Title Needed (Desperately!)
Chapter 8: Broken Trust
A/N: Wow, I'm on a roll!! I just posted ch. 6 on Sunday, and ch. 7 is ready to go, and now I'm starting this... unfortunately, I don't know where this will lead right now... I guess we'll find out then, won't we??????
Disclaimer: If I had a penny for every time I claimed to own Harry Potter, I'd be a millionaire... unfortunately, all I get is sour looks...
***
"I don't trust him Hermione. There's just something about him," Ron said to his wife as they sat in their room discussing the recent turn of events.
"Ron, you hardly even know him. You can't judge him like this. I know things may look bad, but maybe we're overreacting. It could be a complete coincidence. You said so yourself the other day that he didn't even have the slightest clue who Harry was," Hermione tried to rationalize with Ron, but he was being his usual stubborn self.
"Isn't that suspicious in itself? How can someone not know about the most famous wizard ever?" Ron asked incredulously.
"He said he didn't really know too many wizards or witches when he was growing up, so naturally, he might not have heard about it. Especially in America. Those Americans tend to be somewhat stuck up and self centered (A/N: Proud to be an American! Lol to Dave, although you're probably not reading this!). For all we know, they could have just 'forgotten' to mention something that didn't directly involve them," Hermione replied.
"I don't know, Herm, it just feels weird. He's hiding something, I just know it. He doesn't even ever talk about his life before ten years ago. It's like he was born then, instead of the twenty someodd years ago he was really born. I just can't trust him," Ron stated, trying to sound somewhat less stubborn than he felt. Hermione sighed.
"Just try and be civil Ron. For the sake of our working environment, if for nothing else. He's a good teacher, and we can't afford to loose another Defense teacher. There's been a new one ever since your brother Bill was in Hogwarts. Can we please try and keep one for longer than that?" Hermione begged, a smile creeping onto her face. Ron rolled his eyes at her, a smile starting to creep across his face as well.
"If I have to," Ron replied, half-jokingly. Hermione went over to him and hugged him. Just then, Ginny came into the room, a smile on her face. "Why are you so happy?" Ron asked. Ginny just blushed slightly.
"No reason, really. Can't a girl just be happy? Or do I have to make you list of all the reasons why today is such a wonderful day?" Ginny asked teasingly.
"That's okay. It's good to see you so happy," Hermione said, starting to smile too as Ginny's happiness started to infect her as well.
"Hey Ginny, Mum wrote this morning. She said she was planning a Harvest Dinner in two weeks, and wanted to know if you, Frank, and Lily would want to come," Ron told his sister. Ginny thought about it, then smiled some more.
"Sure, I'll just write to Frank and tell him. I'm sure he'd love to come, and Lily loves to go visit the Burrow," Ginny said cheerily. Ron pretended to gag.
"Your cheerfulness is starting to get to him, I think," Hermione said, shaking her head in mock disgust at Ron. He just rolled his eyes at her, then hugged her.
"Whoa, look at the time! We'd better go if we don't want to be late for our first classes," Ginny said, glancing at her watch, then heading for the door, Ron and Hermione following her. At the end of the hallway, they all separated to go to their respective classes. Ginny walked in with two minutes to spare before the bell. On her desk she found a yellow rose. She went over and picked it up to read the card.
"Yellow roses symbolize friendship. I hope in time we can be friends again," she read the card out loud. The smile that had been on her face all morning faded just a little, but sighing, she conjured a vase and placed the rose in it. Just as she did so, the bell rang and her students started to walk in. She waited until they were all ready, then began her lesson for the day.
***
James sat at his desk, twiddling his thumbs. He was nervous. He didn't know how Ginny would react to the rose he had given her, but he hoped she would at least consider forgiving him. The bell rang and he started his lesson, stopping to answer questions whenever needed. At the end of the hour he felt exhausted. 'Working with teenagers is a very tiring job,' he thought to himself as he set up for his next class. After what felt like six hours instead of one, it was finally lunch time. James gulped as he made his way towards the Great Hall, knowing he wouldn't be getting a warm welcome from at least two of his coworkers.
