(no subject)

[hermione_j_granger]

Who: Hermione & Katie
What: Lunch break poisoning!
Where: Diagon Alley cafe
When: Mid-afternoon
Rating: PG
Status: Complete



Therefore, Hermione decided to venture inside the popular coffee shop, as opposed to taking her usual table in the sidewalk seating area. Immediately entering the establishment, she was taken aback by the mass of witches and wizards crowded around tables, noting the frantic-looking servers, cashiers, and baristas trying to keep up. She was hoping for a table by the window, wanting a quiet corner of the shop so that she could work as she had lunch, but couldn't find one open. Damn. Hermione thought for a brief moment to leave and have her lunch back in her office, but she was a creature of habit; thus, she put her head down and bee-lined for the nearest open table for two, hanging her satchel on the back of her chair.

She took a few moments to catch her breath and throw her hair, which was now bushier than it's been in quite a while due to the moisture in the air, up into a loose bun. Moments later, a server whom she didn't recognize approached. He looked fresh out of Hogwarts, his boyish grin trying to hide how flustered he was with this crowd. The boy was lanky, which reminded her of Ron, though he had dark hair that curled a bit. He wore a green name tag that read: Finley.

"What can I get for you, madam?" Finley asked, pulling a quill and parchment pad from his pocket.

Madam? Goodness, do I look like a 'madam' now? Hermione sighed and put on a friendly smile. "I'll have a cup of the fresh vegetable soup, please. And a glass of water."

Finley scribbled her order down and muttered something that sounded like 'thank you should be out shortly" before dashing back to the kitchens. He was an anxious bloke, wasn't he? Hermione mused, but shook the thought when she realized she could get ahead on some reading for work while she waited for her soup.

Hermione sifted through her bag, shaking her head at herself when she realized she'd left the research article she had been reading on her desk. All she had was a copy of the Prophet that was a few days old. Better than nothing.. She remembered reading the first few pages of top news (she always made it a point to read the Ministry's publications first), and then she thumbed through the pages, skimming the titles. Her eyes widened when she saw the large article on Harpies' Alicia Spinnet.... replacing Ginny Weasley?? Oh, what a horrible friend I've been! I had no idea! That must be why she was so upset last time I saw her... It all made sense now. Hermione made a mental note to owl her best female friend as soon as she returned to her office.

Comments

[bell_katie]

Katie was nearly dead on her feet. She'd Apparated to Diagon Alley after a long and brutal practice with the intent to visit a certain joke shop to discuss a certain Weasley's current bad temperament, but she'd found that her energy (and perhaps even her courage) flagged as she stood across the street from the candy-colored storefront. Diagon Alley was positively thronged with people today, and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was doing a brisk business. George wouldn't have time to see her anyhow-- badly-timed, this was.

She could at least have a bite to eat at the cafe. Upon stepping in to the roiling crowd, however, she thought she might have made a mistake. There weren't any tables open, and the thought of eating alone in the Cauldron was so immensely depressing that she nearly groaned at the thought. But she spotted a familiar head of hair-- even in a bun, Hermione's mad mane was recognizable-- and there was an empty chair opposite her. Of fucking course it had to be Hermione fucking Granger after all the trouble she's caused lately...

"Oi! Hermione!" Katie called over a shorter wizard who gave her a very affronted look, before breaking into a smile upon realizing who she was. Katie gave him an uneasy grin. "In a bit of a hurry, mate, meeting a friend-- Hermione Granger, over there, 'scuse me--"

[hermione_j_granger]

The Cocktail Party Effect-- some social psychological term she'd read about in a muggle psychology book years ago-- was the phenomenon where humans unconsciously tune their attention toward their name (or something else familiar) in a crowded room (i.e., cocktail party), if it was spoken at the same volume as the rest of the noise. That was why, she reasoned, her attention snapped upward as she heard her name across the dining area, even though Finley was right beside her yelling to the barista across the way.

She had to laugh a bit when she recognized it was Katie calling her name, maneuvering rather gracefully through the packed waiting space by the hostess stand. Why were Quidditch players always graceful? She surely would've been flat on her face, trampled on in half a second, if that were her. Regardless, she waved at Katie and pointed to the chair across from her, indicating that she wasn't waiting for anyone.

She set the Prophet on her lap, still amused that she was mid-Harpies article when Katie called her name, and waited for the friendly blonde to approach. "It's completely bonkers in here, isn't it? I've never seen it so packed!" Even with Katie getting closer, she still had to raise her voice a bit.

