DISCLAIMER: J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter characters.
CHAPTER 6: RUNNING AWAY
"You mustn't give up hope, Hermione!"
"Ron, it's over," I said flatly. "He's going to ask her to be his girlfriend tonight and I'm officially out of the picture."
"But, Herm, you don't really believe that he could love her. I mean, what that old guy at the jewelry shop said can't be a joke."
I brushed my hair hard, pulling at the frizz. "I don't believe in that. I mean, a ring that can tell if you're really in love with a person? There's no such thing."
"And there's supposed to be no such thing as dragons or wizards either and, yet, here we all are!" Ron exclaimed.
I brushed my hair with renewed vigor. "It's over, Ron," I repeated. "I don't want to set myself up for anymore disappointments."
"Hermione..."
"It's over."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I had been reading a book by the fireplace in the Common Room when a blast of smoke and dust filled the hearth and I saw someone come out of it.
"Sirius?" I asked, shocked.
He coughed a little and dusted himself off. "I hate travelling by Floo Powder. Never again," he muttered. He smiled brightly at me and immediately walked to my side. "Hermione! Just the person I wanted to see. How's everything going?"
I gave him an odd look. "Fine," I said slowly.
"Good, good. And Harry? How's he?"
"You didn't hit your head on any stray fireplaces on the way here, did you, Sirius?" I asked him.
"Don't be silly, Hermione. I've never felt better. Where is my godson? I'd have thought he's spending his evenings with you now. Have to admit, I was surprised at first but it's not something I wasn't expecting to happen all along..."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"No need to get all innocent on me, Hermione," Sirius said, grinning. "I know all about you and Harry. It was all over Hogsmeade that the two of you were seen exiting Goldman's yesterday afternoon with a small parcel. So? Where is it?"
I sank back into the couch. "Where's what?"
"The ring!" he exclaimed heartily. "I hope Harry wasn't daft enough to not pick the Ring of True Love. I remember when James had bought it for Lily during our seventh year..."
"Harry's dad bought it for his mum?"
"Of course. No other ring would be meaningful enough. I didn't like it at first, always thought it looked so plain but it seemed that it really did tell you if the person you're going to give it to is the one you really love or not. James certainly found that the stories were true." He gave me another crazy grin. "So, where is it? Come on, you have to show me sometime."
"I expect he's probably giving it to her now," I answered, pretending to be engrossed in my book.
Sirius' brows furrowed. "I don't understand. Giving it to who? I thought you had it."
"I don't," I replied simply. "I only helped pick it out. Harry's giving it to someone else."
"To who?"
"Diana Owens."
"Who?"
"It doesn't matter," I sighed. "You'd probably be meeting her soon anyway."
But Sirius didn't let up. "How did Harry see it?"
"He didn't see it. I did."
"You could only see the ring if you were truly in love with someone," Sirius reminded me. "Are you?"
"Am I what?"
"Are you in love? More specifically, are you in love with Harry?"
I didn't like the course this conversation was taking. "If you hurry, you could probably catch them before they leave Hagrid's hut to congratulate him and his new girlfriend."
"Hermione."
"He's giving it to someone else," I said flatly.
"You do, don't you? You love him."
I made a face. "If I did, what would you do? I can't do anything, Sirius, even if I do love him."
"Why not?"
"Because he's happy!" I cried, flinging my book on the floor. I've had enough of this. If he wants the truth, then I'll give him the truth, damn it! "Do you think I didn't try to make him know how I feel? Do you think I like standing in the background, being the faithful best friend and watching him go after girls who are prettier and smarter and funnier than I am? Do you think I liked picking out that ring just so he could go give it to someone else?" My face felt red and my heart was pounding in my chest. "I didn't like doing any of those things but I did it because he's happy with her. You should see them together, Sirius. They're perfect."
"And you don't think that the two of you could also be perfect?"
"Look at me, Sirius!" I exclaimed. "I'm not exactly a prize catch and I'm not anything extraordinary. I get by on books and cleverness, without them I'm just a shell. Harry deserves someone who's good enough for him."
