Heartbeat

Chapter 16- You Need My Help

Hermione

"Let's go to the library," I tell Ron, tugging on the sleeve of his robes.

Ignoring his noises of protest, I drag him out of the commons and into the library. 

"Are you kidding?" Ron asks, with a mixture of exasperation and amusement. "It's the first evening in days we have without Harry tagging along, and you want to go to the library?"

"Ron," I reprimand, frowning as we settle down on some cushions on the library floor. "Don't say that Harry's 'tagging along.' You know he's taking that fight with Ginny very badly."

"Hermione, you can't deny it," Ron counters, grinning slightly. "We haven't had a moment alone, and he's been moping around like Fang. We've fought before, and I don't act like that."

"Is that really something to brag about?" I tease. "You should be heartbroken when we fight."

"Oh, I am," Ron sighs dramatically. "I can't focus, and all I can think about is you. It's kind of-"

I cut him off, and lean in for a light kiss. Ron responds enthusiastically, but before the kiss can go anywhere, Madam Pince is towering above us with a blazing glare. 

"Public displays of affection are not allowed in the library," she snaps, whisking away as we mutter our apologies. 

I look around the library. The wooden desks are marked with quill stains, the books above me and Ron as old as ivory, and the low hum of the fire blurs the conversations in the library. Everyone seems caught up in their own business, with nothing to worry about at all.

"Does this year feel weird to you?" Ron asks, reaching up to pick a random book off the shelf above our heads.

"You sound like Harry," I snort, snatching the book out of his hand. "It's like the both of you enjoy all the trouble we go through."

"Harry's been off lately," Ron says, a serious tone entering his voice. "And I'm not just talking about his fight with Ginny. He's been off ever since he asked the ministry to call of the kiss for the prisoners. I know we're not used to no as answer, but this is a bit much."

"I know," I say, glad the topic finally came up. "Ginny too. It seems like they're hiding something from us."

"Call me crazy, but I think it has something to do with Malfoy."

"You're crazy," I tease, grinning. "But you're right. I saw Harry and Malfoy talking alone yesterday."

"Did you hear what they were saying?"

"No, the moment they spotted me, Malfoy took off."

"There's something off with Malfoy too," Ron says, lowering his voice. "And I think Harry and Ginny know exactly what's up with him."

"Why wouldn't they tell us?"

"I don't know . . ." Ron says, confused. "Maybe . . . Maybe they don't want to tell us because we'd do something."

"What does that mean?"

"Hermione," Ron says with a slight smile.

"What?"

"We'd both kick his ass. Harry might be the boy with the golden heart, but I'd never miss a chance to kick Malfoy into oblivion."

"I have to tell you something," I whisper, looking around before inching a little closer. "I haven't told anyone yet because I couldn't figure out what it meant."

"About Harry?"

"About Malfoy. Do you remember when we were at the Manor? And they tortured us?"

Ron nods, taking my hands in his own.