(A/N: I thank you very much for your very nice comments. I've done my best with this story, but also my BETA readers help has been really important. I'm sure you'll find next chapter very interesting and as usual, I'll be waiting for your many reviews. Enjoy the reading!)
Chapter 9. THE HALLOWEEN BANQUET
...
I dream of a countryside
Graveyard, and me there,
Under the shadow of a blossoming
cherry tree with no age.
Just for a little rest
-two or three hundred years-
just to understand better and
to calm down my worries.
...
"A boring day" by Lucio Battisti
On Sunday morning, Madam Pomfrey gave Harry permission to leave the hospital wing, but she made him promise to take a
rest during the day, and he told her that he would do his best.
He reached the common room sad, knowing very well that Ron and Hermione wouldn't be there to welcome him. He thought back to his argument with Hermione the previous evening and realized that he had managed to fight with her too, and now he couldn't talk to either of them.
It's better that way! he thought, determined. I'd rather be alone during such a dangerous time. Then, he recalled the prophecy and realized that it really was better for him to remain alone, knowing what his destiny would be.
I don't have any other choice, I will be either the murderer or the victim, and when I fight to save my life, I want to be alone.
This thought rose stronger in his mind, and he became determined not to put his friends into danger anymore. He wouldn't ask for their help anymore, and he was proud of himself for not telling them about the prophecy.
He had made his decision: he would keep Ron and Hermione as far as possible from his life.
***O***
During the following weeks, Harry continued avoiding Ron and Hermione, neither of whom tried to approach him. Sometimes he realized that Hermione was staring at him from a distance; at the same time, he was trying his best not looking in her direction.
Despite what he had told her about asking Ron to leave the Quidditch team, Harry hadn't had the courage to do it for real. As a result, there was always a sense of high tension between them, which made practices an absolute hell, both for them and for their teammates.
Harry was always the first one to leave the dormitory in the morning, the first one to sit in the Great Hall for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and he was the last one to enter the common room in the evening. During classes he always sat in a single desk, far away from the others, and didn't talk to anyone.
Sometimes Neville sat with him, and Harry wasn't bothered by this; at least he could talk to somebody.
Harry started making a habit of visiting Hagrid in the evenings, except when Ron and Hermione were already there. He usually peeked through the window to check; if they were, he turned in his tracks and went back to the castle, alone.
Fortunately during Harry's visits, Hagrid never talked about his former best friends so that Harry would not lose his temper. He limited his questions to school matters; Harry was thankful for that. One evening, however, Hagrid couldn't stop himself and went immediately into the forbidden subject.
"Harry, please, listen ter me an' don' yeh be gettin' angry! I really believe tha' yeh should make peace with Ron an' Hermione."
Harry didn't reply, but he turned to stare intently at his shoelaces. Then Hagrid spoke again.
"When they come ter visit.... we always talk about yeh. They're so sorry abou' yehr misunderstandin's, 'specially Hermione. Las' time she was here, she burs' into tears, poor girl..."
Hermione cried over me? Harry thought and he suddenly blushed, his heart starting to beat like mad. Then he raised his head and looked into Hagrid's eyes.
"I don't want them to suffer for me, but I don't want them risking their lives for me either. I just want... oh, I don't even know what I want!"
Harry was so confused. He lowered his head and ran his fingers through his hair. The situation was getting out of control, and he wasn't sure he wanted to continue with his plan to keep them at a distance. Then Hagrid came closer and spoke with affection.
"Yeh're missin' 'em, isn' tha' true?"
Hagrid was right; Harry missed both of them and he missed everything they usually did together. He missed his chess games with Ron, his jokes, his special way of lifting him when he was in a bad mood. He missed Hermione, with her know-it-all attitude, her wise advice, and her special way of comforting him.
"Yes, I miss them so much...."
Hagrid grinned and gave him a slap on the shoulder that nearly made him fall to his knees.
"Yeh see? I was perfectly righ', then! Yeh mus' absolutely talk ter Ron an' Hermione an' make peace.... yes, an' yeh mus' do it soon as possible!"
"But, Hagrid, it's not that easy," replied Harry sternly. Hagrid didn't know about the prophecy and about the danger he was facing. But the idea of living his life completely alone, like an outcast, quite possibly was worse than getting caught by Voldemort.
"Why isn' tha' easy? Yeh'll see... they're goin' ter be really happy ter make up with yeh, they're so much lookin' forward to tha'."
