A/N: I just wanted to say that even though the chapters of my story are
song titles, I have only chosen them because I think the title reflected
the contents of the chapter. This doesn't mean that I associate the song's
lyrics with the story or the chapters; for example, the contents of Robbie
Williams' song 'Feel', does not reflect the contents of chapter one. Hope
you get what I mean. If you want the lyrics to be included at the end of
the chapter, tell me by emailing me or in the reviews. I'll include them in
the next chapters. :-) A huge thank you to Portkey! Thank yoooouuuuu!!!!
Chapter 3: With A Little Help From My Friends
The party was going way beyond Ginny's hopes. Not only was she dancing with the boy she had been dreaming about for ages, but that very boy also seemed to be enjoying her company. It was the third time in a row they were dancing together. She had not dared to believe that Harry would ever see her as more than Ron's baby sister. Yet now, as she looked in his eyes, she thought she saw something more than friendship in them.
Not far away from Ginny and Harry, Hermione had accepted a dance with Hagrid - and this - was no easy task. Nevertheless, both had managed to find a comfortable way to enjoy the dance, and even talked about Hogwarts. She asked about Hagrid's brother, whom Hagrid had recently brought back with him from a journey to France. According to the gamekeeper, Grawp was improving every day. He could now almost pronounce 'Hagrid' properly.
Hagrid's long beard was tickling Hermione's cheeks. She looked up at Hagrid's face and wondered for a second how it would be to dance with Ron. He was not as tall as Hagrid, but he was still much taller than her. She had hoped to dance with Ron, to make up for the Yule Ball. But Ron was nowhere to be seen and her hopes were fading.
The music ended and another song began. Mrs. Weasley was asking Fred and George if they had seen Ron; it was time for Harry's birthday cake and Ron should be part of it. Harry and Ginny joined Hermione near the fireplace and the drink table manned by the twins.
"Harry, Ginny, Hermione, dears," said Mrs Weasley, "Have any of you seen Ron?"
"Well, not since we arrived here," answered Harry, suddenly ashamed he hadn't noticed that his best friend was missing.
"I talked to him when he came in with Harry, but I haven't seen him since," said Hermione, a little anxious.
"Maybe he's in his room," suggested Fred, pouring himself another glass of 'pumpkin juice'. His hair turned yellow for a second then came back to its usual shade of red.
"Yeah, maybe he's ill, he didn't look too well yesterday," added George.
"I'll go look for him," said Harry, and he went up the stairs.
He climbed up the three flights, and, now breathless, knocked at Ron's door. No answer. He knocked again and was sure to have heard someone move in the room. He knocked again and said, "Ron? It's Harry. Are you all right?"
Silence.
"Ron, I'm coming in, so if you're in there, I hope you're decent!"
Harry entered Ron's room. It hadn't changed much since the last time he had been there. He noticed that Ron had added several pictures on the walls. Magic pictures, of course. Harry looked at the moving photographs. In one of them, Ron was on his broomstick, playing Quidditch. In another, Ron and Harry were holding the Hogwarts' Quidditch Cup. In a frame on the desk, was a picture of Ron, Hermione and himself taken after the cup-winning match - all of them were beaming. Ron and Harry were wearing their Quidditch robes and looked happy with themselves and Hermione, dressed in Scarlet and Gold, was waving a pennant of the same colours. Hermione was standing between he and Ron and they had their arms around each other's shoulders. What Harry didn't know, was that Ron secretly kept a picture of Hermione under his pillow, and that he looked at it every night. The picture had been taken during the previous summer. She obviously hadn't seen the camera.
Ron was lying face down on his bed, his head buried in a pillow, his arms along his body.
"Hey," said Harry. "What's wrong? Are you ill?"
Ron didn't answer. Harry repeated his question, in vain. Could Ron be asleep? But as he moved closer to shake him awake, Ron mumbled something.
"Oh, I thought maybe you were asleep. What did you say?"
As Ron turned his face towards him, Harry was shocked to see so many emotions on his friend's face. There was anger, despair, need, frustration...
Harry sat down in Ron's desk chair.
Ron twisted his body in the bed and sat up. "I said 'Do you love her?'" repeated Ron, looking at the floor.
"What?"
"You heard me," said Ron, looking up at Harry. "And I want an answer. I need an answer. Not knowing is driving me mad."
