Chapter Seven- Confrontation

The next morning she woke up and lied in bed for a few moments. She was home. Stretching she raised her arms above her head, until suddenly Star jumped up and walked on her belly looking down at her. Smiling she settled back into the bed stroking Star behind the ears, "Mornin' Star." she whispered.

A soft meow was her response as she continued to scratch behind Star's ears resulting in a deep purr. As she lay there, warm inside her cocoon of sheets she thought back to the past 24 hours and couldn't believe all that had happened. From waking up yesterday morning and making breakfast with Harry to apparating to the train station, Neville and Luna finding them, to Ron's sudden appearance, and Neville and Luna's big news.

She wished in a way that the day had ended there, with Neville Luna telling them they were engaged and then go straight towards them heading to bed. As she reminisced about dinner last night, she then remembered about Draco Malfoy. Rolling on her side, she cuddled Star to her as she played with her tail lightly, thinking back to those glances she shared with Draco.

It seemed strange how he kept his gaze on her. But why? What could possibly have possessed him to stare at her like that? He hated her! Didn't he? A slight frown formed on her face the more she thought about it, through all the years of torment, teasing, and name calling.

A sudden meow sounded as Star jumped down and headed out the door. Shaking her head she didn't want to think about the possibility of a mouse being anywhere around her as she rolled back over to her back and stretched once more. Feeling quite awake and alert, she got out of bed and changed into her school clothes.

After she was done, she kneeled before her trunk taking out her text books, some parchments, her quills, ink and her school bag. Getting everything loaded she placed the strap over her arm and headed down towards the common room. Looking around she felt a little awkward from the emptiness and the sofa where she had her meltdown last night.

Sighing she headed towards the portrait and heading out was met with the Fat Lady's disgruntled words at being opened so early at her back as she made her way downstairs to the Great Hall for breakfast. Today was when they were going to pass out the schedules, and she felt a little nervous as to what classes she would end up with...no! She wouldn't ruin her day thinking about that this early.

Squaring her shoulders she made it to the Great Hall, and noticed that there were a few people up already, including some of the teachers. She noticed Neville and Luna were sitting together, as well as Harry and Ginny. Surprised she could see they were all in deep conversation and she wondered if she should interrupt when Ginny noticed her, smiled and waved her over.

The others noticed as well and all smiled warmly at her as she took a seat next to Luna.

"Morning." She responded to their chorused 'Good morning' to her.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Neville asked.

"Kinda. I've been waking up early a lot lately." She said helping herself to some scrambled eggs, toast, and pumpkin juice.

"We were discussing how our sleeping has changed since last year." Luna informed her as she took a bite of toast.

"I keep having dreams of everything that happened." Ginny said resuming playing with her food.

"I dream about when I had confronted Voldemort." Neville said softly.

Everyone became quiet as they remembered back, when Neville had stood before Voldemort, giving his speech then Harry seemingly coming back to life.

"I was quite proud of you." Luna broke the silence, as she looked at Neville.

Hermione looked down at her breakfast as the tender scene between Neville and Luna past. Not from embarrassment or resentment, but more out of respect for her friends.

As she began eating her breakfast suddenly she heard Luna ask, "What happened between you and Ron Hermione?"

Pausing halfway to her mouth with her forkful full of egg, Hermione looked at her as everyone became silent.

Looking around Luna asked, "I touched a difficult topic didn't I?"

"It's kinda complicated Luna." Harry answered.

"Oh." She responded looking from both Harry to Hermione.

As they sat there in silence, Hermione felt herself in turmoil. She knew she needed to tell her friends what had happened, but too she wondered if she should and what should she say? But as they all sat there, moving their food around on their plates with their forks, she sighed and putting her fork down said,

"Ron accused me of cheating on him with Harry."

Everyone's head shot up as she spoke, and as the words had come out of her mouth, she was surprised at how strong and steady her voice was.

"He what?" Neville looked at both Harry and Hermione as Luna placed a hand on Hermione's arm.

"That's not true." Luna said as they sat there in silence once more.

"Not at all!" Hermione replied looking at them all.

"Ron even confronted Harry about it as well." Ginny added as they sat there silently looking at one another.

"Seems a little uncharacteristic of him." Luna said soflty.

"No kidding." Neville agreed. "Ron always thought highly of Harry."

