At lunch that day, Harry's bad temper had, for some reason, returned, so
when Ron and Hermione had asked how his potions had gone, he had snapped at
them sharply and told them to clear off. They had not cleared off, and
Harry had taken out his wand at them, but caught himself before he snapped,
and, breathing deeply, had walked off. Ron and Hermione didn't speak to him
the rest of the day.
Harry had trouble falling asleep that night with his mind swirling around Aetius' story, and when the bells tolled for one in the morning, Harry gave up all hopes of rest, and seeing the light in Hagrid's hut still shining, he fetched his invisibility cloak and slipped out of Gryffindor tower and the rest of the castle to have a talk with Hagrid.
Harry stepped onto the grass outside the Entrance Hall and breathed a sigh of relief; he was finally going back to Hagrid's hut, something he had been yearning for a long time.
He was so glad that he hardly noticed Ron and Hermione standing out on the grounds alone until he almost bumped into them. He wondered what they were doing out here. As he moved closer, Harry realized that they were in the middle of a conversation that he was definitely not supposed to be part of.
"I do understand, Hermione," Ron was saying. He was speaking in a low, soft voice Harry had never heard him use.
"You're worried about Harry."
"Yes," whispered Hermione, "he's been getting so angry lately," Harry felt stung, as if Hermione knew he was in hearing range, that is to say, two feet away from them. "He's a powerful wizard, Ron, but he's losing himself so much! We're his friends, Ron, we've got to help him out of it, he can't do it by himself, we've just got to help him, Ron. And I know he's hiding something from us, don't you remember when he turned up in Grimmuald Place and you asked him, 'what happened to you?' and he was all nervous and everything? Somewhere he learned a lot of magic, and he's using it, too. . . . 'Member all those spells he used against Malfoy when they had that duel? And the wandless magic? And how about all his lessons that he's suddenly become top of? "
"I know, I know. . . ." said Ron. "But maybe there is someone who could help us: that new girl, Emma. Remember her? Harry likes her, a lot, I know that, and she could help him sort out his anger, and she also needs the help Harry gives her, he was the one who calmed her down at that first match against Hufflepuff. He motioned to her and they whispered to each other for a bit, and then she was suddenly all fine. They definitely like each other . . . the way I like you," he whispered.
Harry noticed that Ron's arms were moving up Hermione's back until his hands were resting on her shoulders, with his arms under hers.
"I really like you, too, Ron," Hermione said softly. They were standing very close to each other, and Harry decided to give them privacy whether they knew it or not and turned and went back to Gryffindor tower, his desire to talk to Hagrid completely satiated. . . .
* * *
Harry had trouble falling asleep that night with his mind swirling around Aetius' story, and when the bells tolled for one in the morning, Harry gave up all hopes of rest, and seeing the light in Hagrid's hut still shining, he fetched his invisibility cloak and slipped out of Gryffindor tower and the rest of the castle to have a talk with Hagrid.
Harry stepped onto the grass outside the Entrance Hall and breathed a sigh of relief; he was finally going back to Hagrid's hut, something he had been yearning for a long time.
He was so glad that he hardly noticed Ron and Hermione standing out on the grounds alone until he almost bumped into them. He wondered what they were doing out here. As he moved closer, Harry realized that they were in the middle of a conversation that he was definitely not supposed to be part of.
"I do understand, Hermione," Ron was saying. He was speaking in a low, soft voice Harry had never heard him use.
"You're worried about Harry."
"Yes," whispered Hermione, "he's been getting so angry lately," Harry felt stung, as if Hermione knew he was in hearing range, that is to say, two feet away from them. "He's a powerful wizard, Ron, but he's losing himself so much! We're his friends, Ron, we've got to help him out of it, he can't do it by himself, we've just got to help him, Ron. And I know he's hiding something from us, don't you remember when he turned up in Grimmuald Place and you asked him, 'what happened to you?' and he was all nervous and everything? Somewhere he learned a lot of magic, and he's using it, too. . . . 'Member all those spells he used against Malfoy when they had that duel? And the wandless magic? And how about all his lessons that he's suddenly become top of? "
"I know, I know. . . ." said Ron. "But maybe there is someone who could help us: that new girl, Emma. Remember her? Harry likes her, a lot, I know that, and she could help him sort out his anger, and she also needs the help Harry gives her, he was the one who calmed her down at that first match against Hufflepuff. He motioned to her and they whispered to each other for a bit, and then she was suddenly all fine. They definitely like each other . . . the way I like you," he whispered.
Harry noticed that Ron's arms were moving up Hermione's back until his hands were resting on her shoulders, with his arms under hers.
"I really like you, too, Ron," Hermione said softly. They were standing very close to each other, and Harry decided to give them privacy whether they knew it or not and turned and went back to Gryffindor tower, his desire to talk to Hagrid completely satiated. . . .
* * *