Though surprised, Harry thought for a second, then said, sheepishly, "Yeah, Ron, I love her. I suddenly realized this summer that I was in love with her. Don't ask me why I didn't realize it before, or how I could have felt something for any other girl - I think you know what I mean. I've always liked her, but I thought that I did not have the right to love her, because of you, you know, so I think I've buried my feelings deep inside my heart. But now, I can't hide them anymore. I hope you understand."
"All right," said Ron, swallowing hard. "Then I won't come between you two. But you'll understand that I'll need some time alone, to think about it all. You know how I feel about her, so, you'll understand that even though you're my friend, it won't be easy for me."
Ron looked depressed. Harry hadn't thought that Ron could take the news so badly. Harry stood up and kept glancing at Ron uncomfortably. He really loved that girl, but he did not want to lose his best friend for a girl. On the other hand, he did not want to lose her, either. Harry was torn between his friendship with Ron and the love he felt for the girl. He came closer to Ron, twisting his hands awkwardly.
"If you don't want me to ask her out-" he said finally.
"No, no, I don't want to be an obstacle between you two. If you love her... go out with her. But I'm warning you. You'd better make her happy or I'll kill you," replied Ron, very seriously.
Harry gulped. "Ron... I promise that I'll try to make her as happy as possible. I mean, if she agrees to go out with me. I promise that if she accepts to go out with me, we won't show off in front of you all summer long or anything."
Ron snorted. He really was taking the news badly.
Harry hoped that he had not destroyed their friendship by admitting his love for someone so close to Ron.
"Even if you wanted to, you could not. She's not staying for August," said Ron.
"She's not staying? What do you mean she's not staying? Is she going to Egypt with Bill or Romania with Charlie?" asked Harry, puzzled.
Ron looked amazed. What was Harry talking about? Hermione, going to Romania with Bill?
"No, of course not! What the Hell are you talking about?"
"Where is she going then?"
"Well, she's going back home, with her family."
"With her family?"
"Yes. Are you stupid or what?" asked Ron, asking himself whether Harry was making fun of him. "You don't expect her to go on holiday with Dumbledore, do you? Though if he promised to teach her a lot, I'm sure she'd go."
"Ron, I don't understand. Ginny's already at home with her family!"
"Ginny?"
"Well, yes, we're talking about Ginny, aren't we?"
Ron looked relieved, incredibly relieved. "You mean you're in love with Ginny? Not with..."
"Yes, I'm in love with Ginny. Who did you think I was talking about?"
Suddenly, the truth struck Harry.
"Hang on... Did you think I was talking about... no, not... Hermione?"
Ron tried to hide his face which was now turning a violent shade of pink, but it was no use. Harry had discovered his biggest secret.
Harry was dumbfounded. "I've always known you liked Hermione a lot. You looked so distressed when she was Petrified in second year and you were utterly furious when you discovered she had accepted Krum's invitation to the Yule Ball, but I never knew you were falling for her so badly."
"I love her, Harry. I mean, it's even beyond that. I'm in love with her. Bloody hell, I think about her all the time. And when she's next to me, either I feel like an idiot for not telling her how I feel, I argue with her, or I avoid her like I have been avoiding her tonight."
"You shouldn't be avoiding her, Ron. I saw her earlier on, she was looking for you in the crowd. She looked sad. She doesn't understand why you're hiding away from her. She thinks she's done something wrong."
"Did she tell you that?" asked Ron.
"No, but that's how I'd feel if you, or Hermione, were avoiding me, for no apparent reason."
"I'm only a friend to her. She'll neversee me as a boyfriend. I'm just Ron to her. Just good ol' Ron. Look at me, Harry, I have nothing to offer her!"
"Shut up a minute, Ron! Hermione doesn't care about money! She likes you for who you are! And I don't think she sees you only as a friend, if you want my opinion. Remember what she said last year in the common room, after that stupid Yule Ball? She said something about not wanting to be a last resort for you. You remember that fight, of course."
"How can I forget? And what she said was 'Next time there's a ball, ask me before somebody else does, not as a last resort'."
"Wow, you remember every thing she says... But, you know... If she was that angry... Maybe it's because she wanted you to invite her to the ball," said Harry.
"I didn't know it then. I hadn't realized how I really felt for her. I hadn't realized that I wanted her to be more than a friend."
"Then tell her that! What are you waiting for, Ron? Are you waiting for another Krum to come around and steal the woman of your dreams? She wants to hear all these things. You should be telling her, not me."
