Next day, Harry went for his Transfiguration class with Neville. They weren't talking much, none of them didn't really have something to talk about, they just walked together.
In the classroom they separated. Neville seated in the back while Harry took his usual seat in the front beside Ron, but this time Ron wasn't there.
"Silence class. Today you are learning how to turn an object into a goblin. It is a hard spell that demands much practice from all of you." Everyone sighed. "Terreni Goblinum." She said and flicked her wand up, down and then touched her desk. The desk turned into a really ugly goblin. "Terreni Goblinium." The goblin returned to be only a desk. Malfoy smirked at what McGonagall said - as usual.
"Mr. Malfoy. Turn your book into a goblin." McGonagall said quickly when she noticed. He took his wand out and tried to turn it to a goblin, but only half of the book transformed.
"Turn it back to a book Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Potter, give it a try." Harry took up his wand and tried the spell on his bag. He had learned a lot from everything Hermione had said about how important it is to say the spell clearly correct. "Terreni Goblinum." He said and the bag turned into a goblin.
"Excellent Mr. Potter. 5 points for Gryffindor. Now, turn it back. Then you are free to go." He was shocked. Professor McGonagall was never the one to let them go before end of class.
"Terreni Goblinium." The goblin returned to a bag.
"Practice this spell until the end of class the rest of you. Come tell me when you've turned it into a goblin." Harry grabbed his things and left the classroom. Everyone else was in class and the next class began in an hour so he decided to go back to the common room. On his way he met Peeves taking the first years wands and hiding them all around the floor making them late for class with or without their wands. He found a wand in one of the paintings and cast a spell on it to find its master. The wand flew away and almost hit Luna between her eyes on its way to the floor below.
"Hello Harry..." she said shyly.
"Hey... What do you want? I'm in a hurry." He said as shortly as he could. He didn't want to talk to her.
"I... I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for everything that's happened."
"Well, now it's to late. It's not going to make anything better by asking for forgiveness!" he snapped and walked away from her. "By the way, glad you woke up." He said over his shoulder as he walked.
"Harry!" Luna shouted. "You don't have to be like that you know!! How could I know that the deatheather's would be there?!" Harry tried not to listen to her as he walked but, he knew, she was right.
"Hello Harry." The large painting infront of him said friendly. "Password?"
"Crispy shallows." The large painting opened and revealed a hole that lead into Gryffindors common room. He walked in and sat down infront of the large fire gazing into the hot flames.
Half an hour later he heard the painting open. He looked up but no one came. He felt something sweeping by him but he couldn't see anything. ("Either a ghost or someone under an invisibility cloak.") he thought to himself. He went after whatever it was up to the boys dormitory where he heard the door being opened and closed very quickly. He tried to open it but it was locked. Harry didn't even know you could lock these doors. Before he even had the chance to cast Alohomora on the door, he heard the painting open once again. He decided not to bother open the door so he went down to the common room to see who came.
At the last step he heard someone rushing against him and before he could react he laid on the floor with someone hugging him really closely. It was no doubt to guess who it was with all that fluffy hair.
"Hermione!" He hugged her back, as if he she was a long lost love, gone for years.
"When did you wake up?" he said happily as they got up on their feet several minutes later.
"During Transfiguration class. When I got there, Professor McGonagall said you had left already so I went here looking for you. Do you know how horrible it is to lay in a bed and both hear, feel and see every person that comes to visit you? It's awful not to be able to do anything at all!" She walked over to the fire and sat down in the sofa. Harry was not sure if he had heard right.
"Do you mean that all along, you were awake? Why didn't you....."
"Harry, I was awake but my body wasn't." She felt tears coming to her eyes. "It was horrible seeing your sad face every day and to not be able to do anything at all to make that face happy again. Day after day, it made me sad." Harry sat down beside her and linked his fingers in hers.
"I'm sorry Hermione, but I couldn't think of anything else. I had to be there with you. I had no one else to be with..."
"But what about Ron?" Harry looked her deeply in the eyes when she mentioned him. She saw complete sadness. "Ron....... Ron sacrificed himself for you Hermione. He fought the deatheather's while I escaped with you..." Hermione began crying loudly. "But we still don't know if he's dead! He could be alive out there somewhere. Dumbledore is looking for him right now." He tried to comfort her as good as he could, but it didn't help. "Hermione..." He hugged her close to him and held her for a couple of minutes. It felt good to hold her in his arms. He looked at the clock and saw it was time for the next class. "Hermione, the class begins in five minutes. Are you coming?" he said in her ear.
