Chapter 16
A Lonely Path
The next two weeks did not improve anything between the three friends, each seeming to go out of their way to avoid each other. Hermione was having trouble talking to Harry, despite wanting to more than anything, but there was some underlying tension beneath their friendship that made it hard for her to be herself around him. And as for Ron, he seemed to have gone out of his way to stop Hermione being alone with him. It was only during class and meals that she saw him, and then he seemed to get out of her company as soon as possible. And on top of all this, Harry and Ron did not seem to be as close as they had been.
Hermione sat on her bed, alone in her room, grateful that she no longer had to share. Everything seemed so much easier locked away from everyone. It gave her time to breathe, to weigh up all that was going on around her. She needed to find the solution that would make everything right between them; that would let them go back to how they were before.
She picked up some parchment that was lying scattered across the bed, in a very un-Hermione like way. Picking up her quill, she placed the nib against the blank page and paused as she heard the outer door open and bang closed a moment later. She listened as soft footfalls padded across the floor, before another door banged closed minutes later. Frowning, she put down her writing implements and climbed off of the bed, moving over to her door.
Stepping through into the common room, she took a look around, making sure that she had not misread the sounds that she had heard. Seeing the room empty, she stepped into the room and walked over to the door of Harry's room. She rapped her hand against the wood and waited.
"Yes?" The muffled sound of Harry's voice came quietly from behind the door.
"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione sounded a little concerned.
A squeak from the bed, as something was placed upon it, and then footsteps moving towards the door, before it opened a crack to reveal the face of Harry Potter. "Everything's fine." He gave her a lopsided smile. "I'm just…"
"I know." Hermione sighed heavily, and rested her hand on the door frame. "I just wanted to say sorry."
Harry frowned. "For what?" He looked at her questioningly.
Hermione paused for a moment, as if searching for the right words. "Ron and I are not helping, I know that. You have so much on your mind and we are just causing you more problems. I can't even remember the last time we all managed to sit around to work on the Horcruxes." She shook her head sadly. "It's like all that should be important has been lost behind petty squabbling."
A frown creased Harry's brow. "Hermione, you and Ron are important to me, and I know you need time to get yourself sorted out."
"But the Horcruxes…?" Hermione stuttered.
"Don't worry about them." Harry looked into her eyes, his own momentarily revealing something. But before she could read the message there it was gone. "Another couple of days won't hurt our quest."
Hermione stared at Harry, looking at him questioningly, her brow furrowed in thought. It was so unlike him. He had been obsessed with finding them, obsessed with finishing what Dumbledore had started and now… And now he was brushing them aside. He was acting so unlike the Harry she knew, and that made Hermione uncomfortable.
"I have a free period tomorrow morning, I can do some research if you want." Hermione smiled, wanting to shake the nasty feeling that she had come over her. "I could look over the scrolls again and see if there is anything that we've missed. See if I can find anything that details where this orphanage of Vol… of Tom's that could give us a clue as to where it is."
Harry nodded; a slight smile on his lips. "Sure, if you have nothing else to do." He peered into the room behind him. "I'd better get started on my homework, the last thing I need is a week full of detention." He looked at her briefly and closed the door behind him, shutting her out.
Hermione stood for a moment looking at the wood of the door, a little taken aback by Harry's behaviour. She looked at the clock that rested over the mantelpiece and put it down to the lateness of the hour. Moving back through the room, she paused on the threshold of her room, and gazed back at Harry's room, listening for sounds that would give her a clue as to what he was doing now that he was safely hidden behind his door.
* * * * *
The moon was high in the sky, the soft fingers of light piercing the blackness of the room. A dark shape edged its way silently across the space from door to door, soft footsteps breaking the eerie silence. The fluttering wings of a beast in flight waved behind, rustling against the windless air, before in a billow it stole out of sight. Eyes followed it movements, stunned into motionless activity the body remained still, until finally it too moved across the door, following.
Silence filled the corridors, an emptiness unnatural in its fullness. The being and not being all wrapped into one. But it was there, the shape. Not seen but felt, walking, creeping slowly through the quiet school.
In the full light of the moon, the shape stopped, paused in the midnight hour. A faint rustle indicated to knowing ears that it was searching, before it once more made off through the quiet streets, seeking its destination. Keeping one step behind, the eyes followed, careful not to be heard by the prey that it sought.
The wind whistled, carrying on it a new feeling, one that felt no longer lonely. There were more shapes, not so well hidden, but unseen in themselves. The air grew thick with unpleasantness. A foreboding hung heavy. Fingers reached and brushed against skin, pulling and tearing. Screams filled the air, familiar voices, in pain and suffering.
