Chapter 22
Harry stood, numb on the spot. Did she just say.. No way. He thought to himself, and then finally found the strength in his legs and sprinted after her. He got to the girls landing, and could hear her crying. It was still another hour before anyone would be awake. So banging on the door to get her to talk to him was out of the question. Plus, Emma was in there. He went back up the stairs to his dorm and found Ron getting dressed.
"Hey," Harry said, not forgetting the row the previous night.
"Hi," Ron said stiffly, pulling on his robs.
"Hermionie was down there," Harry said, sitting on his bed staring at his knees.
"Oh?" Said Ron, not sounding remotely interested. He pulled open his beside table drawer and pulled out his wand. He placed it inside his robs.
"Yeah, and she knew what happened." Harry said, in a disbelieving voice.
"Oh really, and what is that?"
"Don't be stupid Ron. I know you know, and you saw." Harry said looking up at him.
"Right." He said. Harry went back to looking at his knees.
"She broke up with me." He said sadly remembering her words.
"Well can you blame her?!" Ron said, sitting across from Harry, on his own bed.
"Guess not." Said Harry.
There was a pause. "Well, what'd she say?" Asked Ron eagerly. Harry didn't want to tell him everything she had said. So he just told him everything but the last thing she said.
"Yeah, and she ran upstairs to her dorm." Harry finished.
"Well," Said Ron, now being friendlier. "What you did was wrong, mate."
"Yeah, I think I figured that out." Harry said, "But if a girl like Emma tried to kiss you, would you exactly try to push her away?" He smiled.
"Well, no." Ron chuckled, "But that's no excuse now, because you did ask her out and you were together when it happened." He finished.
"Yeah," Agreed Harry, "You're right."
"Come on, let's go down now," Ron said, poking his thumb at the door. Seamus, Neville and Dean were just now starting to rise. Harry agreed and the two set down the stairs. When they reached the girls' landing, Emma came out from her dorm.
"Hi Harry." She said a little shyly. By the smile on her face he knew Hermionie hadn't talked to her. This was partly good news. The three of them set back down stairs after Ron and Harry said hello. Harry, Ron, and Emma sat in the common room for a few minutes and talked when they decided to go for breakfast. Harry noticed Ron look back up the stairs to see if Hermionie was coming. And she wasn't.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermionie couldn't believe she'd actually said that to him. What was I thinking?! She thought desperately behind her closed curtains. Not only had she told Harry Potter that she thought she was falling in love with him, but she believed it too. Even after everything that happened between them, she still thought this true. Not only because he had always been there for her, through everything that had happened in the past 4 years, but he was always so sweet about it. She had cried when she saw him clinging to Cedric the previous year, thinking him to be dead. When she watched him in the hospital wing hours after that, when he was unconscious, she made silent prayers for him to be okay. She watched him cry on Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, crying herself. Though she remembers being snotty and a know-it-all, Harry was still always there. She'll never forget the night both he and Ron saved her from the mountain troll. She'll never forget using the time turner with him, and saving Sirius Black. She'll never forget him being so brave and going into the Chamber of Secrets with Ron to save Ron's sister Ginny. She'll never forget him facing that dragon last year, or him spending so much time in that lake. Simple things like seeing him fall from his broom at a height of 50 feet, or breaking his arm because a Bludger hit him when he was reaching for the Snitch had always frightened her. Little, simple memories brought tears to her eyes. She couldn't handle it. Hermionie never thought he'd hurt her, at least not on purpose. But this time, she was wrong. She was watching him again, things unfolding before her eyes. He kissed Emma.when he had just asked her out less than an hour before. She never thought him so inconsiderate. She cried her eyes out remembering times before now, happy times.
"Hermionie?" It was Emma.
"What?" she sniffed, torn from her thoughts?
"Are you alright?" Emma asked. Hermionie noticed concern in her voice. She obviously had no idea. Of coarse she has no idea. Harry didn't bother to tell her I was his girlfriend. She thought irritably.
