Reunion Part 5
Hogsmeade was bustling with activity, it didn't appear as if much had changed since they were kids. It was hard for any of them to concentrate, however, as Ron's kids were screaming in tow and he tried to calm them down exasperatedly with promises of Honeydukes chocolate.
"I swear Ron, if you hadn't told them those stories about the Hogwarts Ghosts last night, they would have gotten some sleep and wouldn't be so restless now, " Eloise frowned, eyeing him angrily.
"Hey, I'm sorry, but Nearly Headless Nick is friendly you remember and they couldn't go WITHOUT seeing him at some point. And as for Peeves...well Miranda HAD to wonder why her clothes were strewn about the room, right?"
Eloise sighed, picking up Miranda, who upon hearing her name had suddenly gone white and ran over to her mother, clinging to her leg.
Hermione just watched all this with a mixture of apprehension and amusement. It just was fun to see Ron having to take such a responsible position as that of fatherhood. At this moment she was happy she herself didn't have kids although she was positive they would be kept in line because she wouldn't allow anything otherwise. At the same time, watching Ron with children...showing he had advanced to the next stage of his life, made her a bit resentful and sad too.
Harry and Ginny, on the other hand, seemed rather calm and affectionate. Sirius was in Ginny's arms, looking around curiously at all the shop windows and Ginny was smiling at Harry periodically with what could not be mistaken for anything but complete love and respect. Hermione kind of growled and walked on, a little ahead of them and behind Ron, wondering how Harry could be playing such a game.
Harry was watching her closely, noticing how sour she had become since they had arrived at Hogsmeade. He was beginning to get the feeling that Hermione was not telling him something, and she had been acting odd all morning long.
Harry's attention was suddenly turned back toward Ginny, who was laughing as Sirius squiggled excitedly in her arms, reaching out toward the Honeydukes storefront, which had a gigantic chocolate frog in the window.
"I think he wants to go in, Harry" Ginny said happily.
Hermione had slipped next door into "Mirtie Miles Mystical Magic Makables" and was looking through their wide selection of books right inside the door.
"You go ahead, get me something, I want to look in here" Harry said, pointing at Mirtie's.
"Allright, "Ginny said, hardly able to hold Sirius, who was struggling toward the frog again. His cousins Miranda and Millie were also running toward the store excitedly, followed closely by Ron and Eloise.
Harry nodded and slipped into the shop, seeing Hermione engulfed in a rather large Transfiguration tome. He walked up to her, looking concerned at the scowl that was obviously on her face.
"Hermione?" Harry said, walking closer.
Hermione looked up, her lips pursed. "Yes....?"
"Um...what's wrong with you?"
Hermione slammed the book shut, gettting the attention of Mirtie, who looked over and gave her a dirty look. "I don't understand what you're doing Harry. Last night you were crying to me and now...you are acting completely in love with your wife!"
Harry just stared at her in shock. "Well....why SHOULDN'T I be in love with my wife?" he asked incredulously.
Hermione frowned at him and grumbled. "Hmph! It's just not good to play with people's emotions..I mean I know I told you things would be fine, but this complete turnaround and you practically denying it even happened....you KISSED me Harry!"
Harry's eyes just about popped out of his head and he stared at Hermione like she had lost her mind. "Hermione...what are you talking about??"
Hermione's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "I can't believe you can stand there like that....acting like you didn't come and pour your heart out to me last night."
"Um..." Harry didn't know quite what to say, but he was pretty sure that Hermione was losing it.
Hermione just looked down bitterly, looking like she could just lash out, but she contained herself and said calmly, "Just never mind Harry, it doesn' t matter. I'm your friend, you know that, but....but don't play games with me. I'm lonely and honestly, I'm having trouble seeing you and Ron all happy with your families when I'm still alone and unmarried!" She turned away from him and stomped to the counter, buying the spell book before leaving the store in a huff.
So it was jealously, Harry thought. He could understand how this might be difficult for her, seeing he and Ron settled with families, but he had most definitly not kissed her last night. He was gettting that strange feeling again of something dire, something evil, just lurking over this whole reunion. He didn't know quite how to comfort Hermione and not hurt her feelings. He couldn't just go without showing affection to his wife just so Hermione wouldn't get angry. He reckoned he should probably talk to Ron about what they should do.
