Harry Potter and the Jade Heart
Chapter 4
"An Empty Christmas"
Up until Christmas break, Harry had Cho to distract him. He hadn't really given any thought about what was going on with Voldemort, and he had barely any idea what was going on with Ron and Hermione. The three of them signed up to stay at Hogwarts. Ron's parents had suggested he stay with the other underage Weasleys where it was safe. Hermione did the same.
Harry felt like he had negelcted his friends, but then again neither of them made any effort to spend time with him. He walked down to the nearly empty common room the morning that most of the school had left. He saw Hermione sitting in a chair reading her Arithmancy book with Crookshanks lying peacefully on her lap. Harry plopped down in the chair beside her. Hermione looked up from her book.
"Long time no see," she said. She didn't say it sarcastically or jokingly though.
"Well, we've all been pretty busy. How have things been going with you?"
Hermione thought about it for a moment. "Fine."
Harry had apologized to Hermione about his outburst in the library the day after it happened. Hermione hadn't completely forgiven him yet. Harry knew he should do more than apologize, but he couldn't think of what that was.
"Have you eaten yet?"
"No. I was waiting for Ron to wake up."
"Really? Oh." Harry suddenly felt left out. He hadn't realized that Hermione and Ron had made time for each other. He thought all three of them had lost track of each other.
Hermione studied Harry's expression. "We are all still friends Harry," she said in a factual way. "Ron and I understand that you wanted to spend time with Cho. No hard feelings."
"I should have spent more time with you two. Four years of friendship and then I completely ignore you."
"You didn't ignore us. We can't do everything together for the rest of our lives you know. Besides, we've all been busy. You especially being Quidditch captain and all."
"You're comparing being Quidditch captain to being a prefect and the top student?"
"I know I wouldn't be able to handle the position of a Quidditch captain."
"I wouldn't be able to handle being a top student, especially one who is a prefect. So what has Ron been busy with?"
"Wow, you really have been neglecting him, haven't you?" Hermione said. She smiled when Harry was about to defend himself. "I'm joking. Actually, you were half right when you said that Ron was moving on with his life." Hermione purposely paused so Harry would feel awkward. "He has a relationship of his own."
"With who?!" asked Harry. Hermione was startled by Harry's reaction. He was half standing up. He sat back down.
"I don't know," said Hermione.
"What's with all the shouting?" asked Ron as he made his way down the stairs. He paused at the bottom and said, "Long time no see." Hermione looked over at Harry with a smirk on her face.
After breakfast they went outside and walked around the frozen lake.
"How are things with Cho?" Ron asked Harry.
"Great."
"Looks like you got what you wished for....I meant because you liked Cho. That's all."
Harry decided to change the subject. "So I hear you have a girlfriend of your own. Mind telling us who she is?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Ron, seriously. "I haven't got a girlfriend."
"Yes, you do!" said Hermione. "You are acting just like Harry only you're more secretive."
"I can honestly say I don't have a girlfriend."
"Right," said Hermione, unconvinced.
"What about *you*?" asked Ron. "What happened to Krum?"
"I already told you, Ron. I visited him over the summer, but now he's been busy with Quidditch. Besides, there really isn't anything going on between us."
They walked in silence for a while.
"Any word from Hagrid?" asked Ron.
"Nothing. I haven't even heard from Sirius. For a while I completely forgot about Voldemort." Ron flinched. "I'm really curious as to what has been going on outside of Hogwarts. No one is even talking about it in Hogsmeade. I had hoped to overhear something."
"No news is good news, right?" said Hermione.
"I would take any news right now rather than be in the dark about things."
For the next few days, the trio acted as though the last few months never happened. Hermione convinced them to work on some of their homework. She told them they wouldn't want to do it later when their girlfriends come back--"I don't have a girlfriend!"--so they should do it now while they had her to help them. They also took a trip over to Hogsmeade with the help of the secret passage and Harry's invisibility cloak.
They expected the village to be busy, but it was less busy than normal, which was a lot less busy for a holiday. They went over to the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer. It was nearly deserted. They sat down at a table in the corner with their drinks.
