Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor do make money.

60. Knowledge

Hermione sat on the sofa and stared at the letter from Ginny. All the words were a blur to her even with Ginny's easy to read loopy handwriting -- except two sentences: It's official. They did the binding last night at the Burrow.

And those words appeared larger than any other words in the letter. Standing up in front. Screaming her to notice them, notice them with bright blinking lights, shooting fireworks, a marching band, and the proverbial fat lady singing 'On My Own'.

"Hermione, what's the matter?"

Bleary-eyed she turned to the voice and choked out, "It's done. They did the binding last night at the Burrow."

"I know. Draco sent me an owl."

Her face widen in shock that he appeared completely ambivalent to the news that their former loves had done a binding ceremony.

She found herself hating the familiar cold, distant tone in his voice; the one she had come to regard as his "normal" tone. More than that, she hated to hear him put on airs about Pansy and Ron getting bonded with her, with no one else around caused her temper to start to seethe. Especially when she knew he was hurting as much as she was at the moment.

She hated the way he stood there, between her and the stairs that would take her to her bedroom, looking so calm and collected and seemingly okay with what had happened when she was anything but.

Yet, what sent her temper over the edge was the condescending look he was sending her way.

She wanted to yell at him. Remind him that she knew him. She knew he was hurting. No different than what she was feeling. But she couldn't tell him that.

Only because she knew her voice wouldn't work properly.

If at all.

Instead, taking a page from Harry and Ron, she stood up from the couch and started to stalk toward her room. Nearing him, she shoved him hard before continuing towards the stairs not caring that she sent him falling over a chair before landing on the ground.

Her foot hit the first step when she heard him yell, "Hermione, what the fuck?"

But she didn't stop.

"Hermione!"

"Hermione!"

"Hermione!"

Reaching her room, she spun; leaning over the balustrade and screamed, "Just stay away from me. Just stay the fuck away until you have the balls to admit how you feel. You don't think much of Ron but at least he doesn't hide what he is feeling. At least he is man enough to show something when everything is not okay. You know, he's more of a man than you will ever be whether you like that or not."

Screaming again, she pushed off the balustrade and ran into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Crying out again, she flung herself onto her bed. Curling up with her pillow she cried until she fell asleep wondering if she would ever find someone who would actually see her, want her, want to be with her, and quite possibly keep her. She had always thought that would be Ron but with a hiccup and a wail, she finally acknowledged that dream was gone -- for good.

And she was left with nothing.

Theo hadn't moved from where he stood. He just stared at the door that guarded Hermione's room. Not really thinking of anything in particular, as he stared at the door; he just felt helpless and he hated that.

After several minutes and no sign of her coming back out to talk to him about what exactly he did to set her off, he sighed defeated. Shoving his hands in his pockets and hanging his head, he dragged his feet as he went to his room.

He managed to lose both girls he cared about deeply in the same day.

Maybe he wasn't the masochist Draco and Blaise accused him of being when it came to girls. Maybe he was just an arse who didn't deserve anyone.

And certainly not someone like Hermione.