"Er...... Viktor?" Hermione said, meekly, as she reached the table."Can I sit down?"
Viktor nodded grimly and one-handedly pulled a chair out from under the table. Hermione sat down carefully. They sat in painful silence for a few moments as Hermione thought of what to say. She sighed.
"I don't really know where to begin."
"Vhy you were kissing Ron vould be a good place to start." He said.
Hermione sighed again. "that wasn't planned. It just....happened. One minute we were dancing the next we were kissing. There was nothing I could do."
"So you are telling me it vas Ron's fault."
"yes -- no! Oh, Viktor, don't make this harder for me than it already is!" She put her head in her hands momentarily. "I guess what I came here to say was that it wasn't really working between us. I love you, but as a friend! Honestly, I never really felt that way about you, not strongly, at least. I loved the fact that you loved me, but I never really loved you." She drew a shuddering breath. " I always loved Ron. That didn't change when I started dating you. I'm sorry, I can't live without him. I've tried so many times to forget about him, I've tried so hard to make it work between us, but ...... I just can't!" The great Hall was swimming before her eyes. She couldn't see strait to save her life. Suddenly, she found it urgent that she find Ron. She was going to die, and she owed him so much as to explain why. Hermione was frightened, she didn't want to die, not when the sun was peering through the clouds of her life! She wanted to be saved and live forever with her friends, but that didn't seem possible now. She ran into a table and sent a couple of butterbeers smashing to the ground. Death was like a giant dizzy spell, the last dizzy spell. Hermione found that her legs had gone so weak that they couldn't support her anymore. She hit the cold floor like a stone. A few girls screamed, contorted human faces hovered over her. Voices swam around her head, voices whispering, murmuring, screaming, she couldn't tell which. Suddenly, a red haired figure appeared above her.
"Ron?" she cried.
"You drank the poison, didn't you?" his face was so white. Ron's eyes stood out like stars in the heavens. He was so wonderful.... Hermione was going to miss him. "Fred! Apparrate to Mum. Hurry!"
Hermione heard a faint popping sound as one of the faces disappeared. "I'm sorry" Hermione whimpered. "I'm sorry. I thought I could deal with it later, I just wanted everything to be perfect........"
"Shhh. Don't waste your energy." Ron gathered her into his arms. Hermione felt his hot tear burn on her neck. He sat rocking her slightly as things began to grow darker, noises farther away. Time passed slowly. With another popping sound, two faces swam into view.
Mrs. Weasley was standing above her. Hermione couldn't really understand her words, but judging by her tone, Mrs. Weasley was ordering people around. "Come now, Ron, how am I supposed to help her with you right there?"
Ron's grip on Hermione tightened a bit, but then gave away completely. "I Love you, Hermione, please don't stop fighting." He whispered so that only she could hear.
As Hermione was off being cured by Mrs. Weasley, Harry, Ron, and the rest of the party had nothing to do. Nothing but wait. Wait for Hermione to die, wait for her to live, nobody knew which one would come. Harry tried to make Ron cheer up a bit, or at least get that awful look off his face. They were all distressed, but Ron looked like he was dying, too. He said not a word, but only stared into space. Then, he spotted it. Harry watched grimly as Ron drank half a bottle of beer in a single gulp.
"Ron! " Harry hissed. "What are you doing?"
"What's it look like?"
"You told me that you promised Hermione you'd stop. You're breaking your promise to her. Do you think she'd appreciate that?"
"I'll never know, I killed her, remember?" Ron had moved on to another bottle.
"How did you kill her?"
"By beating her that one time! By making her sick, by making her feel like suicide was the only way out!"
"It's not your fault! You shouldn't blame yourself! Hermione might have a depressive disorder! She told me that the first Halloween, she tried to kill herself because...." Harry shut himself up, realizing that she had tried to kill herself then because of him, too.
"Because of me!" Ron slammed him head onto the table. He polished off his sixth bottle that night. Then his seventh, and his eighth, nothing was going to stop his drinking. Ron was on the verge of being extremely drunk as his mum walked into the hall looking ghostly pale. She said that Hermione was to be fine!!
Ron hardly believed his ears. He, along with the rest of the guests, stumbled to the bathroom. Ron couldn't recall how he managed to push to the front of the crowd, not being able walk a strait line to save his life. He burst through the door and knelt down next to the stretcher Mrs. Weasley had conjured up. Hermione was just stirring as he took her into his arms.
