Later that night, Harry, Ron, and Hermione snuggled up near the fire of the
Gryffindor common room—Harry losing miserably against Ron in a game of
Wizard's Chess, and Hermione sunken into an armchair with parchment in her
lap and quill in hand.
"Checkmate," said Ron, a look of triumph on his freckled face.
"How did you -" Harry began to say, but he stopped, defeated. "Forget it," he said, too tired to even try to comprehend. "Why is it, exactly, that I even attempt to play against you?"
"That, my friend, remains a mystery," laughed Ron. "Hey Hermione," he said, shooting her a lopsided grin, "why don't you come and play?"
"Against the best Wizard's Chess player in Gryffindor, you must be joking." She shifted in her chair. "Besides, I'm in the middle of responding to Viktor's letter."
Ron's smile faltered. "What does Vicky have to say this time?"
Please, thought Harry. Not tonight.
Hermione shot Ron a reproving glare. "For the last time, his name is Viktor, and I don't believe its any of your business what he says in his letters!"
"Oh, so you don't want us to know? What if we want to know? Wouldn't you like to know Harry?"
"I -"
"Why are you suddenly so interested in my letters?"
"Why won't you tell us what Vicky has to say?"
Both Ron and Hermione were standing now, their eyes fixed on the other. Worried, Harry slowly made his way to calm his friends down. However, by the time he took one step toward them, Ron had snatched Hermione's letter from her hand, keeping it high out of her reach.
"Ronald Weasley, how dare you! Give that back this instant!"
Ignoring Hermione's profuse attempts to retrieve her letter, Ron unrolled the piece of parchment and read. Recognizing her defeat, Hermione stopped jumping to reach her letter and slumped back into her comfy chair. Hermione and Harry watched as Ron's face turned to a stoic hardness.
"Hermione!" Ron yelled in shock. "This bloke wants to marry you!"
Harry was taken aback. Krum wanted to marry Hermione?
She paused. "Now Ron," she took a deep breath. "Don't jump to conclusions -"
"Don't jump to conclusions?" said Ron furiously. "How could he be any more clear when he writes, 'I truly believe that you and I are soulmates. I wish sooner than later we may make our relationship an official union.'"
Ron and Hermione were quiet, completely unaware that Harry was still standing right by them. After a long while, Hermione spoke up again. "So what if Viktor does want to marry me?"
"What?"
"If he does want to marry me, what are you going to do about it?"
Bewildered, Ron looked anywhere but at Hermione. "I - I -"
"Don't you ever invade my privacy like that again," she said coldly, jumping back up from her chair, seizing her letter from Ron's fisted hand, and storming toward the girl's dormitory.
Not exactly looking forward to another tense morning followed by the usual Ron-and-Hermione row, Harry began putting the Wizard's chess set back in its box. Ron remained unmoved, his face unreadable.
Stretching, Harry yawned. "Well, I better be off to -"
"I'll marry her."
"What?"
"That's what I'll do." Ron was speaking very slowly, his brain attempting to process an influx of emotions. "I'll... I'll marry her."
Disbelief flooded Harry's mind. "You can't be serious."
Ron was smiling now as he began pacing back and forth. "It's perfect. She'll never see it coming. Even you said I should do something about it. I've loved her for so long now. I could do it on graduation day. It will be the end of school, We'll be able to start our new lives together. I'm going to do this!" Ron stopped abruptly. He turned to an amused Harry. "I think I'm going to need your help."
The bloody git's mad! thought Harry, striding down a corridor that led to the Owlery, a letter in his hand addressed to none other than Draco Malfoy. What was Ron thinking? This was never going to work. Harry and Malfoy had loathed each other for years. Even when they first met, just before their first year, Harry remembered being strongly reminded of his awfully horrid cousin, Dudley. Malfoy was the son of a one of Voldemort's followers, his Death Eaters. His father was also powerful in the Ministry of Magic, his malice matching his son's. Harry had never thought he would find a happier memory for the Patronus charm when Harry learned that Malfoy was transferring to Durmstrang, another European wizardry school, and that he would never see that slimy Slytherin walk the halls of Hogwarts again.
And now Harry was sending him plea for his help, on Ron's command. Krum would have graduated three years ago, but due to being a member of the Bulgarian quidditch team, his studies had gotten behind so he was still in school when Malfoy arrived. Ron had the ingenious idea of asking Malfoy to keep an eye out on Krum, so that he would not steal Hermione away before Ron could confess his love to her and propose. Or so this was the plan, thought Harry as he shook his head vigorously, making an executive decision that this was definitely not a very good plan.
Ron, wanting the proposal to be perfect, had also asked Harry if he could help pay for the engagement ring. Harry was delighted to help his best friend out, except that due to a curse put on his money, Harry could not spend large amounts of his fortune left by his dead parents until he turned eighteen, which would be soon, but not soon enough. Malfoy was fabulously wealthy, and could easily lend the money in time. Feeling that Malfoy could do with performing a little charity, Harry had decided to add that into the letter as well.
He was now inside the circular room, containing the hundreds of hooting and flittering owls. Spotting brilliant white among the sea of tans and browns, he began to make his way over to Hedwig, but was soon disrupted by a clump of cotton balls, zooming happily about his head.
"Pig!" yelled Harry in frustration. Ron's minute owl Pigwidgeon had a tendency to demand one's attention. "I can't use you. You're too small to deliver a letter all the way out to Durmstrang." Dejected, Pig flew back to his spot amidst the larger owls, dropping a few feet before regaining control of himself and floating back up again.
