The Abandoned Cup of Tea
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, objects or recognisable parts of the plot. They all belong to JK Rowling.
(Harry's POV)
Harry awoke with a sense that something was amiss. He looked at the Sneakoscope sitting on the table. It was as still and silent as ever. A quick glance to the tent flap showed him that Hermione was keeping watch, just as she should be. Nothing, apparently, was wrong. He lay down again, watching his best friend. Only when he'd looked at her for several seconds did he realise what the problem was. Her shoulders shook; she was crying.
He got out of bed, but then hesitated. What could he do for her? He wasn't very good at the whole 'talking about feelings' thing; he couldn't comfort anyone. But her shoulders shook again and he knew he had to go over to her. With a tap of his wand the kettle had boiled and he poured some water into a mug with a teabag.
(Hermione's POV)
Hermione looked up at the sound of the kettle boiling. Had her sobs been loud enough to wake him up? She wiped her eyes quickly and grabbed her book; Harry couldn't know she'd been crying, she had to be strong for him.
'What's wrong, Hermione?' he asked her, handing her the cup of tea. 'Crap,' she thought. 'He knows I was crying.'
'Oh, it's just this book I'm reading, it's really sad,' she lied. Harry took the book from her, read some of it and raised his eyebrows.
'Look, I know girls cry easier than guys, but how in the name of Merlin does a book about Gillyweed make you cry?' She turned away from him and put her mug down on the ground.
'If it's about… him…' He stopped talking, tears had welled up in her eyes and were starting to spill over.
(Harry's POV)
Oh dear, she was crying again. Why did he have to mention Ron? Was there anything stupider he could do? He put an arm around Hermione's shoulder. She turned her head into his chest and within a few seconds his shirt was completely drenched with her tears. He pulled her onto his lap and rocked her back and forth gently.
'Shhhhhh, it's ok, everything will be ok, you'll see' he whispered.
'But it w-won't! Ron's g-gone and now you h-hate me because of what happened to your w-wand!' she wailed, a fresh load of tears pouring from her eyes. Harry grabbed her shoulders so that she was facing him, wiped some tears from her face and held her head so that she would be looking straight into his eyes.
'Hermione, listen to me. I don't hate you. It was an accident, and really, I should be thankful. You saved both of our lives that night. It isn't your fault. As for Ron…' he saw some more tears in her eyes, 'he'll be ok. We'll kill You-Know-Who, and then we'll find him. Alright?' She nodded, but immediately started sobbing again.
'It's just, he p-promised me that after the hunt we'd just b-be together and stop d-dancing around it. He s-said he'd never leave me, but he d-did' Harry was so shocked that he didn't even notice how cold the snow was that he was sitting in. Had Ron and Hermione really talked this much about how they felt about each other, only to put off having a relationship because of Harry? There'd only been a few occasions where he'd felt this guilty, namely when Sirius had died.
Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters, we've all got both light and dark inside of us. What matters is the path we choose to act on. That's who we truly are.
'Hermione, I'm so sorry about Ron, I'm so sorry' He pressed his lips to her forehead and then continued to rock her back and forth, whispering encouraging words to her. A few minutes later he noticed she'd stopped crying and that her breathing was slow and peaceful. He picked her up and carried her over to her bed, tucking the covers in around her and brushing a stray piece of hair out of her face. He sat down at the entrance of the tent where her abandoned cup of tea still sat, only looking up when a silver light shone through the bushes.
The End. (please please review)