Omega's Note: As you may or may not notice, all five current chapters of this fic are now properly formatted, italics and all. Yay for me. HTML rocks sometimes. The text is nearly identical, except for a few things my late-night Omega eye caught. Enjoy the new clarified version of Chapter 4 (and the other chapters as well).
After twenty uneventful minutes of awkward staring and forced conversation, Percy returned to the side room from the Great Hall, which was now full of eagerly feasting students. He sat behind his desk, took a deep breath, and resumed to his speech.
"I see you have gathered a few others," he said, looking over at Seamus, Dean, and, Ginny. Percy's eyes twinkled, reminiscent of his own humble headmaster. "Good. We will need all the help we can get. Shall I assume you have informed the others of our mission?" Harry nodded, finally releasing Ginny from his awe-filled stare. "You know about Mr. Longbottom and his work with the Ministry. There is one other thing, though. he was not murdered because of his progress with the British Coven. He was killed because of something he found.
"Mr. Longbottom contacted me shortly before his death and told me, quite anxiously, that he had found a very powerful talisman. A talisman created by one of our founders, Rowena Ravenclaw. He couldn't tell me its purpose, but he did say it could be the key to toppling Voldemort's empire. We are afraid that Voldemort may be after the Ravenclaw Talisman, as we have come to call it. If he gets it... well, I'd rather not think about that. Mr. Longbottom hid the talisman somewhere , but I do not know where. I want you to find the Ravenclaw Talisman before Voldemort does."
"Okay, then. Danger, mystery, death -- nothing new there. Where do we start searching?" Ron asked, leaning against one of the red leather chairs.
"Well, I would suggest beginning at the scene of the crime," replied Percy.
Ron stared at Percy open-mouthed. "W-what? There? But couldn't we... check his house first, or something?"
Ginny looked confused. "The scene of the crime? And where might that be?"
"His remains were found near his home in the Vampire Colonies. The Auror who found them was on a reconnaissance mission for the Ministry." Ron suddenly looked ill.
"Can't we ever go some place less... monster-y? It's always giant spiders, giant dogs, or some other giant thing with lots of sharp fangs and claws. Why don't we go to an ant colony... with normal-sized ants? Or the Isle of Butterflies? The City of Hamsters? Somewhere... not full of monsters?" Ron finished with a dramatic and oddly accurate imitation of a butterfly.
Hermione laughed openly, but was cut short when Ron shot her an angry look. She instantly felt as if her entire chest had caved in. Hermione always felt this way when Ron was angry at her. In fact, if it hadn't been for Harry, she would have never made it through their third year at school. Ron had completely forsaken his relationship with Hermione, falsely believing that her cat, Crookshanks, had killed his pet rat, Scabbers. He had been utterly wrong, as they found out one night under the full moon.
Hermione stopped laughing, stood, and left the room, slamming the door behind her. Harry glared at Ron, and then took off after Hermione.
He found her sitting on the staircase outside the Great Hall, head in hand. She was shaking violently with silent sobbing. Harry made his way over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. When she looked up, her eyes were teary and her face red.
"Ron doesn't know what's he saying, Herm," Harry said as he gently stroked her hair.
"I know I haven't been around for a while, but I'm here now. Why can't he just get over it?"
"Well, look at it from his point of view. I mean, I haven't seen you in ten years. We've missed you, Ron especially. When you left for work without a word of where you were going, he was crushed. Then, when we didn't hear from you for five years, he threw himself into his work. Once I was promoted, I was barely able to talk with Ron, much less hang out with him. And even if I had been able to talk to him, he wouldn't have listened. Look, Herm, just give it a little time. He'll get over it."
Hermione grabbed Harry' sleeve and wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Harry." She hugged him and stood up. "I'll see you at The Leaky Cauldron later." She walked towards the main doors. They swung open obediently, and then she was gone.
Harry stood up and headed back towards the side room. I've got to talk to Ron. You don't act like that towards someone you're hopelessly in love with. Not even if you don't realize that you love her more than life itself.
