Xenith
"The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me.
The touch of you hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when say nothing at all."
~~~'When You Say Nothing at All' by Alison Krauss
Chapter Twenty-two
"Sorry." Ron apologized, knocking into a tall, dark-haired boy of about nineteen as they entered The Three Broomsticks. The boy grunted, gray eyes darting first to Ron and then to Harry. Harry's scar began to throb. He winced and pressed his hand to his forehead.
"You all right, Harry?" Ron asked, turning away from the door and to his friend.
"Yeah, it's just my scar . . ." The handsome, dark-haired boy smirked and swept from the pub, black cloak billowing.
"That's not good." Ron said, sitting Harry down at the nearest table.
"No, it's just . . ." he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to gather his thoughts as Ron steered him to the bar, signalling to Madam Rosemerta to bring them two Butterbeers. "It shouldn't hurt like this . . . it's been aching since the end of last year . . . but it's not supposed to be like this . . ."
"Here, Harry," Ron plunked a large, frothy Butterbeer in front of Harry and took his hands off of his forehead and onto his drink. "He's not here. He can't be."
"He can't be."
"Right, so bottoms up." Ron finished, drowning his false confidence in his warm pint.
An icy fall breeze swept through the pub as two more students bustled in. Hermione and Malcolm.
---
"George, I'm going to go back up to the castle. I'm tired."
"Sure, I can handle things here." He sent a wicked grin at the blonde behind the counter. She rolled her eyes and continued with the customer before her. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I just need some time alone."
"Oh, all right."
Fred nodded to his brother and the blonde and made his way though the crowd of students and out of Zonko's.
By the time Fred made his way back to the castle the sun was setting and the lake was glowing pinks and reds. He had planed on heading up to his dormitory and actually doing his homework (monster Potions test Monday) but the lake was calling to him and there was always the chance of running into Chris near Hagrid's hut.
He took the short way around the lake and found himself face to face with a enormous dragon much sooner than he expected. He hadn't really been paying attention to where he was going and had nearly run into the unpenned beast. He leapt back as the dragon turned its sleepy, beach-ball sized, purple eyes on Fred.
"Hello there." He said awkwardly, backing slowly away from the worm.
"Hmmm," he heard a sleepy voice say from behind the dragon. "Who's there?"
"Chris?" Fred said, circling around the giant dragon till he saw Chris nestled against the dragon's side with her tiny Feather sleeping on her chest. "What are you doing?"
"Sleeping." She replied, sitting up a bit.
"Isn't that a bit of a dangerous place to sleep?"
She shrugged.
"So, who's this?" He nodded toward the dragon.
"Padmé." She grinned at her own private joke.
"Where'd you get that name from?"
"A movie I saw once."
"Movie?"
"Never-mind. Come sit with me." She scooted forward and patted the ground behind her. He cocked a crimson eyebrow at her and didn't move. "She won't hurt you."
"Promise?
"Promise."
Fred crossed to the dragon and seated himself behind her, ignoring the glare the small black was shooting him from her chest and focusing on the feel of Chris sinking against him.
"This is cozy." He said, snaking his arms around her and pulling her closer against his body. "I can see how you fell asleep. What breed is it?"
"She's a cross breed between the Romanian Longhorn and the Peruvian Vipertooth. The Vipertooths are notorious for their small size and swift flight, and the Longhorns for their horns. The Longhorns are going extinct so we've been breeding them for quite some time. She gets the scarlet from the Vipertooth and the blue from the Longhorn. Isn't she beautiful?" Her face went soft as the end of the dragon's black spiked tail rested itself in her lap. "The fangs are still extremely venomous but she'd never hurt anything unless provoked. The brilliance of ten years of training." She grinned her lopsided grin and Fred felt his knees go weak.
---
"So," Ron said as he, Harry, and Hermione sat in the library that night as they finished up their homework. "Did he kiss you?"
"I don't see how that's any of your business." Hermione snapped, not looking at him.
