Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.
A/N: Thanks to MaeSilverpaws1, who is beta-ing this story.
Chapter Eighty-Five
Apologies Lead to More Trouble
"She doesn't want to talk to you," Ginny said as Ron and Harry sat next to Hermione the next day.
"Yeah, we got that," Ron grumbled as he frowned at Hermione. "Look, we're sorry okay. We didn't mean to make you angry …"
Hermione glared at him for a few second before she got up and left the Great Hall, her plate of food only half gone.
"What did you do, anyways?" Ginny asked, watching, as the boys did, Hermione leave.
"She didn't say," Harry questioned instead of answering.
"No, she was just really upset this morning and when I asked if we should wait for you she said that she wasn't talking to you," Ginny said. "At first I thought it was just Ron, but she's angry with you too, Harry."
"Why would you think that she would be angry with only me?" Ron asked.
"Because you two are always fighting," Ginny said as if that was the most obviously thing in the world. "So what did you do?"
"Er …" Harry said wondering where to start. He decided to tell her everything.
"Huh," Ginny said looking appalled. "You're lucky you didn't do that to me or I would have cursed you right then and there."
"I think I would prefer that," Harry muttered, grimacing. "So, it really was that bad."
"Harry, not only did you use her to get information, but you got her to help you with something she really didn't want anything to do with," Ginny said.
"Used her," Harry repeated, not really caring about the last part as much. His mind instantly traveled back to the first conversation he had with her when they were nine and how she had so matter-of-factly told him that she didn't have friends. That people either picked on her or used her. He felt like such an insensitive jerk.
"What is it?" Ron asked as he watched Harry think.
"Things are worse than I thought," Harry mumbled, rising from his seat. "I've got to talk to her."
"I'll go with you," Ron said starting to get up too.
"No … I need to do this alone," Harry said and Ron looked disappointed but let him go.
Harry walked through the corridors and just like he thought, he found Hermione standing near the door to the Charms classroom (which they would be using in another half an hour).
"Hey," Harry said sitting next to her, frowning as he saw her flinch. "I'm sorry."
Hermione didn't say anything, looking away from him. She didn't want to hear his apology right now, especially since they were just words to him. Sure, he knew that she was upset and he would be sorry about that, but he didn't really understand why this hurt so much. Okay, so she knew that he was her friend for a lot of reasons, she just didn't like that he had used her, like so many others, to get information on something. He wasn't supposed to do that!
"I wasn't thinking," Harry sighed, instead of looking at her he looked straight ahead of him. "I knew that you wouldn't have just told me how to make the shelf work. You would have known why I wanted to use it and you would have waited before you told me."
"So you thought you would just trick the answer out of me?" Hermione asked hotly.
"I didn't think of it like that," Harry said heavily. "I wasn't thinking at all … I just wanted to know the key to the shelf."
"Well, you got what you wanted, so you can leave me alone now," Hermione said stiffly and she opened her bag to pull out one of her books to read.
"No," Harry said. "I can't do that."
Hermione closed her eyes for a second, gritting her teeth before she continued pulling out her book.
"If I leave now it's only going to make things worse," Harry continued.
"If you stay it will be worse," Hermione assured him.
"What, so you can think I'm jerk like the kids we use to go to Muggle school with," Harry questioned and Hermione looked at him in shook. So he did know how much he hurt her with this. "You'd have a right to think that I guess."
"You're not that bad," Hermione admitted, though she didn't tell him that it had hurt her more being used by him because they were friends.
"Well that's nice to know," Harry said.
"I just don't understand why this was so important to you that you felt that you had to trick me into helping you?" Hermione asked.
Harry frowned as he thought, trying to come up with a reason why it was that important to him. "I don't know. Trying to figure out how to get past Dumbledore's protection … trying to see if we can enter the Triwizard Tournament … I thought of it like trying to become an Animagus or trying to think of a new prank. Usually, even if you don't approve of my ideas, you still help."
"Well, usually, even though your idea is mad, there's something intriguing about it," Hermione said. "But I really don't understand why you want to join the tournament. Sure, getting past Dumbledore's protection would be amazing, but do you really want to be in a tournament were you could die."
"The tournament is not the point for me," Harry said, "though it might be cool to win it."
"I never thought you would willingly risk your life for a game, Harry," Hermione said. "It's so trivial."
"I don't really see it as risking my life," Harry said. "Besides, I thought you've always said I risk my life when I play Quidditch."
"Yes," Hermione said, "but that's not the same. I've read about this tournament Harry and basically the champions are asked to do terribly dangerous task … fast situation where they'd put their life on the line. All for what? The glory of knowing that they're better than the other champions. It doesn't make any sense to me. Especially since you don't even like the fame you have now."
"Actually, that's part of the reason the tournament is appealing to me," Harry said. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to be famous for something that you can't remember? Even worse, for something that you don't want to remember because your mum died when it happened. This would be different though. Winning the Triwizard Tournament would be different. It would be something that I did on my own."
"I thought you said that you didn't actually want to join the tournament," Hermione said.
"I don't," Harry sighed. "Not really. But it's nice to fantasize about it sometimes. But I'll stop trying to get in the tournament now. Your friendship means more to me than anything."
"Harry," Hermione said smiling and then she looked down. "I don't want to stop you from doing something you want … that wouldn't make me a very good friend …"
"That's not what you're doing," Harry assured her. "I acted like a complete arse and … I don't know … it feels like I'd be even more of an arse if I kept trying to get pass Dumbledore's protection. It just doesn't feel right."
"You're a great friend, Harry," Hermione said simply and hugged him.
