Before I begin, let's just ask ourselves - 'how likely is it that the (no-
doubt quite brilliant) Sally created these wonderful characters herself?'
Well, I'd like to think that I could have made them up myself, but let's
face it, i'm not the one with a few billion in my bank like some authors I
could mention, (no, i'm not bitter. Just twisted.) and the one I am going
to mention is the wonderful JK Rowling. This all belongs to her. I know
it's hard to believe, but there we go. The plot, however, belongs to me.
And if JK nicks it I'll sue her ass. (Just kidding, JK, do what you want
with it I love ya.) This is set in the 6th year.
Harry woke up Christmas morning with a jolt. He was momentarily surprised to see Hermione sitting comfortably cross-legged at the end of Ron's bed. They were talking softly, so as not to wake Harry, and Hermione was struggling to subdue her laughter at something Ron had said. They had not noticed he was awake yet, so Harry closed his eyes again and pretended to be asleep. This had happned occasionally before. He groaned internally, and decided that just this once, he wouldn't get up and inturrept their dumb conversation, which he was sure from past experience would just follow a downward spiral into bickering. Oddly, for Hermione and Ron at least, this morning they both seemed to be in an unusually good mood.
-"Hey Ron, you'll never guess who Neville asked to go to the ball with him since he and Ginny broke up?" said Hermione, doubling up with laughter.
She was now fifteen, bright eyed and with the same anxious air when it came to her studies. She had grown up now, since the events of the previous year which had shaken them all, and now that the whole Order of the Phoenix affair had been completed, she seemed particularly womanly compared to the other girls in the sixth year who hadn't been through the ordeals which Ron, Harry and Hermione had been through.
-"Who?"
-"Only Millicent Bulstrode! Everyone else already had a partner and she's way too ugly, even for a Slytherin to ask out, so she was the only one left." -"Woah!" laughed Ron "I didn't think even Neville would ever have to stoop so low!" - "that's just the thing, Neville can't stand her either, he just thinks he can make Ginny feel jealous if he has another girl with him at the ball"
Harry struggled to keep himself from laughing at the thought of little nervous Neville turning up at the ball with his nose in the air, steered along by the huge Millicent, every so often glancing at Ginny to ensure that she was justly saddened at the sight of him with 'Another Woman'.
"Well, Neville's championing a lost cause there, because guess which little friend of ours asked Ginny to the ball the moment he heard she and Neville were breaking up?"
Ron's eyes widened. "Not Harry!"
"Yep" nodded Hermione.
"My own bloody sister!" laughed Ron incredulously, "he wouldn't tell me who he was going with, how did you find out?"
"Ginny told me," answered Hermione happily.
Ron grinned. "Now I'll really have something to take the piss out of him about when he wakes up."
They both looked at Harry, and he quickly shut his eyes tightly hoping it looked realistic. He decided he would wait a bit more, he had noticed that Ron and Hermione perhaps fought less recently. This could probably only be seen to the particularly observant, thought Harry wryly, to anyone else Ron and Hermione just never let any arguement go... But Hermione had recently also asked Harry a lot of boring, trivial things about Ron, and Harry couldn't see why she couldn't just ask Ron herself. And although right now their conversation seemed friendly and open, it sounded like they were both a bit uncomfortable or embarrassed about something.
Ron, too had grown up to be a attractive young man. He had, over the summer, been transformed from a tall, gangly freckly scruff, into a good- looking boy with more than his fair share of female sixth-year admirers. The red hair and freckles were still there, but he now had a rather more serious facial expression, complete with a strong jawbone and now the slight shade of stubble which indicated that he had started shaving. He had grown about a foot taller than Harry and Hermione, and to Harry's chagrin, was probably stronger and more muscular than the two of them put together.
For a few seconds there was a silence between Ron and Hermione, then suddenly Ron said awkwardly:
"I suppose you've invited Viktor to the ball with you?"
"Uh, no, actually I haven't."
"Oh" said Ron, and Harry opened his eyes again to see Ron's surprised face and pink ears. "Who're you going with then?" Ron asked quietly.
"Well," said Hermione, looking away, "no-one yet. No one's asked me"
"Oh" said Ron again. There was another long silence. Harry wondered if he should get up now, and tell them he had heard everything they'd said and get Ron's laughing at him for going out with Ginny over and done with, but suddenly Ron broke the silence.
" Well, uh, Hermione, would you, I mean, shall we, maybe we could....."
"Yes?" asked Hermione sheepishly.
"I'd - well... d'you, wanto, you'know?" said Ron hurriedly. It seemed more of a statement than a question.
Hermione looked at him with innocent expectation. "Do I want to what?" Harry watched her through squinted eyes and recognised a mischievous look which she wasn't disguising very well.
