Hermione felt a sharp twinge of pain in the pit of her stomach as she relived her memories. It was almost as strong as the one she had felt that night in fifth year, when she thought Ron had gone for a bout of midnight rule-breaking with Wilson. She couldn't even begin to describe how she felt when she found out Ron had been helping Wilson, not leading him into trouble. She sympathized with Wilson's anxiety over his father, as both her parents were Muggles. It was so touching how Ron understood how urgent it had been for Wilson to send his letter right away, so urgent that sending it in the morning would have been worse than too late in the child's eyes. If only she had waited patiently for the two boys to explain themselves to her, instead of threatening to report them,... would Ron have kissed her then? She knew her fifteen-year-old mind would have been too stubborn to admit that possibility back then, even though she had bitterly regretted what she said to him.
She tried not to reminisce about that night again, and what had happened afterwards. It was just too... disappointing, to say the least. She had wanted so badly to make up with Ron right away, but too many things got in the way. Her pride. His stubbornness. Her stupidity. His stupidity. And Viktor. She sighed heavily. It was too excruciating to continue thinking about it, so she tried to think about something else, something pleasant during their fifth year that involved Harry and Ron -- all right, all right, mostly involving Ron, with Harry smiling in the background. The first thing that came to mind was the day of the tryouts for the position of Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She and Ron had shared a hug in the rain that day.
She didn't feel anything back then except warmth and joy as they hugged and laughed. She wasn't even aware that they had spent nearly half an hour sitting on the edge of the muddy Quidditch field as though they were little children enjoying their playtime, until Madam Hooch approached them, her eyebrows raised a mile high. It was only when she said, "Mister Weasley, may I have your attention, please?" that they let each other go. When Madam Hooch announced that Ron was the new Gryffindor Keeper, they threw their arms around each other again and erupted into another fit of giggles. It was only when the twins started teasing them that they suddenly realized what they were doing and drew away from each other.
"Well, well... what have we here, George?"
"Blimey, if it isn't two of our favourite prefects... we didn't interrupt them, did we, Fred?"
"I don't know... they were just about ready to snog when we came along, weren't they?"
"But they weren't supposed to snog yet... only half the school's watching. Oh, well, we'll just have to wait till later. Maybe in the Great Hall at dinner, what do you say?"
"Shut it, you two," Ron snarled.
"Whoa, testy little lion we have here, don't we, Fred?"
"Well, George, wouldn't you be testy if you were interrupted just as you're about to, er, pounce on your main course?"
It was only when Ron stood up and glowered at the twins did Hermione realize that he had grown even taller than his brothers over the summer. He was tall and solid and warm... She stood up and pretended to flick her hair out of her eyes so that no one would notice her almost slapping herself for thinking such thoughts.
"All right, all right, that's enough," Angelina intervened. "You two aren't going to make him regret getting a spot on the team, are you?" It wasn't a question. The twins suddenly behaved themselves. Angelina nodded grimly. Hermione was surprised at the twins' uncharacteristic obedience until she noticed that Angelina's wand was half raised and trained towards them. The twins must have learned from painful experience not to cross Angelina when her eyes glinted like that.
Angelina then turned to Ron. "Congratulations, Ron. You'll make a great Keeper." Katie and Alicia voiced their agreement.
Harry thumped Ron's back. "I knew you could do it! Now you have to help me learn Quidditch strategy."
"No problem, mate. But you have to help me get used to playing out in the rain. Those were the most brutal ten minutes I've ever spent on a broom," Ron answered.
"Don't worry, we'll schedule a few practice sessions to help you out, won't we, Angelina?" Harry said.
The twins groaned. Angelina ignored them. "That's right, we'll whip you into shape, you can count on it."
"Thanks," Ron answered.
"Let's get out of here, my glasses are fogging up."
"Right, I could use some hot chocolate. C'mon, 'Mione." Ron held out his hand to her.
She never expected that two simple words and an equally simple gesture could completely unnerve her. Should she take his hand? Should she walk back to the castle holding hands with him? Would she be able to let go of his hand once she took it? She blurted the first words that came into her head. "Erm, I -- I have to... send a letter first. I'll meet you back in the common room." Then she took off as though Fluffy, the three-headed dog that guarded the Philosopher's Stone in their first year, was after her. She ran to the Owlery, petted Hedwig and Pigwidgeon for a few minutes, just to give the impression that she really had to send a letter, and then walked back to Gryffindor tower to change out of her wet clothes.
