AN: Okay this is filler and I'm very sorry because although it needs to be here plot wise it is annoying that I can't just write up the conciliation straight away. This was also the hardest part of the whole thing to write so please ignore my inadequacies.
Disclaimer: I hate this chapter and would rather JK owned it- but what can you do.
Chapter 7- Running
"Okay then here are the tickets. You leave from the west coast in a few hours," Krum explained whilst handing over the documents. At Hermione's instigation he'd got them quickly, it was the day after they'd realised that they could only ever be friends. The day after Hermione had decided to run away.
"Thank you Victor, I don't know how I'll ever repay you for what you've done for me."
"You could talk to Ron." He'd tried again and again to get her to talk to the lad but nothing worked. He knew that Hermione was an incredibly stubborn person and that there was no way that he could be the one to convince her to stay.
"Will you please stop doing that," Hermione pleaded, "I can't do that. I just can't. If only I could think of someway to explain this to you..." she thought for a moment, "It's like... it's as if you have this idea in your head and all you want to do is make that idea- that fantasy- real, but it depends solely on another person. I suppose I'd rather have my last images of Ron as someone protecting me or being angry at me rather than... Look, I just can't. Anyway," she smiled weakly, "you know what they say- out of sight out of mind."
Krum bit back the words he wanted to say or else she'd just end up running away from him as well. He valued their friendship too much.
............................................................................................................
A few miles away a very similar conversation was taking place though with a few slight differences: it was very one sided and had the potential to end slightly more positively.
"What am I meant to do ay? I finally work out that what I've been feeling for her for god knows how long and now I'm just meant to go up there and say 'hi Hermione leave that rich prince and come with me to my comparative mud hut."
"Well, you might want to go with something slightly more romantic but that's the general idea, yep" thought Harry. He and Ron had been sitting outside the Malfoy residence for an hour now with Ron just trying to work up the courage to knock on the front door let alone actually ask where Hermione was right now.
"Oh, why am I talking to a mouse," Ron groaned, slumping his face into his hands. Slowly he got to his feet, "okay I can do this," he muttered and took two steps towards the front door.
He then stopped, turned and ran back to the safety of the wall. It was a record. Before that any attempts he made only got as far as one step before he turned tail. Harry was close to dropping the façade completely- he might not have been able to speak to Ron but he was ruddy close to writing, "Hurry up you stupid twit" on the ground in front of them.
Again Ron stood, again he took a few steps forward and yet again he took several more back. The mouse just closed his eyes and decided that maybe he could learn to love cheese because after this mess he was going to be eating it for a very, very long time.
That was until he looked up into Ron's face because this time something different was happening; the terrified lad was taking deep breaths with his eyes tightly closed. Ron remembered the rumours he'd heard- but not dared to believe- about the engagement being broken off. With the slight feeling of hope this time when he stood it was with grim determination, this time when he walked it was with purpose and this time when he did make war with the door (and himself) he won. And so, with a little mouse trying to keep up behind, Ronald Weasley entered the hated Malfoy residence.
The inside was quite different from what he remembered. On the one hand it was a lot richer with amazing sculptures and glorious tapestries donning the hallways (paid for by Hermione's engagement to the prince), but on the other hand the place was cold. Emotionally the place was empty and lost, the wealth was worthless and created an atmosphere of depression that clouded every room.
Taken back by the feelings of dread that came over him Ron moved through the house carefully, gradually searching for any sign of life. As he walked up the lightly dusted stairs he heard sounds coming from one of the bedrooms. Politely he entered after knocking and was admitted into the only room in the house that showed any sign of life.
"Hi Ron," welcomed Lavender from her seat at a writing desk, "What are you doing her? I would have thought that you'd have been trying to stop her- or at least be seeing her off."
Ron just stared at her confused whilst Harry was still having trouble getting up the first step of the stairs.
"Don't tell me she never actually told you. I mean when Victor brought the letter round," at this she had a slight smile on her lips, "well, I thought she'd change her mind. I know he said he'd try to get her to."
"Lavender," Ron cut off, beginning to get quite exasperated, "what are you on about? Never mind, where's Hermione?"