"And you're not?"
"Compared to her, no." I sat back on the couch, trying to ease my breathing.
"Let's go," Sirius said suddenly, pulling me to my feet.
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to look for Harry and I'm going to knock some sense into him." He pulled me outside the portrait door, through the corridors and outside the doors of the Front Hall.
"Sirius, no," I begged. This isn't what I needed - seeing Harry and Diana together on the most special night of their lives, wishing that it was her being proposed to.
"Hermione, I know you love Harry. I've seen it in your eyes. And I know he feels something for you, too. He just doesn't recognize it because it's a new feeling to him."
"How could you possibly know that?" I asked him, debating with myself whether I should continue squirming from his grip or allow myself to be dragged on the grass.
"Because I've seen the exact same signs that I saw in James and Lily."
"But Harry's dad wasn't daft and his mum was beautiful. I would've been surprised if he hadn't noticed her."
Sirius thrust me in front of him, his eyes knowing. "When you love someone, Hermione, you fight for him."
"How can I fight for someone who's opened his heart to another and closed his heart to me?" I whispered, teary-eyed. We had reached the trees around the lake and I saw the moonlight shine down on the calm waters. At the edge of the lake, several feet where Sirius and I stood, we could make out the forms of two other people, the two people I didn't want to see tonight. Harry and Diana.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I wanted to slip away quietly, but my feet were rooted to the ground. I knew this wasn't something I wanted to see but I just stood still as a statue. Beside me, I could hear Sirius breathing.
"Diana," we heard Harry say, and his hand touched her cheek so intimately that I winced. She looked so beautiful, I thought to myself. My hand flew to my cheek and imagined what it would have been like to have Harry caress me like that.
"I have something to give you," Harry said, almost shyly.
Diana's sea green eyes sparkled expectantly. "What is it?"
I could see Harry slip his hand under his robes to produce the familiar velveteen box they had purchased at Goldman's yesterday afternoon. He handed it to her with a flourish. "Open it."
Slowly, Diana lifted the lid and even in the darkness, the diamonds shone brightly. "Oh, Harry," she whispered. "It's beautiful."
"Do you like it? I'm hoping you would."
"Harry," she whispered again, not taking the ring out of the box. "Why - ?"
She was cut short as Harry's mouth caught her words. He pulled her closer to him and I felt my heart constrict. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see anymore of the love I wished for. I had to leave. I had to escape. To where? I don't know. All I know is I have to leave Harry before he gets the chance to leave me.
"I'm sorry, Sirius," I choked out and ran from him and the happy couple. I heard a branch crack under my shoes as I ran but I didn't look back.
Even when I heard Harry's voice calling my name.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The moment was gone. Earlier, he had been kissing Diana and was so close in getting an answer from her. But he had heard something crack in the trees around them and he spotted his godfather with a sad look on his face - and someone else, running from the trees, toward the castle.
Hermione.
"Hermione!" he called after her. Something made her cry, he knows it and began to run after her, but Sirius stopped him.
"Sirius, let me go. Something's wrong with Hermione," Harry said, flailing under his godfather's strong grip.
"Let her go, Harry," Sirius had told him in a dark, calm voice. "She's already suffered enough pain."
"What?" Harry asked. "What are you talking about? What pain? Has someone hurt her?"
Sirius looked at Diana. He gave her a sad smile. "You're very lucky to get that ring," he told her. Diana looked down at the grass.
"Sirius, I've got to get to Hermione," Harry pressed. "If somebody's hurt her, I'm sure she'll tell me."
"Just let her go, Harry," Sirius repeated sadly.
"Why do you keep saying that? Hermione's my best friend. I can help her."
"No, you can't."
"Why not?" Harry demanded.
"Because she loves you, Harry," Diana said calmly.
Both men turned to face her, but only one looked surprised. "What?" Harry asked.
"You've figured it out?" Sirius wanted to know.
Diana nodded. "A long time ago."
"I'm sorry," Sirius said.
"It's bound to reveal itself. If not today, then later."
