"Harry, Harry!"
In the dark and ruinous tunnel, Hermione frantically chased after Harry, but as it turned out, even after training, there was still a bit of a gap between them in terms of athletic talent. No matter how hard she tried, the distance between her and Harry kept growing larger.
"Stop, Harry!"
Seeing the path under their feet begin to curve, Hermione knew they were almost at Hogwarts, and she anxiously shouted and a bit of regret crept into her heart.
On the one hand, she regretted a little that she should not have told Harry that Professor Braine does not intend to hold him responsible for hurting Fleur, because he asked them to go to his office for punishment after school -which relieved Harry of the worries.
On the other hand, she was also regretting that she had not told Harry about Ron's feelings during this time, and this was probably the root cause of Harry's anger. He felt betrayed, and this betrayal was not only from Ron; Hermione clearly sensed everything, yet said nothing to him, which was also a bad thing.
"Listen to me, Harry!"
Hermione anxiously shouted, her voice already trembling with emotion.
Of course, Harry did not fail to hear Hermione calling his name again, and he also noticed the entreaty in her tone. However, right now, there was a blazing fire in his chest that made him feel intensely hot. He had to run with all his might to feel less discomfort.
He ran through the dark and dimly lit tunnel, and in front of him, memories of the past few years flashed by. He thought of his time at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione, from their first meeting on the Hogwarts Express to today. They had saved the Philosopher's Stone together, investigated the Snake Venomous Fang together, and chased after the innocent Sirius Black in the Forbidden Forest.
He flew to Hogwarts with Ron in Mr. Weasley's car, and captured Peter with Hermione using the Time-Turner.
They had experienced so many wonderful adventures together, and Harry had always believed that their friendship would remain strong, like the one between Sirius Black, Remus, and his parents. Now, however, Sirius was using Peter's example to imply that Harry could no longer tell if he was feeling anger or fear. He just wanted... he just wanted to find Ron immediately and punch him right in the freckled nose!
Ugh!
The sudden burst of bright light that flashed before Harry's eyes made him dizzy. He staggered for a few seconds in his place, and during this time, Hermione finally caught up with him. She jumped down from the hunched witch's back, her hair tangled and her eyes marked with two clear tear tracks.
Harry was lunging towards the corridor window, squinting down at the field below. Hermione gasped for breath, then rushed over and grabbed Harry's robe with both hands, but Harry, already determined to confirm something, forcefully took back his robe and prepared to run down.
"What do you want to do, Harry!"
Hermione spread her arms to block his way.
Harry had never imagined himself speaking to Hermione in such a tone, but he still said it awkwardly,
"Move aside, Hermione, I have to go down and find Ron Weasley, and punch his nose with my fists. If possible, I also want to open his head and see how many absurd ideas there are in his silly little head!"
"Don't do this, Harry!"
Hermione pleaded,
"Sirius Black just wants you to talk to him properly--"
"I will talk to him!" Harry shouted, "But only when his nose is as flat as Fleur Delacour's! Otherwise, I'm afraid he won't be clear-headed!"
Harry's determination to leave was something Hermione couldn't stop. A fierce chase ensued within the castle. In front of the surprised gazes of many, Harry rushed down the stairs from the castle like a wind, jumping down two steps from the marble steps in front of the entrance hall and charging towards the field.
Ron, Seamus, and Dean were on the field to keep watch. Harry was riding his Firebolt, while Seamus and Dean using the Razor Charm series were completely outpaced by him. They looked extremely enthusiastic and even the misty rain did not dampen their joy of playing.
"Get down!"
The sight of this only further inflamed Harry's anger. He pulled out his wand and shot a brilliant red light into the sky, shouting loudly.
"Come down, Weasley!"
The sudden commotion interrupted the rhythm of Ron, Seamus and Dean, almost causing them to collide in the air. Then, they discovered Harry on the ground, yelling at them. After staring at each other in confusion for a moment, Ron controlled the Firebolt and slowly descended to the ground.
"What's the matter?"
Ron glanced at Seamus and Dean, who were landing behind him, then looked at Harry and Hermione, who had rushed over with a worried expression, and asked in puzzlement.
Harry didn't say anything, but instead looked at Seamus and Dean. They could easily see that Harry was angry now, especially that Hermione was secretly signaling them to leave as quickly as possible.
"We forgot to have lunch--"
Dean slapped his forehead and said quickly, giving Seamus a glance before the two of them took off running.
"What's going on?"
Ron furrowed his brow and said confusedly. He was looking at Hermione, who was lowering her head, as he felt a bit hesitant to face Harry's current gaze.
To be honest, seeing Ron there, Harry was a bit at a loss for words. Of course, he hadn't actually started anything, though he really did want to throw a punch at Ron's nose.
"You didn't go see Sirius Black?"
Having no clue from Hermione, Ron turned towards Harry. A hint of awkwardness flashed through his eyes as he quickly glanced at Harry's eyes before hastily looking away.
"Yeah!"
"Harry nodded repeatedly, gasping as he spoke, "It's true. I've seen him. He was here. And he was angry."
"It's all thanks to him that I finally figured out some things. For example, you've always wanted a scar on your forehead as well!"
"Harry, don't be like that--"
Hermione poked Harry's waist and tightened her lips. Tears were swirling in her eyes.
And Ron's face turned pale instantly, his pupils constricting, with fear starting to ooze out from the center of the swaying lights in his eyes.
Harry felt a twinge of sympathy for him, but at the same time, a sense of satisfaction washed over him. To be honest, he hadn't been feeling so great lately. Hermione had been chosen as a competitor for the Quidditch Cup, and many people were convinced that this wasn't just a prank - it was a carefully planned conspiracy. Harry had been worried about this for a while now, but Ron... he had thought that Ron should be as worried as he was, if not more so. But the reality was completely different from what he had expected!
"Don't understand?"
Harry's fists clenched, and he stared at Ron intensely.
"How do you think Hermione became a competitor for the Quidditch Cup?"
Hermione's lower lip was turning slightly blue, she held herself and turned her face away from Harry and Ron, not wanting them to see her crying.
If Ron's face could be described as pale before, now it was deathly pale, without a trace of color. He looked at the Firebolt arrow in his hand that belonged to Harry, and if he could, he would even want to ride it away from Harry and Hermione!
"What's wrong, can't you talk anymore?"
Harry panted, speaking with a tone of triumphant anger,
"Perhaps, you have finally realized that you're a fool and an idiot, aren't you?"
"I am not a fool!"
Ron suddenly raised his head, no longer avoiding Harry's gaze, shouting angrily,
"And I am not an idiot either!"
(End of chapter)
