Full Circle

Chapter 10 - Confrontations

            Harry did not know what seemed more out of character: Hermione's fainting or Ginny's screaming. Before he realized it, the first had slipped out of the chair and was lying crumbled on the floor and the second knelt quickly by her side. Hermione's skin was pasty while beads of sweat formed on her brow. Her lips were open, violet colored and struggling for breath. Ginny brushed her wild hair from her face and talked to her softly.

            "It's ok, Hermione. Look at me," she cooed.

            The older girl slowly opened her large brown eyes, but it was obvious that everything was still blurry to her. Hermione reached out and touched Ginny face.

            "Oh, Ginny," she whispered. "How did you know?"

            Ginny looked up and noticed that everyone was staring at them. Harry and Ron looked particularly upset, while the elders appeared more concerned.

            "We have to get her to the hospital wing immediately," she said and Professor McGonagall nodded in agreement. Ginny noticed the expression on Hermione's face - the haunting glare that begged her not to take her to the nurse. Then they will know too...

            "I'm sorry, Hermione. It's for the best," Ginny replied to her silent cry. Sirius and Snape with their wands drawn levitate Hermione off the floor and carried her down the medicine ward. Ron and Harry followed silently behind them.

 

            At the root of the situation, nothing was actually wrong with Hermione. A simple combination of low blood sugar and a traumatic discovery was all that was needed to push her over the edge. After having all her vitals checked, Hermione could do nothing but lie limply in the hospital bed while Ginny fed her crackers and pumpkin juice. The boys waited outside in the hallway, hoping Hermione was not in any danger. Madame Pomfrey brought Professor McGonagall in her office so that they could discuss the seriousness of the circumstances.

            "Will Miss Granger be alright?" the Headmistress asked tentatively.

            Madame Pomfrey nodded. "Passing out in your office this afternoon appears to be the least of the young girl's problems."

            Ginny strained her ears in an effort to hear the conversation. She was fully aware that the nurse knew Hermione was pregnant because she had aided Madame Pomfrey during the examination. What hung in the balance now was how Professor McGonagall was going to deal with the news.

            "Well, this is certainly an unexpected situation to learn about Hogwarts' Head Girl," the Headmistress sighed. "While it is definitely not something that our school has been completely immune to, but I'm proud to say teenage pregnancies are quite rare here. To learn that one of are brightest and most promising students..." The conversation lowered to a level that was beyond Ginny's hearing. Watching the color slowly seep back into Hermione's cheeks, she could help but wonder if she had made the best decision. What would happen to her friend now that the truth had been discovered?

            Ron peered his head around the door. "Hey, Gin? Is everything ok?" His sister quickly scurried over to the entrance and stepped outside. She noticed Harry sitting hunched over in chair, staring absentmindedly at the stone ground beneath him.

            "Everything's fine, guys. Hermione just hasn't been eating well lately. She's been so worked up over the N.E.W.T.'s that she can barely focus on life's essentials. And then to hear about Remus and Peter...I think the shock was just a little more than she could take." Ron seemed immediately relieved by the news. Ginny smiled. "All she needs is a little rest and she'll be right as rain." 

            They both turned to watch Harry for a moment, who seemed to be off in his own world. Ginny gave Ron a quick jab and nodded in their friend's direction. Taking the hint, Ron walked over.

            "Come on Harry. It's been a long day. We should really head back to the dormitories and get some rest as well." He remained motionless, staring into space.

            In a monotone voice, Harry replied, "I want to see Hermione."

            Ginny rushed over to the boy and placed her arm gently around his shoulder. "Now Harry, be reasonable. You know Madame Pomfrey would have a fit if someone were to keep one of her patients awake and right now it is essential that Hermione get some sleep. You understand that, don't you?"

            "Will I be allowed to see her tomorrow morning?" he asked, his face strongly reminiscent of the eleven year old whom she had first seen at King's Crossing Station over six years ago. At the time he had been a confused Muggle-raised wizard who asked her mother how to get on Platform 9 and 3/4 in order to catch the Hogwarts Express.

            "Yes, Harry. I'm sure you can see Hermione tomorrow and she will be able to tell you herself that everything is fine." Ginny hated to lie, but it pained her to see Harry looking like that. Ron reached out his hand to pull his friend onto his feet.

