Chapter 10 Playing With Fire
“I’ll see you in class…I’ll see you in class…” Hermione imitated Aria’s voice mockingly as they went inside the common room. “Gin, what were you doing with HER?”
“Snape was giving me grief earlier but Professor Hannibal bullied him away. He was mad as hell!”
“How? By giving him a rose and making him remove the petals one by one?”
“Hermione, let it go,” Ginny frowned annoyingly. “She’s actually a very nice person. We talked for a while and it felt like I was talking to a friend, not a professor. She’s not like the other teachers. She seemed very sad and depressed though. Something very bad must have happened to her today…”
“She looked like a real mess!” Hermione said suspiciously, trying to not allow herself be convinced by Ginny.
“She was caught in the rain.”
“Her too? Earlier, Harry was soaked to the bone…caught in the rain too…”
“Oh, where is he?”
“In his room. I told him to get dry and change or else he’ll catch a cold…Acting very strange though...He stormed in looking like a complete mess and then he was yelling for you, like he really needed to see you or something.”
“He’s probably looking for his goodnight kiss. That’s all. I guess he’s asleep by now. No point waking him up…”
“Oh, Ginny. You know where Ron is?”
Ginny shook her head and reassured Hermione, “Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s just letting off some steam. You told him off pretty bad in class today, especially when you yelled out to the entire class that he has a love obsession with Professor Hannibal…
“I have to admit I was trying very hard not to burst out laughing at that point,” Ginny giggled. “The idea of a teacher and a student together…what a far-fetched concept… I’m sure he’ll be okay tomorrow. Goodnight.”
With that, Ginny marched upstairs. Hermione stood motionless by herself in the common room, worrying about Ron’s whereabouts and Harry’s bizarre behavior.
“MEN…” she mumbled to herself angrily.
“But Hannibal’s jacket looks so familiar…”
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“Hey, Harry, HARRY!” Ginny called out from the common room downstairs. “Is that you? Aren’t you gonna come down?”
Harry immediately stopped his footsteps, turned around, and slowly tiptoed back upstairs. He couldn’t face Ginny now; he wasn’t ready to see her after what he had done last night.
“Hermione said you were looking for me last night? But I can’t talk now. I’m late for class. I’ll see you later, okay?” Ginny hollered as she hurried away without checking if he was actually there.
Harry looked and felt like a wreck. The whole night he was tossing and turning, overwhelmed with guilt, thinking about the kiss he and Aria shared last night. He hadn’t eaten supper and had only managed to fall asleep at dawn, only to have to wake up for class now. His school robes were untidy; he forgot to shave, and his glasses were broken after Aria ripped them off his face last night.
After hiding for a few more minutes to make sure Ginny had left, he slowly marched downstairs.
“Harry, is Ron still in bed?” Hermione sped over to him, who shook his head mindlessly.
“Look at you! Give me those glasses!” she stared at him disapprovingly as she tore them off his face and fixed them.
Still feeling disoriented, he let out a grunt when Hermione put them back on his face. As she was putting them on him, she could see Ron marching in from the corner of her eye, but he appeared enraged.
“Ron? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I WAS WAITING ALL NIGHT…” she yelled and ran towards him.
“GET AWAY FROM ME!” Ron roared at her as he took a step back, glaring at both Harry and Hermione.
“What’s wrong?” she muttered blankly.
“I guess it’s true! Here you were laughing at me about how stupid I was to believe that stupid game! And the fool of me! I actually wanted to apologize to you! But now here you are…you and Harry…so cozy together…” Ron hissed coldly.
“You’re insane! I was only helping him fix his glasses…there’s nothing going on…”
“Yeah? And he can’t put them on himself?? He can’t use his own hands?” Ron roared as he approached Harry.
Hermione was gasping for air, trying to hold back her tears in shock, “Harry, say something! Ron! NO!!!”
Ron punched Harry across the face. His glasses flew off and he crashed onto the table. He was covering his face and wincing in pain.
“RON!! WHAT THE HECK IS THE MATTER WITH YOU??” Hermione shrieked angrily as she hurried over to Harry.
“RON! THERE’S NOTHING BETWEEN US! You have to listen to me. I wasn’t thinking of Hermione during that game…” Harry pleaded as he covered his face.
“I’ve heard enough! Some friend you are, Harry Potter! Double-crossing my sister and playing me like a damn old fool!” Ron snapped bitterly.
“Ron, WAIT!” Harry called out with his arm outstretched. But he had already stormed out of the common room. “Hermione, forget me! Go after him!”
“NO! Why should I go after him if he can’t even trust me and you?? And after everything the three of us have been through??” she tearfully replied as she helped him to his feet.