"Can anybody tell me what's going on?" Harry demanded again.
"I think I'll give the two of you some privacy," Sirius announced before Disapparating. Harry turned around to face Diana.
"Here," she said, placing the ring and its box in Harry's hands. "I don't deserve this."
"I bought it for you, Diana."
"You bought it because Hermione liked it, because she said it was beautiful."
"How did you know -?"
"It's all over Hogsmeade yesterday." She smiled delicately and placed the slightest kiss on his forehead. "It's been great being with you, Harry, but I think we both know who you should really be with."
"I should be with you."
"No, Harry. Don't deny what's in your heart. It's Hermione who you should be with. I'm just the person who has to make you see it."
"Hermione?" Harry asked. "Hermione is my best friend, Diana..."
"And she loves you, Harry. I can see it in the way she looks at you. I can hear it in her words whenever she speaks of you. I can feel it in the way she's so protective and caring of you. Think about it, Harry. The reason why you and I are together is because of her. Even the ring you chose is because of her. And tonight - tonight just confirmed everything."
"Confirmed what?"
"That you do love her, Harry! You don't realize that it's there yet, but it is. You were ready to run after her, to leave me here alone." Diana smiled. "You've been great, Harry, really. And I do like you. But I don't want to stand in the way of true love. Search deep within your soul, Harry. You'll find that it's her you truly love."
"Diana, I..."
She put a finger to his lips. "Sometimes, Harry, what you're looking for is right in front of you."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I felt my way blindly along the corridors, wanting to go back to my room and cry my pain away. I thought I was ready to accept their relationship, to be the supportive friend. But seeing them tonight made my heart ache so much that I couldn't breathe. Harry didn't love me - could never love me. And I could never stop loving him. Everything was too much and I had to get out of Hogwarts, away from anything that reminded me of Harry Potter.
I wiped my tears away and mumbled the password to Professor Dumbledore's office.
"Miss Granger," Professor Dumbledore said, as if expecting me to come all along.
"Sir," I said, finding my voice. "Does your Cambridge offer still stand?"
CHAPTER 6: RUNNING AWAY
"You mustn't give up hope, Hermione!"
"Ron, it's over," I said flatly. "He's going to ask her to be his girlfriend tonight and I'm officially out of the picture."
"But, Herm, you don't really believe that he could love her. I mean, what that old guy at the jewelry shop said can't be a joke."
I brushed my hair hard, pulling at the frizz. "I don't believe in that. I mean, a ring that can tell if you're really in love with a person? There's no such thing."
"And there's supposed to be no such thing as dragons or wizards either and, yet, here we all are!" Ron exclaimed.
I brushed my hair with renewed vigor. "It's over, Ron," I repeated. "I don't want to set myself up for anymore disappointments."
"Hermione..."
"It's over."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I had been reading a book by the fireplace in the Common Room when a blast of smoke and dust filled the hearth and I saw someone come out of it.
"Sirius?" I asked, shocked.
He coughed a little and dusted himself off. "I hate travelling by Floo Powder. Never again," he muttered. He smiled brightly at me and immediately walked to my side. "Hermione! Just the person I wanted to see. How's everything going?"
I gave him an odd look. "Fine," I said slowly.
"Good, good. And Harry? How's he?"
"You didn't hit your head on any stray fireplaces on the way here, did you, Sirius?" I asked him.
"Don't be silly, Hermione. I've never felt better. Where is my godson? I'd have thought he's spending his evenings with you now. Have to admit, I was surprised at first but it's not something I wasn't expecting to happen all along..."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"No need to get all innocent on me, Hermione," Sirius said, grinning. "I know all about you and Harry. It was all over Hogsmeade that the two of you were seen exiting Goldman's yesterday afternoon with a small parcel. So? Where is it?"
I sank back into the couch. "Where's what?"
"The ring!" he exclaimed heartily. "I hope Harry wasn't daft enough to not pick the Ring of True Love. I remember when James had bought it for Lily during our seventh year..."
"Harry's dad bought it for his mum?"
