Educational Decree Number Twenty-Nine
Part Two
Hermione's Story (Chapter Four)
I woke up suddenly shivering and wet with sweat. I had a horrible dream. In it, Umbridge had written another of those stupid Educational Decrees that forbade all students to date and love someone. All those who did have a girlfriend or boyfriend received a scar in their forehead that said...
Oh no! It had not been a dream! I passed my hand over my forehead but jerked it away quickly. Pain had shot through the raw wound at my touch.
A million images passed through my mind, one right after the other: Umbridge posting that decree; Draco writing with Umbridge's special quill, and the words "I like Hermione Granger" being cut into his forehead; McGonagall hugging the students when they got out Umbridge's office; Ginny arguing with Neville because of the scar; Harry calling after me when I came running into the dormitory; McGonagall fighting with Umbridge about her power to set such a rule; McGonagall receiving a letter from the Minister of Magic saying she had no right to argue with the High Inquisitor; Snape red in rage; a Slytherin writing "Umbridge should die" with the quill, making the words appear on his forehead, and being punished with writings by his entire body...
Finally, after several minutes, I could calm down and fall asleep again.
It seemed like no time had passed at all when—
"Hermione!"
Sunlight was leaking through the gap in the curtains next to my bed. I could feel the warm rays playing across my face.
"Hermione!" I recognized the voice this time; it was Ginny.
"Yes?" I answered, not opening my eyes.
"Get out of bed and come down to the common room," she said. "It's late. You've been sleeping for hours."
Ginny was acting very strange, I thought to myself. She should be angry about what happened last night, but she seemed almost cheerful. She should be ashamed of the mark on her forehead.
"I'm coming," I mumbled sleepily as I climbed out of bed.
"Hurry up!" We're waiting for you," Ginny said before she left the room, closing the door behind her.
I looked at the other girls' beds and realized that no one was in the room. I dressed quickly and ran downstairs. When I reached the common room I noticed that every Gryffindor student was sitting on the sofas and chairs, talking loudly. Many people had marks on their foreheads.
"I like Lavender Brown"
"I like Dean Thomas"
"I like Colin Creevey"
"I like Ginny Weasley"
"I like Seamus Finnigan"
...
Harry and Ron were sitting in a corner. They looked angry. But why? I asked myself. I slowly walked over to the place where they were sitting.
"Hi," I said.
"Hi," Harry muttered.
"Are you angry?" I asked.
"No," Harry replied, unconvincingly.
"Yeah," Ron said at the same time. He looked sideways at Harry, glaring. Then he turned to glare at me. "Now, go away," he growled. I took a step back at the look in Ron's eyes. He was angry. I had never before seen him with that look.
"Ron? I don't understand. The people who were punished by Umbridge should be angry, not you."
"Do you want to know why I am angry?" Ron asked menacingly. I took another step back. "You want to know why WE'RE angry? Not just me, Hermione, but also all the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Because you like Malfoy."
"What..." I started.
Harry interrupted. "Hermione, Malfoy is always teasing Ron's family and me. He's always calling YOU a 'mudblood.' Do you think that's being honest? Do you Hermione?"
Despite Harry's hushed voice, everyone in the room was staring at the three of us in that moment.
"No, I don't, Harry. You know I don't. He also teased me, you know? You should forgive him, like I did. Furthermore, Draco said that he didn't like making fun of us. His father made him tease us. And it doesn't seem anyone is angry with me but the two of you."
"And you believe what DRACO said, Hermione?" Ron replied. Something in the way he said "Draco" gave me a shiver. Ron and Harry always called him Malfoy.
"Yes, I believe him," I said while Ron scoffed. "And what's the matter with calling him 'Draco'? Don't you call me 'Hermione'? The moment you call me 'Granger,' I'll call him 'Malfoy.' I won't call my boyfriend by his surname!" I said angrily.
"What? Boyfriend?" Ron yelled, climbing to his feet. Harry was much too quiet. "Do you consider Malfoy as your boyfriend? Why? Have you kissed or assumed your relationship?"
"I don't owe you ANY explanations of my life, okay? Bye," I said. I turned my back on Harry and Ron and marched over to another sofa, one on the opposite side of the common room. The other Gryffindors started muttering as I sat down next to Ginny, Parvati and Lavender.
