Disclaimer: I don't own or claim to own any of the concepts, characters or story development of the Harry Potter series. Besides, this is just fanfiction and meant for fun.

Timeline: During Order of the Phoenix, Ron and Hermione are at headquarters before Harry arrives.

A/N: This story is dedicated to the brilliantly talented ShinySilverGrl who challenged me to write a Harry Potter fic, only took me a while to come up with the concept. Also, as this is my first Harry Potter fan fic, just keep that in mind as you read it. Reviews are always welcomed.

Harry Potter: Obvious Subtleties

Hermione straightened her bent form and stretched the building kink in her back as she wiped the forming sweat that moistened her brow with the back of her hand. When she had received the owl from Ron informing her of the new location for the headquarters, she was more than thrilled to know she would be doing her own small part to help the movement against the Dark Lord as well as keeping her friends safe. However, as she stooped once again to pick up the pail of discarded pixies, she realized cleaning duty was not the contribution she had expected to donate.

At least she was permitted to clean with at least one of her friends, while the other was absent. However, the silence from the red-haired young man caused her to turn her attention towards him. It was his silence that brought her to the realization that something was troubling his young mind, but it was his posture that drove it home. Leaning against the windowsill with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes gazed into distant nowhere, as if searching the world beyond his view.

"Ron?" The bushy-haired teen said, interrupting his thoughts and drawing his attention to her. "I asked if you thought Harry would be mad, that we're here while he's stuck at his Aunt and Uncle's house?"

"Oh," the young man replied, confessing he had not heard the question when first posed to him. "Well, I reckon he will be. I can't imagine he's having a good time. You know as well as I do how much he hates it there." Ron responded, pushing his way from the window and walking to where Hermione stood to take the pail from her. "But, at least he's not cleaning this mad house."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the statement and merely smirked as she followed the tall teen from the room. "So, what were you thinking about so hard, staring out the window like that?"

Turning his head slightly to address the young woman, Ron shrugged one shoulder and answered, "What do you say 'Mione, fancy a game of chess?"

Gaping unbelievingly at her friend, she tried desperately to form an answer at his obvious dodging of the question. "We're supposed to clean the third floor study next," she said, her words bordering between disbelief at his irresponsibility and indignation at his changing of the subject.

"Come on, we deserve a break. I mean, this is supposed to be summer break, but we've been cleaning like mad since we got here," he said, turning to face her as he set the pail next to the others waiting for disposal. "Besides, its not like those critters are going anywhere. We'll get to them when we're done."

Biting her lip in nervous thought as she surveyed the length of the hallway, Hermione again found herself brought into the world of her two best friends, the place that took her into the realm of open defiance against the structured, ordered existence she had so long inhabited. Staring almost amusedly into the expecting face of her friend, the young woman gave a sigh of defeat before nodding her head. "Okay, but if your mom catches us, it was your idea."

"No problem, she knows I'd be the one to convince you to break off the job anyway."

The two walked in relative silence as they made their way to the flight of stairs before entering the room Ron slept in. As Hermione sat on the bed, she watched as Ron gathered the chessboard and began positioning the pieces. "So," she said, breaking the silence. "Are you going to tell me what you were thinking so hard about back in the parlor when you were staring out the window like that?"

"Huh?" Ron said, his attention drawn from the board a moment as he stared at Hermione. Despite the great efforts to keep from rolling her eyes, she could not help but realize how dense the red head could be some times.

"Back in the parlor…with the pixies?" Hermione said, trying to refresh the young man's memory.

"Oh, I remember when you were talking about, I just thought that was a dining room," he responded, returning his attention to the board and thinking about how best to phrase the thought. "Well, I guess I just thinking about…you know, everything that's going on out there. It seems like none of this is really happening, but it is. I guess if I was out there doing it then it'd feel more real, but…"

The young woman watched as he fell silent, waiting for him to continue, but chose to press the issue when that continuance seemed to be in question. "But?"

Shrugging his shoulders as he placed the last piece on the board, Ron averted his gaze from his friend from the young woman. "You go first."

