Emotional Range of a Teaspoon
Chapter Five: A Day of Sadness and Anger
A/N: Thanks so much to my reviewers... Also, the title will be explained! It's not just stolen from the books, someone will say it, in case anyone was confused! Enjoy! And please review!
Ok, here's...
Chapter Five: A Day of Sadness and Anger
The next morning, Ginny told her mother that Hermione and she needed to go into Diagon Alley for some 'girl time and shopping.' Mrs. Weasley (who was glad to let her rather tom-boyish only daughter do 'normal' girl activities) gladly let them go, and even gave them each some spending money.
However, Ginny had written to Dean, and Hermione to Viktor the previous night, and they had arranged to meet up on the steps of Gringots at noon that day.
So, after a delicious breakfast of French toast, cheese grits, and Canadian bacon, (cooked, as always, by Mrs. Weasley) Ginny and Hermione left the Burrow by floo powder at 11 o'clock, after promising to be home by dinner.
When they arrived in the Leaky Cauldron, they proceeded through to the back alley, tapped the appropriate bricks with their wands, and walked into the magical street.
"Err... where should we go?" asked Hermione, who did not go on many outings.
"Let's... let's just go get a drink. I fancy some pumpkin juice, how about you?" replied Ginny, a little nervously.
Hermione sighed. "Very well. Sounds good," she said dully.
Ginny looked at her. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Hermione said, "I don't know. I just feel like I shouldn't be here. And I can't stop thinking about Ron," she said, looking at the ground. They sat down in a small outside café and ordered two juices.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "You two..." she said on a sigh. "I don't know why you didn't get together years ago."
Hermione looked at Ginny, still upset that Ginny had never told her Ron like her before their kiss. "No, it's not about that. It's just, if he found out that we came here to see Viktor, he'd be so hurt. I just don't want to do that to him." She looked at Ginny. "You know?"
"Yeah, I get it. I know you don't want to hurt him. But remember what we talked about this morning? Just let Viktor down easy, just act like it's an innocent friendly outing, and everything should be fine," Ginny said reassuringly. She looked around shiftily. "Do I look alright?"
"Of course you do! I never understood how you got your hair to do that!" said Hermione, somewhat amazed. Ginny always looked stunning, next to her.
"Do what?" asked Ginny, confused.
"Be straight like that. Your hair is naturally wavy."
"Oh." Ginny smiled mischievously. "Well, at school I experimented with a straitening charm, but at home I found a muggle hair straitener to work wonders," she said, running her fingers through her straight, silky hair that fell just past her shoulders. "I'll show you when we get home."
"Okay," said Hermione, smiling at her friend's cleverness.
Ginny compulsively checked her watch again (she had been doing so more and more often for the last half hour). "Oh, it's time to go," she said, looking rather flustered.
The two girls got up, paid for their drinks and made their way up the street towards the huge white marble building that towered over everything else. They arrived on the steps of Gringots at 11:52. They stood there waiting, Ginny looking around nervously, and Hermione feeling rather nauseous.
At 11:58, Viktor appeared in front of them suddenly, cautiously lowering the hood of his cloak and looking around suspiciously.
He smiled when he saw Hermione and walked towards her. "Sorry, I'm trying to keep a low profile," he muttered in his Bulgarian accent.
Hermione looked uncomfortable, as though he would really rather be somewhere else when she said, "It's alright."
"Vell, are ve ready to go?" Viktor asked Hermione, looking sideways at Ginny as though confused about why she was there as well.
"Oh, well, we're waiting for Dean," replied Ginny rather breathlessly, apparently oblivious to the fact that Viktor was being rude to her. "He's coming with us!"
Viktor blinked a few times. "Dean... he is coming as vell?" asked Viktor perplexedly.
Hermione looked uncomfortable. "Um... well... yes. He'll be spending the day with us as well," she said, looking carefully at his left knee.
Viktor didn't look very happy. Apparently he thought he would be spending the day with just Hermione. "Vell, I hope he doesn't ask for my autograph," he mumbled grumpily.
Dean arrived a few minutes later, looking cool pretty calm but a little bit nervous. "Hi, Ginny!" he said happily when he saw her and gave her a swift kiss on the cheek. Ginny blushed slightly. "Hey Hermione. Hey Viktor, nice to see you again," he said politely. "So, are we ready to go?" he asked, looking at Ginny.
Viktor seemed to be shocked that Dean didn't want his autograph. He was the only English teenage boy not to start babbling and ask him for his signature since he had been in the Quiddich World Cup.
"Shall we go?" said Dean, looking around.
"Let's go!" said Ginny, smiling widely.
They set off down the street, not really talking, with an awkward silence among them.
"Um... Where should we go?" Hermione asked nervously.
"Oh, let's just go look in some of the shops," said Ginny happily. She had cheered up quite a bit since Dean had joined them, and was walking very close to him. "Look! There's a new display in Quality Quiddich Supplies! Let's go!"
