A/N Ok, I forgot to mention this before, but this is my first fanfic so please don't expect too highly of it. Thanks to those who have reviewed, your comments really mean a lot to me. And don't worry, I will make them longer. The first one was meant to be short anyway.
Disclaimer: Same as before, I don't own anything (except maybe the plot)
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Chapter 2: Feeling of Loneliness
Monday arrived and Hermione couldn't help feeling excited. Although she always felt eager about going to Diagon Alley, she felt that it was something else that triggered this excitement today. Again, the thought of Ron sprung into her mind but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
Hermione and her parents took a bus to the Leaky Cauldron and Hermione, being the only one in the family with any magical ability, tapped the bricks on the wall with her wand and stepped back as it swung open to reveal Diagon Alley. Hermione looked around hopefully for a glimpse of red hair, but when she didn't spot any her heart dropped.
Hermione led her parents to Gringotts so they could exchange their muggle money for wizard currency. They climbed the steps and entered through the secure-looking front doors, which was being guarded by two burley little Goblins in porter uniforms. They walked towards a counter which an unusually ugly looking Goblin was attending when a familiar voice shouted out Hermione's name, causing the girl to spin around in surprise.
"Hermione!" Shouted a boy with untidy black hair hanging low over his forehead, concealing a scar the shape of a lightning bolt. Beside him stood a tall, lanky boy with a mass of freckles and bright red hair. They ran over to meet their friend.
"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione, as she hugged the boy with black hair and looked into his green eyes through the thick lenses of his black-rimmed glasses. Harry Potter hugged her back. "Good to see you, Hermione. How's your holiday been?"
"Uneventful," replied Hermione as she turned to the redheaded boy and reached out to hug him. "Ron, how are you?" she asked. Ron Weasly, however, took a step back to prevent Hermione from hugging him. "Fine," he said, in a voice Hermione thought was oddly flat considering Ron's usual up-beat persona. She studied him in confusion for a moment, wondering why he refused to let her hug him. Before she could pursue the matter further, she realised Harry was talking to her again and, with a last quizzical look at Ron, turned to listen to Harry.
"My holiday started out so bad. Like I said in my letter, the Dursleys once again were locking me in my room upstairs and nearly starving me to death. I think Uncle Vernon is starting to see Snuffles as some kind of hollow threat."
Hermione nodded. Snuffles was the 'code name' Harry, Ron and Hermione used when referring to Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. Sirius was on the run for breaking out of Azkaban, the wizardry prison which he had been sent to for a crime he did not commit.
"They even locked Hedwig back in her cage once they discovered I was sending messages to you and Ron," Harry continued. "I thought I was going to die from starvation until Ron and his dad came and convinced Uncle Vernon to let me go stay at The Burrow, where I have been for the past three weeks." Harry grinned.
Hermione felt a pain of jealousy in her chest. Harry had been staying at The Burrow for three whole weeks, and Ron hadn't even invited her? She shot a look at Ron, who was avoiding her eyes. Feeling hurt in a way she had never felt before, Hermione decided to get to the bottom of this.
"Ron? Why didn't you invite me to stay at your place? Aren't I your friend, too?"
Ron looked nervously at Harry for support, but Harry just shook his head and raised his eyebrows. "Well, err, you see," Ron mumbled, now being even more careful not to meet Hermione's eyes. "I, thought you'd be a bit too busy, you know, visiting Krum and all." Hermione detected a hint of (was it bitterness?), in the way Ron said Viktor's name, but it didn't really compute for her. Instead she let out a relieved sigh. So Ron didn't hate her like she thought. Not that it really mattered to her in the first place. Its just Ron, after all.
Hermione looked at Ron, then at Harry, and realised they were waiting for a response. "Viktor?" she began, frantically pitching around for an excuse. "Well... Mum and Dad wouldn't let me go visit him. Yeah, that's it. I didn't go see Viktor because they wouldn't let me." Hermione felt pretty pleased with herself for being so quick with a response, until a voice behind her reminded her that her parents were still present.
"Actually, honey, we did say you could go but..." began Mrs Granger, but the look Hermione had turned to give her made her stop and look in surprise at her daughter.
'Oh great,' thought Hermione bitterly, 'there goes that idea.' Hermione had spent all summer planning ways to use Krum to make Ron angry... or even jealous?
Ron, who now looked slightly relieved himself though trying his best not to show it, appeared to have missed the whole thing with Hermione's mother. Harry, on the other hand, was watching Hermione suspiciously.
The three stood in silence, Harry still with Hermione fixed in his surveying gaze. Hermione was secretly wishing for some kind of ice-breaker which, much to her relief, came in the form of Ginny, Ron's younger and only sister who had also inherited the red Weasly hair. She ran over to Hermione and gave her a hug. Ginny and Hermione were pretty close, and as much as Hermione hated to admit it, Ginny was Hermione's only girl friend (in a friendship way only, in case some people here are thinking otherwise).
"Hermione!" Ginny said, pulling away and grinning. Hermione grinned back just as enthusiastically. "Hello, Ginny. Enjoying your summer?"
"Oh yes," replied Ginny, beginning to giggle. "Fred and George invented a pair of glasses which makes everyone appear a foot taller when you wear them. They swapped them with Percy's when he wasn't looking, and he thought he was shrinking!" Ginny broke out into a fit of giggles, and was joined by Harry and Ron. Again, the pain of jealousy appeared in Hermione's chest and she felt sad having not been there to experience it.
"Well," said Mr Granger, after neither Harry, Ron or Ginny looked likely to stop giggling after several minutes. "I'll just go and change some money, then we can go and purchase your books." He turned and started conversing with the Goblin, who had been watching the group's meeting with a disapproving snarl.
