That Time of the Month - Part II
Care of Magical Creatures. Just the mention of that class brings up horrifying images of raging hippograffs, blast-ended skrewts, thestrals, dragons, gigantic spiders and other creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you limb from limb. And today, I would be in close contact with the most terrifying and dangerous magical creature of them all - a thoroughly irritable Hermione Granger. I approached Hagrid's hut with more than just a hint of trepidation. Hermione was waiting for us, tapping her foot impatiently and generally looking in a surly mood.
"Hi Hermione," I said in as normal a voice as possible; I think she could smell fear, so no need to provoke her.
"Harry," she acknowledged me coolly and totally ignored Ron who hid behind me. We waited for class to begin in silence, which, while uncomfortable, was preferable to Hermione yelling. After a few minutes where I stood as still as a statue and breathed as quietly as possible, Hagrid lumbered out of his hut and introduced the class to his latest subject. He was carrying a large cage that seemed to be filled with finches; though they looked harmless enough, I had no doubt they had poisonous talons, needle-sharp feathers, or something else unsavory. Best-case scenario probably involved a lot of mucus.
To my surprise, these birds held no mortal peril for us at all; perhaps Hagrid was having a slow week. Anyways, apparently the birds were very clever, like owls, and could even apparate when frightened, much like Fawkes but without the flash of fire. They weren't as diligent as owls, so their use as messengers was very rare. Each pair of students was given a bird to examine, and Hermione and I sat down with our bird, scribbling our observations on a parchment while Hagrid walked around the class and answered any questions that came up.
I was pretty proud of myself for finding a spot away from Malfoy; I didn't want to tempt fate. Unfortunately, I failed to take into account They-Who-Share-But-One-Brain: Crabbe and Goyle were sitting nearby. At first, I was only vaguely aware of their brutish guffaws and grunting conversation. But then, I could tell Hermione was distracted from our bird and kept shooting looks over at the two Slytherins. I wanted to move, to suggest we find another place, but I was too timid to say anything. As far as I could make out, Crabbe and Goyle were attempting to 'coax' their bird into apparating, mostly by poking or startling it. They weren't hurting it, but even under normal circumstances, a defenseless creature being picked on would raise Hermione's ire. Since she was already in a bad mood, I feared for our lives.
I kept my head down though, scribbling away. Finally, Hermione had had enough.
"Hey! What the bloody hell do you think…" she began, yelling at Crabbe and Goyle. I stopped paying attention to what she was saying though, and instead watched the two Slytherins react. They were surprised and a little fearful, but mostly confused, since Hermione was using words with more than two syllables. I was actually starting to enjoy myself before I was startled by a loud popping sound - our bird had apparated to a nearby tree.
The popping sound derailed Hermione's outrage, and we both stared at the empty cage. "Oh," I heard Goyle say in surprise. "Pretty bird go bye-bye."
Hermione actually looked stricken by the event and was quiet for the remainder of the class period while I tried to get our bird back (I eventually had to summon the thing into my hand and stuff it back in the cage). Finally, Hagrid released us, and I packed away my books, relieved that I had somehow managed to avoid Hermione's anger. I stood as Ron joined up with us, and then we began walking back towards the castle. After just a few steps, I noticed Hermione wasn't with us. I stopped and looked back and saw her still sitting on the grass.
"Hey, wait up," I called to Ron.
Ron stopped and turned. "What's up?"
I pointed over my shoulder. "Hermione's not with us."
Ron looked agitated. "I…uh…guess we should wait, huh?"
I looked at Ron: he was fidgeting nervously and obviously looked like he wanted no part of Hermione. I shook my head. "You go ahead. I'll find out what's wrong."
Ron grinned. "Thanks Harry. I owe you one."
"You owe me more than one." I watched until Ron was safely away, and then turned. I squared my shoulders and walked back to Hermione.
*************
I approached Hermione cautiously, knowing that I had to treat her with utmost care. Blast-Ended Skrewts had nothing on Hermione. The worst a skrewt could do is give me third degree burns. Hermione, when riled, could transfigure me into something vile and repulsive, like a spider or Slytherin. And though she looked rather calm at the moment, sitting on the grass, I knew volcanoes could look rather calm just moments before erupting. For my own safety, I probably should just ask if she's okay, to show that I care, and then skidaddle out of there as soon as possible. I knew she'd probably say she's okay and tell me to leave her alone.
"Hermione?" I said gently as I neared her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she said abruptly, not looking up.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, now leave me alone," she said quickly, just as I knew she would. I half-turned, but I knew I couldn't leave her by herself, at least not until I was positive she was going to be fine. She must've noticed me walking closer because she quickly averted her face from me, but not before I noticed her wipe at her eyes. She was crying. This was no good; as I previously established, I didn't know how to comfort crying girls. I was built for fighting evil, killing basilisks, and other manly stuff. I'd rather face Death Eaters than a crying girl. But I couldn't turn back, and after all, I was a Gryffindor (hmmm…that phrase has gotten me into a lot of trouble over the years). I considered my options: based on prior experience, I could either yell at her to stop crying and lock her in a cupboard, or I could feed her pastries and buy her toys. Neither seemed like a viable option at the moment, and besides, when have I ever planned anything ahead of time?
I sat down beside her gingerly. "Hermione?" I asked softly. No response. "C'mon Hermione," I pleaded, "talk to me."
She shook her head. "It's nothing Harry. Just go away." But she sounded more sad than angry.
"Hermione," I said reasonably, "have you ever left me alone when I needed someone, when I was sad or depressed or scared?"
There was no response for a minute, and I was afraid that my brilliant streak of logic would go to waste. Finally, though, she said a bit reluctantly, "no."
I smiled, even though I knew she couldn't see me. "Then what makes you think I'd leave you alone now? What kind of friend would that make me?"
She turned to look at me, and I saw her cheeks were a little damp from tears. "The best Harry…you're the best of friends," she said, smiling a little.
I grinned at her, feeling happy that she was smiling. "Good. Now, what's the matter?"
She looked down and picked at the hem of her robes. "It really is nothing, Harry. I just get so emotional sometimes, and then when the bird apparated away…"
I just nodded with a sympathetic look on my face, but inside I was searching frantically for words of comfort. But the more I tried to think of something, the more blank my mind became, and I ended up just sitting there, nodding dumbly while she talked. All I could come up with was an "I'm sorry" here and there and a pat on the shoulders. I was getting rather frustrated with myself when I saw her straighten and wince in pain, grabbing at her lower back.
"Does it hurt? Do you want a massage?" I asked without thinking, but as soon as I realized what I had just said, I blushed. Had I really just offered to give Hermione a back rub? I was desperate to do or say anything to make her feel better, and the words just slipped out. True, we were best friends, but wasn't that crossing some sort of line or something? Ack!
She looked at me for a moment, clearly as surprised as I was by the offer. But then she smiled at me and said, "sure."
A/N: Thanks to everyone for reviewing. I swear, it's like a drug! I find myself checking every other minute to see if anyone's left a review. One part left.