Disclaimer: All To J.K. Rowlings
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok, this one is between Hermione and Professor Lupin. It takes place soon after Sirius' death and is in Grimmauld Place. First Hermione, then Lupin, then Hermione, etc.
~~Salt~~
"Professor?"
"What is it now, Hermione?"
"I--nothing. I just wanted to...to talk."
"Could you talk to me later, Hermione? Right now I don't see anything coming close to me...except perhaps a very large glass of Firewhisky. Very large."
"But, Professor, I have to talk to someone."
"Talk to Harry."
"I tried, but I can't find him anywhere. I think that he's off mourning somewhere..."
"As I would like to be, Hermione."
"But you don't understand. I have to talk to someone."
"Then find Ron or Ginny or Snape for all I care! Just not me right now! I want to be left alone with my thoughts."
"And a good pint of ale to drown your sorrows in?"
"If one's available and I've got the money, yes."
"To think about him?"
"Wh--who?"
"You know who I mean, sir."
"Yes, I know who you mean."
"Good, that's what I want to talk about."
"What you want to talk about?! Hermione, never before have I considered you a busy body, but I'm seriously considering it right now."
"I'm not a busy body."
"Perhaps not purposely, but, yes, you are."
"I'm not."
"Then why do you wish to intrude so much on everyone else's grief and play at being a counselor?"
"Everyone else's grief?"
"Yes, everyone else's grief."
"That's not true, sir."
"Isn't it?"
"No. I share in that grief, perhaps more than you'd believe."
"I sincerely doubt that."
"Fine, doubt it if you want, but I know what I feel."
"I'm sure you do. Petty sadness and nosy pity for those who were close to him. You have shallow feelings, Hermione, unimportant feelings."
"You can't possibly mean that..."
"I do mean it! You didn't know him! You can't possibly understand the pain of it all! The agony! He was my only friend in the world still living. I had no one but him. I've lost my parents, my peers, my community, and I had no one until he came back from something worse than death, only to have him be taken away again. Even you, Ms. Sympathy, couldn't possibly understand that."
"Granted, my pain is not as deep as yours, but you must be very arrogant, very stupid, or both to think that his death would mean nothing to me."
"Hermione, leave. You're giving me a headache."
"No, sir, I will not."
"Excuse me?"
"I--I said--n-no, sir, I will--not."
"Why must you torture me?"
"Because you must talk!"
"You're very naïve, Hermione. I must do nothing."
"I am not naïve, sir! I know how to let loose my feelings; I know how to heal my own wounds. And you don't even try to heal yours. You just keep reopening it and pouring in the salt! You won't talk, but you must!"
"Did you ever consider the fact that I may like my wounds? Did you ever think that I don't heal them for a reason?"
"I can't fathom one reason to keep yourself in this agony, sir."
"So I don't forget!"
"Sir?"
"So I don't forget. I can't forget; I won't forget! I mustn't forget."
"But you needn't hurt yourself to remember."
"Yeah? Are you so sure about that?"
"Yes. You don't need the salt."
"The what?"
"Salt."
"What has salt got to do with anything?"
"Your scars can't heal with the way you're taking care of them. Wait, don't interrupt me. Like I said before, the minute your pain begins to fade, you rip the wound back open and pour in the salt! It is not I who tortures you. You torture yourself! I want to help you, not hurt you."
"Don't cry, Hermione."
"I'm not crying."
"Oh, God. This is too hard."
"I never told you it was easy."
"Yes, but you never said it would hurt..."
"No, but the pain is justified."
"As was my earlier pain."
"No. It's not the same. That pain hindered, this pain helps."
"How can you be so certain?"
"I don't know. I just am."
"I wish I had your faith in these matters."
"It isn't faith. It's more than that."
"Is it?"
"Yes."
"Good. I don't have much faith in faith."
"Neither do I."
Pause.
"Would you care to accompany me for a drink, Hermione?"
"No, but I'll accompany you for a talk."
"Good."
"And hold the salt."
"I'll do that."
