Harry walked slowly from a tomb at the lake, heading towards Hogwarts castle. He had left his friends just outside the Headmaster's office, where he had promised the portrait of Dumbledore that he would put the Elder Wand back in the grave, after using it to repairing his own. He knew that his old Olivander Wand from his first time in Diagon Alley at his 11th birthday would do the job for him in the future. And perhaps he should give Malfoy his wand back in due time…?
On his way from the office and outside, he had suddenly made a decision on his own, and fiercely torn the Elder Wand in halves. He had now put the parts in Dumbledore's tomb, and felt lighter than in a long time. What would happen now?
Like in the headmaster's office, he still felt how tired he was, so he turned his feet up to his dormitory, pretty sure that he could have his old bed back, and spend some hours sleeping, hopefully dreamlessly, before he could go…well, probably to the Burrow, he was sure the Weasleys would let him stay for a while. And then…maybe Grimmaulds Place? Or stay at the Burrow until he could go back to Hogwarts? Or…think of it later, when he was not dead tired.
He decided to put on his invisibility cloak before arriving at the castle, so that he could go up without being stopped by everyone who was still there. Many of them had left now, some to go home with their family, some to do urgent ministry work after the battle…and a lot had been taken straight to Azkaban, to wait for their trials. Harry knew that Kingsley Shacklebolt, and the people around him, many of them Order members, would have a lot to do during the next weeks. He would probably be involved in some way, but that could wait for now...Kingsley would understand.
He had to take off the Invisibility Cloak to pass the Fat Lady. She looked at him, understandingly, and let him in without a password. The common room was empty, as people from Gryffindor, like most of the others who were still there, were together in the Great Hall. He directed his feet against the cosy room he used to share with the other Gryffindor boys.
When he was at the top of the stairs, he could hear a very familiar voice. Hermione? And what sounded like a – moan…?
"Ron…" the voice said, in a crying tone. "Ron..!"
Harry drew his newly repaired wand in less than a second. Had Ron been attacked by some Death Eaters that had hid in the castle? Had he been hurt, or even killed, just when everything seemed safe? He ran to the door, ready to protect his friends. But just as he tried to decide whether to tear it open or find out more about what enemy was inside first, he could hear another familiar voice.
"Oh, Hermione.." the voice went, deep and very intense.
"RON…" the first voice answered.
"H'mione…I..I.."
Suddenly, Harry understood that it was no reason to get to his friends' aid in the dormitory.
He knew that whatever went on in there was between his two best friends, and only them.
So he took up his wand and mumbled a "muffiliato", to make sure that nobody else would hear them, and a protective charm so nobody would get in to the room.
Somehow he was happy about what was happening, but at the same time he had got some of the same lonely feeling that he remembered from when they had held hands at Grimmauld Place, danced at the wedding…or when he had told Ron "She's like a sister to me".
He had not completed the sentence with stating that the person he had feelings that resembled those Ron had for Hermione, for, was like a sister to Ron inn a more literal way. He sat down outside the room, almost sleeping, when he heard small steps up the stairs to the dormitories.