people change and promises are broken
clouds can move and skies will be wide open

Hermione blushed as Roman mentioned her reputation. She had a temptation to blurt out, 'please don't!', but instead bit her tongue and contented herself at squirming inside. She hated her reputation. It was of a smart Alec, a should-be-Ravenclaw that had no friends and was snobby. It was always an embarrassment when people recognized her by her reputation. Nevertheless she bit her tongue, but she wasn't surprised to feel her cheeks turn red. A natural reaction, she supposed, for anyone recieving a complement, and along with this she looked down, to see Crookshanks curled up in a ball, sleeping once again. He really was a lazy cat, or maybe he just got travel sick.

As Hermione had been thinking Roman's tone had changed. Still talking about flying, but in a way that made it almost seem inviting and a fantastic experience. She'd heard it from so many people, but she'd never believed it- mainly because they said it when they were in the hospital wing following a Quidditch accident. She raised her eyes, assured that her blushing had subsided and watched Roman, not just because it was... well... him, but also because the way he was talking, it was almost entrancing. He was talking, less to her now, more to himself- staring into space in the way she did when she spoke about the fiction books she read- as if remembering happy memories. It was enthusing, and it made a very good case for learning to fly. Which is apparently what he thought she should do too.

His tone changed to one more lucid, and she laughed at his suggestion. [color=indianred]"You could try, but I swear! I'm not really much good!" she protested, still laughing in spite of herself. She could see he was serious though, and so quickly calmed from her quiet chuckle. He made it sound so appealing with the 'research' excuse, a teasing grin on his face that made Hermione feel self conscious.

"Well..." she started, "I suppose if we combine it with the former offer it could be really helpful in my studies, couldn't it now?" she replied, teasing in her tone too, with a friendly half smile adorning her lips. It was a very tempting offer, but would either of them hold it though? And what would she do when she made a complete fool of herself and managed to smash her spine or something equally as terrible by falling fifty feet to the ground? It was the sort of thing she'd do- knowing her- and the sort of thing she hoped she wouldn't. Yet another hint of a smile added to her face as she laughed at herself, once again.

people change and promises are broken
clouds can move and skies will be wide open

[color=palevioletred]"Don't be sorry, I'm just not terribly fond of the reputation you speak of," Hermione murmured in response to Roman's uttering of the 's' word. She still wasn't sure why he said it, why he knew she was embarrassed about her reputation, nor why he seemed to visibly sadden as she felt it, as he said it, and looked a little better only a few moments later. But perhaps that was a puzzle to solve another day, once- if - she got to know him better. But there was nothing more fufilling than succeeding in solving a puzzle, and Hermione felt like Roman would make a very complex puzzle, one she'd gain extra satisfaction in completing.

Seeing Roman lean forward, Hermione's heart leapt into her heart. He spoke of confidence in her flying abilities, which was most flattering, but totally unfounded. She'd never even been able to get a broom to lift itself off the ground- the most elementary excercise given to first years in their first week, and it was embarrassing! Here she was, excelling in most other classes, and she couldn't even do the sort of thing that children brought up in wizarding families had been doing since they could walk! Absolutely mortifying!

"Hmm, well if you insist it would be so beneficial, I suppose I must accept your offer whole-heartedly," she replied to the studying suggestion. He had an ulterior motive, she could see it in his eyes and hear it in his tone, but she had no problem at all with it. In fact, her eyes and tone stated that perhaps she was looking forward to the true revelation of this motive, more than the actual learning to fly a broom.

Almost instantanously however, his tone took on a different meaning and the eyes which sparkled so deliciously before shone just as brightly now, but in a different way. Undisguised honesty, to make her feel comfortable, and his hand upon hers sent a jolt of electricity through her body. God.. I hope he didn't get that... she said to herself, forcing herself to look into Roman's eyes. "I trust you," she simply stated, smiling a genuine smile as she felt a movement by her leg, looking down to watch Crookshanks snuffle contentedly in his sleep. Obviously she could, indeed trust Roman.

people change and promises are broken
clouds can move and skies will be wide open

Was it just her who felt that? It seemed not to be, though maybe that was just her imagination again. No. Roman wouldn't be quite so stupid as to feel that way about her, would he? She answered her own question, but she wanted to believe it was true. A magic moment, the type of magical magic that couldn't be cast by wands or used in duels (unless you were Neville). But that was probably getting ahead of herself, so Hermione calmed, forcing her heart to slow down to a normal pace. She breathed and smiled, knowing she would have to force herself to think differently. Perhaps as a close friend? That would certainly do, if she didn't want more, she'd never had a close friend before.

The shock swept through her as quickly as the one from Roman's hand had as the rap on the door came and it opened to reveal a candy seller who looked like she'd just understood something she didn't mean to. Hermione's hand flew up as soon as Roman lifted his, being clasped by her other one as her head flicked round to face the woman, with her mouth forming a perfect 'oh'. Her heart was thundering once again, though she told herself she should just be thankful it was the candy seller and not someone like Malfoy or Harry Potter- both of who would have teased her mercilessly. The woman, however, after the slight indiscretion the lady just smiled as she gestured to the trolley of sweets. Hermione bet it hadn't looked this empty when it started its journey down the train, and that all the younger students had got to it on its journey down to this, the last cabin. She smiled meekly, clumsily fumbling in her bag to find her purse filled with the wizarding currency. Unfortunately, before she had succeeded in this simple task Roman had, with all his grace and ease of action, purchased more than enough food to sustain either of them for the journey.