He was just about to leave when Hermione came back into the store. "Harry....come with me" she said, pulling him out of the store and down the street.
Harry just glanced at her confused "Hermione I'm sorry about that but you..."
Hermione stopped, pulling him into the bar Three Broomsticks, pulling him into a seat. "OK Harry, I'm going to be straight with you here, " she said, pausing and looking him in the eye.
"What?" Harry said, confused. "Hermione...I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings...whatever I did..."
"No," Hermione shook her head "it's not you Harry, it's me. I..I just, I'm in love with you, at least I think I am. I have been resentful ever since you married Ginny Weasley..wondering why you couldn't have considered me after knowing each other all those years." she looked down almost ashamedly.
Harry had turned white. "Oh...Hermione...I, I'm sorry if I, I mean, we've just always been friends."
Hermione looked back up at him, tears in her eyes. "You and Ron have always been my closest friends but you are also men. I mean it seems that knowing each other all those years was bound to prompt feelings besides friendship."
Harry shifted uncomfortable in his seat as a witch in a short black dress approached their table and set butterbeers in front of them. "Well Hermione you know that we'll always be close friends..in some ways approaching it from a romantic perspective might have soured our friendship."
"But sometimes it's worth taking that risk...Harry.." she now looked him more squarely in the eye and pushed her butterbeer away, taking her hands in his. "I don't care the consequences, I have nothing to lose and I can't just let you walk out of here," she added, now getting up and sitting in the chair nearest him. "I just can't...bear to.." Hermione then pulled Harry toward her and kissed him passionately while wrapping her arms around him tightly. Harry was completely taken off guard and tried to pull away from her, shocked and a little put off.
"No..Hermione...no.." Harry said, pushing his hands against her, pushing her away. "What is WRONG with you?"
Noticing where Harry had had his hands, Hermione smiled broadly and pushed his hands on her again "Yes Harry..exactly..." She now looked completely wild eyed and illogical, and Harry blushed to see that everyone in the Three Broomsticks was staring at them. Not knowing what else to do, he just pulled away from her, flushing as red as a beet, and looked at her in a half furious, half pitiful way and rushed out of the room, leaving Hermione just standing there looking after him. She was smirking widely as the waitress came over and sat down next to her.
"Draco would be proud," she said evilly.
Hermione glanced casually back at her. "Of course he would, just wait till THIS gets in the Daily Prophet, not to mention ruining what used to be a "wonderful and close" friendship."
"Right," the waitress laughed.
"Too bad the stuff only lasts an hour, otherwise I could have had even more fun with Potter. And marring Granger's reputation could just get her kicked out of Hogwarts."
"Which is exactly the intention," said a man who had just walked over to them, sneering.
"Ah," Hermione laughed, getting up and walking towards the man. "You missed a very interesting performance."
"Oh I was watching from afar," he said, eyes glinting. He nodded at the waitress and then led Hermione out of the Three Broomsticks. "Well done Pansy, now we shall see how Potter handles it."
Hermione's face had now dissolved to that of a rather unattractive round and plump woman who was grinning broadly, walking arm in arm with Draco Malfoy.
Dinner that evening was more than a little tense. Harry had managed to tell Ron everything that happened, and he was furious. He couldn't imagine that Hermione would have pulled a stunt like that, and at the same time he knew she didn't have a perfect life and that fact was probably about killing her.
Hermione was at the staff table, eating slowly and glancing every once in awhile over at the Potters and Weasleys at the Gryffindor table. She was still angry about Harry's behavior, about his faked cluelessness about the events last night, but she also didn't want to ruin the rest of the reunion by being in a fight with him. Unfortunately, she had noticed that both Harry and Ron seemed to have taken a sudden dislike to her, and were avoiding speaking with her at all. And to make matters worse, she had been getting the strangest dirty looks all day since the trip to Hogsmeade.
