Story takes place one year after GOF, though in a sort of alternative
universe in which both Harry and Cedric Diggory won the Triwizard
Tournament and in which Lord Voldemort never returned (or not yet, who
knows...). In this world, OOTP never took place as such and things went on
such as it should have had: no Umbridge, no deaths, no interdiction to play
Quidditch for Harry, etc... but Ronald DID become goal keeper and prefect,
and Ginny DID have a boyfriend but she still falls for Harry. Hermione kept
contact with Viktor Krum. Oh, no Cho/ Harry (Cedric never died) R/ Hr with
a bit of H/ G.
NOT JUST AN INFATUATION By Elie de Lantreuil (also known as Elais)
Chapter 1: Feel
Ronald Weasley, sixth son of witch Molly and wizard Arthur Weasley was sitting at the foot of the bed of his baby sister Ginny Weasley. Everyone in the Weasley family had bright red hair, though Ginny's was somehow even brighter than the others'.
"Are you sending Harry something for his birthday?" asked Ginny, brushing her hair.
It was a beautiful July morning, the 30th as a matter of fact. The next day would be Ron's best friend Harry Potter 's sixteenth birthday. Harry and Ronald had been best friends since their first journey on the Hogwarts Express, the train taking young witches and wizards to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But Ronald very often thought that though Harry was a great friend, something would be missing, were it not for a third person, his other best friend, and also Harry's other best friend: Hermione Granger. Clever, beautiful, amazing Hermione Granger.
"Earth to Ronald!"
"Sorry, what?"
"What were you thinking about?" Ginny asked.
"Nothing. What did you say?"
Ginny had an inner smile but decided not to tease her brother, for she would regret it, she was sure, when he would tease her back.
"I was asking you whether you are sending Harry something or not."
"Of course I am sending him something, you silly girl, he's my best friend in the world! And God knows he'll enjoy the cakes and the pies mom's sending. It's worse than Hell for him, having to stay with those Muggles. Not that I have anything against Muggles, Harry and Hermione were kinda like them before getting their letters, and Hermione's parents are Muggles. It's just that those Dursleys are not very kind towards Harry." He stopped for a moment, then said with a sly smile "And I know YOU sent him something this morning. I saw you buy something in a hurry in Diagon Alley last week, something you hid from us. And I saw Pig leave this morning and come back thirty minutes ago. He was carrying this."
Ronald took a letter out of his pocket and threw it on the bed. It had Harry's handwriting on the envelope. Ginny blushed slightly but did not go red. She would not let Ronald see her as red as a tomato, though she was very embarrassed deep inside.
"Ron!", she said indignantly, taking the letter and putting it in her pocket. "You git! Mail is something private!"
"I did not read it! So, you bought him something?"
"Yes, indeed, I bought him something for his birthday, after all, he is my friend as w-"
"Oh, come ON! Everybody knows you've been having a huge crush on him for years! Even Harry knows, he's just too polite and nice to acknowledge the fact that he knows!"
"You are so wrong, Ronald! It is true that I used to have a crush on him in my first and my second year at Hogwarts, but it's over now, I have got over it!" lied Ginny.
"Sure, fine, whatever", said Ronald sarcastically.
"What did you buy him, anyway?" asked Ginny, looking at her shoes, not daring to look at her brother, for she was sure there would be mock in his eyes.
"I bought him a big box of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans and two pairs of socks with snitches on them."
"Oh, I'm sure he'll love that."
"Tell me, did I mention that the socks were sold with matching boxer shorts?"
This time, Ginny's ears went a wild red, as red as her hair.
"Oh, that's fine", she stammered.
"What about you? Did you get him boxer shorts too?"
"NO!" exclaimed Ginny, blushing even more furiously. "I got him a book about Quidditch." She thought for a quarter of a second then said maliciously "But tell me, Ickle Ronniekins, what do you reckon Hermione's going to send him? Boxer shorts, perhaps?"
Ronald was silent for a minute, looking intently at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. He then looked up at Ginny and said in a very low voice, and in a tone so desperate that it made Ginny regret having teased him, "Hermione can get Harry whatever she wants. She's his best friend too, after all." He raised his voice suddenly, and Ginny startled, "Anyway, I don't see why we're talking about Hermione here!"
