Disclaimer: I defiantly did not come up with this multi-billion dollar
series of books. If I had, this story would NOT be online. Thanks for your
wonderful world Mrs. Rawlings!
(A/N) ok, my notes are going in the beginning this time. Thank you to my reviewers. All your comments are appreciated. And a HUGE shout-out to my wonderful beta-reader and best friend. Lady PC, I love you! Anyone who is a Harry + Hermione fan, (Gasp!) can go and read her story. It is titled, Crucible of a Magi, and I beta-read for her so we know it's perfect. Haha. Anyway, sorry it took me SOOO long to update, I got caught up with work and school. But only 58 days left till I graduate high school!!! YAY!! So I will update sooner this time. And please if anyone has any constructive criticism or thoughts on where I should take this story, send them to me. I don't want them at the reunion yet, but I don't want to fill time with crap either. But I'll figure something out. So until next time, enjoy chapter 2.
Ch. 2 Scars
A reunion? Harry had both dreaded and anticipated this ever day since graduation. He wanted so badly to see his friends, but knew it would take a lot of time for everyone to heal their wounds. The events of what was supposed to be such a happy day had hurt everyone. Luckily, some had forgiven, though no one forgot.
He remembered each detail like it had been only yesterday. The entire scene still made him ill, and the wounds caused that day still ran deep.
* * *
"Harry?" Hermione leaned her head into the empty transfiguration classroom looking for her best friend. The burgundy and gold graduation tassel swung down from her pointed hat, and she quickly brushed it out of her face. "I didn't think you'd be here so soon." She blushed.
"Well, it sounded important, the note you sent said that if I didn't hurry, you'd lose your nerve." He grinned. "What are you up to?"
At this, Hermione began nervously twisting her robe in her hand. "Well, you know how things have been with me and Ron…?" She mumbled. Of course he knew. The two of them had been flirting on the edge of a relationship for seven years. Though neither would admit it, they both knew where they were heading. There had been so many near kiss situations and heart felt conversations that it made Harry nauseous. He smiled, nodding exasperatedly.
"Well," she continued, a bit more at ease, having said the hardest part, "This is the last time that I will be with you two all day, and I uh…" She began to flush pink again. "I want to see what can happen with Ron, you know?" She lifted her eyebrows waiting for Harry's reaction.
"Um… ok." He still didn't see how this involved him. Keeping in mind that he and Hermione had had their close moments too, there had even been times when he had wanted to put Ron out of the running and keep Hermione to himself, but she and Ron were meant for each other. He still wasn't sure of what he wanted, even now, and if Hermione hadn't said anything about Ron, he might have questioned her about a future for the two of them… but not now.
She stepped closer to him looking anywhere but into his eyes. "But I wasn't sure of… you know, anyone else who might get hurt." Her eyes quickly flicked up to his face, then back to the floor.
"What do you mean?" (A/N: I love Harry, but ALL guys can be dense at times right?)
"Well, I know that uh, you and I… um… we have, well uh…we've become pretty close these last two years and uh… I kinda liked being close to you… and…well…" She sighed loudly. Her face brighter than any tomato he'd ever seen.
His eyes widened. "Oh!" It dawned on him that she was talking about him. She was afraid that HE'D be hurt if She hooked up with Ron. "Listen Herm…"
"Give me a minute." She cut him off raising her hand in the air. "Let me get this out." He recognized the new look on her face immediately. It was the look she got when she had to say something she had been dreading. It was the look she got when apologizing to Ron for… anything. "I really do like you very much and sometimes I think I might even love you, and it's just not logical to get something going with Ron if I think that I can't be totally committed. So I came up with a small experiment we could do, you know…to research what's here…" She gestured at the two of them, then added quietly, "if anything."
Harry grinned "I see. And what exactly do you propose?"
She looked at him and laughed silently. She hated how Harry could always be calm in creepy situations. Here she was, a nervous wreck, and Harry… the valiant knight. It was enough to make her puke. But as she calculated a way to turn the tables a smile played upon her lips.
"We kiss." She said coolly, her eyes locking with Harry's. It worked.
"Huh?" Harry squeaked, eyes as wide as saucers.
"Come on Harry it's not that big of a deal is it? We've both done it before, just not with each other. I just think that if we kissed, and we felt something there, I could hold off on the Ron thing. But if it ended up feeling like a kiss from mum, I'll know what I need to do. It makes sense right?"
Harry nodded a bit. He knew she was right and he actually thought the idea was an okay one. He had always wanted to kiss her anyway, here was his chance, but he was nervous. "O…Ok." He agreed.
She smiled nervously. At least he was going along with this right? She took a tentative step towards him. As if on cue, their heads quickly shot towards each other, meeting somewhere in the middle with a sharp crack.
"Ow!" Harry yelped grabbing his head.
"What is it? Does your scar hurt!? Voldemort can't be here, can he!? She replied scanning the room frantically. Harry just stared at her blankly.
"Hermione, your head collided with it."