~`~`~`~`~
This one, I really have no idea why, but I like it. I hope you did too. Please review!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok, this one is between Hermione and Professor Lupin. It takes place soon after Sirius' death and is in Grimmauld Place. First Hermione, then Lupin, then Hermione, etc.
~~Salt~~
"Professor?"
"What is it now, Hermione?"
"I--nothing. I just wanted to...to talk."
"Could you talk to me later, Hermione? Right now I don't see anything coming close to me...except perhaps a very large glass of Firewhisky. Very large."
"But, Professor, I have to talk to someone."
"Talk to Harry."
"I tried, but I can't find him anywhere. I think that he's off mourning somewhere..."
"As I would like to be, Hermione."
"But you don't understand. I have to talk to someone."
"Then find Ron or Ginny or Snape for all I care! Just not me right now! I want to be left alone with my thoughts."
"And a good pint of ale to drown your sorrows in?"
"If one's available and I've got the money, yes."
"To think about him?"
"Wh--who?"
"You know who I mean, sir."
"Yes, I know who you mean."
"Good, that's what I want to talk about."
"What you want to talk about?! Hermione, never before have I considered you a busy body, but I'm seriously considering it right now."
"I'm not a busy body."
"Perhaps not purposely, but, yes, you are."
"I'm not."
"Then why do you wish to intrude so much on everyone else's grief and play at being a counselor?"
"Everyone else's grief?"
"Yes, everyone else's grief."
"That's not true, sir."
"Isn't it?"
"No. I share in that grief, perhaps more than you'd believe."
"I sincerely doubt that."
"Fine, doubt it if you want, but I know what I feel."
"I'm sure you do. Petty sadness and nosy pity for those who were close to him. You have shallow feelings, Hermione, unimportant feelings."
"You can't possibly mean that..."
"I do mean it! You didn't know him! You can't possibly understand the pain of it all! The agony! He was my only friend in the world still living. I had no one but him. I've lost my parents, my peers, my community, and I had no one until he came back from something worse than death, only to have him be taken away again. Even you, Ms. Sympathy, couldn't possibly understand that."
"Granted, my pain is not as deep as yours, but you must be very arrogant, very stupid, or both to think that his death would mean nothing to me."
"Hermione, leave. You're giving me a headache."
"No, sir, I will not."
"Excuse me?"
"I--I said--n-no, sir, I will--not."
"Why must you torture me?"
"Because you must talk!"
"You're very naïve, Hermione. I must do nothing."
"I am not naïve, sir! I know how to let loose my feelings; I know how to heal my own wounds. And you don't even try to heal yours. You just keep reopening it and pouring in the salt! You won't talk, but you must!"
"Did you ever consider the fact that I may like my wounds? Did you ever think that I don't heal them for a reason?"
"I can't fathom one reason to keep yourself in this agony, sir."
"So I don't forget!"
"Sir?"
"So I don't forget. I can't forget; I won't forget! I mustn't forget."
"But you needn't hurt yourself to remember."
"Yeah? Are you so sure about that?"
"Yes. You don't need the salt."
"The what?"
"Salt."
"What has salt got to do with anything?"
"Your scars can't heal with the way you're taking care of them. Wait, don't interrupt me. Like I said before, the minute your pain begins to fade, you rip the wound back open and pour in the salt! It is not I who tortures you. You torture yourself! I want to help you, not hurt you."
"Don't cry, Hermione."
"I'm not crying."
"Oh, God. This is too hard."
"I never told you it was easy."
"Yes, but you never said it would hurt..."
"No, but the pain is justified."
"As was my earlier pain."
"No. It's not the same. That pain hindered, this pain helps."
"How can you be so certain?"
"I don't know. I just am."
"I wish I had your faith in these matters."
"It isn't faith. It's more than that."
"Is it?"
"Yes."
"Good. I don't have much faith in faith."
"Neither do I."
Pause.
"Would you care to accompany me for a drink, Hermione?"
"No, but I'll accompany you for a talk."
"Good."
"And hold the salt."
"I'll do that."
~`~`~`~`~
This one, I really have no idea why, but I like it. I hope you did too. Please review!