Harry Potter and the Green Flame Torch

Chapter Three: Difficulties

Before Ron and Harry knew it, it was Friday and time for Ron's bachelor party; and as it turns out Hermione was having a party of her own on the very same Friday night.

"Honey I'm not really sure I'm comfortable with you going to a bar and doing Merlin knows what," Ron said to Hermione

"Well then, now you know how I feel, what with you and Harry talking non-stop about this place with its own personal str--"

Ron quickly kissed her deep and Harry found it rather odd and disgusting. "Hey would you guys go to Hermione's room and do that?"

"Oh sorry Harry," Hermione said. She quickly pushed Ron away and wiped her mouth. "Don't do that in public!"

"Oh girl you know you're the only one for me, I just can't help myself." Harry twitched slightly.

"So umm, Hermione where's Crookshanks?" Harry said, trying to change the subject.

Hermione jumped and made a funny noise, clasping her hand to her mouth and mumbled, "Oh Merlin, I completely forgot to feed him today! He's probably hiding in some corner starving to death!" Hermione ran out of the room.

"I hope that fur ball is okay," Ron said.

"So do you like Crookshanks this week?" Harry asked.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Get ready for the party would you? I'm going to go and help Hermione umm, find Crookshanks." Ron left to go "help Hermione."

More like go snog with her, Harry thought.

* * * *

"Hermione!" Ron called. "Hermione, did you find Crookshanks?"

Hermione stopped trying to reach under the couch for the hungry Crookshanks; she looked up at Ron as though she was annoyed. "I really don't appreciate you doing that in front of Harry. We're asking for a lot and this is all happening rather fast. He broke down when we were out the other day; I just think that - well you don't think that he maybe might have liked me, do you?"

"Don't be ridiculous Hermione," Ron said. "If Harry knew out true reasons, then he'd understand...not that I'm saying that he doesn't understand. I'm just saying that he might let go of certain feelings for you."

"What if I don't--don't want him to?" Hermione asked, turning away from Ron.

Ron grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face him. "Are you saying that you fancy him?"

"No, I'm saying that I love him, and I hope that he loves me too."

This made Ron go red. "What are you saying? That you don't love me?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "Ron, no, NEVER! I'm in love with you, but I do love Harry; just not the same way that I love you. Now do you understand?"

Ron thought about what Hermione just said, until he finally understood. "So you love him, as a friend?" said Ron very slowly and clearly so as not to miss anything.

"Yes, Ron, as a friend, nothing more."

Ron pulled Hermione into a hug. "I can't imagine what I'd do if I lost you," Ron whispered into her ear. "I love you so much Hermione."

"Yeah I know, and I love you; blah, blah, blah. Can we stop with the mushy, mushy and get Crookshanks?" Hermione asked. Ron nodded reluctantly as Hermione went back to trying to get Crookshanks out from under the couch.

* * * *

"Hmm, should I wear my black shirt or white?" Harry asked himself. "Black, now should I wear the blue jeans or black pants?--the blue jeans." Harry quickly changed into the outfit he just picked out. "Do these pants make my butt look big?" Harry asked his reflection.

"Well if you're asking then I'd say that you're spending a little too much time with Hermione. I mean come on, you're asking if your butt is big because of the pants; which it doesn't by the way," Harry's reflection told Harry.

Harry shook his head. "You're right."

"Don't you mean that you're right, because I am you?"

"Right," Harry said slowly, thinking about what the mirror just said, but then he realized he was talking to his reflection, so decided to do something else.

* * * *

"Well you know Hermione it's been fun getting my hand chopped up, but I need to get Harry and leave for our party." Ron kissed Hermione and ran upstairs to get Harry. Ron lightly tapped on the door. "Harry?" Ron said, opening the door a little.

Harry was rumbling through the drawers of the dresser in the room. When Harry looked up Ron was in the room, looking at Harry funny, Harry jumped and squeaked. "Ron, I could have been changing!"

Ron blinked quickly looking at the room, clothes were thrown all about and all of Harry's books were strewn everywhere. Ron walked over to Harry, grabbed Harry's shoulders and shook Harry. "GET A GRIP!"

Harry, startled by what Ron had just done, straightened his posture. "Thanks Ron, I just went a little crazy. My reflection told me that I needed to snap out of it, and that I was hanging around Hermione too much. But I didn't believe him; I mean come on, my reflection!" Harry said, throwing his arms up.

"Harry--listen--to--your--self, you're saying that you were talking to your reflection."

"Yeah," said Harry. "It's not the first time!"

Ron sighed. "I should have known that things weren't going well with you this summer, ever since Snuffles well you know, died. You haven't been yourself ever since that night, and it wasn't even your fault."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I talked to my reflection in third year at the Leaky Caldron. It's not because he FELL! That's all he did, he fell and he'll be back you know! He's coming back, he has to he still has to be my god father! He has to get his name cleared and I have to go live with him and he has to tell me loads of stories at night about my dad and all the adventures they had together until I fall asleep and...and...and..." Harry trailed off.

He backed up against a wall and slid down; he grabbed his knees and hugged them close to him as silent tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Oh Merlin, you're not well. HERMIONE!" Ron yelled, quickly running down stairs to where Hermione was. "Hermione, come quick, Harry's not well."

Hermione immediately stopped her efforts with Crookshanks and stood up quickly. "What do you mean?"

"He's in denial, and I think he's having a mental melt down!"

"Denial, what would he be in denial about?" Hermione asked, walking up to the boys' room with Ron.

Ron rolled his eyes. "What do you think Hermione? SIRIUS!"

"But why, what about?" Hermione was clearly not getting the picture.

"Because he DIED, and Harry thinks that it's his fault but yet he also thinks that Sirius is coming back. Which he isn't," said Ron very matter-of-factly.

Hermione opened the door to Harry rocking back and forth with his hands pulling on his hair, mumbling, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault." Harry's breathing was deep and raspy.

"It's okay Harry, there; there it's not your fault. It's no one's fault," Hermione said, wrapping her arm around Harry's shoulders as she got him to stop pulling on his hair. "But Harry, look at me Harry." Hermione lifted Harry's chin up so he was facing her. "Harry, Sirius fell through the veil of death, I asked Fudge, and he said that if someone did ever fall through they don't get to come back."

"Then where did Sirius go?" Harry asked.

This was going to be like telling a child that someone they loved dearly had died, this was going to be harder than Hermione thought. "Sirius, he left to--" She looked at Ron pleadingly. "He left to, er, he left to--"

"He left on a vacation that he's not coming back from, ever," Ron said plainly.

Hermione looked slightly put out at Ron's harshness, but figured it was the only way that he knew how to put it, and it was probably better than what Hermione would have said. After all how do you tell someone, who is currently in a child like mind, that they lost someone close to them?

"Thanks Ron."

"Yeah well, I think I could have made something else up that was better. If I had been given the time to think it over," said Ron.

Hermione helped Harry get ready for the party that night as well as get ready for her own. Harry hadn't said anything after his breakdown, Ron and Hermione weren't sure if it was because he was really sad, or ashamed of the way that he acted. Either way they were both afraid that if they said the wrong thing that Harry might go "mental" on them again.

* * * *

As Harry was sitting alone at a table a person wearing a raincoat came over to him and sat down. Harry couldn't see his or her face but when it spoke he knew immediately that it was a girl. "Hello," she said.