            "Come on, mate. Ginny's right. We'll come back tomorrow and you can talk to her then." Harry finally seemed to agree and Ron guided him down the hall back to Gryffindor tower. When they were out of sight, Ginny collapsed in the chair that Harry had just been sitting in. How could this day possibly get any worse?

            In a sick twist of fate, Draco Malfoy turned the corner into the hallway. Ten feet away from him sat a certain red haired girl whose path had crossed his own more times in the last five weeks than it had in the previous five years. Ginny looked distraught and he was mildly intrigued. When she looked up and saw him, she groaned a sigh of irritation.

            "What the hell are you doing here?"

            "Not that it is any of your business, but I came down to see Madame Pomfrey for a somnus potion. It seems I've been having trouble sleeping," Malfoy replied, coolly.

            You and everyone else, Ginny thought. "Perhaps it's guilt that is keeping you up at night?"

            Malfoy sneered. "And what exactly would I have to feel guilty about?"

            Ginny wanted to smack the boy right then and there. "Hermione's life is crumbling down around her. Within the hour, all the professors at Hogwarts will know about her condition. She is liable to get suspended from school."

            He pouted. "Oh, what a pity!" Fueled by his mock sincerity, Ginny stood up to return to the hospital ward. "Well, I could just go in and explain to Professor McGonagall who is actually to blame for this situation so that the rightful person will get in trouble-".

            "You wouldn't dare…" He replied, with a hint of panic in his voice. Ginny spun around quickly and got within an inch of Malfoy's face.

            "Oh, I would dare, you little snake, after everything you've done…" Their eyes met and she backed away. "But I won't do it. Not because of you, but because of your mother."

            Malfoy looked confused. "My mother?"

            "Yes. Every time I talk to her, she surprises me even more. Your mother is actually kind of a nice person. Sure, she can be a little…" she paused, grasping for the least offensive term, "high class at times, but overall she doesn't act like any Malfoy I could ever imagine."

            Feeling calmer, Ginny took a seat in one of the chairs. Malfoy stood with his back to her, staring at a medieval tapestry where dozens of hunters watched a strange looking white mare kneeling beside a fountain of water.

            "Well, she wasn't always like this," he said in a quiet voice. "When I was younger, I hardly got to see her at all. During the day, I was either watched by a nanny or received lessons from a private tutor. She would hole herself up in the music room and play that dreaded piano. At night my father threw frequent parties and she would spend hours trying on expensive dresses he had bought for her. My mother would wear jewels in her hair and powder her face - admiring her own reflection in the mirror. I was a child born of necessity, whose sole purpose was to carry on the Malfoy name. She was lucky to have a son on the first try, because I don't think she originally wanted children."

            The member of his un-addressed audience said nothing and surprisingly he continued. "When I left for Hogwarts, things started to change. Perhaps she got bored with her decadent lifestyle - having everything she could ever want at her fingertips. She actually started to talk to me. It was very odd. For years she hardly noticed me, and now she seems to depend on me so much."

            Ginny was hesitant. This was not the first time she had been lured in by Draco's vulnerability, only to be bitten in the end. She walked over slowly and stood beside him as he continued to examine the tapestry. "This is the 'Unicorn at the Fountain'," Ginny said, nonchalantly. "It's the second in a series of seven tapestries created at the end of the 15th century. This particular one tells the story of the unicorn using its horn to magically remove snake venom from the fountain of water. The men hunting the creature are amazed by its abilities, yet it doesn't stop them from eventually capturing and killing the animal."

              Malfoy turned slowly and looked at her. He was partly angry at himself for even mentioning his relationship with his mother...to this girl. Details that he hadn't mentioned to anyone - not his once closest friends Crabbe and Goyle (not that he could tell them anything they'd understand), not even his once girlfriend Pansy Parkinson. But then again, he didn't date Pansy because she was a great conversationalist. She was a beautiful pureblood who he knew he could convince to have sex with him. Despite the intimacy of their arrangement, they never once sat down and shared his secrets - his worries, his fears.

            This isolation was how the Malfoy males preferred their relationships. A true Slytherin does not need real friends - people who could turn on you, foil your plans, or stand in the way of your success. They had no time to waste on meaningful exchanges. They had no desire to reveal any vulnerabilities or insecurities. This way - you were always in control of the situation. Malfoy noticed that Ginny was not return his gaze, but continuing to stare at the picture on the wall. He was caught off guard when she responded with neither a heated insult or a subtle inquisition.

            Glancing back at the tapestry, he could only reply with "Very interesting." She did not know exactly what he was referring to, but remained silent.