"You really think so?"
"Well, she certainly didn't dress up for me."
Ron paced the room, talking about his feelings for Hermione. Now that he had admitted that he wanted her to be his girl, he felt like he could tell Harry everything he had wanted to tell someone for so long.
"I love her so much, Harry, I feel so hopeless. I don't think I could live without her... What if I told her how I feel about her and she told me she only liked me as a friend? What if I complicated everything? I don't want to lose her as a friend, I need her so much. Too much."
"The way you talk about her reminds me of some Muggle song I heard once on the radio. 'Every little thing she does is magic'."
Ron looked at him quizzically.
"What?"
"Never mind," said Harry, waving his hand. "Ron, you must do what you feel is the best for you. But don't miss what could be a wonderful love story."
Ron lowered his head, then asked, "What about you? Are you going to tell Ginny about your feelings for her?"
"I wanted to talk to you first. Would you mind if I... went out with her?"
"Well, I'd rather like you to be her boyfriend, because I know you wouldn't hurt her. However, if you did manage to find a way to hurt her, know for sure that your face'd be all bruised the next minute." He paused, then added, "It won't be easy to see you kiss my little sister, though. And, please, don't tell me if you're doing ... things... with her."
Harry looked up at Ron hopefully. "So, I have your blessing?"
"Yeah. How could I refuse famous Harry Potter? Oh don't make that face, Harry, I'm only joking, mate. You have it. My 'blessing', I mean. Now, what do you say we go downstairs?"
Harry smacked his forehead with his hand.
"Oh, yes, I forgot, they're waiting for us to eat the cake!" exclaimed Harry.
"They can't start without you! So let's go. I have a few things I need to tell Hermione."
*
It was easy to guess Harry's birthday wish, as he blew out the candles on his birthday cake. He opened his birthday presents and thanked everybody. He had been very moved by Ginny's present, and wanted to be alone with her to thank her.
Soon, the music started again, and people went back to talking, dancing or eating their cake.
Ginny was sitting on a bench in a corner, eating another slice of cake. Harry went to talk to her. He sat on the bench and smiled.
"Hey, little glutton."
"Hey, Harry," Ginny smiled. "Want a bite?"
Harry cocked his head, then nodded it. Ginny brought the spoon near Harry's mouth. He looked at it and licked his lips. Ginny was watching Harry, fascinated. She felt warmth invading her belly. She licked her lips, too, and sighed slightly when Harry's tongue flicked out of his mouth and caught the piece of cake.
Harry heard the sigh and thought it was the sexiest thing he had ever heard.
Ginny's eyes were very bright. She set the half-eaten piece of cake aside. Harry was watching her intently.
"Ginny..." Harry whispered, his voice husky with arousal. "I wanted to thank you for your present. I really liked the collection of poems you gave me. How did you know I like poetry?"
"I overheard you telling Ron once, one summer. You can be sure my brother forgot about it, though," answered Ginny, looking right into Harry's eyes.
"Oh yeah. But, well, I wouldn't be so sure, if I were you."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, nothing. Er.. do you want to dance? Hermione brought some good Muggle music."
"Okay."
Harry took Ginny's hand and squeezed it slightly, and, smiling, they joined the dance floor where the others were dancing. 'Get the Parted Started', by P!nk, was playing. Hermione's CD-player had been bewitched by Bill and CDs were flying out of their cases whenever another song was chosen. This interested Mr. Weasley a great deal.
*
Hermione could barely hear the music from the garden bench upon which she was sitting. She did not need to hear the song properly anyway; she knew the lyrics by heart. It was cool outside and she was freezing but she did not want to go back in the house. She'd had enough when Harry had finished opening his presents. She could see Crookshanks chasing the gnomes in the garden. She looked up at the sky, trying not to think about anything for once. She was tired of thinking. She did it too often and forgot to really live, sometimes. She knew it all, but changing isn't something that's easy.
She suddenly felt something warm on her shoulders. She twisted round and met Ron's face. He was smiling.
"I thought you might be cold. I saw you sitting here on your own and I asked Charlie to bewitch this jumper so it'll be warm for a while."
"Thank you," she said, pulling on the comforting jumper. It was then that she really recognized it. It was one of Ron's, one he wore very often, as a matter of fact. "This is one of yours," she smiled.
"Yes. The warmest I have. It's handy when we're at Hogwarts. Er.. Do you mind if I sit here?"