"Did he?" Ron pressed nonetheless.
"He tried."
"And?"
"And I didn't let him."
"Good."
"Good?" She finally looked to the red-head beside her.
"Yeah, he's not allowed."
"And who, may I ask, is?"
"Certainly not him, or _Vicky_."
"And what about Seamus? Or Dean? Or even Harry?"
"Harry!? You fancy Harry!?" Ron leapt from his seat, knocking over his ink well.
"I do NOT---"
"It's always been Harry hasn't it? Malcolm and Dean and Seamus and Vicky and HARRY! You're just a scarlet woman! Aren't you!?" He shouted.
"Ron! How dare you?!" Hermione cried, leaping to her feet, her cheeks flushing in fury.
"Ron, calm down, she doesn't like me." Harry hissed from across the table, trying in vain to hide behind 'The Fastest Game' by Maximus Brankovitch III.
"You know what?!" Ron said, completely ignoring Harry. "I'm leaving! I don't need this!"
"You don't need this!" Hermione shouted at his retreating back. "You STARTED this!" Hermione spun back to Harry, eyes blazing. "Ughh! Honestly . . . he's absolutely . . . ridiculous!" She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest indignantly.
"Go after him." Harry sighed, not raising his eyes from the book in front of him.
"Really?" She brought her hand to her mouth and gnawed on her nail, her anger dissipating immediately.
"Go."
Hermione dashed from the library, hair flying and Madam Pince scowling after her.
"Ron!" She called, running down the corridor after the speck of ginger she saw hurrying around the corner. "Ron! Please wait!"
"No!" She heard him shout from around the corner.
"Ron, you stop this instant or . . . or I'll owl your mother!"
"You wouldn't dare." She rounded the corner and saw that Ron had stopped half-way down the corridor.
"Oh wouldn't I." She replied stopping as he came into view.
"Herm---"
"Ron---"
They started at the same time.
"You first." Hermione said.
"I didn't mean any of that, Herm." Ron said running his fingers through his already rumpled hair.
"I know."
"It's just hard."
"I know."
"Other boys AREN'T supposed to fancy you, Herm."
"And why's that?" She took a few steps closer to him.
"Because . . . they just aren't." He said, closing the distance between them. "Especially not Harry."
"Ron," she reached up and touched his face. He flushed, leaning unconsciously into her caress. "It's always been you. Never Harry."
Without warning, he leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth. It was a quick and thorough kiss, over almost before Hermione had a chance to realise what was happening. She closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, but Ron had already pulled away.
"Sorry." He murmured, turning away.
"No, it's all right." She whispered, pulling him back to her.
"Really?" He asked, a smile crashing on to his face as he peered down at her.
"Really." Hermione pulled Ron against herself. She took his face in her hands and kissed him again, falling against the wall and smiling against Ron's mouth as he wound his arms around her.
"I like this." Ron said softly, pulling back and running his fingers through her hair. "This is how it's supposed to be."
"I know." She grinned up at him.
"I'm sorry . . . about not asking you to a butterbeer today. Or to the ball last Christmas."
She laughed. "I know."
"So why'd you go with Malcolm today? And Vick---Victor?"
"To try and make you jealous. Make you ask me out sooner."
"Sorry about that too. I was a bit thick."
"Was?"
"Are you two done yet?" Harry interrupted from the end of the corridor, making them jump apart. "Because it's getting late, and Snape's going to be patrolling the halls any minute now." Harry was leaning nonchalantly against the wall, 'The Fastest Game' tucked in his arms, and smiling slyly as if he was used to seeing Hermione folded in Ron's lanky arms.
"Harry?" Ron said shakily, running his fingers though his hair and shrugging closer to Hermione.
"Come along little love birds." He snapped his fingers and waved the two over. "Gryffindor tower. Chop chop." He turned and led the way to their dormitory.
Ron and Hermione blushed furiously and followed. Ron snaking his hand into Hermione's.
---
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((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- tbc -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*
"The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me.
