Chapter 4
" . . . She puts on her makeup
the same way she did yesterday . . . "
Hermione slowly slipped out of bed the next morning. She quietly put on her clothes and made her way back to Gryffindor tower and her dormitory, reaching her room before Ron even woke up.
When she got up to her quarters, the first thing she did was gather her toiletries and head for the shower. A sense of needing to wash herself, that she was somehow dirty pervaded her every move as she bathed.
Hermione thought about her relationship with Ron, and a wave of guilt washed over her.
'Why do I feel guilty?' she thought. 'Ron and I love each other; there was reason why we shouldn't have.'
Her shower finished, Hermione dressed and walked to the Great Hall for breakfast. It was just starting and still too early for many people to be up. She was glad. Hermione did not look forward to explaining her early morning absence to Ron.
As Hermione entered the Great Hall and accepted her Daily Prophet form the owl, she spotted a tall red head coming towards her. Ron plopped down on the bench beside her, straddling it so he could look at her more easily.
* . . . hoping everything's the same . . . *
"Are you all right, Hermione?" asked Ron.
"Yes, Ron, I'm fine," Hermione replied.
"I didn't hurt you or do anything wrong last night?" Ron took her hands.
* . . . But everything has changed . . . *
"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I just . . . remembered something I had to do in the library." Hermione hated lying to Ron, but what else was she supposed to say?
"Oh," said Ron. He gave her a hug and kissed her head as though he could feel her distress. He pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "I love you, Hermione," he said.
"I love you, too," said Hermione, fighting back tears of shame and . . . fear? She was afraid? What was she afraid of? 'Get a grip, Hermione,' she told herself. She quickly left the table and the room, leaving a very bewildered Ron still straddling the bench next to her bowl of cold oatmeal.
" . . . She puts on her makeup
the same way she did yesterday . . . "
Hermione slowly slipped out of bed the next morning. She quietly put on her clothes and made her way back to Gryffindor tower and her dormitory, reaching her room before Ron even woke up.
When she got up to her quarters, the first thing she did was gather her toiletries and head for the shower. A sense of needing to wash herself, that she was somehow dirty pervaded her every move as she bathed.
Hermione thought about her relationship with Ron, and a wave of guilt washed over her.
'Why do I feel guilty?' she thought. 'Ron and I love each other; there was reason why we shouldn't have.'
Her shower finished, Hermione dressed and walked to the Great Hall for breakfast. It was just starting and still too early for many people to be up. She was glad. Hermione did not look forward to explaining her early morning absence to Ron.
As Hermione entered the Great Hall and accepted her Daily Prophet form the owl, she spotted a tall red head coming towards her. Ron plopped down on the bench beside her, straddling it so he could look at her more easily.
* . . . hoping everything's the same . . . *
"Are you all right, Hermione?" asked Ron.
"Yes, Ron, I'm fine," Hermione replied.
"I didn't hurt you or do anything wrong last night?" Ron took her hands.
* . . . But everything has changed . . . *
"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I just . . . remembered something I had to do in the library." Hermione hated lying to Ron, but what else was she supposed to say?
"Oh," said Ron. He gave her a hug and kissed her head as though he could feel her distress. He pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "I love you, Hermione," he said.
"I love you, too," said Hermione, fighting back tears of shame and . . . fear? She was afraid? What was she afraid of? 'Get a grip, Hermione,' she told herself. She quickly left the table and the room, leaving a very bewildered Ron still straddling the bench next to her bowl of cold oatmeal.