Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting in the Library a few days later,
writing their essays for professor Binns. They were almost alone, and the
only sound that could be heard in the big library was the scratching of
their quills to the parchments. It was the first of December, and outside
the windows was already night, although the time was only six o'clock.
Hermione didn't knew what kept her writing and reading through the minutes. Once she had read a book, where it said that the human heart is like a sponge: it can only take so much water, then it doesn't matter even if a great wave came upon it, it can't take any more. Hermione's heart was full, it couldn't hold any more tears and sorrow than it already did. And through that, she almost fell into a trance, and kept writing and reading, like a machine.
Harry looked down on his parchment. He hadn't written much, his mind was elsewhere. He looked at Hermione's vacant face, and more than ever he wanted to talk to her for real again, to know what had really happened.
As if he had read Harry's mind, Ron shot up from his chair and walked around the table to Hermione.
"You are driving me crazy!" he shouted.
She looked up from the big book she was reading, but her eyes didn't seem to see Ron at all.
He became a little calmer, and sat down next to her.
"Please, Hermione", he continued. "We were so worried about you when you disappeared from the dance, and when you came back, we were over the moon."
He paused. Gods, this was hard for him to say...
"But... now it's like you never came back", he said.
"Yeah", Harry said, and walked around the table as well. "You're not like the Hermione we remember. You've hardly spoken ten words since you woke up in the Hospital wing, you don't eat anymore, and worst of all, you don't raise your hand in class anymore. Please, we beg of you, talk to us. Tell us what happened to you."
Hermione turned away from Ron and to Harry. He looked deep into her eyes,, but he saw no tears. Suddenly he saw a little light wake up in them, as if her eyes had been asleep and now met daylight after a long while.
Hermione couldn't stand it any longer. She knew Harry and Ron were right, and that she had been unfair to them. And telling someone about it all, easing the pain, would be so wonderful...
So she began. She told them everything, from the Potions class where the calmas had died until the evening when professor Dumbledore asked her to come to his office. She left nothing out, she told them about how much she loved Snape and how he had told her that he loved her. The boys never interrupted her. They gave out gasps once in a while, but they never said a word. When Hermione finished, it was as if a big rock had fell of her heart, and she exhaled a little. Harry and Ron looked pale.
"He... drank your blood?"
"Yes."
"And you let him?"
"Yes."
"Hermione... We're so sorry.", Harry said and took her hand.
"You're not going to tell me how disgusting it is to fall in love with Snape?", she asked.
"No", Ron replied. "We would have, normally, but this... This isn't exactly normal."
Hermione knew what he meant, it wasn't an insult.
"Thank you, guys", she said, and lowered her head.
"No worries", Harry said. "We're here for you, Hermione. We always will be."
The relief of telling her best friends everything fell upon her like a warm blanket. She leaned forward and embraced them both, with her arms around their necks. They held her to them and patted her back gently as she shed a few tears on their shoulders.
"I'm sorry", she whispered.
"It's okay. Cry all you want."
But she didn't cry much, and after only a few seconds she released the boys.
"Thank you", she said again.
She turned her eyes back to the books, and said, as bravely as she could:
"Maybe we should get back to the essays."
This made Harry and Ron look at each other, and without Hermione fully understanding why, they began to laugh. At first it was mere giggles, but then it grew until a wild storm of laughter came from the two boys. Their eyes were filled with tears of laughter, they hammered their fists loudly to the table, and it took a long while before the mad joy died off.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
After dinner that evening, they decided to go down to Hagrid's hut. The boys had gently forced Hermione into eating some chicken and rice, and it wasn't until then that she understood how hungry she had been.
Once again, the stars twinkled at them as they crossed the lawn. The grass had been covered in frost the day before, and it gave a crispy whisper as they walked on it. It was a beautiful December night, and the lights in Hagrid's windows looked welcoming and warm. They knocked on the door, and heard Fang bark with excitement on the other side. Hagrid opened. and when he saw Hermione, he threw his arms, thick as trees, around her and pressed her to his gigantic chest.
