Chapter 4: I'm With You
'Ron, can I talk to you?' Harry asked.
'Yeah, sure.'
Harry sat still, trying to put his thoughts into words. Ron sat patiently waiting. Harry took a deep breath.
'Ron, this is gonna sound really weird. You, Hermione and I have been friends for a long time-'
'Five years,' Ron interrupted.
'Yeah. Anyway, since the end of last year, I've been having weird feelings.' Ron shut his eyes, hoping that Harry wouldn't say what Ron thought he was about to say. A chant started up in his head, keeping time with the anxious drumming of his heart. 'No, no, no, no, no, no.'
'Ron, I'm in love with Hermione.' Ron felt the air knocked out of him. The chant became more insistent, filling his mind until it escaped his lips in a whisper.
'No, no, no, no, no.'
'Ron? Are you ok?' Ron put his head in his hands.
'No. No, Harry, I'm-' Ron stopped. He couldn't do this to Harry. 'I'm fine,' he said, defeated.
'Are you sure you're ok with this?'
'Yeah, go ahead, you two belong together,' Ron said, smiling weakly.
'After all,' he added in his head, 'what chance would I have with her?' He sighed, resigned to his fate.
The next attack came within a few days. Harry, Hermione and Ron were walking up to the castle after a Care of Magical Creatures lesson, moving slowly although they were late for lunch, when Hermione fainted. Harry and Ron knelt beside her and wrapped her in their robes. The voice took longer than usual took sing the verse.
'As you float, your body still, You'll pass by cottage and by mill, And all the while life ticks away, Until the sunrise starts the day.'
'They're not little boys,' Hermione mumbled as she woke.
'What?'
Hermione looked around in confusion.
'She said, "Don't worry, muggle daughter, your time nears. Those little boys won't hurt you any longer."'
'Who's she calling little boys?' Ron exclaimed. 'We're fifteen! And what did she mean about us hurting you?' Hermione looked away and bit her lip; then smiled and said, 'Don't worry about it. She doesn't know what she's talking about.'
'Well she obviously knows something,' Harry said grimly. 'For example, she seems to know exactly how you're going to die. And she has such a wonderful way of singing it to you.' Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. Whenever Harry was stressed out or worried, he always became sarcastic. 'So,' he continued, 'What have we got? Midnight on a full moon Herm will leave the tower, go down to the lake and take a boat to Arthur's Moat. She'll float by a cottage and a mill and will be dead by sunrise. What glorious fun.'
'Harry,' Ron said in a warning tone.
'Ron,' Harry mimicked in the same tone.
'Shut up,' Ron said, glaring at Harry. He could feel himself getting more and more annoyed.
'You shut up,' Harry replied glaring back.
'Both of you shut up. You're being stupid and immature,' Hermione said shrilly. Both the boys ignored her. At that moment, Ron hated Harry. He looked at the boy standing opposite him, the boy with messy raven hair, the boy with sparkling emerald eyes, emerald eyes that were filled with anger. Ron knew the anger wasn't directed at him: it was the anger that some psycho woman in a white dress was trying to kill Hermione, his Hermione. But Ron was itching for a fight. He stared levelly into the green eyes and allowed all the pain and anger of the past few weeks to take over him. Before he registered what was happening, Ron drew his arm back and punched Harry solidly on the nose.
'Ron, what the hell do you think you're doing?' Hermione yelled. Ron ignored her and watched Harry as he glared at him, one hand cradling his bleeding nose. Then he let loose. Harry dove towards Ron and pummelled him with his fists, while Ron hit him back. They fell to the floor, still hitting each other as much as they could, oblivious to Hermione's screams for them to stop. She finally had enough and drew her wand.
'Stupefy!' she screamed. Harry and Ron were both hit with a blue light that sent them flying. She stood staring at them, breathing heavily. 'I.do not.have the.energy.to deal.with you two. behaving.like this,' she said between gasps. Then she fainted. As Harry and Ron were both stunned, there was nothing they could do.
The spell eventually wore off and Harry and Ron were able to carry Hermione up to the castle. They had missed lunch so they stopped by the kitchens, where the house-elves were only too happy to give them as much food as they could carry. By the time they had reached the common room Hermione was awake. They spent the rest of the afternoon eating and playing Snap with exploding cards.
