"Harry, what if I told you she likes you and cares about you? A lot.
What then?"
"It wouldn't change anything until she told me it herself, Hermione. You don't understand. She could tell the whole school and it wouldn't matter until she told me. You don't have this problem."
"Yeah, right I don't. I don't have a guy who cares about me but won't admit it. A guy who obviously likes me but won't tell me so at all. A guy who gets mad at me all the time and calls me a know-it-all," she said sarcastically. Harry winced; he knew she was talking about Ron.
"Well, it's different." He knew it wasn't different. He didn't care if he was stubborn. He knew he was. Harry glanced at Ron and Renata and saw Renata lose another piece. He asked her something and her face reddened as she answered. "Goodnight, Hermione." He stood up and began to walk in that direction, hoping to catch a few words before he went upstairs.
She said mildly, behind him, "They've got a cone of silence around them. A kind of soundproof bubble. You can't hear them."
Harry ignored her and made sure to skirt Renata and Ron's table as he went upstairs. He gritted his teeth; he couldn't hear a thing. ***************************************
Harry sat alone at breakfast the next morning. His first class would be Transfiguration. He'd have to sit with Renata. The strange thing was that he looked forward to it and dreaded it at the same time. What was he going to do? He sat outside the classroom until Professor McGonagall showed up. When she asked why he was there so early he replied that he wanted to find out about the work he would have to do to catch up. She had just finished listing the assignments when Renata came in.
"Um, Professor? I was wondering about my missing work." She saw Harry and blinked in surprise.
"Miss Delano, I just listed all the written assignments for Mr. Potter here and I am sure he will be more than glad to let you borrow his list during or after class. Now allow me to demonstrate." She performed each of the spells. She had discussed about half of them with them when the rest of the class began to filter in. Hermione and Ron came first, Hermione ignored the seat Anthony indicated beside him and moved to the front row with Ron. Harry and Renata on the other hand opted to sit in the very back of the classroom.
"Here," he said gruffly, shoving the list of assignments at her, "Copy that."
She nodded and began to write them down.
Today's lesson was on how to transfigure a rock into a liverwurst sandwich.
McGonagall warned, "Now, this will still taste for the most part, like a rock, but if you ever find yourself stranded somewhere with no food this will fill you and keep you alive. Begin!"
Harry looked down at the large stone on his desk and concentrated, saying the words and trying to make it change. He ended up with a sandwich shaped rock.
Renata did only slightly better. Her rock looked like a sandwich, she sniffed it. "Thoroughly rock," she said. The silence that followed was awkward. This same sort of thing happened in both of the other classes during the day. In Defense Against the Dark Arts Harry got Parvati to trade places with him so he wouldn't have to sit next to Renata.
Unfortunately it meant he was sitting next to Lavender and she didn't want to shut-up. She was asking a lot of questions about when he and the others had been gone and made numerous observations.
"Ooh. Look how close Ron and Hermione are sitting. Isn't it sweet?"
"Yeah. Real sweet," he said sarcastically.
"Why aren't you sitting with Renata today? Did you two have a fight? You two look so perfect together; I can't imagine why you aren't together. You should, you-"
"Could you do me a favor, Lavender?"
"Yes. What?"
"Shut-up."
"Okay, I'll be quiet but you really should know this."
"What?"
"She really likes you. And she really likes your new look, then again she's not the only one." She gave him a wry grin.
Harry groaned; this was the absolute last thing he needed. Tonight he was shaving his face before anyone else could comment on it. ******************************************************
At Quiditch practice things still weren't much better between Harry and Renata.
Renata helped Harry clear up the rest of the things on the field at the end of practice. "I don't want things to be weird between us, Harry."
"Neither do I, Renata." He wanted things back to normal again. The four of them just being friends. That would be good. "Let's face it, Renata. Until one of us says something things are going to be strange and that's all there is to it." He thought that had been rather brave of him to say, after all he had no proof of how she felt about him; he hardly understood how he felt about her.
"You're right about that, Harry." Obviously she wasn't going to say anything to him about it.
* ************************** *
Things got progressively better between himself and Renata, for the most part. The only exceptions to this were most times when they found themselves alone together or if Renata caught Harry looking at her in class. Alone together things just got awkward; they tried to make small talk and stay as far apart as possible without seeming obvious but soon one or the other of them always made some excuse to get away and be somewhere else if someone else didn't join them soon. By silent agreement Renata no longer turned up early for Quiditch practice and she always left soon after it ended.