***
It was close to ten o' clock by the time Ron, Harry, Seamus, Dean, and Ginny returned to The Leaky Cauldron, where they would stay while they helped Percy find the Ravenclaw Talisman. Old Tom, the bartender, had reserved three rooms at Percy's request. Each room had two beds, a wizard fireplace, and a chest of drawers. Since they would only be staying for a night or two, nobody bothered to unpack. Harry bunked with Ron, Dean with Seamus, and Hermione with Ginny.
Hermione was waiting in her room by the time Ginny got there. She looked as if she'd been crying for a while. By the looks of it, she'd been trying desperately to pass the time. However, as Hermione quickly discovered, playing Naughts and Crosses by yourself just isn't as entertaining. Hermione's trunk lay open at the foot of her bed. It held a book and assorted clothes.
"What, only one?" Ginny asked, flashing a grin.
"One what, Ginny?"
"Book, of course. You were always rather into the whole 'reading for pleasure' thing."
"Oh, that." Hermione turned to Ginny. "It's not just any book." She reached for the book and opened it up. Hermione grabbed a quill and touched it to the page. Words seemed to spring onto the page out of nowhere. Ginny had only ever seen one thing like it: Tom Riddle's diary. She shivered, remembering the massive destruction it had caused in her first year at Hogwarts.
"Hermione, are you sure that's not... dangerous? Remember what happened the last time we dealt with a book that had its own brain?"
"Oh, yes. I could never forget that," she replied, noting the anguish in Ginny's eyes. "This is nothing like that, Ginny. I made it myself. It's the Portable Library Charm. Watch." A table of contents had appeared on the first page of the book.
Portable Library: Property of Hermione Granger
1. Novels
2. Reference Books
3. Other
"What does 'other' mean? Can I see?" Ginny asked, reaching for the book.
"Oh, that," Hermione replied, her cheeks turning scarlet. "It's really nothing." Ginny was now, of course, much too interested to listen. Ginny grabbed the quill from Hermione and wrote the number three in the empty space on the page. The page slowly soaked up the ink. A few seconds later, all the words dissolved and re-formed into another list.
Other
1. The Sorceror's Stones: A Story of Love and Lust, but Mostly Lust
2. Her Chamber of Secrets (No Subtitle Necessary)
3. The Prisoner of Makeout Land
Ginny had read enough. "Hermione, really. I would never have thought."
"I have no idea how those got there."
"Actually," Ginny grinned, "I was going to ask you if I could borrow this sometime."
They both burst into a fit of giggles. When the laughter finally subsided, Ginny took a good look at Hermione. Hermione was dressed in a dark blue robe, tied at the waist, and matching bunny slippers that winked and twitched their noses every now and then.
"What happened to you tonight? Why did you leave so suddenly?"
"Well, it's just..."
"What?" Ginny encouraged her to continue.
"Well, it's Ron. He's been ignoring me and shooting me dirty looks ever since I came back. This is not how I imagined our 'grand reunion'."
"Things never happen like you imagined they would, do they?" Ginny remarked wistfully. She tried to sound nonchalant, but she was really thinking of another man in her life.
"How about you and Harry?" Hermione asked, correctly interpreting the look in Ginny's eyes.
"Oh, you know Harry. I don't think he's ever even noticed me. Sure he's nice and all, but I don't think he's ever felt. that way. for me. I don't suppose he ever will."
"Don't say that, Gin. Harry will come around. You'll see."
Ginny looked at the floor. "I hope so, Herm. I really hope he does."
***
Seamus, Dean, Harry, and Ron sat around a small, round table in the tavern area of The Leaky Cauldron as Hermione and Ginny talked in their room.
"Oi, Tom! Another round? Thanks!"
"Look, I'm just saying part-Veela and part-Banshee would be a very interesting combo."
"Yeah, hot as hell, and she'd scream like, well, a Banshee." Dean and Seamus high-fived each other and laughed.
Harry leaned back, chuckling. Ron, on the other hand, looked very disgruntled.
"Harry, can I talk to you?"
"Sure," replied Harry as he slapped Ron hard on the back. "What is it?"
"Alone," Ron said pointedly, indicating Dean and Seamus.
