I Learned Your Pulse

"Partners?"

"He said they're not supposed to be lethal this time," said Harry, trying the same line he'd been using for the past hour in an attempt to make things seem better than they were.

Hagrid's hut seemed to grow smaller with each passing year. The wooden floors seemed so much older than they had the first time Hermione'd stepped in the half-giant's dwelling, but, then again, it had nearly been burned to the ground. The walls had the same whethered look; even Fang had acquired it. But the furniture had been fixed by Hermione herself through a simple anti-burns spell and looked good as new. Hagrd himself was grim-faced, but the hut was quaint, a symbol that the war was over, that everything was at peace.

Yeah. She wished.

"I know what Kingsley said, Harry," said Hermione, scared by the dullness of her voice. "But unless I can figure out what the task is, they might as well have my obituary ready to go."

"Don' talk like tha'," Hagrid said gruffly. "Ya know mos' spells in th' worl', Hermione. You'll ge' pas' this." He turned around with the tea pot and began to pour the drink into their cups, the steam rising and curling into the air before disappearing. Hermione rubbed her hands together to try and shake off their coldness, but it woudn't leave. She placed them over the cup instead.

"Cold?" asked Ron quietly.

Hermione did not respond. She didn't even look at him.

She knew she had been overly mean to Ron when last they'd spoken, but the red-head had started it, and therefore her reaction was his fault. That was what she told herself, but her conscious kept battling so valiantly she often dissolved into a pit of nothingness. Coupled with the fact of the Triwizard Tournament, and she wasn't sure how long she could go on like it. The only thing keeping her from caving in and apologizing was the fact that she was scared of being confused once again by their relationship, or whatever it would be called.

Ron didn't say anything either. There was only the sound of Hagrid's teapot giving its liquid generously to the cup and Hagrid's heavy breathing.

"You'll make it through," said Harry faithfully. "If I coud, you can. You're, what? Six times smarter than me? Ten?"

Hermione shook her head. "It's not all brains, and I'm not you, Harry. I'm not going to blindly walk into a maze and hope to get to a cup. I'm going to question everything and it'll waste time... lots of time."

"There was a sphinx in that maze," Harry said, "It took me maybe three minutes to solve the riddle and it would have taken you maybe fifteen seconds at most."

"These challenges will be different," Hermione argued. Her heart wasn't in it. Her voice was lifeless. "There may or may not be a sphinx. For all we know, I could need to produce a patronus in five seconds flat."

"The only spell you ever had trouble with," Harry said.

Hagrid grunted. "Well, there's no s'inxes," he said, " 'cuz I'd be in charge o' t'em if there were."

Hermione nodded, eyes locked on her cup, which hadn stopped giving off heat. "The tea isn't sufficiently warm," she said, tucking her hands under her arms.

"Sorr'," Hagrid muttered, sitting down across from her and taking a sip of his own tea.

There was just the awkward sipping as everyone tasted the tea.

Hermione had definitely had better tea, but not wanting to hurt Hagrid's feelings, she took another swig and then set the cup down.

"Hermione?"

Hermione, once again, did not respond to Ron.

"Hermione."

"Hermione," Harry said, leaning toward her and speaking in a whisper, "stop ignoring him."