Ron was walking down to his double potions class with Slytherin when all of
a sudden somebody reached over and pulled him into a closet. "Bloody Hell!"
Ron started to say, but was stopped when a cold, clammy hand closed firmly
around his mouth. He turned around to find none other than Hermione
Granger, his good friend who until recently had stuck by him through thick
and thin. "Be quiet Ron and don't do anything rash," she whispered, her
eyes pleading desperately. Ron nodded and she let her hand down slowly.
"Ron, listen, I'm very sorry that you're upset about all of this but you've
got to understand—"
"I do, you're the one who's got to understand. You abandoned us Hermione!
You became an entirely different person. You went over to the dark side!"
"Oh Ron, don't be ridiculous. All I did was—"
"Yes," Ron replied, scowling with such an intense glare that made Hermione
wanted to cry, "Yes, all you did was choose your, your... Draco Malfoy over
us. Harry and me, we were your friends Hermione."
The words stung her violently like a thousand hornets piercing her skin. "I
still am your friend, Ron. Please understand me when I say this, I still
want to be your friend. Draco didn't know any better, it was the way he was
brought up."
"He didn't know any better? HE DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER? That stupid git
nearly got Harry and me killed! How could he not know how dangerous that
was? He'd have to be pretty thick to not realize what that potion was." Ron
looked at Hermione again; she looked like she hadn't brushed her hair in
days. Pieces of it were hanging across her face. His eyes trailed over
towards her, and for a second he actually met her eyes without glaring. Her
eyes were red from many nights of crying and many days of stress. She was
in complete anguish, that was obvious, and it hurt Ron to see her so upset.
"No," he thought, "I can't forgive her. I'll never forgive her." He stepped
out of the closet and shut the door behind him. Sobs erupted inside of it.
Ron shook his head and raced down the hallway, tears threatening to drip
down his face.
Harry walked into the Griffindor Common room. He slumped into a large, overstuffed arm chair and gave out a huge sigh. He put his hand under the cushion, but quickly withdrew it once more. "It's not there!" Harry's shout echoed through the common room. "What's not there?" asked Lavender Brown who had been reading a book near the fireplace. "Nothing," answered Harry, "Nothing important." But he was wrong. It was important. It was so important to him that he would go to great lengths to get it back. He was desperate, and there's nothing scarier than a desperate boy with a magic wand. As soon as everyone had left the common room, Harry ran towards the Fat Lady's portrait. He climbed through and out into the hallway. His heart was beating fast; he had broke the rules so many times before and regardless of his need to find it, this would put him down the road for becoming expelled. In fact, if he succeeded in finding it and using it to help Hermione, Ron, and him become friends again, he might be facing an even worse fate.
The next morning Ron and Hermione were partnered up for a class project during Herbology. Harry was nowhere to be found. Hermione was somewhat happier, as she saw this as an opportunity to reunite with her good friend. She looked around the room. Half of the students, (the Slytherins of course) were giving her such dirty looks that she wished she was back home with her parents. The other half, the Griffindors didn't know what to think anymore and were basically avoiding any eye contact with her at all. She saw Ron go up to Professor Sprout. Hermione wondered why, since the professor's instructions had been clear and right to the point. They were to get with their groups, label the anatomy of the Tung Tung Plant, and find uses for it. "Professor," said Ron, "Is it all right if I partner up with somebody else?" Professor Sprout was extremely surprised. "Weasley," she said, "Whyever would you want to switch partners?" Ron was about to do a terrible thing. He was about to lie to a professor. "Well," started Ron, "See I know that if I were partnered up with her she'd want to do all of the work. I want to do it without her help." This of course was not true in the least. Ron loved it when Hermione helped him with work, as he saw work as well... work. "Very well then, Mr. Weasley," was all Professor Sprout could manage to reply. She stared curiously at the three friends a certain Slytherin liked to call "The Dream Team" and found that one, (Harry), was not there at all, and that the other two were looking away from each other with a great air of disdain. She didn't quite understand it, but she did know one thing. Something was definitely up.
