(Hey everyone, thank you all for viewing and favorting/following this story. Seeing those numbers going up makes me… Happy. Truely. I see now that this was a great thing to do. But enough about me. School is starting and I wanted to post before it did. Sadly I want to keep posting regularly so these chapters will be quick but that means more of them. Again I'm trying to keep myself writing as it helps my head. But comments both good and bad also help me. I can't fix anything if I don't know if I'm doing it right or not. Anyways. That's too much about me, now to the story, again i don't own anything to enjoy!)
Harry's night wasn't that great, his dreams were plagued with Ron dying in front of him. And instead of the professors coming to save them, he then watched Hermione die in front of him. He couldn't do anything to help, though he tried something different each time. Finally the last dream before he woke up, Hermione looked him straight in the eyes and said "it's all your fault. You could have saved us." Before getting smashed into the ground, with an audible pop just like Ron made when his head caved in.
Harry woke in a cold sweat, his eyes wide as he looked around his bed. The giant stained glass windows shining light down on him and the rest of the room. As he stirs awake the curtains around his bed pull themselves away opening his space up to the rest of the room that was already awake and some even out of bed and talking. He quickly sat up in bed and grabbed his glasses from the side table where a pitcher of water with a glass also sat.
With his vision fully working now with his glasses he can see that across from him was a group of Hufflepuffs in their house robes and most of them were looking over at him.
For a brief moment Harry was terrified. Maybe some troll blood was still all over him but when he looked down at himself he was still clean. Or maybe they blamed him for Ron dying But by the time he looked back up a Hufflepuff girl was standing in front of his bed with an inviting smile. Dark brown eyes, and vibrant purple hair that seemed to change shades everytime her hair moved even slightly. With a hand extended toward him. "Wotcher, I'm Tonks." She said to Harry, still smiling at the young gryffindor.
Harry looked at the hand still a bit shocked thinking that this might be another dream or something. But after another moment, long enough to make Tonks cock her hide sideways and look at Harry weird. "Harry Potter." Harry said, finally taking the hand.
"I know who you are, be a bit daft if someone in this school didn't know who you were." Tonks said but her eyes shot sideways, her soft happy look almost disappearing, but it returned almost as if she was reminding herself she was a hufflepuff. "And who are you?" Tonks asked as she turned toward Hermione's bed but the currentains were not fully pulled back like Harry's did, just enough for her to see out and from Harry's side to see her head.
After the same amount of time it took Harry to respond, did Harry finally speak up for the girl he tried to save yesterday. "Her name is Hermione. We were the ones that interacted with the troll."
"You two went looking for the troll, are you just wanting to die?" Tonks retorted, "What is Professor Quirle teaching you guys in DADA." She continued on.
At that little outburst Hermione went back to looking up at the ceiling obviously not in a mood to talk about the events last night, the curtains stayed open for Harry and Tonks to see her.
"No!" Harry snapped which caused the Hufflepuff to look at him surprisingly. "We went looking for her." Harry said, looking again at Hermione. "To right a wrong. To warn her of the troll in the school, to get her somewhere safer. But as we got to her just as the troll started to just walk into the bathroom where she was supposed to be."
Harry continued speaking but his eyes started to drift moving away from Hermione, to Tonks then to the floor, but eventually back to Hermione. "Ron said something terrible to her, and I wanted to stand up to him but he was my first friend in my new life. I didn't want to see him as another bully like I've seen a kid named Draco. So I kept quiet and stayed by Rons side." Harry finally turned back to Tonks looking at her pitifully. "It's because of me that Ron died. And it was because of me that Hermione was in that bathroom to begin with." Harry said but then stayed quiet now that he finally said something that was bouncing around in his head.
"You must be stupid or something." Tonks said, her happy cheerful side was gone, She moved closer to Harry and lowered her voice so that the whole room couldn't hear them. Her hair turned black like a starless night sky. "First off, nothing a first year could have done would have stopped a troll, you idiot, be glad that you stayed alive long enough for someone to come and save you. Second off, unless someone tampered with the protection of the school or gave permission to the troll to come in it would not have gotten in." Tonks said disliking the way Harry was acting. "And finally." She said as she grabbed Harry's chin and turned his head to look at the still exposed head of Hermione. "You said it was already attacking her, Then because of you she's still alive." She said loud enough for Hermione to hear too.
