A/N: for Emma. Here you go dear.
Chapter 6: Unwanted
The fifth year Gryffindor boys were woken bright and early on Sunday morning by Hermione.
'Wake up!' she called cheerfully.
'Hermione, its seven am!' Dean Thomas sputtered.
'Don't worry, I'm not getting you, I'm getting Harry and Ron.' She paused to glare at Ron's bed, which had just made a sarcastic 'whoopee' noise. 'The rest of you can go back to sleep,' she finished. 'Or get up,' she added as an afterthought, 'whatever you want to do.'
'Hermione, if you were just getting Harry and Ron, couldn't you be a bit quieter to keep from waking the rest of us, who actually value our Sunday morning lie-in?' Seamus Finnigan mumbled. Hermione seemed to consider it, but shrugged and walked over to Harry's bed, shaking him until he admitted defeat and got up. Then she went over to Ron's bed and did the same.
'God, Hermione, you're such a dictator,' Ron mumbled, before skilfully dodging a swipe at his head from Hermione. Harry rolled his eyes and went into the bathroom. Ron followed him and Hermione went downstairs into the common room to wait for them.
Fifteen minutes later the boys came down the stairs, looking much more awake.
'So what's the deal with getting us up so early, Herm?' Ron asked, sitting next to her on the sofa. Harry sat opposite them in an armchair. He was suddenly struck by how cute a couple Ron and Hermione made. He set his jaw and tried to concentrate on what Hermione was saying, blocking the thought.
'I thought we should do some research this morning,' Hermione was saying.
'Did you have to get us up this early to do it?' Ron grumbled. Hermione ignored him.
'We should probably look at the ways in which mental and psychological attacks are made in the wizarding world, and how toxins can be introduced into the bloodstream without any contact.' Harry and Ron nodded, only half sure what she was on about.
*
'Right, you look through these, and I'll see if I can find some more,' Harry said, dropping his latest pile of books onto the table. Ron glanced up at him and nodded, but Hermione stayed submerged in her book. Harry gazed fondly at Hermione a few moments, then turned on his heel and left in the search for yet more books. Already the space around Ron and Hermione was starting to resemble a mini library, and if Harry kept finding more, Ron thought, they could run off with the books and open a bookshop. Ron chuckled at the idea and Hermione looked up with alarm on her face, which was quickly replaced with a questioning look.
'I was just thinking,' Ron said quietly, his eyes darting around for any sign of Madam Pince, the librarian, 'if Harry keeps finding books, we could run off with them and open a bookshop.' Hermione looked at him incredulously, then her face broke into a smile and she shook her head.
'Honestly, Ron.' she muttered.
'Honestly what?' he asked jovially.
'Nothing,' she smiled. 'You're just so.Ron.' Ron looked at her, confused, and she laughed again. He looks like a confused puppy, she thought affectionately. On a sudden whim she leant forward and gently kissed him. He pulled back, startled, but then moved forward and kissed her back, deepening the kiss.
Deciding not to disturb Ron and Hermione's research again, Harry walked around the corner of the bookshelves quietly; and nearly dropped the pile of books he was carrying in shock. He felt an incredible surge of anger and jealousy as he saw his two best friends kissing, his two best friends that he depended upon more than anything: his best friend that he had entrusted all his secrets to, and the girl that he was madly in love with. He also felt a sinking despair in his heart, as he knew that any chance he had with Hermione was gone forever. A voice deep inside squeaked that Hermione and Ron had a right to be happy, even if it was together, and that Harry was being irrational, but his storming emotions smothered it. He dropped the books on the floor and fled, hardly knowing which way he was going through his pain.
Hermione and Ron jumped apart at the sound of the books hitting the floor. Hermione suddenly realised with her heart sinking what she had done.
'Ron, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that,' she stammered.
'It's ok,' he said gently. He leaned in for another kiss, but Hermione shifted back, and his lips met air. He opened his eyes, and looked at Hermione searchingly.
'Hermione, what's going on?' he asked, hurt and confusion written on his freckled face.
'Ron, I can't talk about this right now,' Hermione said.
'No, Hermione, tell me: what's going on? Don't you like me?' he asked, his eyes hardening.
'No, Ron, it's not that. I do like you, you know I do, you're like a brother to me.'
'So that's it? Why did you kiss me?' His temper was beginning to ignite.
'I don't know. I'm sorry; please don't be mad at me,' Hermione said.
'I'm not mad at you,' he said mock-sweetly, 'why would I be mad at you?'
'I have to go; I'll see you later,' Hermione said, gathering her notes quickly. She could see his anger building; she knew she had to go before he erupted. She had never seen him completely blow his top, but she knew that she didn't want to be around when he did. She turned to go, but Ron roughly grabbed her wrists, causing her to drop her notebook.