[bell_katie]

"It's a bloody madhouse, I should've gone home after practice-- ouch--" Katie was elbowed in the back of the head by a bony witch who passed behind her chair, and the two women exchanged quick pleasantries. Terribly sorry, wasn't watching myself, it's all right, just a bit of a bonk, nothing to fret over.

"Whew." Katie smiled across the table at Hermione, brushing her wild pale hair out of her eyes. Red alert, Katie, do not talk to Hermione without prior written approval and six signatures from one Ginny Weasley, play it cool..."That's a journey. How've you been?"

[hermione_j_granger]

She nodded in agreement, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "Oh, you know-- busy working and all that. I'm actually on lunch break now-- I typically sit outside, but with this weather I didn't fancy my hair growing even larger," she said with a snort, grinning over at Katie.

"It's so good to see you!" It really, truly was. Katie was always so pleasant back in school. "Ginny's told me all about your spectacular career, how much she looks up to you. Good on you, Katie. You deserve it." She really did. Hermione recalled Katie working just as hard at Quidditch as she did on academics, and that wasn't a comparison she could make with just anyone.

[bell_katie]

Katie's ears turned pink. She rubbed at the back of her neck, a boyish gesture, but she was smiling-- Hermione wasn't the type to give empty praise, and Katie could shrug off whatever it was that magazines and the like said about her, but true approval from a friend pleased her.

"It's more luck than anything," she said, to shrug it off, but after a moment she said: "Thanks, though, that's lovely of you. And congratulations are in order, I hear? You and Ron, yeah?"

[hermione_j_granger]

"Oh, rubbish. You know I don't know much about Quidditch, but I am fairly certain luck has nothing to do with breaking all sorts of records as a professional."

At the mention of congratulations, Hermione's eyes widened and she froze for a moment, before peeking down to her left hand. The invisibility charm was holding. Realization suddenly dawned on her and she took a slow breath. "So Ginny told you..." she started, her cheeks pinkening. "Thanks. Thank you. We haven't really announced it yet-- Ron'll kill me if any of his family members find out before we tell them together...."

[bell_katie]

"She... did, yeah," said Katie slowly, looking down at Hermione's left hand as well. Damn. "It's... no, I wouldn't say anything, it's just... Ginny didn't really tell me it was secret, like, so I didn't... well. Congratulations."

She finished it lamely and gave Hermione a lopsided smile. "Sorry," she said after a moment. "But I won't tell anyone, I promise."

[hermione_j_granger]

Hermione recovered quickly, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "Oh, it's-- it's fine, honestly. I appreciate that. It's a bit silly we've been waiting a couple of weeks now anyway, so you won't have to keep the secret for very long."

She shifted in her seat and the old Prophet fell off of her lap onto the floor. She leaned down to pick it up and the miniature Alicia Spinnet looked angry in the magical photo. "Oh, what a coincidence you're here-- I've just been reading about your team..." Hermione didn't want to bore Katie about how she felt like an awful friend, but concern flooded her.

"I'm worried about Ginny. I know you two've grown quite close. She hasn't seemed herself lately. She's... really taking this demotion hard, isn't she?"

[bell_katie]

"Um. Yes. She is... taking... things hard." It wasn't exactly a lie, Katie told herself. Not exactly. She'd said things, which was all-encompassing. Right? Right. Not betraying Ginny. Yet.

"But Alicia's brilliant," she went on, stumbling over her words a bit. "And Ginny, you know Ginny, she burns hot and then she'll be over it... somehow... what'd you order?"

[hermione_j_granger]

Hermione nodded in agreement. Of course she knew Ginny's quick temper-- it matched Ron's, and she had the misfortune of being on the short end of both of their tempers once or twice. Must be a Weasley thing.

"Right, I'm sure she'll be fine... I'm going to send her an owl right when I get back to my office. I've really missed her. I don't know how I've lost track of something as important as this in her life." She really was too focused on her career, wasn't she?

"I only ordered the vegetable soup... well over twenty minutes ago. I know they're busy, but honestly, how long could it possibly take to ladle out a cup of soup?"

She craned her neck about the crowd to try to find Finley so Katie could order. "Now where's that scrawny little git who called me madam?"

[bell_katie]

"You are not a madam," Katie said firmly, relieved to be on neutral ground again. She followed Hermione's gaze as if she knew what she was looking for, lifting up in her seat a bit. "Madams are... much older than you, for one, and for another who actually says that-- oi, is that him? You!"

[hermione_j_granger]

Hermione watched as Katie's call impressively carried over to their server, as he turned, visibly disgruntled, and made his way through the tables to go on over to them. He made a detour and disappeared behind the counter for a moment, emerging with a cup of soup in hand.

"Finally," Hermione muttered so that only Katie could hear as Finley eventually arrived with the soup, placing it in front of her.

