Chapter fourteen
Respect
Before Avolorm could go to his next class, Hermione pulled him aside.
" Well?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest. Avolorm stared back at her in confusion.
" Well what?" Avolorm asked innocently.
" You didn't say anything when Harry accused you." Hermione said quietly. To her surprise, he laughed.
" You think I tripped him over?" He asked, taking her hands in his. She looked away, wondering if she did.
"Hermione, I wouldn't do anything to harm you." He said, his gaze softening.
"But I wasn't the one who sprouted warts." She said, almost accusingly.
"But you feel hurt when your friends are hurt right? Hurting your friends would lead to hurting you. I would never do that." He said sincerely. Hermione studied his face carefully.
"I-I'm sorry . I just, I-I ." She blushed and shoved her hands into her pockets. Avolorm smiled.
"Come on, I'll walk you to your next class."
Madam Pomphery shook her head disapprovingly as Ron came in the hospital wing with a rather lumpy Harry.
" Again? Master Potter?" She asked. He muttered something about Avolorm under his breath and sat down on a hospital bed. Ron sat down on a chair beside the bed and despite himself, started laughing.
"What?" Harry asked stiffly.
" Your face!" He laughed and rubbed his eyes.
"Shut up. Bloody sod ." Harry muttered. He stopped swearing and Ron stopped laughing as madam Pomphery came in with a jar.
" Drink this." She instructed, handing him the bottle.
"The whole thing?" Harry stared with horror at the 500ml bottle.
"The whole thing. You have quite a few warts to get rid of." The nurse nodded and smiled slightly.
"In one go?" Ron noted that Harry's voice was getting rather high pitched. Madam Pomophery nodded again. Harry inspected the red liquid carefully. It looked a lot like muggle cough medicine. Hoping it wouldn't taste like it, Harry took a swig of it. Seconds later, he spat it out, making choking noises.
"Don't like it Harry?" Ron asked, grinning. The nurse frowned.
" Drink it up!" With an amazingly strong grip, she grabbed the back of Harry's neck and poured the liquid into his mouth. He gurgled complaints and curses, waving his arms about, practically dying from the foul taste. Minutes later, when she had finished, he broke away, gasping.
"Are you trying to kill me?" He reached for the jug on the bedside table and gulped the water down, spilling most of it down his front. Ron was pointing and laughing hysterically, until the nurse swatted him on the back of the head.
"What is going on!?!" Hermione was standing in the doorway, watching the scene with interest. The still warty Harry ignored her and continued to gulp down water. Ron rubbed his head and cursed.
"He just took his medicine and will be needing some rest soon." She gave Ron and Hermione looks that indicated she wanted them to leave soon. Hermione ignored this and pulled out a chair. She waited until the nurse had left and until Harry had finished drinking the whole jug.
" Harry . you don't really think that Toby had tripped you?" Hermione gulped and waited for Harry's response, trying to read his expression as best she could.
"Yes." Harry said quite calmly. "I do."
Hermione let out an exasperated sigh and leant back in her chair. She couldn't believe her that best friend could be so pig headed. She had seen Avolorm's sincere eyes. He had told her that he would never do anything to hurt her and that was enough evidence for her.
" Even though two whole classes were there. You seriously think that he would do such a thing in front of such a large number of people?" She wrung her hands in her lap.
"Nothing stops him. He just doesn't give up, does he, the barstard ." Ron muttered. He hadn't seen Avolorm do any thing but he could tell. The fake look of surprise, the fake hurt in his eyes when he had accused him . It was enough to tell him that Avolorm was bent on hurting Harry. Sprouting warts wasn't too bad. It wouldn't kill him, but Ron was convinced that Avolorm was the one who had attempted to poison him the other night.
"What do mean 'nothing stops him'?" Hermione asked icily. "Are you implying that Avolorm purposely burnt Harry?"
"Yes. And not just that. I know that it was him who had tried to poison Harry the other night." Ron crossed his arms, satisfied. But Hermione was anything but satisfied.