From that day to the present, she had never, in those four years, once thought of discussing that hug in the rain with Ron, simply because she didn't think she should make a big deal out of it. After all, it was only a burst of friendliness on his part, nothing more, wasn't it? Well, of course it was. But, what about that time in the common room in fifth year, when she was just minding her own business, helping him with his homework, when all of a sudden he was pulling her wand out of her hair and brushing his thumbs against her cheeks? Did that fall under the category of 'burst of friendliness?' Well, since she helped him out with his homework, maybe he just wanted to, er,... show his gratitude? Yeah, right. She shuddered to think of what might happen if she suddenly felt grateful to him for passing the salt at dinner. But then again, could it really be called minding one's own business to practically twist someone's arm every night so they would show you their homework and let you correct it?
She groaned aloud at the thought of her foolishness and buried her face in her hands. It was only now that she could admit it to herself... she was a total fool when it came to Ron. Maybe he wouldn't have been so, well, demonstrative, if she hadn't given him any sign that she was... drawn to him. Her eyes told him too much. Her eyes spoke for her that night when they fought -- they almost kissed because her eyes were inviting him to do so. She couldn't push away the memories anymore. They only rushed back stronger and clearer. She remembered exactly what she had done, thought and felt that night back in fifth year.
She was still clutching Crookshanks to her chest as she ran to her room, climbed into bed, closed the curtains around her, and burrowed her face into the pillows. She didn't know if she could ever leave her room again. In fact, she hoped that she'd be able to spend the rest of fifth year hiding behind the curtains of her bed. She couldn't stop crying, and yet she felt like laughing at the same time. Ron had almost kissed her. HE wanted to kiss her. He WANTED to kiss her. He wanted to kiss HER. Did he want to kiss her before that? That night he pulled her wand out of her hair -- if those second years hadn't come in when they did, and if they had become lost in each other's eyes... Was it a coincidence that she and Ron had nearly kissed after he became Keeper? Maybe it had something to do with holding each other in the rain on the day of the tryouts, just two weeks before that night.
But tonight,... they were in the middle of a fight when something almost happened between them, for Merlin's sake! She wanted so badly to scream in frustration as she lay on her bed, still hugging Crookshanks, and still torn between laughing and crying. Instead, she gave her pillow a few solid thumps. She shouldn't overreact, there was nothing to overreact about, she kept repeating to herself, as though it was the incantation to a powerful protection spell. 'I don't even have to pretend -- nothing happened between us tonight. We fought, and then we sorted it all out. Everything will be all right in the morning.' She finally fell asleep to the sound of Crookshanks' purrs, but only after deluding herself for nearly two hours.
The next day, she waited until she was sure Harry and Ron had already gone down to the Great Hall for breakfast before she followed them. She really couldn't face the prospect of pretending to be just fine in front of the boys before she'd even had breakfast. Not that she thought she could manage to eat anything, but still, there were limits to her acting abilities. Besides, she had to perform a spell that would disguise the puffiness of her eyes, and that took some time to do.
Considering that the two boys weren't exactly early birds, Hermione arrived at the Great Hall to find that half the school had already finished breakfast. She met a large group of seventh year Hufflepuffs just as they were leaving. She had taken two steps into the Hall, when--
"Hermy-own-ninny?" Oh, great. Just what she needed -- another reason for her and Ron to fight. But wait a minute, part of her brain whispered to her, what's wrong with talking to Viktor? This IS a free country, after all. So what if Ron didn't like it? He would just have to get used to seeing her and Viktor talking. Not that she would want to do anything more than talk to Viktor -- he's just a friend. But then again, so was Ron, and she wanted to k--
She shook herself mentally before she totally lost her mind. "Good morning, Viktor," she said, hoping her voice sounded normal enough to escape notice.
"Good morning." There was a short pause. Then... "So, your friends and I vill be playing against each other next veek."
"Erm, yes, you will. It's too bad, because I really want to cheer for all of you, but I don't know how to do it."
Viktor smiled. "I vill understand if you don't cheer for me. But still, it is the best team who vill vin, is it not?"
"Of course, Viktor. Er, I won't keep you. I'm a bit late this morning, and I haven't had breakfast yet..."
