Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.
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Ch11: BACK TO HOGWARTS
After Ron had left Harry had a big knot in his stomach. In a doleful mood he walked to the library, where he originally were going. He was startled by the sound of someone crying.
Hermione.
Carefully he walked towards her, his heart melting at the sight of her. She was sitting in an armchair; her legs hoisted up to her chin, and her arms protectively around herself.
"'Mione?" he asked softly, and settled down beside her. "What's wrong?"
Hermione didn't answer, she just buried her face deeper down between her knees.
"Is it Ron?" asked Harry, already knowing the answer.
Hermione nodded.
"He has asked you to stay away from me, hasn't he?" asked Harry, getting angrier every second.
Hermione hesitated for a moment, and then nodded again. Harry didn't say anything more, he just grabbed `A Path to the Mind' and left.
While he walked towards his room, he took the egg up from his pocket. He didn't know exactly why the egg and the snake within were so appealing to him, except from the fact that he needed someone to talk to.
"Hatch soon," he told the egg, and put it carefully back in his pocket.
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The final days before the term started approached quickly. Every day Harry would keep up with his morning run and every other day his lesson with Dumbledore. That was the only times in the day he actually had some kind of fun, and that was saying something.
The rest of the time went to reading and sleeping. If Hermione hadn't been so depressed that she actually couldn't study very much, (this definitely was saying something!) Harry could have given her a run for the money.
Harry often kept Parvati with company, but he wasn't making any special progress with her. He had gotten some small conversations with her from time to time, and she actually had started eating a bit after Harry told her that her family wouldn't have wanted her to suffer, and by doing that to herself she didn't repay them much. That, if anything, seemed to work a bit. However, except from that, he could just as well have been alone, because she wasn't doing much else.
Ginny seemed to be avoiding Harry after the encounter in Diagon Alley. Harry was getting really angry with her; he hadn't meant to hurt her, and she should know that. But, of course, maybe she just was supporting her brother, like the rest of the Weasleys -except Molly, and perhaps Arthur, was.
Harry and Dumbledore had just finished the Tracking charm and were now due to start on the Message Spell. The Message Spell was a spell Harry had found in the book he had gotten from Tonks to his birthday, and could be very useful. The only problem was that it was very advanced magic, and was done in a different way than Harry had practiced before. You had to think of the message you wanted to send, and then say `anunciar' for it to work. Harry had gotten some golden sky out from his wand, but that was about it. Dumbledore had been very pleased with Harry's quick progress in the Binding and Tracking charm, and Harry felt like he should do this just as quickly. It was expected from him, and he expected it from himself.
Harry didn't know if he really wanted to go back to Hogwarts that year. He didn't look forward to be the middle of attention again, and he didn't look forward to all the noise and problems that always found him in one way or another. And how could he keep practice with his morning run and his lessons with Dumbledore when he was there, and everybody, including him, would be very busy?
Hedwig hooted from his bed, and flew over to where Harry was sitting in front of the enchanted window.
"Hi girl," said Harry and stroke absentmindedly over her feathers. She stood perfectly still, as if she understood that Harry needed her to just bee there for him.
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Harry didn't come down to lunch that day, nor did he show up to dinner. He was hungry, but he didn't feel much comfortable sitting together with Ron and many other people when they just kept scowling at him when they thought he didn't notice.
Harry felt a pang of jealousy. The Weasleys was the family he had always wanted. He family where they supported each other no matter what, a family you could turn to. It didn't matter that they were poor. The last couple of years Harry had almost felt like a part of that family whenever he came to visit, but now it was obvious that he could never be a part of them. The only reason they had been friendly towards him in the first place, was because he was the Boy Who Lived, and felt sorry for him.
Harry's jealousy quickly turned to anger when he thought of it. How could he have been so blind? So naïve?
Harry was suddenly aware of that his arm was tickling. He glanced down at it, but it looked perfectly normal. Why shouldn't it be? He wondered.
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One day before the term started Harry couldn't stand to be alone or with Parvati anymore, and he went to look for Hermione.
