However long it takes, your heart and your mind will carve out a new life amid this weirdly devastating landscape. Little by little, pain and love will find ways to coexist- Megan Devine
The week flew by quicker than Ellie expected. It was now Friday, and Ellie and Isabella were at the Burrow again while Harry was at work. They had spent the last three days watching movies and playing a game called Exploding Snap. Isabella had loved it, Ellie, not so much. Ellie didn't see the point in the cards blowing up in your face randomly.
Each night, she had the same nightmare, and each night, she went downstairs to make herself and Harry some tea just so she would have a reason to be close to him and talk to him. She kept hoping that he would open up to her about what plagued his dreams. She couldn't quite put her finger on why it bothered her so much that Harry never talked to her about it. She just wished he confided in her a bit more instead of keeping her at arm's length.
Ellie wasn't deluding herself. She knew that even if or when he finally felt comfortable enough to talk with her about everything, it wouldn't change anything between them. They would still just be friends. He wasn't going to sweep her off her feet or anything like that just because he was more comfortable around her, no matter how badly Ellie wanted that to happen.
He had opened his heart to new friendship, but any thoughts of romanticism were met with a fierce resistance and Ellie was starting to wonder if Harry would ever try to love again.
Love.
A terrible, and yet at the same time, an absolutely beautiful word. Did she love Harry? Of course, not! She had only known him for a few short weeks. Regardless, she couldn't help but feel that if Harry would just open his heart to love, to her, then she could fall in love again; just like she promised her mum she would after Isabella's father had left.
She still had the potion that he had given her, but Ellie knew she would never take it. She couldn't help but feel like they needed each other in those nights where they would sit and talk about things like kindred spirits who took comfort in the fact that both were suffering, and that both had seen each other's scars and neither had run away.
So, Ellie made the trek downstairs each night, to make the broken man she had come to fancy some tea in the hopes that little by little, she was tearing down the walls he had erected around his heart.
"Ellie, dear, are you okay?" a voice said, tearing her from her thoughts, "You seem like your worlds away."
Ellie turned to Mrs. Weasley who was looking at her with a worried expression. She was sitting in a comfortable looking armchair knitting what looked like a baby blanket.
"Yeah," Ellie replied, "Sorry, just thinking about stuff, I guess."
"Want to talk about it? I feel it helps to clear your mind when you can talk to someone about things."
"No, thank you," Ellie shook her head. "I feel like this is something I have to work out on my own."
"Alright dear, if you're sure," Mrs. Weasley smiled, "Why don't you go take a nap upstairs? I'll watch Isabella for a little bit. Maybe I can get her to de-gnome the garden for me."
"Really?" Isabella asked excitedly from the floor. "Aren't they those ugly little potato looking things?"
"I wouldn't want to impose," Ellie said embarrassingly, "You're already taking us in two days a week, you shouldn't have to watch my child while I sleep."
Molly waved her hand at her counterargument, "It's nothing dear. I'm done with this blanket for now and I'm sure, what with the bad dreams and all, you get tired throughout the day. Go on, it'll be fine."
Now that she thought about it, she was pretty tired. She wouldn't ever tell anyone, but the nightmares took a lot out of her.
"Okay," Ellie said slowly. "If you're sure?"
"Go on!" Mrs. Weasley laughed, "Isabella and I will have a fun time in the garden."
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," she said before turning to her daughter, "You mind Mrs. Weasley, you hear? You better do everything she says."
"I will, I promise, Mum," Isabella said as she hugged her around the middle.
As Ellie walked out of the sitting room, she chanced a glance back and saw Isabella hopping up and down waiting for Mrs. Weasley to get up while she chattered away.
She made it up to the first-floor landing, and into the room, where she started making her way to the bed. Before she reached it, however, she tripped, almost falling flat on her face.
She steadied herself before turning to look at the offending board sticking up ever so slightly.
"That's odd," Ellie thought to herself as she got closer to examine the loose floorboard.
She placed her fingers around the floorboard, pulled, and to her surprise, it came up to reveal a small space. She set the board aside and peered in to find a small leatherbound book.
She took the book out, and upon noticing there was no writing on it, turned it over, which was also blank.
She took the book to the bed where she sat down and opened the cover.
"Property of Ginny Molly Weasley" was written on the first page. Near the bottom was more writing, "If I find out that Fred or George read this, you won't like what I'll do to you."
