Chapter 21
Harry numbly climbed the staircase wondering what had just happened. She kissed me. he thought.whoa. He sat down at the window in the empty boys' dorm and thought it through. There was a squirm in his stomach he couldn't figure out. He sat at this window and watched the sunset, until he heard to dorm door open. He spun around to find Ron, wandering in looking upset about something. There was pure fury in his eyes, Harry could see it.
"What's up?" Harry asked, watching Ron shuffle through his trunk for his pajamas.
"Nothing." Said Ron, in a very stiff tone. He had helped Hermionie stop crying just enough to help her up to her dormitory.
"You look upset." Harry got up and sat on the edge of his bed, pushing Emma out of his mind for a moment.
"Good observation." "Ron said coldly, without looking at Harry. Before Harry could question this further, he had slammed his trunk shut, climbed into bed, and closed his curtains. Harry could hear him rolling around in his bed, trying to get comfortable.
"Ron?" Harry asked. Run just grunted. Harry continued, "Where's Hermionie? I didn't see her in the common room when I came in."
"Why would you care where Hermionie was?" Ron said angrily.
"Well she IS my girlfriend." Harry shot angrily back, knowing this would hurt Ron. But this didn't affect Ron like he wanted it to.
"Well you should have thought about that before-" The dorm door came open and Neville stepped over the threshold.
"Hi" he said cheerfully. He just gabbed his book bag and headed back downstairs. Harry stared angrily at the scarlet curtains, Ron lying behind them.
"Before WHAT Ron?" Harry said. He had no idea what he was talking about.
"How can one person be so stupid!" Ron flung open his curtains and stood before his bed.
"What the HELL are you talking about?!" Harry yelled.
"You should know damn well what I'm talking about!" Yelled Ron back at him.
"Well I don't!!"
Ron was become increasingly frustrated. He rubbed his temples and said, "Give you one clue, think you'll understand then?"
"Yea, sure shoot." Said Harry stiffly.
"Emma.."
Oh my gosh, does he know? There's no way he could possibly know. Harry thought. "I don't know what you're talking about." Harry denied it.
"Alright." said Ron, still rubbing his temples and watching the floor, "How about another clue?"
"Yea sure! I'd live to buy a vowel!" Harry said.
"What?" Ron asked, now looking at him like he was crazy. Oh yea, he's not the one who had to live with muggles. Harry remembered.
"Never mind." Harry flung open his trunk and also rummaged around for his PJs. Ron roared with frustration and jumped back into bed and drew his hangings once more. Harry growled in frustration and also climbed into bed way earlier than they normally would. The sun was just leaving the dorm when he finally fell asleep.
The following morning Harry dressed and went down to the common room. It was about another hour before any other Gryffindor would be waking. He strode down the steps and again thinking the events of the night before were all just a dream. That is, until he saw Hermionie sitting in her favorite chair by the fire, and staring into it, her eye unfocused. Should he tell her? What she doesn't know won't hurt her.or will it?
"Hey." He said softly, sitting in his chair across from her. Her head snapped up and she looked at him, but only for a second.
"Hi." She said quietly, watching the fire again. Harry didn't know what to say. He got up and walked over to her, then squatted down by her chair, his hands on the arms of the chair.
"Hermionie?" He tried to get her attention.
"What?" She said quickly.
"Look at me please." Said Harry. Why was she acting so funny? Ron had acted rather odd last night himself, and he'd said something about Emma. Was there a possibility they knew what happened? Come to think of it, He thought When I came in last night, the portrait was cracked open a little.were they watching me?! This horrifying thought hit Harry and it was possible that HAD seen him. Hermionie didn't say anything, she just looked past him, into the fire. "Please?" he tried again. Then she did look at him finally. Harry was taken aback at the hurt and pain that was in her brown eyes. He looked desperately at her.
"What do you want?" she said coldly.
"To talk to you." Harry said. He knew what he did was wrong, and there was no excuse for it.
"About?" Hermionie said, not breaking the eye contact.
"Where were you last night? I came back from dinner and you weren't here," Harry said.
"Why would you care where I was?" Hermionie said, just like Ron did the night before, "You have Emma." Harry was shocked. So she did know.
"What?" Harry played stupid. He had to make sure she was talking about what he thought she was talking about.
"You have Emma." She repeated.
"What is that supposed to mean?" He said softly, and she looked back into the fire.
"You know what it means Harry." She said, "I saw you and her last night, outside the portrait."
"Oh," He said simply, and stared at the ground. He heard her sniff.
"How-" She started.
"I didn't know what I was thinking." He interrupted, and looked back up at her face, where a single tear was rolling down her pale cheek. He reached up and wiped that tear away with his thumb. She looked back at him. She didn't say anything. He just looked at her while a few minutes passed.
"It's pretty pathetic that you can't keep a relationship for 24 hours." She said. And this was a knife in the heart for Harry.
"What-" He said, but she continued. "We're through Harry," She said, more tears leaking out of her eyes, "For good this time." She stood, and Harry stood up and watched her sad face, "And to think, I thought I was starting to love you." And she left, up the stairs and Harry heard her dorm door close, leaving Harry standing quite alone in the common room, feeling as guilty as ever.