"Because you miss her even more than you miss Harry?" Ginny suggested.
"That's not true!" yelled Ronald. "I miss Harry a lot and that's why I invited him over here for the end of the summer holidays!"
"Did you?"
"Yes, I did!... Er... Do you think Mum and Dad will agree?"
"You didn't ask them first?"
"No. After all, Harry's always been welcome here!"
"And he'll always be! Wait!"
Ginny got up and walked to her door. She opened it and yelled "Mum?"
Mrs Weasley's head appeared at the foot of the stairway.
"Yes, Ginny? Is there something wrong?"
"No, Mom. Ron and I were thinking, can we invite Harry over here for the end of the holidays? You know how horrible holidays are for Harry when he's with his uncle and his aunt."
"Sure, Honey, invite him!"
"Thanks, mum!"
Ginny came back in her room, closing the door behind her.
"Things are settled."
"You are amazing Ginny, you really are!"
"I know", she smiled. "I knew mum would agree, Harry's family for her, and for dad as well." She closed her eyes, thinking, then added excitedly "Wait a minute! I have an idea! Why don't you invite Hermione as well for the holidays? We could have a party for Harry's birthday! Fred and George would be delighted to organize a party we'll remember for years. We could also invite some friends from Hogwarts for one night! They could bring tents and sleep in the garden!"
Ron thought about it for a moment, then decided that it would indeed be a lot of fun. He just needed to convince his parents.
He left Ginny alone and went downstairs to see his mother who assured him that she really was happy to have Harry at home for the end of the holidays, and said that Hermione was welcome as well. She finally agreed to let Ron and Ginny invite some friends to throw a party in the garden, as long as the guests brought tents along and didn't mind the garden gnomes. She would make cakes and iced tea, and other things to eat. However, he did not tell her he intended to ask the twins to take care of the balloons and garlands, as well as other 'surprises' he was sure his mother would not like much. As he was thanking his mother, Hermès, Percy's owl, which Ronald had borrowed, came into the kitchen with a letter from Harry. It said that Harry would be waiting the Weasleys at 5 pm on the first of August.
Mrs Weasley and Ronald then decided that the party would take place the night of Harry's arrival at the Burrow. Ronald climbed up the stairs quickly and went to his bedroom to write invitations to Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Neville Longbottom, their old fellow Gryffindor friend and former captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team Oliver Wood, to Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Lee Jordan, Fred and George's best friend, and others of his fellow Gryffindors, including Harry's admirers, the Creeveys. He gave the invitations -on which it was written not to say anything to Harry- to Pig and Errol who immediately flew away to their destinations. Once they were out of sight, Ronald decided to tell the twins about the party. They accepted right away to take care of the organization. Ronald told Ginny the news and then sat on his bed, thinking. It was now time to write a letter to Hermione.
Hermione... He was so in love with her it was almost shocking, yet she did not seem to realize it. Unless, thought Ronald, she knows about me being in love with her, but since she does not love me back, she does not say she knows I love her. He had been mean to Hermione in first year, but even back then, he had liked her. He had not wanted to admit that he had deep feelings for her, feelings way beyond friendship. She was his best friend even so and would always be, not matter how often they fought. She had opened herself up to the others, and had understood that -even though studying was important- other things, such as friendship, courage and loyalty were far more important and worthwhile. She had changed so much; she was still a bookworm but she was less serious, ready to break rules if one of her friends needed help and -God! - she was so pretty! Not that she was not before, but now, she was becoming a woman, one with curves Ronald was dreaming and fantasizing about. Ronald often dreamed of taking her and kissing her until they were both breathless. He often imagined telling her how he was feeling and dared to imagine that she was feeling the same way. At night, alone in his bed, he, Ronald Weasley, often laid on his back with his eyes opened and wondered how it would be, how it would feel, to be making love to Hermione Granger. But sometimes, other visions would come into his mind, visions he hoped were only due to his fertile imagination and had not -and were not- taking place somewhere in Bulgaria.
