Temporal Flux
Chapter Six: The Tree
Harry wondered what had happened to Hermione. He was very worried because she had said that she would meet him in the common room, but she never showed up. Later on, Ginny said that Hermione told her to tell him that she had gone to the library to study. Harry wanted to know why she didn't tell him herself. He glanced around Hogsmeade, hoping that she would still show.
Neville, Ginny, and Luna were with him. Ginny was very disgruntled about Ron going out with Casey. She had her own personal opinion of who her brother should be with. "I can't believe he went out with the dumbest girl in Ravenclaw!" she exclaimed exasperated. "I mean she's smart, but not that smart."
"I think we've got the two smartest people in the school in Gryffindor right now," agreed Neville.
"That's no reason to insult Cassandra," said Luna, but she really wasn't defending her. "But, you're right. I thought that Ronald liked Hermione."
Everyone stopped in their tracks. Most of them knew that, but no one had really voiced it out loud. Luna looked a bit taken back, making her eyes bug out even more. "I thought that she wasn't here because Ronald went out with Cassandra."
Ginny bit her lip and glanced at Harry. "Well, Luna's not in Ravenclaw for nothing," he muttered after a second or two. "So, that's why Hermione didn't show up."
"We have to do something!" cried Ginny frantically. "I don't like that Ravenclaw! No offense, Luna." She turned her head at her.
"None taken," Luna assured her. "But there's nothing wrong with Cassandra really. It's just not right though that Ron's going out with her."
"Hermione did seem very quiet during the whole thing," pointed out Neville. "Harry, what are you going to do?" All of them looked at Harry expectantly. He looked at each of pair of eyes.
Harry shook his head, "Look, they're my best friends, but I don't know if I should get involved. It's really up to them, isn't it?"
"The Hell, it isn't just them?!" exclaimed Ginny angrily. "My brother's being an idiot. They're both being idiots! He'd better do something before someone snatches her away or something."
"Calm down, Ginny," said Neville. "Harry's right. Ron and Hermione will have to work it out. They've never really gone out together, have they? I mean as a couple not as friends. It's not like they're going to end up getting married or anything, you know?"
"Not at the rate that Ron is going!" retorted Ginny. She glared at Harry then at Neville. "You—you boys! You're just going to standby and do nothing! You're all so stupid!" With that she stalked off, Luna barely glanced back at Harry before she followed after Ginny.
"Now, what are you going to do with that kind of logic?" Harry asked Neville. "She's acting like it's our fault."
"Maybe, it is, Harry," said Neville bracingly. "What about Hermione?"
Harry didn't respond. He glanced back towards the direction of the castle, and he was suddenly worried about Hermione. He thought of going back to the castle, but he also remembered that he promised to meet Ron a little later. Swallowing, Harry faced Neville again, "Let's go to Honeydukes. I'll get her something." He suddenly remembered something important.
Ron was anxious because he had no idea what he was doing. He didn't know why he had even agreed to meet with Casey in the first place. He thought he was a bit underdressed. His best clothes weren't that great, but they were all that he had. Ron wondered why he was having such a hard time trying to come up with something to say, considering that one of his best friends was a girl. Cassandra Levy was talking animatedly about something.
It turned out that she was a big Quidditch fan who liked the Chaudley Cannons. "If I were the coach, I'd start looking at the minors for better players or at least at schools all over Europe. You know get 'em while their young. I think you'd make a great keeper."
"Actually, I'm thinking of becoming an Auror," said Ron, feeling his cheeks turning red. It was a great compliment.
"An Auror?" asked Casey. "You mean those people who fight dark wizards?" She looked amazed. "I mean it takes a lot to become one."
"Yes, it does, but I made it into the classes that I needed." Ron was getting the feeling that Casey only liked him for the fact that he played Quidditch. He didn't know why it bothered him. It just did. "Are you on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team?"
"No, I'm not," answered Casey. "I've never even tried out. Everyone in Ravenclaw pretty much knows who's going to be on the team. Cho already decided that. She's team captain this year. I guess she's going up against Harry Potter. He's the team captain for your team, isn't he?"
