Never Look Back

Never Look Back

Hermione sat at a small table in the Gryffindor common room, her books and homework spread all around her. She lifted her head wearily to scan the room for Harry or Ron. She found them sitting at another small table playing a game of wizards chess. Ron was winning as usual. Harry was amazingly bad at that game.

She let out a soft groan, realizing how much work she had left and banged her head on the table. "That wasn't a smart move" she thought and started rubbing her head.

"Jobberknoll feathers are part of memory potions..." she said quietly to herself. "Or are they part of truth serums?" She started leafing through her potions book.

"It's both," said a voice behind her. She stopped what she was doing and turned around to find her boyfriend, Harry Potter, whom she had been dating since Christmas.

"Oh. Hey. Yeah, thanks," she mumbled.

"Really, Hermione, you should take a break and go to bed."

"Oh no, no, no!! I just can't! I am just so behind!! Our seventh year N.E.W.T. s are coming up and I must study!" she said in an irritated tone.

"'Mione, our N.E.W.T.s aren't for another two months!" she simply gave him a warning glare.

"Whatever," she said, and brushed him away with a wave of her hand. Harry shrugged, gave her a quick peck on the cheek and went back to his game of chess with Ron. Hermione returned to her work.

Hours later after Ron and Harry had left, Hermione was still doing her work. She was still sitting at the same table, her head in her hand. She let out a small yawn and continued her work.

"Gillyweed can make a human..." and with that she drifted off to sleep, her head on a mottled yellow page of her Potions book and a quill in her hand.

*******

"Mione, wake up!" a voice called as someone poked her, "Hermione! Wake up!"

"Mhmmph," Hermione mumbled. "What!?"

"Hermione, c'mon, let's get you to your dorm." It was Ginny.

"Huh? Wha? Did I fall asleep?" she sat up and began to rub her eyes. Ginny helped her up and walked her to the dormitory. She stopped at Hermione's door and then went to hers. Hermione clumsily opened the door and almost tripped over Crookshanks, her cat. Her roommates, Parvati and Lavender tossed quietly in their sleep. She lit a small candle and began to get dressed for bed. She gazed at herself in the mirror and pondered at what she saw. She still had the same bushy auburn hair and same large front teeth (although they weren't as large since Malfoy put a hex on her and she had Madam Pomfrey shrink them). A sudden wave of drowsiness swept over her and she fell into her bed.

Hermione woke the next morning with a smile on her face. Sunlight stretched across the room, the ray of sun ending on her bed. She had had a wonderful dream. But she couldn't quite remember what it was. But she did know it made her tremendously happy. Suddenly, reality hit, wiping the smile off her face. She threw the covers off, quickly dressed, and dashed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Oy! Hermione!" Ron shouted and motioned for her to come to the table. She sat next to Harry, who almost failed to acknowledge her presence. She found that quite odd.

"We were just about to start before you!" he said, wolfing down sausage. He was so busy eating, he didn't notice a piece of sausage hanging from his mouth. He also didn't notice Hermione and Ginny staring at him. "What?" he asked through a mouthful of sausage.

"Oh nothing," chimed Hermione and Ginny, suppressing giggles. When breakfast was almost through, Harry approached Hermione.

"Um, hey," he said, obviously nervous. "Can I talk to you? You know, alone?"

"Uh, OK." Hermione did not like the sound of this. Once they were out of the Great Hall she asked, "So what is this all about?" Harry shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"Hermione, I need you to know, I just don't think that this relationship is going anywhere. I kinda thought we could see other people now, you know...." he trailed off miserably.

" So, what? You're breaking up with me?"

"Well, yes, I just think we should take a break." Hermione fought to control her tears.

"Tell me Harry, Is there anyone else? Lavender perhaps?" she asked icily.

"No, no," Harry quickly amended. "I just need my space is all. You understand, don't you?"

"Yeah. Sure. Space," replied Hermione weakly.

Harry tried to make her feel better by saying, "Look, I understand how you feel...."

Hermione cut him off. "Look, I just want to be left alone right now okay?"

"But..."

"Okay?"

"Alright." Hermione found herself walking to the one place that she felt completely comfortable in all of Hogwarts - the library. Only then did she succumb herself to tears.

Hermione walked to the dustiest corner of the library, in hopes of being alone. She set her Charms books on the table and cried. "How could he?" she thought despairingly. "I thought we had something!" She rested her head on the table, letting to the tears drift down her face.

"Well if it isn't the Mudblood," Sneered Draco Malfoy, surrounded by his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. "And look, boys, she's crying too. Boo Hoo! What happened? Your beloved Potty left you?" Crabbe and Goyle sniggered oafishly.

"Eat shit, Malfoy." Hermione glared

"Aw, But I don't want to. It's much more fun to torment you," he said, his cold gray eyes penetrating her. She quivered under his stare.

"Fine. If you won't leave me alone. I'll go." and with that she gathered her books and stormed out of the library. "Stupid git," she thought. "He's so cruel." And she continued to her Charms class.

"Mudblood deserved what she got,"

Malfoy thought. Man, how he couldn't stand her, with her bossy air and know-it-all attitude. But something about her intrigued him like never before. He didn't know what. But she was quite pretty. Draco shook his head of the thought and carried on to Transfiguration.

"Did you hear?" voices whispered

"About Harry and Hermione?"

"That they -"

"Broke up?"

"No! Really?"

Hermione entered the Gryffindor common room, eyes glued to her. She kept her head down and started walking towards her dormitory.

"Hermione, I..." Harry began as heapproached her. She ignored him and climbed the stairs. Ron gave Harry a disappointed stare as he went back to his box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

Hermione opened the door and grabbed the picture of her and Harry and threw it at the wall. The glass of the picture shattered, their images ran out of the picture. She burst into tears and sat on the ground. A soft knock on the door stopped her tears.

"Hermione?" a voice called. "It's me, Ginny."

"Come in," she sniffled through tears. Ginny kneeled down and sat next to Hermione. "Oh, Ginny, how could he? I really liked him too!" she wailed miserably.

"It's okay. I guess he thought of you as more of a sister." Ginny spoke softly

"Yeah, a sister who he snogged!" she shouted angrily. Ginny just giggled.

"You'll get over him! There are other great guys at Hogwarts. Harry's not the only one. He just happened to be the first guy you kissed and your first boyfriend. Plus you'll be graduating in two months!"

"I know, but Harry was the first guy I was really serious with." she rested her head on Ginny's shoulder

"There, there, it will be okay." Ginny grinned. "There's always Ron. You know he's always liked you."

"Ginny!" Hermione said feigning shock.

"I'm kidding!"

A few minutes later, Ginny left. Hermione climbed into her pajamas and drifted off to sleep, whilst dreams invaded her unconscious mind.