"No," she answered. "Where have you been, anyway?"
"In my room. I wasn't feeling well."
They were silent for a moment, both looking up at the sky, enjoying each other's company. Hermione suddenly turned her head to face Ron. She had felt him looking at her. She licked her lips, then said, "Ron, I...I wanted to ask you something."
Ron stared at her, wondering what she could possibly ask him, hoping secretly that what she might say would change both their lives.
"W-what?"
"You know that I cannot stay here for the end of the holidays..."
"Yes, I know that," sighed Ron.
"Well, my parents want me to stay at home. Some cousins of mine are to come with my grandmother and I have to take care of my other grandmother. Besides, one of my Muggles friends is having a party for his birthday."
Ron was surprised. He had never really thought that Hermione could be having Muggle friends at home. For all he knew, her only real friends were him, Harry and Ginny, and perhaps some other Gryffindors.
'Wait a minute! did she say...'
"Did you say his birthday party?"
"Yes, I did. Ewan's an old friend of mine. We grew up together. That is, until I left for Hogwarts."
"Oh, I see," said Ron, slightly jealous.
At least, this Ewan did not know Hermione's biggest secret. Ron knew it, and shared something with her that this Ewan would never be able to. Ron knew that Hermione could walk out of a classroom, that she could threaten with her wand the bully of the school, that she could say 'Wingardium Leviosa' even better than Professor Flitwick himself.
"But that's not the point," Hermione continued. "I wanted to ask you if you'd like to come to my house on August 10th, and stay until the end of August. I mean, if you don't mind being in a Muggle Hou-"
"Yes!" said Ron rapidly. "I mean, yes, Hermione, I'd love to stay with you."
She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. It reminded him of the 'good luck' kiss she had given him the previous year.
"Thank you, Ron, you can't know how happy I am. I miss wizards so much in my Muggle world. And my other friends from Hogwarts, too."
"That's settled, then. C'mon, let's go back inside. I'm freezing, " Ron said.
"But I'm not!" she said impishly.
"That, Hermione," said Ron, smiling, "is because you are wearing my jumper and I only have nothing."
"Mmm, it's too good of you, lending me your jumper," she mocked, pulling a face.
Ron wanted to kiss her so much at that very moment he had trouble breathing. Finally, he got back to his senses and said, mocking her and pulling a face, too, "I bet Hogwarts, A History isn't as warm as my jumper."
Ron got up and held out his hand for Hermione to take it to stand up.
"Come on, Weasley, you could not even come up with a better line than that?" she said, taking his hand. It was warm and she felt that nothing bad could ever happen to her as long as she was holding his hand.
"Maybe it's because I can't think straight when you're wearing a dress like that," Ron replied.
She blushed furiously, making Ron laugh heartily.
"Come on, little witch. I'm starving."
They began to walk towards the Burrow.
"Ron..."
"Yes, Herm?"
"You're always starving."
Hermione was right, of course. She was always right, but he did not want to tell her so.
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are!"
"No, I'm not!" he insisted.
"Oh, yes, you are!"
"No!" he said, stopping in his tracks. She stopped walking too and faced him.
"Yeeees!"
"Yes!" he said.
"No!" she said, then put a hand on her mouth.
"Gotcha!" said Ron.
"Oh, Ronald Weasley!"
"Yes, I know. You can't stand me!"
He looked at her tenderly and smiled a toothy grin.
"No, I can't!" she smiled.
"I know. Same here. I can't stand you either, little bookworm!"
Hermione looked up at him, amused. She was enjoying this chat a lot.
"I thought you were freezing and starving."
"I had forgotten! See, Hermione, how you make me lose my mind? What can I do against it?" he retorted, before realizing what he had really said. His face fell. "Um, I mean... Er... Let's go?!"
They hadn't let go of each other's hand, so they walked to the house hand in hand. As they entered the Burrow, a slow song began to play. Ron froze. Should he ask Hermione to dance? Did she expect him to ask her? After all, wasn't he already holding her hand? Wasn't it time to make up for the Yule Ball?
Ron looked around and saw Harry dancing with Ginny, his sister's head in the crook of Harry's neck. Harry looked at Ron. 'Go on', he mouthed. Ron looked down at Hermione.
"Hermione..." he breathed.
