Chapter 29
"Hey." Ron said when he came down the stairs and saw the two of them. "Are you two talking again?"
"You could say that." Harry winked at Hermionie. Ron just raised an eyebrow.
"Right." He said, "So, who's up for some breakfast?"
"Not me, we already had some." Hermionie said, "But you might want to go check on Emma." Hermionie chuckled.
"What did you guys do to her this time!! You pick on her like a bunch of bullies!" Ron cried.
"You don't understand Ron-" Harry said trying to explain.
"I want both of you to quit picking on her. She didn't do anything to either of you, so she doesn't deserve it."
"Ron you-" Hermionie tried.
"No, I don't want excuses. I'm sick of you two being mean to her." Ron said. The boy just wouldn't shut up, "I'm not talking to either of you until you quit bulling her." Ron turned to leave, but Harry walked over to him and grabbed his arm. "Harry let me go!"
"No," Harry was dead serious, "If you're not going to talk to us fine, but at least let us give you our side of the story."
"Why should I, you're just bullies." Ron said meanly.
"Would you stop making accusations Ron!!" Hermionie cried.
"I've seen what you've done to her Hermionie, and I can't believe your behavior!" Ron shrugged off Harry's grip, "I thought you would have been nicer to-"
"SHUT UP RON!!" Harry yelled, "Now you listen." Harry pointed a finger at Ron, who was caught of guard by Harry's yelling, "Emma threatened Hermionie."
"What?" Ron said.
"You heard me. She threatened Hermionie, and Hermionie was just working out of self defense." Hermionie knew Harry was lying just a little, but she wasn't about to stop him. Ron needed his story straightened out. "She's a little slut Ron."
"How dare you!" Ron cried.
"Shut up and let me finish!" Harry said, "She came wandering over to me, wrapping her arms around me after I made it perfectly clear I didn't want her near me. Hermionie was standing right behind me." Ron just stared. "She's not your perfect little angel anymore now is she?" Harry said, stepping back from Ron.
"I don't believe you." He said simply after a few seconds of silence. "Emma is a good girl! She would never threaten Hermionie, and she's definitely not a slut!"
"Think want you want Ron," Hermionie said. "I just can't believe you would take her word and not ours. We're your best friends remember?" Ron just stood there, looking between the two.
"My best friends would never feed me lies like that." And he left without another word. Hermionie sat on the couch unable to understand Ron's actions. She put her face in her hands. She was emotionally hurt that Ron didn't trust her. They were best friends, and he believed Emma. She couldn't comprehend it. They had lost a best friend. A tear made its way down her covered face. She felt Harry sit next to her. He sighed heavily.
"Looks like it's just you and me now." He said seriously, no hint of playfulness left in his tone, "Just you.and me." He sighed again.
"I can't believe it." Hermionie said, sitting up and looking at Harry. "He's gone."
"Not really Hermionie," Harry said, wiping away yet another tear, "he'll come to his senses in enough time."
"No he won't," she said, "Emma will feed him the real lies, and he'll trust her. He's never coming back Harry. We've lost him." Harry knew she was right, but he didn't want to accept it. Losing his best friend was too much right now. He came close enough last year to losing him, and his life was awful without Ron. Harry came to his senses and knew Hermionie was right, and there was nothing either of them could do.
"You're probably right," Harry said with a sigh. "You're probably right." Hermionie straightened up, then stood up. "Where are you going?" Harry asked.
"To get a book." Her answer to everything.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ron entered the Great Hall in a furious mood. How could his friends accuse such a good person of those horrible things? Ron walked over to Emma, and sat down next to her.
"How are you?" He asked nicely. She looked like she was upset. So Hermionie and Harry were picking on her again. He couldn't understand why they would do that. She was an innocent girl.
"I'm okay." She sniffed.
"What did Harry and Hermionie do to you this time?" He put an arm around her. She looked at Ron, and she was teary eyed.