'Ron, can I talk to you?' Harry asked.
'Yeah, sure.'
Harry sat still, trying to put his thoughts into words. Ron sat patiently waiting. Harry took a deep breath.
'Ron, this is gonna sound really weird. You, Hermione and I have been friends for a long time-'
'Five years,' Ron interrupted.
'Yeah. Anyway, since the end of last year, I've been having weird feelings.' Ron shut his eyes, hoping that Harry wouldn't say what Ron thought he was about to say. A chant started up in his head, keeping time with the anxious drumming of his heart. 'No, no, no, no, no, no.'
'Ron, I'm in love with Hermione.' Ron felt the air knocked out of him. The chant became more insistent, filling his mind until it escaped his lips in a whisper.
'No, no, no, no, no.'
'Ron? Are you ok?' Ron put his head in his hands.
'No. No, Harry, I'm-' Ron stopped. He couldn't do this to Harry. 'I'm fine,' he said, defeated.
'Are you sure you're ok with this?'
'Yeah, go ahead, you two belong together,' Ron said, smiling weakly.
'After all,' he added in his head, 'what chance would I have with her?' He sighed, resigned to his fate.
The next attack came within a few days. Harry, Hermione and Ron were walking up to the castle after a Care of Magical Creatures lesson, moving slowly although they were late for lunch, when Hermione fainted. Harry and Ron knelt beside her and wrapped her in their robes. The voice took longer than usual took sing the verse.
'As you float, your body still, You'll pass by cottage and by mill, And all the while life ticks away, Until the sunrise starts the day.'
'They're not little boys,' Hermione mumbled as she woke.
'What?'
Hermione looked around in confusion.
'She said, "Don't worry, muggle daughter, your time nears. Those little boys won't hurt you any longer."'
'Who's she calling little boys?' Ron exclaimed. 'We're fifteen! And what did she mean about us hurting you?' Hermione looked away and bit her lip; then smiled and said, 'Don't worry about it. She doesn't know what she's talking about.'
'Well she obviously knows something,' Harry said grimly. 'For example, she seems to know exactly how you're going to die. And she has such a wonderful way of singing it to you.' Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. Whenever Harry was stressed out or worried, he always became sarcastic. 'So,' he continued, 'What have we got? Midnight on a full moon Herm will leave the tower, go down to the lake and take a boat to Arthur's Moat. She'll float by a cottage and a mill and will be dead by sunrise. What glorious fun.'
'Harry,' Ron said in a warning tone.
'Ron,' Harry mimicked in the same tone.
'Shut up,' Ron said, glaring at Harry. He could feel himself getting more and more annoyed.
'You shut up,' Harry replied glaring back.
'Both of you shut up. You're being stupid and immature,' Hermione said shrilly. Both the boys ignored her. At that moment, Ron hated Harry. He looked at the boy standing opposite him, the boy with messy raven hair, the boy with sparkling emerald eyes, emerald eyes that were filled with anger. Ron knew the anger wasn't directed at him: it was the anger that some psycho woman in a white dress was trying to kill Hermione, his Hermione. But Ron was itching for a fight. He stared levelly into the green eyes and allowed all the pain and anger of the past few weeks to take over him. Before he registered what was happening, Ron drew his arm back and punched Harry solidly on the nose.
'Ron, what the hell do you think you're doing?' Hermione yelled. Ron ignored her and watched Harry as he glared at him, one hand cradling his bleeding nose. Then he let loose. Harry dove towards Ron and pummelled him with his fists, while Ron hit him back. They fell to the floor, still hitting each other as much as they could, oblivious to Hermione's screams for them to stop. She finally had enough and drew her wand.
'Stupefy!' she screamed. Harry and Ron were both hit with a blue light that sent them flying. She stood staring at them, breathing heavily. 'I.do not.have the.energy.to deal.with you two. behaving.like this,' she said between gasps. Then she fainted. As Harry and Ron were both stunned, there was nothing they could do.
The spell eventually wore off and Harry and Ron were able to carry Hermione up to the castle. They had missed lunch so they stopped by the kitchens, where the house-elves were only too happy to give them as much food as they could carry. By the time they had reached the common room Hermione was awake. They spent the rest of the afternoon eating and playing Snap with exploding cards.
