Without A Team [Mione] But Not Without Friends

[Ripley Todd]

A tall, brown haired Gryffindor walked through the halls of Hogwarts brown eyes stern. She was also partially out of uniform, she had her sweater and skirt on, her shoes were hiking boots and her tie hung loosely. She had just left detention and not in to good of a mood.

Rip let a loud sigh out through her nose, shifting around a corner. In detention many things had happened one of which was her falling asleep, now Ripley didn’t remember falling asleep, one minute she was staring blankly at the chalkboard the next someone was shaking her awake; it was a Ravenclaw. Slowly Ripley sat up, something was wet on her cheek. Bringing her hand up, she wiped away a clear liquid. “I drooled. Lovely.” She wiped it on her skirt and stood up. “See ya tomorrow.” She promised the professor smirking.

Here she was now, wandering around with one of those pissed off expressions she always seemed to get when woken from a good dream of hockey, of the team she had abandoned. No, she couldn't use that word. Left behind? Nicer, but still pretty cruel. She did have friends in England that had to be a plus. With a sigh she climbed through the portait hole and looked around the empty common room, plopping down onto a plus red armchair, she thumped her boots onto the low table and closed her eyes.

[Hermione Granger]

Hermione had had a lot on her mind during the past few months. Years, in fact. Ever since she had befriended the two Gryffindor boys her life had been complicated, and filled with constant danger. She would never give up her friends, of course, but there were times when the amount of stress she was under seemed to weigh her down. This was one of those times. Actually, those times when all of the events she had been through over the past six years came flooding back into her mind seemed to find her more often. Unfortunately, they left Hermione to think about all that had happened, how it could have gone differently.

She was lucky she had been living at Hogwarts for more than ten months each year for the past six years, for if not, her feet would have taken her who knows where. She was trapped in her thoughts, and she was not paying attention to where she was going. She did not pull herself from the depths of her mind until she reached the Gryffindor Common Room. She was aware that she was no longer in the Great Hall when she smelled the faint odor of smoke coming from the fireplace. Her eyes drifted toward the blazing fire, its warmth comforting. She walked closer to the fire, noticing another Gryffindor sitting on one of the large, comfy armchairs nearby.

The girl was Ripley Todd, a seventh year like Hermione herself. She was not one of Hermione's best friends, but then again, her best friends were Ron, Harry, and few others. But Ripley was a friend, nonetheless. Hermione sat across the other girl. She glanced at Ripley's boots, which were propped up on the table. In her mind, she frowned, but she would not do so for Ripley to see. Though she did not approve of the girl putting her feet on the table, she was not going to tell her not to. "Hey Ripley," she said, taking her eyes off of the girl's feet and turning them back to her face.

[Ripley Todd]

Ripley's brown eyes drifted over as someone sat down across from her, a brief scowl turned her mouth downwards, until she realized it was Hermione, the scowl went slowly to a welcoming smile. It wasn't that Ripley didn't smile often, it was that lately, there had been nothing to smile about. "Hey 'Mione." She replied swiftly to the girls greeting, covering any aspect or clue that she missed the team. She took her feet off the table and stretched them out on the floor, crossing them at the ankle. She knew some Britians didn't like her relaxed posture.

"How was your day?" She asked civilly, a converstaion would surely get her mind off of the guys back home. Yet she knew when winter came around and when she went back on the ice to skate, all by her lonsome self it would a flashback of days where she'd go with four of the guys to a rink where the skate guards knew them by name, what team they played for and how good of a skater they were. To say she missed would be only a small piece of how much she really wanted to return.

Her brown eyes still on Hermione's face, gleamed with a mischevious smile that never quite got to her mouth at Hogwarts. If the team had been at Hogwarts...if they had been wizards they wouldn't be sitting in the common room quietly, no there would be arm wrestling or belching contests and Ripley would be right in the middle of it. A log shifted on the fire startling Ripley from the day dream with a slight jump. " fire." She whispered with a small smile. "Scared me."

[Hermione Granger]

How long had it been since Hermione had held a strong conversation with anyone other than Ron or Harry, about anything other than Horcruxes or the Dark Lord? Too long, apparently, for Hermione felt a bit awkward sitting there. It was not Hermione's fault, she had responsibilities that few of her classmates had to deal with. Her life was more complicated than some of theirs, and definitely posed more danger than theirs. Ripley did not seem to notice the awkward expression on Hermione's face, and for that she was thankful. She did not want others to see her struggle with anything.