The touch of you hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when say nothing at all."
~~~'When You Say Nothing at All' by Alison Krauss
Chapter Twenty-two
"Sorry." Ron apologized, knocking into a tall, dark-haired boy of about nineteen as they entered The Three Broomsticks. The boy grunted, gray eyes darting first to Ron and then to Harry. Harry's scar began to throb. He winced and pressed his hand to his forehead.
"You all right, Harry?" Ron asked, turning away from the door and to his friend.
"Yeah, it's just my scar . . ." The handsome, dark-haired boy smirked and swept from the pub, black cloak billowing.
"That's not good." Ron said, sitting Harry down at the nearest table.
"No, it's just . . ." he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to gather his thoughts as Ron steered him to the bar, signalling to Madam Rosemerta to bring them two Butterbeers. "It shouldn't hurt like this . . . it's been aching since the end of last year . . . but it's not supposed to be like this . . ."
"Here, Harry," Ron plunked a large, frothy Butterbeer in front of Harry and took his hands off of his forehead and onto his drink. "He's not here. He can't be."
"He can't be."
"Right, so bottoms up." Ron finished, drowning his false confidence in his warm pint.
An icy fall breeze swept through the pub as two more students bustled in. Hermione and Malcolm.
---
"George, I'm going to go back up to the castle. I'm tired."
"Sure, I can handle things here." He sent a wicked grin at the blonde behind the counter. She rolled her eyes and continued with the customer before her. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I just need some time alone."
"Oh, all right."
Fred nodded to his brother and the blonde and made his way though the crowd of students and out of Zonko's.
By the time Fred made his way back to the castle the sun was setting and the lake was glowing pinks and reds. He had planed on heading up to his dormitory and actually doing his homework (monster Potions test Monday) but the lake was calling to him and there was always the chance of running into Chris near Hagrid's hut.
He took the short way around the lake and found himself face to face with a enormous dragon much sooner than he expected. He hadn't really been paying attention to where he was going and had nearly run into the unpenned beast. He leapt back as the dragon turned its sleepy, beach-ball sized, purple eyes on Fred.
"Hello there." He said awkwardly, backing slowly away from the worm.
"Hmmm," he heard a sleepy voice say from behind the dragon. "Who's there?"
"Chris?" Fred said, circling around the giant dragon till he saw Chris nestled against the dragon's side with her tiny Feather sleeping on her chest. "What are you doing?"
"Sleeping." She replied, sitting up a bit.
"Isn't that a bit of a dangerous place to sleep?"
She shrugged.
"So, who's this?" He nodded toward the dragon.
"Padmé." She grinned at her own private joke.
"Where'd you get that name from?"
"A movie I saw once."
"Movie?"
"Never-mind. Come sit with me." She scooted forward and patted the ground behind her. He cocked a crimson eyebrow at her and didn't move. "She won't hurt you."
"Promise?
"Promise."
Fred crossed to the dragon and seated himself behind her, ignoring the glare the small black was shooting him from her chest and focusing on the feel of Chris sinking against him.
"This is cozy." He said, snaking his arms around her and pulling her closer against his body. "I can see how you fell asleep. What breed is it?"
"She's a cross breed between the Romanian Longhorn and the Peruvian Vipertooth. The Vipertooths are notorious for their small size and swift flight, and the Longhorns for their horns. The Longhorns are going extinct so we've been breeding them for quite some time. She gets the scarlet from the Vipertooth and the blue from the Longhorn. Isn't she beautiful?" Her face went soft as the end of the dragon's black spiked tail rested itself in her lap. "The fangs are still extremely venomous but she'd never hurt anything unless provoked. The brilliance of ten years of training." She grinned her lopsided grin and Fred felt his knees go weak.
---
"So," Ron said as he, Harry, and Hermione sat in the library that night as they finished up their homework. "Did he kiss you?"
"I don't see how that's any of your business." Hermione snapped, not looking at him.