Hermione could sense Harry was becoming just as uneasy as she was about talking about this subject. Although she found it wasn't hard to talk about him, it just seemed too soon for her to try and accept all that happened and just how she and Harry had lost their best friend.

As they sat there quietly suddenly they heard quick footsteps behind them. Looking they found McGonagall heading towards the doors ushering somebody away. Frowning they all seemed to have curious and uncertain faces as they looked at each other.

"I wonder what that was all about." Ginny said.

"I don't know." Neville replied turning back to his breakfast taking a bite out of his eggs.

"So...what kind of classes do you think we will be put in?" Luna asked.

As conversation started coming easily between the five friends, their group grew as more students started to emerge. Harry and the Crevey brothers were talking, as Ginny and Dean were trying to explain a spell to Seamus, Neville and Luna were talking to Hermione and as more people joined, more conversations started taking place. It was like old times as they sat there conversed and compared schedules as teachers began walking up and down the tables.

They all found they shared Defense Against the Dark Arts together History and Potions. Astronomy seemed to be a two part class taught by both Frienze and Trenelway. Anyone in the 5th year and up seemed to be enrolled in the Muggle Studies class, but only Hermione noticed that there was a new teacher teaching this class. Their last class of the day; which seemed to be composed of a three part segment, was their longest class and it was the combined class of Herbology, Charms, and survival skills. It too seemed as though this class was only provided to 3rd year students and up.

All too soon it seemed breakfast was over, as they were dismissed and sent to find their classes. Hermione stayed close to Harry, Ginny, Neville, and Luna as they made their way down the corridors and down to the dungeons to their Potions class. As they entered and took their seats they found Professor Slughorn smiling at them biding them to come in.

"Come on in everyone, don't be shy. Take a seat and open your books to page 13. We are going to have some fun today."

As he welcomed more people in, they all took their seats. It seemed as this year the boundary between the Houses that had separated and segregated them through the years was no longer there, although some Slytherin's still congregated towards the back of the classroom and sat together.

It wasn't until everyone was almost seated that Hermione noticed there were two seats left, the one next to her, and one at a table composed of a few Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's. Frowning as to who could be missing, her answers came forth as a disheveled Ron came puffing through the door and Draco Malfoy.

Slughorn, who had made his way to the front of the class, called out to them, "Hurry and sit down boys. We are about to begin."

After assessing the situation Hermione noticed that both boys seemed to blanch at the choices that they were given, although both blanched at the different seating choices. Suddenly, before she knew what happened, Ron walked over and sat next to her. Looking down at the table, she tried to not be obvious as she scooted herself away from him as much as possible as he began tossing his books on the table.

As Slughorn began his lesson, Hermione found herself wishing that Malfoy had been quicker and chose the seat next to her. Although as much as she was unsure about him, she wouldn't have minded sitting next to him as she did Ron. And he might've smelled a little bit better than Ron.

Lavender either wore a cheap brand of perfume, or Ron had no sense of smell for cologne, because he was drowned in it making it hard for her to concentrate on the lesson. For every time he moved a huge waft of it would wash over her, causing her to feel nauseous.

The minutes ticked by, and as they did it seemed to take an eternity for the next minute to pass. Time seemed to be against her as she continually checked the clock between taking notes on the potion they were to be making tomorrow. If asked what she was writing and what it meant, she knew that she would not be able to explain it, for each time she checked the clock her attention to whatever suggestions and hints Slughorn gave went unnoticed.

She tried so hard to not focus on the person sitting next to her, and the horrible smell being omitted from him. She was sitting so far on the edge of her stool that her back, legs, and arms hurt. And the tiny amount of desk space she allowed herself, somehow made it appear that it was ok for Ron to take total control on the remaining space strewing his things all over and sitting as close to her as he could.

It wasn't until they were dismissed to leave that Hermione found herself the first one out the door, and as she headed towards her next class wished she did not have to endure another class like that again.

When returning to the Gryffindor Common Room after her last class that day Hermione couldn't help but to contain herself from strewing her things all over the room. 'Why did this happen? Why?' Every single class except for two she; Muggle Studies and her study hall period, she had with Ron!

'Oh why?' she thought. She couldn't believe it! She probably wouldn't have had a hard time if it was with Lavender but Ron?! She was ready to pull her hair out and scream. 'How did this happen?'