'Ron, let me go,' Hermione said levelly, trying not to let her voice crack.
'No,' he said, his eyes burning.
'Let me go,' she said again, more insistently.
'Why did you kiss me?' he asked quietly.
'I don't know, it was a spur of the moment thing.' Ron took a deep breath.
'Hermione, do you not realise that I love you? That I think about you every single minute of everyday; praying that you felt the same way about me as I feel about you? Do you know what that's like?' he hissed, shaking her for emphasis.
'Ron, please let me go,' Hermione pleaded through her tears.
'Do you love me?'
'Of course,' she sobbed, 'you're-'
'Yes, I know, I'm your brother,' he said mockingly. 'But do you love me? Like I love you?'
Hermione shook her head, sobs still racking her frail body. Ron flung her away from him and she fell to the floor. He sat down at the desk, his head in his hands and his shoulders shaking. Hermione scrambled to her feet and fled from the library, dashing through the wards she had put around their table so that no one would disturb them. She ran through hallways, so blinded by her tears that she had no idea where she was. She saw dots in front of her eyes as she ran, but ignored them. Suddenly she stumbled and fell, then she saw no more.
~*~
Harry had been wandering the school for what seemed like years, but in reality it was probably only an hour. He had gone far into one of the towers of the school, though which one, it was impossible to tell. All the time he had replayed the memory of Ron and Hermione kissing in his mind. No matter how far he ran to get away from them, the memory kept on going, over and over. He turned a corner and stopped in his tracks, stunned.
~*~
'What have I done?' Ron moaned to himself. Distantly he heard Hermione getting up and running, but the sound barely registered. All he could hear was the sound of his heart breaking. He went over what had just happened. It was so wonderful to begin with: the joy as Hermione kissed him, and the thought that she loved him too; the anger as he realised he'd been wrong. Ron felt sick as he remembered the fear in Hermione's eyes. Why didn't he let her go and leave it at that? Suddenly a thought formed in his mind: he should go after Hermione, and apologise to her, make her see that he'd only acted like that because he loved her so much he could barely stand it. He stood and marched purposefully out of the library; but quickly stopped, completely bewildered. Of course, he had no idea which way Hermione had gone, and what kind of state she was in after his awful treatment of her. He concentrated on her, trying to perceive her emotions, and murmured, 'trouve', the finding spell. Suddenly a tiny blue light flickered in front of his eyes for an instant, then floated away down the corridor. Ron ran after it, his spirits rising a little at thought of explaining to Hermione why he had did what he did.
~*~
Harry turned a corner and stopped in his tracks, stunned. On the floor before him lay Hermione. Her skin was deathly pale; her lips were grey; all around her were trails of blood. Written on the floor in the blood was the whole song that had been haunting Hermione since the beginning of term.
Feel my fury, feel my pain,
Feel your life begin to drain,
Feel my power, feel my might,
You will lose your life tonight.
When the churchbell strikes midnight,
When the moon is shining bright,
When you leave your tower high,
Then it is your time to die.
By the river is a boat,
Ride it down to Arthur's moat
Then your blood will run ice-cold,
And you will die before you're old.
As you float, your body still,
You'll pass by cottage and by mill,
And all the while life ticks away,
Until the sunrise starts the day.
Your body numb, your mind goes black,
You force yourself to beat death back,
Although you know you cannot win,
You fight the darkness creeping in.
And in the end when all is lost,
The world will all find out the cost,
That's suffered when you mess with me,
I will win eventually.
Those who see you lying there,
Will see your face, your golden hair,
They'll see you lying, moving not,
The lifeless Lady of Shallot.
Harry felt his breath come short, but forced himself to stay calm. The dying rays of sun shone through a high up window, turning Hermione's mouse- brown hair to gold.
'Hermione,' he murmured, dropping to his knees before her still body. He reached for her wrist, hardly breathing, praying that she wasn't dead. As he reached for her arm, he touched a drop of the blood. Instantly the world began spinning.
~*~
Ron ran along the corridor, fighting to keep up with the tiny blue spark flying a few metres in front of him. He reached the end of the corridor and ricocheted into the wall and down the next corridor, never taking his eyes from the spark. His heart leapt into his throat when he turned the next corner. A body lay on the floor with someone leaning over it; someone with a familiar mop of messy black hair. As he watched, Harry reached for Hermione's wrist- and disappeared from sight. Ron jumped forward to the spot where Hermione and Harry had been only a second ago. The blood still streaked the floor, and Ron twisted his head to hastily read the song. He looked around desperately, trying to find some clue as to where Harry and Hermione had gone. His gaze swept the floor and landed on a small vial. It was small and clear, and contained scarlet liquid. He stooped to lift it, holding it in his fingers for mere seconds before he blacked out.
Whee, that chapter was long in the making. I hope it was ok. Please review. We are near the end: it's all very exciting! Haha.
