Chapter 35: The one where Hermione gets physical.

Disclaimer: I am just a mere visitor in the sublime world constructed by J.K Rowling. Anything that rings a bell is hers.

Chapter 34

"Are you OK?" Mi gave me a look usually reserved for psychiatric patients.

"Errr yes." She continued staring at me and I continued to eat my cereal. It had become some sort of a ritual this past week. I didn't have to tell Mi what had gone down between Cedric and myself. I just told her that she was right, and it was a true testament to our friendship that she didn't do her usual victory dance.

She asked me if I wanted to talk about it and I said no. Because I didn't. There was nothing to discuss. I didn't regret my decision; it was one that had to be made. What I would have regretted is losing Harry's friendship, because no matter what Mi said, it would have happened. She didn't see the look in his eye when he spoke about me supporting him, he was the first person to let me into this world and even though our friendship was more of a roller coaster right now, I was confident in it.

We headed for my morning nap; Mi liked to call it History of Magic. Just as we exited the Great Hall, Cedric walked pass. I didn't have to look up to see that it was him; I could smell the unique blend of his cologne and aftershave. As usual we didn't look at each other, I concentrated on the short boy next to him and I have no idea where his eyes went.

It was like this from last week. After I sat there in our little room for a little while, my sadness very quickly turned to anger. If he liked me so much, wouldn't he have stayed to listen…to understand what I was trying to say. Wouldn't it matter more that I had feelings for him than making it public knowledge. I mean it really is nobody's business…well nobody's except my friends. If he really liked me, he would have realised how important friendship was to somebody like me, who's never known it before now. I put my head down on the desk. I picked it up again. Damn him to hell, he managed to fuck up my morning nap without even saying a word to me.

HARRY's POV

It's not enough that he had practically the whole school supporting him; he had to have Cho too. I mean what are the chances? Why couldn't Lavender have been right, why couldn't he have asked some Gryffindor girl to the ball. Cho was perfect. She was sweet and pretty, and she had the cutest Scottish accent. And she wasn't Kyrianna Thornton. She wasn't screwing with my head at night and distracting me with her presence during the day. She didn't say random silly things and laugh like a hyena and chew with her mouth open. She definitely didn't jump onto people's backs screaming giddy up horsey like a five-year-old. And she definitely wasn't snogging my best friend or his brother in some broom cupboard somewhere. She was nice, and normal. That's all I ever wanted. But no, Cedric freaking Diggory has to go and spoil that too.

"Are you OK?"

I gave Hermione a glare. She was asking me that all the way from dinner, I don't even know where Ron and Ky were…. well, I had my guesses of course. She gave me that look that they usually reserve for people in the loony bin.

"Yes Hermione, I'm fine." I continued to walk down the fourth floor until I heard my name being called. I turned around fast, and I'm embarrassed to admit that the thought that it might be Cho, calling to say she's changed her mind, and she wants me to take her to the ball, was my initial thought. My heart slowed down though; it was just Ginny. She caught up with us,

"Godric you guys walk fast. Can I have a word?"

"I'll just go on up to the common room." Hermione said, but Ginny interjected,

"No Hermione, stay. It concerns you too."

I was interested. Ginny never sought me out and the last time she did she wanted to confess to opening the chamber of secrets. She looked up and down the corridor, it was empty. Most people were already up in the common room, dinner finished a while ago.

"It's about who put your name in the Goblet of fire."

"You don't think I did?" She looked up at me, her brown eyes wide,

"Of course not Harry. You said you didn't, and I believe you."

I nodded my head, "Thanks. So, what do you know?"

"Well, it's not what I know. It's who. I think I know who did it."

I looked at Hermione, who had her thinking face on.

"Ok Ginny, who?"

"It's Ky." Hermione's face went from serious to slack in a heartbeat; she even rolled her eyes at Ginny.

