Hermione had had nothing better to do all evening other than to read a book
she had started reading that morning: a tale about a witch and a wizard who
grew up together.
After a while however, she replaced it back onto the bookshelf. She recalled the day's events. She had no idea why she'd said that all of a sudden to Ron. She didn't know why she'd said it now, after all these years. She ultimately wished she hadn't. He'd think she was sulking now. She had wanted to phone his room up all night to see if Harry had returned yet, but she couldn't build up enough courage to do so. She didn't think she could talk to him properly for a long time now. She'd feel so embarrassed!
Hermione looked out of the window at first. There wasn't much of a view - she just wanted to admire the sky. How free and wild and emotional it was! It could be watered with an orange glow at dusk or dawn, or it could hold angry billowing storm clouds flashing through the rain. There seemed no end to the path of the clouds. They had no worries, no cares; they didn't even have to think about anything.
She shook her head briskly, wondering why she was imagining herself as a cloud. Clouds weren't alive! She happened to glance at the mirror. She stared at her own eyes. Her watery, chestnut eyes. How ugly she looked! She tore her gaze away from the mirror painfully. She remembered Ron's steady blue eyes and how they pierced her thoughts like a knife through her head. They had been burning with curiosity and fear. Mainly fear. But what was he afraid of? A tiny tear streamed down her face. She hadn't even realised that her eyes were so weepy!
It was at that moment that her roommate Bella came into the room. Hermione quickly scrubbed her eyes dry as Bella closed the door to the flat.
"Hi Hermione!" she said brightly. "What have you been up to today?"
Hermione sighed and they spent the rest of the night chatting about Bella's crush. She wasn't listening really. The odd nod seemed to do the trick.
Hermione went to bed early that night, but she hardly slept a wink.
* * *
"Aren't you even going to tell me where you went?" Ron questioned Harry. It was 7 o' clock in the morning, and Harry was busy picking at a slice of burnt toast. His expression had been vacant as he sat staring at the far wall. Up until Ron had spoken. He looked up at Ron. Ron noticed Harry's eyes were unusually dark and his skin surprisingly pale. And was it just him or were there dark lines under Harry's eyes? He looked awful.
"Ron," Harry sighed, replacing his slice of toast onto the plate and putting both down on the settee beside him. He was annoyed.
"Sorry," Ron said hastily, sounding like he didn't mean it. Which he didn't, to be quite honest. He, too, sighed and then he sat beside Harry. "Do you even mean to tell me anything?"
Harry did not reply. What could he say?
"I'm going to Charms lecture," he said simply, slinging his bag over his shoulder and picking up his cloak on the way out.
Ron waited until Harry had closed the door before kicking the wall and letting out his anger in a loud scream. There was a knock at the door.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" he growled. His face was burning up in his sudden frenzy of fury. "Oh, it's you," he said gruffly as he saw Hermione's frightened, white face looking up at him in open-mouthed wonder. Ron opened the door wider to allow her through. "Sorry," he mumbled.
Her expression was still one of shock and amazement. She had never seen him lose his rag before, and especially not at her! His face was contorted and scarlet-coloured. His eyes blazed, the eyes that had looked ever so calmly into hers just the day before. His soft, friendly, blue eyes had turned from a calming ocean to a raging storm wave.
"I was just a bit annoyed at Harry," Ron explained. "Want some warm pumpkin juice?"
Hermione nodded as Ron turned and began fumbling about in the kitchen area. "What happened with Harry?" she asked, very much full of concern and still quite frightened at the sight of Ron's expression as he had answered the door.
"He wouldn't tell me anything," Ron said stiffly, his teeth still clenched together. "I questioned him all night and all morning."
"Where is he now?" Hermione asked. "We all have Charms class first thing."
"He's gone ahead of us," Ron explained. He could not hide his anger. Hermione could hear him spitting when he spoke, and she could see his strained face, steadily losing its bright colour.
"We'd better catch him up then," Hermione said. She turned towards the door. Ron stopped her.
"Hermione -"
"Yes?" She spun on her heels and faced him.
"Why did you come?"
Hermione stopped, and there was that moment's pause where she looked as though she was considering whether to tell him or not. "I was going to thank you for last night, but I think I can just about stop myself now."
"Oh."
"Now hurry up. Harry will be waiting for us."
Ron very much doubted that Harry was waiting for them. In fact, Ron was in doubt about everything. Right now, he wouldn't mind at all if Sandy the mermaid pulled him into a fountain and asked him five more riddles.