"Excuse us, we'll be right back." Ron and Harry stood up and walked up the stairs in the back of the room. They entered a dimly-lit hallway, and proceeded down it toward the room they shared.
Ron pulled his wand out of his shirt pocket. One "Alohomora" later, they were in their room. Ron sat at the foot of his bed; Harry followed suit.
"Something tells me that you want to talk about Hermione," Harry began, gently prodding Ron with his words.
It took a few minutes for Ron to gather his thoughts. It had always been hard for Ron to open up and talk about his problems. Growing up in the Burrow, he had to keep all of his secrets to himself, lest his brothers find out and tease him mercilessly. Harry was the only one Ron could really trust not to laugh at him, and not to judge him.
"Yeah, it's Hermione. I didn't mean to make her so.sad, so angry at me. It's just. it's just that when she disappeared without a word, it hurt. She broke my heart that day. And I know it sounds selfish, but she turned my life upside down." He smiled briefly. "I've been in love with her since we rescued her from that troll in our first year, but when she showed up tonight, I wanted to hate her. I wanted to put her through just a little of the pain she put me through." Ron stopped and looked to Harry for his reaction.
Harry sat, rapt with attention. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth to speak. "Look, you know she wouldn't have left like that if it wasn't absolutely necessary. I've missed her, too. But the important thing is that she's here now. Ron, you have to get over it and take advantage of this time with her."
"I know, I know. I loved her then, I loved her after she left me all alone, and I still love her. When I walked into that room tonight and saw her sitting there, it was like a wave of emotion jumped up and slapped me in the face. I.I wasn't ready to see her again. It's hard to explain. It's like, to me, she is the embodiment of all the things that are good in the world."
"Like warm, buttered toast?" Harry playfully interjected.
"Like hot buttered toast. But it's more than that. When I see her, I see all the greatest and most beautiful things in the world. She is the perfect woman. Think of it like this: if Man was God's greatest creation, Woman was its perfection. Hermione is the perfection of perfection.
"When I see her, I feel dizzy, and my knees turn to jelly. I feel like jumping with joy and crying. Not sad tears, but tears of awe. It's as if God himself sent me an angel, pure and agonizingly beautiful. She isn't pretty in that fake, magic-altered way. Big breasts, blonde, the IQ of your average eraser -- that's not her. Hermione is beautiful in a different way, an extraordinary way. A way that appeals to all of your senses, and none of them at the same time. She exudes such an aura of happiness when she's happy, and there is nothing in the world I love more than just being with her at those times, just seeing her smile or laugh.
"But when she's sad, or angry, or hurt, an aura of dread fills the room, instantly ruining the best of my days. I can't stand to see her like that. I have no idea why I looked at her like I did tonight. Maybe I just wasn't ready for all those feelings to come rushing back. I thought I was. I thought I wanted her back more than anything. Harry, you know me better than I know myself. What do you think?"
Ron had never quite opened up like this to Harry. Despite Ron's fumbling over words, Harry was nearly in tears. Sure, he'd known Ron had a thing for Hermione, but not like this. This was almost the same thing he felt when Ginny so much as looked at him. Harry could think of nothing better than his two best friends, happy and together. Nothing.
Before Harry could reply, Ron spoke again. "Maybe I'm just acting like a great insufferable prat, in which case, feel free to slap me out of it."
"No, no. Ron, you are definitely not acting like a prat. But I think you should talk to Hermione as soon as possible." Harry smiled. "Can I still hit you? You know, just in case you chicken out halfway?"
Ron broke into a wide grin to match Harry's. "If you expect a Christmas gift from me after hitting me for no reason, you are sadly mistaken." He stood up. "I'm going to talk to Hermione. If I don't do it now, I might never have the strength again."
"Good." Harry leaned back onto his bed and closed his eyes, completely forgetting to remove his glasses before he fell into a light, peaceful sleep.
***
It was only a few minutes before screams and shouts from the corridor ripped Harry from his dreams. Ron burst through the door, eyes wide with terror. "Harry! Come quick! Death Eaters!"
