~Chapter Six~
"Calm down? Calm down? You want me to calm down? I'm late!" Hermione's scream turned into a stricken cry. She had never been late for class and now that she had she had no idea she would react this way. Until now, studies were everything to her. Ron had made her late!
"Hermione, please. My magic isn't as good as yours, you know that, and I can sense that my Muffliato charm has worn off because I'm not good enough to hold it permanently, and if anyone's out in the hallway, they've heard everything."
Hermione's pale and angry face was emptied of emotion. Her mouth remained slightly ajar and she lifted a hand gingerly to her chin. Her bundle fell out of her hands and onto the floor. All thoughts of lateness had emptied her mind. Being late for one Arithmancy class was nothing compared to getting caught in the hallways right now.
"Right you are, boy!" The doors flew open. A pale tabby cat rushed in followed by a tall rugged man. It was Filch. He had a quite ugly grin on his face. "Students out of bed!" he roared.
The strong cat scent of Mr. Filch's office stung in Ron's nose. His nostrils twitched and he wiped it before it could begin running. He'd never particularly liked cats. Mrs. Norris looked like she hadn't cleaned herself in a long time, and Mr. Filch's office looked the same way.
Ron and Hermione had been caught by Hogwarts' caretaker, Mr. Filch. There was no possible way he could have any sympathy for them. Filch had a morbid hatred for every single student of Hogwarts, whether he knew anything about them or not. And it wasn't like Ron had a healthy history with Filch anyway. There were several times that Ron had evaded the old Squib's wrath. There was that time in third year he'd teased him for being a Squib in the hallway. Ron swallowed when he remembered kicking an alone Mrs. Norris down a flight of stairs when she'd tried to follow him to a D.A. meeting in fifth year. Ron didn't feel guilty at all, but he did feel sorry for himself when he realized all he done to Mr. Filch wasn't going to help him get out of this easy.
Ron licked his lips nervously and sneaked a glance to his left, over at Hermione. She was sitting on her hands and swinging her feet, sniffling. No doubt she was devastated at missing Arithmancy and getting in trouble. Her brown curls shaded her face from view, but Ron could see a glimpse of one tear-stained cheek. Ron wished he could rub her back. But just Hermione crying alone was enough to set Filch off. The entire student body knew that Filch despised affectionate contact, especially between students.
"Damn little buggers..." Filch spat. "Making me look like a fool... making me a laughingstock of the faculty... hurting my poor Mrs. Norris... who the 'ell do they think they are, wandering the castle all bloody night long? In the middle of a bloody war? Man, do I wish they'd gotten captured and killed... girl, stop your stupid blubbering!" The ugly Squib's final sentence was directed at Hermione.
Hermione jumped and sniffed loudly. She said nothing but just looked at Filch with a face empty of emotion. Ron wanted so very badly to give Filch a kick down the stairs, just like he'd done Mrs. Norris, but he knew that any more trouble would not help the situation he was in. He comforted himself by reaching over and rubbing Hermione's shoulder when Filch's back was turned. That earned him a hiss from Mrs. Norris, who was sitting on the table in front of him, waving her tail happily.
"Sir," Ron murmured, his voice cracking. Filch didn't turn. "Sir," Ron said again, much louder.
"What do you want?" Filch snapped.
"We broke the rules, I get it." Ron enunciated slowly, just to bother the man. "Why aren't you taking us to our Head of House?"
"Oh, I'm taking you to your Head of House all right." Filch smiled, showing a row of snaggly teeth. He grabbed Ron and Hermione by their collars and pushed them in front of them. "And I can't wait for what she has in store for you little maggots."
"Miss Granger, it will not be necessary for you to cry much longer," Professor McGonagall said sharply. She peered at Hermione over the top of her spectacles. "I'm very disappointed in you."
They were in Professor McGonagall's office. After Filch had given Hermione and Ron a mini-lecture, they'd both been taken there. Filch was sitting in a corner, grinning maliciously.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said quietly. "It was wrong for me to break the rules like I did. It was disrespectful to you and to all teachers that have tried to make Hogwarts a safe place." She didn't look up. She just concentrated on her hands, clasped in her lap. She could not bear to look at anyone in the room, especially Professor McGonagall. The Transfiguration teacher had given Hermione several privileges because she was trustworthy. Hermione had worked hard to make her reputation to be a good student, acing all her classes. Not only did she ruin her reputation among the teachers, she ruined it among the students as well. Once this got out, all Hermione feared would be reality. Among the Gryffindor girls she would be known as a tramp, a whore, and other words Hermione couldn't even think about.
