Chapter 2.
The next week passed pretty much the same. Harry floated through the school day, just managing to do the work he was set. Dumbledore had sent a notice round to all the Proffessors to excuse Harry if his work was in poor performance, which they all sympathised with...even Snape wasn't as hard on Harry in Potions. Nearly all of the students were nice to Harry, or just gave him his space, but there were still a few who believed Sirius to be guilty, even though his innocence had been proved, there had even been an article in the Daily Prophet stating his innocence. This minority always taunted Harry. During classes, they would make comments..."Yeah, and Harry killed the mass-murderer, Sirius Black!"......"Oh, of course Harry Potter can do THAT, Professor...he killed Black!"..."It's a shame, really, that he was his godfather, but thankfully the murderous ways passed to Harry and allowed him to kill him!" One Hufflepuff even said at the start of one class, thankfully, Harry hadn't arrived at that point. Of course, Hermione, Ron, McGonnagall, and everyone else with half a brain told Harry to ignore them, but he just couldn't. He felt like screaming at them that he didn't kill him, and that Sirius wasn't a murderer...but he just couldn't find the energy for a debate.
On Thursday afternoon, after a particularly harsh Potions lesson, Harry had run straight to the Gryffindor boy's dormitories and into his bed, drawing the curtains round for privacy. When Ron came in to dump his schoolbag, he heard his sobs. He opened the corner of the curtain to speak to him, but he was yelled at again. He went down to the common room where Hermione was waiting for him.
"How is he?" She asked, although she had an idea what the answer would be.
"He's crying again, Hermione. It's those idiots...oh they make me so mad. Can they not see what they're doing to him? They're not making it any easier on him!" He sighed.
Hermione looked at Ron, then looked at the doors to the boy's dorms. They angered her too, but the most upsetting thing to her was seeing Harry upset. She ran off to the girl's dorms. Ron watched her go.
She ran into the empty dorm and onto her bed, drawing her own curtains. She hugged her knees and wept. "Oh Harry." She whispered to herself. She had tried to ignore it, but she couldn't. She had tried to ignore the fact that she loved him. Then an idea came into her head. Nothing else was working....why not? It was worth a shot, she decided, and leapt out of bed to rifle through her bag for a quill, ink, and some parchment. She grabbed them and brought them into her bed, closing the curtains once more.
After quite a while, she reappeared from behind the red curtain. Her bed was surrounded by rolled up bits of parchment, but she held The One in her hands. She folded it once and placed it on her bedside table, and put away the ink, quill and spare parchment back into her schoolbag. She sat back on her bed, nerves knotting in her stomach. The door opened, and her head darted to it, Lavender came in.
"Hey Hermione!" She smiled. "How are you?"
"I'm ok." She lied, grinning.
"What's with you?" Lavender asked, sitting on the side of her bed.
"Oh nothing!" Hermione said.
"Fine, have it your way!" Lavender smiled at her and went to her own bed, tidying away her schoolbooks.
---
A few hours later, Hermione decided she had to move. She stood up sharply and lifted the note.
"Where are you off too?" Lavender asked, from behind her magazine.
"Oh, nowhere!" She beamed. Lavender just laughed.
"Okay then! Have fun!" She giggled and watched Hermione leave, shutting the door behind her.
In the common room, she saw Ron sitting doing the Transfiguration homework McGonnagall had set them that morning. She made a mental note to get that started tomorrow.
"Hey...um...where's Harry?" She asked.
"He went up to the astronomy tower...he said he needed some air." Ron said.
"Thanks!" She said, and ran out before Ron could ask any questions. She walked up to the astronomy tower, trying to keep her cool. She saw him, sitting on the stone ground, staring up at the sky.
"Hey." She whispered, coming closer.
"Hi." He answered, not turning his head. "Come sit with me." He said.
She moved over, making sure the note was tucked away in her robes, and sat down beside him.
