What We All Wanted to See

A collection of oneshots of scenes that JK Rowling apparently forgot to add to the book. Rewrites of some parts, but mostly true to the original story line. HarryGinny, RonHermione centric.

XX

Writing Harry Potter fanfiction is pretty new to me. I write Twilight and Teen Titan fics, but not much else. I can't promise you will like me writing Harry Potter. I know just how hard it can be to capture the true writing style of the actual author, but I will try my best. Let me know if there's anything else I can do to better give you guys the 'vibe' of Harry.

I'm addicted to the series, what can I say? I think that it's brilliant. But, aside from that, I don't think JK Rowling included enough 'normal teen' stuff. Well, I suppose if she had, the books would be about 1000 pages long. Not that WE wouldn't mind. This series of oneshots will be, quite simply, scenes she forgot to put in the book. Such as hanging about the lake, having fun in the Room of Requirement, playing pranks, and (oooooh) kissing. Things us normal non-wizarding folks do.

I already have a clear vision of what I might re-write from the book. Like when Ron came back in the Deathly Hallows and saved Harry, and when Hermione and Ron first kissed, when Harry and Ginny went down to the lake, and the Yule Ball. Let me know if there's anything else you guys are just ITCHING to see written in words. It would be my pleasure to write it.

Now, on with the first chapter (the first few chapters will be mainly rewrites):

XX

The Yule Ball

Harry had made sure he wasn't seen in the halls. He wasn't about to deny another girl a chance to go with him. He didn't yet have a date, but that made no difference to him. He wanted to wait for the right girl. Who that girl was, he wasn't quite sure. He had been feeling less and less excited to go to the Ball, becoming less and less sure that he would ever find fun in these teenage things. But he was desperate to be normal.

Or, at least, as normal as Harry Potter gets.

His friends, on the other hand, were enjoying themselves immensely. Ron had been fanatically trying to gather the attention of a few girls, but no one seemed to notice him. This only seemed to make him more excited. Hermione seemed to only want the attention of one guy, but she refused to let anyone know who that one guy was. Ginny, who had become closer to him in the past months, seemed to be more laid back about it all, but still kept one eye open.

(In the Book) Entering the common room, Harry looked around, and to his surprise he saw Ron sitting ashen-faced in a corner. Ginny was sitting with him, talking to him in what seemed to be a low, soothing voice.

"What's up, Ron?" said Harry, joining them.

Ron looked up at Harry, a sort of blind horror in his face.

"Why did I do it?" he said wildly. "I don't know what made me do it!"

"What?" said Harry.

"He – er – just asked Fleur Delacour to go to the ball with him," said Ginny. She looked as though she was fighting back a smile, but she kept patting Ron's arm sympathetically.

"You what?" said Harry.

"I don't know what made me do it!" Ron gasped again. "What was I playing at? There were people – all around – I've gone mad – everyone watching! I was just walking past her in the Entrance Hall – she was standing there talking to Diggory – and it sort of came over me – and I asked her!"

Ron moaned and put his face in his hands. He kept talking, though the words were barely distinguishable. "She looked at me like I was a sea slug or something. Didn't even wait for an answer. And then - I dunno – I just sort of came to my senses and ran for it."

"She's part Veela," said Harry. "You were right – her grandmother was one. It wasn't your fault, I bet you just walked past when she was turning on the old charm for Diggory and got a blast of it – but she was wasting her time. He's going with Cho Chang."

Ron looked up.

"I asked her to go with me just now," Harry said dully, "and she told me."

Ginny had suddenly stopped smiling.

"This is mad," said Ron, "we're the only ones left who haven't got anyone – well, except Neville. Hey – guess who he asked? Hermione!"

"What?" said Harry, distracted by this startling news.

"Yeah, I know!" said Ron, some of the color coming back into his face as he started to laugh. "He told me after Potions! Said she's always been really nice, helping him out with work and stuff – but she told him she was already going with someone. Ha! As if! She just didn't want to go with Neville… I mean, who would?"

"Don't!" said Ginny, annoyed. "Don't laugh – "

Just then Hermione climbed through the portrait hole.

"Why weren't you two at dinner?" she said, coming over to them.

"Because – oh, shut up laughing, you two – because they've both just been turned down by girls they asked to the ball!" said Ginny.

That shut Harry and Ron up.

"Thanks a bunch, Ginny," said Ron sourly.

"All the good-looking ones taken, Ron?" said Hermione loftily, "Eloise Midgen starting to look quite pretty now, is she? Well, I'm sure you'll find someone somewhere who'll have you."

But Ron was staring at Hermione as though seeing her in a whole new light. "Hermione, Neville's right – you are a girl…"

"Oh, well spotted," she said acidly.

