Someone I Once Knew

Chapter Two

***

Nine days and three dates with Gryffen later, Hermione felt as though she'd known him all her life. The concert she and Katharina had attended was apparently the last on the European leg of The Shades' world tour. In another month he would be leaving England again. It seemed foolish to the normally sensible Hermione, but she almost couldn't bear the thought of being apart from Gryffen.

So yes, Hermione was happy again. She felt much better now that the Dreaded Anniversary had passed. Not that she didn't still care for Ron... but would he have honestly wanted her to shrivel away, not living her life, trapped in memories?

Well, she mused, a smile playing upon her lips, Ron might. Just for a little while. He'd always had his jealous tendencies. It was not like they'd ever truly been romantically involved with one another... she loved Ron, but in a purely platonic way. Though Hermione suspected in the back of her mind that Ron had always wanted more. But she could never, especially not now, think of him as anything but... well... Ron. Her old friend. Now lost to her forever. The smile faded from her face.

"Hey there."

Hermione looked up at the sound of the soft, husky voice. For a moment- no, it was Gryffen, standing before her, grinning. He noticed the look on her face and frowned. "Why so glum?" he asked, sitting down across from her at the white wicker table in the café he had asked her to meet him in.

"Oh... nothing... I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Things."

Gryffen smiled. "I hate to be repetitive... but what "things" were you thinking about?"

She sighed. No use in being dishonest. "About... Ron."

"Oh." Gryffen seemed as though she'd struck a chord, the same way he'd behaved when she first explained about the Incident to him.

Hermione shook her head. "Never mind. So... what's new with you?" she asked with false cheerfulness.

"No, I'm sorry, if you want to talk about it..."

"I don't, Gryffen... really, I don't..."

Gryffen just stared at her, head resting upon his chin. "C'mon. I used to know the guy, y'know-"

Hermione stared blankly. "You- you never told me that."

"I didn't think it was... er... appropriate to bring up. We were never on very good terms, he and I."

"What happened?"

"Well... I dunno. He just... he tried out for the band when we were just starting to form. Didn't make it. I never liked him much." Gryffen noticed Hermione's expression and stopped abruptly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, should I?"

"No," said Hermione, "it's okay. I want to know- he never told me about trying out. When- when was this?"

"A little over a week before- well, you know, before he went missing."

Hermione was speechless. "Why didn't he make it?" she wanted to know. "He was a very good guitar player; I remember, he played a song for me once." She bit her lip, remembering. Ron had had a remarkable talent for music that had remained hidden until their fifth year or so at Hogwarts. His dream was to "make it big", to land himself a place in a "real" band. The idea of Ron himself being responsible for his own disappearance had always been a theory of the investigators working on his case, and one that Hermione never liked to think about. But Hermione had talked to him about a week before it happened, and he seemed happy. Really happy. Like everything was going to turn out all right. Yet she knew enough to know that sometimes the saddest of people seemed to be the happiest on the outside. But Ron would never have... God she couldn't even think the words... and over something so trivial as not making an audition...

But Ron had always seemed to have so little going for him...

Hermione blinked back tears. She looked up and realized that Gryffen was staring at her.

"Hermione? Are you okay? Look, I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No." Hermione stared into Gryffen's eyes, vivid green, reminding her so strongly of... She forced the thought down. Stop it! "I mean, no, Gryffen, it's alright. Go on. I need to know why you turned him down."

"Well..." He seemed reluctant to go on, nervous, afraid of making her cry again. "He just didn't have the right look about him, y'know? Red hair, gawky, freckles. Not the right sort of guy to be a lead guitar player. Backup, maybe. But he didn't want that. Something about being in the shadows for too long." Gryffen swallowed, as though the words were hard for him to get out. But why? wondered Hermione. He barely even knew Ron. Gryffen cleared his throat and went on. "That's about it, Hermione. Don't give it too much thought, promise me that." He looked down at his watch. "Crap. Look, Hermione, I have to get home before eight o'clock... I'm expecting a visit from one of my... er... relatives. I'll call you, alright?"

Hermione didn't answer; she was far too lost in her thoughts to respond.

"Hermione?"

She waved her hand vaguely. "Go on... I'll talk to you later." Her voice was far away, disoriented. But her mind was centered on one thing, whizzing at one hundred miles per hour.