The group walked toward the little shop, Ginny and Viktor walking a bit quicker than the other two, eager to see the display.
"Oh, it's the new Shooting Star edition. They just came out vith that von about two veeks ago," said Viktor in a slightly bored voice. "Ve haff already tried them out in practice for the new season. They're not so good," he said, looking sideways at Hermione, hoping she was impressed.
Hermione was barely able to keep herself from rolling her eyes. "Well, that's lovely!" she managed to say in a nice voice. "Shall we go and look in some of the other shops then?" she asked.
"Alright," said Dean.
They spent the next hour or so looking around in some of the shops, walking slowly and lazily around in the afternoon heat. As the day progressed, however, Hermione was annoyed to see that Ginny and Dean fell behind the other two, talking and giggling to themselves. Hermione would have been angry, but she knew how much Ginny liked Dean, and how excited she was to spend time with him, despite the fact that Hermione and Viktor were there.
"You know, I rather fancy an ice cream!" said Ginny around two' o'clock.
"That sounds great!" replied Dean automatically. "What do you say, you two?" he asked, looking expectantly at Hermione and Viktor.
"Oh, well... I don't know..." replied Hermione nonenthusiastically. "I'm not really in the mood for ice cream," she said offhandedly. She looked at Viktor. "What do you think?"
"Vell, I agree vith you, Herm-i-one. Ice cream does not sound so good now," he said quickly, looking at her hopefully. "How about some coffee?" he suggested.
"Oh, well, that sounds alright," she said uninterestedly. She looked at Ginny. "Is that alright? Do you mind if we get some coffee?"
"No!" she said, a little too quickly. Dean smiled at her. "I mean, no, it's alright," she corrected herself, blushing slightly with that typical Weasley flush. "You two go ahead. Why don't we meet in the Leaky Cauldron in, oh, say, an hour?" she said, smiling. "Then it will be about time to go home, Hermione."
Hermione looked indifferent. "What? Oh, yes, that sounds lovely," she said.
Ginny and Dean walked off towards Florien Forterscue's Ice Cream Parlor, arm in arm, smiling at each other and apparently glad to be alone at last.
Hermione looked at Viktor, and they walked in silence towards the café that she and Ginny had eaten at earlier. They ordered two coffees, and then sat for a while, sipping them, not really knowing what to talk about.
Hermione decided to make a stab at conversation, to end the painful silence at her own cost. "So... How's Bulgaria?" she asked lamely, wishing she had just been quiet as soon as the words were out of her mouth.
Viktor glanced at her. "Oh... Bulgaria is good. It is very nice this time of year. Very varm, and many... flowers," he said awkwardly. He glanced at her. "Vell, I suppose you haff been having a difficult summer, vat vith the Death Eaters and all..." he looked at her warily.
Hermione looked at him, surprised. He had never said anything that blunt, or that caring before. "Well, yes. It was rather sad, with Harry's godfather being killed," she said, truthfully. "We all miss him a lot." She looked away. "Well... have you heard any news of Karkaroff since the end of the Triwizard Tournament?" she said daringly.
"Oh, vell... I really don't follow what happens vith him. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care if he disappears. He vas very annoying, alvays pestering around me." Hermione laughed. Viktor smiled at her. Then there was a comfortable silence.
Suddenly, Viktor leaned forward towards Hermione, about to kiss her. She stood up suddenly, backing away from him. He looked up, surprised. "Vat?" he said, looking confused and hurt.
Hermione stumbled "I... I... I can't. I..." She looked at him pityingly. "I'm so sorry Viktor, but I... I can't... I don't..." she broke off.
He looked down at his hands. "I thought you would want to..."
Hermione looked very uncomfortable. "I told you before... We should just be friends," she said awkwardly. "I... I have to go," she said briskly.
Before he could say anything or make any move to stop her leaving, she had walked away from the café and was heading up the street towards the Leaky Cauldron.
Once inside the pub, she headed up the stairs to one of the parlor rooms, and closed the door sharply behind her. She sank onto the sofa and sighed. This was not good. This was not good at all.
"Ron! You had better be cleaning your room!!" called Mrs. Weasley up the stairs to Ron's bedroom.
"Yeah, yeah, I am!" Ron called back.
He looked around his room and sighed. There were clothes and books and clippings from the Daily Prophet all over his floor. He put down the Quiddich Magazine he had been reading and started to pick up his mess.
As Ron picked up the book that he had borrowed from Hermione, a folded piece of parchment fell out of it onto the floor. He picked it up slowly, unfolded it, and read:
Dear Hermione...
A/N: Well, sorry that one took so long. Thanks to all my reviewers so far. I'll try and get Chapter 6 out ASAP, but with high school and a hurricane... who knows?! R&R please!