She wasn't particular hard to find, she lay stretched out on a couch in the library, asleep, with a book over her stomach.
Harry bent over her and took away the book, and her eyes fluttered open.
"Harry!" she exclaimed, but Harry took a hand over her mouth, silencing her.
"Hermione, we need to talk, I don't care what Ron says."
She nodded and sat up, allowing Harry to talk. Harry sighed, not exactly knowing how to begin.
"Hermione, you-" Harry paused for a moment while he tried to find another way to explain what he had on mind. When he didn't find one, he swallowed hard, and said: "You're really special to me. I don't think I can ever tell you how much you mean to me, but… I want you to be happy. I thought you would be happy with Ron, but everybody can see that you aren't."
Harry looked up at her and was about to continue, but when he saw that her eyes filled with tears, all words escaped him.
Hermione sniffed and tried to brush the tears away. It didn't work all that well though, because it kept coming new ones replacing where the old ones had been.
"I just don't know what to do!" She suddenly cried out, "I mean- I think it could've been something with Ron at some point, but… I'm not sure -if… if… I just wish -I… just some more time!" Suddenly Hermione got an angry look behind her eyes, and her voice grew steadier. "But Ron he… I don't know… It's like he sees me as a competition or something! I just don't get it! I don't know what to do!"
Harry thought for a minute, and then he said slowly, but with difficulty: "I think you should give him some time. But don't make him do anything with you that you don't -er- want to. Whatever makes you happy."
"Thanks Harry," said Hermione, looking down.
"But-" said Harry, a bit more firmly, "I don't want him to come between us. I need you." -A lot, Harry added for himself.
"Thank you, that means a lot," said Hermione and managed a weak smile, before she lay her head down on the couch again in frustration, "How did everything get so bloody complicated?"
"That's Ron's line," joked Harry, and Hermione laughed.
"Yeah, I know. But how are you doing? I haven't seen you around much lately."
"Yeah, well, I'm not that popular these days."
"I've noticed," said Hermione softly, and gave him a tight embrace, which Harry returned.
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Harry had hoped that things with Ron would improve before they want to the Hogwarts express, but not much had changed when Harry said goodbye to the Weasleys. Lupin and Tonks would keep them with company, or rather, safety assurance, and Harry, Hermione, Ginny and a reluctant Ron had to find an apartment that were big enough for all of them. Parvati joined them, but she didn't seem to be there with spirit.
They practically had to sit on each other's lap, but it didn't take long before Lupin and Tonks took turns in patrolling the corridors, and Hermione and Ron had to go to the Prefect meeting. Harry sighed with relief when Ginny could move down from his lap. She had a very pointy bottom, and he was beginning to lose the feeling in his left leg.
He used a lot of time just staring outside the window. Sometimes Tonks or Lupin, depending on who were there with him, tried to get him, Ginny or Parvati to talk, but to no success.
After half an hour Draco, Crabbe and Goyle came to see them as usual.
"Nothing better to do, Malfoy?" said Harry tiredly, rolling his eyes. Draco seemed to pay them a visit every year.
Draco eyed him for a moment, and then he smirked. "What do you need a old teacher for, Potter? Do you want to get better grades or something? You will need it…"
"Probably," said Harry, with a completely cool voice. Malfoy was not going to get to him this time.
"You don't have much time, you know," said Malfoy, his tone dropping with every word.
"How come?" asked Harry, uninterested. Ginny looked up, with an unreadable expression.
"You should know Potter, that I hear things, even though Father is in prison at the moment…"
"Oh yeah?" asked Harry, but suddenly Lupin stood up.
"What exactly have you heard, Mr. Malfoy?" he asked, in a tone that could match Mc Gonagall's when she caught someone duelling in the halls.
"Who are you to ask, werewolf? I didn't think you actually made a professor this year, there is too many people around."
If Draco's words had stung Lupin, he gave no sign of it. Harry, however, felt his temper start to run through his veins.
