The Bracelet.
Chapter 6.
An hour later, Harry and Ron were standing at the platform with Hermione. There were to be two leaving trains this Christmas, one today, Hermione's, and Harry and Ron's tomorrow. No-one really understood this, but Dumbledore is known for his strange ways, so the students had accepted it. Hermione took Harry aside to have a private word.
"Harry, I'm so sorry about earlier...I must have seemed an ungrateful pig! I love the bracelet, It's just...wow! So...I'm really sorry for earlier, I had other things on my mind, with packing and stuff. It's just fantastic, I love it, I really do. I shouldn't really accept " She said, with an apologetic smile, and gazed at the bracelet on her wrist.
"It's ok...but..." Harry started.
"What? Sorry Harry, I have to go!"
"Never mind" He finished, and watched her smile and walk back to Ron. She hugged him and said her goodbyes, then hugged Harry, obviously in a different manner than the night before.
"Thank you so much!" She beamed. "I'll see you in January! Hope you have a happy Christmas!...You too Ron!" She called over.
Harry stood by Ron and watched her smile and pick up her case and drag it towards the train door. He was kicking himself in his head. She didn't seem to question the bracelet. He couldn't let her leave like this...
"Hermione, wait!" Harry called after her. She didn't hear him as, just at that moment, the train bellowed as it expelled air from the funnel at the front. Great. She was stepping onto the train. "Hermione!" He called. He reached over to grab her arm as she stepped on the train.
"Harry! I have to go!" Hermione said, turning and smiling sympathetically. "I'll miss you both!" She added, and turned to the train.
Harry stood watching her for a few minutes, having a mental battle with himself. He didn't know what he was doing. He jumped on the train. He didn't care what anyone thought. He ran down the corridor where he saw her turning into a compartment. "Hermione!"
"Harry...what the...?"
"Hermione. I can't let you go without saying this."
She just looked at him, puzzled, confused. Harry was trying to find the courage to say it. He couldn't just leave it and walk off the train, defeated. Quite a few moments passed.
"Harry, what is it?" She asked, impatiently.
"I....I love you, Hermione."
His stomach was flipping about like nobodies business as he waited for a reaction.
"Harry, I....I mean...I...Oh...."
Just at that moment, a Hufflepuff prefect walked by.
"Here, you're not going home on this train, Harry! Off the train, we're leaving now." He said, taking Harry's arm. Harry struggled, wanting to talk to Hermione, but the boy just walked on, with a firm grip on his arm, leaving Hermione standing in the compartment, completely stunned, frozen to the spot.
The prefect let go of Harry's arm when he was safely back on the platform. He grinned, somewhat evilly as the door shut in front of him. He seemed to know the importance of the atmosphere in that cabin.
Harry stood on the platform, watching the train leave. There were people waving to their friend's out of windows, and everyone on the platform was smiling and waving. Harry felt worse than before. He had said it, sure, and that was a huge weight off his chest...but her reaction wasn't clear enough, granted, there wasn't any time, as the Hufflepuff boy had to arrive at that precise moment, ruining everything.
Harry came out of his reverie to notice Ron standing in front of him, staring at him with a shocked look that said "I'd better get an explanation, I hate always being the one who's confused."
"What the bloody hell was that all about, Harry? What did you say to her?"
"Nothing, Ron, never mind." He replied, and slowly walked back up to the castle, through the crowds of people, who were looking at him and whispering.
"Hey, Harry, wait up!" He heard Ron call from the platform, but he just kept walking. He didn't want to talk to Ron about this, he was embarrassed enough as it was.
He marched all the way back to the common room, and up to the dorms, where he collapsed on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Ron burst into the room a few minutes later, panting. Clearly, he had run after him.
He walked cautiously to Harry's bed and sat at the bottom of it.
"Come on, Mate, what was that all about?"
"Ron....just leave it." Harry said, feeling a lump rise in his throat. The last thing he could do was let Ron see him cry.
"Come on! What was I meant to think! You just ran on the train after her, leaving me there, and no-one knew what was going on. What if it had left with you on it! What did you have to say to Hermione so badly?"
"Ron I said leave it." Harry said, evenly. Trying to keep his cool. He didn't want to loose Ron AND Hermione this Christmas.
"Come on, mate. I'm supposed to be your best friend. Something's up. Something's been up for a long time, we've noticed." Ron said, surprisingly wisely.
"Ron...don't....just..." He wanted to scream at him to go, but it was too late, a solitary tear rolled down his cheek.
"Hey, hey! Talk to me Harry!" Ron said, a little uncomfortable as to what to do, as a few more tears rolled down Harry's cheeks. After a while, Harry spoke.
"I told her...I told her....Oh Ron, I told her I...I love her."
Ron stared at him in silence for what seemed like hours.
"You LOVE her? Harry!!"
"Ron, don't. Just leave me alone."
"I can't leave you, not when you're all...all upset like this!"
"Please Ron. This is embarrassing." Harry said, wiping his cheeks.
"Fine." Ron replied, secretly relieved he didn't have to...hug him or anything, he hated all the emotions stuff that comes along with having close friends. "I'll be in the common room if you need me....I'm here for you Harry, remember that." He added awkwardly, and as he stood up, he smiled at Harry, before turning to go to the common room.
Harry sighed deeply. He stared into nothing. What was going to happen now? When he sees her in January...will she completely ignore him forever? Will she throw the bracelet at his face and shout? Will she try and put things back to normal? Will she...will she...there were just too many consequences to think about. Will she..will she say she feels the same....he tried not to think of that, because it brought a lump to his throat. He simply lay there, not moving, barely breathing, staring into space....but his mind was working overtime. Only time will tell, he thought to himself. Only time will tell.
