Chapter 2
He pushed open the door...
And saw Hermione. She was crying. As soon as she saw Harry she wiped her eyes trying to hide her tears, but she knew she was too late. He had already caught her. She tried to smile, but she couldn't do it. He walked over and hugged her. She hugged him back. He could feel the tears run onto the shoulder of his robes, but he barely noticed.
"Oh Harry! What's wrong with him? He won't talk to me, and when he does, he's really mean. What's his problem?" Hermione asked.
Harry ended the hug, looked right in her eye and said, "He's jealous, it's as simple as that."
"Jealous? Of what? I don't get it. Our friendship won't change because of Victor, and he knows it!"
"That's not it. I don't think it's your friendship he's worried about. He's jealous of Krum ("Victor!"), ok, Victor because he likes you."
"That's obscured. We're just friends, that's all."
"I think he wants to be more, Hermione."
"I doubt it. Remember the ball? He didn't even think of me," Hermione pointed out.
"Yeah, I remembered it, he sulked the whole time, because you were with Krum-I mean- Victor."
Harry then noticed that Hermione had stopped crying sometime while they were talking. He couldn't remember when. He wiped the last tear off of her face, and she smiled. "Thanks Harry," she said. He just smiled.
"So, Hermione, I have to ask you one thing, how'd you find out about this place?" For the first time, Harry looked around the room. It had two brown leather chairs, a couch, a desk with a chair, and many small tables near all of the seats. It also had a fireplace, which was giving off a great deal of heat, although it was not too much. It was a great place to be.
"Why don't we sit down, and then I'll tell you," she suggested. She sat down on one end of the couch, so Harry sat at the other end. "Ron has been acting horrible to me ever since I told him that I stayed with Victor. In the beginning I cried a lot, I felt like I'd just lost one of my two best friends. Ginny had been off visiting a friend when I came, so I mostly stayed to myself. Fred and George must have noticed how much I was avoiding Ron, so they decided to tell me about this room.
"Fred had a really hard time agreeing with George to tell me. They fought a great deal right before they told me. They were both upset with Ron for ditching me right after I just arrived. George, being more sensitive, had to convince Fred that it was okay to tell me. Fred gave in, but not without a fight. It's kind of cute how determined he is when he wants to be," Hermione said. Then she started blushing and looked ashamed for what she had just told Harry. Harry just looked down and smiled. If only Ron had heard what Hermione had just said. Harry was sure he would have flipped.
"So how did you find this room? Did the twins tell you about it?" Hermione asked, glancing up at Harry.
"Yeah, they told me. I'm thinking that this is their way of getting back at Ron for how he treated you," Harry said.
"They seem kind of resentful towards him," Hermione pointed out.
"I think we should teach him a lesson! He deserves it for how he's been acting. Maybe then he would be nicer to you. All we need to do is put him in his place." Harry exclaimed.
"How could we do that? Do you have any ideas?"
"I don't know yet, but I think Fred and George will help us, whatever we do."
"Hopefully, all I want is my friend back," said Hermione sadly.
"I know," said Harry. "Lets go to dinner, I'm starved."
"Okay, me too."
"Where are Harry, Ron and Hermione?" Ginny was asking as Harry and Hermione were walking in. Her back was to the door, so she didn't see them arrive.
"We're right here," Harry said, coming up behind Ginny. She made a little shriek and jumped out of her seat. She turned around, and said sorry to Harry. She blushed and sat back down, staring down at her plate. 'Note to self- never sneak up behind Ginny ever again,' thought Harry. The twins started laughing. Even Mrs. Weasley smiled a bit.
"What's the matter Gin, did Harry scare you?" asked Fred. He had a gleam in his eye, and was smirking a little, as if he was hiding something. Harry wasn't sure though, so he didn't question it. He was way too hungry.