            Back in Gryffindor Tower, Ron was distracting himself by attempting to write a letter to Lavender. He was still shaken by the events of earlier that day, the shocking news of Professor Lupin's death, Sirius' subsequent murder of his former Scabbers, and the fact that Hermione had fainted in the Headmistress's office. And while he continued to be worried about their friend's health, Ron knew that he had to appear calm if for no other reason than to subdue Harry. Whatever turmoil Ron was dealing with, he knew it was minuscule compared to what his best friend was experiencing. Harry had been so much closer to Lupin and Sirius was his godfather. Ron remembered how troubled Harry had looked that evening two Christmases ago when Mr. Weasley had been attacked. The dark haired boy had sat slumped in an armchair while Ron and his siblings feared for their father's death. It was painfully awkward to be such in a situation, yet somehow still be outside of it.

            Dipping his quill in some ink, he began:

 

Hi Lavender,

        It's me, Ron. How have your holidays been so far? Mine have been....

            Ron paused, staring at his scribbled handwriting across the parchment. He couldn't help but feel guilty for the kiss that he had shared with Hermione the night before Lavender left to go home. While it was true that Ron was technically not doing anything wrong, since Lavender wasn't his girlfriend, but yet he couldn't help but feel like he had betrayed her somehow. It had taken almost a year for him to finally get over Hermione, to start noticing that there were girls here at Hogwarts that were equally as wonderful...he closed his eyes and saw her nervously curling her hair around her finger the evening before their first match.

            Earlier that night she had attempted to predict the outcome of the game, but her hands were shaking the table so badly that her crystal ball rolled off its stand and shattered on the floor. Lavender took that as a horrific omen and went for a walk around the lake to calm her nerves. Though he was not sure at the time why he did it, Ron quickly put his books aside and ran to catch up with her. When he found her, she was sitting on the grassy bank, blowing her nose loudly on her scarlet and gold handkerchief.

            Her sobs were chirpy, like sparrow with the hiccups and Ron had been half tempted to laugh when he sat down next to her. Staring across the water in embarrassment, Lavender said "I'm sure you regret now picking me for the Quidditch Team, after seeing me at practice this week! Merlin knows I'm not an athlete, Ron. I only started playing this game in the first place so that my cousins would play with me and I only tried out for the team to shut you up. I'm just no good at this."

             "But you are!" He insisted in a way that surprised him. "Don't you remember how nervous I had been when I first joined the Quidditch Team? I was so distracted by the Slytherin jeers that I could barely keep myself on my broom, let alone keep the Quaffles out of the hoops! I was certainly not the best player on the team, I can assure you of that. But people saw that I had some potential and I just had to trust that they were right." He stared at Lavender, trying to make eye contact. "I see that same potential in you." And from beneath her tear stained cheeks, her lips struggled but eventually stretched themselves to form that oddly beautiful smile of hers.

             Ron's reverie was interrupted by the sound of a small brown barn owl beating its wings angrily against the closed window. "Hey, it's Morpheus!" he said aloud, despite the fact that Harry was curled on his bed with his back to Ron. He let the exhausted looking bird into the dormitory, untied the letter attached to its leg and offered it some owl pellets. Once Morpheus, who belonged to his older brother Charlie, had settled down on the window sill to rest, Ron returned to his desk and opened his mail.

Ron,

             I just got your letter concerning your female dilemma. I must say I'm impressed my little bro has so many women to worry about in the first place. I also understand why you didn't write to Fred or George for advice on this subject.

            In my opinion, if Hermione has made no further romantic advances in the last week, than I wouldn't really worry about it. From what you described, it seems like a simple case of missed opportunity. You'd be amazed at the strange things teenaged girls do - and this I'm writing from experience. It sounds like Hermione is a little jealous about all the time you've been spending with this girl Lavender. Picture it like this:

            Say you've never had pumpkin pie before so you decide you want to try a piece. After eating it, you admit to yourself that the pie was good, but not the best you'd ever had. Later you see someone else helping themselves to a piece of pumpkin pie. Now while you weren't terribly interested in the pie before, seeing this new person really savoring the pie, makes you wonder if you shouldn't give the pie another taste. Do you see what I'm trying to say?

            What it boils down to is that Hermione wanted to reconfirm how she felt about you. If nothing has happened since, then I would assume your friendship is still intact - which is probably best all around. I mean, Hermione is a great girl, but personally Lavender sounds like a better match for you. Did you know that I went to school with her older sister, Iris?