Chapter 6.
An hour later, Harry and Ron were standing at the platform with Hermione. There were to be two leaving trains this Christmas, one today, Hermione's, and Harry and Ron's tomorrow. No-one really understood this, but Dumbledore is known for his strange ways, so the students had accepted it. Hermione took Harry aside to have a private word.
"Harry, I'm so sorry about earlier...I must have seemed an ungrateful pig! I love the bracelet, It's just...wow! So...I'm really sorry for earlier, I had other things on my mind, with packing and stuff. It's just fantastic, I love it, I really do. I shouldn't really accept " She said, with an apologetic smile, and gazed at the bracelet on her wrist.
"It's ok...but..." Harry started.
"What? Sorry Harry, I have to go!"
"Never mind" He finished, and watched her smile and walk back to Ron. She hugged him and said her goodbyes, then hugged Harry, obviously in a different manner than the night before.
"Thank you so much!" She beamed. "I'll see you in January! Hope you have a happy Christmas!...You too Ron!" She called over.
Harry stood by Ron and watched her smile and pick up her case and drag it towards the train door. He was kicking himself in his head. She didn't seem to question the bracelet. He couldn't let her leave like this...
"Hermione, wait!" Harry called after her. She didn't hear him as, just at that moment, the train bellowed as it expelled air from the funnel at the front. Great. She was stepping onto the train. "Hermione!" He called. He reached over to grab her arm as she stepped on the train.
"Harry! I have to go!" Hermione said, turning and smiling sympathetically. "I'll miss you both!" She added, and turned to the train.
Harry stood watching her for a few minutes, having a mental battle with himself. He didn't know what he was doing. He jumped on the train. He didn't care what anyone thought. He ran down the corridor where he saw her turning into a compartment. "Hermione!"
"Harry...what the...?"
"Hermione. I can't let you go without saying this."
She just looked at him, puzzled, confused. Harry was trying to find the courage to say it. He couldn't just leave it and walk off the train, defeated. Quite a few moments passed.
"Harry, what is it?" She asked, impatiently.
"I....I love you, Hermione."
His stomach was flipping about like nobodies business as he waited for a reaction.
"Harry, I....I mean...I...Oh...."
Just at that moment, a Hufflepuff prefect walked by.
"Here, you're not going home on this train, Harry! Off the train, we're leaving now." He said, taking Harry's arm. Harry struggled, wanting to talk to Hermione, but the boy just walked on, with a firm grip on his arm, leaving Hermione standing in the compartment, completely stunned, frozen to the spot.
The prefect let go of Harry's arm when he was safely back on the platform. He grinned, somewhat evilly as the door shut in front of him. He seemed to know the importance of the atmosphere in that cabin.
Harry stood on the platform, watching the train leave. There were people waving to their friend's out of windows, and everyone on the platform was smiling and waving. Harry felt worse than before. He had said it, sure, and that was a huge weight off his chest...but her reaction wasn't clear enough, granted, there wasn't any time, as the Hufflepuff boy had to arrive at that precise moment, ruining everything.
Harry came out of his reverie to notice Ron standing in front of him, staring at him with a shocked look that said "I'd better get an explanation, I hate always being the one who's confused."
"What the bloody hell was that all about, Harry? What did you say to her?"
"Nothing, Ron, never mind." He replied, and slowly walked back up to the castle, through the crowds of people, who were looking at him and whispering.
"Hey, Harry, wait up!" He heard Ron call from the platform, but he just kept walking. He didn't want to talk to Ron about this, he was embarrassed enough as it was.
He marched all the way back to the common room, and up to the dorms, where he collapsed on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Ron burst into the room a few minutes later, panting. Clearly, he had run after him.
He walked cautiously to Harry's bed and sat at the bottom of it.
"Come on, Mate, what was that all about?"
"Ron....just leave it." Harry said, feeling a lump rise in his throat. The last thing he could do was let Ron see him cry.
"Come on! What was I meant to think! You just ran on the train after her, leaving me there, and no-one knew what was going on. What if it had left with you on it! What did you have to say to Hermione so badly?"
"Ron I said leave it." Harry said, evenly. Trying to keep his cool. He didn't want to loose Ron AND Hermione this Christmas.
"Come on, mate. I'm supposed to be your best friend. Something's up. Something's been up for a long time, we've noticed." Ron said, surprisingly wisely.
"Ron...don't....just..." He wanted to scream at him to go, but it was too late, a solitary tear rolled down his cheek.
"Hey, hey! Talk to me Harry!" Ron said, a little uncomfortable as to what to do, as a few more tears rolled down Harry's cheeks. After a while, Harry spoke.
"I told her...I told her....Oh Ron, I told her I...I love her."
Ron stared at him in silence for what seemed like hours.
"You LOVE her? Harry!!"
"Ron, don't. Just leave me alone."
"I can't leave you, not when you're all...all upset like this!"
"Please Ron. This is embarrassing." Harry said, wiping his cheeks.
"Fine." Ron replied, secretly relieved he didn't have to...hug him or anything, he hated all the emotions stuff that comes along with having close friends. "I'll be in the common room if you need me....I'm here for you Harry, remember that." He added awkwardly, and as he stood up, he smiled at Harry, before turning to go to the common room.
Harry sighed deeply. He stared into nothing. What was going to happen now? When he sees her in January...will she completely ignore him forever? Will she throw the bracelet at his face and shout? Will she try and put things back to normal? Will she...will she...there were just too many consequences to think about. Will she..will she say she feels the same....he tried not to think of that, because it brought a lump to his throat. He simply lay there, not moving, barely breathing, staring into space....but his mind was working overtime. Only time will tell, he thought to himself. Only time will tell.