Disclaimer: Same as before, I don't own anything (except maybe the plot)
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Chapter 2: Feeling of Loneliness
Monday arrived and Hermione couldn't help feeling excited. Although she always felt eager about going to Diagon Alley, she felt that it was something else that triggered this excitement today. Again, the thought of Ron sprung into her mind but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
Hermione and her parents took a bus to the Leaky Cauldron and Hermione, being the only one in the family with any magical ability, tapped the bricks on the wall with her wand and stepped back as it swung open to reveal Diagon Alley. Hermione looked around hopefully for a glimpse of red hair, but when she didn't spot any her heart dropped.
Hermione led her parents to Gringotts so they could exchange their muggle money for wizard currency. They climbed the steps and entered through the secure-looking front doors, which was being guarded by two burley little Goblins in porter uniforms. They walked towards a counter which an unusually ugly looking Goblin was attending when a familiar voice shouted out Hermione's name, causing the girl to spin around in surprise.
"Hermione!" Shouted a boy with untidy black hair hanging low over his forehead, concealing a scar the shape of a lightning bolt. Beside him stood a tall, lanky boy with a mass of freckles and bright red hair. They ran over to meet their friend.
"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione, as she hugged the boy with black hair and looked into his green eyes through the thick lenses of his black-rimmed glasses. Harry Potter hugged her back. "Good to see you, Hermione. How's your holiday been?"
"Uneventful," replied Hermione as she turned to the redheaded boy and reached out to hug him. "Ron, how are you?" she asked. Ron Weasly, however, took a step back to prevent Hermione from hugging him. "Fine," he said, in a voice Hermione thought was oddly flat considering Ron's usual up-beat persona. She studied him in confusion for a moment, wondering why he refused to let her hug him. Before she could pursue the matter further, she realised Harry was talking to her again and, with a last quizzical look at Ron, turned to listen to Harry.
"My holiday started out so bad. Like I said in my letter, the Dursleys once again were locking me in my room upstairs and nearly starving me to death. I think Uncle Vernon is starting to see Snuffles as some kind of hollow threat."
Hermione nodded. Snuffles was the 'code name' Harry, Ron and Hermione used when referring to Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. Sirius was on the run for breaking out of Azkaban, the wizardry prison which he had been sent to for a crime he did not commit.
"They even locked Hedwig back in her cage once they discovered I was sending messages to you and Ron," Harry continued. "I thought I was going to die from starvation until Ron and his dad came and convinced Uncle Vernon to let me go stay at The Burrow, where I have been for the past three weeks." Harry grinned.
Hermione felt a pain of jealousy in her chest. Harry had been staying at The Burrow for three whole weeks, and Ron hadn't even invited her? She shot a look at Ron, who was avoiding her eyes. Feeling hurt in a way she had never felt before, Hermione decided to get to the bottom of this.
"Ron? Why didn't you invite me to stay at your place? Aren't I your friend, too?"
Ron looked nervously at Harry for support, but Harry just shook his head and raised his eyebrows. "Well, err, you see," Ron mumbled, now being even more careful not to meet Hermione's eyes. "I, thought you'd be a bit too busy, you know, visiting Krum and all." Hermione detected a hint of (was it bitterness?), in the way Ron said Viktor's name, but it didn't really compute for her. Instead she let out a relieved sigh. So Ron didn't hate her like she thought. Not that it really mattered to her in the first place. Its just Ron, after all.
Hermione looked at Ron, then at Harry, and realised they were waiting for a response. "Viktor?" she began, frantically pitching around for an excuse. "Well... Mum and Dad wouldn't let me go visit him. Yeah, that's it. I didn't go see Viktor because they wouldn't let me." Hermione felt pretty pleased with herself for being so quick with a response, until a voice behind her reminded her that her parents were still present.
"Actually, honey, we did say you could go but..." began Mrs Granger, but the look Hermione had turned to give her made her stop and look in surprise at her daughter.
'Oh great,' thought Hermione bitterly, 'there goes that idea.' Hermione had spent all summer planning ways to use Krum to make Ron angry... or even jealous?
Ron, who now looked slightly relieved himself though trying his best not to show it, appeared to have missed the whole thing with Hermione's mother. Harry, on the other hand, was watching Hermione suspiciously.
The three stood in silence, Harry still with Hermione fixed in his surveying gaze. Hermione was secretly wishing for some kind of ice-breaker which, much to her relief, came in the form of Ginny, Ron's younger and only sister who had also inherited the red Weasly hair. She ran over to Hermione and gave her a hug. Ginny and Hermione were pretty close, and as much as Hermione hated to admit it, Ginny was Hermione's only girl friend (in a friendship way only, in case some people here are thinking otherwise).
"Hermione!" Ginny said, pulling away and grinning. Hermione grinned back just as enthusiastically. "Hello, Ginny. Enjoying your summer?"
"Oh yes," replied Ginny, beginning to giggle. "Fred and George invented a pair of glasses which makes everyone appear a foot taller when you wear them. They swapped them with Percy's when he wasn't looking, and he thought he was shrinking!" Ginny broke out into a fit of giggles, and was joined by Harry and Ron. Again, the pain of jealousy appeared in Hermione's chest and she felt sad having not been there to experience it.
"Well," said Mr Granger, after neither Harry, Ron or Ginny looked likely to stop giggling after several minutes. "I'll just go and change some money, then we can go and purchase your books." He turned and started conversing with the Goblin, who had been watching the group's meeting with a disapproving snarl.
