Author's Note: Since this is mostly from Ron's POV, any mention of Voldemort in the narration will be "You-Know-Who".
HARRY'S PROBLEM
Ron, Harry and Hermione were walking down the hallways of Hogwarts. Ron had just told a mean joke about Slytherins and Hermione wasn't laughing.
"Slytherins are people too." she said.
"They are?" Ron remarked. She ignored him.
"Harry, you have more important things to worry about than Slytherins." she said darkly. They all knew (as should you, reader, because if you don't stop reading this and read the books!!) what she was referring to. At the end of the school year just last summer, You-Know-Who had returned.
At the moment the three were walking to their fifth-year Potions exam.
**
In the classroom, Snape announced that (to groans from every student) that they would be taking their exams in pairs, with Slytherins and Gryffindors working together. As always, wishing Harry only the worst, Snape paired Harry and Malfoy for the assignment and sent them to work in the back row of the classroom.
A Slytherin in their class had recently been suspended, so Ron was left without a partner. Snape had Ron set up his cauldron next his desk "So I can keep and eye on you". Ron didn't mind because it meant that he could keep and eye on Harry without having to turn around to look at him.
His best friend had been a bit scatter-brained and listless lately. He always had a faraway look in his eyes and often mumbled to himself. Last night, when he heard Harry crying in his bed, Ron remembered that Thursday would be the one-year anniversary of the third task, among other things, including Cedric's death and You-Know-Who's arising. Today was Wednesday.
I'll put it this way: Malfoy was not helping. Ron could see him sneering at Harry, and Harry's hands were shaking so bad, the dragon liver he was cutting came out all the wrong size and shape. Malfoy probably thinks he's what's making Harry mess up, Ron thought, he's probably feeling very highly of himself. Harry was so tense he even knocked the cauldron over. It didn't get Malfoy: he jumped up on his stool. It didn't get anybody else: they did too. But it splashed all over Harry. His skin turned hot pink with bright yellow splotches.
"Weasley!" Snape snapped at Ron, "Take Potter to the Hospital Wing." Ron walked over to Harry and the two of them hobbled out of the room, Ron almost completely supporting Harry, who was at the end of his rope.
**
"Think Ron," Harry said smiling, two minutes later. Ron grinned.
"If you listen to Hermione," he said, "that hurts for me!"
"We're not even at the end of our adventure and you're practically carrying me to some destination of safety or comfort."
"What?"
"What what?"
"What do you mean 'our adventure'?"
"Well, you know, Hogwarts." Ron still didn't seem to get it, so Harry sighed and continued. "We're not going to be at Hogwarts the rest of our lives, you know. Seven years is a good slice, yeah, but that's the adventure. When these seven years are over, the world will go back to the way it was before, except we'll be older and, hopefully, wiser. Right now, we're just being prepared for our lives as adult wizards. When we leave, we'll start lives, and the adventure is over. We settle in to how we will spend the rest of our lives. But since our adventure is more adventurous than most, before our adventure is over, we may change the rest of the world too."
~**~
Sooo... wha'd'ja think? No, don't say it aloud, silly, write a review!
Rosebud
HARRY'S PROBLEM
Ron, Harry and Hermione were walking down the hallways of Hogwarts. Ron had just told a mean joke about Slytherins and Hermione wasn't laughing.
"Slytherins are people too." she said.
"They are?" Ron remarked. She ignored him.
"Harry, you have more important things to worry about than Slytherins." she said darkly. They all knew (as should you, reader, because if you don't stop reading this and read the books!!) what she was referring to. At the end of the school year just last summer, You-Know-Who had returned.
At the moment the three were walking to their fifth-year Potions exam.
**
In the classroom, Snape announced that (to groans from every student) that they would be taking their exams in pairs, with Slytherins and Gryffindors working together. As always, wishing Harry only the worst, Snape paired Harry and Malfoy for the assignment and sent them to work in the back row of the classroom.
A Slytherin in their class had recently been suspended, so Ron was left without a partner. Snape had Ron set up his cauldron next his desk "So I can keep and eye on you". Ron didn't mind because it meant that he could keep and eye on Harry without having to turn around to look at him.
His best friend had been a bit scatter-brained and listless lately. He always had a faraway look in his eyes and often mumbled to himself. Last night, when he heard Harry crying in his bed, Ron remembered that Thursday would be the one-year anniversary of the third task, among other things, including Cedric's death and You-Know-Who's arising. Today was Wednesday.
I'll put it this way: Malfoy was not helping. Ron could see him sneering at Harry, and Harry's hands were shaking so bad, the dragon liver he was cutting came out all the wrong size and shape. Malfoy probably thinks he's what's making Harry mess up, Ron thought, he's probably feeling very highly of himself. Harry was so tense he even knocked the cauldron over. It didn't get Malfoy: he jumped up on his stool. It didn't get anybody else: they did too. But it splashed all over Harry. His skin turned hot pink with bright yellow splotches.
"Weasley!" Snape snapped at Ron, "Take Potter to the Hospital Wing." Ron walked over to Harry and the two of them hobbled out of the room, Ron almost completely supporting Harry, who was at the end of his rope.
**
"Think Ron," Harry said smiling, two minutes later. Ron grinned.
"If you listen to Hermione," he said, "that hurts for me!"
"We're not even at the end of our adventure and you're practically carrying me to some destination of safety or comfort."
"What?"
"What what?"
"What do you mean 'our adventure'?"
"Well, you know, Hogwarts." Ron still didn't seem to get it, so Harry sighed and continued. "We're not going to be at Hogwarts the rest of our lives, you know. Seven years is a good slice, yeah, but that's the adventure. When these seven years are over, the world will go back to the way it was before, except we'll be older and, hopefully, wiser. Right now, we're just being prepared for our lives as adult wizards. When we leave, we'll start lives, and the adventure is over. We settle in to how we will spend the rest of our lives. But since our adventure is more adventurous than most, before our adventure is over, we may change the rest of the world too."
~**~
Sooo... wha'd'ja think? No, don't say it aloud, silly, write a review!
Rosebud