"Yeah," she lied, "Fine."
"Okay," Emma said, and Hermionie heard the dorm door close. She was again alone with her own thoughts. She checked her watch. It was breakfast time, and she wanted to go down stairs. Knowing Harry would probably be there gave her a pang in the stomach as she got up and went to the mirror above her bedside table. She looked pathetic. Eyes red and puffy, and a pink sniffily nose. He blew her nose and splashed cold water upon her face from the jug in front of her. Drying her hands, and fixing her bushy hair, she thought, I can get through this day. It will be harder than most, but I can do it. Thinking positively, she gabbed her book bag and walked out of the dorm, just pausing for a moment to check herself in the mirror one more time. By the time she got down into the common room someone was leaving it. She rushed over to the portrait hole, but it had closed by the time she got there. She heard Harry's voice, then Emma's. She decided to wait a few minutes before going down to breakfast.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Erm, no I didn't finish my Transfiguration homework." He said after the three of them left the common room.
"Really? Neither did I." Emma said, "Well it's not due until Thursday I think." Ron and Harry talked about Quidditch the rest of the way down to the great hall. They were both surprised when Emma joined in the conversation. They were both used to Hermionie's silence when they spoke of this subject. They let her in on the conversation, and she knew just about as much as Harry and Ron, and seemed to be just as big of fan too. There was still a boulder sitting in Harry's stomach from what Hermionie had said to him about an hour ago. He really had no idea.
The three of them walked into the Great Hall and settled themselves down and started to eat. Only a few minutes after they started to stuff their faces with bacon, eggs and toast, Hermionie showed up. Harry noticed her red puffy eyes and knew his suspicion was right. She had been crying. She sat herself on the other side of Ron and began to eat. She didn't say word to any of them. After that the breakfast was just a gigantic awkward pause.
As Harry sat through his classes that day he was glad it was almost the weekend. He also noticed Hermionie's eyes never met his. Not once. He didn't think this at all surprising.
Harry stood, numb on the spot. Did she just say.. No way. He thought to himself, and then finally found the strength in his legs and sprinted after her. He got to the girls landing, and could hear her crying. It was still another hour before anyone would be awake. So banging on the door to get her to talk to him was out of the question. Plus, Emma was in there. He went back up the stairs to his dorm and found Ron getting dressed.
"Hey," Harry said, not forgetting the row the previous night.
"Hi," Ron said stiffly, pulling on his robs.
"Hermionie was down there," Harry said, sitting on his bed staring at his knees.
"Oh?" Said Ron, not sounding remotely interested. He pulled open his beside table drawer and pulled out his wand. He placed it inside his robs.
"Yeah, and she knew what happened." Harry said, in a disbelieving voice.
"Oh really, and what is that?"
"Don't be stupid Ron. I know you know, and you saw." Harry said looking up at him.
"Right." He said. Harry went back to looking at his knees.
"She broke up with me." He said sadly remembering her words.
"Well can you blame her?!" Ron said, sitting across from Harry, on his own bed.
"Guess not." Said Harry.
There was a pause. "Well, what'd she say?" Asked Ron eagerly. Harry didn't want to tell him everything she had said. So he just told him everything but the last thing she said.
"Yeah, and she ran upstairs to her dorm." Harry finished.
"Well," Said Ron, now being friendlier. "What you did was wrong, mate."
"Yeah, I think I figured that out." Harry said, "But if a girl like Emma tried to kiss you, would you exactly try to push her away?" He smiled.
"Well, no." Ron chuckled, "But that's no excuse now, because you did ask her out and you were together when it happened." He finished.
"Yeah," Agreed Harry, "You're right."
"Come on, let's go down now," Ron said, poking his thumb at the door. Seamus, Neville and Dean were just now starting to rise. Harry agreed and the two set down the stairs. When they reached the girls' landing, Emma came out from her dorm.
