::: A/N: Okay, some of you have asked if this is Harry/Hermione, and I have
said that I wasn't sure if it was H/H, but since then I have thought about
it a lot. But this is what I concluded: It's not fair if I decide for you
what the pairings are. I mean, think about the real Harry Potter books. J.
K. Rowling never makes any pairings, but all of you out there have a
preference. And whether that pairing is Harry/Hermione, Ron/Hermione,
Draco/Hermione or whatever, all of these views should be respected. I'm
telling this story from many perspectives, including both Harry and Ron,
and I'm trying to purposely write it in a way that makes it possible for
either Harry/Hermione or Ron/Hermione or neither to be true. Any way you
want to interpret it is fine. For instance, in this chapter, you're going
to see a lot of Ron's inner feelings. Yes, it has been from Harry's
perspective for a while and Ron has seemed like the annoying person who's
completely over Hermione. If you think that, read this chapter first, and
then decide for yourself. :::
Thanks again to those of you that reviewed!
[Monet]: Thanks, and here you go! ^-^
[Dark Midnightstar]: Like I wrote above, this story can be interpreted as either Harry/Hermione or Ron/Hermione, or neither. It's your choice.
[usha88]: Well, if you think it's Harry/Hermione, like I wrote above, it's completely your choice. I don't want to MAKE you think it's one way or another. But I didn't quite understand what you wrote on the girl. Did you mean the Hermione in the Nesskrad Room, or Aurora? Excuse me for not quite understanding, but if you elaborate a little I'll be happy to respond ^-^. I'm delighted that you like this story! Thank you for reviewing a second time!
I'm still working on Chapter 14, so I'm putting this up first.
Chapter 13: Where Dream and Reality Intersect
Ron found himself in a hallway corridor. He did not remember how he got there, only that he was suddenly transported into it. The hallway was fairly crowded, since many students had just gotten out of class. He looked around, noticing that no one was giving him a single look.
Suddenly he saw Aurora. She was walking away from him, and Ron recognized her by her hair. Curious as to what was going on, he decided to ask.
"Aurora! Hey, Aurora!"
She did not turn around or even seem to notice him. She just kept walking. Thinking he was not loud enough, he called out again. Still no response, only now she was fading into the crowd.
Not knowing what else to do, Ron started to run after her. He made his way through the crowd, accidentally bumping into people. Yet, even when he did, they didn't respond at all.
"AURORA!" Ron was relieved when she appeared in his view again. She stopped and turned around.
But when she turned around, he stopped dead in his tracks in shock. It was no longer Aurora standing there, but Hermione.
"But - but, Hermione, it can't be you!" Ron breathed. "I thought you were dead!"
But she was not looking at him. She was watching someone else behind him. Harry suddenly ran past Ron, stopping just short of Hermione.
Ron ran up to the pair, who were already in a casual conversation.
"Hey, Hermione," Harry said.
"Hi, Harry, I didn't see you back there."
"Umm . . . hi, guys!" Ron said while stepping between them and into their conversation.
They didn't seem to see him, hear him, or notice him. They just kept talking.
"It's really crowded today, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's weird."
"Guys! Hello?" Ron waved his hand in front of their faces. Neither blinked.
"What's wrong with you two?! HELLO?!" Still no answer. Clenching his teeth, he suddenly started yelling at them.
"WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU?! ARE YOU DEAF?!"
No response.
His hands rolled into fists that shook in frustration. "HARRY!! HERMIONE!! HELLO?!"
"We have Potions now, right?"
"Yes, I think so."
"Then we should probably get going."
Harry stepped around an invisible Ron and started to walk with Hermione away into the crowd.
"Hey, wait, guys! You can't leave without me! Guys!" Ron began to walk after them, but they were slowly disappearing into the crowd.
He broke into a run. "Wait, Hermione! Harry!"
They had disappeared farther into the crowd. Ron had to push and shove to keep them in sight. At one point he couldn't see them.
"Hermione! Wait! Please stay! Hermione!"
