"I can't... I won't believe it," Hermione stammered as she dropped into one of the squashy armchairs in the Gryffindor common room. Ron was slumped, defeated on the couch next to her.
"Believe it," he said darkly. "I mean, you can't have not seen this one coming?" Hermione shook her head in disbelief.
"Well of course, I always knew Harry would have something to do with... But to have the be the one who actually..." Ron nodded.
"I know. It's like something out of a bad dream." Hermione stood up again and began pacing back and forth in front of the common room fire as she had been doing for almost an hour.
"Why didn't he tell us sooner?" she demanded. "There's got to be a loophole, or an adendum or something... Trelawney's an old fraud anyway..." Ron took a long pull of his butterbeer and said nothing. She continued muttering and pacing for a few more moments before droping down onto the couch next to him.
"What are we going to do?" she whispered. Ron stared blankly into the fire.
"We'll just keep helping him, the way we always have," he replied without feeling. "What else can we do?" Hermione made a strange sound, and Ron turned to look at her. She was crying.
Ron had seen Hermione cry before. He'd been the cause of it more than once, but he'd never seen her cry like this. Usually, her face squeezed up until she looked like some one had crumpled her up like an old paper. Her face would get all red and blotchy and her eyes would swell up, and usually she would make odd, high pitched sobbing noises.
Now she was staring at the fire, tears rolling down her face in silent grief and agony, and somehow it was much much worse.
"Hey," he said suddenly, "hey don't cry." An overwhelming feeling came over him, and before he knew what he was doing, he had put his arms around her. She lay her head on his shoulder and continued to cry silently, her body shaking slightly with each silent sob. "Hermione..." he began, his voice low and soft, "don't..."
She pulled away from him at looked at him through tear stained eyes.
"Don't what Ron? Don't worry? Don't cry? Don't grieve because I might lose him? All right, I won't if you tell me how." She stared at him, her brown eyes looking lost and pleading. He shook his head.
"I don't know," he said finally. "But I do know this. We're not going to lose him. Not without a hell of a fight."
"Believe it," he said darkly. "I mean, you can't have not seen this one coming?" Hermione shook her head in disbelief.
"Well of course, I always knew Harry would have something to do with... But to have the be the one who actually..." Ron nodded.
"I know. It's like something out of a bad dream." Hermione stood up again and began pacing back and forth in front of the common room fire as she had been doing for almost an hour.
"Why didn't he tell us sooner?" she demanded. "There's got to be a loophole, or an adendum or something... Trelawney's an old fraud anyway..." Ron took a long pull of his butterbeer and said nothing. She continued muttering and pacing for a few more moments before droping down onto the couch next to him.
"What are we going to do?" she whispered. Ron stared blankly into the fire.
"We'll just keep helping him, the way we always have," he replied without feeling. "What else can we do?" Hermione made a strange sound, and Ron turned to look at her. She was crying.
Ron had seen Hermione cry before. He'd been the cause of it more than once, but he'd never seen her cry like this. Usually, her face squeezed up until she looked like some one had crumpled her up like an old paper. Her face would get all red and blotchy and her eyes would swell up, and usually she would make odd, high pitched sobbing noises.
Now she was staring at the fire, tears rolling down her face in silent grief and agony, and somehow it was much much worse.
"Hey," he said suddenly, "hey don't cry." An overwhelming feeling came over him, and before he knew what he was doing, he had put his arms around her. She lay her head on his shoulder and continued to cry silently, her body shaking slightly with each silent sob. "Hermione..." he began, his voice low and soft, "don't..."
She pulled away from him at looked at him through tear stained eyes.
"Don't what Ron? Don't worry? Don't cry? Don't grieve because I might lose him? All right, I won't if you tell me how." She stared at him, her brown eyes looking lost and pleading. He shook his head.
"I don't know," he said finally. "But I do know this. We're not going to lose him. Not without a hell of a fight."