The One I Can't Ignore

A/N: Onto the third chapter! I'm sorry if there's spelling mistakes in the last one, I wasn't sitting at my computer to type it up (I have a cordless keyboard and was reading off the paper I had originally written it on) and I was too lazy to proofread it. I just hope this one is better -_-

"Harry, it's time I told you everything." Hermione looked up at her best friend with a pleading look spread across her tearstained face.

"Alright. I'll sit and you can tell me everything." Hermione gingerly pulled away from Harry and they both sat cross-legged infront of the creek.

It was silent for a moment, the only sound was the slow trickling sound of the creek. Harry didn't want to push her, he knew that Hermione just needed a moment to get all of her thoughts together.

Hermione took a deep breath in, shuddering. "Harry, you see, I've always been a brain."

Harry grinned and reached forward to rub Hermione's arm, "Aww cmon Herm, I've always know you were smart, that's what's so great about you."

Hermione gently took Harry's hand off of her arm and let it fall back to rest beside him. "No, I wasn't like now. When I was young, I had no sense of boundaries. I ALWAYS wanted to be the center of the attention, and I found that by always getting top marks and knowing everything that I could accomplish that. But I never had any friends-not a single one all through those years of my life before Hogwarts. I was fascinated by magic, the Wiccan religion, all that sort of stuff. People started teasing me all the time, saying that I was a freak and all sorts of things. I couldn't come to school a single day without being tormented. Then, one day, I was walking home one day when a group of girls followed me. They proceeded to hurl small stones at me until I was on the ground sobbing. Then, something happened. You know, Harry, how when you were young and extremely mad things would happen, like when your Aunt inflated?"

Harry managed to choke out a "yeah"

"Well, that's kind of what happened to me. All of a sudden, I turned over and screamed. Then, all of the rocks they had pelted at me floated in the air and started striking THEM. They all screamed and ran, but of course they told everyone at school that I was some sort of witch and that I'd try to kill them if they went near me. I came home every single day wishing that I could curl up and DIE. I purposely failed all my tests and never spoke up in class just so they couldn't think I was trying to show them all up. I sat alone on the playground watching everyone else enjoy their childhood. They even considered putting me in special classes and throwing me in a special school because of all that. Everyone thinks I can handle everything fine, but even now I cry myself to sleep most nights. Even at Hogwarts, most people are only my friends so that they can copy homework or get close to you. Even Ron hated me when he first met me! Everybody hates me. Even my parents have problems relating to me now-they can't treat me like a normal daughter. They're proud to see that I've made something amazing of myself, but I think they're dissapointed too to know that I can't get a job in the Muggle world now, not with the amount of muggle education we have. I think, deep down, they wish I wasn't what I was. I just feel so unloved by the world.............."

Harry sat there, dumbstruck. This WAS Hermione they were talking about. The smart, caring, level-headed one who never let anything get to her. How could he have not seen this? What kind of friend was he to just blindly think that, while he was going through so much, that Hermione wasn't? He never even ASKED about her childhood, let alone anything else about her emotions.

Hermione's sobbing brought Harry back to his surroundings. Oh god, he wasn't good with this kind of stuff. Shaking, he reached out and put his hands on Hermione's shoulders. "Hermione, look at me."

"No. I don't want you to see me like this."

"Hermione, look at me. Now." Harry said it strongly, not meanly, and he finally got his friend to look up. "Look," he said, his voice getting soft and calming, "why should you worry about what those dicks say. They don't deserve to speak to you. Those kinds of people don't matter. The ones that do care for you and are there for you through thick and thin. I know it hurts, there's no denying it, but look at all the GOOD things that have come from this. You've become such a strong, independant person who knows who she is and what she wants. There ARE people that love you. There's Ron, and your parents, and Ginny, most of the people at Hogwarts, and ME! And there's more too, you just have to keep your head high and you'll find them. And remember, I'm always here to listen to you. Even if you think there's somethign else on my mind, please tell me Hermione. I want to be there for you."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other in the eye. He had never realized how beatiful she was, even though her face was all pink and her eyes were blurry with tears. But now was not the time to talk about this. Harry reached forward and embraced Hermione once again, holding her close. "Don't worry, everything is going to be alright."

Hermione sighed and let a tiny smile spread across her face. Having told Harry everything that hurt her and him comforting her, she felt better. She knew she'd be all right. Hermione sat and let Harry comfort her. She was exhausted from running and crying, and she felt her eyes droop suddenly. Harry was just so warm and comforting, and soon she had fallen into a deep, happy sleep.

"Are you feeling better Hermione? Hermione?" Harry looked down and realized that she had fallen asleep. He grinned slightly, and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "Well, we better get you home eh?"

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Hermione groaned and opened her eyes. 'Harry'. She thought, bolting upright. But there was no creek, no grass. She finally realized that she was back in her own room, tucked into her cozy bed. How did she get back here? It was a pretty far walk from the creek to her house.

"Ah, I see you're awake." She looked up and saw Harry leaning in her doorway, grinning.

"Harry, how did I get here?"

Harry sat down next to Hermione. "Well, you fell asleep so I just picked you up and carried you home."

"Oh Harry thank you so much!" Hermione jumped forward and hugged Harry tightly. He laughed softly and wrapped his arms around her in return.

"I'm always here for you Hermione. Don't ever forget that."

A/N: Waa I don't like this chapter at all! I didn't mean for it to go this way but now that I've written it I don't know how to fix it, so I'm just going to leave it like this. It'll be better next chapter, I don't like sad and depressing stuff like this-I'm better at goofy, fun romance kinda stuff. I'll see you in chapter 4!