"Well I was trying to tell you-"she began indignantly but quickly answered at the glare he gave her, "She's boarding a boat as we speak."
"What!" Ron yelled, "So Krum isn't satisfied with filling her head full of lies he has to take her away completely." His blood began to boil and his fists to clench before Lavender took action to calm him down.
Quickly she jumped up and placed her hands on his shoulders. Staring up into his eyes she tried to explain as much as she could, "This wasn't the Prince's fault okay." She forced Ron to look at her as he shook his head in disbelief, "Look, if it's anyone's fault it's yours for not saying anything years ago."
Taking advantage of his now confused state she pushed him into the vacated chair. "She sent me a letter explaining everything. Saying how she'd made a huge mistake. How she couldn't face my father and how... and how she couldn't face you."
"Me?"
"Yes you, you numbskull. She broke off the engagement when she realised that it wasn't Victor she cared for. No, it was you and now she's gone and got it into her head that you could never feel the same way and has run off so that she never has to deal with us."
"With us?" Ron spoke the only words he could think of clearly as this unexpected news had shocked him completely. He didn't even really listen to her answer.
"Yeah, she thinks I hate her as well. I mean yes I was quite angry but-" she began mumbling again.
"She thinks I hate her? How could she ever think that?"
"Maybe it had something to do with that last argument that half the street heard," she answered slightly sarcastically, starting to get annoyed at his constant interruptions.
"Look," she continued more kindly this time, "if I was you I'd go now. There's still the slightest chance that you could catch her." His anger had quickly turned to depression after hearing that he was never to see his best friend again. So it was with great vigour that Ron clutched at the straws Lavender gave him and he quickly leapt from the chair and sprang towards the doorway. "SHE'S LEAVING ON A BOAT ON THE WEST BANK!" she called to him as he disappeared from sight.
"I'M BORROWING A HORSE!" he shouted back though she only heard it as a whisper on the wind and ignored the clunking sound of something small bouncing back down the stairs.
AN: Forgive me for this chapter the next one is the one you've been waiting for –or at least it's been the one I've been waiting for. I just hope that I can pull it off as well as I want to.
Disclaimer: I hate this chapter and would rather JK owned it- but what can you do.
Chapter 7- Running
"Okay then here are the tickets. You leave from the west coast in a few hours," Krum explained whilst handing over the documents. At Hermione's instigation he'd got them quickly, it was the day after they'd realised that they could only ever be friends. The day after Hermione had decided to run away.
"Thank you Victor, I don't know how I'll ever repay you for what you've done for me."
"You could talk to Ron." He'd tried again and again to get her to talk to the lad but nothing worked. He knew that Hermione was an incredibly stubborn person and that there was no way that he could be the one to convince her to stay.
"Will you please stop doing that," Hermione pleaded, "I can't do that. I just can't. If only I could think of someway to explain this to you..." she thought for a moment, "It's like... it's as if you have this idea in your head and all you want to do is make that idea- that fantasy- real, but it depends solely on another person. I suppose I'd rather have my last images of Ron as someone protecting me or being angry at me rather than... Look, I just can't. Anyway," she smiled weakly, "you know what they say- out of sight out of mind."
Krum bit back the words he wanted to say or else she'd just end up running away from him as well. He valued their friendship too much.
............................................................................................................
A few miles away a very similar conversation was taking place though with a few slight differences: it was very one sided and had the potential to end slightly more positively.
"What am I meant to do ay? I finally work out that what I've been feeling for her for god knows how long and now I'm just meant to go up there and say 'hi Hermione leave that rich prince and come with me to my comparative mud hut."
"Well, you might want to go with something slightly more romantic but that's the general idea, yep" thought Harry. He and Ron had been sitting outside the Malfoy residence for an hour now with Ron just trying to work up the courage to knock on the front door let alone actually ask where Hermione was right now.
"Oh, why am I talking to a mouse," Ron groaned, slumping his face into his hands. Slowly he got to his feet, "okay I can do this," he muttered and took two steps towards the front door.