Some people at least were noticing these changes but said nothing, or almost nothing, about them. Several of his friends gave him odd looks after he had once been staring at Renata for a full three minutes in potions- without her knowing of course-and then ignored her when they both coincidentally got up to wash there knives and spoons and such at the sink at the same time. Harry hated the awkwardness, and sometimes he almost completely forgot it, until it came again. But overall things were going fairly well for him.
The Quiditch team was strong and knew much more than they had prior to their first game and with their last game of the season approaching, Harry was glad. Though the work was as hard as ever Harry seemed to have few problems with teachers or his classes despite all the work he had had to make up.
It was the beginning of April now and Harry sat leaning against a tree by the lake and sighed, shutting the book propped up on his knees. He couldn't concentrate on studying. What was he going to do about Renata? Twice more Sirius had approached him and asked if Harry needed to talk. On a weekly basis at least one or more of the boys in his dormitory asked him about her and it was nearly every other day that Ron, Hermione, or Rory approached him on the subject. Renata never said a word and to the best of his knowledge Renata didn't have any knowledge of these confrontations. But sometimes there was a gleam in her eye that said she knew more than she let on. Harry ran his fingers absently around the trunk of the tree, near the bottom his fingers slid over something not like the rest of the bark. Low enough to be hidden by the grass, there were letters carved all along the bottom of the tree: R+H in a continuous circle around the tree's bole.
Curious certainly. Harry crawled around the tree looking at all the letters hoping for some further clue. The only thing he found was that four of the pairs of letters, each an equal distance apart from the others like the 12, 3, 6, and 9 of a clock, were encircled with a heart. Harry gave another sigh. No clue as to who had carved the letters. It was nerve- racking realizing just how many people shared those initials. Ron could have carved it. Hermione could have carved it. Light, even Renata could have carved it! Light? Where had that come from? His mind drifted toward a book he had read recently, he'd taken more to reading just to avoid Renata. But the books were good all the same. Men in the book often said 'Light' the same way people hear would say 'God' when they were frustrated. Harry wondered at himself. He'd never been terribly religious or anything but somehow it just didn't feel as wrong if he said Light instead of God when he got mad. He'd just have to be careful not to say it aloud; people thought he was strange enough already as it was.
He tried to puzzle out if there was someway to find out who had carved the initials. No way to. Anything he asked could raise suspicion, "Well, Harry, I think you wrote it. After all R+H could stand for Renata and Harry." The Light send it wasn't so. He'd have to stop that, he changed his mind, he didn't want to use different words. Strange words entered his head and that did little good. Sometimes he doubted his sanity. A sane person wouldn't put up with all he'd been through with Renata this year and all the questions and such from his friends.
Harry sighed. No use getting around it. He had history of magic tomorrow and he had a lot of studying to do. *********************************************
In mid-April, about a week and a half later or so, Harry sat down in the common room with Hermione, Ron, and Renata. Hermione had asked them to be here. The common room was nearly empty by now. Harry noted that Hermione's face was anxious and her brows knitted together with worry. He wondered momentarily about what she was going to say. Harry had planned to sit between Hermione and Ron, it wasn't that he wanted them separated or anything, it was just the only way to be sure to avoid Renata. But instead he ended up between Renata and Hermione. Things were not going well.
"I have something to tell you all." Hermione chewed on her bottom lip nervously unsure of whether or not she wanted to reveal this information. She got a decidedly determined look in her face and began. "My parents don't want me to come back here next year. They told me, when I was in the hospital, that it was too dangerous. I told them I'd be coming back here whether they liked it or not. I told them send me a letter when they are ready to listen to reason, Hogwarts has some way or other of having messages sent through Muggle mail systems forwarded I suppose to Hogwarts, every letter has told me that in no uncertain terms would I be coming back here. I told them that if they weren't going to allow me to come back here. I told them that if I wasn't going to be allowed back to Hogwarts in September they shouldn't expect to find me at the station at they end of term. You've got to help me. I have to be here. Hogwarts.I need Hogwarts."
Ron put an arm around her to comfort her, Hermione had always been emotional and was near enough to tears now. Harry could understand that, the thought of not coming back to Hogwarts was unpleasant to say the least. Renata came and knelt on the ground in front of her, her hand comfortingly on Hermione's arm, "It's okay, Hermione. My mom will take you. You can stay with me all summer if you like. And I'm connected to the Floo network-I know you aren't, since you're parents are Muggles-and we could keep in touch with Ron and Harry all summer. And Sirius. We'd write to your parents and explain everything except your exact location."