"Did he?" Ron pressed nonetheless.
"He tried."
"And?"
"And I didn't let him."
"Good."
"Good?" She finally looked to the red-head beside her.
"Yeah, he's not allowed."
"And who, may I ask, is?"
"Certainly not him, or _Vicky_."
"And what about Seamus? Or Dean? Or even Harry?"
"Harry!? You fancy Harry!?" Ron leapt from his seat, knocking over his ink well.
"I do NOT---"
"It's always been Harry hasn't it? Malcolm and Dean and Seamus and Vicky and HARRY! You're just a scarlet woman! Aren't you!?" He shouted.
"Ron! How dare you?!" Hermione cried, leaping to her feet, her cheeks flushing in fury.
"Ron, calm down, she doesn't like me." Harry hissed from across the table, trying in vain to hide behind 'The Fastest Game' by Maximus Brankovitch III.
"You know what?!" Ron said, completely ignoring Harry. "I'm leaving! I don't need this!"
"You don't need this!" Hermione shouted at his retreating back. "You STARTED this!" Hermione spun back to Harry, eyes blazing. "Ughh! Honestly . . . he's absolutely . . . ridiculous!" She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest indignantly.
"Go after him." Harry sighed, not raising his eyes from the book in front of him.
"Really?" She brought her hand to her mouth and gnawed on her nail, her anger dissipating immediately.
"Go."
Hermione dashed from the library, hair flying and Madam Pince scowling after her.
"Ron!" She called, running down the corridor after the speck of ginger she saw hurrying around the corner. "Ron! Please wait!"
"No!" She heard him shout from around the corner.
"Ron, you stop this instant or . . . or I'll owl your mother!"
"You wouldn't dare." She rounded the corner and saw that Ron had stopped half-way down the corridor.
"Oh wouldn't I." She replied stopping as he came into view.
"Herm---"
"Ron---"
They started at the same time.
"You first." Hermione said.
"I didn't mean any of that, Herm." Ron said running his fingers through his already rumpled hair.
"I know."
"It's just hard."
"I know."
"Other boys AREN'T supposed to fancy you, Herm."
"And why's that?" She took a few steps closer to him.
"Because . . . they just aren't." He said, closing the distance between them. "Especially not Harry."
"Ron," she reached up and touched his face. He flushed, leaning unconsciously into her caress. "It's always been you. Never Harry."
Without warning, he leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth. It was a quick and thorough kiss, over almost before Hermione had a chance to realise what was happening. She closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, but Ron had already pulled away.
"Sorry." He murmured, turning away.
"No, it's all right." She whispered, pulling him back to her.
"Really?" He asked, a smile crashing on to his face as he peered down at her.
"Really." Hermione pulled Ron against herself. She took his face in her hands and kissed him again, falling against the wall and smiling against Ron's mouth as he wound his arms around her.
"I like this." Ron said softly, pulling back and running his fingers through her hair. "This is how it's supposed to be."
"I know." She grinned up at him.
"I'm sorry . . . about not asking you to a butterbeer today. Or to the ball last Christmas."
She laughed. "I know."
"So why'd you go with Malcolm today? And Vick---Victor?"
"To try and make you jealous. Make you ask me out sooner."
"Sorry about that too. I was a bit thick."
"Was?"
"Are you two done yet?" Harry interrupted from the end of the corridor, making them jump apart. "Because it's getting late, and Snape's going to be patrolling the halls any minute now." Harry was leaning nonchalantly against the wall, 'The Fastest Game' tucked in his arms, and smiling slyly as if he was used to seeing Hermione folded in Ron's lanky arms.
"Harry?" Ron said shakily, running his fingers though his hair and shrugging closer to Hermione.
"Come along little love birds." He snapped his fingers and waved the two over. "Gryffindor tower. Chop chop." He turned and led the way to their dormitory.
Ron and Hermione blushed furiously and followed. Ron snaking his hand into Hermione's.
---
¸..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ ·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- tbc -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*