Harry didn't want to disappoint his friend.
"Then... I'll try."
"Very good, Harry... yeh see? I's better when we talk 'bout our troubles... isn' it?"
"Yes, you're right..." replied Harry bitterly, knowing very well that talking about his troubles might make him feel better, but it didn't make it any easier to actually resolve them.
***O***
The Halloween banquet was approaching. All of the teachers were busy with the organization and decoration, especially since all of the students were waiting for Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum with great enthusiasm.
A few days had passed since Harry's talk with Hagrid, but he hadn't yet managed to approach to Ron or Hermione to resolve the situation. Actually, he didn't even really know how to do it!
That morning, they were attending a Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, and Professor Lupin was teaching them a protection spell, PROTEGO. With this spell, it was possible to deflect many direct attacks, making them rebound to the sender.
After the explanation, Lupin divided all the students in pairs to practice.
Against his will, Harry was paired with Ron, who didn't seem satisfied with Lupin's choice either. They started
sending spells at each other, and in turn, they had to protect themselves with PROTEGO.
All of a sudden, Ron wasn't able to protect himself from one of Harry's attacks and fell down backwards, ending with his legs up in the air. Then he got up furiously and rushed towards Harry, shouting at him.
"YOU DID IT ON PURPOSE!"
Harry was astonished by Ron's reaction, but the surprise didn't keep him from answering back.
"MAYBE YOU JUST CAN'T STOP MY ATTACKS!"
"NO!! YOU DID IT ON PURPOSE, HARRY, TELL THE TRUTH! AND, I BET YOU LIKED SEEING ME FALL WITH MY LEGS IN THE AIR!"
Harry wasn't able to control his temper any longer and, with his blood boiling inside and his heart beating like mad, he hurled himself upon Ron and threw him to the floor, punching him everywhere.
Ron wasn't any less angry, and he was punching back. Both of them were furiously rolling around on the classroom floor.
The other students were looking at them petrified, while Hermione was completely shocked, her hands covering her mouth. Lupin recovered before the others and rushed to separate the two.
"STOP IT NOW, BOTH OF YOU! Mr Thomas, please come here to help!"
Dean Thomas tried his best to grab Ron's arms, being careful not to catch a blow, while Lupin had just grabbed Harry's arms.
Even though the two were now split up, they were still shouting at each other, and trying to land their blows.
"LET ME GO... I'LL SHOW HIM WHAT I CAN DO... LET ME GO!"
Ron was shouting like mad; he had completely lost his temper and didn't care that his nose was bleeding or that his upper lip was cut.
"YEAH, LET HIM GO! I'M REALLY CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT HE CAN DO WITH HIS FISTS... SINCE AT QUIDDITCH HE'S A COMPLETE DISASTER!" Harry answered back. He was wounded as well: his forehead was cut, his cheek had a large bruise, and his glasses were broken.
"STOP IT, FOR GOD'S SAKE!! DO I HAVE TO SEND YOU TO THE HEADMASTER?"
Ron and Harry tried to control themselves, but Lupin and Dean Thomas didn't trust them enough to let them go.
Suddenly the bell rang, but the students didn't move; they were still frozen in place, looking at that scene with their mouths open. Then Professor Lupin spoke.
"You can leave guys, the lesson is over. I'll see you next week."
As the students slowly exited the classroom, staring at Harry and Ron worriedly, Lupin turned to Dean.
"Thank you Mr. Thomas, you can go."
Dean let go of Ron's arms, who then tried to straighten his robes as he slowly headed to the door.
"No, Ron, please come here. I must talk to both of you."
Ron backtracked and stopped right in front of Lupin, who in the meantime had let go of Harry's arms. Hermione remained at the door, looking at them from there. Then Lupin spoke with a calm but determined voice.
"What is happening to you two? I thought you were friends... and now you are fighting like that... in front of your friends... and during MY class!"
Harry stared at the floor, while Ron stared intently at his shoelaces.
"Would either of you like to explain to me what is going on here?"
Both glanced at each other scornfully for a second, then turned immediately, staring at the floor again.
"Neither of you would like to speak? I can't believe that this fight started because one of you missed a spell! Don't you know that in these days we must do our best to remain close to each other, to help one another?"
Harry was starting to realize the seriousness of the situation, and he felt mortified for having disappointed Lupin. Since neither of them wanted to speak, Lupin went on.
