It Could Have Gone That Way; A Harmione Fanfiction

Chapter 34: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Months went by without Ron and Hermione speaking to each other. At least Ron and Harry had settled their differences, however, Ron's way of leaving Hermione alone was, it turned out, avoiding her entirely.

Easter was fast approaching, so exams were suddenly on everyone's doorstep and they were all working hard. Harry wasn't sure what to focus on: his exams or the upcoming Quidditch final. He had so many notes to take and books to read, yet so many practices to attend and strategies to test. His work was made rather a lot easier by a large stack of revision notes that had been left on Harry's pillow one morning without a known sender. (Ron had joked that McGonagall was probably going to confiscate them as well) There had been at least ten small sheets of parchment for each of Harry's subjects all tied together with a silky red ribbon. Unfortunately, Harry hadn't been able to find out who had sent him them by looking at the handwriting, because it seemed as though whoever had written them had used a very old typewriter.

On the penultimate Hogsmeade weekend before Easter, Hermione had started shouting at Harry again.

"If you go to Hogsmeade, Harry, I'll...I'll...oh, I don't know what I'll do, but I'll do something!" She had snapped.

"Hermione, relax. I've been there loads of times before. You're getting worked up over nothing."

"This isn't nothing, Harry!" Hermione had cried exasperatedly,"Black could be out there! He could be waiting for you, ready to kill you!"

Harry rolled his eyes,"Black isn't going to be in Hogsmeade waiting for me."

"Why not?" She pressed on heatedly,"He went all the way up to your dorm. He was right next to you! Does that not bother you at all? Don't you care that he might kill you?"

With no idea how he was meant to reply to that, Harry had walked off towards the one-eyed witch statue and into Hogsmeade.

Hermione didn't say a single word to him for the rest of the week.

***********

On the Thursday before they were to break up for Easter, Professor Lupin cancelled Harry and Hermione's Patronus lesson for some unknown reason. This was good timing, Harry had thought, for Hagrid had sent Ron and Harry an owl that morning.

DEAR HARRY AND RON,
      HOW ABOUT HAVING TEA WITH ME THIS EVENING ROUND SIX? I'LL COME AND COLLECT YOU FROM THE CASTLE. WAIT FOR ME IN THE ENTRANCE HALL, YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED OUT ON YOUR OWN.
DON'T BRING ANYONE ELSE WITH YOU.
      CHEERS,
      HAGRID.

Confused, Ron and Harry had met Hagrid in the entrance hall at six o'clock that evening. Once they were in Hagrid's hut, he stared at the two boys very seriously.

"I've got summat ter discuss with you two."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Hermione." Hagrid said.

"What about her?" Ron looked rather annoyed.

"She's in a righ' state, tha's what. She's bin comin' down ter visit me a lot since Chris'mas. Bin feelin' lonely. Firs' yeh weren't talkin' to 'er because o' the Firebolt, Ron, an' now yer not talkin' to 'er because 'er cat-"

"Ate Scabbers!" Ron interjected angrily.

"Because 'er cat acted like all cats do." Hagrid continued doggedly,"An' Harry, she told me yeh' ve still been talking to 'er a bit - not this week at all, though, mind you - but yer not listenin' to 'er when she's bin tryin' to tell yeh ter stay safe. Told me all abou' yer map an' cloak, she did, an' all 'bout wha' yeh've bin doin' with 'em on 'ogsmeade weekends."