Ron nodded, but he didn't like talking about Quidditch. He had a feeling that Casey was trying to get information out of him. Ravenclaw was defeated by Gryffindor the previous year for the cup. Cho was probably still crying over that, while Harry felt indifferent towards her. Ron had a feeling that Cho wasn't feeling so indifferent about Harry. In fact, Ron had a feeling that Cho downright disliked Harry at this point.
Ron veneered the conversation away from Quidditch, "So, what else are you interested in?" He didn't mean for his voice to come out the way that it did. It sounded deep, almost husky. The reaction from Casey was priceless. She turned beet red as she stared at him for a moment.
How couldn't she? Ron was leaning in a more relaxed position. The top buttons of his shirt were open a little bit, revealing that he had more than just a little muscle. It came from the Quidditch workouts as well as the practice against the Dark Arts. His hands were finely shaped like a piano player's, but they were coarse in the fingertips. He was also tall with his blue eyes and flaming red hair being his best features.
"Can you hear me?" asked Ron as he leaned in a bit. "What's wrong with you? Don't you do anything else, but talk about Quidditch?" He sounded rather sarcastic because he didn't know why she was staring at him. He had no idea why anyone would be looking at him like that.
Casey looked hurt as she bit her lip. "I—I love to do fortune telling for fun. Not anything like that horrid Divination professor. I heard the rumors about her, so I never bothered to take it in school."
"I see," said Ron. "I'm in Trelawney's class and I'll tell you those aren't just rumors. Although, I don't know exactly who's better either her or Firenze. They have their own way of teaching, but we alternate teachers."
"It must be fascinating to have a centaur as a teacher," said Casey admiringly, causing Ron to turn red in the ears.
"Y-yeah…Hermione kind of wishes she had stuck in the class," he mumbled.
Casey's eyes dimmed at the mention of Hermione. She didn't like her one bit. It was now Casey's turn to veneer the conversation elsewhere. She heard the way that Cho ranted off about Harry talking about Hermione during their date. Casey didn't think much of it at the time, but right now she downright detested the Gryffindor girl.
"So, today's your birthday?" asked Jared. Of course, he knew that. "Why didn't you go to Hogsmeade with everyone else?"
"I don't feel like celebrating. I never really celebrated my birthday in Hogwarts, ever since the first year. I didn't really have any friends until Halloween, and ever since then it didn't really matter to me whether or not anyone celebrated my birthday or not."
"My parents always make a big deal out of my birthday. It's in August," revealed Jared as he looked skyward. "You see my mother said that she really wanted to have a baby, but the doctors and healers said that it would be too dangerous for her. My father decided all by himself not to have any kids to keep my mother alive, even though he came from a huge family. I've got a truckload of cousins."
"So, how did you end up here?" asked Hermione, watching his recognizable body language.
"My mother sort of tricked my father into it," answered Jared as he turned his head with a slight smile. "My father didn't take it very well when he found out what she had done, but he calmed down after my godfather talked to him. My godfather's good friends with both of them. It was a given that he'd be my godfather. But, my father said he knew he loved me when he first saw me."
"That's the only love at first sight I believe in," admitted Hermione. "So, your parents love you loads, don't they?"
"Yes, they do," agreed Jared. "I'm an only child. My dad said that it's okay. He said he didn't want more children than he could stand. And just between you and me, there are times where I think he can barely stand me, but my mother said it's 'cause I'm too much like him."
"You know what, Jared," started Hermione in a soft voice, "I like your name. I like it a lot. It's funny you know. I like that name. It's a little unusually, but that's one of the boys' names that I like. And Blake is my mother's maiden name. Funny, isn't it?"
Jared didn't look startled by her revelations. It took his parents three weeks to name him, but that was just the way they were. "Is there anything I could get you for your birthday?" he offered.
"You don't have to get me anything. You don't know me that well," countered Hermione.
"Maybe, I could get a toy for Crookshanks," he went on, ignoring what she had said entirely. "But that would be more of a present for him than it would be for you."
"I've been meaning to ask you about that. Why are you so attached to my cat? You said that you had a cat like Crookshanks."