"Well – you can come with one of us!"

"No, I can't," snapped Hermione.

"Oh, come on," he said impatiently, "we need partners, we're going to look really stupid if we haven't got any, everyone else has…"

"I can't come with you," said Hermione, now blushing, "because I'm already going with someone."

"No, you're not!" said Ron. "You just said that to get rid of Neville!"

"Oh, did I?' said Hermione, and her eyes flashed dangerously. 'Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!"Ron stared at her. Then he grinned again.

"OK, OK, we know you're a girl," he said. "That do? Will you come now?"

"I've told you!" Hermione said, very angrily. "I'm already going with someone else!"

And she stormed off angrily towards the girls' dormitories again.

"She's lying," said Ron flatly, watching her go.

"She's not," said Ginny quietly.

"Who is it then?" said Ron sharply.

"I'm not telling you, it's her business," said Ginny.

"Right," said Ron, who looked extremely put out, "this is getting stupid. Ginny, you can go with Harry, and I'll just-"

"I can't," said Ginny, and she went scarlet too. "I'm going with-with Neville. He asked me to go when Hermione said no, and I thought…well…I'm not going to be able to go otherwise, I'm not in fourth year." She looked extremely miserable. "I think I'll go and have dinner," she said, and she got up and walked off to the portrait hole, her head bowed.

Ron goggled at Harry.

"What's got into them?" he demanded.

But Harry had just seen Parvati and Lavender come in through the portrait hole. The time had come for drastic action.

"Wait here," he said to Ron, and he stood up, walked straight to Parvati, and said, "Parvati? Will you go to the ball with me?"

Parvati went into a fit of giggles. Harry waited for them to subside, his fingers crossed in the pockets of his robes.

"Yes, all right then," she said finally, blushing furiously.

"Thanks," said Harry, is relief. "Lavender-will you go with Ron?"

"She's going with Seamus," said Parvati, and the pair of them giggled harder than ever.

Harry sighed.

"Can you think of anyone who'd go with Ron?" he said, lowering his voice so that Ron wouldn't hear.

"What about Hermione Granger?" said Parvati.

"She's going with someone else."

Parvati looked astonished.

"Ooooh-who?" she said keenly.

Harry shrugged. "No idea," he said. "So what about Ron?"

"Well…," said Parvati slowly. "I suppose my sister might… Padma, you know…in Ravenclaw. I'll ask her if you like."

"Yeah, that would be great," said Harry. "Let me know, will you?"

And he went back over to Ron, feeling that this ball was a lot more trouble than it was worth, and hoping very much that Padma Patil's nose was dead center.

XX

Harry was trying to enjoy the holidays as much as possible; despite the load of homework he had been given. It seemed the rest of the students felt this way as well, because half of the common room was full of students playing chess or talking happily with one another. It seemed no one wanted to worry about school, not with the Yule Ball coming up so soon.

Hermione, despite Harry and Ron's prodding, had been intently studying anyways. She now sat near Ron and Harry, reading a heavy book, her eyes darting intently over the pages. Ron was staring longingly at her, every so often trying to get her to confess who she was going to the ball with.

"Hermione?" he said now. She gave an unintelligible sound to let him know she was listening, and he asked very fast, "Who are you going to the ball with?"

She looked pointedly up from her book, glaring daggers at him. "Ron," she said firmly, "I am never going to tell you, so stop asking. You'll just have to be patient."

"Why can't I know?!" Ron asked furiously.

"Because, you'll only laugh!"

"No I won't!" Ron pleaded. "I won't say a single word.

But Hermione didn't say another word.

Harry wasn't feeling too great himself. He was regretting more and more ever asking to Pavarti to go to the dance with him. Even though she was one of the best looking girls in his year, he couldn't help but feel that he should have asked someone else. He wasn't quite sure who, and he knew it was on the tip of his tongue….

Three hours until the ball, Hermione packed up her books and began to walk upstairs to the girls' dormitory.

"Where are you headed off to?" Ron yelled after her.

"I'm going to get ready for the ball," she said stiffly. She turned around, head held high, and stomped up the stairs. Harry had a feeling Hermione wasn't too pleased with Ron.

"What's got up her knickers?" Ron asked Harry, obviously furious that she wasn't revealing anything. "I mean, it's her fault that she won't say anything. I mean, who keeps that sort of secret? We're her best friends, right? Well, I suppose it's her problem…."

Harry just sighed. Ron and Hermione reminded him of a bickering old couple.

XX

(In the book)

Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville changed into their dress robes up in their dormitory, all of them looking very self-conscious, but none as much as Ron, who surveyed himself in the mirror with an appalled look on his face. There was just no getting around the fact that his robes looked more like a dress than anything else. In a desperate attempt to make them look more manly, he used a Severing Charm on the ruff and cuffs. It worked fairly well; at least now he was lace-free, although he hadn't done a very neat job, and the edges still looked depressingly frayed as the boys set off downstairs.

