Buzzed

Hermione was sitting atop her team's large pumpkin, feeling most uncomfortable. They were waiting for the next competition to be announced. Currently, the losing teams were making their way off the field to participate in the pumpkin pie eating and pumpkin slop competitions.

The ten team winners were now participating the carving portion of things. She had no idea what her team was supposed to come up with. She wasn't an artist, Ginny was...she didn't know what to call Ginny, and she was pretty sure the two younger girls didn't even have the brains to write out the word "bint."

Now, if there was the slightest chance that Zabini could draw more than a stick figure with a top hat, then she would be ecstatic. But as of now, she was relying her faith in the other three members on her team. She couldn't help thinking, "Dear Merlin, Goddesses and The Man Who Came Up With Eureka- please help me."

Everyone seemed to be extremely exhausted. The morning sun was rising higher, but the air was still chilly, and the gook on their arms seemed to freeze to them. As Hermione began to think that she was going to roll over into a human version of that mammoth they found in an iceberg a few years ago, Dumbledore scared everyone with his suddenly booming voice.

"Congratulations to the winners and good sport to the not-so-winners. The next part of the competition involves carving out a picture on the face of your pumpkin. If you would, the pictures must be clean, appropriate and school-worthy.

"Oh, if he only knew what this school is on about, Hermione thought grimly to herself.

"The pictures will be judged based on creativity. So, try your best to do what you can. You have an hour to plan, sketch, and carve. Wands are permitted in this portion of the competition," he said. Dumbledore paused before he went on. "I would like to let you know what the prizes are for completing the competition in first place.

"The winners are allowed to take a day off from school to spend in Hogsmeade." Chatter rose at this. "They will be given thirty-five galleons each to spend in Hogsmeade. In addition, the winners are eligible to complete a project to which they can win a high-galleon scholarship. Also, the top three pumpkins will be on display at the Evening Feast tonight."

When Dumbledore mentioned scholarship, Hermione immediately sat upright. Although her family was well off with their own dental practice and all, they were in no position to dump several thousand galleons, or pounds for that matter, each year for school after Hogwarts.

"Your time begins..." He looked at his pocket watch. "Now."

The teams began to scamper together. All of them, save the Omnipotent, Draconian Demise-ees (shortened to ODD, which shortened to odd. Just odd), who were still sitting on their pumpkin as if moving would cause them some serious brain damage.

"So..." Ernie said.

"Uhh... so, whatcha guys want to draw?" Ginny tried. People were blinking and brains were trying to work. But it all was failure. Silence.

"Good God. Who here can draw?" Hermione said irritably. Hannah timidly raised her hand as did Ginny. Which was half true. Ginny had a small knack for drawing, but she never practiced. She didn't know about Hannah.

"Fabulous. Two people. What are we going to do? Paste the two of them to the side of the pumpkin and make them draw like Egyptian slave workers?" Zabini spat. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"We'll figure something out. They can take the detailed portion of the drawing, and the rest of us will take the simplest stuff," Hermione said.

"Sure, the drawing will be proportional that way," he said. Hermione gritted her teeth.

"Do you have any better ideas, Zabini?" Hermione said through a forced tongue. She got silence from him. "Alright then. Now we have to figure out what we've going to draw."

Zabini opened his mouth, and Hermione almost wanted to throw a skillet at him. But alas, no skillet was to be seen.

"I vote fluffy bunnies running around in pink fields while little kitties fluff around in cotton candy-"

"And little baby monkeys chomp on papayas while the Goddesses hang the moon for everything to be cast in a gorgeous pale moonlight," Hermione finished for him in a dangerously even and annoyed voice. Everyone stared and didn't know whether to laugh or keep a straight face. "Yeah, Zabini, we've got it. You don't want to do this. Either do the rest of us. But we did fine last round, so we can do this again (as painful as it's going to be). Cut the crap and we'll be fine."

She then stood up and descended down the ladder with forced irritation.

"Careful now, Granger. Don't want to go breaking the ladder," Zabini said, following suit. Hermione took a deep breath and let it out through her nose. She did have to admit, this was a little more comforting than the civility.