"When I was younger," confirmed Jared. "He was the baby monitor. He'd go and get my parents whenever I cried. He also knew when I was hungry or just wanted to be held, so he knew which one to get. My mother always said that if I woke up afraid, only my father could calm me down. The cat would walk around the bassinet when I was just born. He caught a wind o' wasp from getting at me once. Caught it with his paws."
Hermione looked a little alarmed. "Those pixies can do a lot of damage, especially to a baby. That's amazing."
"My father was prepared to vaporize it, but my mother made him let it go. He always listens to her, even if he doesn't look like he does." Jared was touching the blades of grass, running his fingertips over them. "Did you really want anything for you birthday?" he asked again.
"I don't know," answered Hermione. She glanced at his side profile, thinking about how handsome he was. He was almost as handsome as Ron.
Ron really wasn't like his date at all just as much as she didn't like the mention of Hermione. The conversation went astray. They were deteriorating as the date went along. Ron found her boring because all she did was agree with him. It wasn't very stimulating at all. Time crept by slower than usual it seemed. He started to wonder where Harry was. That was the reason why he told Harry to come up and see him, and he thought that Hermione would have been brought along. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen her that day at all.
Casey was prattling on about something that Ron wasn't paying attention to. He wasn't even giving her the courtesy of at least pretending he cared. Casey was feeling more than just frustrated at Ron. "You know what?" she asked him somewhat aggressively.
"What?" prompted Ron, hoping that she would shut up sooner or later.
"You're really just a bad date all around aren't you? I should have listened to Padma on this one," concluded Casey icily.
"If you don't like me so much, then you can just leave," retorted Ron, feeling his temper rising. His voice was already raised. "What the bloody Hell is your problem?"
"Look at me!" spat Casey. "I went all out for this date! And all you could do is wear what you're wearing!"
Ron's mouth was open in utter insult. For the first time he actually looked at what Casey was wearing. Sure enough, it was the latest thing in the wizarding world of fashion. Ron's clothes were outdated by at least a couple of years. He had holes in his jeans. He was seething through his teeth. "Sorry, I didn't notice," he said sarcastically, knowing that would anger her more.
Which is exactly what it did, Casey shouted, "You are the most stupid boy, I've ever meet. I'll make sure that Ravenclaw takes you out for the cup this time around! I should have known better than to go out with a poor Weasley. This was a waste of time!"
"I would rather be poor than stuck up like you, Levy!" shouted Ron as he got to his feet. His ears were bright red. "I can't believe it. You're the real waste!"
Harry and Neville had just arrived when they heard the yelling. Neville winced at the way that Casey insulted Ron, while Harry watched stoically, holding a bag from Honeydukes and another package. He waited until Casey stormed off without crying. She shoved her way passed a couple of people and straight through Neville and Harry without a backward glance.
"Now, that's the second time Ron's gone out with a Ravenclaw, isn't it?" asked Neville in a whisper. Harry just nodded as he stepped forward.
"Not a word, Harry," muttered Ron as he got to his feet, feeling very poor and dirty. He sounded gruff and his confidence level had dropped. "Let's just go back."
"Fine," agreed Harry, knowing that he couldn't really do much. The only person who would be able to reassure Ron would be Hermione. "Hermione's back in Hogwarts."
Ron stopped and turned to look at him. "Why didn't she come with you?"
"I couldn't find her. Ginny said that she went to the library to study," answered Harry. "You know Hermione, she's been trying to keep up with Jared."
"Oh," muttered Ron. He had almost forgotten about Jared. "Didn't make it did he?"
"He probably wasn't allowed to come this time after that fight with Malfoy," explained Neville. "Look, you should head back, but I said I'd meet Ginny and Luna, too. We were all suppose to meet together at the Three Broomsticks, but if you want to go back, fine."
"You can tell Ginny what happened," sighed Ron. "I'd rather not repeat it." He continued to walk ahead. Harry nodded at Neville before catching up with him. Neither of the boys talked about what really happened, but Harry had a feeling about it.
He heard the mention of Padma, recalling that Ron's date with her didn't go well either. Harry kept his mouth shut about mentioning Hermione. He knew it wasn't a good time to bring it up. Harry was starting to wonder what Hermione was up to.