"It's so peaceful...so beautiful....isn't it? All the stars looking down on you...making you feel safe." He said, sighing.
"Yeah. It is." She answered, a little shocked...that was the most she had heard him speak in a long time.
Harry turned to face her, and smiled at her. A real, genuine smile that she had not seen since before Sirius died. He looked into her eyes and she melted inside. She was just about to give him the note and run...when she noticed his face advancing on hers...and his lips neared hers...her breath caught in her throat. Harry was going to kiss her! She pulled away, in shock.
"I...I'm sorry...I..." Harry started. Hermione was frozen to the spot. Why had she done that? She stumbled to her feet and ran, all the way back to the girl's dorms, where she threw herself onto her bed and sobbed. Lavender came rushing over to her.
"Hey, what's up? Come on, Hermione! Shhh." She said, hugging her.
"I'm so stupid...I'm so stupid!" She sobbed into Lavender's shoulder.
"Come on, tell me what's up." She said.
"I...oh god. This is going to sound so stupid. I...well...I love Harry..." She looked at Lavender, who was nodding.
"What?" Hermione asked, staring at her.
"Oh come on, Hermione! It's been obvious for so long! So...go on..what happened?"
"I...I..." She looked at her, shocked. "Has it really been that obvious?"
"Yes. Now tell me more!"
"Right, well...he...I had this whole plan...but I went up to talk to him...and it was beautiful, watching the stars together...and he..he..he tried to kiss me..."
"Well, that's perfect, right?" Lavender said, confused.
"No, but I...I pulled away, Lavender, then I ran right back here."
"Oh. That was a stupid thing to do."
"Yeah, thanks." Hermione said, staring at her feet.
"Well...it's not too late! You now know he likes you too!"
"Yeah, but I may have just ruined everything...and now it's going to be awkward."
"It doesn't have to be! I could help?"
"No, I need to do this alone. Thanks, though." Hermione smiled at her, and hugged her.
"Anytime." Lavender hugged her back. "Anytime."
The next week passed pretty much the same. Harry floated through the school day, just managing to do the work he was set. Dumbledore had sent a notice round to all the Proffessors to excuse Harry if his work was in poor performance, which they all sympathised with...even Snape wasn't as hard on Harry in Potions. Nearly all of the students were nice to Harry, or just gave him his space, but there were still a few who believed Sirius to be guilty, even though his innocence had been proved, there had even been an article in the Daily Prophet stating his innocence. This minority always taunted Harry. During classes, they would make comments..."Yeah, and Harry killed the mass-murderer, Sirius Black!"......"Oh, of course Harry Potter can do THAT, Professor...he killed Black!"..."It's a shame, really, that he was his godfather, but thankfully the murderous ways passed to Harry and allowed him to kill him!" One Hufflepuff even said at the start of one class, thankfully, Harry hadn't arrived at that point. Of course, Hermione, Ron, McGonnagall, and everyone else with half a brain told Harry to ignore them, but he just couldn't. He felt like screaming at them that he didn't kill him, and that Sirius wasn't a murderer...but he just couldn't find the energy for a debate.
On Thursday afternoon, after a particularly harsh Potions lesson, Harry had run straight to the Gryffindor boy's dormitories and into his bed, drawing the curtains round for privacy. When Ron came in to dump his schoolbag, he heard his sobs. He opened the corner of the curtain to speak to him, but he was yelled at again. He went down to the common room where Hermione was waiting for him.
"How is he?" She asked, although she had an idea what the answer would be.
"He's crying again, Hermione. It's those idiots...oh they make me so mad. Can they not see what they're doing to him? They're not making it any easier on him!" He sighed.
Hermione looked at Ron, then looked at the doors to the boy's dorms. They angered her too, but the most upsetting thing to her was seeing Harry upset. She ran off to the girl's dorms. Ron watched her go.
