Hermione had nightmares again that night about the attack on her
parents, and woke up shaking. It was Saturday, so many of the students were
sleeping in. However, Harry and Ron were halfway through their breakfast by
the time Hermione joined them. As she sat down, a flutter of wings overhead
made her look up desperately, searching for an owl that might be searching
for her.
Her heart jumped into her throat as a sleek screech owl soared down toward her. It landed deftly next to the plate of eggs and dropped the letter on Hermione's still empty plate.
Hermione opened it so hastily that she ripped the parchment, her eyes filling with tears at the thought of finally receiving word from her parents that they were okay. Harry and Ron leaned in close to read with her, their faces revealing their nervous expectation.
But when Hermione recognized the handwriting, she slammed her fist on the table and cried furiously, "Oh, it's from Victor!" She pushed Ron over as she leapt up and ran out of the Great Hall in a fit of rage.
She didn't stop running until she reached the lake. She glanced around quickly to make sure that no one else was out there, and then looked over the lake and screamed as long and hard as she could. A tentacle rose out of the lake in alarm, but otherwise the scream was absorbed unnoticed into the world around her.
Hermione sank, exhausted, underneath a beech tree nearby and pulled out Victor's letter. "I'm sorry," she whispered to it, as though it was perhaps offended that she had reacted so unpleasantly upon seeing the letter was not from her parents. She felt ashamed. She was not being strong for them. She took a deep breath to steady herself and began to read.
After a few minutes, Ron and Harry made their way out to her. Ron was carrying a bundle of food.
"Thought you might be hungry," he said. "But it's okay if you want to be alone." Hermione looked at him apologetically. Her eyes were shining. It was taking her every-thing to keep from crying. "Oh, Ron, I'm sorry I knocked you down. I had no right-"
"Forget it," he said. "A girl can't always be polite enough to say 'Get out of my way, you fool!'"
Hermione laughed weakly and folded up the letter. Harry and Ron sat down. Ron handed over the food he had brought her.
They sat in silence for a few minutes while Hermione ate her breakfast. Harry was gazing at cloud formations in the sky. Ron was looking out over the lake, pulling up blades of grass. Hermione was thinking about last year when Harry kept yelling at her and Ron when he was angry with people and circumstances that had nothing to do with them. She thought she had been patient with him at the time, but now she thought she might have done a bit better. All the same, it had proven to be good advice to point out to him that they were not the enemy, and would he please stop yelling at them. Hermione looked at the breakfast they had brought out to her and thought that perhaps she needed to take her own advice.
She looked up, deciding to say so, but realized that someone was standing behind them, looking as though she had wandered over by accident. Harry and Ron also looked up.
"All right, Luna?" asked Harry, with a clear attempt at a friendly smile. He had been oddly protective over her during the summer whenever her name was raised. Hermione looked at the two of them carefully. There didn't seem to be the romantic spark she'd seen with Cho. No, this was different.
Luna, for her part, was gazing intently at Hermione. "I know what you've been going through," she said, her huge eyes seeming to peer directly through Hermione's eyes and into her brain. Hermione's face set. She was going to lose her temper at this girl. However before she had a chance, Luna continued. "I have something to tell you that might help."
Without further ado, she knelt down and leaned forward so that her lips were just brushing Hermione's ear, and she began whispering so softly that Hermione had to strain to hear her. Ron leaned forward to eavesdrop, but without much luck.
"My mother died when I was nine," she whispered. "One of her experiments went wrong, and it was pretty clear she wasn't going to make it. She hung on for a few months. but. Anyway, it's hard being so worried. Everyone kept telling me to be strong for her." Hermione nodded. "But Mum told me they were wrong. She said I should be strong for me, because I had a rough time ahead. There was nothing I could do for her but love her."
Luna pulled away and smiled dreamily.
Hermione smiled back. "Thanks, Luna."
Luna stood up and walked away without a word to the others.
"Bye, then," said Ron, who then turned to Hermione. "What was that all about?"
But Hermione seemed to be in a deep state of reverie. It was the most sense Luna had ever made. She shook her head slightly. "It's personal. I really shouldn't."
Ron made a face at Luna, who was walking back toward the castle. "What is it with her, anyway? Come on, Hermione. We won't tell anyone."
"No."
It was then that Hermione noticed it had been several minutes since she'd felt fear. The short distraction really had made her feel a bit stronger.
Presently, Harry looked at her. "What did Victor have to say?"
"Oh, um," she wiped her hands in the grass and noticed that Ron was studying her. "He heard about my parents and said that he knows they'll be okay. And he wants me to bring them for a visit during Christmas break."
