Title: Ashes to Ashes

Rating: ...I'm leaning over to T, maybe because of the matter at hand.

Warnings: Maybe a little ooc? But what fanfic doesn't have a litttle ooc at certain times.

Disclaimer:I do not own Harry Potter but only my impression about them.

Summary: With a relationship ending in flames, Hannah moves on in life as her best friend rushes to her side once more. Will she open her arms or will she turn her back on her ex-love, Zacharias Smith? Even a sweet girl like Hannah has her limits.

~o0o0o~

There was only so much a girl could handle before she blows. A forgotten date might annoy her but it won't cause her to erupt. Several forgotten dates might irk the girl but if she really cared, she would listen with patience. A date planned several weeks ahead, set on Valentine's Day, with handmade chocolate as well after several missed dates, well, even the kindest girl would turn into a Fury. Hannah Abbott was a sweet, kind Hufflepuff with the patience of saints but even she was human. With a tired sigh, Hannah left the Three Broomsticks and walked into the busy street of Hogsmeade. She looked down at her outfit for the day and cursed her desire to dress up. She looked up into the sky and cursed at the gloomy weather. She felt jealous as she watched couples walked down the street, hand-in-hand with loving smiles on their faces.

With a huff and a puff, Hannah took several deep breaths before a sad smile appeared on her face. Maybe being in a relationship with Zacharias Smith wasn't such a good thing after all. At first, things were great between the two Puffs. But once their sixth year started, Hannah felt things have changed. Things had been tensed between the two and Hannah wasn't so happy with where things were heading.

Many didn't know Zacharias Smith like she did. Before she was Susan's friend, she was Zacharias's. They lived close enough for their mothers to visit each other during their early childhood. Zacharias was a sweet and caring boy, loyal as well. But he had trust problems when the one person he trusted with his life walked out of his life just before his eleventh birthday. When his father left his family, Zacharias told Hannah, besides a select few, he would never trust easily again. It took Susan and several of his year mates a while before he trusted them. It took just as long for him to trust the rest of the Hufflepuff house. Yet, once he believed in his Housemates, he was loyal to them as a Hufflepuff was loyal to their cause.

To anyone outside of the Hufflepuff House, Zacharias might come off as snobbish, a skeptic of anything that deals with trust. Most times they would be right. But Hannah knew better. She knew he wasn't. Her mother once described Zacharias as wooden child. When she looked up the definition of the word, it did describe Zach very well, an awkwardly stiff boy. He had his problems and people didn't know about them.

A laugh broke through her deep thoughts and Hannah looked up to see she was near Zonko's. With a quick look around, Hannah's heart cracked a bit as she watched her oldest friend and boyfriend laughing and joking with a pretty girl from the year below them. This was a sight she could not tear her eyes away. She felt a hand wrapped around her arm and was pulled towards the school. Her eyes never strayed from the sight, even when Zacharias Smith connected his lips with the girl's.

"Come on Hannah, you shouldn't have to see this." Her best female friend told her as Hannah's eyes, wide with disbelief, linked with Susan's brown eyes.

"He didn't, did he? He's not doing what I think he was doing, was he?" Hannah's voice was soft and broken. Susan pulled her best friend into a tight hug. Hannah barely felt how tight the hug was, barely heard the quiet muttering of threats and retribution. Hannah's mind was numb to the world as she was lead into the safety of her dorm room, where she knew where things were.

"Get some sleep Hannah, everything will be better after a long sleep." Hannah changed into her pajamas and lay in bed, following every order Susan gave her. She felt a motherly hand petting her hair. The soft, tender show of affection swayed the shaken girl to sleep. Maybe in the morning, things would become clear. Or maybe this was all a nightmare of a Valentine's Day that would not happen? Maybe it wasn't Valentine's Day yet? Hannah allowed the darkness to quiet her questioning and nervous mind and drifted into the valley of sleep.

~0o0o0~

A/N: This was in response to the 48 hour or Less Challenge set by no heroes allowed in the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges Forum.

Some notes on this chapter, yes this is only a chapter out of a short story. I liked where I was going, it didn't end up how I thought it would be but I really like where this is going. Like I now say, review is like food for the starving. FEED ME! Please?