Hurricane's Eye

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I've always wanted to read conversations of the trio and co. where they just hang out, like we do with our friends, and not talk about Voldemort and whatever's going on. So this one's about them talking about everything and nothing in particular.

My intention is definitely good. But the writing isn't. This sucks.. So, again, I apologize in advance.

Oh, by the way, it's called the 'Hurricane's Eye' because this is them taking a break from they're normal 'fighting modes'. So in a way, a peaceful moment amidst all the chaos that has been going on.

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The center of a hurricane (about a few meters radius) is called its eye. The hurricane's eye is quite calm in spite of how strong the winds are blowing around it.

"Wow, that was the most exhausting day ever," Harry said as he and Ron entered the Gryffindor Common Room and walked towards where Hermione was seated.

"I know," replied Ron as he flopped down a seat opposite Hermione. "I have never been so tired just because of a Quidditch practice before."

Harry sat beside Hermione, who was poring over a very large volume of a dusty, tattered, dog-eared book.

"Is that light reading?" Ron asked Hermione in an innocent tone.

Harry smirked at Hermione. Hermione frowned at both of them.

"I didn't say anything," Harry said defensively.

"How was practice?" Hermione asked the other two, deciding to ignore their teasing.

"Exhausting," Harry replied dully.

"Ginny hit me with a Quaffle three times just because I was teasing her about Dean!" said Ron.

"Well," said Hermione testily, "why were you teasing her?"

"That's not the point," replied Ron. "She hit me! Who hits her own teammate?"

"Ginny?" answered Harry. "And a number of other girls, too."

"Yeah, what is it with girls?" asked Ron.

"You were being a jerk," Hermione told Ron.

"I was not!" Ron said hotly. "I'm gonna have sore muscles now. And I have four homeworks due tomorrow."

"You're not the only one," Harry said with a sigh. "I'm beat, and I can't believe the teachers would pile homework on us. I mean, OWL year's done and NEWT will be next year, but the way they go on about things, it's like we're seventh years already…."

"Your homeworks only pile up because you don't do them in advance," Hermione told Harry and Ron.

"We haven't got time, Hermione," Ron said exasperatedly.

"Yeah," Harry said fervently. "I mean, come on, is it just me or is time running really short these days?"

"I know," said Ron. "Back then our free time was really long. Now we barely even have time to eat. I even wish time would go back and we'll still be first years."

"Well, who doesn't?" said Hermione, her face suddenly serious.

"Who doesn't what?" asked Ron.

"Who doesn't want time to go back," replied Hermione. "Especially with what's happening now."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Harry replied darkly. "I wish time would go back and—"

Harry stopped in midsentence. Ron and Hermione looked at each other. They both know what Harry was going to say, and they both know Harry doesn't want to talk about it. Harry looked at his shoe for a long time. Ron fidgeted nervously with his robes, trying to come up with a way to stop the awkwardness of the situation, while Hermione was deciding whether to talk to Harry or pretend reading her book.

"So, er, do you want to go back to first year?" Ron asked the other two.

Hermione looked up at Ron, trying to tell him with her eyes that that was a very lame question. Ron apparently got the message because he shrugged at Hermione.

"So, do you?" Ron asked again.

"I do," replied Hermione.

"Really?" Ron asked seriously, but his eyes were glinting with mischief.

"Yeah. Why?" said Hermione, looking suspiciously at Ron.

"Well, you were really annoying back in first year," Ron said mischievously.

"Excuse me!" said Hermione. "Me, annoying. You're the one who's annoying!"

"Oh really?" Ron asked Hermione challengingly. "Are you sure that's a real spell?" he added in a mock falsetto voice.

Harry snorted.

"Of course, I've tried some of them myself," Harry said in a very uncanny impersonation of Hermione.

"I did not say those!" Hermione said in a half-horrified, half-amused voice.

"Yes you did!" Harry and Ron said in unison.

"Go on," Hermione said as Harry and Ron laughed. "Two against one, not very fair, don't you think?"

"I think it's fair," Harry said between laughs.

"Hmph," was all Hermione could say, as she proceeded to read her book again and pretended to ignore Harry and Ron, who were laughing even harder.

But reading the book proved to be unsuccessful. Picking up crumpled parchments on the floor, she threw them at the boys. But Ron just avoided them and Harry just caught them. Harry and Ron were laughing so hard now Hermione swore they wouldn't be able to close their mouths again.

"This is so unfair," Hermione said, finally giving up and joining in the laughter.

"Well, I think you two were very cute back in first year," Hermione said after a while when all the laughter died out.

"You think we were cute?" asked Harry, not knowing whether to be appalled or be flattered by Hermione's comment. He looked at Ron, whose face showed exactly what he, Harry, thought about what Hermione said.

"I mean, you were very…tiny back then," replied Hermione. "I can't even believe you've been that small."

"You think we're tiny?" asked Harry.

"And small?" asked Ron. "If we were tiny and small, how do you describe yourself?"

"Maybe, microscopic," said Harry.

"Microscopic?" asked Hermione.