"You pig headed ass hole!" She spat. " What makes you so high and mighty? What makes you so confident?" Hermione blinked back the tears that were brimming in her eyes. She couldn't let them see her cry. Anything but let them think that she was nothing but a mere little girl who couldn't express her anger and disappointment in a way other than crying. She turned to Harry.
" What about you Harry? Surely you don't think Toby would do such a thing!" Harry remained silent. He tried not to meet her eyes. Hermione stood up and stomped her foot.
"You are both ignorant, ass holes!" With that, she stormed out the room, just before she burst into tears. Ron's jaw dropped.
"How can she want to protect him?" He gaped. Harry felt his stomach churn.
"How can she walk out on us like that? Just when we need her wits to help us here!" Ron continued. Harry sighed and watched a wart on his finger slowly shrink.
"We deserved it." He said quietly. Ron spun around to meet his eyes. He couldn't believe it. Harry was standing up for Hermione after she had just insulted them both for nothing.
" We DESERVED it? Tell me how Harry. I'd like to know WHY I deserved being called a bloody ass hole." Ron stood up and stared down at Harry. Harry sighed and fidgeted with his pillow for a while.
" We both know how much she likes Avolorm." Harry could taste the foul sound of the sentence as he said it. " We should have . I dunno . given her more respect ." He finished lamely.
"More respect than she bloody deserves?" Ron ranted.
"Ron. We didn't give her any respect at all! We have been through her mail, you've followed her when she went to see this guy .And yet, we call us her best friends." Harry could feel the guilt flooding through him and into his pool of misery, which was over flooded. He could feel the guilt pumping in his blood. Ron suddenly became quiet and sat down. Harry guessed that he was experiencing the same sinking feeling that he was.
"As much as I'd hate to say it," Harry continued, sighing, " She has all the right in the world to like this guy." Ron flushed a hot pink and he too stormed out of the hospital wing, leaving Harry to deal with his misery alone.
Come on ppls! I need some bloody reviews! I'm loosing all my fagging enthusiasm here!
Respect
Before Avolorm could go to his next class, Hermione pulled him aside.
" Well?" She asked, folding her arms across her chest. Avolorm stared back at her in confusion.
" Well what?" Avolorm asked innocently.
" You didn't say anything when Harry accused you." Hermione said quietly. To her surprise, he laughed.
" You think I tripped him over?" He asked, taking her hands in his. She looked away, wondering if she did.
"Hermione, I wouldn't do anything to harm you." He said, his gaze softening.
"But I wasn't the one who sprouted warts." She said, almost accusingly.
"But you feel hurt when your friends are hurt right? Hurting your friends would lead to hurting you. I would never do that." He said sincerely. Hermione studied his face carefully.
"I-I'm sorry . I just, I-I ." She blushed and shoved her hands into her pockets. Avolorm smiled.
"Come on, I'll walk you to your next class."
Madam Pomphery shook her head disapprovingly as Ron came in the hospital wing with a rather lumpy Harry.
" Again? Master Potter?" She asked. He muttered something about Avolorm under his breath and sat down on a hospital bed. Ron sat down on a chair beside the bed and despite himself, started laughing.
"What?" Harry asked stiffly.
" Your face!" He laughed and rubbed his eyes.
"Shut up. Bloody sod ." Harry muttered. He stopped swearing and Ron stopped laughing as madam Pomphery came in with a jar.
" Drink this." She instructed, handing him the bottle.
"The whole thing?" Harry stared with horror at the 500ml bottle.
"The whole thing. You have quite a few warts to get rid of." The nurse nodded and smiled slightly.
"In one go?" Ron noted that Harry's voice was getting rather high pitched. Madam Pomophery nodded again. Harry inspected the red liquid carefully. It looked a lot like muggle cough medicine. Hoping it wouldn't taste like it, Harry took a swig of it. Seconds later, he spat it out, making choking noises.
"Don't like it Harry?" Ron asked, grinning. The nurse frowned.