"Yeah, you're afraid of the hero who conquered the Dark Lord?" questioned George. Now Harry was positive something was going on. He knew he had heard those exact words somewhere, he just couldn't place it. He decided that it probably didn't matter much. He took a seat next to Hermione, who had already sat down, and started to fill his plate with food. As he ate, he listened to the pitter-patter of the rain on the roof.
"Has either of you seen Ron? He never came to dinner," asked Mrs. Weasley.
"No, the last time I saw him he said he was coming down to eat," Harry answered. He didn't mention the fight Hermione and Ron had had earlier.
Mrs. Weasley looked up at the clock. Harry followed her gaze. It was no ordinary clock. There were nine hands on it, each with a member of the family on it. The one that said Ron on it was pointing to traveling. Mrs. Weasley looked worried. She was probably wondering where her son was. Harry knew what he had to do.
He grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her out of her seat. Hermione protested, she was still hungry. "We'll go find Ron," he said. Hermione just scowled, but allowed herself to be dragged up stairs by Harry. He found a cloak in his trunk and told Hermione to do the same. She did, and soon they were downstairs again, although not until Harry had at last minute grabbed his broom.
"Be careful!" Mrs. Weasley called after them, but they were already out the door.
"Harry, what in the world are we doing? I'm going to catch a cold, and it will be all his fault!" Hermione screamed.
"I don't care if your mad at him, but he's my friend, and he could be in trouble, and if he is, then I'm going to help him! You can turn around and go back into the house if you want, it might even make it easier for me to find him if you're not here!" Harry snapped, losing his temper. Hermione's lip quivered. She looked like she was about to cry. "I'm sorry Hermione. Look, I didn't mean it. I really do want you here, please don't cry." This didn't stop Hermione from crying though. "Herm, you know I didn't mean it, come on," said Harry, giving one of his incredible smiles, "What would I do without you? You've helped me out of a lot of tough situations before, I was just upset. Come, we need to find Ron.
"Okay," Hermione said weakly, she didn't want to fight. Not right now. One friend was already mad at her; she didn't need them to both to hate her. She tried to smile, but couldn't. Harry seemed to understand.
"Lets go this way," he said, pointing to the hill that the Weasley's usually pay Quidditch on.
"Why there?" Hermione asked, questioning Harry's decisions.
"Because I noticed that one of the family brooms was missing, so obviously he is traveling on one of the brooms."
"Oh," Hermione said, and that was the last thing she said for awhile. They walked in silence for a long time.
"Look! I think I see something over there!" Harry yelled.
"Where? I don't see anything," Hermione replied looking around franticly.
"Over there, in the trees. The big one, it's oak, I think. I see something at the top of it. Get on the broom." Harry said, as he swiftly got on the broom, pulling Hermione with him. She looked worried. For Ron or herself, Harry wasn't sure.
"Are you sure it's safe for both of us to be on the broom?" Hermione questioned the second their feet had left the ground. Harry didn't answer her. He was having a hard time controlling the broom with both of them on it. He was sure they would crash, but they didn't. They flew over to the oak tree, and saw that one the very top was Ron, holding on for dear life. The top of the tree was very flimsy, and the wind was blowing it all about. Ron looked terrified. He had scratches on his face and hands, and blood was seeping into his robes around his knee. Although Hermione couldn't see the cut, she was sure that it was major. They had to do something. There wasn't time to go back to the house and get an adult, or another broom.
"Hermione, there's no way this broom can handle all three of us on it, what are we going to do? There's no way I will leave you here, but you won't be able to fly him back alone. What are we going to do?" Harry asked, though the second time he asked, he was almost whispering. Hermione had never seen him like this. Harry Potter, the "boy who lived", her best friend, had no clue what to do. Hermione had never seen him like this. He was SCARED.
"I'll levitate him back as we fly. It's the only way." Hermione said.
"Can you do that? Is it safe? Are you sure?" Harry asked, not liking where this was going. Surely it wasn't the only way.
