Don't own HP.

Chapter Two

..Four Months Prior..

Harry was sitting under a tree by the lake. A slight breeze was blowing, ruffling his hair. It was getting colder. Winter was approaching… and so where his aggravating friends. Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. They had done a great job of annoying him, maybe even more than Dumbles did.

"Oh Harry! We were looking everywhere for you," Hermione said. She looked really worried, her hair more disheveled that usual. Ron just stood to the side and nodded a few times.

"I was right here," Harry replied boredly. There was an awkward silence. Ron felt the need to fill it.

"So uh… nice weather we're having." Hermione turned and glared at him.

"Weather!? Why are you talking about weather at a time like this?!"

"A time like what?" Harry asked, regretting the words that flew from his mouth automatically. Hermione's head immediately snapped back to him. Her glaring eyes softened, and Harry knew he was in trouble.

"I'm so sorry Harry. With Sirius… gone... and everything. Um. And Voldemort attacking you. I just…" She looked as if she couldn't figure out what to say. So Ron said it for her.

"We love you." Harry's eyebrows rose. Now that wasn't something he was expecting.

"Yes Harry. We really do. I just wish you'd open up more to us." She said sadly. There it was. She'd been saying it since the beginning of the school year, Ron dutifully following and doing the nodding thing.

"Yes well, I wish you'd both just shut up and leave me alone, but I can't have that can I? So neither can you." He said rather harshly. He didn't really mean to make them upset. He just said what came to mind.

Hermione looked close to tears. Harry scowled. Great I've done something wrong again. Ron kept looking back and forth from Harry to Hermione, as if he couldn't believe what was happening.

"Look, Herm-"

"No. It's okay Harry. I get it." She turned to leave, Ron following like the puppy he'd always wanted. "No Ron, stay here. I need to think." Ron stopped following. She walked away. The silence after she left became awkward again. Ron again had the same overwhelming urge.

"So eh… kinda cold?"

Hermione didn't know where she was going. She just walked through hall after hall, not paying much attention. Tears of frustration were threatening to fall down her cheeks. She only wanted to help. Why couldn't he see she was worried for him? If some evil murderer was after your best friend, what would you do? She sighed, realizing she had no idea where she was.

"Meow." Hermione turned to see Crookshanks, her ginger cat, pad over to her. She bent down to pet her, wondering how she had gotten here. She didn't know where here was of course, but still.

"Hey sweetheart. What are you doing out of the tower?" she asked her hand coming closer to the cats head. The moment she touched her orange fur, she felt a pull in her navel.

"Wha-"

Everything went dark.

Okay I'm clearing a few thing up.

one: I know Ron seems kinda dumb in this chapter. It was supposed to end up funny... but it kinda just made it stupid. opps.

two: I know Harry is supposed to be telling the story and wouldn't be able to see what happened to Hermione after she left. But I've decided to just write what actually happened. We'll get back to Harry and Dumbles later.

three: Yeah. I know. Short. Really short. I promise the next one'll be longer. this just seemed like a really good place to end the chapter. Sorry.

four: I think Crookshanks is a boy in the books. But he's a girl here. So deal with it!

That's about it... I think. lol.

/\/\//\ MoMo-Chan /\/\//\