"I bet it has something to do with You-Know-Who," said Hermione.
"Really?" said Ron, sarcastically.
"What do you think has happened? And how come we haven't heard anything about it?" asked Harry.
"I'm kind of afraid to ask anyone," said Hermione. "Well, it's safe to assume most families are safe at home. With You-Know-Who around, I don't think they would want to leave each other."
"I guess not."
"And most of the experienced wizards and witches are probably following Dumbledore's orders. He must have involved as many people as possible."
"I miss Hagrid. Hogwarts just isn't the same without him. I don't see why it's taking him so long to talk to the other giants."
"He's probably doing more than that. I wonder if he convinced them to join us or not."
"Convince the giants?!" exclaimed Ron. "You know how they are. They'll surely join You-Know-Who, and so will the dementors and even more power-hungry wizards and witches."
"You honestly think he'll have more followers after he has already been defeated once?" asked Hermione.
"Well, all the death-eaters did return to him," replied Harry.
"Snape didn't."
"Who knows what Snape has been up to?!"
"Calm down, Ron. All I'm saying is that most people joined him in the past because they wanted some of his power, but now everyone has witnessed that his powers can be taken from him."
"But they now know his powers can return to him."
Ron rolled his eyes. "We're talking in circles. This is so frustrating. I don't want to talk about this anymore."
Hermione continued to talk about it. "Actually, come to think of it, You-Know-Who has been defeated more than once. And, Harry, you're magic can only get stronger."
Harry had thought about this many times before. As a baby, he defeated Voldemort, but that was with the help of his mother's magic. He defeated Voldemort after only a year at Hogwarts, but that was also with the help of his mother's magic that had been left on him. He defeated Tom Riddle but with the help of Dumbledore and Fawkes. And he escaped Voldemort's plans to kill him, mostly by himself, but he couldn't have escaped without the shadows of Voldemort's victims. He didn't think he should be getting much of the credit for defeating Voldemort. He knew some people expect him to be the one to end Voldemort completely, but Harry didn't like that responsibility. People won't always be around to help him.
"Let's just hope no more people join Voldemort's side."
Chapter 4
"An Empty Christmas"
Up until Christmas break, Harry had Cho to distract him. He hadn't really given any thought about what was going on with Voldemort, and he had barely any idea what was going on with Ron and Hermione. The three of them signed up to stay at Hogwarts. Ron's parents had suggested he stay with the other underage Weasleys where it was safe. Hermione did the same.
Harry felt like he had negelcted his friends, but then again neither of them made any effort to spend time with him. He walked down to the nearly empty common room the morning that most of the school had left. He saw Hermione sitting in a chair reading her Arithmancy book with Crookshanks lying peacefully on her lap. Harry plopped down in the chair beside her. Hermione looked up from her book.
"Long time no see," she said. She didn't say it sarcastically or jokingly though.
"Well, we've all been pretty busy. How have things been going with you?"
Hermione thought about it for a moment. "Fine."
Harry had apologized to Hermione about his outburst in the library the day after it happened. Hermione hadn't completely forgiven him yet. Harry knew he should do more than apologize, but he couldn't think of what that was.
"Have you eaten yet?"
"No. I was waiting for Ron to wake up."
"Really? Oh." Harry suddenly felt left out. He hadn't realized that Hermione and Ron had made time for each other. He thought all three of them had lost track of each other.
Hermione studied Harry's expression. "We are all still friends Harry," she said in a factual way. "Ron and I understand that you wanted to spend time with Cho. No hard feelings."
"I should have spent more time with you two. Four years of friendship and then I completely ignore you."
"You didn't ignore us. We can't do everything together for the rest of our lives you know. Besides, we've all been busy. You especially being Quidditch captain and all."
"You're comparing being Quidditch captain to being a prefect and the top student?"
"I know I wouldn't be able to handle the position of a Quidditch captain."
"I wouldn't be able to handle being a top student, especially one who is a prefect. So what has Ron been busy with?"
"Wow, you really have been neglecting him, haven't you?" Hermione said. She smiled when Harry was about to defend himself. "I'm joking. Actually, you were half right when you said that Ron was moving on with his life." Hermione purposely paused so Harry would feel awkward. "He has a relationship of his own."
