I have to say Krum eased up on Hermione after that and he never asked her to stay late anymore. The weeks rushed by and it was Halloween. I was definitely looking forward to an amazing feast. Not exactly what one usually thinks about when you're in bed with your girl.
We were laying there in post-ecstasy bliss. I was glancing out her window at what appeared to be approaching clouds and she had her head on my chest. I could feel her playing with the sapphire necklace I bought her for her birthday.
I thought back to how earlier today we couldn't wait to get out of classes. For some reason we were both so turned on that we rushed up to her room to do the deed. I looked down at her and she smile, leaned up then kissed me. "That was incredible." She whispered and I agreed whole heartedly.
Then there was a most unexpected knock on her door. "Hermione, are you in there?"
It was Ginny. How did she get in here? Others weren't allowed in our dormitory.
"Just a second." Hermione said in a panic.
We jumped up and she reached for her robe. I didn't know where to hide so Hermione eventually put all my clothes in my arms and pushed me into her wardrobe. It was hot in there among her clothes and it was stuffy. I stayed perfectly still not wanting to make a sound.
"Ginny, how did you get up here?" I heard her ask as she opened the door.
"What took you so long?"
"I was about to take a shower when you knocked. I had to throw something on and I couldn't find my robe."
"Oh, Eloise let me in. I explained to her…" I was surprised to hear Ginny start sobbing hysterically.
"Ginny, what's going on?"
"Oh, nothing – Harry and I broke up is all."
"What? Gin, what happened?" Hermione sounded as shocked as I felt.
"I honestly don't know." She stopped for a second. "Promise you won't tell Ron."
"Of course." Hermione promised knowing full well I could hear the entire conversation.
"Harry and I have been talking lately about, well, you know…having sex."
It took all my willpower to not burst out of the closet and pummel Harry. I stayed quiet so I could hear the extent of his treachery.
"Really, well have you done it?"
"No, but I think I'm ready. He's just worried about it since I'm a year younger and that Ron might kill him but I think that's ridiculous and I told him so."
"Well Gin it really does take both of you to be ready."
"I know – I don't see how you and Ron are holding off considering you guys are pretty much all over each other."
"A lot of chocolate helps." Hermione joked but I didn't actually get it. "Why would you guys break up over that?"
"I admit I said a few things. You know that girl Vale?"
"Harry's partner in Charms?"
"Yes, well they've become pretty good friends and that's okay and all. I mean you and Harry are just friends. Lately they hang out a lot."
"Ginny, I don't see them hanging out a whole bunch. We're with Harry lots of the time."
"But you and Ron always sneak off to snog and - don't look at me like that we all know that's what you're doing. That's when she seems to always show up lately. Has he said anything to you about her?"
"No Ginny he hasn't. She's nice and has eaten lunch with us outside a few times but other than that, nothing. I still don't see where this is going."
"I said that if I was Vale I'm sure he'd be all ready for a shag. He didn't really appreciate that. I know it was a stupid statement but I've just been so jealous of her lately. Then he went on about how he didn't know what I was up to here last year. He said he had heard a rumor that I went out with Blake."
"Did you?"
"Just a few times. Harry had broken up with me remember. Well, he thinks I'm a total slag."
"He said that?" Hermione asked surprisingly.
"Not exactly in those words but anyway he decided that we should take a break from each other for while and cool off."
"That doesn't necessarily mean a break-up Gin. Maybe he just wants to slow things down. With everything that has gone on for the past year, he has to be a little mixed up in the emotions department." Hermione took a deep breath. "Look, it's getting close to time for the feast. I'll take a shower and meet you back in the Gryffindor common room okay. We'll go down together."
I heard Hermione open the door and then shut it. I waited a second before opening the wardrobe. When I tried to get out, my foot got caught in one of her robes and I came crashing to the floor.
"Are you okay?" Hermione laughed.
"Just peachy." I said getting to my feet. "What was that about?"
"I don't get it. That was a weird story and there just has to be more to it. You should go find Harry and we'll meet at the feast."
It sounded like a good plan so once I got dressed I bounced over to the boys section and knocked on Harry's door. After silence I knocked again and got a weak come in.
Since I wasn't supposed to know what was going on, I had to start off carefully. "What did you do to my sister?" Okay, maybe I couldn't carry the careful plan out.
"What do you mean?" He immediately defended.
"Hermione said she was very upset."
"Well, we…I think we broke up again."
"What do you mean you think? You either did or didn't."
"She seems to think I have it for that Vale girl."
"Well do you?" I said hotly.
"No! She's just a friend like Hermione. I also found out Ginny was dating some bloke named Blake part of last year."
"Who's Blake?" I badgered.
"A Slytherin."
One could have knocked me over with a quill. "I'm sorry but I must be hearing voices. Did you say she dated a Slytherin?" I plopped down into Harry's desk chair.
"Yep. He's that dark haired seventh year guy that is always cracking those jokes in DADA."
"What?? That guy? The one I wanted to hex into next week for winking at Hermione?" The guy Harry was talking about was a real slime ball. He was a smooth talker and girls seemed to like him but you could tell he was sleazy.
"I understand we broke up before last year. But to go out with a Slytherin, she might as well have dated Malfoy."
I saw his point but…"Okay, my sister's enormously poor judgment aside, they aren't still dating so why break up?"
"I don't know. I was so made about her being jealous of a girl that is just a friend. A girl that dates Alex Hornby of the Wimby Wasps by the way."
"Wow, she dates Alex Hornby?" I couldn't help but be impressed. The guy went to Beauxbatons but was really wicked with the quaffle.
"Yes. She said something about how I probably wanted to use the boy who lived thing to my advantage and shag every girl I can."
I jumped up out of the chair. "You haven't been pressuring my sister have you?"