As soon as everyone had retreated down the ladder, Hermione began to think of something to draw.

"I like Zabini's idea," Ernie said, after a moment of contemplation.

"And so do the first years," Ginny said with irritation. She turned to the little boy. "Sorry, no offense."

"I actually like Hermione's idea," Hannah suggested. Everyone looked at her with incredulous looks. She shrugged. "Well, the monkeys and papayas are a bit creepy, but maybe a Goddess theme would be cool."

Everyone seemed to contemplate it. Hermione was confused and frustrated.

"I kind of like it, too. It wouldn't be too hard. And I'm assuming most of us know only a few things about Mythology," Ginny said. Blank looks from Ernie and the younger years. "Well, that's not surprising," she said mockingly.

"Okay, so now that the theme is decided, which ones are we going to do?" Zabini asked, irritated.

Hermione, still just as confused was wondering how everything was her idea by complete and utter accident? It kind of pissed her off.

Hannah smirked a bit. "The three most famous of course."

Ginny grinned at this. "I think it's positively perfect. If we do it right, it'll probably become high in the running," she said thoughtfully.

"I don't get it. Whom are the most three famous?" Zabini asked. The others agreed for explanation. Hermione sighed. She would've rather talked and planned things out instead of spawning something out of a ridiculous affront of sorts.

"Aphrodite, Hera and Athena," she said shortly. They gave her even more blank looks. Her patience was beginning to go out. "Alright, Eris was not invited to this big party, shebang of sorts, so she got angry. She brought with her a golden apple that supposedly went to the fairest Goddess of all. Aphrodite, Hera and Athena insisted that they each deserved the apple. They gave the decision to Zeus, who then gave it to the mortal, and might I add cowardly, prince of Troy Paris.

"Hera bribed him with the position of king of Europe and Asia. Athena offered assistance in war, while Aphrodite offered the most beautiful mortal woman alive. Paris, being a uhh...well, nevermind. Paris chose Aphrodite and thus entailed the Trojan War and a really long poem," Hermione said a bit monotone. Everyone gave her an "ooooh" look.

"So, I say we draw the three heads of the Goddesses in a triangle. There'll be an apple in the middle. Next to each Goddess should be a symbol of what they offered. Those can be simple for the non-artistic ones," Hannah planned out verbally.

"Then who'll do the third Goddess?" Hermione asked. She looked around. The little boy raised his hand.

"I'm not a bad artist, just tell me what to do and I'll try," he said in a small prepubescent voice.

Hermione smiled at him and had to fight the urge to call him "honey" when affirming that he'd do the third Goddess.

"How do you guys want to go about this?" Zabini asked.

Hermione looked around. "Well, I could do the apple. I say Hera has a crown next to her, Athena has a crossbow and Aphrodite has a uhh... heart," she said lamely. "Zabini? Care to take the crossbow?" she waited for his affirmative nod before going on. "You...uh... two" she said shamefully. She hated not know people's names. "You get the heart and crown."

Honestly, she didn't trust the two of them with a levitating spell more than she would trust a rock. She looked at Ernie who seemed very, very lost.

"You know how to levitate more than one thing right?" she asked. He nodded slowly. She opened her mouth to comment but instead turned away to look at the rest of them. "So, we're good? Good. I say we have about forty-five minutes left."

Ginny, Hannah, and First-Year-Boy were levitated first so they could set the heads, as that was what the entire pumpkin carving was stationed around.

"Alright, remember, only draw what you want carved. The charm only follows lines, therefore will cut what ever lines have been drawn," Hermione instructed. She tried to keep her authoritative tone out of her voice, but she just couldn't help it. Once, the artists were situated for drawing, Hermione began to nag.

"Alright Ernie, keep your concentration. Please, oh please do not break your concentration," Hermione urged. Zabini rolled his eyes.

"Merlin, Granger, I don't think he can concentrate with your constant voice in his ear."