"I still can't work out how you two got the best-looking girls in the year," muttered Dean.

"Animal magnetism," said Ron gloomily, pulling stray threads out of his cuffs.

The common room looked strange, full of people wearing different colors instead of the usual mass of black. Parvati was waiting for Harry at the foot of the stairs. She looked very pretty indeed, in robes of shocking pink, with her long dark hair plait braided with gold, and gold bracelets glimmering at her wrists. Harry was relieved to see that she wasn't giggling.

"You-er-look nice," he said awkwardly.

"Thanks," she said. "Padma's going to meet you in the entrance hall," she added to Ron.

"Right," said Ron, looking around. "Where's Hermione?"

Parvati shrugged. "Shall we go down then, Harry?"

"Okay," said Harry, wishing he could just stay in the common room. Fred winked at Harry as he passed him on the way out of the portrait hole.

(My own writing)

They headed down to the entrance hall together, and it was not long before Parvati found her sister, Padma, and led her over to Ron.

"Hi," said Padma, who didn't look too thrilled about having Ron for a partner. She was eyeing his dress robes apprehensively as she looked him up and down.

Harry looked around the entrance hall, spotting Fleur Delacour, looking stunning in robes of silver satin, accompanied by the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, Roger Davies. A group of Slytherins came up from their dungeon common room, Malfoy in front looking like a vicar. Pansy Parkinson, in robes of shocking pink, was clutching his arms, followed by Crab and Goyle, who, Harry was pleased to see, did not have dates. The Durmstrang students entered, Krum at the front of the party, accompanied by a pretty girl in blue robes Harry didn't know.

Harry looked over at Ron, feeling quite anxious about the whole thing. He was surprised to find Ron staring speechlessly up the stairs. He looked to where Ron was, only to find the pretty girl next to Krum now replaced with Hermione. Or, Hermione, who was indeed the pretty girl.

But she wasn't Hermione.

She had done something with her hair; it was no longer bushy but sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing a long and flowing dress make of periwinkle-blue, and she was holding herself high. She was smiling brightly, and the recent reduction in the size of her front teeth was more noticeable than ever; Harry couldn't understand how he hadn't spotted it before.

"Hermione?" Ron asked in unflattering disbelief. He was still staring, wide-eyed, as if he was sure he was dreaming. Hermione smiled brightly at him, seeming to forget the previous feud they had. "But-you're not…you can't be…. Hermione?"

Harry was having a tough time believing it, too, and as the doors of the Great Hall were opened, and the champions entered, Ron and Harry didn't seem to be the only ones. Krum's ban of giggling girls were throwing daggers at Hermione, all glowing green with jealousy. Even Pansy Parkinson was dumbstruck, seemingly unable to find a rude comment for Hermione at the moment.

As Professor McGonagall led the champions to the floor, the Weird Sisters began to play a slow and mournful song. Harry concentrated on not tripped over his feet, and Parvati was simply beaming. As she led him through the song, Harry began to feel less and less sure that he was going to live through the night. Fighting dragons was one thing, but dancing? It simply seemed impossible.

That, plus the fact that it simply didn't feel right to be dancing with Parvati, made Harry miserable throughout the song. When it finally came to an end, he immediately left to find Ron, leaving Parvati to find another dance partner. Ron was sitting, not ten feet away, on a bench, his head in his hands. Harry sat down next to him.

"What's up, mate?" he asked him.

"Why couldn't I have asked her?" Ron stated simply. He peered up at Harry from between his fingers, looking positively miserable.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.

"Hermione!" Ron said matter-of-factly. "Look at her! She's absolutely brilliant! And now she's swooning over Krum! I just really wished I would have asked her sooner…."

"Sorry, mate," Harry said, feeling sorry for his lovesick friend. "Maybe you can ask her for a dance."

"Who am I kidding?" Ron said. "She wouldn't ever want to go with me, anyways…"

Knowing that Ron wasn't listening, Harry searched the floor, looking around at the twirling couples. Fleur and Rodger, Cho and Cedric (he glared at this), Hermione and Krum, Ginny and Neville…. All the happy pairs and he was left sitting on the side with Ron. He wanted nothing more than for the night to be over.

The song ended, and a few couples took a break. Ginny came over to him and Ron, sitting down, looking at the solemn Ron.

"What's up with him?" Ginny asked Harry.

"He's got his knickers in a twist over Hermione and Krum."

"I do not!" Ron yelled, but it was quite obvious he was lying.

