"What's going on?" Hermione asked, confused about the attention she
was getting.
"I dunno." Harry commented, equally confused.
"Must be the clothes." Ron said, looking at her muggle clothing.
"Maybe. . ." She said.
"Well, there's only about 15 minutes left 'till we get there." He said, trying to calm her. "Would you mind helping us with our paper?" He said again, grabbing his parchment and quill. Hermione acted like her old self again, sighing and rolling her eyes.
"Honestly!" She muttered and Harry and Ron smiled. At least all this attention didn't get to her head. "The papers about a topic of your choosing-"
"Quidditch!" They boys said in unison.
"Well I did mine on muggle and wizard differences: with 5 complete pages-" Again she was interrupted.
"Five pages!" This was Ron's voice.
"No, the requirement is only 2 pages," this resulted in a sigh from the boys. "So, that's about it. Don't you ever pay attention in class?" Harry said, sometimes, while writing frantically, and Ron ignored her.
"Well then." She sighed and moved past Harry to look out the window. No more then ten minutes later, someone entered and told them they should change into their robes. Hermione left and returned quickly where Ron and Harry were both gone. She brushed her bangs away from her eyes - she was trying to grow them out, but they just laid in gentle wisps on her forehead and occasionally got in her eyes, which she found highly annoying.
"Hey." A voice said to her. She jumped, startled.
"Oh, George. It's only you."
"Sorry, I guess I'm not that important." He said and looked at the ground.
"Oh no, I didn't mean-" Then she caught sight of his smiling face.
"Just joking around, Hermione." She smiled and wiped her bangs out of her eyes. She looked at him, expecting him to say something. He just kept smiling.
"George?" She asked.
"Yes." He said waking up. "Well, I just wanted to tell you that we sort of missed you this vacation. You should come this time 'round." She smiled.
"Okay." She said, thoughtfully. "Sounds nice enough." He nodded and backed out the door. Just then Ron appeared in his robes.
"What was he doing here?" He asked.
"Nothing really . . . Ron, your brothers are acting awfully strange lately." He nodded.
"You mean more so then usual?" Ron said. He and Harry burst out laughing.
"Yes . . ." She said, her voice drifting. "Anyway, it's not a big deal." The train began to stop and they grabbed their things and quickly exited.
After the sorting, Hermione, Harry, and Ron went to the Commons room to sit around and chat a bit. Before they could get a word out, Harry was called to meet outside because of a Quidditch meeting.
"Sorry guys. Talk to you later." He said as he left. Just when Ron and Hermione were about to say something, Professor McGonogal interrupted them.
"Miss Granger? May I see you for a minute?" She said with a grave face. Ron looked at Hermione and she looked back at him.
"Well come on then." She pulled him by the arm with her.
"Yes, Professor-" But she was cut off when she had to run to catch up to her. Professor McGonogal stood in front of Dumbledore's office, a portrait of a young man in the way.
"Fiddlesticks." She said quickly and the portrait let her enter. "Have a seat, Miss Granger." The professor said. "And you, Mr. Weasley." She scowled. Dumbledore turned around and greeted them.
"Hermione." He said, his voice dripping in sorrow.
"Yes?" She asked, her voice now shaking. She brushed away wisps of bangs in her eyes and bit her lip.
"We have some bad news for you today." Ron looked uneasily at Hermione. She took a deep breathe and gave him a shaky smile. Dumbledore continued. "Your parents were in an unfortunate accident." He stopped for a moment and adjusted his half moon glasses. "This is a hard case to uncover, but we have our best people working on it." He paused again, thinking of what to say. "At a later date, we will inform you upon the details. . ."
"Are they okay?" She asked, her voice shaking even worse. "Details? What happened?"
I can tell you it was an act of unforgivable evil. Maybe it was provoked by You-Know-Who" He replied calmly, but with an edge, "but by the time we got them in our care, your parents have already," he paused again and looked down in the 16 year olds eyes. "passed away."
Hermione's eyes widened at the news and she muffled a sob. Ron looked deeply shocked. She leaned over the chairs and wrapped her arms around Ron's neck and cried. Dumbledore shook his head and a tear ran down his cheek. Professor McGonogal stood in the back of the office, hiding her face. All that were heard was Hermione's muffled sobs. Ron rubbed her back and tried to tell her it would all be okay, but nothing helped. He'd never seen Hermione cry before. However, he was drawn to this helplessness, because it was the first time, before this year, he'd actually seen Hermione act human.
Just then there was a loud knock on the door. Professor McGonogal opened the door quickly and Harry stood outside.
"What-" he began but abruptly stopped. "I came down here as quickly as possible," he said, bewildered. "But it isn't true, is it?" Dumbledore nodded solemnly. Ron looked at his other best friend, obviously distressed, yet oddly comfortable. Harry couldn't help but think that his two best friends looked adorable in each other's arms. Nonetheless, Harry himself felt compassion for Hermione, for now, she was an orphan. He nervously walked up to the couple, Hermione still crying on Ron's shoulder - literally. Ron quickly moved out of the way, his face now tear stricken. Harry quickly took his place and Hermione looked up at him with swollen eyes. Just looking at her like this made Harry's heart jump. He put his arms around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. She whimpered and he absentmindedly played with strands of her hair.
"This can't be true." She finally said, her breathing short from crying.