"What?"
"My scar hurts because you head-butted me." He stated simply.
"Oh, yeah that." She whispered, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"So, you wanna try again?"
"Huh?" she blinked.
"The kiss Hermione, do you want to try it again? Please try to focus on our research." He mocked in a condescending tone.
"Uh, yeah sure…" at this Harry put his hands on her shoulders, holding her steady so as to avoid the same painful encounter again. He stepped closer to her and gently put his lips on hers, but nothing happened. Where were the sparks? The shivers in his spine? There wasn't even the slightest flutter in his stomach, and he could tell by the lack of response from his partner, that he wasn't the only one not experiencing these sensations.
Minutes slipped by as the two friends trying to maneuver some passion into the contact, but the attempts seemed futile if not annoying. Harry slipped one hand around Hermione's waist thinking that maybe if she was closer… maybe not. Meanwhile Hermione tilted her head in all directions making any attempt Harry made to deepen the kiss impossible. The result was not pretty, though it would have been quite entertaining to see. Flailing arms and funny noises complemented the pathetic scene perfectly.
"Oi, guys where…" Ron stopped dead in his tracks quickly shrinking back behind the door frame when he realized they hadn't heard him. Maybe they would have been, if they weren't so… busy! His heart had stopped beating. Harry and Hermione? Kissing!? He could almost feel himself shatter inside. He had wanted to say something to her today, to tell her his feelings, but Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter who gets everything handed to him, Harry Potter, his supposed best friend, had gotten her first.
The feeling of tears stinging his eyes compelled Ron to run for it. He dashed up the stairs into the sanctuary of Gryffindor Tower, it was the only place he could think of to go. His brain twisted and twirled the recent events over and over. How could they do this to him!? He loved her and Harry knew it perfectly well. The hurt transformed into anger which led Ron to a single conclusion.
"Good-bye Hermione" Ron grunted under his breath. And with a last look at what had been his home for seven years, Ron left without a word to anyone.
* * *
The mere memory of those hours caused Harry to shiver. To this day he didn't know why Ron had never said good-bye. He wasn't angry, no, as a matter of fact, he still considered Ron his best friend. Ten years without someone doesn't make feelings change.
As long as Ron was happy, that was all that mattered. He had heard from Seamus Finnigan a few years ago that Ron had landed himself in the United States for a while and was making himself quite a name there.
Harry looked back at the invitation clutched in his hand and smiled. Would Ron show up at the reunion? He hoped against hope that the answer was yes. He needed to speak to his friend again. He needed the support that Ron had always given him. He needed his best friend back.
(A/N) ok, my notes are going in the beginning this time. Thank you to my reviewers. All your comments are appreciated. And a HUGE shout-out to my wonderful beta-reader and best friend. Lady PC, I love you! Anyone who is a Harry + Hermione fan, (Gasp!) can go and read her story. It is titled, Crucible of a Magi, and I beta-read for her so we know it's perfect. Haha. Anyway, sorry it took me SOOO long to update, I got caught up with work and school. But only 58 days left till I graduate high school!!! YAY!! So I will update sooner this time. And please if anyone has any constructive criticism or thoughts on where I should take this story, send them to me. I don't want them at the reunion yet, but I don't want to fill time with crap either. But I'll figure something out. So until next time, enjoy chapter 2.
Ch. 2 Scars
A reunion? Harry had both dreaded and anticipated this ever day since graduation. He wanted so badly to see his friends, but knew it would take a lot of time for everyone to heal their wounds. The events of what was supposed to be such a happy day had hurt everyone. Luckily, some had forgiven, though no one forgot.
He remembered each detail like it had been only yesterday. The entire scene still made him ill, and the wounds caused that day still ran deep.
* * *
"Harry?" Hermione leaned her head into the empty transfiguration classroom looking for her best friend. The burgundy and gold graduation tassel swung down from her pointed hat, and she quickly brushed it out of her face. "I didn't think you'd be here so soon." She blushed.
"Well, it sounded important, the note you sent said that if I didn't hurry, you'd lose your nerve." He grinned. "What are you up to?"
At this, Hermione began nervously twisting her robe in her hand. "Well, you know how things have been with me and Ron…?" She mumbled. Of course he knew. The two of them had been flirting on the edge of a relationship for seven years. Though neither would admit it, they both knew where they were heading. There had been so many near kiss situations and heart felt conversations that it made Harry nauseous. He smiled, nodding exasperatedly.
"Well," she continued, a bit more at ease, having said the hardest part, "This is the last time that I will be with you two all day, and I uh…" She began to flush pink again. "I want to see what can happen with Ron, you know?" She lifted her eyebrows waiting for Harry's reaction.
"Um… ok." He still didn't see how this involved him. Keeping in mind that he and Hermione had had their close moments too, there had even been times when he had wanted to put Ron out of the running and keep Hermione to himself, but she and Ron were meant for each other. He still wasn't sure of what he wanted, even now, and if Hermione hadn't said anything about Ron, he might have questioned her about a future for the two of them… but not now.
