A/N - thanks for the reviews and I'm afraid to say that Ginny stays with us for a bit longer. Hope you enjoy this and sorry it's a day late…
Chapter 5 - Help
The kitchen was blissfully empty when Harry made his way down to breakfast Monday morning, Kreacher leaving his bowl of cereal there for him before leaving. Harry couldn't help but smile - the house elf seemed to know when Harry needed to be alone and this was certainly one of those times.
He ran a hand through his hair and sat down. He was exhausted. After leaving Ginny the previous day, he had gone to Godric's Hollow and just sat and thought. He wondered if Ron had found Hermione and how it had turned out. He thought about his own relationship with Ginny and how it wasn't turning out quite as he had imagined.
He thought about how everything was just one big mess.
It had been dark when he returned to Grimmauld Place and the house had been empty of his two friends. Kreacher passed on a message that Ron had found Hermione and they were talking, but Harry didn't hear Hermione come home.
Which he would've as he hadn't slept all night. The few times when he did close his eyes, the images that entered his mind woke him with panic, terrifying him with their realism and brutality. The fact that it was Ginny, Hermione and Ron that haunted him made it even worse.
Sighing, he started to eat his breakfast, wondering if he was going to be able to last the day.
"Morning Harry."
His head shot up as Hermione walked into the kitchen, looking as tired as he felt.
"You're here," he said stupidly, "I didn't hear you come home last night."
"That's because I've just arrived," she explained as she got a bowl and poured out her own portion of cereal, "I thought I should get a change of clothes for work. Blimey Harry, you look terrible - is everything alright?"
"Isn't that what I should be asking you?" Harry countered, "how did it go with Ron?"
"We broke up," she stated, moving her breakfast around its bowl with the spoon, "but that shouldn't be a surprise to you considering Saturday night and your little visit to him yesterday."
"I'm sorry…" he began.
"I'm not," Hermione interrupted with a shrug, giving him the smallest of glances, "what's wrong with you?"
"Ginny and I had a fight and I pretty much haven't slept all night."
"Oh, Harry," she sighed, "perhaps you shouldn't go to work…"
"I'll be fine."
"I doubt that," she scoffed, "look, I better go - I'm going in early so I can leave early…"
"Oh, okay," he frowned, "I'll see you at dinner then?"
"Actually, I won't be home for dinner either, I…I have some things I need to do…"
"Are you coming to lunch with me and Ron?"
"I don't think that's such a good idea," she told him as Harry kicked himself at his insensitivity, "we…we need some space right now. I'll see you later, alright? You take care."
And with that, she was gone, her breakfast barely touched left on the table.
That night he went to The Burrow to apologise to Ginny, an apology that was only accepted after much discussion and a heavy snogging session. By the time he got home, Hermione was already in bed.
It turned out that he didn't see his housemate for the rest of the week as she was gone by the time he made it to breakfast and didn't emerge from her room in the evenings. When Saturday arrived, Harry decided that he needed to see her, to make sure she was alright so with a bit more than slight apprehension, he knocked on her bedroom door Saturday morning.
"Harry!" she greeted as she opened her door, just enough to let him see her and nothing else, "what can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to go out and do something," he said with a frown, noticing how she seemed to have lost even more weight, "I mean, I haven't seen you all week so I thought…"
"I'm so sorry," she interrupted, "but…but I already have plans. I'll see you for dinner…"
"Um, actually I'm catching up with Ron, Neville and the others tonight…"
"That sounds brilliant," she cut in again, "I hope you have a great time. I…I have to go. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Hermione…"
"I'm fine Harry, honestly I am. I'll see you tomorrow."
Without allowing him to say anything more, she closed her door leaving a very concerned Harry on the other side. She was lying, he could tell - she hardly looked at him at all. And she was terribly thin. But the worst thing of all was the fact that behind her were still full boxes. She had been living at Grimmauld place for two weeks and hasn't unpacked.
That night he kept thinking of how he was going to get through to Hermione, how he could help her. His friends were used to his often quietness and didn't push him to join in (although every now and then he forgot his worries and enjoyed being a bloke out on the town with his mates).
It was early morning by the time he came home and when he finally made it down to breakfast, it was lunch and Hermione had gone. They did have dinner together, but the conversation was stilted and forced. When she left him to go back to her room, he realised she was avoiding him and he didn't know why.
By Wednesday his hunch seemed more and more plausible as Hermione continually found excuses not to spend time with him. He was at a loss about what he should do - he couldn't talk to Ron about it as his friend hinted he wasn't ready to talk about his ex-girlfriend quite yet (although he did echo Harry's concerns), everyone else Harry would've turned to for advice were dead.
As he sat and tried to concentrate on learning the hundreds of rules Auror's had to take into consideration before arresting someone, his mind kept returning to Hermione. When he finally came to a solution, it was all he could do not to run out of the lesson and set the wheels in motion. Instead, he waited until a break before sending off an owl and waited patiently for a reply, which arrived only a couple of hours later.
Late the following day, he was at his cubicle making notes on the laws they were introduced to at yesterday's lesson when he heard a very familiar voice.
"I'd like to see Mr Harry Potter, please."
He couldn't help but chuckle as Ron, Neville and Seamus' heads all popped up over the various cubicle divisions with unsuppressed shock.
"Professor McGonagall," Neville gasped, getting Hogwart's current principal's attention, "what are you doing here?"
"Ah, Mr Longbottom," she acknowledged with a curt nod, dismissing the person she had originally questioned, who scurried away, "I was looking for Mr Potter as I have an appointment with him. I am slightly early, I'm afraid."
