Chapter 8: I'm Missing the War
*~*~*~*
All is quiet, his tired eyes. See figures jotted down and clothes all strewn around the bedroom floor.
*~*~*~*
Ron watched Hermione sleep, her school books fluttering in the passing wind. He hated to watch her toss and turn like this. Her sleep had been fitful since Harry's note had come, putting her more on edge. If he didn't know better, she was thinking about following Harry.
Not that the thought hadn't flitted through Ron's mind as well. To think, he was missing the biggest adventure of his life. He was Harry's right- hand man and had been since school. The bloke was like a brother to him.
Ron rubbed his drunken eyes. It had been a poor choice on his part to try and drown his woes in ale and whiskey, but he could make up for it. He had to go, there was no question about it. Harry was his best mate. He'd get over it.
Ron cast a silencing charm on the floor to the flat and made his way down the stairs to the shed outside. He sobered himself up and slipped on some fresh clothes. Now all he needed was Hedwig. She would know where to find Harry.
*~*~*~*
Now nothing's adding up, and nothing's making sense. She's sleeping like a baby, she doesn't know he wasn't meant for this.
*~*~*~*
Hermione crept quietly into Harry's room to check on Ginny. If only she understood that she had to go help. Sure, if Hermione had told her, Ginny would have been on board, but Hermione had a feeling that as soon as Ginny found out she was leaving without her, she'd flip out.
Harry wasn't going to be able to pull through this on his own. Something would hold him back and Hermione wasn't going to let that happen. She crept into Hannah's room and clicked the light on. Hannah sat up like a shot.
"What'swrong?!" Hannah blurted out as she shook herself awake.
"Nothing's wrong. I just need to ask you a favor." Hermione sat on her flatmate's bed.
"You're going aren't you? Hermione, don't do this. He told you not to."
"He'll have to get over it. He needs me."
"I'm sure he can deal on his own. And besides, Sirius is with him."
"That's not the point, Hannah. I HAVE to go. And I need you to watch her."
"What am I going to do to stop her, Hermione?"
"Whatever you can. Tell Bill or Charlie. They'll keep her here. Or Remus. As soon as he finds out we went, I'm sure he'll be over here trying to get you to answer questions. You'll know what to do. You always have."
"I don't think this is quite fair. You get to go off and have adventures while I sit here and baby-sit Harry's girlfriend and the old man."
"Do you want to go, Hannah?"
"No."
"Therein lies the answer to your question."
Hannah sighed and shifted in her bed to give Hermione a quick hug.
"You better be fucking careful Hermione. And if you're going, I expect Harry to come back in one piece too."
"I'll do what I can."
Hermione smiled at her friend and turned to leave the room. She crept quietly back to her room and put on the outfit she had set aside. Slipping on her boots, she flung her knapsack over her shoulder and motioned to Hedwig to follow her. The owl landed softly on Hermione's shoulder and together they descended down the stairs.
*~*~*~*~*~*
I'm missing the war. I'll know I'm missing the war.
*~*~*~*~*~*
*~*~*~*
He drove home again, pissed and beaten. It's really no big deal, it happens all the time. It's no big deal.
*~*~*~*
Ginny heard scratching from the downstairs. Must be Ron, she thought, coming home from another night at the pub. Ever since Harry had sent that note he had drove into the ale as hard as he could. They would see him sporadically, when he came to visit Hermione after work, and when Seamus or Dean called to have them come and drag Ron home. Ginny just couldn't understand how it made him feel better. Whiskey always put her in a terrible mood.
Harry's note sat folded on her desk next to the old photo album. She would pick it up periodically and read it, trying to imagine what he looked like writing it. She heard Hannah sitting up quickly in her bed and then repositioning herself and falling back to sleep. Ginny rolled over and pulled the covers around her chin and started to drift back to sleep.
*~*~*~*
I'm missing the war. I'll bet I'm missing war. To be the sunlight hit me in the morning.
*~*~*~*
"Fuck!" Ron hissed, looking around the kitchen. He heard Hermione's footsteps across the floorboards upstairs as he looked frantically for Hedwig in the sitting room. Maybe this was a sign. A sign that following Harry was a bad idea.
Ron plopped down into one of the cushy armchairs and tried to think. There was so much holding him here: Hermione, his job, his family. But then there was Harry. His best friend, going off to fight one of the most evil dark wizards ever. He pushed himself up from the armchair and started back towards the door.