"I don't even know what to say." Professor McGonagall's lips were in danger of disappearing into a thin, undetectable line. "I'm extremely disappointed in you, Miss Granger. You are an excelling student. I was proud to have you in my House. Not only are you a great student, you were a great example for students hoping to follow in your footsteps. Clearly school and reason is not as important to you as I once believed.
"As for you, Weasley, I can't say I'm not surprised. But I am disappointed in you as well, considering you are a prefect. As difficult for you as it may be, you are supposed to setting an example as well." McGonagall's tone became sharper as she started to address both of them. "What you have done is beyond inappropriate. Both of you will suffer detentions for a month, with me, in my office, every Saturday and Sunday, including the Hogsmeade trips." Professor McGonagall shuffled a few papers. "And you will apologize personally to the first-year class I was supposed to be teaching this morning.
"As I said, I am very disappointed. I really hope whatever it was you had to be doing all night long in the prefects' bathroom was responsible and not sexual." Professor McGonagall's tone hinted that she was finished.
Hermione looked up for the first time, trying to communicate to Professor McGonagall and ask her if it was okay to go. She had missed Arithmancy and was about to miss Herbology. She didn't want Professor Sprout and Professor Vector on her case. She did not want to miss her free period either, where she would be able to cry her eyes out if she desired. She sneaked a peek at Ron. Every visible piece of his skin was pink. He was incredibly embarrassed, clearly, by Professor McGonagall's mention of anything "sexual."
Professor McGonagall did not look up until Filch made several cough-cough sounds in his throat. She turned to him with narrowed eyes. "Of course, Argus, you will receive a sincere apology from every member of staff who did not believe you when you earnestly said that a student was breaking the rules." The Transfiguration teacher turned her narrowed eyes on Ron and Hermione.
"You all may go now."
All Harry could think about was Ginny. The way she'd looked at him when he saw her this morning. The way she'd abruptly walked away. The way he felt when she didn't even say hello. Surprisingly enough, the problems with Ginny he had right now were occupying his mind and distracting him from the fact that he hadn't seen Ron or Hermione all morning. On any other occasion this would have worried him tremendously; with all the things Voldemort had done to try to manipulate him, Harry would not be surprised if the former had managed to take Harry's best friends.
He hadn't seen Hermione since last night when she absentmindedly helped him do homework. She'd been constantly biting her quill and glancing at where Ron sat alone in the other side of the room. Harry had been too preoccupied thinking about his own problems than to notice something was probably wrong. As he thought more about it now he scolded himself for not trying to find Ron and Hermione. Anything could happen to them!
Harry quickened his pace towards the Great Hall. The bell had rung moments ago and he was leaving Potions. The Half-Blood Prince's ideas for the potion they had been working on had not sufficed. For once Seamus Finnigan had gotten the potion right and Harry's potion had exploded in his face. He rubbed his face at the thought. A quick spell done by Professor Slughorn had done the trick, though Harry's face still felt rather burned.
Finally he made it to the Hall. Since lunch had just begun, the Hall was not completely full yet. Dumbledore's tall seat was empty; whether he was away or simply skipping lunch Harry did not know, nor care at the moment. Seeing that Ron and Hermione were not available to sit next to, he normally would've sat beside Dean, Seamus, or Neville but considering the circumstances he did not. Harry's green eyes searched the room for a familiar mane of red hair; he eventually found Ginny near the end of Gryffindor table, chatting with some girls.
Harry marched over and leaned down. Before he could say anything into Ginny's ear several girls smiled, giggled and blushed at him.
"Hi, Harry," Romilda Vane blurted. The fourth year's face went a rosy color as she blushed. Twirling a strand of curly black-brown hair, she gave him a nervous wink.
"Um, hey." Harry nodded nonchalantly at her. He really didn't have time for the girls' crap. He was stressed enough with everything and didn't need to hear them gush over him.
Ginny slowly turned around, staring at Harry through her red locks. "Yes?" She said through gritted teeth. Harry amused himself with the glances the other Gryffindor girls exchanged. The glances said, "Who does she think she's talking to?"
Harry decided that "I need to talk to you" wasn't the right thing to say in front of an audience. "Have you seen Ron and Hermione? I haven't seen them all morning." Harry ran a hand through his hair and he could've sworn the girls "oohed" under their breath. He rolled his eyes discreetly.