" Drink it up!" With an amazingly strong grip, she grabbed the back of Harry's neck and poured the liquid into his mouth. He gurgled complaints and curses, waving his arms about, practically dying from the foul taste. Minutes later, when she had finished, he broke away, gasping.
"Are you trying to kill me?" He reached for the jug on the bedside table and gulped the water down, spilling most of it down his front. Ron was pointing and laughing hysterically, until the nurse swatted him on the back of the head.
"What is going on!?!" Hermione was standing in the doorway, watching the scene with interest. The still warty Harry ignored her and continued to gulp down water. Ron rubbed his head and cursed.
"He just took his medicine and will be needing some rest soon." She gave Ron and Hermione looks that indicated she wanted them to leave soon. Hermione ignored this and pulled out a chair. She waited until the nurse had left and until Harry had finished drinking the whole jug.
" Harry . you don't really think that Toby had tripped you?" Hermione gulped and waited for Harry's response, trying to read his expression as best she could.
"Yes." Harry said quite calmly. "I do."
Hermione let out an exasperated sigh and leant back in her chair. She couldn't believe her that best friend could be so pig headed. She had seen Avolorm's sincere eyes. He had told her that he would never do anything to hurt her and that was enough evidence for her.
" Even though two whole classes were there. You seriously think that he would do such a thing in front of such a large number of people?" She wrung her hands in her lap.
"Nothing stops him. He just doesn't give up, does he, the barstard ." Ron muttered. He hadn't seen Avolorm do any thing but he could tell. The fake look of surprise, the fake hurt in his eyes when he had accused him . It was enough to tell him that Avolorm was bent on hurting Harry. Sprouting warts wasn't too bad. It wouldn't kill him, but Ron was convinced that Avolorm was the one who had attempted to poison him the other night.
"What do mean 'nothing stops him'?" Hermione asked icily. "Are you implying that Avolorm purposely burnt Harry?"
"Yes. And not just that. I know that it was him who had tried to poison Harry the other night." Ron crossed his arms, satisfied. But Hermione was anything but satisfied.
"You pig headed ass hole!" She spat. " What makes you so high and mighty? What makes you so confident?" Hermione blinked back the tears that were brimming in her eyes. She couldn't let them see her cry. Anything but let them think that she was nothing but a mere little girl who couldn't express her anger and disappointment in a way other than crying. She turned to Harry.
" What about you Harry? Surely you don't think Toby would do such a thing!" Harry remained silent. He tried not to meet her eyes. Hermione stood up and stomped her foot.
"You are both ignorant, ass holes!" With that, she stormed out the room, just before she burst into tears. Ron's jaw dropped.
"How can she want to protect him?" He gaped. Harry felt his stomach churn.
"How can she walk out on us like that? Just when we need her wits to help us here!" Ron continued. Harry sighed and watched a wart on his finger slowly shrink.
"We deserved it." He said quietly. Ron spun around to meet his eyes. He couldn't believe it. Harry was standing up for Hermione after she had just insulted them both for nothing.
" We DESERVED it? Tell me how Harry. I'd like to know WHY I deserved being called a bloody ass hole." Ron stood up and stared down at Harry. Harry sighed and fidgeted with his pillow for a while.
" We both know how much she likes Avolorm." Harry could taste the foul sound of the sentence as he said it. " We should have . I dunno . given her more respect ." He finished lamely.
"More respect than she bloody deserves?" Ron ranted.
"Ron. We didn't give her any respect at all! We have been through her mail, you've followed her when she went to see this guy .And yet, we call us her best friends." Harry could feel the guilt flooding through him and into his pool of misery, which was over flooded. He could feel the guilt pumping in his blood. Ron suddenly became quiet and sat down. Harry guessed that he was experiencing the same sinking feeling that he was.
"As much as I'd hate to say it," Harry continued, sighing, " She has all the right in the world to like this guy." Ron flushed a hot pink and he too stormed out of the hospital wing, leaving Harry to deal with his misery alone.
Come on ppls! I need some bloody reviews! I'm loosing all my fagging enthusiasm here!