Viktor Krum. Viktor 'Vicky-Yule-Ball-Her-my-oh-ninny' Krum. Once an admirer, Ronald now almost hated the famous Bulgarian Quidditch player, who was in love with Hermione, too. He despised him even more because he did not know what had happened when Hermione had gone to Bulgaria for two weeks the previous summer, after Harry - and Cedric Diggory- had won the Triwizard Tournament. She had not told him what she had been doing with 'Vicky', and Ronald felt extremely jealous but did not want Hermione to know about that. Nevertheless, whenever Krum's name was pronounced, Ronald would go red and start calling him 'Vicky', and these talks about Krum almost always ended with Ronald and Hermione having a rough fight and then not talking to one another for two days. Ronald hoped that Krum and Hermione were not an item now. He hoped she had not gone back to Bulgaria this summer.
He decided it was time to write his letter to his beloved. He took some parchment and a quill.
'Dear Hermione...'he wrote.
Dear Hermione what? Dear Hermione, thought Ronald, I want to tell you that I hope you're not with that Bulgarian git? Definitely not. How I wished I could tell you how I feel, how I really hope that you're not with him, Hermione. How you would react if I told -or wrote- you that I am head over heels for you, that I want to kiss your soft lips like there was no tomorrow, that I want to feel your body writhe beneath mine as I am making sweet love to you? What would you say if you knew that I want you to scream my name as you come, to scream so loud that you could be heard in Bulgaria, so that Viktor would know you love me, not him, me, me, ME, and that you are mine and I am yours?
When Pig came back at dawn the next day with positive answers from Dean, Seamus, Parvati - and Padma- Patil, Lavender, Katie and Oliver Wood, Ronald gave the owl the letter for Hermione he had just finished, and after the tiny bird set off right away. Wood had written in his letter that, even though he wasn't at Hogwarts anymore, he hoped to play Quidditch with Harry; he also wrote that his team manager was first quite reluctant to let him go for two days, but when Wood said it was for Harry Potter's birthday, the manager asked him to ask for an autograph from Harry to give it to him. Ronald hoped Pig would hurry and soon bring Hermione's answer.
'Dear Hermione,
How are you? Really hope you're fine and having a good holiday. We are having a party at the Burrow on August, 1st for Harry's birthday, so I hope you'll be able to come to celebrate with us (Harry would hope that too, if the party wasn't a surprise!). It would not be the same if you were not with us on that special day. I also wanted to invite you to stay with us for the whole month of August, since Harry will be here too. We could have so much fun, and even visit Fred and George at their shop in Diagon Alley! I hope to hear from you really soon, Your friend, Ronald Weasley.'
NOT JUST AN INFATUATION By Elie de Lantreuil (also known as Elais)
Chapter 1: Feel
Ronald Weasley, sixth son of witch Molly and wizard Arthur Weasley was sitting at the foot of the bed of his baby sister Ginny Weasley. Everyone in the Weasley family had bright red hair, though Ginny's was somehow even brighter than the others'.
"Are you sending Harry something for his birthday?" asked Ginny, brushing her hair.
It was a beautiful July morning, the 30th as a matter of fact. The next day would be Ron's best friend Harry Potter 's sixteenth birthday. Harry and Ronald had been best friends since their first journey on the Hogwarts Express, the train taking young witches and wizards to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But Ronald very often thought that though Harry was a great friend, something would be missing, were it not for a third person, his other best friend, and also Harry's other best friend: Hermione Granger. Clever, beautiful, amazing Hermione Granger.
"Earth to Ronald!"
"Sorry, what?"
"What were you thinking about?" Ginny asked.
"Nothing. What did you say?"
Ginny had an inner smile but decided not to tease her brother, for she would regret it, she was sure, when he would tease her back.
"I was asking you whether you are sending Harry something or not."
"Of course I am sending him something, you silly girl, he's my best friend in the world! And God knows he'll enjoy the cakes and the pies mom's sending. It's worse than Hell for him, having to stay with those Muggles. Not that I have anything against Muggles, Harry and Hermione were kinda like them before getting their letters, and Hermione's parents are Muggles. It's just that those Dursleys are not very kind towards Harry." He stopped for a moment, then said with a sly smile "And I know YOU sent him something this morning. I saw you buy something in a hurry in Diagon Alley last week, something you hid from us. And I saw Pig leave this morning and come back thirty minutes ago. He was carrying this."