"After what just happened, I should send you both to the Headmaster, and let him decide a proper punishment. However, since I know you so well, and since I'm your friend, I won't... this time, at least. But, if I catch you fighting again, I am going to send you directly to the Headmaster. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Both of them nodded, keeping their eyes on the floor. Then Lupin put his hands in his pockets and started to pace the classroom, staring into space, as though he was trying to remember something from a long time ago.
"When James and I were sixteen, we had fights too… sometimes furiously. In those moments, we thought that we'd never be able to resolve our differences, and we even thought we hated each other! But then we realized that our friendship was really special... and in the end, each of us apologized to the other, and we were friends again... more than ever...."
Lupin turned to face them.
"I really hope that your friendship is special, just like the one that united me, James, and Sirius."
There was a long minute of silence, during which Lupin looked both of them directly in the eyes; Harry felt his shame growing.
"Well, now you may leave. And I suggest you go to Madam Pomfrey for those wounds."
Ron and Harry turned and headed to the door. When Harry raised his head, he saw Hermione staring at them, her face red and her eyes wet. Seeing her so worried, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach; he would have given anything, even his Firebolt, to go back in time and undo what he had just done... but it was too late now.
Ron exited the classroom in silence, without looking at him or at Hermione, as did Harry. Hermione ran toward them in the corridor; when she reached them, she tried to stop them.
"May I know what's happening to you two? Ron, Harry, I don't know you anymore!!"
She grabbed Ron's sleeve, but he pushed her away with a sharp shove and started to walk faster.
Then Hermione turned to Harry and stood directly in front of him. He stopped abruptly and started to stare furiously into her eyes, noticing that her face was streaked by tears.
"Harry, what's going on?"
But he was too shocked to give her a good answer.
"I don't know Hermione, I really don't know…" he replied angrily, before rushing to the stairs, leaving her alone in the empty corridor.
***O***
Harry ran up the stairs without knowing were he was going. He was just now realizing that warm tears were streaming down his cheeks and he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop them.
Suddenly, he found himself in front of the Owlery and entered it, hoping to find a little bit of solitude. There were many owls perched on the stands and many more were arriving through the large windows. Harry crouched on the floor and pulled his legs tight against his chest, resting his face on his knees.
He felt a sharp pain in his cheek where Ron had punched him earlier, but he didn't care about his physical pain, since the pain he was feeling inside was stronger. He had disappointed everybody he cared for: Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and now Lupin. He had lost his temper with his best friend and now he was wondering if anything would ever be like it was before, or if the wound now opened between them was too large to heal.
Then he thought about what Lupin had told them, about himself and his father, and he felt a slight hope rising in his heart.
Harry cried until he had no more tears, feeling better afterwards. Then he made a decision: he absolutely had to repair what he had just done. He didn't care about the prophecy, Voldemort, or the Death Eaters anymore. He needed his friends, and they needed him.
He would have to try to talk to them and explain his behavior; maybe they wouldn't forgive him so easily, but at least they could try to understand him. He decided to look for Hermione first, and then go to Ron.
After a long half hour, he tried to pull himself together, wiping his face with his sleeve, and then left the owlery.
***O***
Harry was sure he would find Hermione in the library. She was there, in fact, sitting at a table alone, staring at a
closed book in front of her. She had probably gone there to find a bit of quiet and to think.
Harry came closer to her and stood in front of her. She raised her face to look at him with a really sad expression in her wet eyes.
"Can I sit down?" asked Harry in a low voice, as she stared at him with surprise. Then she reached over and pulled out a chair for him; he came around the table and sat beside her. Both started to gaze deeply into each other's eyes and Harry spoke first.
"I wanted to apologize... for everything I've done to you."
"Harry, I...."
"No, wait... let me talk first!" He cut her off and then went on.
"I owe you an explanation, Hermione, for my crazy behavior."
He smiled slightly, but Hermione was still looking at him sternly. He became serious again, and went on.
"Everything started when I saved you from Malfoy, remember? I placed all the blame on Ron for what happened, even though it wasn't really his fault. I don't know why I did it. Maybe because I'm overprotective of you, or maybe because I was in a bad mood that day. I only know that from that moment on, I lost control of the situation. I started to blame Ron for everything, for the bad Quidditch game, or for a bad mark. And then I argued with you as well, and we spent almost a month not talking to each other."
Harry paused and noticed that Hermione was concentrating intently on what he was saying. He then went on.