"No," Ginny said. "I haven't seen them at all, actually. Not since yesterday." Her eyes unfocused. Harry watched her try to remember where she'd seen them last.
Now Harry was seriously worried. He had been beyond sure that Hogwarts was plenty safe, and that nothing bad could happen while they were there. Nothing bad could happen to anyone but Harry, anyway. Harry's mind moved from one possibility to another that he could hardly keep up with himself. He pulled his hair again. What would he do without Ron and Hermione? Then he shook himself. Why was he being such a pessimist? Ron and Hermione were fine. Nothing could possibly happen.
"Um?" Ginny raised her orange eyebrows expectantly. Harry realized while he brainstormed he had been frozen over the table. Every girl in close distance was staring at him in confusion.
Harry scratched the back of his head and grinned awkwardly. "Um. Bye." He walked away quickly, feeling a blush spread over his face. He stopped in between Seamus and Neville and grabbed a small sandwich. Despite his lack of appetite he still wanted something available in case he got hungry. Besides, if Ron showed up unexpectedly he'd be bothered if Harry hadn't saved him anything from lunch.
The Gryffindor common room on Friday evenings was usually loud and uninviting. Students threw enchanted paper planes back and forth. Loud boys laughed in the corner, pulling tricks on other kids. There was one end of common room were lots of student played games like Exploding Snap or Gobstones. The other end had a corner were couples sat in front of the hearth, watching the romantic fire. The other corner was where several girls of all ages chatted and gossiped. The middle varied from joking boys and girls to shy first years who were too new to find a good place to sit.
Most of the time Ginny sat with her brothers Fred and George, because after a long and tiring week of lessons their antics were more than enough to amuse her. Ginny had been quite sad when they left with a "bang" last year; now she was left with her boring brother Ron who was less entertaining than a dry leaf. When she wasn't in a good mood Ginny sometimes relaxed with the "middle people" as she liked to call them; they were quiet and accepting no matter who you were. She spoke to them when she was in a philosophical mood. When Ginny was feeling loud and rambunctious she laughed with the loud boys. There were times when she even felt kind and nice and she comforted the first years who were scared out of their wits by their new surroundings.
In a nutshell, Ginny was different. It didn't bother her that she was different; in fact she enjoyed being able to hang out with anyone and everyone. Recently Ginny had talked with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, because she had gotten closer with the latter. Ron however was easily annoyed with Ginny's presence being the rude older brother he was. Harry rarely spoke to her at these times but Ginny thought it was more due to the fact that he was shy, not rude.
Today, given the circumstances, Ginny had no idea where to sit. She was rather mad with Hermione for evading her; Ginny hated being rude to Harry but without her regular dose of girl talk she had no idea how to treat him. Ginny had only once had a heart to heart with anyone in her year. It had been with a boy called Colin Creevey who, ironically enough, had bothered Harry tremendously a few years ago. He had been strangely understanding in his and Ginny's third year, but the summer before fourth they had grown apart and not spoken again. The barrier between boys and girls that had been built while they were teenagers had affected them as well.
Even if they were still speaking, Ginny was not going to tell Colin Creevey about her relationship with Harry. She flexed her fingers around her wand under her robes. She'd been way too preoccupied to go upstairs and change into her Muggle clothing. She was curled up on one of the sofas in the couple's corner. A few seats over a couple were curled up and snogging passionately. Ginny tried to avoid looking at them, but it was impossible. Just looking at them made her think about her and Harry's kiss, how great it felt, how happy it made her, and how confused she was about all her feelings.
Ginny wouldn't have any of these problems if Ron hadn't walked in on her and Harry. Sure, she'd be hiding her relationship, but if Ron found out he wouldn't be able to do anything about it because he was doing the exact same thing with Hermione. Thinking about this, Ginny was struck with anger at the thought that Ron was being a complete hypocrite. She couldn't wait to see his face when he found out that she knew about his little relationship. It would probably be the same color as his hair.
She wished she could humiliate Ron like he had humiliated her. The only thing keeping Ginny from doing so was that Ron's relationship was with Hermione. If it was anyone else, Ginny would have done it already. But she respected and cared about Hermione too much to do anything so horrible to her. Ginny bit her lip and stuck her head back, staring at the high ceiling of Gryffindor Tower's ceiling. She closed her eyes and willed herself to think about something else.
It happened quite fast.