Harry felt useless. He just sat there and nodded. He was never good with words of comfort. "We won't let them stop you."
Ron added firmly, "No matter what you're coming back to Hogwarts if that's what you want to do. If you can't stay with Renata and her mum stay with me at the Burrow. Mum loves you and you're already like a sister to Ginny. You could stay with us. We'd all be happy to have you."
Harry was battling with the decision of whether or not to voice his opinion. In the end he decided to do it. "Hermione, Hogwarts isn't the safest place for you, you know. Not when you're my friend. Your parents are right. What happened this year and every other year has proved it. None of you are safe here. Go home and stay home. Please." Harry meant the words as much for Renata as for Hermione-Ron could take care of himself-the girls could too but still he worried-and he regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth; he had thought he would. He winced, he knew what was coming, and there was a dangerous flash in Hermione's eyes as well as Renata's.
Renata responded first standing tall and towering over him-he was still sitting down-and she loomed above him, glaring. "You have no right to say that! None whatsoever! You've got no right to order Hermione around. She can come to Hogwarts if she wants, she should come to Hogwarts!"
He told her irritably, "I meant that for you as much as her, you know." At least this anger of hers was normal, normal for her at least, he added wryly to himself.
"Me? Oh, the great Harry Potter must think women are delicate and fragile that they need him to tell them what to do and where to go. Well, Hermione is coming back next year and if you think otherwise-"
Hermione defiantly stared at Harry, "She is right, Harry. I'm your friend and I have been for six years, and I'm not going to abandon you. Not now, not ever. Besides I want to be here to learn. Hogwarts is where I belong." She shifted her glare to Renata. "And Renata, remember that I can fight my own battles. I appreciate that you care but at the same time," she raised an eyebrow and gave a wry smile; Harry wasn't sure what the expression was supposed to mean but Renata seemed to comprehend it, "you know when I can hold my own with these two. I won't let either of them bully me into anything. Under no uncertain terms am I staying away from Hogwarts. Is that clear?"
Harry mumbled something that she took for agreement and Ron said, "Yes, Hermione. It is, but are you sure? I mean, really Hermione, I wouldn't want you hurt and-"
"I understand, Ron." Her tone was gentle, but firm and it continued that way, "But at the same time I came to the three of you for help. Help me or not, I've already decided what to do."
"Then we're behind you all the way."
"It wouldn't change anything until she told me it herself, Hermione. You don't understand. She could tell the whole school and it wouldn't matter until she told me. You don't have this problem."
"Yeah, right I don't. I don't have a guy who cares about me but won't admit it. A guy who obviously likes me but won't tell me so at all. A guy who gets mad at me all the time and calls me a know-it-all," she said sarcastically. Harry winced; he knew she was talking about Ron.
"Well, it's different." He knew it wasn't different. He didn't care if he was stubborn. He knew he was. Harry glanced at Ron and Renata and saw Renata lose another piece. He asked her something and her face reddened as she answered. "Goodnight, Hermione." He stood up and began to walk in that direction, hoping to catch a few words before he went upstairs.
She said mildly, behind him, "They've got a cone of silence around them. A kind of soundproof bubble. You can't hear them."
Harry ignored her and made sure to skirt Renata and Ron's table as he went upstairs. He gritted his teeth; he couldn't hear a thing. ***************************************
Harry sat alone at breakfast the next morning. His first class would be Transfiguration. He'd have to sit with Renata. The strange thing was that he looked forward to it and dreaded it at the same time. What was he going to do? He sat outside the classroom until Professor McGonagall showed up. When she asked why he was there so early he replied that he wanted to find out about the work he would have to do to catch up. She had just finished listing the assignments when Renata came in.
"Um, Professor? I was wondering about my missing work." She saw Harry and blinked in surprise.
"Miss Delano, I just listed all the written assignments for Mr. Potter here and I am sure he will be more than glad to let you borrow his list during or after class. Now allow me to demonstrate." She performed each of the spells. She had discussed about half of them with them when the rest of the class began to filter in. Hermione and Ron came first, Hermione ignored the seat Anthony indicated beside him and moved to the front row with Ron. Harry and Renata on the other hand opted to sit in the very back of the classroom.
"Here," he said gruffly, shoving the list of assignments at her, "Copy that."
She nodded and began to write them down.
Today's lesson was on how to transfigure a rock into a liverwurst sandwich.
McGonagall warned, "Now, this will still taste for the most part, like a rock, but if you ever find yourself stranded somewhere with no food this will fill you and keep you alive. Begin!"
