The Internet and Hogwarts Don't Mix, Hermione!
By: Mari G. (a.k.a. MalfoysGirlfriend)
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE HARRY POTTER CHARACTERS.
Also, I had to change the user names to numbers. I didn't want to use any one's that would sound real so as not to offend anyone.
Chapter 4:
Hermione arrived at her dormitory a half-hour later due to frequent stops at the girl's bathroom. She reluctantly flopped down on her bed and turned to face the window. Something caught her eye at the edge of her bed. It was a big box with labels all over that said "Fragile." She picked the box up and opened it. Inside was a blue notebook PC. She opened the computer and turned it on. It was just perfect. She spent hours exploring the different windows, not even bothering to see who sent the computer. Hermione got to one final window labeled "Internet". Her cousin's favorite past time was chatting on the Internet. Hermione had seen her do it many times. She clicked on the "Internet" icon and searched for the chat site where her cousin chatted.
Under the little search space she saw the word "Chat" and clicked on it. She knew she would have to sign up so she clicked where it said "Not a Member?". Hermione chose her user name to be 62442, since oddly enough she could only use numbers for this particular site. Soon she started chatting like a pro. She went to the chatroom called "the bored room" and said hello. Hermione got a private message from a boy with the id 72279. This what their chat was like.
72279: Hey girl, wassup
62442: nothin' much. How r u?
72279: Fine
62442: What are your hobbies?
72279: baseball and sex
62442: excuse me?
72279: r u a "v"
62442: yeah, why?
72279: a/s/l
62442: 17/f/UK
62442: U?
72279: 21/m/UK
62442: cool
72279: name?
62442: Hermione. U?
72279: mike
72279: so you know what a blowjob is?
62442: yeah
72279: have you seen one?
62442: no
72279: r u planning to see one?
62442: yes
72279: when?
62442: soon
(Of course Hermione lied but she was just keeping conversation here.)
72279: how soon?
62442: I live in an overprotective environment so it'll be hard.
(She paused for a moment and then wrote-)
62442: I'm thinking of running away.
72279: when?
62442: As soon as I find a place to stay.
(What really scared her about this was that she actually meant it.)
72279: You could stay at my place.
62442: I don't know…
72279: only temporarily
62442: ok. I'll think about it.
72279: what do you have to offer?
62442: I have money
(Hermione knew where this was headed but she decided to play stupid for
awhile.)
72279: What about sex.
62442: maybe
72279: ok, I'll give you my e-mail and you can e-mail me if you decide
run away.
62442: k
(They exchanged emails)
72279: ok
62442: listen, I g2g
72279: me too, bye
62442: bye
Hermione logged off the internet and closed the notebook. She saw a greeting card on her bed and picked up. It had a picture of a single rose in a vase on the cover.
Hermione opened it and thought it might be from her parents.
Hermione,
I thought you might enjoy this computer. Have fun!
Anonymous
She closed the card and decided that if the person wanted to be anonymous it was their problem. Hermione took a look at her watch and saw it was dinnertime and headed out of her dormitory, down the hall, and down the staircase. The room was completely empty except for Ron and Harry sitting on the couch facing the girls' staircase. She glared at them with complete and utter disgust in her eyes.
"Hermione, don't look at us that way. We're sorry," said Harry trying to put a comforting arm on her shoulder, but she backed off violently.
"You're not more sorry than me," Hermione said quietly.
"Are you going to start again? We already told you we're sorry. We want to help you," said Ron getting up and standing next to Harry.
"I don't need your help. I don't want anything from you. I just want to die in peace!"
"Why?" asked Harry gently, obviously trying hard not to lose his temper.
"Because I have nothing to live for! Everything's gone!"
"We don't have a clue what you're talking about!" yelled Ron at her.
"You, Ronald Weasley, are a hateful bastard. Your whole life you've been nothing but a hateful bastard and that will never change!" she screamed back.
"Hermione, stop! What's wrong with you?" Harry yelled back at her. He obviously lost it at that point of the conversation. Ron looked like he had been slapped in the face.
"What's wrong with me?" she yelled back at him. Then, as suddenly as she yelled, her expression turned into an alarmingly calm one. She now spoke as if nothing had happened, "Nothing's wrong with me. Thank-you for asking though. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to go get dinner."
Harry and Ron watched as she went through the portrait hole and then exchanged looks of confusion. They both stood there lost for words, trying to process what just happened. Harry stood there, hands on hips, looking at the ground. Ron had his arms crossed and was looking off into space.