"....No... I think I'll stay here..." Harry didn't say anymore because he completely understood her. He pulled away from her and wiped the tears from her face. "I'll be back soon ok? I'll get you for lunch."
She nodded. "I think I'll go rest a little bit..." Harry got up and grabbed his stuff. He looked back at Hermione that already was on her way up the stairs. "Hermione?" She turned around and stood eye to eye with him. He took a step closer, grabbed her by the waist and gave her a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him kiss her until he pulled away. "Don't worry about Ron, I promise you he's alive." He whispered softly in the embrace. She nodded and hugged him before he left. When the portrait had closed after him the tears came back. "I know you're doing your best to make me feel happy Harry... And I love you for that." She walked to the girls dormitory and fell asleep immediately when she laid her head on the pillow.
The weeks flew by without any sign if Ron or any message from Dumbledore. Malfoy began to get rather annoying – more than usual - by this time and Harry and Hermione avoided him as soon as they got the chance. They even skipped a potions class which Snape gave them twice as much homework for. The relationship between them were getting more intense each day that went by. Malfoy had really fun about it but Harry just figured that it was jealousy since he didn't have any girl to hang out with. Cho looked rather messed up about it all. When they walked past her in the corridor he noticed her pretending not to see them at all. "How are we supposed to be able to do all this homework in one week!" Harry complained at lunch.
"Don't worry Harry. We'll just have to study all the time I guess."
"But I have quidditch practice two days a week. I can't skip that! We need to practice a lot to the next match against Slytherin." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Harry, is it you or the rest of the team that needs to practice? You've lost one game in all these years you've been here. You can't say that you're no good at quidditch." She was right of course. He didn't need to practice as much as everyone else did. But still, the reserve keeper needed some training and Harry was practically the captain of the team at this point.
"Come on Harry, the rest of the team will be allright! They can train the keeper, I promise you."
"I hope you're right." He seated and took a little to eat. Hermione looked at her schedule.
"Hey Harry, our next class isn't starting for over 2 hours. Now we have time to do our homework!" She smiled at him.
"No way! Are you serious?" He looked at the schedule. "Aw man..." Hermione laughed at him.
"Fine then. Let's go and get our books so we can get this over with." Harry said.
In the classroom they separated. Neville seated in the back while Harry took his usual seat in the front beside Ron, but this time Ron wasn't there.
"Silence class. Today you are learning how to turn an object into a goblin. It is a hard spell that demands much practice from all of you." Everyone sighed. "Terreni Goblinum." She said and flicked her wand up, down and then touched her desk. The desk turned into a really ugly goblin. "Terreni Goblinium." The goblin returned to be only a desk. Malfoy smirked at what McGonagall said - as usual.
"Mr. Malfoy. Turn your book into a goblin." McGonagall said quickly when she noticed. He took his wand out and tried to turn it to a goblin, but only half of the book transformed.
"Turn it back to a book Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Potter, give it a try." Harry took up his wand and tried the spell on his bag. He had learned a lot from everything Hermione had said about how important it is to say the spell clearly correct. "Terreni Goblinum." He said and the bag turned into a goblin.
"Excellent Mr. Potter. 5 points for Gryffindor. Now, turn it back. Then you are free to go." He was shocked. Professor McGonagall was never the one to let them go before end of class.
"Terreni Goblinium." The goblin returned to a bag.
"Practice this spell until the end of class the rest of you. Come tell me when you've turned it into a goblin." Harry grabbed his things and left the classroom. Everyone else was in class and the next class began in an hour so he decided to go back to the common room. On his way he met Peeves taking the first years wands and hiding them all around the floor making them late for class with or without their wands. He found a wand in one of the paintings and cast a spell on it to find its master. The wand flew away and almost hit Luna between her eyes on its way to the floor below.
"Hello Harry..." she said shyly.
"Hey... What do you want? I'm in a hurry." He said as shortly as he could. He didn't want to talk to her.
"I... I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for everything that's happened."
"Well, now it's to late. It's not going to make anything better by asking for forgiveness!" he snapped and walked away from her. "By the way, glad you woke up." He said over his shoulder as he walked.
"Harry!" Luna shouted. "You don't have to be like that you know!! How could I know that the deatheather's would be there?!" Harry tried not to listen to her as he walked but, he knew, she was right.
"Hello Harry." The large painting infront of him said friendly. "Password?"
