A/N: Okay I know that this is seeming a little sad and morbid at the
minute, but it's necessary. I have to pave the way for the extreme
fluffiness that I have coming. Just in case you were losing faith, which
I'm sure you weren't, right?
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"Ron?" Hermione Looked at her friend, slightly worried. "Is something the matter?"
Ron had been frowning at a particular Chudley Canons poster for nearly five minutes now. "Why would Harry say things like that to Ginny?" it had been three days and Ron was still having trouble coming to terms with this recent event. "He made her cry. I hate seeing her cry."
Hermione sat down on the bed beside him. "I can't tell you what Harry said to Ginny, or why he said it, but I can tell you that he was-is really sorry about it. He didn't want to upset her."
Ron nodded grudgingly. He had seen the guilt and shame in Harry's face when he had tried to explain himself.
"And you know as well as I do that Harry isn't a bad person. He can't have wanted to hurt Ginny. It's just not in his nature."
"I know" Ron agreed. "It's just, she's my sister and it makes me so mad to see her in that sort of a state. It hurts me to see her like that."
Hermione couldn't help it. She threw her arms around Ron's neck and hugged him tight. "You are so good. You're such a good brother to Ginny and you have been so good to me especially over the past week. Thank you so much! Don't ever change Ron"
Ron hardly knew what he was doing. As Hermione pulled back from him, he saw a tiny tear trickle down her cheek. "Don't worry 'Mione, it's okay, I won't." He wiped away the tear and kissed her cheek.
They both looked at each other, trying to understand what just happened.
"Hermione, I-"
Ron was interrupted by the door suddenly bursting open. Harry was standing in the doorway, deathly white and trembling.
"Harry are you alright?" "Harry what ever's the matter?" His two friends were so stricken with concern that they quickly forgot what had just happened.
Hermione led Harry to the bed and sat him down while Ron closed the door. "Harry, Harry look at me. Tell me what's wrong." There was a definite note of worry in Hermione's voice.
"She-she's dead." Harry didn't even recognise his own voice.
"What? Who? Who's dead?" Ron's eyes were wide with surprise.
Harry held up a copy of the Daily Prophet. There was a familiar looking picture on the front. "Cho. Cho Chang. She's dead. She killed herself. She tried to steal something, something important. They put her in some detention place and she-she-" Harry finally broke down.
Hermione held his head to her shoulder. Ron sat down beside them and put him hand on Harry's back. They both knew that Harry had been thinking about Cho non-stop for the past week. Ron had heard her name come up more than once in Harry's frequent sleep talking sessions and Harry had called Hermione the wrong name so many times she had lost count.
As Harry's body shook with poorly stifled sobs Hermione stroked his more than usually messy hair while Ron patted his back, both of them wishing they could do more.
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Directly below the three teenagers Ginny Weasley sat on her bed staring into space.
"You should be ashamed of yourself"
"I know" Ginny agreed with the small voice of conscience. She thought back to that morning when she had read about Cho Chang's recent suicide. She thought back to the sense of triumph she had felt. That cow had tried to lay claim on Harry's affections and now she was dead. Cho's death had almost been a confirmation of Ginny's belief that herself and Harry were meant for each other.
Suddenly Ginny felt a sharp pang of guilt and shame as she remembered Harry's face drained of all colour, drained of any emotion but shock and grief.
How could she have felt those things? How could she have considered the death of a young woman a cause for grim celebration? How could she consider Harry being miserable and grief-stricken a triumph?
"I'm a bad, awful, terrible person! I'm so sorry. How could I think such things?!"
Ginny began to cry, begging some great cosmic force to grant her forgiveness for thinking such horrible things. She did not know, however, that she did not need forgiveness from anyone but herself. Unfortunately for her, she would not gain this forgiveness for some time.
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"Ron?" Hermione Looked at her friend, slightly worried. "Is something the matter?"
Ron had been frowning at a particular Chudley Canons poster for nearly five minutes now. "Why would Harry say things like that to Ginny?" it had been three days and Ron was still having trouble coming to terms with this recent event. "He made her cry. I hate seeing her cry."
Hermione sat down on the bed beside him. "I can't tell you what Harry said to Ginny, or why he said it, but I can tell you that he was-is really sorry about it. He didn't want to upset her."
Ron nodded grudgingly. He had seen the guilt and shame in Harry's face when he had tried to explain himself.
"And you know as well as I do that Harry isn't a bad person. He can't have wanted to hurt Ginny. It's just not in his nature."
"I know" Ron agreed. "It's just, she's my sister and it makes me so mad to see her in that sort of a state. It hurts me to see her like that."
Hermione couldn't help it. She threw her arms around Ron's neck and hugged him tight. "You are so good. You're such a good brother to Ginny and you have been so good to me especially over the past week. Thank you so much! Don't ever change Ron"
Ron hardly knew what he was doing. As Hermione pulled back from him, he saw a tiny tear trickle down her cheek. "Don't worry 'Mione, it's okay, I won't." He wiped away the tear and kissed her cheek.
They both looked at each other, trying to understand what just happened.
"Hermione, I-"
Ron was interrupted by the door suddenly bursting open. Harry was standing in the doorway, deathly white and trembling.
"Harry are you alright?" "Harry what ever's the matter?" His two friends were so stricken with concern that they quickly forgot what had just happened.
Hermione led Harry to the bed and sat him down while Ron closed the door. "Harry, Harry look at me. Tell me what's wrong." There was a definite note of worry in Hermione's voice.
"She-she's dead." Harry didn't even recognise his own voice.
"What? Who? Who's dead?" Ron's eyes were wide with surprise.
Harry held up a copy of the Daily Prophet. There was a familiar looking picture on the front. "Cho. Cho Chang. She's dead. She killed herself. She tried to steal something, something important. They put her in some detention place and she-she-" Harry finally broke down.
Hermione held his head to her shoulder. Ron sat down beside them and put him hand on Harry's back. They both knew that Harry had been thinking about Cho non-stop for the past week. Ron had heard her name come up more than once in Harry's frequent sleep talking sessions and Harry had called Hermione the wrong name so many times she had lost count.
As Harry's body shook with poorly stifled sobs Hermione stroked his more than usually messy hair while Ron patted his back, both of them wishing they could do more.
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Directly below the three teenagers Ginny Weasley sat on her bed staring into space.
"You should be ashamed of yourself"
"I know" Ginny agreed with the small voice of conscience. She thought back to that morning when she had read about Cho Chang's recent suicide. She thought back to the sense of triumph she had felt. That cow had tried to lay claim on Harry's affections and now she was dead. Cho's death had almost been a confirmation of Ginny's belief that herself and Harry were meant for each other.
Suddenly Ginny felt a sharp pang of guilt and shame as she remembered Harry's face drained of all colour, drained of any emotion but shock and grief.
How could she have felt those things? How could she have considered the death of a young woman a cause for grim celebration? How could she consider Harry being miserable and grief-stricken a triumph?
"I'm a bad, awful, terrible person! I'm so sorry. How could I think such things?!"
Ginny began to cry, begging some great cosmic force to grant her forgiveness for thinking such horrible things. She did not know, however, that she did not need forgiveness from anyone but herself. Unfortunately for her, she would not gain this forgiveness for some time.