Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related.
A/N: **A couple parts of this chapter are either in Hermione's POV or Harry's, just FYI. They're basically asking themselves questions which I think the average reader would ask as well.** Anyway, on with the 12th chapter!
~*~Love Letters~*~
*~Chapter 12~*
Harry felt as though he had walked into another awful nightmare. Hermione, his Hermione, was on the floor with Ron, his best friend, and they were . . . Harry's knees started to go weak and he stumbled forward. Hermione and Ron broke apart, a look of disbelief on her face, and a satisfied grin on his.
"Hermione," Harry breathed, hardly able to remain standing.
She looked up at him, suddenly terrified. She stood up shakily, her mouth forming words, but nothing coming out. Harry walked closer to her, wanting to talk to her, wanting to understand everything that had happened that night. Hermione continued to stare at him, unable to speak. He was finally standing directly in front of her, mere inches apart. He wanted to touch her, to hold her, to save her from the agony inside her that was shining through in her deep brown eyes. But something stopped him from doing anything. She had just kissed his best friend and he couldn't understand why.
"Harry, I," Hermione whispered, a silent tear falling down her cheek.
"She doesn't want to talk to you," Ron's voice interrupted.
Both Harry and Hermione turned abruptly to look at him. Ron was standing tall with a smug and confident expression.
"And how would you know that?" Hermione managed in an almost inaudible tone, her voice trembling.
"Hermione," Ron said softly, coming up to the girl and putting his arm around her. Harry took a step back and noticed that Hermione had shivered slightly at Ron's touch. "Harry hurt you Hermione, he doesn't love you."
"And what makes you think that?!" Harry practically shouted, on the verge of a breakdown.
"Do the words 'Cho' and 'Chang' ring a bell Potter?" Ron sneered, tightening his grip around Hermione. She shut her eyes tight and winced slightly, but only Harry noticed.
"She came on to me," Harry retorted, "I was supposed to meet Hermione there!"
"And do you think Hermione will believe you now? Do you think she trusts you?"
"You two, stop it!" Hermione shouted, breaking away from Ron's hold. Harry and Ron both fell silent and watched her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Harry," Hermione said slowly, her lips shaking, "I never . . . want to see you. . . again. Please leave me . . . alone." And with that she turned her back and walked away from him.
Harry just stared after her, unable to speak.
-:-Hermione's POV-:-
Hermione closed the door of her room and leaned back against it. She shut her eyes and without warning the tears began
to spill. That night's events were flashing through her mind and her head was beginning to spin. She went over to
her bed and, as tired as she was, picked up one of the pillows and started hitting anything in sight. When the softly
snoring Lavender began to stir, Hermione stopped and collapsed on the bed, crying softly.
What's going on?! Everything had happened so fast. How could Harry do something like that to me? How could I do something like that to Harry? But he did it to me first.
Hermione pounded her fist into the pillow and took a deep breath that came out shakily.
Harry was kissing another girl. But not just any girl. Cho Chang. I thought Cho was nice, after our talk in the library during the summer. I guess not. . .
But then again, I was kissing Ron. . . Ron. . . RON?! Of all people . . . I admit that it wasn't half bad but
it wasn't Harry. Oh Harry. . .
Was Ron right? Was Harry lying all along? Is it Ron that loves me? What was I thinking kissing him? Did I really
like it? Oh God I don't know!
Hermione buried her face into her pillow. Sleep did not come easy that night, for she, or Harry.
-:-Harry's POV-:-
What did I do?
Harry slammed his bedroom door shut and started to pace frantically. Neville's loud snores were muffled for a few moments while the boy rolled over in a peaceful slumber. Dean was the heaviest sleeper in all of Gryffindor, and since Ron hadn't come up to bed, Harry decided he didn't care how much noise he made. The ebony haired teenager stopped moving to take a few deep breaths, hoping that maybe he'd wake up from a very, very bad dream. But when he opened his eyes, Harry let out a moan of displeasure.
Why does everything always happen to me?
He went over to the windowsill that was to the right of his bed and sat down heavily, feeling defeated. Hugging his knees, Harry tried to concentrate on all that had happened that night, but the details only made his stomach churn.
How could Hermione do that to me? How could I do that to Hermione? God! Why is life so complicated. . . Cho was a
mistake, but Ron. . . What the hell was Ron?! If only I had a chance to tell her about the Ron that's in my dreams,
maybe then she wouldn't have. . . She won't listen to me now, she doesn't even want to see me. . . God,
what am I going to do?!
Frustrated, Harry slammed his fist into the window which shattered into a million pieces. He stared at it sadly.
I know how you feel.
As Harry turned to go to sleep, the shards of glass magically resembled themselves to be whole again, without scratch.
-:-Regular POV now-:-
The following morning could not have been more depressing. Hardly sitting down to breakfast, Harry caught sight of
Hermione walking into the Great Hall . . . holding hands with Ron. His stomach turned over sideways and he suddenly did
not feel hungry anymore. Trying to get away without being noticed, he felt a kick in his shin and immediately sat back
down.
"That's letting them win Harry," Neville muttered out of the side of his mouth. "Don't let them know it's getting to you."