"Then I had the most stupid idea in the world: I thought about what Ron had told me, that it was dangerous for you to be my friends, and I thought that, since we weren't talking to each other... well, it would've been easier for me to keep you away from my life, and this way protect you from Voldemort and all the rest."
At this point Hermione tried to cut him off, staring at him sternly, but Harry went on.
"I was wrong! I need you... both of you! And if it isn't too late, I'd like to make amends..."
Abruptly, Hermione burst into tears and threw her arms around Harry's neck. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, his heart full of joy.
"You're such a silly boy, Harry! What were you trying to do? You wanted to protect us? But you were driving us crazy! I'm so happy, Harry, so happy..."
Hermione was speaking into his ear; they were so close to each other. The load that had been burdening his heart was completely gone, and now he was happy as never before.
Suddenly, he felt that his happiness was changing into something different. Harry started to feel a deep lurch in his stomach. He realized that they were TOO close and he started to panic.
He blushed visibly and pushed away his friend, deeply embarrassed. Hermione seemed not to have noticed his behavior, because she was still talking animatedly to him.
"We must go and find Ron immediately. You have to talk to him and make peace. There's no time to lose."
Hermione got up with a great smile on her face and headed to the door, followed by an extremely quiet Harry who was trying to figure out his true feelings.
***O***
Harry and Hermione looked for Ron everywhere, but it seemed as if he had vanished. They couldn't find him in the Great Hall, nor in the gardens. It was starting to get dark, so they decided to wait for him in the common room.
They sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace and Hermione started to talk excitedly about the long month that had passed without him, how they had suffered because of the "situation," how Hagrid had always tried to get Ron take the first step. Around them, the other students were slowly heading to their dormitories.
Harry was listening to every single word, being careful not to get too close to her; it was now clear to him that the situation could have become really embarrassing.
He thought that it was a really odd feeling, just like what he had felt when he was close to Cho Chang the previous year.
What is happening to me? he kept asking himself. She's my BEST FRIEND! I can't fall for my best friend... it isn't right!
Quite to the contrary, however, he now understood too well that something had changed inside him. Maybe this long month spent alone had helped him realize how important Hermione was to him, and how he had missed her so much.
He knew that he had always liked her for her intelligence, for her wisdom, for her great heart. Now, he was starting to like HER... for her sweetness, for her way of being so full of life.
"Harry? Are you listening to me?"
With that question, he came back down to earth again.
"Of course I am!"
Then his attention was drawn to the door, which had just opened, revealing a very sulky Ron. Hermione got up immediately and walked over to him, followed by Harry, who remained at a certain distance, staring at Ron sternly.
"Ron, where have you been? We were looking for you everywhere! Harry has something to tell you."
Ron raised his gaze to him; his upper lip was still bleeding. Then Harry moved closer, stopping right in front of him, and started to talk with embarrassment.
"Ron, I have to apologize... I behaved so horribly during the last month. Will you be able to forgive me? Can you?"
Harry lowered his gaze, then went on.
"I understand now that I need your friendship and that you're one of the most important people in the world to me!"
Ron looked at him, doubtful for a moment, and then looked at Hermione, who nodded at him. Finally he came closer to Harry and hugged him tight. Harry did the same, with a great smile on his face.
"WOW, you finally did it! I cannot believe it, guys... you made up!"
Hermione was jumping up and down, clapping her hands with joy like a little girl.
When the two friends pulled apart, they stared at each other in affection.
"I promise you Ron, we'll never fight again!"
"I'm counting on that, mate!! Anyway, I'll try my best too!"
***O***
The day of the Halloween feast had finally come; it was a Friday. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at the same desk in their Transfiguration class; Hermione was carefully listening to Professor McGonagall, while Harry and Ron were passing notes under the desk.
Harry was feeling especially happy and uplifted; he and Ron were best friends again. Maybe soon Harry would find the courage to tell them about the prophecy and, maybe, they would be able to help him carry this burden, which was getting heavier as he carried it alone.
In the meantime, he was trying his best to hide his true feelings for Hermione, especially since he knew how much Ron had always held her dear; he didn't want to fight with him again.
For the moment, it was enough being closer to her, sharing his days with her, as they had always done before. He wasn't sure about her feelings and he didn't want to ruin their friendship by asking her to be his girlfriend.
That day, all students were going to end classes one hour early, and Harry would miss his usual Occlumency lesson with Snape as well.