A searing pain rented the body, as eyes grew dark…
* * * * *
Hermione's eyes shot open, a thin sheen of sweat coating her body, as she pushed away the image that had haunted her dreams. Breathing deeply, she fought to bring air into her lungs, trying to calm herself down. She ran her hand over her forehead, brushing the stray strands of hair from her face. Slowly, she sat up, her eyes searching the room, as if those that had lingered in her dreams were now waiting in the shadows.
Throwing back the covers, Hermione turned her body, placing her feet upon the floor. She looked towards the window, the curtains blowing in the night's breeze. An involuntary shiver rushed over her body, as the image of the dark shape appeared once more in her mind. She climbed out of the bed and moved over to the window, pulling it closed, ending the material's dance.
Lately she had been experiencing far too many bad dreams, all of them seeming more real than before. This one had been familiar and different all at the same time, like she knew that it was going to happen and yet was seeing it for the first time. She shook her head slowly, trying to clear away the thoughts that were haunting her. She had so much on her mind that she had ceased to be surprised by the number of times she had been pulled out of her dreams in such a fashion.
She walked over to the door of her room, wanting to escape from the memory of the dream. Her hand paused on the handle, as she heard the soft sounds coming from within the common room. Pulling the door open a crack, she peered through, searching for the owners of the voice, surprised to see Harry standing over by the fire looking down upon a seated Ron.
"…I'm sorry, Harry, but I don't see how I can help you any more." Ron's voice, though low, drifted over to where Hermione stood behind the door. "I think it's just getting harder for us all to be in the same room, and that just makes everything you are trying to do harder."
Harry frowned, shadows etching into his forehead in the low light, obviously kept that way so as not to wake Hermione. "I understand. If you and Hermione are having difficulties…"
Ron laughed, a little louder than he had been speaking. The bitterness in the sound caused Hermione to catch her breath. "Difficulties? Damn it, Harry, have you been paying attention to what is happening around you? We are not having difficulties, we're finished. She spends more time with you than she does with me, and when we are together she just attacks me all the time. I can't do anything right anymore." He paused, as the words swam around Hermione's head. "She's all yours."
Silence filled the room for a moment. "All mine?" Harry finally managed to stutter. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't give me that crap, Harry. I know that you and Hermione have something going on. Do you think I'm blind?"
"I think you are stupid." Harry retorted, stunned by Ron's words.
Ron got to his feet, his voice dripping with anger. Hermione was unable to see his face from where she stood, but she could imagine the expression on in. "I've seen you together, always in each others arms." He shook his head and laughed, once again, not a pleasant sound. "She can't even touch me when you are around; saying that she's afraid you will be offended, when what she really means it that she doesn't want you seeing us together because she wants you instead of me."
Harry's voice rose a little. "That is just stupid, Ron. She loves you."
"If this is love, Harry, then I can live without it." The red-haired wizard ran his fingers through his hair, messing it more than usual. "I can't do it anymore. I can't bear to see you and her snogging when you think I'm not looking. It's over, Harry. And not just me and Hermione."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, knowing already what his friend was telling him.
"Goodbye, Harry." Ron replied, before storming towards the door, and not looking back. He disappeared through it moments later, the door closing with a resounding bang.
Harry dropped down into the chair, his head bowed over his lap, resting in his hands. His fingers intertwined with his hair, making it spike up on end. He muttered something to himself, too low for Hermione catch what he was saying. He remained sitting on the chair, lost in his thoughts.
Pulling the door open softly, Hermione stepped into the semi-dark room, her eyes fixed onto her friend. She made her way over to where he sat and stood before him. His eyes moved up the length of her body as her feet came into his view. She stood there looking down at him, until his gaze finally met hers.
"How long…?" Harry stopped, unable to finish the question.
"I heard enough." Hermione crouched down before him, his eyes remaining fixed to hers. "I'm so sorry, Harry."
Harry sighed heavily. "This sounds familiar."
Hermione paused, just looking at the young man before her, seeing the pain in his eyes. "I didn't want this to happen. I don't know what happened."
"Was he telling the truth?" Harry asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"About what?" Hermione's gaze was filled with fear, as if she already knew what he was going to say.
Harry remained silent for a moment, looking unsure how to continue, before he finally found the words. "Did you stop loving Ron for me?"
"No." Hermione looked stunned. "No, I didn't. Harry, I don't know what happened to me and Ron, but it is not your fault. I just…"
Harry cut her off. "That isn't what I asked." His voice rose slightly with anger. "Did you stop loving Ron because you love me instead?"
