Anyone But Me

Chapter Forty

Although she knew it went against every shred of normalcy that she had fought for, she took the turn anyway. Letting the memories of that night distract her from the taunts that kept ping-ponging around in her head. It was unreal how quickly the anger melted into his whispered confession and the eventual promises for another future meeting.

Her fingers ran along the wood of the closed door as she passed. Behind it was where everything had changed for her. It was the place that she'd had to accept what he told as true. No matter how unbelievable it felt. Just like the passageway under the tapestry, the innocuous room had changed her. Or at the very least, they were the physical representations of moments that had changed her.

She would never be the same person she had been before Christmas. If that refashioning was good or bad, she still did not know...

The sounds of sobbing as she went by made her stop in her tracks. Every wail that reached her ears had her stomach clenching for the mourner's gut wrenching pain. Unsure if it was a student, she carefully cracked the door open so she could peak in as quietly as the old hinges would allow. It took a second for her eyes to permeate the darkness and take in the ghostly form of a female. Her shoulders hunched with the weight of her sobs as she floated in the middle of the room.

Hermione knew she should close the door and leave the grieving woman to herself but something felt wrong about leaving. Especially when there might be a way for her to help... She slipped into the room and let the latch catch to alert the other occupant that she was no longer alone.

A loud huff of frustration came from the apparition before she turned and faced her, asking. "Is there nowhere I can go to be left alone on this dreadful day?"

Her eyebrow rose as she took in the ruffled appearance of the normally serene Gray Lady. The fact that she had even spoken to her signified the anguish the woman must be feeling. She rarely talked and when she did it was only to members of her House. Hermione inclined her head in a show of respect and rushed out. "I apologize, Lady. I did not mean to interrupt..."

"Undoubtedly that is a lie, otherwise you would have left when you saw the room was in use. Granted, I do appreciate the display of politeness. It shows you understand your actions were unmannerly and what the appropriate response to such an affront is. Unlike the two lovebirds who rudely told me to 'Bugger off' when I asked them to leave my garden." The Gray Lady said as she appraised her from a distance.

"Then let me apologize for my fellow students as well. Some of them like to act as if they were raised by the Erymanthian Boar and his mate." She said, shaking her head in disbelief that anyone could have heard the anguish in the ghost's tears and responded so rudely.

The small smile that crossed the silvery-gray lips of the deceased witch at her jibe surprised her. Her next words were even more unexpected. "You must be as clever as they say... To have wit like that at your disposal... Are you sure you were not meant for Ravenclaw my dear?"

She stood there in silence for a moment, letting her mind work over the compliment before answering. "Yes. While it is true I admire and possess many of the qualities that make your house so wonderful... Even at eleven, as I sat there during my sorting, I understood that I needed to push myself into action. In Gryffindor I would be constantly called to be more than what would have been expected of me in Ravenclaw. My presumption turned out to be true, they have helped mold me into a person who can withstand the pressures of an unpredictable future."

"Does that mean you do not think the students in Ravenclaw are ready for what is coming?"

"I do not know Lady... But that wasn't what I meant... Back then I had no idea what the future held. I was a Muggleborn who was petrified of being an outcast. I thought that the other Gryffindors could show me how to be brave and then I would be able to face this place, where everything was brand new. And with all due respect... If I would have been sorted into Ravenclaw I never would have learned how to act first. That the mere act of calculating the risks of a situation can end up getting you killed and sometimes you have to be courageous enough to rely on your instincts. A valuable tool that has kept me alive so far... So yes... To answer your question, I belong in Gryffindor."