A/N- first off- let me say that I am really sorry that it has taken me so
long to write more- u no- it's the whole school is evil thing . . . well,
on with the story!
Chapter 4- Confession Corner
It was now 3 days before Christmas break. The only Griffindors staying were, of course Ron, Hermione, and Harry, but also Neville was staying because his grandmother needed a longer break from him.
At breakfast Dumbledore had an announcement. "I noticed how everyone has enjoyed the balls in the past, so I have decided to hold a Christmas Dance for 4th years and over the day before Christmas Break." Dumbledore sat down.
All the students started whispering to each other. Two invitations to the dance could be heard being yelled across the room: "ANGELA! YOU GO TO THE DANCE WITH ME?!" Fred yelled and at the same time, "ALICIA! ME, YOU, THE FIREPLACE, EIGHT O'CLOCK?!" George yelled. Angela and Alicia had been making their way out of the Great Hall before the twins could embarrass them, but they were a little too late. They decided to give the twins some of their own medicine.
Angela yelled back, "SURE, HUNEY. OH AND FREDERICK DOUGLAS WEASLEY DON'T FORGET TO CLEAN YOUR MOUTH OFF BEFORE THEN!" Fred's mouth was covered with chocolate at the time and Angela called it to attention. At the same time Alicia was yelling back, "GEORGEY-POO THIS TIME DON'T YOU DARE FALL ASLEEP BEFORE PICKING ME UP!" After these remarks the whole hall erupted with laughter.
*~*Back At The Gryffindor Table*~*
"I guess I am going alone then." Harry said sadly.
"WHAT?! Harry, right now you could have your pick of almost any girl in the school!" Ron exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" harry asked.
"Harry, you can't tell me that you haven't noticed all the girls going googly-eyes on you. They think you're, their words not mine, hot." Ron explained. Hermione had grown silent while they continued their conversation, she got lost in her own thoughts.
"Ron's right you know. Harry is pretty, well, hot. NO NO NO- he's my best friend, I love him, but not that way. C'mon 'mione! Get with the program! Harry is extremely good looking. Just look at those brilliant green eyes, his adorably messy black hair, his wonderfully built, muscular body. His arms would feel so good around you, wouldn't they? Yeah . . . I mean no! I DON'T see him that way. Plus, he is much too good for me, he's the Boy Who Lived, he would never like . ."
"Herms you there?" asked Harry, looking concerned.
"What? Oh yeah, sorry."
"It's okay Herm, don't let it happen again though," Ron said jokingly, "what were you thinking about?"
"Ron, would you please not call me Herm? I wasn't really thinking about anything. Hey Harry, you never explained why you were in so much pain when I hugged you." Ron was stressing over the fact that he couldn't call Hermione 'Herm.' "But Hermione! Harry can . . . HURT!? Harry, Hermione hurt you?"
"No! I'm fine just . . . yeah . . . I don't know."
"Harry, you can tell me." Hermione pleaded.
"You know what? I think I am gonna go to the common room now." Harry got up and left. Hermione looked at Ron; they both nodded and got up to follow him. By the time they got to the common room they couldn't see Harry.
"HARRY, HARRY! Where are you?"
"The cloak." Ron said. They both saw the cloak was in fact missing and they started walking around the room, arm outstretched, seeing if they could find him by touch. Hermione got tired and sat down on Harry's bed. She felt something hard. A shoe! She reached up and yanked Harry's cloak off of him.
"Dammit! I didn't think you would find me here." Harry said sitting down next to Hermione.
"Okay, Harry, spill." Ron said impatiently. Harry told them the whole story, although he did so half heartedly.
He told them how he's go for weeks at a time without food, how he'd get beat, how they emotionally tortured him, telling him he was no good, how his parents were no good, how he was stupid and self- centered and how he was forced to listen to them or else he would just get beat again. He told them about all the work he had to do, stealing food when they weren't looking and water from the bathroom sink the few times they let him out of the room besides to work. He told them how they locked up Hedwig so he couldn't mail anyone either. Then he finished, with his face in his hands, eyes watering, but not crying. He learned not to feel sorry for himself.
"Why didn't Sirius come?"
"His trial was this summer and he couldn't get away to see me. I still don't now if I have to go back to the Dursleys next year."
