Chapter 4: Decisions and Conversations
-------------------------
It was two weeks before Hermione came back to the Burrow. She hadn't been in contact with anyone there, and to Harry, it bothered him immensely to not be able to talk to one of his best friends, especially when her parents were dead. Once she arrived, she kept to herself, only speaking when she was addressed, and usually with only one or two word answers. One evening, when Hermione was sitting out on the porch in the swing, Mrs. Weasley said to Ron,
"Why don't you go talk to Hermione?"
"Why me?"
"Because you're her friend, Ron."
"I wouldn't know what to say to her. I'll probably say something that she would classify as insensitive or something."
"Well, someone needs to talk to her. It's been almost a week since she's been back and she hasn't spoken once." Harry stood and headed for the door.
"I'll go." Harry stepped outside, and shivered slightly because of the unseasonably chilly breeze that blew through the evening. Hermione didn't acknowledge his presence, but continued to stare off into space. Harry sat beside her, and Hermione said bitterly,
"What, did you all have to draw straws to find out who was going to come out and talk to me?"
"No. I volunteered."
"No offense, Harry, but what could you possibly say to make me feel better?"
"Well, honestly, not much, but I at least got you to say more than two words at a time. I actually thought I would be the one you wouldn't want to talk to, not just everyone in general."
"Why's that?"
"Well, all this happened because of me, right? It happened on midnight on my birthday…" Hermione interrupted him saying,
"Don't you dare try blaming yourself for my parents getting killed, Harry. You had nothing to do with it. There was nothing you could've done to stop it." Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione beat him to it.
"Don't try and argue with me. No one could've stopped it." Harry didn't want to argue the point with her, but after a short silence, he said,
"Look at it this way, Hermione. At least you got seventeen years with your parents. Some of us don't even get that much time." Hermione's features softened. She sighed.
"You're right, Harry. At least I did get seventeen years with them." There was another silence, but this time it was broken by Hermione.
"I just keep going over in my head that I'll never be able to go home to see them. They'll never be waiting for me when I get off the Hogwarts Express, they won't be there when I graduate. They'll never be there to meet my husband, my dad won't be there to walk me down the aisle at my wedding, and my kids'll never know their Grandpa and Grandma Granger. I guess you could say I'm just feeling sorry for myself."
"Well, everyone's entitled to it some time in their life."
"You know the one thing I'll miss most though?"
"What's that?"
"When I was little, at the holidays, the whole family was invited, and my Mum and I would make a huge dinner for everyone, with turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie (a/n: wink, wink), and all that other stuff. I'm going to miss it."
"But you have those memories of it though. And that's better than nothing." Hermione smiled.
"Yeah. You're right. Thanks, Harry. Thank you for making me feel better." Harry smiled in return, and said,
"Well, I'm glad you're feeling a little better, and that you're talking again. See, when you aren't talking to anyone, then I only have Ron to talk to, and there's things that are just too complex for his brain." Hermione laughed.
"Well, I'll try to help spare his brain of any difficulty then."
"Shall we go inside then?"
"Yeah." Harry stood and offered his hand to Hermione to pull her to her feet. She took it, and stood up. Harry started to head for the door, but stopped when he felt Hermione grab his arm.
"Harry. Thanks again."
"You're welcome."
--------------------------------
The next morning everyone woke to find Hogwarts letters on the kitchen table. While Mrs. Weasley was making plans for them all to go to Diagon Ally that afternoon, Hermione, Ron, and Harry were talking about their letters that they hadn't even bothered to open. Hermione said,
"We have to write to McGonagall and tell her we're not coming back." Harry pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. He dipped it in the ink and held it over the paper, prepared to write. Ron said,
"I'd hate to hear what McGonagall has to say when she finds out her best student isn't returning." Harry said,
"I'd hate to hear what your mum'll say when she finds out her youngest son isn't returning for his last year."
"Oh right." Hermione said to Ron,
"She's the one I'd be more worried about, if I were you, Ron. Tell you what, we'll handle the letter to McGonagall, and you can tell your mother."
"You mean you're sending me without witnesses? That's about as bad as putting a wizard in a room full of Death Eaters without his wand and telling him to win."
"Take Ginny with you."
"Maybe you should tell her first."
"Good idea, get some practice." Ron stood and went upstairs, looking for his sister. Harry said,
"Ok, back to the letter. Here, you tell me what to write."
