They were growing up. The fact that Harry, Ron, and Hermione aged a year for every day was inevitable. There was always tension between the three of them, mainly because of Viktor Krum, the extremely romantic world class seeker that had swept Hermione off her feet 3 years ago. In fifth and sixth year, Ron had made a point of being nice, but it never made a difference. Harry wasn't sure whether or not Hermione loved Viktor, she had said he was nice but she never said she loved him. Ron certainly thought she had. He did everything in his power to stop Hermione from loving him, but nothing ever seemed to succeed. The uneasy feeling between them was at an all time high that year, and Harry never really understood why.
Ron and Hermione had gotten into another fight. This one was about the alcohol, something that, it seemed to Harry, was always around,. There was always a bottle of beer here, or whiskey there. He partially blamed himself; Harry never stopped Ron from drinking and he sometimes even joined him. Hermione had walked in to see Ron swigging down another beer complaining loudly about all of the homework he had to do. Harry was having one himself, but he wasn't drinking much of it. It wasn't as if they weren't above drinking age. In the Wizarding Law, you were allowed to drink at the ripe old age of 17, but Ron drank consistently. If they had a test, Ron would drink. If he failed the test, Ron would drink. If he got into a fight with anyone -- especially Hermione, Harry had noticed - Ron would drink. Personally, harry thought his problem was about more than just the love of alcohol. Harry figured Ron had to drown his sorrows somehow, and drunkenness was the perfect escape. One night, when Ron was totally stoned, he had revealed to Harry that he loved Hermione and wanted to murder Viktor Krum. This didn't come to much of a shock to harry, he had sensed something after the Yule ball, but wanting to murder Viktor Krum, who happened to be a very nice person, was a bit over the edge.
And then there was Hermione. She was very pretty, harry hadn't failed to notice, but increasingly pale and thin. She was growing up before she had a chance to be a child. She was 17, going on 40. Hermione barely ever smiled anymore, since Ron had become an alcoholic, and it had been ages since they had heard her laugh. It amazed harry that she kept up with her schoolwork. No matter how thin she was, or how sick she got, Hermione always managed top grades. Everyone was worried about her, Harry included. Professors would fret about their Head Girl in the teacher's lounge, Gryffindors would look at her as if she were about to break. Even the Slytherins were laying off on the usual cruelties towards her. Nobody dared touch her, they figured she would shatter if they did. Once, Harry could recall, a first year had ran into her in the halls. He apologized about 30 times and then offered to carry her enormously heavy bag to her next class. Hermione, of course, declined his offer and said that she could handle it on her own. In fact, the only person who ever laid a finger on Hermione was Ron, and only when he was drunk. Hermione's health may have been declining, but when Ron was drunk she fought with her old spirit.
It was a horrible night, Harry remembered, cold and cruel. It was a Saturday and They had spent all of their pocket money on sweets at Honey Dukes and Zonkos and other places at Hogsmeade. To Harry and Hermione's great relief, they didn't have time to stop at Three Broomsticks for a drink. Once Ron sat down in there, there was no telling when he was going to leave. Things were going great; it was as if Viktor Krum, alcohol, and a few nasty fights hadn't existed. Hermione was even smiling....... until Viktor's head appeared in the hearth of the Gryffindor common room. Her smile died out; she, as well as Harry, knew what was coming. She wasn't highly informed of Ron's feelings for her, all she knew was that whenever the subject turned to Viktor Krum, Ron got good and drunk.
And so he did. He had a few bottles of mead -- which is very powerful stuff, mind you -- stashed away in his trunk. He pulled them out and began to pour himself a glass or two, or three, or twenty. An hour later, when Hermione was finished talking to Viktor, she came up to see if Ron was all right. Oh, and indeed he wasn't. She walked in to find him on his bed singing "god save the queen" among other things. Harry was sitting on his bed, also drunk, but not nearly as far gone as Ron. Hermione immediately burst into tears and began screaming "Why do you do this to yourself?". Harry watched dazedly as his two best friends shouted at each other as if they were on separate continents. He would've gotten up and separated them, if he had been in his right mind, but found that he couldn't direct his legs very well. So, he just watched in horror as Ron's hand, as if in slow motion, rose and struck Hermione in the face. She gasped and clutched her cheek, paler than usual. Ron began to yell again. Hermione sank to the floor, sobbing and choking. Ron told her to get up and look him in the eye, she put her head in her hands. "Look me in the eye, god damn it," he shouted. He threw the little shot glass at Hermione. It missed but shattered on the cold stone floor inches from her, showering her with glass. Then, he picked her up and gave her a shake. Hermione fell limply to the ground, unconscious. Ron sank on to his bed muttering "What have I done?"