"I know what you're going to say Hermione, and that's why I told you to wait as well. You're too caught up being best buds with her to actually see the cold hard facts like you usually do. And that is pretty smart on her part. I mean she just meets you and two seconds later you guys are inseparable. You're the only person in her eyes that could find out the truth, so she's distracted you with friendship."

"Distracted me with friendship?"

"Yes, so you wouldn't see through her act. You wouldn't see that she's behind this whole thing."

"Well maybe I don't see that Ky is behind this whole thing because she isn't behind this whole thing. Harry let's go, I won't stand here and have someone tear my friend's character to pieces on what I am sure is baseless accusations."

I looked at Hermione and I wanted to go. Ginny was spouting nonsense, Ky wouldn't do something like this, not because she's not smart enough but because she's too lazy….and there's the fact that she's a good person, even if something is going on with her and Ron, that wouldn't change that. I looked at Ginny's face though and she was begging me to listen with her eyes, she looked like she was seconds away from falling to her knees and begging me to stay. She was my best friend's baby sister…I can't just walk away, right? I'll just listen to whatever it is she thinks is going on and we can tell her all the ways that she's wrong and we all can put this matter to bed.

"OK Ginny. Why do you think its Ky?"

Hermione was piercing a hole in my head with the glare she was giving me. Ginny smiled like the cat that caught the canary.

"Well of course I wouldn't waste your time if I didn't have reasons. The first being, who is she really, anyway? I mean somebody that has never practiced magic before covers three years of syllabus in three weeks. It's just not natural, even for brains like Hermione. She suddenly shows up and ta-da, she's Dumbledore's granddaughter. Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard in the world had a child that he didn't know about. And let's say she really is Dumbledore's granddaughter, doesn't make her good. She and her brothers could all be part of some dark scheme. They probably want revenge on Dumbledore for abandoning them, because let's face it, they're all too good with a wand. And then there's the whole fact that she shows up and bam, the dark mark is in the air weeks later. Which I might add…. where was she when the dark mark went up? And I'm not buying this whole tripped over a stump thing. If she did, who helped her get back to camp and why did it take so long to get back? And everybody could tell she was acting strange that night. And now suddenly you get back to school and somebody enters you into a lethal tournament, somebody that is smart and has access to everything in this castle because everyone who is important in this castle has taken a liking to her. Oh, and Snape! Snape likes her, he doesn't even like himself, yet he lets her say things to him that nobody else can and he favours her, and we all know Snape is an evil git. And what about that whole Malfoy thing at the Quidditch Final, the way she shook his hand and that look in her eye-"

Before I could stop her, Hermione beat me to it.

"Back the fuck up Ginny." Wait…. did Hermione just swear. She took in a deep breath and her nostrils flared. Oh, this was going to be long; I was on the receiving end of that stance many times. "You've obviously put a lot of thought into this, and I hate to waste your time going on, but then again it seems you don't care much for your time, indulging in such fantasies. Firstly, Ky is Dumbledore's granddaughter, as you so kindly stated before, Dumbledore is the greatest wizard in the world, and I would think he covered the necessary areas to ensure that his grandchildren are really his. And as to him not knowing that he fathered a child, forgive my crassness but he may be the greatest wizard in the world, but I highly doubt he puts radar trackers on his sperm. He is a man after all, and men think with their…. they don't think sometimes. And Ky and her brothers are naturals at magic because they are just that. Natural at magic. Dumbledore was the most brilliant student that attended this school and I do not feel like it is a far cry that his descendants should be anything less than brilliant. As to Ky being part of a dark scheme and trying to exact revenge on her grandfather…don't you dare even insinuate such a thing. You're not the one that sees her when she gets back from their cocoa sessions and that absolute blissful smile she has on her face and the fierce pride she has at being his grandchild. She loves that man and don't you dare belittle that. Her brothers are good people, honest people. And the reason why Snape likes her is, like everybody else here except you it seems; Ky has opened her heart to us all. She doesn't judge people and not even Snape's cynical heart is immune to her love. And it's not her fault that you're too dim-witted to catch up that the reason why she shook Malfoy's hand in the box that day was to rile his father up. And has for our friendship," Hermione took a deep breath, "Don't you ever call that into question. I am not an idiot Ginny. Neither am I naïve. The reason why Ky and I get along so well and became 'best buds' so quickly is something not even I can explain. Not because it's part of some elaborate scheme, but because like all magical and pure and great things in life, it cannot be explained."