"This had been Harry's wife's diary," She thought to herself, "I shouldn't read this. I should put it back."
She made no move to get up or put the diary back in its hiding place. Instead, she stared at the front page as she tried to will herself to replace the diary where she had found it.
Would she get in trouble for reading this? Would Mrs. Weasley or Harry be mad that she had found it?
"Maybe just a little peek," Ellie said to herself as she opened the book to a random page, "I'll put it back before anyone knows."
5 August, 1995
I know I haven't written in forever, but after what I went through in first year, I was scared to even touch another diary, even if it was safe. We were told Harry would be coming tomorrow with a guard and Ron won't shut up about it. I'm excited myself, but I can't let anyone else know that, can I? I'm dating Michael now and I'm not supposed to be thinking about Harry Potter. This house we're in is ghastly and Mum is making us all clean it. Like cleaning would help this dank old house. Sirius said it was the house he grew up in which explains a lot actually. I'm worried about Harry. I know I shouldn't and it's not my job to worry, but I still do. After watching Cedric get murdered last term, I'm afraid he'll withdraw from everyone. Ron said he's been rather short in his return letters. Hopefully, he's able to push past it.
So, he had watched someone get murdered right in front of him when he was still in school? The emotional scarring that must have left him with made Ellie's heart ache for the teenage Harry she never knew.
She flipped to another random page and began reading:
17 July, 1996
It's mid-July and I'm still getting scolded for having gone to the Ministry with everyone to save Sirius. How can the fact that I snuck off with Harry and the rest even matter after what happened? I wrote to Harry to see if he was okay; he hasn't written back yet. It worries me because Sirius wasn't just a big part of his life, but the last remaining chance at a happy childhood home. The Dursleys are shite and I know Harry hates it there. It broke my heart to hear Harry scream when Sirius went through the Veil. I've never heard anyone sound so broken; makes my broken ankle seem insignificant in comparison. I liked Sirius. He was really funny and carefree. I remember him telling me not to give up on Harry. "Harry will notice you one day, Ginny," he told me. I tried telling him I was with Dean but Sirius just laughed. Apparently, he doesn't believe that I moved on from his godson. If I'm being honest with myself, some days I don't believe that I have either, which makes me feel guilty because Dean is a really great bloke and I like him.
Ellie found it amazing how much Ginny had cared for Harry. It seemed like she had harbored quite the crush on him long before they got together. It made Ellie's heart sink at the parallels between herself and Ginny. They both fancied a boy who didn't even notice them, and she found herself sympathizing with Ginny.
The more she read, the more she realized how much Harry had truly lost.
10 May, 1997
Life couldn't be better. We won the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor. Harry didn't play as he was serving a detention so I had to fill in as Seeker. The party in Gryffindor tower was amazing, mainly because when Harry came in from his detention, he ran right to me and kissed me in front of everyone. HE KISSED ME! I've been dreaming of this moment for ten years and it finally happened. I thought Ron was going to die from shock. His face was rather comical I was told. He then took me out around the lake and apologized for it taking so long for him to notice me. There was also a lot of snogging involved. I'm not one to kiss and tell but Gods is he an amazing kisser. I never thought this day would come, or that my heart would feel so full. Life is finally starting to come together now, and I couldn't be happier. After the chamber, I was empty for a long time and I didn't think I'd ever truly recover, but I'm glad to have been proven wrong.
Ellie smiled as she got up and put the diary back under the floorboard before laying back down.
She wondered what Harry looked like when he was in love. She had been told more than once that Harry's life hadn't been that great, so to read of a time when he had been happy comforted Ellie.
It still caused a sort of sadness to well up within her. It had taken him so long to notice Ginny. Would it take him just as long, or longer, to notice her? Would he even notice her at all now that his heart was all but shattered? Could he ever even love her, even with the broken pieces?
Ellie drifted off to sleep without even realizing it.
"I've got it, I've figured it out!" Hermione screeched as she ran into his office and slammed a picture down on his desk.
"What is this and why are you screaming?" Harry chuckled as he took in his friend's winded appearance.
"Sorry," Hermione said as she gasped for breath, "I ran all the way here. I know who that man is."
"What?" Harry asked instantly, "Who is it?"
Hermione placed another picture down beside the other of the same man but with blonde hair, "Harry, it's Thorfinn Rowle. I knew I recognized him from somewhere. Remember right after Bill's wedding we went to that café on Tottenham Court Road and Dolohov and Rowle attacked us?"
