"Hermione!" a voice called. Hermione searched eagerly for the person
behind the voice. She saw no one familiar who could have called to her.
"Hermione, over here!"
Hermione turned in the opposite direction and saw Neville Longbottom calling. She headed toward him relieved that she wasn't hearing things. "Neville!" she said when she reached him. "How are you? How was your summer?" "Oh I'm fine, but my summer was pretty boring. Gran wouldn't let me out of her sight after what happened." He trailed off looking uncomfortable. He knew Hermione had very nearly died that night. They all had pretty close brushes with death. "Yes.well. I'm glad to hear your well. I must be getting along, though. Harry and Ron are waiting for me to go back home now, I suspect. Well, goodbye Neville. I expect I'll see you on the train in the morning?" "Uh, yea. I'll see you then."
They both turned in opposite directions, Neville thinking how he had offended Hermione, Hermione thinking about the horrible day Sirius had died, and how close to death she had been. She shivered and made her way through the crowd in Diagon Alley looking for a group of red-heads. They had split up so that Hermione could go and be measured for new robes. She had quite outgrown hers as she was taller and.fuller in certain areas. No one else had needed new robes (Ron had, but Hermione knew the Weasleys couldn't afford it) so Hermione went alone and insisted they continue their shopping. She spotted them standing in the street looking around, she supposed she was late. Oh well, there's a first for everything.
"Wow that was close!" Ron said wiping sweat off his brow. They had just barely made the train for Hogwarts. As usual, the morning had gotten off to a late start, and they had jumped onto the train just as it pulled away from Platform 9 ¾. "Well, then, Harry. You and Ginny find us a compartment. Ron and I will see to our prefect duties, and we'll join you soon."
Harry and Ginny nodded, Ron looked reluctantly towards the Prefect Cabin and followed Hermione toward it. A quarter of an hour later, they were all together in a compartment playing a game of Exploding Snap. Malfoy came barging in as expected to offer his usual sarcastic banter. "Well, if it isn't Potty, Weasel, and Mudblood! I heard you were holed up this summer because your muggle parents were afraid of Voldermort!"
Ron turned red, too angry even to cringe at the mention of Voldermort's name. "Don't call her Mudblood!" "Oh, really Ron. It's fine, he's just angry because Daddy's been locked up in Azkaban. Isn't that right Malfoy?" Hermione said calmly as though speaking of the weather. Harry looked as though he'd like to have an excuse to hit Malfoy, so he waited to see if he took the bait. "Well, Granger, aren't you just so proud that you were at the hero Potter's right side when the Dark Lord made his presence known. Oh, that's right, you couldn't be proud, because you were unconscious. Pity you didn't die."
Harry and Ron flew at Malfoy beating him with their bare fists. Crabbe and Goyle were not present, so Malfoy was most certainly going to be beat. Hermione had tears in her eyes, and made no move to stop the fight. It was Ginny who managed to pull them off Malfoy. "He's not worth it, Harry." She said to him. "Just let's leave it."
Harry nodded and straightened his robes kicking Malfoy out. Literally. Ron was a bit harder to talk down. "Ginny, why'd you do that?!? We can't let him get away with it." He stopped short as Ginny whispered fiercely to him. "Ronald Weasley, take a look at Hermione, and then if you still see fit to beat Malfoy instead of seeing what's more important, I won't hold you back."
Ron glanced at Hermione and his heart broke. He motioned to Harry and they sat on either side of Hermione who was curled up crying silent tears. Ron touched her arm and she knocked his hand away. "Go away; I don't want you to see me like this. A big crybaby. I'll collect myself in a minute."
Harry and Ron each put an arm around her. "We aren't going anywhere, Mione. We're here for you. I don't think we realized how hard this was on you."
Neville burst in at that moment. He was so distraught that he didn't even see Hermione. "Someone, come quickly! There's a huge commotion. We need help!" "I'll go," Ginny said. "I'll come, too. Ron, stay with Hermione, I'll be right back."