Harry numbly climbed the staircase wondering what had just happened. She kissed me. he thought.whoa. He sat down at the window in the empty boys' dorm and thought it through. There was a squirm in his stomach he couldn't figure out. He sat at this window and watched the sunset, until he heard to dorm door open. He spun around to find Ron, wandering in looking upset about something. There was pure fury in his eyes, Harry could see it.
"What's up?" Harry asked, watching Ron shuffle through his trunk for his pajamas.
"Nothing." Said Ron, in a very stiff tone. He had helped Hermionie stop crying just enough to help her up to her dormitory.
"You look upset." Harry got up and sat on the edge of his bed, pushing Emma out of his mind for a moment.
"Good observation." "Ron said coldly, without looking at Harry. Before Harry could question this further, he had slammed his trunk shut, climbed into bed, and closed his curtains. Harry could hear him rolling around in his bed, trying to get comfortable.
"Ron?" Harry asked. Run just grunted. Harry continued, "Where's Hermionie? I didn't see her in the common room when I came in."
"Why would you care where Hermionie was?" Ron said angrily.
"Well she IS my girlfriend." Harry shot angrily back, knowing this would hurt Ron. But this didn't affect Ron like he wanted it to.
"Well you should have thought about that before-" The dorm door came open and Neville stepped over the threshold.
"Hi" he said cheerfully. He just gabbed his book bag and headed back downstairs. Harry stared angrily at the scarlet curtains, Ron lying behind them.
"Before WHAT Ron?" Harry said. He had no idea what he was talking about.
"How can one person be so stupid!" Ron flung open his curtains and stood before his bed.
"What the HELL are you talking about?!" Harry yelled.
"You should know damn well what I'm talking about!" Yelled Ron back at him.
"Well I don't!!"
Ron was become increasingly frustrated. He rubbed his temples and said, "Give you one clue, think you'll understand then?"
"Yea, sure shoot." Said Harry stiffly.
"Emma.."
Oh my gosh, does he know? There's no way he could possibly know. Harry thought. "I don't know what you're talking about." Harry denied it.
"Alright." said Ron, still rubbing his temples and watching the floor, "How about another clue?"
"Yea sure! I'd live to buy a vowel!" Harry said.
"What?" Ron asked, now looking at him like he was crazy. Oh yea, he's not the one who had to live with muggles. Harry remembered.
"Never mind." Harry flung open his trunk and also rummaged around for his PJs. Ron roared with frustration and jumped back into bed and drew his hangings once more. Harry growled in frustration and also climbed into bed way earlier than they normally would. The sun was just leaving the dorm when he finally fell asleep.
The following morning Harry dressed and went down to the common room. It was about another hour before any other Gryffindor would be waking. He strode down the steps and again thinking the events of the night before were all just a dream. That is, until he saw Hermionie sitting in her favorite chair by the fire, and staring into it, her eye unfocused. Should he tell her? What she doesn't know won't hurt her.or will it?
"Hey." He said softly, sitting in his chair across from her. Her head snapped up and she looked at him, but only for a second.
"Hi." She said quietly, watching the fire again. Harry didn't know what to say. He got up and walked over to her, then squatted down by her chair, his hands on the arms of the chair.
"Hermionie?" He tried to get her attention.
"What?" She said quickly.
"Look at me please." Said Harry. Why was she acting so funny? Ron had acted rather odd last night himself, and he'd said something about Emma. Was there a possibility they knew what happened? Come to think of it, He thought When I came in last night, the portrait was cracked open a little.were they watching me?! This horrifying thought hit Harry and it was possible that HAD seen him. Hermionie didn't say anything, she just looked past him, into the fire. "Please?" he tried again. Then she did look at him finally. Harry was taken aback at the hurt and pain that was in her brown eyes. He looked desperately at her.
"What do you want?" she said coldly.
"To talk to you." Harry said. He knew what he did was wrong, and there was no excuse for it.
"About?" Hermionie said, not breaking the eye contact.
"Where were you last night? I came back from dinner and you weren't here," Harry said.
"Why would you care where I was?" Hermionie said, just like Ron did the night before, "You have Emma." Harry was shocked. So she did know.
"What?" Harry played stupid. He had to make sure she was talking about what he thought she was talking about.
"You have Emma." She repeated.
"What is that supposed to mean?" He said softly, and she looked back into the fire.
"You know what it means Harry." She said, "I saw you and her last night, outside the portrait."
"Oh," He said simply, and stared at the ground. He heard her sniff.
"How-" She started.
"I didn't know what I was thinking." He interrupted, and looked back up at her face, where a single tear was rolling down her pale cheek. He reached up and wiped that tear away with his thumb. She looked back at him. She didn't say anything. He just looked at her while a few minutes passed.
"It's pretty pathetic that you can't keep a relationship for 24 hours." She said. And this was a knife in the heart for Harry.
"What-" He said, but she continued. "We're through Harry," She said, more tears leaking out of her eyes, "For good this time." She stood, and Harry stood up and watched her sad face, "And to think, I thought I was starting to love you." And she left, up the stairs and Harry heard her dorm door close, leaving Harry standing quite alone in the common room, feeling as guilty as ever.