"With who?!" asked Harry. Hermione was startled by Harry's reaction. He was half standing up. He sat back down.
"I don't know," said Hermione.
"What's with all the shouting?" asked Ron as he made his way down the stairs. He paused at the bottom and said, "Long time no see." Hermione looked over at Harry with a smirk on her face.
After breakfast they went outside and walked around the frozen lake.
"How are things with Cho?" Ron asked Harry.
"Great."
"Looks like you got what you wished for....I meant because you liked Cho. That's all."
Harry decided to change the subject. "So I hear you have a girlfriend of your own. Mind telling us who she is?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Ron, seriously. "I haven't got a girlfriend."
"Yes, you do!" said Hermione. "You are acting just like Harry only you're more secretive."
"I can honestly say I don't have a girlfriend."
"Right," said Hermione, unconvinced.
"What about *you*?" asked Ron. "What happened to Krum?"
"I already told you, Ron. I visited him over the summer, but now he's been busy with Quidditch. Besides, there really isn't anything going on between us."
They walked in silence for a while.
"Any word from Hagrid?" asked Ron.
"Nothing. I haven't even heard from Sirius. For a while I completely forgot about Voldemort." Ron flinched. "I'm really curious as to what has been going on outside of Hogwarts. No one is even talking about it in Hogsmeade. I had hoped to overhear something."
"No news is good news, right?" said Hermione.
"I would take any news right now rather than be in the dark about things."
For the next few days, the trio acted as though the last few months never happened. Hermione convinced them to work on some of their homework. She told them they wouldn't want to do it later when their girlfriends come back--"I don't have a girlfriend!"--so they should do it now while they had her to help them. They also took a trip over to Hogsmeade with the help of the secret passage and Harry's invisibility cloak.
They expected the village to be busy, but it was less busy than normal, which was a lot less busy for a holiday. They went over to the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer. It was nearly deserted. They sat down at a table in the corner with their drinks.
"I bet it has something to do with You-Know-Who," said Hermione.
"Really?" said Ron, sarcastically.
"What do you think has happened? And how come we haven't heard anything about it?" asked Harry.
"I'm kind of afraid to ask anyone," said Hermione. "Well, it's safe to assume most families are safe at home. With You-Know-Who around, I don't think they would want to leave each other."
"I guess not."
"And most of the experienced wizards and witches are probably following Dumbledore's orders. He must have involved as many people as possible."
"I miss Hagrid. Hogwarts just isn't the same without him. I don't see why it's taking him so long to talk to the other giants."
"He's probably doing more than that. I wonder if he convinced them to join us or not."
"Convince the giants?!" exclaimed Ron. "You know how they are. They'll surely join You-Know-Who, and so will the dementors and even more power-hungry wizards and witches."
"You honestly think he'll have more followers after he has already been defeated once?" asked Hermione.
"Well, all the death-eaters did return to him," replied Harry.
"Snape didn't."
"Who knows what Snape has been up to?!"
"Calm down, Ron. All I'm saying is that most people joined him in the past because they wanted some of his power, but now everyone has witnessed that his powers can be taken from him."
"But they now know his powers can return to him."
Ron rolled his eyes. "We're talking in circles. This is so frustrating. I don't want to talk about this anymore."
Hermione continued to talk about it. "Actually, come to think of it, You-Know-Who has been defeated more than once. And, Harry, you're magic can only get stronger."
Harry had thought about this many times before. As a baby, he defeated Voldemort, but that was with the help of his mother's magic. He defeated Voldemort after only a year at Hogwarts, but that was also with the help of his mother's magic that had been left on him. He defeated Tom Riddle but with the help of Dumbledore and Fawkes. And he escaped Voldemort's plans to kill him, mostly by himself, but he couldn't have escaped without the shadows of Voldemort's victims. He didn't think he should be getting much of the credit for defeating Voldemort. He knew some people expect him to be the one to end Voldemort completely, but Harry didn't like that responsibility. People won't always be around to help him.
"Let's just hope no more people join Voldemort's side."