I looked at my watch and noticed it was already ten o' clock.
"I'll take my breakfast. Will anyone come with me?" I asked, not meeting any eyes.
"I'll go," said Ginny.
"We'll go, too, Hermione," replied Parvati. She and Lavender got to their feet.
Some minutes later, we were walking through the stone corridors. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining through the dusty windows, and I noticed that there were only a few small clouds in the deep blue sky. I noticed several students walking and speaking in hushed voices. Others were kissing.
But what made me happy then was that I could like Draco and be with him, although I would always have a shiny, white scar marking my forehead. But that did not bother me. The more I would have tried to hide my feelings, the more they would have come out from the deepest places of my mind. Besides that, Umbridge was in London. The Minister had called her for some reason, so we could be with our boyfriends or girlfriends that weekend and not have to worry about punishment for going against Educational Decree Number Twenty-nine.
I was thinking these thoughts when Lavender said, "We'll meet you down in the Great Hall, Hermione. Don't forget about breakfast."
I didn't understand what she was saying until I noticed Draco smiling by my side.
"Hi Hermione! How are you today?" said Draco.
"Well." I paused. "Errm... Maybe not very well."
"Why? What happened?"
It's Harry and Ron." I hesitated, wondering how to explain. "They're angry with me because I like you! I mean; it isn't normal. Why can't I love you? They said they didn't understand how I could like someone who hurt me so much."
"I can understand them, Hermione," Draco said, sympathetically. "It is very difficult to accept our relationship. You used to be something of an enemy to me, right?"
"Yes, but they should respect my choice. Well let's not talk about it."
"I think I've heard you haven't had your breakfast yet. It is almost 11. I don't want you to be sick only because of me," Draco said, winking his eye.
"You think I would risk my health for you? You must be dreaming," I said, jokingly. "Let's go to then."
I was happy; very happy. That afternoon, I had everything I wanted: Draco, magic, and a good day outdoors. When we entered the Great Hall, Draco said he would have his breakfast at the Slytherin house table and we separated. I walked to Gryffindor's table as I watched the fireplace. I had never noticed its beauty. The statues surrounding the fireplace were magnificent; it seemed they were calling all the power in the Great Hall to them.
Professors were putting Christmas decorations on the walls. Mistletoe, lights and balls were all around the room. The Christmas holiday was close and I loved the feelings of the season: all that joy and friendship... This year, no one would prevent me from celebrating it properly. The holidays would start next weekend and my parents had authorized me to stay at Hogwarts. I had to ask Draco to stay, too.
"How are you today, Hermione?" asked Colin as I sat down next to him.
"I'm fine. Actually, I'm very happy!"
"We can notice that. You are radiant, girl," said Luna Lovegood, who had come from the Ravenclaw's table to greet me.
"Well, that thing Umbridge forced us to write has made me feel much happier as my secret was revealed," I said, smiling and glancing at Malfoy, who was laughing with Crabbe and Goyle. The next moment, he caught me staring at him and smiled.
I ate a piece of toast and a cup of milk, said, "See you later," to my colleagues and went to the Slytherin table. When I passed by Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bullstrode they glared at me.
"Don't you dare try to steal my boyfriend, you stupid mudblood," threatened Pansy.
"Why don't you shut up?" I asked sarcastically.
"You'll regret. Maybe Draco will surprise you. He is very moody, you know," Pansy said.
I didn't reply, but continued on my way to where Draco was sitting.
"Do you want to go outside?" I asked him. "The day is so beautiful. I want to enjoy the weather with you."
"All right," he said, getting up from the table. He said goodbye to his friends.
Outside, the day was marvellous. Although it was very cold, the sun peaked through the clouds and a slight breeze touched my face gently. Suddenly, a dark cloud approached and the rain started falling. We ran to an oak, the one that had given me shelter the day before. We started talking about various things while the rain kept falling. Some minutes later it stopped raining. Draco and I got up. Smiling, he started picking up fallen leaves off the ground and throwing them playfully at me.
"Stop it, Draco," I yelled, but not without a big laugh. "I'm getting wet!"
"Okay. I'll stop." He smiled, his white-blonde hair shining in the sun. "Come with me. I want to show you something."