Ron, left alone with Hermione, didn't know what to do. She was now shaking with sobs. Ron couldn't stand it. It was as though his heart was breaking just watching her. He pulled her into his arms cradling her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and let it all out. "Oh, Ron, I'm being such a child. Others suffered worse. Sirius died, poor Harry is in so much pain over it, and.Oh Ron!" She suddenly clung tightly to him. "You nearly died too! I pushed all this out of my mind, but Malfoy-he brought it all back. The pain is so fresh. I miss Sirius, too, Ron. It's not just Harry. Oh, but my problems seem so small compared to what Harry's going through." "Hermione, you're right, everyone suffered, but you don't have to push everything back because you feel unimportant. You're not, and you know Harry and I would do anything for you. Just.uh.just let it all out, now." "Thank you, Ron."
And with that, Hermione cried herself to sleep. When her eyes closed and her breathing became regular, Ron unlatched her hands from behind his neck, and laid her across the seat. He watched her sleep until Harry and Ginny came bursting back into the car looking disheveled. "What happened?" Ron asked incredulously. "Well, turns out, Lee Jordan's going solo on his jokes this year on account of Fred and George are gone, and he thought it would be funny to fill Malfoy's car with lake water, giant squid and all. It was great!" Harry exclaimed happily. "Harry, it was a terrible thing to do, even if it was Malfoy. Anyway, He was so weak from that beating you gave him, he couldn't fight, and he would've drowned. I did a charm to get rid of the water, and Malfoy passed out leaving us to clean up the mess the squid left. It was not fun!" Ginny sat heavily down in the seat across from Hermione. "Is she alright then?" Harry asked looking concerned. "Yea, she was pretty shaken up, though. I oughta kill Malfoy. She thought the fact that she nearly died was unimportant." "Rubbish!" Both Harry and Ginny said. They rode in silence the rest of the way to school, each deep in thought. They woke Hermione when they reached school, got into the carriage and put the train ride behind them.
Hermione turned in the opposite direction and saw Neville Longbottom calling. She headed toward him relieved that she wasn't hearing things. "Neville!" she said when she reached him. "How are you? How was your summer?" "Oh I'm fine, but my summer was pretty boring. Gran wouldn't let me out of her sight after what happened." He trailed off looking uncomfortable. He knew Hermione had very nearly died that night. They all had pretty close brushes with death. "Yes.well. I'm glad to hear your well. I must be getting along, though. Harry and Ron are waiting for me to go back home now, I suspect. Well, goodbye Neville. I expect I'll see you on the train in the morning?" "Uh, yea. I'll see you then."
They both turned in opposite directions, Neville thinking how he had offended Hermione, Hermione thinking about the horrible day Sirius had died, and how close to death she had been. She shivered and made her way through the crowd in Diagon Alley looking for a group of red-heads. They had split up so that Hermione could go and be measured for new robes. She had quite outgrown hers as she was taller and.fuller in certain areas. No one else had needed new robes (Ron had, but Hermione knew the Weasleys couldn't afford it) so Hermione went alone and insisted they continue their shopping. She spotted them standing in the street looking around, she supposed she was late. Oh well, there's a first for everything.
"Wow that was close!" Ron said wiping sweat off his brow. They had just barely made the train for Hogwarts. As usual, the morning had gotten off to a late start, and they had jumped onto the train just as it pulled away from Platform 9 ¾. "Well, then, Harry. You and Ginny find us a compartment. Ron and I will see to our prefect duties, and we'll join you soon."
Harry and Ginny nodded, Ron looked reluctantly towards the Prefect Cabin and followed Hermione toward it. A quarter of an hour later, they were all together in a compartment playing a game of Exploding Snap. Malfoy came barging in as expected to offer his usual sarcastic banter. "Well, if it isn't Potty, Weasel, and Mudblood! I heard you were holed up this summer because your muggle parents were afraid of Voldermort!"