Once all the students had gathered in the room and on the balconies, the Professor made his appearance. Professor Cranston was a short, stoat little man who walked very fast for a man of his structure. His beard was uncannily similar to the Hogwart's Charms professor - Professor Flitwick - although Cranston wore a gnome-like hat as well. He wore purple robes with a black belt, and the only reason he didn't look like a gnome was his big, red, bulbous nose and hazel eyes that you would prefer not to be looking at you! He had a booming voice, which did not suit his appearance at all, but it suited everyone else as it was easy to hear from the back row.
The lecture consisted of changing the colour of animals and the various ways it should be done, and how to apply the chant to a particular animal, and the movement of your wand, and how to change the colour back to what it was, and how this was all useful in the wizarding world. There were many photographs and paintings of animals and the men who'd tried the spell when it went disastrously wrong.
Hermione was scribbling notes all the way through, desperately trying to write down everything that was said, and concentrating just as hard as ever. Ron found this the perfect opportunity to talk to Harry.
"Harry, we're your friends. We're concerned about you. Why can't you tell us the truth?"
Harry clenched his teeth. He scribbled down a few more notes.
"Harry!"
"What?" he replied, quiet but stern.
"Just tell me! Or at least tell me why you can't?"
There was a long pause in which Harry pretended to be interested in the far wall, its high windows opening out onto the overcast, miserable sky. Harry saw something that almost made him twitch. He jumped up.
"What? What's up Harry?"
"Nothing, I've got to go," Harry said as he stuffed his quill and paper and books into his bag, then slung it over his shoulder.
"If it's nothing how come you're in such a hurry?" Ron asked following him out of the door. Several people turned round to see what the commotion was. They apparently thought it was nothing of importance because they soon turned their heads back to the Professor and carried on with their note taking.
"It's none of your business," Harry said, running down the corridor. Ron looked back to Hermione. She was staring at him again, wonderment all over her face. He looked up the corridor to see Harry dart down the left corridor. He looked back to the Professor, babbling on about the man who tried to turn a rhinoceros red but was attacked by it soon after.
Ron rushed up the corridor, forgetting about his bag and leaving the lecture behind him. Quickly he ran down the left corridor to see Harry still in the distance. Now was the time to find out what on earth was going on . . .
AN: Review please! It's greatly appreciated, and I really want some opinions on this!!!
After a while however, she replaced it back onto the bookshelf. She recalled the day's events. She had no idea why she'd said that all of a sudden to Ron. She didn't know why she'd said it now, after all these years. She ultimately wished she hadn't. He'd think she was sulking now. She had wanted to phone his room up all night to see if Harry had returned yet, but she couldn't build up enough courage to do so. She didn't think she could talk to him properly for a long time now. She'd feel so embarrassed!
Hermione looked out of the window at first. There wasn't much of a view - she just wanted to admire the sky. How free and wild and emotional it was! It could be watered with an orange glow at dusk or dawn, or it could hold angry billowing storm clouds flashing through the rain. There seemed no end to the path of the clouds. They had no worries, no cares; they didn't even have to think about anything.
She shook her head briskly, wondering why she was imagining herself as a cloud. Clouds weren't alive! She happened to glance at the mirror. She stared at her own eyes. Her watery, chestnut eyes. How ugly she looked! She tore her gaze away from the mirror painfully. She remembered Ron's steady blue eyes and how they pierced her thoughts like a knife through her head. They had been burning with curiosity and fear. Mainly fear. But what was he afraid of? A tiny tear streamed down her face. She hadn't even realised that her eyes were so weepy!
It was at that moment that her roommate Bella came into the room. Hermione quickly scrubbed her eyes dry as Bella closed the door to the flat.
"Hi Hermione!" she said brightly. "What have you been up to today?"
Hermione sighed and they spent the rest of the night chatting about Bella's crush. She wasn't listening really. The odd nod seemed to do the trick.
Hermione went to bed early that night, but she hardly slept a wink.
* * *
"Aren't you even going to tell me where you went?" Ron questioned Harry. It was 7 o' clock in the morning, and Harry was busy picking at a slice of burnt toast. His expression had been vacant as he sat staring at the far wall. Up until Ron had spoken. He looked up at Ron. Ron noticed Harry's eyes were unusually dark and his skin surprisingly pale. And was it just him or were there dark lines under Harry's eyes? He looked awful.
"Ron," Harry sighed, replacing his slice of toast onto the plate and putting both down on the settee beside him. He was annoyed.