He grabbed my hand and walked to another tree. There he took a knife out of his pocket and started carving something in the tree trunk. Some minutes later, he had finished; the carving in the tree trunk read, "I love you."
I smiled and said, "I love you, too. Now let's get inside. It's getting cold out here."
Then we started heading back to the castle. While we were walking, I saw a head in one of the windows of Gryffindor tower. It disappeared from view soon after I saw it. That head had red hair, so I supposed it was Ginny, as Ron should be doing his homework. We kept on walking and talking about the holidays. Draco said he would try to stay at the castle for Christmas.
Before I could push open the oak front door, Draco pulled me back. He looked into my eyes for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed me.
It was my very first kiss.
Ron's Story (Chapter Five)
"How could she do that to us? Kissing him in their first day together?" I thought while watching Hermione and Draco through the window. "I thought she was trustworthy, but she betrayed us by kissing that guy." Frustrated, I moved away from the window and went up to the boys' dormitory.
"What are you doing?"
I jumped and looked around. Harry was lying on his bed, "Flying with the Cannons" propped open on his pillow. Blurting out the first thing that came to mind, I said, "I'll have a bath. I have to cool down my ideas!"
"What ideas do you have to cool down?" he said, smiling.
"Don't worry, it's my problem."
"Okay."
"Well, maybe it isn't only my problem. It is yours, too," I explained. "I saw Draco kissing Hermione."
"And Hermione kissing Draco, no? I've been thinking and I'm going to apologize to her for what I said this morning; it wasn't fair. I mean; she is our friend. We have to trust her and respect her decision."
"She is our friend, of course. But being our friend means she cannot make wrong decisions," I said.
"Yeah, she can make those bad decisions," Harry said, sitting up. "But we have to trust her, Ron. If she has made a mistake, she will find out and she will learn something from that mistake. Calm down. Think about other things, like Parvati. I've noticed you have been looking at her a lot lately. Don't you have anything to tell me?"
I pulled a face. "No. Are you dreaming, Harry? Do you think I'd fall in love for that giggling, future seer? I don't like her."
"Okay, it was only my imagination," he said, smiling. "Go and take your bath. You really need it."
"You're so funny Harry. I'll come back soon," I said and left the dormitory, a towel and clean clothes in my arms.
"Wait, Ron. I'm going too," said Seamus, who was running upstairs. Some minutes later, he joined me in the common room.
"Lets go, it's getting late, and as bathrooms aren't working. Peeves has clogged all the showers in the castle, so we must go to the Quidditch locker room. McGonagall has authorized us to use them," I said.
We left out the common room through the Fat Lady's portrait hole and started heading to the entrance hall. Seamus was staring at me and made me uncomfortable. It seemed I had done something that attracted his attention.
"You know, Ron," said Seamus trying to break the ice. "You shouldn't have done that to Hermione. She is your friend. You should let her make her own decisions."
That subject made me sick. "Please, don't talk about that. Harry has tried enough already and he didn't change my opinion. I think I was right when I warned Hermione."
"Maybe you are right, Ron. But leave her alone. She has what she wants: Malfoy and her friends. You should be happy for that. Don't make her sad."
I noticed we were near to the Ravenclaw common room, and I shivered slightly with anticipation. I was so close to her...
"You know? Harry had fought with Cho again." It seemed that Seamus had also realized we were that close to Ravenclaw tower. However, he was not giving me any new information.
I knew Harry fought with Cho and that they had had several rows last year. They weren't made for each other. Harry did not like her. It was not only an attraction, but also an illusion.
"I know; they are always fighting. They had ended up with their dating the day before yesterday. Imagine they had stayed dating a little more time. It would be a disaster. Harry with a scar saying 'I like Cho.' And it wouldn't have been true. Do you imagine it?" I said. I regret what I had said the moment the words came out of my mouth. Only I knew that Harry ended up with Cho and that he didn't like her...
"Yeah, probably you're right," said Seamus with a confused look on his face.
We reached the entrance hall and walked outside. The sun was starting its way to the horizon; it should be five o' clock. It was very cold and there were no signs of Hermione and Malfoy. We hurried up to the Quidditch fields and entered the locker room.
I undressed, leaving my clothes on the locker room floor. I tied my towel around my waist and started toward the showers. I stopped suddenly when I heard an all-too-familiar voice coming from the shower room. I peered through the doorway.
