"Harry, eat something. You can't just starve yourself like this"
"I'm not hungry"
Hermione had been trying in vain for the past ten minutes to force Harry to eat something. Her worried eyes travelled across the table to where Ron was trying to do exactly the same thing to Ginny.
Spread out in front of them was the Hogwarts start of term feast, but the two wan teenagers were still refusing to touch a morsel of food.
Both Ginny and Harry had been living in near identical worlds for the past week. Both of them had been encompassed by a sense of numbness. Their bodies seemed to be going through life's daily chores mechanically. They had temporarily ceased living. They were merely going through the motions of day-to-day life.
Ron sought Hermoine's troubled gaze and shook his head. They were completely powerless. There was no real way that they could help either of them.
----------------------------------
"I hate this!" Ron looked as if he was ready to punch a gaping hole in the common room wall. "Why Can't we fix what's wrong with them? I can't stand seeing them like this."
"I know, neither can I" Hermione's voice was trembling. "They're both in so much pain. I wish I knew what to do. I always know what to do. But they don't write books about this."
Ron could see the tears welling up in her eyes. "Sh, don't cry 'Mione. If you start you won't be able to stop. You couldn't know how to help them. We're not even completely sure what's wrong with them. Don't cry. Smile. You have such a pretty smile. Sh, don't cry."
"You-you think I'm pretty?" Hermione's voice was muffled against Ron's chest. He hadn't even realised he was holding her.
"Um, well, uh," Ron suddenly began to feel very hot. He could actually feel he ears turning pink. "When you smile, yeah," he muttered.
Hermione pulled back and looked him in the eye. Suddenly, the memory of when Ron had kissed her flew into her head, banishing any worries about her friends. She remembered how her heart had quickened it's pace, how she had become momentarily breathless, how much she had wanted to feel it again.
Almost as if reading her thoughts, Ron leaned towards her. Before Hermione knew what was happening she felt his lips on hers. For that split second there was nothing else. It was as if she was floating in complete darkness. There was just her and Ron and that kiss.
The moment seemed to last a lifetime, but when Ron finally pulled away, Hermione felt it had ended all too soon. She looked at him and saw that her hands were in his hair. She felt his hands on her waist. Ron looked back at her and after a moment he broke into that lopsided grin. The same grin that Hermione realised she loved so much. He circled his arms further around her, pulled her closer and kissed her again. Differently this time. Hermione wasn't sure how to describe it to herself. Then it hit her. It was the way that Clark Gable kissed Vivien Leigh, the way Bogart kissed Ingrid Bergman, the way she always dreamed she would be kissed. She moved closer and kissed him back, willing the moment not to end.
She didn't know it, but for the first time, Hermione Granger had experienced total and utter bliss.
----------------------------------
Harry lost his train of thought. Had he even had one in the first place? Or had he just been sitting here feeling this particular emotion for hours on end? He blinked. His eyes were sore. He looked around. For the first time in seven long days he actually saw his surroundings. It was the Gryffindor common room. It appeared to be empty.
"Ron and Hermione must have gone up to bed ages ago" he thought to himself. Harry was just about to do the same when his gaze fell on the small form of Ginny Weasely in the opposite corner of the room, half hidden in shadow.
For some reason unknown to him, Harry rose and walked over to her. As he did so he noticed that she was very pale, and her eyes were filled with tears.
"What's wrong?" His voice sounded strange, as if he hadn't used it in months.
"I'm sorry Harry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for her to die. I didn't want that. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean those things I said. I'm sorry-"
"Shh, calm down, calm down." Harry frowned at Ginny's peculiar outburst. "What do you mean 'you're sorry'? You didn't do anything. It's not your fault."
Ginny raised her eyes to Harry's face. "It-It's not?"
"How could it be?"
"I-I don't know. I just, I didn't want her to go, not like that."
"Of course you didn't Ginny. You're too good a person to want anything like that to happen to anyone. Who said that to you?"There was an unmistakable gleam of concern and kindness in Harry's tired, bloodshot eyes.
"Nobody, it doesn't matter." Ginny resumed looking at the floor.
Harry took Ginny's trembling white hands in his own.
"You did no harm. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to anyone, ever. I know that. Anyone who cares about you knows that. Don't beat yourself up Ginny, you don't deserve it."
Harry stood up and walked slowly to the dormitory. For some reason he felt a little better, he felt as if the numbness was subsiding somewhat. Perhaps it was the fact that he now knew that someone else shared in his grief. He wasn't alone.
---------------------------------
Ginny watched Harry slowly climb the stairs. She felt herself filling with relief and a bittersweet sort of happiness.
