Title: Bloody Valentine (3/4)
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize isn't mine…
Author notes: Ok, here is Chapter 3, everyone. Enjoy!
***
"So what are you going to do then?" Ron asked Harry and sipped little water. Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting in the great hall eating lunch. Nobody had said much. Hermione was still angry with Harry for being insensitive.
Harry shrugged. "Dunno," he said. "I was thinking 'nothing'. But I think that's not an option so right now it's 'dunno'." Hermione fought back a frown.
"You got to apologize." Ron said. "It's not getting any better if you just ignore it."
Harry picked his food without eating any of and then said, "Yeah, I guess so." Sigh. "But Hannah can be really scary sometimes. I don't think I want to be alone with her after what happened." Harry looked up and saw that Ron was grinning.
"What?" he asked Ron.
His grin widened. "You are afraid of a girl,"
Harry raised his eyebrows and then grinned too. "Who's afraid of Hermione?"
Ron stopped grinning and looked outraged instead. "I'm not afraid of Hermione!" he said a little too loudly.
"BO!" Hermione screamed in Ron's ear so that he jumped up in the air. Both Harry and Hermione burst out laughing. Later Ron joined the laughing as well. A little redder in the face than Hermione and Harry, though.
"Your face," Hermione said between laughs. Harry was laughing so hard he had disappeared under the table.
When they had stopped laughing Hermione placed her hand on Ron's shoulder. "Ron," she said. "There's nothing to be afraid of. You've got Harry to support you if I get too scary." Hermione and Harry laughed at this. Ron's mouth just curved into a little smile.
Harry stopped laughing when Ron kicked him under the table.
"What?" he said a little annoyed and Hermione stopped laughing too.
"Hannah left Great Hall alone. Go catch her. Explain." he said. Harry hesitated but when Ron kicked him under the table again he got up and ran from the Great Hall to get Hannah.
Hermione grabbed her last piece of potato with her fork and placed it in her mouth. As she chewed it she realised that her plate wasn't white as the others. There was a square drawn with black ink. Hermione touched in spot in the middle of the square and suddenly the square disappeared. Instead it now read "Meet me in the closet 7 pm." Hermione looked at Ron who was busy looking elsewhere. "Ron," she said and Ron turned to look at her, "What's th.." The ink had disappeared. Hermione looked astonished.
"What?" Ron asked with his mouth full of food. Hermione snapped out of her astonishment.
"The.." Hermione had permanently lost the ability to speak. Ron placed his fork and knife beside his plate and started to get up.
"Look, Hermione," he said as he had stood up. "I have to go to the library, so, umm, talk to you later." And with those words he disappeared out of sight.
Hermione's mind was spinning. She had to find out what that meant. And she would. Just not now. They had double Charms and she had forgotten her Charms essay in her dormitory that was supposed to be handed in today. Hermione scribbled the exact words that she had seen on her plate on a piece of parchment and placed it in her pocket as she stood up and left the Great Hall.
***
Harry saw Hannah's blonde hair move far in the Charms corridor. Harry started to run and soon caught up with her. Harry walked now right behind her.
"Hannah," he said getting no reaction from her. "Hannah," he said again and this time he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the nearest classroom.
"Harry, let go of me!" she said trying to escape Harry's grip but he was too strong for her.
"Calm down," Harry said and she did as she was told to. "Ok, I just want to say that I'm sorry for what happened last night. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just want to know where we stand. Are you breaking up with me or what?"
Hannah rubbed her arm. "Well, we've been a little off for a while," she said and stopped rubbing her arm. "Ok, look I'm going to be honest. This isn't going to work, so, yes, I guess we better break up," she said looking sad.
"Okay," Harry said looking around. They had nothing to say to each other anymore. When they were sneaking around or whatever they hadn't really talked to each other. It was more like a little snogging, How was your day? Snogging, Fine, yours? Snogging. They stood silent for a moment, both unable to find decent words to say.
"I guess I'll go," he said barely moving a muscle on his face. Harry turned to leave but then turned around to look at Hannah for the last time. He looked at her for a moment. It felt weird. He felt sad. Like they would never see each other again. Of course they would. Everyday.
Hannah stepped forward ready to hug Harry but he had turned around again and now he was gone.
***
Double Charms would have been the perfect lesson to gossip or talk about the next visit to Hogsmeade but Harry wasn't in the mood to talk. Neither seemed Hermione. She looked like she was thinking really hard and didn't want to be disturbed. Ron tried to make conversation but only got one-worded answers from both of them.
Harry was thinking about Hannah. He just couldn't get the image of the look on her face when he left after their talk earlier. He shouldn't be feeling this way. They hadn't been in love. And they sure weren't now. They hadn't even been friends, they weren't friends now. Harry knew nothing about Hannah and Hannah knew… well, Hannah probably knew everything about him because he was Harry Potter. Still he felt something, he felt sorry for her. She had liked him more than he had liked her. It had been her who had come to him and not the other way around. And when they had been together they had done everything the way she had liked it. And Harry had accidentally heard Hannah speak to her girlfriends how lovely he was. He hadn't thought those things about her. So he guessed it was pity he felt. Nothing more. Or maybe he was just confused.