"Harry, trust me, I can do this. You know I wouldn't try if I thought even for a second that it wasn't safe. We can't wait another second."
"Okay," Harry agreed. Hermione whipped out her wand and started to chant the words, Wingardium Leviousa. Ron began to float.
"Start flying Harry," she called, the rain and wind tarring at her face. And they were off. After about ten minutes, Hermione was getting tired. Harry must have sensed this, because he called back to her that it would only be a few more minutes, and to hang in there. The words were lost on her though, they just shot passed her, for she was concentrating way to hard to even hear Harry's words of comfort.
Finally they were in the Weasley's yard. Mrs. Weasley, who had been staring out the window, came running out. "Ron!" she exclaimed.
"He's okay, Mrs. Weasley, you just need to mend his cuts," said Hermione, answering Mrs. Weasley's unasked question.
"Thank Merlin he's okay. I was so worried. Lets go inside, you are soaked," Molly told Harry and Hermione, making them realize that they were indeed wet and cold. They went inside and changed their robes as Mrs. Weasley mended Ron. She brought Ron to his room, and aloud Harry and Hermione to see him; after thanking them at least ten times each.
"How are you doing?" Harry asked Ron. Ron opened his eyes and glanced around. He saw Hermione next to Harry.
"WHAT IS SHE DOING IN MY ROOM? MAKE HER LEAVE!" Ron thundered.
"SHE SAVED YOUR LIFE, AND WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU YELL AT HER TO LEAVE. UNBELIEVABLE!!!" Harry yelled right back.
Ron looked at Hermione and said, "I'm grateful that you saved my life, but you're not welcome here. Please leave."
"She will not leave, you better apologize to her this instant if you know what's good for you. You may be better now, but you won't be soon, if you keep treating Hermione like this," Harry said, answering for Hermione.
"Harry, you don't have to protect me. I know when I'm not wanted." Hermione said. "I hope you feel better," she added sincerely to Ron. She left without another word, crying silently as she left.
He pushed open the door...
And saw Hermione. She was crying. As soon as she saw Harry she wiped her eyes trying to hide her tears, but she knew she was too late. He had already caught her. She tried to smile, but she couldn't do it. He walked over and hugged her. She hugged him back. He could feel the tears run onto the shoulder of his robes, but he barely noticed.
"Oh Harry! What's wrong with him? He won't talk to me, and when he does, he's really mean. What's his problem?" Hermione asked.
Harry ended the hug, looked right in her eye and said, "He's jealous, it's as simple as that."
"Jealous? Of what? I don't get it. Our friendship won't change because of Victor, and he knows it!"
"That's not it. I don't think it's your friendship he's worried about. He's jealous of Krum ("Victor!"), ok, Victor because he likes you."
"That's obscured. We're just friends, that's all."
"I think he wants to be more, Hermione."
"I doubt it. Remember the ball? He didn't even think of me," Hermione pointed out.
"Yeah, I remembered it, he sulked the whole time, because you were with Krum-I mean- Victor."
Harry then noticed that Hermione had stopped crying sometime while they were talking. He couldn't remember when. He wiped the last tear off of her face, and she smiled. "Thanks Harry," she said. He just smiled.
"So, Hermione, I have to ask you one thing, how'd you find out about this place?" For the first time, Harry looked around the room. It had two brown leather chairs, a couch, a desk with a chair, and many small tables near all of the seats. It also had a fireplace, which was giving off a great deal of heat, although it was not too much. It was a great place to be.
"Why don't we sit down, and then I'll tell you," she suggested. She sat down on one end of the couch, so Harry sat at the other end. "Ron has been acting horrible to me ever since I told him that I stayed with Victor. In the beginning I cried a lot, I felt like I'd just lost one of my two best friends. Ginny had been off visiting a friend when I came, so I mostly stayed to myself. Fred and George must have noticed how much I was avoiding Ron, so they decided to tell me about this room.