He sprinted to where he last saw them. As he got there he wildly glanced around, searching for them. But all he saw around him was a flood of people. He looked back toward the direction Harry and Hermione had gone.
Defeat slowly gripped a hold on Ron. He slowed to a stop, no longer looking for them. He just watched the crowd before him, helplessly hoping that Hermione would appear again. She didn't.
"Hermione . . ."
Defeated, he fell to his knees, his head bent down and stared at the floor beneath him. A soft whisper escaped between his parted lips as he gasped for air.
"Please, don't go."
The crowd flowed around him like a river, not caring that the stone before it was slowly eroding in his despair.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ron suddenly awoke, sitting straight up. He was panting, as if he was actually yelling. His pajamas were stuck to his body because of his sweat.
With that realization, he calmed down. Harry and Hermione had not seen, heard or felt his presence. It was as if he wasn't even there.
It was then that he noticed wetness on one side of his face. As he reached up and his fingers grazed it, he realized it was a tear. Frowning, he angrily brushed it away with his sleeve. He let his arm fall at his side.
He closed his eyes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A small, four-year-old could be heard laughing. He was flying freely on his little broomstick. To an experienced flyer, the broom would have been a piece of junk. But to this little boy, it was the best thing in the world.
He continued laughing, circling about six feet above the grass. It was his own, miniature heaven.
The boy started leaning toward his right. Too far. Losing his balance, he slipped off the broom and fell a long, scary six feet. He barely let out a scream before he hit the ground and the wind was knocked out of him.
Sitting himself back up, the little boy fully experienced the pain of his fall. He started crying, tears rolling down his plump cheeks.
"Hey, George, it sounds like he fell off." The little boy's twin older brothers appeared.
"Fred, look, we don't have just one sister anymore!" George pointed his finger at the boy.
"Yeah, Ronniekins is really a wimpy little girl!" Both of them laughed at him.
This only made the tears fall harder. "Stop it, you guys!" Ron pleaded, looking up at them with hurt, innocent eyes.
"Ooooo, Ronniekins doesn't like us making fun of him!" Fred turned to George. "Come on, George, stop it, you're really hurting his FEELINGS!"
"Oh, I guess I should! After all, this little baby can't take it!"
"I'm not a baby!" Ron shook his head. The grass received rain from a clear sky.
George gasped. "Someone get mom over here! The baby's talking! And his first words were 'I'm not a baby!'"
"That's amazing! When I first talked all I said was, 'Goo goo, ga ga'!"
Ron clenched his teeth, allowing him to taste the saltiness of his own tears. "Please, stop it!"
" 'Please, stop it!'" Fred imitated. George laughed even harder. "Oh, dear brother, please stop it!" Fred got down on his knees and tugged on George's robes. George nearly doubled over in laughter.
Crying even harder, Ron struggled as he got to his feet and ran away as fast as his little legs would carry him.
"What's the matter, Ronniekins? Want to go cry to your mommy?" Their laughter followed Ron, even as he ran farther away toward his house. Once he was there, he ran through an open door into the kitchen where his mom was washing dishes.
"MOMMY!" He screamed. Suddenly he was completely out of breath from crying and running and screaming. He bent over, taking in raspy gasps of air.
"Ron!" Mrs. Weasely dropped the plate she was holding which fell and shattered on the stone tiles of he kitchen floor. Ignoring the pieces of scattered porcelain, she hurried over to him.
"Ron, are you alright?" She bent down to look at his face.
He peered up at her and immediately saw how worried she was. Fear grasped him. He didn't like to see her upset. He didn't want to upset her any more.
He lifted his sleeve, straightened up, and wiped the dirt and tears off of his face. He looked up again and smiled at her with a small sniff.
"I'm fine, mommy. I just fell, that's all."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ron lied back down and turned over, trying to fall asleep. But he realized it was no use, since he could see the sun already starting to rise above the horizon.
Getting up, he kicked the covers off of himself and swung his legs over the bedside. He quietly walked over to the window and sit on a chair next to it. He proceeded to watch the sunrise and the sky changing from a black midnight color to brilliant red, orange and yellow.
