. “How do you like this one?” He ostentatiously pointed his finger towards a brunette with a high ponytail, who was leafing through a book and chewing an apple. I hit him lightly on the arm. I didn’t want her to notice. “Kind of boring,” I shrugged, shifting from foot to foot. Dinner was over and it was time for the evening bonfire. This is when we all gathered around a huge pile of logs, stood in a circle and at the same time had to envelop it with tongues of flame from our sticks until it flared up to almost human height. And then we transfigured chairs or blankets for ourselves, and took turns telling scary stories. Yesterday I conjured up such a pretentious chair for myself, just like my father’s in the manor’s office, which caused a flurry of applause from my classmates. For some reason, they all had problems with skillful transfiguration. But Hermione didn’t even look. She spent the entire evening talking to some guy, and I just stared and hoped that they wouldn’t call me to tell a story. Today I made a simple blanket, on which Zabini pretentiously sat. It was fun to be with him. For a while I even forgot that I didn’t like this camp. Hermione was not there. Showering outside made me feel freezing. Casting a warming charm on myself, I hurried into the house when I saw her sitting on the porch of my house. So fragile, wearing a robe one size too big, she was twirling lollipops in her hand. Something rumbled contentedly inside. “Hello,” I came closer, and she smiled, raising her head. “I knew you weren’t sleeping,” she giggled. I walked past her into the house and threw all the bath accessories into the nightstand. Theo and Blaise were already asleep. They were probably too tired discussing girls, and this made me smile more than ever. The door closed with a creak behind me. Hermione was already standing at a distance, gazing at the sky in fascination. This part of England had a great view of the stars, so to some extent I understand. I came closer. “Tea or cocoa?” She asked, still raising her head up. “Tea. Black, with one spoon of sugar,” I answered. She pulled out a large metal cup from the pocket of her robe (are they bottomless or what?). I think Muggles call it a thermos. Hermione tapped it with her fingers and handed it to me. There was something predatory and alluring in her smile, and my mother taught me not to take anything from strangers, but this time I really wanted to. We moved to the opposite corner of the lawn, walking around the old stone building where we were herded to various activities. From here the houses were no longer visible, and the silence of the night was cut by the whisper of crickets. “What would you do if you knew that today was your last day?” She asked, sitting down on a crooked piece of driftwood. This question did not take me by surprise. I often thought about this, especially when it became too nauseous. “I would probably apparate somewhere to the sea,” I shrugged, falling next to her. “I like to look at the water, it calms me down.” We were sitting too close, and I curled up, trying not to rub my shoulder against Hermione’s. She radiated warmth and freshness, and she was a collection of all the fairy tales that my mother told me as a child. Several times her unruly hair accidentally touched my cheek, and it turned out to be much softer than it seemed. “And here?” my eyebrows went up, and I probably looked too stupid in front of her. “What would you do now and today, right here?” I was taken aback. She looked at me expectantly, and all I could do was control my hands so as not to accidentally touch her. Hermione sat down on a snag so imposingly, as if there was no more comfortable place in the world. “I would remember my childhood.” The stupid answer never upset her. She stood up; her robe fell off to the damp ground, leaving her in her pajamas. I didn’t notice her outfit under her outerwear, and now, when she stood in front of me in a sweater and pants with white and pink stripes, I laughed. Hermione stomped her foot and put her hands on her hips, shaking her head. Adjusting the collar of her pajama jacket, she muttered: “Childhood, then,” her gait was smooth, and she barely bent over me, but I felt her breath as a warm blanket on my body. Suddenly, Hermione poked me painfully in the shoulder, rushing away from me behind a screen of trees. “Catch up!” I didn’t understand anything from the phrase that I heard among the whispers of the foliage, but I ran after it. At a minimum, because walking alone in the forest is dangerous. Because she left her robe here — it’s cool outside — and because I can’t argue with her. Hermione seemed like a girl who would make sure everything went her way. We ran between the trees for probably twenty minutes. I liked playing, as I understood, “catch up”, and I managed to touch her a couple of times, even if she was too agile and cunning. Even despite my long legs, it was impossible to keep up with her. Her laughter sounded in every branch, it was so contagious that in the end we both simply burst into tears. It was deserted here, and no one would have heard us from the houses on the other side, so I drove like crazy, and everything that was important at that moment ran in front of me, stumbling periodically. When she fell on the withered grass, I was scared. But Hermione rolled over a few times and patted her hand next to her. Taking this as an invitation, I lay down next to him. The stars were visible through the thick green leaves, our breathing was too ragged and chaotic, and with her hands she caught the wind between her fingers. “We could play tag for hours when we were kids,” Hermione said in a low voice that I could barely hear. “Then it seemed like the whole world was at your feet, and your energy was splashing over the edge. This game reminds me of my childhood.” “My father was too strict,” I decided to share for some reason. “That’s why I played secretly from him, and my games were completely different. “A true aristocrat is not supposed to run around like a horse,” my father said.” I twisted the last phrase, waving my arms demonstratively. Hermione smiled. Her relaxed expression was soothing, and for some reason I really wanted to run my fingers across her cheek. It is probably quite soft and delicate, like rose petals. “I think it’s time for me to go to bed,” she stood up quietly, and did not reek of chaos from her. “Should I escort you out?” I asked and mentally slapped myself. We’re going in one direction, damn gentleman. Hermione slipped her hand under my elbow, straightening up. Her eyes were burning again, but this time it was the warm fire of the fireplace. “Lead me, oh my beautiful knight,” she said mischievously, and we wandered towards the gap between the trees, laughing. Hermione was clumsy, constantly tripping, but at the same time she giggled like a child. I gallantly covered her shoulders with a robe, having previously cleaned her of dirt, she quietly chattered about the stars and that she, like me, did not really like the local atmosphere. We stopped at her house. It was exactly like ours and the guys, and was located directly opposite. And the same blue curtains covered her window. Probably too dusty too. Hermione tiptoed inside. I waited until she carefully closed the creaking door and smiled. And then he hurried to his place. Because I really wanted to sleep. Three hundred steps separated us, and I could still feel her breath on my shoulder.