A look of determination appeared on Harry's face as he grabbed for his wand. If those bastards think they've come to hurt me or any of my friends, or to keep us from looking for the Ravenclaw Talisman. I'm going to prove them wrong. Dead wrong.
After twenty uneventful minutes of awkward staring and forced conversation, Percy returned to the side room from the Great Hall, which was now full of eagerly feasting students. He sat behind his desk, took a deep breath, and resumed to his speech.
"I see you have gathered a few others," he said, looking over at Seamus, Dean, and, Ginny. Percy's eyes twinkled, reminiscent of his own humble headmaster. "Good. We will need all the help we can get. Shall I assume you have informed the others of our mission?" Harry nodded, finally releasing Ginny from his awe-filled stare. "You know about Mr. Longbottom and his work with the Ministry. There is one other thing, though. he was not murdered because of his progress with the British Coven. He was killed because of something he found.
"Mr. Longbottom contacted me shortly before his death and told me, quite anxiously, that he had found a very powerful talisman. A talisman created by one of our founders, Rowena Ravenclaw. He couldn't tell me its purpose, but he did say it could be the key to toppling Voldemort's empire. We are afraid that Voldemort may be after the Ravenclaw Talisman, as we have come to call it. If he gets it... well, I'd rather not think about that. Mr. Longbottom hid the talisman somewhere , but I do not know where. I want you to find the Ravenclaw Talisman before Voldemort does."
"Okay, then. Danger, mystery, death -- nothing new there. Where do we start searching?" Ron asked, leaning against one of the red leather chairs.
"Well, I would suggest beginning at the scene of the crime," replied Percy.
Ron stared at Percy open-mouthed. "W-what? There? But couldn't we... check his house first, or something?"
Ginny looked confused. "The scene of the crime? And where might that be?"
"His remains were found near his home in the Vampire Colonies. The Auror who found them was on a reconnaissance mission for the Ministry." Ron suddenly looked ill.
"Can't we ever go some place less... monster-y? It's always giant spiders, giant dogs, or some other giant thing with lots of sharp fangs and claws. Why don't we go to an ant colony... with normal-sized ants? Or the Isle of Butterflies? The City of Hamsters? Somewhere... not full of monsters?" Ron finished with a dramatic and oddly accurate imitation of a butterfly.
Hermione laughed openly, but was cut short when Ron shot her an angry look. She instantly felt as if her entire chest had caved in. Hermione always felt this way when Ron was angry at her. In fact, if it hadn't been for Harry, she would have never made it through their third year at school. Ron had completely forsaken his relationship with Hermione, falsely believing that her cat, Crookshanks, had killed his pet rat, Scabbers. He had been utterly wrong, as they found out one night under the full moon.
Hermione stopped laughing, stood, and left the room, slamming the door behind her. Harry glared at Ron, and then took off after Hermione.
He found her sitting on the staircase outside the Great Hall, head in hand. She was shaking violently with silent sobbing. Harry made his way over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. When she looked up, her eyes were teary and her face red.
"Ron doesn't know what's he saying, Herm," Harry said as he gently stroked her hair.
"I know I haven't been around for a while, but I'm here now. Why can't he just get over it?"
"Well, look at it from his point of view. I mean, I haven't seen you in ten years. We've missed you, Ron especially. When you left for work without a word of where you were going, he was crushed. Then, when we didn't hear from you for five years, he threw himself into his work. Once I was promoted, I was barely able to talk with Ron, much less hang out with him. And even if I had been able to talk to him, he wouldn't have listened. Look, Herm, just give it a little time. He'll get over it."
Hermione grabbed Harry' sleeve and wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Harry." She hugged him and stood up. "I'll see you at The Leaky Cauldron later." She walked towards the main doors. They swung open obediently, and then she was gone.
Harry stood up and headed back towards the side room. I've got to talk to Ron. You don't act like that towards someone you're hopelessly in love with. Not even if you don't realize that you love her more than life itself.
***
It was close to ten o' clock by the time Ron, Harry, Seamus, Dean, and Ginny returned to The Leaky Cauldron, where they would stay while they helped Percy find the Ravenclaw Talisman. Old Tom, the bartender, had reserved three rooms at Percy's request. Each room had two beds, a wizard fireplace, and a chest of drawers. Since they would only be staying for a night or two, nobody bothered to unpack. Harry bunked with Ron, Dean with Seamus, and Hermione with Ginny.
