Anyone But Me

Chapter Seventy-Six

After dinner a few days later, Hermione was sitting cross-legged on her bed. Her Transfiguration book opened to the pages that the afternoon's pop quiz had covered. She was using her limited time before rounds to double-check that she'd chosen the correct quote from Harriette Swidenpull, when describing the theory that surrounded the caster's limitations during the incantation of Reparifarge. Work for idle hands, but it kept her engrossed enough that her mind didn't start to stray to places it shouldn't.

It was late, close to shift change, when Lavender and Parvati burst into the room. Their frantic giggles filled the small space until they both saw her. The enthusiastic joy melted from their features at the same time and they turned to begin their individual nighttime routines in a charged silence. Neither girl had spoken to her since the night of the break-up.

Sick of having to walk on eggshells and cast protection charms around herself every night in her own room, she watched the blonde witch for a split second before speaking up. "Lavender..."

"Do you hear that, Parvati? Is the wind howling outside tonight?"

"No... I don't hear a thing, Lav."

The childish exchange was meant to provoke her. And she had to give it to them, their outright dislike for her throughout the middle of the year had been concerning but predictable. Their insistence that she didn't exist was a whole different level of disconcerting that had added even more suspicion when it came to some kind of retribution.

"Lavender, I want to apologize..."

"So you are going to admit that you are a backstabbing harlot then?" Parvati butt in. Her hands on her hips as she turned, determined to have the conversation be a confrontation.

"Well... No, because Ron didn't cheat." Hermione tried to explain.

Powerless to fight her nature, Lavender also swiveled from her trunk and started shrieking, "You are such a liar! Everyone saw you!"

"Harry was up in their dorm the entire time." She lied, an easy endeavor when there wasn't an entire audience worth of eyes on her.

"He was NOT! One of you would have said so!" Another ear-splitting screech echoed in the room as the girl's face turned a concerning color of purple.

"How would you know? YOU NEVER STOP WHINING!!" Hermione yelled back, slamming her book shut to vent her frustration in a tangible way. She closed her eyes, took a centering breath, and then reopened them before trying again. "Look, I will not confess to something we didn't do... But I will apologize for our friendship hurting you."

Lavender and Parvati had a wordless discussion about her sincerity while she stood and packed up her book.

"I don't believe you. Harry would have defended him." Parvati pointed out.

"Ron asked him not to," Hermione told her the truth. He had declined the offer from Harry to lie for him. Allowing for the necessary end to the toxicity to stick.

"Why would he do that?" Lavender whimpered, near tears.

"Because..." She thought about her options and went with the one that would cause the least damage to the girl. "Because he's an overly emotional jerk who has a strange propensity to forget that others have feelings too."

"He... He really is!"

The confirmation of her assessment was the last intelligible thing wailed at her before Lavender flung herself into Hermione's arms and started to sob. Her and Parvati exchanged startled looks at the unforeseen forgiveness as she patted the trembling witch on the back. Unsure of the best way to offer comfort.