Chapter 8.
Harry and Ron awoke one dull morning.
"Trust bloody Britain...it's meant to be summer, and look!" He pointed out of the window, exasperated. "Black clouds!"
Harry just smiled at him and started to get dressed. They headed downstairs, hungry for breakfast, and done a double take as they saw the Grangers sitting in the kitchen, both had cups of tea...untouched. Hermione wasn't with them. A feeling...Harry couldn't describe it...dropped like a stone in his stomach and he looked at Ron, who, by the looks of it, felt the same. Mrs Granger was crying, Mrs Weasley was sitting beside her, hugging her. It looked like Mrs Granger had been crying for a long time. She stood up at the sight of Harry and Ron.
"Oh Harry...Ron..." She started, before collapsing in tears again. Mrs Weasley reached for her, but she shrugged her off and wiped her face with a tissue. She walked towards them and stood in front of them. She looked like a helpless little girl...a lot like Hermione did sometimes, especially after she started changing, a few months ago...
"M...M...Mrs G..Granger?" Harry stammered, now extremely panicked, Ron just stared at her in silence.
"Where's Hermione?" Ron breathed suddenly, causing Mrs Granger to cry again, which summoned Mr Granger to her side, hugging her.
"TELL ME WHERE IS HERMIONE!" Ron shouted.
"Ron!" Mrs Weasley shot him a glance just as Fred and George walked down the stairs with Ginny.
"What's going on?" George asked, looking from the crying Mrs Granger, to Harry and Ron, to their mother.
Harry stared at the Grangers, horribly suspicious...but not believing at the same time.
Mr Granger spoke to them, words that they didn't want to hear. "Hermione...our darling little Hermione...shh dear." He added to his wife, who let out a howl at the mention of Hermione's name. "H...she...she told us what happened...why she was in hospital at school..." he began. "Of course, we were frantic, hugging her, and loving her...we loved her as every parent should love their child." He glanced at Mrs Weasley, who nodded and cast eyes over all her present children. "She...she became more withdrawn...and...and...a week after she came home...two days ago...I...I'm sorry." He apologised, wiping his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Hermione..." He sighed again. He couldn't bring himself to say the words, couldn't find any appropriate. "Hermione..."
"Just say it." Ron tried to yell, but it came out as a whisper.
"She's gone." He said simply, and the tears literally poured from his eyes as he hugged his wife tighter. "She's gone." Their clothes were soaked with their tears. "We...we wanted to tell you in person. She loved you two so much. There couldn't be better friends for her." He added to Harry and Ron.
Ron sank down onto the floor, staring, unbelieving. 'He's Lying!' 'Liar!', he wanted to shout out, but he knew it was true...although he didn't want to believe it, he didn't want it to be true. He covered his face and the tears flowed from his eyes.
"HERMIONE!" He screamed. "HERMIONE! NO! No! No!" He cried. Harry jumped down beside him and hugged him, crying too. Fred, George and Ginny were still standing in shock at the bottom of the stairs, tears silently running down Ginny's stony face. Mr Weasley was hugging a crying Mrs Weasley...it was some sight.
"Hermione!" Ron croaked. "Hermione."
---------
Mrs Weasley couldn't let the Granger's leave, she forced them to stay and have lots of tea. They were continually surprised by the Weasley's pots stirring themselves...the fascinating clock on the wall...random objects moving...they were still a little intimidated by the wizarding world. Harry and Ron never found out how they had managed to contact the Weasleys, let alone find their house...but those sorts of questions were too trivial. They slowly learned, through many tears, that Hermione had hung herself in her bedroom, and was found by Mrs Granger. "No parent should have to witness that." She had sobbed. "She never even...we never even knew why. Did...did she tell you anything?" Mr Granger had asked Ron and Harry many times, but they were just as lost as they were.
The Burrow held a tense silence for the two days the Grangers stayed, and for some long time after. A silence that was unusual, in a house which was usually so bright and lively, with lots of people rushing about. Ron and Harry spent most of their time lying in bed, not sleeping, just staring into space, and occasionally thinking or crying. Finally, after the two days, Mrs Granger said that they should be getting home, to...sort things out, for her funeral. They looked positively terrified as Mr Weasley drove them home in the new flying car he had acquired, after Ron and Harry had destroyed the first one.
That night, when Ron had somehow dropped off to sleep, he saw Hermione's face, laughing and smiling at him, her eyes so...so alive...he could smell her perfume, hear her giggles as they joked about in the sunny Hogwarts grounds...but suddenly there was a snap, and the rain poured down, lightning sparked, and her skin became grey, and her eyes faded into grey-white pools, and the laughter was replaced by her screaming, screaming...screaming, when Ron suddenly woke up, soaked through with sweat. He could still hear the screaming, and he realised that it was Harry, sitting up in bed, obviously in a nightmare too. The screaming stopped as Harry had woken himself up. Ron got out of bed and sat down beside Harry, and hugged him. And they hugged in the night, tears falling once more. How were they ever going to survive without Hermione?
