1 Chapter 11- Finally Speaking…Just Not to Everyone
After dinner that evening, Hermione made her way up the Gryffindor Common Room for the first time since the end of their 6th year. Dean had his arm around her shoulders, and Hermione seemed very comfortable snuggled up against him. Soon, they stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Dean, what's the password? I only knew it for the first week, and I bet it's been changed since then."
The boy nodded, and said the password. "Rincheed." And the two of them entered the gold and crimson decorated tower. Hermione made her way over to a couch in front of the fire. The weather had started getting cool that day, and she was decidedly chilled. Dean followed her, and again put his arm around her. Hermione was very grateful for the extra warmth, and even more grateful for the protection.
Hermione no longer knew how to act around Ron, and Harry especially. Hermione didn't know Harry's true feelings for her anymore, and what scared her even more were her feelings for Harry.
Did she still have more-than-friendly feelings for him? Or had they gone away since Dean? Hermione was still pondering this, when she realized that Dean's body had been replaced, and now she was sandwiched. Ron on one side, Harry on the other. Unwilling to lean on either of THEM, Hermione simply leaned back into the couch, savoring the extra warmth they provided.
Minutes passed, as the entire common room waited in silence. Finally, Harry broke it.
"Hermione, we need to talk."
Using her peripheral vision, Hermione could see Ron nodding. "I know." She whispered almost inaudibly.
A gleam of hope lighted in their eyes. "Hermione, we're sorry we didn't tell you. We're sorry we played such a cruel trick on you. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you before I told Ron. I'm sorry you found out the way you did. And I'm especially sorry for making you confess those things to me, when I knew very well what I was making you do. I'm a great prat, and I'm sorry I ever hurt you."
Tears ran down her face. Harry hoped against hope that those were a good sign. Ron launched into his apology, ignoring the perplexed expressions of the other Gryffindors.
"Hermione, I'm sorry I managed to convince you that you were hearing things. I should have told you from the beginning, and I shouldn't have given Harry all this bad advice. I was the one who said to put it off, and Harry thought I knew better. In reality, we were both just as clueless. Will you please forgive us?"
More tears streamed down her face. The two boys stared nervously at one another, while Hermione sat there thinking.
'Have they apologized for everything I was mad at them for? Or are they missing something? I think they have…'
Then a grin broke out on her face. "I'm so glad you two finally apologized! Now I don't have to pretend to be all cold and tough anymore. I'm so happy!"
Hermione's glee overtook her. She was dancing around the common room, flailing her arms and kicking her legs. She eventually got back to the couch area. Being as happy as she was, Hermione gave Ron a big kiss on the lips. His eyes bulged, but she was gone before he knew it. Then Hermione danced over to Harry and did the same thing. Harry, expecting this, did something very dishonorable.
Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione, and refused to let her go, as he returned her kiss. It only took Dean a few moments to realize that Hermione was kissing Harry back. Rage overtook the normally calm boy.
"Get away from my girlfriend!" Dean yelled, scaring nearly everyone. Hermione heard him and came out of her reverie.
"Oh my God. Dean, I'm so sorry, I just got so swept up in the my happiness, I don't know what I was doing!"
But Dean wasn't listening. "Hermione, I'm sure you knew EXACTLY what you were doing. If you hadn't, you wouldn't have enjoyed that so much. Don't come near me again! I thought I loved you, but now I know why I was wrong! You're a cheating little bitch! You've been using this fight with Ron and Harry to hide your REAL feelings, and in the process used ME to make it all seem more believable. You just didn't want the world to know that you really liked Harry! You didn't want to be in the spotlight like you were in 4th year! Well you know what? I'm not taking that kind of shit! I don't want you to ever come near me again." Then he stalked off towards the boys' dorms.
Had people noticed the tears in her eyes, they would have realized what Dean had said wasn't true. But no one did. They realized that not a one of them knew what had caused the fight, and assumed what Dean said was right.
Harry, was taken aback until he saw the tears in Hermione's eyes. Quickly, he wrapped her in a hug, and tried to sooth her. It didn't work.
"Don't touch me Harry Potter!" Then Hermione ran from the room, ignoring the curious or concerned faces. Her footsteps echoed in the corridor, until she finally got to her private rooms. Only Dean and the Headmaster knew where they were, for which Hermione was most grateful. No one would be bothering her right now. So Hermione cranked up the volume on her Wizarding Wireless (a radio of some sorts), and cried herself to sleep, her homework left undone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione was so distressed by her recent break-up and the nasty words that came with it, that she feigned ill for a week. Harry was concerned. She had not asked for her homework, which always did, even when she had a tail.