As he stared off into the distance, thinking.
He started to think more about the dance.
The sky's brilliant colors slowly faded into the familiar blue.
He paused.
His mind made up, Ron finally rose, walked over to his bed, pulled out some clothes and changed. He proceeded to go downstairs, sit in the chair in the commonroom, and wait for Lavender to wake up.
::: A/N: . . . right then. Now, on to the fun part . . . :::
Thanks again to those of you that reviewed!
[Monet]: Thanks, and here you go! ^-^
[Dark Midnightstar]: Like I wrote above, this story can be interpreted as either Harry/Hermione or Ron/Hermione, or neither. It's your choice.
[usha88]: Well, if you think it's Harry/Hermione, like I wrote above, it's completely your choice. I don't want to MAKE you think it's one way or another. But I didn't quite understand what you wrote on the girl. Did you mean the Hermione in the Nesskrad Room, or Aurora? Excuse me for not quite understanding, but if you elaborate a little I'll be happy to respond ^-^. I'm delighted that you like this story! Thank you for reviewing a second time!
I'm still working on Chapter 14, so I'm putting this up first.
Chapter 13: Where Dream and Reality Intersect
Ron found himself in a hallway corridor. He did not remember how he got there, only that he was suddenly transported into it. The hallway was fairly crowded, since many students had just gotten out of class. He looked around, noticing that no one was giving him a single look.
Suddenly he saw Aurora. She was walking away from him, and Ron recognized her by her hair. Curious as to what was going on, he decided to ask.
"Aurora! Hey, Aurora!"
She did not turn around or even seem to notice him. She just kept walking. Thinking he was not loud enough, he called out again. Still no response, only now she was fading into the crowd.
Not knowing what else to do, Ron started to run after her. He made his way through the crowd, accidentally bumping into people. Yet, even when he did, they didn't respond at all.
"AURORA!" Ron was relieved when she appeared in his view again. She stopped and turned around.
But when she turned around, he stopped dead in his tracks in shock. It was no longer Aurora standing there, but Hermione.
"But - but, Hermione, it can't be you!" Ron breathed. "I thought you were dead!"
But she was not looking at him. She was watching someone else behind him. Harry suddenly ran past Ron, stopping just short of Hermione.
Ron ran up to the pair, who were already in a casual conversation.
"Hey, Hermione," Harry said.
"Hi, Harry, I didn't see you back there."
"Umm . . . hi, guys!" Ron said while stepping between them and into their conversation.
They didn't seem to see him, hear him, or notice him. They just kept talking.
"It's really crowded today, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's weird."
"Guys! Hello?" Ron waved his hand in front of their faces. Neither blinked.
"What's wrong with you two?! HELLO?!" Still no answer. Clenching his teeth, he suddenly started yelling at them.
"WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU?! ARE YOU DEAF?!"
No response.
His hands rolled into fists that shook in frustration. "HARRY!! HERMIONE!! HELLO?!"
"We have Potions now, right?"
"Yes, I think so."
"Then we should probably get going."
Harry stepped around an invisible Ron and started to walk with Hermione away into the crowd.
"Hey, wait, guys! You can't leave without me! Guys!" Ron began to walk after them, but they were slowly disappearing into the crowd.
He broke into a run. "Wait, Hermione! Harry!"
They had disappeared farther into the crowd. Ron had to push and shove to keep them in sight. At one point he couldn't see them.
"Hermione! Wait! Please stay! Hermione!"
He sprinted to where he last saw them. As he got there he wildly glanced around, searching for them. But all he saw around him was a flood of people. He looked back toward the direction Harry and Hermione had gone.
Defeat slowly gripped a hold on Ron. He slowed to a stop, no longer looking for them. He just watched the crowd before him, helplessly hoping that Hermione would appear again. She didn't.
"Hermione . . ."
Defeated, he fell to his knees, his head bent down and stared at the floor beneath him. A soft whisper escaped between his parted lips as he gasped for air.