"Of course. No other ring would be meaningful enough. I didn't like it at first, always thought it looked so plain but it seemed that it really did tell you if the person you're going to give it to is the one you really love or not. James certainly found that the stories were true." He gave me another crazy grin. "So, where is it? Come on, you have to show me sometime."
"I expect he's probably giving it to her now," I answered, pretending to be engrossed in my book.
Sirius' brows furrowed. "I don't understand. Giving it to who? I thought you had it."
"I don't," I replied simply. "I only helped pick it out. Harry's giving it to someone else."
"To who?"
"Diana Owens."
"Who?"
"It doesn't matter," I sighed. "You'd probably be meeting her soon anyway."
But Sirius didn't let up. "How did Harry see it?"
"He didn't see it. I did."
"You could only see the ring if you were truly in love with someone," Sirius reminded me. "Are you?"
"Am I what?"
"Are you in love? More specifically, are you in love with Harry?"
I didn't like the course this conversation was taking. "If you hurry, you could probably catch them before they leave Hagrid's hut to congratulate him and his new girlfriend."
"Hermione."
"He's giving it to someone else," I said flatly.
"You do, don't you? You love him."
I made a face. "If I did, what would you do? I can't do anything, Sirius, even if I do love him."
"Why not?"
"Because he's happy!" I cried, flinging my book on the floor. I've had enough of this. If he wants the truth, then I'll give him the truth, damn it! "Do you think I didn't try to make him know how I feel? Do you think I like standing in the background, being the faithful best friend and watching him go after girls who are prettier and smarter and funnier than I am? Do you think I liked picking out that ring just so he could go give it to someone else?" My face felt red and my heart was pounding in my chest. "I didn't like doing any of those things but I did it because he's happy with her. You should see them together, Sirius. They're perfect."
"And you don't think that the two of you could also be perfect?"
"Look at me, Sirius!" I exclaimed. "I'm not exactly a prize catch and I'm not anything extraordinary. I get by on books and cleverness, without them I'm just a shell. Harry deserves someone who's good enough for him."
"And you're not?"
"Compared to her, no." I sat back on the couch, trying to ease my breathing.
"Let's go," Sirius said suddenly, pulling me to my feet.
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to look for Harry and I'm going to knock some sense into him." He pulled me outside the portrait door, through the corridors and outside the doors of the Front Hall.
"Sirius, no," I begged. This isn't what I needed - seeing Harry and Diana together on the most special night of their lives, wishing that it was her being proposed to.
"Hermione, I know you love Harry. I've seen it in your eyes. And I know he feels something for you, too. He just doesn't recognize it because it's a new feeling to him."
"How could you possibly know that?" I asked him, debating with myself whether I should continue squirming from his grip or allow myself to be dragged on the grass.
"Because I've seen the exact same signs that I saw in James and Lily."
"But Harry's dad wasn't daft and his mum was beautiful. I would've been surprised if he hadn't noticed her."
Sirius thrust me in front of him, his eyes knowing. "When you love someone, Hermione, you fight for him."
"How can I fight for someone who's opened his heart to another and closed his heart to me?" I whispered, teary-eyed. We had reached the trees around the lake and I saw the moonlight shine down on the calm waters. At the edge of the lake, several feet where Sirius and I stood, we could make out the forms of two other people, the two people I didn't want to see tonight. Harry and Diana.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I wanted to slip away quietly, but my feet were rooted to the ground. I knew this wasn't something I wanted to see but I just stood still as a statue. Beside me, I could hear Sirius breathing.
"Diana," we heard Harry say, and his hand touched her cheek so intimately that I winced. She looked so beautiful, I thought to myself. My hand flew to my cheek and imagined what it would have been like to have Harry caress me like that.
"I have something to give you," Harry said, almost shyly.
Diana's sea green eyes sparkled expectantly. "What is it?"
I could see Harry slip his hand under his robes to produce the familiar velveteen box they had purchased at Goldman's yesterday afternoon. He handed it to her with a flourish. "Open it."
