This is set a little earlier than the last time we saw Hermione and her crew, but not by too much :)
The rune Hermione sighed for the third time in a minute and waved a hand irritably in front the wall she was stood by. Behind her was a wooden balustrade that, surprisingly enough, prevented absent-minded professors from walking off the edge of a very high walkway (and also prevented boisterous students from pushing each other off) and to either side of her the walkway stretched off into the distance. At Pigpimples locations were sometimes kilometres apart even though the building itself appeared to be quite compactly presented. The wall in front of her obligingly revealed the rune inscribed there again, glowing greenly and giving Hermione's face a sallow cast that would have looked completely at home on the lead actress in Pigpimples's Drama Society's production of Wicked. She sighed more once. "Are you alright, Hermione?" asked Ronnie Weasel. He was sat on the floor nearby with his homework out, struggling with the basic abstraction of Astromancy. Next to him, gazing vacantly into space, was Harry. A thin string of drool fell from the corner of Harry's mouth and pooled on the floor by his knee. "Yes!" "Only that's the fourth time you've sighed at the pict--" "It's not a picture, it's a rune!" Hermione's voice was tight and controlled and easily betrayed just how frustrated she was. "You're so thick I'm surprised they haven't used you for loft insulation, Weasel. Only I suppose you'd manage to make a mess of doing that too." Silence fell like a theatre curtain. After a few moments Harry's eyes focused briefly and he looked down at Ronnie's book and murmured, "It would all be so much easier if you just moved the moon, you know." Hermione waved a hand in front of the wall where the rune had once again faded away, bringing it back to life. Then she stared at Harry. "Moving the moon would be rather advanced," she said slowly. "Not really the first thing someone would think of, is it, Harry?" Harry was staring vacantly into space again, and Hermione took a step towards him and waved a hand hesitantly in front of his face. "Richard," she said, not taking her eyes off Harry. "It's Ronnie!" snarled the eponymous boy rubbing tears from his eyes. "Just like it's been all the time I've known you!" "Yes, Ratty. If Harry starts glowing, or doing anything funny, tell me. I promise not to hit you this time." She turned away. She had suspicions that Harry had access to magic that wasn't of this world and while she was curious to see what would happen if he did try moving the moon she was also Muggle enough to know that if it couldn't be put back pretty damn fast there would be a lot of trouble, and not the kind that resulted in detention and a stern talking to. She waved a hand irritably in front of the wall and the rune reappeared. "It's not a rune," said Ronnie sounding sulky. "What?" Her hand started for her wand-holster and she had to deliberately stop herself and move it over to her elbow and pretend that she had an itch. "It's a pictogram. It's Sumerian." Revelation hit her like moonlight from a newly relocated moon and she took a step backwards, nudging up against the wooden balustrade which creaked ominously. "Of course it is," she breathed. "Why didn't I see that?" "Thank-you would be nice," muttered Ronnie. "Oh, and Harry's started glowing...."
2 comments:
This is set a little earlier than the last time we saw Hermione and her crew, but not by too much :)
The rune
Hermione sighed for the third time in a minute and waved a hand irritably in front the wall she was stood by. Behind her was a wooden balustrade that, surprisingly enough, prevented absent-minded professors from walking off the edge of a very high walkway (and also prevented boisterous students from pushing each other off) and to either side of her the walkway stretched off into the distance. At Pigpimples locations were sometimes kilometres apart even though the building itself appeared to be quite compactly presented. The wall in front of her obligingly revealed the rune inscribed there again, glowing greenly and giving Hermione's face a sallow cast that would have looked completely at home on the lead actress in Pigpimples's Drama Society's production of Wicked. She sighed more once.
"Are you alright, Hermione?" asked Ronnie Weasel. He was sat on the floor nearby with his homework out, struggling with the basic abstraction of Astromancy. Next to him, gazing vacantly into space, was Harry. A thin string of drool fell from the corner of Harry's mouth and pooled on the floor by his knee.
"Yes!"
"Only that's the fourth time you've sighed at the pict--"
"It's not a picture, it's a rune!" Hermione's voice was tight and controlled and easily betrayed just how frustrated she was. "You're so thick I'm surprised they haven't used you for loft insulation, Weasel. Only I suppose you'd manage to make a mess of doing that too."
Silence fell like a theatre curtain. After a few moments Harry's eyes focused briefly and he looked down at Ronnie's book and murmured, "It would all be so much easier if you just moved the moon, you know."
Hermione waved a hand in front of the wall where the rune had once again faded away, bringing it back to life. Then she stared at Harry.
"Moving the moon would be rather advanced," she said slowly. "Not really the first thing someone would think of, is it, Harry?"
Harry was staring vacantly into space again, and Hermione took a step towards him and waved a hand hesitantly in front of his face.
"Richard," she said, not taking her eyes off Harry.
"It's Ronnie!" snarled the eponymous boy rubbing tears from his eyes. "Just like it's been all the time I've known you!"
"Yes, Ratty. If Harry starts glowing, or doing anything funny, tell me. I promise not to hit you this time." She turned away. She had suspicions that Harry had access to magic that wasn't of this world and while she was curious to see what would happen if he did try moving the moon she was also Muggle enough to know that if it couldn't be put back pretty damn fast there would be a lot of trouble, and not the kind that resulted in detention and a stern talking to. She waved a hand irritably in front of the wall and the rune reappeared.
"It's not a rune," said Ronnie sounding sulky.
"What?" Her hand started for her wand-holster and she had to deliberately stop herself and move it over to her elbow and pretend that she had an itch.
"It's a pictogram. It's Sumerian."
Revelation hit her like moonlight from a newly relocated moon and she took a step backwards, nudging up against the wooden balustrade which creaked ominously. "Of course it is," she breathed. "Why didn't I see that?"
"Thank-you would be nice," muttered Ronnie. "Oh, and Harry's started glowing...."
Greg - this is definitely more along the lines of what I've come to expect from your visits to Pigpimples.
And I'm sure it'll all turn out all right in the end. As long as Harry doesn't decide to move the moon, that is.
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