"Oh, dammit Hermione, you know exactly what." "I haven't a clue.", she replied, grinning. "And don't swear, it's vulgar" she added as an afterthought.
Ron blushed, quite overcome with embarrassment. Harry thought Hermione had quite a blatant look of relish despite her wide-eyed, innocent eyes.
"Look, we've known each other for ages, right? And I don't know about how you feel at all, but I really like you. You know. Not just like a friend. Please, Hermione? I mean, will you go to the ball with me?" "Damn," Ron muttered softly, "I didn't think it would be this hard."
A slow smile began to steal across Hermione's lips. "So you're not asking me just because you can't find anyone else to go with you?" she asked slyly.
"No! You know I'm not! " answered Ron gruffly. "Look ,you don't have to if you don't want to" he said quickly. His seventeen year old, six foot frame now looked quite small and boyish, perched up in the huge bed like that, with a pleading look in his eyes.
Harry grinned beneath the sheets. Now he had something to use against Ron whenever he started teasing him about Ginny, and he wouldn't be forgetting about this in a while. Harry couldn't help peeping his eyes open a fraction to see what Hermione's response would be. It was with a bit of shock and some amusement that he heard Hermione say "Of course I'll go with you Ron, I've wanted you to ask me for ages. I had sort of given up hope."
He could see them both blushing furiously, matching shades of deep magenta. Suddenly they both leaned forward and at the same time and gave each other what seemed to Harry to be an very long kiss. Harry hastily closed his eyes. It was one thing to hear what they were saying to one another, but it was quite another to infringe the privacy of his two best friends' first kiss.
Hermione got up, smiling sheepishly. "I'd better go, he'll wake up in a minute" she said, pointing at Harry. She opened the door to the boys dorms and gave Ron a quick smile before she left.
Ron sat there for a minute, grinning happily.
Harry started laughing uncontrollably. He tried to sit up straight. Ron looked at him, his face a strange mix of shock, indignance, embarrassment and happiness. You weren't really asleep! You were eavesdropping!" he said hotly.
"Sorry," said Harry still laughing "I was going to get up and interrupt your conversation, but by that time I was having too much fun.."
They both sat there grinning at each other for a few moments, and every so often Harry would erupt into another fit of giggles.
"Oh shut up!" said Ron eventually, even though he was still smiling "Why didn't you tell me you were going to ask Ginny anyway?"
"I thought you'd just take the piss. I mean, she's your sister."
"Well you were right there! Ha! You and my sister..!"
"Yeah well, at least I don't go around kissing her at every available opportunity," grinned Harry.
"Oh shut up." said Ron again. But at the mention of kissing he started grinning inanely again.
Harry woke up Christmas morning with a jolt. He was momentarily surprised to see Hermione sitting comfortably cross-legged at the end of Ron's bed. They were talking softly, so as not to wake Harry, and Hermione was struggling to subdue her laughter at something Ron had said. They had not noticed he was awake yet, so Harry closed his eyes again and pretended to be asleep. This had happned occasionally before. He groaned internally, and decided that just this once, he wouldn't get up and inturrept their dumb conversation, which he was sure from past experience would just follow a downward spiral into bickering. Oddly, for Hermione and Ron at least, this morning they both seemed to be in an unusually good mood.
-"Hey Ron, you'll never guess who Neville asked to go to the ball with him since he and Ginny broke up?" said Hermione, doubling up with laughter.
She was now fifteen, bright eyed and with the same anxious air when it came to her studies. She had grown up now, since the events of the previous year which had shaken them all, and now that the whole Order of the Phoenix affair had been completed, she seemed particularly womanly compared to the other girls in the sixth year who hadn't been through the ordeals which Ron, Harry and Hermione had been through.
-"Who?"
-"Only Millicent Bulstrode! Everyone else already had a partner and she's way too ugly, even for a Slytherin to ask out, so she was the only one left." -"Woah!" laughed Ron "I didn't think even Neville would ever have to stoop so low!" - "that's just the thing, Neville can't stand her either, he just thinks he can make Ginny feel jealous if he has another girl with him at the ball"
Harry struggled to keep himself from laughing at the thought of little nervous Neville turning up at the ball with his nose in the air, steered along by the huge Millicent, every so often glancing at Ginny to ensure that she was justly saddened at the sight of him with 'Another Woman'.
"Well, Neville's championing a lost cause there, because guess which little friend of ours asked Ginny to the ball the moment he heard she and Neville were breaking up?"
Ron's eyes widened. "Not Harry!"
"Yep" nodded Hermione.
"My own bloody sister!" laughed Ron incredulously, "he wouldn't tell me who he was going with, how did you find out?"
"Ginny told me," answered Hermione happily.
