Percabeth Teach at Hogwarts

Chapter Seven

Hermione

Hermione was shoved up against the window and the wall of an abandoned classroom, her sobs echoing quietly through the deserted room. This was her free period, and she had spent the entirety of it feeling sorry for herself — she felt pathetic, but couldn't stop nonetheless.

Ron had really left. He had left her and Harry and Ginny. He had left Hermione by herself; Harry and Ginny had each other but Hermione no longer had anyone. And every minute that that fact sunk in, the more everything hurt. Ron knew how she felt about him and how alone she would be without him, and he didn't care. He still left her.

An errant, loud sob escaped her lips and bounced off the walls, startling her for a moment. She fell quiet, and heard footsteps outside the door — they paused in front of it.

Hermione scrambled to gather her stuff and wipe away her tears. It was probably some lost first year, but, nonetheless, the thought of someone seeing the supposedly strong and mighty hero that she was, reduced to hysterics, didn't sound all that appealing.

The door swung open to reveal Malfoy.

Hermione spun around to face the opposite wall, growling a response to his surprised look. "What?"

"Uh," Malfoy said smartly. Then, cautiously, as if he wasn't sure how to handle the situation, he asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" she responded much too quickly. "So you can go." She was so focused on shoving her wand into her bag, and straightening her robes that she didn't notice him draw closer.

"You don't look fine," he commented next to her.

"Gah!" she exclaimed, jumping back at how close he was. "Will you just leave me alone? I don't need your sly comments to make my day worse than it already is."

Malfoy raised a blonde eyebrow and hopped up on one of the desks, swinging his legs as he picked at his cuticles. "Listen Granger, I know we've had our differences – "

"Oh, don't bother," she retorted hotly. "I don't want to hear this. Not today. Not ever, in fact."

"Hmph," Malfoy sighed. "Why are you so upset anyways?"

Hermione couldn't help but note that there didn't seem to be any venom or hint of sarcasm in his voice, but, rather, curiosity. "That is none of your business."

"So you are upset."

Hermione flattened her lips together. "I'd rather not squabble with you like we're first year's," Hermione said, locating her wand from where she had dropped it when Malfoy snuck up on her. She dusted off the wand and shoved it in her pocket, withdrawing a piece of paper that was floating around in the pocket that she hadn't noticed before.

"Hermione," it read. It was Ron's handwriting.

"Please know that this has nothing to do with you. And I still love you, but I don't think that it's possible to be together when we will rarely see each other. I'll have Auror duties to attend to, and you, your studies. 'Cause we all know that's what is most important to you.

"Please don't be mad at me. You know I couldn't have stayed there. I'm sorry.

~Ron"

Hermione pursed her lips to keep from crying and crumbled up the note in her fist. Her throat burned with the oncoming threat of tears. Gnashing her teeth together, she let the note fall to the ground and stood tall.

Malfoy had apparently said something based on the expectant look he was shooting her. "Well?"

"Well?" Hermione said back. "What?"