Disclaimer: You know, upon thinking about it, it really is quite sad that I don't own Harry Potter, or his fellow friends. But then too, thinking on it, it is probably a good thing or else Harry Potter would not be Harry Potter but as one fanfic author wrote it would be Ron and Hermione and blah blah blah (apply favorite situation here: my personal favorite…Goblet of Fire's Yule Ball [it makes me go all fuzzy inside]).
*** Thanks goes out to Hermione Weasley: you are an awesome reviewer and I'm sorry that I didn't get this chapter out sooner (boyfriend kept me busy)…CurlsofGold, I really enjoyed writing that part of that chapter too, I'm really glad you thought it was funny. Thank you Pinkchicklet and have I told you I love your name? I think I did, but I'll say it again, I love your name! (And the story of yours I've read is pretty damn good—everyone: READ it!) Swnflakesweety, I'm not patient either so I completely understand! I'm glad you've lit an imaginary candle; I think it's something we all need to do. Thank you NoName for reviewing! You're a first time reviewer! I love new recruits! And I promise; this story is far from over! Thank you Meliflames for reviewing and thank you for the idea! I have no idea what's going to happen! LOL! Thank you everyone!
Chapter 17: Matter of Time
Madame Pince had finally kicked them out of the library, shooing them out after three long, tedious hours of searching what they could do for Lee. There seemed to be nothing but Hermione continued to remind them there had seemed to be nothing for the girls either and then poof! There was all of the sudden.
For those reasons they were back in the library after hours with one single lamp burning for the three of them. Well, the two of them anyway. Harry had long since fallen asleep, slouched across the table. His mouth was hanging slightly open.
"He hasn't been sleeping well," Ron whispered to Hermione.
She looked at her friend worriedly. "Nightmares?"
Ron shrugged. "I'm not sure to be completely honest with you. He hasn't been waking up in the middle of the night, or at least night like he has before." Hermione could barely make out the veiled worry in Ron's blue eyes.
"I worry about him," she admitted quietly.
A faint shadow of a smile whisked across Ron's darkened features. "I know you do. I do too," he replied simply.
Hermione made sure to keep a steady gaze on Ron has his features changed from sad to tired and then determined as he flipped another page of the thick book he was reading. She smiled inwardly.
"You're a good friend Ron," she started. She felt her cheeks heat up and she was glad for the cover of the night. "And-and not just to Harry but to-to me too," she added so quietly Ron wasn't positive he hadn't just imagined it.
He looked sideways at her. Her chin was dipped forward and long strands of wild, curly hair blocked his view from seeing her complete profile. But he didn't need to see her, see her as she could nearly materialize in front of him just when he thought of her. Just when he wanted to have her near.
She was beautiful in his dreams but she was real as she sat next to him; between an all of the sudden very awake Ron and a quietly snoring Harry. He could feel the heat radiating off her body and distinctly understood it was not because the library was hot, on the contrary it was always rather cool in the library. No, she was hot for the same reasons he was.
It was easy to forget he was at school or that she was still in her Hogwarts robes. He was acutely aware of the flickering flame between them and the way the shadows of the flames danced across the curls of her hair and the planes of her cheek. Wondering if her cheek was nearly as soft as it looked, he tentatively raised his hand to brush the untamed curls from her cheek and touched the softness of her skin with his fingertips, just grazing the surface barely but it still sent wracking shivers up his arm and through his spine.
Hermione stiffened under Ron's soft touch and slowly melted at that same touch. His hand sweetly brought her hair back, his fingers gently touching her cheek and leaving a trail of flames behind them.
Nothing in her whole life had ever felt so exquisite and so she didn't say anything. She didn't wish to lift the spell that had descended upon them. It just wouldn't be proper to break this, she decided and so she continued sitting there quietly, her thoughts turning to complete mush while Ron waited for a reaction from her. Any kind of reaction.
"Her-Hermione, I-I'm really sorry," he croaked out after waiting an unbearably long eternity for her to say words that she did not speak.
She blinked twice. "What?" she asked as she whipped her face around to meet his. Her question was asked too loudly and realizing immediately what she had done she clamped a hand over her mouth.
Harry lifted his head from the book and yawned rather loudly.
"Shh!" Ron whispered frantically. He placed a finger across his lips and looked at his friends sternly. "What are you two trying to do? Alert Filch to our presence?" he asked as if he had been scandalized.
