It Could Have Gone That Way; A Harmione Fanfiction

Chapter 50: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry didn't see Hermione until after dinner that afternoon.

"Where have you been?" He demanded.

"Nowhere..." Hermione looked at her feet,"I just...had some errands to run with...a few teachers." She fiddled with her sleeve, which was hanging suspiciously low over her hand.

Suddenly filled with angry comprehension, Harry pierced Hermione with a hard stare,"Show me your hand."

"Why?"

"You know why."

Hermione sighed heavily and pulled up the sleeve of her robes. On the back of her left hand, the words 'I must respect my superiors' were dripping with fresh blood.

"Hermione-"

"I'm sorry I didn-"

"-what happened?"

"Well," Hermione met his eyes for the first time that day as she spoke in a strained voice,"I had almost made it to Dumbledore's office, but Professor Umbridge was on the stairs and asked where I was going. I told her I was heading to the library, but she didn't believe me. She dragged me down the stairs and into her office, where I kept telling her I that I really had to be somewhere, even though she wouldn't listen. Then, she gave me some tea and said I couldn't leave until I drank it. There was Veritaserum in it, I knew that before I even drank any. She asked me again where I had been going, so I told her. She asked me why I was going there as well, and she got very angry when she found that out. She gave me detention and said she was going to have Filch watch Dumbledore's office for the rest of the evening to make sure I didn't sneak in."

"Blimey, Hermione, I'm sorry." Harry hugged her tightly,"Is that the only detention she gave you?"

Hermione shook her head slowly,"I've got a week."

"I'll go with you." Harry said, somewhere between desperately and defensively,"I can stop her."

"Oh please," Hermione snorted mirthfully,"nothing can stop her. You'll only get another detention yourself. No, just stay here and wait for the storm to pass. She can't keep doing this forever. Lie low for a while and she'll forget all about us."

Harry nodded,"I really hope you're right."

***********

"Harry? Harry, where are you?" Hermione seemed very worried as she peered around the common room on the morning of September 19th. Harry - as he always did - was hiding from her, but she had been downstairs for a long time, and Harry hadn't shown up. Holding in a laugh, Harry squeezed further into the corner of the room, invisibility cloak concealing him from view.

"Harry, please! Where are you?"

Silently, Harry crept towards her and pulled on her hair gently. She spun around and Harry jumped onto the sofa. Throwing the cloak on the floor as Hermione turned around again, Harry grinned hugely.

"Harry Potter, don't do that to me!" Hermione hit him with one of the cushions.

"Okay...I'm - sorry!" Harry wheezed with laughter and thrust Hermione's present at her.

Laughing, Hermione sat down next to him and began opening the present. She was rather pink and shining with a thin layer of sweat, so took off her dressing gown so that she was only in her plain t-shirt and checked pyjama bottoms. The silver bracelet was still on her wrist. Harry tried very hard not to stare at it. Hermione looked confused when she saw the present Harry had gotten her; a large pile of different coloured balls of wool were spread out over the sofa as Hermione picked up the large knitting needles to look at them.