* * *
Author's Notes: All the Chapter Titles are Song Titles performed and written by Muggle artists. chapter 1: 'Feel', performed by Robbie Williams, from the album 'Escapology' chapter 2: 'Get The Party Started' (L.Perry), performed by Pink, from Pink's album 'Missundaztood' chapter 3: 'With a Little Help From My Friends' (Lennon/ McCartney), performed by The Beatles, from the album 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band'
Chapter 3: With A Little Help From My Friends
The party was going way beyond Ginny's hopes. Not only was she dancing with the boy she had been dreaming about for ages, but that very boy also seemed to be enjoying her company. It was the third time in a row they were dancing together. She had not dared to believe that Harry would ever see her as more than Ron's baby sister. Yet now, as she looked in his eyes, she thought she saw something more than friendship in them.
Not far away from Ginny and Harry, Hermione had accepted a dance with Hagrid - and this - was no easy task. Nevertheless, both had managed to find a comfortable way to enjoy the dance, and even talked about Hogwarts. She asked about Hagrid's brother, whom Hagrid had recently brought back with him from a journey to France. According to the gamekeeper, Grawp was improving every day. He could now almost pronounce 'Hagrid' properly.
Hagrid's long beard was tickling Hermione's cheeks. She looked up at Hagrid's face and wondered for a second how it would be to dance with Ron. He was not as tall as Hagrid, but he was still much taller than her. She had hoped to dance with Ron, to make up for the Yule Ball. But Ron was nowhere to be seen and her hopes were fading.
The music ended and another song began. Mrs. Weasley was asking Fred and George if they had seen Ron; it was time for Harry's birthday cake and Ron should be part of it. Harry and Ginny joined Hermione near the fireplace and the drink table manned by the twins.
"Harry, Ginny, Hermione, dears," said Mrs Weasley, "Have any of you seen Ron?"
"Well, not since we arrived here," answered Harry, suddenly ashamed he hadn't noticed that his best friend was missing.
"I talked to him when he came in with Harry, but I haven't seen him since," said Hermione, a little anxious.
"Maybe he's in his room," suggested Fred, pouring himself another glass of 'pumpkin juice'. His hair turned yellow for a second then came back to its usual shade of red.
"Yeah, maybe he's ill, he didn't look too well yesterday," added George.
"I'll go look for him," said Harry, and he went up the stairs.
He climbed up the three flights, and, now breathless, knocked at Ron's door. No answer. He knocked again and was sure to have heard someone move in the room. He knocked again and said, "Ron? It's Harry. Are you all right?"
Silence.
"Ron, I'm coming in, so if you're in there, I hope you're decent!"
Harry entered Ron's room. It hadn't changed much since the last time he had been there. He noticed that Ron had added several pictures on the walls. Magic pictures, of course. Harry looked at the moving photographs. In one of them, Ron was on his broomstick, playing Quidditch. In another, Ron and Harry were holding the Hogwarts' Quidditch Cup. In a frame on the desk, was a picture of Ron, Hermione and himself taken after the cup-winning match - all of them were beaming. Ron and Harry were wearing their Quidditch robes and looked happy with themselves and Hermione, dressed in Scarlet and Gold, was waving a pennant of the same colours. Hermione was standing between he and Ron and they had their arms around each other's shoulders. What Harry didn't know, was that Ron secretly kept a picture of Hermione under his pillow, and that he looked at it every night. The picture had been taken during the previous summer. She obviously hadn't seen the camera.
Ron was lying face down on his bed, his head buried in a pillow, his arms along his body.
"Hey," said Harry. "What's wrong? Are you ill?"
Ron didn't answer. Harry repeated his question, in vain. Could Ron be asleep? But as he moved closer to shake him awake, Ron mumbled something.
"Oh, I thought maybe you were asleep. What did you say?"
As Ron turned his face towards him, Harry was shocked to see so many emotions on his friend's face. There was anger, despair, need, frustration...
Harry sat down in Ron's desk chair.
Ron twisted his body in the bed and sat up. "I said 'Do you love her?'" repeated Ron, looking at the floor.
"What?"
"You heard me," said Ron, looking up at Harry. "And I want an answer. I need an answer. Not knowing is driving me mad."
Though surprised, Harry thought for a second, then said, sheepishly, "Yeah, Ron, I love her. I suddenly realized this summer that I was in love with her. Don't ask me why I didn't realize it before, or how I could have felt something for any other girl - I think you know what I mean. I've always liked her, but I thought that I did not have the right to love her, because of you, you know, so I think I've buried my feelings deep inside my heart. But now, I can't hide them anymore. I hope you understand."
