TITLE: Closet
AUTHOR: MaidM
DISCLAIMER: JK sox, she owns it all.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Thank you to my friend Sophie, who in the middle of math class, turned around in her seat and forced me to write an HP fic. More to my sister for turning around on the computer seat and forcing me to type this up and post it. (In reality she did all the typing) They know more about my own writing ability than I do. Thanks.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: We came up this idea two years ago. I wrote it in math class. Lilyhead beta-read. I have nothing more to say.
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"Ron? Hermione?" Harry stared in shock at his two best friends in the world, not really believing what he had just seen.
"We wanted to tell you ourselves. I really didn't want you to find out this way. We just thought you had a little too much on your plate this year. We wanted to wait for the right time." Hermione leaned forward and patted him on the knee, trying to sound comforting.
"So exactly how long has this been going on?" he said, running a hand through his hair making it stand up more than usual.
"Since last summer." Hermione bit her lip nervously.
"Last summer! You've been waiting for the right time for eight months!"
"Look, mate." Ron broke into Harry's explosion; "You've been under a lot of stress lately. We just didn't want to add to your list of worries is all."
"Yeah because walking in on you two snogging on the common room sofa is so much better." Harry added sarcastically. He rose from the chair he had been seated in and began pacing across the floor.
"Harry," Hermione began but she was interrupted by the flood of people coming in from the front hall. Several of the Gryffindors stopped short at the scene presented to them. Ginny came in last. She noticed the trio seated together and her hand flew to her mouth.
"Did you tell him?" she asked eagerly.
The pair nodded sheepishly.
With a cry of delight, Ginny reached into her bag and produced a bright red note pad, through which she started flipping through hastily.
"Its March the third, 7:30 pm, in the common room. Lavender, would you get the jar please?" The older girl rushed up the stairs excitedly.
"Alright. Seamus, you get two galleons for guessing it would be in the common room. Neville, you have 20 sickles for saying it would be in March. Colin, I owe you 5 sickles for saying it would be sixth year."
As the youngest Weasley continued reeling off a list of names and prices, Lavender came back down the stairs with an impressively large jar in hand, filled to the brim with coins of all sizes. She began distributing money to those who stood around with their hands outstretched.
"Ginny?" Harry sidled up beside her, a look of utter bewilderment on his face. "What's going on here?"
"It's the 'When-will-Ron-and-Hermione-finally-come-out' bet. We've been working on it for a long time." She said professionally, marking something in her notebook.
"You knew?" Harry asked incredulously, "How could you? I mean… its Ron and Hermione."
"Of course! They've so liked each other for the longest time. You can't tell me you didn't know? Like when you were in fourth year and Hermione went to the Yule Ball with Krum and Ron got really jealous." Ginny said knowingly.
"What are you talking about? He was just mad because I was competing against Krum in the Triwizard Tournament. They're always fighting about something, but that can't mean they LIKE each other!" he said in the tone of a young boy, disgusted at the thought of kissing, "Can they?"
Ginny glanced at him piteously, and moved on.
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The days that followed were just as confusing for Harry as that first evening was. It turned out that the whole school was in on the 'bet' Harry had heard so much about. The only thing more surprising, he found, then Nearly-Headless Nick betting dead fish that Ron and Hermione would kiss before they reached age 17, was when Ginny stopped Draco Malfoy in the hall and told him that he owed Neville nine sickles. To Harry's great surprise, Malfoy nonchalantly flipped a pouch of coins in the air with no other remark then "Cheers." So it was not at all surprising that when Ron and Hermione entered the Dining Hall two days later, holding hands and looking sheepish, Harry was quite fed up with the whole ordeal.
"Harry, we need to talk to you." Hermione said, seating herself beside and pulling Ron down beside her.
"What is there to talk about? So you two got together. No big deal." He responded, as he shovelled another spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.
"Yes it is a big deal. We wanted to tell you ourselves, we really did. We just…"
"Well you didn't!" Harry said, turning to face his friends. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Everyone in the whole school knew! Malfoy knew! Yet you decided it would be better if I didn't know. Did it ever occur to you that I might be happy for you!? That I might be glad for you? I mean, at least some of us deserve some happiness. Heaven knows I never will!" Harry pushed himself away from the table and rose to leave. Ron grabbed him by the arm, trying to stop him from going. Shrugging the redhead's hold off, Harry turned back to the pair.
"I'm happy for you. I just wish you would have told me sooner."
Hermione stood and took Ron by the arm as they watched Harry storm out of the hall, steam almost billowing from his ears.
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Harry spent the rest of the evening in the library. He didn't feel like facing his friends. After an hour of trying and failing to do homework, Ginny walked in to Harry's secluded nook and crossed her arms.
"What are you doing in here Harry?" she scolded.
"Studying." He scowled. Ginny raised and eyebrow at him, noting that the desk he sat at was completely devoid of books.
"Come back to the common room, Lee Jordan filched some chocolate from the kitchens. Have some with me."
With a big sigh, Harry picked up his bag and followed Ginny to the Gryffindor common room.
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The scene Harry walked into was not the one he expected. He had expected the common room to still be filled with people at that hour. He'd imagined Lee looking chagrined, handing out hot chocolate to those who waited in line. Instead, people were crowded in to a small space, grinning eagerly. The room was unnaturally quiet. In the middle of the huddle stood Ron. His face was set and in his hand was a small vial, filled to the brim with a bright red liquid.
"What's going on here?" Harry asked uneasily. He noticed that the faces around him were staring, interested. It was altogether unnerving.
"We were stupid, Harry. This is a really hard time for you and the last thing you need is us getting in your way. I know we should have told you sooner, but its too late for that now. So…" Ron held the potion out in front of him, looking determined, "I want you to give this to me." He thrust the bottle into Harry's hands.
"An anti-love potion?" Harry asked sceptically. He remembered the blood-coloured elixir from their fourth year potions class. His had turned out a florescent pink.
"I'll get Hermione to drink it too. We'll just forget this ever happened." Ron closed his eyes and opened his mouth in anticipation. The crowd around them edged in a little closer.
"Ron, I'm not going to give you an anti-love potion. If you and Hermione want to be together, who am I to stop you? I'm glad, you deserve to be happy."
"Really?" Ron asked eagerly.
"Really."
The crowd cheered as Ron pulled Harry into a hug.
The Gryffindors who had congregated around the pair broke up then, many of them yawning and moving in the direction of the dormitories. Ginny reached over and patted Harry on the back.
"I'm glad you came up. You needed to hear this." She said.
"Lee never stole chocolate from the kitchens did he?" Harry questioned. Ginny shook her head and winked at him mischievously before climbing the stairs to the girls' dorms.
Hermione collided into Harry from behind, spinning him around to lock him in a tivht embrace.
"Thank you Harry, we really appreciate it."
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The rest of the night passed by in joys and celebration – including Ron snatching up Hermione and giving her a big kiss, very much oblivious to the shouts and cat-calls resonating around the room.
Finally it was time for bed. Hermione had gone up to her dorm minutes earlier. As Harry and Ron climbed the stairs to their room, Harry asked him a question.
"Ron," Harry stopped in his tracks and turned to face his best friend.
"What is it?"
"Do you love her?"
Ron paused. "I think I do" His words were firm and set.
"I'm glad."
Ron looked into Harry's face, and knew that he meant it.
END