First, Harry was sitting at a table in Gryffindor common room, trying in vain to concentrate on his Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. But a report about the process of making an Inferius was not interesting enough to hold Harry's attention. He'd looked up, trying to find some sign of his friends in the common room. The only people he could see were people he was not bothered about. Dean and Seamus were playing Exploding Snap with Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown in a corner. Several students occupied the huge tables in the middle of the room, doing homework. Ginny was sleeping on the couch next to a couple. Before he could move on to another person, Harry realized who he was looking at. Ginny! This might be his only chance until tomorrow to speak to her in some privacy.
He leaned down and scribbled quickly on a piece of parchment. Meet me behind the tapestry in the corridor outside Gryffindor Tower. I really need to talk to you. Harry signed his name at the bottom and folded up the piece of parchment quickly. Muttering an incantation he'd heard from Fred and George, he threw the plane. It sailed comfortably and landed on the couch next to Ginny. Too nervous to see her reaction, Harry gathered up his stuff and hurried upstairs.
If he hadn't been so nervous, Harry would've been smart enough to make sure his message ended up in right hands. But he stupidly went upstairs, taking a shower and making himself look presentable. If he hadn't been so excited he would've known that Ginny wasn't going to care so much about his appearance, because she liked him. He also would've noticed that, considering he hadn't seen Ron and Hermione all day, they should've been in the common room with him. Because of the rule that said no students could be in the corridors before six o'clock p.m., Harry should've realized that Ron and Hermione were somewhere wandering the school. But because of Ginny, he did not.
Ron sincerely did not know what to do. He had never ever seen Hermione so upset in the entire time he'd know her. Slumped against the concrete wall, Ron held his girlfriend in his arms and rubbed her comfortingly.
He'd never been able to understand Hermione's strong attachment to school and to schoolwork. How she was able to make fast connections with her teachers, and enchant all kinds of educators without any sort of magic. Sometimes her gift of knowledge bothered Ron. He was constantly being outdone by both his best friends. Harry was the bloody Boy Who Lived, and now that all the girls were chasing after him, Ron's eye-catching red hair might as well have been gray. No one noticed him, especially girls. Well, aside from Lavender and Hermione of course, but he was sure that Lavender was after him only because of his connection with Harry. Ron's marks had always been average, but next to Hermione they looked pitiful. Hermione was a Muggle-born, so it wasn't like she would be well-known among teachers, but her brilliant brain had captured everyone's attention. Ron was overlooked again. Before Ron had gotten together with Hermione, he often wondered why Harry and Hermione even bothered to be friends with him. He wasn't special like them. Often Ron felt like such a fool to pity himself so much, but he couldn't help it sometimes.
Nowadays, Ron had a huge respect for Hermione and how hard she worked. He would never fully understand how upset she was, but he got the idea. At some point she probably felt the same as him: overlooked. When she learned she was special enough to go to a Wizarding school, she probably wanted to work as hard as she could to do well, because she might have been treated differently for being Muggle-born.
Ron and Hermione had been heading quickly back to Gryffindor Tower when she'd just lost it. Apparently everything that had been bothering her had been too much and she'd started crying. Not wanting to start a scene, Ron quickly swept them both behind the tapestry of a family of pale people. Shutting the door, Ron and Hermione found themselves in a secret corridor. The same secret corridor that Ron and Harry often used as a shortcut to Gryffindor tower.
Hermione interrupted Ron's thoughts by letting out a heaving sob. He jumped, startled, and gave rubbed her soothingly. "S'allright," he muttered. "S'okay."
"I'm s-s-s-s-s-sorry, Ron," Hermione gagged. Because of her heavy crying, her breaths were ragged and uneven. She looked up at Ron through her tear-soaked hair and sighed. "I'm such a b-b-b-baby. Why am I crying so much?"
"Sh," Ron told her. He felt bad enough about the entire situation. Professor McGonagall and eventually the faculty of Hogwarts would not have lost their respect for Hermione if it hadn't been for her relationship with Ron. It was he who had originally suggested the secret meetings, when Hermione had wanted them to spend some time working out what they meant to each other. It was his fault that they were both so confused about their relationships and about their friendships. It was his fault that the two of them were curled up in the pitch-black concrete room, afraid what others might think about them. Ron felt incredibly guilty. He wished he had been mature enough to not attack Hermione whenever she brought up something romantic and be mature enough to not have used another girl to get a different girl's attention. "You have nothing to be sorry for," he insisted.
Hermione didn't say anything. It seemed that her crying had made her very exhausted. Ron felt her breathing slow in his arms. She wasn't asleep, but she wasn't quite awake yet. As Ron's mum would say, Hermione was simply "resting her eyes." Ron kissed her hair gently and sighed. This was going to be a long night.