He then stopped, turned and ran back to the safety of the wall. It was a record. Before that any attempts he made only got as far as one step before he turned tail. Harry was close to dropping the façade completely- he might not have been able to speak to Ron but he was ruddy close to writing, "Hurry up you stupid twit" on the ground in front of them.
Again Ron stood, again he took a few steps forward and yet again he took several more back. The mouse just closed his eyes and decided that maybe he could learn to love cheese because after this mess he was going to be eating it for a very, very long time.
That was until he looked up into Ron's face because this time something different was happening; the terrified lad was taking deep breaths with his eyes tightly closed. Ron remembered the rumours he'd heard- but not dared to believe- about the engagement being broken off. With the slight feeling of hope this time when he stood it was with grim determination, this time when he walked it was with purpose and this time when he did make war with the door (and himself) he won. And so, with a little mouse trying to keep up behind, Ronald Weasley entered the hated Malfoy residence.
The inside was quite different from what he remembered. On the one hand it was a lot richer with amazing sculptures and glorious tapestries donning the hallways (paid for by Hermione's engagement to the prince), but on the other hand the place was cold. Emotionally the place was empty and lost, the wealth was worthless and created an atmosphere of depression that clouded every room.
Taken back by the feelings of dread that came over him Ron moved through the house carefully, gradually searching for any sign of life. As he walked up the lightly dusted stairs he heard sounds coming from one of the bedrooms. Politely he entered after knocking and was admitted into the only room in the house that showed any sign of life.
"Hi Ron," welcomed Lavender from her seat at a writing desk, "What are you doing her? I would have thought that you'd have been trying to stop her- or at least be seeing her off."
Ron just stared at her confused whilst Harry was still having trouble getting up the first step of the stairs.
"Don't tell me she never actually told you. I mean when Victor brought the letter round," at this she had a slight smile on her lips, "well, I thought she'd change her mind. I know he said he'd try to get her to."
"Lavender," Ron cut off, beginning to get quite exasperated, "what are you on about? Never mind, where's Hermione?"
"Well I was trying to tell you-"she began indignantly but quickly answered at the glare he gave her, "She's boarding a boat as we speak."
"What!" Ron yelled, "So Krum isn't satisfied with filling her head full of lies he has to take her away completely." His blood began to boil and his fists to clench before Lavender took action to calm him down.
Quickly she jumped up and placed her hands on his shoulders. Staring up into his eyes she tried to explain as much as she could, "This wasn't the Prince's fault okay." She forced Ron to look at her as he shook his head in disbelief, "Look, if it's anyone's fault it's yours for not saying anything years ago."
Taking advantage of his now confused state she pushed him into the vacated chair. "She sent me a letter explaining everything. Saying how she'd made a huge mistake. How she couldn't face my father and how... and how she couldn't face you."
"Me?"
"Yes you, you numbskull. She broke off the engagement when she realised that it wasn't Victor she cared for. No, it was you and now she's gone and got it into her head that you could never feel the same way and has run off so that she never has to deal with us."
"With us?" Ron spoke the only words he could think of clearly as this unexpected news had shocked him completely. He didn't even really listen to her answer.
"Yeah, she thinks I hate her as well. I mean yes I was quite angry but-" she began mumbling again.
"She thinks I hate her? How could she ever think that?"
"Maybe it had something to do with that last argument that half the street heard," she answered slightly sarcastically, starting to get annoyed at his constant interruptions.
"Look," she continued more kindly this time, "if I was you I'd go now. There's still the slightest chance that you could catch her." His anger had quickly turned to depression after hearing that he was never to see his best friend again. So it was with great vigour that Ron clutched at the straws Lavender gave him and he quickly leapt from the chair and sprang towards the doorway. "SHE'S LEAVING ON A BOAT ON THE WEST BANK!" she called to him as he disappeared from sight.
"I'M BORROWING A HORSE!" he shouted back though she only heard it as a whisper on the wind and ignored the clunking sound of something small bouncing back down the stairs.
AN: Forgive me for this chapter the next one is the one you've been waiting for –or at least it's been the one I've been waiting for. I just hope that I can pull it off as well as I want to.