"You're here to see Harry?" Ron asked bluntly, "why?"
"I think that is between Mr Potter and myself, don't you?"
Harry could see Ron's blush from where he was sitting and with a smile, stood and made himself known.
"Professor," he welcomed, walking towards her, "thanks for coming. I realise you must be extremely busy."
"The matters in your owl concerned me," she stated and Harry knew he had made the right choice.
"Neville, is there a free interrogation room?" he asked the still stunned Auror.
"You're going to interrogate Professor McGonagall?" Seamus asked in horror.
"Of course not, you twit," Harry dismissed with a shake of his head and a smile, "Neville?"
"Er, yes, Room Two is free."
"Thanks," Harry said, guiding the professor down to the row of rooms further along the corridor, "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Gentlemen," Professor McGonagall farewelled with a parting nod then followed Harry.
As soon as they were in one of the non-descript rooms, Harry activated the privacy wards and turned to his old professor.
"Did you see her before coming here?" he asked with little fan fare.
"Yes Mr Potter…"
"Harry. Please, call me Harry."
"Yes, Harry, I did," she told him, sitting down on one of the chairs, "and you're right - Miss Granger is terribly unwell."
"I don't know what to do," Harry admitted, sitting down in the other chair, "she won't talk to me. Hell, she won't even look at me at the moment."
"She has been through quite an ordeal, what with the loss of her parents…"
"You knew about that?"
"She contacted me first for some advice," she informed him, "it was me who got Kingsley and the Ministry involved."
"Of course," Harry muttered, "she tells everyone but Ron and me…"
"She didn't tell everyone, Harry, she told me," the professor corrected him, "and may I ask, what would've you done if she had contacted you and asked you that she needed to let the Muggle world know that her parents were dead?"
"I don't know."
"No, you don't. Miss Granger didn't turn to you or Mr Weasley because there was nothing you could've done…"
"We would've supported her!"
"Yes," she sighed, "you would've supported her and in retrospect I should've insisted more fervently that you both were involved. But Miss Granger was really quite determined to keep this to herself."
"Well, now it's tearing her apart," Harry grumped, "she isn't eating properly, she's hardly sleeping and she's pulling away from us."
"I'm afraid Miss Granger is heading down a dangerous path," Professor McGonagall agreed, "but to be frank, Harry, you don't look that much better."
"I'm fine."
"Harry…"
"This isn't about me, it's about Hermione! I'll deal with my issues once I know she's okay!"
The two of them stared at each other as Harry fought his anger down. He knew he was treading a very fine line with his own state of health, but he was determined to see Hermione her old self again - she had sacrificed too much for him to let her give it all away now.
"Your owl said she has gotten worse," McGonagall started gently, "how?"
"When she first got to my place, she was sad and tired," Harry tried to explain, frowning, "but she talked to me. We even had a few laughs, you know? We went to London and just had fun, which was brilliant.
"Then Ron came back and he said some really stupid stuff. They broke up and she hasn't spoken to me since…"
"Mr Weasley and Miss Granger were an item?"
"Yeah," Harry answered, puzzled, "didn't you know?"
"Why, no," she replied with a puzzled frown of her own, "I always thought it was yourself she held a torch for - you both are so close."
"Why does every one think Hermione and I like each other?" Harry growled, standing up and pacing, "can't two people of the opposite sex be best friends with each other without it being…more? We're just friends! She's like a sister to me!"
"Does Miss Granger know this?"
"Of course she does, she feels the same about me…"
Harry stopped as he remembered last Saturday.
Did you really tell him that? That you loved me like a sister?
Hermione was crying when she had asked him and had paused before confirming that she felt the same.
"Harry?"
She hadn't looked him in the eye since - did that mean that she did, in fact, like him?
No, that can't be right, he thought furiously, we spent months alone together in a tent, if she felt something more for me, surely she would've said something then? No - this is just coincidental. There is no way Hermione likes me…
"Mr Potter!"
Startled out of his thoughts, he looked over to where Professor McGonagall was sitting watching him.
"She can't like me," he finished weakly, sinking back into his chair, "I'm with Ginny…"
"Ginny Weasley?" McGonagall repeated, "my, my, my."
"Do you think that's why she's been acting so strange?" he asked, running a hand through his hair in resignation.
"I think Miss Granger is experiencing so many things at the moment that she is quite overwhelmed," the professor replied softly, "she is not coping, but you already know that."
"How can we help her?"
"Our initial concern is her health," she started, "she needs to start eating properly - as do you, Harry."
"It's hard to eat when you're not hungry."
"Then eat natural, hearty foods - lots of fruit and vegetables, grains and proteins. Make yourself eat - both of you, small portions at a time. Because if you both continue down this path, we will be burying you soon."
"How about the nightmares?"
"She needs to talk…"
"She won't talk to me!"
"Persevere Harry, she will in time. In the meantime, try and see if she will do some form of physical activity and try and get her to start to eat properly. Threaten her with Molly if she doesn't listen, that woman is in desperate need to care for someone at the moment."
"Will Hermione be alright?"
"With friends like you, Mr Potter, I have faith that the Hermione Granger of old will return to us."
It was dark when Harry returned to Grimmauld Place, his arms full of books on nutrition and healthy eating. He planned on reading them and then talking with Kreacher on how to make their diets better. How he would get Hermione exercising was another problem all together and one he couldn't think of a solution.
But he'll find one.
He had to.