Sitting on the edge of her bed, she doubled over resting her head in her hands, closing her eyes. She tried to take steady breaths but it seemed that everything around her seemed to agitate and annoy her. Standing up she began pacing, but with such a small space to maneuver in, she knew she needed more space, and someplace away from people.

Standing still, she placed her hands at her hips and tried to think of someplace she could go. Her normal haven was the library, but she knew there was no book that she could escape in. She didn't want to walk the grounds because that was where everyone had gone after they had finished their Wizards Survival class; which had been exactly what she and Harry had thought it would be. It was teaching how to determine which plants and roots where safe to eat, how to set up protection charms, and how to best set up shelter.

As she stood there thinking, she looked out the window just as a bird flew by. Just like that she knew where she wanted to be. Heading out the door, she kept her head down as she walked down the steps and maneuvered her way through the Common Room and out the Fat Lady's portrait, her feet walking swiftly towards the Astronomy tower.

It wasn't until she made it to the top, and she stood at the open windowsill looking out over the grounds of Hogwarts did she exhale and feel a sense of peace and calm fill her. She could remember all the times she came up here in the previous years to get away from it all and to think. Watching the clouds she found herself picking out shapes and pictures out or their white fluffy masses, as they floated by casting shadows down below on the Dark Forest and parts of the castle.

Lost in her thoughts of nothing, she didn't notice someone walking up the stairs until she heard someone clear their throat, and when she looked behind her she found Ron standing there.

"What are you doing here?" her tone sounded cold.

He looked down at the floor sheepishly and said, "I...I saw you...leave and I...I wanted to see if you were alright."

Frowning she looked at him in disbelief, and before she could help it asked, "Why do you care if I'm alright?"

He finally looked up at her, "Well, I saw that you looked like you could use someone and I felt-"

"You felt what?" she cried out cutting him off. "Felt what? You obviously didn't feel anything for me when you accused me of cheating on you months ago! Nor did you feel anything when..." she stopped, she didn't dare continue that.

"Hermione, please-"

"What?"

Looking back to the ground, he kicked at an imaginary rock before he looked back at her saying, "I was wrong to do that to you. But you have to understand my side!"

"Your side?!" she cried, "Your side? And what about my side? How do you think what you had said to me made me feel Ronald?"

He shrugged and looking back down at the ground traced the ground with his foot.

Exasperated she turned away and could feel her heart pound. She felt angry, no she was furious. How dare he come up and have the gall to ask if she was ok. What was the meaning of this?

"But really what happened between you two-"

Spinning around she was tempted to slap him for asking such a thing from her again. But instead she shook her head and said, "If you truly knew me you would have known that nothing happened! Harry and I did nothing wrong and I did not sleep with him despite what you may think. Nor did I ever sleep with Victor Krum, as if that is any of your business now. But since you obviously don't know me, it shouldn't matter to you now."

Spinning back around, she couldn't look at him as tears began pooling in her eyes. She tried to blink them back, but as she did a few ran down her face. She listened to his footsteps as they headed towards the stairs, paused for just a moment and then left.

Her body shaking she turned back around and seeing that she was indeed completely alone she fell to her knees and laying down curled up into the fetal position and cried. Not of heartache, or from loss of her love, but from the knowledge that all of her once dreams and wishes had been wasted on a boy who did not care for her.

Draco watched in agony from the shadows. He had seen everything that had happened and was torn to pick the crumbled figure up in the middle of the Astronomy tower or to leave her be and follow that oaf Weaselbee and give him a piece of his mind. The latter option, although would make him feel better, he knew he couldn't compromise this balancing act he was in.

He wished he had the courage to comfort her, but would she accept it? Who was he to give comfort to her when the past seven years all he had given her was torment and grief? Leaning against the wall he felt his soul weep with her and with a heavy heart stayed where he was. He could only watch from afar now.

A soft meow resounded from his feet and looking down, gazed upon the furry face of Star. Bending down he nestled his face in the cat's warm fur, and whispering said, "Comfort her for me."

A deep purr was the response as the beautiful creature walked off and nestled itself against her body. Standing up he watched as she wrapped her arm around the animal and holding it close to her buried her face like he had down in the animal's soft fur.

"I'll save you from another confrontation Hermione." He whispered softly as he turned and walked away.