Taboo

The next day, Hermione returned to Gryffindor Tower to find it empty. She wondered where everyone was. Then she heard loud cheering coming from outside.

"...and Weasley makes a splendid save!" boomed Lee Jordan from the commentator's stand.

She'd forgotten all about the Quidditch match. She opened a window, shivering as the cold air blew in. She could just barely see the stadium and tiny dots zipping about in the air. She shut the window and sat down to do her homework, which she had been neglecting lately. Lee Jordan's voice rang in the background as she scribbled a few sentences about the properties of wormwood. Half an hour later, people began returning to Gryffindor Tower. They didn't seem to notice she was there as they stood in front of the fire excitedly discussing the details of the match. Then the team came in, receiving a warm welcome.

"Brilliant save, Ron!"

"We'll win the cup for sure this year!"

Hermione quickly gathered her books as Ron strolled across the common room, looking proud of himself. She almost escaped unnoticed, but in her rush to leave, she knocked over a bottle of ink just as Ron turned her way. She hurriedly bent down to pick it up.

"Oh, it's you," said Ron coldly, spotting her.

Conversation in the room died away as she stood up to face him.

"Um, party later then?" suggested Seamus hastily.

"I have to go to the library," mumbled Neville.

The others quickly evacuated the common room, leaving them two of them alone.

"I could hear the commentary from here," said Hermione timidly. "Looks like we're going to win the cup this year..."

"Don't try to act like you know anything about Quidditch," snarled Ron, tossing his muddy robes aside.

"Ron," she said pleadingly. "Will you please just let me explain?"

"I don't see what there is to explain," he said bitterly. "You're"--he couldn't make himself say the words in love--"with him." He gave her a hateful look. "You chose him over me. I don't see why you have to explain that to me. I'm not as stupid as you think I am."

"I never said you were stupid, Ron."

"You don't have to say it. It's obvious."

"You are not stupid," she argued. "You're just...intelligent in a unique way," she finished lamely.

"Ha," he snorted. "I knew it. You think I'm stupid."

"No, I--you know what? That's not even what this is about. This has nothing to do with whether I think you're stupid or not."

"You're right. This doesn't have anything to do with me. It's all about him," he spat. "Why didn't you just come right out and say it? 'Ron, I'm in love with Malfoy.' Why did you have to go and say you loved me?"

"Because I do love you," she said softly. "I meant that."

"Then why the hell did you decide to go out with him? What does he have that I don't?"

"You never let me finish my sentence that night. You were so happy when I told you..."

"So you thought it would be better if you waited a couple months so that I would be completely devastated when I found out? How considerate of you," he said mockingly.

"I never meant it to end like this," she said, her voice trembling. "I would never deliberately hurt you, Ron."

"Somehow I don't believe that. But I want to know what the rest of that sentence was." He folded his arms across his chest and waited.

"I meant to say that I loved you, which is true," she added, seeing the look on Ron's face. "But that I was in love with someone else."

"I wish you would've said that." He looked away.

"I'm sorry, Ron," she whispered shamefacedly. "I'm so, so sorry." A tear rolled down her cheek and fell onto the carpet, where it made a miniscule dark spot. "Will you ever forgive me?"

"Do you even know what you're asking?" He paced on the carpet. "You're asking me to forgive you for lying to me, for ditching me to go out with that ferret, that--that--" His voice shook with anger. "That despicable little--"

"I'm not asking you to forget what I did," said Hermione, regaining her composure. "I'm just asking you not to hate me. I still want to be friends, Ron."

"Friends, don't make me laugh," he said caustically. "This is just like one of those Muggle soap operas Dad watches on the weekends."

"Fine," said Hermione, picking up her books. "Don't come crying to me when you need your essays looked over."

"I don't care. I don't need you to look them over."

She disappeared up the staircase into the girls' dormitories and left Ron sulking in front of the window.

-------------------------

For the next few days, the school continued to buzz with gossip. Most people were still in shock. Some were completely appalled, others slightly intrigued. This break in tradition sparked several relationships between students from different Houses. A couple Gryffindors were dating Hufflepuffs, and a daring Slytherin-Ravenclaw pair had been seen holding hands in the hallway. It almost seemed as if the school was in a state of rebellion. However, this did not mean that people had stopped pestering Hermione and Malfoy. That Thursday afternoon, Hermione found herself trapped in Gryffindor Tower with Parvati, Lavender, and Ginny.

"I just don't understand it," sighed Parvati, setting down her quill.

"Oh, the homework?" said Hermione, thinking she had meant the Herbology assignment they'd been given. "It's really quite simple--"

"No, not that," interrupted Parvati. "I mean you and Draco Malfoy."