"Of course!" Harry said as he slapped himself in the forehead, "How could we not have noticed? I thought he died at the Battle of Hogwarts."
"He must have fled right after you defeated Voldemort. A lot of Death Eaters did."
Harry looked at the pictures once more and grinned; excellent. He now knew who it was. He felt almost giddy with excitement as he pre-planned Rowle's fate in is mind.
"Harry?" Hermione questioned, causing him to look up, "You're not going to do anything stupid are you?"
Harry shrugged, "Probably. I want to hurt him. After what he did to Ellie, Hermione, I want to kill him."
Hermione gasped, "Harry, that's a tad extreme. I know what he did was terrible, but you can't just go and kill him."
"Who says I can't?"
Hermione eyed him cautiously and took a few minutes to reply, "I know what he did was awful Harry, but that's what Death Eaters do. They're all terrible people. So, why do you feel the need to only kill Rowle?"
"I don't know Hermione," Harry sighed.
"Is it... is it because of Ellie?" Hermione asked, "Do you fancy her?"
"What, no!" Harry yelped, "I mean, it is because of Ellie, but not because I fancy her. I just feel like he's a disgusting human being and he deserves to die for what he did."
Hermione nodded, "That's true, but please, Harry, for me, don't go do anything that you can't take back. I know killing Rowle seems like the best option, and believe me he deserves to die, but let the Wizengamot decide his fate. I don't want you getting into trouble."
Harry just grunted in reply as he stood up. "Sure, whatever."
"Harry, promise me," Hermione said as she moved closer to him and placed her hand on his cheek, "Don't kill Rowle. Revenge isn't worth it. I don't want you to lose your job and I definitely don't want to have to visit you in Azkaban. You might not fancy Ellie, but I know you have a soft spot for Isabella. Don't do that to her."
Harry grasped Hermione's hand as he looked into her eyes. He could see the fear and anxiety as plain as day as well as the beginnings of her tears. As much as he wanted to promise Hermione what she wanted him to, he just couldn't.
"Hermione," he said heavily, "Nothing is worth it anymore. Revenge is all I have left."
He dropped her hand and strolled out of his office, leaving a shocked and tear-stricken Hermione behind.
Harry had no sooner exited the fireplace at the Burrow, when Isabella collided into him, almost knocking him over, and hugging him around the middle.
"Hiya, Harry," Isabella said with a grin as she let go of him.
"Hey, Bella," he replied with a laugh, "Where's your mum at?"
"She's upstairs in Ginny's old room having a lie-down," Mrs. Weasley said as she came through the doorway, "Poor thing looked dead on her feet. She's been in there for about three hours now."
Harry nodded, "I'll go wake her up and we can go home."
Harry made his way up to the second-floor landing and stopped at the door, hearing movement from inside.
"She must be awake," Harry thought to himself.
Harry knocked, waited, and then knocked again but there was no reply from the other side of the door. Harry knocked again, a little louder this time, and spoke up, "I'm coming in Ellie."
He pushed the door open and froze.
Ellie was still in bed. She was thrashing around and whimpering, and the sight nearly broke his heart. Her bedsheets were twisted around her, and her body was drenched in sweat. Her hair was matted to her forehead, and she was quite pale, more so than usual.
Not being able to take her soft cries tugging at his heartstrings any longer, he rushed to the bed and knelt down as he tried to shake her shoulder and wake her up.
"Ellie, wake up!" Harry said as he shook her shoulder. "You're having a nightmare."
"Please don't," Ellie whimpered.
"Ellie!" Harry said more forcefully, "Wake up!"
Ellie's eyes shot open and quickly darted around the room. She turned her unfocused gaze back to him and let out a small yelp as she backed up on the bed to try and get away from him.
"Stay back," she said in a quivering voice, "Please don't come any closer."
"Ellie, it's me, Harry," he said, "You were having a nightmare; you're safe; I'm not going to hurt you."
He saw the recognition in her eyes, "Harry?"
"Yeah, it's me," he said softly as he tried to smile, although it fell short of his eyes.
She slowly moved from her position against the wall. As she scooted next to him, she put her hand to his face, as if to check whether he was real or not, before throwing her arms around him, and sobbing into his chest. Harry didn't say a word as she cried into his shoulder. He just held her tight as his heart broke for his friend's pain.
