"HAPPY NEW YEARS!"
Hermione fought to hold back tears that were threatening to spill, and instead, managed a small smile, which was one of the rare things Hermione Granger had done this past week.
She kissed Harry on the cheek first and let him hold her tightly, before kissing Ron in turn, who blushed, and he too hugged her.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasely, Fred and George were already arguing about the fact that they were old enough – or in Mrs. Weaselys case, weren't old enough – to drink champagne and that every other mom wouldn't be as fussy as she was, especially on New Years.
Hermione tried another smile when she noticed her female best friend approaching her. She hugged Ginny too, managed a feeble "happy new years," and was then kissed on both cheeks by Luna, who looked at her sincerely and then said gravely and slowly, but without hesitation, "You're not happy. You miss them."
Hermione looked away, and Ginny, who looked terribly affronted, hissed at Luna "of course she misses them! Why did you have to bring the subject up now, at all times?"
When Luna shrugged her question away with a dazed "you won't ever get over it unless you accept it; and the sooner you accept it, the better because then you van move on, and let yourself see the good side of life once more," Ginny looked extremely vexed.
"Luna, its New Years, don't go around making her feel un-comfortable! This was the perfect opportunity to forget about her parents for a short while so she could have fun." Ginny retaliated with a mixture of sadness and anger on her face.
But Luna just shrugged once more, and floated away to congratulate Dean and Neville, who turned a considerable shade of red when he saw her.
Hermione stayed standing where she was. She didn't want to be here. Harry and Ron were shooting her furtive glances from the other side of the room where Fred and George - who were both holding recently acquisitioned champagne flutes - were showing them a few of their new inventions. Ginny was edging away from her, and Hermione found that she didn't care.
She didn't care what anybody else thought of her behaviour, she didn't care that they were all worried about her, that they wanted her to be happy, and feel loved and secure.
She just turned on her heel, and walked silently out of the tiny kitchen, away from all the noise, all the happy faces, all the worried glances, and let the tears fall silently as she did so.
Up the stairs she wandered, up until she was in the attic, until she was sitting in a corner, over thrown by shadow, where she let the grief that was once bottled up inside her take hold of her, and rack her body with muffled sobs.
She sat there for God knows how long, occasionally letting tears leak from her auburn eyes and roll down her pale and hollow cheeks, and finish their journey onto her already tear soaked sweater.
Her parents, laughing at her as she told them all about the time when she saved Ron and Harry's life from the venomous tentacula in their first year. Her parents, sombre faces and scowling when she told them about the teeth reduction incident. Her parents, always fascinated to hear something new about the wizarding world, always proud to know that she had managed to pass another test with over 100.
She was so deep in thought, so lost in her sorrow, so concentrated in watching the snowflakes collect on the window edges that she never heard them coming up the stairs.
But when they arrived in the attic, and saw her in a worse estate than they had imagined, they were over come with a sorrow so intense, that it was all they could do from letting their own salty tears mix in the already heavily intoxicated atmosphere.
"Hermione," Harry said, walking towards her and crouching down in font of her.
When she turned to look at him however, the words died in his throat. Her eyes were filled with a sorrow so intense, that he couldn't manage anything else, than to stare back at her.
Ron however, who was used to this kind of stuff, ever since his little sister who had had nightmares every night in his second summer away from Hogwarts merely sat down next to her, wrapped his arms around her protectively, and didn't speak.
Harry watched awkwardly as Ron held her tightly, and stroked her hair away from her face. "Hey," he said, and she looked up at him with watery eyes.
Harry thought she looked beautiful. Her eyes were all red and swollen up, her hair was a mess and she looked a wreck. But at the same time, the sheer desolation made her look so strong, so powerful that it was so difficult to find words, and the only thing he could do, was sit down on her other side, link her hand with his, and smile at her.
He felt her lay her head on his shoulder, and he saw her close her eyes. The dark circles under her eyes were more prominent now than ever before, and he saw her in a whole new light now.
She wasn't their friend. She wasn't Hermione Granger. She was a lost teenager, who did not know good from bad anymore, who had lost the will to live and who had abandoned all that she had devoted the past 5 years she had worked so hard for. She was just another soul, waiting for death, and Harry knew that is he didn't help her come back to her normal self once more, they would lose the real her for ever.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and let her cry into his shirt, while Ron too wrapped his arms around her so she was enveloped in a two sided hug, so she felt safe and protected, and that's how they fell asleep.
Hermione, her head on Harry's chest, Harry, his head resting on Ron's who had his on Hermione's shoulder. And that's also how they awoke, fresh and determined to help Hermione, and Hermione, deciding to let herself be helped by her two best friends and the rest of the Weaselys and anybody else who was remotely kind to her.
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So I TOLD you the next chapter would be longer, well, IT IS! And you know what else? The next will be even longer. So review and DON'T FAIL ME! Because then you will feel bad that you don't know how it will end. Will Hermione get together with Bill like planned? Or will someone else come in between them? Harry and Ginny? Ron and Luna? Or will both Harry and Ron be desperate to win their friends heart? Or will she KILL HERSELF? You DON'T KNOW and I DO. Which is why you should keep reading. Because you feel so deprived. SO READ ON. And Review!