Hermione was waiting in her room by the time Ginny got there. She looked as if she'd been crying for a while. By the looks of it, she'd been trying desperately to pass the time. However, as Hermione quickly discovered, playing Naughts and Crosses by yourself just isn't as entertaining. Hermione's trunk lay open at the foot of her bed. It held a book and assorted clothes.
"What, only one?" Ginny asked, flashing a grin.
"One what, Ginny?"
"Book, of course. You were always rather into the whole 'reading for pleasure' thing."
"Oh, that." Hermione turned to Ginny. "It's not just any book." She reached for the book and opened it up. Hermione grabbed a quill and touched it to the page. Words seemed to spring onto the page out of nowhere. Ginny had only ever seen one thing like it: Tom Riddle's diary. She shivered, remembering the massive destruction it had caused in her first year at Hogwarts.
"Hermione, are you sure that's not... dangerous? Remember what happened the last time we dealt with a book that had its own brain?"
"Oh, yes. I could never forget that," she replied, noting the anguish in Ginny's eyes. "This is nothing like that, Ginny. I made it myself. It's the Portable Library Charm. Watch." A table of contents had appeared on the first page of the book.
Portable Library: Property of Hermione Granger
1. Novels
2. Reference Books
3. Other
"What does 'other' mean? Can I see?" Ginny asked, reaching for the book.
"Oh, that," Hermione replied, her cheeks turning scarlet. "It's really nothing." Ginny was now, of course, much too interested to listen. Ginny grabbed the quill from Hermione and wrote the number three in the empty space on the page. The page slowly soaked up the ink. A few seconds later, all the words dissolved and re-formed into another list.
Other
1. The Sorceror's Stones: A Story of Love and Lust, but Mostly Lust
2. Her Chamber of Secrets (No Subtitle Necessary)
3. The Prisoner of Makeout Land
Ginny had read enough. "Hermione, really. I would never have thought."
"I have no idea how those got there."
"Actually," Ginny grinned, "I was going to ask you if I could borrow this sometime."
They both burst into a fit of giggles. When the laughter finally subsided, Ginny took a good look at Hermione. Hermione was dressed in a dark blue robe, tied at the waist, and matching bunny slippers that winked and twitched their noses every now and then.
"What happened to you tonight? Why did you leave so suddenly?"
"Well, it's just..."
"What?" Ginny encouraged her to continue.
"Well, it's Ron. He's been ignoring me and shooting me dirty looks ever since I came back. This is not how I imagined our 'grand reunion'."
"Things never happen like you imagined they would, do they?" Ginny remarked wistfully. She tried to sound nonchalant, but she was really thinking of another man in her life.
"How about you and Harry?" Hermione asked, correctly interpreting the look in Ginny's eyes.
"Oh, you know Harry. I don't think he's ever even noticed me. Sure he's nice and all, but I don't think he's ever felt. that way. for me. I don't suppose he ever will."
"Don't say that, Gin. Harry will come around. You'll see."
Ginny looked at the floor. "I hope so, Herm. I really hope he does."
***
Seamus, Dean, Harry, and Ron sat around a small, round table in the tavern area of The Leaky Cauldron as Hermione and Ginny talked in their room.
"Oi, Tom! Another round? Thanks!"
"Look, I'm just saying part-Veela and part-Banshee would be a very interesting combo."
"Yeah, hot as hell, and she'd scream like, well, a Banshee." Dean and Seamus high-fived each other and laughed.
Harry leaned back, chuckling. Ron, on the other hand, looked very disgruntled.
"Harry, can I talk to you?"
"Sure," replied Harry as he slapped Ron hard on the back. "What is it?"
"Alone," Ron said pointedly, indicating Dean and Seamus.
"Excuse us, we'll be right back." Ron and Harry stood up and walked up the stairs in the back of the room. They entered a dimly-lit hallway, and proceeded down it toward the room they shared.