"Hermy-own-ninny, I vant to ask you something if I may."
"Oh,... yes, yes of course. What is it?"
"Vell, this Saturday is a... Hogsmeade veekend, is it not?"
"Yes, it is." Uh-oh, where was he going with this?
"I vas vondering if you vould like to go vith me." Oh, Lord. Could this day get any worse? She stole a glance to where Harry and Ron were sitting. She knew they had seen her and Viktor talking by the looks on their faces. Harry's expression can be best described as 'I smell death and destruction,' while Ron's face was red, and he looked fit to kill.
"Well, I -- I think most of the prefects will be on security duty this weekend. I'll probably be included in the duty roster."
"If you are on duty, then perhaps I could accompany you?"
She glanced at Harry and Ron again. Harry looked as though he preferred to go back in time and face the Hungarian Horntail again rather than continue sitting at the Gryffindor table and getting caught in the inevitable argument between her and Ron, while Ron seemed ready to burst into flame like a dying phoenix. She groaned inwardly, and then remembered that Viktor was waiting for her answer. But, HOW should she answer him? Should she say yes? Should she say no? Should she give any reason for saying either yes or no? Confused, she blurted out the first thing that came into her head.
"Erm,... I guess that would be all right." 'Oh, no, I did NOT just say that!' She was starting to panic. Could she take it back? Maybe she could say... "Sure, why not? I'll meet you here on Saturday," her mouth blissfully chattered on. 'Who are you? Where's Hermione? What have you done to her?' she screamed to herself.
She noticed Viktor was smiling at her, so she smiled back nervously. Viktor said goodbye and left the Hall. She wanted so badly to follow him out of the Hall, then walk out of Hogwarts, and keep on walking until she reached the ends of the earth. Instead, she walked towards the Gryffindor table and sat across Harry and Ron.
As soon as she sat down, she knew she had to pull off the greatest acting job of all time to fool her closest friends. Well, then, so be it. After all, she WAS pretending nothing had happened last night. "Good morning," she said brightly as she helped herself to some toast and strawberry jam.
Ron narrowed his eyes at her, but didn't speak. She pretended to ignore him. Harry had the stricken air of someone caught between a hundred thirsty vampires and a dead-end alley.
She started eating her toast. She was surprised that her appetite returned as soon as she felt Ron staring intently at her. After finishing off her toast, she helped herself to some eggs and a sausage or two, and some tea. As she ate, the silence between the three of them became so thick, not even Godric Gryffindor's sword could slice through it. At last, Harry turned to her and managed to spit out, "you're running a bit late today."
She suddenly noticed the dark circles under Ron's eyes. "Just slept well, I guess," she emphasized every word. He scowled at her. She could have sworn he even bared his teeth for a second.
"You were talking to Viktor Krum just now, weren't you? He, er, seems to be doing well at Hogwarts," Harry gulped out nervously.
She made a mental note to tell Harry later that he would never make a good spy if he lived to be a thousand years old. "Yes, he is doing very well here. Hufflepuff seems to suit him. In fact, he wished you two good luck on the Quidditch match next week."
"I'll bet he did," Ron growled. The way he said it woke up something wicked inside her, something that told her to drive him mad so he would -- finish what he started last night.
She pretended to continue ignoring him. "Oh, and he asked me to go with him to Hogsmeade this weekend."
"WHAT?!" Ron thundered.
"Er, you do know we're probably going to be on security duty on Saturday, don't you?" Harry asked.
"Yes, I DID tell him that, but then he offered to accompany me if I WAS on duty."
"What did you say?" Ron asked.
She continued talking as though he hadn't spoken. "It was very kind of him to offer to do that. But I really wouldn't be able to look around the shops with him or stop for butterbeers. He'd need someone to show him around, as he's never gone around Hogsmeade on his own before. But then again, even if he just walked about, he'd get to know where everything is, anyway."
"What did you say?" Ron asked again.
She went on speaking. "I need to buy a few things, but as we're probably on duty, I don't know if... of course, I could make a list of what I needed, and Viktor would buy them for me if I asked. I really don't want to impose, but I think the prefects on duty would be doing the same thing. You asked someone else to buy things for you too, didn't you, Harry?"
