I know I haven't been writing for a while, but this just came off of the
top of my head, and it seemed like a good story so I decided to write it.
Enjoy!
"I have to tell her, Harry. This is the year. I have to tell her," Ron whispered feverishly to Harry as they wheeled their trunks into the station.
In front of them stood the scarlet steam engine, spitting sooty steam over the crowd. Owls hooted in a disgruntled sort of way, toads croaked loudly, and cats meowed, eyeing the owls longingly. Voices of various people calling out greetings to one another added to the din. Harry and Ron shoved their way to the compartment doors and stowed their trunks in the luggage racks. They wiped the sweat off of their faces. Ron blinked on the steps, trying to pick out Hermione's bushy head amongst the others, but found it quite impossible.
"Come on, Ron! We can find her on the train. Besides, if we don't move now, we'll never get decent seats," Harry urged, trying to pull Ron back into the train.
Ron followed Harry a little dolefully, his prefect badge shining in the bright lamps that aided the sunlight in lighting the train. They found an empty compartment about halfway along the train and slumped into seats across from each other. Ron lifted his foot onto his lap, grumbling slightly about how his sneakers insisted on coming untied every five minutes.
He looked up only when the compartment door opened with a snap. There in the doorway stood Hermione. She had matured well over the summer, he noticed, and his ears burned as he looked at her. Harry, however, had immediately risen to his feet to greet his longtime friend.
"Hermione! It's so good to see you again," Harry said as he embraced her. He then drew back and looked her up and down, grinning. "You've grown up quite a bit..." he said, winking playfully.
"Oh, you little git!" Hermione exclaimed, slapping him lightly. Nevertheless, she cracked a wide smile and looked over at Ron, who had just risen from his own seat. "Ron, it's great to see you too," she squealed as she pulled him into a tight hug.
Ron stiffened a bit when Hermione pulled him in, but relaxed before it seemed a bit suspicious. He spotted Harry over her shoulder, snickering at his slight discomfort. He stuck his tongue out in return and let go of Hermione.
"So, Hermione, how did summer go in the U.S.?" he asked. The only reason she hadn't come to stay with Harry and the Weasley's was because she was in the United States all summer.
"It was absolutely wonderful! There's so much to see over there. We went all the way from Florida to Washington," she explained as she daintily sat down in one of the overly stuffed seats.
By the time they had shared most of their summer memories, the train had carried them far past London and into the more wild farms of the landscape. When the food trolley trundled by, Hermione hurried out to buy them their lunches. Harry leaned over to Ron.
"So, lover boy, when do you plan on telling Hermione?" Harry asked quietly and quickly.
"I don't know, I think at school, I can't just spring it on her when we just got back from two months apart!" Ron whispered back. He immediately sat straight up and pretended to be tying his shoelaces again while Harry, catching his warning signal, turned his face towards the window.
Hermione staggered back in, balancing a large stack of Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, Chocolate Frogs, and an assortment of other treats she found to her liking. She set them on a seat between the three of them and started on a Pumpkin Pasty.
For a few moments there was silence as they chewed on the sweets, trying to ease their hunger, but then there was a creak from the door. They looked up and there in the doorway stood Malfoy. None of them had been surprised, but that didn't stop their faces from twisting into looks of loathing.
"Well, well, well," he said, examining them with his cold grey eyes. They scanned over Harry, taking in his messy black hair and thin profile, Ron, with his vibrant red hair and tall, lanky form, and came to rest on Hermione. Ron was startled by his expression. It wasn't the usual haughty distaste that usually lit his features, but a hungry one. Ron didn't like it one bit. "If it isn't Dumbledore's favorite little students."
"Get out of it Malfoy, you come to our compartment every year, and you always wind up leaving. So why don't we cut this little visit short, hmmm?" Hermione said, and with that, she jumped to her feet and slid the door shut in his face.
Malfoy opened the door once again, obviously ruffled by Hermione's sudden actions. "Tsk tsk, Granger, you're going to have to watch your temper. You wouldn't want your precious prefect badge to be taken away, would you?" he asked, his eyes snaking downwards to the spot where her badge was pinned to her chest.