In the shower room, I could see the back of Malfoy's blonde head and another Slytherin I only knew from meals in the Great Hall. They were laughing and they apparently didn't hear us coming into the locker room.
"You're making good progress," said the boy, who was washing his head. "You will convince her to do what you want."
"Yeah, you're right, Smith. She is so stupid. She doesn't even suspect," said Malfoy with a satisfied grin.
They were certainly talking about Hermione. I could feel my heart beating more and more strongly. Malfoy couldn't manipulate my best friend. He was lying to her; I had tried to warn her. He would not get away with this.
"She already trusts me. Soon, I'll have passed my test." Malfoy laughed. "This is so easy."
"You're the man, Malfoy. You can do it," said Smith, with a horrible grin.
I turned around to look at Seamus and noticed he looked just as astonished as I felt. Since I didn't feel anything but rage, I hurried into the shower room where the two Slytherins were laughing. I put my left hand over Malfoy's shoulder. He looked back at me with a startled expression on his face.
"Ron, don't... " Seamus was saying something the moment I closed my right hand and punched Malfoy in his face. Then, I started kicking and punching him so strongly that he fell to the wet floor and started bleeding from his nose. Seamus grabbed me by the shoulders and Smith put himself between Malfoy and me. I kicked Malfoy one last time before Snape walked into the shower room running...
Harry's Story (Chapter Six)
Hermione was sitting in a corner doing her homework. I approached her silently from behind and poked her in the shoulder.
"Hermione, I need to talk to you," I said crossing my fingers to give me luck. I figured she probably wouldn't talk to me.
"Yes?" she replied with an expectant voice, though she was not looking at me.
"Can I talk to you privately?"
"Yeah, wait a minute."
I sat on a sofa nearby and waited for Hermione. I couldn't stand the guilt on my chest anymore. What I had done was horrible...
Hermione turned in her seat to look at me before she got to her feet. "I'm here, what do you want?" she asked bitterly.
"I admit I was too tough today. I know it's your life and the choice is yours. I must ask for your pardon," I said
"Of course I'll forgive you, Harry. You are one of my best friends." she said with a tear gleaming in the corner of her eye.
"I'm so sorry about the fight we had," I paused for a moment "But I think I can't face Malfoy. You like him, and I understand that but that doesn't make my feelings about him change."
"I am not asking you to do that, Harry. It's clear that you don't need to like him."
"Now I feel better. Lets go to the Great Hall? It's dinner time and I'm starving." I said.
"Let me just put my things in my room. I can't leave this quill and parchments on this table," Hermione said, plopping down on the couch next to me.
I waited for her near the portrait hole. Suddenly, Seamus hurried in with a worried expression on his face.
"Harry! Ron needs you," he said.
"What happened?" asked Hermione who joined us in that second.
"Malfoy was on the showers and he was saying something about a girl being stupid." Seamus was shaking.
"And what is the problem with that?" I asked. I had a bad feeling settling in the pit of my stomach
"He... Ron thought Malfoy was talking about Hermione and punched him... And kicked... I couldn't do anything o stop him..."
"What?" yelled Hermione. I couldn't move with the shock.
"Snape entered the showers and took Malfoy and Ron to his office. He said it was too much. He said he wanted me, Harry and you in his office," Seamus said to Hermione.
"Lets go," I said and we started running through the stone corridors.
I haven't run that fast since Dudley used to chase me before I came to Hogwarts. I could feel my heart beating. Ron had got in trouble. Big trouble... We were getting close to the dungeons but something drew my attention from the path. It was a red flash on my side. I turned and saw Fawkes standing by me. The phoenix dropped a letter into my outstretched hand and pecked my neck affectively.
"Come on, Harry!" said Hermione, who was some meters away. "What's that?" she asked when she saw the letter. Fawkes had already disappeared.
Dear Harry:
It is hard for me to do this to you, but necessary, I am afraid. I am forced to send you to your aunt and uncle's house. I can't explain the reasons now but I will send news to you later. Be in your bedroom at nine o'clock in the evening.
Dumbledore
After I read Dumbledore's hastily scribbled note, my body started shaking in shivers. I handed the letter to Hermione and she read it quickly, with a sad look. She turned to me and wrapped her arms around me in a big hug.