He went and sat down in his regular seat. He started eating, since Hermione, Ron, and Ginny hadn't showed up, and he wanted to get to eat at least a little if anything happened between them. About five minutes later, they showed up together. Ginny was still smiling when she walked in, but when she saw James, the smile disappeared.
"Hello," James greeted them. Ron looked as if he were ready to pummel him, but Hermione shot him a dirty look.
"Hello," Ron replied stiffly, sitting down in his normal seat as well. Hermione smiled and nodded a little, and Ginny didn't say anything. James stayed quiet, feeling guilty about adding the tension to the normally relaxed environment. Thankfully though, Ron didn't say anything to James during lunch. The bell rang and everyone got up to head to their afternoon classes. Ginny hung back for a moment, catching James' eye.
"I'll think about it," she said, then she turned and left. James smiled, feeling a lot better than he had since the events of the night before. He went to his afternoon classes with a much happier attitude.
***
"Ron, you aren't to say a thing to him. We already talked about this. Look, if it makes you feel any better, I'll go talk to him, but you're too hotheaded. We don't need fights breaking out between the teachers," Hermione said, once again trying to speak some sense into her husband.
"I won't hurt him... much. Please, Hermione, I don't want you to get hurt as well. It's bad enough that he hurt Ginny. Just let me take care of it," Ron pleaded back.
"No. I will talk to him. You will stay here. There's just as much of a chance of you getting hurt as there is me. So no, I won't let you go, and yes, I will go. That's final," Hermione said, turning and walking out of their room before Ron could protest any more. She quickly made her way through the hallways of Hogwarts to the office she was looking for. She knocked on the door and waited for a response.
"Come in," came a voice from the office. Hermione took a deep breath and opened the door.
"Oh, hello. Come on in and have a seat. Would you like something to drink?" James asked, standing up to greet Hermione. She froze for a minute, but then regained her composure.
"No thank you. James, I had to come talk to you, and trust me, it's better me than Ron. I don't know what happened last night, but I want to know the truth. Listen, Ginny is more than my friend. She's my little sister, and I don't like it when someone hurts her. So instead of getting on my bad side, tell me what happened," Hermione said, still standing up. James looked extremely weary and sat down again. Hermione put her hands on her hips and waited impatiently for an answer.
"Please, sit down. I don't know what happened last night to upset Ginny. She came over to me, and we started to dance. She said I was a good dancer, and I thanked her. I said she looked nice, and that's when she started acting all weird. I didn't mean to do anything to her. Honestly. I'm not the kind of person who goes around hurting others," James said. Hermione narrowed her eyes and looked at James, then went to sit down.
"Who are you, really? Did you really grow up in America? I can tell you're hiding something from me, from all of us. You never talk about your past. We don't know you well enough to trust you, yet you want us to believe you when you say you don't mean to hurt people," Hermione said, trying to sound as strict as she could while trying not to scare him too much.
"I never said I grew up in America, I just said that I lived there. And I really am who I say I am. I don't know what to say about trusting me. I guess we all have to take a leap of faith at some point in our lives. Do you think you can trust me?" James asked. Hermione pondered the question for a moment.
"I honestly don't know. You seem nice enough, James, but there's something about you. Where did you grow up, if not in America? Is anything you've told us true?" Hermione queried. James sighed.
"I didn't grow up in America. I grew up here, in England. Yes, I have been telling the truth. I don't like to lie, especially to people I consider friends," James said, but Hermione noticed the slightest hint of guilt in his voice.
"You said you were never around many witches or wizards when you grew up though, and if you lived here in England, how could you possibly not have heard of Harry Potter? Especially since you most likely went to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.
"Always so thorough," James mumbled to himself. Hermione gave him a questioning look, but didn't say anything. "I didn't know many witches or wizards when I was young, and I never attended Hogwarts. I received an acceptance letter, but I never came. Then I moved to America," James answered.
"Why would you pass up the chance to go to Hogwarts? It's one of the best wizarding schools in the world!" Hermione exclaimed. James looked into the cup he held in his hands for a moment, then replied.