"Sorry," Ron said hastily, sounding like he didn't mean it. Which he didn't, to be quite honest. He, too, sighed and then he sat beside Harry. "Do you even mean to tell me anything?"
Harry did not reply. What could he say?
"I'm going to Charms lecture," he said simply, slinging his bag over his shoulder and picking up his cloak on the way out.
Ron waited until Harry had closed the door before kicking the wall and letting out his anger in a loud scream. There was a knock at the door.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" he growled. His face was burning up in his sudden frenzy of fury. "Oh, it's you," he said gruffly as he saw Hermione's frightened, white face looking up at him in open-mouthed wonder. Ron opened the door wider to allow her through. "Sorry," he mumbled.
Her expression was still one of shock and amazement. She had never seen him lose his rag before, and especially not at her! His face was contorted and scarlet-coloured. His eyes blazed, the eyes that had looked ever so calmly into hers just the day before. His soft, friendly, blue eyes had turned from a calming ocean to a raging storm wave.
"I was just a bit annoyed at Harry," Ron explained. "Want some warm pumpkin juice?"
Hermione nodded as Ron turned and began fumbling about in the kitchen area. "What happened with Harry?" she asked, very much full of concern and still quite frightened at the sight of Ron's expression as he had answered the door.
"He wouldn't tell me anything," Ron said stiffly, his teeth still clenched together. "I questioned him all night and all morning."
"Where is he now?" Hermione asked. "We all have Charms class first thing."
"He's gone ahead of us," Ron explained. He could not hide his anger. Hermione could hear him spitting when he spoke, and she could see his strained face, steadily losing its bright colour.
"We'd better catch him up then," Hermione said. She turned towards the door. Ron stopped her.
"Hermione -"
"Yes?" She spun on her heels and faced him.
"Why did you come?"
Hermione stopped, and there was that moment's pause where she looked as though she was considering whether to tell him or not. "I was going to thank you for last night, but I think I can just about stop myself now."
"Oh."
"Now hurry up. Harry will be waiting for us."
Ron very much doubted that Harry was waiting for them. In fact, Ron was in doubt about everything. Right now, he wouldn't mind at all if Sandy the mermaid pulled him into a fountain and asked him five more riddles.
Once all the students had gathered in the room and on the balconies, the Professor made his appearance. Professor Cranston was a short, stoat little man who walked very fast for a man of his structure. His beard was uncannily similar to the Hogwart's Charms professor - Professor Flitwick - although Cranston wore a gnome-like hat as well. He wore purple robes with a black belt, and the only reason he didn't look like a gnome was his big, red, bulbous nose and hazel eyes that you would prefer not to be looking at you! He had a booming voice, which did not suit his appearance at all, but it suited everyone else as it was easy to hear from the back row.
The lecture consisted of changing the colour of animals and the various ways it should be done, and how to apply the chant to a particular animal, and the movement of your wand, and how to change the colour back to what it was, and how this was all useful in the wizarding world. There were many photographs and paintings of animals and the men who'd tried the spell when it went disastrously wrong.
Hermione was scribbling notes all the way through, desperately trying to write down everything that was said, and concentrating just as hard as ever. Ron found this the perfect opportunity to talk to Harry.
"Harry, we're your friends. We're concerned about you. Why can't you tell us the truth?"
Harry clenched his teeth. He scribbled down a few more notes.
"Harry!"
"What?" he replied, quiet but stern.
"Just tell me! Or at least tell me why you can't?"
There was a long pause in which Harry pretended to be interested in the far wall, its high windows opening out onto the overcast, miserable sky. Harry saw something that almost made him twitch. He jumped up.
"What? What's up Harry?"
"Nothing, I've got to go," Harry said as he stuffed his quill and paper and books into his bag, then slung it over his shoulder.
"If it's nothing how come you're in such a hurry?" Ron asked following him out of the door. Several people turned round to see what the commotion was. They apparently thought it was nothing of importance because they soon turned their heads back to the Professor and carried on with their note taking.
"It's none of your business," Harry said, running down the corridor. Ron looked back to Hermione. She was staring at him again, wonderment all over her face. He looked up the corridor to see Harry dart down the left corridor. He looked back to the Professor, babbling on about the man who tried to turn a rhinoceros red but was attacked by it soon after.
Ron rushed up the corridor, forgetting about his bag and leaving the lecture behind him. Quickly he ran down the left corridor to see Harry still in the distance. Now was the time to find out what on earth was going on . . .
AN: Review please! It's greatly appreciated, and I really want some opinions on this!!!