"I mean...maybe we should just leave her to Malfoy," Ron said disgustedly, "I mean to ADVANCE on a married man in front of a bunch of people, that's not the Hermione we know."
"Yeah..." Harry said, disheartened.
"Honestly Ron, I wish you would stop being so concerned over that girl. You have your own family to take care of. You were childhood friends, but things change. Let her deal with her own problems, she seems a little off anyway, probably the stress of all those years of intense reading and studying." Eloise said, wiping ham and turkey casserole from the corners of Millie's mouth.
"I know but...Eloise it's not that simple. I guess, I never would have thought she'd do something like this."
"Well she did. Face it Ron, she's going to end up an old spinster, probably never leaving the santuary of Hogwarts, she just was showing her vent up frustrations, something she'll never have because no man will have her." Eloise frowned.
"Eloise!" Ron glared at her angrily. "I thought you liked Hermione!"
"Well sure, as a child she was bossy but kind at the same time, but now she's grown bitter and boring."
"Actually she is very pretty," Ginny added, although that shouldn't mean she makes moves on my husband," she said, taking Harry's hand tightly.
"But she's got the personality of a prude" Elois shrugged, "That's enough to turn any man away."
They were suddenly interrupted from their unpleasant conversation by Neville Longbottom, who had just tripped on his robes on his way to the staff table. "Ah...Harry, Ron..Ginny...Eloise, so nice to see you." Neville said, flushing.
"Oh hi Neville," Harry said, glad to get off the subject of Hermione's behavior in Three Broomsticks that afternoon.
"Tomorrow's Monday you know," Neville added, "I've been preaning the Picalotty Plants for the occasion, I'm very proud of them."
"Oh right..you're exhibition is tomorrow. What are Picalotty Plants?" Ron asked.
"Well they were discovered just about 2 years ago in a remote South sea peninsula. They have the most unique properties, their spores come in the form of every food imaginable. So if you go on a trip, you just have to bring one of these, tell it what you want to "order" and it will create it...they are amazing." Neville was beaming.
"Well we'll look forward to it," Harry said, trying to act enthusiastic.
"Wonderful..well it's tomorrow directly after breakfast," Neville explained. "I better get to the staff table now, perhaps we can meet up in the commons room after dinner, maybe have a game of chess."
"Sure..." Ron agreed. "See you later then."
Neville made his way to the top table and was greeted by many of the other professors. Hermione mouthed a "Hello" and got up, trying to appear like she had it together. Neville's positive attitude just seemed to rub off on most of the staff because after his arrival, the mood was fairly light. Colin Creevy was also there, talking about his potions classes and how he hoped that the Potions demonstration tomorrow was as interesting as Neville's Herbology would no doubt be.
After dinner, most of the Gryffindor graduates met in the common room. Ginny and Eloise were over talking with Parvati and her sister Padma, two Indian witches who had once gone to the Yule Ball with Ron and Harry during thier 4th year at Hogwarts. Exchanging stories of the immaturity of men was a conversation the women seemed to be having an enjoyable time having. Ron and Harry were trying to ignore their girlish giggling as they sat down at the chess board to wait for Neville.
"It's been a long time since I played chess," Ron admitted. "Although as good as Neville may be at Herbology, I reckon I won't have any trouble beating him at chess."
Hermione had not shown up in the commons room, undeniably she had gone back to her chambers to be alone. Crookshanks, however, had managed to get in the room and was over near Harry and Ron, glaring at them and hissing if they made a move toward him at all.
"Too bad that cat is a longevity breed," Ron frowned.
"Yeah....I don't know why she didn't take him with her to her room." Harry said casually.
"Probably didn't want to show her face," a woman said, approaching them. "I saw what happened at the Three Broomsticks today Harry, it was very.....inappropriate."
Harry just blushed. "I guess, but I suspect she's pretty sorry for it."
"Still, how she can even face the Gryffindors after that lewd display...hmph...and to think she works at Hogwarts, managing the information for the students here, it's just unthinkable!" the woman said, tossing her hair back and walking off to talk to other graduates.
Harry just sighed. "I just wish we understood what happened today, it just wasn't her at all."
He didn't realize just how true that was.