She ran into the empty dorm and onto her bed, drawing her own curtains. She hugged her knees and wept. "Oh Harry." She whispered to herself. She had tried to ignore it, but she couldn't. She had tried to ignore the fact that she loved him. Then an idea came into her head. Nothing else was working....why not? It was worth a shot, she decided, and leapt out of bed to rifle through her bag for a quill, ink, and some parchment. She grabbed them and brought them into her bed, closing the curtains once more.
After quite a while, she reappeared from behind the red curtain. Her bed was surrounded by rolled up bits of parchment, but she held The One in her hands. She folded it once and placed it on her bedside table, and put away the ink, quill and spare parchment back into her schoolbag. She sat back on her bed, nerves knotting in her stomach. The door opened, and her head darted to it, Lavender came in.
"Hey Hermione!" She smiled. "How are you?"
"I'm ok." She lied, grinning.
"What's with you?" Lavender asked, sitting on the side of her bed.
"Oh nothing!" Hermione said.
"Fine, have it your way!" Lavender smiled at her and went to her own bed, tidying away her schoolbooks.
---
A few hours later, Hermione decided she had to move. She stood up sharply and lifted the note.
"Where are you off too?" Lavender asked, from behind her magazine.
"Oh, nowhere!" She beamed. Lavender just laughed.
"Okay then! Have fun!" She giggled and watched Hermione leave, shutting the door behind her.
In the common room, she saw Ron sitting doing the Transfiguration homework McGonnagall had set them that morning. She made a mental note to get that started tomorrow.
"Hey...um...where's Harry?" She asked.
"He went up to the astronomy tower...he said he needed some air." Ron said.
"Thanks!" She said, and ran out before Ron could ask any questions. She walked up to the astronomy tower, trying to keep her cool. She saw him, sitting on the stone ground, staring up at the sky.
"Hey." She whispered, coming closer.
"Hi." He answered, not turning his head. "Come sit with me." He said.
She moved over, making sure the note was tucked away in her robes, and sat down beside him.
"It's so peaceful...so beautiful....isn't it? All the stars looking down on you...making you feel safe." He said, sighing.
"Yeah. It is." She answered, a little shocked...that was the most she had heard him speak in a long time.
Harry turned to face her, and smiled at her. A real, genuine smile that she had not seen since before Sirius died. He looked into her eyes and she melted inside. She was just about to give him the note and run...when she noticed his face advancing on hers...and his lips neared hers...her breath caught in her throat. Harry was going to kiss her! She pulled away, in shock.
"I...I'm sorry...I..." Harry started. Hermione was frozen to the spot. Why had she done that? She stumbled to her feet and ran, all the way back to the girl's dorms, where she threw herself onto her bed and sobbed. Lavender came rushing over to her.
"Hey, what's up? Come on, Hermione! Shhh." She said, hugging her.
"I'm so stupid...I'm so stupid!" She sobbed into Lavender's shoulder.
"Come on, tell me what's up." She said.
"I...oh god. This is going to sound so stupid. I...well...I love Harry..." She looked at Lavender, who was nodding.
"What?" Hermione asked, staring at her.
"Oh come on, Hermione! It's been obvious for so long! So...go on..what happened?"
"I...I..." She looked at her, shocked. "Has it really been that obvious?"
"Yes. Now tell me more!"
"Right, well...he...I had this whole plan...but I went up to talk to him...and it was beautiful, watching the stars together...and he..he..he tried to kiss me..."
"Well, that's perfect, right?" Lavender said, confused.
"No, but I...I pulled away, Lavender, then I ran right back here."
"Oh. That was a stupid thing to do."
"Yeah, thanks." Hermione said, staring at her feet.
"Well...it's not too late! You now know he likes you too!"
"Yeah, but I may have just ruined everything...and now it's going to be awkward."
"It doesn't have to be! I could help?"
"No, I need to do this alone. Thanks, though." Hermione smiled at her, and hugged her.
"Anytime." Lavender hugged her back. "Anytime."