O
Figuring that his friends would want all the time they could have alone, Ron decided to eat a full breakfast and take his time doing so. It was twenty minutes later when he got up and started heading for the Charms classroom. That's where he found Harry and Hermione laughing and acting all happy like nothing happened the night before. It irked him that it was so easy for Harry to get back on Hermione's good side, knowing that he was likely going to end up fighting with her. He also didn't like how Harry knew how to make her laugh and smile and how they always seemed to be able to talk to each other.
Why did Harry have to come here alone … talk to her without him there? What did Harry have to say that couldn't be said in front of him? Why did Harry always have to be the one that cheered her up? More importantly, why did he always know what to say to Hermione when Ron was always lost for words?
"Hey!" Ron said to make his presence known and Harry smiled at him as Hermione looked as if she didn't know how she should react to him.
"Hey," she answered, seeming to be waiting for something.
"Sorry," Ron sighed; sure that was what she wanted. "For my part in what happened."
"It's okay," she said, smiling at him as if she was surprise but pleased that he had apologized. He had to admit that she had a right to be surprised, he wasn't really known for his apologies. Still, he probably wouldn't have been happy that she had been surprised if it wasn't for the smile she was giving him. It was hard to feel anything but giddy when she looked at him like that.
"I told Hermione that I'd stop trying to get pass Dumbledore's protection," Harry said. "It doesn't feel right to try to figure it out anymore."
Ron sighed, he still wanted to try, just to see if they could do it, but he could see Harry's point.
"I'm just glad that I don't have to worry about you two somehow getting into the tournament," Hermione said in a relieved voice.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked irritated for a reason he couldn't really understand, he just felt as if somehow she was insulting him.
"That … er … I'm glad that guys aren't going to try to enter the tournament," Hermione said, uncertainty filling her tone as she looked at him sadly.
"Why, because Harry decide not to help," Ron huffed. "He was never going to enter anyways. I don't see why that means I can't still enter."
"You're going to try without Harry?" Hermione questioned gloomily, she really thought she wouldn't have to worry about this anymore but with the glare Ron was giving her, she knew that wasn't the case.
Ron's jaw jutted out stubbornly as his eyes narrowed. "You think that I can't do this on my own. That Harry was the one that was going to do all the work and I was just going along for the ride."
"Ron … that's not what I …" Hermione started to say but Ron stormed passed her and walked into the class. When she and Harry caught up with him, he wasn't sitting at their normal table, but with Dean and Seamus, clearing not wanting to be near the other two right now.
"Come on, let's give him some space," Harry said, steering Hermione to their normal seats.
"Harry … you know I didn't mean that he couldn't do this on his own, right?" Hermione asked.
"Of course I do, Hermione," Harry sighed. "I think he's just hearing what he thinks you're saying and not listening to your actual words. I'll talk to him later."
"Maybe I should talk to him," Hermione offered. "I'm the one he's angry with."
"It's funny how he got you to feel sorry for him seeing how angry you were at him just a few minutes ago," Harry chuckled.
"He's good at doing things like that," Hermione smiled herself, "making me feel ten different things at the same time."
O
"You know it's odd to find you in the library," Harry whispered, looking bemused. "It took me several minutes to find you on the map. Then I remembered I could just call out your name and make it appear."
"And people call you smart," Ron teased his friend.
"Sometimes," Harry chuckled. "I'm also called an idiot a lot."
"True," Ron smiled and then asked, "so why are you here?"
"You know Hermione didn't mean to make it sound like you couldn't get pass Dumbledore's protection on your own, right?" Harry asked.
"Yeah … sort of … I guess," Ron answered. He wasn't really sure anymore if what he thought Hermione said was true or if he just made a bigger deal of it than he had to. "It doesn't change things though. I've got to try to do this."
"I thought you would say something like that," Harry sighed. "I'm not going to help you, you know."
"I don't want your help," Ron said, knowing that Harry wasn't saying he couldn't do it, but telling him that he understood why Ron was trying to do this. "It's time that I do something on my own instead of just following you around."
"Er … you do remember that this was my idea," Harry said and Ron threw a quill at him.
"Prat," Ron growled as Harry sniggered.
"But we were all thinking it anyway," Harry shrugged this time. "I wish you luck with your plan."
"Thanks mate," Ron smiled this time as Harry got up to go.
"Er … one question though," Harry said turning back looking confused. "Why are you in the library … wouldn't it be better to go to the Room of Requirement."
"I'm doing this without any help," Ron shrugged. "I'm not going to use what we learned from Hermione, which means that I can't go to the room at all. I mean I can't unlearn what I know … right?!"
"I suppose not," Harry said. "So you're going to do research the old fashion way."
"Yep," Ron sighed. "It's going to bloody kill me."
"Yep," Harry agreed. "I'm glad I'm not helping you now."
"Thanks mate," Ron repeated, only this time he was obviously annoyed.
It was weeks after that and Ron had come up with a few plans that he thought might work, and now he was waiting for the tournament to start already. Ron was glad that Hermione didn't seem to be angry with him, nor did she try to talk him out of trying to enter the tournament. He felt that Harry must have said something to her, which annoyed him a bit, but at least they weren't arguing about this. No one helped him at all, though Fred and George had repeatedly told him that he would never be able to do it. Harry had told him that he had changed the bet he had with the twins, now putting all his gold behind Ron, so it was natural the twins would be on his case. He was just excited that everything was going to start soon. Tomorrow the people form Beauxbaton and Drumstrang would be coming.
A/N: Okay, here's the truth. I never planned on Ron being a champion, it was always going to be Cedric, but after all this time that I had him working to becoming a champion … well I'm not sure what to do. So, I'm asking you what you think should happen and the reasons why Ron should or shouldn't be a champion.