"He does care. It-it wasn't my fault."
"I'm not hungry"
Hermione had been trying in vain for the past ten minutes to force Harry to eat something. Her worried eyes travelled across the table to where Ron was trying to do exactly the same thing to Ginny.
Spread out in front of them was the Hogwarts start of term feast, but the two wan teenagers were still refusing to touch a morsel of food.
Both Ginny and Harry had been living in near identical worlds for the past week. Both of them had been encompassed by a sense of numbness. Their bodies seemed to be going through life's daily chores mechanically. They had temporarily ceased living. They were merely going through the motions of day-to-day life.
Ron sought Hermoine's troubled gaze and shook his head. They were completely powerless. There was no real way that they could help either of them.
----------------------------------
"I hate this!" Ron looked as if he was ready to punch a gaping hole in the common room wall. "Why Can't we fix what's wrong with them? I can't stand seeing them like this."
"I know, neither can I" Hermione's voice was trembling. "They're both in so much pain. I wish I knew what to do. I always know what to do. But they don't write books about this."
Ron could see the tears welling up in her eyes. "Sh, don't cry 'Mione. If you start you won't be able to stop. You couldn't know how to help them. We're not even completely sure what's wrong with them. Don't cry. Smile. You have such a pretty smile. Sh, don't cry."
"You-you think I'm pretty?" Hermione's voice was muffled against Ron's chest. He hadn't even realised he was holding her.
"Um, well, uh," Ron suddenly began to feel very hot. He could actually feel he ears turning pink. "When you smile, yeah," he muttered.
Hermione pulled back and looked him in the eye. Suddenly, the memory of when Ron had kissed her flew into her head, banishing any worries about her friends. She remembered how her heart had quickened it's pace, how she had become momentarily breathless, how much she had wanted to feel it again.
Almost as if reading her thoughts, Ron leaned towards her. Before Hermione knew what was happening she felt his lips on hers. For that split second there was nothing else. It was as if she was floating in complete darkness. There was just her and Ron and that kiss.
The moment seemed to last a lifetime, but when Ron finally pulled away, Hermione felt it had ended all too soon. She looked at him and saw that her hands were in his hair. She felt his hands on her waist. Ron looked back at her and after a moment he broke into that lopsided grin. The same grin that Hermione realised she loved so much. He circled his arms further around her, pulled her closer and kissed her again. Differently this time. Hermione wasn't sure how to describe it to herself. Then it hit her. It was the way that Clark Gable kissed Vivien Leigh, the way Bogart kissed Ingrid Bergman, the way she always dreamed she would be kissed. She moved closer and kissed him back, willing the moment not to end.
She didn't know it, but for the first time, Hermione Granger had experienced total and utter bliss.
----------------------------------
Harry lost his train of thought. Had he even had one in the first place? Or had he just been sitting here feeling this particular emotion for hours on end? He blinked. His eyes were sore. He looked around. For the first time in seven long days he actually saw his surroundings. It was the Gryffindor common room. It appeared to be empty.
"Ron and Hermione must have gone up to bed ages ago" he thought to himself. Harry was just about to do the same when his gaze fell on the small form of Ginny Weasely in the opposite corner of the room, half hidden in shadow.
For some reason unknown to him, Harry rose and walked over to her. As he did so he noticed that she was very pale, and her eyes were filled with tears.
"What's wrong?" His voice sounded strange, as if he hadn't used it in months.
"I'm sorry Harry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for her to die. I didn't want that. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean those things I said. I'm sorry-"
"Shh, calm down, calm down." Harry frowned at Ginny's peculiar outburst. "What do you mean 'you're sorry'? You didn't do anything. It's not your fault."
Ginny raised her eyes to Harry's face. "It-It's not?"
"How could it be?"
"I-I don't know. I just, I didn't want her to go, not like that."
"Of course you didn't Ginny. You're too good a person to want anything like that to happen to anyone. Who said that to you?"There was an unmistakable gleam of concern and kindness in Harry's tired, bloodshot eyes.
"Nobody, it doesn't matter." Ginny resumed looking at the floor.
Harry took Ginny's trembling white hands in his own.
"You did no harm. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to anyone, ever. I know that. Anyone who cares about you knows that. Don't beat yourself up Ginny, you don't deserve it."
Harry stood up and walked slowly to the dormitory. For some reason he felt a little better, he felt as if the numbness was subsiding somewhat. Perhaps it was the fact that he now knew that someone else shared in his grief. He wasn't alone.
---------------------------------
Ginny watched Harry slowly climb the stairs. She felt herself filling with relief and a bittersweet sort of happiness.
"He does care. It-it wasn't my fault."