"Ok, I think it's now safe to say she's crazy," Ron said after a few minutes.
"Yes. I completely agree," said Harry looking at Ron.
"I think she's possessed or her mom dropped her on her head when she was younger," said Ron.
"No, I think the long nights of studying are staring to kick in," said Harry, sitting down on the couch.
"Well, whatever then. If she doesn't want our help I don't want to help her," said Ron sitting down next to Harry.
"She tried to kill herself before, she'll obviously do it again. I'm worried about her. That isn't Hermione. She doesn't talk like that or act like that at all. She's sweet and caring and really knows her stuff."
"You should have gone out with her when you had the chance," said Ron, making Harry look up at him.
"Why?" said Harry suspiciously.
"Come on Harry! Like, everybody knows you had a crush on her."
"Was it really that really that obvious? I mean… I never had a crush on her…I mean…Oh what's the use? I love her Ron. I still love her. I'm just going out with Cho to take my mind off of her," said Harry, hiding his face with his hands. Ron was trying hard to stifle a laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" said Harry.
"Harry, buddy, you obviously love to hurt yourself. If going out with her makes you happy, do it!"
"What will she even see in me?"
"Harry! You have every witch in this school drooling over you. You're the Quidditch captain and the boy who destroyed Voldemort! That turns girls on."
"How do you know?"
"Inside information," said Ron smiling.
"Ok! I'll do it! I'll break up with Cho and get her. Before Malfoy does," he said the last part quietly so Ron wouldn't hear him.
Hermione was really upset but all of a sudden her anger vanished and she thought she was going mad. How could she have that strange reaction? She walked quickly down the hall and bumped into Malfoy.
"Hey, where are you going in such a rush?" he said, blocking her way.
"Get out of the way Malfoy!"
"Hey, feisty, are we?" he said with a grin.
"Fuck off," she said, shoving him hard. Malfoy grabbed her roughly and slammed her against the wall, pinning her.
"If you ever shove me again I will make you little death wish come true. Understand?"
"You don't scare me."
"Ha! That's a good one! You're obviously terrified of me!"
"Am not. Now let go of ME!" she said and he let go of her. He laughed cruelly.
Hermione walked off rapidly, Malfoy's laughter following her like a shadow. She sat down at the dinner table and ate quietly. She looked up at the enchanted ceiling and day dreamed for a short moment that things were ok, that her brother was alive, that Harry loved her. She knew it was impossible, but couldn't help wondering what it would be like. She finished eating walked back to her room silently.
Hermione sat in her room for a long time in the dark, looking at the stars. She heard a knock on the door and jumped, surprised.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Harry."
"Come in."
"You're not upset anymore?" he asked, shutting the door behind him. Then he said, "Why is it so dark in here?"
"I'm just looking at the stars."
"A letter arrived for you while you were away."
"Did you open it?"
"No, I was afraid you'd kill me," said Harry, smiling.
"Let me see it," said Hermione, turning on the lights. She looked at the return address and said, "Oh. It's from my aunt Joanne."
She tore it open and admired her aunts beautiful writing for a minute. Then she realized that her aunt has only written to her once before, to tell her about her newborn baby. Hermione read the letter quickly and Harry saw she was slowly turning pale. Her knees gave out and she almost fell but Harry caught her.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry asked. She broke out into violent sobs and clutched the letter to her heart.
"My…mom…," she cried out.
"What happened? Is she okay?" he asked. She shook her head and cried,
"My mom is dead. My dad killed her," and with that she collapsed, unconscious into Harry's arms.
"Hermione!" Harry swept her up and laid her on the bed. He ran into the bathroom and found some rubbing alcohol and ran back. Lifting her head up slowly, he held the alcohol to her nose and she stirred. Hermione opened her eyes and looked down at the letter clutched in her hand. She stopped crying and threw the letter on the floor.
"Hermione, I'm so sorry."
"Just leave me alone Harry," she whispered.
"Are you going to go home for the funeral?"
"My family doesn't want me to. They say school comes first. And anyway, my dad's in jail."
"Oh Hermione," he said with sympathy.
"Harry, just leave please. I want to be alone to remember my mother."
"Ok. If you need anything, don't hesitate in asking me," he said, walking towards the door. He turned around suddenly.
"Hermione?"
"Yeah?"
"I want you to be like you were before. I want you back," he said, and walked out the door. Hermione looked tearful and this made her cry harder than before. She stuffed a fist in her mouth to avoid being heard and her crying stopped suddenly as her eyes fell on the notebook computer…
To Be Continued