A hissing noise came from somewhere in the library. "Damn her!" Ron muttered.
"Ron, don't swear," Hermione said automatically.
Was she trying to be impossible; because if she wasn't, she was doing a damn good impression of impossible!
Harry stood up slowly as if he'd been sitting there for centuries. The floor creaked beneath his feet.
"Maybe that wasn't Mrs. Norris," he told them quietly. He motioned for them to be completely still. After a moment of silence he whispered again. "See? There isn't anything making noise now."
"And what do you suggest it was Harry?" Ron asked tensely. Ron was a little annoyed right now. Something had ruined a completely perfect moment between him and Hermione (although he had no idea what would have happened anyway) and that was a royal pain in the butt, or kick in the pants. Either way you put it though, it irritated him to no end.
Harry looked at his two friends strangely then. For the first time since he'd woken from his slumber he really looked at them. Hermione was focusing on the pages of the book opened in front of her and Ron was wearing a frown. Oh gods, I hope they didn't just get into another row while I was sleeping!
There was no sound other than their labored breaths coming from anywhere in the library.
Harry grinned sheepishly. "False alarm evidently," he said. Then he sat himself in the seat he had previously occupied. "So, did you guys find anything while I was napping?"
"No, no we didn't." Hermione was concentrating so hard on the open pages in front of her she looked like she was speaking to the book. "Maybe then Katie didn't really like Lee or he didn't really like her back." She briefly glanced at Ron. "Perhaps Alicia didn't know who Katie liked, although I can't imagine that—
"Psst!"
They froze. Ron, whose hand had been in midair to rake through his hair, stopped all motion. Hermione didn't blink. Harry forgot to breathe. For one long second there was all was quiet in the library.
"Psst! Hermione, are you in here?" a voice they all recognized as Parvati's asked from around the corner.
Hermione's chest heaved with relief. "Yes," she whispered a tad louder. "Yes, I'm back here."
Parvati's breathing was shallow. "Gods Hermione, it scared me when you weren't in bed…I…I thought they had gotten to you too," she admitted while rounding the bookshelf. She failed to notice Ron and Harry until she was nearly seated in front of them.
Strangely enough though Hermione didn't mind; it was comforting to know someone else was worried about her. Sure, it was nice to have two boys for best friends (except for the whole falling in love with one of them part) because they did watch out for her but she was a little lonely for another girl's friendship. Ginny had been steadily getting closer to Hermione and Hermione was pleased to find she enjoyed Parvati's companionship too.
Seeing Ron and Harry there Parvati smiled nervously and her dark eyes flashed "Sorry," which Hermione knew she was immediately upon seeing the boys.
"Have a seat," Harry offered then, pushing out the chair across from him with his foot.
"Thanks," she whispered. She shivered. "Geesh, it's always cold in here, isn't it?" She briskly rubbed her hands over her biceps. "What are you three doing in here?"
"Lee," Hermione answered.
"Yeah, I've been thinking about that all night. You don't think Lee liked someone else, do you? Or that Katie didn't actually like Lee? Because how is that supposed to work? They can't tell each other how they feel if they're under this blessing-curse thingy, can they?" Parvati mused.
Hermione sighed and pushed one book they hadn't looked through in front of Parvati. "If you wouldn't mind, we could use your help?" she asked.
Parvati smiled and began flipping through the pages as if she'd been there all night with them. "Of course."
"Thanks," the three best friends muttered at the same time.
Parvati looked up in time to see Hermione and Ron exchange nervous smiles. She grinned inwardly; rooting for those two. Hermione may have laughed at Professor Trelawney and Divination but Parvati and Lavender had been seeing those two together since they learned how to read a crystal ball. It was only a matter of time before one of them voiced their true feelings to the other.
Hey! In Microsoft Word it is exactly four pages long! Yeah! OK, so I'm just really glad I get to update like four minutes before Friday. That's pretty cool! Thank you so much for reading and I've got to say, I really enjoyed writing this chapter! It felt extra special to write because of the little tryst between Ron and Hermione. I love those two! They are so cute! Please review and tell me what you think, for honesty! Thanks again!
*** As a side note, please pray/light a candle/meditate/whatever-it-is-you-do for the Allied forces in light of the war…and not only for the Allied soldiers but also the innocent Iraqi lives that will be lost. Remember, it is not Iraq we are against, but Saddam Hussein. I apologize if this request has offended you.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself-nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror.
~ Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933
