Elegy//Harry Potter [3]

17

Autumn felt like she had the weight on her shoulders. The death Harry's of parents crushed her shoulders like nothing else.

After only minutes of thinking, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey." Ron sat next to Autumn.

"Hey," Autumn replied.

"What's happened?"

"Death."

Ron tensed up.

"I'm the reason Harry's parents were killed."

"And why do you think that?" Ron asked.

"Do you remember when Harry and I went into the pub after Madam Rosmerta shouted Harry's name?"

Ron nodded.

"Well, they talked about why Sirius Black has come back. To kill Harry, yes. But to kill me as well. Professor McGonagall spoke of how Sirius fancied my mum, and when he asked her on a date, she declined. Because of this, Sirius turned to Voldemort and told him where Harry's parents were hiding."

"Autumn, that's not your fault. That's your mum's fault. She made her choices herself; you didn't make them." Ron said. "Let's go back to the common room. It's quite cold out."

"I want to stay." Autumn said. "At least for a little while longer."

Ron nodded, sitting closer to Autumn and putting a comforting hand around her. Autumn rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes before talking again.

"I just want it to stop." Autumn said, tired of it all. "I need it to stop. Everything. It's so. . . overwhelming. Like teaching a baby bird to fly, so you throw it out of its nest; only to learn it hasn't any wings."

Ron cleared his throat. "Does Harry know?"

Autumn shook her head. "He knows. But I don't know how he can still be friends with me."

Ron stayed in silence, debating what to do.

>>>

"Hermione?" Ron asked, looking at his potions homework with a daze.

"Yes, Ron?" Hermione responded annoyed.

"What did you get as your answer?"

"Which question?"

"There's more than one?" Ron asked horrified.

"There's always more than one, Ronald." Hermione said as she dipped her quill in her ink.

Ron set his quill down and stood up. "I'm not doing this. How did you even convince me to do this two days early?"

"Magic," Hermione smirked.

"Ha ha, very funny, Hermione. Let's go down to the Great Hall for some food. I'm starving."

"You only wrote three sentences! How can you be starving?" Hermione asked, standing up.

"What do you mean 'only'?" 

Ron and Hermione walked out of the common room only to see Autumn, tears streaming down her face. Before Ron or Hermione could react, Autumn ran away.

"Get Harry," said Ron as he chased after Autumn.

Hermione quickly walked down the moving staircase towards Professor Lupin's classroom. The only reason she knew he was there was because she overheard Autumn and Harry talking about it when she had the Time Turner. 

Before Hermione even got to the classroom, she ran into Harry.

"Harry!"

"Hermione!"