"You were dead," Ellie said through her tears, "I watched... I watched him kill you."
"Ssh," Harry said as he tried to console her, "I'm right here and clearly not dead."
Once her cries had quieted, she pulled back, "I'm sorry, that's twice I've cried on you."
"Don't worry about it," Harry said, "I thought maybe you were dreaming about what happened to you?"
"I was," Ellie replied, "Only, this time was different."
"Different?" Harry questioned, "Different how?"
Ellie went quiet and for a moment, Harry thought she might not tell him, but she soon spoke up again, "You were there, and you were telling me that everything was going to be okay. And then, HE came in and saw you talking to me. He cast some kind of spell, I don't know what it was, I know it was green, though, and you just dropped dead. Then, he... he..."
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Harry said.
"I want to," Ellie said as she looked into his eyes. Harry could still see tears in them as she continued, "he told me he would do to Isabella what he did to you if I didn't do what he wanted. He then, well, you know what he did; and all I could see was you lying on the floor staring at me and I knew you were dead. I knew it."
Ellie shivered as more tears fell and Harry hugged her tightly, murmuring, "He won't ever hurt you or Isabella again and he most certainly won't catch me off-guard. I promise."
"But how can you promise that? You don't know what he's like, or how strong he is. You don't even know who he is."
"I do, actually," Harry said. "I know exactly who he is. Hermione found out and told me just before I came here."
"You do?" she asked.
Harry nodded, "His name is Thorfinn Rowle. I've crossed wands with him before."
Just then, Ellie did something that caught Harry completely off guard; she giggled.
"Um, what?" Harry asked in confusion.
Ellie giggled louder, and soon after, full-blown laughter erupted from her chest. Harry just stared at her like she had sprouted another head.
"I'm sorry, Harry," she said between chuckles, "Do you even hear yourself?"
"I'm so confused," he replied.
Ellie could barely contain herself as she continued laughing, "You. Crossed. Wands. With. Him. Before."
Each word was punctuated by more laughter.
Harry, finally realizing the sexual innuendo, chuckled, and before he knew it, they were both laughing uproariously.
Ellie finally turned to him again and it was like time stood still. As he looked into her eyes, eyes full from tears of mirth, he could see a blazing fire burning in her irises. Harry had the strangest urge to kiss Ellie as he looked at her, tears still clinging to her long and delicate eyelashes.
He didn't even notice them moving closer to each other. His mind had gone all fuzzy and he couldn't form a coherent thought except that he wanted desperately to kiss the woman in front of him.
The door to the room swung open, causing both Ellie and him to scramble away from each other quickly as Isabella poked her head in the doorway. "There you guys are! I thought we were leaving. Hang on, what's going on?"
Harry rubbed his neck and looked at the floor in embarrassment. Whatever temporary spell he had been under had passed with the appearance of Isabella and now he was just confused. Why had he had the sudden urge to snog Ellie senseless just now? He didn't even fancy her. Was something wrong with his head?
He peeked a glance at Ellie from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but notice she looked slightly pleased with herself and yet, oddly disappointed at the same time.
"Nothing, honey," Ellie said, "We were just talking. Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah," Isabella said as she ran into the room and grabbed her mum's hand before pulling on it to get her to stand up, "I wanna go watch tv at home."
Harry watched as Isabella dragged her mother to the door, "C'mon, Harry,"
Shaking his head, he pointed his wand at the bed to make it, then followed the two out of the room and down the stairs to the fireplace.
They said their goodbyes to Mrs. Weasley before Isabella all but ran into the fireplace and disappeared in a rush of green flames.
Ellie gave him a lopsided grin at Isabella's energetic eagerness to which Harry just shrugged. In a rush of green flames, they too disappeared from the Burrow.
"This movie is my new favorite movie," Isabella said as she tossed some popcorn into her mouth.
"You like it even more than Beauty and the Beast?" Ellie asked her daughter.
Beauty and the Beast had been Isabella's favorite thing to watch since she had been three years old. It had been Ellie's for a time as well.
"Yep," Isabella said, "Harry told me about Hogwarts and how there are these four houses and two of the houses are rivals. It's kind of like that. Seeing the fox and dog become best friends when they're supposed to be enemies is cute."
Ellie sighed at the mention of Harry's name.