But that was months ago. Ron still drank and Hermione still had dizzy spells from being shaken and collapsed when you least expected it. Harry recalled the time when she had one in the middle of care of magical creatures class when they were studying how to take care of water creatures and fell off the boat and into the lake. She nearly drowned. Ron had saved her, Harry remembered. He jumped in after her and brought her to the surface. Hermione coughed a lot, too, as if she had a constant cold. Sometimes, she would cough so hard that she would throw up or choke and someone would have to escort her to the hospital wing. She had stopped eating, also. When she did eat, she would spend the rest of the night forcing herself to vomit. Life was a circle around there; Hermione would get sick, then Ron would be worried about her and drink, and Hermione would get sicker. Things just worked that way, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Harry was getting ready for a party. An end of term party thrown by his girlfriend, Cho Chang. She had invited Ginny, who was currently going out with Colin Creevy, Colin, Harry of course, Ron, Hermione, Viktor - which Harry warned her was a bad move, but Cho was very stubborn, Fred, Angelina Johnson, George, Alicia Spinnet, everyone in Harry's year (minus the Slytherins who didn't want to come), and a few friends of her own. Hermione, as usual, was sickly and pale, but she tried to be in a good mood for the party. Graduation was in a few days and Hermione was already nervous about the speech she had to give at the banquet for the seventh years, being Head Girl, and all. Ron was sober, but then, it was only 6:30 PM. he preferred getting drunk late at night so then he could just pass out in bed and not have to worry about doing anything else. Hermione was sitting in the girls dormitory crying when Harry walked in.
"Hermione?" he asked carefully. " what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she choked, " I guess I'm just depressed about leaving Hogwarts and nervous about the banquet and worried about Ron and -- " she stopped. "O harry. Things have been so horrible lately! Why does Ron drink so much? Does he hate me?"
Harry sat down next to her and evaluated the situation. "No," he said after deciding what he was going to do. "Quite the opposite, actually." Hermione sat up and looked at Harry inquiringly.
"What do you mean?" she said, meekly.
"He loves you, Hermione, can't you see? He's only mean because he can't stand the fact that you don't love him! he once told me that he wanted to murder Viktor Krum!"
Hermione was shocked. She muttered something that sounded like : "Whosaididunlovim"
"Sorry? I couldn't understand what you said."
"Harry," Hermione began, starring at the floor. "You're my best friend in the entire world, can I trust you to keep a secret?"
"Of course"
"well, I - I don't know where to start. I guess I should start seven years ago on the train. I - I loved Ron the moment I saw him," tears streaked down Hermione's ghostly cheeks. "I thought that he didn't love me. As a matter of fact, that first Halloween when I heard Ron insult me, I went into that bathroom to try and kill myself." Harry's eyes widened. "When that troll got in, I didn't move because I wanted it to beat me dead. But then you two came and saved me, from the troll and from myself. " she was shaking violently. "Sometimes, I sit and replay that memory in my mind and wonder what yours and Ron's lives would be like if that troll had killed me. I'm willing to bet that it would be a lot easier. Maybe suicide is the only way out of this. Perhaps, if I die, Ron would stop drinking and you wouldn't have to worry about poor, know-it-all Hermione Granger and life would be easy! Maybe - "
"Hermione! Stop!" harry cried, " you can't kill yourself! We all love you, Hermione! And as for Ron stopping drinking, that is the opposite of what he'd do! haven't you noticed that every time you get sick, he gets drunk? He loves you and you love him so why can't you two just get your fights over with and - I dunno -- get married or something!"
"But what about Viktor?" she whimpered, apparently frightened by Harry's outburst.
Harry Stopped to think about that. Viktor did present a problem, didn't he? After all, wasn't it she who was the person Viktor had most cared about in the second task of the triwizard tournament?
"They say that there is only one perfect mate for every human being on this earth. Apparently, you don't love Viktor like he thinks he loves you, but you love Ron, who loves you. Then, if you and Ron love each other, but you and Viktor don't really, then you and Ron must be soul mates instead of you and Viktor!"