Harry looked at his friend quizzically. Neville had been sound asleep by the time Harry went up to the dormitory the previous night. After a moment or two of contemplating, he figured that Neville had caught sight of Ron and Hermione in the common room and probably put two and two together.
"Good morning Neville," Hermione said in what Harry thought sounded like forced cheerfulness as she and Ron sat down opposite of him and Neville. She ignored his presence, but he expected nothing less.
"Is the sausage any good mate?" Ron asked Neville. He usually asked Harry these questions, but he ignored him as well.
Neville played along the rest of breakfast, taking over the role that Harry usually held. Harry, on the other hand, kept quiet, but sat straight with his head up, finding an appetite somewhere inside of him and appearing to be unaffected by his former girlfriend and former best friend's new found relationship.
"I've got to get to the library before class," Ron stated several minutes later. This surprised Harry like no other. Ron. . . going to the library. . . the two just didn't go together. The red head stood up and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "I'll see you in Potions," he said to Hermione. He bent over and kissed her longer than was necessary. Harry felt the anger boil up inside of him. He realized he was staring at the two and tried to look away but instead he looked at Hermione, who was staring back at him, even in the midst of an intimate moment. Their eyes only locked for a few seconds and then Ron had left the scene. Hermione suddenly busied herself by filing through her book bag and did not look at Harry the rest of the morning.
-:-
It happened somewhere along the third corridor.
Once Divination had ended, Harry raced down the many staircases, trying to avoid Ron, and everybody else. The corridor was deserted and the paintings on the wall watched him cautiously. He hadn't been along this way since his first year with Ron and Hermione. . . Ron and. . . Hermione . . . Harry shook his head. He couldn't stop thinking about her and watching her all day.
"Ooph. . "
"Watch it!" Harry reprimanded the slumped figure on the floor next to him. He rubbed his forehead and started to collect his things on the floor. Harry hadn't meant to collide with the stranger but he had been so lost in thought that he hadn't paid attention to where he was going.
"I'm- I'm so- so sorry Harry," the person beside him stuttered. Harry looked at the boy quizzically. After a few moments, it sunk in.
"Malfoy?"
"I'm so- sorry," Draco stammered, tripping over his robes as he stood up. Harry watched him, completely baffled. Malfoy was scared of him it seemed. He was being polite even. Harry began to stand slowly, still watching.
"Is-is there something on my face or something?" Draco asked, pushing his platinum blonde hair out of his eyes. They pierced Harry's green ones with what seemed like fearful curiosity.
"No," Harry barely managed to whisper. "Malfoy, what . . . how. . ?"
"I was on my way to visit Ginny," the boy explained immediately, "I guess I was just in a bigger hurry than I thought. I'm sorry I knocked you down."
"Malfoy . . . you're visiting Ginny? Why?"
Draco's face suddenly contorted for a moment.
"Is-Is there something wrong with that?" Draco asked rather defiantly, as if daring Harry to go on.
"Why would you visit Ginny?" Harry asked, dumbfounded.
"Why wouldn't I?" Draco challenged.
"You're not making any sense," Harry said, a laugh coming out of him. It surprised both him and Draco. They both stared at each other for a few moments. Harry hated Malfoy, he always had. But for some reason he couldn't find any anger or resentment inside of him. And by the way Draco was staring at him, it seemed like he couldn't find any hatred either.
After a few moments, Draco sighed and stared at his shoes.
"I know what happened to Ginny," he said quietly.
Harry's head snapped up in attention.
"What?"
"I know what happened to the Weasleys this summer, and why Ron is acting like he is."
Harry stared at Draco, his mouth formed into an 'o'. This wasn't Malfoy, it couldn't be Malfoy. But this was Malfoy. Harry had never been more confused in his life. Draco sighed again.
"Follow me."
Without question or hesitation, Harry walked behind Draco as he led him down two staircases and down a familiar corridor towards the hospital wing. Within a few silent moments, they were paces away from Ginny Weasley's bed, where the teenage girl slept peaceful. She was still covered in a few scratches and bruises.
"Stay behind this curtain," Draco whispered to Harry, gesturing to the window by Ginny's bed. "You'll learn everything."
Harry nodded without a word. So many questions were swarming through his head, but he couldn't find the voice to speak them. Before he had a chance to say a thing, Draco pushed him behind the curtain and sat down beside Ginny, taking her limp hand and squeezing it.
The girl's eyes squinted shut and she blinked multiple times. Once her vision was cleared, she turned to the boy next to her and smiled weakly.
"Ron. . ."
-:- Another cliffhanger, I know. That's simply how I am. The reason this story is farther along on ff.net is because that's where I started it. I just haven't had the time to upload this story to portkey all the way. It's not done though, not even on ff.net. My schedule has been rather hectic this summer. I'm going to try to add something to it to wrap this story up but for now, if you want to get caught up as much as possible, this story is on ff.net as well. Special thanks to anyone who voted for me for the Portkey Reader's Choice Awards. That was very thoughtful and quite surprising. I'm very honored to have even been nominated. So much thanks, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.