All characters belong to JKR

Chapter 25 – Because

Sitting on the ground in the middle of an old graveyard, near some broken down tombstones, a group of friends were huddled together in a tight circle to ward off the chill in the summer nighttime air. They had been in the graveyard for only an hour and it was close to midnight. In the words of Hermione Granger, it was 'the witching hour', so she suggested that they tell scary stories.

Adrian Pucey started. He told everyone what he presumed to be a very scary story full of murder, mayhem, and an ax-welding crazy man. It sounded eerily like a Stephen King novel, or more to the point, a Stephen King novel, turned into a movie, called, 'The Shining'. When Marcus pointed this fact out to him, Adrian winced and said, "Hmmm, you're familiar with Muggle folklore, are you?"

Hermione laughed and said, "Folklore? That's pop culture, not folklore, Pucey! You mean to tell us you're trying to fob off a Stephen King novel as your own scary story. For shame! Now, someone else tell us a scary story!"

While the others reprimanded their leader, Marcus was heard to say, "I've got a very scary one I can tell." He began to tell a fascinating tell of four young boys who heard about a dead body in the woods, so they decided to go find it.

"Wait a moment," Adrian protested. "That's a Stephen King story, too."

"No it's not," Marcus lied. "It's a true story. It happened to a chum of mine's little brother."

Adrian gave his oldest friend a skeptical look. He picked up his wand, shined a light from the tip right in his friend's face, casting upon it a gentle glow brighter than the light from their only other light, which was a fire in the middle of their circle. With the light upon his face, everyone could see Marcus' grin, so they knew he was lying.

"Liar," one of them said.

"Muggle lover," another chimed in.

"Stephen King lover more like it," another said.

"Who's this Stephen King chap?" Draco asked. "He sounds like a sick, twisted sod. I think I might like him."

"Seriously, Malfoy, first the Beatles and now Stephen King," Blaise said with a chuckle.

"What does that mean?" Hermione asked.

"The other night when Theo was playing Beatles songs on his piano in his room, Malfoy didn't know who they were," Blaise explained.

"Like you knew," Draco blustered, throwing his pillow at his friend's head. Blaise kept it, placed it behind his back, and then he gave Draco a rude hand gesture in return.

Hermione looked at the man sitting next to him. "When were you playing Beatle songs on the piano? I didn't know you even knew who they were."

Theo looked slightly embarrassed and was thankful that they graveyard was dark and the fire was burning low. He crossed his legs out in front of him and said, "Hermione, didn't you say you had a scary story to tell us, right before Adrian started talking all that rot about 'all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy'?" He quoted a line from Adrian's story and expelled a breath, hoping she would take his hint and change the subject.

He was pleased when she turned on her bedroll, (which was right next to his) and said, "Oh, yes, I have an absolutely terrifying story to tell all of you." She then began to tell an intricate story. As she talked, she was full of animation, using her arms for flare and her voice for full affect.

When she was done, Adrian and Marcus smiled. Draco and Blaise looked slightly confused, but where captivated, nonetheless. Theo however, looked at Hermione oddly and said, "Wait, I don't understand. So, the thing you kept referring to as merely 'It' was a clown to start with, but ended up as a spider? That's such a stupid story and IT isn't scary in the least."

"Oh yes, it's very scary, perhaps I've just forgotten some of it. I mean, think of it - A spider AND a CLOWN! Believe me, when Harry first read the book by Stephen King, and he told the story to Ron and I, and he got to the part where 'IT' was both a clown and a spider, it frightened both Ron and I so very badly!" Hermione squealed.

Blaise piped in, "Wait, so you're just relaying a novel to us, too. You aren't telling us a true story?"

Hermione laughed so hard she snorted. "Gads, no! You're so gullible! Did you really think I was telling you a true story about a giant spider that was a scary clown that killed little children? Granted, living in the world we live in, that doesn't sound too far off mark, but no, it's a book and it was also a movie, I believe, and it really was very scary."

"It's only scary to you, because you, sweetheart, and the weasel, are both scared little girls. Seriously, afraid of spiders and clowns," Draco said with a sneer.

Hermione whipped her wand out, sent a stinging hex at Draco, and said, "I've faced off Death Eaters over here, Malfoy! How's that for scary?"

"Aware of that, clown girl!" he said, rubbing his shin where her hex hit. "I know you're fearless and full of courage usually, so this clown thing has me perplexed. I need to get to the bottom of it somehow. Tell me, did your parents find you as a newborn in an overstuffed car? Oh, I just got it! It's the bushy hair! Your hair once looked like clown hair, back when we were in school! That's the connection!"

Hermione actually growled, pulled out her wand again, and leaned over Theo's body to get to the man, but Blaise held her back.

"Shove it, clown boy. Maybe she's scared of clowns because you used to remind her of one or something," Theo goaded to his friend sitting next to him, going so far as to place his hand over Draco's mouth, just as she had. Turning toward Hermione he said, "I don't care if it's a novel or not, it's still farfetched and doesn't make sense. I don't understand. Tell me again. Tell me the whole premise of the story again. There were these little kids, right?" Theo questioned.

Now Draco groaned, removing Theo's hand from his mouth. "I don't want to hear anymore of these Stephen King horror stories! For goodness sakes! We're in a graveyard that's full of dead witches and wizards who lived during the time of the Dark Lord! Now that's a horror story! We aren't supposed to be talking about books and things! We were supposed to be telling horror stories, and then Adrian tells one about a writer and his wife and their kid at an Inn. The poor prat goes bonkers and gets writer's block. Oh my, how horrifying!