Hermione sighed and just watched the three of them draw. Each were different in design, as far as she could tell. Ginny's was turning out to be the traditional marble-head-structure, while Hannah's was a bit more earthy and Raphaelite. First-Year-Boy's was just simply gorgeous in detail. He was assigned Hera, supposedly the most beautiful of them all (Ginny had Aphrodite, whereas Hannah had Athena).

It took them about thirty minutes to finish. Hermione smiled at the product. The heads were fairly large, probably two to three feet in width each. Each face had their own characteristics that made them their own.

Then the rest of them were levitated to draw their more simple structures. Hermione just drew her simple apple, having been very skilled in doodling on History of Magic notes. The heart was finished first, then the apple. After Hermione came the crown until Zabini was the only one up there.

"Come on, Zabini. It doesn't have to be a Degas reprint," Hermione scolded from the ground. "We're running out of time."

Zabini looked over his shoulder and down at her. "What the hell is a Day Gah?"

Hermione sighed and scowled. "An artist. But that doesn't matter. Hurry up."

Finally, he finished his all-so-detailed bow-and-arrow and was levitated back down. Hermione searched her head for the incantation and then casted the charm on each picture, she waved her arm and recited the words. Immediately, the orange light zipped along the lines of the drawings, each chunk of pumpkin falling into the base of the pumpkin.

"Now, where in God's name did you learn to do that?" Zabini asked. "There is an honest-to-God spell to carve pumpkins?"

"No, Zabini. Read for once. It's useful for more than carving pumpkins. Try architecture maybe," she said sourly.

He, of course, ignored the comment and waited for the time to go out. The buzzer of only Merlin-knows-what went off to signify that time was up.

________________________________________

They were allowed to leave for lunch while the pumpkins were being judged. Hermione sat with Harry, Ron and Ginny in the Great Hall.

"Well, that wasn't too bad," Ginny comment while swallowing a piece of bread.

"Yeah, and I suddenly found that sticking pinecones down my esophagus is pleasant," Hermione retorted. Ron snorted (thus came flying mashed potatoes) and everyone stared at him.

"Sorry, mental image," he explained.

"Come on, Hermione, you have to admit part of it was fun," Ginny said. Hermione sighed and nodded.

"Right before Zabini morphed into a kitten-eating prick," Hermione said into her pumpkin cup (she was fishing out a poppy seed). This made the three of them laugh.

"I thought it was fluffy cotton-candy," Ginny said through giggles. Hermione shrugged.

"You know he's evil enough to do it."

"Hey, he didn't throw a gigantic hissy fit when you hit him with the pumpkin guts," Ginny said. Harry and Ron gaped.

"Yeah, but, but, he's still a prat," she said in retort.

"Agreed."

________________________________________

When they returned to the fields the three winning pumpkins were situated in the vast openness. Hermione and Ginny exchanged excited glances when they saw that there's were among the three.

Hermione's heart lifted in pride for winning and excitement for the next competition. Her heart then dropped. Another competition, with her team. She sighed. Oh, well.

Their team gathered in front of their pumpkin, all of them either looking excited, bored or excitedly bored.

The Fantastic Phoenixes had carved a, go figure, phoenix that was actually quite impressive. Then there was The Boastful Buccaneers who drew a very traditional Dracula and his ghostly bride. It was the alliteration that annoyed Hermione.

Dumbledore congratulated the lot, saying their carvings were "magnificent." Hermione guessed that the others were just pathetic drawers. He began to inform them of the next competition. He pointed above their heads and they all turned. Oh, my.

On the top of a hill that was infamous at Hogwarts for sledding, were three pumpkins (of the extremely gigantic variety) on their sides. The lids were off, so Hermione figured these pumpkins must've been left over from the first competition.

"In your final competition, Hogwarts has invented something new and innovative."

Hermione could almost see Dumbledore resisting the urge to clap his hands together excitedly.

"The pumpkins are hallow and ready to be pushed. Yes, pushed. The entire team is to gather behind the pumpkin, which is being steadied by an axel. At the same time, the axels will remove themselves and the pumpkins will roll down the hill.