All of the students gathered outside the castle's main entrance, ready to welcome their two special guests, Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum.
In the sixth row, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were looking forward to meeting their old friends again.
"It's been ages since I last saw Viktor... I wonder how he is!" Hermione asked herself, causing a sudden reaction from Ron.
"I'm sure he's still the same sad, surly, rather low guy of two years ago!"
"You didn't think that about him when you were asking his autograph!" replied Hermione, taunting him, and he looked up at the sky, slightly embarrassed.
"Look, they're coming!"
Harry pointed at the main gate, where the Knight Bus was entering at high speed. It stopped right in front of the main entrance; Dumbledore went down the stairs to welcome the guests, followed by Professor McGonagall.
When the Knight Bus door opened, a beautiful girl came out. She was tall, her skin was white like the snow and her long hair was a wonderful bright blond color. She descended the stairs with great elegance and brushed away a lock of hair from her forehead with a cute movement of her head. Even though it wasn't yet winter, Fleur was wearing a heavy fur overcoat and her hands were being kept warm by a soft fur muff.
The Headmaster approached her and she shook his hand poshly.
Next, a lanky boy with long black hair and an untidy beard climbed down the stairs awkwardly. He was wearing a heavy black fur coat with a long cloak. He walked sulkily toward Dumbledore, who shook his hand with warmth.
Dumbledore then showed them inside to the Great Hall, which was amazing. Colored garlands were hanging from the enchanted ceiling, and large lit pumpkins and live bats were floating in midair.
All of the students took seats at their tables, while Fleur and Viktor sat at the teachers' table. Then, the feast began.
"Fleur is even more beautiful, don't you think?"
Ron couldn't stop staring at Fleur; Hermione frowned at him.
"Personally, I think her overcoat is really out of place! It isn't that cold, after all! Besides, Viktor has really grown up and he even let his beard grow..."
"I really hope he isn't going to set a new fashion."
Hermione frowned at him while Harry rolled his eyes. They were bickering with each other as usual, but Harry didn't stop them; after all, he loved them for this.
After the banquet, Dumbledore got up to give a little speech.
"I officially give a very warm welcome to our special guests, Miss Fleur Delacour and Mr. Viktor Krum. I'm sure that with your help, they're going to feel at home during their weekend here at Hogwarts. Our guests will be free to spend their time with all of you, and tomorrow they will go to Hogsmeade, as already planned. Finally, they will leave us on Monday morning very early. Now, you will have a chance to greet them personally."
With a movement of his right hand, Dumbledore made sign for the students to stand up, and with light movement of his left hand, he pushed away the house tables to make space.
Fleur and Viktor got up and went over to the other students, who were all very happy to greet them.
During her first visit, Fleur became friends with a few Ravenclaw girls, and Viktor knew a few Slytherin boys, so the students from those two Houses went up to them first.
Harry noticed that Malfoy and Krum were greeting each other like old friends, and he didn't like that at all. He thought Viktor was a good person, and he could not understand what he had in common with that devil Malfoy.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione remained in the back, waiting for the crowd to thin. Then they went over to Fleur, who was happy to see them.
"'Ello, 'Arry... it is so good to see you! 'Ow are you?"
When she hugged him warmly, Hermione jumped in surprise and frowned at her. Then, she shook Ron and Hermione's hands, but didn't have any time to talk because she was immediately stolen away by a few Ravenclaws.
"She's such a showoff! I bet she likes being the center of attention!"
Harry and Ron turned abruptly toward Hermione, surprised by her sharp comment.
"Hi, Herm-own-ninny."
"Viktor, how are you?"
Viktor Krum had reached Hermione, dodging the crowd, and they were now hugging warmly.
"Fine, fine, and you?"
"I'm fine, thank you. We have so many things to talk about."
Hermione pulled away from the hug, and was now gazing happily at him, while Ron looked at them grimly. Harry was starting to dislike him as well.
When Viktor put his arm around Hermione's shoulder and pulled her gently to an empty corner of the Hall, Harry and Ron were astonished. Then, the couple sat together and started to talk enthusiastically.
"I'd like to know what she sees in that guy?" asked Ron loudly, obviously annoyed.
"What every girl likes, I think! He's famous, he's an athlete, and he's rich!" replied Harry, sharply, still looking at the two and feeling slightly jealous.
"Come on! You just described yourself, Harry... but it seems that her eyes are only for Krum."
Harry turned to his friend, really amazed by that comparison.
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