A/N: I got into college! Yay for me!! I'm actually sitting here drinking
champagne and eating chocolate, could there be any better writing
environment?
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"Mr Weasley, please desist from pacing the floor in that manner. You are wearing a rather noticeable hole in the carpet."
Ron raised his eyes from his pacing feet to see the tall, dignified form of Professor Albus Dumbledore.
"Is she-"
Professor Dumbledore raised his hand. "All questions will be answered in due time. Yes, it is true that Miss Ganger has been," he paused, "raped." He seemed to be having serious trouble accepting the concept.
Ron turned and punched the wall. Hard.
"Mr Weasley there is no need for such behaviour! We are all angered and saddened at this development but please, for Hermione's sake and your own, channel your energies into something more productive!" Professor Dumbledore's eyes were ablaze with something stronger than anger, deeper than sadness.
"He's right Ron." Harry's voice came from the back of the room. Ron had completely forgotten that there was anyone else there.
"Miss Granger's memory ha been modified, but whoever has done this did a rather shoddy job. So much so that it is possible to delete the more lurid and painful details from Miss Granger's mind completely. It may well reduce her suffering and help her to deal with this episode."
Ron nodded. Harry and Ginny smiled their appreciation from the back of the room.
Ron opened his mouth to speak. Anticipating his wish, Professor Dumbledore raised his hand a second time.
"At the moment Miss Granger is getting some well deserved rest, and I recommend that you three do the same."
Ron had been nearly overcome with weariness many times that evening, but he was determined.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to wait here until she's ready to see me."
"Ron, don't be silly! You need to sleep, you're practically keeling over with tiredness!"
" She's right Ron, we could all do with some sleep."
With the combined cajoling of Harry and Ginny coupled with Madam Pomfrey's Complaints that their argument would wake the patient, Ron was, eventually, brought back to Gryffindor Tower.
-------------------------------------
Hermione sat up in her bed. Had that been a knock at the door? She decided to chance it.
"Come in."
A familiar head popped around the door.
"Harry! Come on in!" The slight note of disappointment in her voice was obvious.
"Expecting someone else were we?"
"No, no of course not! I'm delighted to see you!"
" Hermione you don't have to lie to me. I've seen the way you've been looking at Ron lately. And as if I could miss you two holding hands under the table." Harry grinned at her.
Hermione went bright red. "You saw that! Oh no! Oh Harry! I'm so, so embarrassed!"
"Why should you be? I think it's great. He'd be right here if he wasn't fast asleep. He have been knackered, I could just about hear him worrying at midnight last night. He really cares about you." Harry's sincerity was palpable
"I really care about him too. I-I've never felt like this Harry. Even when I was staying with Viktor. It's just so wonderful. It helps to know that he's there for me. Just like you are."
Harry was glad to see that Hermione had not forgotten him. He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. She was one of his best friends. She had helped him through much of his recent trauma and he wanted to return the favour.
"And remember, if there's ever anything you ever need to talk about, that maybe you can't say to Ron, or anybody else, for whatever reason, I'm always here for you."
Hermione looked at Harry with tears coming to her eyes. "I know."
She threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Thank you so much Harry!"
Pulling back, Hermione thought of something. "Actually, Harry there is something I'd like to talk to you about. I don't want to say it to Ron. Not yet. He'd just get angry."
Harry nodded.
"The counter curses that Madam Pomfrey has been using, they've worked. She's been so good. I still can't remember most of what happened. I don't ever want to remember. But, I remember, I remember who is was."
Harry's mouth fell open. "W-Who?"
"It was, it was Malfoy."
--------------------------------------
Ron sat at the Gryffindor breakfast table (soon to be the Gryffindor lunch table) munching toast ad muttering to himself about how he was going to kill Harry for not waking him up to go and visit Hermione.
"So, Weasley," Malfoy's drawling voice came from behind him. "Potter ditch you then? Must've had better things to do. Saw him this morning. But I haven't seen that Muggle Granger since Thursday. Did something," Malfoy paused long enough to give Ron an extra special smirk, "happen to her?"
Ron stared at him for several minutes, realisation creeping over his face. When he finally spoke, he spoke in a low menacing tone Draco had never heard him use.
"You piece of filth."
Ron lunged at Malfoy, fists aimed squarely at his jaw.
"Ron stop!" The small form of Ginny came almost immediately between the two seething teenagers. Ron only just stopped himself mid-punch.
"Ginny get out of the way."
"No. You won't be helping Hermione in any way by just getting yourself into trouble. Just leave it. Be the bigger person for once"
Ron was about to mention the fact that he had at least six inches on Malfoy, but stopped at the sight of Ginny's unmistakeable resemblance to his mother at that moment, and thought the better of it.
Once they had reached the Gryffindor common room, Ron exploded.
"That asshole! How could he do that to her? How could he? Ginny, how could anyone do that to another human being. Not just a human being, Hermione. How could he do that to 'Mione. Not my 'Mione. How-how-"
Ron broke down.
It was the first time Ginny had seen her big brother cry. : Harry was right. He really does care about her:
Ginny rested Ron's head on her small shoulder.