Hermione realized what he was doing and smacked him across the face. Malfoy's hand shot up to his cheek, which had gone from a pasty color to bright red. He gave them one final, haughty look, and left with a swirl of his robes. Hermione, rather pink in the face, returned to her seat. Harry and Ron just stared at her.
"What...what? What's up with you two?" she asked as she noticed their eyes upon her.
"Well, usually it's us who has to deal with Malfoy...but you just upped and smacked him! That's the first time since third year!" Harry said; a little awed.
"He had it coming since he first was brought into this world," Hermione said, waving the matter away with her hand. "Anyways, how are Bill and Charlie doing? I haven't heard much about them just yet."
The rest of the train ride passed peacefully, with them chatting and eating as usual. When the train finally came to a stop, the commotion was just the same as usual. The trio pushed their way through the crowd, and to the thestral-drawn carriages. They piled into one, and were followed by Neville.
"Hello, Neville!" They called in greeting, grinning widely at him. Though Neville was a poor, blundering excuse for a wizard, he was always welcome to hitch a ride with the three of them.
"Hi, you guys," he said as he bumped his head on the ceiling. "How are you doing?" Neville finally sat down across from Ron and next to Harry, and grinned in return.
"Can't complain," said Ron. Hermione said, "Pretty good myself, Neville, and you?" Harry shrugged and said, "All right."
"I'm doing just fine," Neville said. "Afraid I lost Trevor in a swamp over the summer, so Gram bought me an owl!" he said, and his smile grew even wider, lighting up his round face.
"That's great, Neville!" Harry said, patting his shoulder.
While they had been conversing, the carriages had been trundling up the stone path, creaking and swaying, hauling them up to the castle. Ron pressed his nose against the window, watching the many turrets and towers drawing closer and closer. Here and there along the black walls, a window blazed like a small flame. As Ron's heart thumped excitedly, his brain worked furiously on the problem at hand: how to tell Hermione that he loved her.
"I have to tell her, Harry. This is the year. I have to tell her," Ron whispered feverishly to Harry as they wheeled their trunks into the station.
In front of them stood the scarlet steam engine, spitting sooty steam over the crowd. Owls hooted in a disgruntled sort of way, toads croaked loudly, and cats meowed, eyeing the owls longingly. Voices of various people calling out greetings to one another added to the din. Harry and Ron shoved their way to the compartment doors and stowed their trunks in the luggage racks. They wiped the sweat off of their faces. Ron blinked on the steps, trying to pick out Hermione's bushy head amongst the others, but found it quite impossible.
"Come on, Ron! We can find her on the train. Besides, if we don't move now, we'll never get decent seats," Harry urged, trying to pull Ron back into the train.
Ron followed Harry a little dolefully, his prefect badge shining in the bright lamps that aided the sunlight in lighting the train. They found an empty compartment about halfway along the train and slumped into seats across from each other. Ron lifted his foot onto his lap, grumbling slightly about how his sneakers insisted on coming untied every five minutes.
He looked up only when the compartment door opened with a snap. There in the doorway stood Hermione. She had matured well over the summer, he noticed, and his ears burned as he looked at her. Harry, however, had immediately risen to his feet to greet his longtime friend.
"Hermione! It's so good to see you again," Harry said as he embraced her. He then drew back and looked her up and down, grinning. "You've grown up quite a bit..." he said, winking playfully.
"Oh, you little git!" Hermione exclaimed, slapping him lightly. Nevertheless, she cracked a wide smile and looked over at Ron, who had just risen from his own seat. "Ron, it's great to see you too," she squealed as she pulled him into a tight hug.
Ron stiffened a bit when Hermione pulled him in, but relaxed before it seemed a bit suspicious. He spotted Harry over her shoulder, snickering at his slight discomfort. He stuck his tongue out in return and let go of Hermione.