Under the Invisibility Cloak, Harry tried to keep his loud breathing at a low volume. As hard as he tried, he couldn't do it. The combination of adrenaline from rule-breaking and the excitement of seeing Ginny were too much for him. He was so happy Ginny was willing to talk to him and work things out. He couldn't just forget about their kiss, no matter how mad Ron was. He needed Ginny too much for his own good.
Harry ran his hand alongside the cold wall of the Hogwarts corridor, feeling carefully with his feet to make sure he did not miss a step and fall. He felt painting after painting edge with his hands, searching for the feel of one tapestry in particular. There was a tapestry of a sleeping man (who never woke up) that had an opening behind it, leading into a secret corridor. It was where Harry had requested for Ginny to meet him. Despite the history of the room (he and Ron had found Ginny and Dean kissing there once) it was one of the few hidden places Harry was positive Ginny knew about.
Harry stopped in his tracks when he felt the significant design of the frame of the sleeping fellow. He'd felt it before in the light, but never in this pitch-darkness. Stumbling slightly, he climbed into the room. The sleeping man let out a loud snore and Harry jumped into the room, closing the picture behind him. He looked from right to left. The room was completely black. He considered lighting the room with his wand but he wanted his meeting with Ginny to be funny and romantic. Squinting, he managed to make out the shape of a petite girl in front of him.
"Hey," Harry said. "I'm so glad you gave me a chance. This is going to be great." He reached out his hand and twined his fingers with the girl. Electricity radiated over his arm. He was too occupied to hear two quiet gasps to his left.
"Of course I would give you a chance, you git," Ginny's voice sounded strange; it was slightly higher and more giggly. Harry guessed she was just as happy as he was.
The girl's other hand snaked up Harry's arm. He heard her breathe excitedly. Her hand reached Harry's cheek, and he closed his eyes in pleasure. Ginny's hand twisted in Harry's hair.
The black-haired boy felt the other girl take a step toward him. Her nose brushed against his. "Kiss me," she begged.
Harry did not have to be asked twice. The hand connected with Ginny's squeezed. He lifted it up in a position that would be considered ballroom dancing. His other hand found its way to the girl's waist. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Ginny's smiling ones. Her lips felt and tasted different: they were coated in sweet-smelling gloss and were slightly bigger. Startled, Harry froze. But he just shook himself quickly and continued kissing her.
His hand left hers and found her waist, lifting her off the ground. Her arms wrapped around Harry's neck. He moved his lips urgently and forced the other girl's mouth open. Her soft tongue found Harry's and he kissed her more passionately, feeling incredibly excited. The other girl's hand reached down to the zipper of Harry's pants. Harry couldn't believe Ginny wanted to go to that level. He certainly wasn't ready for it. He subtly grabbed her hand and held it up. Then he found hair - and lots of it.
That was when Harry realized something was wrong. The hair was thick and curly, miles away from Ginny's smooth red locks. Before Harry could reach for his wand and create a light, someone else did.
"Lumos Maxima!" called a loud male voice. Blinking in the sudden rush of bright light, Harry stared at the girl in front of him, the girl he was now sure was not Ginny.
The girl was Romilda Vane. Romilda's dark eyes moved quickly between Harry and the person who had cast the spell. Her tanned face was slightly flushed and her expression was hurt and confused.
In stunned shock, Harry's gaze left Romilda's and found the caster of the spell. Ron was holding a lit wand, his face absolutely expressionless. Next to him, Hermione's mouth was slightly open. Her expression was one of disbelief, just staring at Harry. Harry had no idea what to say. He'd never been in a situation this awkward, this unexpected. His mouth opened and closed silently like a fish.
Romilda was the first to speak. When she cleared her throat Harry looked at the fourteen-year-old.
"Well Harry I never expected you to be into foursomes."
Ha-ha! Way to end a dramatic chapter on a humorous note, eh?
I would've posted the chapter earlier today (August 8th, 2011) but I accidentally deleted a chunk of my chapter (yes, again). And I was furious.
I typed furiously, saving after every paragraph. Now I'm incredibly happy with my chapter.
Like in the last chapter, I have to ask you guys to please help me find a beta reader because as I read over my chapters I do notice a lot of mistakes. As my chapters get longer I do not want to proofread the entire thing, just spell-check.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Please review. If you find any mistakes, please point them out in your review. Any constructive criticism is helpful as well.
~Aishybird~