"Hermione
wait!" Harry called. She stopped and waited for him to catch up.
"I need to tell you something. Where are you going?"
"The
library. If this is about Ron -"
"It is but you might
want to hear it." They walked into the library and went all the
way to the back. "I was talking to him after you left."
"Yeah
I saw."
"He asked me for help... well at least I think
he did... but I don't know what to tell him."
"And this
is my problem because?" she asked.
Harry sighed. "Because
you know how to help him."
"What makes you think I want
to help him?"
"Then help me help him."
"Fine.
What's wrong with him?"
"Well... I don't really know.
That's why I need your help." Harry said.
"Okay. Is he
sick or something?"
"Uhh."
"You're not
being very helpful."
"I know. He said something about...
like he does something, and then he can't remember that he did
it."
"Short term memory loss."
"Yeah but...
he made it sound like a big deal."
"He makes everything
a big deal." she said.
"But maybe there's something he
didn't tell me."
"Well that won't get us very
far."
"Hermione could you just turn off the attitude for
a minute?"
"Harry I can't help you. I don't know what's
wrong with him, and right now I don't care."
"You don't
care?" he asked
"No I don't." she walked past him
quickly. Harry went back out into the main part of the library and
sat down. Now what am I going to do? Who else would know about
this?
That night,
Harry woke up at 3:45 AM. He didn't know why he was up so early; he'd
just gone to bed two hours ago. He sat up and looked around the
dormitory. Everyone else was asleep. Harry got dressed and headed for
the common room. He was still tired, but he knew that he wasn't going
to fall asleep any time soon. He fell onto a couch.
"Harry?"
Harry looked up. Ron was there too. "What're you doing up?"
Ron asked.
"Couldn't sleep."
"Me either. Do you
think that quidditch practice has been to hard?"
"Not
really. Why?"
"Some people have complained."
"They
should be glad that Oliver isn't on the team anymore. He worked us
until we almost died."
"I think Hermione hates me."
Ron said. "What did she say when you talked to her?"
"She
said that she can't help you."
"That's what I thought.
It would help a lot if I could remember what I did to make her so
mad." They stopped talking until it was time to go to
breakfast.
Harry walked
into Snape's class and sat next to Hermione. "Where's Ron?"
he asked her.
"Don't know, don't care." she said. They
stopped talking because Snape had started a lecture on a certain
potion's ingredients. It was his new game for them, guess the potion.
"Pollyjuice" Hermione whispered to Harry.
"Potter!"
Snape said "Since apparently you know so much that you don't
have to listen, which potion is it?"
"Pollyjuice."
Harry said
"I asked for your answer, not hers." Harry
could hear Draco laughing. "Do you know what a Pollyjuice Potion
does?"
"Transforms you into someone else."
"And
how long does it take to make?"
"A month."
"Well
I am amazed. You actually studied." Snape moved on to his next
victim.
"Good job." Hermione said. Snape was asking
someone to name ingredients that he hadn't. They couldn't answer
him.
"Potter. Since you and Granger share a brain now, answer
the question."
"Knotgrass, boomslang skin..." Harry
was amazed that he still remembered. It had been almost five years.
"And a bit of who you want to turn into."
"See me
after class." Snape said. The bell rang and everyone but Harry
left.
"How did you know that? Was Granger passing you
notes."
"No. I read one of her books." Harry
lied.
"Sure you did. From now on you will not be sitting near
her."
"But-"
"That is enough Potter."
Harry left the room. Hermione was waiting in the hall for him.
"What
did you tell him?"
"That I read one of your
books."
"Good. I don't want him knowing the real reason.
I'm surprised you remember all of that."
"Me
too."
After dinner
that night, Harry was heading back to the common room. Ron was going
into the common room just as Harry got there. "Ron!" he
said. Ron sat down. "Where've you been?" Harry
asked
"Around."
"Around where?"
"Just
around. How did Snape's class go?" Ron asked
"He won't
let me sit by Hermione anymore."
"Why?"
"He
thinks she's giving me answers."
"Well she does."
"Yeah
but I don't want him knowing that. So where were you all day?"
"I
already told you."
"Were you cutting class?"
"Maybe.
Not that it matters much if I'm there or not."
Harry sighed.
"Hermione would think differently."
"I don't care
anymore. She doesn't care about me, so why should I care about her?
You're the lucky one. You have a girl friend who isn't a smart know
it all who thinks she's better than the whole world."
"Actually,
I haven't talked to Cho since September."
"You
haven't?"
"No. Every time I talk to her she runs away. I
gave up trying a while ago."
Ron shook his head. "Women...
you know there's a Hogsmeade trip this weekend."
"Are
you going?" Harry asked
"Probably. I want to talk to
Fred and George. What about you?"
"I dunno. Maybe."
"You
should go with me. That way we'll both have someone to talk
to."
"Yeah, maybe."
The
next day before lunch, Harry waited in front of the Great Hall for
Cho. He knew that she had Herbology right before lunch. He leaned
against the wall and waited. Eventually she came up the stairs and
into the castle. "Cho?" Harry said.
"What?"
"Can
we talk?"
"I guess so."
"You're not going
to run away this time?"
She sighed. "No. What is
it?"
"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"
"Umm...
actually I don't think I can. I have this thing to do that
day."
"Fine." Harry walked into the Great Hall.
"So
that's it?" she asked
"Yep."
"That's all
you wanted to say?"
"Yeah. Usually when I try to talk to
you, you run away. So I thought I'd make it short so that I could
save you the trouble."
She sighed loudly. "I hate boys."
She headed for the Ravenclaw table.
"What's that supposed to
mean?" Harry asked.
"Nothing you would understand."
Harry wanted to follow her, but instead he went to the Gryffindor
table and sat next to Ron.
"Sometimes I really want to hit
her." Harry said
"She'd probably throw a fit and tell
someone. Then you'd get into trouble." Ron said
"True."
"Either
that or she'd flip out and do some kind of kung-fu move on you.
That's what Hermione did to me."
"You hit her?"
"It
was more of a hard push. Do you want me to beat her up for you?"
"No
that's okay. If she ticks me off again I'll do it myself."
