Three Broomsticks - August 9th (Later Evening)

[booky_knowitall]

Hermione walked into the Three Broomsticks, Ron right behind her. She looked around until she saw a table to suit them-one towards the center of the room-and walked over to take a seat. She thought briefly about waiting to sit and see if Ron would pull her chair out...he hadn't really gotten himself in trouble lately, so that seemed nearly

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[naught_common]

He could have stopped her. He chose not to try. When she was finished he reached for the startched linen handkerchief in his pocket and used it to sop up the blood flowing from his nose. She'd burst at least one vessel and he was fairly certain he'd not be able to stand without assitance, magical or otherwise. "How did it feel?" he asked.

[booky_knowitall]

"Like I hurt you," she responded, frowning deeply and collapsing beside him on the floor. "Well, I can do the spell, but it's looking like I'll need more control. I'm sorry..." She chewed on her lip and took the handkerchief from him, since she could see the blood flow better.

She held it a few minutes, then handed it back to him when the bleeding started to dissipate. "I don't think I should take the power from somewhere else. I don't want to hurt anyone who doesn't deserve to be hurt." She leaned into the wall and pulled her knees up to her face.

[naught_common]

"You didn't kill me. You should consider that a success. I seem to remember mentioning that it might take practice. I've certainly had a bloody nose before." She seemed genuinely upset, which surprised him. He had no intention of mentioning the rest. He could sleep here. "How did the spell feel?"

[booky_knowitall]

She looked over at him with a full frown, but she couldn't look at him very long...she'd hurt him by taking some of his energy...she'd crossed the line to dark magic, and had it been an accident?

Or was she frustrated enough to want to hurt him? She hoped it wasn't the latter.

"It felt...like I was more of a pipeline, that the energy came in one place and came out my fingers..." She gulped uncomfortably and rested her chin on her knees.

[naught_common]

"To be perfectly honest, I have no idea if you could find the recipe in Hogwarts. I also don't know what's in it." Theo leaned toward her as if he were about to share a confidence. "I am only adequate at potions. I did not make this, I purchased it." She hadn't asked yet what it was. Theo was never one for giving more information than requested.

[booky_knowitall]

Hermione leaned into him and grinned. "Theo, I've watched you make potions for over six years. I know you're only adequate." She continued to grin and pulled the bottle up to her face. She sniffed it and sneezed. "Theo, what the bloody hell is this stuff?" She scrunched her nose at just how Ronald her question sounded, but it was about how it needed to come out. She put the bottle back down next to him.

[naught_common]

Theo huffed just a bit. The potion had hit his stomach and was now running through him with what felt very much like fire. He breathed very slowly and naturally through his nose and waited for the sensation to pass while he looked directly at Hermione, one eyebrow raised. "More than adequate, less than exceptional. I was good enough to get to NEWT level, but I have no desire to spend my entire life smelling like manticore urine and bat guano. As to what that was," Theo smirked, rising to his feet with effortless grace, "I'd say it was effective." He held a hand out to her, offering to help her up. "Do you really want to know?"

[booky_knowitall]

Hermione came to her feet and laughed. "No...I suppose I don't." She looked at his face a moment and started to laugh. "I didn't say you were bad, Theo, I'm not that brilliant, either. Surely you must remember that day, when Harry did better than me in potions for the first time in his life? He cheated! I was a right mess that day." She smoothed out her shirt and pants. They'd become incredibly wrinkled.