"It's smaller than tiny," Ron replied matter-of-factly. "And you were smaller than us in first year. And until now, too."

"Haha very funny," said Hermione, trying to suppress her smile.

"Hey!" Ginny greeted the three of them, flopping down next to Ron and surprising him. "Great practice, huh?" Ginny said to Harry and Ron, who looked at her as though she was mad.

"It's great in your point of view," Ron told Ginny. "You were throwing Quaffles at me."

"You're just sore," replied Ginny.

"What really happened in your practice?" Hermione asked Harry, Ron, and Ginny curiously.

"The boys were defeated by the girls in a Quaffle-only game," Ginny replied gleefully. Harry and Ron frowned at her. "And there were four of them and three of us!" she added.

"You won only because you were cheating," Ron told Ginny.

"We weren't cheating," said Ginny. "You just don't want to admit we're better than you at Quidditch."

"You're not better than us at Quidditch," said Ron. "That was just goal-scoring. Of course you'll win, you're all Chasers."

"There were four of you, Ron," said Ginny. "We gave you fair odds."

"Fair! Yeah right," said Ron. "Holding Harry's broomstick is fair?"

"We agreed that there are no rules!" said Ginny.

"Yeah, but blagging?" said Ron.

"Ron, do you understand what no rules mean?" asked Ginny. "Dean agreed that we won fairly, why can't you?"

"That's only because he was just watching," said Ron. "He wasn't in the game. And besides, he's your boyfriend, of course he'll agree with you."

"He's not my boyfriend! How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"You told me you're going out with him back in June."

"That was just to stop you from annoying me about Michael," Ginny explained hotly. "Now I realize that was a wrong move," she added.

"Wow, Weasley dimension," Harry said to Hermione blandly.

Ron and Ginny stopped arguing to look at Harry and Hermione, who were both smiling annoyingly at them.

"What?" Ron and Ginny asked in unison.

"I wish I had a sibling," said Hermione.

"Yeah, me too," said Harry. "If only – I could've—"

Harry stopped again. Ron and Hermione looked at each other. But Ginny doesn't seem to get what's going on.

"What?" Ginny asked Harry.

Hermione groaned quietly, Ron frowned at Ginny; Harry met Ginny's eyes for a moment, then looked away.

"Well, my parents are dead so I can't have a brother or a sister," Harry replied in a hollow sort of voice.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Ron and Hermione listened to Harry and Ginny's conversation without moving a muscle.

"I'm sorry," said Ginny, looking timidly at Harry.

"It's fine," said Harry, trying to smile.

"But—"

"No, really, it's okay," said Harry.

"Yeah…"

After a while, Ron was fidgeting with his robes again and Hermione was crossing her fingers under her pocket, hoping Ron would come up with even the lamest excuse to start another conversation. Ginny looked down at her shoes, her face burning. Harry stared at Hermione's book as though he was trying to bore a hole through it.

"So, er, what were you talking about before I came?" Ginny asked quietly.

Ron banged his head with his fist, Hermione relaxed in her chair, and it struck Harry as funny that both Ron and Ginny start a lame question in the same way.

"We were talking about how small Hermione was when we were in first year," replied Ron, the glint of mischief coming back to his eyes.

Harry smirked broadly. Hermione frowned at the two boys.

"We were not talking about that!" said Hermione.

"Yes we were," said Ron.

"I think you're really cute back then Hermione," said Ginny.

"You think Hermione's cute?" Ron asked Ginny curiously.

"What, are you the only Weasley allowed to think that Hermione's cute?" Ginny asked Ron.

Harry snorted and gave Ginny a thumbs-up. Hermione failed in keeping her expression impassive and Ron's ears were turning red.

"Very funny Ginny," said Ron. "I know what you mean."

"No you don't," said Ginny.

"What does she mean?" Harry asked Ron testily with a broad grin on his face. "Do you know what she means, Hermione?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry and Ginny while Ron frowned at them.

"Hey Hermione," Ron said after a while. "Did you know where Harry and Ginny were the last Hogsmeade weekend?" he asked in stage-whisper.

"I don't know," replied Hermione. "But they didn't come with the other DA members like we did."

"I wonder where they might have gone to…."

"We've told you that," said Harry. "We weren't planning to play together! Both of us just thought that flying for a little while is better than going to Hogsmeade."

"You seem to have synchronized minds," Hermione said shrewdly.

"Going to fight us, are you?" Ginny asked Ron and Hermione mischievously.

"Well, we're not backing out," said Ron. "Right Hermione?"

"I'll agree with you for this one time," said Hermione.

"We're not backing out either," said Harry, smiling at Ginny.

The four of them stared at each other for a long time, trying to come up with something to tease the other pair. After a while, it seemed they couldn't think of anything else, and all four of them burst out laughing.

"I'm going to bed," Ginny said after a few minutes.

"I think I'm going too," said Hermione, picking up her book and following Ginny up the girls' dormitories.

Harry and Ron stared at the two girls until they were gone, then looked knowingly at each other.

"Well, homework, mate," said Ron.

"Yeah…."