Harry looked down at the large stone on his desk and concentrated, saying the words and trying to make it change. He ended up with a sandwich shaped rock.
Renata did only slightly better. Her rock looked like a sandwich, she sniffed it. "Thoroughly rock," she said. The silence that followed was awkward. This same sort of thing happened in both of the other classes during the day. In Defense Against the Dark Arts Harry got Parvati to trade places with him so he wouldn't have to sit next to Renata.
Unfortunately it meant he was sitting next to Lavender and she didn't want to shut-up. She was asking a lot of questions about when he and the others had been gone and made numerous observations.
"Ooh. Look how close Ron and Hermione are sitting. Isn't it sweet?"
"Yeah. Real sweet," he said sarcastically.
"Why aren't you sitting with Renata today? Did you two have a fight? You two look so perfect together; I can't imagine why you aren't together. You should, you-"
"Could you do me a favor, Lavender?"
"Yes. What?"
"Shut-up."
"Okay, I'll be quiet but you really should know this."
"What?"
"She really likes you. And she really likes your new look, then again she's not the only one." She gave him a wry grin.
Harry groaned; this was the absolute last thing he needed. Tonight he was shaving his face before anyone else could comment on it. ******************************************************
At Quiditch practice things still weren't much better between Harry and Renata.
Renata helped Harry clear up the rest of the things on the field at the end of practice. "I don't want things to be weird between us, Harry."
"Neither do I, Renata." He wanted things back to normal again. The four of them just being friends. That would be good. "Let's face it, Renata. Until one of us says something things are going to be strange and that's all there is to it." He thought that had been rather brave of him to say, after all he had no proof of how she felt about him; he hardly understood how he felt about her.
"You're right about that, Harry." Obviously she wasn't going to say anything to him about it.
* ************************** *
Things got progressively better between himself and Renata, for the most part. The only exceptions to this were most times when they found themselves alone together or if Renata caught Harry looking at her in class. Alone together things just got awkward; they tried to make small talk and stay as far apart as possible without seeming obvious but soon one or the other of them always made some excuse to get away and be somewhere else if someone else didn't join them soon. By silent agreement Renata no longer turned up early for Quiditch practice and she always left soon after it ended.
Some people at least were noticing these changes but said nothing, or almost nothing, about them. Several of his friends gave him odd looks after he had once been staring at Renata for a full three minutes in potions- without her knowing of course-and then ignored her when they both coincidentally got up to wash there knives and spoons and such at the sink at the same time. Harry hated the awkwardness, and sometimes he almost completely forgot it, until it came again. But overall things were going fairly well for him.
The Quiditch team was strong and knew much more than they had prior to their first game and with their last game of the season approaching, Harry was glad. Though the work was as hard as ever Harry seemed to have few problems with teachers or his classes despite all the work he had had to make up.
It was the beginning of April now and Harry sat leaning against a tree by the lake and sighed, shutting the book propped up on his knees. He couldn't concentrate on studying. What was he going to do about Renata? Twice more Sirius had approached him and asked if Harry needed to talk. On a weekly basis at least one or more of the boys in his dormitory asked him about her and it was nearly every other day that Ron, Hermione, or Rory approached him on the subject. Renata never said a word and to the best of his knowledge Renata didn't have any knowledge of these confrontations. But sometimes there was a gleam in her eye that said she knew more than she let on. Harry ran his fingers absently around the trunk of the tree, near the bottom his fingers slid over something not like the rest of the bark. Low enough to be hidden by the grass, there were letters carved all along the bottom of the tree: R+H in a continuous circle around the tree's bole.
Curious certainly. Harry crawled around the tree looking at all the letters hoping for some further clue. The only thing he found was that four of the pairs of letters, each an equal distance apart from the others like the 12, 3, 6, and 9 of a clock, were encircled with a heart. Harry gave another sigh. No clue as to who had carved the letters. It was nerve- racking realizing just how many people shared those initials. Ron could have carved it. Hermione could have carved it. Light, even Renata could have carved it! Light? Where had that come from? His mind drifted toward a book he had read recently, he'd taken more to reading just to avoid Renata. But the books were good all the same. Men in the book often said 'Light' the same way people hear would say 'God' when they were frustrated. Harry wondered at himself. He'd never been terribly religious or anything but somehow it just didn't feel as wrong if he said Light instead of God when he got mad. He'd just have to be careful not to say it aloud; people thought he was strange enough already as it was.