"Stuff it, would you?" he snarled, and Draco cocked his head.
"Just remember I warned you Potty," Draco smirked, and left. Harry sighed and stared out of the window again, like Parvati had done all the time. He had no idea that in a few weeks time, he'd wish that he knew exactly what Malfoy was talking about.
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Ron and Hermione joined them after ten minutes, Ron more acid looking than ever. However, when Harry glanced over at him, Ron looked away, instead of glaring hatefully at him, like he had used to so far since the fight.
Harry wondered what Hermione had told him, and gave her a confused look. She gave a small smile in return, however, she seemed to be moody too.
"Malfoy came over," said Ginny, starting a conversation.
"When hasn't he?" asked Ron boringly. "What did the Ferret want this time?"
Ginny explained.
"Well, that was a new one," said Ron sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Hermione looked uncertain.
"But what if he has a point? What if Voldemort or somebody else has made some new plans this year to get to Harry?"
"Hermione, they're always after him," said Ron, and Harry agreed.
"Nevertheless, you should be extra careful this year, Harry," said Lupin matter-of-factly, glancing at Harry. Ginny seemed to shrink deeper down in her seat.
"I'm always careful!" said Harry, but nobody seemed to believed him. "Besides," he continued, "I'm not the one who finds trouble, it's the trouble that finds me!"
Nobody seemed to want to argue with him on that matter.
Harry took his hand in his pocket, gripping around the egg like he had done so many times already, wondering if he should tell anybody about it.
He decided not to, he liked having something for himself.
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Soon they were outside on the platform, waving at the beaming Hagrid as they walked towards the carriages pulled by Thestrals. Harry unwillingly shuddered at the sight of them. They made him remember-
"Harry!" somebody yelled behind him, and Harry turned around to see who it was.
Cho.
Harry had expected his stomach to do a weird lurch, but felt nothing.
"Hi Cho," answered Harry, still weary.
"Can I talk to you?" asked Cho, studying him pleadingly.
"Er… sure," said Harry, and took a step to follow her, but Tonks grabbed his arm.
"Are you sure this is safe, Harry?" asked Tonks. "I can come just in case-"
"I can take care of myself. Don't worry, I'll be close by," snapped Harry, and Tonks released him.
Normally, Harry would rather face a Hungarian Horntail than be alone with Cho, but now it was different somehow.
"Over here," said Cho and took his right hand, pulling him towards an empty carriage.
Harry arched an eyebrow; he had expected this to be quick. For the first time that evening he began to be nervous. Sure
she didn't want them to get back together?
Without thinking he stopped abruptly in front of the Thestral that was pulling their wagon, and stroke it carefully with his left hand, the one Cho wasn't holding. The Thestral turned it's head and stared at him with blank, empty eyes. Harry bit his lip in order to not do anything emotional, and took a step back.
"Sorry about that," he said to Cho, who interestedly had watched the scene with slightly round eyes. Sighing silently Harry followed her into the wagon, and closed the door. Shortly after they began to roll forward.
Harry turned to face her. "So, what did you want to say?"
Cho suddenly looked very nervous, and began to twin her fingers. "Uh, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what happened last year. I wasn't ready for a relationship, and I was emotional all over the place… I'm sorry."
"It's alright," Harry reassured her. "I'm the one who should apologize, I wasn't exactly sensitive."
Cho smiled. "I guess we were both messing it up then."
"Yeah," Harry chuckled, and they both grew silent for a while.
"Do you- do you think that we could make it better -if we tried again?" asked Cho silently, startling Harry out of his thoughts.
"What about Roger?" asked Harry, again without thinking.
"Oh… That didn't work," said Cho quickly, and then blushed. "He didn't like that I just kept talking about you."
Harry did his very best not to gape at her. "Oh, I'm sorry."
"Don't be… I don't think that we could've worked it out anyway." She paused. "So… er… do you?"
Harry studied her for a moment. She was still beautiful, with her long, smooth, black hair and deer-eyes, and it would certainly help him to keep his thought of another female, but he couldn't imagine himself being with her anymore. His life didn't need to be more messed up than necessary.