Once Harry had knotted the scroll onto Hedwig's talon, he stroked her head softly. "You be careful out there." With a short "hoo" of affection, she took off, becoming a magnificent speck against the morning sky.
"Checkmate," said Ron, a look of triumph on his freckled face.
"How did you -" Harry began to say, but he stopped, defeated. "Forget it," he said, too tired to even try to comprehend. "Why is it, exactly, that I even attempt to play against you?"
"That, my friend, remains a mystery," laughed Ron. "Hey Hermione," he said, shooting her a lopsided grin, "why don't you come and play?"
"Against the best Wizard's Chess player in Gryffindor, you must be joking." She shifted in her chair. "Besides, I'm in the middle of responding to Viktor's letter."
Ron's smile faltered. "What does Vicky have to say this time?"
Please, thought Harry. Not tonight.
Hermione shot Ron a reproving glare. "For the last time, his name is Viktor, and I don't believe its any of your business what he says in his letters!"
"Oh, so you don't want us to know? What if we want to know? Wouldn't you like to know Harry?"
"I -"
"Why are you suddenly so interested in my letters?"
"Why won't you tell us what Vicky has to say?"
Both Ron and Hermione were standing now, their eyes fixed on the other. Worried, Harry slowly made his way to calm his friends down. However, by the time he took one step toward them, Ron had snatched Hermione's letter from her hand, keeping it high out of her reach.
"Ronald Weasley, how dare you! Give that back this instant!"
Ignoring Hermione's profuse attempts to retrieve her letter, Ron unrolled the piece of parchment and read. Recognizing her defeat, Hermione stopped jumping to reach her letter and slumped back into her comfy chair. Hermione and Harry watched as Ron's face turned to a stoic hardness.
"Hermione!" Ron yelled in shock. "This bloke wants to marry you!"
Harry was taken aback. Krum wanted to marry Hermione?
She paused. "Now Ron," she took a deep breath. "Don't jump to conclusions -"
"Don't jump to conclusions?" said Ron furiously. "How could he be any more clear when he writes, 'I truly believe that you and I are soulmates. I wish sooner than later we may make our relationship an official union.'"
Ron and Hermione were quiet, completely unaware that Harry was still standing right by them. After a long while, Hermione spoke up again. "So what if Viktor does want to marry me?"
"What?"
"If he does want to marry me, what are you going to do about it?"
Bewildered, Ron looked anywhere but at Hermione. "I - I -"
"Don't you ever invade my privacy like that again," she said coldly, jumping back up from her chair, seizing her letter from Ron's fisted hand, and storming toward the girl's dormitory.
Not exactly looking forward to another tense morning followed by the usual Ron-and-Hermione row, Harry began putting the Wizard's chess set back in its box. Ron remained unmoved, his face unreadable.
Stretching, Harry yawned. "Well, I better be off to -"
"I'll marry her."
"What?"
"That's what I'll do." Ron was speaking very slowly, his brain attempting to process an influx of emotions. "I'll... I'll marry her."
Disbelief flooded Harry's mind. "You can't be serious."
Ron was smiling now as he began pacing back and forth. "It's perfect. She'll never see it coming. Even you said I should do something about it. I've loved her for so long now. I could do it on graduation day. It will be the end of school, We'll be able to start our new lives together. I'm going to do this!" Ron stopped abruptly. He turned to an amused Harry. "I think I'm going to need your help."
The bloody git's mad! thought Harry, striding down a corridor that led to the Owlery, a letter in his hand addressed to none other than Draco Malfoy. What was Ron thinking? This was never going to work. Harry and Malfoy had loathed each other for years. Even when they first met, just before their first year, Harry remembered being strongly reminded of his awfully horrid cousin, Dudley. Malfoy was the son of a one of Voldemort's followers, his Death Eaters. His father was also powerful in the Ministry of Magic, his malice matching his son's. Harry had never thought he would find a happier memory for the Patronus charm when Harry learned that Malfoy was transferring to Durmstrang, another European wizardry school, and that he would never see that slimy Slytherin walk the halls of Hogwarts again.
And now Harry was sending him plea for his help, on Ron's command. Krum would have graduated three years ago, but due to being a member of the Bulgarian quidditch team, his studies had gotten behind so he was still in school when Malfoy arrived. Ron had the ingenious idea of asking Malfoy to keep an eye out on Krum, so that he would not steal Hermione away before Ron could confess his love to her and propose. Or so this was the plan, thought Harry as he shook his head vigorously, making an executive decision that this was definitely not a very good plan.
Ron, wanting the proposal to be perfect, had also asked Harry if he could help pay for the engagement ring. Harry was delighted to help his best friend out, except that due to a curse put on his money, Harry could not spend large amounts of his fortune left by his dead parents until he turned eighteen, which would be soon, but not soon enough. Malfoy was fabulously wealthy, and could easily lend the money in time. Feeling that Malfoy could do with performing a little charity, Harry had decided to add that into the letter as well.
He was now inside the circular room, containing the hundreds of hooting and flittering owls. Spotting brilliant white among the sea of tans and browns, he began to make his way over to Hedwig, but was soon disrupted by a clump of cotton balls, zooming happily about his head.
"Pig!" yelled Harry in frustration. Ron's minute owl Pigwidgeon had a tendency to demand one's attention. "I can't use you. You're too small to deliver a letter all the way out to Durmstrang." Dejected, Pig flew back to his spot amidst the larger owls, dropping a few feet before regaining control of himself and floating back up again.
Once Harry had knotted the scroll onto Hedwig's talon, he stroked her head softly. "You be careful out there." With a short "hoo" of affection, she took off, becoming a magnificent speck against the morning sky.