Challenge Prompt: Word Prompt - Rose/Roses

Setting: Alternate scene from 6th year, just after Ron has kissed Lavender in the Gryffindor Common Room

Harry ran out of the common room, chasing after Hermione. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on between Ron and Hermione, but he knew that Ron and Lavender had just hurt Hermione greatly. There wasn't much that could make her run away, and the last time he could remember it happening was in 1st year… and, well, that had been Ron's fault too, come to think of it.

He heard the quiet chirping of birds ahead, and knew that would be where he'd find Hermione. Harry focused, remembering a spell he'd studied after his disastrous date with Cho. He'd wanted to be prepared for the next time, and had even read up on different variations and what they meant.

"Rosus" He kept his voice low, hoping that Hermione wouldn't hear him. He kept the image fixed in his mind… this was a spell he'd had some trouble with, but as he said the incantation he knew he'd gotten it right this time. A bouquet of roses, 4 red, 4 pink, and 4 white, appeared in his hands. Smiling, he moved forward.

Hermione was sitting on the stairs. Flying around her was a flock of perfectly formed birds. As Harry approached, she idly conjured another before speaking. "Harry, you didn't need to… what are those?" She looked up as she was speaking… she was clearly expecting him, but not the roses he was now carrying.

"They're roses, though I expect you knew that already. They're for you. Not all of us are unappreciative of you, of what you do for us." Harry kept smiling as he handed her the bouquet.

Hermione smiled as she took them, then hesitated. "Er… Harry? Do you know what these mean? I mean, it's just that roses can be so romantic and…"

"Hermione!" Harry cut in. "Yes, I actually read about this. For once." Harry smirked and Hermione smiled back at him. "Pink can mean friendship or admiration. White is innocence, but they can also be used for sympathy. Red is… er, well love, usually, but it can be any kind of love, and red and white together can also mean unity."

"Harry that's… that's incredibly sweet of you. When did you get so good with flowers?"

"After Cho. You made it obvious I didn't have a bloody clue what I was doing, and I thought that might be a good start, at least."

"Language, Harry!" Hermione chastised him, but her laughter took any sting out of it. Harry sat down next to her.

"Hermione, I've never been all that good at saying things, but you've always been like a sister to me. You shouldn't have had to leave, and I'm not going to let you sit out here alone. You're the only person who's never abandoned me, and I want you to know that I'm always going to be here for you."

"Harry, I… thank you, Harry." Hermione leaned over and hugged him. Harry held her for a few moments, until she pulled back. As they sat there, they heard the voices of Ron and Lavender drifting down the hall toward them. Hermione quickly stood and gestured, her birds disappearing as she did so.

"Harry, I admit I was hoping to run into Ron tonight, but… I think I'd rather just go for a walk. I don't suppose you brought your cloak?"

"These days, I don't go anywhere without it." Harry covered both of them with his cloak and they quickly made their way outside.

It was some hours before they finished their walk. Hermione didn't think she'd ever just talked so much with Harry… about school, about Ron, about magic and the wizarding world, about everything they could think of. Even when she caught him trying not to yawn he never complained, never suggested they should stop and go back up.

Eventually, though, they had to do exactly that. As Hermione walked back into the 6th year girls' room, she debated for a minute what to do with the roses. They wouldn't last forever, but Harry was still stronger than he realized, and they'd probably last for days yet. It might be fun to let the rest of the girls see them, especially if they didn't grasp the full message.

She'd always thought of Harry as a friend and a brother, but to hear him say it was something she hadn't expected to happen for a long yet, if ever. The past years he'd been so angry, so obsessed… not without reason, of course, and sometimes it seemed like things just kept going from bad to worse. That with everything that was going on, Harry still had found time to work on something like flowers, and then went out of his way to cheer her up… it said quite a bit about him.

If Ron and Lavender wound up... distracted, with each other… maybe she and Harry could take some time to get to know each other more? At the very least, if his "best mate" was going to be busy for a while, he deserved to have a friend that he could enjoy spending time with, not someone complaining or moping about what his other friend was doing.

As she got in bed, she smiled to herself, thinking about the possibilities. No matter how things went with Ron, this was a much better sign than she'd seen from Harry in quite a while. Maybe despite everything that was going on, he really would be alright.