"Hermionie called me names," Emma said, "and Harry pushed me, and I fell."
"Do you know why they do that?" Ron asked. He doubted his friends would lie to him, but maybe they weren't lying.
"I haven't done a thing to either of them." Emma sniffed. "Harry said he hated me!" she cried. She dropped her fork and started to cry.
"It's okay Emma," Ron comforted, "I talked to them this morning. They aren't my friends anymore. They told me you threatened Hermionie, and you tried to seduce Harry." Emma looked up in surprise.
"I did no such thing!" She said, still weeping, "I can't believe they're lying to you!"
"I know," Ron said, "Why don't we go back up to the tower?"
"No! They're there!"
"We won't have to deal with them. How about a game of wizards chess?"
"Yeah, that sounds good." She sniffed, "Thank you Ron." Then she smiled at him.
"Anytime," Ron smiled back. She hugged him in thanks and then they headed toward Gryffindor Tower.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The only reason Harry was doing his homework was to cure his boredom while Hermionie read. She'd help him every now and then when he asked for it. They both looked up when the portrait opened, and saw Ron and Emma climb through. Hermionie just went back to her book, but Harry watched. Ron threw him a glare, and saw Emma had been crying. He knew they weren't real tears. He watched as he took Emma over to a table across the room, and sat her down in a chair at a table. Emma nodded, and then Ron headed up stairs, but not before giving Harry another glare. When Ron was out of sight, he looked over at Emma, who smiled evilly at him. Harry glared at her the way Ron had done to him. Emma threw on and innocent smile. Harry's top lip curled in disgust. When he heard Ron coming back down the stairs, Emma's expression suddenly changed to upset. Harry angrily went back to work, wondering why his best friend, no wait, ex best friend, was falling for her acting. 'Something has to be done.' Harry thought. He didn't know what, but something had to. He wasn't about to lose a good friend of his to a girl like that. It wasn't going to happen that easy. Oh no, he definitely wasn't going to give up THAT easy. No way.
"Hey." Ron said when he came down the stairs and saw the two of them. "Are you two talking again?"
"You could say that." Harry winked at Hermionie. Ron just raised an eyebrow.
"Right." He said, "So, who's up for some breakfast?"
"Not me, we already had some." Hermionie said, "But you might want to go check on Emma." Hermionie chuckled.
"What did you guys do to her this time!! You pick on her like a bunch of bullies!" Ron cried.
"You don't understand Ron-" Harry said trying to explain.
"I want both of you to quit picking on her. She didn't do anything to either of you, so she doesn't deserve it."
"Ron you-" Hermionie tried.
"No, I don't want excuses. I'm sick of you two being mean to her." Ron said. The boy just wouldn't shut up, "I'm not talking to either of you until you quit bulling her." Ron turned to leave, but Harry walked over to him and grabbed his arm. "Harry let me go!"
"No," Harry was dead serious, "If you're not going to talk to us fine, but at least let us give you our side of the story."
"Why should I, you're just bullies." Ron said meanly.
"Would you stop making accusations Ron!!" Hermionie cried.
"I've seen what you've done to her Hermionie, and I can't believe your behavior!" Ron shrugged off Harry's grip, "I thought you would have been nicer to-"
"SHUT UP RON!!" Harry yelled, "Now you listen." Harry pointed a finger at Ron, who was caught of guard by Harry's yelling, "Emma threatened Hermionie."
"What?" Ron said.
"You heard me. She threatened Hermionie, and Hermionie was just working out of self defense." Hermionie knew Harry was lying just a little, but she wasn't about to stop him. Ron needed his story straightened out. "She's a little slut Ron."
"How dare you!" Ron cried.
"Shut up and let me finish!" Harry said, "She came wandering over to me, wrapping her arms around me after I made it perfectly clear I didn't want her near me. Hermionie was standing right behind me." Ron just stared. "She's not your perfect little angel anymore now is she?" Harry said, stepping back from Ron.
