Chapter 3
While this mild confrontation was going on, Ron had woken up and was charging through the hallways intent on murdering Crabbe, and yelling at Hermione for keeping two major secrets from them. Unfortunately for him, he didn't know it was going to be three against one, rather than the two vs. two he was expecting.
On reaching the dungeon room, he hurled open the door, to find the room empty.
"ARG!" Ron yelled in frustration. He turned to leave but was stopped by Harry who was standing in the doorway blocking his way out.
"Out of my way Potter!" He growled not caring that he was yelling at his best friend.
"Ron!" Came the cold voice of not Harry Potter Ron Weasely's best friend but the Boy Who Lived To Spread Voldemort's Body Parts Halfway Across Europe. The scary Harry Potter whom Ron really hated to see show up.
"But Harry! It's Crabbe!" Ron whined in his usual way.
"So? She loves him Ron." Harry snapped at him.
Ron blanched as Harry's words sank in and he dropped to sit on the closest desk. "We've lost her Harry." he whispered morosely.
Harry went to stand next to his friend and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Naw, not yet. But you have to accept this Ron or we will."
Ron shook his head in remorse, "A Slytherin, who would have thought?"
Harry gave a little laugh and felt his face go red. "Not all Snakes are bad Ron."
"Right..." Ron sneered.
Harry laughed louder then, "You do know you look exactly like Malfoy right now don't you?"
Ron snarled and tackled Harry. After wrestling for a few minutes Ron, with Harry winning because though Ron was taller Harry was the stronger of the two, went all serious again as he lay panting on the floor beside the equally panting Harry.
"So, did you find out who taught her to play?"
Harry nodded but didn't say anything. He got up and made his way to the door. He knew what the next question was going to be and he wanted to be far enough away from Ron when he answered.
"Well?"
"Crabbe." Harry said as he stepped out of the door.
The door slowly closed on Ron's astonished face before Harry flinched at the words he could hear coming from the classroom. Most of them he had heard before as Ron was always vocal about his displeasure. Some he was sure were not even possible, come on, would a hippogriff and a fish ever get that close?
Harry stood outside the door for over five minutes before there was silence. He was leaning on the wall across from the door, arms across his muscled chest, when a pale faced Ron opened it. He quirked an eyebrow at him but only smiled when Ron just growled.
"Did you ask her?" was all that he said. Harry nodded but refused to say anything.
"Well?" Ron demanded.
"They have a practice at 9:00 tonight. We are to be there at 9:15." Harry said calmly. "Let's get to transfiguration. You can pout later." Harry saw the glare that Ron sent him but ignored it as he walked from the dungeons to McGonagall's classroom. He really was happy for Hermione now that he got over the shock of who it was. After all, he HAD been suspicious for months now anyways.
Classes passed as they are wont to do when you are anxiously awaiting them to end-very, very slowly. Finally, it was 9:00 and Harry and Ron made their way to the Room of Requirement to meet with Hermione and Crabbe...no you must call him by his name now, Harry thought to himself, Vince.
Harry had his bass guitar in one hand and his bag that contained his songs in another. He had not wanted to bring it but Ron had insisted saying that they didn't know if they, meaning Hermione and Vince, had any songs that he could sing and since he knew all of Harry's song they could play one of those.
They stopped outside of the door and Harry gave Ron one more meaningful glare before they opened the door and stepped through. the room was amazing, it looked exactly like what Harry thought a recording studio would look like. Bet Hermione did this, he thought with a grin. Ron looked around with a puzzled look on his face.
"What's all this stuff?" He asked Harry.
"It is recording equipment." Vince replied with a 'duh' look at Ron. Ron bristled but thankfully reined in his temper.
"Okay..." Rom said hesitantly, "but what does it do?"
"It records as we play Ron." Hermione said as she came to stand beside Vince. Harry and Ron watched as the petite Gryffindor took the hand of the huge Slytherin and gave Ron a glare that just begged him to say something.
Ron gave them a sheepish look and a shrug of his shoulders as he said, "Mione you know I don't know anything about muggles. I was just asking."