Part Two
Hermione's Story (Chapter Four)
I woke up suddenly shivering and wet with sweat. I had a horrible dream. In it, Umbridge had written another of those stupid Educational Decrees that forbade all students to date and love someone. All those who did have a girlfriend or boyfriend received a scar in their forehead that said...
Oh no! It had not been a dream! I passed my hand over my forehead but jerked it away quickly. Pain had shot through the raw wound at my touch.
A million images passed through my mind, one right after the other: Umbridge posting that decree; Draco writing with Umbridge's special quill, and the words "I like Hermione Granger" being cut into his forehead; McGonagall hugging the students when they got out Umbridge's office; Ginny arguing with Neville because of the scar; Harry calling after me when I came running into the dormitory; McGonagall fighting with Umbridge about her power to set such a rule; McGonagall receiving a letter from the Minister of Magic saying she had no right to argue with the High Inquisitor; Snape red in rage; a Slytherin writing "Umbridge should die" with the quill, making the words appear on his forehead, and being punished with writings by his entire body...
Finally, after several minutes, I could calm down and fall asleep again.
It seemed like no time had passed at all when—
"Hermione!"
Sunlight was leaking through the gap in the curtains next to my bed. I could feel the warm rays playing across my face.
"Hermione!" I recognized the voice this time; it was Ginny.
"Yes?" I answered, not opening my eyes.
"Get out of bed and come down to the common room," she said. "It's late. You've been sleeping for hours."
Ginny was acting very strange, I thought to myself. She should be angry about what happened last night, but she seemed almost cheerful. She should be ashamed of the mark on her forehead.
"I'm coming," I mumbled sleepily as I climbed out of bed.
"Hurry up!" We're waiting for you," Ginny said before she left the room, closing the door behind her.
I looked at the other girls' beds and realized that no one was in the room. I dressed quickly and ran downstairs. When I reached the common room I noticed that every Gryffindor student was sitting on the sofas and chairs, talking loudly. Many people had marks on their foreheads.
"I like Lavender Brown"
"I like Dean Thomas"
"I like Colin Creevey"
"I like Ginny Weasley"
"I like Seamus Finnigan"
...
Harry and Ron were sitting in a corner. They looked angry. But why? I asked myself. I slowly walked over to the place where they were sitting.
"Hi," I said.
"Hi," Harry muttered.
"Are you angry?" I asked.
"No," Harry replied, unconvincingly.
"Yeah," Ron said at the same time. He looked sideways at Harry, glaring. Then he turned to glare at me. "Now, go away," he growled. I took a step back at the look in Ron's eyes. He was angry. I had never before seen him with that look.
"Ron? I don't understand. The people who were punished by Umbridge should be angry, not you."
"Do you want to know why I am angry?" Ron asked menacingly. I took another step back. "You want to know why WE'RE angry? Not just me, Hermione, but also all the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Because you like Malfoy."
"What..." I started.
Harry interrupted. "Hermione, Malfoy is always teasing Ron's family and me. He's always calling YOU a 'mudblood.' Do you think that's being honest? Do you Hermione?"
Despite Harry's hushed voice, everyone in the room was staring at the three of us in that moment.
"No, I don't, Harry. You know I don't. He also teased me, you know? You should forgive him, like I did. Furthermore, Draco said that he didn't like making fun of us. His father made him tease us. And it doesn't seem anyone is angry with me but the two of you."
"And you believe what DRACO said, Hermione?" Ron replied. Something in the way he said "Draco" gave me a shiver. Ron and Harry always called him Malfoy.
"Yes, I believe him," I said while Ron scoffed. "And what's the matter with calling him 'Draco'? Don't you call me 'Hermione'? The moment you call me 'Granger,' I'll call him 'Malfoy.' I won't call my boyfriend by his surname!" I said angrily.
"What? Boyfriend?" Ron yelled, climbing to his feet. Harry was much too quiet. "Do you consider Malfoy as your boyfriend? Why? Have you kissed or assumed your relationship?"
"I don't owe you ANY explanations of my life, okay? Bye," I said. I turned my back on Harry and Ron and marched over to another sofa, one on the opposite side of the common room. The other Gryffindors started muttering as I sat down next to Ginny, Parvati and Lavender.
