"Honestly Ron! It's as if you think those poor house elves are going to
change their minds about breakfast and snatch your plate right out from
under your nose," said Hermione Granger.
Harry Potter gazed at an oblivious Ron Weasley, who was ravenously consuming his breakfast.
Disapprovingly, Hermione tried to hold back her smile. "Then again, it might prove to be difficult as your mouth seems to be connected to your plate."
Harry snorted approvingly into his glass of pumpkin juice.
"Shut it, mate," said Ron, wiping away the remnants of his scrambled eggs off his chin as Harry continued to chuckle.
It was a bright Tuesday morning in the Great Hall, and the beams of early sunlight were beginning to shine through the windows. The heads of their fellow Gryffindors turned toward the familiar sound of the arrival of the morning post. Hedwig, Harry's owl, flew towards him, dropping a copy of the Daily Prophet into Harry's bacon. Once she nipped at him affectionately and fluttered away, his eyes scanned the front page to familiarize himself with the current events in the wizarding world. Harry had made this a daily ritual ever since his last encounter with Voldemort almost a year ago. But he quickly shook his head, not allowing himself to dwell on this memory.
"Any news?" asked Ron.
Harry, submerged in his thoughts, jerked his head up at the sudden question. "Wha... what?"
"About You-Know-Who."
" Nothing," he answered with a slight head shake. "Aren't you ever going to say his name, Ron?" said Hermione. Not letting him answer, she turned to Harry consolingly. "Don't worry Harry. Voldemort - Oh Ron, stop flinching. It's been two years, get used to it!" she exclaimed as she saw Ron jump once more. "He's probably still very weak after what happened last year when-" She quickly cut off when she saw Harry wince at the mention of the horrific events of the prior year. It was still painful to think about.
There was silence. Ron cleared his throat.
"Er- um- 'Mione!" he said, glancing at the letter in her hands. "How are your parents? Things going well in the world of muggles?"
Hermione's face immediately turned pink. "Actually, this letter's from Viktor."
Harry glanced up at his two friends, praying that they weren't going to have silly row over this again. He could see that Ron was fighting the urge to insult the famous quidditch player who seemed to be writing increasingly long letters to Hermione every week.
"Krum, of course, I should've figured," he said bitterly.
Hermione rolled her eyes, keeping her gaze fixed on the letter. "I don't see why you must persist in openly detesting my friendship with Viktor."
"Isn't it obvious?" said Harry curtly. He (along with the whole of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry including its staff) was well aware of the inescapable love between his best friends who had refused to acknowledge it since their fourth year. He had often watched on the sidelines during that year. The look on Ron's face when he had seen Hermione accompanying Viktor to the Yule Ball Harry had not forgotten; clearly, Ron had feelings for Hermione. That same night, Harry's thoughts were confirmed when he had seen them fighting.
"Well, if you don't like it, you know what the solution is, don't you?"
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"Next time there's a ball, ask me first before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"
Feeling the blank stares from Ron and Hermione, Harry jerked himself out of his reminiscing state and looked back and forth between the two of them. "Never mind," he said.
Ron shrugged his shoulders as Hermione got up from the table and grabbed her book bag. "Well I'm going to study in the library before we have to go to Transfiguration."
"What the bloody hell for?" said Ron. "Its the end of our last year, we've taken our N.E.W.T.s already!"
"I, unlike you Ronald Weasley," she huffed, "wish to make the most of my time here at Hogwarts." Hermione bent down and kissed Harry and then Ron (for a second longer, Harry noticed) on the cheek and left with a quick, "See you!"
Ron's face flushed like a love struck idiot. Harry groaned.
"What?" asked Ron.
"Why don't you just tell her?"
"Tell her what?"
"That you fancy her, of course."
Ron began to choke on his sausage that he was in the process of swallowing. "Excuse me?" Ron said, once successfully gulping it down.
"Oh, come off it Ron," said Harry. "Everyone knows that you two have loved each other for years."
Ron's ears went red. "I - I have no idea what you're talking about."
"All right, fine, have it your way," said Harry, exasperated. "Just let me tell you this. Year after year you've done nothing about it. It's the end of our seventh year and we're graduating in two weeks; maybe its time to stop waiting, and just do it." And with that, Harry stood from his seat and made his way toward Transfiguration, walking slowly to let his best friend catch up.