Ron grinned. "Now I'll really have something to take the piss out of him about when he wakes up."
They both looked at Harry, and he quickly shut his eyes tightly hoping it looked realistic. He decided he would wait a bit more, he had noticed that Ron and Hermione perhaps fought less recently. This could probably only be seen to the particularly observant, thought Harry wryly, to anyone else Ron and Hermione just never let any arguement go... But Hermione had recently also asked Harry a lot of boring, trivial things about Ron, and Harry couldn't see why she couldn't just ask Ron herself. And although right now their conversation seemed friendly and open, it sounded like they were both a bit uncomfortable or embarrassed about something.
Ron, too had grown up to be a attractive young man. He had, over the summer, been transformed from a tall, gangly freckly scruff, into a good- looking boy with more than his fair share of female sixth-year admirers. The red hair and freckles were still there, but he now had a rather more serious facial expression, complete with a strong jawbone and now the slight shade of stubble which indicated that he had started shaving. He had grown about a foot taller than Harry and Hermione, and to Harry's chagrin, was probably stronger and more muscular than the two of them put together.
For a few seconds there was a silence between Ron and Hermione, then suddenly Ron said awkwardly:
"I suppose you've invited Viktor to the ball with you?"
"Uh, no, actually I haven't."
"Oh" said Ron, and Harry opened his eyes again to see Ron's surprised face and pink ears. "Who're you going with then?" Ron asked quietly.
"Well," said Hermione, looking away, "no-one yet. No one's asked me"
"Oh" said Ron again. There was another long silence. Harry wondered if he should get up now, and tell them he had heard everything they'd said and get Ron's laughing at him for going out with Ginny over and done with, but suddenly Ron broke the silence.
" Well, uh, Hermione, would you, I mean, shall we, maybe we could....."
"Yes?" asked Hermione sheepishly.
"I'd - well... d'you, wanto, you'know?" said Ron hurriedly. It seemed more of a statement than a question.
Hermione looked at him with innocent expectation. "Do I want to what?" Harry watched her through squinted eyes and recognised a mischievous look which she wasn't disguising very well.
"Oh, dammit Hermione, you know exactly what." "I haven't a clue.", she replied, grinning. "And don't swear, it's vulgar" she added as an afterthought.
Ron blushed, quite overcome with embarrassment. Harry thought Hermione had quite a blatant look of relish despite her wide-eyed, innocent eyes.
"Look, we've known each other for ages, right? And I don't know about how you feel at all, but I really like you. You know. Not just like a friend. Please, Hermione? I mean, will you go to the ball with me?" "Damn," Ron muttered softly, "I didn't think it would be this hard."
A slow smile began to steal across Hermione's lips. "So you're not asking me just because you can't find anyone else to go with you?" she asked slyly.
"No! You know I'm not! " answered Ron gruffly. "Look ,you don't have to if you don't want to" he said quickly. His seventeen year old, six foot frame now looked quite small and boyish, perched up in the huge bed like that, with a pleading look in his eyes.
Harry grinned beneath the sheets. Now he had something to use against Ron whenever he started teasing him about Ginny, and he wouldn't be forgetting about this in a while. Harry couldn't help peeping his eyes open a fraction to see what Hermione's response would be. It was with a bit of shock and some amusement that he heard Hermione say "Of course I'll go with you Ron, I've wanted you to ask me for ages. I had sort of given up hope."
He could see them both blushing furiously, matching shades of deep magenta. Suddenly they both leaned forward and at the same time and gave each other what seemed to Harry to be an very long kiss. Harry hastily closed his eyes. It was one thing to hear what they were saying to one another, but it was quite another to infringe the privacy of his two best friends' first kiss.
Hermione got up, smiling sheepishly. "I'd better go, he'll wake up in a minute" she said, pointing at Harry. She opened the door to the boys dorms and gave Ron a quick smile before she left.
Ron sat there for a minute, grinning happily.
Harry started laughing uncontrollably. He tried to sit up straight. Ron looked at him, his face a strange mix of shock, indignance, embarrassment and happiness. You weren't really asleep! You were eavesdropping!" he said hotly.
"Sorry," said Harry still laughing "I was going to get up and interrupt your conversation, but by that time I was having too much fun.."
They both sat there grinning at each other for a few moments, and every so often Harry would erupt into another fit of giggles.
"Oh shut up!" said Ron eventually, even though he was still smiling "Why didn't you tell me you were going to ask Ginny anyway?"
"I thought you'd just take the piss. I mean, she's your sister."
"Well you were right there! Ha! You and my sister..!"
"Yeah well, at least I don't go around kissing her at every available opportunity," grinned Harry.
"Oh shut up." said Ron again. But at the mention of kissing he started grinning inanely again.