"What. Did. You. Say?" Ron's voice was quiet, but she heard an edge of steel to it that made her tremble. His voice forced her to look at him. The moment she did, she knew she had to answer him.
"I -- I said... he could accompany me if he wanted to." The moment the words left her mouth, Ron stood up and left the Hall without a backward glance. It seemed she acted too well.
They barely spoke two words to each other all week, even when they were partnered on the duty roster. She could see he was angry and hurt, but every time she tried to apologize, her pride insisted that she didn't do anything wrong, and the wicked something inside her kept shushing her whenever she tried to talk with him, so she kept quiet. But the silence between them was unbearable sometimes. There were moments when all she wanted to do was throw her arms around him and cry on his chest, the way she did in third year, after Buckbeak the Hippogriff had been sentenced to death. However, the matter was more complicated than a childish squabble about a rat and a broomstick. This was about... lives and hearts.
Saturday morning dawned warm and sunny, becoming warmer and sunnier by the time the students were scheduled to go to Hogsmeade. Much too warm and sunny for Hermione's liking. It was just too much of a slap in the eye to her. Ron wasn't at the Great Hall at breakfast, and even Harry didn't know where he went. She was two seconds away from breaking down and crying when she saw Viktor coming towards her.
"Shall ve go, Hermy-own-ninny?"
"I -- I just have to wait for Professor McGonagall to announce who'll be partners on security duty. I hope you don't mind in case I'm on duty and we won't get to be, er, by ourselves."
"No, of course not. There's Professor Mcgonagall now."
McGonagall unrolled a scroll and announced, "the following prefects will be partnered on security duty: Miss Bones and Mr. Higgs, you will be in charge of the area around the Three Broomsticks. Miss Chang and Mr. Potter, you will patrol the areas leading to and around the Shrieking Shack. Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley, you will handle the block around Honeydukes--"
Hermione froze. She was living in the middle of a bad dream wrapped around a nightmare. McGonagall's voice sank into a buzzing sound in the background.
"Shall we go, then?" Ron's icy voice pierced her from behind. She turned around, but couldn't manage to look him in the eye.
"Hello, Ron," Viktor greeted him. Oh, dear Lord. She felt as though she was going to witness a train wreck.
"Hullo, Viktor."
"Congratulations on becoming Keeper for your house team."
"Thank you, and congratulations on becoming Captain of your house team."
"Thank you." Both boys fell silent and stood their ground on either side of her. After a few seconds, Viktor turned to her. "Hermy-own-ninny? Shall ve go?"
"Yes, Hermione, shouldn't we be going now? We have to get there before the other students do," Ron said in a voice that sent chills down her spine and snapped her out of her stupor.
"Oh,... y-yes, let's go."
The three maintained a painful silence as they walked through the school grounds and headed for the gates.
"So, Ron, Hermy-own-ninny tells me you built your own broomstick. You must be a very skilled craftsman." Oh, no! Viktor did NOT just mock Ron, did he? Of course not, but still, if she could put a facial expression to a voice, she could've sworn Viktor's voice was scowling. She had been gushing to Viktor that she admired Ron for building himself a broom in his determination to play Quidditch. That was what they had been talking about in the Great Hall on the morning of the tryouts, when Ron saw them and jumped to the wrong conclusion. She held her breath for Ron's answer.
"Er,... no, not really. It was... it was an... heirloom, yeah, that's what it is. The Silver Arrow was the best broom in its day. It seemed such a pity to... let it go to waste." 'Wow! Good save!' Hermione thought.
"Yes. Sometimes old things are the best for us to use." 'Oh, dear, the mocking comeback.' She had started a running commentary on their conversation inside her head.
"Maybe, but not for Quidditch. It must feel good to have all the latest brooms and stuff to help you play the game better." 'Interesting combination of admiration and condescension.'
"Sometimes, but they are just... stuff, as you say. It is your talent that helps you play the best game you can, is it not?" 'Hmm, this is getting personal.'
"Not all the time. There are times when 'stuff' makes you seem better than you really are." 'Uh-oh, really personal.'
"Ah, yes, but sometimes we are forced to seem better than we really are, just because many eyes are fixed on us." 'Defensive.'
"It's not always bad to be where people can see you." 'Counter-strike.'
"It is vhen you vant to be left alone." 'More defensive.'
"Your freedom is the price you pay when you play the game." 'Accusatory.'