Harry Potter gazed at an oblivious Ron Weasley, who was ravenously consuming his breakfast.
Disapprovingly, Hermione tried to hold back her smile. "Then again, it might prove to be difficult as your mouth seems to be connected to your plate."
Harry snorted approvingly into his glass of pumpkin juice.
"Shut it, mate," said Ron, wiping away the remnants of his scrambled eggs off his chin as Harry continued to chuckle.
It was a bright Tuesday morning in the Great Hall, and the beams of early sunlight were beginning to shine through the windows. The heads of their fellow Gryffindors turned toward the familiar sound of the arrival of the morning post. Hedwig, Harry's owl, flew towards him, dropping a copy of the Daily Prophet into Harry's bacon. Once she nipped at him affectionately and fluttered away, his eyes scanned the front page to familiarize himself with the current events in the wizarding world. Harry had made this a daily ritual ever since his last encounter with Voldemort almost a year ago. But he quickly shook his head, not allowing himself to dwell on this memory.
"Any news?" asked Ron.
Harry, submerged in his thoughts, jerked his head up at the sudden question. "Wha... what?"
"About You-Know-Who."
" Nothing," he answered with a slight head shake. "Aren't you ever going to say his name, Ron?" said Hermione. Not letting him answer, she turned to Harry consolingly. "Don't worry Harry. Voldemort - Oh Ron, stop flinching. It's been two years, get used to it!" she exclaimed as she saw Ron jump once more. "He's probably still very weak after what happened last year when-" She quickly cut off when she saw Harry wince at the mention of the horrific events of the prior year. It was still painful to think about.
There was silence. Ron cleared his throat.
"Er- um- 'Mione!" he said, glancing at the letter in her hands. "How are your parents? Things going well in the world of muggles?"
Hermione's face immediately turned pink. "Actually, this letter's from Viktor."
Harry glanced up at his two friends, praying that they weren't going to have silly row over this again. He could see that Ron was fighting the urge to insult the famous quidditch player who seemed to be writing increasingly long letters to Hermione every week.
"Krum, of course, I should've figured," he said bitterly.
Hermione rolled her eyes, keeping her gaze fixed on the letter. "I don't see why you must persist in openly detesting my friendship with Viktor."
"Isn't it obvious?" said Harry curtly. He (along with the whole of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry including its staff) was well aware of the inescapable love between his best friends who had refused to acknowledge it since their fourth year. He had often watched on the sidelines during that year. The look on Ron's face when he had seen Hermione accompanying Viktor to the Yule Ball Harry had not forgotten; clearly, Ron had feelings for Hermione. That same night, Harry's thoughts were confirmed when he had seen them fighting.
"Well, if you don't like it, you know what the solution is, don't you?"
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"Next time there's a ball, ask me first before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"
Feeling the blank stares from Ron and Hermione, Harry jerked himself out of his reminiscing state and looked back and forth between the two of them. "Never mind," he said.
Ron shrugged his shoulders as Hermione got up from the table and grabbed her book bag. "Well I'm going to study in the library before we have to go to Transfiguration."
"What the bloody hell for?" said Ron. "Its the end of our last year, we've taken our N.E.W.T.s already!"
"I, unlike you Ronald Weasley," she huffed, "wish to make the most of my time here at Hogwarts." Hermione bent down and kissed Harry and then Ron (for a second longer, Harry noticed) on the cheek and left with a quick, "See you!"
Ron's face flushed like a love struck idiot. Harry groaned.
"What?" asked Ron.
"Why don't you just tell her?"
"Tell her what?"
"That you fancy her, of course."
Ron began to choke on his sausage that he was in the process of swallowing. "Excuse me?" Ron said, once successfully gulping it down.
"Oh, come off it Ron," said Harry. "Everyone knows that you two have loved each other for years."
Ron's ears went red. "I - I have no idea what you're talking about."
"All right, fine, have it your way," said Harry, exasperated. "Just let me tell you this. Year after year you've done nothing about it. It's the end of our seventh year and we're graduating in two weeks; maybe its time to stop waiting, and just do it." And with that, Harry stood from his seat and made his way toward Transfiguration, walking slowly to let his best friend catch up.