Harry banged his head on to the desk. He would have banged it again if it weren't for Ron who stopped him. "Woah," he said, holding Harry's head back. "Easy there, tiger."
Harry looked at Ron with a tormenting look. "Everything's just so confusing! I hate it!" he said and was about to lean forward with his head but Ron stopped him.
"I'm not going to bang my head against the desk again," he said. "I'm just going to rest a little." Ron nodded.
Harry didn't get much rest as his head shot back up when the classroom door opened revealing a healthy looking Ginny Weasley.
Harry's insides turned around. Ginny looked at Harry and smiled weakly. Then she turned to Professor Flitwick, who was looking at her with a questioning look. It seemed like Professor Flitwick was annoyed that Ginny had interrupted class. It surprised Harry because normally he didn't care much if people disturbed his class.
"Umm…, Professor Flitwick," Ginny began, "Professor McGonagall asked me to come here and say that you should see her in the Transfiguration classroom immediately." Professor Flitwick nodded and turned to the class to tell them to continue working, and that he would be back in a few minutes. Lastly he added that everyone should behave while he was gone. Everyone nodded.
"We promise, Professor," Dean said in his nicest voice and then turned grinning at Seamus.
Professor Flitwick, with Ginny behind him, left the classroom door open and Harry watched Ginny until her flaming red hair wasn't visible anymore.
***
Hermione threw her rucksack on her bed and took out a parchment she had been doodling on during Charms class. She still hadn't worked out what the messages meant.
And it annoyed her like hell.
She knew that she was supposed meet up with someone in a closet. What close? The letter's probably spelled out the answer to that question but so far all she could work out was ROOMB. And that was not a word. She didn't know where to put the B. She looked at her doodling for the thousandth time.
And then it hit her. She knew where the B should be. She had solved it.
Hermione's face brightened. She collected her notes and threw it in her bag to head to the Great Hall for some diner.
***
Harry walked in hurry towards the common room. He had been at diner, hoping to see Ginny and talk to her a bit. But she hadn't been there, so he decided to go look in the common room instead.
He said the password quickly and waited impatiently as the portrait hole slid open. He looked around the crowded room for a girl with flaming red hair. And he found her sitting in the corner by the window with a transfiguration book in her lap.
"Ginny!" he called and walked over to her.
Ginny looked up, "What's up?" she said. Harry suddenly felt very nervous. He had worked out in his head all the things he was supposed to tell her but somehow his mind had gone blank.
"Er," he started and then paused. "I just wanted to thank you," he continued after seeing Ginny's questioning look. He tried not to stare much at her. But it was hard, as Ginny had just started to smile. I love that smile, he thought, how come I hadn't realised it before? She was really nice last night… Harry forced himself to reality.
"You're welcome," she said smiling. "It was nothing, really. What are friends for?" When she said this Harry forced a smile. Right, he thought, what are friends for?
Ginny suddenly jumped up from sitting position, startling Harry. "I just remembered!" she said a in a little too excited sort of voice. "You forgot your charms books in our room last night. I'll go and get It.," she said slamming the transfiguration book shut and starting to walk towards the girls' dormitories.
Harry felt silly being left out. "I'll - I'll go with you," he blurted out. Ginny turned around looking at him in surprise.
"Oh - kay," she said uncertainly and waited for Harry to catch up with her to go up to the dormitories.
***
Harry looked around the scarlet room he had been in the night before. It looked more welcoming than it had looked last night. Well, it had been dark then. How welcoming can a dark room be? But somehow it looked nicer now. Harry went and sat on Ginny's bed and looked around the room. The room didn't look very girly, comparing to Hermione's room. But on the other hand Lavender and Parvati lived there too. Their over-girliness probably affected the whole room.
Harry looked at Ginny rummaging through her trunk. "Finding anything?" he said.
"Yup," Ginny said, turning around with Harry's charms books in her arms. She walked over to Harry and sat on the bed. "Here, she said, giving Harry the books. "I put them away so that people who are not supposed to have these wouldn't be able to take them. That means anybody but you." Ginny smiled, though a with a little more nervousness than down in the common room.
"Thanks," Harry said looking down at his feet. "And thanks again for last night. I mean it felt kind of awkward talking to you about my girl problems. I mean I usually talk to the boys but with you being a girl it gave me another perspective."
Ginny too looked down at her feet. Then she looked up and said, "Glad to help you out."
As she said that Harry decided to look up. Their eyes locked and they stared at each other for a few minutes. Then suddenly Harry moved his head forward so that their noses were almost touching, but suddenly Ginny backed away quickly.
"We should go down," she said and started walking out of the room.
***
Ok, the next chapter is the last one. I just have to write the very end and then I'll post it here soon. Ok, go review and make me happy! J