"Ok." Harry started the letter out writing, Dear Professor McGonagall. He looked at Hermione, who said,
"Due to reasons that can't be disclosed in this letter…we are writing to say that we will not be attending Hogwarts this year." She paused, thinking about what to say. For no particular reason at all, she picked up her letter and opened it, perhaps thinking it might help her figure out what to say. Her eyes widened in surprise. Harry asked,
"What is it?"
"Oh my God."
"What is it?" Harry repeated. Hermione pulled out a gold badge that had the letters, HG on it, and underneath, the words, Head Girl. Almost speechless, Hermione said breathlessly,
"I've been made Head Girl."
"I don't know why you're surprised. Everyone always knew you were going to be someday." Hermione didn't reply, but had that look on her face of deep thought. She muttered,
"I wonder…" She then grabbed Harry's letter from the table and slit it open. Her face broke into a smile, and she said,
"I knew it." She handed the silver badge to Harry, which had the letters, HB, on it, and underneath, the words, Head Boy. Harry was speechless. Hermione grinned.
"I've been expecting that for a while."
"But…I wasn't a prefect."
"So? Neither was your dad, but he was Head Boy. Anyways, back to the letter." Harry dipped the tip of the quill into the ink and held it above the parchment.
"We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause with the selections of Head Boy and Head Girl. There, it's short, and to the point. Just write, sincerely, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley." Five minutes later, Hedwig was flying off with the letter attached to her foot, and Harry and Hermione went to find Ron, to be with him when he told Mrs. Weasley that he wasn't going back to school. She was in the kitchen when the trio found her, and Ron said,
"Mum, we need to talk to you."
"What is it?"
"Maybe...you should sit down for this." Mrs. Weasley sat at the kitchen table, and Ron, Harry, and Hermione sat across from her.
"Well, what is it?"
"Mum, I'm seventeen, old enough to make my own decisions, right?"
"Some of your decisions, yes."
"Well, I've decided that I'm not going back to school this year." There was complete silence as the trio waited anxiously to see how Mrs. Weasley would take it. Finally she said,
"Why don't you want to go back to school this year?"
"Because I'm going with these two, and we won't have time for school."
"Neither one of you are going back?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I...can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"Because...it's a secret."
"Well, you better be telling me the secret if it's the reason why you're planning on not going back to Hogwarts this year! Where are you going?" Neither one of them answered her.
"Ronald Weasley, you'd better tell..." She never finished her sentence, because Hermione interrupted her saying,
"We're going to destroy Voldemort." Mrs. Weasley's attention turned to Hermione, and she said breathlessly, like she couldn't believe what she had just heard,
"What?"
"We're going to kill Voldemort."
"All three of you?"
"Yes."
"But...you're only seventeen!"
"So?"
"So how do you expect three seventeen year olds to take on the most powerful dark wizard the world has ever seen?"
"Well, we're not ordinary seventeen year olds."
"Ron, you're going back to school, and that's all there is to it!" Ron said, starting to lose his temper,
"Mum, I'm seventeen, I should be allowed to decide whether I go back or not!"
"Seventeen or not, Ron, I'm still your mother, and I'm saying that you're going back!" Mrs. Weasley stood up, and angrily left the kitchen. Ron glared at her as she left, and as soon as his mother was out of earshot, he said,
"I can't believe she's making me go back."
"She's just trying to protect you, Ron. You're her youngest son, and you're seventeen already. She's...just a little emotional."
"She's protecting me. From what? No one is safe anymore."
"But you're going and looking for trouble."
"Don't tell me you're thinking of backing out?" Harry, who had been silent through the whole conversatoin, looked at Hermione when Ron asked her about backing out. Without missing a beat, she said,
"Of course not." There was a short silence until Harry broke it, saying quietly, almost like he dreaded hearing the answer,
"What did Ginny say when you told her?"
"I never did."
"Why not?"
"Becuase she wasn't upstairs, and I didn't bother going to look for her. I'll tell her later, or you can tell her."
"Why do I have to?" Hermione rolled her eyes and said before Ron could answer Harry,
"Honestly, you two act like you're afraid of Ginny."
"We're not afraid of her."
"Then be men and talk to her." Both of them glared at her. Ron shrugged.