Ronald took a letter out of his pocket and threw it on the bed. It had Harry's handwriting on the envelope. Ginny blushed slightly but did not go red. She would not let Ronald see her as red as a tomato, though she was very embarrassed deep inside.
"Ron!", she said indignantly, taking the letter and putting it in her pocket. "You git! Mail is something private!"
"I did not read it! So, you bought him something?"
"Yes, indeed, I bought him something for his birthday, after all, he is my friend as w-"
"Oh, come ON! Everybody knows you've been having a huge crush on him for years! Even Harry knows, he's just too polite and nice to acknowledge the fact that he knows!"
"You are so wrong, Ronald! It is true that I used to have a crush on him in my first and my second year at Hogwarts, but it's over now, I have got over it!" lied Ginny.
"Sure, fine, whatever", said Ronald sarcastically.
"What did you buy him, anyway?" asked Ginny, looking at her shoes, not daring to look at her brother, for she was sure there would be mock in his eyes.
"I bought him a big box of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans and two pairs of socks with snitches on them."
"Oh, I'm sure he'll love that."
"Tell me, did I mention that the socks were sold with matching boxer shorts?"
This time, Ginny's ears went a wild red, as red as her hair.
"Oh, that's fine", she stammered.
"What about you? Did you get him boxer shorts too?"
"NO!" exclaimed Ginny, blushing even more furiously. "I got him a book about Quidditch." She thought for a quarter of a second then said maliciously "But tell me, Ickle Ronniekins, what do you reckon Hermione's going to send him? Boxer shorts, perhaps?"
Ronald was silent for a minute, looking intently at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. He then looked up at Ginny and said in a very low voice, and in a tone so desperate that it made Ginny regret having teased him, "Hermione can get Harry whatever she wants. She's his best friend too, after all." He raised his voice suddenly, and Ginny startled, "Anyway, I don't see why we're talking about Hermione here!"
"Because you miss her even more than you miss Harry?" Ginny suggested.
"That's not true!" yelled Ronald. "I miss Harry a lot and that's why I invited him over here for the end of the summer holidays!"
"Did you?"
"Yes, I did!... Er... Do you think Mum and Dad will agree?"
"You didn't ask them first?"
"No. After all, Harry's always been welcome here!"
"And he'll always be! Wait!"
Ginny got up and walked to her door. She opened it and yelled "Mum?"
Mrs Weasley's head appeared at the foot of the stairway.
"Yes, Ginny? Is there something wrong?"
"No, Mom. Ron and I were thinking, can we invite Harry over here for the end of the holidays? You know how horrible holidays are for Harry when he's with his uncle and his aunt."
"Sure, Honey, invite him!"
"Thanks, mum!"
Ginny came back in her room, closing the door behind her.
"Things are settled."
"You are amazing Ginny, you really are!"
"I know", she smiled. "I knew mum would agree, Harry's family for her, and for dad as well." She closed her eyes, thinking, then added excitedly "Wait a minute! I have an idea! Why don't you invite Hermione as well for the holidays? We could have a party for Harry's birthday! Fred and George would be delighted to organize a party we'll remember for years. We could also invite some friends from Hogwarts for one night! They could bring tents and sleep in the garden!"
Ron thought about it for a moment, then decided that it would indeed be a lot of fun. He just needed to convince his parents.
He left Ginny alone and went downstairs to see his mother who assured him that she really was happy to have Harry at home for the end of the holidays, and said that Hermione was welcome as well. She finally agreed to let Ron and Ginny invite some friends to throw a party in the garden, as long as the guests brought tents along and didn't mind the garden gnomes. She would make cakes and iced tea, and other things to eat. However, he did not tell her he intended to ask the twins to take care of the balloons and garlands, as well as other 'surprises' he was sure his mother would not like much. As he was thanking his mother, Hermès, Percy's owl, which Ronald had borrowed, came into the kitchen with a letter from Harry. It said that Harry would be waiting the Weasleys at 5 pm on the first of August.