But Hermione. He loved her. She'd never forgive him leaving her behind. But there was no way in hell he was going to let her come with him. He had to stay with her. He resigned himself back to the chair.
But he couldn't leave Harry out there with no one but Sirius. Back towards the door.
Ginny. What about her? She would follow him. And the rest of his brothers? Back to the armchair.
He had to go. This was Harry. Ron was his right-hand man. He was going.
He heard a twig snapping outside. He walked towards the door and around the side of the house.
*~*~*~*
So much time, so little to say.
Time may fly, and dreams may die. His shaking voice tells him go. Still thinks he might, but knows he won't.
*~*~*~*
Hermione walked out the back door, successfully avoiding Ron, her black pants making barely any noise. She crept around the side of the house, Hedwig on her shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Hermione froze. Ron had caught her.
"I'm going to help Harry." Hermione turned around to see Ron dressed in all black also, a new pair of black trainers on his feet. "Why are you out here?"
"I'm going to, I just couldn't find Hedwig. Now I see why."
Ron and Hermione shared a look and turned around together, jaws set. They were going to help their friend. The Dream Team was going to do it together, whether Harry liked it or not.
*~*~*~*
I'm missing the war.
*~*~*~*
Sirius and Harry clung to the back of the rock, afraid to breathe, as the two figures moved slowly towards them. They had seen them as soon as they had hit the ground, approaching very cautiously, clad in all black, much like them selves. The figures rounded the corner in front of them and Harry saw the familiar shock of red hair.
"Dammit, Ron!" Harry hissed.
Ron spun on his heels towards the voice. Hermione rushed up behind him.
"Fuck, not you too!?" Harry waited a few more moments to see if, god forbid, Ginny rounded the corner also but was visibly relieved when she didn't. After he got over that spell, he turned angrily on his best friends.
"I can't believe you two! I tell you to stay where you are, not to follow me, and what do you do? Exactly what I tell you not to!"
Hermione and Ron seemed not be listening, staring at Harry with wide eyes. Hermione was the first to move, launching herself at Harry.
"Thank God you're okay!" she cried into Harry's shoulder. "I thought something bad had happened to you. It's such a relief to see you alive."
Harry stood stock-still, letting Hermione hug him, but not changing his face. Sirius' face, on the other hand, had broken into a large grin.
"Harry, come on. These are your friends. They risked life and limb to get here for you. Stop being so angry."
"What happens, Sirius, when something happens to them? The only thing that will keep me fighting is if I know they're okay."
"Harry, we're here because we want to help you. No amount of you yelling at us is going to keep us away from you." Ron looked at his best mate, nodding in agreement with what Hermione had said.
"Where's Ginny?"
"With Hannah. She had no idea we were going to leave. She's satisfied staying at home and waiting for you, hoping. But the two of us weren't going to sit and twiddle our thumbs while you're out here having all the fun."
"Right, fun, Ron. Hiding out, being stuck on top of a mountain for three straight days, sleeping in a marsh."
"Sounds like a blast to me."
Harry stared at Hermione and Ron hardly, until finally his face broke down. He had the best friends in the world. He took Hermione and Ron into a hug and broke down into their shoulders.
"I was secretly praying you would come. I'm nothing without the both of you."
A few minutes later, the group broke apart. Harry wiped his eyes roughly and looked at his mates. Ron placed his hands on his hips and put on his best adventure face.
"Right. So what's the plan?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: So, I don't know if any of you have read any of my other fics, but I am a HUGE fan of songfics. When a song strikes me as fitting, I like to either use it in the beginning, or write a whole chapter or fic around it. Like "Dreams", riddled with songs from the middle on, "I'd Really Like to Try" a songfic, the outtake I'm writing for another story, "In My World", a songfic, this story, I used "Happy Frappy" in an earlier chapter and now this. I see a definite trend here.
I didn't think I was going to have Hermione and Ron go with him, but as I was writing the story, I realized that that would be exactly what Harry would want, as much as he insisted he didn't. So, excuse the song, it was really just to appease myself. I had this stroke of thought when I was at school last week and the way I'm feeling about this story, any thought that I can write down needs to be written down as fast as possible. Sooner or later I'll run out of them though :)
*~*~*~*
All is quiet, his tired eyes. See figures jotted down and clothes all strewn around the bedroom floor.