"That is a price that one sometimes does not vant to pay." 'Defensive again.'
"That depends on how badly you want to keep your moneybags loaded." 'More accusatory.'
"Loaded moneybags cannot give you everything." 'Indictment on something Ron knows nothing about.'
"Bollocks! Loaded moneybags will get you into places where talent won't. And don't try to deny it. I'm sure you've seen it too many times yourself. Merlin knows I see living proof of it here everyday." There was a short silence. Was Ron actually winning this war of words?
Finally, Viktor spoke again. "Ah, yes, you refer to a certain player on a certain house team that ve vill both play against in the future?" She nearly stopped walking. Did Viktor just relent?
Ron seemed a little taken aback, but showed he had the good grace to let Viktor off. "Slimy Malfoy in slimy Slytherin," he spat.
Did Viktor just... chuckle? "Yes, that is one vay of putting it. Has Malfoy ever caught the Snitch before?"
Ron snorted. "Oh, please! Malfoy wouldn't be able to catch the Snitch if it wore socks and a tea cozy." She nearly fainted when both boys started to laugh. She had to concede: Round One went to Ron. But then again, there would probably be quite a few rounds, as they weren't even halfway to Hogsmeade yet. This was going to be a long day.
They reached Honeydukes at last. The good humour between the two boys had disappeared, and the atmosphere between the three of them was tense again. Maybe it had something to do with the sight of students milling around, mostly in pairs. Hermione sensed that both of them had only one thought: get rid of the other. Again, Ron had the advantage, as he was her partner on security duty, and they would have to stay together. However, Viktor would be just as hard to get rid of, unless... she got rid of him herself. But... but, she couldn't do that! After all, they had agreed to go together. But then again, this wasn't her idea of a good time. In fact, this wasn't her idea at all. Her idea was drive-Ron-mad. This was... a nightmare. This was fate blowing a loud wet raspberry in her ear. This was the three of them walking-around-the-block-over-and-over-while-one-boy-was-scowling-at-the-other-boy-beside-the-girl-caught-in-this-bloody-mess. Still, it would be rude if she asked Viktor to leave, and she wasn't rude, well, at least not when Ron wasn't provoking her. But then, assuming she DID get rid of Viktor because she wanted to, did it mean she wanted to be with Ron all along? Oh, dear.
She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. Was that Harry running towards them? Wasn't he supposed to be patrolling the Shrieking Shack with Cho? Was Cho in trouble?
Apparently, Ron saw him too, because he called out, "Harry? What are you doing here? Is there any trouble in your area? Are you looking for reinforcements?"
"Calm down, Ron. I left Cho with at least six of her friends. I just came over to start paying up on our bet," Harry answered.
"You -- you left your post? If one of the professors sees you, you're dead!" Ron exclaimed, looking horrified.
"Relax, Ron. Look!" They followed Harry's pointing finger. In the distance, they could just make out one of the prefects assigned elsewhere as he entered the Three Broomsticks. A few seconds later, he came out carrying several bottles of butterbeer, and hurried back to his post.
"B-but, what if--"
"I'll go back as soon as I buy your sweets, I promise."
"Harry,..." But Harry had already ducked into Honeydukes before Ron could protest any further. She could hear him muttering, "stupid git! He's just scared of being alone with Cho, the little green-eyed prat! Paying up on our bet, Hedwig's arse!"
"It seems you can come and go as you please, as long as you don't get caught. Maybe you have something you vould like to get, Ron? I can stay here vith Hermy-own-ninny. It vould not be a problem." Uh-oh. Did Viktor just try to get rid of Ron?
"No, thank you, Viktor. I have a duty to perform, and I'm going to do it, even if the other prefects don't. But, maybe you want to get something? You can come and go as you please, and you don't have to worry about anything."
"No, thank you. I don't know my vay around."
"Oh, don't worry about that. You can ask anyone you meet, they'll be glad to give you directions. Besides, even if you walk around on your own, you won't get lost. There's just one main street here."
"I vould prefer to valk vith Hermy-own-ninny. But since she cannot leave her post, I vill stay vith her."
"That reminds me... 'Mione, didn't you say you needed a few things, and you wrote them down so you could ask someone to buy them for you? I bet Viktor wouldn't mind getting them for you, would you, Viktor?"