"All right," said Ron, swallowing hard. "Then I won't come between you two. But you'll understand that I'll need some time alone, to think about it all. You know how I feel about her, so, you'll understand that even though you're my friend, it won't be easy for me."
Ron looked depressed. Harry hadn't thought that Ron could take the news so badly. Harry stood up and kept glancing at Ron uncomfortably. He really loved that girl, but he did not want to lose his best friend for a girl. On the other hand, he did not want to lose her, either. Harry was torn between his friendship with Ron and the love he felt for the girl. He came closer to Ron, twisting his hands awkwardly.
"If you don't want me to ask her out-" he said finally.
"No, no, I don't want to be an obstacle between you two. If you love her... go out with her. But I'm warning you. You'd better make her happy or I'll kill you," replied Ron, very seriously.
Harry gulped. "Ron... I promise that I'll try to make her as happy as possible. I mean, if she agrees to go out with me. I promise that if she accepts to go out with me, we won't show off in front of you all summer long or anything."
Ron snorted. He really was taking the news badly.
Harry hoped that he had not destroyed their friendship by admitting his love for someone so close to Ron.
"Even if you wanted to, you could not. She's not staying for August," said Ron.
"She's not staying? What do you mean she's not staying? Is she going to Egypt with Bill or Romania with Charlie?" asked Harry, puzzled.
Ron looked amazed. What was Harry talking about? Hermione, going to Romania with Bill?
"No, of course not! What the Hell are you talking about?"
"Where is she going then?"
"Well, she's going back home, with her family."
"With her family?"
"Yes. Are you stupid or what?" asked Ron, asking himself whether Harry was making fun of him. "You don't expect her to go on holiday with Dumbledore, do you? Though if he promised to teach her a lot, I'm sure she'd go."
"Ron, I don't understand. Ginny's already at home with her family!"
"Ginny?"
"Well, yes, we're talking about Ginny, aren't we?"
Ron looked relieved, incredibly relieved. "You mean you're in love with Ginny? Not with..."
"Yes, I'm in love with Ginny. Who did you think I was talking about?"
Suddenly, the truth struck Harry.
"Hang on... Did you think I was talking about... no, not... Hermione?"
Ron tried to hide his face which was now turning a violent shade of pink, but it was no use. Harry had discovered his biggest secret.
Harry was dumbfounded. "I've always known you liked Hermione a lot. You looked so distressed when she was Petrified in second year and you were utterly furious when you discovered she had accepted Krum's invitation to the Yule Ball, but I never knew you were falling for her so badly."
"I love her, Harry. I mean, it's even beyond that. I'm in love with her. Bloody hell, I think about her all the time. And when she's next to me, either I feel like an idiot for not telling her how I feel, I argue with her, or I avoid her like I have been avoiding her tonight."
"You shouldn't be avoiding her, Ron. I saw her earlier on, she was looking for you in the crowd. She looked sad. She doesn't understand why you're hiding away from her. She thinks she's done something wrong."
"Did she tell you that?" asked Ron.
"No, but that's how I'd feel if you, or Hermione, were avoiding me, for no apparent reason."
"I'm only a friend to her. She'll neversee me as a boyfriend. I'm just Ron to her. Just good ol' Ron. Look at me, Harry, I have nothing to offer her!"
"Shut up a minute, Ron! Hermione doesn't care about money! She likes you for who you are! And I don't think she sees you only as a friend, if you want my opinion. Remember what she said last year in the common room, after that stupid Yule Ball? She said something about not wanting to be a last resort for you. You remember that fight, of course."
"How can I forget? And what she said was 'Next time there's a ball, ask me before somebody else does, not as a last resort'."
"Wow, you remember every thing she says... But, you know... If she was that angry... Maybe it's because she wanted you to invite her to the ball," said Harry.
"I didn't know it then. I hadn't realized how I really felt for her. I hadn't realized that I wanted her to be more than a friend."
"Then tell her that! What are you waiting for, Ron? Are you waiting for another Krum to come around and steal the woman of your dreams? She wants to hear all these things. You should be telling her, not me."
"You really think so?"
"Well, she certainly didn't dress up for me."
Ron paced the room, talking about his feelings for Hermione. Now that he had admitted that he wanted her to be his girl, he felt like he could tell Harry everything he had wanted to tell someone for so long.