"Thank Heaven's, yer allrigh'", he said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Com' in, com' in!"
He reached out, practically grabbed the three of them and pulled them inside. They sat down in their usual place, the sunken-down sofa, and eagerly he poured them some newly-boiled tea. A fire was burning in the little hut, and Fang was lying in front of it. Harry, Ron and Hermione sipped their tea in unison as Hagrid went on talking.
"I've been so worried 'bout yeh all. I knew I couldn' do much meself, but I tried. Yeh must've got the horn, 'ermione, eh? T'was me that sent it."
"Yes, I got it", Hermione said, looking down into her tea cup.
"Good. And I..."
For the first time, Hagrid looked at Hermione's face, and he stopped talking, as if he was a radio that someone had switched off.
"Is somethin' wrong, lass?"
She merely nodded.
"Oh" he said, and sat down in his huge chair. "I'm sorry, I didn' mean ter bring up bad memories. I'm just so chuffed yer fine."
"It's okay, Hagrid", she said. "It's just... professor Snape..."
She looked up at Hagrid's sad face.
"You knew all along that it was him, didn't you?"
"Aye. But I never lost 'ope that there migh' be somethin' good inside him. And I think yeh proved that there was."
"You... know what happened?"
"I do." He sighed. "When I sent yeh the horn in yer dream, it connected me to yer soul 'till yeh went to sleep again. I know wha' yeh felt, I know wha' yeh saw, and I can tell yeh this much: yeh both did wha' yeh did out of love. Pure love."
Hagrid stretched his hand out and stroked Hermione's bushy hair.
"Don' cry, love. Yeh did the righ' thing. And yeh'll see him again, I promise."
"Yeah", she said.
"'ere, drink yer tea, it'll make yeh feel better."
She raised the cup to her lips and let the warm tea run down her throat. It really did make her feel better, Hagrid must've put something in it.
"Belladonna leaves", he said, as if he had read her thoughts. "'Tis very soothing. You'll have a pleasen' sleep tonigh', I believe."
They remained in the hut for a little while longer before heading back to the castle. Hogwarts was an enchanting sight, and the belladonna-tea made Hermione relax enough to find it stunningly beautiful. A good night's sleep would be great, it had been a while since last time.
The night was so peaceful. Not a sound was heard, even the Forbidden forest, which was always full of mysterious creatures, was quiet and calm. Hermione didn't want to leave all this beauty behind, but she followed the boys in through the doors and up the many stairs that led to the Gryffindor tower.
"Good night, Hermione", Harry and Ron said and entered their dormitory.
"Good night", she said, and started to ascend the stairs to her own room. But half way up, she stopped. Her mind was a little dizzy from the tea. It was such a wonderful night... Couldn't she just go out for a little while, on one of the balconies, say good night to the world and look at it before going to bed? She needed it....
She turned around and went back into the Common room. She went out through the Fat Lady's portrait, which was no longer magically locked but open all night, and began to walk down a corridor.
After a while, she was outside, in one of her favourite places in the school. She had never showed it to anyone, this was her special spot. It was a small bridge, going from one tower to another, and from there she had an amazing view over the grounds. She leaned her elbows on the stone, supported her chin in her hand and looked at the stars. There were millions of them, they twinkled, shimmered and smiled to her, but she saw no moon. She sighed with admiration. It was magical...
She gave a little gasp. She had seen a shooting star, for the first time. It fell off from its place and dived through infinity, leaving behind it a tail of light. Hermione smiled, closed her eyes, and made a quiet wish inside her heart.
A soft voice started to sing inside her mind. It was a Muggle song she had heard once, which she liked very much.
'On a wind, 'cross the sea,
hear this song and remember
soon you'll be home with me
once upon a December'
A tiny wind played in her hair, and her eyes remained closed. The wind whispered in her ear, and it seemed so alive that she opened her eyes to check that she was alone.