"As many of you know, the hill evens out into an even plane. You are to push the pumpkin, or try to keep up with the pumpkin until you reach the pumpkin.

"One catch. One teammate's hand must stay on the the pumpkin at all time. If teammates fall behind, that is quite alright, as long as one person's hand remains on the pumpkin. If not, the pumpkin will apparate back to the top and your team is disqualified. The first team to the finishing point, or the last team to be disqualified, is the winner."

Hermione's jaw dropped at the preposterousness of the entire idea. Rolling a pumpkin down a hill? In what way is that fun? Hermione could tell that the other twenty-three students were just as skeptical. But a day off of school, money to spend, it might just be worth it. A scholarship.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go man your pumpkins!" Dumbledore shouted. The students just shuffled their way to their pumpkins. This was going to be interesting.

Hermione looked at Ginny who looked like she might break into hysterical laughter.

"Ginny?" Hermione asked. Ginny turned to her with a grin.

"It's so...stupid," she said giggling. "And I can't wait."

Hermione shook her head, a little lightened by her mood. The two younger girls seemed disgusted, First-Year-Boy looked scared and Ernie and Hannah looked a little excited. Zabini looked...indifferent.

She looked over the side of the pumpkin. That was a long run. Psh, what is he trying to do? Tell us that we need to get in shape?

Hermione was not an athletic girl, but she made sure she stayed fit most of the time. Every now and again when she would get tense, she'd go for a run on the shore of the lake to clear her mind. She was an okay runner, not the best. She was a bit afraid if she could actually make the run.

They all put one hand against the pumpkin and prepared themselves. Ginny was beginning to giggle again. And it was contagious. Hermione smiled and chuckled. Zabini looked at the two (for they were on either side of him) with curiosity and disdain.

"What're you laughing at?" he said as if there was some terrible crime. This made Hermione and Ginny giggle harder.

It was so stupid! They were pushing an oversized pumpkin that was the result of a very confused gardener down a massive hill that could possibly be used for the winter Olympics. Not only was it ridiculous, but everyone was so serious! They looked so skeptical and somber that she couldn't help but picture them all chasing after said massive pumpkin down a hill like it was the cure for cancer or something.

Hermione tried to regain her composure but the look on Zabini's face was so confused that she had to leaned her entire body against the pumpkin and hide her head in it to stifle her giggles. Ginny was nearly hysterical with laughter.

Zabini's face said, "Oh, dear God, I have become apart of a sick social experiment in which two maniacal bints are forced to drive me into hallucinations of pixies dyed fuchsia who are doing the meringue with the charmed ice sculptures from the Yule Ball."

Hermione had no idea where- Oh, shit. Suddenly, Hermione had to scavenge for her balance, for the thing that she had been leaning on had suddenly began to roll down a not-so-vaguely steep hill. In a moment of flurry, she began to chase after what had now become and very orange blob.

She tagged it after a moment of recovery and felt the pumpkin gaining speed faster and faster as it gained it's momentum. Hermione was afraid she was going to lose her balance and begin rolling down the hill herself.

At that moment, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed poor, still laughing Ginny trip, stumble and pitch forward to the ground in a heap of jeans and t-shirt. Hermione dared to look over her shoulder in the blur of movement and saw the poor girl tumble and roll down the hill. The picture was so hilarious that Hermione burst into laughter.

At that point she had focused her vision on the pumpkin in front of her, her arms still switching to keep up with the rolling pumpkin. But the image of her tripping and rolling was still in her head and she began to laugh all over again, this time more hysterically. She saw that Zabini was looking at her strangely again, so he quickly looked over his shoulder to see what she saw.

She heard a restrained chuckle that sounded more like an old man choking on a pickle. This made her even more hysterically. This picture of her, cherry-face, sweaty and still pumpkin-doused, was the only reason why Hermione could deduct why Zabini began to laugh himself. Well, that and picture of Ginny and her toppling head over ankles.

