Out of the Comfort Zone
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to JK Rowling as well as the world she has created. I'm just using them for entertainment and do not gain any profit from this.
Chapter Two: Mistakes
Hermione woke with a start. She had been dreaming, but the details were washing away like running water. She knew that it had had something to do with Draco Malfoy, but what exactly she was no sure of. Oh well, she thought, I'll just get ready for class, then go meet Harry and Ron – What am I thinking? She just remembered the horrible events of the night before, and what Ginny had said to her.
Cool, composed, and perfectly civil. I can do this.
So, feeling slightly reassured, she got dressed and readied up for class—and to face Ron.
The Previous Night
Harry was nearly asleep, when the dormitory door banged open, and Ron came over and threw himself on his bed dejectedly.
"What's the matter with you?" Harry asked quietly, as the other members of the dorm were still asleep, despite the racket Ron had just made.
"What have I done?" Ron asked himself hoarsely, apparently oblivious to Harry's presence, "I'm such a bloody prat! Why did I have to go and ruin it when I had something good going for once?"
"What are you on about, Ron? Relax, will you? Tell me what's wrong," Harry added, a hint of impatience in his voice.
A low murmur came from Ron's direction as he sank his head into a pillow. Harry cleared his throat, and Ron sighed, his shoulders slumping, "I…" he said, his voice still very low, as if he was afraid of saying it aloud, "I broke up with Hermione."
Harry stared at his friend, apparently at a loss for words. When he recovered, he said, very quietly, "And why in Merlin's name would you do that?"
"Because I'm a bloody prat. I think I already mentioned that."
"Ron," Harry said impatiently, "Don't be stupid. You don't break up with someone for no reason."
"I dunno…because when things stop being easy I just can't take it. Because things are just more complicated than they seem, Harry," Ron said quietly, "You may think everything between Hermione and me was fine, but…you don't know anything."
"Ron, did you have a fight with her?"
Ron sat up, giving Harry a weary look, "Listen, I don't want to talk about it. I made my mistake, and I'll decide what to do 'bout it. I already know I'm stupid, thanks."
Harry sighed, "Come on, Ron…you should at least apologize. Maybe she'll take you back," he added.
"I doubt it," Ron sighed, slumping back on the bed and shutting the crimson curtains around him. He rolled around under his covers, thankful for the silence, wishing nothing less than to forget about what he had done.
In the morning, Harry had to shake Ron vigorously to wake him, and when he finally achieved his goal, all he received in reward was a pillow painfully colliding with the side of his head.
"Leave me alone," Ron said, his voice muffled, "I'm not going to class today." He turned in his bed, his back to Harry.
"Ron, you have to if you want Hermione to even consider taking you back!" Harry hissed, exasperated, "And you'll have to work at it, mind you. She won't settle for more of this, and you know it."
"What if I don't want her back? What if I did what I did for a reason?"
"I know you want her back," Harry said simply, smirking, "Yesterday you could barely give me a reason for breaking up. You were just overreacting about something, and you know it." Harry then proceeded to pull the covers off his friend, levitating him to the floor, where he fell with a thud. As an added bonus, the floor was stone cold, being the middle of October.
"AHHHHHHH!" Ron bellowed angrily, struggling to come to his feet, "JUST WAIT TILL I GET YOU HARRY POTTER, YOU WILL BE SORRY YOU-KNOW-WHO NEVER KILLED YOU BEFORE YOU MET ME!"
Harry scowled, "Fine, Ron, suit yourself. If that's how you're going to act, maybe you don't deserve Hermione," and with that, he stalked off, leaving Ron feeling both stupid and angry at himself.
Ron climbed back onto his bed, rubbing his head. He punched the bed angrily, hating himself for ruining things with both Hermione and Harry. Why was he so bloody stupid? And all because things weren't going the way he'd pictured them. Maybe Harry was right. Maybe he didn't deserve Hermione.
His head pounded painfully. It couldn't be blamed on the collision with the floor, really, nor could it be blamed on thinking. It could only be blamed on himself for being such an idiot.
For making Hermione suffer. Merlin, how he remembered the way her face looked, so sad and vulnerable, when he told her. He'd almost taken back his words and pretended it was a joke.
He kind of wished he had done that.
Breakfast, Great Hall.
