The next day, Harry couldn't bring himself to apologize or even speak to Hermione. Her anger and Ron's confusion left him paralyzed. She can hate me, but why tell Sirius? Harry thought, clinging to excuses. Curses were dangerous, not meant for people, but with a monster targeting them—possibly a Medusa or Basilisk—learning curses for defense felt justified.
I have to apologize… but… Resentment held him back. At lunch, Hermione and Ron ate quickly and left, leaving Harry no chance to talk. With no joint Gryffindor classes, Harry, Zabini, Azrael, and Farkas retreated to the Room of Requirement.
"Oi, Harry," Zabini said. "What happened yesterday? Got rejected?"
"Gryffindor's table was glaring," Farkas added. "Even Ron's mad."
"If Harry doesn't want to talk, don't push," Azrael said. "You gave her the thing, right?"
"Yeah," Harry said. "Hermione's carrying the Sneakoscope."
Despite her anger over his dark magic, Hermione kept it for protection—a small relief. If she'd discarded it, Azrael's effort to get it would've been wasted. "You'll see her at Duelling Club," Zabini said. "Apologize then."
"But what if she doesn't forgive me?" Harry asked.
Zabini glared. "So what? You've been eyeing her table all lunch. It's obvious you want to talk. Even if she doesn't forgive you, apologize. Show sincerity through actions."
"I wasn't staring," Harry mumbled. "Gryffindor's table is just across from ours." Slytherin's table, at the Great Hall's left end, naturally faced Gryffindor's.
"Lame excuse," Zabini scoffed. "Don't come crying when she ditches you."
Harry couldn't face a public apology under everyone's eyes after yesterday. "Ease up, Zabini," Azrael said. "With the Sneakoscope, the Heir's less likely to target her. Apologize at the club."
"Let Harry handle it," Farkas added.
Zabini shook his head. "Friends don't wait to fix fights. You mess up, you apologize fast."
"That's true, but…" Harry hesitated. "I'm okay with her anger, but I don't get what she did."
"Then tell us what happened!" Zabini snapped.
Harry froze, unable to confess. Zabini sighed, exasperated. Harry knew Zabini was right but couldn't act. His stubborn pride blocked him from accepting Hermione's stance, a mistake he'd soon regret.
"Enough, Zabini," Azrael said. "Harry, I won't force you, but consider her mental state. Being friends with us—Ron, Luna, Banarge-senpai—is stressful, especially with McGillis's purebloodism."
"We haven't dealt with Karo directly," Harry said, recalling McGillis saving him from Lockhart once.
"It's not about him harming us," Azrael explained. "His beliefs make others uncomfortable, and their hate spills onto us and Hermione for associating with us."
"So, distancing from us is right for their comfort?" Harry asked.
"That's not it!" Zabini snapped. "That's what the Heir wants!"
"No," Azrael said firmly. "Don't burden her unnecessarily. For her safety and to lure the Heir, limit contact strategically."
"When did we burden her?" Farkas asked, echoing Harry's thoughts.
"Her patience with our house's Muggle prejudice and purebloodism," Azrael said, shrugging. "Harry, you fought over Muggle-hating, didn't you?"
"No, it's not…" Harry faltered, Azrael's words hitting hard. He hadn't voiced Muggle prejudice, but had Hermione felt it in his dark magic push? Did I hurt her? His chest tightened with unease.
"You don't change your mind easily," Azrael continued. "Hermione's the same, so clashes are inevitable. Her parents are Muggles—being friends with someone who might judge them is brutal."
Azrael's words forced Harry to face what he'd ignored. "That's… maybe true, but that's not why we fought!" Harry protested.
"Seriously?" Azrael gaped, then fumed. "Then why fight now? With two Muggle-borns targeted after clashing with you? Do you want Hermione targeted?"
Azrael's worry for Hermione was genuine. He blamed Harry's recklessness. "Nobody fights on purpose!" Harry shot back. "I said things to protect her!"
"Stop!" Zabini intervened. "Don't lose it, Bloom! Harry, don't get emotional. We're all on edge—breathe." Why am I mediating? I'm the delinquent, Zabini thought.
Harry apologized to Azrael, reflecting. Did I listen to Hermione? Did I check how she felt? He realized he'd forced his ideas, ignoring her perspective, just as Azrael said.
"You're right," Harry admitted. "I pushed my way, not thinking about her feelings."
"I want to talk now, but she might not listen…"
Azrael softened. "Here's the thing. Hermione sent me this." He held a note, sent via Transfiguration during class. "She's using this. She thinks the Heir will target her because of your fight."
"That's bad…" Harry said.
"She's cozying up to Lockhart to research Medusa or Basilisk in the library," Azrael said. "She'll talk when she's ready with countermeasures. It's her bet."
"Will that work?" Zabini asked. "She could be targeted now!"
"It's not about working," Azrael said. "It's her only option for safety."
The note read: I'll inform Harry by letter once I have answers. Let's catch the Heir and end this. I'm truly angry at Harry. "She won't meet us until then," Azrael said, kicking a chair. "If you keep your pride now, Harry, I'll hex you! Apologize from your heart!"
Hermione skipped Duelling Club, telling Banarge she was researching in the library, as Azrael's note predicted. "Harry, what did you do to her?" Ron demanded, furious. "I won't let this slide."
Harry felt Ron's anger like a betrayal. Hermione's note asked to keep Ron in the dark, believing his genuine anger would fool the Heir. "I just gave her a Sneakoscope," Harry said, using Occlumency to hide his guilt. He wanted to confess about the curses, but couldn't.
"You can't tell me?" Ron snapped. "Keeping secrets from friends again?"
"Friends don't share everything," Harry retorted, mimicking Azrael and Draco's taunts. "Didn't know you cared so much, Ron."
With Banarge absent for exams, the club's tension spiked. "Fighting's not good…" Luna said nervously.
"Luna, duel me," Farkas offered. "They need to talk."
Luna glanced at Harry, wanting to say something, but left for the dueling floor. Harry threw a duel with Ron, letting slugs cover him, but it didn't ease his guilt. That night, he wrote and discarded apology letters to Hermione, knowing they wouldn't mend things.
The next morning, a Howler from Sirius arrived, heard by all. "I told you to cherish friends, you fool!" Sirius roared.
His words were a lifeline. Clutching his wand, Harry waited for Hermione's letter.
That noon, Hermione Granger and Ravenclaw prefect Penelope Clearwater were found petrified in a girls' bathroom. That afternoon, Harry, dazed, sat by Hermione's bedside in the hospital wing, speaking to her silent form.
"Sirius, Ron, Azrael… you were right," he said. Hermione's frozen, terrified eyes stared back, unanswering. The Sneakoscope and curses hadn't saved her. "I was such a fool… I'm sorry, Hermione…"
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