AN: Hey all! I know I am usually pretty quick with the updates, but hey...Oh,
someone was wondering what Harry was planning? I'm not sure if the plan
will come out in this chapter, but if not, you'll most certainly learn more
about it in the next chapter. Enjoy! Please R and R!
Chapter Three
"So you do have some ideas?" Harry smiled at Ron. He was curled up in a large velvet armchair near the window in the Gryffindor common room. "That's sure to get her to notice you all right..."
"It's not that she doesn't notice me Harry. She's been our best friend for seven years! It's just that...I've never told her how I feel, you know?"
Harry grinned. "We'll just have to find a really neat way to tell her how you feel then!"
"Tell whom how Ron feels?" they looked up. Hermione, looking rather tired, had just walked in through the portrait hole.
Harry laughed. "No one. Just a girl Ron likes."
Hermione smiled. "Ron, that's so cute." I'll strangle her, she thought, but instead said, "Is there anything I can do to help you out?"
Ron blushed. "No!" he nearly yelled. "What I mean is, you've already got so much to handle as it is...you shouldn't trouble yourself with worrying about my problems...I'll be all right. I've got some ideas..."
"All right...but it would probably do you good to get a woman's opinion in the matter, you know? Women know best, especially in this department."
Harry nodded. "We'll talk to Ginny about it. She should be able to help us out. Don't worry Hermione."
Hermione yawned. "All right. Well, I'll be off to bed now. So tired..." she frowned.
Harry and Ron watched her ascend the stairs to her Head Girl dormitory. They only resumed talking after they heard the click of her door. Her footsteps could be heard above their heads for nearly an hour afterwards...
"This is all so grand. I knew one of them would come around soon. It's just almost too bad that it was that mud-blood Granger." Malfoy growled.
"But I thought you said you thought she was pretty..." Goyle scratched his head.
Malfoy laughed. "That has nothing to do with anything, my friend. Don't you see? She is one of his closest friends. It's so perfect. My father wants to meet with her when we go to Hogsmeade this weekend."
"Wasn't she like...part of the reason he was arrested?"
"Yes, but I'm sure that's not relevant right now. He's got a plan...and Granger would be perfect."
"What is it?" Goyle asked.
Ron was up late that night. He couldn't hear any activity around him. Everyone was asleep in their dorms, except for him, of course. He tapped his fingers on the arm of the velvet chair he was sitting in. He had to tell her soon, he thought, or he would most certainly burst. The only problem, as Harry had pointed out, was exactly how to tell her. He had to find the right way. He began to think of the things he'd seen Hermione do on a regular basis. Hmm...go to class, read...go to class, read...he didn't have many options. Then it hit him. He ran up to his room, grabbed some parchment, and began to write. Tomorrow, he would send it off...straight to the Daily Prophet....
"You did WHAT?! And sent it WHERE? ARE YOU MAD?!" Harry nearly died when Ron told him what he had done.
Ron shrugged. "Think about it, Harry. What does Hermione do besides go to class and read?"
Harry scratched his head, and Ron smiled. "You can owl me when you've come up with something legitimate." He smirked. "Are you coming? It's a Hogsmeade weekend. Quit staring at me like that!" he demanded.
"Ron, it's Hermione!" Harry whispered as they passed Honeydukes. "She's heading into the pub with Malfoy and Goyle. I wonder what they are doing?" he asked out loud.
"Sh!" Ron warned. "They could hear us...or worse! See us!" He worried. "Besides, isn't part of this whole thing supposed to be that we're not to really know what's going on?"
"Of all people, I thought you would be a little more worried about this," frowned Harry. "What happened?"
Ron sighed. "I feel better now that I've sent that letter, I guess..." he frowned as the realization that Hermione was going somewhere alone with Malfoy hit him. "But maybe we ought to keep watch just in case, you know..." he added.
"Ms. Granger, we meet again," it was Lucius Malfoy who spoke to her from under the cloak. "Interesting, isn't it, how things work themselves out?" he laughed to himself a moment. "Listen, Ms. Granger, I've got a job for you..." he whispered.
"Wha...what is it?" she asked.
Lucius Malfoy chuckled. "It's for me to know, and you to never find out. Good day, Ms. Granger." Lucius Malfoy's wand came out from under his robes. Hermione could only utter a small gasp before a yellow beam of light from his wand struck her in her stomach.
Ron and Harry panicked as they watched Malfoy, Goyle, and a taller cloaked man leave the pub. Hermione was not with them. Ron ran into the pub, his eyes searching frantically for anything that could tell him where Hermione might be. Then he saw her. In a dark corner of the pub, Hermione lay unconscious on the ground. Harry ran to her, and he and Ron carefully carried her from the pub, and, under his father's invisibility cloak, safely back to Hogwarts.
"Were you able to see what kind of curse it was that hit her?" whispered Dumbledore.
Harry and Ron shook their heads. "No, sir. We found her like this and brought her straight back here to you. Will she be all right?"
"That remains to be seen, Harry. She will have to stay in the hospital wing for a few days for observation. Until we figure this out, I'm not sure what to tell you. I'm sorry. Madam Pomfrey and I will do our best..."
Ron frowned deeply and reluctantly followed Harry from the room. On her bedside table, Ron left a bouquet of flowers, and a very special copy of the Daily Prophet....when she woke up, she was sure to see it...he only hoped that she would be able to wake up in the first place....
