Meanwhile Back in the Other World…
Harry daringly entered the lair of the beast warily passing piles of books and overflows of paper. In the middle of the mausoleum of deforested trees sat a weary girl. Her hair made frizzier because of extensive pulling by ink stained fingers.
"Hermione, don't you think it's time you took a break?" Harry asked carefully sitting down at the table at which she was working. The furniture looked ready to collapse under the strain of such extensive reading.
"You know I can't do that," she sighed pulling forward yet another tome.
"I really think you should get some rest," he urged again.
Hermione growled in frustration at the book in her hands and threw it to the floor. The thump echoed around the empty library and in the distance a clock could be heard chiming eleven o' clock.
"Why isn't it here Harry!?" she cried in desperation, "Why is there nothing about that bloody door?" Hermione wiped at her eyes and Harry turned away to allow his friend time to hide her tears and regain her composure.
"You've been here everyday for the past two and a half weeks, don't you think that it's time to stop," Harry pleaded.
"I'm not going to give up on him."
"I'm not asking you to. But while you're here practically killing yourself Ron could be having the time of his life in a world where the Chudley Cannons are at the top of the league."
That managed to raise a small smile but it was soon lost. Hermione reached unconsciously for a chain around her neck and muttered to him, "What if he's in danger though and we aren't there to help?" She then voiced her greatest fear, "What if he can't get back?"
To be honest every pessimistic thought that had crossed Hermione's sharp mind had also whizzed through Harry's but he couldn't allow himself to really worry about Ron while his other best friend needed him. In fact, without realising it, he had been pulled out of his slump by Ron's disappearance. Hermione could not cope with this on her own even if she liked to pretend to.
"And that isn't the most horrible part."
Harry looked at her, confused by her whispered confession, "What do you mean?"
Hermione turned away from him in her seat and placed her head in her left hand while still fiddling with the chain in the other. "I'm not sure if… I don't know if I would be this worried… if I would feel this way if… if it was you that had gone through that doorway," she shamefully admitted.
Quickly she turned back to him, "Oh, Harry I'm so sorry, I must sound like such a horrid person!"
"Don't be silly," he said but Harry couldn't help but feel that he was lying.
"No it's true, I really don't deserve to be called your friend. At first when I threw myself into this extra work I thought it was just because Ron was my best friend. When it got worse and I lost myself in the research I persuaded myself I was more worried than usual because he had never been in a situation like this before by himself but as time went on and I filled up the rest of my time with trying to find this damned doorway-"
"At the expense of essential things I should add," Harry interrupted.
"Not that essential."
"Hermione, you've been cutting down on your meals, loosing sleep, even your homework has suffered for goodness sake!"
"Well that's neither here nor there because what I realised was that though it is true that I worry about Ron for those reasons it isn't… just those reasons"
Harry quickly forgot his offended feelings as he realised what she was trying to say.
"Harry I feel so awful because… because I don't know how I'll cope if he doesn't come back."
"Oh and you would be able to cope without me though would you?" he teased with a smile on his face.
"Oh, I didn't mean that!" she cried until she saw his laughing eyes, then she hit him lightly round the back of the head, "Don't tease me at a time like this."
"I just find it hilarious that it takes yet another near death experience for you to admit that you fancy Ron and you haven't even said it out loud yet! Why haven't you two worked it out yet? Why haven't you got it through your thick skulls that neither of you have got time to waste by beating around the bush?"
"What do you mean- 'neither of you'?"
Harry felt like banging his head on the table as he explained in exasperation, "Ron. Fancies. You. The only people dumb enough to not be able to see it are the two of you and it is driving the rest of us mad!"
Hermione's face took on a picture of self-denial, "I don't believe you."
"Godric help us," Harry pleaded to the ceiling before facing her head on and patiently speaking, "Hermione what did I get you the Christmas before last?"
"A book, New Theory of Numerology, but I don't see what that has to do with anyth-"
Harry interrupted regardless, "What did Ron get you?"
"Perfume," she surrendered.
"And what did I get you this year?"
"A Thousand Witches and the Roads They Fly by Zelda McIntosh." She could see where he was going this but had no choice other than to follow.
"How about Ron?"
Hermione glanced down at the chain around her neck and at her hand that had clasped instinctively onto the simple looped pendant. "This necklace," she whispered.
"Are you noticing a pattern here?"
"I might be." She smiled wryly, "He really does feel the same way?"
"Yes," Harry cried in exasperation, "Yes he does. Now hand me that book."
Hermione glanced at him in surprise. "Pardon?"
"The book please. I'm sorry I should have been more help earlier but I was so wrapped up in my own problems. I'm not going to have a repeat of the Buckbeak trial research of third year so I'm going to be a real help. Now hand me the book, we'll look for another hour and then we're going to play dodge Filch and his evil cat and go to bed, okay?"
Taken back by this sudden change in attitude Hermione dumbly handed the large ledger next to her into his hands and turned back to her own fruitless research.
"Thank you," she murmured.
"Don't, I should have been here earlier."
She spoke again into the book, "It's been quieter this year maybe V-Voldemort has decided to leave you alone."
"Yeah maybe," Harry spoke but did not elaborate as the now familiar guilty feeling twinged in his stomach. Yes it had been quiet so far but those in the know knew that leaving Harry to grow old in peace was the last thing on the Dark Lord's mind.
AN: So here is todays second chapter. It's really a break for the next part of the story. We are now about half way through.
AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