As Hermione entered the Great Hall, she felt a small feeling of apprehension welling up inside her. Maybe it was too quick to face Ron. Maybe they should spend some time apart.
No, she told herself, I can't show him how this has affected me. I just can't…I don't care how much it costs me, but I'm going to act completely normal, as if nothing has happened at all.
As she neared the Gryffindor table, she saw Harry eating his breakfast, talking quietly with Dean and Seamus. Or listening to them talk, anyway. So, without allowing herself to think more, she walked decidedly towards him and sat down in front of him, effectively catching his attention.
"Good morning, Harry."
"Hey, Hermione."
"Isn't Ron coming down for breakfast?" she asked, careful to keep her tone level, "I can't imagine him turning down a good plate of food."
"I err…he is…ill. He didn't feel very well." Should I tell her about the fight with Ron this morning?
"Don't play with me, Harry. It's obvious he told you about last night. So he's too ashamed to come down, is he?"
"Well, he did…sort of mention something," Harry mumbled, "But I think it was all a misunderstanding. He really did seem angry at himself for what he did, you know. He hasn't been able to tell me why, exactly, he broke up with you, either. He's…confused."
"Shame, that is," Hermione said as she bit on a piece of toast, "It'll take him a while to get through that fog in his clouded mind."
"Hermione—"
At that moment, a crowd of laughing people—Slytherins, mostly—entered the Great Hall, surrounding one person in particular. It was Draco Malfoy, who was currently waving his hands around, occasionally making pleading or crying gestures.
"OH, Hermione! I Love you sooooo much why was I so stupid? Waaaaaahhhhh!" Malfoy said to the group of laughing Slytherins. "Like my re-enactment, Granger?" he said loudly, spotting Hermione and Harry, "Be careful though, Potty might get jealous."
"What's he on about?" Harry muttered to Hermione, watching as the group had another large laugh at their expense.
"Want to know what we are laughing at, Potter?" Malfoy said to Harry's confused look. "We were out just before curfew last night, when we saw this bush of mangy hair run by. We realized it mush have been Granger, 'coz soon after that, the Weasel came running past with exclamations of "Please Hermione, Don't cry!" Malfoy then proceeded to do another re-enactment, this time demonstrating that his heart was being ripped out and falling to his knees with exclamations of "Hermione!"
"Oh, Merlin…" Hermione muttered, rolling her eyes, her cheeks reddening.
"C'mon, let's get to class," Harry said, as he pulled Hermione from her seat. Without a backwards glance at Malfoy, they headed off to the Dungeons, where they had potions.
"Miss Granger! Will you please stop being such an insufferable know-it-all!" Professor Snape raged from his desk.
"Sorry, Professor. It's just that you facts are wrong-"
"Miss Granger, hold you tongue!"
"But Professor…"
"That's it! Miss Granger, you will report to my office tonight at 8:00 for detention! If I hear one more word out of you this lesson, you will have detentions with me for the rest of the week! Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes Professor." Hermione looked down at her cauldron, concentrating on her work. She didn't like the fact that she now also had a detention. It was hard to handle this along with the break up with Ron and Malfoy constantly performing re-enactments from his seat. He didn't get detention, oh no, Snape liked to favor his students, especially Malfoy. All Malfoy got was a "Quiet down, now please." At that moment, the bell for the end of the lesson sounded.
"Come and collect a phial from my desk and return it filled with your Anti-Inflammatory potion. You should be finished by now. Homework will be a twelve inch long essay on the Anti-Inflammatory potion, its uses, and the correct procedure for making. Homework is due on Thursday."
Hermione stood up and placed her perfect Anti-Inflammatory potion on Snape's desk, waited for Harry, and then left the classroom with him.
"What a git for giving you detention because he was wrong!" Harry exclaimed as soon as they were free of the classroom.
"I'm fine, I suppose I should learn not to correct my elders." Hermione was feeling thoroughly depressed and wished that she had taken the day off as well. She didn't feel much like talking. The rest of the day breezed by in a blur and soon enough it was seven o'clock and Hermione and Harry were coming back from dinner. Ron hadn't been at dinner, so Hermione assumed he had gone to the kitchens for something to eat. She had an hour before she had to go to Snape's detention, and she didn't intent to worry about Ron in this time, though. When she got to the common room, she sat in front of the fire, and began her homework.