Once Zabini began laughing there was no hope of Hermione stopping. She was one of those people that saw other people laughing and laughed herself. They were both guffawing when they hit even ground. They tried to sober up as they hopelessly pushed the pumpkin, which still was going at speeds that was giving Hermione a cramp in her lower abdomen. But they were still in hysteria, pushing the pumpkin against the friction of the plane.

They didn't even realize that the rest of the team had fallen behind for one reason or another, and that it was just the two of them shoving around a giant pumpkin like two lunatics.

But finally, when the laughter became too much and the pumpkin had slowed down to crawling speeds, Hermione collapsed in laughter. Zabini followed suit.

The two of them leaned against the pumpkin which had now came to a complete stop. Hermione clutched her side, and Zabini tried to regain his composure. Both of them finally calmed down and looked around them, both breathing heavily.

Hermione could see a grass-stained Ginny coming towards her with a huge grin on her face. She also saw two pumpkins at the top of the hill... Which meant...

"We've won!" Ginny shouted. Uh...what? "I'm not sure how, but we've won. The other two teams were disqualified."

"That last sentence would be the 'how', Ginny, dear," Hermione said quietly, even though Ginny was several yards away and wouldn't be able to hear her anyway. This made Zabini chuckle and they both gave each other warning looks. There was no telling what could set Hermione off again.

Hermione stood up and brushed herself. "Well, what an accomplishment. We've cackled ourselves into winning," she said as Ginny reached them.

"Were you laughing at me?" she asked. Hermione smiled, bit her lip and nodded. "I'm sorry, Gin, but it was so hysterical. I was beside myself. I would've been fine if Zabini here hadn't completely lost it."

"I lost it? What about the two of you at the beginning? I don't think any of this would have happened if you hadn't begun guffawing like morons," he spat. Hermione sighed.

"Well, it was just so stupid. I couldn't help but laugh," Ginny finished.

"Yeah, I mean 'Man your pumpkins?'" Hermione said.

________________________________________

Hermione was trudging up to the castle alone. Ginny had run off for some reason or other. Probably to steal the shower before the rest of her dormmates. She didn't really expect Zabini to walk with her, or the rest of her teammates for that matter. So, she was just contemplative the way on, rustling in her stiff jeans.

Lost in her thinking, she didn't hear a voice yelling for her. After what might've been the third call, Hermione snapped out of her reverie. She smiled tiredly when she saw Harry coming towards her.

"Hey, 'Mione," he said, coming up to pace with her. "Goody, again?" he asked. "Goody" was short for "Lovegoodish." Hermione smiled.

"No, not really. Not sure if my brain is working properly," she said. Harry laughed.

"Sounds Goody to me," he said with a smile.

"Well, with the psychotic laughter and trying to keep a certain Slytherin in check, I doubt there are any brain cells left," she said, looking up at him. Harry smiled and shook his head.

"Miss Granger? Without any brain cells? Never."

"Oh, don't underestimate me. I have the nasty tendency to whack my head against walls whenever I'm the slightest bit frustrated and start counting by threes," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Threes?"

"Yes, you lose three brain cells every time you hit your head," Hermione said.

"Only you Hermione," Harry said affectionately.

"Only me. You better mean that Potter, because if I find another girl beating her head against walls and counting by threes, my heart will be shamelessly broken," Hermione said in mock dedication. Harry stopped and pasted a serious face on.

"Oh, but Hermione, love, you are my only, only," he said. Hermione smiled.

"Your only, only? That must be pretty special," Hermione said with a smirk. It wasn't until Harry looked down shyly that she realized that he had lost his facade. Her heart jumped. Wait, I don't know what's going on! it screamed.

"Well, only, all by itself means that, sure, you're pretty cool and all. You're unique enough for there to be only one of you. Maybe. But only, only? Only, only means you're completely and utterly by yourself as a cool, smart, intelligent, beautiful person. Except, well, you're not exactly alone, you have another only to keep you company," he said with a grin. Hermione didn't know whether to laugh or 'awww.'

