Hermione felt real again when she woke up the next morning. She felt
like she was no longer hiding from her emotions, and although she was
hurting terribly with worry over her parents, the hurt was comforting. No
more distractions, she decided. She needed this hurt until she knew her
parents were okay.
She walked down to breakfast with Harry and Ron, but they didn't say much to each other until mail came. Hermione's heart soared briefly as an owl came flying their way, but it was a note from Hagrid to Harry.
"Oh, no!" said Harry desperately as he read.
"What?" asked Ron.
Harry looked at them and handed over the note. Ron and Hermione huddled together to read the parchment that was damp with tears.
Grawp's dead.
Large pack of werewolves got him.
Don't come see me. Just thought you'd
want to know.
-Hagrid
They looked up at each other. Hermione was in shock. "This can't be."
"Poor Hagrid," said Ron.
The rest of the day was awful. Hermione couldn't concentrate in any of her classes. She seemed to float through the day in a daze of hurt. She was hardly aware of the world going on around her. She didn't even notice her strength enhancement potion was the wrong color until Snape started yelling at her, and she didn't notice he was yelling at her for almost a minute after he started. She also failed to transfigure her desk into a dog in Transfiguration, although Professor McGonagall did not yell, she merely assigned extra homework.
Hermione ate in silence once more at dinnertime, but she didn't stay long. She wasn't very hungry. She went up to the common room and began working on her homework. Harry and Ron soon joined her.
When she finished, she pulled out her letter to Victor, and continued writing. This time, she poured out all of her feelings, although she glossed over some of the reasons behind them.
She looked up as she signed her name and realized the common room was almost empty.
"Harry," she said, but he reached under the table to his bag and handed her his invisibility cloak. He smiled at her. Ron didn't look up.
Hermione didn't venture outside the castle this time, but rather wandered around to all of the halls she had never seen, and was surprised that even in her sixth year, that still comprised at least a fourth of the castle. She didn't run into anyone, not even Mrs. Norris. She heard Peeves clanging around in an empty classroom, but was careful to avoid his detection. After a few hours, it occurred to her she might have visited the house elves, but thought she was rather too tired to convince them of their enslavement tonight. She'd go back tomorrow.
It was quite late when she returned to the common room. Ron was sitting in a squashy chair in front of the fire, fast asleep. An open book lay on his lap, another two on the floor. Hermione tiptoed over to see what he was reading, and jumped back in shock.
The sudden movement roused Ron, who looked up at her, and then hastily tried to gather the books and shove them out of sight.
"Ron!" Hermione hissed, even though they were alone. "What are you doing with all of those books on curses?!" Ron looked at her sheepishly. "Don't you know you're breaking about a hundred school rules having those here?"
"Nah, Hermione-"
"Yes, Ron! And anyway why would you-"
"They're from the Restricted Section in the Library. I've got a note from Professor McGonagall."
He held up a slip of parchment. Hermione snatched it out of his hand and read it. She felt as if life had completely stopped making sense. 'Ron Weasley requires the following books for extracurricular studying.' But when did Ron ever do extracurricular studying? She looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
Ron stood up in front of her. As he tried to formulate what he was going to say, his ears began to redden. By the time he started speaking, his face was flushed as well.
"I just wanted to do something for you. I mean, with everything that's happened, you've been in such a foul mood, and it's like everyone's been able to help you out except me, so I was trying to find the curses they'd used on your parents to figure out the counter-curses. but I haven't been able to find anything in a week." He looked at his feet, disappointedly.
Hermione's brain was working fast. Ron never did extra reading. He had tried to attack the problem the way she always did. "What do you mean everyone's helped me out except you? I mean, you brought me breakfast that day, and you haven't gotten mad any of the times I've yelled at you-"
"I mean, like you talk to Ginny about how you're doing, and Victor, and you talked to Harry last night- he told me. And then like, Luna Lovegood made you feel better than you had since it happened, and even Neville defended you against Malfoy and his cronies. And, and that Ravenclaw guy copied his notes for you- and is he your boyfriend?" He said the last part so fast that Hermione started.
"No, of course not."
"Then who have you been going to see the last few nights, only I know you haven't been going to the library."
"How do you know that?" she asked nervously.
"You just look different after you've spent a few hours reading, like you're re-reading everything in your head, and you didn't look like that tonight or the other night, so do you have a boyfriend?" Ron winced like he was surprised to hear the last words coming from his mouth. His face was starting to purple.
Hermione looked at him and mouthed a few soundless words. Ron looked her in the eye and she shook her head. He smiled broadly, relief visible on his face. Hermione couldn't help but smile with him.
Ron took a step toward her and opened his mouth to say something, but a light tapping noise interrupted him. They both turned to see a brown owl clicking her beak against the common room window.
Hermione stood there, rooted to the spot. She was staring at the window with something like horror swelling within her. She thought she just might be feeling every emotion she had ever felt in her life all at once. Ron looked at her, and then went to the window and let the owl in.
It flew in, along with a chill draft, and circled Hermione, dropping the letter at her feet. Then it flew back out into the night. Ron closed the window and came to stand next to her. Hermione timidly picked up the letter and slowly opened it.
She didn't read a word it said. She took one look at the handwriting and shrieked brokenly, "They're okay!" She turned to Ron and buried her face in his chest. Ron stood perplexed for a second, and then wrapped his arms tightly around her. Hermione was crying hysterically. The dam was broken, and she let the flood out.