"I love her so much, Harry, I feel so hopeless. I don't think I could live without her... What if I told her how I feel about her and she told me she only liked me as a friend? What if I complicated everything? I don't want to lose her as a friend, I need her so much. Too much."
"The way you talk about her reminds me of some Muggle song I heard once on the radio. 'Every little thing she does is magic'."
Ron looked at him quizzically.
"What?"
"Never mind," said Harry, waving his hand. "Ron, you must do what you feel is the best for you. But don't miss what could be a wonderful love story."
Ron lowered his head, then asked, "What about you? Are you going to tell Ginny about your feelings for her?"
"I wanted to talk to you first. Would you mind if I... went out with her?"
"Well, I'd rather like you to be her boyfriend, because I know you wouldn't hurt her. However, if you did manage to find a way to hurt her, know for sure that your face'd be all bruised the next minute." He paused, then added, "It won't be easy to see you kiss my little sister, though. And, please, don't tell me if you're doing ... things... with her."
Harry looked up at Ron hopefully. "So, I have your blessing?"
"Yeah. How could I refuse famous Harry Potter? Oh don't make that face, Harry, I'm only joking, mate. You have it. My 'blessing', I mean. Now, what do you say we go downstairs?"
Harry smacked his forehead with his hand.
"Oh, yes, I forgot, they're waiting for us to eat the cake!" exclaimed Harry.
"They can't start without you! So let's go. I have a few things I need to tell Hermione."
*
It was easy to guess Harry's birthday wish, as he blew out the candles on his birthday cake. He opened his birthday presents and thanked everybody. He had been very moved by Ginny's present, and wanted to be alone with her to thank her.
Soon, the music started again, and people went back to talking, dancing or eating their cake.
Ginny was sitting on a bench in a corner, eating another slice of cake. Harry went to talk to her. He sat on the bench and smiled.
"Hey, little glutton."
"Hey, Harry," Ginny smiled. "Want a bite?"
Harry cocked his head, then nodded it. Ginny brought the spoon near Harry's mouth. He looked at it and licked his lips. Ginny was watching Harry, fascinated. She felt warmth invading her belly. She licked her lips, too, and sighed slightly when Harry's tongue flicked out of his mouth and caught the piece of cake.
Harry heard the sigh and thought it was the sexiest thing he had ever heard.
Ginny's eyes were very bright. She set the half-eaten piece of cake aside. Harry was watching her intently.
"Ginny..." Harry whispered, his voice husky with arousal. "I wanted to thank you for your present. I really liked the collection of poems you gave me. How did you know I like poetry?"
"I overheard you telling Ron once, one summer. You can be sure my brother forgot about it, though," answered Ginny, looking right into Harry's eyes.
"Oh yeah. But, well, I wouldn't be so sure, if I were you."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, nothing. Er.. do you want to dance? Hermione brought some good Muggle music."
"Okay."
Harry took Ginny's hand and squeezed it slightly, and, smiling, they joined the dance floor where the others were dancing. 'Get the Parted Started', by P!nk, was playing. Hermione's CD-player had been bewitched by Bill and CDs were flying out of their cases whenever another song was chosen. This interested Mr. Weasley a great deal.
*
Hermione could barely hear the music from the garden bench upon which she was sitting. She did not need to hear the song properly anyway; she knew the lyrics by heart. It was cool outside and she was freezing but she did not want to go back in the house. She'd had enough when Harry had finished opening his presents. She could see Crookshanks chasing the gnomes in the garden. She looked up at the sky, trying not to think about anything for once. She was tired of thinking. She did it too often and forgot to really live, sometimes. She knew it all, but changing isn't something that's easy.
She suddenly felt something warm on her shoulders. She twisted round and met Ron's face. He was smiling.
"I thought you might be cold. I saw you sitting here on your own and I asked Charlie to bewitch this jumper so it'll be warm for a while."
"Thank you," she said, pulling on the comforting jumper. It was then that she really recognized it. It was one of Ron's, one he wore very often, as a matter of fact. "This is one of yours," she smiled.
"Yes. The warmest I have. It's handy when we're at Hogwarts. Er.. Do you mind if I sit here?"
"No," she answered. "Where have you been, anyway?"
"In my room. I wasn't feeling well."
They were silent for a moment, both looking up at the sky, enjoying each other's company. Hermione suddenly turned her head to face Ron. She had felt him looking at her. She licked her lips, then said, "Ron, I...I wanted to ask you something."
