Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter but the personality of these characters are mostly mine, I do not wish to make it seem like J.K. Rowling's wonderful style of writing has changed drastically.

Mystic Love

Longing for the Right Shoulder to Cry On

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Hermione sat in the most remote corner of the Hogwarts library. Her eyes were red as a result of the grieved tears running incessantly down her face. Her hair was in a mess and her clothes were slightly rumpled, giving her an odd, forlorn look.

She was sobbing as quietly as she could but yet she could not help letting out an anguished whimper every once in a while. She had received, by owl post, information that Ron was leaving Hogwarts to marry Pansy! Somehow, her mind just could not take control of the idea, causing those small droplets of water forming in her eyes and spilling out. She could not accept it. She was supposed to be happy for him but by doing so, she would hardly see one of her best friends whom she had spent so many years at Hogwarts with.

She longed for someone who would comfort her, tell her that everything would be okay, to tell her that he would always be there for her. Sure, she could always apparate to her parents' house and look for consolation there but she knew what they would say.

"Aww, it'll be okay, honey. He just doesn't know what he is missing, ya?" That was what they would say in that awful babyish tone each time they saw her upset. It was supposed to be comforting yet she found it oddly disturbing and irritating. It was like she was still a baby, someone who could be easily comforted. Well, not anymore! She was older, they should treat her like the teenager she was!

She needed someone to lean on, someone whom she could spill her secrets to. She needed, dare she say it? She needed…a boy to love.

But who would like her? In her opinion she was just an ugly know-it-all. She had no proof on the part that she was ugly but she knew she was a know-it-all. After all, she was the one whom Snape had called "an insufferable know-it-all". At this thought, an onset of tears came again.

Harry, who had been looking for Hermione ever since she had ran out of the Great Hall after owl post arrived, finally found her and had been hiding behind a bookshelf, hearing her sob. Finally, he decided that she had had enough time to cry to herself and came out.

Upon hearing footsteps, Hermione looked up and tried hurriedly to wipe away the tears on her face but they refused to stop. Harry walked over to her. His heart cried out with pity as he saw his best friend's face. Her eyes were now completely bloodshot, her nose was red and you could see the path off the tears that had run down her face and slid off her cheek.

He stroke her cheeks and wiped away her tears but to no avail as they streamed down their cheeks. Somehow, Hermione felt slightly comforted by his presence and unknowingly blurted out her fears and insecurities. She was shocked after she was finished, which was a good fifteen minutes later, but surprisingly did not feel bashful at all.

Harry looked at her with sadness in his eyes, finally understanding how she felt. He could sympathize with her especially since he had experienced all of it when he was accused of murdering his friends.

"Hermione, I didn't expect Ron to marry Pansy but we just have to accept the truth. He may spend less time with us but we'll still see him, he is our best pal after all. Second, don't you ever think or let anyone say that you are ugly, Hermione. You happen to be one of the prettiest and the smartest girl in Hogwarts. You just need to have some self-confidence, okay? Promise me that." At this point, tears filled his eyes but he quickly controlled the emotion and blinked away the tears. Hermione still couldn't stop crying but nodded in consent, glad to have that burden in her chest.

"Let's go back to our Common Room now," Harry said.

When Hermione made no move to stand up or go back, he picked her up and carried her to the Gryffindor Common Room, using a Concealment Charm to hide them from prying, suspicious eyes, and placed her on one of the armchairs whilst he sat on the one opposite her.

They just sat there, staring blankly at each other and lost in their own thoughts. Harry was worried that Hermione would never speak again. Hermione was wondering why she has spilled her thoughts to Harry after she had been feeling so insecure. Surely, it couldn't be. She lay back while her thoughts battled with one another.

You like him, don't you? A thought would say mischievously. No, I don't, he just happened to be the only person nearest to me and so I needed to channel my fears away by talking about my problem. They argued and argued and Hermione unexpectedly got tired from thinking too much and feel asleep.

Harry, not knowing what to do, just sat there and watched, deciding that the Professors would not miss them for just one day. They had a good reason after all.

All he could do was, well, sit there and think. He knew how stressed she would be in the weeks to come and made up his mind that he would be there to help her through it all. He did not want Hermione to go through the same things he had had to before, alone and afraid.

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