"I think they'll like that," said Harry.
"Yeah, they love to travel."
Ron looked back over the lake with the trace of a scowl playing in his eyes.
Her heart jumped into her throat as a sleek screech owl soared down toward her. It landed deftly next to the plate of eggs and dropped the letter on Hermione's still empty plate.
Hermione opened it so hastily that she ripped the parchment, her eyes filling with tears at the thought of finally receiving word from her parents that they were okay. Harry and Ron leaned in close to read with her, their faces revealing their nervous expectation.
But when Hermione recognized the handwriting, she slammed her fist on the table and cried furiously, "Oh, it's from Victor!" She pushed Ron over as she leapt up and ran out of the Great Hall in a fit of rage.
She didn't stop running until she reached the lake. She glanced around quickly to make sure that no one else was out there, and then looked over the lake and screamed as long and hard as she could. A tentacle rose out of the lake in alarm, but otherwise the scream was absorbed unnoticed into the world around her.
Hermione sank, exhausted, underneath a beech tree nearby and pulled out Victor's letter. "I'm sorry," she whispered to it, as though it was perhaps offended that she had reacted so unpleasantly upon seeing the letter was not from her parents. She felt ashamed. She was not being strong for them. She took a deep breath to steady herself and began to read.
After a few minutes, Ron and Harry made their way out to her. Ron was carrying a bundle of food.
"Thought you might be hungry," he said. "But it's okay if you want to be alone." Hermione looked at him apologetically. Her eyes were shining. It was taking her every-thing to keep from crying. "Oh, Ron, I'm sorry I knocked you down. I had no right-"
"Forget it," he said. "A girl can't always be polite enough to say 'Get out of my way, you fool!'"
Hermione laughed weakly and folded up the letter. Harry and Ron sat down. Ron handed over the food he had brought her.
They sat in silence for a few minutes while Hermione ate her breakfast. Harry was gazing at cloud formations in the sky. Ron was looking out over the lake, pulling up blades of grass. Hermione was thinking about last year when Harry kept yelling at her and Ron when he was angry with people and circumstances that had nothing to do with them. She thought she had been patient with him at the time, but now she thought she might have done a bit better. All the same, it had proven to be good advice to point out to him that they were not the enemy, and would he please stop yelling at them. Hermione looked at the breakfast they had brought out to her and thought that perhaps she needed to take her own advice.
She looked up, deciding to say so, but realized that someone was standing behind them, looking as though she had wandered over by accident. Harry and Ron also looked up.
"All right, Luna?" asked Harry, with a clear attempt at a friendly smile. He had been oddly protective over her during the summer whenever her name was raised. Hermione looked at the two of them carefully. There didn't seem to be the romantic spark she'd seen with Cho. No, this was different.
Luna, for her part, was gazing intently at Hermione. "I know what you've been going through," she said, her huge eyes seeming to peer directly through Hermione's eyes and into her brain. Hermione's face set. She was going to lose her temper at this girl. However before she had a chance, Luna continued. "I have something to tell you that might help."
Without further ado, she knelt down and leaned forward so that her lips were just brushing Hermione's ear, and she began whispering so softly that Hermione had to strain to hear her. Ron leaned forward to eavesdrop, but without much luck.
"My mother died when I was nine," she whispered. "One of her experiments went wrong, and it was pretty clear she wasn't going to make it. She hung on for a few months. but. Anyway, it's hard being so worried. Everyone kept telling me to be strong for her." Hermione nodded. "But Mum told me they were wrong. She said I should be strong for me, because I had a rough time ahead. There was nothing I could do for her but love her."
Luna pulled away and smiled dreamily.
Hermione smiled back. "Thanks, Luna."
Luna stood up and walked away without a word to the others.
"Bye, then," said Ron, who then turned to Hermione. "What was that all about?"
But Hermione seemed to be in a deep state of reverie. It was the most sense Luna had ever made. She shook her head slightly. "It's personal. I really shouldn't."
Ron made a face at Luna, who was walking back toward the castle. "What is it with her, anyway? Come on, Hermione. We won't tell anyone."
"No."
It was then that Hermione noticed it had been several minutes since she'd felt fear. The short distraction really had made her feel a bit stronger.
Presently, Harry looked at her. "What did Victor have to say?"
"Oh, um," she wiped her hands in the grass and noticed that Ron was studying her. "He heard about my parents and said that he knows they'll be okay. And he wants me to bring them for a visit during Christmas break."
"I think they'll like that," said Harry.
"Yeah, they love to travel."
Ron looked back over the lake with the trace of a scowl playing in his eyes.