The brother and sister sat there, mourning the crime to their friend, until Ron's eyes were sore and Ginny's heart too heavy to bear.
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"Mr Weasley, please desist from pacing the floor in that manner. You are wearing a rather noticeable hole in the carpet."
Ron raised his eyes from his pacing feet to see the tall, dignified form of Professor Albus Dumbledore.
"Is she-"
Professor Dumbledore raised his hand. "All questions will be answered in due time. Yes, it is true that Miss Ganger has been," he paused, "raped." He seemed to be having serious trouble accepting the concept.
Ron turned and punched the wall. Hard.
"Mr Weasley there is no need for such behaviour! We are all angered and saddened at this development but please, for Hermione's sake and your own, channel your energies into something more productive!" Professor Dumbledore's eyes were ablaze with something stronger than anger, deeper than sadness.
"He's right Ron." Harry's voice came from the back of the room. Ron had completely forgotten that there was anyone else there.
"Miss Granger's memory ha been modified, but whoever has done this did a rather shoddy job. So much so that it is possible to delete the more lurid and painful details from Miss Granger's mind completely. It may well reduce her suffering and help her to deal with this episode."
Ron nodded. Harry and Ginny smiled their appreciation from the back of the room.
Ron opened his mouth to speak. Anticipating his wish, Professor Dumbledore raised his hand a second time.
"At the moment Miss Granger is getting some well deserved rest, and I recommend that you three do the same."
Ron had been nearly overcome with weariness many times that evening, but he was determined.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to wait here until she's ready to see me."
"Ron, don't be silly! You need to sleep, you're practically keeling over with tiredness!"
" She's right Ron, we could all do with some sleep."
With the combined cajoling of Harry and Ginny coupled with Madam Pomfrey's Complaints that their argument would wake the patient, Ron was, eventually, brought back to Gryffindor Tower.
-------------------------------------
Hermione sat up in her bed. Had that been a knock at the door? She decided to chance it.
"Come in."
A familiar head popped around the door.
"Harry! Come on in!" The slight note of disappointment in her voice was obvious.
"Expecting someone else were we?"
"No, no of course not! I'm delighted to see you!"
" Hermione you don't have to lie to me. I've seen the way you've been looking at Ron lately. And as if I could miss you two holding hands under the table." Harry grinned at her.
Hermione went bright red. "You saw that! Oh no! Oh Harry! I'm so, so embarrassed!"
"Why should you be? I think it's great. He'd be right here if he wasn't fast asleep. He have been knackered, I could just about hear him worrying at midnight last night. He really cares about you." Harry's sincerity was palpable
"I really care about him too. I-I've never felt like this Harry. Even when I was staying with Viktor. It's just so wonderful. It helps to know that he's there for me. Just like you are."
Harry was glad to see that Hermione had not forgotten him. He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. She was one of his best friends. She had helped him through much of his recent trauma and he wanted to return the favour.
"And remember, if there's ever anything you ever need to talk about, that maybe you can't say to Ron, or anybody else, for whatever reason, I'm always here for you."
Hermione looked at Harry with tears coming to her eyes. "I know."
She threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Thank you so much Harry!"
Pulling back, Hermione thought of something. "Actually, Harry there is something I'd like to talk to you about. I don't want to say it to Ron. Not yet. He'd just get angry."
Harry nodded.
"The counter curses that Madam Pomfrey has been using, they've worked. She's been so good. I still can't remember most of what happened. I don't ever want to remember. But, I remember, I remember who is was."
Harry's mouth fell open. "W-Who?"
"It was, it was Malfoy."
--------------------------------------
Ron sat at the Gryffindor breakfast table (soon to be the Gryffindor lunch table) munching toast ad muttering to himself about how he was going to kill Harry for not waking him up to go and visit Hermione.
"So, Weasley," Malfoy's drawling voice came from behind him. "Potter ditch you then? Must've had better things to do. Saw him this morning. But I haven't seen that Muggle Granger since Thursday. Did something," Malfoy paused long enough to give Ron an extra special smirk, "happen to her?"
Ron stared at him for several minutes, realisation creeping over his face. When he finally spoke, he spoke in a low menacing tone Draco had never heard him use.
"You piece of filth."
Ron lunged at Malfoy, fists aimed squarely at his jaw.
"Ron stop!" The small form of Ginny came almost immediately between the two seething teenagers. Ron only just stopped himself mid-punch.
"Ginny get out of the way."
"No. You won't be helping Hermione in any way by just getting yourself into trouble. Just leave it. Be the bigger person for once"
Ron was about to mention the fact that he had at least six inches on Malfoy, but stopped at the sight of Ginny's unmistakeable resemblance to his mother at that moment, and thought the better of it.
Once they had reached the Gryffindor common room, Ron exploded.
"That asshole! How could he do that to her? How could he? Ginny, how could anyone do that to another human being. Not just a human being, Hermione. How could he do that to 'Mione. Not my 'Mione. How-how-"
Ron broke down.
It was the first time Ginny had seen her big brother cry. : Harry was right. He really does care about her:
Ginny rested Ron's head on her small shoulder.
The brother and sister sat there, mourning the crime to their friend, until Ron's eyes were sore and Ginny's heart too heavy to bear.