*~*~*~*
Ron watched Hermione sleep, her school books fluttering in the passing wind. He hated to watch her toss and turn like this. Her sleep had been fitful since Harry's note had come, putting her more on edge. If he didn't know better, she was thinking about following Harry.
Not that the thought hadn't flitted through Ron's mind as well. To think, he was missing the biggest adventure of his life. He was Harry's right- hand man and had been since school. The bloke was like a brother to him.
Ron rubbed his drunken eyes. It had been a poor choice on his part to try and drown his woes in ale and whiskey, but he could make up for it. He had to go, there was no question about it. Harry was his best mate. He'd get over it.
Ron cast a silencing charm on the floor to the flat and made his way down the stairs to the shed outside. He sobered himself up and slipped on some fresh clothes. Now all he needed was Hedwig. She would know where to find Harry.
*~*~*~*
Now nothing's adding up, and nothing's making sense. She's sleeping like a baby, she doesn't know he wasn't meant for this.
*~*~*~*
Hermione crept quietly into Harry's room to check on Ginny. If only she understood that she had to go help. Sure, if Hermione had told her, Ginny would have been on board, but Hermione had a feeling that as soon as Ginny found out she was leaving without her, she'd flip out.
Harry wasn't going to be able to pull through this on his own. Something would hold him back and Hermione wasn't going to let that happen. She crept into Hannah's room and clicked the light on. Hannah sat up like a shot.
"What'swrong?!" Hannah blurted out as she shook herself awake.
"Nothing's wrong. I just need to ask you a favor." Hermione sat on her flatmate's bed.
"You're going aren't you? Hermione, don't do this. He told you not to."
"He'll have to get over it. He needs me."
"I'm sure he can deal on his own. And besides, Sirius is with him."
"That's not the point, Hannah. I HAVE to go. And I need you to watch her."
"What am I going to do to stop her, Hermione?"
"Whatever you can. Tell Bill or Charlie. They'll keep her here. Or Remus. As soon as he finds out we went, I'm sure he'll be over here trying to get you to answer questions. You'll know what to do. You always have."
"I don't think this is quite fair. You get to go off and have adventures while I sit here and baby-sit Harry's girlfriend and the old man."
"Do you want to go, Hannah?"
"No."
"Therein lies the answer to your question."
Hannah sighed and shifted in her bed to give Hermione a quick hug.
"You better be fucking careful Hermione. And if you're going, I expect Harry to come back in one piece too."
"I'll do what I can."
Hermione smiled at her friend and turned to leave the room. She crept quietly back to her room and put on the outfit she had set aside. Slipping on her boots, she flung her knapsack over her shoulder and motioned to Hedwig to follow her. The owl landed softly on Hermione's shoulder and together they descended down the stairs.
*~*~*~*~*~*
I'm missing the war. I'll know I'm missing the war.
*~*~*~*~*~*
*~*~*~*
He drove home again, pissed and beaten. It's really no big deal, it happens all the time. It's no big deal.
*~*~*~*
Ginny heard scratching from the downstairs. Must be Ron, she thought, coming home from another night at the pub. Ever since Harry had sent that note he had drove into the ale as hard as he could. They would see him sporadically, when he came to visit Hermione after work, and when Seamus or Dean called to have them come and drag Ron home. Ginny just couldn't understand how it made him feel better. Whiskey always put her in a terrible mood.
Harry's note sat folded on her desk next to the old photo album. She would pick it up periodically and read it, trying to imagine what he looked like writing it. She heard Hannah sitting up quickly in her bed and then repositioning herself and falling back to sleep. Ginny rolled over and pulled the covers around her chin and started to drift back to sleep.
*~*~*~*
I'm missing the war. I'll bet I'm missing war. To be the sunlight hit me in the morning.
*~*~*~*
"Fuck!" Ron hissed, looking around the kitchen. He heard Hermione's footsteps across the floorboards upstairs as he looked frantically for Hedwig in the sitting room. Maybe this was a sign. A sign that following Harry was a bad idea.
Ron plopped down into one of the cushy armchairs and tried to think. There was so much holding him here: Hermione, his job, his family. But then there was Harry. His best friend, going off to fight one of the most evil dark wizards ever. He pushed himself up from the armchair and started back towards the door.
