Shock of Love

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is a God… I am not

Note: This mini story takes place in the middle of their 5th year… much chaos toward Lord Voldemort has been going on and there's much protection surrounding Hogwarts and especially Harry and his friends.

Chapter 1

'Come on Hermione' Harry thought to himself as he looked out the Gryffendor common room window. It was Christmas break and most of the students had gone home to their families, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione thought it best not to travel out in the open and rather stay safe in Hogwarts Castle. Although now they were wishing that they had left. Dumbledore had gone against his will to London for an urgent issue concerning the Ministry and the Deatheaters. And as soon as he left, Harry's scar began to burn. He felt as though there was an evil presence in the castle and he needed to find it.

As bad as his luck could come, his Marauder's map had been ripped into three pieces when he packed all his belongings in his trunk for school. But he needed to find this source of evil and make sure it wasn't Lord Voldemort and he needed to do it now. The normal magic of repairing would not work on the map as it had magic laced throughout it but Hermione managed to find a potion in a book that would mend it together so it would work again.

The potion was complicated and there was a plant that needed to be mixed into it that was very rare. After raiding Snape's cabinet, the three found that it could only be retrieved from the dark forest. Hermione volunteered to travel in there to get it seeing as she was the only one who knew what it looked like, where to find it, and it would look bad if all three of them were missing in action. So she put on Harry's invisibility cloak and ventured through the snow and into the forest.

She'd been in there for over and hour and Harry and Ron were extremely worried.

"We should go looking for her Harry. What if she's hurt, what if she's lost? This was a bad idea" Ron complained in a worried tone.
"I know" Harry said expressionless. He felt helpless though and awful guilty. Just then he thought he saw movement in the snow. Seconds later he saw a little hand laying on the white ground, not moving.

The two of them rushed through the halls of the castle and out the door, not caring who saw them or what rules they were breaking. They ran to where the single hand lay clutching a purple furry plant. Harry pulled the invisibility cloak off Hermione and turned her over to see that she was shaking and blue and barely breathing.

"We have to take her to Madame Pomfrey" Ron said worriedly as he lifted Hermione off the cold snowy ground.

"No, we cant" Harry said, and wished he didn't have to, "We'd all get in trouble, most of all Hermione. We can help her, I know how"

They placed the cloak around them and quickly made their way back to the Gryffendor common room. Ron lay Hermione on the couch next to the fire and looked at Harry with much concern.

"What do we do?" He asked.

"You need to transfer your body heat to hers, take both of your clothes off and hold her against you, it's the only way, I don't know any magic to help her now" Harry explained to him.

Ron's eyes grew huge. "She's gonna wake up and think I'm assaulting her! There must be another way"

"There's not! Besides, would you rather I do it?"

Ron made a face that said "most certainly not"

"I didn't think so, now do it before she dies of hypothermia"

Harry sat down and tried to mix the plant into the potion. Ron quickly began to undress Hermione till she was in her bra and underwear. He tried his hardest to not think sexually in a time like this but with every article of clothing he removed, he felt himself getting hotter. This was the girl that he loved. Yes, the girl that he loved, so he couldn't let her die like this. He shook the sexual thoughts out of his head and removed his own clothing and lay down next to her beside the fire. He held her close to him and felt his body heat transferring into hers. Soon, her shaking became minimal and the color began to come back into her skin and her eyes opened.

"R-R-Ron..?" Hermione said between small teeth chatters.

"Hermione I'm SO sorry… you were… and Harry said… and I just didn't want you to die" Ron said worried she would hate him forever.

Harry rushed over to them and took Hermione's hand to help her up from the floor and wrapped a blanket around her. Ron stood, vacant expression, suddenly unashamed to be in his boxers. Harry sat Hermione down on the couch and explained everything to her.

"I'm so sorry I put you boys through all this, but thank you for saving my life" She said, looking at the floor. She was noticeably embarrassed about the whole thing, and wondered why Ron was still sitting there in his boxers, rubbing her back. He'd never shown such concern for her and she'd never thought he would do something like that for her.

"Did you put the plant in the potion?" she asked Harry.

"Yes but I don't know what to do next"

"Alright well then lets finish this.. Just give me a minute"

Hermione then grabbed her wet clothes and ran up the stairs to her room, presumably to change. Ron's eyes followed her till she was out of sight.

"Why don't you just tell her how you feel about her" Harry said to Ron who was pulling his clothes back on.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Ron replied looking at the floor; ears pink.

"You know, she realizes that not just anyone would do that for her Ron"

"You would" he said, looking straight at Harry.

Harry shrugged, "yes I suppose I would have"

"Do you like Hermione? As more than a friend Harry?"

"No, Ron, I don't at all" he replied, smiling. He could see that even though Ron looked away he was smiling also.

While they waited for Hermione, Harry thought back on his five years at Hogwarts and recalled all the times he shared with his friends, how pleasant they were, and how painfully obvious Ron's love for Hermione was becoming as time went on. He remembered back to their first year, how much they quarreled, but now it all seems like petty little childlike flirtations. He remembered in their second year how worried and upset Ron was when Hermione was petrified. Even though he tried not to show it. He remembered in their third year, how they fought most of the year over crookshanks and scabbers, and remembered that as mad as they were he could see the look of longing to be friends again when the other wasn't looking. Most recently in their fourth year, he recalled all the jealousy that went on over the Yule ball. And how much Ron hated Viktor Krum, and even the dirty looks Hermione gave to Fluer when no one was looking. Yes, as much as his two best friends would try and deny it, there was no getting around it. They were in love with each other, and Harry was determined to find a way to bring it out and get it over with.

"Harry snap out of it"

He hadn't realized it but Harry was just staring into the fire as he thought of all this, not blinking, not moving.

"You'd better not be thinking about my sister" Ron joked.

Before Harry could defend himself, Hermione was trotting down the stairs, fully clothed, with a smile on her face. She plopped down in between her two friends and they began to work out the potion.

Soon, it was finished and they poured it onto the Marauder's map. A bright light came from the map and it began to magically mend itself back together. The map of the school showed up and their darkest fears came true. Deep within the dungeons of Hogwart's Castle lay a single dot labeled "Lord Voldemort".