"I don't think so," Harry finally answered, and hung his head in dishonor. "I'm sorry, but a lot of thing has happened the last months. I just don't think it would be the same."
"Oh, I see, that's okay," said Cho, also looking down. "But can I ask you one thing though? It's kind of rude… Actually, there are two things I'd like to ask-"
"Just ask Cho."
"Er, okay… Is it because of Hermione? I saw The Daily Prophet-"
"No," Harry interrupted, his heart skipping a beat.
"Okay- er- did you ever like me? For real, I mean?"
"Yeah, ever since our first match in third grade," said Harry, and now it was his turn to blush.
"Oh…" said Cho; her eyes round with surprise. "Really?"
"Really."
"Wow…" said Cho in astonishment, and seemed to cheer up a bit.
"Friends?" asked Harry.
"Friends."
-
The rest of the ride went well, and Harry actually found himself enjoying her company now as they had cleared things up a bit.
He was glad he had been honest with her.
Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Parvati had taken another compartment, and were waiting for them when they got out.
"Sure you have enough girls with you, Ron?" Harry teased.
Ron turned deep red and was about to answer, then obviously remembered he was supposed to be mad at Harry, because no sound came out, and he avoided Harry's look. Cho used that moment to say goodbye, and went over to her friends.
"So, what happened between you and Cho?" asked Ginny, in a fake, cheery tone. Harry also noticed that Hermione seemed to stiffen up a bit, but he ignored that.
"Nothing," answered Harry honestly.
"Right," Ron snorted. Hermione and Parvati just looked down on the ground, saying nothing.
"I'm serious!" said Harry. "I told her I was not interested anymore!"
"Oh," said Ginny, and blushed slightly. "Sorry."
Harry smiled. "No bother. Shall we go then?"
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Hogwarts hadn't yet loosed its charm, and Harry felt warm at the feeling of finally being back. It was a weird thought that in two years he wouldn't go back. Not as a student anyway.
Harry didn't really pay any attention to the Sorting or to Dumbledore's tale about the return of Voldemort, and soon they were actually eating and talking, even Harry.
Hermione didn't seem so cheerful though, and that began to worry Harry after a while. She only answered `yes' or `no' questions, and didn't even say something when Seamus brought up that the House Elves still knew how to cook, or when Neville mentioned for the tenth time that he had sheared a compartment with Luna, and everybody began to tease him.
Harry glanced over at Parvati beside him, and, sure enough, she wasn't eating anything, nor was she talking or laughing. Even Lavender, Parvati's best friend, seemed oddly withdrawn, and didn't try to talk to her.
"You got to eat something," said Harry firmly, and pushed the plate towards her. Parvati shuddered and hesitantly put some food into her mouth, the fork shivering.
"That's my girl," said Harry happily, and turned his attention again to what Ron was saying about the Chudley Cannons. He sure had a lot on his plate.
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When they walked to the Common room Hermione still hadn't cheered up, and Harry was both more annoyed and concerned about her than ever. Just as Ron, Parvati and Ginny disappeared behind the Fat Lady, (the password was `phoenix') Harry almost held Hermione back to ask her what was wrong, but decided to drop it in the last second.
Maybe she would get better in the morning.
Hermione glanced uncertainly at him for a moment, as if she sensed what Harry had been thinking. He smiled innocently at her, and they both went in.
The Gryffindor common room looked exactly like Harry had remembered it, and he sighed with pure comfort. He kicked himself mentally when he remembered that he hadn't wanted to go back a couple of days ago in the first place. What was he even thinking? This was where he belonged. This was the place he could call home.
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A/N: I want more than six reviews to continue this story, I hope you understand that. Keep that in mind before you move on without reviewing would you? I can tell most of you (we're talking about 97-98 per cent here) don't bother. If you don't like the story that's fine, but you could at least tell me why. Thanks to all of you that actually did review the last chapter, as always I appreciate it.
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