THE NEXT DOOR
The Darkest Halls
Chapter Eleven
Hermione and Harry stuck close together as they exited the train. The customary dark carriages were waiting for the older students, but instead of being pulled by Thestrals, they were all attached to Hippogriffs, and a guard of four witches or wizards flanked each carriage.
Hermione and Harry made to climb into one of the carriages until Ginny called out to Harry. "Aren't you going to wait for Cho?"
Hermione noticed a strange look in Ginny's eye. She moaned softly, and Harry cut his eyes over at her. "Er…why?" he asked.
Ginny looked surprised. "Because she'll be wondering where you are."
Harry closed his eyes and exhaled. He leaned closer to Hermione and whispered, "I'm really beginning to hate not knowing what is going on." Hermione nodded.
Hermione was going to tell Harry that it might be best if they waited together for Cho but then someone was calling Harry's name. They scanned the crowed of students that were being herded onto carriages. Cho's face appeared and she hurried over to Harry.
Then Cho threw her arms around Harry's neck and began planting kisses all over his face. Harry stood rigid in her arms, and Hermione backed away in shock. Suddenly Ginny was at Hermione's side, gripping her arm tightly and pulling her away.
"What are you doing?" Ginny hissed in Hermione's ear.
Hermione stumbled backward into the nearest carriage. "What?"
"With Harry?"
"N-nothing," she said in confusion.
Ginny glared at her. "I'm not stupid. You know better than to play these games again. Cho is a good, decent person. I think one affair is enough to last us all a few years, no?"
Hermione's mouth fell open. "A-affair?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "For Merlin's sake, Hermione, I realize you've been through some trauma, but you're not brain dead. None of us are unfortunately."
Hermione had no idea what Ginny was referring to. What affair? With whom? "I-I'm sorry, Ginny," she finally said. "I'm a little out of sorts."
Ginny looked relieved for a moment. "Look, I'm sorry. I just don't want us to go through another situation like we did at the end of the year. Cho loves Harry, and he loves her. Even if he gets a little sidetracked and wants to have a different woman in his bed, you shouldn't let him do that to you again, okay? Your friendship should mean more to him than a few weeks of sex."
Hermione gasped. "Sex!"
"Shhh!" Ginny hissed. "Merlin, Hermione keep your voice down. Don't forget about Cedric okay? Because he was livid with you. The black eye? Remember?""
"Diggory?" Hermione's head whirled and she wavered on her feet. "He-he hit me? Why?"
Ginny looked like she was about to implode. Her face was beet red. "Have you been drinking again? Cedric would never hit you, but you hurt him. You're lucky you didn't get pregnant with Harry's kid like that other bird."
Hermione felt faint. The cloudy morning spun around in a grey circle until the whole world faded away. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the cold ground, and Cedric Diggory was leaning over her and yelling at someone else.
"Back off, do you hear me?" Cedric yelled. "She doesn't want or need you. She has me."
Hermione tried to talk, but her tongue felt fat and it garbled her words.
"Potter, I mean it! Back off!" Cedric pointed his wand. And Hermione felt panicked.
"No," she said feebly. "Cedric…" She tried to sit up and Cedric finally noticed her.
"Oh, love," he cooed. "Are you okay? We need to get you on a carriage, yeah? We can't hold up the group any longer."
He helped her to her feet, and her vision cleared. Harry was standing nearby with Cho hanging onto his arm like a little girl. Hermione didn't miss the fact that Cho was glaring at her. If looks could kill, Hermione thought wearily.
Cedric led Hermione toward a carriage, and then he whipped around and pointed his wand at Harry. "Don't even think about getting on this carriage."
Hermione grabbed his arm. "Don't, Cedric. It's fine. It doesn't look like there are any more carriages left," she said, quickly trying to figure out what she and Harry were going to do. She couldn't be separated from Harry. "Really, I'm with you," she said in an attempt to relax him. "You're all I need. We-we can ignore him."
That seemed to work. Cedric rubbed her face, and for a moment, it made Hermione want to cry. Looking up at Cedric, who was alive in this reality, she wished she didn't have to be with him under such terrible circumstances. What had she and Harry done?