I looked at my watch and noticed it was already ten o' clock.
"I'll take my breakfast. Will anyone come with me?" I asked, not meeting any eyes.
"I'll go," said Ginny.
"We'll go, too, Hermione," replied Parvati. She and Lavender got to their feet.
Some minutes later, we were walking through the stone corridors. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining through the dusty windows, and I noticed that there were only a few small clouds in the deep blue sky. I noticed several students walking and speaking in hushed voices. Others were kissing.
But what made me happy then was that I could like Draco and be with him, although I would always have a shiny, white scar marking my forehead. But that did not bother me. The more I would have tried to hide my feelings, the more they would have come out from the deepest places of my mind. Besides that, Umbridge was in London. The Minister had called her for some reason, so we could be with our boyfriends or girlfriends that weekend and not have to worry about punishment for going against Educational Decree Number Twenty-nine.
I was thinking these thoughts when Lavender said, "We'll meet you down in the Great Hall, Hermione. Don't forget about breakfast."
I didn't understand what she was saying until I noticed Draco smiling by my side.
"Hi Hermione! How are you today?" said Draco.
"Well." I paused. "Errm... Maybe not very well."
"Why? What happened?"
It's Harry and Ron." I hesitated, wondering how to explain. "They're angry with me because I like you! I mean; it isn't normal. Why can't I love you? They said they didn't understand how I could like someone who hurt me so much."
"I can understand them, Hermione," Draco said, sympathetically. "It is very difficult to accept our relationship. You used to be something of an enemy to me, right?"
"Yes, but they should respect my choice. Well let's not talk about it."
"I think I've heard you haven't had your breakfast yet. It is almost 11. I don't want you to be sick only because of me," Draco said, winking his eye.
"You think I would risk my health for you? You must be dreaming," I said, jokingly. "Let's go to then."
I was happy; very happy. That afternoon, I had everything I wanted: Draco, magic, and a good day outdoors. When we entered the Great Hall, Draco said he would have his breakfast at the Slytherin house table and we separated. I walked to Gryffindor's table as I watched the fireplace. I had never noticed its beauty. The statues surrounding the fireplace were magnificent; it seemed they were calling all the power in the Great Hall to them.
Professors were putting Christmas decorations on the walls. Mistletoe, lights and balls were all around the room. The Christmas holiday was close and I loved the feelings of the season: all that joy and friendship... This year, no one would prevent me from celebrating it properly. The holidays would start next weekend and my parents had authorized me to stay at Hogwarts. I had to ask Draco to stay, too.
"How are you today, Hermione?" asked Colin as I sat down next to him.
"I'm fine. Actually, I'm very happy!"
"We can notice that. You are radiant, girl," said Luna Lovegood, who had come from the Ravenclaw's table to greet me.
"Well, that thing Umbridge forced us to write has made me feel much happier as my secret was revealed," I said, smiling and glancing at Malfoy, who was laughing with Crabbe and Goyle. The next moment, he caught me staring at him and smiled.
I ate a piece of toast and a cup of milk, said, "See you later," to my colleagues and went to the Slytherin table. When I passed by Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bullstrode they glared at me.
"Don't you dare try to steal my boyfriend, you stupid mudblood," threatened Pansy.
"Why don't you shut up?" I asked sarcastically.
"You'll regret. Maybe Draco will surprise you. He is very moody, you know," Pansy said.
I didn't reply, but continued on my way to where Draco was sitting.
"Do you want to go outside?" I asked him. "The day is so beautiful. I want to enjoy the weather with you."
"All right," he said, getting up from the table. He said goodbye to his friends.
Outside, the day was marvellous. Although it was very cold, the sun peaked through the clouds and a slight breeze touched my face gently. Suddenly, a dark cloud approached and the rain started falling. We ran to an oak, the one that had given me shelter the day before. We started talking about various things while the rain kept falling. Some minutes later it stopped raining. Draco and I got up. Smiling, he started picking up fallen leaves off the ground and throwing them playfully at me.
"Stop it, Draco," I yelled, but not without a big laugh. "I'm getting wet!"
"Okay. I'll stop." He smiled, his white-blonde hair shining in the sun. "Come with me. I want to show you something."