"Extenuating circumstances did not allow me to attend. I would have if I had been able to, but I wasn't. When I moved to America, I was finally given the chance to train as a wizard. It was somewhat unorthodox, but I learned all I needed to while under the training of another wizard," James said.
'It still feels like he's lying to me,' Hermione thought to herself as she watched James slowly sip the contents of his cup. 'Something just isn't right.' "What were these 'extenuating circumstances' you mentioned?" Hermione asked.
"I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand anyway. Look, it's getting late, and I still have work to do, so if you'll kindly excuse me," James said, getting up from his seat. Hermione sighed, then got up and left.
"That got me absolutely nowhere," Hermione said to herself as she headed back towards her room. As she walked she ran into Ginny. "Hey Ginny, how are you?" Hermione asked, noting the distracted look on Ginny's face.
"I'm fine. Hermione, can I talk to you for a little bit?" Ginny asked. Hermione nodded and the two walked to Ginny's office, just around the corner. Once inside, they sat down, both with a cup of tea to sip on.
"What's up? Is anything wrong?" Hermione asked. Ginny sighed a little, swirling her tea around.
"Not really. Frank wrote me yesterday. He said one of his old friends came back over the week. Someone he had known for a really long time, but who had just disappeared one day. Well, I guess his friend came back, and acted like nothing at all had happened, and Frank doesn't know if he should be friends with him again, since this guy just up and left him all those years ago," Ginny said, retelling her own plight in a different manner so as not to worry Hermione. Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Well, I think Frank should give his friend a chance. I mean, if they used to be really good friends, then why can't they be now? Time can't change something as sacred as that," Hermione said. Ginny smiled slightly.
"Thanks Hermione. I'll tell Frank that. I'm sure it will help a lot," Ginny said. Hermione smiled too.
"Any time, Ginny. You know I'm always here to talk with you if you need it," Hermione said. Ginny nodded. "I'd better be going, it's rather late. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Hermione said, standing up. Ginny got up too.
"Thanks again Hermione. You're always such a big help," Ginny said. They hugged quickly, then headed towards their rooms for the night.
The instant Hermione stepped back into her room, Ron was assaulting her with questions.
"How'd it go? What did he say? Was he lying? Did he lie any more? Did he hurt you?" Ron asked in a rush. Hermione rolled her eyes at her overexcited husband.
"Hold on a minute, will you? I can only answer one question at a time. First of all, I'm fine. Second of all, it didn't go exactly as I had planned, but I did find some things out. He wasn't lying about the stuff he had told us, but I'm not sure if he was lying just now. I still think he's hiding something from us. I'm going to try and find some more out about him, okay? Just don't bug him about it or he won't talk to any of us," Hermione answered all of Ron's questions.
"Oh, fine. But if he keeps dodging your questions, I'm going to have a talk with him, okay?" Ron asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Did anyone ever tell you how impossible you are, Ronald Weasley?" Hermione asked teasingly. Ron grinned devilishly.
"Only about a million times a day," he replied. Hermione rolled her eyes again, and the two walked into their bedroom together to settle in for the night.
***
A/N: I don't like this chapter.... It's crap... but I think I need some of this stuff for later... If it's really bugging me too much, I might just have to re-write the entire thing and re-post it... but for now, I'm gonna put it up... Ugh... I DON"T LIKE IT!!! It's pointless!!! Not really, but still... Whatever... tell me what you think of it please, and I'll try and work on the next chapter, which will hopefully bring about some more revelations... who knows though... thanks for your waste of time on this awful chapter!!!
Here's my thanks!!
Aquaria- Shh!!!!! You'll see what happens with this....
HerbieWerbie- Thanks for the suggestion!
coolchick207- Thanks for the suggestions, I'll think about ALL of them I get.
SiriusBPadfoot- Thanks for ALL your reviews!! About Ginny breaking up with him... I think I'll throw that in somewhere, and she DOES feel guilty, don't worry! Thanks again!!
Michelle- Thanks, I'm working on it!
Name Finder- Thanks for the suggestions!
And I would like to make a special thanks to my sister Sarah for taking the time to read this entire thing so far, even though she didn't leave a review (she didn't want it to look like I reviewed for myself because it was a signed one...). Thanks Sarah!