"Oh," she said. Then she realized that this was Harry. Even if he was... well, you know, then it would be alright in the end. "That was probably the corniest thing I've ever heard. Pretty dang cute, though," she said, looking at his face for a reaction. He went back to serious Harry. "So, I am I an only, or an only, only?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Well, you have to be somebody's only, only. You can't just be an only, or an only, only all by yourself," Harry said.

"Oh, well, that doesn't make much sense, now does it? You can't be unique unless you don't belong to somebody?" Hermione asked.

"Well, somebody has to verify your onlyness," Harry stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, really? Then, Harry, am I an only, or an only, only?" Hermione asked, not even sure whether or not she wanted to know the answer.

Harry moved closer to Hermione. He reached up and tucked a pumpkin-gut-stiff strand of hair behind her ear. He looked at her with those green eyes that always seemed to startle her, whether she felt anything for him or not.

"Well, I think you'd make a good only, only. Only, only if you'd be my only, only," he said with a hesitant smile.

Hermione's eyes widened. Okay, so it was expected, but not really. Did he want her to be...but what? Oh, Merlin, I'm so confused!

"Well, what does an only, only entail?" Hermione asked. Harry smiled his characteristic, little half-smile and tucked his hand around her neck, just right under her ear. The contact made her jump a little. Watching him lean in was the hard part. Not knowing what she wanted, she let him close that little distance between them. The kiss was soft and gentle, exactly what she would imagine kissing Harry would be like. Tame and sweet.

He pulled away and searched her face. She smiled sweetly and responded with a little shrug of her shoulders. "Guess I don't have much of a choice then," she said, her smile broadening. Harry grinned and kissed her once more.

________________________________________

Hermione was curled up in a chair when Zabini scared her once again. The kitchens were remote, her coffee was cold, and she was reading We for the third time. She had a thing for Russian literature (she did happen to protest War and Peace with every fiber of her being. She refused to read that book). She jumped a little and looked up over the top of her book. She was facing the portrait entrance this time, and Zabini had just slipped in. His hair was dark around his face, obviously wet. He was clad in a navy blue t-shirt and plaid pajama bottoms. Hermione sighed and went back to her book.

Dobby shuffled out into the kitchens and poured Zabini his coffee and without word, he warmed up Hermione's. Hermione thanked him quietly and followed Zabini with her eyes as he sat down in front of her. The chair creaked a bit as he slouched.

"I like The Handmaid's Tale better," he stated. Hermione let the book fall slack in her hands and scrunched her brow.

"What are you talking about?" she snapped.

"The Handmaid's Tale, you know? The book?" he stated.

"Yeah, Atwood, but what does that have to do with anything?" she said, feeling irritable. Zabini rolled his eyes.

"Normally the books go hand in hand, with the whole controversy and dystopian thing. It's like 1984 and Brave New World," he stated as if it were the simplest concept in the world. Hermione was irritable for not making the connection.

"I've never read either of those," she said plainly. Zabini gave her a look that said, "Haha, sarcasm, you're funny." But when Hermione's look never changed, he cast a "Woah, you're not being funny."

"But you're Princess Granger, crowned royale of the Bookworm Kingdom. I should be bowing down to you in the holiness that is your bookworm reign," he gasped out.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. So, shut up. I can't read everything out there," she said irritably.

"But... but...they're classics," he said.

Hermione blinked at him. "So is Edith Hamilton's Mythology, but you evidentially haven't read that one." She looked back at her book. "You don't seem much of the reader type," she said absently.

"Is there such thing as a reader type? You read if you read," he said, leaning back in his chair. Hermione's eyes flicked up from the page again.

"Yes, but certain people don't have time for certain things like books. You just seem like one of those certain people," she said. Zabini seemed to look at her closely.

"I thought we already established that prejudice isn't something that we like, Granger," he said evenly.

"Just stating what I think," she said, her attention back on the book.

"Fair enough," he said. "Then I should like to tell you that I still think you're psychotic."

"Hmm, nice revelation, Zabini. Most Slytherins don't accuse Gryffindors of being crazy, lunatics, moronic," Hermione said dryly.

"Just stating what I think," he said, taking a swig of his coffee. Hermione aligned her jaw and put her book down.

