Chapter 6—Grenade
"I would take a Grenade for yah…but you would not do the same…"
Everyone returned back to the Burrow. George informed them through the Patronus that they had found Hermione. Yet, it was almost seven o'clock and there was no sign of the twins nor Hermione.
Suddenly, Ginny jumped, squealing. Harry almost received a heart attack from Ginny's outburst. He jumped to the window.
She had her arms around Fred and George while hopping on one foot and laughing. Harry experienced another pang in his chest, remembering that is how Ron, Harry, and Hermione usually are.
"Hermione!" Everyone rushed outside to embrace her. Harry followed them cautiously. He didn't know how to react. Mad? Or Relieved?
(couple of minutes before)
"Hermione, you're a pretty good flier." Fred commented as she stumbled her landing.
"Really, I didn't even know what I was doing half the time." Muffled Hermione on the ground.
George lend out a hand. She took it but stumbled from a red hot pain from her ankle.
"Ow! Yeesh!" Using George as a support, she felt her ankle. "Sprained."
"That's ok. Mum could fix it up in a spiffy. But in the meanwhile, you should consider Chaser this year, Hermione." Pursued Fred as he helped her limp back to the Burrow.
"No. I'm terrible. I'm scared of flying too."
"You didn't seem scared back there! And you just have a couple of blemishes. Other than that, you have natural talent. You're natural and talented! Plus, Hogwarts will need as much talent as they can get without Fred and I there." George added.
"Well, technically, you didn't play last year either." Hermione countered.
"But we were there in spirit."
"No, seriously though," Fred started again. " During our free weekends, we'll come over and teach you if you want. You're going to be a Chaser, Hermione."
"I don't know. It wasn't part of my plan to start Quidditch…" Hermione doubted.
"Live spontaneously, Hermione. Have some fun!" Fred exasperated.
"What about Harry?"
"What about him? Besides, Ginny's there. She's a nice flier too. She'll help you. " Fred said.
"Promise you'll at least think about it?" George asked as a crowd of Weasleys started bounding toward them.
"Owl us." Fred held up his hand in a 'call me' gesture and winked at her. She threw her head back and laughed.
"Promise."
Mrs. Weasley hugged Hermione hard.
"My, you're freezing! Come inside, come inside. Let's get you fixed up." She led her into the house, pushing through the welcoming, worried Weasleys.
"Jeez Mione. You gave us all a scare tonight." Ginny said.
"Mione, is that ice on your hair?" Ron commented.
"Now, now, let's give her some food and get her warmed up. You must be starving, sweetie." Mrs. Weasley fussed, leading her into the kitchen and forcing her into a chair.
"Great job, boys." Mr. Weasley clapped the twins on their backs. Everyone crowded around Hermione and the twins as they gobbled down their breakfast. Only Harry leaned on the doorframe, watching intently on the ravenous girl.
Suddenly he had the urge to charge toward Hermione, beat her up while hugging her at the same time.
The emotion was too overwhelming so he started to head upstairs.
"Wait, Harry." Hermione's voice rang louder than everyone's chatter. "Please." Harry turned around as she stood up and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I loved your breakfast. But please forgive me as I interrupt breakfast and talk to Harry for a second." Hermione addressed Mrs. Weasley.
"No." Harry looked up from the floor. "No, there's no need." Hermione narrowed her eyes and stopped mid-step.
"Wha—?"
"Look what happened when you 'talked' to me the first time this summer. Now, last night was the second time we 'talked'. Look what happened there? Everytime we 'talk', one of us gets hurt. I don't want to do this to you, to me, to the Weasleys. " He started to head upstairs again.
"So you just want to leave this situation hanging? You rather have Hogwarts and its drastic rumors to clean this mess?" Hermione retorted.
Harry sighed and stomped down the stairs. He grabbed Hermione's wrists and headed out the door.
"Alright! Let go of me!" Hermione shook off his grip as soon as they obtained enough of listening distance from the Burrow but within peripheral vision.
"So what's our problem?" Harry freed her wrists.
"Hmm…let's see what happened recently.' Hermione started sarcastically. She held out her index finger. "One. Remember YOU blew up at me. You called me a mudblood—"
"Ok, Ok. First error. YOU came to me first. And I technically did not call you a you-know-what. I never finished me sentence so TECHNICALLY you assumed it. You're accusing me of half a word."
"Half a word. Full thought."
"STOP accusing me as if I were MALFOY!"
"Then stop ACTING like one!"
"Me? Look who's talking little Miss Traitor!" Harry blasted.
"TRAITOR?" Hermione's eyes flashed from surprise to hurt to anger. "What did I EVER DO TO YOU?"
"OH FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE. STOP PRETENDING! You almost KILLED ME and Ginny by DITCHING US IN THE FIELD! Now if I DIDN'T SAVE GINNY AND I FROM LAST NIGHT'S DEATH EATERS—"
"Oh ho! So it was YOU who drove away the Death Eaters now, is it? And is was ME who betrayed you all and ran? Since when did your hobby was to change stories? Yeah, this is what I'm talking about—your EGO!"
"Not this again." Harry rolled his eyes.
"Your STUPID, VAIN, FREAKING SENSELESS GLORY immediately presumes you a position higher than anyone else! BECAUSE. YOU JUST. HAVE. TO. BE. THE. HERO. So presumably, you were outraged when I saved the day last night—"
"YOUSAVED THE DAY? YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! YOU WERE WANDLESS THE ENTIRE TIME!"
"SO WHAT DID YOU THINK I WAS DOING UP IN THE SKY THE ENTIRE NIGHT? HUH? PARTYING WITH A BUNCH OF OWLS OTHER THAN RESCUING YOUR FEMININE ASS?"
