- SIX -

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Chapter Six
The Girls who Gossip

Upon returning to the dorms that evening Bronwyn, found retreating to the girls dorm was the perfect thing. The journey had been long, the whole six weeks had felt like a never-ending nightmare of months. Something about being back at Hogwarts had brought her some peace. And as she stood there, unpacking her belongings, she felt as though things were being righted.  The girls in the dorm had never changed the layout of where they had slept since they were 11, the four of them having not seen a need to change anything about. Hermione took the bed closest to the door on the right hand side, Bronwyn beside her with Lavender and Parvati on the left hand side. The four having got on well, but not having been so close during school hours. But Bronwyn felt as though this needed to change this year, she wanted good memories with all her dorm mates and there was only one way to change that.

It would be upon this unpacking that Lavender Brown would turn upon Bronwyn. Lavender wasn't a horrible girl, unlike what some of the others in their year thought, it was just clear the girl was desperate for love. For companionship and for someone to treat her well. Unfortunately lots of people were horrible about it and wanted her. She had wanted to know what was going on with Bronwyn's older brothers. Something that was not knew and something Bronwyn let run wild, she thought it was a little humorous considering they all knew that it would never happen. Lavender included. 

"Fred's still with Angelina, not sure how she puts up with him. George and Katie Bell I think are together but he tends to cycle through a friendship group." Bronwyn raised her eyebrows at her last statement waiting to see what they would say in response. 

"I'd let him date our friendship group all at the same time if he needed to." Lavender sighed out and Bronwyn just laughed. She felt lighter being around the girls, she felt a little better and just that was enough. 

"What's going on with you and Harry, you were acting different at dinner." Parvati questioned Bronwyn this time, having been the more observant one of the pair. Bronwyn sighed at the question she knew it was coming but she wasn't sure what her response was going to be. She had no clue how to phrase what exactly was happening to their friendship. Because, if she was being honest, she didn't really know. 

"We've just argued a little bit over the last few days, must have spent too much time together recently. Things will go back to normal soon enough." Bronwyn responded looking to Hermione for support. 

"So he didn't ask you out? And you didn't reject him." Parvati asked again, disbelief in her voice at the words she was hearing clearing having thought something completely different.

"Why would Harry ask me out?" Bronwyn remained confused at her sudden interest and became more confused at her reasoning. 

"Because he's got like a massive crush on you?" Lavender voiced from where she had been folding away her pyjamas. 

"Yeah totally." Bronwyn laughed before noticing the others in the room were not laughing along with her. She turned to look at Hermione who seemed to be looking at her seriously. And then she started to question it, there was no way that Harry liked her. That was ridiculous. Heck he used a boy's name when talking about her introducing her as 'my friend Ron'. "Nah you guys are pulling my leg." She continued to deny. 

"Bronwyn..." Hermione started trying to be as gentle with her friend, as much as she had been these last two weeks upon knowing of her fragile mental state. "Is it such a bad thing?"

"Harry can't like me, it makes literally no sense. I'm literally 'just Ron' to him." Bronwyn remained the only one on her side in a battle it was clear she was losing. 

"No you're his Ron." Lavender stressed and Bronwyn had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at the words, the girls around her were not understanding. There was no way Harry could like Bronwyn, because there was no feelings there from her side. Harry was just that, Harry. Her friend the boy she had sat with on the ride in and in their first lessons. He was the boy who had

"No way he's like my brother. Like if he had been ginger people might have thought we were non-identical twins."

"I don't think he feels that way." Parvati commented. 

"He's totally into Cho Chang." Bronwyn shook her head before moving to sit on her bed, hands going to pull her blanket over her as she wished the conversation to an end. "Plus Ginny likes him, so even if I did I would never imagine it." Bronwyn finalised happy that with these words it seemed as though the conversation drew to a close as a new topic was chosen. Though she was aware that this was going to have a massive impact upon the way she viewed every interaction with the bespectacled boy from now on. Rather her eyes went down to her bracelet as her brain tried to work out just what was missing from her wrist. It was clear she was missing two maybe three items and her brain could not work out what the others were. She knew that it was likely one of them was a watch, she knew a watch was given to male wizards on their 17th birthday as a coming of age gift. She knew it had been a Weasley tradition for years, but she would be breaking that tradition as the first girl in three decades, four decades she wasn't sure.

"Pretty bracelet." The voice was close and Bronwyn lifted her head to see Hermione sat beside her, she moved to rest her head upon the older girls shoulder knowing she was significantly taller and this was more comfortable for them both. 

"Yeah Grandma Weasley gave it to me, some sort of family heirloom. To make me feel like the Heiress I am or something."

"The traditional books?"

"Yeah I want to connect more with that element, do you know if we have any in the library here?"

"I think theres a section, but I think we need to talk to McGonagle first about your reading, see if theres something to be done to help. In the muggle world it's called Dyslexia and you can have different coloured glasses or paper to make it easier." Hermione still remained gentle in the way she spoke, noting that Bronwyn didn't respond well to the hightened emotion speaking, or the anger that many people seemed to be directing her way for no reason. She had suspected her friend had been struggling since they were 12 but Bronwyn had been so adamant things were okay until recently that she couldn't convince her to get help. 

"I don't know, a wizard with a normal muggle condition doesn't that mean theres something wrong with me."

"Not at all, there's plenty of famous wizards and witches out there with Dyslexia." Hermione smiled at Bronwyn who had lifted her head to continue their conversation. 

"Okay maybe I'll try to catch her in her office tomorrow or something."

"I'll come with you don't worry, we can go before breakfast tomorrow." At Hermione's words Bronwyn draped the blanket over the pair of them.

"No Harry though." Bronwyn didn't want to give him something else to fire at her the next time he was angry, that was the last thing she wanted.

"No we can leave the little git behind if that's the way he wants to act."

"You really think he's being like this because he likes me?" She tagged on as the pair continued to sit there.

"Boys are stupid Bronwyn I really wouldn't be surprised if he was." Hermione answered quickly not having to think much about his answer.

"But I don't think I'll ever like him like that."

"That's not your fault and he will just have to come to understand that." Hermione gave her a pep talk like usual and Bronwyn did admit to feeling better hearing it. Though she quickly gave Bronwyn a little push on her shoulders, before removing the blanket from herself and making a stand moving back in the direction of her belongings. 

"Really aught to get back to unpacking, I do not want to hear you in the morning unable to find your ties and begging to borrow one of mine." Hermione's stern words caused Bronwyn to let out a bellow of laughter as she moved to stand herself. Moving in the direction of her worn out raggedy trunk. Opening the faded lilac coloured box to see her belongings inside and knowing it would be hours until she finished unpacking. 

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