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Hermione sat outside in the courtyard, the winter winds blowing her hair about. Her eyebrows were furrowed with intense focus, her nose buried into the pages of a slim, brown-leather book. Every now and then she would shift her position stiffly, taking an odd pose, reach up to brush hair out of her face, or turn a page swiftly. Harry watched her every movement intently, without fully understanding why he was watching her.
He strode around the perimeter of the courtyard until he was behind Hermione. A gust of wind swept up and caught her hair, causing her to fight it back down, and behind, her head, out of frustration. He quietly crept up behind her. Approaching the tree next to the bench Hermione occupied.
Leaning up against the tree slightly to the side of her shoulder, Harry looked down at the book. "What are you reading?" he asked suddenly.
Hermione jumped, dropping her book, and quickly turned around to face him. To his surprise, she glared at him, with her wand was outstretched pointing directly at his heart.
"HARRY! It's only you!" she lowered her wand and returned to the stone bench. Harry slid onto the bench next to her, picking up the book she had been previously reading and closed it gently.
"Self Defense: Charms to Disarm, Moves of Caution? Why are you reading this, Herm?"
Hermione looked up into Harry's concerned eyes, while quickly snatching the book away from him. "No reason." she muttered. Harry continued to stare at her with a questioning look. Hermione snapped her head away from him. Then she turned back saying "Look at the time, we are going to be late for Transfiguration!"
Her bag, already bulging, screamed with protest at the addition of another book, no matter how thin or small it was. As she started to walk away, Harry grabbed her arm, "You are hiding something. Why can't you tell me, or Ron?" Hermione struggled to get away, even though Harry's voice wasn't threatening. He tightened his grip, "Hermione! Come on!"
"Look," she said, distracting him for a split second during which she yanked her arm away, "I could never discuss this with Ron. As for you," she began quietly while rubbing the white pressure marks Harry's grip had imprinted on her skin, "I can't tell you because I-"
"HARRY! Harry," Ron shouted across the courtyard, running as fast as he could. Harry noted that Hermione shrank away from Ron as he approached, moving to the opposite side of the bench while busying herself with her bag. "Harry, Wood's come to visit, along with Fred and George!"
Ron dragged a reluctant Harry off to the entrance hall, leaving Hermione standing alone in the cold weather. She watched them reach the corridors, and turn out of sight.
"I can't tell you, because I would never want to hurt you."
~|~
The Great Hall was crowded, as usual, but this time Oliver Wood and the Weasley twins had come to visit, taking up space that wasn't there. Harry half listened to everything around him, engulfed in his own thoughts too much to fully care. A sudden burst of laughter boomed, from the Gryffindor table, at the ending of yet another one of the twin's stories.
Ron was arguing with his brothers about a new toy they had invented; a bear that morphed into a spider, Harry realized that a certain someone wasn't present at the dinner table.
"Ron, where's Hermione?" he questioned worriedly.
Ron said, all too sweetly, "I don't know. How about I go look for her?"
"I dunno." Harry started, "maybe you shouldn't."
"What? Am I not good enough or something, or have I done something?"
"I don't know, I just meant maybe-"
"Look," Ron said sharply, with a cold, flinty stare that bore into Harry, "I don't know WHAT she has said, but I am very close to her and am going to go and find her, on my own." With that, he slammed down his cup and stormed out of the hall.
"What's up with him?" Fred mumbled through a full mouth.
"I don't know, but, I sure as hell am going to figure it out."
Hermione sat outside in the courtyard, the winter winds blowing her hair about. Her eyebrows were furrowed with intense focus, her nose buried into the pages of a slim, brown-leather book. Every now and then she would shift her position stiffly, taking an odd pose, reach up to brush hair out of her face, or turn a page swiftly. Harry watched her every movement intently, without fully understanding why he was watching her.
He strode around the perimeter of the courtyard until he was behind Hermione. A gust of wind swept up and caught her hair, causing her to fight it back down, and behind, her head, out of frustration. He quietly crept up behind her. Approaching the tree next to the bench Hermione occupied.
Leaning up against the tree slightly to the side of her shoulder, Harry looked down at the book. "What are you reading?" he asked suddenly.
Hermione jumped, dropping her book, and quickly turned around to face him. To his surprise, she glared at him, with her wand was outstretched pointing directly at his heart.
"HARRY! It's only you!" she lowered her wand and returned to the stone bench. Harry slid onto the bench next to her, picking up the book she had been previously reading and closed it gently.
"Self Defense: Charms to Disarm, Moves of Caution? Why are you reading this, Herm?"
Hermione looked up into Harry's concerned eyes, while quickly snatching the book away from him. "No reason." she muttered. Harry continued to stare at her with a questioning look. Hermione snapped her head away from him. Then she turned back saying "Look at the time, we are going to be late for Transfiguration!"
Her bag, already bulging, screamed with protest at the addition of another book, no matter how thin or small it was. As she started to walk away, Harry grabbed her arm, "You are hiding something. Why can't you tell me, or Ron?" Hermione struggled to get away, even though Harry's voice wasn't threatening. He tightened his grip, "Hermione! Come on!"
"Look," she said, distracting him for a split second during which she yanked her arm away, "I could never discuss this with Ron. As for you," she began quietly while rubbing the white pressure marks Harry's grip had imprinted on her skin, "I can't tell you because I-"
"HARRY! Harry," Ron shouted across the courtyard, running as fast as he could. Harry noted that Hermione shrank away from Ron as he approached, moving to the opposite side of the bench while busying herself with her bag. "Harry, Wood's come to visit, along with Fred and George!"
Ron dragged a reluctant Harry off to the entrance hall, leaving Hermione standing alone in the cold weather. She watched them reach the corridors, and turn out of sight.
"I can't tell you, because I would never want to hurt you."
~|~
The Great Hall was crowded, as usual, but this time Oliver Wood and the Weasley twins had come to visit, taking up space that wasn't there. Harry half listened to everything around him, engulfed in his own thoughts too much to fully care. A sudden burst of laughter boomed, from the Gryffindor table, at the ending of yet another one of the twin's stories.
Ron was arguing with his brothers about a new toy they had invented; a bear that morphed into a spider, Harry realized that a certain someone wasn't present at the dinner table.
"Ron, where's Hermione?" he questioned worriedly.
Ron said, all too sweetly, "I don't know. How about I go look for her?"
"I dunno." Harry started, "maybe you shouldn't."
"What? Am I not good enough or something, or have I done something?"
"I don't know, I just meant maybe-"
"Look," Ron said sharply, with a cold, flinty stare that bore into Harry, "I don't know WHAT she has said, but I am very close to her and am going to go and find her, on my own." With that, he slammed down his cup and stormed out of the hall.
"What's up with him?" Fred mumbled through a full mouth.
"I don't know, but, I sure as hell am going to figure it out."