"If they didn't give you any food how come you look healthy?"
"About a week before school started I got fed up with them and went to the Leaky Cauldron where I ate a lot and got healthier. Then I had to go back the day I was coming to the Hogwarts train to get my stuff. They gave me the worst beating then. So bad, that I still have a few open cuts. Most are healed, but some keep opening." Ron had been the one asking the questions. Now it was finally Hermione's turn. She had been crying since half way through the story for Harry.
"Can I . . . see your back Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry stood up, took off his shirt and turned around. Hermione gasped. Even though it had been a few months quite a few of the slashes in his back her still open since Harry didn't want to go to the Hospital Wing and be questioned. His back was purple and blue, full of scars and the open cuts.
"I believe that the scars will eventually go away." Harry said after a pause. Hermione reached up and fingered a scar that went from the nape of his neck to his lower back. Harry felt a tingling sensation go through him when she touched him.
"Harry . . . I . . . I am so sorry this happened to you!" Hermione said before she began crying again.
"Oh Herms! I am the sorry one! Here you are, your family attacked by Voldemort (Ron flinched) and I put this on you too!"
"Harry, my family is alright. Everyone is home now. Things will be better. But you have lived like this forever and things aren't going to change until you leave that house." Hermioen concluded. Ron nodded.
"Hermione is right. I'd invite you to stay at my house, but with the new twins and all . . . there would be no room."
"Harry, you are staying at my house this summer, until Sirius is released, however long that might be!" Hermione stated, "you are not going back to those . . . animals! My parents will understand." She added.
"Herm! How did you know that I was wondering what your parents would say?"
"I don't know, I just heard a voice in my head."
"Hermione!" Harry and Hermione looked over at Ron who had suddenly called her name. "I just heard you in my head too! This is so cool. We can read each others' minds!" Ron yelled. They all looked at each other in amazement.
"What was Hermione thinking, Ron? Harry asked.
"Oh nothing you would be interested in." Actually Hermione was thinking about what might happen this summer when Harry came over. Harry wondered why he didn't hear Hermione thinking and Ron did. He was a little jealous, he wanted to be able to talk to Hermione in his head, but the moment passed. They decided to go talk to Dumbledore about this the next day.
Chapter 4- Confession Corner
It was now 3 days before Christmas break. The only Griffindors staying were, of course Ron, Hermione, and Harry, but also Neville was staying because his grandmother needed a longer break from him.
At breakfast Dumbledore had an announcement. "I noticed how everyone has enjoyed the balls in the past, so I have decided to hold a Christmas Dance for 4th years and over the day before Christmas Break." Dumbledore sat down.
All the students started whispering to each other. Two invitations to the dance could be heard being yelled across the room: "ANGELA! YOU GO TO THE DANCE WITH ME?!" Fred yelled and at the same time, "ALICIA! ME, YOU, THE FIREPLACE, EIGHT O'CLOCK?!" George yelled. Angela and Alicia had been making their way out of the Great Hall before the twins could embarrass them, but they were a little too late. They decided to give the twins some of their own medicine.
Angela yelled back, "SURE, HUNEY. OH AND FREDERICK DOUGLAS WEASLEY DON'T FORGET TO CLEAN YOUR MOUTH OFF BEFORE THEN!" Fred's mouth was covered with chocolate at the time and Angela called it to attention. At the same time Alicia was yelling back, "GEORGEY-POO THIS TIME DON'T YOU DARE FALL ASLEEP BEFORE PICKING ME UP!" After these remarks the whole hall erupted with laughter.
*~*Back At The Gryffindor Table*~*
"I guess I am going alone then." Harry said sadly.
"WHAT?! Harry, right now you could have your pick of almost any girl in the school!" Ron exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" harry asked.
"Harry, you can't tell me that you haven't noticed all the girls going googly-eyes on you. They think you're, their words not mine, hot." Ron explained. Hermione had grown silent while they continued their conversation, she got lost in her own thoughts.
"Ron's right you know. Harry is pretty, well, hot. NO NO NO- he's my best friend, I love him, but not that way. C'mon 'mione! Get with the program! Harry is extremely good looking. Just look at those brilliant green eyes, his adorably messy black hair, his wonderfully built, muscular body. His arms would feel so good around you, wouldn't they? Yeah . . . I mean no! I DON'T see him that way. Plus, he is much too good for me, he's the Boy Who Lived, he would never like . ."