"Why?"

"Why what? Why do I state what I think? Because it's what I think, Granger," Zabini said, smirking. Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"No, why am I psychotic? I'd like to think myself quite sane," she said, wrapping her fingers around the cup.

"The laughing thing. I couldn't be more disturbed by anything in my life," he said, sitting up and leaning onto his elbows.

"Well, the entire thing was absolutely ridiculous!" Hermione exclaimed. "I couldn't help myself. Ginny started it anyway."

"And you found yourself completely incapable of being able to stop?" he queried. Hermione nodded.

"Why, as a matter of fact, yes, I did. Once I get myself started, it's nearly impossible to stop. A halting gigantic pumpkin did it for me though. Besides, you weren't exactly straight-faced either. If I remember correctly, you were about as hysterical as I was," she said with force in her voice. Zabini scowled at her. Then it seemed that something caught his eye. A smirk gleamed from his lips as he leaned over, his hand forward, coming closer to her head.

"Zabini! What are you doing?" Hermione exclaimed. She tried to turn out of his reach, but he eventually fetched something out of her untamed hair. He pulled his hand back, palming a small, white pumpkin seed. Hermione groaned.

"I thought I got them all," she said sourly. Zabini snorted.

"I'm not surprised you missed a few in that mane of yours," he said, still eyeing the pumpkin seed.

"And like your hair isn't five strands from a parachute," Hermione spat. He protectively ran a hand through his hair as he scowled. Hermione sighed.

"I fished like a million of those things out of my hair. They were everywhere," she said bitterly. Zabini shrugged as if there was no spite towards pumpkin seeds on his side. Hermione seriously doubted this. He had a ton of hair.

"Hey, but the process of them getting there was interesting for the most part," he offered. Hermione chuckled.

"Yeah, I thought you were going to Bat Bogey me or something. It was an honest accident, really," Hermione said with a smile. Zabini shrugged with a grin.

"Doesn't matter much, now does it? I won in the end," he said smoothly. Hermione's mouth dropped.

"You did not! I got the last hit in and you know it!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Please, Granger, I am Quidditch-extraordinaire. Throwing large masses at people is my specialty," he said smugly.

"Doesn't mean that I didn't completely and utter whip you!" Hermione said with as much arrogant air as she could muster. She must've mustered a lot because he ignored the comment. Instead of retorting, he picked up her book and flipped through it. Ink of all colors were etched on the cream-colored pages.

"Analyze much?" he asked, subtlety changing the subject. Hermione shrugged.

"I just like to pick at it. It's a hobby when I'm bored. I did most of those the second time I read it," she said, nodding towards the book.

"The second time? As in this is the...?"

"Third," she stated simply. Zabini raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, then."

The kitchens were quiet. Zabini still had the book in his hands and Hermione stared off into space thinking. Both weren't really focused on anything. Suddenly, Hermione spoke up.

"What's Brave New World like?" she asked. Zabini blinked at her, seeming to come back from wherever he was.

"Uhh...odd. Bloody insane. Bloody brilliant," he said. "I really don't know how I found it brilliant, but I did," he said as he smirked. Hermione just nodded.

"You still don't seem like the reading type," she stated lamely. Zabini shrugged and shook the curls away from his eyes.

"You're still psychotic. And really, I'm not. I like the dystopian novels more than anything," he said. "Love a little chaos."

Hermione seemed to mull this comment over in her head for awhile. "Dystopia scares me. I don't know what I would do with people completely trying to control my life." She paused. "Why would you love chaos?"

"It makes things a little more interesting. I work better under stress, think better with noise. When there's chaos, it just seems easier to sort through things," he said contemplatively. Hermione stifled a laugh and he gave her an odd look.

"It's just that, that...it doesn't really make any sense," she said, shrugging. She watched him get up, place his cup by the sink and cross the kitchens. Watching him, she was reminded again by his walk. How something was so...different. She couldn't place it. She watched him walk up to the portrait door and pull on it.

"Maybe it's better when things don't," he said before turning and walking out, leaving a very confused Hermione behind.