"Don't worry." He spoke softly. "It will all be okay."
"I dunno." Harry commented, equally confused.
"Must be the clothes." Ron said, looking at her muggle clothing.
"Maybe. . ." She said.
"Well, there's only about 15 minutes left 'till we get there." He said, trying to calm her. "Would you mind helping us with our paper?" He said again, grabbing his parchment and quill. Hermione acted like her old self again, sighing and rolling her eyes.
"Honestly!" She muttered and Harry and Ron smiled. At least all this attention didn't get to her head. "The papers about a topic of your choosing-"
"Quidditch!" They boys said in unison.
"Well I did mine on muggle and wizard differences: with 5 complete pages-" Again she was interrupted.
"Five pages!" This was Ron's voice.
"No, the requirement is only 2 pages," this resulted in a sigh from the boys. "So, that's about it. Don't you ever pay attention in class?" Harry said, sometimes, while writing frantically, and Ron ignored her.
"Well then." She sighed and moved past Harry to look out the window. No more then ten minutes later, someone entered and told them they should change into their robes. Hermione left and returned quickly where Ron and Harry were both gone. She brushed her bangs away from her eyes - she was trying to grow them out, but they just laid in gentle wisps on her forehead and occasionally got in her eyes, which she found highly annoying.
"Hey." A voice said to her. She jumped, startled.
"Oh, George. It's only you."
"Sorry, I guess I'm not that important." He said and looked at the ground.
"Oh no, I didn't mean-" Then she caught sight of his smiling face.
"Just joking around, Hermione." She smiled and wiped her bangs out of her eyes. She looked at him, expecting him to say something. He just kept smiling.
"George?" She asked.
"Yes." He said waking up. "Well, I just wanted to tell you that we sort of missed you this vacation. You should come this time 'round." She smiled.
"Okay." She said, thoughtfully. "Sounds nice enough." He nodded and backed out the door. Just then Ron appeared in his robes.
"What was he doing here?" He asked.
"Nothing really . . . Ron, your brothers are acting awfully strange lately." He nodded.
"You mean more so then usual?" Ron said. He and Harry burst out laughing.
"Yes . . ." She said, her voice drifting. "Anyway, it's not a big deal." The train began to stop and they grabbed their things and quickly exited.
After the sorting, Hermione, Harry, and Ron went to the Commons room to sit around and chat a bit. Before they could get a word out, Harry was called to meet outside because of a Quidditch meeting.
"Sorry guys. Talk to you later." He said as he left. Just when Ron and Hermione were about to say something, Professor McGonogal interrupted them.
"Miss Granger? May I see you for a minute?" She said with a grave face. Ron looked at Hermione and she looked back at him.
"Well come on then." She pulled him by the arm with her.
"Yes, Professor-" But she was cut off when she had to run to catch up to her. Professor McGonogal stood in front of Dumbledore's office, a portrait of a young man in the way.
"Fiddlesticks." She said quickly and the portrait let her enter. "Have a seat, Miss Granger." The professor said. "And you, Mr. Weasley." She scowled. Dumbledore turned around and greeted them.
"Hermione." He said, his voice dripping in sorrow.
"Yes?" She asked, her voice now shaking. She brushed away wisps of bangs in her eyes and bit her lip.
"We have some bad news for you today." Ron looked uneasily at Hermione. She took a deep breathe and gave him a shaky smile. Dumbledore continued. "Your parents were in an unfortunate accident." He stopped for a moment and adjusted his half moon glasses. "This is a hard case to uncover, but we have our best people working on it." He paused again, thinking of what to say. "At a later date, we will inform you upon the details. . ."
"Are they okay?" She asked, her voice shaking even worse. "Details? What happened?"
I can tell you it was an act of unforgivable evil. Maybe it was provoked by You-Know-Who" He replied calmly, but with an edge, "but by the time we got them in our care, your parents have already," he paused again and looked down in the 16 year olds eyes. "passed away."
Hermione's eyes widened at the news and she muffled a sob. Ron looked deeply shocked. She leaned over the chairs and wrapped her arms around Ron's neck and cried. Dumbledore shook his head and a tear ran down his cheek. Professor McGonogal stood in the back of the office, hiding her face. All that were heard was Hermione's muffled sobs. Ron rubbed her back and tried to tell her it would all be okay, but nothing helped. He'd never seen Hermione cry before. However, he was drawn to this helplessness, because it was the first time, before this year, he'd actually seen Hermione act human.
Just then there was a loud knock on the door. Professor McGonogal opened the door quickly and Harry stood outside.
"What-" he began but abruptly stopped. "I came down here as quickly as possible," he said, bewildered. "But it isn't true, is it?" Dumbledore nodded solemnly. Ron looked at his other best friend, obviously distressed, yet oddly comfortable. Harry couldn't help but think that his two best friends looked adorable in each other's arms. Nonetheless, Harry himself felt compassion for Hermione, for now, she was an orphan. He nervously walked up to the couple, Hermione still crying on Ron's shoulder - literally. Ron quickly moved out of the way, his face now tear stricken. Harry quickly took his place and Hermione looked up at him with swollen eyes. Just looking at her like this made Harry's heart jump. He put his arms around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. She whimpered and he absentmindedly played with strands of her hair.
"This can't be true." She finally said, her breathing short from crying.
"Don't worry." He spoke softly. "It will all be okay."