Shout

Chapter 4: Hermione's Discovery

Several weeks later, Hermione figured everything was going to pass. But it didn't. She began to worry about her friend, and prayed that something would bring him out of his darkness. Hermione was silent when Harry was around her; she felt she talked too much if Harry didn't answer her. One of the nights when she was about in Gryffindor Tower, she finally got all of her confidence bottled up and went up to the boys' dormitory to talk to Harry.

Hermione walked up the what seemed too long to be humanly possible flight of stairs. She stopped at the door. She carefully pressed her ear to the door. She heard nothing.

When she pushed the door open, she still heard nothing; not even breathing. She feared that her friend could be dead, could have killed himself. Hermione slowly strode over to Harry's bed. She still heard no breathing. As if in slow motion, Hermione pulled back a portion of the bed hangings and saw the scene that tore at her insides.

Harry was in the bed, and was obviously awake. Cho was in the bed, too. Hermione didn't care if Harry had dated Cho; she didn't think Cho should be the one Harry would be in bed with. She screamed "Bitch!" and took Cho's hair and threw her to the ground. She slammed her fist into Cho's face, and still ripped out her hair while doing so.

Hermione lifted Cho off the floor, and told her firmly to leave. Cho stared at her for a minute, and then left, her robes wrapped around her tightly. Hermione turned to Harry. "Why'd you do it? Why with her?" she whispered. "I can't believe you'd do that." Harry looked at Hermione for a moment.

"I can't believe that you think that lowly of me," he muttered in disbelief. Hermione sat on his bed calmly. "I didn't," she said. "Until this happened."

"You don't even know what happened," Harry said angrily. "But right now, it's not as if you even care. You only think the worst out of every situation." Hermione's expression softened, as she laid her hand on Harry's shoulder. "Okay, then," she said, "what did happen?"

"Well, it all started when you were gone. Ron and I were having a little snowball fight with the people who were still here, and we did an especial little attack on Cho. Well, Cho took that as a sign and she thought I still liked her. So… then she kind of forced me into it. She said she'd kill you if I didn't…" his voice trailed off. Hermione looked at Harry mournfully. "It's okay. I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so, so sorry. So that's what you've been doing every night after dinner?" Harry shook his head.

"No," he answered. "Group Therapy. There's only a few other students in there."

"Like who?"

"Well, Draco, and then there's Neville, and there's also Lavender."

"Why are they in there?"

"Draco has issues with his dad, Neville is well… Neville, and Lavender's still going on about that rabbit."

"And they tell you these things?"

"Of course. You have to, eventually."

"Well, thank you for telling me the truth. That's what really makes people who they are. Feel better?"

"Yeah," Harry answered, grinning. "Wanna go do something?" Hermione smiled, and then nodded. The two snuck down to the lake, and sat there talking the rest of the night.

A/N: SORRY IT IS SO SHORT!!!! I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE THAT WOULD GO WITH THIS CHAPTER!!! SO SORRY! SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY!!