"Herms you there?" asked Harry, looking concerned.
"What? Oh yeah, sorry."
"It's okay Herm, don't let it happen again though," Ron said jokingly, "what were you thinking about?"
"Ron, would you please not call me Herm? I wasn't really thinking about anything. Hey Harry, you never explained why you were in so much pain when I hugged you." Ron was stressing over the fact that he couldn't call Hermione 'Herm.' "But Hermione! Harry can . . . HURT!? Harry, Hermione hurt you?"
"No! I'm fine just . . . yeah . . . I don't know."
"Harry, you can tell me." Hermione pleaded.
"You know what? I think I am gonna go to the common room now." Harry got up and left. Hermione looked at Ron; they both nodded and got up to follow him. By the time they got to the common room they couldn't see Harry.
"HARRY, HARRY! Where are you?"
"The cloak." Ron said. They both saw the cloak was in fact missing and they started walking around the room, arm outstretched, seeing if they could find him by touch. Hermione got tired and sat down on Harry's bed. She felt something hard. A shoe! She reached up and yanked Harry's cloak off of him.
"Dammit! I didn't think you would find me here." Harry said sitting down next to Hermione.
"Okay, Harry, spill." Ron said impatiently. Harry told them the whole story, although he did so half heartedly.
He told them how he's go for weeks at a time without food, how he'd get beat, how they emotionally tortured him, telling him he was no good, how his parents were no good, how he was stupid and self- centered and how he was forced to listen to them or else he would just get beat again. He told them about all the work he had to do, stealing food when they weren't looking and water from the bathroom sink the few times they let him out of the room besides to work. He told them how they locked up Hedwig so he couldn't mail anyone either. Then he finished, with his face in his hands, eyes watering, but not crying. He learned not to feel sorry for himself.
"Why didn't Sirius come?"
"His trial was this summer and he couldn't get away to see me. I still don't now if I have to go back to the Dursleys next year."
"If they didn't give you any food how come you look healthy?"
"About a week before school started I got fed up with them and went to the Leaky Cauldron where I ate a lot and got healthier. Then I had to go back the day I was coming to the Hogwarts train to get my stuff. They gave me the worst beating then. So bad, that I still have a few open cuts. Most are healed, but some keep opening." Ron had been the one asking the questions. Now it was finally Hermione's turn. She had been crying since half way through the story for Harry.
"Can I . . . see your back Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry stood up, took off his shirt and turned around. Hermione gasped. Even though it had been a few months quite a few of the slashes in his back her still open since Harry didn't want to go to the Hospital Wing and be questioned. His back was purple and blue, full of scars and the open cuts.
"I believe that the scars will eventually go away." Harry said after a pause. Hermione reached up and fingered a scar that went from the nape of his neck to his lower back. Harry felt a tingling sensation go through him when she touched him.
"Harry . . . I . . . I am so sorry this happened to you!" Hermione said before she began crying again.
"Oh Herms! I am the sorry one! Here you are, your family attacked by Voldemort (Ron flinched) and I put this on you too!"
"Harry, my family is alright. Everyone is home now. Things will be better. But you have lived like this forever and things aren't going to change until you leave that house." Hermioen concluded. Ron nodded.
"Hermione is right. I'd invite you to stay at my house, but with the new twins and all . . . there would be no room."
"Harry, you are staying at my house this summer, until Sirius is released, however long that might be!" Hermione stated, "you are not going back to those . . . animals! My parents will understand." She added.
"Herm! How did you know that I was wondering what your parents would say?"
"I don't know, I just heard a voice in my head."
"Hermione!" Harry and Hermione looked over at Ron who had suddenly called her name. "I just heard you in my head too! This is so cool. We can read each others' minds!" Ron yelled. They all looked at each other in amazement.
"What was Hermione thinking, Ron? Harry asked.
"Oh nothing you would be interested in." Actually Hermione was thinking about what might happen this summer when Harry came over. Harry wondered why he didn't hear Hermione thinking and Ron did. He was a little jealous, he wanted to be able to talk to Hermione in his head, but the moment passed. They decided to go talk to Dumbledore about this the next day.
