Chapter 6: The Deep Dark Aftermath

Harry refused to go to classes for the next week. Hermione had long been discharged from the Hospital Wing, and at first, Dumbledore was tolerant of his absence from classes, on the one condition that Harry did all the set homework that Ron would bring back from every class. But after the first week, even Dumbledore was fed up with this charade. So on the following school day Dumbledore insisted that Harry returned to classes. Harry returned after begging to stay off. Hermione had avoided him since, even when he had cornered her to talk to her. He had spent a day in the hospital wing when she had jinxed him when he had actually got on his knees, begging her to go back to him. Cho and Ron had frequently tried to cheer him up, going out on their brooms, Quidditch practises, prefect duties and playing chess. Nothing could pull him out of the deep depressive spiral.

On one particular night, Hermione and Harry had been scheduled to patrol together. They had scheduled the patrol since before the attack, and neither could get out of it. They had met, in complete silence, outside the Library and had set off patrolling without a sound.

"Hermione…" He started, but was cut off with a angry glance from Hermione.

"Potter, shut up." She growled.

"You sound just like my mother talking to my father when they would patrol together." He said, more to himself than to her, but she stopped.

"Potter. One more word, and I'll hex you into next week." She drew her wand, and pushed him up against the wall, and she walked off. "Hurry up!' she snapped, and Harry stared after her. Harry started to walk. Hermione reminded Harry of his mother, from what he had heard from Hagrid, Sirius, and pictures he had seen in Grimmauld Place, and in yearbooks and belongings that Sirius had put in his attic after that frightful Halloween.

"Hermione please Listen to me!" He begged.

"Potter, its Granger to you. You lost the right to call by my first name when you attacked me." She grouched, and continued walking.

"Why on earth would I attack you? What did I have to gain from it?" he asked her, as he followed her through the corridors.

"I don't know, I'm not usually in the mind of a psychopath like you. I'm realistic, you're sick, Revolting even. I have no idea why I even went out with you." She said, shaking her head at him.

"You went out with me because you love me, just like I love you. I love you Hermione Jane Granger. I always will. When you find out that I didn't do it, I'll still be here, waiting." Harry said and he walked off, her following at a slower pace.

"Well, Blaise. You're out after curfew. Detention with McGonagall at 8 tomorrow night." Harry had seen Blaise, who had been wondering the Hallways, with his wand held in front of him, and he had smirked when he had spotted Harry, followed by Hermione.

"You and your mudblood are out rather late. I'm surprised you two are actually patrolling, not in a broom cupboard instead, but then Harry; you're a hero, attacking the Mudblood. Rather Slytherin of you." Blaise still smirked as he said this.

"Blaise! 2 detentions, and if we see you out and about again it'll be a week." Hermione snarled, anger making her shake.

"Hermione, I'll do the rest of the patrol, you go." Harry put his arm on her shoulder. She shakes it off and shakes her head.

"No. I can do it, because if I don't, I'll owe you." She said her voice and gaze cold. They walked through the corridors, silence stretching between them.

Back in the common room, Ron and Cho had both gone to bed, and Fred and George were demonstrating their new shield hats. (Challenge your friends to throw jinxes at you while wearing the hat, and watch it rebound on them!) Harry sat himself at his favourite table, and drawing his quill and parchment closer, he wrote a letter to Sirius.

Sirius.

How are things at Grimmauld Place? I hope you are well, and I know Christmas Break only starts next week, but I thought I'd send you this to keep you up to date.

Hermione and I broke up. Professor Dumbledore told me and Hermione that I have to learn Occulmency. She didn't know I was having visions of Voldemort's activity. She got kind of annoyed that I hadn't told her about them and she wouldn't let me walk her back to her common room. I tried to tell her that it wouldn't be safe to walk around alone, and I didn't think I should follow her. I wish I had because she was attacked. I got woken up at 2am, and Professor Dumbledore told me what had happened. Turns out she thinks I attacked her, and now she hates me, she screamed at me for crying when she said she hated me.