Slowly, Diana lifted the lid and even in the darkness, the diamonds shone brightly. "Oh, Harry," she whispered. "It's beautiful."
"Do you like it? I'm hoping you would."
"Harry," she whispered again, not taking the ring out of the box. "Why - ?"
She was cut short as Harry's mouth caught her words. He pulled her closer to him and I felt my heart constrict. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see anymore of the love I wished for. I had to leave. I had to escape. To where? I don't know. All I know is I have to leave Harry before he gets the chance to leave me.
"I'm sorry, Sirius," I choked out and ran from him and the happy couple. I heard a branch crack under my shoes as I ran but I didn't look back.
Even when I heard Harry's voice calling my name.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The moment was gone. Earlier, he had been kissing Diana and was so close in getting an answer from her. But he had heard something crack in the trees around them and he spotted his godfather with a sad look on his face - and someone else, running from the trees, toward the castle.
Hermione.
"Hermione!" he called after her. Something made her cry, he knows it and began to run after her, but Sirius stopped him.
"Sirius, let me go. Something's wrong with Hermione," Harry said, flailing under his godfather's strong grip.
"Let her go, Harry," Sirius had told him in a dark, calm voice. "She's already suffered enough pain."
"What?" Harry asked. "What are you talking about? What pain? Has someone hurt her?"
Sirius looked at Diana. He gave her a sad smile. "You're very lucky to get that ring," he told her. Diana looked down at the grass.
"Sirius, I've got to get to Hermione," Harry pressed. "If somebody's hurt her, I'm sure she'll tell me."
"Just let her go, Harry," Sirius repeated sadly.
"Why do you keep saying that? Hermione's my best friend. I can help her."
"No, you can't."
"Why not?" Harry demanded.
"Because she loves you, Harry," Diana said calmly.
Both men turned to face her, but only one looked surprised. "What?" Harry asked.
"You've figured it out?" Sirius wanted to know.
Diana nodded. "A long time ago."
"I'm sorry," Sirius said.
"It's bound to reveal itself. If not today, then later."
"Can anybody tell me what's going on?" Harry demanded again.
"I think I'll give the two of you some privacy," Sirius announced before Disapparating. Harry turned around to face Diana.
"Here," she said, placing the ring and its box in Harry's hands. "I don't deserve this."
"I bought it for you, Diana."
"You bought it because Hermione liked it, because she said it was beautiful."
"How did you know -?"
"It's all over Hogsmeade yesterday." She smiled delicately and placed the slightest kiss on his forehead. "It's been great being with you, Harry, but I think we both know who you should really be with."
"I should be with you."
"No, Harry. Don't deny what's in your heart. It's Hermione who you should be with. I'm just the person who has to make you see it."
"Hermione?" Harry asked. "Hermione is my best friend, Diana..."
"And she loves you, Harry. I can see it in the way she looks at you. I can hear it in her words whenever she speaks of you. I can feel it in the way she's so protective and caring of you. Think about it, Harry. The reason why you and I are together is because of her. Even the ring you chose is because of her. And tonight - tonight just confirmed everything."
"Confirmed what?"
"That you do love her, Harry! You don't realize that it's there yet, but it is. You were ready to run after her, to leave me here alone." Diana smiled. "You've been great, Harry, really. And I do like you. But I don't want to stand in the way of true love. Search deep within your soul, Harry. You'll find that it's her you truly love."
"Diana, I..."
She put a finger to his lips. "Sometimes, Harry, what you're looking for is right in front of you."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
I felt my way blindly along the corridors, wanting to go back to my room and cry my pain away. I thought I was ready to accept their relationship, to be the supportive friend. But seeing them tonight made my heart ache so much that I couldn't breathe. Harry didn't love me - could never love me. And I could never stop loving him. Everything was too much and I had to get out of Hogwarts, away from anything that reminded me of Harry Potter.
I wiped my tears away and mumbled the password to Professor Dumbledore's office.
"Miss Granger," Professor Dumbledore said, as if expecting me to come all along.
"Sir," I said, finding my voice. "Does your Cambridge offer still stand?"