DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS OF THE HARRY POTTER SERIES. J.K. ROWLING IS THE GODDESS BEHIND THEM.

Chapter 2

Back and Forth

            Ron couldn't stay still for a second. He was furiously pacing back and forth in his room, squeezing a stress ball in his hands, breathing heavily, with his heart beating as loud as the Howler his Mum sent him while he was still attending Hogwarts.

            'How could this be? Hermione Granger marrying Draco Malfoy? This is a nightmare! That man, if you can call Malfoy that, hated Hermione at Hogwarts! They despised each other!! And now they're getting married?? This has to be a mistake!'

            Ron's memories of Malfoy calling Hermione a 'mudblood' and the many times he taunted her, made Ron boil so much that he squeezed the stress ball to death. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't even realize that all he was doing now was clenching and unclenching his fists. After a while, he felt like he was being suffocated in his room so he decided to take his Chudley Cannons team broomstick. He tried to clear his thoughts by doing Quidditch sprints, which was equivalent to pacing back and forth, broomstick style.

            Ron began to think about what Ginny said earlier, 'Things change, Ron.'  And boy, was she right.

Six years ago…

            It was their last year at Hogwarts, their last month to be exact. Lord Voldemort had just been defeated the month before and everyone was glad that they didn't have Voldemort's reign of terror to worry about anymore. Things were slowly beginning to come back to normal and all the seventh year Hogwarts students were eagerly waiting to graduate. Everyone except Draco Malfoy; his parents, Lucius and Narcissa, were killed during the war. Voldemort betrayed them by leading them to the Aurors, before he met his own demise.

 Harry, Ron, and Hermione were eating dinner in the Great Hall, along with their fellow classmates. Meals were so much more enjoyable now, not having to wonder anymore whether it would be their last.

"Ron, I-I need to talk to you later. Something important." Hermione said nervously as she finished her Shepherd's pie.

"Sure, Hermione. What about?," Ron asked curiously. Harry uncomfortably stared at his own pie, knowing fully what Hermione wanted to talk to Ron about. In fact, he was the one who encouraged her.

Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Hermione said, "Like I told you before,Ron, something important. Just meet me in the common room after everyone else goes to bed. I need to discuss this with you alone." She got up from the table and collected her books. "I'm off to the library to finish some Advanced Arithmancy work. Don't forget about the common room."

            As she walked out of the hall, Ron thought there was something strange about the whole conversation they just had. Sure, it was common for Hermione to bark out orders, but this time it was different. Her voice sounded nervous, almost sounding like she wasn't sure whether or not she should tell Ron this 'important' thing. Ron also noticed Harry was silent throughout the whole conversation. Ron eyed him suspiciously.

            "What?," Harry said nonchalantly.

            "Do you know what's going on? What does she want to talk to me about?," Ron curiously asked.

            Harry shrugged his shoulders, "I dunno. But I bet it's important."

            "How do you know that?"

            "Well, Hermione did say twice that it was important."

            "Oh. Yeah. Of course."

             To avoid further interrogation from Ron, Harry quickly finished his pie, not bothering to chew. "Gwwood ruck, Won." After a quick sip of juice, Harry took off.

            Good luck? On what? What the bloody hell was going on?

Later that night…

            Harry accompanied Ron in the common room, waiting for the rest of the house to go to bed. It was almost like a siege when the Creevey brothers were the only ones left. Colin and Dennis were still in awe of the famous Harry Potter, especially now after he defeated Voldemort for the second time in his life. Since Harry was going to graduate, Colin felt even more compelled to follow him around. However, after about an hour of waiting each other out, Dennis finally complained to Colin, " I'm tired and so sleepy, Colin. Let's go."

            "Okay, fine. I'm sleepy as well. Good night, Harry. G'nite Ron."

            "G'nite, Colin." Harry waited a few minutes and then let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness they're finally gone! And now it's my turn to go to bed. Good luck,Ron." Harry proceeded up the stairs.

            'There he goes again with 'Good luck.' What's going on?', thought Ron.

            As Harry walked excitedly up the stairs, he met up with Hermione at the top. He could see that she was very nervous; she kept fidgeting with her fingers and paced back and forth. 'Poor Hermione,' thought Harry. 'I'm sure glad I'm not in her shoes.'

            "So how you holding up, Hermione? Are you ready to tell Ron?"

            "To tell you the truth, Harry, I'm scared to death. Dealing with Voldemort was one thing, but confessing your secret emotions to one of your best friends is just as dangerous," Hermione said apprehensively.

            Harry gave his best friend a much needed hug and noticed that her body was shaking. "It'll be fine, Hermione. Ron will understand."

            "But what if he doesn't feel the same way? I'm putting my heart out on the line here. Harry, for once, I don't know what I'm doing. All I know is that I can't keep this secret any longer. I know I should tell him, Harry, but I don't want to get hurt."

            "Hermione, just think positive. I'll think positive for you too."

            "You're one to talk. You haven't even told Ginny how you feel about her."

            "Hey, hey, hey…we're talking about you here," Harry replied defensively. "Listen, Hermione, it'll be fine okay? You need to do this for your well-being. It's better knowing that you tried than saying 'What if…?' later on."

            Hermione sighed and nodded in agreement with Harry. "I guess you're right. Okay. Let me do this. It's gonna be fine. I'm going to be fine." She slowly walked down the stairs one step at a time, holding herself up by touching the walls.

            Harry definitely hoped that things would go well as Hermione's chant of 'It's gonna be fine, It's gonna be fine, It's gonna be fine' faded as she walked down the stairs. He'd never forgive himself if Hermione gets her heart broken, considering that he was the one who convinced her to admit her feelings. He'll just have to wait it out until tomorrow morning.