another love; harry potter

thirty-one

\ wherein she must defeat the third task (part one) /

MY MIND WAS GOING a thousand miles a minute as I stammered to form a sentence.

"Haven't got anything to say, have you?" Harry said crossly.

"Look, I'm sorry," I said finally. "I get it. You guys would've totally told me if you had nightmares, I should've done the same."

"I do tell you if I have nightmares," Ron muttered grumpily. I smiled weakly, remembering the day before when he had forced me to go to the courtyard with him so he could explain in great detail about his dream where Hermione ruled the world and everyone had to read for eleven hours a day and study for five a day.

"You really do." I said, nodding, "and if there's any more huge secrets in my life, I promise you'll be the first to know."

"So...you promise there's no more secrets?" Harry asked weakly, meeting my gaze. I blinked, biting my lip hesitantly.

"No."

"No? As in you've been hiding another thing from us- me?" he lowered his voice, glancing quickly at Hermione and Ron who instantly pretended to be fascinated by the ceiling. "Pheobe... what the hell? Why- why do you keep hiding stuff from me? ...do you just not trust me or something? I mean, I know we're not together- but I thought we were- y'know- I thought you trusted me! I thought we were really close!" Harry said, his voice breaking slightly. I firmly held his gaze.

"Look, Harry, we're just- we're different people. You're caring, you tell people everything, I'm the opposite. I keep to myself because that's all I've ever known and that's all I'll probably ever do."

"So?"

"So, whatever there is going on with my life, I'm just used to...well, dealing with it myself."

"You don't have to do that anymore!"

"I-"

"Honestly," Harry sighed, losing his furious temper quickly, shaking his head and pulling me into a hug. "Don't worry, we'll help you knock that shit out." I smiled into his shoulder.

"Whatever you say," I said with a muffled voice, grinning as I felt two more pairs of arms wrapped around us.

"Dunno why we're hugging, but I like hugs!" chimed in Ron's voice.

"So," Ron said after the three of them had released me, Harry still holding my hand and sitting beside me. "What was the other secret in your life?"

"Oh, that," I said, glancing at Hermione. "I figured out who my half-sister and real mum are."

"Who are they?" Ron asked, before raising his eyebrows. "Imagine if it's, like, someone we know! Who's a girl we know..." he thought hard before snapping triumphantly, "what if it's Hermione! Imagine! Like, can't you just see it, Harry? Wait. Wait..." Ron parted his lips, staring from me to Hermione with furrowed eyebrows. "Can't you see it? They- look at 'em! They- their hair's the same bushy-ness, the same color- 'cept Pheobe's is longer- and- and they're the same height- and they have the same nose! Look at their noses! Look at their noses, Harry!"