Vince grinned at Ron, "It's okay mate, I had to ask the first time she showed me too."
Ron grinned at Vince and threw a 'see I told you so' look at Hermione who just rolled her eyes at both of them.
Vince eyed the case Harry was carrying and asked him quietly what instrument he played. Instead of answering Harry set his case down and opened it to show the bass guitar to him.
"Wow! A Elrick Evolution." Vince breathed as he took in Harry's all black bass guitar. Harry lifted it from its case, attaching the black strap with wide silver slashes on it, and Vince could see it turn deep blood red where ever the light hit it. He nodded in satisfaction, a very fitting instrument for the Boy Who Lived.
"So...what kind of music do you play?" Harry asked them as he slipped the strap over his head and started to tune his guitar.
"Just about anything. I am still learning but Vince here is a maestro." Hermione said with a loving smile towards her boyfriend.
Vince blushed but said nothing as he went to get his and Hermione's guitar. When he was gone she turned to face her best friends and whispered, "thank you."
Harry smiled softly at her and just nodded but Ron stepped to her and drew her into a tight embrace. "You should have told us sooner. I am sorry you thought that we would not accept him Mione."
Hermione shook her head and said in a voice that shook. "It's not you we were afraid of not accepting us. It's the others."
Harry nodded again but still said nothing. He knew who she was talking about in particular, Malfoy. Vince was one of his best friends, if Malfoy even had friends, and he would never accept Hermione, she was after all a Mudblood.
"House rivalry is in the past Mione," Ron said, "have you thought about telling him?"
"Yes." Vince replied. "But...I..." He gave Hermione a scared look. "I just could not do it."
"It's okay love. I told you I understood. He's your best friend and you don't want to lose him."
"It is not just that Mi, you know that. Draco...he's like the only family I have left. I can't lose him too."
"Did you ever think that maybe you would lose me if you did not tell me Vin?" Came the drawling voice of none other than Draco Malfoy who was leaning against the open door watching the expressions on their faces with his trademark smirk.
While this mild confrontation was going on, Ron had woken up and was charging through the hallways intent on murdering Crabbe, and yelling at Hermione for keeping two major secrets from them. Unfortunately for him, he didn't know it was going to be three against one, rather than the two vs. two he was expecting.
On reaching the dungeon room, he hurled open the door, to find the room empty.
"ARG!" Ron yelled in frustration. He turned to leave but was stopped by Harry who was standing in the doorway blocking his way out.
"Out of my way Potter!" He growled not caring that he was yelling at his best friend.
"Ron!" Came the cold voice of not Harry Potter Ron Weasely's best friend but the Boy Who Lived To Spread Voldemort's Body Parts Halfway Across Europe. The scary Harry Potter whom Ron really hated to see show up.
"But Harry! It's Crabbe!" Ron whined in his usual way.
"So? She loves him Ron." Harry snapped at him.
Ron blanched as Harry's words sank in and he dropped to sit on the closest desk. "We've lost her Harry." he whispered morosely.
Harry went to stand next to his friend and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Naw, not yet. But you have to accept this Ron or we will."
Ron shook his head in remorse, "A Slytherin, who would have thought?"
Harry gave a little laugh and felt his face go red. "Not all Snakes are bad Ron."
"Right..." Ron sneered.
Harry laughed louder then, "You do know you look exactly like Malfoy right now don't you?"
Ron snarled and tackled Harry. After wrestling for a few minutes Ron, with Harry winning because though Ron was taller Harry was the stronger of the two, went all serious again as he lay panting on the floor beside the equally panting Harry.
"So, did you find out who taught her to play?"
Harry nodded but didn't say anything. He got up and made his way to the door. He knew what the next question was going to be and he wanted to be far enough away from Ron when he answered.
"Well?"
"Crabbe." Harry said as he stepped out of the door.
The door slowly closed on Ron's astonished face before Harry flinched at the words he could hear coming from the classroom. Most of them he had heard before as Ron was always vocal about his displeasure. Some he was sure were not even possible, come on, would a hippogriff and a fish ever get that close?