They stayed like that for a few more moments. Finally, Tonks scoffed as she took a step back, breathed in deeply and when she exhaled started to smile again, her hair changing back to the flowing purple it once was. "Change your way of thinking, you're lucky not cursed Harry. You saved the girl, your goal was complete. Mourn but move forward if you stop you die. It's up to you." Tonks said and then left the two as she went back to the cete of Puffs.
Harry watched Tonks as she talked to the group, said goodbye to the one still in the bed and went to talk to Madam Pomfrey to be dismissed.
Tonks never looked back at Harry, never even glanced at the young gryffindor after she walked away.
Harry wanted to hate her or disagree with what she said at least, but something about what she said made it impossible. She was right and he couldn't blame himself. It wasn't his fault that a troll was able to get inside, it wasn't his fault that Ron or himself couldn't do anything about the troll. It wasn't his fault that terrible things kept happening.
But what he can do now, is to change. To make sure that whatever comes next, he will be ready. But his thinking was interrupted by madam Pomfrey.
"Mr. Potter! Come on out of it" she huffs as she sees she finally has his attention. "I swear you kids need to stop living in your own heads and pay attention more." Pomfrey sighs as she moves between Hermione and Harry, she swishes her wand toward Hermione and the curtains around her bed open up so she is still blocked from the rest of the room. With another swish of her wand the curtains that were around Harry's bed while he slpet now extend to meet with Hermionie's so all three are separated from the last student on the other side of the ward.
"Now." Pomfrey almost huffed out getting both the kids' attention. "You two have seen something terrible, and in a few minutes the headmaster will be announcing what happened in the bathroom to the rest of the student body in the great hall." Pomprey paused trying to gather her thoughts on how to continue and to see how they react. "You both watched someone die infront of you, and there are some adults who can't process that. No one expects you two to be alright after seeing that." And with that she looked toward Harry who out of the pair seemed to be the most normal or acting the most normal.
Harry noticed the look and couldn't help but to look away. "Terrible things just happen." He mumbled out hoping that she would continue.
"That may be Mr. Potter, but I am here to watch after your health, so until I say so starting next week both of you will be required to meet with me and talk to me, and I will do some tests on both of your mental health. For today both of you will eat your breakfast here, then i will let you go Mr. Potter you seem well enough. But you Miss. Granger will stay till I say so." Pomfrey said looking over to Hermione, who still havent really moved or reacted other than to blink and breath.
"What? Why can I go but not her?" Harry argued sitting up suddenly at the news, but fought to stay up as a wave of dizziness and blurred vision hit him.
Instead of an answer that the boy was hoping for, Pomfrey only gave him a pointed look. "Eat, then go Mr. Potter, I'm sure you have an entire common room worried about you and Miss Granger here, you can tell them whatever they need to know. But Miss Granger here will stay until I say otherwise."
Harry wanted to argue but as soon as he layed back down a tray of food hovered over his lap. He hadn't noticed how hungry he was as the feast the night before was interrupted by Quirrle and the troll, as soon as his eyes laid upon the food his stomach rummbled and he started to eat in vigor.
Pomfrey, content with seeing the boy eat with vigor, swished her wand again and the curtains moved back opening the room to them, the only one left in the infirmary was Mr Vollan who was already eating. The witch looked over to Hermione Granger who was silently nibbling on toast. With a sad smile she moved toward her office to write up some letters to some colleges at St. Mungos.
About an hour later she came out of the office, the owls already sent out. Instantly she noticed that Hermione only ate about half of what was on her plate. Then Mr. Potter still laying in his bed, his robes on but no signs of him leaving
"Mr. Potter, what are you still doing here? I thought I told you that you can leave after you eat." Pomfrey said as she moved to the foot of his bed. Though side eyeing hermione who made no move to eat while being watched.