Mrs Weasley and Ronald then decided that the party would take place the night of Harry's arrival at the Burrow. Ronald climbed up the stairs quickly and went to his bedroom to write invitations to Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Neville Longbottom, their old fellow Gryffindor friend and former captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team Oliver Wood, to Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Lee Jordan, Fred and George's best friend, and others of his fellow Gryffindors, including Harry's admirers, the Creeveys. He gave the invitations -on which it was written not to say anything to Harry- to Pig and Errol who immediately flew away to their destinations. Once they were out of sight, Ronald decided to tell the twins about the party. They accepted right away to take care of the organization. Ronald told Ginny the news and then sat on his bed, thinking. It was now time to write a letter to Hermione.
Hermione... He was so in love with her it was almost shocking, yet she did not seem to realize it. Unless, thought Ronald, she knows about me being in love with her, but since she does not love me back, she does not say she knows I love her. He had been mean to Hermione in first year, but even back then, he had liked her. He had not wanted to admit that he had deep feelings for her, feelings way beyond friendship. She was his best friend even so and would always be, not matter how often they fought. She had opened herself up to the others, and had understood that -even though studying was important- other things, such as friendship, courage and loyalty were far more important and worthwhile. She had changed so much; she was still a bookworm but she was less serious, ready to break rules if one of her friends needed help and -God! - she was so pretty! Not that she was not before, but now, she was becoming a woman, one with curves Ronald was dreaming and fantasizing about. Ronald often dreamed of taking her and kissing her until they were both breathless. He often imagined telling her how he was feeling and dared to imagine that she was feeling the same way. At night, alone in his bed, he, Ronald Weasley, often laid on his back with his eyes opened and wondered how it would be, how it would feel, to be making love to Hermione Granger. But sometimes, other visions would come into his mind, visions he hoped were only due to his fertile imagination and had not -and were not- taking place somewhere in Bulgaria.
Viktor Krum. Viktor 'Vicky-Yule-Ball-Her-my-oh-ninny' Krum. Once an admirer, Ronald now almost hated the famous Bulgarian Quidditch player, who was in love with Hermione, too. He despised him even more because he did not know what had happened when Hermione had gone to Bulgaria for two weeks the previous summer, after Harry - and Cedric Diggory- had won the Triwizard Tournament. She had not told him what she had been doing with 'Vicky', and Ronald felt extremely jealous but did not want Hermione to know about that. Nevertheless, whenever Krum's name was pronounced, Ronald would go red and start calling him 'Vicky', and these talks about Krum almost always ended with Ronald and Hermione having a rough fight and then not talking to one another for two days. Ronald hoped that Krum and Hermione were not an item now. He hoped she had not gone back to Bulgaria this summer.
He decided it was time to write his letter to his beloved. He took some parchment and a quill.
'Dear Hermione...'he wrote.
Dear Hermione what? Dear Hermione, thought Ronald, I want to tell you that I hope you're not with that Bulgarian git? Definitely not. How I wished I could tell you how I feel, how I really hope that you're not with him, Hermione. How you would react if I told -or wrote- you that I am head over heels for you, that I want to kiss your soft lips like there was no tomorrow, that I want to feel your body writhe beneath mine as I am making sweet love to you? What would you say if you knew that I want you to scream my name as you come, to scream so loud that you could be heard in Bulgaria, so that Viktor would know you love me, not him, me, me, ME, and that you are mine and I am yours?
When Pig came back at dawn the next day with positive answers from Dean, Seamus, Parvati - and Padma- Patil, Lavender, Katie and Oliver Wood, Ronald gave the owl the letter for Hermione he had just finished, and after the tiny bird set off right away. Wood had written in his letter that, even though he wasn't at Hogwarts anymore, he hoped to play Quidditch with Harry; he also wrote that his team manager was first quite reluctant to let him go for two days, but when Wood said it was for Harry Potter's birthday, the manager asked him to ask for an autograph from Harry to give it to him. Ronald hoped Pig would hurry and soon bring Hermione's answer.
'Dear Hermione,
How are you? Really hope you're fine and having a good holiday. We are having a party at the Burrow on August, 1st for Harry's birthday, so I hope you'll be able to come to celebrate with us (Harry would hope that too, if the party wasn't a surprise!). It would not be the same if you were not with us on that special day. I also wanted to invite you to stay with us for the whole month of August, since Harry will be here too. We could have so much fun, and even visit Fred and George at their shop in Diagon Alley! I hope to hear from you really soon, Your friend, Ronald Weasley.'