Harry flinched when he heard the word ‘trust.’ In his head, the feeling of guilt and betrayal flooded his head as he visualized himself kissing Aria while Ginny was tearfully watching from behind.
“Oh, no! There’s blood on your lip. That wretched Ron! Come on! I’ll take you to Madam Pomfrey. Where did your glasses fly to?” Hermione went to look.
“I should go myself…you know…to avoid more misunderstandings…I’ll be fine…Besides, I don’t want you late for class...”
Hermione wiped her tears off her face as she picked up his glasses and repaired them again, “Since when do I care about what other people think? We have absolutely nothing to hide! Besides, Hannibal cancelled her class today for some reason. She did looked like a mess last night, much like you were. So our schedules got reshuffled and classes will start later…”
Harry gaped at her when she mentioned Aria’s name.
“Come on, don’t just stand there! Hello! Hospital wing??” Hermione snapped her finger at Harry to get his attention as she put the glasses back on his face.
“No, I’ll do it,” he sheepishly grabbed his glasses and put them on.
When they arrived at the hospital wing entrance, they could hear Madam Pomfrey tending to another patient.
“It’s only a head cold. It’s nothing serious. You didn’t have to come all the way down here and see me…Take this juice and you should be fine,” Madam Pomfrey said as she pulled a bottle from her medicine cabinet, in a somewhat annoying tone. She then slammed the cabinet door.
Harry immediately froze when he went inside because he recognized Aria from the back. She was the patient that Madam Pomfrey was tending to. He wanted to run out but Hermione’s hand was gripping his arm and yanking him forward.
“Potter, Miss Granger, what can I do for you?” Madam Pomfrey called out and quickly approached them, holding Aria’s bottle.
Aria immediately turned towards the entrance when she heard Harry’s name. Harry quickly pulled his face down to avoid her eyes.
“How did you get that shiner?” Madam Pomfrey laughed at Harry, still clutching Aria’s bottle, with Aria looking on worriedly.
“Harry, Harry!” Ginny yelled as she stormed into the hospital wing and hurried over to Harry, putting her arm around him. “Oh, here you are! I was looking for you everywhere! I bumped into Ron and he said he punched you in the face! He’s such a jerk! Are you okay?”
Harry didn’t reply. He just wanted to dig a hole and hide because he was fearing for the worst. He was now trapped in the hospital wing with Ginny, Aria, Hermione, and Madam Pomfrey at the same time, all staring at him but for different reasons. The hospital wing suddenly became very stuffy.
Ginny looked up and noticed Aria sitting alone on the hospital bed, “Oh, hello Professor Hannibal. What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”
“Ginny, I just have a head cold…that’s all,” she smiled faintly, finally pulling her eyes away from Harry. Her voice was very hoarse and somber.
“I knew it when you cancelled your class today. You shouldn’t have been walking around in all those wet clothes yesterday. It’s my fault you had to accompany me back to the common room…” Ginny said in a motherly tone.
Harry shivered after hearing what Ginny had just said, given what had happened between him and Aria last night. The idea of Aria walking and talking with his girlfriend could not be more bizarre for him. He maintained his silence because he was trying to be invisible, hoping no one would notice him, until…
“Isn’t Ron Weasley your best friend? And he hit you?” Madam Pomfrey turned her attention to him again, forgetting about Aria’s bottle that was still in her hand. She chuckled sarcastically as she eyed Hermione and Ginny suspiciously, both of whom had either their hand or arm on him now. “I believe there is only one explanation why someone would hit his very best friend. You know, Potter…you’re supposed to be with one girl at a time…”
Harry abruptly pushed Hermione’s hand off him and buried his face with his hands. Dying from embarrassment, he was pretending he was in a lot of pain from the bruise and could not speak.
Before Hermione could respond to Madam Pomfrey’s immature accusations, Aria interrupted; she had seen enough of this circus show now, “My bottle, please? Madam Pomfrey…”
“Oh…almost forgot you are still here…where are my manners…Here you go,” she said coolly and tossed the bottle on the table. “You may go now. Keep the bottle. You don’t have to come back…”
Aria pulled herself out of the bed wearily and picked up the bottle. Her voice was weakening with every word, “Goodbye, Ginny, Miss Granger…
“…Mr. Potter…”
Harry lifted his head and hesitantly glanced at her. She slowly trudged out of the hospital wing as the three of them looked on.
“I don’t know what it is, but something is definitely wrong with Hannibal…” Hermione mumbled to Ginny, her voice containing a dose of sympathy as both girls gave Madam Pomfrey an icy glare.
Harry knew. Aria’s heartbreaking cries and feelings of hurt and loneliness were still lingering inside his mind.
When I See Only You by gossipweaver
Chapter Notes: Unfortunately, someone is going to get burned very soon…