"Ron, why did I have to go and do that? Dean wouldn't have said that if I had just let it be." Harry was lying on his bed, preferring that to the stares he was receiving in the common room this week.
"Harry, my parents once told me that the road to love was hard and arduous. Now, since Hermione is no longer mad at ME, I need to be reassuring that I do indeed love Lavender as much as I have said to her. Sorry mate. I'll be back later."
Harry sighed as Ron exited the room. 'I need to talk to Hermione,' he thought 'I need to tell her that I don't regret kissing her, but that I wish Dean hadn't said that. I'm almost positive that's what's eating her. She's always had a rather fragile self-esteem, and that didn't help much.' Then inspiration struck.
Armed with a plan, Harry grabbed his Invisibility cloak (he DID NOT want to be seen) and headed out of the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry stared at the gargoyle. 'Come on,' he thought 'just open up. I don't know the password!'
It seemed like hours later when Dumbledore came back to his office, and opened the gargoyle. Harry slipped in behind him, and removed his cloak. "Professor, I need directions to Hermione's rooms, and the password if there is one."
"And Mr. Potter, why is that, dare I ask?" His normal twinkle seemed to have disappeared, as if some great horror was going to be released on the world.
"I need to apologize. Again. And take her homework assignments to her. She hasn't been to class all week, and she isn't in the hospital wing. I'm worried."
Dumbledore's eyes grew wide. "Miss Granger has been skipping class? As Head Girl that is entirely unacceptable! Would you happen to know the reason Mr. Potter? I realize you two have not been on the best terms lately, but perhaps…"
Harry gulped, and proceeded to tell his story (edited, of course) "She and Dean had a row, and broke up. It was rather nasty, and Dean probably managed to convince her that it's all her fault. I was going to go try and help…"
Harry was rather surprised Dumbledore hadn't known this all already, but remained quiet as Dumbledore wrote the directions and password onto a scrap of parchment.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione looked up, startled from her reading chair as the door opened. What worried her the most, was the fact that no one was there.
"Hello…? Is anyone there?" She craned her head around the room, wondering where the person was. And who is was, for that matter. Still unable to see anyone, Hermione stood, clearly scared. She had her wand out, and was ready to start zapping things in her room, when the person spoke.
The voice seemed familiar, but it's lower than usual pitch threw her off. "Hermione, I am not the enemy. I am a friend, who was concerned about your absence from class this week. You've only missed one class in your life. In your third year, you forgot to go to charms because you were so mad at Malfoy."
Hermione was still scared. "Who are you?!" How did this person know so much?
The voice was closer. "Someone who believes Dean's words were wrong."
Her voice started trembling. "You really don't think he was right?" Her shattered self-esteem was evident by the tone of her voice.
"I really don't. I've missed you. It's been too long since you talked to me, Herbie."
With that name, Hermione knew who it was, and she was glad. "Harry? Where are you?"
The invisible Harry slipped his arms around her waist. "I'm right here, Hermione."
The girl slipped the cloak off of him, watching him become visible. As soon as she could see him, Hermione gave into her despair.
"Oh Harry, I'm so sure that Dean's right! I really did use him! I was just trying to make you jealous. I never really liked him as more than a friend. What should I do?!"
Harry gently rubbed her back, soothing her loud sobs. "Hermione, you didn't do it on purpose. You were in desperate need for a friend, and Dean was the first one to volunteer. How was he to know that you liked me, but were trying to convince yourself otherwise. Now look at me."
Hermione raised her tear-stained face to look at him. "It's not your fault. That was bound to happen eventually. Believe me."
She nodded, and buried her head into his chest again. Harry kissed the top of her head, and gently scooped her up into his arms. He then walked through the doorway leading into the bedroom. He set her down on her bed. For a moment he contemplated changing her clothes, but soon decided Hermione wouldn't like that idea very much. Instead he tucked the already sleeping girl into bed, and gently kissed her on the lips.
"Good night, Herbie my dear."
He turned off the lights, and gently shut the door. Then he set the shrunken stack of homework on the "coffee" table, enlarged it, and left.
2 End Chapter 11
Hmm…they're making progress…good! Anyway….
Keep those reviews coming, you guys are the greatest!!!