As soon as they had arrived back at Harry's house, he had excused himself and locked himself in his study. She hadn't seen him since. She desperately wanted to talk to him about what had almost taken place, about how Ellie was almost positive that they had almost kissed, but Harry had yet to make an appearance. Dinner had come and gone and she had even made him a plate but when she had knocked on the door to his study, there was no answer from him.
Just when she thought she had made some sort of headway in bringing down Harry's walls, they came right back up again. Ellie knew he was still mourning his late wife, and that everyone grieved differently and for different amounts of time. There wasn't really a timetable on how long it took for someone to get over a tragedy like that.
The truth was, Ellie did feel guilty. She was so wrapped up in her feelings for Harry that she didn't really stop and think how he might be feeling. Did he feel guilty at having almost kissed her? Did he feel like he was somehow betraying Ginny's memory by falling in love again, betraying the Weasleys by not waiting long enough? How long was long enough?
She also felt guilty that internally, she had been wishing that Harry would just get over Ginny already so he would notice what was right in front of him. She felt selfish and ashamed.
"You knew nothing would come from your feelings for him," Ellie told herself, "This isn't his fault. You knew you were just going to be disappointed in the end.
Ellie knew of course,but the ache in her chest felt real all the same. She couldn't help it. She was a mad believer in far-fetched hopes and dreams. "Always dream the impossible," her mum had told her, and Ellie did. She broke her own heart more than anyone else ever could.
"Why don't we make a pallet on the floor and watch movies till we fall asleep?" Ellie asked her daughter.
"Really?" Isabella asked excitedly.
"Really," she replied with a laugh, "I'll even let you stay up as late as you want."
Isabella jumped up, grinned, and then dashed out of the room to go get blankets and pillows.
She took the vial of potion that Harry had given her out of her pocket and looked at it. She figured she might as well take it tonight. Harry probably wasn't going to come down for the rest of the night and she didn't want to wake up and scare Isabella with what she dreamed about. She'd take it as soon as Isabella fell asleep.
When she returned, Isabella made a pallet on the floor while Ellie slipped another movie into the VCR.
Both were asleep before the movie even ended.
Hermione Granger woke up to an incessant tapping on her bedroom window. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and peered at the clock on her table which read half past midnight. She looked back at the window to see an almost pure black owl with a scattering of white spots on its wings and head.
Not even bothering to see if her husband had also been awakened, "That man could sleep through a herd of hippogriffs trampling through our home," she thought with a wry smile, she went to the window to let the owl in.
Once inside, the owl perched on her arm and stuck out its leg so she could retrieve the letter it had been carrying before it took off in an instant back out the window.
"How odd," she thought, "I wonder whose owl this is?"
She unrolled the parchment to reveal a very short letter.
Floo call me please.
H
"I wonder what's so important that Harry needs me to Floo call him in the middle of the night?"
Hermione then thought back to the conversation they had had earlier in his office and how angry and lost he had seemed. It had broken her heart to hear that her best friend felt like he had nothing left.
She made her way to the fireplace in the sitting room. She grabbed a pinch of powder, threw it in the grate, and stuck her head in the flames as she whispered, "Potter residence, study room."
She noticed Harry sitting at his desk pouring over a long scroll of parchment. He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair looked unkempt, more so than usual, as if he had been repeatedly running his hands through it.
He noticed her and gave a soft smile, "Thank God. I'm glad you were smart enough to Floo call my study fireplace."
"Harry, come on," she grinned, "It's me we're talking about."
"True," he chuckled.
"Anway, what did you need?"
"I don't really know," her friend said slowly, "I couldn't sleep and needed someone to talk to."
"Harry, you know I'm always here for you," she started, "But did you have to wake me up in the middle of the night?"
"Something happened," Harry mumbled.
"What?" Hermione questioned, now on edge, "Is it bad? Do I need to wake up Ron?"
"No!" Harry nearly shouted. "I mean, no, you don't have to wake up Ron. I just wanted to talk to you because you're a bit more understanding. You're less likely to take the mickey out of me."
Now Hermione was really curious. While they had been friends for a long time, Harry rarely asked for help or advice unless it had to do with work.
"What happened?" Hermione questioned him.
"I don't really know."
"Harry, I can't help unless you tell me what happened," Hermione chided.
Harry mumbled under his breath.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Hermione asked, "You're going to have to speak up."
"I said I almost kissed Ellie today."
Whatever she had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that. Harry was making it a point to look everywhere except in her direction.
"Are you ashamed?"
Harry stood up and began pacing in front of his desk.
