Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Finding True Happiness	By : CeliaEquus Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 19445 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I have no claim on the Harry Potter franchise, and am making no money from any of my fan fiction.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Warning: prissy, aren’t I? Swearing in this chapter, too.

“The Days That Follow”

Hermione longed for the Cruciatus Curse. She had felt it before, and knew the hell that it provided; but she also knew that it would be a welcome respite from this… this horrendous ache inside. The ache left by a certain ex-poltergeist.

Honestly, she could have cursed him. Instead, she avoided him. If ever she felt his presence nearby she would go in the opposite direction, making various vague excuses. She even turned up late to class a few times because she had taken a different route to class, or had pretended to return to her room for a book or quill.

Quills. She couldn’t even think about them without thinking of Peeves.

“Damn it!” she said, throwing one down. Professor McGonagall turned around as the rest of the class fell silent. Hermione turned red.

“Miss Granger,” the professor said, “did you really just say that?”

“Uh…” She looked down. That said it all.

“Ten points from Gryffindor, and if it happens again you will receive detention. Understood?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Good.” She turned back to the blackboard and Hermione got on with her work. Her notes were less detailed than usual and her thoughts kept wandering. At best, they were of the argument the morning after; at worst, of their happiest moments together; like the moment they became one.

And now she felt as though she could never be whole again.

“You okay, Hermione?” Harry whispered. She frowned, tilting her head.

“Uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, straightening her parchment unnecessarily, then putting it on an angle again. She glanced up at their professor, twirled her quill and ignored her friend’s funny looks.

It was the Wednesday after… the Thing That Happened. Hermione’s Deflowering. Peeves’ Betrayal.

There she went, thinking his name again.

She sighed, running her hand through her hair. Just like Ginny, she had thrown her virginity away on the wrong person; only this time she was possibly pregnant. Unfortunately she wouldn’t know for a few weeks. At least she hadn’t been showing signs… yet.

Swallowing, she rubbed her chest and completely missed what Professor McGonagall said.

Ducking behind a pillar, Peeves cursed himself for his lingering poltergeist nature. He had to suppress the urge to yell ‘boo!’ at the Slytherin first years getting nearer. But, damn it all, he let them go past uninterrupted.

He shook his head at his folly. He may have changed for Hermione, but now that they were no longer together his resolve could crumble…

And crumble it did.

With a cackle, he burst from his hiding spot and produced a flash of lightning and colour that scared two of the students into running away and the third to wet himself. Peeves twisted his face into a maniacal look and stepped forward. Now the firstie ran for it, and the former poltergeist once again laughed.

Once they were out of sight, however, he slumped back against the wall. He didn’t know whether or not he could leave Hogwarts, but if he could then he would go straight to Ollivander’s for a wand.

Wait a moment. He had the knowledge of centuries of learning. Why go to someone else when he could very easily make his own wand right here?

Well, it would involve going into the Forbidden Forest to obtain some wood, and he would no doubt have trouble acquiring the core; but it might be his only chance. Wandless magic was dandy, and the only way to perform some spells, but it took a bit out of him. Of course, that could have been his new body.

Technically, he was only four and a half days old. Maybe when he reached ten days he could have a celebration?

With whom? he thought bitterly. He swallowed the rising lump in his throat. No one’s ever wanted me around… `cept maybe the Weasley twins, and they… they’re the reason all of this began! And Hermione wanted me around, too…

Bugger! There I go thinking her name again.

He shook his head and went in search of more trouble, determined to put her out of his mind, at least for the time being.

And maybe he would see Dumbledore about getting out of Hogwarts.

“Detention,” Professor Snape said.

“Detention won’t help her,” Professor Sprout said, frowning at him. “She isn’t making trouble deliberately.”

“Her homework has not been up to par and she nearly melted a cauldron yesterday,” he said. “Then Longbottom, of all people, had to rescue her potion! At least he prevented an explosion instead of causing one.” He made a face. “I actually had to award a point to Gryffindor. Of course, I took points away for the almost-accident.” He ended with a smirk.

“Maybe you should speak with her, Albus,” Professor McGonagall said. “She swore in class today, and on Monday she was one of the last to perform the spell correctly.”

“The poor little know-it-all,” the Potions Master sneered. “I am concerned about the safety of my classroom. If she continues to be a liability I will ban her from brewing.”

“Now, let’s not be so drastic,” the headmaster said, raising his hands. “I am sure this is just the stress of NEWTs.”

“Perhaps Minerva should talk to her,” Professor Flitwick said. “She is the Head of Gryffindor, after all, and the deputy-headmistress.”

“If it will help,” she said

“Just wait,” Dumbledore said. “It will all work out in time, I’m sure.”

“Not at the expense of my cauldrons…”

“Quiet, Severus,” Professor Vector said. “This is important.”

“Miss Granger has yet to crack under the stress of exams,” he said. “No doubt she is simply having ‘boy troubles’.”

Dumbledore looked at him. “What makes you say that?”

“Observation. She has been happier lately, more so than I have ever seen her. Just over a week ago she appeared to be anticipating something; and now she has lost all that spirit, most likely through some disappointment.”

“She has lost her spark,” Professor Sinistra said. “So what do we do?”

“Things will sort themselves out,” Dumbledore insisted. “Wait and see.”

The teachers looked at each other, far from satisfied.

The house elves were amazed that Peeves was now human. They eagerly served him all sorts of food, but they all tasted the same to him. His first chance to sample food and he wasn’t in the mood to enjoy it. He wasn’t in the mood to enjoy anything; even scaring students had lost its colour.

“I want to die,” he muttered. Several house elves looked up in alarm and began to protest. He rested his head in one hand. “No, it’s not your fault, so don’t you dare punish yourselves, all right?” He sighed. “It’s me. It’s my fault.”

“We haven’t heard from Peeves in a few days,” the Fat Friar said. He and the Grey Lady had called a meeting of the Hogwarts spirits in the Astronomy Tower. “Have any of you seen him?”

“No,” the Bloody Baron said. “Nor do we wish to. Why are we discussing this?”

“Because he may be planning something bigger than we had imagined when he began to behave strangely,” the Grey Lady replied. “Is that a good enough reason for you?”

“None of that, now,” Nick said. “This is important. And there is also the matter of that stranger.”

“Stranger?”

“A man has been seen about the castle a few times, but then he seems to disappear.”

“What does he look like?” the Baron asked.

“Brown hair, blue eyes, average height, probably in his twenties, thirties at a stretch. I approached the headmaster about it the first time I saw him, but he was very evasive.”

“So it may or may not be part of Peeves’ prank,” the Lady said.

“If it is, the headmaster must be in on it,” the Friar said, floating higher. “And if that is the case, then it cannot be harmful.”

“Dumbledore’s made mistakes before,” the Baron reminded them darkly.

So has he indeed made a mistake? Meh. Who cares?

Review, review, review!
- 15
- 16
- 17
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Finding True Happiness