Chapter 5

It was half past midnight when Harry suddenly sat straight up on his mattress, shivering and sweating. He had just awoken from one of his terrible nightmares in which were mixed together some past events like the death of Cedric Diggory, followed by the  reproachful look from Cedric's parents on him, and unbelievable scenes from the building of an army for the Dark Lord including some Dementors, the creatures he most feared in the world.

He was about to lay down back to sleep when he heard some noise coming from the kitchen. The door  was open and he focused himself on the sound coming from it. He was maybe dreaming but he would have sworn that  someone was crying in the kitchen. He couldn't sleep anymore so he decided to have a closer look. He stood up silently from his mattress and walked on tip-toes to reach the framing of the door.

What he saw there took out his breath and made the butterflies come back in his stomach. By the moonlight he could see the outline of  Hermione. She was standing alone, leaning her head against  the entrance glazed door. She was wiping away some tears with her left hand and  was clenching a page of the Daily Prophet  in the right one. She didn't notice him. He didn't know what to do. He never had to deal with something like this and the worst was that a few month ago, he would have known how to handle this : He would have simply come close to her and asked what the matter was like he would do for Ron. Then he would have patted her on the back and would have left right away.

But at that moment, everything was different. He couldn't hide the truth from himself anymore. Of course, he was feeling some  strange emotions for girls, he knew this from last year when he had a crush on Cho, but he never really noticed that Hermione was also a girl. No, that's a lie. He noticed it last year at the Yule Ball. She was amazingly beautiful there and he remembered being a little bit jealous of Krum. Anyway, he had other problems in mind at that time and didn't really bother. But there he was, in the framing of the door and next minute, she was going to spin around and see him. He had to find something to do or to say before that or it will be the worst situation he had ever experienced, including Dementors.

So he decided to move closer, thinking hard of what should be the first words to say. But the closer he got from her and the more difficult it was for him to focus on what he had to say. He could see now why he felt so out of breath when he saw her, she had tied her hair into a high pony tail  and therefore allowed him to see the back of her neck and  shoulders. That was it! Apart from the ball, Hermione was always wearing boy stuff or the Hogwards uniform. He never really saw her skin this way before tonight! She was actually wearing a small top with shoulder straps on  long pyjama trousers. She had changed also. It was obvious that she was becoming a real woman and apparently no longer wanted to hide it.

Harry was stuck in the middle of the kitchen, lost in these confusing thoughts when it happened ; she turned around and gave a jump when she saw him.

"Harry?! You scared me to death!" She looked positively confused and kind of ashamed that someone caught her being  weak. Hermione's pride was very high and Harry realise that it was the first time he was seeing her crying. Maybe he was the only person in the world who saw her cry! She was going to be furious. Quick, he had to find something to say!

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to... bother you." Harry was expecting Hermione to say something like "that's OK" and run at full speed into her room, but she didn't. She silently turned away and looked sadly back through the glazed door. She was acting really weird, Harry thought. Then, he didn't know exactly why, except that it was maybe the stupidest act  he would ever do in his life, he felt like she was asking for kind of a protection. Her silence sounded like an SOS to him.

 And so he did it. He walked towards her and came closer and closer until he could nearly feel the warmth of her body next to his own. He didn't even have time to think about the next step because at that very moment  Hermione turned around to face him and dissolved in tears. She flung herself into Harry's arm and completely let go.

It was a very strange moment for Harry who was both confused by holding a crying Hermione in his arm and thrilled by the contact of her skin. After a few moments, Hermione calmed herself down and moved back. They both stared at each other for a second and then, as if suddenly  reality was back to wake them from their dream, they realised how awkward the situation was and they both let go of each other in a very abrupt way.

Avoiding carefully to look at each other again and both reddening from nose to ears, they started to speak about what  had made Hermione cry.

Hermione was still sobbing and it was a little bit difficult for her to speak in a properly tone :

"I could't .. sleep because of Mrs Weasley's snoring." At this picture Harry couldn't held back a smile which had the nice effect to make Hermione smile too. The conversation was nearly back to normal between the two "friends." Hermione went on :

" I decided that I would ... come quietly to the kitchen to take one of my school books  in my trunk,... here, and bring it upstairs to read it and then ..." She stopped and fought very hard to hold back the tears suddenly reappearing on the edge of her eyes and  handed him the Daily Prophet article she had in her right hand. Harry could see the headline : "Masked Death Eaters frighten all London!"

" I found this in the cupboard. I guess Ron's mum didn't want to ... alarm me. Since my parents sent me by the Weasley last week, I'm really worrying about them. They looked kind of ... relieved that I wouldn't be with them anymore. You know Harry, they are both ... muggles and the week before they sent me here I.... heard them say to someone on the phone that London was not safe anymore for people like them these days. Then they received a letter from Hogwards addressed to them ...and not to... me. I saw "confidential" written on it. The next day...; I was here."

She pointed a line in the article to Harry : " ... important damages in Oakley Road, Flairview steet, ...She sighed and explained : "My house is in Flairview street and the daily prophet is not saying anything about the people who may be ... hurt!" This last word was too much and Harry could see how hard she was trying not to cry and loose her dignity again in front of him.She suddenly stood up straighter on her feet and took a deep breath before telling Harry that it was late and that they'd better go and sleep.

"Everything is going to be better with a bright new day tomorrow. Good night Harry." She took the book she originally came to pick up and was already halfway  up the stairs, when she turned to say a quick but somewhat really genuine "thanks" to Harry. Then, reddening again, she rushed to the bedroom and disappeared in the dark.

"Anytime." said Harry  to himself staring absentmindedly at the top of the stairs before heading back to his mattress in the living room.