"No," Harry defended, "it was more like the other way around."
"What's that supposed to mean? Are you calling my sister a slag or something?" My basic instincts to protect my sister at all costs were coming out.
"No, dammit Ron just listen. I think we should wait, like you guys are. At least until we are out of school." I felt like a complete hypocrite.
There was a knock at the door and Hermione opened it and popped her head in. "Guys it's me. I'm going to head on to Gryffindor and get Gin. I'll meet you at the feast."
We nodded our acceptance and I hypocritically went on for another ten minutes on the virtues of waiting. It was obvious that Harry was hurt by the boy who lived comment. He kept going on and on about how he wanted to put that behind him. We then meandered down to the feast to find Hermione waiting at the Gryffindor table for us.
"Where's Ginny?" I asked.
"Oh, she wanted to stop to talk to someone." Hermione's expression was a mixture of embarrassment and irritation.
Harry had obviously spotted her and I followed his eyes toward the Slytherin table where Ginny was talking to that bloke.
"She's probably just trying to make you jealous or something." I said.
"When she told me she went out with a guy named Blake I had no idea she meant him. I thought she meant that Hufflepuff not the guy who grabbed my butt."
"He grabbed your ass?" I asked between gritted teeth.
"Ron, I didn't want you to kill him. Not that it would be a loss but I didn't want you to go to Azkaban." She then turned to Harry. "Don't worry; she's desperately in love with you."
"She sure has a way to show it." Harry said under his breath.
The food had arrived and we began to fill our plates. Ginny then joined us; sitting next to Hermione but engaged in conversation with a girl in her year.
"This is going well." I muttered under my breath to an obviously perturbed Hermione. She seemed completely annoyed by the whole situation but started making small talk with Harry to ease the tension.
Finally, Ginny turned her attention back to us. "Well, our last Halloween feast. Sad isn't it?"
"Sure." Said Harry.
Ginny looked like she was about to retort but Hermione jumped in. "Come on you guys. After the feast I want you two to talk this thing out."
"What's there to talk about? I believe we are broken-up." Said Ginny.
"You guys will work it out." Hermione was trying to soothe things.
"Hey," said a defensive Harry, "I'm not the one hanging out with the Slytherins, especially a particular one that felt you up in class."
"What?" Asked Ginny.
"I'll tell you later." She said but then addressed both of them, "You two are not dragging Ron and I into this. It's completely unfair! But I will say that it's seems like we have been through quite enough and something this trivial should be tearing you two apart. It's obvious you're meant for each other, so now start acting like it."
We then went on to talk about classes, quidditch and the upcoming holidays. Anything not to bring up the subject of romance.
Thankfully the next morning was Saturday but I had to get up early for a grueling quidditch practice. Harry seemed to be taking out his frustrations on the entire team. When it finally ended, Harry announced he wasn't hungry and went up to our dorm. Ginny decided the same and went up to Gryffindor. The whole team watched the scene play out and we all agreed that until they make up, we were all going to be suffering for it.
I, unlike the other two, was starving. I found Hermione who was politely chatting with Neville, who had just returned from an apparently exciting trip to an island in the Mediterranean to learn about magical underwater plants.
She looked relieved when I sat down and Neville bid us farewell so that he could do his hourly feeding of his newest acquisition. Just then, owls swooped into the Great Hall, dropping their letter and copies of the Daily Prophet. I got a letter from mum – nothing much going on there. I turned to tell Hermione and noticed that she too had a letter. For the first time it was not one of her own returned. Her parents had finally answered her.
The smile on her face quickly faded to a slight frown and she shrugged her shoulders. "Not exactly what I was hoping for." She then handed me the letter.
Hermione,
I have decided that I need to respond to one of your letters. While I am glad to hear that you are well I must ask that you stop writing us. The owls are creating a serious problem. Our neighbors have even called animal control and this letter arrived when an owl flew into our dental office. We simply can't continue to have these disturbances.
Your father and I are well and very happy here. We are sorry that we did not contact you on your birthday but deposited £100 in your account and will put an additional sum in for Christmas. We also kept the flat in London when we left and after much debate, we have decided to allow you to use it on holidays and when you leave school. I hope this will be satisfactory and put an end to your need to constantly write us.
Sincerely,
Mother
It wasn't very long and if I understood it correctly, it essentially said to bugger off. "I'm sorry Hermione."
"Don't be. I'll just start writing them the Muggle way. I'll have to get permission to go to Hogsmeade and apparate to the nearest village to use their post."
"Hermione, it reads like they don't want you to write them anymore."
"No, if you read it carefully, they are only complaining about the owls." She took a sip of her pumpkin juice. "But if they think they can bribe me to stop writing them by essentially giving me the flat, they are dead wrong."
She looked extremely serious. "You can stay with me; you don't have to go to your parents."
"Are you kidding? I'm definitely going to use the flat. It's not that far from the Ministry and I already have great plans for it. You should move in with me! That will get their knickers in a twist."
"I don't want to move in with you to spite your parents." I said feeling rather used. Was our relationship a way of getting back at her parents?
"I'm sorry Ron, I shouldn't have said it like that and you don't have to move in." She crossed her arms over chest. "They've just really made me angry is all. Our relationship has nothing to do with them anyway."
A little relieved but still unsure, I placed me arms around her and soon enough she started crying. I knew she would start eventually.
"Ron, why don't they love me anymore?" She asked.
The question was like a punch in the stomach. I wouldn't know what I'd do if my parents essentially chucked me out on the street. "They still love you, they're just confused. At least they wrote you back; that's a good sign. Pretty soon they'll be writing you. They were probably uncomfortable with the owls."
The next Hogsmeade trip Hermione had special permission to visit a Muggle village where she rented a letter box thing and mailed her first Muggle letter to her parents.
