Ancient Ritual

He found himself staring at her stomach. He hadn't meant to, he had been glancing out the window, daydreaming because the heat was making him sleepy and as he turned back to the text in front of him, he was sure that he had seen something under her shirt.

It had become unusually hot over the last few days. Some said that it was a hex gone wrong at Hogwarts, but no one really believed it. The library was the worst spot in the castle and Hermione had dragged him up here to study. Ron had gotten out of it (The lucky bastard, Harry thought) because he had detention in the dungeon with Snape.

"You're staring," Hermione remarked as she twisted her hair up off the back of her neck and secured it with a clip. Harry shook his head a little and ran a hand through his own sweaty hair.

"Sorry, it's the heat," he said as he turned back to his book. He glanced at her middle again as she leaned back in her chair and flapped the bottom of her shirt, trying to create a little breeze and he saw a little glint.

"Come on," she said. "This is pointless, for both of us." Hermione gathered her books and hurried off and he quickly followed.

"So, did you study anything interesting over the break?" he asked casually.

"Harry, our last break was months ago," she commented as she looked at him funny.

"I know, just making conversation," he said with a little shrug.

"Actually I did," she said. "I was doing a little research about ancient rituals, maybe hoping to find something that would help with Voldemort," she started. Harry snickered a little and she shot him a look. "I ended up learning a lot about body modification."

"Body modification?" he asked as he looked at her.

"You know, tattoo's, piercing, things like that. It's not taken lightly anywhere but in the western world, you know? Tattoo's, in most places, are used as rites of passage to manhood, or to commemorate a warrior's accomplishments in battle." Harry smiled to himself as her eyes lit up as she began to tell him about this. "And piercing are signs of status in some places, the bigger the better. Ear lobes and lips are stretched out. There's a tribe in Africa that every year after they turn 13, another brass ring is fitted around the girls neck as a sign of maturity and beauty." Harry took a moment think about things.

"You, ah, you didn't happen to test out any of these practices, did you?" he asked as he led her into a dark hallway.

"Of course not!" she said. "My parents would never let me get a tattoo."

"What about a piercing?" he asked with a sly little smile as he quickly cornered her against a wall and shot a hand out to find what he was pretty sure was there. "Hermione Jane Granger! You're a wild one," he said with a smile when he felt the little piercing in her abdomen. She smiled and blushed and tried to bat his hand away. "Let me see!" he insisted as he started to reach for the buttons on her shirt.

"There's nothing to see," she insisted as she tried to bat his hands away. He finally got the bottom buttons open and he laughed when he saw the littel bar with a snitch on the end.

"Cute," he commented with a smile.

"Well, you know me," she said as she buttoned her shirt again. "I like to be very thorough in my research," she finished with a little shrug as she grabbed her book bag and hurried off.