The following morning, Hermione had not gone down to breakfast. She, instead decided to stay in bed, not wanting Ron to have the satisfaction of seeing her upset, her eyes puffy and red.
Parvati and Lavender had each approached her and asked if she was alright. The two girls had attempted to coax Hermione down to breakfast by reminding her of the tasty Saturday brunch, but Hermione had despised the two airheads almost as much as she despised Ron.
The sun's rays leaked through a slit in her curtains and she sighed. 'It must be eleven o'clock by now.' she thought.
She felt the urge to talk to someone, anyone. If to just get out the tumultuous emotions broiling inside of her. Hermione couldn't talk to the other girls about her problem, and she DEFINITELY wasn't going to talk to Ron! 'He's the problem, after all!' she told herself indignantly.
Without dressing, Hermione cautiously stepped down the stairs into the Gryffindor common room. No one seemed to notice her, standing there in her dressing gown. No one looked up, and she surveyed the scene. Neville was studying for a Potions exam. Seamus was on the couch flirting with Parvati, whom was giggling as he cracked stupid jokes. A few students in a corner of the room were playing exploding snap and howling with laughter. And there, at the table by the window, was Ron and Harry, absorbed in a game of wizard's chess. By the look of it, Ron seemed to be winning as usual. Harry scowled as a knight smashed his rook.
She stormed over to the pair and, ignoring Ron, she spoke. "Harry, I need to speak to you."
Without waiting for a response, she dragged him by the arm towards the girls' dormitory. Ron glared at her, scathingly.
"Hermione! The game was not over." Harry protested.
"Trust me Harry, it was over." With that she released his arm and quickly stomped the rest of the way up the stairs, beckoning for him to follow.
"Hermione, I'm not supposed to be up here." He whispered cautiously as they sat down on her bed.
"Oh yes, because you haven't been in the Ravenclaw girls' dormitory?" she snapped, her eyes cut to slits.
A look of knowing shock appeared on his face, which was flushing a deep scarlet.
"Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." Harry's gaze shifted to the floor.
"What did you need to talk about? And Hermione, why aren't you dressed?"
She took a deep, steadying breath to calm herself before she began. "It's about Ron, and it's about Malfoy." She choked back the sudden rise of tears in her throat.
Harry wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. He knew that his friends were having problems, especially with Ron's attitude this morning. He knew they loved each other, but he had to wonder sometimes if they'd kill each other before they got together. He watched her as he nodded, knowingly.
"Every time I'm with Ron…….well, Harry I think of Malfoy, and it scares me. Whenever he kisses me, I remember that night. Last night, we were in the common room and……" this was difficult for her to discuss with Harry because…..well because it's HARRY! "and he started touching me." Both Harry and Hermione blushed, knowing the mature content in what she was saying. "Well, suddenly Malfoy flashed in my mind. I couldn't get the feeling of rape out of my head. I was so horrified that I pulled away and……….Harry, I slapped him. I hadn't meant to, but it just happened. We had long row abut it and, I don't think he wants to see me anymore." Tears slowly began to trickle down her asked cheeks as she looked back up at Harry. "I really didn't mean to slap him. I love him, Harry." Hermione felt like a fool.
Harry pulled her into a warm hug, trying to comfort the girl.
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After Hermione had dragged Harry up the stairs, Ron had sat there for several moments, dumbfounded. Then, as suspicion crept into his mind, anger flushed his cheeks and heated him all over. 'Hermione had no right at all to start hitting on Harry! She had said she needed time. If she didn't really didn't really love me, she should have said so, instead going behind my back!' he thought angrily. 'It's not even behind my back! It's in front of my face, the nerve of that bitch. Honestly! My two best friends were having a tryst right in front of me!'
Finally, letting his emotions get the better of him, he cautiously, silently scaled the stairs leading up to the girls' dormitory. He had to have a listen. He seated himself on the top stair, and pressed his ear to the door, straining to hear.
"I really didn't mean to slap him. I love him, Harry." He heard Hermione's voice crack as she began to cry.
All the anger evaporated within him, what was left was the overwhelming feeling of a grade-A ass. He couldn't believe he'd been such a jerk. He hated, more than anything else (even more than Malfoy) making Hermione cry. Despite his intense desire to prevent it, he always seemed to do something wrong. He didn't want to hurt her anymore.