Ron pulled his wand out of his shirt pocket. One "Alohomora" later, they were in their room. Ron sat at the foot of his bed; Harry followed suit.
"Something tells me that you want to talk about Hermione," Harry began, gently prodding Ron with his words.
It took a few minutes for Ron to gather his thoughts. It had always been hard for Ron to open up and talk about his problems. Growing up in the Burrow, he had to keep all of his secrets to himself, lest his brothers find out and tease him mercilessly. Harry was the only one Ron could really trust not to laugh at him, and not to judge him.
"Yeah, it's Hermione. I didn't mean to make her so.sad, so angry at me. It's just. it's just that when she disappeared without a word, it hurt. She broke my heart that day. And I know it sounds selfish, but she turned my life upside down." He smiled briefly. "I've been in love with her since we rescued her from that troll in our first year, but when she showed up tonight, I wanted to hate her. I wanted to put her through just a little of the pain she put me through." Ron stopped and looked to Harry for his reaction.
Harry sat, rapt with attention. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth to speak. "Look, you know she wouldn't have left like that if it wasn't absolutely necessary. I've missed her, too. But the important thing is that she's here now. Ron, you have to get over it and take advantage of this time with her."
"I know, I know. I loved her then, I loved her after she left me all alone, and I still love her. When I walked into that room tonight and saw her sitting there, it was like a wave of emotion jumped up and slapped me in the face. I.I wasn't ready to see her again. It's hard to explain. It's like, to me, she is the embodiment of all the things that are good in the world."
"Like warm, buttered toast?" Harry playfully interjected.
"Like hot buttered toast. But it's more than that. When I see her, I see all the greatest and most beautiful things in the world. She is the perfect woman. Think of it like this: if Man was God's greatest creation, Woman was its perfection. Hermione is the perfection of perfection.
"When I see her, I feel dizzy, and my knees turn to jelly. I feel like jumping with joy and crying. Not sad tears, but tears of awe. It's as if God himself sent me an angel, pure and agonizingly beautiful. She isn't pretty in that fake, magic-altered way. Big breasts, blonde, the IQ of your average eraser -- that's not her. Hermione is beautiful in a different way, an extraordinary way. A way that appeals to all of your senses, and none of them at the same time. She exudes such an aura of happiness when she's happy, and there is nothing in the world I love more than just being with her at those times, just seeing her smile or laugh.
"But when she's sad, or angry, or hurt, an aura of dread fills the room, instantly ruining the best of my days. I can't stand to see her like that. I have no idea why I looked at her like I did tonight. Maybe I just wasn't ready for all those feelings to come rushing back. I thought I was. I thought I wanted her back more than anything. Harry, you know me better than I know myself. What do you think?"
Ron had never quite opened up like this to Harry. Despite Ron's fumbling over words, Harry was nearly in tears. Sure, he'd known Ron had a thing for Hermione, but not like this. This was almost the same thing he felt when Ginny so much as looked at him. Harry could think of nothing better than his two best friends, happy and together. Nothing.
Before Harry could reply, Ron spoke again. "Maybe I'm just acting like a great insufferable prat, in which case, feel free to slap me out of it."
"No, no. Ron, you are definitely not acting like a prat. But I think you should talk to Hermione as soon as possible." Harry smiled. "Can I still hit you? You know, just in case you chicken out halfway?"
Ron broke into a wide grin to match Harry's. "If you expect a Christmas gift from me after hitting me for no reason, you are sadly mistaken." He stood up. "I'm going to talk to Hermione. If I don't do it now, I might never have the strength again."
"Good." Harry leaned back onto his bed and closed his eyes, completely forgetting to remove his glasses before he fell into a light, peaceful sleep.
***
It was only a few minutes before screams and shouts from the corridor ripped Harry from his dreams. Ron burst through the door, eyes wide with terror. "Harry! Come quick! Death Eaters!"
A look of determination appeared on Harry's face as he grabbed for his wand. If those bastards think they've come to hurt me or any of my friends, or to keep us from looking for the Ravenclaw Talisman. I'm going to prove them wrong. Dead wrong.