Unexpected Thoughts

Chapter 7

The two of them walked down the path towards the gates in silence. Both were thinking about something; neither of them knew that it was the same thing. Well, basically the same thing. They were both wondering if the other liked them.

'Think fast,' Harry thought to himself. 'This is going to get awkward if somebody doesn't say something soon.' "So... er... read any good books lately?" 'Oh, crap! No! ANYTHING BUT THE BOOKS!'

A smile immediately spread across Hermione's face, and she went off about books for a good ten minutes, Harry all the while nodding along and going "Mhmm, mhmm," and mentally smacking himself for mentioning books.

The books topic carried them all the way to Hogsmeade, and Hermione paused in her monologue about books for a second to take a breath, and then looked around and said, "Oh, we're here. I had completely lost track of time!"

Harry snapped out of his reverie and nodded joyously. "Yes! We're here! At Hogsmeade!"

"So... d'you want to go to Honeydukes first, then, Harry?" Hermione questioned, seeing Harry staring at the sign and the candy in the window.

"What? Oh, well, if you want to," Harry said, already on autopilot towards the store.

Hermione rolled her eyes. 'He's so cute when he wants chocolate... Well, of course he's cute; he's Harry, but...' She was snapped back to reality with Harry, waving his arms in her face.

"Hermione, should I get the bigger package of Chocolate Frogs or the smaller one?"

"Well," she said with a grin, "knowing Ron, he's going to eat at least half, so I suggest that you get the big one."

"Oh, right..." Harry said, and bought his package. Then they walked out of Honeydukes towards The Three Broomsticks.

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They walked into the Three Broomsticks and looked for Ron and Luna, but they were nowhere to be seen. Harry told Hermione, "I'm gonna go get us butterbeers. You can go find a table."

Harry purchased the butterbeers from Madame Rosmerta and went to sit down with Hermione, only to see Professor Dumbledore already sitting at the table facing Hermione, a grave expression on his face. Hermione had her back to Harry, and he couldn't see the look of shock on her face or the silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

It wasn't until she stood up to leave with Dumbledore that he saw her face, and he moved to hug her. She shook her head and said in a thick voice, "I have to go." She and Dumbledore walked out of The Three Broomsticks, leaving Harry holding two butterbeers, his jaw open.

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Hermione had barely reached her dorm when she crumpled onto the floor and totally broke down. She didn't have to worry about anyone hearing her, because everyone was at Hogsmeade. She stayed there, on the floor, for over an hour before collecting herself. Hiccuping, her breath hitching every now and then, she stood up. She had to start packing.

'What should I pack? Who knows how long I'll be gone... And, oh, God, Harry must be thinking about some of the worst things... I wonder how Ron's date went... I think I'll leave Harry my cell number in case he ever gets to a Muggle phone...' Her thoughts ran on like that while she packed all her things, and when a house-elf came to collect all her things and to remind her that she had an hour before the train left to go back to King's Cross, she was still in denial. How could this happen? This wasn't happening.

"Oh, God," she murmured, and then a fresh wave of pain and tears ran over her. She had to get home. Now. She hastily scrawled a note to Harry:

Harry-

Something's happened, I have to go home, here's my cell number if you can manage to find a Muggle phone.

Hermione took the note and rushed up to the boy's dorm, leaving the note on Harry's bed. She was just about to leave when she heard Ron say "Hermione?"

She turned around. "Oh, Ron!" She burst into tears. "I have to go, I'm so sorry, please, owl me and tell me how your date with Luna went." She rushed out of the room, out of the dormitory, and to the carriage waiting to take her to Hogsmeade.

«.:.:.:.»

Harry recaptured the ability to think, talk, and move, and immediately sat down at the table so that he wouldn't pass out right then and there. What was that all about? He had no idea... but he was going to find out. He thought that to himself for a good hour before actually standing up and walking back to Hogwarts. He got up to his dorm and found Hermione's note. "DAMN IT!" Things were running through his head. What had happened to her? Had someone died? Was she expelled for something? Oh, who knew?

"Er... Harry?" It was Ron, and he was sitting on his bed looking very strange. "I saw her leave that note... she wouldn't, or maybe couldn't, say anything about whatever has happened, but she's gone for a while, I assume."

Harry sat down on his bed and frowned. He was going to get himself to a Muggle phone if it was the last thing he did.

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Author's note: Hmm. HAHAHA A CLIFFIE. :D. Anyways, sorry for not updating last week. I've been studying for the accursed exams. Blah, I hate exams. :) (I also learned the hard way not to read fanfics that involve Draco and Harry doing... ahem... unmentionable things because then you start writing in an evil Ron who is anti-gay and a Hermione who is sleeping with Snape. Then you end up with major writer's block.) Anyways, we all love reviews. Toy surprises to all of you who review! (Some of you are going to have a dandy collection of them by the end of this story.)

LucyInTheSkyWithDiamonds7: OOC means Out Of Character. OC means Other Character. AU means Alternate Universe. Those are the only ones that I know. And yes, hooray for bribery and corruption! HOORAY FOR ALL THINGS EVEN SLIGHTLY EVIL! Ahem. By the way, I love your SN. Did you know that William Shatner re-did Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds? It's positively horrible.

KelseyRadcliffe: Hehe, thanks. I hope this chapter was enough to your liking (it really wasn't a date :D) and thanks for letting me know about the Anonymous reviews thing. I had no idea that I had even blocked them.

Tamar-Shaki: Man, you are one faithful reviewer. Every single chapter. I think you get a cookie with your toy surprise. And just to let you know, I did know that she had brown eyes but I did base her on me, and I have blue-green eyes... so yeah.

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