"Fred had a really hard time agreeing with George to tell me. They fought a great deal right before they told me. They were both upset with Ron for ditching me right after I just arrived. George, being more sensitive, had to convince Fred that it was okay to tell me. Fred gave in, but not without a fight. It's kind of cute how determined he is when he wants to be," Hermione said. Then she started blushing and looked ashamed for what she had just told Harry. Harry just looked down and smiled. If only Ron had heard what Hermione had just said. Harry was sure he would have flipped.
"So how did you find this room? Did the twins tell you about it?" Hermione asked, glancing up at Harry.
"Yeah, they told me. I'm thinking that this is their way of getting back at Ron for how he treated you," Harry said.
"They seem kind of resentful towards him," Hermione pointed out.
"I think we should teach him a lesson! He deserves it for how he's been acting. Maybe then he would be nicer to you. All we need to do is put him in his place." Harry exclaimed.
"How could we do that? Do you have any ideas?"
"I don't know yet, but I think Fred and George will help us, whatever we do."
"Hopefully, all I want is my friend back," said Hermione sadly.
"I know," said Harry. "Lets go to dinner, I'm starved."
"Okay, me too."
"Where are Harry, Ron and Hermione?" Ginny was asking as Harry and Hermione were walking in. Her back was to the door, so she didn't see them arrive.
"We're right here," Harry said, coming up behind Ginny. She made a little shriek and jumped out of her seat. She turned around, and said sorry to Harry. She blushed and sat back down, staring down at her plate. 'Note to self- never sneak up behind Ginny ever again,' thought Harry. The twins started laughing. Even Mrs. Weasley smiled a bit.
"What's the matter Gin, did Harry scare you?" asked Fred. He had a gleam in his eye, and was smirking a little, as if he was hiding something. Harry wasn't sure though, so he didn't question it. He was way too hungry.
"Yeah, you're afraid of the hero who conquered the Dark Lord?" questioned George. Now Harry was positive something was going on. He knew he had heard those exact words somewhere, he just couldn't place it. He decided that it probably didn't matter much. He took a seat next to Hermione, who had already sat down, and started to fill his plate with food. As he ate, he listened to the pitter-patter of the rain on the roof.
"Has either of you seen Ron? He never came to dinner," asked Mrs. Weasley.
"No, the last time I saw him he said he was coming down to eat," Harry answered. He didn't mention the fight Hermione and Ron had had earlier.
Mrs. Weasley looked up at the clock. Harry followed her gaze. It was no ordinary clock. There were nine hands on it, each with a member of the family on it. The one that said Ron on it was pointing to traveling. Mrs. Weasley looked worried. She was probably wondering where her son was. Harry knew what he had to do.
He grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her out of her seat. Hermione protested, she was still hungry. "We'll go find Ron," he said. Hermione just scowled, but allowed herself to be dragged up stairs by Harry. He found a cloak in his trunk and told Hermione to do the same. She did, and soon they were downstairs again, although not until Harry had at last minute grabbed his broom.
"Be careful!" Mrs. Weasley called after them, but they were already out the door.
"Harry, what in the world are we doing? I'm going to catch a cold, and it will be all his fault!" Hermione screamed.
"I don't care if your mad at him, but he's my friend, and he could be in trouble, and if he is, then I'm going to help him! You can turn around and go back into the house if you want, it might even make it easier for me to find him if you're not here!" Harry snapped, losing his temper. Hermione's lip quivered. She looked like she was about to cry. "I'm sorry Hermione. Look, I didn't mean it. I really do want you here, please don't cry." This didn't stop Hermione from crying though. "Herm, you know I didn't mean it, come on," said Harry, giving one of his incredible smiles, "What would I do without you? You've helped me out of a lot of tough situations before, I was just upset. Come, we need to find Ron.
"Okay," Hermione said weakly, she didn't want to fight. Not right now. One friend was already mad at her; she didn't need them to both to hate her. She tried to smile, but couldn't. Harry seemed to understand.
