Disclaimer: I'm running out of word order options but you get the idea
A Picture Tells a Thousand Words No Matter Which World You're In
"Ron! Ron-bert" Hermione paused after receiving some odd looks from a couple of second years. "Rob! Slow down! I know that you can hear me!"
Ron reluctantly slowed and she eventually caught up with him. She was breathing heavily from the exertion of chasing him down several corridors and a staircase.
"Ron," she admonished breathlessly, "you cannot just run off on your own around here- you don't know the repercussions of your actions."
Ron ignored her warning and continued on. "So not into sports in this world either then Hermione?" he commented on her breathlessness as he strode on normally.
Confused by the complete change of subject her face crinkled with confusion.
"Well, in this world it seems that Umbridge is respected," he spat the word, "everyone is quite happy that Sirius is dead and I'm enjoying the after world with him- so it is good to know that I'd still have difficulties getting you onto a broomstick."
"Ron-b I know that this is difficult to accept," she continued over his snort, "but if you're right and Sirius is innocent then that means that the Order is wrong and that Harry's life for the past two and a half years has been a lie."
Ron stopped mid-stride and looked around to find his bearings. They were outside McGonagall's classroom- did she even still teach transfiguration here he wondered?
"Ron we need to get to the main hall for dinner- they'll be starting the register soon."
"The what?"
"The register, the way they keep tabs on where everyone is and make sure that they're not up to 'mischief'." she explained but that just left Ron even more lost.
"They?"
"Just come on." She went to tug on his robes but brought her hand back sharply when she realised what she was about to do. Instead she decided to lead by example turning away from Ron signalling for him to follow her.
Her uncomfortable behaviour reminded him of the photo still lingering unanswered in his pocket. Before she could get too far away Ron reached out and restrained her arm lightly. "Wait," he asked softly as she shrunk from his grasp, "I've got another question and we've still got a bit before lunch. Please."
"Ron," she sighed about to say no.
"It's about this." He reached into his pocket and showed her the photo. "We're going to have to talk about it sometime."
Hermione seemed taken aback by the picture; she searched his face trying to come to a decision and after another glance at the kissing figures she nodded slightly in consent. Ron sighed in relief that she hadn't blown up at him in the way he'd half expected her too. By contrast however the silent treatment was almost worse. He couldn't read her as she led the way into an empty classroom keeping up a façade of ease and confidence. Though he knew her well enough to recognise that inside her head the world was spinning.
Quietly she shut the door after checking that no one was around and chanted a quick silencing charm. Still keeping her face blank Hermione walked to the front of the room and leaned back on the teacher's desk. "What do you want to talk about then?" she questioned, her voice clear as it rung around the room, yet despite the fact that she looked in Ron's direction she couldn't meet his eyes.
"Harry said that we, sorry, I mean you and Ron," it still felt odd to refer to himself in the third person, even if that person had really existed, "got together during fourth year."
Hermione nodded. When she spoke again it was clear that the unemotional voice she used was the only defence she had against the 'stranger' in front of her, "Yes it was at Christmas."
Ron quickly thought back to the holiday of two years ago: the Goblet of Fire, the tournament-
"the Yule Ball!" he choked out in understanding.
Again Hermione merely nodded as a wealth of memories so different from his own filled her mind.
"But what about Vicky?"
"Vicky?" she questioned.
"Krum! Viktor bloody Krum, Triwizard Tournament runner up, quidditch superstar…"
"Oh, the one from Durmstrang. What about him?"
Ron spluttered incredulously. "What about him? What about him? He's only the guy that got there first bloody stupid, duck-footed, Bulgarian!"
"Ron don't swear."
He couldn't help it- he burst out laughing. The kind of laugh that borders the thin line to mad, maniacal screeching and Hermione's eye's filled with worry. Quickly she broke the distance between them and dragged him up to a standing position from the half crouched, stomach-clutching pose he had fallen into.
"Ron, Ron! What's wrong? You're starting to worry me."
Abruptly his laughter stopped and he stared into her wide brown eyes so close to his face, breathless, their noses almost touching.
The spell was broken when Hermione suddenly realised that she was still clinging onto his arm. She quickly backed away again and Ron felt an odd feeling in his gut. It felt like shame, like he'd pressed an advantage.
"I've been waiting for you to tell me off about my swearing ever since I got here" he explained with a smile attempting to ease the tension, "that's why I was laughing, it just reminded me of home so much and…"
"And it was either that or cry." Hermione finished for him, "As if your swamped, drowning, and the only way out is to let go- one way or the other."
"Well I am male, I can hardly cry over a bit of homesickness can I?" Ron laughed gently and Hermione smiled in return, it seemed that at least one barrier between them had been broken down.
"So," Hermione continued in an almost gossipy, Parvati like, fashion, "the Hermione in your world got the chaser did she?"
"Seeker!" he corrected cringing, " and yeah she did," he huffed and slumped into a seat, "I was going to ask, honest, but the stupid git got there first. She was down in the library all the time and me and Harry weren't exactly best friends for part of the year- I think that's when Krum spotted her."
"What happened between you and Harry?" Hermione asked in a consolatory manner, sitting down beside him.
"It was my fault, I was jealous that Harry was champion and star yet again. I know I wasn't right but I couldn't help it."