"Crispy shallows." The large painting opened and revealed a hole that lead into Gryffindors common room. He walked in and sat down infront of the large fire gazing into the hot flames.
Half an hour later he heard the painting open. He looked up but no one came. He felt something sweeping by him but he couldn't see anything. ("Either a ghost or someone under an invisibility cloak.") he thought to himself. He went after whatever it was up to the boys dormitory where he heard the door being opened and closed very quickly. He tried to open it but it was locked. Harry didn't even know you could lock these doors. Before he even had the chance to cast Alohomora on the door, he heard the painting open once again. He decided not to bother open the door so he went down to the common room to see who came.
At the last step he heard someone rushing against him and before he could react he laid on the floor with someone hugging him really closely. It was no doubt to guess who it was with all that fluffy hair.
"Hermione!" He hugged her back, as if he she was a long lost love, gone for years.
"When did you wake up?" he said happily as they got up on their feet several minutes later.
"During Transfiguration class. When I got there, Professor McGonagall said you had left already so I went here looking for you. Do you know how horrible it is to lay in a bed and both hear, feel and see every person that comes to visit you? It's awful not to be able to do anything at all!" She walked over to the fire and sat down in the sofa. Harry was not sure if he had heard right.
"Do you mean that all along, you were awake? Why didn't you....."
"Harry, I was awake but my body wasn't." She felt tears coming to her eyes. "It was horrible seeing your sad face every day and to not be able to do anything at all to make that face happy again. Day after day, it made me sad." Harry sat down beside her and linked his fingers in hers.
"I'm sorry Hermione, but I couldn't think of anything else. I had to be there with you. I had no one else to be with..."
"But what about Ron?" Harry looked her deeply in the eyes when she mentioned him. She saw complete sadness. "Ron....... Ron sacrificed himself for you Hermione. He fought the deatheather's while I escaped with you..." Hermione began crying loudly. "But we still don't know if he's dead! He could be alive out there somewhere. Dumbledore is looking for him right now." He tried to comfort her as good as he could, but it didn't help. "Hermione..." He hugged her close to him and held her for a couple of minutes. It felt good to hold her in his arms. He looked at the clock and saw it was time for the next class. "Hermione, the class begins in five minutes. Are you coming?" he said in her ear.
"....No... I think I'll stay here..." Harry didn't say anymore because he completely understood her. He pulled away from her and wiped the tears from her face. "I'll be back soon ok? I'll get you for lunch."
She nodded. "I think I'll go rest a little bit..." Harry got up and grabbed his stuff. He looked back at Hermione that already was on her way up the stairs. "Hermione?" She turned around and stood eye to eye with him. He took a step closer, grabbed her by the waist and gave her a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him kiss her until he pulled away. "Don't worry about Ron, I promise you he's alive." He whispered softly in the embrace. She nodded and hugged him before he left. When the portrait had closed after him the tears came back. "I know you're doing your best to make me feel happy Harry... And I love you for that." She walked to the girls dormitory and fell asleep immediately when she laid her head on the pillow.
The weeks flew by without any sign if Ron or any message from Dumbledore. Malfoy began to get rather annoying – more than usual - by this time and Harry and Hermione avoided him as soon as they got the chance. They even skipped a potions class which Snape gave them twice as much homework for. The relationship between them were getting more intense each day that went by. Malfoy had really fun about it but Harry just figured that it was jealousy since he didn't have any girl to hang out with. Cho looked rather messed up about it all. When they walked past her in the corridor he noticed her pretending not to see them at all. "How are we supposed to be able to do all this homework in one week!" Harry complained at lunch.
"Don't worry Harry. We'll just have to study all the time I guess."
"But I have quidditch practice two days a week. I can't skip that! We need to practice a lot to the next match against Slytherin." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Harry, is it you or the rest of the team that needs to practice? You've lost one game in all these years you've been here. You can't say that you're no good at quidditch." She was right of course. He didn't need to practice as much as everyone else did. But still, the reserve keeper needed some training and Harry was practically the captain of the team at this point.
"Come on Harry, the rest of the team will be allright! They can train the keeper, I promise you."
"I hope you're right." He seated and took a little to eat. Hermione looked at her schedule.
"Hey Harry, our next class isn't starting for over 2 hours. Now we have time to do our homework!" She smiled at him.
"No way! Are you serious?" He looked at the schedule. "Aw man..." Hermione laughed at him.
"Fine then. Let's go and get our books so we can get this over with." Harry said.