She walked down to breakfast with Harry and Ron, but they didn't say much to each other until mail came. Hermione's heart soared briefly as an owl came flying their way, but it was a note from Hagrid to Harry.
"Oh, no!" said Harry desperately as he read.
"What?" asked Ron.
Harry looked at them and handed over the note. Ron and Hermione huddled together to read the parchment that was damp with tears.
Grawp's dead.
Large pack of werewolves got him.
Don't come see me. Just thought you'd
want to know.
-Hagrid
They looked up at each other. Hermione was in shock. "This can't be."
"Poor Hagrid," said Ron.
The rest of the day was awful. Hermione couldn't concentrate in any of her classes. She seemed to float through the day in a daze of hurt. She was hardly aware of the world going on around her. She didn't even notice her strength enhancement potion was the wrong color until Snape started yelling at her, and she didn't notice he was yelling at her for almost a minute after he started. She also failed to transfigure her desk into a dog in Transfiguration, although Professor McGonagall did not yell, she merely assigned extra homework.
Hermione ate in silence once more at dinnertime, but she didn't stay long. She wasn't very hungry. She went up to the common room and began working on her homework. Harry and Ron soon joined her.
When she finished, she pulled out her letter to Victor, and continued writing. This time, she poured out all of her feelings, although she glossed over some of the reasons behind them.
She looked up as she signed her name and realized the common room was almost empty.
"Harry," she said, but he reached under the table to his bag and handed her his invisibility cloak. He smiled at her. Ron didn't look up.
Hermione didn't venture outside the castle this time, but rather wandered around to all of the halls she had never seen, and was surprised that even in her sixth year, that still comprised at least a fourth of the castle. She didn't run into anyone, not even Mrs. Norris. She heard Peeves clanging around in an empty classroom, but was careful to avoid his detection. After a few hours, it occurred to her she might have visited the house elves, but thought she was rather too tired to convince them of their enslavement tonight. She'd go back tomorrow.
It was quite late when she returned to the common room. Ron was sitting in a squashy chair in front of the fire, fast asleep. An open book lay on his lap, another two on the floor. Hermione tiptoed over to see what he was reading, and jumped back in shock.
The sudden movement roused Ron, who looked up at her, and then hastily tried to gather the books and shove them out of sight.
"Ron!" Hermione hissed, even though they were alone. "What are you doing with all of those books on curses?!" Ron looked at her sheepishly. "Don't you know you're breaking about a hundred school rules having those here?"
"Nah, Hermione-"
"Yes, Ron! And anyway why would you-"
"They're from the Restricted Section in the Library. I've got a note from Professor McGonagall."
He held up a slip of parchment. Hermione snatched it out of his hand and read it. She felt as if life had completely stopped making sense. 'Ron Weasley requires the following books for extracurricular studying.' But when did Ron ever do extracurricular studying? She looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
Ron stood up in front of her. As he tried to formulate what he was going to say, his ears began to redden. By the time he started speaking, his face was flushed as well.
"I just wanted to do something for you. I mean, with everything that's happened, you've been in such a foul mood, and it's like everyone's been able to help you out except me, so I was trying to find the curses they'd used on your parents to figure out the counter-curses. but I haven't been able to find anything in a week." He looked at his feet, disappointedly.
Hermione's brain was working fast. Ron never did extra reading. He had tried to attack the problem the way she always did. "What do you mean everyone's helped me out except you? I mean, you brought me breakfast that day, and you haven't gotten mad any of the times I've yelled at you-"
"I mean, like you talk to Ginny about how you're doing, and Victor, and you talked to Harry last night- he told me. And then like, Luna Lovegood made you feel better than you had since it happened, and even Neville defended you against Malfoy and his cronies. And, and that Ravenclaw guy copied his notes for you- and is he your boyfriend?" He said the last part so fast that Hermione started.
"No, of course not."
"Then who have you been going to see the last few nights, only I know you haven't been going to the library."
"How do you know that?" she asked nervously.
"You just look different after you've spent a few hours reading, like you're re-reading everything in your head, and you didn't look like that tonight or the other night, so do you have a boyfriend?" Ron winced like he was surprised to hear the last words coming from his mouth. His face was starting to purple.
Hermione looked at him and mouthed a few soundless words. Ron looked her in the eye and she shook her head. He smiled broadly, relief visible on his face. Hermione couldn't help but smile with him.
Ron took a step toward her and opened his mouth to say something, but a light tapping noise interrupted him. They both turned to see a brown owl clicking her beak against the common room window.
Hermione stood there, rooted to the spot. She was staring at the window with something like horror swelling within her. She thought she just might be feeling every emotion she had ever felt in her life all at once. Ron looked at her, and then went to the window and let the owl in.
It flew in, along with a chill draft, and circled Hermione, dropping the letter at her feet. Then it flew back out into the night. Ron closed the window and came to stand next to her. Hermione timidly picked up the letter and slowly opened it.
She didn't read a word it said. She took one look at the handwriting and shrieked brokenly, "They're okay!" She turned to Ron and buried her face in his chest. Ron stood perplexed for a second, and then wrapped his arms tightly around her. Hermione was crying hysterically. The dam was broken, and she let the flood out.