Hermione stopped, breathing heavily. Her face was red and so was Ginny's, I had to put a stop to this now, "Well, we've gotten all this out of-"

"What about the forest that night. You're her best bud; tell us where she was, why she took so long, why she was so different."

"You know why Ginny, she hurt her leg on-"

"And she walked on that same leg all the way back on her own."

Ginny looked at me and I didn't know what to say. With everything going on that day we didn't even think about how Ky got to us. Ron had to carry her when he saw her, so who carried her before that? She didn't mention anybody. She was acting strange that night, Ron pointed that out and that's why we snuck into their tent before bedtime. I looked at Hermione, maybe she told her something, best to tell Ginny so we can drop this topic.

"Do you know anything about this Hermione?"

Hermione looked at me as if I was crazy. "Harry, how can you even ask that question?"

Ginny had a huge smile on her face, and I quickly started to explain but another voice floated across the corridor, it was familiar, but it was so small…it lacked its usual hype.

"It's because he doesn't trust me."

I looked up the corridor and saw Ron and Ky standing there. Only thing it didn't look anything like Ky. There was no sparkle in her eye and no smile and no laugh. She stood there with the most blank look on her face, but her eyes…those deep beautiful grey eyes were all broken.

"Come now Ky, you know I trust you-"

"That's why you didn't deny anything Ginny said."

There was that small voice again. What was she going on about, of course I defended her…well Hermione said the actual words, but I said it in my head.

Ginny stepped forward, "Of course he wouldn't deny it because he can't. Harry isn't blinded by love like Hermione is. Where were you that day in the forest? Who were you with?"

Ron stepped forward, "Ginny, come on, stop this..."

I turned to Ginny, "I think you got the answers you wanted Ginny, now just drop it."

"No, I have not! She won't say where she was that day! She was probably out there floating muggles with the other-"

"Don't you dare!" Hermione took a step forward and I quickly grabbed her before she did anything she might regret.

The response didn't calm Ginny down though, it did quite the opposite and she stepped forward, and Ron crossed over to his sister, putting distance between her and Hermione.

"Where was she then! Huh? Where was she? Where! With whom? Huh? If you know so much Hermione, why don't you tell me! Where was she?" I turned to Ky in frustration, this already went too far.

"Ky just tell her. Just tell her so she can shut up."

I looked at her and she gave me another dead look. It was as if she was seeing something that I wasn't.

"Tell her or tell you Harry?" I looked at her and just like usual I couldn't lie to those eyes. Something always made me tell the truth. The truth was that I did want to know what happened that day. I was curious now. I was always too curious for my own good.

"I think we'd all like to know. Just to put this matter to rest."

She looked at me and something in her eyes snapped. Just like that the emotion disappeared,

"Fine. I was off floating muggles with the other death eaters."

She turned to walk away, and I let go of Hermione, angry at the fact that she lied to my face, but no feeling pained me like the physical ache that I felt in my chest when I saw Ky's empty eyes.

A/N: I don't mean to paint Ginny in a bad light, it's just that looking at things from her perspective it sounds like what she is saying makes sense. She never took the time to get to know Ky and, in all honesty, Ky never made an effort with her either, so I thought her reaction justified. I know Hermione is out of character but her friendship with Ky has changed her, for the better or for worse I'm not sure but I think she's proven that she can be aggressive when ticked off. Anyway, please let me know what you think.

Kalina