Title: A Whole New Light

Rating: PG

Summary: Their seventh year...Harry, Hermione, and Ron will never again be on these grounds together after this. It surely is not the time for feelings and trouble to get tossed in the mix of these already stressful and begining new lives of these young graduates.

Genre: Romance/Drama


A Whole New Light

Chapter 1: Summer Brings Beginnings

It was a crisp, clear, fall morning on that first day of Harry, Hermione, and Ron's seventh year. It would be their last morning coming on that new exciting day, that first day of classes. The anxiety, the adventure, learning new, seeing old - Harry welcomed every essense of Hogwarts. He could hardly sit still on that bench in the train compartment, knowing he would never again feel the same rush.
"Harry, are you alright?" Ron asked suspiciously. Harry whipped around, startled by the sudden jerking from his thoughts. Harry nodded.
"Yeah, yeah...I'm fine. Do you realize we're never going to do this again?" Harry commented. Ron's eyes widened.
"What? You mean talk?" Ron asked, shocked. Harry laughed.
"No, Ron...be on this train, going on the first day to Hogwarts," he explained. Ron shrugged.
"Fine, that's all sad and all but--hey, where'd Hermione go?" Ron shouted. Hermione flipped the compartment door open within a few seconds.
"Did I hear my name shouted?" Hermione asked shortly. Ron shrugged.
"I was just wondering where you went off to," Ron replied just as shortly.
"Look, I'm sorry there are other people I talk to. Excuse me, but you're not my only friends. I'm not a hopeless case," Hermione yelled back.
"Well, if you have other friends and they are so important, then why aren't you talking to them?"
"I heard my name!"
"So, what?"
"You're so immature!"
"You're such a nag!"
Harry shook his quietly and said softly to himself,
"Yes, it is good to be back."

"And another thing, Hermione, my ears are not that big!" Ron shouted at Hermione as they were getting off the train.
"And my hair is not that frizzy!" Hermione shrieked back. Ron stomped up to the other side of Harry.
"That woman is mental, Harry. I hate her sometimes," Ron whispered harshly in Harry's ear. Hermione slapped Ron behind his neck.
"I heard that!" she screamed. Before she stomped off, Harry could see a single tear gliding slowly down her cheek. Ron rubbed the back of his head where Hermione had striked.
"You should be nicer to her, Ron," Harry remarked. Ron huffed and crossed his arms. Surprsingly, he didn't have anything else to say about Hermione until well into the grand first-meal.
"Harry, will you ask your friend over there if he'd pass the pitcher of juice?" Hermione asked sarcastically. Harry sighed heavily.
"You two, would you settle this right now? I've been looking forward to seeing the both of you - together, not one or the other?" Harry pleaded. Hermione nodded inferiorly.
"Ron, I'm really sorry," Hermione apolgogized, struggling to mean it. Ron shrugged off the apology.
"It's alright. I'm sorry what I said about your hair, and your nose," Ron apologized as well. Hermione gave him an accepting smile, then froze.
"What did you say about my nose?" Hermione cried. People beside the trio and in neighboring tables spun around to stare. Ron's mouth dropped and stuttered, trying to find the words. "Whatever, you know, whatever you said its fine." Ron smiled back thankfully. As soon as Hermione's head was turned he mouthed to Harry, 'thank god.' As Dumbledore kept going on with his wise, important greeting to all Hogwarts students, Hermione and Ron kept exchanging glances. Hermione looked mostly annoyed and Ron would act completely innocent and upset every time she'd turn around. It seemed to Harry they were sharing some kind of fight only they knew what was about.

