11 Hermione's Confrontation with Minerva

Minerva made her way to Gryffindor tower where she immediately went and checked to see if Harry was in his bed. When she saw he wasn't there, she didn't immediately panic as he was rarely there anymore. She knew this fro the times she had tried to catch him and take him to the headmaster. Not really concerned about it at the moment, she made her way to the girls dorm were she found Hermione lying in her bed crying.

She sat down on the edge and asked "What's the matter child?"

Hermione looked up at her and said between sobs "Don't you see? Don't you see how much we've hurt him? Harry would never have left me like that before no matter how bad he felt. He was a true friend and if I hadn't been so stupid, I think we would have been more than that this year. After saving Sirius last year, something changed between us and I know he felt it too. And what did I do, I threw all that away just to please other people. I walked away from possibly the only boy who could love me just like I am. Where does that leave me? When can I be happy?"

"Calm down child, I'm sure everything will work out soon. You know Mr. Potter; he gets angry and then gets over it. I'll admit that this has lasted longer than normal but he usually comes back in the end."

She sniffed. "I don't think that's going to happen this time. We broke his trust and friendship and after the life he's had with his relatives, we won't get it back anytime soon if at all. You heard him in the tent."

"What do you mean about his life with his relatives?"

"As experienced as you are and you can't see it? My parents are trained to spot abuse and taught me to recognize it. They've barely been around him and they spotted it right away. His relatives beat him, starve him, and treat him like the dirt beneath their feet. Our Boy-Who-Lived has been abused all his life and no one in the magical world seems to care one bit."

"I knew they weren't the best sort but Albus said they were taking good care of Harry."

"You never checked on the son of two of your self proclaimed favorite students?"

"No, Albus said he was taking care of it and that Harry was fine. I…I didn't know it was like that."

Hermione looked at her in astonishment. "How could you, Madam Pomfrey, and the rest of the staff miss all the signs? You saw him when he first came to school. You saw him every time he returned for the summer. Did you ever notice him flinch whenever someone touched him? The first time I hugged him, it scared him to death. I think it was the first hug he ever had. It was obvious to me. My parents only saw him at the platform and recognized it so why couldn't someone who was supposed to look after him here at school ever see it?"

Minerva hung her head down in shame. Hermione finally said "I did what you said and stayed loyal to the house even against the demands of my own heart and look what it has cost me. It won't happen again! I will never accept the advice or suggestions of anyone if it goes against my own conscience. However, I do intend to spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to Harry and become his friend again. Whether he accepts me or not, I will never betray him again even if it costs me my own life. And I promise you that if he leaves this school, my parents will have me out of here faster than you can blink."

"But, what about the rest of your friends?"

"What friends? Ron? If you call being degraded every day a healthy friendship then I need to rethink my definition. I hung around with Ron because no one else wanted me around them. I've lost the only friend that mattered Professor, thanks to you and that weasel. If I could do it, I would change houses even though I'm sure I wouldn't qualify for Hufflepuff at this point."

Minerva gasped in shock but before she could say anything, Hermione said "Professor, I would prefer to be alone. Since you helped get me into this mess, I would appreciate it if you stayed out of my personal life from now on. If I need someone to talk to, I'll seek out Professor Snape. I think he would be an improvement over how I've been guided so far."

Minerva looked as if she had been slapped and got up and silently left the room. After her confrontation with Hermione, not finding Harry was the furthest thing from her mind as she thought about how badly she had failed some of the members of her house. She completely forgot about the Yule Ball and went to her office where she pulled out a bottle of single malt whiskey to calm her nerves.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that before she knew it, she heard the sounds of the students returning from the ball and back to the dorm. She sat in her dark office thinking about a young man who meant so much to her despite how she had been forced to act towards him. She was almost to the point where she had decided that no job was worth what she was being told to do when a knock was heard at the door. She knew Albus' knock and cast a spell to hide her presence from him as he was the last person she wanted to talk to as he always managed to convince her to go against her heart and her convictions.

****

As they were dancing, Cedric leaned over as Cho whispered in his ear. "Is Harry going to be okay? I always thought he was sweet but he changed a lot this year when everyone turned on him. (Cedric looked at her in shock.) I know you two are friends. It's not too hard to figure out when you're the only person he even speaks to anymore."

Cedric sighed and whispered back "I hope he will. He's had it rough and I want to help him."

She smiled up at him "Then that's what you should do. I'll try not to be a jealous girlfriend as long as you make some time for me but I'm really worried about him and he needs someone to look after him. Just tell him…tell him I'm sorry. I know better than to listen to rumors and gossip. My parents taught me better than that and I feel I owe him an apology."

He smiled "I will. I'm sure he will appreciate it even if he doesn't act on it right now. Um…would you mind if I danced with Meg for a couple of songs. I promised her I would."

She smiled back. "Go dance with your adopted sister. I'll just go and talk to some friends while you do. Find me when you're done?"

"I wouldn't dream of doing anything else. Thank you for understanding. It'll mean a lot to Meg."

She kissed his cheek and walked off towards some of her friends as he sought out Megan. When he approached Megan and Ernie, he held out his hand to her and said "Ernie, would you mind if I stole Meg for a few minutes?"

"Not at all. I think I will just go get us a couple of butterbeers. She's being pouty for some reason so hopefully you can dance her blues away."

He led her to the dance floor and he pulled her into his arms as they started to dance. Before he could say anything, she asked "What was all that and where did Harry go?"

He laughed "Impatient are we? Let's do things in order. I don't want to make your head swell but Harry said that you took his breath away tonight."

She looked at him with wide eyes with a small tear shining in the corner. He smiled down at her. "He was right; you look more beautiful than ever."

She slapped his arm playfully and said "You're just saying that because you're obligated too."

He smirked "True but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off you and even said he couldn't stand to watch you in someone else's arms."

Her eyes grew wide. "He didn't! Why would he act like that? We haven't even kissed."

...

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