Tears In His Eyes
"Ron was DYING?" Harry asked.
Next to him, Krum sighed heavily once more.
"No… that was a lie. See why it has taken me so long to get started on this? I am very much ashamed of what I have done… Anyway…" Krum sighed heavily, this time actually moving closer to Harry, who sat as still as though he had been Petrified.
"Hermione Apparated to The Burrow, found that Ron was alive and well, gave me a horrible telling-off for my lie, and returned to where you'd been hiding."
"She didn't!"
"Well, you had already entered Voldemort's lair, hadn't you, thinking that she'd gotten scared and run away. Therefore, you never realized. She tried, and failed, to reopen the entrance - I believe you or Voldemort sealed it?" Harry nodded grudgingly. "She waited, but then a couple of Death Eaters attacked her and she couldn't handle them alone, so she fled…" Krum displayed a twisted smile that emitted no warmth. Harry had no answer to this. He tried a different tack.
"Why didn't she tell me about Ron?"
"You were already preparing for battle… She had to make a quick decision, and found it was best not to distract you…"
"Well, that was stupid of her", said Harry loudly, "I could always have Apparated back to Voldemort's hideout…"
"After Ron had died? After your best friend had left you? You would have needed to recover from that, and during that time, Voldemort would have regained strength, or even created some more Horcruxes", Krum said quietly. Harry struggled for an answer. "Well, then she's quite heartless, deciding I'm not to see my best friend die, because my task is to defeat Voldemort!" He had spoken himself into a rage, and was surprised to see a tear glistening in Krum's eye.
Oh my God, this is getting ridiculous… He sure takes Hermione's matters to heart…
"I can see her point", Harry said, in a calmer voice, "but why has she not once tried to talk to me ever since I'm back?" Because she's been busy snogging you?
"She couldn't work up the nerve", Krum said in a strained voice. "Which is why she asked me to talk to you."
"She asked -"
"I turned her down", Krum cut in, wiping his eyes. "Told her she had to do it by herself, if she wanted to clear the air that desperately. It had been my lie, yes, so I agreed to help her on a few things, but the talking she had to do for herself."
"Then why -"
Harry could not make sense of it any longer. Had Krum changed his mind, even though he had been so thoroughly convinced that Hermione should be the one to do the talking?
"You see, when I received my telling-off from Hermione for the lie, I told her it was because I loved her, and I didn't want her to be in danger, I wanted her to risk her life for no-one but me." Krum's voice was on shaky ground again.
Harry did not want to hear this; he didn't care, he knew they had worked it out somehow, although he could not see how Hermione could forgive Krum that easily for a lie involving a matter of life and death for Ron. Surely, Ron meant something to Hermione? Did she love Krum that much? And why had he, Harry, never noticed? All those years, why had Hermione never confided in him about Krum?
"She rejected me."
Harry stared.
Krum blinked, apparently still fighting back tears.
"What I am telling you now, Harry, will be confusing to you -" Harry snorted. Had any part of Krum's speech so far not been confusing? "- but I am asking you to listen only, and to keep any question you might have for later." Krum paused.
"Well", said Harry, finally reaching the end of his tether, "I know you've worked it out somehow, you've been fooling around all day together, haven't you, and anyway, I don't mean to be rude, but I've heard enough from you now and I'm sick of it. Please, don't ask me to listen to more of your-"
With that, he got up, took his socks and shoes in his hands, and began wading through the water.
As he re-emerged and set foot on the grass beneath, he heard a sob behind his back that was quickly stifled.
Oh, no.
Harry turned around to face Krum.
"Merlin's beard, what's the matter with you?"
Krum looked up. His gaze lingered on Harry for a minute or two, apparently considering him intently. Then he said, in his recently adopted croaky voice,
"I love you, Harry."