Swallowing hard, Hermione rose to her feet, standing above Harry. She opened her mouth several times, but no sound emerged. Her mind was in a whirl, turning over and over the conversation he had shared with Ron, while at the same time trying to decipher what was going on with her. She had been acting differently recently, that was true, but loving Harry? She frowned heavily, her eyes leaving her companions, as she continued to search inside herself.
"It is true." Harry's voice broke through her thoughts.
Hermione's stared up at Harry, who had risen out of his chair and was standing in front of her. "No, it isn't like that."
"Tell the truth, Hermione." Harry's hands grasped her arms, just above the elbows. "You've been acting so strangely around both of us lately. The bad dreams, the rows, everything that reveals you have something on your mind. What is it, Hermione?"
"I don't love you, Harry!" She screamed, regretting her words the minute they were out of her mouth.
His grip loosened, until he let go of her, his eyes filled with hurt and surprise. He stood before her, stunned into silence, letting the minutes roll passed. His gaze dropped to the floor, as he appeared to search for answers.
"Harry…?" Hermione's voice was low, as if she were afraid that the sound would shatter all that was between them. "I didn't…"
Harry met her gaze, his own green eyes looking like a deep black in the low light. "You don't have to say anything. I wasn't thinking properly." He gave her a sad smile. "It's late and we need to sleep."
Almost as if on cue, the clock that stood on the mantelpiece chimed once. Her attention diverted by the sound, Hermione paused for a moment before reaching out for Harry's hand, but it was snatched away before she even brushed against his skin.
"Go to bed, Hermione." Harry turned and waked away, leaving her standing beside the fireplace.
Hermione watched his back as he walked towards his room, willing him to turn around so that she could clear the air, but he remained focused on his goal, almost as if she had ceased to exist.
"Harry." She called after him, her voice dripping with regret and sadness, but still he did not turn to look at her. She fell silent as her gaze followed him until he disappeared through his door, the sound of it closing resounding around the room like a death toll.
Lowering herself down into the chair that Ron had vacated, Hermione stared at the flickering flames of the fires, as she replayed over and over the two conversations that had taken place. She did not know where things had began to go bad for the trio, but she knew that if they were going to succeed in defeating He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, they were going to have to sort out their differences and quick.
* * * * *
The following day, Hermione made her way down to breakfast. Entering the great hall, her eyes quickly scanned the length of the Gryffindor table, searching for Harry and Ron. Spotting the red haired wizard was easy, made more so by the matching coloured hair of the girl beside him. Ginny's eyes found Hermione's as she moved towards her seat, an anger blazing in her gaze as the younger witch turned back to her brother, and began to speak, which caused Ron to suddenly look in her direction.
As Hermione drew near, Ron stood up from his seat and walked over to her, his expression unchanging, and his eyes easy to read. She tried to give him a small smile, but it ended up looking more like a grimace. "Good morning, Ron."
"Hermione, we need to talk." Ron's voice sounded commanding, and it did not escape her notice that he had used the same sentence she had when she wanted to address her fears.
"Not now, Ron, I'm hungry." She retorted and edged passed him, not wanting to make a scene in front of the whole school. She took a step towards her seat, before feeling his hand on her arm.
"We can do this right here, Hermione," Ron glared at her, his voice low and menacing. "Or we can have this conversation in private."
Letting out a sigh, Hermione's eyes filled with anger at his treatment of her. She turned and looked at Ron. "Say what you have to say, Ron."
Ron looked at the faces gazing up at them from around the tables, before he turned and walked out of the great hall, pulling Hermione along with him, which only drew more stares from the other students. Once they were clear of the main doors, and standing off to one side in the hall, he released his hold.
"What do you think you are doing?" Hermione almost screamed as she rubbed her arm, where he had been holding her.
Looking around, Ron made sure that they were far enough from others before he continued, completely ignoring her question. "I've been meaning to talk to you for a while, Hermione, but one thing or another has stopped me. This seems like the ideal time…"
"What is this about?" Hermione interrupted, knowing exactly where this was leading. Ron did not know that she had overheard his conversation with Harry the previous night.
Ron looked at Hermione, his features etched with a mix of anger and something that looked to the witch to be regret. "We're finished, Hermione."
Hermione returned his stare. "Leaving me for Luna, are you, Ron?"
"What?" Ron stuttered, having been surprised by her question. "What makes you think this has anything to do with Luna?"
"It has as much to do with Luna as it has to do with Harry," Hermione replied, her eyes burning with anger and glee at catching him with his own argument. "Isn't that what you were accusing me of last night? Replacing you with Harry. I saw how you and Luna acted that day at the Quidditch match, and I'm sure it didn't stop there."
