Harry trudged slowly up to the Common Room (apparently the prankster had finally felt pity on the poor Gryffindors) and into his dormitory, while thinking the same thing. What had he done?
He flopped onto his four-poster bed, but not before noticing that Ron had closed his own off to the world.
What am I going to do? Harry thought. I made a decision. Best friend or girlfriend? Not to mention the whole backstabbing part…it didn't happen the way it was supposed to. I wasn't supposed to kiss her. I was supposed to wait until they broke up and then…after a long period of waiting…heh heh…imagine how mad Ron would've been if…how mad he is now…
"Look Ron, I-" Harry tried.
"Why don't you curl up in a corner and die, Potter," Ron snarled. Harry felt as though he'd been slapped. Ron had never been so angry that they hadn't been on a first-name basis. He sounded scarily like Malfoy.
Harry lay back onto his bed, feeling hopeless. He had so many things to think about. Ron, this Necromancer…Hermione…and the fact that he still hadn't shared the full meaning of the prophecy with Ron or Hermione. Would Ron even care anymore that there was a chance of Harry dying? It scared him, because there seemed to be a chance that the answer was no.
Harry decided to focus on the Necromancer. What exactly needed to be done? He would have to get it, and somehow destroy it. Before Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange did…his only remaining follower that was out of Azkaban. That murderous…slimy…
"Harry!" Dean called. "Hermione's looking for you."
Before getting up, he took a quick glance at Ron. He had never seen his face so hateful.
Harry found Hermione in the Great Hall. "What's up?" he asked, trying to sound cheerful.
"You know very well what's up," Hermione said, grimly. "Follow me." She packed up her things and strode briskly down the hallway. Harry followed her all the way to the Room of Requirement.
"What are we doing here?" Harry asked.
"We need a place to talk where we are guaranteed not to be overheard," Hermione said. "And this is exactly the place." When the door finally appeared, she stepped in, followed by Harry.
It looked like a kitchen, similar to the one found at the Burrow. "So what's on your mind?" Harry asked.
"We have two major problems here Harry," Hermione said. "Ron and that Necromancer. And I think we need to find some sort of a solution."
"Where do we start then?" Harry said.
"With the most important problem," Hermione said.
"Ron," Harry said. But at the same time, Hermione had said The Necromancer.
"I don't think Ron is the most pressing problem here," Hermione said.
"I think he is. I can't fight Voldemort without both of you by my side. And until that happens, I don't consider myself ready to handle it," Harry said firmly.
"Okay then, what are we going to do about Ron?" Hermione asked.
"Well my idea is this…," Harry began whispering in her ear…
"Is he coming?" Harry whispered to Fred, in the dark.
"He should be," Fred replied. "George told Ron that we wanted to ask him something at midnight in the Common Room. He should be down any second now."
Waiting quietly in the dark were Harry, George, Fred, Ginny, and Hermione. They all suddenly looked up when they heard a quiet footfall coming down the stairs. They scattered, watching him sit down in the armchair, waiting.
Hermione suddenly jumped out and cried "Locomotor Mortis!", pointing her wand at Ron. He lost all capability of moving his legs.
Each of the other hidden members of this secret meeting lit their wands with the Lumos charm.
"What the hell is going on here?" Ron bellowed.
"This is what's going on here. We're calling an intervention," Fred said, quietly.
"An intervention against what?! Me?! You're taking the side of those two against your own brother?!" Ron shouted.
"Ron, you haven't spoken to Harry or Hermione for 3 weeks," Ginny said. "I think it's time you got over this. Would you have preferred Hermione to just pretend to like you?"
"That's not the point. They went behind my back…and were…were…well you know what they were doing," Ron said, although much calmer. He realized there was nothing he could do but sit there until they were finished.
"Look Ron," Harry said, "What I did was wrong and I know it. I went behind my best friend's back and kissed his girlfriend."
"Your girlfriend, now," muttered Ron.
"But Ron, I need you in this. I can't do it without you," Harry said.
"Yeah you can, you have Hermione. Who needs Ron Weasley? I'm just a stupid third wheel…a stupid sidekick as usual," Ron frowned. And then what was really bothering him came out.
"I knew that you and Hermione liked each other," Ron said. "Even if you never said anything. Hell, I don't think you even had admitted it to yourselves before I knew."
"Too right," muttered George. "Me and Fred had a bet on how long it would take before it hit the pair of them."
"But I really liked Hermione, so I thought that if I owned up first, I'd have a chance. But as usual…I'm the sidekick and the Boy Who Lived wins again." Ron said, sadly.
"But that's just not true!" Hermione cried, tears spilling from her eyes. "Ron, I was wrong too by going out with you when I didn't really see you in that way. Harry need us both…not just me. You know there were times when I felt like the third wheel?"
"Really?" Ron asked.
"You and Harry get into loads of things that I've just never understood. Quidditch…Wizard's Chess… It just sometimes seemed like it was you and him, and then I was your walking encyclopedia," Hermione said.
"And Ron, you're not my sidekick. You're my best friend. Who beat McGonagall's chess set? Who went into the Chamber with me? All of those times when we were in danger, part of the reason I think I stayed alive was because I had you and Hermione to back me up," Harry said.
"I think we've said all that can be said except for this," George said. "Stop being such a git and forgive them, can't you see they're in as much pain as you?"
Ron looked at Hermione and Harry standing together.
Will he let it go? Harry wondered, breath caught in his chest.
Harry undid the charm and Ron stood up.
"Look you two," Ron said. "I haven't forgiven you totally. I'm not sure if I even ever will."
Harry looked down at his shoes. He had hoped that this wasn't the end of their friendship.
"But for now," Ron said, taking a deep breath. "I'm ready to be friends again. The truth is, these three weeks I've been sort of happy seeing you together. It's like it was meant to happen. And I feel bad for being such a bad sport…Harry won fair and square…okay, maybe not fair…"
Hermione and Harry laughed loudly, rushed over to Ron and grabbed him in a tight hug.
Everything's going to be okay, Harry thought. Well…almost everything
"Well, if you three have quite finished getting all gushy, Fred and I have a store to run," George said impatiently. The pair tossed some Floo Powder into the fire, and vanished into the fireplace.
Ginny and Hermione walked back to the Girls' Dormitory together, while Ron and Harry went back to their own together, friends once more.
"But try anything like that again mate," Ron said, "and I just might have to hex you."
Harry grinned. "Not if I get there first." Everything was back to normal. At least until tomorrow.
Reviews
Possom2009: I'm thinking a no on that…I have other plans for Ron.
Dragonnet: Nyah, nyah…I'm not telling! But if it reassures you any, Stella's not going to end up with Ron. And no, I'd never break up the Golden Trio! I heart them too much!
T.Williams: Thanks for the kind comments! Bet you're surprised to see this up here! Hee hee! Well, keep reading…and don't eat after swimming…tummy aches…;-)
HPfan-Excalibur: I'm so ashamed! How could I forget that…head hangs down…I actually gasped and put my hand to my mouth when I realized my mistake! …thanks for correcting me HPfan!
Geena-Waters:Yah, I still feel bad for Ron. Occlumency is the blocking of one's mind from outside forces.