She calls me 'Potter', just like Mum used to say to Dad, in fact, I think she despises me the same amount, she said tonight on patrol that 'I lost the right to call her by her first name when I attacked her.' She won't let me explain that I didn't do it. I know that I shouldn't be so cut up about breaking up with her, but I was in love with her. Seriously. I am, and she doesn't get it. It's almost like a replay of my mother and father, but we went out first, and I only really knew her since the start of this year. I don't know how to win her back, or how to find out who did attack her.

Well, I can't wait to come back for Christmas; I'll have to go to Diagon Alley when I get back, to get presents for everyone.

Love,

Harry.

He went to the Owlery with his invisibility Cloak, only to find Hermione sitting next to her owl, which was called Lillith, and was jet black, with startling green eyes. Harry saw her and crept around invisible, looking for his own Hedwig. He spotted the amber eyes, and then the white plume and he walked forward, taking off his Cloak, and with a glare from Hermione, he coaxed his owl down to him, and tied the letter to her clawed foot, he patted her, whispering to her.

"Hedwig, it's for Sirius. It's about Hermione, we broke up." He sniffed, and Hedwig clipped him with her beak, and hooted gently, before flying off into the distance to deliver his letter. On the way out of the door, he smiled at Hermione, who glared at him, and continued patting her owl. Her owl has black feathers and green eyes. That's a bit ironic really. He was thinking to himself, as he weaved through the dark deserted corridors, invisible, thinking about Hermione.

The train ride back to London was uneventful. Cho, Ron, Neville, Luna and Ginny shared a compartment, while Hermione shared with Padma Patil and a few other Ravenclaw girls, whom she had never really before been friends with. Padma was sure that Harry wouldn't have attacked Hermione, considering that Parvati usually spouted constant praise about him.

"Does she really know him?" Hermione asked thoughtfully, staring at Padma with interest.

"Well, In first year, him, Cho and Ron solved the mystery of the Forbidden Third Floor corridor, and in second year, sure he is a parslemouth, but he saved everyone by killing the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. And third year, he and Ron got the Hippogriff to safety, and figured out that Sirius Black wasn't a murderer, but that it was Peter Pettigrew, who had also faked his own death. And you know that last year he won the Triwizard Tournament, and he fought You-Know-Who. That's got to mean something right?" Padma finished her speech, and looked at Hermione, questioningly.

"But, after he attacked me, I thought about it. What about if he wanted the Philosopher's Stone for himself? Who really knows what happened in the Chamber? How do we know that he was the one who killed it, maybe he lured Ginny Weasley into the Chamber, to frame her? And Sirius Black, what if he really was the murderer and Harry simply wanted to get his Godfather off the hook so he could leave those awful muggles he used to live with. And last year, he was the only witness in the graveyard, apart from the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who, so anything could have happened, they could have agreed to work together!" Hermione countered, and all of the girls looked at her, a bit mystified.

"I suppose" Padma said unconvincingly, looking away.

"You think I'm being ridiculous?" Hermione replied, anger raging up in her.

"Let's just drop it, right?' Padma said, smiling again.

"Harry? You there?" Ginny was waving her hand in front of Harry's face as he stared out of the window. Cho had gone to see Parvati and Lavender, and Neville and Ron had gone to Fred, George and Lee's compartment. Harry hadn't even realised, as he had been day-dreaming, thinking about Hermione.

"I think the Wrackspurt's got him" Luna stated, looking at him with interest. Harry nodded dumbly.

"You really want her back don't you?" Ginny asked, as her heart sunk, not really waiting for the answer. She loved him, she always had, but he was always busy looking at someone else.

"Yeah" Harry said shortly, tears coming to his emerald eyes.

"Well. We could try talking to her" Luna said, looking over her issue of The Quibbler at him.

"That wouldn't really work. She's made up her mind, she'll refuse to change unless she figures it out for herself, and she's like that." Harry said, wiping his eyes, and looking at Ginny and Luna.

"What have you got to lose?" Ginny said, shrugging.

"A lot, I want her to learn that I'm my own person, I've said what I've got to say, and when she's ready she'll come back. My dad constantly nagged my mum to go out with her for five years. It took five years, and sure, she finally did say yes, but I don't want to have to wait that long. I know that the truth will eventually come out, these things always do, it won't take long." Harry said as if he was wishing it to be true. "It doesn't mean I won't persevere, I'll just give her space and time." He said, so it didn't sound like he was giving up on her. Ginny smiled.