"Harry was the Hogwarts champion in your world?" she asked, her features confused.
"One of the champions anyway. Cedric was really chosen," Hermione nodded in accordance as he continued, "but Vol… Vol…, you-know-who, wanted Harry so he got one of his followers to impersonate Mad-Eye Moody, turned the cup into a port key and used it to get Harry to him. That's when Voldemort came back in my world- end of fourth year."
The room had darkened with depression and though the story came as a shock to Hermione she quickly assimilated the information and turned to her own tale to lighten the mood.
"Well here it was all very different." her cheerful voice caused Ron to straighten his shoulders from their downward slump, "Voldemort was already back to human form the start of that year so we had it easy just watching the tournament. Yes he tried to use dreams to get Harry to go for the prophecy but they stopped suddenly about halfway through the year. Dumbledore told us about it anyway after Voldemort changed tactics. So for us the games were a nice, if dangerous, way to pass the time until exams- oh, I bet your Harry just loved getting out of those."
Ron nodded with a smile. He was tempted to ask what the 'changed tactics' where but he knew that time was running out and right now he needed the light tale of the Yule Ball to prepare him for the rest of the day, especially if he were to run into Umbridge again.
"So the Yule Ball?" he gently reminded,
"Oh yes, better get to the point hadn't I," Hermione's eyes glazed slightly and a wide smile spread across her face as she remembered happy memories from that Christmas. "I was so mad at him, he and Harry were sitting there dejected because they had no dates. I was right there in front of them as they complained about all the good girls being taken - and by good they of course meant pretty. Well when he finally realised that I was a girl and just expected me to go… oh I was so angry! I didn't have a date and to be labelled as one of those girls, the ones you feel pity for because their nose isn't dead centre, was just horrible. And he'd asked a Veela first! A Veela I tell you! I was right there!"
Ron cringed remembering the same conversations quite clearly in his mind, though he felt the need to defend his otherworld counterpart, "You can't really blame him for first going to a Veela though can you? I mean they're not quite human, it's not fair."
Hermione looked at him as if realising that he was there for the first time during her replaying memory. Her frowning face soon turned into a wide smile. "That happened didn't it?" she realised, "That whole argument after you and Harry had been turned down, that happened in your world."
Ron grudgingly nodded, "Yeah but it didn't help when she said that she was going with someone else."
"Ah, well luckily I didn't have that excuse."
"So what happened?" Ron asked on the edge of the seat now fully involved in the story, "How did you go from at each others throats to waltzing round a dance floor?
She eagerly carried on, "I couldn't sleep that night, you see I'd gone off in such a huff claiming that I had some imaginary homework to do that I just lay tossing and turning in bed for hours. Finally I gave up and went back down to the common room and there he was, said he couldn't sleep either. At first I was still angry, not only had Ron not asked me to the Ball but also he'd made me lose valuable sleep- what if I had had a test tomorrow!?"
"The world would have ended I'm sure."
Hermione ignored his sarcastic humour with a smile. "Anyway I made my feelings- the less than happy ones I should say- quite clear to him and he just laughed. Oh, I could have hit him! But then he gave me the sweetest apology ever and, stuttering over the words, asked me to the Ball. I almost made a stupid mistake- I almost said no- I mean it was so last minute, I had the right to be indignant enough to say no. But he gave me that look, the lopsided grin and doleful eyes and that was it, I said yes." Hermione looked straight into Ron's wonder filled eyes as he imagined what could have been. "I'm not sure if I should've told about that look- it's way too powerful" she laughed, however the good memories soon connected to the bad and her eyes glistened with tears. She turned her head downwards to conceal them, but too late as Ron had seen. "God I loved him," she told the table, "I love him. I'll love him forever."
Ron didn't know what to say, how to react. Dealing with a crying girl was bad enough, but a crying Hermione? A Hermione crying because he was dead? Well almost him. Close enough.
Luckily he was saved by the bell and Hermione jumped in surprise. Blinking back her tears she dragged him to his feet, "Come on we need to get down there."
Soon the silencing charm was broken and they were walking hurriedly down the corridor to the Great Hall. After a few moments of heavy silence Hermione spoke, "Look Rob I'm sorry about how I've been around you. It was just easier to pretend that you were Robert Millings than deal with Lazarus. It didn't work though, you still look like him. Oh, I know the hair is different and that does help but in truth… in truth this is killing me."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault."
"I'm still sorry."
"Just be careful around Harry- I know he seems normal at the moment but eventually it's going to hit him that you aren't his dead best friend, not only that but your going to leave as well. Honestly I don't know if we'll be able to survive you leaving us again."
"The difference is that this time I'll say goodbye."
"You better."
The two smiled at each other and Ron unconsciously felt his pocket for the photo- maybe there were some things he could learn in this world to make things better in his own.
AN: This would have been up on time if it weren't for server so-and-so and ffhaving a stupid bug- thank you for waiting.
By the way 4 more reviews and I beat my personal best (hint hint)
A final thankyou to all of my reviewers, nattieb my beta and, to answer pureangel's question, I have thought about the Marauder's Map and it won't cause a problem with the plot- my beta and I have hopefully got backups for every problem just waiting to crop up but if you find a plot hole don't hesitate to quetion it.
Till next friday.
