Christian : Love lifts us up where we belong. Where eagles cry on a mountain high.
Satine : Love makes us act like we are fools. Throw our lives away for one happy day.
-Elephant Love Medley – Moulin Rouge
My sister also wrote a parody on this chapter and it made me laugh so I posted it at the end of the chapter. Please read it and make comments on it. She doesn't know whether or not to keep writing stupid things like it.
Chapter FourHarry and Ron had been debriefed on the family tradition of decorating the Christmas tree and were ready to try their hand at it. Ron had never decorated trees in a muggle way and was used to charming all the decorations on and Harry had never been allowed to touch the Dursley's ornaments so both were looking forward to the experience. Hermione was prancing around the decorated room singing "Jingle Bells" loudly and off-key. Ron smiled at her, spending the last few days with her at her house he found he liked the Fay and frolicking Hermione. He had an inane grin on his face when Harry walked in looking disconcerted. "Do you know what Hermione's dad wants to do to us?" he asked Ron.
"Emm.... I can't really remember," Ron said not taking his eyes off Hermione, his soppy smile not leaving his face.
"He wants to throw us out the window. That's what defenestrate means, to throw out the window!"
"Love lifts us up where we belong."
"For about two seconds, until we fall flat on our faces and DIE!"
"Whose gonna die? What's happening? Is it Vol-vol – you know who?"
"Ron have you listened to a word I'd said?" Harry asked agitatedly.
"Erm, not really."
"You like her you know that."
"Like who? I don't like anyone," rebutted Ron suddenly on the defensive.
"God, you're naïve," accused Harry as he wandered off to string some popcorn together and stay away from Hermione's father. After placing around one thousand lights on the tree and countless boxes of ornaments the Grangers with their two guests stood back to admire their work.
"It's beautiful," breathed Mrs. Granger, her hazel eyes observing the tall, green tree bedecked with festoons. Mr. Granger grunted his agreement. He was still looking at Ron and Harry suspiciously, after all, they were sharing the guestroom two flights up, one corridor over and three doors down from Hermione's bedroom. Never trust those teenaged hormones. Harry and Ron were trying to shield themselves from Mr. Granger's malevolent glances by standing behind Hermione, which, unfortunately, had the opposite effect.
"Ron," Harry whispered ---, "Do you think we should tell Mr. Granger we're gay? That way he won't worry about us and Hermione."
"Too risky," Ron muttered back. "If he found out the truth we'd be dead. And to tell you the truth I really don't feel like snogging you."
"Good point," returned Harry. "My plan never got that far, I just wanted him to stop looking at us as if we were escaped convicts."
"Too true, too true. Ohh, I should get my camera. Dad wanted me to take pictures of mugglish things."
Ron ran upstairs to get his camera then quickly dashed down the stairs. He was just about to take the picture when Hermione told him to stop.
"You can't take a picture of the tree without the angel on top," she admonished him. "Let me go get a ladder and I'll put it up." Hermione climbed onto the ladder and reached her slender arm holding the angel towards the top of the tree. She couldn't quite reach so she went onto her tip-toes and stretched her arm a little farther. Suddenly she lost her balance and began to topple backwards. Hermione gave a frightened shriek as she fell towards the floor. Ron reacting with his reflexes born from practicing quidditch reached Hermione before she hit the ground and caught her in his arms. Hermione shuddered with the memory of her fall then buried her face in his shoulder.
"Shhh.... It's okay," murmured Ron into her hair, stroking her back as she tried to hold back tears. Hermione looked up into his worried blue eyes and laughed.
"I'm alright Ron, thanks to you," Hermione told Ron hugging him tighter around the neck.
"Smile," broke in Harry. Hermione and Ron looked up to see Harry with a camera. Ron and Hermione broke into brilliant smiles as the flash from Ron's camera lit up their faces.
"Oh, Harry," said Ron, "could you take a picture of the elektic lights on the tree? My dad would love them."
"No problem," replied Harry moving closer to the tree and zooming the lens of the camera in to take a photo of the 'elektic' lights.
Ron was still holding Hermione in his arms when he asked her, "Do you get dizzy easily?"
"Yes,'' she answered confused, "why?"
"Because..."
With Hermione's reply Ron had started turning in circles and began to pick up speed. Hermione screamed and hid her head in Ron's chest. Ron was laughing when the door opened and in stepped a snow covered Scott.
"Hey, Hermione I was wondering if..." Scott paused as his piercing blue eyes took in the scene before him. "Oh, I see you're busy, I'll come back later," he said tensely.
"Ron put me down," commanded Hermione laughing. "Scott! Come back."
Scott had backed towards the door and was beginning to leave the house. He turned around but his eyes were clouded over with jealousy. "What?" he asked shortly.
"I just wanted to know why you came over."
"Scott, you were supposed to invite them all," rebuked a red-cheeked Madi walking in the door.
"I want to go," Harry said with alacrity. Then he asked, "Where are we going?"
"The church is holding a 24 hours of hope for advent. We basically go to the church at 7:00am, have a get to know everyone, do community service for ten hours, learn line-dancing from this old man who can't dance, take a shift during the overnight vigil in the church, then try and sleep for a couple of hours, in the morning the church serves breakfast and then you go home. It's really fun; we've been doing it for the past couple of years."
"They're not parishioners," muttered Scott mussing his hair.
"Don't be stupid Scott," Hermione replied to his nearly inaudible remark, "the more the merrier. So Harry, Ron, do you want to do it?"
"I'm in," Harry said eagerly, almost before Hermione had finished her question. He walked over to Madi to find out more about the event.
"So am I!" said Ron quickly, "I've never been in a muggle Church before."