A/N: So, I did tell you a little bit, didn't I? Sorry for the shortness of this chapter...I have been swamped with things to do!
Chapter Three
"So you do have some ideas?" Harry smiled at Ron. He was curled up in a large velvet armchair near the window in the Gryffindor common room. "That's sure to get her to notice you all right..."
"It's not that she doesn't notice me Harry. She's been our best friend for seven years! It's just that...I've never told her how I feel, you know?"
Harry grinned. "We'll just have to find a really neat way to tell her how you feel then!"
"Tell whom how Ron feels?" they looked up. Hermione, looking rather tired, had just walked in through the portrait hole.
Harry laughed. "No one. Just a girl Ron likes."
Hermione smiled. "Ron, that's so cute." I'll strangle her, she thought, but instead said, "Is there anything I can do to help you out?"
Ron blushed. "No!" he nearly yelled. "What I mean is, you've already got so much to handle as it is...you shouldn't trouble yourself with worrying about my problems...I'll be all right. I've got some ideas..."
"All right...but it would probably do you good to get a woman's opinion in the matter, you know? Women know best, especially in this department."
Harry nodded. "We'll talk to Ginny about it. She should be able to help us out. Don't worry Hermione."
Hermione yawned. "All right. Well, I'll be off to bed now. So tired..." she frowned.
Harry and Ron watched her ascend the stairs to her Head Girl dormitory. They only resumed talking after they heard the click of her door. Her footsteps could be heard above their heads for nearly an hour afterwards...
"This is all so grand. I knew one of them would come around soon. It's just almost too bad that it was that mud-blood Granger." Malfoy growled.
"But I thought you said you thought she was pretty..." Goyle scratched his head.
Malfoy laughed. "That has nothing to do with anything, my friend. Don't you see? She is one of his closest friends. It's so perfect. My father wants to meet with her when we go to Hogsmeade this weekend."
"Wasn't she like...part of the reason he was arrested?"
"Yes, but I'm sure that's not relevant right now. He's got a plan...and Granger would be perfect."
"What is it?" Goyle asked.
Ron was up late that night. He couldn't hear any activity around him. Everyone was asleep in their dorms, except for him, of course. He tapped his fingers on the arm of the velvet chair he was sitting in. He had to tell her soon, he thought, or he would most certainly burst. The only problem, as Harry had pointed out, was exactly how to tell her. He had to find the right way. He began to think of the things he'd seen Hermione do on a regular basis. Hmm...go to class, read...go to class, read...he didn't have many options. Then it hit him. He ran up to his room, grabbed some parchment, and began to write. Tomorrow, he would send it off...straight to the Daily Prophet....
"You did WHAT?! And sent it WHERE? ARE YOU MAD?!" Harry nearly died when Ron told him what he had done.
Ron shrugged. "Think about it, Harry. What does Hermione do besides go to class and read?"
Harry scratched his head, and Ron smiled. "You can owl me when you've come up with something legitimate." He smirked. "Are you coming? It's a Hogsmeade weekend. Quit staring at me like that!" he demanded.
"Ron, it's Hermione!" Harry whispered as they passed Honeydukes. "She's heading into the pub with Malfoy and Goyle. I wonder what they are doing?" he asked out loud.
"Sh!" Ron warned. "They could hear us...or worse! See us!" He worried. "Besides, isn't part of this whole thing supposed to be that we're not to really know what's going on?"
"Of all people, I thought you would be a little more worried about this," frowned Harry. "What happened?"
Ron sighed. "I feel better now that I've sent that letter, I guess..." he frowned as the realization that Hermione was going somewhere alone with Malfoy hit him. "But maybe we ought to keep watch just in case, you know..." he added.
"Ms. Granger, we meet again," it was Lucius Malfoy who spoke to her from under the cloak. "Interesting, isn't it, how things work themselves out?" he laughed to himself a moment. "Listen, Ms. Granger, I've got a job for you..." he whispered.
"Wha...what is it?" she asked.
Lucius Malfoy chuckled. "It's for me to know, and you to never find out. Good day, Ms. Granger." Lucius Malfoy's wand came out from under his robes. Hermione could only utter a small gasp before a yellow beam of light from his wand struck her in her stomach.
Ron and Harry panicked as they watched Malfoy, Goyle, and a taller cloaked man leave the pub. Hermione was not with them. Ron ran into the pub, his eyes searching frantically for anything that could tell him where Hermione might be. Then he saw her. In a dark corner of the pub, Hermione lay unconscious on the ground. Harry ran to her, and he and Ron carefully carried her from the pub, and, under his father's invisibility cloak, safely back to Hogwarts.
"Were you able to see what kind of curse it was that hit her?" whispered Dumbledore.
Harry and Ron shook their heads. "No, sir. We found her like this and brought her straight back here to you. Will she be all right?"
"That remains to be seen, Harry. She will have to stay in the hospital wing for a few days for observation. Until we figure this out, I'm not sure what to tell you. I'm sorry. Madam Pomfrey and I will do our best..."
Ron frowned deeply and reluctantly followed Harry from the room. On her bedside table, Ron left a bouquet of flowers, and a very special copy of the Daily Prophet....when she woke up, she was sure to see it...he only hoped that she would be able to wake up in the first place....
A/N: So, I did tell you a little bit, didn't I? Sorry for the shortness of this chapter...I have been swamped with things to do!