"harry, I didn't understand a word of that"
"In a nutshell, it means that you have to tell Viktor that you don't love him and you have to tell Ron that you do,"
Hermione sighed. "It sounds easier than it is, but I guess that's all I can do."
"I'll bet, that after you admit your feelings for Ron, he won't drink as much."
"I hope not."
Ron and Hermione had gotten into another fight. This one was about the alcohol, something that, it seemed to Harry, was always around,. There was always a bottle of beer here, or whiskey there. He partially blamed himself; Harry never stopped Ron from drinking and he sometimes even joined him. Hermione had walked in to see Ron swigging down another beer complaining loudly about all of the homework he had to do. Harry was having one himself, but he wasn't drinking much of it. It wasn't as if they weren't above drinking age. In the Wizarding Law, you were allowed to drink at the ripe old age of 17, but Ron drank consistently. If they had a test, Ron would drink. If he failed the test, Ron would drink. If he got into a fight with anyone -- especially Hermione, Harry had noticed - Ron would drink. Personally, harry thought his problem was about more than just the love of alcohol. Harry figured Ron had to drown his sorrows somehow, and drunkenness was the perfect escape. One night, when Ron was totally stoned, he had revealed to Harry that he loved Hermione and wanted to murder Viktor Krum. This didn't come to much of a shock to harry, he had sensed something after the Yule ball, but wanting to murder Viktor Krum, who happened to be a very nice person, was a bit over the edge.
And then there was Hermione. She was very pretty, harry hadn't failed to notice, but increasingly pale and thin. She was growing up before she had a chance to be a child. She was 17, going on 40. Hermione barely ever smiled anymore, since Ron had become an alcoholic, and it had been ages since they had heard her laugh. It amazed harry that she kept up with her schoolwork. No matter how thin she was, or how sick she got, Hermione always managed top grades. Everyone was worried about her, Harry included. Professors would fret about their Head Girl in the teacher's lounge, Gryffindors would look at her as if she were about to break. Even the Slytherins were laying off on the usual cruelties towards her. Nobody dared touch her, they figured she would shatter if they did. Once, Harry could recall, a first year had ran into her in the halls. He apologized about 30 times and then offered to carry her enormously heavy bag to her next class. Hermione, of course, declined his offer and said that she could handle it on her own. In fact, the only person who ever laid a finger on Hermione was Ron, and only when he was drunk. Hermione's health may have been declining, but when Ron was drunk she fought with her old spirit.
It was a horrible night, Harry remembered, cold and cruel. It was a Saturday and They had spent all of their pocket money on sweets at Honey Dukes and Zonkos and other places at Hogsmeade. To Harry and Hermione's great relief, they didn't have time to stop at Three Broomsticks for a drink. Once Ron sat down in there, there was no telling when he was going to leave. Things were going great; it was as if Viktor Krum, alcohol, and a few nasty fights hadn't existed. Hermione was even smiling....... until Viktor's head appeared in the hearth of the Gryffindor common room. Her smile died out; she, as well as Harry, knew what was coming. She wasn't highly informed of Ron's feelings for her, all she knew was that whenever the subject turned to Viktor Krum, Ron got good and drunk.
And so he did. He had a few bottles of mead -- which is very powerful stuff, mind you -- stashed away in his trunk. He pulled them out and began to pour himself a glass or two, or three, or twenty. An hour later, when Hermione was finished talking to Viktor, she came up to see if Ron was all right. Oh, and indeed he wasn't. She walked in to find him on his bed singing "god save the queen" among other things. Harry was sitting on his bed, also drunk, but not nearly as far gone as Ron. Hermione immediately burst into tears and began screaming "Why do you do this to yourself?". Harry watched dazedly as his two best friends shouted at each other as if they were on separate continents. He would've gotten up and separated them, if he had been in his right mind, but found that he couldn't direct his legs very well. So, he just watched in horror as Ron's hand, as if in slow motion, rose and struck Hermione in the face. She gasped and clutched her cheek, paler than usual. Ron began to yell again. Hermione sank to the floor, sobbing and choking. Ron told her to get up and look him in the eye, she put her head in her hands. "Look me in the eye, god damn it," he shouted. He threw the little shot glass at Hermione. It missed but shattered on the cold stone floor inches from her, showering her with glass. Then, he picked her up and gave her a shake. Hermione fell limply to the ground, unconscious. Ron sank on to his bed muttering "What have I done?"