He grabbed my hand and walked to another tree. There he took a knife out of his pocket and started carving something in the tree trunk. Some minutes later, he had finished; the carving in the tree trunk read, "I love you."
I smiled and said, "I love you, too. Now let's get inside. It's getting cold out here."
Then we started heading back to the castle. While we were walking, I saw a head in one of the windows of Gryffindor tower. It disappeared from view soon after I saw it. That head had red hair, so I supposed it was Ginny, as Ron should be doing his homework. We kept on walking and talking about the holidays. Draco said he would try to stay at the castle for Christmas.
Before I could push open the oak front door, Draco pulled me back. He looked into my eyes for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed me.
It was my very first kiss.
Ron's Story (Chapter Five)
"How could she do that to us? Kissing him in their first day together?" I thought while watching Hermione and Draco through the window. "I thought she was trustworthy, but she betrayed us by kissing that guy." Frustrated, I moved away from the window and went up to the boys' dormitory.
"What are you doing?"
I jumped and looked around. Harry was lying on his bed, "Flying with the Cannons" propped open on his pillow. Blurting out the first thing that came to mind, I said, "I'll have a bath. I have to cool down my ideas!"
"What ideas do you have to cool down?" he said, smiling.
"Don't worry, it's my problem."
"Okay."
"Well, maybe it isn't only my problem. It is yours, too," I explained. "I saw Draco kissing Hermione."
"And Hermione kissing Draco, no? I've been thinking and I'm going to apologize to her for what I said this morning; it wasn't fair. I mean; she is our friend. We have to trust her and respect her decision."
"She is our friend, of course. But being our friend means she cannot make wrong decisions," I said.
"Yeah, she can make those bad decisions," Harry said, sitting up. "But we have to trust her, Ron. If she has made a mistake, she will find out and she will learn something from that mistake. Calm down. Think about other things, like Parvati. I've noticed you have been looking at her a lot lately. Don't you have anything to tell me?"
I pulled a face. "No. Are you dreaming, Harry? Do you think I'd fall in love for that giggling, future seer? I don't like her."
"Okay, it was only my imagination," he said, smiling. "Go and take your bath. You really need it."
"You're so funny Harry. I'll come back soon," I said and left the dormitory, a towel and clean clothes in my arms.
"Wait, Ron. I'm going too," said Seamus, who was running upstairs. Some minutes later, he joined me in the common room.
"Lets go, it's getting late, and as bathrooms aren't working. Peeves has clogged all the showers in the castle, so we must go to the Quidditch locker room. McGonagall has authorized us to use them," I said.
We left out the common room through the Fat Lady's portrait hole and started heading to the entrance hall. Seamus was staring at me and made me uncomfortable. It seemed I had done something that attracted his attention.
"You know, Ron," said Seamus trying to break the ice. "You shouldn't have done that to Hermione. She is your friend. You should let her make her own decisions."
That subject made me sick. "Please, don't talk about that. Harry has tried enough already and he didn't change my opinion. I think I was right when I warned Hermione."
"Maybe you are right, Ron. But leave her alone. She has what she wants: Malfoy and her friends. You should be happy for that. Don't make her sad."
I noticed we were near to the Ravenclaw common room, and I shivered slightly with anticipation. I was so close to her...
"You know? Harry had fought with Cho again." It seemed that Seamus had also realized we were that close to Ravenclaw tower. However, he was not giving me any new information.
I knew Harry fought with Cho and that they had had several rows last year. They weren't made for each other. Harry did not like her. It was not only an attraction, but also an illusion.
"I know; they are always fighting. They had ended up with their dating the day before yesterday. Imagine they had stayed dating a little more time. It would be a disaster. Harry with a scar saying 'I like Cho.' And it wouldn't have been true. Do you imagine it?" I said. I regret what I had said the moment the words came out of my mouth. Only I knew that Harry ended up with Cho and that he didn't like her...
"Yeah, probably you're right," said Seamus with a confused look on his face.
We reached the entrance hall and walked outside. The sun was starting its way to the horizon; it should be five o' clock. It was very cold and there were no signs of Hermione and Malfoy. We hurried up to the Quidditch fields and entered the locker room.
I undressed, leaving my clothes on the locker room floor. I tied my towel around my waist and started toward the showers. I stopped suddenly when I heard an all-too-familiar voice coming from the shower room. I peered through the doorway.