Ron turned red, too angry even to cringe at the mention of Voldermort's name. "Don't call her Mudblood!" "Oh, really Ron. It's fine, he's just angry because Daddy's been locked up in Azkaban. Isn't that right Malfoy?" Hermione said calmly as though speaking of the weather. Harry looked as though he'd like to have an excuse to hit Malfoy, so he waited to see if he took the bait. "Well, Granger, aren't you just so proud that you were at the hero Potter's right side when the Dark Lord made his presence known. Oh, that's right, you couldn't be proud, because you were unconscious. Pity you didn't die."
Harry and Ron flew at Malfoy beating him with their bare fists. Crabbe and Goyle were not present, so Malfoy was most certainly going to be beat. Hermione had tears in her eyes, and made no move to stop the fight. It was Ginny who managed to pull them off Malfoy. "He's not worth it, Harry." She said to him. "Just let's leave it."
Harry nodded and straightened his robes kicking Malfoy out. Literally. Ron was a bit harder to talk down. "Ginny, why'd you do that?!? We can't let him get away with it." He stopped short as Ginny whispered fiercely to him. "Ronald Weasley, take a look at Hermione, and then if you still see fit to beat Malfoy instead of seeing what's more important, I won't hold you back."
Ron glanced at Hermione and his heart broke. He motioned to Harry and they sat on either side of Hermione who was curled up crying silent tears. Ron touched her arm and she knocked his hand away. "Go away; I don't want you to see me like this. A big crybaby. I'll collect myself in a minute."
Harry and Ron each put an arm around her. "We aren't going anywhere, Mione. We're here for you. I don't think we realized how hard this was on you."
Neville burst in at that moment. He was so distraught that he didn't even see Hermione. "Someone, come quickly! There's a huge commotion. We need help!" "I'll go," Ginny said. "I'll come, too. Ron, stay with Hermione, I'll be right back."
Ron, left alone with Hermione, didn't know what to do. She was now shaking with sobs. Ron couldn't stand it. It was as though his heart was breaking just watching her. He pulled her into his arms cradling her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and let it all out. "Oh, Ron, I'm being such a child. Others suffered worse. Sirius died, poor Harry is in so much pain over it, and.Oh Ron!" She suddenly clung tightly to him. "You nearly died too! I pushed all this out of my mind, but Malfoy-he brought it all back. The pain is so fresh. I miss Sirius, too, Ron. It's not just Harry. Oh, but my problems seem so small compared to what Harry's going through." "Hermione, you're right, everyone suffered, but you don't have to push everything back because you feel unimportant. You're not, and you know Harry and I would do anything for you. Just.uh.just let it all out, now." "Thank you, Ron."
And with that, Hermione cried herself to sleep. When her eyes closed and her breathing became regular, Ron unlatched her hands from behind his neck, and laid her across the seat. He watched her sleep until Harry and Ginny came bursting back into the car looking disheveled. "What happened?" Ron asked incredulously. "Well, turns out, Lee Jordan's going solo on his jokes this year on account of Fred and George are gone, and he thought it would be funny to fill Malfoy's car with lake water, giant squid and all. It was great!" Harry exclaimed happily. "Harry, it was a terrible thing to do, even if it was Malfoy. Anyway, He was so weak from that beating you gave him, he couldn't fight, and he would've drowned. I did a charm to get rid of the water, and Malfoy passed out leaving us to clean up the mess the squid left. It was not fun!" Ginny sat heavily down in the seat across from Hermione. "Is she alright then?" Harry asked looking concerned. "Yea, she was pretty shaken up, though. I oughta kill Malfoy. She thought the fact that she nearly died was unimportant." "Rubbish!" Both Harry and Ginny said. They rode in silence the rest of the way to school, each deep in thought. They woke Hermione when they reached school, got into the carriage and put the train ride behind them.
