Chapter Two Summary: The Morning After the Night Before: Hermione and Ron aren't speaking and Hermione turns to Viktor for help. She's growing increasingly upset with him and doesn't know what to do.

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The Morning After the Night Before

Dear Hermione,

I am thankful for your letter, it is also a delight to be getting letters from you also. You speak in such wonderfulness and your letters are of interest to be reading.

I am still feeling concerned about you and your safeness, I am wishing I could be in the country of yours top be protecting to you. I hope you are still feeling well, I have no other news to be telling you. Please be writing soon, I am wanting to hear from you.

best wishes,

Viktor

Dear Viktor,

thank you for another delightful letter, coming to my dormitory every night to find a letter from you is the most wonderful thing, especially when I have not been having a very good day.

You see, I had a quarrel with Harry and Ron last night because a girl ahs been spreading rumours about Harry and Ron totally overreacted and we're not speaking. It's actually incredibly upsetting and I have had one of the most awful days of my life.

I am sorry for whining on so unnecessarily, please, don't worry about me. I'm fine and I'm sure I'll patch up this silly argument with Ron very soon. Please write soon!

Your dearest,

Hermione x x x

Hermione set down her quill and burst into a fresh set of tears. She felt awful for lying to Viktor and she longed to tell him the truth, that he was the source of the argument and that she was so unhappy. She didn't think this argument was silly at all.

Hermione heard two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs and hesitating in the door way. She recognised Parvati's voice immediately.

"Lavender, let's go back down, Hermione's crying again," she whispered, obviously oblivious to the fact that Hermione could hear her.

"But I need to ask her about the quidditch tickets, that's Krum's owl!" Lavender hissed back, pointing her finger in the direction of Viktor's owl, which was perched on the window sill awaiting Hermione's reply.

"I can hear you, you know" Hermione informed them, wiping a tear away from her cheek. She turned around to face the girls, hovering in the doorway. Lavender blushed and Parvati's scuffed her feet against the floorboards uncomfortably.

"Sorry," they muttered in unison.

Hermione didn't really mind that they were whispering about her, after all she'd just had one of the worst days she'd experienced at Hogwarts.

Hermione, freshly washed and dressed, headed out of the dormitory, not daring to glance at the door of the boy's dormitory, as if by chance Ron or perhaps Harry might be exiting.

She hurried straight through the common room and with one look, saw that it was practically empty bar a few first years jinxing a piece of parchment so fly and failing miserably. She guess Harry and Ron had already gone down to the breakfast hall.

Hermione felt a lump in her throat and she coughed. This was the first time in years Harry and Ron had left for breakfast without her. Hermione knew Ron was angry with her, but what about Harry?

Hermione swallowed and bravely headed out of the portrait and down to breakfast, her heart beating fast under her robes. Why was she so nervous? Ron wouldn't dare speak to her.

Maybe that's what I'm afraid of, she thought silently, Ron and Harry not speaking to me.

When Hermione reached the hall, Harry and Ron were sitting together, both reading a quidditch book and they didn't even notice Hermione was approaching the table. She steered right past them and down the other end of the table to an empty space.

Lots of heads turned to look at Hermione and it was obvious to every Gryffindor at the table that something was going on between the three of them. Hermione cleared her throat and stared down into her empty plate. She wasn't hungry so she just had a slice of toast and forced it down, the crumbs scratching her dry throat.

Throughout breakfast, Hermione didn't look up and felt incredibly relieved to know that her first lesson was Arithmacy and Harry and Ron were going to go straight to Divination.

But Hermione knew she couldn't avoid Harry and Ron all day, after all, they were together in the rest of the days lessons: History of Magic, Care of Magical Creatures and Double Potions.

Hermione particularly enjoyed a relaxed Arithmacy lesson and in History of Magic, she kept her head down and took notes from Professor Binns. But there was no avoiding Harry and Ron in Care of Magical creatures. The three of them were working together with Seamus, Lavender and Parvati, trying to look after the newest creature: the dugbog, a small creature resembling a log which has paw and sharp teeth .

As soon as the lesson begun, Hermione acted as though she was glued to Lavender and Parvati's side, even though she wasn't usually friends with them. Harry once or twice tried to catch Hermione's eye but Hermione looked away every few seconds. Ron, however, was in deep conversation with Seamus and didn't even notice Hermione's presence.

It was halfway through the lesson and whilst trying to feed the DugBog with some lettuce Hermione let out a shriek. She pulled her hand away but the had already sunk it's teeth into her skin. Blood trickled down Hermione's wrist but it didn't hurt.

Then, she began to sob loudly, clutching her arm. Everybody in the class turned to stare. Draco Malfoy nudged Crabbe and Goyle and whispered something, but Hermione didn't hear over her crying.

Harry stared at Hermione but Ron distracted himself with feeding the as Hagrid rushed to Hermione's aid. He wrapped her hand in a cloth and led her towards his cabin when she could be seated on the stone steps.

"'Ermione! I told yer to wear yer dragon hide gloves! You seemed really distracted at the beginning o' the lesson, yer did, you ok? Those Dugbogs are nasty little things, am surprised they never took yer arm off! No wonder yer crying yer eyes out!" said Hagrid, cleaning Hermione's cut with a cloth soaked in some sort of remedy.

"That's not why I was crying, Hagrid....Ron and I....we had an argument last night and neither him nor Harry are speaking to me! I've been feeling so lonely and it's...it's....not fair," said Hermione, sniffing, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"There, there, I am sure yer will patch things up! You and Ron are always fighting, you two are like a married couple, I tell yer!" said Hagrid laughing. Hermione forced a watery smile but she felt completely awful inside.

It wasn't until the evening, when Hermione was sitting in the common room, watching the fire, that Ron charged up from the behind and began to shout.

"You listen here, Hermione!"

From the tone of his voice, Hermione knew he was not there to make friends...