"Oh," said Hermione, knowing what was coming. "Well, I..."

"It was completely unexpected," continued Parvati. "A Slytherin..."

"Yes, a Slytherin," said Hermione rather irritably.

"He's quite good looking," she said dreamily. "You're really lucky."

"Ron's still pretty angry about it," said Lavender, joining the conversation.

"Of course he is. He's jealous," said Ginny from the corner.

"He's really touchy when you mention it," said Lavender. "But he's spending more time with me now. I think he's trying to make you jealous."

"Ha," snorted Ginny. "That's a lot cause. She loves Draco way more, don't you, Hermione?"

"Yes," she replied tiredly.

"He may be evil, but he's better looking than my brother, that's for sure."

"Draco's not evil," said Hermione defensively. "he's really nice. And Ron's not bad looking."

"He has good taste," said Parvati, pointing at Hermione's necklace. "I wish someone would give me a necklace like that." She sighed. "What did he say when he gave it to you?"

"'Now you have the key to my heart,'" answered Hermione in a bored tone. So many girls had asked her this in the past few days.

"How romantic!" remarked Parvati wistfully, dramatically putting a hand to her chest. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm going to meet Ron in the Great Hall for dinner," said Lavender, standing up and exiting the room.

"I'm going to go send an owl. I'll see you in a bit." Parvati sealed the letter she had been writing and followed Lavender out of the room.

"What about you, Hermione?" asked Ginny, standing up and stretching.

"Oh, I'll go down in a bit. I'm almost finished."

"Okay." She headed for the portrait hole, then hesitated and turned back. "Hermione?"

"Hmm?" she said, not really paying attention.

"Why did you choose him?" asked Ginny. "I'm just curious."

Hermione looked up from the diagram she was drawing. "Everyone's been asking me that."

"I know," said Ginny apologetically. "But I've only heard the rumors. I want to know the truth."

"The truth is, I'm not really sure." Ginny raised her eyebrows. "There's just...something about him that's irresistible. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the way he smells, that weird combination of coffee and pine needles. Or the way he understands me better than anyone else. I can tell him anything."

"Is he a good kisser?" asked Ginny, grinning mischievously.

"Well, let's just say that sometimes I call him the mean green kissing machine,'" said Hermione, blushing. Ginny laughed. "By the way, how are you and Harry doing?"

"We're alright," said Ginny, shrugging.

"You can tell me," said Hermione, sensing that Ginny was hiding something.

"Oh, well," said Ginny sheepishly. "It's just that lately he seems kind of...distant. I think it has something to do with his private lessons with Dumbledore. Every time he comes back from one, he seems so far away. He spends so much time thinking that he doesn't really spend time with me anymore. And he won't tell me what he's thinking about. Every time I ask, it's always 'Nothing.' I mean, if he's not thinking about anything important, then why is he acting like this?"

"Do you want me to talk to him?" offered Hermione sympathetically.

"Don't bother," said Ginny, shaking her head. "It's no use. He'll just start explaining his theory about how Malfoy is behind the attempted murders and that he's plotting something. It's driving me mad."

"I wish there was something I could do."

"He didn't even kiss me on Valentine's Day," she lamented. "We didn't exactly have time in the tea shop--not that it's your fault," she added. "But even afterwards. He just sat there in front of the fire all evening. He had his arm around me, but it felt like he wasn't there. His eyes were practically glazed over. I've started to suspect that he's cheating on me, and I've half a mind to break up with him."

"Don't," said Hermione. "He wouldn't cheat on you, Ginny. He really loves you."

"How do you know that?" she said, agitated. "He's never told me that before."

"He does," assured Hermione.

"Well, I want to know for sure. I admit, I'm actually a little jealous of you and Draco."

"You're the only girlfriend he's ever had," said Hermione, avoiding the subject of Malfoy. "Out of all the girls he could've dated, he chose you."

"I guess you're right." She sighed. "But I wish he'd show it. I wish he didn't have to be so tough and noble all the time. I wish we had a normal relationship. I know this sounds selfish, but I wish he would pay more attention to me."

"It's not selfish, Ginny."

"I want what you and Draco have. I want to be caught kissing him in a deserted corridor. I want to go somewhere secret, where it's just the two of us. Like whenever you disappear and spend the night out of the dormitory." Hermione flinched involuntarily. "Oh, I know you don't spend the night here all the time. I don't know where you go, but I suspect Draco's there too."

"I won't lie to you," said Hermione. "But yes, we've spent the night together. More than once."

"I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Thanks, Ginny." They smiled at each other. "I won't tell anyone what you said either."

"Let's go eat. I'm starving."