Chapter 8: Broken Trust
A/N: Wow, I'm on a roll!! I just posted ch. 6 on Sunday, and ch. 7 is ready to go, and now I'm starting this... unfortunately, I don't know where this will lead right now... I guess we'll find out then, won't we??????
Disclaimer: If I had a penny for every time I claimed to own Harry Potter, I'd be a millionaire... unfortunately, all I get is sour looks...
***
"I don't trust him Hermione. There's just something about him," Ron said to his wife as they sat in their room discussing the recent turn of events.
"Ron, you hardly even know him. You can't judge him like this. I know things may look bad, but maybe we're overreacting. It could be a complete coincidence. You said so yourself the other day that he didn't even have the slightest clue who Harry was," Hermione tried to rationalize with Ron, but he was being his usual stubborn self.
"Isn't that suspicious in itself? How can someone not know about the most famous wizard ever?" Ron asked incredulously.
"He said he didn't really know too many wizards or witches when he was growing up, so naturally, he might not have heard about it. Especially in America. Those Americans tend to be somewhat stuck up and self centered (A/N: Proud to be an American! Lol to Dave, although you're probably not reading this!). For all we know, they could have just 'forgotten' to mention something that didn't directly involve them," Hermione replied.
"I don't know, Herm, it just feels weird. He's hiding something, I just know it. He doesn't even ever talk about his life before ten years ago. It's like he was born then, instead of the twenty someodd years ago he was really born. I just can't trust him," Ron stated, trying to sound somewhat less stubborn than he felt. Hermione sighed.
"Just try and be civil Ron. For the sake of our working environment, if for nothing else. He's a good teacher, and we can't afford to loose another Defense teacher. There's been a new one ever since your brother Bill was in Hogwarts. Can we please try and keep one for longer than that?" Hermione begged, a smile creeping onto her face. Ron rolled his eyes at her, a smile starting to creep across his face as well.
"If I have to," Ron replied, half-jokingly. Hermione went over to him and hugged him. Just then, Ginny came into the room, a smile on her face. "Why are you so happy?" Ron asked. Ginny just blushed slightly.
"No reason, really. Can't a girl just be happy? Or do I have to make you list of all the reasons why today is such a wonderful day?" Ginny asked teasingly.
"That's okay. It's good to see you so happy," Hermione said, starting to smile too as Ginny's happiness started to infect her as well.
"Hey Ginny, Mum wrote this morning. She said she was planning a Harvest Dinner in two weeks, and wanted to know if you, Frank, and Lily would want to come," Ron told his sister. Ginny thought about it, then smiled some more.
"Sure, I'll just write to Frank and tell him. I'm sure he'd love to come, and Lily loves to go visit the Burrow," Ginny said cheerily. Ron pretended to gag.
"Your cheerfulness is starting to get to him, I think," Hermione said, shaking her head in mock disgust at Ron. He just rolled his eyes at her, then hugged her.
"Whoa, look at the time! We'd better go if we don't want to be late for our first classes," Ginny said, glancing at her watch, then heading for the door, Ron and Hermione following her. At the end of the hallway, they all separated to go to their respective classes. Ginny walked in with two minutes to spare before the bell. On her desk she found a yellow rose. She went over and picked it up to read the card.
"Yellow roses symbolize friendship. I hope in time we can be friends again," she read the card out loud. The smile that had been on her face all morning faded just a little, but sighing, she conjured a vase and placed the rose in it. Just as she did so, the bell rang and her students started to walk in. She waited until they were all ready, then began her lesson for the day.
***
James sat at his desk, twiddling his thumbs. He was nervous. He didn't know how Ginny would react to the rose he had given her, but he hoped she would at least consider forgiving him. The bell rang and he started his lesson, stopping to answer questions whenever needed. At the end of the hour he felt exhausted. 'Working with teenagers is a very tiring job,' he thought to himself as he set up for his next class. After what felt like six hours instead of one, it was finally lunch time. James gulped as he made his way towards the Great Hall, knowing he wouldn't be getting a warm welcome from at least two of his coworkers.