"But…" Hermione continued, moving her pawn two places and addressing her friend, "you're afraid to be out there doing it…"

With his ears turning flaming red at the statement Hermione pinned down, he turned his attention to the pealing paint that decorated the far wall. "Well…not exactly…I mean…well, it's not that…"

"Ron," the young woman interrupted, placing a hand over his and squeezing gently in a show of support. "I understand completely." When he still refused to face her, she imagined most of what he was thinking, and smiling to herself as she recognized those thoughts as the very ones going through her own mind. "It doesn't make you a coward Ron. I'm scared too, about what's going on out there. About wondering whether or not we'll be able to stop him before he rises to power. Whether or not we'll have to fight him. Whether or not we'll even…"

Unable to bring herself to the final confession of her own fears, Hermione found the game a good distraction from what she couldn't bring herself to think about. As a Muggle-born, her life was perhaps in more danger than the others in Voldemort's war of cleansing. That was the thought that paralyzed her whenever it crept into her mind. "It's your move," she said, bringing their attention back to the game.

The silence that fell between them however, seemed to strain them more than the discussing of their fears, so again, Hermione took it upon herself to ease the situation. "You know Ron," she said, moving her knight into position. "I don't think I understand your fascination with this game. I mean…its not like I don't like playing it, its just, well…I guess I'm just wondering why you like it so much."

A brief chuckle escaped Ron's lips as he instructed his Bishop to move, effectively putting Hermione in check. "Well, when you have five brothers who seem to excel at something. I mean Bill was head boy, so he's really smart, but he's also a strong leader. Charlie was captain of the Quidditch Team. Percy, though he's a git, is still brilliant, and Fred and George are really smart in their inventions. For me, this is the only thing I'm really good at.

"No, really," Ron said in response to the look Hermione gave him. "Besides, I think Chess is a blueprint for life."

At this, the young woman's expression changed from chiding to confusion. "Okay, I don't understand that reasoning, Care to fill me in?"

"Well, look at it this way," the red head said as he moved his knight to put Hermione in check once more. "Of all the possibilities that life can give you, it's always best to expect the unexpected. Chess isn't about simply moving the pieces; it's about planning your strategy three or four moves ahead. Like this," he said, moving his Rook to take her Queen. "See, I lured you into that move. It's the little subtleties in life that prepare you for the future. You just have to know how to interpret the not so obvious and act on it."

Smiling gently as she took the Queen from the board, Hermione couldn't help but find the flaw in his logic. "If that were the case Ron, then you'd never be taken by surprise by anything," she said, moving her knight to take his Rook and place him in check. "You'd know how people would react and you'd be able to respond to that in a calm and collected manner. Maybe I do overlook the subtleties from time to time, but I don't discount them all together. And of all the things you are, Ronald Weasley, calm and collected are not two words I'd use to describe you."

Smiling smugly as he took her Knight and placed her checkmate, Ron turned his eyes back to her. "Well, I never said I was good at incorporating my Chess theory in real life, but I'm working on it. I mean, look at us. You're the cleverest student in our year, Harry is mad good at Defense against the Dark Arts and really powerful at magic, I have to be good at something, otherwise I'd just feel like I'm taking up space."

"You shouldn't sell yourself short Ron, you're really good at magic and much smarter than you give yourself credit for."

"Come on 'Mione, you know as well as I do that I'd have flunked out of school by now if not for your help. And when it comes to magic, I don't think there's a student at Hogwarts that could touch Harry. Well…at least in Defense against the Dark Arts. I think you have in beat in Potions, and Transfiguration, and Charms and…well, just about every other subject. Anyway, the point is, you've got your strengths, Harry has his. I just think I need to find my own."

Hermione tilted her head in silent contemplation, wondering if this had not been more of the troubling thoughts to consume her friend's mind earlier. "You've really put us into categories like that?"

Shrugging his shoulders self-consciously as he picked up the king from the board and fumbled with the figurine in his fingers, the young man turned his eyes back to Hermione. "Well, yeah. I mean, look at it this way. I have five older brothers who've all shown how great they can be. Then there's me, boringly average Ron. I'm no great shakes at magic, despite what you say. I'm not smart, I'm not clever, I'm…"

"A very dear friend and a wonderful person," Hermione interrupted, desperately trying to ignore the heat that worked its way into her cheeks. "But trying so hard Ron, to look at the little things to guide your life can cause you to overlook the obvious. I don't know why you're so hard on yourself, and why you want to compete with your brothers so much, but regardless of what you say, you are a very powerful wizard. I've seen you work magic that, at the best of times can be difficult to achieve. And no matter how dangerous the situation, you've never…not been there.

"And of course," Hermione said, smiling shyly as she reached out to take the King from Ron's hands, allowing her fingers to touch his for a mere moment before pulling the piece from his slackened fingers. "A lot can be missed…by overlooking the obvious."

Fin