The End Of The Beginning

CHAPTER-6

"Alright, alright then." Harry was getting frustrated by the conversation and the fact that Ron didn't seem to understand that it wasn't just a simple accident. He had crossed a line he had never thought he'd cross with Hermione, and even if it hadn't been on purpose it still shook up the existing order of things. But Ron was right about one thing, he needed to talk to Hermione.

"Look, I've already talked to her and got her side of the story and I'm telling you: just go talk to her. I'm positive if you took five minutes you both could be passed this and stop being so bloody awkward." Ron was grinning as his bishop cornered Harry's king to end the game. Harry knocked his king over as he pulled out the Marauder's Map to see where Hermione was. She wasn't in her dorm or the library; she was in what appeared to be an empty classroom on the third floor. Except Harry knew better, he had been through a trap door in that particular room over seven years before.

"What's she doing there?" he asked out loud.

"Where?" Ron asked, placing the chessboard in its case.

"Third floor, the room where the Sorcerer's Stone was."

"Weird, maybe you can go play hero one more time if Fluffy is renting again." Ron laughed.

"Shut it." But Harry was laughing too. "By the way, you talked to that girl from the train yet? What was her name? Ashley?"

"Aubrey." Ron corrected, his ears turning red.

"And here I thought you hadn't been paying attention." Harry playfully shoved him. It made him feel wonderfully young to be taking the mickey from Ron over a girl.

"Yeah I have actually; she'll be joining us at the Gryffindor table for dinner tonight." Ron mumbled.

"Really? I'll have to tell Gin, we can tell her all about that Pygmy Puff tattoo of yours." Harry started laughing, Ron flushing the color of beets.

"That's not funny! People actually believed that!"

"Consider it payback for being over-protective with Gin back in sixth year." Harry clapped him on the back. "Well I'm going to go find Hermione, good luck mate."

"Same to you."

Harry suddenly felt a lot better about talking to Hermione. Talking with Ron had put him in a cheerful mood and the thought that he was only a few minutes away from straightening everything out made his heart soar. Everything would be back to normal.

Except those lips. Those aren't going anywhere. And the smell of coconut. Why does she smell like coconut?

~

Hermione wasn't sure what had brought her here. She had been on autopilot when she went looking for some solitude. She had expected her brain to take her to her favourite privacy haunts in the library or Prefect bathroom but surprisingly it took her to a door on the third floor corridor that she had passed through only twice in her Hogwarts career: Once to escape Filch and once to stop a corrupt teacher from stealing the Sorcerer's Stone.

It was, after all, a place nobody ever ventured to. It had never been put to use after the Stone had been destroyed and so students never made any use of it, especially because of the legends that surrounded it based on the handed down stories of her, Harry, and Ron's exploits.

Her feet had walked her here, but she had reason to believe there was some magic in the castle that prodded her because she had been surprised to find that it was not entirely empty.

There was a large mirror against the back wall with strange words written across the top. But it was when she looked in the mirror that she had received the real surprise. She had simply stared at it, her heart fit to burst with longing and sadness. She had settled onto the floor with her legs crossed and was content to simply look, completely losing track of time.