He opened the door and peered inside. The curtains were open and he smiled
as he watched her sleep. Like a log. Harry kneeled next to her head. "
Hermione," he whispered, shaking her," Hermione, wake up." She rolled over
and stuck her leg off the other side of the bed. " Get up," he said, poking
her hard in the back. She opened her eyes a little. " Hey," she said
thickly," Could I please have my toads back?" " I don't have your toads,
Hermione," Harry said, starting to get irritated," Now wake up so I can ask
you a question." She sat up and tried to open her eyes. She yawned and
began to fall backward. " Oh no, you don't," Harry said, putting his arm
around her back and sitting next to her. Her head drooped onto his
shoulder. " Hermione," he rolled his shoulder to wake her up," The sooner
you answer, the sooner you can go back to sleep." " Hurry, Harry," she
yawned. " I need your full attention for you to answer this." " Alright,
alright," she muttered, sitting up and facing him, her eyes wide open. "
This whole year, you have not said a single thing about you and Viktor.
What happened?" " I'm going back to bed," Hermione shook her head as it
fell into Harry's lap, finally overcome by her sleepiness. Harry turned her
over so that her face was turned up to his. Her face wasn't asleep at all;
it was crying. " Aw, Hermione," he whispered as she sat up. He hugged her
head to his chest as she sobbed. " It's okay," he ran his fingers through
her brown hair," You can tell me." " He.....he..tried to....get me to join
him and his father...under..under," she sobbed unable to go on. " Under
Voldemort?" Harry asked, quietly. She nodded into his chest. " And when I
refused...he threatened to kill you if I didn't...didn't...do something for
him." " What thing?" She shook her head and cried harder. " I'm sorry. I
just can't bring myself to say it. I didn't want to and he wanted to kill
me. I ran. He followed. Then I....I...killed him." Harry's eyes widened
with shock. Hermione's sobs were now louder than ever before. " It's going
to be alright," Harry rocked back and forth, trying to comfort her. " No,
it's not. His father came to see me later. He and Viktor had been under the
Imperius Curse for quite some time. I killed him and it wasn't even his
fault. No one knew I killed him and if they find out...." " But that was
this summer and no one has come to get you. I don't think you can get into
too much trouble if you were defending yourself." She nodded, showing her
appreciation. Slowly, her sobs began to get softer as she fell asleep.
Harry stayed until she did, hugging her the whole time. He lowered her onto
her pillow and pulled the blanket over her. He cast one last look at her
before he opened the door. He shut it, sighed, smoothed out his shirt, ran
his fingers through his hair, and walked down the stairs. A red headed girl
watched him all the way, unnoticed by Harry. Ginny walked back into her
dormitory, tears pouring down her cheeks.