" I DON'T KNOW AND FRANKLY, I DON'T CARE!"
Hermione took a deep breath. "Okay." She rested her forehead lightly on the tips of fingers. "Okay."
Suddenly she started to laugh. Hysterically. She tilted her head back and stumbled backwards from laughing.
Harry narrowed his eyes and waited for Bellatrix or someone to morph in from this crazy Hermione.
She slowly walked up to him, until their noses are almost touching, ceasing her laugh.
" I was right this entire time. From the time you arrived all the way down to your resemblance to Malfoy. You know what?" She threw out her arms fearlessly.
"You know what?" Hermione continued. "I thought you were my friend. But now, I can just SEE you and Malfoy together behind my back. The whole 'Good Harry' is just the face, isn't it? I bet you secretly call him your best friend and mock me as a mudblood behind my back. Now your true colors are coming out, aren't they?"
"I'm NOTHING like that twisted GIT! But YOU, HERMIONE—NOT ME, are starting to act like him. I tried to apologize right from the start. I tried to right my wrongs. YOU NEVER LET ME! You said I never explain. Well now I am! At least I am TRYING! Are you even remotely helping? No!"
"It was a mistake." Harry continued. " Everything was a mistake. Coming to the Burrow was a mistake. Imprisoning myself in my room was a mistake. I shouted at you was a mistake. Everything that happened this summer WAS A FREAKING MISTAKE! I should have never let Dumbledore, take me here! And hah! To think, before I actually LOOKED FORWARD TO COMING HERE! I cannot believe that YOU OF ALL PEOPLE CAN DRIVE ME BACK TO THE DURSLEYS! THE DURSLEYS!"
Those words stung. Painfully. She dropped her head to restrain her tears from falling.
No, this cannot be happening. This cannot be happening. Hermione thought over and over again. She heard Harry panting from his outrage. What have we done?
Suddenly she felt as if her body and mind diverged their ways.
"You're right. It was all a mistake!" Hermione matched his tone. No! Stop! Stop talking! Hermione's head started to contradict everything she started to say.
"All of it was a mistake!" Hermione stared straight into those once beautiful now harsh green eyes and her mind screamed and pleaded to not say her next words.
"BUT THE BIGGEST MISTAKE WAS BECOMING YOUR FRIEND!"
A flash of emotion clouded Harry's adamant eyes. Hermione stumbled backwards at the realization of her diction.
Suddenly, Harry enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug. She stood there, statued and stone-faced, numb from surprise. She felt his tears running onto her shoulder. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around him too.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't –" She whispered but Harry interrupted her.
"FROM HERE ON OUT, THIS IS IT! NO MORE OF A HARRY, RON, AND HERMIONE! I DECLARE HERMIONE AS NO LONGER MY FRIEND! WE WOULD REWRITE HISTORY AND THEREFORE YOU NEVER HELPED ME AT THE MINISTRY!
"YOU NEVER GAVE ME THE MURLAP ESSENCE! YOU NEVER HELPED, CREATE, NOR LEAD THE DA! YOU NEVER HELPED ME ON ANY OF MY SCHOOLWORK OR MY OWLS!"
Those words ripped Hermione's heart. Fine. Two play at this game!
" ALRIGHT! THEN, I NEVER HELPED YOU THROUGH THE TRI-WIZARD TOURNAMENT! I was not the person whom you learned ALL YOUR SPELLS FROM! I was not the person who stayed with you until PAST MIDNIGHT WORKING TO KEEP YOU UNDERWATER! I WAS NOT THE PERSON WHO STAYED BY YOUR SIDE THE ENTIRE YEAR!"
Harry continued. "HERMIONE GRANGER WAS NOT THE GIRL WHO HEHLPED SAVE SIRIUS WITH ME! SHE WAS NOT THE PERSON WHO SAVED BUCKBEAK WITH ME! SHE WAS EVEN NO THE PERSON WHO HELPED REPEL THE WATER OFF MY GLASSES DURING THAT QUIDDITCH GAME!"
By this time, Hermione's tears dried up. But her heart cried out an ocean with millions of knives. Harry continued down the timeline.
"She didn't risk her life for Harry Potter and didn't become petrified in trying to find information on the basilisk. She didn't run up to me and hug me after she was petrified!" He shoved Hermione off but kept a hold of her shoulders. He glared directly into her eyes.
"Alright. Go on." Hermione challenged in a surprisingly calm voice. "Are you scared about talking about your first year? Or you don't remember? Go on, go on."
"Hermione Granger was never Harry Potter's friend! She never helped him on schoolwork! She never risked her life for him and she had never stayed by his side!" Harry tried to shout but the realization of the status quo chocked him to tears.
Hermione however, picked up where Harry left off.
" BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT THE PERSON THAT HELPED HARRY POTTER GETTING PAST FLUFFY OR TEHE DEVILS' SNARES NOR THE LOGICAL POTIONS PUZZLE! SHE NEVER AFLAMED SNAPE'S CLOAK AND KNOCK DOWN QUIRRELL! HARRY POTTER HAD NEVER SAVED ANYONE FROM A TROLL! And NEVILLE HAD NEVER LOST HIS FROG AND HERMIONE GRANGER HAD NEVER MET HARRY POTTER ON THE TRAIN! BECAUSE SHE WAS NEVER HIS FRIEND IN THE FRIST PLACE!"
They stared at each other for a long time, gasping for breath. Realization hit them as they admit silently that there is no turning back. Harry stared into her eyes one last time, his regretful ones meeting her equally horrified ones. Then he slowly turned and sauntered off toward the Burrow.
Hermione stood there, heartbroken. Sinking toward the ground, she started to cry. She crouched down, disappearing in the midst of the tall grass. And cried. Silently.