Chapter 9 – No Golden Lining
Harry found Hermione sitting by the lake late Friday afternoon. The air had a hint of a crisp chill to it, which was a telltale sign that winter was approaching. He watched her from a distance for a few minutes before she became aware of his presence. Turning her head, she smiled softly at him and waved him over, before returning once more to staring with unfocused, chocolate eyes over the dark, placid water.
His dragon hide Quidditch boots made soft crunches as he ploughed through the leaves littering the Hogwarts grounds. He thought she looked like a fallen angel from afar, her hair billowing out in all directions, tendrils of it carried softly by the gentle wind. As he got closer, he could see her expression more clearly. Tear stains marred her rose-red cheeks. She looked terribly sad and cold.
Harry sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around her protectively, shielding her from the wind that was biting at their exposed flesh. He brought his head to rest snugly in her ferocious locks and whispered in her ear.
"Mione, I think you had better tell me what's going on."
Hermione buried her head into his robes, sobbing softly. He held her tighter and stroked her hair. He could fully understand what she was going through. He too had felt the shock and hurt of losing a good friend over misinterpretations and jealousy. However, instead of being moody and stomping about in a foul temper like he had previously, she had internalised the hurt and become sullen, her mood dampening with every passing day.
They had both experienced a similar situation in their fourth year, but somehow it was now more serious. Emotions ran higher and things they had thought had been solved, now showed to be weak at the seams. With a prod and a nudge, the seams had broken open. Harry believed that Hermione felt like her life had been torn apart.
Harry had thought that Monday was bad, but he had been wrong. Stories about Hermione and himself had started to percolate the school rumour mill that had previously been running strong with Death Eater attacks and Voldemort since school started. Now the whole school knew, thanks to eyewitness accounts, about the kiss that he had shared with Hermione. Of course, this bore resemblance to Rita Skeeter's article…but it was different this time.
Harry suspected that Hermione's confused feelings about Ron were now paramount, as were Ron's feelings about her, and about him. Harry cared for both his friends, but now he was starting to feel like he should have done more to get them together instead of waiting for nature to take its course.
Ron hadn't spoken to him since Sunday night and Harry didn't know what had happened. He thought that his best friend would have apologised to his crush by now, that they would have made up, and that all three of them would spend the next day lollygagging in Hogsmeade, before he would discreetly disappear to give his friends some time alone.
But sadly, Harry knew that wouldn't happen tomorrow. Ron avoided him every chance he got; and he was making sure that Harry knew it. He was always on the opposite side of the Quidditch pitch during practice, would turn around to laugh at Harry from the bench in front in Potions when their substitute teacher stepped into Snape's shoes with an almost perfect fit and snarled at Harry, he left the dining table in the Great Hall when Harry sat down. In the Gryffindor common room, he looked pointedly at Harry and complained that someone had guffed and he couldn't stand the smell. This was met with giggles from every first year within earshot.
Ginny had been avoiding him as well, and he had been stunned when he noticed that she avoided Hermione too. For a few days Harry had wondered whether Ron was being horrible to Hermione since he couldn't avoid her during their prefect duties. He was intrigued when he walked past them under his invisibility cloak on his way back from the prefect's bathroom, to find Ron talking politely to her. He only caught on that something was wrong when he heard the stiffness in Ron's tone, and saw the pained expression on Hermione's face. The truth could no longer be denied — the Golden Trio was no more.
Hermione's sobbing subsided and she was gulping down the cool air. She sniffled and looked at Harry, smiling apologetically when she saw the seeping wet patch she had left on his shoulder. He smiled back at her and adjusted his glasses.
"I don't know when it all went so wrong, Harry," Hermione said as she wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her cloak. "You would think he was brainwashed or something. I half expected an apology from him on Sunday, but all I got was a stony silence. He didn't even say goodnight."
"I don't know, Hermione," Harry said. He rubbed some blades of grass between his left forefinger and thumb and watched as they fell onto the ground. "Did you try speaking to him? Did you tell him how you felt? If I open my mouth he turns around and walks away, it's like he doesn't even want to hear the truth."
Hermione shook her head and pulled her cloak more tightly around her. "Every time I see him I tell him it's not the truth, that we're not seeing each other. I'm starting to sound like a broken record now. He looks right through me and says that I don't need to lie to him, that he's happy for us," she stared into Harry's emerald eyes.
They sat a few more minutes in silence, watching the reflection of the sky as it became steadily darker. The lights in the castle began to light up, one by one.
"Maybe we should just be together so that he knows what it's really like!" Hermione burst out crossly.
"I don't think that would be a good idea, Mione," Harry said standing up and stretching. "Let's head back now, it's getting a bit too cold out here."
Harry waited as Hermione stood up, and he took her hand to help her steady herself. Her hands were icy cold, so Harry gave her his scarf to wear and pulled her close. He continued to hold her hand, worried that she was so cold she would shatter if she stumbled to the ground.
"I think I'll write to Lupin and ask him for some advice," Harry said more to himself than Hermione as he held the door to the foyer open for her.
"That's a good idea, Harry."
Harry forgot to let go of Hermione's hand when they entered the Great Hall, and regretted his carelessness instantly. This mark of friendship, innocent in itself, was a costly mistake, the major repercussions of which would come later.
When they stepped into the Great Hall they were met with silence and greedy stares from the staff and students. To the eyes of the school, the rumours had been confirmed. Harry and Hermione were dating.
to guff. I came across this term in a UK Teen Mag – it means to pass wind i.e. fart.