Chapter two: Just want him
The next week, Hermione spent in the corner of the common room, next to her favourite bookcase. It was a secluded quite area. It served as her safe haven. She was left completely to her own devices. Everyone had just left her alone after day one, when she cursed or cursed out anyone who came near her. She hated living now. She just wanted Harry. She pulled her legs up and hugged her knees to her chest. She hadn't moved or stopped crying since last Thursday. She missed the feast in Harry's honour and the wake. She hadn't eaten, slept, or even gone to the loo in a week. She felt horrid about it but she just didn't have the strength to get up and go. She just wanted Harry. He was all she wanted. She needed Harry. She just needed him. Her need was making her crazy. She had no idea that she was this dependent on Harry for anything.
Today was his "first day" at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. He left the office with Albus and Professor McGonagall. They all went the Great Hall from his office before dinner. Today was Harry's introduction to the school. He was going by the name of Christian White, which was an appropriate name for him in this condition. He was an attractive 6'1 blonde. He had sexy mint green bedroom eyes and pouty peach lips. The only thing that hadn't changed was his scar. It was inevitable he knew. But courtesy of Hermione in his sixth year, he tried out a potion that moved his scar from his forehead to his left bicep. Just thinking of Hermione made him nauseous. All week she had been trying to use her connection to him to see if he was alive. She still had hope. And that was making it hard for him. She hadn't stopped crying. Her cries would just ring in his mind day in and day out. It hurt badly. He hated to hear her cry. His soul reached for her. Whenever she thought of him, he just wanted to reach out and say, "I'm here baby, I'm here. Don't cry love." 'But enough of her for now, he thought attempting to push her to the back of his mind. As he, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall entered the Great Hall. Everyone looked up with curiosity and a slight hint of sadness. They stood before the head table.
"May I have your attention please? Thank you. I would like to introduce you to a new student. This is Christian White. He is new. Because we already know his characteristics he will not be sorted. He will just be added to Gryffindor." A small applause rang out especially from the Gryffindor table. " I have assigned Mr. White to a guide. His guide will be Mr.Weasley." Harry left the head table and went to sit next to Ron. "Hello" he said, shaking Ron's hand. "Hello mate. I'm Ron. This is my sister Ginny, her boyfriend Dean," he said with grimace "My girlfriend Lavender, Neville, and Seamus." He nodded at each person as he stated his or her names. "I'll guess you'll be in all of my classes. We have potions first. Our ruddy teacher's name is Professor Snape..."And he went on to describe the classes and the school.
The day flew by in a blur. Harry classes were a lot better in his new body. Not only was he on good terms with Ron and the Gryffindors, even the Slytherins liked him. At the end of the day, Harry and Ron dragged them into the common room and sat before the fire. Harry was careful not to take his favourite chair. He didn't want Ron to get suspicious. He was a bloke but no one was that thick. He unfortunately, took a seat facing Hermione. He had to restrain from going to her. She looked horrid. Her face was puffy and tears stained. Her usually curly ringlets now hung limp. Her eyes had dark circles around them. It hurt him to see her this way. "What?" Harry asked. He felt like he had missed something important. "I said, do you want to play wizarding chess?" He tore his eyes away from Hermione. "Sure." They played for about and hour before Harry excused himself to the dormitory to do his "homework". Really he was practising his dueling. He had a midnight lesson with Dumbledore. Until then, he had to take his mind off of Hermione.
For the next few days this pattern continued. Eat, Class, Eat, Homework, Chess, watching Hermione, Midnight lessons, Sleep, Eat, Class, etc. He couldn't take it. He needed to help her. She was driving him round the bend. One evening, while he, Ron and Ginny were sitting in front of the fire he blurted it out.
"Ron? Who's that girl in the corner?"
"What? Oh Hermione"
"Why's she sitting there?" he asked playing dumb.
"Oh you don't know. Right. She was Harry Potter's girlfriend. She's depressed that's all. She'll come around I hope." Harry started to rise from his seat but Ron grabbed his wrist.
"Whoa mate. Where are you going?"
"To talk to her."
"Are you mad? She won't talk to anyone. Not even me and I'm her best mate"
"Well I need to talk to her. Because she is making me depressed sitting in that corner." With that he marched across the common room and sat in front of Hermione in a cross-legged position. He sat silently for a few moments. He slowly reached out and held one of her hands that were resting on her knee. She pulled back as though she had electric shock. He tried again. This time she let him hold her hand. He gently caressed the back of her hand with the pad of his thumb.
She raised her face and looked him in the eyes. It was like the entire world stopped. Something in his eyes made her trusts him, want to talk to him, be around him. She looked down at the hand he was caressing. It felt so familiar. So warm. So friendly. So Harry-like. She burst into tears. He opened his arms and pulled her in. She buried her face in the crook of his neck. She wet his neck and shirt and robes with her tears and she did not care. He held her tight and murmured a lot of nothing into her hair. "It's alright. It's OK, I know. It's OK. I'm here for you. Let it all out."
"Bloody hell" Ron whispered. She was letting him touch her. She was letting a stranger touch her. Not just touch her, hold her. She was letting Christian hold her. She wouldn't even let him talk to her and here she was letting a stranger touch her. He tried to contain and suppress the feeling but he was jealous.
Once the water works had slowed immensely, Hermione clambered out of Harry's lap. "I'm sorry," she said.
"For what?"
"I wet your shirt."
"It also gets wet in the wash. So I'm set. So do you want to tell me what's wrong." she looked at him as though he had grown a second head
"What?" she said
"What what?" he asked comically.
"You asked me what's wrong. Don't you know who I am?"
"No, should I?" he fired back
"Damn. Sorry. I must sound like a conceited putz." she stuck out her hand for him to shake. "I'm Hermione Granger."
"I'm Christian White. Now do you want to tell me what's wrong?"
"Harry Potter was my boyfriend.", she said as though it explained it all. Seeing the blank look on his face she gave him the patented Hermione eye roll. "You seriously don't know. You may be the only one in the world. My boy friend died. He was Harry Potter." he continued to play the dumb act "You know the boy-who-lived?" She went into explaining their relationship and friendship. They spent the majority of the next two hours getting to know each other. Even though they technically did already.
"Thank you Christian."
"For what?"
"Just letting me speak. It's easier to talk to a stranger than people I've known for years."
"Glad to know I could be a help." They sat in comfortable silence for a considerable time. "How long have you been awake?" he asked out of the blue.
"I don't know. What's today?"
"Tuesday, October, 19"
"About 12 days."
"You need to sleep", he said rising to his feet; he reached down and pulled her to her feet.
"I'm fine."
"Sleep." He commanded.
"Sleep." She repeated in affirmation. He kissed her on the forehead and pointed her in the direction of the staircase that lead to the girl's dormitory.
"Nite."
"Nite. And thanks again." She said before exiting the common room for the first time in over a week.
