Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and
owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to
Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros.,
Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is
intended.
Harry and Ron waited for Hermione to meet them in the Gryffindor common room to head off to eat, but the time Hermione promised to be there came and passed.
Harry glanced at the stairs leading up to the girls' dormitories and shrugged. "I bet she got caught up in Arithmancy again."
"Er. Yeah." Ron's voice was a little hoarse.
Harry turned his head and looked questioningly at Ron, just barely keeping from rolling his eyes, "Are you two fighting again?" He specifically remembered Hermione avoiding them before for that particular reason.
"Er," Ron croaked.
"Not again," Harry muttered bleakly.
Just then, Hermione came racing down the stairs from the girls' dormitories with an apologetic expression plastered to her face, "I'm so sorry! I got so involved in this chapter, and, well, I lost track."
Harry appeared more surprised than Ron at her sudden appearance. Harry whipped around and said to Ron, "I thought you said she was mad at you."
Ron's brows furrowed. "Actually, I didn't say anything. You made that up on your own."
Hermione looked sharply at Harry and asked reasonably, "Why would I be mad at Ron?"
Harry thought it best not to answer that. "Let's go."
They ended up bounding into the Great Hall just in time to grab some food and then head off to their next class.
Professor McGonagall's class sped by while she spent a dominant portion of the time yelling at Neville Longbottom and trying to explain what he was doing wrong. His rabbit had a metal frame from the original picture frame he'd started with.
She kept them until the very last minute before ending class, but finally Professor McGonagall let them go.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione rushed happily out of class, glad to have the rest of the afternoon free. "That was a wonderful lesson, wasn't it?" Hermione asked them with a smile.
Ron glared at her for a moment, "You only thought so because she kept complimenting you on your rabbit. Poor Neville. Every time he tried to reverse the Transfiguration, his picture frame was still alive."
Harry's lips twitched. "Poor picture frame."
Hermione let out a dramatic sigh and said, "Poor rabbit. He was all metal, he couldn't even move."
Ron eyed her before rolling his eyes. "She's going to go on about the rights of rabbits now. I just know she is," he whispered to Harry.
Harry barely kept his mouth straight.
They reached the Fat Lady and Hermione said, "Puddle Plush." The Fat Lady swung her picture over and the three of them climbed into the Gryffindor common room.
"I'm going to go write a letter to Sirius." Harry told them with a great deal of excitement as the idea occurred to him. "I should let him know that things have been relatively calm lately."
Hermione and Ron both nodded and Ron said, "Okay. We'll meet you here in a bit." Harry sped up the stairs to the room where his four-poster bed was and began writing furiously. He wanted to send his Godfather a long letter this time.
Hermione glanced at Ron with narrowed eyes, "And how do you know I'm going to be here later?"
Ron, taken aback, stared at her.
"What if I want to go the library or something?" she asked a little haughtily.
"Then go to the library," Ron responded with wide eyes. He didn't understand where this was going.
Hermione sighed and took a seat at one of the chairs by the fire. The common room was otherwise empty. "Boys."
Ron coughed. "Uh, Hermione, what's gotten under your robes today?"
"Don't you know?" she asked.
"No, I have no idea." But Ron did have a little idea. He moved nervously in place.
"This morning."
"Er. Yeah." The beet red of his face suddenly complimented his hair color.
"Ron, don't you ever say anything else when you're uneasy?" Her voice had gotten a little calmer, but she was no longer looking at him. The fire crackled in its place.
"Er. No." Ron clucked. Feeling ridiculous, he took a deep breath. "Uh, Hermione, I meant it." He floundered for something more to say.
Hermione grinned and gazed back up at him, her bushy brown hair bouncing with her exuberance. "Really?" And then she caught herself, took a steadying breath, and smiled sweetly at him.
"Yeah!"
Pink stained her pretty little face, and for the first time in a long time, she ran out of things to say.
Ron began twittering in place, staring directly at anything that wasn't Hermione. Hesitantly, he asked, "Do you think we could, well, we could share a butterbeer at Hogsmeade this weekend?"
"Yes." Hermione replied softly. " I think we could." A little dreamy spark played on her face and Ron finally looked right into her eyes, and he gasped. They got prettier every time.
Harry bounded back downstairs and onto the scene, but he noticed something was extremely odd about the way his friends were acting. Hermione was sitting in her favorite chair in front of the fire. Ron was standing right beside it.
And their eyes were as connected as his wand had been with. well, anyhow. "What's wrong with you two?"
Ron and Hermione both bounced a foot into the air, their eyes shooting at Harry as if they'd never seen him before. "Oh, nothing," Ron finally answered casually.
Hermione stood up and said, "Why don't you two go to the Owlery together. I've got some studying to get done."
"Okay," Harry said with a grin, glancing down at the letter he'd just finished. "Let's go, Ron."
"Yeah. Yeah, let's go," Ron repeated as he followed Harry's energized form out of the common room. He glanced back only once.
He barely tore his eyes off Hermione's retreating figure before racing to catch up with Harry. "Hey, wait up!"