"Of course, I feel ashamed Hermione," he said frantically. "Ginny hasn't even been dead a year and I'm already trying to kiss other people. What kind of person does that make me?"
"A person who is lost and needs comfort," she replied. "You shouldn't feel guilty about it."
"But I do," Harry said. "It's weird because I haven't had any romantic thoughts towards her since we've met, but today, I don't know, something happened.
"Tell me what happened then."
"Well, I had just gone to Molly's house to pick up Ellie and Isabella," Harry started, "Molly told me Ellie was asleep upstairs and when I went to wake her up, she was having a nightmare."
"About what Rowle did to her?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, but this time was different. I was in her dream and Rowle had killed me before doing what he did, and she said the only thing she could see was my lifeless body staring at her while Rowle took advantage of her.
Hermione couldn't help it, she gasped, "That's horrible!"
"Tell me about it," Harry replied grimly, "She cried a bit and finally calmed down. Then I made some kind of sexual innuendo about crossing wands with Rowle that I didn't realize at the time and she just started laughing; then, I started laughing; and then, we looked at each other and there was this fire in her eyes that I'd never really seen before and all I could think about was kissing her and I don't know what came over me. I didn't even realize how close we were to each other until Isabella came in and we both jumped away."
Hermione had to fight the grin that was threatening to spill across her face. She didn't need to antagonize Harry right now, that would come later.
"You're afraid that you don't fancy her and that you're just using her as a crutch," she stated.
He nodded. "She doesn't deserve that. No one deserves to be led on like that."
"You're also afraid that you might actually fancy her, and you feel guilty that you're tarnishing Ginny's memory somehow."
"I don't fancy her," Harry said, "And even if I did, yes, I'd feel like I wasn't doing right by Ginny."
"Harry, whether you fancy Ellie or not, you need to understand that Ginny loved you. She would want you to be happy again. I'm not saying you do or don't fancy Ellie, but Ginny would want you to move on and find love again. I told you this in your kitchen and I'll say it again. I want you to find love again. Ginny would want you to find love again."
"I can't," Harry sighed as he ran his hands through his hair.
"Can't or won't?"
"Either, or, both," Harry said. "Take your pick."
"Have you talked to Ellie about all of this?"
"Merlin no," Harry shivered, "It took me three hours just to get the nerve to talk to you about it."
"I think you should talk to her about it."
"What would be the point?" he asked, "She already told me that she only sees me as a friend. She even said she didn't want me to worry that I fancy her or anything."
"She did?" Hermione asked. "And you believed her?"
"Yeah," he replied, "why wouldn't I?"
Hermione thought about telling Harry about the conversation she and Ellie had had about him and her feelings for him but thought better of it. Not only would that be betraying Ellie's trust, but Hermione also felt like this was something the two needed to work out on their own. She would give them both advice, obviously, but ultimately, it fell down to them to work it out.
"I think you should just give it a couple of days, and then approach her and talk about it like adults," she finally said to him, "I think you should be open with her. If you don't fancy her, tell her and let her know that it's not your intention to lead her on. If you do come to realize that you fancy her, well, then you should just snog and/or shag her senseless already and get it over with. I have a feeling she wouldn't mind too much."
"When did you become so crass?" Harry chuckled.
"We're not kids anymore Harry," she replied. "We haven't been for a long time. Don't let life pass you by because you were too busy living in the past."
"This is why I wrote to you and not Ron."
"I know," she smirked, "I must get back to bed though. It's late and I'm tired."
"Okay, goodnight."
Hermione was about to pull her head out of the fireplace when Harry spoke up again, "Oh, and Hermione?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you," Harry smiled.
"What are friends for if not for late-night Floo calls and giving sound advice?"
Harry was still smiling when she pulled her head out of the fireplace.
When she got back to her room, she crawled back into bed with a contented sigh.
"So, who was it that had you Floo calling them at one in the morning?"
Hermione very nearly shrieked as she turned to her husband and swatted his chest. "Don't scare me like that, Ronald. You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry," he chuckled, "So, who was it?"
"It was Harry."
"What did he want?"
"He needed to talk," Hermione replied, "I think he's starting to fancy Ellie."
"What does that mean exactly?"
Hermione snuggled closer to him as he wrapped his arms around her. Ron had come a long way from the clueless boy he used to be, but he was still dense sometimes.
"It means that there's still hope for our friend."