But that was months ago. Ron still drank and Hermione still had dizzy spells from being shaken and collapsed when you least expected it. Harry recalled the time when she had one in the middle of care of magical creatures class when they were studying how to take care of water creatures and fell off the boat and into the lake. She nearly drowned. Ron had saved her, Harry remembered. He jumped in after her and brought her to the surface. Hermione coughed a lot, too, as if she had a constant cold. Sometimes, she would cough so hard that she would throw up or choke and someone would have to escort her to the hospital wing. She had stopped eating, also. When she did eat, she would spend the rest of the night forcing herself to vomit. Life was a circle around there; Hermione would get sick, then Ron would be worried about her and drink, and Hermione would get sicker. Things just worked that way, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Harry was getting ready for a party. An end of term party thrown by his girlfriend, Cho Chang. She had invited Ginny, who was currently going out with Colin Creevy, Colin, Harry of course, Ron, Hermione, Viktor - which Harry warned her was a bad move, but Cho was very stubborn, Fred, Angelina Johnson, George, Alicia Spinnet, everyone in Harry's year (minus the Slytherins who didn't want to come), and a few friends of her own. Hermione, as usual, was sickly and pale, but she tried to be in a good mood for the party. Graduation was in a few days and Hermione was already nervous about the speech she had to give at the banquet for the seventh years, being Head Girl, and all. Ron was sober, but then, it was only 6:30 PM. he preferred getting drunk late at night so then he could just pass out in bed and not have to worry about doing anything else. Hermione was sitting in the girls dormitory crying when Harry walked in.
"Hermione?" he asked carefully. " what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she choked, " I guess I'm just depressed about leaving Hogwarts and nervous about the banquet and worried about Ron and -- " she stopped. "O harry. Things have been so horrible lately! Why does Ron drink so much? Does he hate me?"
Harry sat down next to her and evaluated the situation. "No," he said after deciding what he was going to do. "Quite the opposite, actually." Hermione sat up and looked at Harry inquiringly.
"What do you mean?" she said, meekly.
"He loves you, Hermione, can't you see? He's only mean because he can't stand the fact that you don't love him! he once told me that he wanted to murder Viktor Krum!"
Hermione was shocked. She muttered something that sounded like : "Whosaididunlovim"
"Sorry? I couldn't understand what you said."
"Harry," Hermione began, starring at the floor. "You're my best friend in the entire world, can I trust you to keep a secret?"
"Of course"
"well, I - I don't know where to start. I guess I should start seven years ago on the train. I - I loved Ron the moment I saw him," tears streaked down Hermione's ghostly cheeks. "I thought that he didn't love me. As a matter of fact, that first Halloween when I heard Ron insult me, I went into that bathroom to try and kill myself." Harry's eyes widened. "When that troll got in, I didn't move because I wanted it to beat me dead. But then you two came and saved me, from the troll and from myself. " she was shaking violently. "Sometimes, I sit and replay that memory in my mind and wonder what yours and Ron's lives would be like if that troll had killed me. I'm willing to bet that it would be a lot easier. Maybe suicide is the only way out of this. Perhaps, if I die, Ron would stop drinking and you wouldn't have to worry about poor, know-it-all Hermione Granger and life would be easy! Maybe - "
"Hermione! Stop!" harry cried, " you can't kill yourself! We all love you, Hermione! And as for Ron stopping drinking, that is the opposite of what he'd do! haven't you noticed that every time you get sick, he gets drunk? He loves you and you love him so why can't you two just get your fights over with and - I dunno -- get married or something!"
"But what about Viktor?" she whimpered, apparently frightened by Harry's outburst.
Harry Stopped to think about that. Viktor did present a problem, didn't he? After all, wasn't it she who was the person Viktor had most cared about in the second task of the triwizard tournament?
"They say that there is only one perfect mate for every human being on this earth. Apparently, you don't love Viktor like he thinks he loves you, but you love Ron, who loves you. Then, if you and Ron love each other, but you and Viktor don't really, then you and Ron must be soul mates instead of you and Viktor!"
"harry, I didn't understand a word of that"
"In a nutshell, it means that you have to tell Viktor that you don't love him and you have to tell Ron that you do,"
Hermione sighed. "It sounds easier than it is, but I guess that's all I can do."
"I'll bet, that after you admit your feelings for Ron, he won't drink as much."
"I hope not."