Escape from the Darkness: Chapter 8

As Hermione's sobbing came to a halt, Ron pulled away from her and took a deep breath. Hermione panicked, knowing what was coming. She shook her head, feeling the threat of resurfacing tears. "Ron, please, don't—"

He put a finger to her lips, silencing her. "Hermione…" he gazed into her eyes intently. The look on his face was so different from the Ron she knew, so much that it scared her. "Hermione, I've liked you for a long time." He paused for the briefest moment, and Hermione tried to speak, but was silenced again when Ron continued. "In fact, I'm in love with you."

All of the time she had spent worrying about Ron since Harry had told her about his feelings hadn't prepared her for this moment. She stared in shock. Finally she realized that tears were beginning to roll down her cheeks and Ron was still watching her with anticipation. "I'm sorry Ron." She tried to take a deep breath. "You're one of the best friends I've ever had, but I don't feel the same way about you." Her voice cracked during the last few words as she watched him.

He looked completely stunned. She expected him to be angry, to scream and yell at her. It was Ron, after all. However, he didn't do any of those things.

"Okay, Hermione," he said softly, then walked away. She stared after him, unable to comprehend his reaction. It was so unlike him to just accept it and leave. It scared her to see him acting so odd about it, different from the way she would have thought.

************

Harry sat on a rock between the lake and the castle, watching Ron and Hermione near the shore. Harry felt a terrible aching in his chest at the sight of the two of them together. Both he and Ron had been worried when Hermione hadn't come to dinner, especially when some of their classmates mentioned seeing her running through the halls, in an agitated state. Ron had insisted on going to see her. Alone. Harry was able to take a hint—it was obvious that Ron was hoping to comfort her… and possibly to tell Hermione how he had felt about her for all these years. Ron had attempted to tell her several times before, but had lost his nerve each time. Maybe tonight would be the night? Harry was pretty sure that Hermione didn't see Ron in that way, and he had, in the past, attempted to discourage Ron from saying anything to her.

However, once he had realized his own feelings for Ron, Harry had begun to wonder if he had done that because he was jealous. What if Hermione really was in love with Ron? She hadn't really told Harry whether or not she was—instead, she had been relatively vague about her feelings…

His fears were dispelled when he saw Ron rushing away from where Hermione was standing. Harry had known that one of three things would happen. The one he had expected would be that Ron wouldn't be able to tell her. However, it seemed that he had. The only other two options had been for her to reject him or to tell him that she felt the same. It was obvious by Ron's state which of those had occurred.

"Ron!" Harry yelled as Ron passed him. Ron just ignored him. Harry stood up and tried to catch up with him. "Ron!"

Ron turned around abruptly and gave Harry an icy glare. "Leave me alone, Harry."

Harry stared after Ron, open-mouthed, feeling like he had just been stung. The tone that Ron had used was one that he reserved for Malfoy or others that he disliked. He never spoke that way to Harry. The thing that hurt Harry most was that he knew that he deserved it.

Imagine, I was actually wishing that Hermione would refuse Ron. I knew that it would make him miserable, yet I still hoped it would happen. Suddenly Harry felt terrible, ready to be sick. He was a horrible person. His happiness would come as a result of the person he loved most being upset. Harry sighed. Why did it have to be like this?

************

Hermione grudgingly got out of bed the next morning. She knew what day it was—September 19th. Her seventeenth birthday. She was now considered an adult in the wizarding world. However, she didn't feel happy or excited. She just wanted to spend the entire day locked up in her room. But, Hermione had class, and she supposed that she should do something enjoyable today. So she decided to go.

When Hermione got down to the Great Hall, she didn't see Ron anywhere. Sitting next to Harry, she noticed that he looked as sad as she felt. There were dark circles under his eyes, as though he hadn't slept at all. "Harry?" she said tentatively.

"Oh, hello, Hermione," he stated, seeing her for the first time.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, it's just that Ron…"

"Is he okay?"

"He seems pretty upset. He only spoke to me once, and that was to tell me to go away. He hasn't said anything to anybody other than that."

Harry turned to her, and angry look on his face. "What did you say to him?" he demanded. Hermione's heart sank and she felt tears form in her eyes at the harshness of his voice.

"I just told him that he was only a friend and nothing more. That's it, Harry," she whispered. What did he think she should have said? It would have been cruel to lead him on when she wasn't interested.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I just hate to see him like this." Harry gave her a sympathetic look. Based on the glance Harry gave her, Hermione imagined that she must look very depressed. "I have to go. I'll see you in Potions." He gave her a hug, and then walked away.

She sighed and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She felt like it was completely her fault that Ron was acting this way. He had seemed to think that she felt the same way as he did. If only she had seen the signs sooner, she would have been able to make it easier on both of them.

Hermione frowned when she realized that Professor Snape was staring at her, and had been watching her the entire time since she had walked into the hall. With a scowl, she thought, he's probably enjoying my misery. She noticed that Fleur Delacour was talking to him, but he didn't seem to be paying attention. His gaze was fixed on Hermione. She felt her heart beating quickly and her face turning red. She thought about her reaction to seeing him with Professor Delacour the day before. It was stupid, really. It was nothing that she should be concerned about. Despite the fact that she knew that Fleur was completely wrong for him. The type of woman who would be good for him would be someone who respected his brainpower, and could hold her own in an intelligent conversation with him. Someone who was interested in learning new things, researching and reading. Someone like Hermione.

************

Severus walked into his classroom, pleased that the chatter stopped completely once the students caught sight of him. Breakfast had seemed longer than usual, with Delacour talking to him like she had been normally. Apparently she hadn't been able to take a hint. Or she was just extremely persistent. She wasn't completely daft, so he supposed that the latter was true. However, it led him to believe that she truly was after only one thing. His money.

Instead of actually listening to her, he had watched Hermione Granger and Harry Potter. Something Potter had said made Granger upset. Then Potter hugged her, which evoked a strange feeling inside of Severus. Jealousy? Absolutely not, he thought to himself. More like disdain. Potter was an idiot who didn't seem to understand how superior Hermione Granger was to him.

Recently, Severus had been thinking of nothing but her. He knew that she had been in the dungeons the night before and was still wondering if she had seen him with Fleur Delacour. Was that what she was upset about? He doubted it. It was probably something to do with Potter or Weasley.

His thoughts were confirmed when Weasley walked into the room late. Severus immediately took off points for tardiness, and surprisingly, Weasley looked as though he didn't really care. He seemed distraught, and walked to his normal seat next to Potter, without acknowledging either him or Granger, both of whom gave him questioning glances. Severus decided that there must be some sort of lovers' quarrel between Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Or maybe Weasley was envious because she apparently preferred Potter over him.

Severus had been able to admit that he was beginning to regard Miss Granger above the rest of the students and most of the staff. However, he was still infuriated that somebody as brilliant as her spent all of her time with those two dolts.

He began the class as usual, instructing the seventh-years on the proper procedure to make a very difficult burn healing potion. He was interrupted when Fleur Delacour came to the door. "Severus, can you help me for a moment?"

Gesturing towards the students who were now filling their cauldrons with an irritated look on his face, he snapped, "I'm in the middle of teaching a class."

He stood by impatiently as she asked him yet another question about her Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Did she really have to come to him for every insignificant problem? He turned back to his class and his eyes fell on Granger, who was looking at Delacour until she left. Then her eyes met his own. He was taken aback by the expression on her face. However, he was unable to contain a feeling deep down inside of him, one of immense glee.

Hermione Granger was jealous.