~Herbie (who wishes people understood her like Harry understands Hermione)
After dinner that evening, Hermione made her way up the Gryffindor Common Room for the first time since the end of their 6th year. Dean had his arm around her shoulders, and Hermione seemed very comfortable snuggled up against him. Soon, they stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Dean, what's the password? I only knew it for the first week, and I bet it's been changed since then."
The boy nodded, and said the password. "Rincheed." And the two of them entered the gold and crimson decorated tower. Hermione made her way over to a couch in front of the fire. The weather had started getting cool that day, and she was decidedly chilled. Dean followed her, and again put his arm around her. Hermione was very grateful for the extra warmth, and even more grateful for the protection.
Hermione no longer knew how to act around Ron, and Harry especially. Hermione didn't know Harry's true feelings for her anymore, and what scared her even more were her feelings for Harry.
Did she still have more-than-friendly feelings for him? Or had they gone away since Dean? Hermione was still pondering this, when she realized that Dean's body had been replaced, and now she was sandwiched. Ron on one side, Harry on the other. Unwilling to lean on either of THEM, Hermione simply leaned back into the couch, savoring the extra warmth they provided.
Minutes passed, as the entire common room waited in silence. Finally, Harry broke it.
"Hermione, we need to talk."
Using her peripheral vision, Hermione could see Ron nodding. "I know." She whispered almost inaudibly.
A gleam of hope lighted in their eyes. "Hermione, we're sorry we didn't tell you. We're sorry we played such a cruel trick on you. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you before I told Ron. I'm sorry you found out the way you did. And I'm especially sorry for making you confess those things to me, when I knew very well what I was making you do. I'm a great prat, and I'm sorry I ever hurt you."
Tears ran down her face. Harry hoped against hope that those were a good sign. Ron launched into his apology, ignoring the perplexed expressions of the other Gryffindors.
"Hermione, I'm sorry I managed to convince you that you were hearing things. I should have told you from the beginning, and I shouldn't have given Harry all this bad advice. I was the one who said to put it off, and Harry thought I knew better. In reality, we were both just as clueless. Will you please forgive us?"
More tears streamed down her face. The two boys stared nervously at one another, while Hermione sat there thinking.
'Have they apologized for everything I was mad at them for? Or are they missing something? I think they have…'
Then a grin broke out on her face. "I'm so glad you two finally apologized! Now I don't have to pretend to be all cold and tough anymore. I'm so happy!"
Hermione's glee overtook her. She was dancing around the common room, flailing her arms and kicking her legs. She eventually got back to the couch area. Being as happy as she was, Hermione gave Ron a big kiss on the lips. His eyes bulged, but she was gone before he knew it. Then Hermione danced over to Harry and did the same thing. Harry, expecting this, did something very dishonorable.
Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione, and refused to let her go, as he returned her kiss. It only took Dean a few moments to realize that Hermione was kissing Harry back. Rage overtook the normally calm boy.
"Get away from my girlfriend!" Dean yelled, scaring nearly everyone. Hermione heard him and came out of her reverie.
"Oh my God. Dean, I'm so sorry, I just got so swept up in the my happiness, I don't know what I was doing!"
But Dean wasn't listening. "Hermione, I'm sure you knew EXACTLY what you were doing. If you hadn't, you wouldn't have enjoyed that so much. Don't come near me again! I thought I loved you, but now I know why I was wrong! You're a cheating little bitch! You've been using this fight with Ron and Harry to hide your REAL feelings, and in the process used ME to make it all seem more believable. You just didn't want the world to know that you really liked Harry! You didn't want to be in the spotlight like you were in 4th year! Well you know what? I'm not taking that kind of shit! I don't want you to ever come near me again." Then he stalked off towards the boys' dorms.
Had people noticed the tears in her eyes, they would have realized what Dean had said wasn't true. But no one did. They realized that not a one of them knew what had caused the fight, and assumed what Dean said was right.
Harry, was taken aback until he saw the tears in Hermione's eyes. Quickly, he wrapped her in a hug, and tried to sooth her. It didn't work.
"Don't touch me Harry Potter!" Then Hermione ran from the room, ignoring the curious or concerned faces. Her footsteps echoed in the corridor, until she finally got to her private rooms. Only Dean and the Headmaster knew where they were, for which Hermione was most grateful. No one would be bothering her right now. So Hermione cranked up the volume on her Wizarding Wireless (a radio of some sorts), and cried herself to sleep, her homework left undone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione was so distressed by her recent break-up and the nasty words that came with it, that she feigned ill for a week. Harry was concerned. She had not asked for her homework, which always did, even when she had a tail.