Harry looked up at the squat old woman and sighed. "What am I to say to them? Ron's family, and the rest of the students? I've been told the stories a lot of people think I killed someone. Most of the world thinks me of a hero, yet Ron still died." Harry says quietly to Pomfrey.
"No one can save everybody, I believe it was Dumbldor that stated once 'Death is only the next journey.' or something like that." Pomfrey said. As she leaned against Harry's bed. "People might blame you, others might say youre to young, others will see it as it was. But if you see it as a failure others will soon see it that way too."
Harry nodded understanding what she meant, if he carried it around like a failure others surely will too. "But I did fail, Hermione is stiff and not talking, Ron's head." Harry paused remembering the events, remembering his dreams. "It popped, and I stood there trying to throw pieces of sinks and wood at a troll like a muggle."
"Do you want to forget it?" Pomfrey asked, with a completely serious tone to her voice.
Harry couldn't help but to chuckle. "That would solve some problems, wouldn't it. But this death will stay with me. Ron will stay with me for a while."
"Then ill send you off with one more advice, don't hold it in. You bottle up all your emotions and you will… Pop. If you talk to anyone, be honest with yourself and let your emotions flow."
With that Harry was quiet for a few moments looking between the medi witch and Hermione. He stopped on Hermione and took a big breath. He noticed that Pomfrey was looking at him with a smile and that Hermione shifted slightly almost unnoticable. "I'm sorry I didn't back you up the other day. I know what it's like being bullied as you might have heard me mention before. I hate bullies and it makes me feel disgusted that I might be in that group now." Harry's voice faltered but he kept on talking through it. "I will be better from now on. You will have a friend in me and not just for you but I will stand up against bullies in this school." Harry pushed up and swung his legs over the edge. "I'll be back during lunch and I'll make sure to get notes for each class until you are able to come back."
With that he didn't wait to see if Hermione responded or even acknowledged what he just said. He just booked it filled with a new vigor and purpose. Something he really hasn't felt in his life, until now.
Pomfrey chuckled at the sight of Harry booking it out of the infirmary, and moved the curtains so she can step inside Hermione's little bubble. She closed the curtains so Mr. Vollan still couldn't see or hear them.
"Stuipid boy." Hermione said quietly, her eyes closed.
Pomfrey couldn't help but to chuckle and smile. "Two words, that's an improvement. Though not eating all your food won't help either."
"I… I needed time to think and process." Hermione said still quietly. Only pushing the tray further down away from her.
"You will still need to stay here." Pomfrey said. "I got a few more mental diagnoses and charms to do. And I also believe that Harry intends to take you to lunch, don't want to miss your date showing up." Pomfrey said to the girl who hasn't moved since waking up.
"Not a date, just lunch." Hermione said quieter than before.
"Mmmhmm." Pomfrey hummed to the girl, thinking that teasing her about Harry might raise her spirits. She lifted her wand smiling, and started to do some of her newly researched mental diagnostic charms.
Hermione laid there still, almost as if she was dead except for a light blush spreading across her cheeks from Pomfrey's teasing.
Clouds of different colors started to form around Hermione and the medi witch. Pomfreys smile stayed as the results started to be shown to her. She didn't inform Hermione what she was seeing, knowing that if she knew what was happening the results would change. But from what the woman was seeing it was pretty normal. Lots of emotions and brain activity even though she was mostly still. "The lad sucks at appologies but from my long life he seems serious about what he said. Seems like you got a white knight choosing to serve you." Pompfrey continued.
Hermione gave a light humph at that. "Black knights are more effective." Hermione responded. With that darker hues of colors started flowing around them and the medi witch frowned a bit. "Ron tried to do what was right and he died. A black knight would have been more brutal and never broke their ideals to begin with."
"You might want to tell Mr. Potter when he comes back for your date." The woman responded, not sure what else to say to the young girl or about what she said about a black night. With that Hermione tightened her eyes further closed and blocked everything else out.
Pomfrey continued working, seeing a quick golden flash in all the darkening colors when she mentioned the date. Just maybe this young girl will be able to work through what she's feeling, for the better.