Chapter 6: Unwanted
The fifth year Gryffindor boys were woken bright and early on Sunday morning by Hermione.
'Wake up!' she called cheerfully.
'Hermione, its seven am!' Dean Thomas sputtered.
'Don't worry, I'm not getting you, I'm getting Harry and Ron.' She paused to glare at Ron's bed, which had just made a sarcastic 'whoopee' noise. 'The rest of you can go back to sleep,' she finished. 'Or get up,' she added as an afterthought, 'whatever you want to do.'
'Hermione, if you were just getting Harry and Ron, couldn't you be a bit quieter to keep from waking the rest of us, who actually value our Sunday morning lie-in?' Seamus Finnigan mumbled. Hermione seemed to consider it, but shrugged and walked over to Harry's bed, shaking him until he admitted defeat and got up. Then she went over to Ron's bed and did the same.
'God, Hermione, you're such a dictator,' Ron mumbled, before skilfully dodging a swipe at his head from Hermione. Harry rolled his eyes and went into the bathroom. Ron followed him and Hermione went downstairs into the common room to wait for them.
Fifteen minutes later the boys came down the stairs, looking much more awake.
'So what's the deal with getting us up so early, Herm?' Ron asked, sitting next to her on the sofa. Harry sat opposite them in an armchair. He was suddenly struck by how cute a couple Ron and Hermione made. He set his jaw and tried to concentrate on what Hermione was saying, blocking the thought.
'I thought we should do some research this morning,' Hermione was saying.
'Did you have to get us up this early to do it?' Ron grumbled. Hermione ignored him.
'We should probably look at the ways in which mental and psychological attacks are made in the wizarding world, and how toxins can be introduced into the bloodstream without any contact.' Harry and Ron nodded, only half sure what she was on about.
*
'Right, you look through these, and I'll see if I can find some more,' Harry said, dropping his latest pile of books onto the table. Ron glanced up at him and nodded, but Hermione stayed submerged in her book. Harry gazed fondly at Hermione a few moments, then turned on his heel and left in the search for yet more books. Already the space around Ron and Hermione was starting to resemble a mini library, and if Harry kept finding more, Ron thought, they could run off with the books and open a bookshop. Ron chuckled at the idea and Hermione looked up with alarm on her face, which was quickly replaced with a questioning look.
'I was just thinking,' Ron said quietly, his eyes darting around for any sign of Madam Pince, the librarian, 'if Harry keeps finding books, we could run off with them and open a bookshop.' Hermione looked at him incredulously, then her face broke into a smile and she shook her head.
'Honestly, Ron.' she muttered.
'Honestly what?' he asked jovially.
'Nothing,' she smiled. 'You're just so.Ron.' Ron looked at her, confused, and she laughed again. He looks like a confused puppy, she thought affectionately. On a sudden whim she leant forward and gently kissed him. He pulled back, startled, but then moved forward and kissed her back, deepening the kiss.
Deciding not to disturb Ron and Hermione's research again, Harry walked around the corner of the bookshelves quietly; and nearly dropped the pile of books he was carrying in shock. He felt an incredible surge of anger and jealousy as he saw his two best friends kissing, his two best friends that he depended upon more than anything: his best friend that he had entrusted all his secrets to, and the girl that he was madly in love with. He also felt a sinking despair in his heart, as he knew that any chance he had with Hermione was gone forever. A voice deep inside squeaked that Hermione and Ron had a right to be happy, even if it was together, and that Harry was being irrational, but his storming emotions smothered it. He dropped the books on the floor and fled, hardly knowing which way he was going through his pain.
Hermione and Ron jumped apart at the sound of the books hitting the floor. Hermione suddenly realised with her heart sinking what she had done.
'Ron, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that,' she stammered.
'It's ok,' he said gently. He leaned in for another kiss, but Hermione shifted back, and his lips met air. He opened his eyes, and looked at Hermione searchingly.
'Hermione, what's going on?' he asked, hurt and confusion written on his freckled face.
'Ron, I can't talk about this right now,' Hermione said.
'No, Hermione, tell me: what's going on? Don't you like me?' he asked, his eyes hardening.
'No, Ron, it's not that. I do like you, you know I do, you're like a brother to me.'
'So that's it? Why did you kiss me?' His temper was beginning to ignite.
'I don't know. I'm sorry; please don't be mad at me,' Hermione said.
'I'm not mad at you,' he said mock-sweetly, 'why would I be mad at you?'
'I have to go; I'll see you later,' Hermione said, gathering her notes quickly. She could see his anger building; she knew she had to go before he erupted. She had never seen him completely blow his top, but she knew that she didn't want to be around when he did. She turned to go, but Ron roughly grabbed her wrists, causing her to drop her notebook.
'Ron, let me go,' Hermione said levelly, trying not to let her voice crack.
