Title: Screaming on the Inside
Rating: R
Summary: Tragedy strikes Hermione. How will her friends react?
Disclaimer: The characters of this story were created by the genius that is JK Rowling. This fic was not written to make money of any kind but merely for the enjoyment.
Authors Note: Thanks to all who have reviewed. Its making my writers block start to go away. I still haven't written a word on the chapter I'm stuck on (I think its chapter 14 or 15) but ideas are at least running through my head now. How fast I get this depends on two things… a) real life b) how many reviews I get. I'm a review whore.
For those of you who asked for Ron's POV, as luck would have it… here it is.
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Ron's POV
The entire common room stopped and turned as my two best friends tried to slip quietly through the portrait hole. They were completely unsuccessful as the news had spread like wildfire through the Gryffindor tower. When Hermione saw everyone stop and stare at them on instinct Hermione reached for Harry's hand. I watch as Harry's gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.
I don't think a single person in the common room would have noticed that except for me. They were always doing simple things like that. Offering each other support when it was needed. It was damn well sweet in an annoying kind of way. I should know, after all I was their best friend. It was what made them Harry and Hermione and Hermione and Harry. That's how everyone referred to them these days. You couldn't mention one without the other. At times their names just blended into each other resulting in some rather strange words coming out of people's mouths.
As Harry and Hermione exchange a quick glance and do that freaky talk with their eyes bit they are notorious for I'm suddenly rather painfully reminded of how insanely jealous a simple act like that would have had me a couple of years ago. Jealous enough to accuse Hermione of cheating on me with Harry, and that was before they had been found in the same bed. I'm glad to say I've got over it and accepted the fact that nothing will change whatever those two have going on. Although my jealousy was enough to place a permanent rift between myself and the other two. We pretend not to notice but neither of them has completely forgiven me for my accusation. I wouldn't forgive me either.
To my complete shock Hermione drops Harry's hand and heads up to her dormitory. My jaw drops when Harry doesn't even look like he is going to follow. Instead he is coming to talk to me and settling down in the chair across from me. I never thought Harry would leave Hermione alone for two seconds at a time like this. The shock must have registered on my face because Harry suddenly spoke without even a preamble.
"She doesn't need someone hovering over her every second of the day. She's a tough girl."
We sit in silence for a couple of seconds before Harry starts to fidget in his chair, casting nervous glances at the top of the stairs. I let him do so for a couple of seconds before it starts to really get on my nerves.
"Bloody hell," I mutter. "What happened to 'she doesn't needs anyone hovering' and 'she's a tough girl'?"
Harry gives me a massively shocked look. "Just because its true doesn't mean I have to like it," he mutters to me. Ah, so he's suffering normal 'Harry Syndrome', always so protective of her.
Suddenly Harry stands and I think he is about to start pacing the floor. I swear he's nearly worn holes in the common room floor over the years trying to walk out his worry over one thing or the other.
"Breakfast anyone?" I hear a voice from behind me ask. I turn and am slightly surprised to see Hermione just behind my chair ready to eat with a book in her hand of course. I feel Harry's eyes on me and I know exactly what he is trying to tell me without looking. 'Just be normal.' So I am.
"Of course, I'm starving," I exclaim standing up.
We all make our way to the dinning room talking all the way about nothing really. Hermione acts likes nothing has changed forcing me to study her for a bit. I can see that she is just putting on a brave face and doing a very good job of it.
If nothing else the change is in her eyes. I am used to see them twinkling with life. Now they have lost that twinkle. Her grief is bubbling just below the surface and she looks like she could burst into tears at any moment. The whole pretend like nothing has happened is her way of dealing. Never one to dwell she always tries to move on as quick as possible.
Before any of us realise we are at the dining room. I hear Hermione take a deep breathe beside me. News always spreads fast around Hogwarts so it wasn't a stretch to think that the entire school knew, especially with Hermione being Head Girl.
We opened the door and immediately the Great Hall was silent as everyone turned to look at us, well look at Hermione to be more precise. I feel Hermione physically shrink back and I know she is about to flee.
"What?" I ask loudly. "Do I have toilet paper in my shoe or something?" A couple of people titter at my humour but most of the school turn back to their breakfast and conversations slightly ashamed at their nosy natures. Hermione gives me a grateful smile. "No problem," I whisper in her ear.
We make our way to our usual seats at the Gryffindor table which my little sister has saved for us. Not that anyone would even dream of taking them, we have practically stamped our names on them.
Conversation around the breakfast table seemed to be rather slow today; everyone was treading on egg shells, not wanting to say the wrong thing. Well slow until Draco Malfoy slid into a chair next to Harry. I tensed but Harry stayed completely relaxed.
"Nice catch yesterday, Potter," Draco told him without a hint of malice. I always have trouble remembering those two are both friends in the loosest sense of the word. I'm not really sure how it happened we just woke up one morning and they were talking and joking around without the death threats. I called Harry on it one time and his only reply was 'some things you can't go through together without being friends'. Although to me Malfoy is still the same slime ball he had always been. Hermione seemed to accept him though but I think Harry gave her a more complete version of the story.
"Harry, you won?" Hermione suddenly asked. "Congratulations." Our little part of the table was suddenly dead silent as realisation hit us all. Hermione missed the last part of the Quidditch match because she was being told about her parents. That was why Harry didn't know where she was at the party; he was in the air when it happened. I take a quick look at Lavender and I can see she is thinking the same thing.
"Um, yeah, we did," Harry told her only to be emersed in a congratulatory hug from Hermione.
Malfoy had picked up a piece of bacon from our table and was munching happily on it. "Bloody good catch, too." he announced. "Surprised he didn't fall off his broom."
"When doesn't Harry nearly fall off when he's catching the snitch?" Hermione asked half-jokingly.
In that single moment Malfoy suddenly became a lot less evil. He was a lot better a pretending that he didn't know or didn't care and that's what Hermione needed right now was normal. And so that was what we were going to give her. I suddenly feel Lavender give my hand a slight squeeze and I turn to look at her and I know she knows exactly what I'm thinking. I give her a quick smile before I turn back to the conversation.
"You know I'm careful, Mione," Harry tries to tell her.
"I worry about you, that's all," Hermione answered simply. Harry throws his arm around Hermione and whispers something in her ear before giving her a gentle kiss on the temple. Her worried look doesn't waver for a second. That's when I know without a doubt it's not that simple. With them it's never simple.