She stepped closer to him looking anywhere but into his eyes. "But I wasn't sure of… you know, anyone else who might get hurt." Her eyes quickly flicked up to his face, then back to the floor.
"What do you mean?" (A/N: I love Harry, but ALL guys can be dense at times right?)
"Well, I know that uh, you and I… um… we have, well uh…we've become pretty close these last two years and uh… I kinda liked being close to you… and…well…" She sighed loudly. Her face brighter than any tomato he'd ever seen.
His eyes widened. "Oh!" It dawned on him that she was talking about him. She was afraid that HE'D be hurt if She hooked up with Ron. "Listen Herm…"
"Give me a minute." She cut him off raising her hand in the air. "Let me get this out." He recognized the new look on her face immediately. It was the look she got when she had to say something she had been dreading. It was the look she got when apologizing to Ron for… anything. "I really do like you very much and sometimes I think I might even love you, and it's just not logical to get something going with Ron if I think that I can't be totally committed. So I came up with a small experiment we could do, you know…to research what's here…" She gestured at the two of them, then added quietly, "if anything."
Harry grinned "I see. And what exactly do you propose?"
She looked at him and laughed silently. She hated how Harry could always be calm in creepy situations. Here she was, a nervous wreck, and Harry… the valiant knight. It was enough to make her puke. But as she calculated a way to turn the tables a smile played upon her lips.
"We kiss." She said coolly, her eyes locking with Harry's. It worked.
"Huh?" Harry squeaked, eyes as wide as saucers.
"Come on Harry it's not that big of a deal is it? We've both done it before, just not with each other. I just think that if we kissed, and we felt something there, I could hold off on the Ron thing. But if it ended up feeling like a kiss from mum, I'll know what I need to do. It makes sense right?"
Harry nodded a bit. He knew she was right and he actually thought the idea was an okay one. He had always wanted to kiss her anyway, here was his chance, but he was nervous. "O…Ok." He agreed.
She smiled nervously. At least he was going along with this right? She took a tentative step towards him. As if on cue, their heads quickly shot towards each other, meeting somewhere in the middle with a sharp crack.
"Ow!" Harry yelped grabbing his head.
"What is it? Does your scar hurt!? Voldemort can't be here, can he!? She replied scanning the room frantically. Harry just stared at her blankly.
"Hermione, your head collided with it."
"What?"
"My scar hurts because you head-butted me." He stated simply.
"Oh, yeah that." She whispered, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"So, you wanna try again?"
"Huh?" she blinked.
"The kiss Hermione, do you want to try it again? Please try to focus on our research." He mocked in a condescending tone.
"Uh, yeah sure…" at this Harry put his hands on her shoulders, holding her steady so as to avoid the same painful encounter again. He stepped closer to her and gently put his lips on hers, but nothing happened. Where were the sparks? The shivers in his spine? There wasn't even the slightest flutter in his stomach, and he could tell by the lack of response from his partner, that he wasn't the only one not experiencing these sensations.
Minutes slipped by as the two friends trying to maneuver some passion into the contact, but the attempts seemed futile if not annoying. Harry slipped one hand around Hermione's waist thinking that maybe if she was closer… maybe not. Meanwhile Hermione tilted her head in all directions making any attempt Harry made to deepen the kiss impossible. The result was not pretty, though it would have been quite entertaining to see. Flailing arms and funny noises complemented the pathetic scene perfectly.
"Oi, guys where…" Ron stopped dead in his tracks quickly shrinking back behind the door frame when he realized they hadn't heard him. Maybe they would have been, if they weren't so… busy! His heart had stopped beating. Harry and Hermione? Kissing!? He could almost feel himself shatter inside. He had wanted to say something to her today, to tell her his feelings, but Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter who gets everything handed to him, Harry Potter, his supposed best friend, had gotten her first.
The feeling of tears stinging his eyes compelled Ron to run for it. He dashed up the stairs into the sanctuary of Gryffindor Tower, it was the only place he could think of to go. His brain twisted and twirled the recent events over and over. How could they do this to him!? He loved her and Harry knew it perfectly well. The hurt transformed into anger which led Ron to a single conclusion.
"Good-bye Hermione" Ron grunted under his breath. And with a last look at what had been his home for seven years, Ron left without a word to anyone.
* * *
The mere memory of those hours caused Harry to shiver. To this day he didn't know why Ron had never said good-bye. He wasn't angry, no, as a matter of fact, he still considered Ron his best friend. Ten years without someone doesn't make feelings change.
As long as Ron was happy, that was all that mattered. He had heard from Seamus Finnigan a few years ago that Ron had landed himself in the United States for a while and was making himself quite a name there.
Harry looked back at the invitation clutched in his hand and smiled. Would Ron show up at the reunion? He hoped against hope that the answer was yes. He needed to speak to his friend again. He needed the support that Ron had always given him. He needed his best friend back.