And there he was.
Hermione didn't knew what kept her writing and reading through the minutes. Once she had read a book, where it said that the human heart is like a sponge: it can only take so much water, then it doesn't matter even if a great wave came upon it, it can't take any more. Hermione's heart was full, it couldn't hold any more tears and sorrow than it already did. And through that, she almost fell into a trance, and kept writing and reading, like a machine.
Harry looked down on his parchment. He hadn't written much, his mind was elsewhere. He looked at Hermione's vacant face, and more than ever he wanted to talk to her for real again, to know what had really happened.
As if he had read Harry's mind, Ron shot up from his chair and walked around the table to Hermione.
"You are driving me crazy!" he shouted.
She looked up from the big book she was reading, but her eyes didn't seem to see Ron at all.
He became a little calmer, and sat down next to her.
"Please, Hermione", he continued. "We were so worried about you when you disappeared from the dance, and when you came back, we were over the moon."
He paused. Gods, this was hard for him to say...
"But... now it's like you never came back", he said.
"Yeah", Harry said, and walked around the table as well. "You're not like the Hermione we remember. You've hardly spoken ten words since you woke up in the Hospital wing, you don't eat anymore, and worst of all, you don't raise your hand in class anymore. Please, we beg of you, talk to us. Tell us what happened to you."
Hermione turned away from Ron and to Harry. He looked deep into her eyes,, but he saw no tears. Suddenly he saw a little light wake up in them, as if her eyes had been asleep and now met daylight after a long while.
Hermione couldn't stand it any longer. She knew Harry and Ron were right, and that she had been unfair to them. And telling someone about it all, easing the pain, would be so wonderful...
So she began. She told them everything, from the Potions class where the calmas had died until the evening when professor Dumbledore asked her to come to his office. She left nothing out, she told them about how much she loved Snape and how he had told her that he loved her. The boys never interrupted her. They gave out gasps once in a while, but they never said a word. When Hermione finished, it was as if a big rock had fell of her heart, and she exhaled a little. Harry and Ron looked pale.
"He... drank your blood?"
"Yes."
"And you let him?"
"Yes."
"Hermione... We're so sorry.", Harry said and took her hand.
"You're not going to tell me how disgusting it is to fall in love with Snape?", she asked.
"No", Ron replied. "We would have, normally, but this... This isn't exactly normal."
Hermione knew what he meant, it wasn't an insult.
"Thank you, guys", she said, and lowered her head.
"No worries", Harry said. "We're here for you, Hermione. We always will be."
The relief of telling her best friends everything fell upon her like a warm blanket. She leaned forward and embraced them both, with her arms around their necks. They held her to them and patted her back gently as she shed a few tears on their shoulders.
"I'm sorry", she whispered.
"It's okay. Cry all you want."
But she didn't cry much, and after only a few seconds she released the boys.
"Thank you", she said again.
She turned her eyes back to the books, and said, as bravely as she could:
"Maybe we should get back to the essays."
This made Harry and Ron look at each other, and without Hermione fully understanding why, they began to laugh. At first it was mere giggles, but then it grew until a wild storm of laughter came from the two boys. Their eyes were filled with tears of laughter, they hammered their fists loudly to the table, and it took a long while before the mad joy died off.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
After dinner that evening, they decided to go down to Hagrid's hut. The boys had gently forced Hermione into eating some chicken and rice, and it wasn't until then that she understood how hungry she had been.
Once again, the stars twinkled at them as they crossed the lawn. The grass had been covered in frost the day before, and it gave a crispy whisper as they walked on it. It was a beautiful December night, and the lights in Hagrid's windows looked welcoming and warm. They knocked on the door, and heard Fang bark with excitement on the other side. Hagrid opened. and when he saw Hermione, he threw his arms, thick as trees, around her and pressed her to his gigantic chest.