            Well, I hope my advice helps. Mum and Dad say hi. By the way, business is going so well for the twins, that they bought us all tickets for the Quidditch World Cup in the U.S. How's that for a Christmas gift?

 

            Hope to hear from you soon,

                        Charlie

            "Whose the letter from?" asked Harry, sitting up limply in his bed. Ron quickly folded the parchment and slipped in into his trunk. Secretly he had been wanting to discuss this issue with Harry all week, but he had been acting rather flaky since he had gotten back. On the surface he seemed cheerful and friendly, but when the two of them were alone - Harry was often sullen and withdrawn.

            "Just a letter from Charlie," Ron sighed, " Nothing exciting." He sat down across from Harry and watched him attentively. "How are you feeling?"

            Harry brushed his dark hair away from his eyes. "I feel like I'm being kept in the dark again."

            Ron bristled. "What do you mean? McGonagall told us everything that had happened last night. What could they possibly be hiding from us?"

            "Not us," Harry growled. "Me." He stood up and jammed his fists into his pockets. "Dumbledore dies mysteriously on the night of my 17^th birthday before I'm whisked off the hide in London for a semester - under the pretense that I'm helping with the order. Bullshit! I probably went to three meetings the entire time...that is if they even were actual meetings. Perhaps they were just little rendez-vous they created to make me believe that this was real."

            "Harry, what are you talking about?" Ron interrupted, but his friend just ignored him.

            "Every day Sirius and Remus went out, secretly meeting up with Mad Eye, Tonks and Kingsley, but insisted that I stay in the flat and keep up with my studies. Finally, when it looks like the coast in clear, they bring me back to school. Then suddenly, just a few miles from Hogwarts - Peter Pettigrew just mysteriously shows up and kills Remus! Of course we are terribly lucky that Sirius just happened to also be there in order to kill his own arch enemy. How convenient that I was up here in Gryffindor Tower listening to you babble on about the Hufflepuff match and how stupid Lavender Brown managed to find the snitch before that idiot Anthony Goldstein-"

            "Harry, you're being ridiculous!" Ron could not believe his ears. "Do you honestly believe they made up that whole story?"

            "No, of course not," blurted Harry. "Because I can see in Sirius' eyes that Remus is dead...." He choked on his last words and sat back down on his bed. "I believe what happened last night is true. I just find it funny that it occurred now, after all these months, right under our very noses."

            Ron shook his head disbelievingly. "I just don't understand why that would matter to you, Harry. So what if the reason you were in London was a hoax? There was probably a logical explanation behind it. Maybe if they made it sound like you were helping, you'd be a little less resistant to going into hiding. Frankly, I think it was clever of them."

            Harry thought if he took of his glasses and squinted his eyes just right, Ron would look just like a punching bag. "CLEVER? You think this is funny?"

            "Well, you always do react like a prat whenever someone tries to protect you from something - ehem - or someone evil. You have to admit, Harry, you've always had a sort of hero complex."

            Harry stood up and clenched his fists. "Is there a bloody echo in here? How many damn times am I going to hear this speech from you, and Ginny, and Hermione..." Suddenly his heart tightened. "Didn't you even pay attention to what Professor McGonagall said this afternoon? She mentioned that Pettigrew kept insisting that he needed to see Hermione. Aren't you the least bit concerned about that?"

            Ron remained calm despite Harry's actions. "Peter was about to get killed by Sirius. He was probably digging for some pathetic excuse that would keep his alive a few minutes longer. He must have assumed that if he mentioned a familiar name to Sirius, that perhaps he would spare him long enough to give an explanation. Peter could have just as well said my name instead of Hermione's."

            Harry seemed utterly unconvinced. "And I suppose that the ever logical Hermione would just faint dead away for no good reason at all?"

            His friend nodded. "You heard what Ginny said about the situation. Hermione's been very stressed out recently, more so than usual. She hasn't been eating or sleeping well. Overall, she has seemed very unlike herself all semester, but then again...you haven't been around long enough to notice."

            The unfair words stung painfully. Harry was too livid to respond to Ron subtle insults. He knew that he was neither stupid, crazy or overreacting in this situation. Something was going on, and there was no way Harry was going to just sit back and let it happen. And even if Ron wasn't going to back him up, he knew someone that would. Without saying another word, Harry stalked off to have a word with his beloved godfather...