She grinned and giggle as Roman commented on the sweets in front of them both. "Well, if it's to keep you out of trouble, then I must oblige and take a sugar quill- they are my favourite after all," she joked, reaching out and taking one of the sugary delights. She'd always thought it was appropriate that a quill like sweet was her favourite, when she was such the bookworm she was.

people change and promises are broken
clouds can move and skies will be wide open

Hermione smiled shyly as she chewed on the hard sugar of the quill, starting from the top of the streaked feather. She watched as Roman chose a chocolate frog- wisely choosing to leave the 'Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans'. Hemione sometimes ate them, but it was always a risky business- as she had discovered on the first train she took to Hogwarts, eating several nice ones, then one that tasted of muggle plastic. And that wasn't an experience she really wished to repeat. The sugar tasted nice, as her sucking paid off and a piece of softened sugar snapped off in her mouth and she looked at the disfigured quill, now with a rather large square chunk missing from the top. She giggled slightly, before beginning to suck at it again.

She watched Roman and how he went about with the chocolate frog, tapping it to paralyze it before he ate it. "Hmm, I wish more of my housemates would think of doing that," she mused, smiling slightly at the thought. Being the idiots her housemates were, during times of high spirits they'd attempt to eat the frogs whilst they were 'alive'. It was both interesting and hideous to behold- the fight between man and... amphibian- yet still someone trying to eat something alive while it still was so. It was also usually quite messy- the frogs half eaten jumping into walls or smashing into chairs (unless, of course, their legs were eaten first). Truly disgusting, and when that happened, Hermione either sought refuge in her dorm, or in the library.

When Roman opened the tub containing cat biscuits, Hermione felt Crookshanks stir beside her. His nose sniffing, his eyes interested- yet not actually moving; being the polite cat he was. However, when Roman invited him, disguising the invitation to Crookshanks as one to Hermione, he uncurled himself and hopped swiftly onto the table, tucking into the biscuits with Ruby. Hermione smiled and rolled her eyes at her cats behavior. The quill was rapidly disappearing from under her fingers as she chewed on it thoughtfully, watching out the window as the fields went by, faster and faster. It was getting darker now, obviously quite some time had passed since they had got on the train, or perhaps the clouds were just darkening the sky. What muggles called 'Global Warming' was apparently changing the weather patterns, and Hermione didn't know if she could really stand much more rain at Hogwarts- in the Scottish Highlands, a place she regarded as the wettest on mainland Britain.

people change and promises are broken
clouds can move and skies will be wide open

"Mmm." Hermione agreed with Roman's idea of not liking moving food. She just wished her housemates felt the same way, as she'd thought previously and had no particular desire to remember the high spirited occasions once again. "Don't suppose you could try and influence some of my Gryffindor classmates to feel the same way?" she asked, a slight chuckle in her voice as she said it. She chewed more on the sugar quill, standing up and moving over to the window where she leaned against the windowsill, before stretching up to close the window pane.

The sky was dark outside, and fields and mountains were all the eye could see. That, along with the end of the sweet trolley signalled that they were relatively close to Hogwarts at the present moment, and Hermione smiled. She was oddly tired now they were nearing the end of the peaceful journey, but she forced herself to hobble (gracefully- she hadn't fallen over yet!) round to her handbag.

"It looks like we're nearing Hogwarts by the way, I'm gonna be back in a sec," Hermione excused herself, grinning over her shoulder at Roman's revelation that he made the biscuits himself, the muggle way she was so used to doing. It was surprising though, since most wizards had never even heard of cooking things the muggle way- hell, most wizards only liked muggle clothes.

She changed quickly, in the little booths provided at opposite ends of the train for such purposes, and returned minutes later, changed and looking reasonably appropriately dressed for school. She'd taken off the high heels, replacing them with sensible black pump shoes, ones she could actually walk in. It meant she could walk faster, and so she almost ran back to the cabin, not that she was nervous or particularly desperate for Roman's company. He was interesting, and despite their apparently lengthy conversation in the carriage, she didn't know that much more about him than she had when he first entered the carriage- apart from the fact he had a cat and was so obviously a pureblood it wasn't true.

She slid the glass door open once again, slipping inside before gently closing it again, and throwing her bag down on the seat next to Crookshanks' place. He was still on the table, cooperating with Ruby for the biscuits, and Hermione smiled. "You'll have to give me the recipe, whenever I try to make biscuits I fail miserably- even if my mother has shown me countless times," she said, laughter in her voice again. She'd had a feeling that the question was probing her to discover her 'blood status' as people referred to it here, and after that she supposed there could be little doubt. She didn't look like a pureblood at all, didn't act nor move like one- if Roman was anything to go by.