Harry stood outside the door for over five minutes before there was silence. He was leaning on the wall across from the door, arms across his muscled chest, when a pale faced Ron opened it. He quirked an eyebrow at him but only smiled when Ron just growled.
"Did you ask her?" was all that he said. Harry nodded but refused to say anything.
"Well?" Ron demanded.
"They have a practice at 9:00 tonight. We are to be there at 9:15." Harry said calmly. "Let's get to transfiguration. You can pout later." Harry saw the glare that Ron sent him but ignored it as he walked from the dungeons to McGonagall's classroom. He really was happy for Hermione now that he got over the shock of who it was. After all, he HAD been suspicious for months now anyways.
Classes passed as they are wont to do when you are anxiously awaiting them to end-very, very slowly. Finally, it was 9:00 and Harry and Ron made their way to the Room of Requirement to meet with Hermione and Crabbe...no you must call him by his name now, Harry thought to himself, Vince.
Harry had his bass guitar in one hand and his bag that contained his songs in another. He had not wanted to bring it but Ron had insisted saying that they didn't know if they, meaning Hermione and Vince, had any songs that he could sing and since he knew all of Harry's song they could play one of those.
They stopped outside of the door and Harry gave Ron one more meaningful glare before they opened the door and stepped through. the room was amazing, it looked exactly like what Harry thought a recording studio would look like. Bet Hermione did this, he thought with a grin. Ron looked around with a puzzled look on his face.
"What's all this stuff?" He asked Harry.
"It is recording equipment." Vince replied with a 'duh' look at Ron. Ron bristled but thankfully reined in his temper.
"Okay..." Rom said hesitantly, "but what does it do?"
"It records as we play Ron." Hermione said as she came to stand beside Vince. Harry and Ron watched as the petite Gryffindor took the hand of the huge Slytherin and gave Ron a glare that just begged him to say something.
Ron gave them a sheepish look and a shrug of his shoulders as he said, "Mione you know I don't know anything about muggles. I was just asking."
Vince grinned at Ron, "It's okay mate, I had to ask the first time she showed me too."
Ron grinned at Vince and threw a 'see I told you so' look at Hermione who just rolled her eyes at both of them.
Vince eyed the case Harry was carrying and asked him quietly what instrument he played. Instead of answering Harry set his case down and opened it to show the bass guitar to him.
"Wow! A Elrick Evolution." Vince breathed as he took in Harry's all black bass guitar. Harry lifted it from its case, attaching the black strap with wide silver slashes on it, and Vince could see it turn deep blood red where ever the light hit it. He nodded in satisfaction, a very fitting instrument for the Boy Who Lived.
"So...what kind of music do you play?" Harry asked them as he slipped the strap over his head and started to tune his guitar.
"Just about anything. I am still learning but Vince here is a maestro." Hermione said with a loving smile towards her boyfriend.
Vince blushed but said nothing as he went to get his and Hermione's guitar. When he was gone she turned to face her best friends and whispered, "thank you."
Harry smiled softly at her and just nodded but Ron stepped to her and drew her into a tight embrace. "You should have told us sooner. I am sorry you thought that we would not accept him Mione."
Hermione shook her head and said in a voice that shook. "It's not you we were afraid of not accepting us. It's the others."
Harry nodded again but still said nothing. He knew who she was talking about in particular, Malfoy. Vince was one of his best friends, if Malfoy even had friends, and he would never accept Hermione, she was after all a Mudblood.
"House rivalry is in the past Mione," Ron said, "have you thought about telling him?"
"Yes." Vince replied. "But...I..." He gave Hermione a scared look. "I just could not do it."
"It's okay love. I told you I understood. He's your best friend and you don't want to lose him."
"It is not just that Mi, you know that. Draco...he's like the only family I have left. I can't lose him too."
"Did you ever think that maybe you would lose me if you did not tell me Vin?" Came the drawling voice of none other than Draco Malfoy who was leaning against the open door watching the expressions on their faces with his trademark smirk.