"No need, Harry. If I go into a private conversation with my friend, it will only make things worse. We'll figure it out ourselves. I just need to find her."
"I can look in our living room and call you," Harry offered. "You won't be able to come to our dorm."
"Thank you, Harry. If you see Hermione or find out where she is, call me. I'll check in the library."
Richie went up to the library, but Granger wasn't there. As he stood there, wondering where to go next, the tape recorder in his pocket began to ring.
- Hello.
"Richie, it's me, Harry." Hermione didn't return to the common room. But Lavender Brown said she saw Granger crying in the girls' restroom on the second floor, refusing to calm down, begging him to leave her alone.
- Thank you, Harry. You've been a great help.
"Richie, are you coming to dinner? It's supposed to be really festive tonight. I saw Professor Flitwick decorating the Great Hall with enchanted bats and flying pumpkins."
- I'll try. I'll just calm one lady down.
"Are you going to the ladies' room?!" Potter was horrified.
"What's wrong?" Richie asked sarcastically. "Are you worried about my reputation? We're not living in Japan, so I'm unlikely to be called a pervert."
"Um..." Harry said, confused. "That's not what I meant. It's just weird when a boy looks into a girls' restroom."
- Don't worry, I can somehow survive the sight of a crying girl.
After talking with Potter, Richard went down to the second floor. When he reached the women's restroom, he was surprised to find a key in the lock. This struck Richard as suspicious. What could a key do, sticking out of the restroom door?
"Either Filch forgot, or someone decided to make fun of Hermione and lock her in the toilet," Richie thought.
Young Rich tugged at the handle and was surprised to find the door unlocked. He assumed the caretaker must have gone sclerotic since he was forgetting his keys. But just in case, he pocketed the key ring. Maybe they were just pranksters after all...
Hermione Granger stood against the far wall in front of the sink. She turned at the movement of the door and, noticing the visitor, pursed her lips and puffed out her cheeks. Her eyes were red and puffy, as if she'd been crying for a long time.
- Leave!
- Hermione, I don't know what you're thinking, but we need to talk like reasonable people.
- This is a girls' restroom, no place for boys! Go away! I don't want to see you.
"Hermione, don't say that. Frankly, I'm not much of an expert on women's souls, but if I offended you in any way, I offer my sincere apologies."
- Go to your Patil...
Granger's lips trembled and tears threatened to spill from her eyes again.
"What does Patil have to do with this? We're just friends, just like you and I. Hermione, I could understand your resentment if we were seventeen and a couple, but being jealous of a friend's friend is unreasonable. You don't think a person should have just one friend, do you?"
"I had only one friend..." Granger muttered quietly.
"Had? If you're talking about me, then I still consider you a friend. Is it really enough for any girl to throw herself at me to break our friendship? And if it were a decoy, say, a prostitute paid to smear my name, would you do the same?"
- N-no, but Patil is not a prostitute...
"What difference does it make? Padma was just so happy when I promised to give her a tour of the palace, she couldn't contain her emotions and hugged me. Nothing erotic, treacherous, or anything like that."
"Are you offering all the girls a tour of the palace?!" Granger asked in an offended tone.
"No. Only if you're either sweet and upset, like you looked when we first met, or if it brings useful connections with people like the Patils."