"Erm, well,..." She sighed. Looks like Ron won Round Two as well.
"Do you really have a list, Hermy-own-ninny?"
"Of course she does! I saw her writing it out last night. Show him, 'Mione."
Just great. If she denied having made a list, she would be lying to Viktor, Viktor would say that Ron was lying, and Ron would kill her for making him look like a fool. She drew out a rather lengthy piece of parchment from her pocket. "Here it is. Are you sure you don't mind, Viktor?"
"Of course not," Viktor said through gritted teeth as he took the parchment from her.
"Well,... okay. Here's my moneybag--"
"No, allow me to get them for you."
"But, Viktor--"
"I insist."
"Please let me pay you back."
"I vill think about it, at least. Vould that make you happy?"
"Y-yes. Thank you."
Viktor turned on his heel and walked away. She watched him for a few seconds. He WAS a little duck-footed, wasn't he?
"Still a bit duck-footed, isn't he?" Ron asked.
Oh, dear. She tried SO hard to almost forget he was still there, and he just got rid of Viktor for at least half an hour. That would mean he wanted to... please, please don't say--
"'Mione, we need to talk." Uh-oh.
"What should we talk about?"
"Oh, I don't know -- how about,... what the hell were you thinking, letting Krum tag along with us?"
"I didn't let him tag along, he asked if he could go with me."
"But WHY did you let him? You knew we would be on security duty today, and he's hanging about and... and... distracting us from checking if there are any suspicious characters lurking around here. Yeah, that's it, he's distracting us from doing our duties properly."
She glared at him. "Why on earth wouldn't I let him come along? Did you think I could stop him from coming here and walking with me while I'm on duty if he wanted to? What's so bad about that? All he probably wants is someone to talk to, and it just so happened that he chose me."
"Well, he can just turn around and choose to talk to the Hufflepuffs."
"What difference does it make whether he wants to talk to... us? Does it bother you that he came along with us?"
"Oh, please. The day Krum wants to talk to me is the day I become the Bulgarian Minister of Magic. And of course it bothers me! It's so... so..." He waved his hands around wildly, as if that gesture finished his sentence for him.
"What?"
"What do you mean, 'what?'"
"What were you going to say about Viktor bothering you because it's so... what?"
"What did you expect me to say, 'it's so cute that he's here with us?'"
"Well, why don't you say what you really mean, instead of waving your arms about? You could put someone's eye out, doing that."
"Fine! What I really meant to say was, it's irritating for him to be with us!"
"Really? I just couldn't tell you felt like that from the way you acted."
"Sarcasm won't work with me."
"That's because you're so thick!"
"You're just trying to make me angry so I'll forget about that duck-footed git. Well, I won't! Why did you want to go out with him, anyway? Do you fancy him?"
"Wh--WHAT?!"
"You heard me."
"You call this 'going out' with Viktor? Arguing with you in the middle of the street while Viktor is off shopping? And why does it bother you so much that he asked to walk with me today and I said yes?"
"Don't try to distract me! I asked you if you fancied Krum!"
"Why are you so interested in whom I fancy?"
"Answer my question first!"
"No, you answer my question first!"
"NO! I asked you first! And I will NOT answer anything until YOU answer me! Do. You. Fancy. Krum?!" He roared out the last four words.
"If I did, why would you care?"
"So you do fancy him, then." His eyes had become two orbs of blue heat tearing into her. For some reason, the look he gave her made her blood boil.
"Why do you care whether I fancy him or not?!" she screeched.
"Why should it matter to you if I care or not? You fancy him, not--" He looked away.
Just then, Viktor came up, the packages of items on Hermione's list floating beside him. "I got everything you needed, Hermy-own-ninny."
"Th-thank you, Viktor."
"Did you talk about anything interesting while I was gone?"
"No, we didn't talk at all. We were on duty," Ron answered evenly, but she saw his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.
The next few hours crawled by as though they were slugs with stomachache. Hermione's insides were hurting by the time they got back to the castle. She had to endure Ron's company all the way back to Gryffindor tower and up the staircase to the Prefect's dormitories, as he made her packages float beside her. She opened the door of her room. He put the packages down on the floor and left without saying a word. She slammed her door shut just as he slammed his door shut. She threw herself onto her bed, burst into tears, and didn't go down to the Great Hall for dinner that night.