He went and sat down in his regular seat. He started eating, since Hermione, Ron, and Ginny hadn't showed up, and he wanted to get to eat at least a little if anything happened between them. About five minutes later, they showed up together. Ginny was still smiling when she walked in, but when she saw James, the smile disappeared.
"Hello," James greeted them. Ron looked as if he were ready to pummel him, but Hermione shot him a dirty look.
"Hello," Ron replied stiffly, sitting down in his normal seat as well. Hermione smiled and nodded a little, and Ginny didn't say anything. James stayed quiet, feeling guilty about adding the tension to the normally relaxed environment. Thankfully though, Ron didn't say anything to James during lunch. The bell rang and everyone got up to head to their afternoon classes. Ginny hung back for a moment, catching James' eye.
"I'll think about it," she said, then she turned and left. James smiled, feeling a lot better than he had since the events of the night before. He went to his afternoon classes with a much happier attitude.
***
"Ron, you aren't to say a thing to him. We already talked about this. Look, if it makes you feel any better, I'll go talk to him, but you're too hotheaded. We don't need fights breaking out between the teachers," Hermione said, once again trying to speak some sense into her husband.
"I won't hurt him... much. Please, Hermione, I don't want you to get hurt as well. It's bad enough that he hurt Ginny. Just let me take care of it," Ron pleaded back.
"No. I will talk to him. You will stay here. There's just as much of a chance of you getting hurt as there is me. So no, I won't let you go, and yes, I will go. That's final," Hermione said, turning and walking out of their room before Ron could protest any more. She quickly made her way through the hallways of Hogwarts to the office she was looking for. She knocked on the door and waited for a response.
"Come in," came a voice from the office. Hermione took a deep breath and opened the door.
"Oh, hello. Come on in and have a seat. Would you like something to drink?" James asked, standing up to greet Hermione. She froze for a minute, but then regained her composure.
"No thank you. James, I had to come talk to you, and trust me, it's better me than Ron. I don't know what happened last night, but I want to know the truth. Listen, Ginny is more than my friend. She's my little sister, and I don't like it when someone hurts her. So instead of getting on my bad side, tell me what happened," Hermione said, still standing up. James looked extremely weary and sat down again. Hermione put her hands on her hips and waited impatiently for an answer.
"Please, sit down. I don't know what happened last night to upset Ginny. She came over to me, and we started to dance. She said I was a good dancer, and I thanked her. I said she looked nice, and that's when she started acting all weird. I didn't mean to do anything to her. Honestly. I'm not the kind of person who goes around hurting others," James said. Hermione narrowed her eyes and looked at James, then went to sit down.
"Who are you, really? Did you really grow up in America? I can tell you're hiding something from me, from all of us. You never talk about your past. We don't know you well enough to trust you, yet you want us to believe you when you say you don't mean to hurt people," Hermione said, trying to sound as strict as she could while trying not to scare him too much.
"I never said I grew up in America, I just said that I lived there. And I really am who I say I am. I don't know what to say about trusting me. I guess we all have to take a leap of faith at some point in our lives. Do you think you can trust me?" James asked. Hermione pondered the question for a moment.
"I honestly don't know. You seem nice enough, James, but there's something about you. Where did you grow up, if not in America? Is anything you've told us true?" Hermione queried. James sighed.
"I didn't grow up in America. I grew up here, in England. Yes, I have been telling the truth. I don't like to lie, especially to people I consider friends," James said, but Hermione noticed the slightest hint of guilt in his voice.
"You said you were never around many witches or wizards when you grew up though, and if you lived here in England, how could you possibly not have heard of Harry Potter? Especially since you most likely went to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.
"Always so thorough," James mumbled to himself. Hermione gave him a questioning look, but didn't say anything. "I didn't know many witches or wizards when I was young, and I never attended Hogwarts. I received an acceptance letter, but I never came. Then I moved to America," James answered.
"Why would you pass up the chance to go to Hogwarts? It's one of the best wizarding schools in the world!" Hermione exclaimed. James looked into the cup he held in his hands for a moment, then replied.