Harry and Ron waited for Hermione to meet them in the Gryffindor common room to head off to eat, but the time Hermione promised to be there came and passed.
Harry glanced at the stairs leading up to the girls' dormitories and shrugged. "I bet she got caught up in Arithmancy again."
"Er. Yeah." Ron's voice was a little hoarse.
Harry turned his head and looked questioningly at Ron, just barely keeping from rolling his eyes, "Are you two fighting again?" He specifically remembered Hermione avoiding them before for that particular reason.
"Er," Ron croaked.
"Not again," Harry muttered bleakly.
Just then, Hermione came racing down the stairs from the girls' dormitories with an apologetic expression plastered to her face, "I'm so sorry! I got so involved in this chapter, and, well, I lost track."
Harry appeared more surprised than Ron at her sudden appearance. Harry whipped around and said to Ron, "I thought you said she was mad at you."
Ron's brows furrowed. "Actually, I didn't say anything. You made that up on your own."
Hermione looked sharply at Harry and asked reasonably, "Why would I be mad at Ron?"
Harry thought it best not to answer that. "Let's go."
They ended up bounding into the Great Hall just in time to grab some food and then head off to their next class.
Professor McGonagall's class sped by while she spent a dominant portion of the time yelling at Neville Longbottom and trying to explain what he was doing wrong. His rabbit had a metal frame from the original picture frame he'd started with.
She kept them until the very last minute before ending class, but finally Professor McGonagall let them go.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione rushed happily out of class, glad to have the rest of the afternoon free. "That was a wonderful lesson, wasn't it?" Hermione asked them with a smile.
Ron glared at her for a moment, "You only thought so because she kept complimenting you on your rabbit. Poor Neville. Every time he tried to reverse the Transfiguration, his picture frame was still alive."
Harry's lips twitched. "Poor picture frame."
Hermione let out a dramatic sigh and said, "Poor rabbit. He was all metal, he couldn't even move."
Ron eyed her before rolling his eyes. "She's going to go on about the rights of rabbits now. I just know she is," he whispered to Harry.
Harry barely kept his mouth straight.
They reached the Fat Lady and Hermione said, "Puddle Plush." The Fat Lady swung her picture over and the three of them climbed into the Gryffindor common room.
"I'm going to go write a letter to Sirius." Harry told them with a great deal of excitement as the idea occurred to him. "I should let him know that things have been relatively calm lately."
Hermione and Ron both nodded and Ron said, "Okay. We'll meet you here in a bit." Harry sped up the stairs to the room where his four-poster bed was and began writing furiously. He wanted to send his Godfather a long letter this time.
Hermione glanced at Ron with narrowed eyes, "And how do you know I'm going to be here later?"
Ron, taken aback, stared at her.
"What if I want to go the library or something?" she asked a little haughtily.
"Then go to the library," Ron responded with wide eyes. He didn't understand where this was going.
Hermione sighed and took a seat at one of the chairs by the fire. The common room was otherwise empty. "Boys."
Ron coughed. "Uh, Hermione, what's gotten under your robes today?"
"Don't you know?" she asked.
"No, I have no idea." But Ron did have a little idea. He moved nervously in place.
"This morning."
"Er. Yeah." The beet red of his face suddenly complimented his hair color.
"Ron, don't you ever say anything else when you're uneasy?" Her voice had gotten a little calmer, but she was no longer looking at him. The fire crackled in its place.
"Er. No." Ron clucked. Feeling ridiculous, he took a deep breath. "Uh, Hermione, I meant it." He floundered for something more to say.
Hermione grinned and gazed back up at him, her bushy brown hair bouncing with her exuberance. "Really?" And then she caught herself, took a steadying breath, and smiled sweetly at him.
"Yeah!"
Pink stained her pretty little face, and for the first time in a long time, she ran out of things to say.
Ron began twittering in place, staring directly at anything that wasn't Hermione. Hesitantly, he asked, "Do you think we could, well, we could share a butterbeer at Hogsmeade this weekend?"
"Yes." Hermione replied softly. " I think we could." A little dreamy spark played on her face and Ron finally looked right into her eyes, and he gasped. They got prettier every time.
Harry bounded back downstairs and onto the scene, but he noticed something was extremely odd about the way his friends were acting. Hermione was sitting in her favorite chair in front of the fire. Ron was standing right beside it.
And their eyes were as connected as his wand had been with. well, anyhow. "What's wrong with you two?"
Ron and Hermione both bounced a foot into the air, their eyes shooting at Harry as if they'd never seen him before. "Oh, nothing," Ron finally answered casually.
Hermione stood up and said, "Why don't you two go to the Owlery together. I've got some studying to get done."
"Okay," Harry said with a grin, glancing down at the letter he'd just finished. "Let's go, Ron."
"Yeah. Yeah, let's go," Ron repeated as he followed Harry's energized form out of the common room. He glanced back only once.
He barely tore his eyes off Hermione's retreating figure before racing to catch up with Harry. "Hey, wait up!"