Loving the Lonely

Chapter 15

Hermione can't admit it out loud and she hardly admits it to herself, but she finds her gaze straying as she walks through the halls. Against her own will, she actively seeks out the now too familiar head of blond hair. On the occasions that she does spot it, she can't help but to wait with bated breath and peak shy glances at his face, hoping to see some reaction from him, but each time he just walks right past her like she isn't there at all. 

It really shouldn't hurt the way it does. She should have known that he wouldn't actually carry out what he had said, and yet she can't help but to hope...but she doesn't let herself linger on those sorts of thoughts for too long. 

As the days pass, she trains herself to stop searching for him. Her frustration with herself for doing it and the disappointment she feels every time he ignores her is enough to drive away any hope she has left. Eventually, she doesn't look for him at all. She drifts through the halls, sticking close to the walls to avoid the throngs of students rushing around in the center of the corridor, and her eyes stay fixed on the ground. 

Of course, it's only then that Draco takes action. 

Well, being fair, it isn't him at first; He still hasn't spoken to her since the day in the library. When Harry and Ron come into the head's common room grinning in a mischievous way, though, she can't help but to remember Draco's promise. 

"Hermione, come on a walk with us," Harry demands more than asks. 

Even if his tone had left her room to argue, which it certainly had not, she doesn't think she would have argued anyway. A small part of her does want to see what Draco has planned, no matter how hard she tries to squash that part down and shove it to the farthest corner of her mind. 

"Just a moment," she replies, stretching out her stiff limbs and throwing a thick cloak around herself despite the warm day. She's been trying to keep up with her meals, but it's so difficult when her mind never seems to focus for long, and forgetting to eat hasn't exactly been beneficial to her already too-slim figure. She gets cold so easily now. "Alright, let's go." 

Ron moves to the portrait hole, holding it open, and Hermione steps out. The halls are empty with everyone at Hogsmeade, and Hermione sags with the relief of it. As Harry and Ron fall in step on either side of her, they stand close enough that she can feel their heat radiating even from beneath her cloak. It takes a lot to keep from reaching out and pulling them closer to warm her up like she might have done in the past. 

"Where are we going?" She's watching her feet as they walk along, as she often does now, so she misses the conspiring look that the two boys share. 

"We're just going to talk," Ron replies, not really answering her question. She tells him as much but he just shrugs and grins cheekily. 

Huffing in annoyance, she turns a pleading look on Harry, but he gives her no more clue to where they're headed than Ron had. "You know I hate not knowing where I'm going," she reminds them. "We had enough of that last year." 

They both nod their understanding, a shadow of remorse passing over their faces, but still don't give her a proper response. She crosses her arms and grumbles unintelligibly to herself. 

It takes another five minutes before they reach their destination, and she's no less confused than she had been before. 

"The girls lavatory?" Hermione asks, looking skeptically at the door. They don't go in, just stand outside the door. "What in Merlin's name does this have to do with anything?" As far as good places for conversation go, this hadn't even been on her list. 

Harry pulls in a breath and glances towards the lavatory before looking back to Hermione. "This was where Ron and I actually started to consider you our friend," he reminds. His eyes take on a wistful light, recalling that particular Halloween. "You kept Ron and I from getting in trouble over the troll and it was then that we realized we needed you. Not because you're smart and can figure out the things were too dim-witted to realize, but because you're...you."