Ron stared at her, wondering what she could possibly ask him, hoping secretly that what she might say would change both their lives.
"W-what?"
"You know that I cannot stay here for the end of the holidays..."
"Yes, I know that," sighed Ron.
"Well, my parents want me to stay at home. Some cousins of mine are to come with my grandmother and I have to take care of my other grandmother. Besides, one of my Muggles friends is having a party for his birthday."
Ron was surprised. He had never really thought that Hermione could be having Muggle friends at home. For all he knew, her only real friends were him, Harry and Ginny, and perhaps some other Gryffindors.
'Wait a minute! did she say...'
"Did you say his birthday party?"
"Yes, I did. Ewan's an old friend of mine. We grew up together. That is, until I left for Hogwarts."
"Oh, I see," said Ron, slightly jealous.
At least, this Ewan did not know Hermione's biggest secret. Ron knew it, and shared something with her that this Ewan would never be able to. Ron knew that Hermione could walk out of a classroom, that she could threaten with her wand the bully of the school, that she could say 'Wingardium Leviosa' even better than Professor Flitwick himself.
"But that's not the point," Hermione continued. "I wanted to ask you if you'd like to come to my house on August 10th, and stay until the end of August. I mean, if you don't mind being in a Muggle Hou-"
"Yes!" said Ron rapidly. "I mean, yes, Hermione, I'd love to stay with you."
She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. It reminded him of the 'good luck' kiss she had given him the previous year.
"Thank you, Ron, you can't know how happy I am. I miss wizards so much in my Muggle world. And my other friends from Hogwarts, too."
"That's settled, then. C'mon, let's go back inside. I'm freezing, " Ron said.
"But I'm not!" she said impishly.
"That, Hermione," said Ron, smiling, "is because you are wearing my jumper and I only have nothing."
"Mmm, it's too good of you, lending me your jumper," she mocked, pulling a face.
Ron wanted to kiss her so much at that very moment he had trouble breathing. Finally, he got back to his senses and said, mocking her and pulling a face, too, "I bet Hogwarts, A History isn't as warm as my jumper."
Ron got up and held out his hand for Hermione to take it to stand up.
"Come on, Weasley, you could not even come up with a better line than that?" she said, taking his hand. It was warm and she felt that nothing bad could ever happen to her as long as she was holding his hand.
"Maybe it's because I can't think straight when you're wearing a dress like that," Ron replied.
She blushed furiously, making Ron laugh heartily.
"Come on, little witch. I'm starving."
They began to walk towards the Burrow.
"Ron..."
"Yes, Herm?"
"You're always starving."
Hermione was right, of course. She was always right, but he did not want to tell her so.
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are!"
"No, I'm not!" he insisted.
"Oh, yes, you are!"
"No!" he said, stopping in his tracks. She stopped walking too and faced him.
"Yeeees!"
"Yes!" he said.
"No!" she said, then put a hand on her mouth.
"Gotcha!" said Ron.
"Oh, Ronald Weasley!"
"Yes, I know. You can't stand me!"
He looked at her tenderly and smiled a toothy grin.
"No, I can't!" she smiled.
"I know. Same here. I can't stand you either, little bookworm!"
Hermione looked up at him, amused. She was enjoying this chat a lot.
"I thought you were freezing and starving."
"I had forgotten! See, Hermione, how you make me lose my mind? What can I do against it?" he retorted, before realizing what he had really said. His face fell. "Um, I mean... Er... Let's go?!"
They hadn't let go of each other's hand, so they walked to the house hand in hand. As they entered the Burrow, a slow song began to play. Ron froze. Should he ask Hermione to dance? Did she expect him to ask her? After all, wasn't he already holding her hand? Wasn't it time to make up for the Yule Ball?
Ron looked around and saw Harry dancing with Ginny, his sister's head in the crook of Harry's neck. Harry looked at Ron. 'Go on', he mouthed. Ron looked down at Hermione.
"Hermione..." he breathed.
* * *
Author's Notes: All the Chapter Titles are Song Titles performed and written by Muggle artists. chapter 1: 'Feel', performed by Robbie Williams, from the album 'Escapology' chapter 2: 'Get The Party Started' (L.Perry), performed by Pink, from Pink's album 'Missundaztood' chapter 3: 'With a Little Help From My Friends' (Lennon/ McCartney), performed by The Beatles, from the album 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band'