Parvati and Lavender had each approached her and asked if she was alright. The two girls had attempted to coax Hermione down to breakfast by reminding her of the tasty Saturday brunch, but Hermione had despised the two airheads almost as much as she despised Ron.
The sun's rays leaked through a slit in her curtains and she sighed. 'It must be eleven o'clock by now.' she thought.
She felt the urge to talk to someone, anyone. If to just get out the tumultuous emotions broiling inside of her. Hermione couldn't talk to the other girls about her problem, and she DEFINITELY wasn't going to talk to Ron! 'He's the problem, after all!' she told herself indignantly.
Without dressing, Hermione cautiously stepped down the stairs into the Gryffindor common room. No one seemed to notice her, standing there in her dressing gown. No one looked up, and she surveyed the scene. Neville was studying for a Potions exam. Seamus was on the couch flirting with Parvati, whom was giggling as he cracked stupid jokes. A few students in a corner of the room were playing exploding snap and howling with laughter. And there, at the table by the window, was Ron and Harry, absorbed in a game of wizard's chess. By the look of it, Ron seemed to be winning as usual. Harry scowled as a knight smashed his rook.
She stormed over to the pair and, ignoring Ron, she spoke. "Harry, I need to speak to you."
Without waiting for a response, she dragged him by the arm towards the girls' dormitory. Ron glared at her, scathingly.
"Hermione! The game was not over." Harry protested.
"Trust me Harry, it was over." With that she released his arm and quickly stomped the rest of the way up the stairs, beckoning for him to follow.
"Hermione, I'm not supposed to be up here." He whispered cautiously as they sat down on her bed.
"Oh yes, because you haven't been in the Ravenclaw girls' dormitory?" she snapped, her eyes cut to slits.
A look of knowing shock appeared on his face, which was flushing a deep scarlet.
"Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." Harry's gaze shifted to the floor.
"What did you need to talk about? And Hermione, why aren't you dressed?"
She took a deep, steadying breath to calm herself before she began. "It's about Ron, and it's about Malfoy." She choked back the sudden rise of tears in her throat.
Harry wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. He knew that his friends were having problems, especially with Ron's attitude this morning. He knew they loved each other, but he had to wonder sometimes if they'd kill each other before they got together. He watched her as he nodded, knowingly.
"Every time I'm with Ron…….well, Harry I think of Malfoy, and it scares me. Whenever he kisses me, I remember that night. Last night, we were in the common room and……" this was difficult for her to discuss with Harry because…..well because it's HARRY! "and he started touching me." Both Harry and Hermione blushed, knowing the mature content in what she was saying. "Well, suddenly Malfoy flashed in my mind. I couldn't get the feeling of rape out of my head. I was so horrified that I pulled away and……….Harry, I slapped him. I hadn't meant to, but it just happened. We had long row abut it and, I don't think he wants to see me anymore." Tears slowly began to trickle down her asked cheeks as she looked back up at Harry. "I really didn't mean to slap him. I love him, Harry." Hermione felt like a fool.
Harry pulled her into a warm hug, trying to comfort the girl.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Hermione had dragged Harry up the stairs, Ron had sat there for several moments, dumbfounded. Then, as suspicion crept into his mind, anger flushed his cheeks and heated him all over. 'Hermione had no right at all to start hitting on Harry! She had said she needed time. If she didn't really didn't really love me, she should have said so, instead going behind my back!' he thought angrily. 'It's not even behind my back! It's in front of my face, the nerve of that bitch. Honestly! My two best friends were having a tryst right in front of me!'
Finally, letting his emotions get the better of him, he cautiously, silently scaled the stairs leading up to the girls' dormitory. He had to have a listen. He seated himself on the top stair, and pressed his ear to the door, straining to hear.
"I really didn't mean to slap him. I love him, Harry." He heard Hermione's voice crack as she began to cry.
All the anger evaporated within him, what was left was the overwhelming feeling of a grade-A ass. He couldn't believe he'd been such a jerk. He hated, more than anything else (even more than Malfoy) making Hermione cry. Despite his intense desire to prevent it, he always seemed to do something wrong. He didn't want to hurt her anymore.