Chapter 2: Lost in Translation

"Harry, what are you doing?" Ron whispered harshly, rushing over to Harry's place on the floor and grabbing his own items. "I told you to watch my stuff, not go through it!" Harry knew Ron didn't really care that he'd been going through is things, but he knew that Ron did care about him reading that note.
"Why is there a note addressed to Hermione?" Harry asked, getting to the point, in an especially quiet voice only Ron could hear. Ron looked somewhat realived but didn't show it in his tone.
"I'm tired, and I'm going to bed now," Ron snapped, jumping under the covers and turning away from Harry. Harry hesitated before doing the same.
Harry was just drifting off to sleep when he realized the scribbled note was still laying on his bed. Still curious, he quietly folded the note and put it in his pocket. He grabbed his wand from under his bed and tiptoed down to the common room. Using Lumos as his light, he tried to see behind the ink if he could make out the words, but to no avail. He knew no spell that would allow him to undo the smudging. He figured if he'd confront Ron about it, he'd just get defensive. He didn't know what else to do with the piece of parchment.

Harry didn't remember falling asleep in the common room, but he did remember Ron shaking him awake.
"We're already late for breakfast, Harry! Come on now, get ready!" he ordered. Harry, still groggy, stumbled up the stairs and got dressed. He still had the note in his hand, and in a hurry stuffed it in the robe pocket. He brought the sack he carried his books in and also reminded Ron not to leave his stack of textbooks behind.
At the breakfast table, Hermione had saved a space large enough for both Harry and Ron to sit down.
"Don't you have some special Head Girl seating?" Ron asked somewhat sarcastically. Harry hit Ron on the shoulder to signal him to shut up. Hermione looked upset and her face heat up.
"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't know you didn't want to sit here. You don't, you know," Hermione replied. Ron looked down at his plate, ashamed. Harry, who was sitting in the middle of Ron and Hermione, leaned toward Hermione and whispered in her ear,
"What is up with you and Ron lately?" Hermione shrugged sadly.
"Why don't you ask him?" she spat. Harry huffed.
"You don't think I tried that?" he said satirically. Ron pulled Harry over and asked worriedly in a low voice,
"Were you talking to her about me?" Harry shrugged.
"Nothing imparticular," Harry said simply. Ron quickly let go of his grip.
"What did you say, Harry?" he shouted. Neighboring students turned to stare at Ron. Ron blushed but went on to continue listening to Harry.
"I just asked her what was up with you guys, okay?" Harry said to satisfy Ron. Ron stared back to his food.
"Nothing's wrong, Harry," Ron said unconvincingly.
"Fine," Harry said without really meaning it. The three didn't speak another word to each other until after breakfast.

After breakfast, everyone was scrambling to get ready for their classes. Harry grabbed his sack and Ron his own stack of books and walked off. Hermione bent down to pick up her canvas messenger back when she noticed a piece of parchment on the ground.
"Oh, Harry!" she called after him, "I think you dropped..." Hermione started as she was reading the parchment. She realized the letter was adressed to her, but that's all she could make out. The signature was ripped off. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her and then proceeded to stuff the note into the pocket of her skirt.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" asked Leah, a girl in Hermione's dormitory in the middle of the night.
"I think I know a charm to unsmudge the ink on this note," Hermione whispered.
"Ooh, let me see," Leah said, grabbing the parchment from under Hermione's hand. "Who's it from?"
"I don't know," Hermione said through her teeth as she snatched the paper back. "Leah, go to sleep." Leah sat down on her bed and made a face at Hermione before getting under the covers. Hermione didn't want to fiddle with this note while anyone else was watching. Giving up for the night, she decided to follow her own advice and go to bed.
It wasn't long before Hermione woke up again in a cold sweat. She knew there was only one reason why someone would leave her a note. She was restless to find the note and reveal its secrets. She jumped out of bed and pushed all of her textbooks off the table. But to her horror, the note was gone.

Meanwhile, as Hermione had shouted at Leah, Harry and Ron were arguing.
"You lost the paper? Anyone could find it now," Ron cried, burrying his face in his hands.
"You tore the bottom of the paper remember? The signature's gone, no one would know it was from you," Harry replied, trying to console Ron. Ron nodded solemnly.
"What if Hermione finds it?" Ron suddenly shouted with realization. Harry, without an answer, thought back to when he had the note last. He'd fallen asleep on thenote. He stuffed the note in his pocket. He took it out at breakfast and left it....immediately, hegrabbed his invisiblity cloak after digging through his case.
"What are you doing?" Ron asked.
"I need the sleep. I'm not going to have you shouting at me to get that note all night," Harry said simply. Ron breathed a sigh of relief and flopped back in his bed.

