Title: There's No Such Thing as a Painless Love
Chapter Fourteen: Finding Hermione
- -
" 'Mione..." Harry tried again. "Hermione..." he choked out.
He slowly walked over to the open window, a feeling of terror inside. Feeling the bone chilling breeze that was blowing the drapes forward, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
'She couldn't...she wouldn't,' Harry thought.
Realizing he couldn't avoid this moment forever, Harry finally reached the window. He was terrified of what he might find. Nonetheless, he leaned his head out of the window, to discover nothing.
Resting against the windowsill, Harry sighed a huge sigh of relief. She hadn't done anything drastic; or so he thought.
Turning his head, something caught his eye; something red. There were these little red droplets on the outside of Hermione's window, and on the castle wall. Moving his eyes down the wall, Harry noticed something that he hadn't seen before. Squinting down to the ground, he saw some sort of book lying in the grass.
"Accio," Harry said.
Retrieving the book, Harry opened it to see whom it belonged to.
Sure enough, the inside cover read, 'Property of Hermione Granger.'
Harry started panicking now. After finding her bedroom locked and empty; her window open; unexplainable red droplets, which Harry assumed was blood, left down the castle walls; and Hermione's book at the bottom, he didn't expect her to just be having tea with Hagrid.
Then again, maybe Hagrid had seen her...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ron casually strode over to Draco in the library. Draco, who was well- concentrated on his "homework," didn't even look up when Ron sat down.
Ron cleared his throat.
Draco looked up, a bit startled.
"What do you want, Weasley?"
"Have you seen Hermione at all today?"
"No," Draco answered. "In fact, Potter came by looking for her before."
"When?!"
"Oh, about an hour ago. Why?"
There was a pause before Ron answered. "You shouldn't be feeling so guilty about beating the shit out of Harry, as I'm sure you're not."
"The only thing I feel guilty about is Hermione-"
"You shouldn't."
Draco looked bewildered, so Ron continued, "Last night I saw something quite disturbing...You see, when Hermione said those rumors about her and Harry were all lies; well, she meant all truth. There they were last night, sitting in the middle of the corridor snogging! And she said-"
"WHAT? They were..a-are you sure?"
"Yes! She ran right passed me...And I haven't seen her or Harry all day!.....Don't feel so guilty now, do you?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Harry ran as fast as he could across the lawn to Hagrid's hut. On his way down, he asked everyone if they had seen Hermione; no one had.
Arriving at Hagrid's hut, Harry started pounding on the door.
"Hagrid! Hagrid, open up, it's Harry!" he exclaimed breathlessly.
A few moments later, the door slowly swung open, and the half-giant stepped out.
"Uh, 'ello, Harry," he greeted awkwardly. "W-why dun 'ya come in."
Nodding, Harry stepped inside the tiny hut. "Hagrid," Harry started slowly, "Have you seen-"
"Care for a pot 'o tea?"
"Uh, no thanks. Hagrid, have you-"
"Nice day, itn't it?"
"Hagrid-"
"Oh, look..tea's ready."
"HAGRID!" Harry shouted. Hagrid looked up alarmed. "You know something don't you?"
"Wha' me? I dunno anything! I-I swear!"
"Hagrid, where is she?"
"I dunno where-"
"Hagrid..."
"Harry, I-I promised..."
"Hagrid..."
" 'onestly, Harry. I-I dunno where she ended up."
Harry started pacing back and forth. He didn't want to make Hagrid tell what he wasn't supposed to. And Hagrid was most likely telling the truth anyway; he probably didn't know where Hermione was.
Harry had looked everywhere. He had no idea where she could be. No one had seen her since yesterday, and he was really concerned. There was no where left to look; until he thought of somewhere else to look.
Without saying goodbye, Harry turned and sped out of the hut, through the castle doors, and straight to the statue of the one-eyed witch...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Where have you been, Hermione?" a very annoyed Draco asked over his book.
"Around."
"Around who? Potter?" Draco slammed his book shut and stood up. "I heard about you two last night, Ron saw you!"
"Ron?! And you're going to take his word for it?"
"Oh, come off it, Hermione!"
"Fine. What if I did kiss Harry? Why do you care?"
"I shouldn't; yet I do," he answered staring at her.
"I'm still mad at you...and Ron! And Harry was there to comfort me when you weren't! He was being a friend!"
Before letting him answer she turned and left the common room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hermione! Where have you been?" Harry asked, happy to see his friend was still alive. "What happened to you?" he asked looking down at her left hand.
"Oh, I injured it while I was climbing out of my window. I went to Madame Pomfrey to have it cleaned up."
"How long have you been back?"
"A few hours. Where were you?"
"Looking for you...all day."
"Sorry. I had to think."
"It's okay. I'm just glad to have you back," he said, hugging her.
She had spent all day thinking about her situation, and here she was right back where she had started the night before. She didn't know what she was doing anymore. For better or for worse, she decided to just let things flow in the romance department.
She was still upset about everything that was going on, but she wasn't going to show it. Without thinking she looked up at Harry, and kissed him full on the mouth. She wasn't going to regret it this time; or so she had planned.
Hermione loved Harry, she really did. But the love she felt was only for a friend. She wasn't doing this for herself. She was doing it to get back at Ron and Draco; and she felt horrible.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Hahaha!! You'll never know...until we finish the story, of course! We're not telling what's going to happen. All we'll say is we're sticking to our original ship! There's no doubt about that. This just fits! Sorry if we upset you thus far. By the way - - so utterly apologetic for not updating! We want to shoot ourselves for our lack of chapters at this point! ZERO TIME :(. Please note: WE WILL NEVER STOP! We love this too much...Thanks for putting up w/ us! We 3 our readers! R/R, please!