"Extenuating circumstances did not allow me to attend. I would have if I had been able to, but I wasn't. When I moved to America, I was finally given the chance to train as a wizard. It was somewhat unorthodox, but I learned all I needed to while under the training of another wizard," James said.
'It still feels like he's lying to me,' Hermione thought to herself as she watched James slowly sip the contents of his cup. 'Something just isn't right.' "What were these 'extenuating circumstances' you mentioned?" Hermione asked.
"I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand anyway. Look, it's getting late, and I still have work to do, so if you'll kindly excuse me," James said, getting up from his seat. Hermione sighed, then got up and left.
"That got me absolutely nowhere," Hermione said to herself as she headed back towards her room. As she walked she ran into Ginny. "Hey Ginny, how are you?" Hermione asked, noting the distracted look on Ginny's face.
"I'm fine. Hermione, can I talk to you for a little bit?" Ginny asked. Hermione nodded and the two walked to Ginny's office, just around the corner. Once inside, they sat down, both with a cup of tea to sip on.
"What's up? Is anything wrong?" Hermione asked. Ginny sighed a little, swirling her tea around.
"Not really. Frank wrote me yesterday. He said one of his old friends came back over the week. Someone he had known for a really long time, but who had just disappeared one day. Well, I guess his friend came back, and acted like nothing at all had happened, and Frank doesn't know if he should be friends with him again, since this guy just up and left him all those years ago," Ginny said, retelling her own plight in a different manner so as not to worry Hermione. Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Well, I think Frank should give his friend a chance. I mean, if they used to be really good friends, then why can't they be now? Time can't change something as sacred as that," Hermione said. Ginny smiled slightly.
"Thanks Hermione. I'll tell Frank that. I'm sure it will help a lot," Ginny said. Hermione smiled too.
"Any time, Ginny. You know I'm always here to talk with you if you need it," Hermione said. Ginny nodded. "I'd better be going, it's rather late. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Hermione said, standing up. Ginny got up too.
"Thanks again Hermione. You're always such a big help," Ginny said. They hugged quickly, then headed towards their rooms for the night.
The instant Hermione stepped back into her room, Ron was assaulting her with questions.
"How'd it go? What did he say? Was he lying? Did he lie any more? Did he hurt you?" Ron asked in a rush. Hermione rolled her eyes at her overexcited husband.
"Hold on a minute, will you? I can only answer one question at a time. First of all, I'm fine. Second of all, it didn't go exactly as I had planned, but I did find some things out. He wasn't lying about the stuff he had told us, but I'm not sure if he was lying just now. I still think he's hiding something from us. I'm going to try and find some more out about him, okay? Just don't bug him about it or he won't talk to any of us," Hermione answered all of Ron's questions.
"Oh, fine. But if he keeps dodging your questions, I'm going to have a talk with him, okay?" Ron asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Did anyone ever tell you how impossible you are, Ronald Weasley?" Hermione asked teasingly. Ron grinned devilishly.
"Only about a million times a day," he replied. Hermione rolled her eyes again, and the two walked into their bedroom together to settle in for the night.
***
A/N: I don't like this chapter.... It's crap... but I think I need some of this stuff for later... If it's really bugging me too much, I might just have to re-write the entire thing and re-post it... but for now, I'm gonna put it up... Ugh... I DON"T LIKE IT!!! It's pointless!!! Not really, but still... Whatever... tell me what you think of it please, and I'll try and work on the next chapter, which will hopefully bring about some more revelations... who knows though... thanks for your waste of time on this awful chapter!!!
Here's my thanks!!
Aquaria- Shh!!!!! You'll see what happens with this....
HerbieWerbie- Thanks for the suggestion!
coolchick207- Thanks for the suggestions, I'll think about ALL of them I get.
SiriusBPadfoot- Thanks for ALL your reviews!! About Ginny breaking up with him... I think I'll throw that in somewhere, and she DOES feel guilty, don't worry! Thanks again!!
Michelle- Thanks, I'm working on it!
Name Finder- Thanks for the suggestions!
And I would like to make a special thanks to my sister Sarah for taking the time to read this entire thing so far, even though she didn't leave a review (she didn't want it to look like I reviewed for myself because it was a signed one...). Thanks Sarah!