Ron grinded his teeth together, trying to hold back his temper. "And whose arms do I always find you running into, Hermione? Mine? No. Always Harry's." His face was beginning to grow pink, as he battled to keep his voice low and even. "You used every excuse you could for us not to be together, while you got rid of me so that you and he could find time together to snog behind my back. I bet you had a lot of laughs about how you got one over on me."
"It wasn't like that, Ron. You know how upset Harry's been lately." Hermione looked into Ron's eyes, searching for understanding. "After everything that has happened, you know how much he needs us."
"I needed you too, Hermione." His voice raised a pitch, but was edged with sadness.
Hermione's voice dropped into almost a whisper. "I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't mean…"
"It's too late for sorry, Hermione." Ron sounded harsh and final. "If only you had given me as much attention as you gave Harry." He shook his head. "No wonder you wouldn't help Ginny."
Almost as if she felt a second set of eyes on her, Hermione turned towards the main door and saw the aforementioned witch standing watching them. Hermione's eyes blazed with anger as she watched the young woman smile at her. Turning suddenly, she met Ron's eyes with her brown gaze that seemed to be several shades darker.
"You've been listening to Ginny." Hermione shook her head regrettably. "I hope you are happy, Ron, in everything that comes into your life. I'm sorry that our friendship had to end this way, but if you are willing to let your sister poison what we had because she lost Harry…"
"Ron!" Ginny's voice cut Hermione off.
Ron looked over at his sister, before turning back to Hermione, his eyes meeting hers, but he said nothing as he began to move away from her. He spun around suddenly as Hermione grabbed his arm.
"What about the quest?" Hermione asked, her voice low and urgent.
"Like you and Harry needed me, Hermione." He retorted before he freed his arm from her hold and continued to walk towards his sister.
No longer feeling up to eating breakfast, having lost her appetite, Hermione walked away in the opposite direction, heading back to her rooms. Her mind was in a whirl as she tried to work out what had led her to the path she was not on. She felt suddenly very alone, as if life had run away from her, taking everything that she cared about with it.
* * * * *
Entering the common room she shared with Harry, Hermione was not surprised to find it empty. She had not seen Harry since the previous evening, and he had not been at breakfast. Pushing thoughts of him out of her mind, she moved over to the table and sat herself down in the chair. She had a free period, as she had mentioned to Harry the previous night, and having managed to complete all her work up to date, she decided to do as she had said, and would work on the Horcrux problem. Being as they appeared to have lost Ron, she knew that they would have to make the use of all the time they had.
She rose from the chair and walked over to Harry's door, knocking softly to check that he was not inside. As there was not reply, she pushed open the door and walked over to the chest where the young wizard stored all the notes they had been working on.
Lifting the lid, she noticed the increased number of scrolls that had joined the once that she had read. She pulled one of the new ones out of the chest, and opened it, scanning her eyes over Harry's familiar scrawl. From what she could see, he had been working very hard over the last two weeks, without informing her or Ron, not that either of them had noticed what he had been doing. She settled down onto the floor and began to read the first few lines when a voice behind her startled her out of her task.
"What are you doing in here?" Harry moved quickly to where she was sitting, and grabbed the scroll from out of her hand.
"I'm reading up on your notes, so that I can help." Hermione looked up at the young wizard, surprise written on her face.
Harry rolled up the scroll and tossed it back into the chest, before shutting it. "I don't need your help." He glanced back at her. "I'm going to do it on my own, like I should have done from the beginning."
Hermione rose to her feet. "Why? You said you needed us."
"I guess I was wrong." Harry looked at the entrance to his room. "Don't slam the door on your way out."
Hermione stood looking at Harry for a moment, unable to speak. His actions had taken her breath away, and she no longer had the power to work out what was happening around her. So without saying another word, she walked over to the door and closed it behind her.
* * * * *
Later that night, the wind howled outside, which did not help Hermione who was having trouble sleeping. She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and forget about the last twenty-four hours, but every time she tried to sleep, her mind was filled with the sounds and sights of her two friends turning their back on her. She felt tears prickle her eyes as she brushed away the thought of Harry and Ron.
She was just about to attempt sleeping once more, when she heard a noise coming from the common room. Creeping out of bed, she moved stealthily over to the door, and pressed her ear to it, listening for signs that it was not Ron and Harry having another secret meeting.
Pulling open the door a crack, she stared into the darkness. The only light was a few rays of moonlight that stretched through the room like fingers. She heard rather than saw movement in the room, the soft footsteps of someone as they crept through the room.
She heard a rustle, and then into sight came the billowing shape of wings, before they wrapped around the dark form and disappeared.
Author's Note: I apologise to everyone reading this story for the delay in posting. Real life stuff unfortunately got in the way, but I'm back now, and hopefully I will be able to go back to posting at least once a week.