3 FeltonFriends922*
Chapter Fourteen: Finding Hermione
- -
" 'Mione..." Harry tried again. "Hermione..." he choked out.
He slowly walked over to the open window, a feeling of terror inside. Feeling the bone chilling breeze that was blowing the drapes forward, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
'She couldn't...she wouldn't,' Harry thought.
Realizing he couldn't avoid this moment forever, Harry finally reached the window. He was terrified of what he might find. Nonetheless, he leaned his head out of the window, to discover nothing.
Resting against the windowsill, Harry sighed a huge sigh of relief. She hadn't done anything drastic; or so he thought.
Turning his head, something caught his eye; something red. There were these little red droplets on the outside of Hermione's window, and on the castle wall. Moving his eyes down the wall, Harry noticed something that he hadn't seen before. Squinting down to the ground, he saw some sort of book lying in the grass.
"Accio," Harry said.
Retrieving the book, Harry opened it to see whom it belonged to.
Sure enough, the inside cover read, 'Property of Hermione Granger.'
Harry started panicking now. After finding her bedroom locked and empty; her window open; unexplainable red droplets, which Harry assumed was blood, left down the castle walls; and Hermione's book at the bottom, he didn't expect her to just be having tea with Hagrid.
Then again, maybe Hagrid had seen her...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ron casually strode over to Draco in the library. Draco, who was well- concentrated on his "homework," didn't even look up when Ron sat down.
Ron cleared his throat.
Draco looked up, a bit startled.
"What do you want, Weasley?"
"Have you seen Hermione at all today?"
"No," Draco answered. "In fact, Potter came by looking for her before."
"When?!"
"Oh, about an hour ago. Why?"
There was a pause before Ron answered. "You shouldn't be feeling so guilty about beating the shit out of Harry, as I'm sure you're not."
"The only thing I feel guilty about is Hermione-"
"You shouldn't."
Draco looked bewildered, so Ron continued, "Last night I saw something quite disturbing...You see, when Hermione said those rumors about her and Harry were all lies; well, she meant all truth. There they were last night, sitting in the middle of the corridor snogging! And she said-"
"WHAT? They were..a-are you sure?"
"Yes! She ran right passed me...And I haven't seen her or Harry all day!.....Don't feel so guilty now, do you?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Harry ran as fast as he could across the lawn to Hagrid's hut. On his way down, he asked everyone if they had seen Hermione; no one had.
Arriving at Hagrid's hut, Harry started pounding on the door.
"Hagrid! Hagrid, open up, it's Harry!" he exclaimed breathlessly.
A few moments later, the door slowly swung open, and the half-giant stepped out.
"Uh, 'ello, Harry," he greeted awkwardly. "W-why dun 'ya come in."
Nodding, Harry stepped inside the tiny hut. "Hagrid," Harry started slowly, "Have you seen-"
"Care for a pot 'o tea?"
"Uh, no thanks. Hagrid, have you-"
"Nice day, itn't it?"
"Hagrid-"
"Oh, look..tea's ready."
"HAGRID!" Harry shouted. Hagrid looked up alarmed. "You know something don't you?"
"Wha' me? I dunno anything! I-I swear!"
"Hagrid, where is she?"
"I dunno where-"
"Hagrid..."
"Harry, I-I promised..."
"Hagrid..."
" 'onestly, Harry. I-I dunno where she ended up."
Harry started pacing back and forth. He didn't want to make Hagrid tell what he wasn't supposed to. And Hagrid was most likely telling the truth anyway; he probably didn't know where Hermione was.
Harry had looked everywhere. He had no idea where she could be. No one had seen her since yesterday, and he was really concerned. There was no where left to look; until he thought of somewhere else to look.
Without saying goodbye, Harry turned and sped out of the hut, through the castle doors, and straight to the statue of the one-eyed witch...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Where have you been, Hermione?" a very annoyed Draco asked over his book.
"Around."
"Around who? Potter?" Draco slammed his book shut and stood up. "I heard about you two last night, Ron saw you!"
"Ron?! And you're going to take his word for it?"
"Oh, come off it, Hermione!"
"Fine. What if I did kiss Harry? Why do you care?"
"I shouldn't; yet I do," he answered staring at her.
"I'm still mad at you...and Ron! And Harry was there to comfort me when you weren't! He was being a friend!"
Before letting him answer she turned and left the common room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hermione! Where have you been?" Harry asked, happy to see his friend was still alive. "What happened to you?" he asked looking down at her left hand.
"Oh, I injured it while I was climbing out of my window. I went to Madame Pomfrey to have it cleaned up."
"How long have you been back?"
"A few hours. Where were you?"
"Looking for you...all day."
"Sorry. I had to think."
"It's okay. I'm just glad to have you back," he said, hugging her.
She had spent all day thinking about her situation, and here she was right back where she had started the night before. She didn't know what she was doing anymore. For better or for worse, she decided to just let things flow in the romance department.
She was still upset about everything that was going on, but she wasn't going to show it. Without thinking she looked up at Harry, and kissed him full on the mouth. She wasn't going to regret it this time; or so she had planned.
Hermione loved Harry, she really did. But the love she felt was only for a friend. She wasn't doing this for herself. She was doing it to get back at Ron and Draco; and she felt horrible.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Hahaha!! You'll never know...until we finish the story, of course! We're not telling what's going to happen. All we'll say is we're sticking to our original ship! There's no doubt about that. This just fits! Sorry if we upset you thus far. By the way - - so utterly apologetic for not updating! We want to shoot ourselves for our lack of chapters at this point! ZERO TIME :(. Please note: WE WILL NEVER STOP! We love this too much...Thanks for putting up w/ us! We 3 our readers! R/R, please!
3 FeltonFriends922*