"Terribly sorry, kitchen's backed up," Finley muttered. "Hope you like it. It's a bit different today. We're trying out a new broth." Turning to Katie, he pulled out his trusty order pad and self-inking quill. "And what can I get you, eh?"

Hermione raised a brow but picked up her soup spoon, swirling it around in the vegetable soup. New broth? He probably spit in it after Katie yelled at him across the room, Hermione couldn't help but think, as she lifted her first taste toward her mouth, blowing on it to make sure it was cool enough, before eating it.

She waited until Finley had gone to speak to Katie again. "Doesn't taste like any new broth. What was that barmy bloke on about? Merlin, I doubt he'll last more than a week if the crowds keep up like this..."

[bell_katie]

"Oh, probably not," Katie said comfortably, settling back into her chair after looking after Finley's disappearing figure, making certain that he went right into the kitchen and didn't dawdle. She was starving, and she'd ordered beef stew, heartier than Hermione's vegetable soup. "How is it, though, any good? I mean, you've obviously had it before, I've just never gotten it here..."

Awkward. So awkward. Katie pinched the back of her own hand under the table.

[hermione_j_granger]

She nodded, slowly spooning the vegetables with the broth in question into her mouth, chewing and swallowing before speaking. Something which Ron (and Ginny, come to think of it) had never quite mastered.

"It's very good here. Broth's not too thick where it has the same consistency as pudding, but not too watery either. And there's extra broccoli bits-- my favourite. I've never had the stew here, but I'm sure it's better than your average stew."

She took a few more bites before she realized something. "Katie, you're living in Holyhead now, aren't you? What are you doing all the way back in London? Surely there're similar wizarding shops close to your flat there...?"

[bell_katie]

"I... love... it's just that I love... um. Apparating, I love it." Katie could have disappeared into a crack in the floor, or apparated straight out of the restaurant if she'd had the wherewithal to do it.

"Also I come to see George sometimes," she said, deciding to go straight for honesty-- that couldn't hurt anyone. She and George were friends. "I wasn't really thinking much, though, and the shop was utterly swamped-- it was an idiot move to come in the middle of the day and expect he'd have time to see me, so I stopped in here for a bite to eat."

[hermione_j_granger]

Cocking a brow, Hermione continued alternating between eating her soup and nibbling on the crackers that came with it. She had certainly never known anyone who actually enjoyed apparating. "Must be a Quidditch player thing, magical travel and all that..." she reasoned, trying to draw out more connections. But for some reason, she was having difficulty thinking; her head began to hurt. It started as an irritating little pulse in her temple, and then intensified with each passing second.

She tried to shake it off, focusing on the conversation. "George? Oh, right-- his shop-- it's right across-- there," she pointed toward the window, as if Katie hadn't been there dozens of times. It was so difficult to ignore the strange sensations happening all at once; along with the headache, her stomach began to cramp uncomfortably-- and then, pain shot through her lower abdomen much like menstrual cramps, only it felt as though someone were jabbing her there with knives. She hunched over in her chair, waiting, praying for it to pass.

Trying to ignore the headache to figure out what was going on, she clung to the last ounce of logic she had left and looked down to her near-empty soup bowl, before looking back up to Katie, now shades paler than moments before.

[bell_katie]

Katie put out a hand as Hermione nearly upset her glass of water, her hand braced on the tablecloth. "Hermione? Are you-- you're not feeling all right."

The girl was pale to the lips, almost grey. Katie got out of her chair immediately and came to crouch next to her. "D'you need the loo? Can you walk? I'll help you--"

[hermione_j_granger]

Always stubborn, Hermione adamantly shook her head, reaching out a trembling hand for some water. Suddenly, she felt extremely faint, and she could feel herself growing feverish, breaking out into a cold sweat.

She couldn't think of anything other than needing to get some fresh air-- that's it, it was the restaurant. Claustrophobia.

She stood up on her own, but her legs gave out almost immediately and she collapsed, her forehead smacking the edge of a neighboring table, and she was out cold.

[bell_katie]

Katie had reached for her arm as she stood, but she wasn't fast enough. Hermione's legs crumpled beneath her, and the sound her head made as it cracked against the table was loud even in the crowded shop.

"Hermione?" Katie was kneeling at her side, careful not to move her-- what if she'd hurt her neck? "Hermione."

No response. Side-Along Apparition was tougher even than the normal kind, but Hermione had to get to St. Mungo's. Katie wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist the best she could without moving her, succumbing to the ugly narrowing sensation of apparition. Whatever was wrong, Hermione needed a healer, and she needed one now.