"Then, Marcus, fucking, Flint, tells us one about little kids who take off on a trek in the woods, almost getting run over by a train, with leeches all over their body, and they have a pie eating contest, all because of a dead body! Now Granger tells us one about a killer giant spider, slash, clown and in the end, they're all really novels by a Muggle named Stephen King! Doesn't anyone have any imagination in this group? Can't anyone tell their own story, or at least tell a real one from our world?"

The other five stared at him after his outburst without saying a word. He shouted, "I could tell you stories about growing up at the Manor and living with Lucius Malfoy that would make all of you weep!"

"Oh yes, living in the lap of luxury must have been so hard. It must have been a horror not to get every little thing you ever wanted. How scary." Hermione leaned over Theo's body, placed her hand back on Draco's mouth and said, "But that's not the point. Where was I? Oh yes, well, let's start back at the beginning. There were these five little boys and this one little girl, and they were childhood friends, but there was always one thing different thing that scared each one of them…you know…IT. Wait, I'm not explaining this right."

"That's because you're partially pissed," Marcus suggested, handing her another Muggle beer. "Tell them the one about the killer car named Christine, or maybe the one with Cujo the dog."

She laughed again. "You might be right. I think I'm getting pissed, and I can't tell a good story when I'm pissed."

"You can't tell a good story when you're cold-stone sober," Draco mumbled under his breath.

"Bite me," Hermione leveled.

"Gladly, come on over here so I can," Draco 'bit' back.

She made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat and said, "Never mind about the story, but it was scary, believe me." Then she stuck her tongue out at Draco.

He winked at her and said, "Bring that tongue over here and maybe later we'll do something with it behind the grave of my dear departed great-granddad that involves it and biting."

"Yuck!" she exclaimed. "Now that would be scary." She shivered.

Adrian smiled at her and asked, "As scary as 'Redrum, redrum, redrum'?"

Hermione laughed, got up on her knees and said, "Hereeeeee'ssssss Johnnnnnnnyyyy."

The other wizards thought the two laughing at their own antics were a bit on the daft side. Finally, Adrian looked at the others and said, "I can't help it if I like Muggle pop culture horror films, namely anything to do with Stephen King movies."

"Hand me a beer," Blaise asked, laughing along with them. "I have a scary story I can tell you all, if you want to hear it, and it's not from a Stephen King novel, or a Stephen King movie, as it may. It's a true story, actually." He looked at Malfoy. "It's about vampires and werewolves."

"Yes, do tell us a scary story, Uncle Blaise," Marcus said in feigned anticipation. He placed his long legs out in front of him, leaned back against the gravestone behind him, opened a beer and waited.

Hermione stretched, and then lay down on her bedroll, her head on Theo's thigh. Theo was surprised at first, as were a few of the other fellows, but they all recovered quickly. Theo tried to act as if he was all right with her nonchalance, but he felt as if all the hairs on his body were standing on end. He couldn't relax if he wanted to. He wanted to stroke her hair, but instead he balled his fists tightly against his legs so he wouldn't be tempted to touch her in front of the others.

Blaise was on her other side, with Draco across from him. They exchanged a single look to say they noticed and approved, then Blaise began to talk; Draco fell on his back, his eyes gazing up to the dark sky above him. Adrian sat upright, watching out over his friends, every so often looking out around the graveyard, then up toward the swaying trees.

Blaise began…

"Well, there was this girl, named Isabella, but all her friends called her Bella. She was a lonely girl, didn't have many friends, mind you. She was awkward, just didn't feel right in her own skin. She always felt like something was different about her."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"Because," Blaise answered, going forward, "One day, she had to leave her mother's home to go live with her father. He lived in a depressing little town called Forks. The whole town was dark and damp and cold, all the time, cold, really cold."

"Why? Why did she have to leave her mum?" Hermione asked again, with a yawn.

Theo smiled at her questions, and he finally let his hand come up easily to rest upon her shoulder. It moved down her arm, to her elbow, where he then took her hand into his. He hoped it was dark enough that the others wouldn't notice the gesture, but if they did, he couldn't help that.

Blaise ignore her second 'why', but he couldn't help but notice that Theo was holding her hand. He was pleased and jealous at the same time. He wanted THAT. He wanted to be able to show both of them how he felt – to be open and honest with his emotions and feelings, because what he felt for them was just as right was what everyone else felt. Instead, he continued with his story.

He talked about how the girl went to school, still feeling isolated, alone, withdrawn. Then suddenly, she met this boy named Edward. This boy acted aloof and indifferent to her at first. When Hermione started to ask 'Why' Theo reached over with his free hand and placed one finger on her lips. When she looked up into his hazel eyes and smiled, he smiled back and shook his head 'no'.

She didn't really want to know why. She was merely having fun with Blaise. Theo knew this as well, and he liked that she could be so mischievous, so full of life, so playful…especially seeing that she was dying.

Blaise continued telling his ridiculous 'horror' story of 'sparkling' vampires who could read minds and werewolves who wore a change of clothing on their legs, and while everyone listened, Theo watched. He watched Hermione Granger. The woman he knew he loved. The woman he knew was dying.

A/N - Here's the thing - I know this is a shorter chapter, but I wasn't overly happy with it. I started re-writing it, and as I was editing it (for the fourth time) I realized that I didn't change this top part at all, so I decided to go ahead and send it to you as a separate little chapter. Do with it as you may. Love it, hate it, through it in the trash. At least I sent you one this week, huh?