"Ron, just ask her to dance," Ginny said, trying to hide her smirk. "I bet she won't turn you down."

Ron sighed, and Ginny turned back to Harry, her cheeks flaming. "Harry, do you…um…want to dance?" Ginny asked. Harry stared blankly at her. Of all the people, he had never expected Ginny to….

"Um-"

"Well, you know, after the next song," she interrupted. Harry then realized that the song that was currently playing was an upbeat song, not much of a couples dance. So, he sat quietly, his heart thudding against his chest, and led Ginny onto the dance floor when a proper song began to play.

He led her around in circles, extra careful not to step on her feet, and she followed perfectly in line with him.

"You're a good dancer, Ginny," Harry said, halfway through the song.

She smiled up at him, her eyes twinkling. "You're not bad yourself."

Just then, he stumbled, stepping on her foot with his heal. He laughed, genuinely happy for the first time in tonight. "You're bloody better than me," he said.

They continued dancing smoothly, smiling brightly, and Harry failed to notice anything but his steps and Ginny's. It was much better than be led by Parvati, and he was truly sad when the song ended. He parted reluctantly with her, watching as she went to the drink table. On his way back to Ron, feeling quite happy, he saw Hermione going in the same direction.

"Hello, Harry," she said to him as they neared Ron. "Have you enjoyed it so far?"

"It's not horrible," he said, smiling. "How about you? Enjoying Krum?"

"He's a wonderful dancer," she said, blushing. "I suppose Ron's not exactly enjoying himself?"

"S'pose not," Harry said, really dreading to get into the middle of a row between Ron and Hermione. But, to his surprise, Hermione walked straight up to Ron with a brilliant smile on her face. She offered her hand to him, asking him to dance.

Ron took it, looking halfway between dreamy happiness and annoyance. Harry watched them dance, glad to enjoy a few moments peace.

They danced for one song…then another…then another…then another. It was on their fifth song, and one hour until the end of the ball, when something began to happen. Ron's expression had changed from his dreamy state to total fury, and Hermione wasn't far behind. She glared wordlessly at Ron, while he talked furiously, their once synchronized steps falling apart. In the middle of the song, they broke apart, Hermione storming away with her head down, and Ron stomping his way back towards Harry.

"What the bloody hell is her problem?!" Ron fumed. "She just thinks that Krum is the greatest thing ever, doesn't she! Talking about him like he's some precious book… Damn woman, she's so bloody stubborn!"

Harry took his cue. Getting up of his bench, he and Ron left the hall and went back into the much less crowded entrance hall. Glad that they could go back to bed in peace, they both turned the corner and found Hermione bent over on the stairs. Her head was in her lap, her high heels off her feet and set beside her, her once elegant bun now coming down around her face.

"What, Krum gone and dumped you, has he?" Ron muttered, just loud enough for Hermione to hear. "Told you, I was exactly right. You should have never gone and went with him-"

"RON!!!" Hermione screeched, lifting up her tear streaked face, raging with fury. "You insensitive jerk, you!! Krum DID NOT dump me, and NO, you are far from right!!! You complete arse, Ron!!!"

She began bawling again, louder than ever, and Harry wished more than anything that he could just have slipped away….

"Well…so…it just totally proves my point…you should have never…." But Ron didn't get to finish his mumbling before Hermione cut in again.

"Well, if you don't ruddy like it, then you know what the solution is, don't you?!" Hermione yelled with her face screwed up in anger.

"Oh yeah?" Ron yelled back. "What's that?"

"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"

Ron stormed up off the stairs.

XX

The next morning, Harry awoke to the scariest thing he'd seen in weeks. The common room was completely empty of people, all except for Ron and Hermione, who were quietly talking to each other, whispering furiously, though, and standing up. Wanting to give them some privacy, Harry simply sat out of sight on the steps, listening to their arguing.

"I know just what I'm going to have to do, then," Ron said, his voice finally dying down.

"Oh yeah?" Hermione said, mimicking Ron, her voice quieting too. "What's that, then?"

"I'll just have to be the first to ask you next time," Ron mumbled. "I'll be sure to."

It was silent for a moment, and Harry, thinking the worst was over, stood up and began to go down. But before he reached the bottom step, he saw Hermione run into Ron's arms, hugging the life out of him, bawling into his shirt. And Ron, to Harry's utter disbelief, wrapped his arms around Hermione and sat with her, intertwined, on the couch.

Thinking better of it, Harry turned around and headed back upstairs.

XX

I quite liked this piece. It wasn't too dreadful, was it? It will get much better. I've been thinking about making up a slumber party for the girls….

Anyways, suggest any scenes you want to be re-done from the book, and I will be happy to comply.

Love and love and love again,

until next time

-Alien