"Lets go this way," he said, pointing to the hill that the Weasley's usually pay Quidditch on.
"Why there?" Hermione asked, questioning Harry's decisions.
"Because I noticed that one of the family brooms was missing, so obviously he is traveling on one of the brooms."
"Oh," Hermione said, and that was the last thing she said for awhile. They walked in silence for a long time.
"Look! I think I see something over there!" Harry yelled.
"Where? I don't see anything," Hermione replied looking around franticly.
"Over there, in the trees. The big one, it's oak, I think. I see something at the top of it. Get on the broom." Harry said, as he swiftly got on the broom, pulling Hermione with him. She looked worried. For Ron or herself, Harry wasn't sure.
"Are you sure it's safe for both of us to be on the broom?" Hermione questioned the second their feet had left the ground. Harry didn't answer her. He was having a hard time controlling the broom with both of them on it. He was sure they would crash, but they didn't. They flew over to the oak tree, and saw that one the very top was Ron, holding on for dear life. The top of the tree was very flimsy, and the wind was blowing it all about. Ron looked terrified. He had scratches on his face and hands, and blood was seeping into his robes around his knee. Although Hermione couldn't see the cut, she was sure that it was major. They had to do something. There wasn't time to go back to the house and get an adult, or another broom.
"Hermione, there's no way this broom can handle all three of us on it, what are we going to do? There's no way I will leave you here, but you won't be able to fly him back alone. What are we going to do?" Harry asked, though the second time he asked, he was almost whispering. Hermione had never seen him like this. Harry Potter, the "boy who lived", her best friend, had no clue what to do. Hermione had never seen him like this. He was SCARED.
"I'll levitate him back as we fly. It's the only way." Hermione said.
"Can you do that? Is it safe? Are you sure?" Harry asked, not liking where this was going. Surely it wasn't the only way.
"Harry, trust me, I can do this. You know I wouldn't try if I thought even for a second that it wasn't safe. We can't wait another second."
"Okay," Harry agreed. Hermione whipped out her wand and started to chant the words, Wingardium Leviousa. Ron began to float.
"Start flying Harry," she called, the rain and wind tarring at her face. And they were off. After about ten minutes, Hermione was getting tired. Harry must have sensed this, because he called back to her that it would only be a few more minutes, and to hang in there. The words were lost on her though, they just shot passed her, for she was concentrating way to hard to even hear Harry's words of comfort.
Finally they were in the Weasley's yard. Mrs. Weasley, who had been staring out the window, came running out. "Ron!" she exclaimed.
"He's okay, Mrs. Weasley, you just need to mend his cuts," said Hermione, answering Mrs. Weasley's unasked question.
"Thank Merlin he's okay. I was so worried. Lets go inside, you are soaked," Molly told Harry and Hermione, making them realize that they were indeed wet and cold. They went inside and changed their robes as Mrs. Weasley mended Ron. She brought Ron to his room, and aloud Harry and Hermione to see him; after thanking them at least ten times each.
"How are you doing?" Harry asked Ron. Ron opened his eyes and glanced around. He saw Hermione next to Harry.
"WHAT IS SHE DOING IN MY ROOM? MAKE HER LEAVE!" Ron thundered.
"SHE SAVED YOUR LIFE, AND WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU YELL AT HER TO LEAVE. UNBELIEVABLE!!!" Harry yelled right back.
Ron looked at Hermione and said, "I'm grateful that you saved my life, but you're not welcome here. Please leave."
"She will not leave, you better apologize to her this instant if you know what's good for you. You may be better now, but you won't be soon, if you keep treating Hermione like this," Harry said, answering for Hermione.
"Harry, you don't have to protect me. I know when I'm not wanted." Hermione said. "I hope you feel better," she added sincerely to Ron. She left without another word, crying silently as she left.