"Hi Harry." She said a little shyly. By the smile on her face he knew Hermionie hadn't talked to her. This was partly good news. The three of them set back down stairs after Ron and Harry said hello. Harry, Ron, and Emma sat in the common room for a few minutes and talked when they decided to go for breakfast. Harry noticed Ron look back up the stairs to see if Hermionie was coming. And she wasn't.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermionie couldn't believe she'd actually said that to him. What was I thinking?! She thought desperately behind her closed curtains. Not only had she told Harry Potter that she thought she was falling in love with him, but she believed it too. Even after everything that happened between them, she still thought this true. Not only because he had always been there for her, through everything that had happened in the past 4 years, but he was always so sweet about it. She had cried when she saw him clinging to Cedric the previous year, thinking him to be dead. When she watched him in the hospital wing hours after that, when he was unconscious, she made silent prayers for him to be okay. She watched him cry on Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, crying herself. Though she remembers being snotty and a know-it-all, Harry was still always there. She'll never forget the night both he and Ron saved her from the mountain troll. She'll never forget using the time turner with him, and saving Sirius Black. She'll never forget him being so brave and going into the Chamber of Secrets with Ron to save Ron's sister Ginny. She'll never forget him facing that dragon last year, or him spending so much time in that lake. Simple things like seeing him fall from his broom at a height of 50 feet, or breaking his arm because a Bludger hit him when he was reaching for the Snitch had always frightened her. Little, simple memories brought tears to her eyes. She couldn't handle it. Hermionie never thought he'd hurt her, at least not on purpose. But this time, she was wrong. She was watching him again, things unfolding before her eyes. He kissed Emma.when he had just asked her out less than an hour before. She never thought him so inconsiderate. She cried her eyes out remembering times before now, happy times.
"Hermionie?" It was Emma.
"What?" she sniffed, torn from her thoughts?
"Are you alright?" Emma asked. Hermionie noticed concern in her voice. She obviously had no idea. Of coarse she has no idea. Harry didn't bother to tell her I was his girlfriend. She thought irritably.
"Yeah," she lied, "Fine."
"Okay," Emma said, and Hermionie heard the dorm door close. She was again alone with her own thoughts. She checked her watch. It was breakfast time, and she wanted to go down stairs. Knowing Harry would probably be there gave her a pang in the stomach as she got up and went to the mirror above her bedside table. She looked pathetic. Eyes red and puffy, and a pink sniffily nose. He blew her nose and splashed cold water upon her face from the jug in front of her. Drying her hands, and fixing her bushy hair, she thought, I can get through this day. It will be harder than most, but I can do it. Thinking positively, she gabbed her book bag and walked out of the dorm, just pausing for a moment to check herself in the mirror one more time. By the time she got down into the common room someone was leaving it. She rushed over to the portrait hole, but it had closed by the time she got there. She heard Harry's voice, then Emma's. She decided to wait a few minutes before going down to breakfast.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Erm, no I didn't finish my Transfiguration homework." He said after the three of them left the common room.
"Really? Neither did I." Emma said, "Well it's not due until Thursday I think." Ron and Harry talked about Quidditch the rest of the way down to the great hall. They were both surprised when Emma joined in the conversation. They were both used to Hermionie's silence when they spoke of this subject. They let her in on the conversation, and she knew just about as much as Harry and Ron, and seemed to be just as big of fan too. There was still a boulder sitting in Harry's stomach from what Hermionie had said to him about an hour ago. He really had no idea.
The three of them walked into the Great Hall and settled themselves down and started to eat. Only a few minutes after they started to stuff their faces with bacon, eggs and toast, Hermionie showed up. Harry noticed her red puffy eyes and knew his suspicion was right. She had been crying. She sat herself on the other side of Ron and began to eat. She didn't say word to any of them. After that the breakfast was just a gigantic awkward pause.
As Harry sat through his classes that day he was glad it was almost the weekend. He also noticed Hermionie's eyes never met his. Not once. He didn't think this at all surprising.