"So, Hermione, how did summer go in the U.S.?" he asked. The only reason she hadn't come to stay with Harry and the Weasley's was because she was in the United States all summer.
"It was absolutely wonderful! There's so much to see over there. We went all the way from Florida to Washington," she explained as she daintily sat down in one of the overly stuffed seats.
By the time they had shared most of their summer memories, the train had carried them far past London and into the more wild farms of the landscape. When the food trolley trundled by, Hermione hurried out to buy them their lunches. Harry leaned over to Ron.
"So, lover boy, when do you plan on telling Hermione?" Harry asked quietly and quickly.
"I don't know, I think at school, I can't just spring it on her when we just got back from two months apart!" Ron whispered back. He immediately sat straight up and pretended to be tying his shoelaces again while Harry, catching his warning signal, turned his face towards the window.
Hermione staggered back in, balancing a large stack of Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, Chocolate Frogs, and an assortment of other treats she found to her liking. She set them on a seat between the three of them and started on a Pumpkin Pasty.
For a few moments there was silence as they chewed on the sweets, trying to ease their hunger, but then there was a creak from the door. They looked up and there in the doorway stood Malfoy. None of them had been surprised, but that didn't stop their faces from twisting into looks of loathing.
"Well, well, well," he said, examining them with his cold grey eyes. They scanned over Harry, taking in his messy black hair and thin profile, Ron, with his vibrant red hair and tall, lanky form, and came to rest on Hermione. Ron was startled by his expression. It wasn't the usual haughty distaste that usually lit his features, but a hungry one. Ron didn't like it one bit. "If it isn't Dumbledore's favorite little students."
"Get out of it Malfoy, you come to our compartment every year, and you always wind up leaving. So why don't we cut this little visit short, hmmm?" Hermione said, and with that, she jumped to her feet and slid the door shut in his face.
Malfoy opened the door once again, obviously ruffled by Hermione's sudden actions. "Tsk tsk, Granger, you're going to have to watch your temper. You wouldn't want your precious prefect badge to be taken away, would you?" he asked, his eyes snaking downwards to the spot where her badge was pinned to her chest.
Hermione realized what he was doing and smacked him across the face. Malfoy's hand shot up to his cheek, which had gone from a pasty color to bright red. He gave them one final, haughty look, and left with a swirl of his robes. Hermione, rather pink in the face, returned to her seat. Harry and Ron just stared at her.
"What...what? What's up with you two?" she asked as she noticed their eyes upon her.
"Well, usually it's us who has to deal with Malfoy...but you just upped and smacked him! That's the first time since third year!" Harry said; a little awed.
"He had it coming since he first was brought into this world," Hermione said, waving the matter away with her hand. "Anyways, how are Bill and Charlie doing? I haven't heard much about them just yet."
The rest of the train ride passed peacefully, with them chatting and eating as usual. When the train finally came to a stop, the commotion was just the same as usual. The trio pushed their way through the crowd, and to the thestral-drawn carriages. They piled into one, and were followed by Neville.
"Hello, Neville!" They called in greeting, grinning widely at him. Though Neville was a poor, blundering excuse for a wizard, he was always welcome to hitch a ride with the three of them.
"Hi, you guys," he said as he bumped his head on the ceiling. "How are you doing?" Neville finally sat down across from Ron and next to Harry, and grinned in return.
"Can't complain," said Ron. Hermione said, "Pretty good myself, Neville, and you?" Harry shrugged and said, "All right."
"I'm doing just fine," Neville said. "Afraid I lost Trevor in a swamp over the summer, so Gram bought me an owl!" he said, and his smile grew even wider, lighting up his round face.
"That's great, Neville!" Harry said, patting his shoulder.
While they had been conversing, the carriages had been trundling up the stone path, creaking and swaying, hauling them up to the castle. Ron pressed his nose against the window, watching the many turrets and towers drawing closer and closer. Here and there along the black walls, a window blazed like a small flame. As Ron's heart thumped excitedly, his brain worked furiously on the problem at hand: how to tell Hermione that he loved her.