He tried to puzzle out if there was someway to find out who had carved the initials. No way to. Anything he asked could raise suspicion, "Well, Harry, I think you wrote it. After all R+H could stand for Renata and Harry." The Light send it wasn't so. He'd have to stop that, he changed his mind, he didn't want to use different words. Strange words entered his head and that did little good. Sometimes he doubted his sanity. A sane person wouldn't put up with all he'd been through with Renata this year and all the questions and such from his friends.
Harry sighed. No use getting around it. He had history of magic tomorrow and he had a lot of studying to do. *********************************************
In mid-April, about a week and a half later or so, Harry sat down in the common room with Hermione, Ron, and Renata. Hermione had asked them to be here. The common room was nearly empty by now. Harry noted that Hermione's face was anxious and her brows knitted together with worry. He wondered momentarily about what she was going to say. Harry had planned to sit between Hermione and Ron, it wasn't that he wanted them separated or anything, it was just the only way to be sure to avoid Renata. But instead he ended up between Renata and Hermione. Things were not going well.
"I have something to tell you all." Hermione chewed on her bottom lip nervously unsure of whether or not she wanted to reveal this information. She got a decidedly determined look in her face and began. "My parents don't want me to come back here next year. They told me, when I was in the hospital, that it was too dangerous. I told them I'd be coming back here whether they liked it or not. I told them send me a letter when they are ready to listen to reason, Hogwarts has some way or other of having messages sent through Muggle mail systems forwarded I suppose to Hogwarts, every letter has told me that in no uncertain terms would I be coming back here. I told them that if they weren't going to allow me to come back here. I told them that if I wasn't going to be allowed back to Hogwarts in September they shouldn't expect to find me at the station at they end of term. You've got to help me. I have to be here. Hogwarts.I need Hogwarts."
Ron put an arm around her to comfort her, Hermione had always been emotional and was near enough to tears now. Harry could understand that, the thought of not coming back to Hogwarts was unpleasant to say the least. Renata came and knelt on the ground in front of her, her hand comfortingly on Hermione's arm, "It's okay, Hermione. My mom will take you. You can stay with me all summer if you like. And I'm connected to the Floo network-I know you aren't, since you're parents are Muggles-and we could keep in touch with Ron and Harry all summer. And Sirius. We'd write to your parents and explain everything except your exact location."
Harry felt useless. He just sat there and nodded. He was never good with words of comfort. "We won't let them stop you."
Ron added firmly, "No matter what you're coming back to Hogwarts if that's what you want to do. If you can't stay with Renata and her mum stay with me at the Burrow. Mum loves you and you're already like a sister to Ginny. You could stay with us. We'd all be happy to have you."
Harry was battling with the decision of whether or not to voice his opinion. In the end he decided to do it. "Hermione, Hogwarts isn't the safest place for you, you know. Not when you're my friend. Your parents are right. What happened this year and every other year has proved it. None of you are safe here. Go home and stay home. Please." Harry meant the words as much for Renata as for Hermione-Ron could take care of himself-the girls could too but still he worried-and he regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth; he had thought he would. He winced, he knew what was coming, and there was a dangerous flash in Hermione's eyes as well as Renata's.
Renata responded first standing tall and towering over him-he was still sitting down-and she loomed above him, glaring. "You have no right to say that! None whatsoever! You've got no right to order Hermione around. She can come to Hogwarts if she wants, she should come to Hogwarts!"
He told her irritably, "I meant that for you as much as her, you know." At least this anger of hers was normal, normal for her at least, he added wryly to himself.
"Me? Oh, the great Harry Potter must think women are delicate and fragile that they need him to tell them what to do and where to go. Well, Hermione is coming back next year and if you think otherwise-"
Hermione defiantly stared at Harry, "She is right, Harry. I'm your friend and I have been for six years, and I'm not going to abandon you. Not now, not ever. Besides I want to be here to learn. Hogwarts is where I belong." She shifted her glare to Renata. "And Renata, remember that I can fight my own battles. I appreciate that you care but at the same time," she raised an eyebrow and gave a wry smile; Harry wasn't sure what the expression was supposed to mean but Renata seemed to comprehend it, "you know when I can hold my own with these two. I won't let either of them bully me into anything. Under no uncertain terms am I staying away from Hogwarts. Is that clear?"
Harry mumbled something that she took for agreement and Ron said, "Yes, Hermione. It is, but are you sure? I mean, really Hermione, I wouldn't want you hurt and-"
"I understand, Ron." Her tone was gentle, but firm and it continued that way, "But at the same time I came to the three of you for help. Help me or not, I've already decided what to do."
"Then we're behind you all the way."