"I don't believe you." He said simply after a few seconds of silence. "Emma is a good girl! She would never threaten Hermionie, and she's definitely not a slut!"
"Think want you want Ron," Hermionie said. "I just can't believe you would take her word and not ours. We're your best friends remember?" Ron just stood there, looking between the two.
"My best friends would never feed me lies like that." And he left without another word. Hermionie sat on the couch unable to understand Ron's actions. She put her face in her hands. She was emotionally hurt that Ron didn't trust her. They were best friends, and he believed Emma. She couldn't comprehend it. They had lost a best friend. A tear made its way down her covered face. She felt Harry sit next to her. He sighed heavily.
"Looks like it's just you and me now." He said seriously, no hint of playfulness left in his tone, "Just you.and me." He sighed again.
"I can't believe it." Hermionie said, sitting up and looking at Harry. "He's gone."
"Not really Hermionie," Harry said, wiping away yet another tear, "he'll come to his senses in enough time."
"No he won't," she said, "Emma will feed him the real lies, and he'll trust her. He's never coming back Harry. We've lost him." Harry knew she was right, but he didn't want to accept it. Losing his best friend was too much right now. He came close enough last year to losing him, and his life was awful without Ron. Harry came to his senses and knew Hermionie was right, and there was nothing either of them could do.
"You're probably right," Harry said with a sigh. "You're probably right." Hermionie straightened up, then stood up. "Where are you going?" Harry asked.
"To get a book." Her answer to everything.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ron entered the Great Hall in a furious mood. How could his friends accuse such a good person of those horrible things? Ron walked over to Emma, and sat down next to her.
"How are you?" He asked nicely. She looked like she was upset. So Hermionie and Harry were picking on her again. He couldn't understand why they would do that. She was an innocent girl.
"I'm okay." She sniffed.
"What did Harry and Hermionie do to you this time?" He put an arm around her. She looked at Ron, and she was teary eyed.
"Hermionie called me names," Emma said, "and Harry pushed me, and I fell."
"Do you know why they do that?" Ron asked. He doubted his friends would lie to him, but maybe they weren't lying.
"I haven't done a thing to either of them." Emma sniffed. "Harry said he hated me!" she cried. She dropped her fork and started to cry.
"It's okay Emma," Ron comforted, "I talked to them this morning. They aren't my friends anymore. They told me you threatened Hermionie, and you tried to seduce Harry." Emma looked up in surprise.
"I did no such thing!" She said, still weeping, "I can't believe they're lying to you!"
"I know," Ron said, "Why don't we go back up to the tower?"
"No! They're there!"
"We won't have to deal with them. How about a game of wizards chess?"
"Yeah, that sounds good." She sniffed, "Thank you Ron." Then she smiled at him.
"Anytime," Ron smiled back. She hugged him in thanks and then they headed toward Gryffindor Tower.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The only reason Harry was doing his homework was to cure his boredom while Hermionie read. She'd help him every now and then when he asked for it. They both looked up when the portrait opened, and saw Ron and Emma climb through. Hermionie just went back to her book, but Harry watched. Ron threw him a glare, and saw Emma had been crying. He knew they weren't real tears. He watched as he took Emma over to a table across the room, and sat her down in a chair at a table. Emma nodded, and then Ron headed up stairs, but not before giving Harry another glare. When Ron was out of sight, he looked over at Emma, who smiled evilly at him. Harry glared at her the way Ron had done to him. Emma threw on and innocent smile. Harry's top lip curled in disgust. When he heard Ron coming back down the stairs, Emma's expression suddenly changed to upset. Harry angrily went back to work, wondering why his best friend, no wait, ex best friend, was falling for her acting. 'Something has to be done.' Harry thought. He didn't know what, but something had to. He wasn't about to lose a good friend of his to a girl like that. It wasn't going to happen that easy. Oh no, he definitely wasn't going to give up THAT easy. No way.