Chapter Eleven:
(Hermione)
He just sat there totally relaxed. He'd said my name so nonchalantly; I could feel my heart breaking. What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to react? There I go overanalyzing everything again. I decided to finally just go with the feelings floating around in side of me.
I nodded my head to him, and then he stood up. The fire gave his obsidian hair almost an orangish tone to it. My heart leapt into my throat at the realization of how much I had missed him. His eyes held a mischievous glint to them that was never there before. What did he have in mind? He came closer to me, and proceeded to wrap on of his arms around my waist. I was absolutely appalled. He tried to lean in and kiss my neck and that's when I pushed him away. He looked confused and heart broken at the same time. Immediately I felt my heart go out to him.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" He asked, concern shining through his eyes.
I took a step back, not sure who was in front of me, but this wasn't the real Harry. This wasn't the Harry I knew and loved.
He asked me again what was wrong, and that's what did it for me.
I glared at him with fire in my eyes. The next few things I said tumbled out of me before I even got the chance to analyze what they were.
"Harry I don't even know who you are anymore. I don't even know if I want to know you anymore. You come lumbering into the common room without so much as even a hello to your best friend and girlfriend, but you also had another girl wrapped securely around your waist. You are acting immature and foolish. You have been like this for weeks now and I'm down right tired of it." I took a deep breath. I was going to need it for the rest of what I was about to say. " And that load of rubbish about loving me. How dare you Harry Potter, how dare you say those words to me, when you didn't mean it. Not only did it hurt me, but it made me realize, I could never love someone who threw those words around meaninglessly." With that said I turned around and retreated to my room.
I was nearly to my room when I felt a hand grab my wrist. I turned to see Harry staring at me with anger glinting in his eyes.
" Don't you dare speak to me that way. Now usually I don't feel the need to explain myself to people like you…"
I interrupted him. "People like me?"
"…Yes people like you…mudbloods…"
I lost it. Before I knew what was happening my free hand was reaching around and I felt it connect with his face. His head turned sharply due to the force behind my slap.
"Don't EVER speak to me or even look at me again. Got it Potter?"
I wretched my hand free from his grasp and let myself into my room.
(Harry)
I didn't know what had suddenly come over me. I was a completely different person. Sometimes I felt like the Harry that everyone used to know and love, and at other times I felt…I don't know possessed. I didn't want to do the things I did, nor say the things I said. I had hurt her, I knew that. She had hurt me; the welt on the side of my face was proof of that. Though I know I hurt her far worse than she ever hurt me.
When I said those things to her, it was like I literally saw her heart sawing open her chest and jumping onto the floor where I later conviently stomped on it, smashing it into tiny little pieces never to be mended again.
I watched Hermione retreat into her room and slam her door in my face, not even bothering to give me one last look. She was close to tears and I knew it was all my fault. Yet I didn't do anything about it.
I left the Hermiones door and the common room and escaped back up to my room. I saw the girl lying asleep on my bed. I didn't even know her name. I scratched my head then ran a hand roughly threw my hair. Feeling sleepiness overwhelming me I lazily walked over to the bed and lay down next to the girl. I was asleep within minutes.
(Hermione)
I was shaking uncontrollably. Whether it was from sadness or anger, I wasn't sure at the moment. Too many things had happened at once. First I thought everything was going to be ok when he started kissing my neck, I thought it had all turned out to be some horrid dream, but then the realization hit me.
I just wanted to graduate and get out of here. I never wanted to think of Harry James Potter ever again.
For the next month I pretty much stayed to myself. My daily routine went as such. Breakfast, classes, lunch, classes, dinner, study, sleep. Occasionally Ron would study with me, but he wasn't as worried about his N.E.W.Ts as I was. He preferred to spend most of his time with his new found girlfriend Luna Lovegood. Good for him I thought, truly happy for him. I barely saw Harry and when I did he always had his arm around some random girl from one of the other houses. None of the Gryffindors would go so much as ten feet near him. They had seen first hand what he did to me, Merlin forbid he do something like that to them.
N.E.W.Ts came and went and I longed to know what my scores were, but I knew they wouldn't send them to me till the middle of summer. Without the studying to do anymore I spent my time planning my Head Girl speech for graduation, as well as making all the arrangements for the ceremony. It took a lot of work to do mostly on my own, but I made it.
Finally my special day arrived. I was graduating in four hours. Shortly I wouldn't be part of Hogwarts anymore. The thought kind of depressed me.
I sat in my room packing my trunk up. I was leaving this place for good right after the ceremony and I wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything, when I heard a knock on my portrait. I walked over to it, wondering who it was. When I opened the door I saw the familiar red hair of my best girl friend Ginny Weasley.
" Hi 'Mione" She addressed me using the sweet pet name Harry and Ron had given me when they decided a few years earlier that my name was too long.
I smiled at the girl, I could sense she was uncomfortable.
"What is it Gin?" I also used her affectionate pet name. I was right in doing so, it calmed her down slightly.
"I just wanted to let you know that I'm very proud of you, you are an amazing person. I'm quite envious of you, ya know?" Her cheeks blushed rosily. " I also wanted to tell you that I am going to miss you something severe. You are like my big sister, and I love you. No matter what happens I will always be here for you." She hurried over to me and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.
I had my head leaning against hers and I whispered in her ear. " Thank you Ginny, I needed that."