"Thank Heaven's, yer allrigh'", he said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Com' in, com' in!"
He reached out, practically grabbed the three of them and pulled them inside. They sat down in their usual place, the sunken-down sofa, and eagerly he poured them some newly-boiled tea. A fire was burning in the little hut, and Fang was lying in front of it. Harry, Ron and Hermione sipped their tea in unison as Hagrid went on talking.
"I've been so worried 'bout yeh all. I knew I couldn' do much meself, but I tried. Yeh must've got the horn, 'ermione, eh? T'was me that sent it."
"Yes, I got it", Hermione said, looking down into her tea cup.
"Good. And I..."
For the first time, Hagrid looked at Hermione's face, and he stopped talking, as if he was a radio that someone had switched off.
"Is somethin' wrong, lass?"
She merely nodded.
"Oh" he said, and sat down in his huge chair. "I'm sorry, I didn' mean ter bring up bad memories. I'm just so chuffed yer fine."
"It's okay, Hagrid", she said. "It's just... professor Snape..."
She looked up at Hagrid's sad face.
"You knew all along that it was him, didn't you?"
"Aye. But I never lost 'ope that there migh' be somethin' good inside him. And I think yeh proved that there was."
"You... know what happened?"
"I do." He sighed. "When I sent yeh the horn in yer dream, it connected me to yer soul 'till yeh went to sleep again. I know wha' yeh felt, I know wha' yeh saw, and I can tell yeh this much: yeh both did wha' yeh did out of love. Pure love."
Hagrid stretched his hand out and stroked Hermione's bushy hair.
"Don' cry, love. Yeh did the righ' thing. And yeh'll see him again, I promise."
"Yeah", she said.
"'ere, drink yer tea, it'll make yeh feel better."
She raised the cup to her lips and let the warm tea run down her throat. It really did make her feel better, Hagrid must've put something in it.
"Belladonna leaves", he said, as if he had read her thoughts. "'Tis very soothing. You'll have a pleasen' sleep tonigh', I believe."
They remained in the hut for a little while longer before heading back to the castle. Hogwarts was an enchanting sight, and the belladonna-tea made Hermione relax enough to find it stunningly beautiful. A good night's sleep would be great, it had been a while since last time.
The night was so peaceful. Not a sound was heard, even the Forbidden forest, which was always full of mysterious creatures, was quiet and calm. Hermione didn't want to leave all this beauty behind, but she followed the boys in through the doors and up the many stairs that led to the Gryffindor tower.
"Good night, Hermione", Harry and Ron said and entered their dormitory.
"Good night", she said, and started to ascend the stairs to her own room. But half way up, she stopped. Her mind was a little dizzy from the tea. It was such a wonderful night... Couldn't she just go out for a little while, on one of the balconies, say good night to the world and look at it before going to bed? She needed it....
She turned around and went back into the Common room. She went out through the Fat Lady's portrait, which was no longer magically locked but open all night, and began to walk down a corridor.
After a while, she was outside, in one of her favourite places in the school. She had never showed it to anyone, this was her special spot. It was a small bridge, going from one tower to another, and from there she had an amazing view over the grounds. She leaned her elbows on the stone, supported her chin in her hand and looked at the stars. There were millions of them, they twinkled, shimmered and smiled to her, but she saw no moon. She sighed with admiration. It was magical...
She gave a little gasp. She had seen a shooting star, for the first time. It fell off from its place and dived through infinity, leaving behind it a tail of light. Hermione smiled, closed her eyes, and made a quiet wish inside her heart.
A soft voice started to sing inside her mind. It was a Muggle song she had heard once, which she liked very much.
'On a wind, 'cross the sea,
hear this song and remember
soon you'll be home with me
once upon a December'
A tiny wind played in her hair, and her eyes remained closed. The wind whispered in her ear, and it seemed so alive that she opened her eyes to check that she was alone.
And there he was.