"Leah, go to bed!" Harry heard Hermione yell. Harry was hesitant to go another step further. He knew that if Hermione was awake she would eventually realize she wasn't alone. A few minutes later, she let out a sigh of frusteration and Harry could hear her folding back her bed sheets and climbing in. Harry peaked through the doorway to make sure her eyes were closed. He saw the note laid out on the table. He hardly breathed as he crawled on the ground and snuck under the table. Hermione flinched in her drifting, but Harry, determined to complete his mission, grabbed the note and raced as quietly as he could back up to the dormitory.
"Here, Ron," Harry said breathlessly, tossing the note back at him after tossing the cloak back in his large suitcase. Ron took it and tore it apart.
"There we go. Hopefully, we won't have to worry about it anymore."

Early the next morning, Ron had just been coming down the stairs, hurrying for breakfast. Hermione suddenly came from up the stairs and grabbed him.
"Ron, I need to talk to you," Hermione whispered urgently. Ron nodded and followed her, grabbing onto her arm as she dragged him to a table. She sat down in an armchair and Ron pulled the chair close to Hermione's chair.
"It's about Harry," Hermione explained. Ron nodded, his expression dropping slightly.
"He dropped this note, and it was addresed to me! Ron, do you know anything about it?" Hermione asked worriedly. Ron's face turned beat red.
"What note?" he asked, turning his head to stare at the fireplace. Hermione dropped her hands in frusteration.
"I don't know," she cried. "I woke up in the middle of the night and the note was gone."
"Shame," said Ron without any emotion. Hermione nodded. She stared at the wall across the room.
"Hermione, did you ever think--" Ron started to mumble, when Harry came down stairs. Hermione jumped up from her chair as and looked down to the floor.
"Morning, Hermione," Harry said smiling as he went past her. Hermione smiled quickly but didn't answer. Grabbing her messenger bag she raced past Harry.
"That was odd," Ron remarked. Harry looked at Ron puzzledly.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing," Ron mumbled again, grabbing his books and racing off to breakfast.

Hermione didn't speak with Harry the rest of the day. Harry didn't notice, because he was currently concerned by the way Ron was acting. He kept commenting to Harry on how odd Hermione was acting.
"You really don't know anything about the note Harry wrote?" Hermione had been asking all day to Ron. "You sure he didn't say anything about it? You sure he wrote it?"
"Yes, Hermione! I'm sure!" Ron shouted so loudly echoes resounded throughout the potions classroom. Hermione had unusually not been paying attention and passing Ron notes. Hermione whipped around so she was facing the front of the class, a horrified look on her face.
"FOUR ROLLS OF PARCHMENT ON TODAY'S LESSON DUE TOMORROW FOR MS. GRANGER AND MR. WEASLY," Professor Snape said loudly."And,10 points from Gryffindor."Slytherins including Malfoysnickered as Hermione and Ron looked down at their desks.Hermione couldn't stifle a tear from sliding down her cheek. Ron looked down on his paper, humiliated in front of his friends. Harry stared at the two, confused. He'd had no clue what they were doing.
Ron was the first to leave after class. Both Harry and Ron were anxious to leave, but Ron didn't even wait for either Hermione or Harry. Harry turned towards Hermione and asked,
"Do you know if something's bothering Ron?" he asked. Hermione looked towards Harry as if he'd been a complete stranger asking for directions to an unknown town. Hermione spun around, checking to see if perhaps he was talking to someone else. Faking a smile, she shrugged and raced out. Harry grabbed his sack and searched for Ron.
Harry was lucky enough to catch up with Ron just before Herbology. Ron just shoved Harry off the first time he tried to ask him something, but Harry pushed him off his seat.
"What the hell was that for?" Ron cried.
"Why am I being ignored by everyone?" Harry asked Ron. Ron glared at Harry. Just before he found another place to sit by Seamus Finnigan, he slammed his books on the plant counter and told him,
"Maybe, Harry, it's because Hermione's in love with you."