"Muggle?" Scott enquired testily.
"He's a non-dimensional Christian," interrupted Hermione hastily, "He calls Catholics muggles; it's a sort of nick name."
Scott shrugged then smiled, "We'll have a great time this year, like we do every year, together."
Hermione pursed her lips at his last word, Scott was usually such a fun, happy-go-lucky person, and she didn't understand what had gotten into him. Maybe he was going through a tough time; Harry had had some severe mood swings at the beginning of fifth year. She sighed internally. "Yes all of us will have fun together." She kissed him on the cheek and told him she'd see him at the event tomorrow. Hermione began to climb the carpeted stairs, her hand on the holly entwined banister and looked over her shoulder. She had to pack but she wasn't comfortable leaving Scott and Ron alone to their own devices. They were currently having a stare-off. Harry and Madi were happily chatting in a corner. Hermione grinned, Madi certainly was keeping up with her Cosmogirl, not only was she making eye contact with Harry, she was also lightly touching his arm and leaning in as if she was eagerly awaiting every sentence he uttered. Hermione hoped Madi would notice if a fight broke out between Ron and Scott, she couldn't understand why two of her best friends didn't get along. Sighing she continued up the stairs and prayed that nothing extreme would happen the next day.
A/N Another chapter complete! Unlike Frog Legs For Dinner I'm writing this story as I go along so forgive me if there's a long time delay between chapters. This is my sister's spoof on my chapter:
THIS CHAPTER STARTS RIGHT AFTER HERMIONE GOES TO GET THE LADDER
So anyway, she goes and starts to get one a ladder from her backyard and starts to pick it up when Ron comes up behind her and puts his arms around her while picking up the ladder. He says to her, "why the hell did Scott propose? And when you started making out w/ me was there any specific reason?" and she goes "well not really but I like kissing people." So Ron puts down the ladder and says "in that case, Hermione Granger will you marry me?" Hermione squeals with delight and says, "Ron I'd love to but Harry already proposed to me this morning! And I said yes." Ron looks at her in amazement and says "you got proposed to by three people in one day?" Hermione starts laughing and say, "Actually it was 4 because about 30 minutes before Harry asked me Sierra asked me to marry her. When she told me that she loved me I almost said yes because the way she said it convinced me that she was serious and well... (OH! Sierra don't get mad at me because I was going to get someone else to propose but then I'd have too many lesbians and the story would just be stupid, not that it isn't already. Actually I like my story, I'm seriously thinking of posting it. AND EVERYONE, SIERRA IS NOT A LESBIAN IT IS A JOKE!) "So Ron, did you know that this almost beat my records of people asking me to marry them in one day? The last time this happened was a few months ago but that might have had something to do with me holding a sign that said if you propose I'll give you 10000 galleons. A bunch of people were disappointed when I said it was a joke"
SO then Harry comes in and says "oh Hermione I'm sorry but we cant get married because there was this really hot girl outside your house waiting for the bus and I want to ask her out. Sorry."
Ron looked at Hermione hopefully and said "Hermione?" and Hermione goes "Yes I will marry you but can I wear the ring that Harry gave me because it is much nicer than the one that you just offered me?" "Of course, Harry you don't mind do you?" Ron asked jokingly. But to his surprise Harry said "yes I do because what ring would I hold out in front of the hot girl who is waiting for her bus?" So Ron goes "You're proposing already? Before you have even met her?" And harry says "Yup, look how hot she is!" Hermione just stands there the whole time feeling only slightly used. Harry thought he could tell what she was thinking and said,"Cheer up Hermione, you're not that ugly."
OK now the next part when the neighbours talk about 24 Hours of Hope
Hermione started talking rapidly after Scott and Madi left, "Soyougoanddocommunityserviceandhaveaginormoussleepoverandeatf-", she was cut off by Harry as he started snogging her senseless. Ron looked angrily at Harry and said "That's my fiancée you are kissing" and Harry looked at him as if it was the stupidest thing anyone has ever said in the world and then kneeled down on one knee and said "Hermione if I take you to a beauty salon and you end up looking good then... Will you marry me?" Hermione was shocked and smiled to herself 'that's 5 proposals' she thought, but said to Harry "What about the girl at the bus stop?" And Harry awkwardly yelled "Oh yeah!!!" and ran out to meet the girl who was now getting off the bus. Hermione saw him take the ring off her finger and the girl stared at him and numbly nodded. When Harry cam back in Hermione asked what he said. Harry happily said "Well I told her that I was taking you to a beauty salon and if you looked good then I would marry you and if you still look almost as bad as you do now, then I would marry her. So will you marry me?" Through this whole speech Ron got redder and redder opening his mouth and closing it. But then he realized how stupid he was being as Hermione would never accept to Harry after everything that happened. "Of course I'll marry you Harry!" Hermione shrieked with joy. Ron started yelling "Hermione you're my fiancée remember?" Hermione's face did not drop at all as she said "Oh yeah!" and with that she kissed him on the cheek and said, "Thank you for being such a nice kind and understanding fiancée Ron." !!!! Sry sierra I will update as soon as I can lol and all the people reading sierra's (kissofcuteness' story, will you please review this and tell me if I should keep getting Sierra to post my chapters on the author notes.
What'd u think? Lol It made me laugh. And its true. I'm not a Lesbian
Shout-Outs to ReviewersHiei's lil dragon – it would be fun. Which is why Alexis will be introduced in Chapter 5. Thanks for the idea.
AmyChris – glad you like my story.
Jekl – Canada's Thanksgiving is on America's Columbus day (I'm assuming you're American)
Thehalfbloodprincess – Yes, Scott likes Hermione as more than a friend. Good conjecture.