* * * *
Harry clenched his teeth while he sat across from Hermione and Cedric. He could barely stand to watch them pet and baby talk each other. Cedric was clearly crazy about Hermione, and for some reason, he deeply hated Harry. Had he done something to Diggory? Harry had been so shocked to see him alive, that it had taken him a moment to realize that Diggory hated him so intensely.
They arrived at the castle, and again, Harry was shocked to see how much everything had changed. The whole castle looked…darker, more sinister. He noticed a strange bubble over the Quidditch pitch.
"What the hell is that?" he said aloud.
Cho nuzzled close to his neck, and Harry tried not to jerk away. "What dear?"
"What's going on with the pitch?"
She squinted her eyes and looked in that direction. "Have they cleaned the dome?"
"The dome?"
"New spells perhaps? They must have had another threat to the safety of the pitch. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised if they ban Quidditch altogether this year," she said dismally.
In the Entrance Hall, Harry was not sad to see Cho go a different direction, but he was momentarily nauseated to see Diggory pull Hermione into a long and very wet kiss. Harry had to grip the banister with both hands to keep from yelling at Diggory to let her go. But why? Why did it bother him so?
Hermione said goodbye to Diggory and walked slowly up the stairs. She passed Harry very slowly, but spoke to him out of the corner of her mouth. "Meet me upstairs in five minutes. Outside the portrait hole."
Harry waited as long as he could stand, and then he ran up the stairs so that by the time he arrived at the portrait hole, he was gasping for breath. Hermione was waiting for him, but as soon as she saw him, she dragged him around the corner.
"Harry," she said. "It's awful."
"What is going on?" he asked. "Why does Diggory despise me?"
Hermione blushed. "Well…I-I think you and Cho are together."
"I gathered that, Hermione," he said dully.
"And you-well, you…you're-you keep yourself busy," she stuttered.
Harry frowned. "What does that mean?"
Hermione leaned close to him and whispered, "You get around."
"Around where?" he whispered back.
"Merlin, Harry, are you really that thick? You like to have sex with other girls and me and you've gotten some poor girl pregnant!"
Harry's mouth fell open, and every sensible word left his brain. He was trying to piece together what Hermione was saying, but it didn't want to compute in his brain. "I…I…"
"Yes," she whispered. "And Cedric hates you-well, because of me."
"Because you and I…because I'm dating Cho and…you and I-did stuff?" He fumbled over the words. His stomach felt hot and he wiped his palms on his pants.
Hermione's cheeks burned. "Yeah."
"But you're-you're my best mate."
"Not here."
Harry closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. "This reality is a bit harsh. The only thing that's good is that I have my parents."
"And a brother," Hermione added.
"Yeah." He looked at Hermione and reached for her hand. "Let's go home," he said quietly. "I don't want to stay in a reality where I've abused you."
Hermione looked at the ground. "You haven't abused me, Harry."
"But you said-I mean, you're with Diggory, and I'm with Cho. And some girl…" He couldn't even finish his thought.
Hermione smirked and felt a bit rebellious. "Maybe I wanted it." Then she slapped her hand over her mouth and gasped.
Harry jerked his head up and looked at her in shock. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, saying nothing. Hermione cleared her throat and tugged Harry toward the portrait hole. Her words echoed in his head. Why did his stomach feel knotted?
"We have to stick together somehow," she said. "I have a feeling this world is awful."
"And dark."
Hermione nodded. She spoke the password she'd heard the other Gryffindors using, and the portrait swung open. Hermione crawled through and Harry was right behind her.
Suddenly, Hermione felt sucked beneath an ocean of water. Her breath expelled and she felt as though she inhaled salt into her lungs. The skin on her body felt whipped with sheets of blowing sand, and she lost consciousness.
Harry followed Hermione through the portrait hole, and he reached out to grab her foot as she slid in front of him. Then without warning he was falling through what felt like a cold tank of water. It was like being submerged in a bath of salt. His skin itched and burned. His breaths were short, and he choked on a throat full of brackish water. Then everything stopped.
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