The following events take place during Harry Potter's fifth year at
Hogwarts. They occur simultaneously with the events narrated in "The Order
of the Phoenix".
A Couple out of a Trio
Chapter 1
Ron was lying on his bed, awake. His eyes were lost after Harry, who had just came out from the showers and was putting on his pajamas, but Ron's mind was far away from there.
He needed to tell it to someone. Ron was already fighting it for months, and he did not think he would be able to bear it for much longer. Besides, Harry was his best friend, he should tell him.
Neville, Seamus and Dean were all sleeping, and the only noises in the boys' dormitory were Seamus' snores and the sound of Harry trying to get his hair dried using a towel.
"It looks better when it is wet." said Ron, in order to make Harry notice he was awake.
Harry turned back. He really hadn't realized Ron was still awake. Actually, he would not have noticed Ron even if Ron had been levitating above his bed. Harry's mind was far away from the Gryffindor Tower; it was in the Ravenclaw girls dormitory, where the beautiful Asiatic-descendant girl he had been thinking about the whole day was probably already asleep.
Harry could not stop thinking about Cho and about how much he wanted to talk to her since their last argument, which took place during their last meeting at Hogsmeade.
"Can't sleep?" asked Harry as he stopped trying to dry his hair.
"Hm..." Ron groaned. "It's just that. I'd like to talk to you." said him staring his own feet.
Harry threw his towel on the floor and sat in Ron's bed, excited.
"I knew you had something to tell me!" Harry's eagerness was pretty obvious on his face. "Tell me, what is it?"
Ron did not know if he should tell Harry or not. Maybe he should tell it first to Hermione. Or maybe he shouldn't tell it to anybody. But they were his friends, his best friends; he was supposed to share his feelings with them. It was a pretty hard thing to do, however, to tell them that. Such a story could even ruin a friendship, and Ron was sure his life would be miserable if the relationship he had with either Harry or Hermione was broken.
"Nothing." said Ron, still not looking at Harry. "There's nothing I want to say, I just want to talk to you about. anything. Er, how are things going between you and Cho?"
"We haven't talked since Hogsmeade. And she is avoiding me in the corridors."
"You really like her, don't you?" asked Ron, not looking Harry on the face.
Harry's cheeks blushed slightly.
"Yes, I do." he said. And, after taking a long breath, "But I don't know, it just doesn't seem to be working well. I think we really are not meant to be together. "
Ron gave him an "I understand you" silent look, and started staring a picture showing him, Harry and Hermione together, at King's Cross. Ron liked this picture a lot because it was a muggle-picture, taken by Mr. Granger last year, when they had just got back to London after a full school year. Hermione brought Ron and Harry a copy of it this year, and Ron loved it. It was funny to see how immobile they were in the picture, and it was also special because, due to Hermione's father's request, the three of them were really close to each other, as they didn't usually get. Ron was in the middle of them and had his strong arms around Hermione and Harry. They all were blushing from being so close to each other, but they all were also smiling happily.
Oh, it had been so good, to get so close to his friends to take that picture. It was so, so good to be so close to. "Stop!", thought Ron. He could not be having these thoughts, they were friends, and friends can't date, he could not be falling in love with.
"I am talking to you, Ron!' said Harry. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, yes, I am." said Ron, taking his eyes off the picture and looking at Harry. "I am just. tired." Ron said.
Harry looked at the picture Ron had in his hands.
"A nice photo, isn't it?" said Harry, and as Ron nodded shortly, Harry kept talking. "Hermione looks pretty, doesn't she?" Ron nodded again. Hermione really was getting really good-looking recently.
Noticing that Harry was expecting him to say something, Ron said the first thing that came to his mind.
"You know, I think I never told you that, but a couple years ago I used to think you and Hermione would date one day."
Harry looked surprised.
"Hermione and I?"
"Yes, I just. I just think you have so much in common." Ron wished he hadn't said that. What if it made Harry finally realize he did have things in common with her? What if Harry and Hermione started flirting? These thoughts made Ron feel really jealous.
"Yeah, we do have a few things in common." said Harry. "But I really don't picture us together. It would be weird, wouldn't it? I mean, we are best friends, you and her really are my best friends in the world. And, you know, flirtation can ruin even the best of the friendships."
Ron grinned falsely. He stood up and then crouched next to his trunk and pretended to be looking for something in it. So that was Harry's opinion, thought Ron. Well, at least he didn't have to tell Harry his secret to know what Harry would think about it. "Ruin the best of the friendships", how could Harry be so silly? But this was Harry's opinion and Ron couldn't do anything about it - or, maybe, he could get back at this subject later and try to change Harry's mind. Oh, how weak Ron was being. He couldn't even control his own feelings. If he could, he would surely never have allowed himself to fall in love with.
"Harry!!"
"Hermione?!"
Ron's thoughts vanished as he heard his beloved's name. He stood and looked at Harry, who, after shouting "Hermione?!", started to run toward the door.
There stood Hermione, in blue pajamas, and Ron could tell by the look on her face and by the fact that she was not at all supposed to be at their dormitory so late that something really important had happened.
"Harry!!" repeated Hermione, but not as loud as before, and she got closer to him as she started to talk still lower, in order to not to wake anyone.
Although both of them seemed to think he was not there, Ron walked towards them to hear what they were saying.
A last thought ran through his head before he reached his best friends. Whatever had just happened, whatever the reason for Hermione being there was, Ron was sure they would solve it together - as together as the trio had always been. And actually, Ron wanted to be even more "together" - in fact, as "together" as possible - to one of them.