But Hermione. He loved her. She'd never forgive him leaving her behind. But there was no way in hell he was going to let her come with him. He had to stay with her. He resigned himself back to the chair.
But he couldn't leave Harry out there with no one but Sirius. Back towards the door.
Ginny. What about her? She would follow him. And the rest of his brothers? Back to the armchair.
He had to go. This was Harry. Ron was his right-hand man. He was going.
He heard a twig snapping outside. He walked towards the door and around the side of the house.
*~*~*~*
So much time, so little to say.
Time may fly, and dreams may die. His shaking voice tells him go. Still thinks he might, but knows he won't.
*~*~*~*
Hermione walked out the back door, successfully avoiding Ron, her black pants making barely any noise. She crept around the side of the house, Hedwig on her shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Hermione froze. Ron had caught her.
"I'm going to help Harry." Hermione turned around to see Ron dressed in all black also, a new pair of black trainers on his feet. "Why are you out here?"
"I'm going to, I just couldn't find Hedwig. Now I see why."
Ron and Hermione shared a look and turned around together, jaws set. They were going to help their friend. The Dream Team was going to do it together, whether Harry liked it or not.
*~*~*~*
I'm missing the war.
*~*~*~*
Sirius and Harry clung to the back of the rock, afraid to breathe, as the two figures moved slowly towards them. They had seen them as soon as they had hit the ground, approaching very cautiously, clad in all black, much like them selves. The figures rounded the corner in front of them and Harry saw the familiar shock of red hair.
"Dammit, Ron!" Harry hissed.
Ron spun on his heels towards the voice. Hermione rushed up behind him.
"Fuck, not you too!?" Harry waited a few more moments to see if, god forbid, Ginny rounded the corner also but was visibly relieved when she didn't. After he got over that spell, he turned angrily on his best friends.
"I can't believe you two! I tell you to stay where you are, not to follow me, and what do you do? Exactly what I tell you not to!"
Hermione and Ron seemed not be listening, staring at Harry with wide eyes. Hermione was the first to move, launching herself at Harry.
"Thank God you're okay!" she cried into Harry's shoulder. "I thought something bad had happened to you. It's such a relief to see you alive."
Harry stood stock-still, letting Hermione hug him, but not changing his face. Sirius' face, on the other hand, had broken into a large grin.
"Harry, come on. These are your friends. They risked life and limb to get here for you. Stop being so angry."
"What happens, Sirius, when something happens to them? The only thing that will keep me fighting is if I know they're okay."
"Harry, we're here because we want to help you. No amount of you yelling at us is going to keep us away from you." Ron looked at his best mate, nodding in agreement with what Hermione had said.
"Where's Ginny?"
"With Hannah. She had no idea we were going to leave. She's satisfied staying at home and waiting for you, hoping. But the two of us weren't going to sit and twiddle our thumbs while you're out here having all the fun."
"Right, fun, Ron. Hiding out, being stuck on top of a mountain for three straight days, sleeping in a marsh."
"Sounds like a blast to me."
Harry stared at Hermione and Ron hardly, until finally his face broke down. He had the best friends in the world. He took Hermione and Ron into a hug and broke down into their shoulders.
"I was secretly praying you would come. I'm nothing without the both of you."
A few minutes later, the group broke apart. Harry wiped his eyes roughly and looked at his mates. Ron placed his hands on his hips and put on his best adventure face.
"Right. So what's the plan?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: So, I don't know if any of you have read any of my other fics, but I am a HUGE fan of songfics. When a song strikes me as fitting, I like to either use it in the beginning, or write a whole chapter or fic around it. Like "Dreams", riddled with songs from the middle on, "I'd Really Like to Try" a songfic, the outtake I'm writing for another story, "In My World", a songfic, this story, I used "Happy Frappy" in an earlier chapter and now this. I see a definite trend here.
I didn't think I was going to have Hermione and Ron go with him, but as I was writing the story, I realized that that would be exactly what Harry would want, as much as he insisted he didn't. So, excuse the song, it was really just to appease myself. I had this stroke of thought when I was at school last week and the way I'm feeling about this story, any thought that I can write down needs to be written down as fast as possible. Sooner or later I'll run out of them though :)