Hermione was laughing. It was a sound that Jared knew all too well. It was one of his favorite sounds, but he liked it much better when it was with Ron. She was actually laughing at the fact that Jared was climbing a tree to retrieve a kite. He had brought it out and they had spent the last hour running with it.
Everything was going so well until the kite got stick in the tree. Jared made it with tissue paper, using a design that his grandfather taught him. It had gotten stuck in one of the tall willow trees. He had to climb up the tree, which he did with ease because he had had lots of practice. At first Hermione was worried about him falling down and breaking something, but now he was just sitting on a strong branch, looking down at her.
"You could have just used your wand to get it down," shouted Hermione with a grin on her face.
"Where would be the fun in that?" shouted back Jared as he looked around from the branch. "Looks really nice up here. You should get up here."
"I don't think so!" exclaimed Hermione.
"Don't think you can get up, do you?" teased Jared playfully.
"It's not that—"
"But you're afraid of heights, aren't you?"
Hermione shook her head and started laughing again. "You're unbelievable you know that. You fly kites and climb trees. Is there anything you can't do?"
"Not really," responded Jared smugly. "My parents said that I could do anything I want as long as it isn't immoral or gets me arrested. My father said that I may have my own body, but he's responsible for it until I'm legal. And even then he's a little worried about the horror he's unleashing upon the world."
"Somehow I don't think you listen to your parents very well," agreed Hermione as she continued to grin at his words.
"That's true. My godfather once told them that they don't have any hope of controlling me. They can only hope to contain me."
By this time, Ron and Harry were back in their dorm. They both noticed that Jared's curtains were drawn. Harry handed some of the candy from Honeydukes to Ron. It included an assortment of sugar quills, chocolate frogs, and Botts' Every Flavor Jelly Beans, which Ron put into his trunk. Just as Harry walked by one of the stands, he saw from the window something that made him laugh out loud.
"What?" demanded Ron, not really in the mood for anything.
"Jared's up in a tree by the lake," answered Harry. He looked closer when he saw the back of Hermione's head. Harry kind of stiffened because he had a very bad feeling about telling Ron about that part. He didn't get a chance to. Ron was already standing beside him, "What kind of idiotic thing is he up to now? Hermione! What's she doing with him?!"
Harry didn't bother to tell Ron to calm down. He could only follow Ron as he ran down the stairs and tore through the rest of the castle, trying to get the lake and the tree. Harry was able to keep up. They were both out of breath by the time they had gotten to the lake.
Hermione turned her head. The smile on her face was wide, which was something that hardly anyone had seen in a while. Ron completely ignored that as he stalked up to her. "What are you doing with him?" he asked sharply as he jerked his thumb upwards at the tree.
"Nothing," answered Hermione, immediately disliking the accusing tone that he was using. "We were just talking then we were flying a kite that he brought. Jared had to climb up the tree to get it down when we got it stuck up there."
"Get the Hell down here!" roared Ron, causing Jared to flinch. He really hated it when Ron used that tone on him. "NOW!"
"I don't think so. I think I'll stay up here for a while. I don't think it's safe for me to come down," said Jared quietly, knowing better than to comply with Ron.
"Ron stop yelling," snapped Hermione. "Why are you so mad? Why aren't you in Hogsmeade with Casey?"
Jared felt his throat get stuck at her words. His skin had gone pale when he saw the look on Ron's face. Ron jerked his head away from Jared to face Hermione. She had her hands on her hips, her battle stance. Ignoring her question entirely, Ron started yelling at again, "YOU ALWAYS TAKES SOMEONE ELSE'S SIDE! WHY DO YOU DO THAT?!"
"I'm not on anyone else's side. Why do you always get jealous when I spend time with someone else? What do you expect me to do? Just be on standby until you want something from me?! You always come after me when I have one foot out the door. Why is that?" retorted Hermione angrily, stunning Ron completely. Tears of anger were pouring from her eyes, which she furiously rubbed way with her fists. Without anything else to say, Hermione walked passed Ron, then Harry, making a path back to the castle.
