Chapter 12 Why So Sad?
As Ron continued to aim his sword at Harry’s heart, the entire class sat frozen, afraid to make any kind of noise that would distract him. Ginny and Hermione sat helplessly in their seats, watching them with their tear-filled eyes, not knowing what to do.
“Stab his heart!” Aria, walking closer to Ron, demanded again.
Staring coldly at Harry, Ron could vividly remember Hermione caressing Harry’s face and then lying to him about it by insisting that she was only helping him put on his glasses. He could hear the echo of her laughter and calling him stupid for believing in the flower exercise in front of the whole class. Glaring at Harry, he wondered why he was always forever destined to be the shadow behind his attention and fame.
“You’re a two-faced liar,” Ron growled, narrowing his eyes in disgust by what was in front of his eyes. He could feel the sword yearning to pounce forward as jealousy was ravaging him.
Suddenly, he spotted a much younger Harry sitting beside him in the Hogwarts train. They were sharing his food and teaming up against Malfoy. Then there was the time they played real-life chess and he sacrificed himself to help Harry reach the Philosopher’s Stone. He remembered not too long ago when they crashed the car and hit the Whomping Willow, and Harry saving his sister and how Harry was an orphan… The sword suddenly became heavier and heavier, so heavy it fell out of his hand and crashed to the floor.
As everyone breathed a sigh of relief, both Harry and Ron took a big backward step away from each other, panting very hard.
“Everyone can see how the enchanted sword did not allow Mr. Weasley to stab him in the heart? It’s because it read his mind and knew that he was pointing it at his best friend,” Aria said proudly. “Now, I want everyone to turn to chapter four and read more about the power of friendships and the mind.”
Harry and Ron were still frozen, staring blankly at each other in disbelief. Aria guided them back to their seats.
“What just happened?” Ron muttered to Harry, trying to slow his breath. It was the first words he said to him since these past two weeks.
Harry shook his head, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead. “But you definitely scared the daylights out of me,” he whispered as he sat down. He noticed Ron flash a slight grin.
“About the flower exercise in our previous lesson, I can assure you that your friend was not thinking of Miss Granger during the exercise,” Aria turned to Ron and said softly.
Ron stared at Aria with a dazed look. After a pause, he mumbled, “Who was Harry thinking of?”
“Hmm…It…doesn’t matter…” Aria stuttered as she glimpsed awkwardly at Ginny. “But I am definitely sure that it wasn’t Miss Granger he was thinking of. So you should not be upset with him or with Miss Granger.”
Ron smirked hesitantly at Harry’s direction. Meanwhile, Ginny smiled deeply, seeing the way Aria glanced at her after what she had just said.
“I also want to add that I lied about the sword having the enchanting powers. The fact is there is no such thing.”
The chins on the four of them fell to their desks in shock. All four of them were speechless.
Aria kneeled in front of their desk and turned to Ron, “I know at one point you were so angry while you had the sword that for a very brief moment you really wanted to hurt him. But you stopped yourself because your friend means a lot to you. Am I correct?”
“I thought the sword stopped me from striking Harry,” Ron muttered.
“No, the sword didn’t stop you because it possesses no enchanting powers. It was you who stopped yourself from hurting your best friend. In fact, you didn’t even try to push your sword forward because you will never take the risk of injuring your friend under any circumstances, even with the fact that you believed the sword had the magical powers to stop you from hurting him.”
Aria turned to Harry, “You could have made a run for it, but you chose to stand still and let your friend point his sword at your heart. You even closed your eyes. Do you know why?”
Harry shook his head.
“It’s because you trust your friend very much. You trust him so much that you were absolutely positive that he is not going to hurt you. He never has, and he never will, because in your heart, he is always going to be your best friend.”
Harry glanced at Ron sheepishly.
“Professor, you didn’t have to go that dramatic just to get them talking again. This is serious. Ron could have hurt Harry badly,” Hermione complained, shaking her head.
“Dramatic? I like your choice of words to describe my lesson this time. At least you didn’t say that it was stupid like my previous lesson,” Aria smiled. Hermione quickly blushed.
“Actually, Hermione, I agree with you. This demonstration was stupid. But I want to show them that it is not worth it to lose a best friend over such a stupid misunderstanding.”
“Professor Hannibal, but you just told the entire class that such a magical sword exists even though it doesn’t?” Ginny asked.
“It doesn’t matter, Ginny,” Aria laughed. “This will be my final class at Hogwarts. After this class, I’m going to the Headmaster to submit my resignation. It is no longer my concern if parents send in letters complaining that the crazy Hogwarts telepath has been teaching lies to their kids…
“I did this exercise with you to correct an error on my part. I felt bad about what happened in the previous lesson and for that I am sorry. It’s the least I could do.”
“Why are you resigning?” Hermione blurted out worriedly.
“I hope it’s not because of the hate mail. Hagrid gets them all the time and he’s still here,” Ginny added.
Aria gave Harry a quick glimpse and stuttered, “I…have my…reasons…Ginny.”
“Please don’t go,” Ginny pleaded. “Professor Dumbledore, Hagrid, and the four of us will support you.”
“I want you to know that it makes me feel very good that I have your support,” Aria reached for Ginny’s hand. “But I’m afraid that my staying here may do more harm than good.”
All four of them gazed silently at Aria. Except for Harry, the three of them were wondering what she meant by her doing more harm than good. Aria simply smiled back at them. Suddenly, they heard the sound of the classroom door being closed. When they turned around to look, they noticed the entire room was empty except for the five of them.
With her smile fainting away, Aria got up and said solemnly, “I believe the school day is over for today.”
The four of them got up and walked toward the door. Before they exited, they turned back and gave Aria one last farewell look.
“I hope to see you soon,” Aria waved them goodbye. They left and closed the door.
After contemplating for a few minutes, she packed up her belongings, picked up the sword from the floor, and marched wearily to the door. On her way, Aria spotted her reflection from the mirror beside the door. When she examined her reflection closely, she could see a beautiful woman was gazing and smiling back at her. The beautiful woman resembled her but Aria refused to believe that the beautiful woman could possibly be her. It was because deep inside, she was aching in pain, alone, and drowning in tears over her feelings for Harry. When Aria gently wiped the corner of her eye, the beautiful woman proceeded to brush her cheek too.
“Why so sad?” the beautiful woman asked.
“It’s over,” Aria muttered to the beautiful woman as she pulled despairingly away from the mirror.
She smiled faintly as she admired the empty classroom one last time. Clutching her belongings, she paused to gaze at the spot where she had placed the cookies she made for Harry that night, and how she hopelessly threw them all on the floor when he rejected her. Sighing deeply, she slowly turned to the entrance and opened the classroom door. A ray of light from the afternoon sun shone on her face and she noticed a pair of feet was standing across the hall. Someone was waiting for her. It was Harry.
When I See Only You by gossipweaver
Chapter Notes: Harry did promise that he was going to be her friend. Can he fulfill his promise without betraying Ginny?