'No,' he said, his eyes burning.
'Let me go,' she said again, more insistently.
'Why did you kiss me?' he asked quietly.
'I don't know, it was a spur of the moment thing.' Ron took a deep breath.
'Hermione, do you not realise that I love you? That I think about you every single minute of everyday; praying that you felt the same way about me as I feel about you? Do you know what that's like?' he hissed, shaking her for emphasis.
'Ron, please let me go,' Hermione pleaded through her tears.
'Do you love me?'
'Of course,' she sobbed, 'you're-'
'Yes, I know, I'm your brother,' he said mockingly. 'But do you love me? Like I love you?'
Hermione shook her head, sobs still racking her frail body. Ron flung her away from him and she fell to the floor. He sat down at the desk, his head in his hands and his shoulders shaking. Hermione scrambled to her feet and fled from the library, dashing through the wards she had put around their table so that no one would disturb them. She ran through hallways, so blinded by her tears that she had no idea where she was. She saw dots in front of her eyes as she ran, but ignored them. Suddenly she stumbled and fell, then she saw no more.
~*~
Harry had been wandering the school for what seemed like years, but in reality it was probably only an hour. He had gone far into one of the towers of the school, though which one, it was impossible to tell. All the time he had replayed the memory of Ron and Hermione kissing in his mind. No matter how far he ran to get away from them, the memory kept on going, over and over. He turned a corner and stopped in his tracks, stunned.
~*~
'What have I done?' Ron moaned to himself. Distantly he heard Hermione getting up and running, but the sound barely registered. All he could hear was the sound of his heart breaking. He went over what had just happened. It was so wonderful to begin with: the joy as Hermione kissed him, and the thought that she loved him too; the anger as he realised he'd been wrong. Ron felt sick as he remembered the fear in Hermione's eyes. Why didn't he let her go and leave it at that? Suddenly a thought formed in his mind: he should go after Hermione, and apologise to her, make her see that he'd only acted like that because he loved her so much he could barely stand it. He stood and marched purposefully out of the library; but quickly stopped, completely bewildered. Of course, he had no idea which way Hermione had gone, and what kind of state she was in after his awful treatment of her. He concentrated on her, trying to perceive her emotions, and murmured, 'trouve', the finding spell. Suddenly a tiny blue light flickered in front of his eyes for an instant, then floated away down the corridor. Ron ran after it, his spirits rising a little at thought of explaining to Hermione why he had did what he did.
~*~
Harry turned a corner and stopped in his tracks, stunned. On the floor before him lay Hermione. Her skin was deathly pale; her lips were grey; all around her were trails of blood. Written on the floor in the blood was the whole song that had been haunting Hermione since the beginning of term.
Feel my fury, feel my pain,
Feel your life begin to drain,
Feel my power, feel my might,
You will lose your life tonight.
When the churchbell strikes midnight,
When the moon is shining bright,
When you leave your tower high,
Then it is your time to die.
By the river is a boat,
Ride it down to Arthur's moat
Then your blood will run ice-cold,
And you will die before you're old.
As you float, your body still,
You'll pass by cottage and by mill,
And all the while life ticks away,
Until the sunrise starts the day.
Your body numb, your mind goes black,
You force yourself to beat death back,
Although you know you cannot win,
You fight the darkness creeping in.
And in the end when all is lost,
The world will all find out the cost,
That's suffered when you mess with me,
I will win eventually.
Those who see you lying there,
Will see your face, your golden hair,
They'll see you lying, moving not,
The lifeless Lady of Shallot.
Harry felt his breath come short, but forced himself to stay calm. The dying rays of sun shone through a high up window, turning Hermione's mouse- brown hair to gold.
'Hermione,' he murmured, dropping to his knees before her still body. He reached for her wrist, hardly breathing, praying that she wasn't dead. As he reached for her arm, he touched a drop of the blood. Instantly the world began spinning.
~*~
Ron ran along the corridor, fighting to keep up with the tiny blue spark flying a few metres in front of him. He reached the end of the corridor and ricocheted into the wall and down the next corridor, never taking his eyes from the spark. His heart leapt into his throat when he turned the next corner. A body lay on the floor with someone leaning over it; someone with a familiar mop of messy black hair. As he watched, Harry reached for Hermione's wrist- and disappeared from sight. Ron jumped forward to the spot where Hermione and Harry had been only a second ago. The blood still streaked the floor, and Ron twisted his head to hastily read the song. He looked around desperately, trying to find some clue as to where Harry and Hermione had gone. His gaze swept the floor and landed on a small vial. It was small and clear, and contained scarlet liquid. He stooped to lift it, holding it in his fingers for mere seconds before he blacked out.
Whee, that chapter was long in the making. I hope it was ok. Please review. We are near the end: it's all very exciting! Haha.