Ron was stood still. He was stunned by her words, but more by her tears. He completely forgot about Jared altogether. Jared was absolutely torn between them. He clutched the kite between his fingers, tightly. Harry stepped forward a little bit, but didn't say a word. He looked upwards at Jared, but he didn't feel any anger towards him.
"Ron, are you all right?" ventured Harry in a soft voice.
"Oh," whispered Ron, much more subdued. "I have to go and change out of these clothes. I wouldn't want to ruin them." He pivoted on his heel and walked off in a direction that pulled him further from the castle.
Harry sighed as he looked at Jared again who was climbing down the tree. He had thrown down the kite just before his feet touch the ground. Harry picked up the kite for him and handed it back to him. "Thanks," whispered Jared.
"I was wondering about something," said Harry softly. He was about to have a nearly identical conversation like the one he had with Viktor Krum. "I need to talk to you."
Jared dusted off one of his hands on his shirt. His clothes were dirty, but much newer than anything Ron wore. "It's none of my business," he immediately said. Jared didn't know which one he disliked more Ron raising his voice in anger towards him or the quiet way Harry had of getting to him. He was ready to walk off. He really was, but he stopped himself. "What is it?" he muttered.
"What's going on between you and Hermione?" asked Harry. "You seem to be very interested in her."
Jared paused and held his breath. Harry stared at him, into his bottomless brown eyes. He listened to Jared breath for a second before he went on, "I don't see why you're provoking Ron like that. Or why your provoking Hermione like that in class. Why are you doing it?"
"I'm not trying to provoke anyone, Un—Harry," spat Jared, just barely making a mistake. He closed his eyes for a moment. He had to get out of there before he really did something stupid. When he tried, Harry stepped in his path. He was taller than Harry currently, but he knew better than to try to get passed him. "Please get out of my way."
"No," responded Harry forcefully. "If you're not trying to provoke anyone, then what are you doing with Hermione. What is going on between the two of you?"
Jared wanted to say that they were just friends, but that wasn't the truth. He felt something tugging at his consciousness. He stepped back from Harry, remembering something. Harry trained over the summer in Occlumency, even though he spent almost no time with his friends. However, Harry also was trained in Legilimency as part of the effort to keep his mind clear from Voldemort's intrusions. Harry's connection to Voldemort also gave him the near ability to read someone without reciting the incantations.
There was only one way that Jared could get passed Harry at that point, so he took it, "I love her," he whispered. Harry's eyes widened with surprise, stunning him effectively and giving Jared the escape route he needed. However, he could not help but add as he continue towards the castle, which he said loud enough without turning, "But how I love her, you'll have to figure that out."
Harry stood still blinking and listening around him. By the time he had turned around, Jared was already out of sight. Harry shook his head, trying to figure out who he should go after. He stared at the tree. It was the same one he had seen when he looked into the Pensieve when it contained Snape's memories. It was the same tree that his father and friends had gathered under. Touching the trees with his fingers, Harry wondered just how many lovers' spats and quarrels did this tree bear witness to.
AN: I've taken a real liking to Neville since the fifth book, so he's getting some choice lines. And I didn't want to keep him as a loner, so he's going to be hanging out with Ginny and Luna for most of the story. I love irony. It's one of my favorite devices along with cliffhangers, but I love irony the best. I don't use the word "love" that often either, so that should be saying a lot. And it looks like the mere mention of Hermione's name is enough to turn a date with a Ravenclaw south.
Ron's pretty smart, even though he doesn't get much credit for it. I mean he gets overshadowed by his best friends. Harry has a tendency to work best under pressure, so that's when his most brilliant ideas come about. Hermione is always studying, so that's how she's pretty smart. I think Ron goes by instinct even more. Jared has inherited this ability as well as the book smarts.
There's an Oedipal complex going through this thing, isn't there? Ron and Jared seem to be fighting over Hermione. Jared maybe able to beat Hermione in academics, but there are things that he simply cannot beat Ron at. Jared is just causing conflict between Ron and Hermione, accidentally though.
Sorry about the delays. My old computer ran into some trouble and I've been busy working for the summer. I sprained my ankle at work, and I really don't want to go into the details. The new computer is a dream come true, but at a hefty
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.