After the grand meal, all the houses started for their common rooms. Hermione had received the great honor of Head Girl over the summer, and she strode up to the front of the houses. Ron and Harry just kept moving along to the common room with the rest of the Gryffindors.
"Harry, where is the bag I brought?" Ron asked. Harry returned a confused look.
"What bag?" he asked. Ron shot up such a glare which made Harry think he might actually have it somewhere with himself, Ron's face was so upset.
"The red bag! The red bag with the rope around it! The red bag with my chocolates and my hat and my notebook and.......nothing else!" Ron shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. Harry couldn't help laughing. "What?" Ron demanded.
"A notepad? What, do you keep a diary?" Harry taunted. Ron slammed his hand down on a table.
"This is serious!" Ron yelled. Harry took a step back; he rarely saw Ron this upset.
"I'm sorry, but Ron--relax, so you lost a notebook and some sweets. Big deal," Harry said dismissively. Ron slapped his hand on the desk again and turned towards Harry. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then shrugged and closed his eyes.
"Nevermind," he mumbled. He started up the stairs to the boys dormitory. "I'm going to bed." Harry was tempted to follow him and see what his problem was, when Hermione walked in and sat down at the table Ron had been at. She looked just as distressed.
"Something wrong, Hermione?" Harry asked, sitting down next to her. Hermione sighed.
"Oh, no, I just had to push a second year down to the ground. He tried to touch my Head badge," Hermione said simply. Harry slid his chair a feet or two away from Hermione. She gave him an insulted glare. Hermione shook suddenly as if she remembered something. She reached down beside her seat and pulled up a red bag. A red, heavy bag with a frayed rope tied around the opening. "I think this is Ron's," she said. She started up to the boys' dormitory. Harry stopped her.
"Wait, how can you go up there?" he asked. Hermione stopped mid-step with her hand on the railing.
"Don't you remember? Only boys aren't allowed in the girls' dormitory," Hermione explained. Harry shrugged off the answer as if he didn't accept it. He grabbed his own things and started up the stairs. When he'd reached the top, he heard Ron exclaim,
"Hermione! Where did you find this?" Harry had just set his things on his bed and set a picture of his parents and a few framed pictures of the three of them, Hermione, Ron, and Harry, on the bedside table. Ron hugged Hermione tightly and let go just as quickly, as if somewhat shocked. Hermione looked around at the floor. Her hair couldn't hide the redness around her ears. He turned around and saw Ron digging through the pack excitedly. "Yes! Here it is!"
"What?" Hermione asked about the object that exited Ron this much. Ron spun around and stared crossly at Hermione.
"Nothing. You're not supposed to be up here, are you?" Ron said sharply. Harry shrugged and walked over to Ron's bed.
"Well, apparently, Ron, she can," Harry explained simply. Ron huffed and stuffed whatever he'd been holding back in the back. Gently setting the bag on the ground, he kicked it under his bed.
"Fine, if I make you so uncomfortable, I'll leave. But I know some people who wouldn't mind me being up here," Hermione said somewhat sarcastically. Ron lifted a piece of chocolate up to his face. Harry could see the grin that was surpressing a laugh.
"Don't be gross, Hermione," he remarked. "You don't kid like that." Hermione shrugged.
"Me? Think what you want, I didn't say anything," Hermione said in feigned offense as her last words before she started back down the stairs.

It was dark outside and it was raining hard. Drops pounded against the windows viciously only to slide down onto the earth below. Ron and Harry were the only ones awake at such an hour. Ron sat up in bed and leaned against the cold window.
"Still up?" asked Harry quietly. Ron rolled his head from staring at the ceiling to face Harry and shot him a glare suggesting what-do-you-think. Harry sighed softly. "What are you thinking about?"
"You must be more bored then I am to ask that," Ron said. Harry shrugged.
"No, really - what was your problem today?" Harry asked. "First your stupid fight with Hermione--"
"Nothing!" Ron shouted at Harry mid-sentence. Seamus Finnigan sat up suddenly, then fell backwards and began snoring again. Ron scowled. Harry got back under the bedcovers and tried to ignore Ron's distraught humming. After just three minutes Harry couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed the pillow from behind his head and thrust it in Ron's direction. He was still lying down and couldn't see Ron, but he heard the pillow hit something solid and Ron make a muffled noise. Then he heard Ron jump off and rumage under his bed.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked.
"Nothing. Harry, I'll be right back. Please make sure nothing happens to this bag," Ron ordered. Harry scoffed. Ron never gave him orders; in fact, Ron rarely got so upset with him. Ron quietly tiptoed down the steps. Harry tried going to sleep but he just couldn't help himself. He grabbed the red bag off Ron's bed and dumped out the contents on his own. 2 Chocolate Frogs, a pen, the notepad...and a scribbled letter. The ink had smudged almost to illegibility on the parchment, but he could make out Ron's name on the salutations and the name the letter was addressed to. He didn't know how long he was frozen there, staring at the letter, when he heard an infuriated gasp behind him...