Everything was quiet at the Slytherin table during supper, which scared the heck out of the other houses though they didn't quite want to admit that. Everyone was whispering rumors of the whereabouts of Mr. Draco Malfoy who had recently been caught giving Harry and Ron a rather deadly potion. Everyone was quite surprised that Malfoy had been able to concoct such a potion seeing as the reason he was getting such good grades in Potions class was that he was Snape's favorite. "I can't believe they took him," whispered Pansy Parkinson, with a look of great embarrassment once she realized that her entire table was now staring at her. They obviously couldn't accept Pansy speaking in Draco's behalf, mainly since Draco had cheated on Pansy. Cheated on her, with none other than... "Well will you all bugger off now?" Instantly everyone turned away from Pansy, including Crabbe and Goyle to whom she had been speaking with in the first place. "Not you two!" she began yelling but then reduced it to a harsh whisper. "Really Crabbe, Goyle, you two can be such dunderheads sometimes."
Harry walked into the Griffindor Common room. He slumped into a large, overstuffed arm chair and gave out a huge sigh. He put his hand under the cushion, but quickly withdrew it once more. "It's not there!" Harry's shout echoed through the common room. "What's not there?" asked Lavender Brown who had been reading a book near the fireplace. "Nothing," answered Harry, "Nothing important." But he was wrong. It was important. It was so important to him that he would go to great lengths to get it back. He was desperate, and there's nothing scarier than a desperate boy with a magic wand. As soon as everyone had left the common room, Harry ran towards the Fat Lady's portrait. He climbed through and out into the hallway. His heart was beating fast; he had broke the rules so many times before and regardless of his need to find it, this would put him down the road for becoming expelled. In fact, if he succeeded in finding it and using it to help Hermione, Ron, and him become friends again, he might be facing an even worse fate.
The next morning Ron and Hermione were partnered up for a class project during Herbology. Harry was nowhere to be found. Hermione was somewhat happier, as she saw this as an opportunity to reunite with her good friend. She looked around the room. Half of the students, (the Slytherins of course) were giving her such dirty looks that she wished she was back home with her parents. The other half, the Griffindors didn't know what to think anymore and were basically avoiding any eye contact with her at all. She saw Ron go up to Professor Sprout. Hermione wondered why, since the professor's instructions had been clear and right to the point. They were to get with their groups, label the anatomy of the Tung Tung Plant, and find uses for it. "Professor," said Ron, "Is it all right if I partner up with somebody else?" Professor Sprout was extremely surprised. "Weasley," she said, "Whyever would you want to switch partners?" Ron was about to do a terrible thing. He was about to lie to a professor. "Well," started Ron, "See I know that if I were partnered up with her she'd want to do all of the work. I want to do it without her help." This of course was not true in the least. Ron loved it when Hermione helped him with work, as he saw work as well... work. "Very well then, Mr. Weasley," was all Professor Sprout could manage to reply. She stared curiously at the three friends a certain Slytherin liked to call "The Dream Team" and found that one, (Harry), was not there at all, and that the other two were looking away from each other with a great air of disdain. She didn't quite understand it, but she did know one thing. Something was definitely up.
Everything was quiet at the Slytherin table during supper, which scared the heck out of the other houses though they didn't quite want to admit that. Everyone was whispering rumors of the whereabouts of Mr. Draco Malfoy who had recently been caught giving Harry and Ron a rather deadly potion. Everyone was quite surprised that Malfoy had been able to concoct such a potion seeing as the reason he was getting such good grades in Potions class was that he was Snape's favorite. "I can't believe they took him," whispered Pansy Parkinson, with a look of great embarrassment once she realized that her entire table was now staring at her. They obviously couldn't accept Pansy speaking in Draco's behalf, mainly since Draco had cheated on Pansy. Cheated on her, with none other than... "Well will you all bugger off now?" Instantly everyone turned away from Pansy, including Crabbe and Goyle to whom she had been speaking with in the first place. "Not you two!" she began yelling but then reduced it to a harsh whisper. "Really Crabbe, Goyle, you two can be such dunderheads sometimes."