Trust Me | Hermione Granger x Female OC (Book 3)

Take Care

Another month had passed. The colors of the world seemed to be sucked out their lives, the grey sky serving a constant reminder of their break up. The once vibrant red of the Gryffindor common room turned into a faded shade of mahogany in Hermione's eyes. The once bright yellow of Ellie's robes were now a dusty shade of brown in Ellie's eyes.

As time passed, Ellie's popularity had started to fade away, leaving her on her own. Ellie stayed isolated in her dorm most of the time, staring blankly at Hermione's necklace sitting on her desk. The ring that always sat on her finger was discarded next to the necklace. She felt numb and empty. She didn't cry. She didn't scream. She simply existed. And it was exhausting for her. She barely put the effort into herself, often showing up to class with wrinkled robes and messy hair.

Hermione, on the other hand, attempted to keep things normal, trying hard not to pay attention to Ellie. Hermione's eyes held deep, dark circles just under her eyes, showing proof of her restless and cold nights. She had tried to ignore Cormac as much as possible, darting her eyes away whenever he'd try to make eye contact.

Harry and Ron hadn't even noticed, oblivious to the feelings of women. Of course, they had noticed Ellie's distance, but thought nothing of it, assuming she was simply busy.

Since then, Ellie had confided in Draco, despite his own personal problems. His hatred for the muggleborn only grew as he heard Ellie's side of the story. Since then, they had been meeting every couple of nights for Draco to check in on Ellie. Ellie was sure to listen to him as well, giving the same amount of attention to him.

Ellie was alone on the Quidditch pitch, with Hufflepuff concluding its practice. She sat on the damp grass, watching as her teammates shuffled to the locker rooms. Another 15 minutes, Ellie heard footsteps approaching her. It was Harry, dressed in his Quidditch practice jersey, holding his broom in one hand.

"Hey, Ellie," Harry greeted awkwardly. He fiddled with his broom, standing it up to lean on it.

Ellie looked up at him and gave a small smile.

"It's been a while since you've hung out with us. You've been busy?" Harry continued.

"I guess you could say that," Ellie replied, her eyes fixated on the grass in front of her. Her voice was raspy, considering she hadn't actually talked to anyone for days at a time.

Harry stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do. He knew that soon enough, the other Gryffindor players would come onto the pitch to practice. Awkward silence filled the air as he contemplated what to say next.

"Do you need help getting up?" Harry asked as he outstretched his hand.

Ellie took it reluctantly, brushing off the pieces of grass from herself as she stood up.

"Er... uhm... do you need anything else?" Harry asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ellie stayed quiet for a moment. She didn't say anything to the boy, but instead embraced him tightly as she rest her head on his shoulder. Harry jumped a little, surprised at the sudden action. He immediately hugged her back, sensing something was wrong.

"What is it?" Harry asked as he pulled away to see Ellie wiping a single tear from her cheek.

"I need to tell you something," Ellie sniffled slightly.

"O-Of course. I can cancel practice if you'd like," Harry urged, now feeling a sense of responsibility for Ellie.

"No, no. It's okay. It shouldn't take long. I just need you to listen," Ellie reassured as she pulled herself together.

Ellie took a deep breath as Harry gave a small smile of encouragement. She looked up at him, feeling a sense of support.

"Harry... I'm going to be straight-forward with you. Whether you support me or not, I need to get this off my chest," Ellie started as Harry listened to her intently.

"I like girls," Ellie said bluntly. A smile creeped onto Harry's face as he dropped his broom. He opened his mouth to say something, but Ellie continued to talk.

"Well... you see... Hermione and I are-... I mean- were together," Ellie continued. Harry's eyes turned wide, but were supportive and caring. Obviously, he hadn't paid much attention to the former lovers.

"Last month, I broke up with her. She did something... so terrible and vile. And I cut things off. Just like that," Ellie explained solemnly. "But I can't help to think how she feels. I got really angry at her. I've never screamed like that before. And I think... she thought I was going to hurt her. But I would never... in a million years... do that."

Harry's face became concerned but continued to listen quietly. His expression clearly showed sympathy.

"I can't stand to see her like this. Everyday, I see her put a fake smile, and act like things are normal. I know she's hurting. And she's alone," Ellie sighed.

"I need to ask for a favor, Harry. I'm sure she hasn't told you about us, about anything, really. She wouldn't do that. But I ask for one thing, Harry..."

"Go on," Harry reassured.

Ellie took another deep breath and exhaled. She wanted to make sure her heart spoke, not her emotions.

"Be there for her, please. She doesn't have anyone. She's bottling up her emotions, I can see it. Talk to her, please. Let her open up to you. She needs someone to talk to more than anything right now."

Harry gave a nod. "Of course, Ellie."

Ellie gave a small smile as she embraced the boy with gratitude.

The Quidditch pitch started to fill with Gryffindors as they assembled for practice.

"I'm not angry at her anymore. I still love her, Harry. With everything I have. But I can't be with her... So please, take care of her," Ellie begged.

"I will. I'll do everything I can," Harry reassured distractedly as he felt the waiting stares of his teammates. "I have to go to practice now, if that's okay."

Ellie gave a smile of appreciation. "Of course, go ahead. Thank you, Harry."

Harry started to jog off to where the other Gryffindors were assembled.

"And don't tell her I told you this!" Ellie called out.

Harry looked back and gave a nod with a smile. For the first time in a while, Ellie felt the slightest bit of closure. The weight seemed to be partially lifted from her shoulders as Ellie walked off the pitch, nodding to Ginny and Ron on her way out.