AMOR VINCIT OMNIA; GRANGER

XX.

( aftermatch ) 

Hermione walked back to her common room hidden by the shadows of the night, consumed by sadness as she thought over all of the things that happened and were said not even an hour ago.

The curly haired girl had taken her time in the room, cried - as everyone would do - and wiped her tears away soon after. After some thinking she came to the conclusion that Milo wasn't worth crying over, that he was just another dumb teenage boy. But did she really believe that? Certainly not.

Hermione knew, or at least her gut feeling told her, that there was more to what had happened. The way Milo broke up with her, the words he used, the expression in his face and the anger, sadness and fear in his eyes. It all did not match up.

Something was going on and she was determined to find out what, though she knew that she first had to take care of herself. Hermione was not dumb and recognized that she needed some space and time to think about everything, after all she had loved the boy who had just broken up with her.

As Hermione reached the common room with her eyes red from crying and her cheeks still shimmering with her tears on them, Ron and Harry knew that something was up. They had not even once seen Hermione in such a distraught state and sensed that making jokes about it would be the last thing their friend needed right now.

They opted for the only thing they could do, signaled for Hermione to come over to them, sit down in between them and as they all were looking at the fireplace Harry pulled out some chocolate frogs and other sweets he had bought in the train.

Hermione looked at the chocolate and smiled wistfully, as Remus Lupin had said, chocolate makes everyone feel better. But Hermione had shared chocolate with Milo Bähr and it reminded her of him, so as she accepted the chocolate she smiled but tears were forming in her eyes as she ate it.

Ron, who didn't know what to do, took the discarded box and spoke to his friends, "Merlin, you got Dumbledore. Can I have this card? I only have 10 of them."

Harry smirked at his friend and reached over, trying to take the box, "No way, I only have six of his cards. I get this one."

As the two boys playfully argued about who would get this card Hermione's tears ceased and she smiled at them and thanked the stars for the two wonderful friends she had, before she herself started to argue with them that she should get it, as she only has 15 of Dumbledore's cards.

Milo walked back to his common room after having gone to a bathroom to check how awful he looked.

And to no surprise, he looked disastrous. His eyes were swollen and his hair and uniform all messed up. His cheeks were stained with tears and his skin looked even paler than it already did. He tried fixing himself a bit and looking as presentable as possible as he would probably have to face a party or something similar once he returned to the common room, since everyone was somewhat excited about what the new school year had in store for them.

Still looking as if a truck had driven over him several times Milo had given up and just pulled the hood of his robe over his face as he quietly entered the common room that was filled with people talking and laughing together. Maybe he should have stayed outside and wandered through the corridors some more.

The deities were kind to Milo this time, seeing as he made his way safely to his dorm room without being stopped by anyone. With a deep sigh Milo fell onto his soft sheets and stayed there until he fell asleep from the exhaustion of having cried for the first time in a long time.

Though he fell asleep with the knowledge that he was now, once again on his own in the harsh and dangerous world he lived in. None would be there to support or help him. No one, he just had himself to trust and rely on.