The question was so simple, yet Hermione could not give an honest answer to her friend. Her day had been like all others before it, filled with worry and concern as she and her two best friends did their best to fulfill Dumbledore's mission. But Hermione was careful not to show any of this in her eyes or on her face. She kept her answer short. "My day was alright. How was your's?"

Ripley's mind seemed to be elsewhere, for though she grinned at Hermione, her eyes did not seem to be focused on the bushy haired girl. Ripley remained distant until the sound of a log shifting on the fire startled her out of her daydream. Hermione wondered what the girl before her had been thinking of, but was not sure if Ripley wanted her to know or not. By her face, Ripley seemed pleased with the thoughts swarming through her head. But Hermione was certain that if Ripley wanted to tell her, she would say something about it.

[Ripley Todd]

Ripley tried to focus on Hermione instead of thoughts of home, but there was the empty feeling in her gut, the dreams she had at night, flash backs and such. She shook her head, like a horse fleeing the flies, and drew her gaze onto Hermione. "Could you by any chance help me ou with poitions." Most of Rip's friends knew that her weakness was poitions.

"It could've been better," Ripley admitted freely. "I mean, Snape kinda pissed me off, a lot...but ya know. Better or Worse, doesn't matter, it's my last year." She looked out the window and sighed. "I need to pass poitions badly, otherwise, my hope of being an Auror is basically blown to hell."

[Hermione Granger]

"Sure. Of course I'll help you," Hermione replied. Hermione had always excelled in academics. In fact, she excelled in all of her subjects, with the exception of Defense Against the Dark Arts, which had been the only subject in which she had received a mark other than Outstanding. She had been disappointed at the time, but now she tried not to think about it. No one seemed to care, and they still considered her the brightest.

Hermione admired Ripley for her aspirations of becomming an Auror. She had never really considered the profession herself, though it had crossed her mind for brief moments when Harry or Ron had mentioned it. Hermione, unlike Ron, Harry, and Ripley, desired an occupation within another department in the Ministry. She was not sure which department interested her most, for there were so many to choose from. But she was certain that her future profession lay in the Ministry, where she could do good for the Wizarding community. "Don't worry. I'll help you in Potions. You won't fail." Hermione smiled at her friend.

[Ripley Todd]

"Sure. Of course I'll help you,"

Relief was evident on Ripley's face. Without Hermione or other people she knew who were good at poitions she'd be screwed. It had been the same way back in school with math, lord she hated math, some of her team were great at it, and had helped her out, but now that she was in her last year, in a magical school that didn't help much, hell it didn't help at all.

"Don't worry. I'll help you in Potions. You won't fail."

"Thank you so much 'Mione," Ripley said, gratefully, the simple tone of her voice was one rarely heard by anyone. She had always planned her actions out that way, no one would know when she sad, angry, stressed none of it. The angry part would only become clear with bruised knuckles. Speaking of which, she glanced at her right hand, and tucked it under her left elbow, a Slytherin incident earlier that day. "So, where are Ron and Harry, or anyone for that matter?"

[Hermione Granger]

Hermione was happy that she had taken the stress and worry of Potions from her friend. She did not like to see her friends stressing over something which she could easily help them with. There were times when she felt bad for her friends who were upset and worried, and she could do nothing to help them accept hope they would find a solution to their problem soon. And unfortunately, an answer did not always come as easily as Hermione hoped. "You're welcome. I'm happy to help. I would never ignore you if you needed me to help you," Hermione said.

Then Ripley brought up Ron and Harry. She had been a bit uneasy when talking about them recently. She saw Ron often, and argued just as much, but she did not see Harry as much as she would like to. He was the one who needed to know as much information as she could find, but he was hardly around when she wished to talk to him. Ron had spoken with her about Harry as well, and he too rarely saw his friend. "Well, I believe Ron is at Quidditch practice, and there is a slim chance Harry is with him. However, I haven't seen him around much."

[Ripley Todd]

"Right at cha," She repsonded to the helping out a friend. "Though I can't do much with school except DA that's the only thing I'm really good at, but if you need someone beaten up," she grinned. "I am so your girl for that." She looked around the common room getting restless, getting that itch to skate, or run, anything she had been still for too long.

"Ron?" Ripley asked in repsonse, "you didn't say them, you said he, and since I don't think Harry's the one you're playing tonsil hockey with that begs the question," Ripley leaned forward, eyes glinting with glee. "You and Ron? Ron and you?" She waggled her brows suggestivly. And sang. "You and me, me and you snogging by the lake."