"Don't you ever do that to me again! You-hic - scared me half to -- hic -- death!"
Hermione had an odd look on her face. "Ron," she whispered. "Please tell me you haven't been drinking."
"All right!" he laughed, strangely. "I - hic -- haven't been drinking."
Hermione cried. "You promised...."
Just then, Mrs. Weasley entered the room. "RON!" She bellowed, being unaware of her son's problem. "YOU'RE NOT. YOU CAN'T BE! TELL ME YOU'RE NOT DRUNK!"
"What's with all these -- hic -- people wanting me to-hic -- tell them.......-hic stuff."
Hermione hid her head in her arms. "He's been going on like this all year! It's so horrible! It makes me ... sick..."
"Oh, Hermione, dear." Mrs. Weasley said, softly. "is that why you're so pale. And so thin! Don't you eat?"
"Whaddya talking about, mum?" Ron mumbled, violently. "Hermione hasn't eaten since last year!"
Mrs. Weasley looked shocked. "Is that true?"
Hermione nodded slowly.
"oh dear lord." Mrs. Weasley advanced on Ron. "WHEN DID YOU START DRINKING? " She roared. " DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS? DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT THAT CAN DO TO YOU?" she cast a furtive glance around the room for something to say. " Don't you care about Hermione?"
His mother's words hit Ron like a sack full of bricks. He fell back and started mumbling rapidly. Hermione couldn't understand most of his murmuring, but she caught bits here and there ,like: " I love her" and "mean to get drunk" and " to stop."
Hermione felt terrible. This was her fault, too. If she hadn't gone off the edge and poisoned herself, Ron wouldn't be in trouble with his mum at the moment. Suicide wormed it's way back into her thoughts, but was quickly discarded. The feeling of dying, just fading away, was one feeling Hermione never wanted to experience again. And anyway, maybe Mrs. Weasley finding out about his problem was a good thing. Hermione was sure that she would go to any extent to save her son. Maybe now that his mother knew, Ron would slow down, or maybe even stop! Hermione tried not to get her hopes up.
Viktor nodded grimly and one-handedly pulled a chair out from under the table. Hermione sat down carefully. They sat in painful silence for a few moments as Hermione thought of what to say. She sighed.
"I don't really know where to begin."
"Vhy you were kissing Ron vould be a good place to start." He said.
Hermione sighed again. "that wasn't planned. It just....happened. One minute we were dancing the next we were kissing. There was nothing I could do."
"So you are telling me it vas Ron's fault."
"yes -- no! Oh, Viktor, don't make this harder for me than it already is!" She put her head in her hands momentarily. "I guess what I came here to say was that it wasn't really working between us. I love you, but as a friend! Honestly, I never really felt that way about you, not strongly, at least. I loved the fact that you loved me, but I never really loved you." She drew a shuddering breath. " I always loved Ron. That didn't change when I started dating you. I'm sorry, I can't live without him. I've tried so many times to forget about him, I've tried so hard to make it work between us, but ...... I just can't!" The great Hall was swimming before her eyes. She couldn't see strait to save her life. Suddenly, she found it urgent that she find Ron. She was going to die, and she owed him so much as to explain why. Hermione was frightened, she didn't want to die, not when the sun was peering through the clouds of her life! She wanted to be saved and live forever with her friends, but that didn't seem possible now. She ran into a table and sent a couple of butterbeers smashing to the ground. Death was like a giant dizzy spell, the last dizzy spell. Hermione found that her legs had gone so weak that they couldn't support her anymore. She hit the cold floor like a stone. A few girls screamed, contorted human faces hovered over her. Voices swam around her head, voices whispering, murmuring, screaming, she couldn't tell which. Suddenly, a red haired figure appeared above her.
"Ron?" she cried.
"You drank the poison, didn't you?" his face was so white. Ron's eyes stood out like stars in the heavens. He was so wonderful.... Hermione was going to miss him. "Fred! Apparrate to Mum. Hurry!"
Hermione heard a faint popping sound as one of the faces disappeared. "I'm sorry" Hermione whimpered. "I'm sorry. I thought I could deal with it later, I just wanted everything to be perfect........"