In the shower room, I could see the back of Malfoy's blonde head and another Slytherin I only knew from meals in the Great Hall. They were laughing and they apparently didn't hear us coming into the locker room.
"You're making good progress," said the boy, who was washing his head. "You will convince her to do what you want."
"Yeah, you're right, Smith. She is so stupid. She doesn't even suspect," said Malfoy with a satisfied grin.
They were certainly talking about Hermione. I could feel my heart beating more and more strongly. Malfoy couldn't manipulate my best friend. He was lying to her; I had tried to warn her. He would not get away with this.
"She already trusts me. Soon, I'll have passed my test." Malfoy laughed. "This is so easy."
"You're the man, Malfoy. You can do it," said Smith, with a horrible grin.
I turned around to look at Seamus and noticed he looked just as astonished as I felt. Since I didn't feel anything but rage, I hurried into the shower room where the two Slytherins were laughing. I put my left hand over Malfoy's shoulder. He looked back at me with a startled expression on his face.
"Ron, don't... " Seamus was saying something the moment I closed my right hand and punched Malfoy in his face. Then, I started kicking and punching him so strongly that he fell to the wet floor and started bleeding from his nose. Seamus grabbed me by the shoulders and Smith put himself between Malfoy and me. I kicked Malfoy one last time before Snape walked into the shower room running...
Harry's Story (Chapter Six)
Hermione was sitting in a corner doing her homework. I approached her silently from behind and poked her in the shoulder.
"Hermione, I need to talk to you," I said crossing my fingers to give me luck. I figured she probably wouldn't talk to me.
"Yes?" she replied with an expectant voice, though she was not looking at me.
"Can I talk to you privately?"
"Yeah, wait a minute."
I sat on a sofa nearby and waited for Hermione. I couldn't stand the guilt on my chest anymore. What I had done was horrible...
Hermione turned in her seat to look at me before she got to her feet. "I'm here, what do you want?" she asked bitterly.
"I admit I was too tough today. I know it's your life and the choice is yours. I must ask for your pardon," I said
"Of course I'll forgive you, Harry. You are one of my best friends." she said with a tear gleaming in the corner of her eye.
"I'm so sorry about the fight we had," I paused for a moment "But I think I can't face Malfoy. You like him, and I understand that but that doesn't make my feelings about him change."
"I am not asking you to do that, Harry. It's clear that you don't need to like him."
"Now I feel better. Lets go to the Great Hall? It's dinner time and I'm starving." I said.
"Let me just put my things in my room. I can't leave this quill and parchments on this table," Hermione said, plopping down on the couch next to me.
I waited for her near the portrait hole. Suddenly, Seamus hurried in with a worried expression on his face.
"Harry! Ron needs you," he said.
"What happened?" asked Hermione who joined us in that second.
"Malfoy was on the showers and he was saying something about a girl being stupid." Seamus was shaking.
"And what is the problem with that?" I asked. I had a bad feeling settling in the pit of my stomach
"He... Ron thought Malfoy was talking about Hermione and punched him... And kicked... I couldn't do anything o stop him..."
"What?" yelled Hermione. I couldn't move with the shock.
"Snape entered the showers and took Malfoy and Ron to his office. He said it was too much. He said he wanted me, Harry and you in his office," Seamus said to Hermione.
"Lets go," I said and we started running through the stone corridors.
I haven't run that fast since Dudley used to chase me before I came to Hogwarts. I could feel my heart beating. Ron had got in trouble. Big trouble... We were getting close to the dungeons but something drew my attention from the path. It was a red flash on my side. I turned and saw Fawkes standing by me. The phoenix dropped a letter into my outstretched hand and pecked my neck affectively.
"Come on, Harry!" said Hermione, who was some meters away. "What's that?" she asked when she saw the letter. Fawkes had already disappeared.
Dear Harry:
It is hard for me to do this to you, but necessary, I am afraid. I am forced to send you to your aunt and uncle's house. I can't explain the reasons now but I will send news to you later. Be in your bedroom at nine o'clock in the evening.
Dumbledore
After I read Dumbledore's hastily scribbled note, my body started shaking in shivers. I handed the letter to Hermione and she read it quickly, with a sad look. She turned to me and wrapped her arms around me in a big hug.