"Please, don't go."
The crowd flowed around him like a river, not caring that the stone before it was slowly eroding in his despair.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ron suddenly awoke, sitting straight up. He was panting, as if he was actually yelling. His pajamas were stuck to his body because of his sweat.
With that realization, he calmed down. Harry and Hermione had not seen, heard or felt his presence. It was as if he wasn't even there.
It was then that he noticed wetness on one side of his face. As he reached up and his fingers grazed it, he realized it was a tear. Frowning, he angrily brushed it away with his sleeve. He let his arm fall at his side.
He closed his eyes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A small, four-year-old could be heard laughing. He was flying freely on his little broomstick. To an experienced flyer, the broom would have been a piece of junk. But to this little boy, it was the best thing in the world.
He continued laughing, circling about six feet above the grass. It was his own, miniature heaven.
The boy started leaning toward his right. Too far. Losing his balance, he slipped off the broom and fell a long, scary six feet. He barely let out a scream before he hit the ground and the wind was knocked out of him.
Sitting himself back up, the little boy fully experienced the pain of his fall. He started crying, tears rolling down his plump cheeks.
"Hey, George, it sounds like he fell off." The little boy's twin older brothers appeared.
"Fred, look, we don't have just one sister anymore!" George pointed his finger at the boy.
"Yeah, Ronniekins is really a wimpy little girl!" Both of them laughed at him.
This only made the tears fall harder. "Stop it, you guys!" Ron pleaded, looking up at them with hurt, innocent eyes.
"Ooooo, Ronniekins doesn't like us making fun of him!" Fred turned to George. "Come on, George, stop it, you're really hurting his FEELINGS!"
"Oh, I guess I should! After all, this little baby can't take it!"
"I'm not a baby!" Ron shook his head. The grass received rain from a clear sky.
George gasped. "Someone get mom over here! The baby's talking! And his first words were 'I'm not a baby!'"
"That's amazing! When I first talked all I said was, 'Goo goo, ga ga'!"
Ron clenched his teeth, allowing him to taste the saltiness of his own tears. "Please, stop it!"
" 'Please, stop it!'" Fred imitated. George laughed even harder. "Oh, dear brother, please stop it!" Fred got down on his knees and tugged on George's robes. George nearly doubled over in laughter.
Crying even harder, Ron struggled as he got to his feet and ran away as fast as his little legs would carry him.
"What's the matter, Ronniekins? Want to go cry to your mommy?" Their laughter followed Ron, even as he ran farther away toward his house. Once he was there, he ran through an open door into the kitchen where his mom was washing dishes.
"MOMMY!" He screamed. Suddenly he was completely out of breath from crying and running and screaming. He bent over, taking in raspy gasps of air.
"Ron!" Mrs. Weasely dropped the plate she was holding which fell and shattered on the stone tiles of he kitchen floor. Ignoring the pieces of scattered porcelain, she hurried over to him.
"Ron, are you alright?" She bent down to look at his face.
He peered up at her and immediately saw how worried she was. Fear grasped him. He didn't like to see her upset. He didn't want to upset her any more.
He lifted his sleeve, straightened up, and wiped the dirt and tears off of his face. He looked up again and smiled at her with a small sniff.
"I'm fine, mommy. I just fell, that's all."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ron lied back down and turned over, trying to fall asleep. But he realized it was no use, since he could see the sun already starting to rise above the horizon.
Getting up, he kicked the covers off of himself and swung his legs over the bedside. He quietly walked over to the window and sit on a chair next to it. He proceeded to watch the sunrise and the sky changing from a black midnight color to brilliant red, orange and yellow.
As he stared off into the distance, thinking.
He started to think more about the dance.
The sky's brilliant colors slowly faded into the familiar blue.
He paused.
His mind made up, Ron finally rose, walked over to his bed, pulled out some clothes and changed. He proceeded to go downstairs, sit in the chair in the commonroom, and wait for Lavender to wake up.
::: A/N: . . . right then. Now, on to the fun part . . . :::