"Shhh. Don't waste your energy." Ron gathered her into his arms. Hermione felt his hot tear burn on her neck. He sat rocking her slightly as things began to grow darker, noises farther away. Time passed slowly. With another popping sound, two faces swam into view.
Mrs. Weasley was standing above her. Hermione couldn't really understand her words, but judging by her tone, Mrs. Weasley was ordering people around. "Come now, Ron, how am I supposed to help her with you right there?"
Ron's grip on Hermione tightened a bit, but then gave away completely. "I Love you, Hermione, please don't stop fighting." He whispered so that only she could hear.
As Hermione was off being cured by Mrs. Weasley, Harry, Ron, and the rest of the party had nothing to do. Nothing but wait. Wait for Hermione to die, wait for her to live, nobody knew which one would come. Harry tried to make Ron cheer up a bit, or at least get that awful look off his face. They were all distressed, but Ron looked like he was dying, too. He said not a word, but only stared into space. Then, he spotted it. Harry watched grimly as Ron drank half a bottle of beer in a single gulp.
"Ron! " Harry hissed. "What are you doing?"
"What's it look like?"
"You told me that you promised Hermione you'd stop. You're breaking your promise to her. Do you think she'd appreciate that?"
"I'll never know, I killed her, remember?" Ron had moved on to another bottle.
"How did you kill her?"
"By beating her that one time! By making her sick, by making her feel like suicide was the only way out!"
"It's not your fault! You shouldn't blame yourself! Hermione might have a depressive disorder! She told me that the first Halloween, she tried to kill herself because...." Harry shut himself up, realizing that she had tried to kill herself then because of him, too.
"Because of me!" Ron slammed him head onto the table. He polished off his sixth bottle that night. Then his seventh, and his eighth, nothing was going to stop his drinking. Ron was on the verge of being extremely drunk as his mum walked into the hall looking ghostly pale. She said that Hermione was to be fine!!
Ron hardly believed his ears. He, along with the rest of the guests, stumbled to the bathroom. Ron couldn't recall how he managed to push to the front of the crowd, not being able walk a strait line to save his life. He burst through the door and knelt down next to the stretcher Mrs. Weasley had conjured up. Hermione was just stirring as he took her into his arms.
"Don't you ever do that to me again! You-hic - scared me half to -- hic -- death!"
Hermione had an odd look on her face. "Ron," she whispered. "Please tell me you haven't been drinking."
"All right!" he laughed, strangely. "I - hic -- haven't been drinking."
Hermione cried. "You promised...."
Just then, Mrs. Weasley entered the room. "RON!" She bellowed, being unaware of her son's problem. "YOU'RE NOT. YOU CAN'T BE! TELL ME YOU'RE NOT DRUNK!"
"What's with all these -- hic -- people wanting me to-hic -- tell them.......-hic stuff."
Hermione hid her head in her arms. "He's been going on like this all year! It's so horrible! It makes me ... sick..."
"Oh, Hermione, dear." Mrs. Weasley said, softly. "is that why you're so pale. And so thin! Don't you eat?"
"Whaddya talking about, mum?" Ron mumbled, violently. "Hermione hasn't eaten since last year!"
Mrs. Weasley looked shocked. "Is that true?"
Hermione nodded slowly.
"oh dear lord." Mrs. Weasley advanced on Ron. "WHEN DID YOU START DRINKING? " She roared. " DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS? DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT THAT CAN DO TO YOU?" she cast a furtive glance around the room for something to say. " Don't you care about Hermione?"
His mother's words hit Ron like a sack full of bricks. He fell back and started mumbling rapidly. Hermione couldn't understand most of his murmuring, but she caught bits here and there ,like: " I love her" and "mean to get drunk" and " to stop."
Hermione felt terrible. This was her fault, too. If she hadn't gone off the edge and poisoned herself, Ron wouldn't be in trouble with his mum at the moment. Suicide wormed it's way back into her thoughts, but was quickly discarded. The feeling of dying, just fading away, was one feeling Hermione never wanted to experience again. And anyway, maybe Mrs. Weasley finding out about his problem was a good thing. Hermione was sure that she would go to any extent to save her son. Maybe now that his mother knew, Ron would slow down, or maybe even stop! Hermione tried not to get her hopes up.