"That is so sweet!" Luna exclaimed, and the two girls exchanged a look. "If only Michael was like that, Ginny?" Luna added, and Ginny reddened.

"You're with Michael Corner?" Harry asked, and suddenly it all fit together.

"I was with Michael. He cheated on me with that Marietta Edgecomb in Ravenclaw, so I ditched him." Ginny said, scowling at the memory.

"Were you alright?" Harry asked, pulling her into a brotherly hug.

"Yeah, I didn't really like him much anyway." She shrugged, and then continued "But I didn't realise it until we'd broken up of course." She grinned.

"Do you think Hermione thinks like that too?" Luna asked interestedly, having discarded her magazine.

"No. She's the one who's always upfront. On the night that she was attacked she said she loved me. We'd never said that to one-another. But she sounded so… sincere? She said it like she'd known it for awhile, but she hadn't told me yet, and that she'd been battling with it." Harry said, and he knew it was true.

"Awe" Luna and Ginny said it at the same time, smiling.

"Hopefully she'll see the Light." Ginny said thoughtfully.

"What about the light?" Cho had just entered the room. "I think the light makes my hair looking amazing!" she exclaimed, spinning slightly to make the light in the compartment glitter on her hair. Ginny rolled her eyes at Harry, who had to smile to mask the laugh that he was desperate to laugh. Cho smiled brightly, and sat down next to Ginny.

"We were talking about Hermione actually" Luna said, and both Ginny and Harry shot her a look.

"Granger? I was right about her. She didn't even believe you when you said you didn't attack her, so she obviously wasn't worth the trouble. I didn't like her one bit." Cho said, grinning.

"Cho!" Ginny said, clapping her hand over her mouth, while both Harry and Luna looked at her, outraged.

"Harry has someone better suited to him than her, who likes him a lot more than she did." Cho added, nodding reassuringly. Harry ignored her, and looked back out the window.

At King's Cross, Harry, without talking to Cho, had got his trunk and gone to find Sirius. Leaving Ron, Ginny and Luna to fill Cho in on why Harry had left in such a rush, and Harry had located his godfather.

"Hey Harry!" Sirius exclaimed, taking the trunk from his godson and putting it onto a nearby trolley.

"Hi Sirius" Harry said, trying to hide his depressive mood. He could see Hermione talking to her parents on the other side of the platform.

"That's Hermione?" Sirius asked, and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry nodded.

"She's cute." Sirius commented, and Harry punched his shoulder.

"I know." Harry agreed.

"I got your letter." Sirius stated. Harry nodded numbly. He didn't want to think about it.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Sirius asked, and Harry shook his head. Sirius nodded.

"Lets go then" Harry said, and he turned, and walked to the barrier. He shrunk Harry's trunk and put it in his pocket. They hailed a cab to 'Number Thirteen, Grimmauld Place', and listened politely to the cabby's jokes about a woman with pink hair with a ginger haired girl trying to get a cab to the non-existent Number Twelve. They got out at Number Thirteen and paid the cabbie, and Sirius led Harry into the house of Number Twelve and put his trunk back to normal size upstairs.

Sirius put steaming mugs of coffee on the table, one for himself, one for Harry.

"Tell me about Hermione. What's great about her?" Sirius asked, smiling lightly at his godson.

"She's amazing. She's clever and she's extremely ambitious, she wants to be a Healer when she's older, and campaign for better House Elf rights. She cares for people in a way that makes you feel loved. She never lets you copy her homework, but she'll help you with yours. She's so intellectual. She knows all these strange facts you'd never think were interesting, but she tells you them in a way that makes you want to know more. She pretends she doesn't care what people think of her, but I could always tell that deep down she did. She craved acceptance, ever since she was a kid she's been a loner; tormented for her love of books and they labelled her a 'freak' because of that, and her accidental magic. I can relate to her because of that." Harry stopped, upset.

"It'll be okay, cub, I promise"