"Ron, why did I have to go and do that? Dean wouldn't have said that if I had just let it be." Harry was lying on his bed, preferring that to the stares he was receiving in the common room this week.
"Harry, my parents once told me that the road to love was hard and arduous. Now, since Hermione is no longer mad at ME, I need to be reassuring that I do indeed love Lavender as much as I have said to her. Sorry mate. I'll be back later."
Harry sighed as Ron exited the room. 'I need to talk to Hermione,' he thought 'I need to tell her that I don't regret kissing her, but that I wish Dean hadn't said that. I'm almost positive that's what's eating her. She's always had a rather fragile self-esteem, and that didn't help much.' Then inspiration struck.
Armed with a plan, Harry grabbed his Invisibility cloak (he DID NOT want to be seen) and headed out of the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry stared at the gargoyle. 'Come on,' he thought 'just open up. I don't know the password!'
It seemed like hours later when Dumbledore came back to his office, and opened the gargoyle. Harry slipped in behind him, and removed his cloak. "Professor, I need directions to Hermione's rooms, and the password if there is one."
"And Mr. Potter, why is that, dare I ask?" His normal twinkle seemed to have disappeared, as if some great horror was going to be released on the world.
"I need to apologize. Again. And take her homework assignments to her. She hasn't been to class all week, and she isn't in the hospital wing. I'm worried."
Dumbledore's eyes grew wide. "Miss Granger has been skipping class? As Head Girl that is entirely unacceptable! Would you happen to know the reason Mr. Potter? I realize you two have not been on the best terms lately, but perhaps…"
Harry gulped, and proceeded to tell his story (edited, of course) "She and Dean had a row, and broke up. It was rather nasty, and Dean probably managed to convince her that it's all her fault. I was going to go try and help…"
Harry was rather surprised Dumbledore hadn't known this all already, but remained quiet as Dumbledore wrote the directions and password onto a scrap of parchment.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione looked up, startled from her reading chair as the door opened. What worried her the most, was the fact that no one was there.
"Hello…? Is anyone there?" She craned her head around the room, wondering where the person was. And who is was, for that matter. Still unable to see anyone, Hermione stood, clearly scared. She had her wand out, and was ready to start zapping things in her room, when the person spoke.
The voice seemed familiar, but it's lower than usual pitch threw her off. "Hermione, I am not the enemy. I am a friend, who was concerned about your absence from class this week. You've only missed one class in your life. In your third year, you forgot to go to charms because you were so mad at Malfoy."
Hermione was still scared. "Who are you?!" How did this person know so much?
The voice was closer. "Someone who believes Dean's words were wrong."
Her voice started trembling. "You really don't think he was right?" Her shattered self-esteem was evident by the tone of her voice.
"I really don't. I've missed you. It's been too long since you talked to me, Herbie."
With that name, Hermione knew who it was, and she was glad. "Harry? Where are you?"
The invisible Harry slipped his arms around her waist. "I'm right here, Hermione."
The girl slipped the cloak off of him, watching him become visible. As soon as she could see him, Hermione gave into her despair.
"Oh Harry, I'm so sure that Dean's right! I really did use him! I was just trying to make you jealous. I never really liked him as more than a friend. What should I do?!"
Harry gently rubbed her back, soothing her loud sobs. "Hermione, you didn't do it on purpose. You were in desperate need for a friend, and Dean was the first one to volunteer. How was he to know that you liked me, but were trying to convince yourself otherwise. Now look at me."
Hermione raised her tear-stained face to look at him. "It's not your fault. That was bound to happen eventually. Believe me."
She nodded, and buried her head into his chest again. Harry kissed the top of her head, and gently scooped her up into his arms. He then walked through the doorway leading into the bedroom. He set her down on her bed. For a moment he contemplated changing her clothes, but soon decided Hermione wouldn't like that idea very much. Instead he tucked the already sleeping girl into bed, and gently kissed her on the lips.
"Good night, Herbie my dear."
He turned off the lights, and gently shut the door. Then he set the shrunken stack of homework on the "coffee" table, enlarged it, and left.
2 End Chapter 11
Hmm…they're making progress…good! Anyway….
Keep those reviews coming, you guys are the greatest!!!
~Herbie (who wishes people understood her like Harry understands Hermione)