End of Chapter 1
A Couple out of a Trio
Chapter 1
Ron was lying on his bed, awake. His eyes were lost after Harry, who had just came out from the showers and was putting on his pajamas, but Ron's mind was far away from there.
He needed to tell it to someone. Ron was already fighting it for months, and he did not think he would be able to bear it for much longer. Besides, Harry was his best friend, he should tell him.
Neville, Seamus and Dean were all sleeping, and the only noises in the boys' dormitory were Seamus' snores and the sound of Harry trying to get his hair dried using a towel.
"It looks better when it is wet." said Ron, in order to make Harry notice he was awake.
Harry turned back. He really hadn't realized Ron was still awake. Actually, he would not have noticed Ron even if Ron had been levitating above his bed. Harry's mind was far away from the Gryffindor Tower; it was in the Ravenclaw girls dormitory, where the beautiful Asiatic-descendant girl he had been thinking about the whole day was probably already asleep.
Harry could not stop thinking about Cho and about how much he wanted to talk to her since their last argument, which took place during their last meeting at Hogsmeade.
"Can't sleep?" asked Harry as he stopped trying to dry his hair.
"Hm..." Ron groaned. "It's just that. I'd like to talk to you." said him staring his own feet.
Harry threw his towel on the floor and sat in Ron's bed, excited.
"I knew you had something to tell me!" Harry's eagerness was pretty obvious on his face. "Tell me, what is it?"
Ron did not know if he should tell Harry or not. Maybe he should tell it first to Hermione. Or maybe he shouldn't tell it to anybody. But they were his friends, his best friends; he was supposed to share his feelings with them. It was a pretty hard thing to do, however, to tell them that. Such a story could even ruin a friendship, and Ron was sure his life would be miserable if the relationship he had with either Harry or Hermione was broken.
"Nothing." said Ron, still not looking at Harry. "There's nothing I want to say, I just want to talk to you about. anything. Er, how are things going between you and Cho?"
"We haven't talked since Hogsmeade. And she is avoiding me in the corridors."
"You really like her, don't you?" asked Ron, not looking Harry on the face.
Harry's cheeks blushed slightly.
"Yes, I do." he said. And, after taking a long breath, "But I don't know, it just doesn't seem to be working well. I think we really are not meant to be together. "
Ron gave him an "I understand you" silent look, and started staring a picture showing him, Harry and Hermione together, at King's Cross. Ron liked this picture a lot because it was a muggle-picture, taken by Mr. Granger last year, when they had just got back to London after a full school year. Hermione brought Ron and Harry a copy of it this year, and Ron loved it. It was funny to see how immobile they were in the picture, and it was also special because, due to Hermione's father's request, the three of them were really close to each other, as they didn't usually get. Ron was in the middle of them and had his strong arms around Hermione and Harry. They all were blushing from being so close to each other, but they all were also smiling happily.
Oh, it had been so good, to get so close to his friends to take that picture. It was so, so good to be so close to. "Stop!", thought Ron. He could not be having these thoughts, they were friends, and friends can't date, he could not be falling in love with.
"I am talking to you, Ron!' said Harry. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, yes, I am." said Ron, taking his eyes off the picture and looking at Harry. "I am just. tired." Ron said.
Harry looked at the picture Ron had in his hands.
"A nice photo, isn't it?" said Harry, and as Ron nodded shortly, Harry kept talking. "Hermione looks pretty, doesn't she?" Ron nodded again. Hermione really was getting really good-looking recently.
Noticing that Harry was expecting him to say something, Ron said the first thing that came to his mind.
"You know, I think I never told you that, but a couple years ago I used to think you and Hermione would date one day."
Harry looked surprised.
"Hermione and I?"
"Yes, I just. I just think you have so much in common." Ron wished he hadn't said that. What if it made Harry finally realize he did have things in common with her? What if Harry and Hermione started flirting? These thoughts made Ron feel really jealous.
"Yeah, we do have a few things in common." said Harry. "But I really don't picture us together. It would be weird, wouldn't it? I mean, we are best friends, you and her really are my best friends in the world. And, you know, flirtation can ruin even the best of the friendships."
Ron grinned falsely. He stood up and then crouched next to his trunk and pretended to be looking for something in it. So that was Harry's opinion, thought Ron. Well, at least he didn't have to tell Harry his secret to know what Harry would think about it. "Ruin the best of the friendships", how could Harry be so silly? But this was Harry's opinion and Ron couldn't do anything about it - or, maybe, he could get back at this subject later and try to change Harry's mind. Oh, how weak Ron was being. He couldn't even control his own feelings. If he could, he would surely never have allowed himself to fall in love with.
"Harry!!"
"Hermione?!"
Ron's thoughts vanished as he heard his beloved's name. He stood and looked at Harry, who, after shouting "Hermione?!", started to run toward the door.
There stood Hermione, in blue pajamas, and Ron could tell by the look on her face and by the fact that she was not at all supposed to be at their dormitory so late that something really important had happened.
"Harry!!" repeated Hermione, but not as loud as before, and she got closer to him as she started to talk still lower, in order to not to wake anyone.
Although both of them seemed to think he was not there, Ron walked towards them to hear what they were saying.
A last thought ran through his head before he reached his best friends. Whatever had just happened, whatever the reason for Hermione being there was, Ron was sure they would solve it together - as together as the trio had always been. And actually, Ron wanted to be even more "together" - in fact, as "together" as possible - to one of them.
End of Chapter 1