Harry and Ron awoke one dull morning.
"Trust bloody Britain...it's meant to be summer, and look!" He pointed out of the window, exasperated. "Black clouds!"
Harry just smiled at him and started to get dressed. They headed downstairs, hungry for breakfast, and done a double take as they saw the Grangers sitting in the kitchen, both had cups of tea...untouched. Hermione wasn't with them. A feeling...Harry couldn't describe it...dropped like a stone in his stomach and he looked at Ron, who, by the looks of it, felt the same. Mrs Granger was crying, Mrs Weasley was sitting beside her, hugging her. It looked like Mrs Granger had been crying for a long time. She stood up at the sight of Harry and Ron.
"Oh Harry...Ron..." She started, before collapsing in tears again. Mrs Weasley reached for her, but she shrugged her off and wiped her face with a tissue. She walked towards them and stood in front of them. She looked like a helpless little girl...a lot like Hermione did sometimes, especially after she started changing, a few months ago...
"M...M...Mrs G..Granger?" Harry stammered, now extremely panicked, Ron just stared at her in silence.
"Where's Hermione?" Ron breathed suddenly, causing Mrs Granger to cry again, which summoned Mr Granger to her side, hugging her.
"TELL ME WHERE IS HERMIONE!" Ron shouted.
"Ron!" Mrs Weasley shot him a glance just as Fred and George walked down the stairs with Ginny.
"What's going on?" George asked, looking from the crying Mrs Granger, to Harry and Ron, to their mother.
Harry stared at the Grangers, horribly suspicious...but not believing at the same time.
Mr Granger spoke to them, words that they didn't want to hear. "Hermione...our darling little Hermione...shh dear." He added to his wife, who let out a howl at the mention of Hermione's name. "H...she...she told us what happened...why she was in hospital at school..." he began. "Of course, we were frantic, hugging her, and loving her...we loved her as every parent should love their child." He glanced at Mrs Weasley, who nodded and cast eyes over all her present children. "She...she became more withdrawn...and...and...a week after she came home...two days ago...I...I'm sorry." He apologised, wiping his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Hermione..." He sighed again. He couldn't bring himself to say the words, couldn't find any appropriate. "Hermione..."
"Just say it." Ron tried to yell, but it came out as a whisper.
"She's gone." He said simply, and the tears literally poured from his eyes as he hugged his wife tighter. "She's gone." Their clothes were soaked with their tears. "We...we wanted to tell you in person. She loved you two so much. There couldn't be better friends for her." He added to Harry and Ron.
Ron sank down onto the floor, staring, unbelieving. 'He's Lying!' 'Liar!', he wanted to shout out, but he knew it was true...although he didn't want to believe it, he didn't want it to be true. He covered his face and the tears flowed from his eyes.
"HERMIONE!" He screamed. "HERMIONE! NO! No! No!" He cried. Harry jumped down beside him and hugged him, crying too. Fred, George and Ginny were still standing in shock at the bottom of the stairs, tears silently running down Ginny's stony face. Mr Weasley was hugging a crying Mrs Weasley...it was some sight.
"Hermione!" Ron croaked. "Hermione."
---------
Mrs Weasley couldn't let the Granger's leave, she forced them to stay and have lots of tea. They were continually surprised by the Weasley's pots stirring themselves...the fascinating clock on the wall...random objects moving...they were still a little intimidated by the wizarding world. Harry and Ron never found out how they had managed to contact the Weasleys, let alone find their house...but those sorts of questions were too trivial. They slowly learned, through many tears, that Hermione had hung herself in her bedroom, and was found by Mrs Granger. "No parent should have to witness that." She had sobbed. "She never even...we never even knew why. Did...did she tell you anything?" Mr Granger had asked Ron and Harry many times, but they were just as lost as they were.
The Burrow held a tense silence for the two days the Grangers stayed, and for some long time after. A silence that was unusual, in a house which was usually so bright and lively, with lots of people rushing about. Ron and Harry spent most of their time lying in bed, not sleeping, just staring into space, and occasionally thinking or crying. Finally, after the two days, Mrs Granger said that they should be getting home, to...sort things out, for her funeral. They looked positively terrified as Mr Weasley drove them home in the new flying car he had acquired, after Ron and Harry had destroyed the first one.
That night, when Ron had somehow dropped off to sleep, he saw Hermione's face, laughing and smiling at him, her eyes so...so alive...he could smell her perfume, hear her giggles as they joked about in the sunny Hogwarts grounds...but suddenly there was a snap, and the rain poured down, lightning sparked, and her skin became grey, and her eyes faded into grey-white pools, and the laughter was replaced by her screaming, screaming...screaming, when Ron suddenly woke up, soaked through with sweat. He could still hear the screaming, and he realised that it was Harry, sitting up in bed, obviously in a nightmare too. The screaming stopped as Harry had woken himself up. Ron got out of bed and sat down beside Harry, and hugged him. And they hugged in the night, tears falling once more. How were they ever going to survive without Hermione?