"Buried, almost tangible secrets filled the space between them, and so, without a second to think, she closed it."
The scars of war opened more wounds than Harry Potter thought possible. As he returns to Hogwarts for his eighth and final year, he le...
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HARRY FLIPPED THE YELLOW PAGES of his Potions book, almost ripping the page off the seams with the aggressiveness and tight grip of his fingers. He grit his teeth and hastily checked to make sure he did not tear the pages, aware that Snape would use this excuse to crucify him in class. Noticing no new tears, Harry sighed and slouched further into the book.
The wide oak doors to the Great Hall swung open and Harry jerked his head up at the sound. Ron and Ginny, arguing loudly to one another, marched in identical paces. Ginny's hair was pulled into a ponytail and she looked terribly exhausted, shooting annoyed glares at Ron, who looked the same as always. Ron was talking avidly with his hands, and Harry inwardly groaned at the complaining he would have to endure very soon.
It was either desperation to pry himself away from homework or procrastination that caused Harry to give a welcoming smile to the siblings now entering the Great Hall, but when he did, they acted like they had not seen him.
"Are you ever going to tell me?" Ron was asking agitatedly, arms crossed and demeanor frustrated and snappish. "Or have you both decided to never tell me? Even Hermione knows! I'm only his best friend and your brother —"
"The break-up was mutual," she snapped, walking several feet ahead of him. "There's nothing more to it. Harry and I have both decided to leave it in the past because unlike you, Ron, we can be mature about these things."
Nearing Harry and smiling weakly at him, Ginny swung her hair dismissively over her shoulder and sped up so Ron did not have a chance to snap back at her. She flumped exhaustively on the bench ahead of Harry while Ron crashed down beside Harry. He looked around for Hermione, his red hair whipping into Harry's face as he glanced down the table and across the Great Hall.
"Where's Hermione?" asked Ron, who spoke at the same time as Ginny, who said, "Where's Luna?"
Not looking at her brother, Ginny craned her neck around his back in search of the Ravenclaw table before connecting her eyes back to Harry, who did not look up from his book and shrugged in response.
"Well?" asked Ginny, her blazing eyes fixated on Harry. Ron also watched him eagerly, keeping one eye on him while he continued to swivel his head in search of Hermione.
"Dunno," said Harry to the both of them. He focused his attention on his Potions book, grateful for their presence so he would not sit alone but pressed with the steadily nearing deadline of his Potions reading, which was due in less than an hour.
"I've got to find her," said Ginny. She and Ron looked absolutely ridiculous, both swivelling their necks around like owls.
"Don't be worried," said Ron gently to his sister, "I'm sure she didn't take it personally."