"Well, one of us should do it." He looked at Harry, and so did Hermione.
"Why am I the one who should talk to her?" Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Because she still thinks there's a chance for the two of you. You need to tell her the truth, stop leading her on. It's a cruel thing to do to a girl, Harry." He sighed.
"Where is she?"
"I think out in the garden." Harry stood and left the house, heading out to the garden, seeing Ginny's red hair right away. When he got to her, she smiled when she saw him, and he halfheartedly returned it. He said,
"Mind if I join you?"
"Go for it." Harry sat down, and Ginny said,
"So, what's up?"
"I need to talk to you."
"About what?" Harry didn't answer her right away, he was trying to think of the best way to put what he wanted to say. While he was thinking, he glanced up and saw an owl flying towards the Burrow, and soar into the kitchen window. Finally, he thought of something to say.
"You know when we...broke up last spring...how it...kind of left things up in the air? Like...maybe some day we could be together again?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, Ginny, I really don't things are going to work out at all. I don't know what made me feel this way over the summer, but you remember me telling you how I would feel every time I saw before we were together?" Ginny didn't answer him, the hurt look on her face and all the things running through her brain kept her from answer him. Harry went on, still trying to think of what to say without hurting her more.
"I guess, I just can't explain it, Ginny." It was a while before Ginny said anything. Harry patiently waited until she said,
"You're sure that it can't work out between us? I mean, we have next year at school still, are you sure that you're wanting to make up your mind already?"
"Yes, because I'm not going back to school this year."
"You're not?"
"No. Ron, Hermione and I are going off to kill Voldemort." Ginny flinched. The hurt look on her face turned to a sour one and she shook her head and muttered, "Hermione."
"What about her?"
"This is probably the highlight of her boring life, to set out with her two best friends out to save the world, keeping them all to herself." Harry didn't reply, he didn't know what to say. As if reality just hit her, Ginny shrugged and, losing her anger, said sadly,
"Oh well, I guess it's the way it's supposed to be. In the back of my mind I always figured that you two belonged together."
"Me and Hermione? Belong together? I don't think so, Ginny."
"You don't think so? Haven't you always wondered why the gossip mill has been revolving around you two for six years, Harry?" When he didn't answer her, she went on, "Because it seems to fit. To some people you seem like the perfect couple. She and Ron don't belong together, people with two different levels of brain activity don't belong together. Where would you be without her? Seriously."
"Probably dead."
"Exactly. You need her more than need me."
"Wait this isn't about me and Hermione, Ginny. It has nothing to do with her."
"Nevertheless...I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too, Ginny."
"Just make sure you do one thing, though."
"Kill the bastard."
"I plan to, I will." In the distance, from the house, Harry heard Ron calling for him. Ginny said,
"You'd better go, it's probably important."
"Yeah. Ginny, I..."
"Just go, there's nothing really left to say." With that, Harry slowly stood up and headed back to the house. He was deep in thought about what Ginny had said to him. That was the second person who in the last month had said that he and Hermione seemed to belong together. Ginny was right, he did need her, but mostly for help, and to bail his butt out of trouble sometimes. But he didn't need her like a girlfriend. He couldn't deny that she was pretty, especially at the wedding and that night she came to bring him back to the Burrow for that week. He shook his head, getting the thought out of his head. He didn't need to be thinking about anything like that now. He had bigger things to worry about.
--------------------------
Harry reached the house and came back into the kitchen, where Hermione and Ron were sitting opposite each other, a letter between them. Harry said,
"What is it?"
"McGonagall sent a reply."
"Already?" Hermione nodded and handed the letter to Harry. It read,
Harry, Hermione, and Ron -
I wish for you three to meet with me tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 to talk about your letter.
Sincerely,
Professor McGonagall
"Well, I guess we probably should go."
"Yeah, we should."
"She'd better not try and convince us to go back, because like I told Mum, I'm not doing it!" Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Easy there, Ron. No one's making you go back. You're so defensive."
"I am not!" Hermione gave him a look that said, 'see?', and Ron fell silent. Forgetting Ron's defensiveness, Hermione said,
"I wonder what she wants to see us about."
"Dunno."
A/n: Ok, really bad way to end this chapter, but I don't know how to end it without going into my next thought. But anyways, here's chapter 4, finally! Again, thanks for the reviews and keep it up!!!
Husker_fan_2006
-->