The early morning sunlight filtered through the Gryffindor red curtain, leaving the room in a sort of bloody haze. Ron's eye lids fluttered open. He was disoriented for a moment before his gaze settled on a thick mass of soft auburn curls situated on his shoulder. With that, his thoughts drifted to the foreboding evening that was to come sooner than he could bear (bare? My thing marked it as wrong). He sighed softly, unintentionally waking Hermione. He wished there was something he could do, but there just wasn't enough time.
"Ron?" Hermione murmured sleepily.
"Yes?" He replied, torking his neck a bit to be able to gaze down at the top of her head.
"Ok," she snuggled a bit closer into his shoulder, "just making sure it was you." They were about to drift off to sleep again when two loud startling thwacks were heard behind them. Both Ron and Hermione jumped several feet in the air, landing completely entangled, Hermione slightly on top of Ron. They flipped there heads rapidly around and there gaze fell on Fred and George, smiling devilishly, each with a closed book perpendicular to the ground in their hands.
"Fred!" "George!" Hermione and Ron screamed together. The twins just chuckled,
"Sorry to interrupt you little love-fest," Fred replied, his eyebrow wiggling provocatively. Hermione just rolled her eyes and hurriedly got off Ron.
"Honestly you two, we were just thinking and fell asleep." Fred and George sobered immediately knowing exactly what the two had been thinking about. Hermione gave them an apologetic smile; she hadn't wanted to dampen their spirits. It had just slipped out. There was a mournful silence for a moment before George spoke,
"Well, since you two are already dressed; want to head down to breakfast with us?" Both on the couch nodded, standing up slowly, neither bothering to make themselves more presentable. They knew they would have to face a terrible ordeal later, and knowing what Harry was going to have to go through, made matters like your appearance seem unbearably trivial.
Down in the great hall, Hermione kept catching Snape's eyes and then looking away quickly. However, that did not stop most of the other Gryffindors from noticing.
"Hermione," Parvati started cautiously, "is something the matter?" Hermione looked away from the head table confusedly,
"What?" she had a skeptical look on her face and Parvati blushed.
"Well, it's just that," she looked down at her plate again before looking back up, "it's just that you keep catching Professor Snape's eye, and well, that's not exactly commonplace is it?" Now it was Hermione's turn to blush. She closed her eyes briefly in Paravti's unknowing reference to Harry. This caused Lavender, who was sitting next to Hermione, and Parvati to exchange confused glances.
"Hermione?" Now they were worried for a different reason. She had been acting so strange lately. Especially last night, and then she hadn't come up to her dormitory . . . Hermione didn't answer. She seemed lost in thought. "Hermione?" Hermione snapped out of her reverie, shaking her head slightly to clear it of its previous thoughts.
"Yes?" But the bell signaling the start of classes rang and Hermione rushed out of the hall, muttering something about getting her book bag that only Ron caught, before the two girls could answer.
Ron shouted the password to the Fat Lady and before she could close completely she started to lecture him on being in class, but he was already rushing up the stairs to the 5th year girls dormitory (I know that can't happen, but uh yeah, it can nowJ). He was really worried about Hermione and how she was taking the news about Harry. However, his worry hardened eyes softened when he saw her crying on the side of her bed, her knees resting on the floor and her head buried in her arms. Ron came up to kneel next to her.
"Oh Hermione," she looked up at the disheartened voice, "please don't cry." She tried to smile tearfully up at him, barely managing a little laugh at the expression on his face. He gave her a small hug and a reassuring smile. Ron was encouraged by the small bit of happiness she had just displayed, it had become so rare these days. They sat there, comforting each other for a while until they were surprised when the clock chimed 9:00 (lets say that classes start at 8:30 ok?)
"Oh dear!" Hermione gasped, "We are thirty minutes late for potions!" They jumped up, grabbing their book bags as they raced down the stairs and out of the common room.
They turned into the corridor that Snape's classroom was in two minutes later looking quite windswept. They threw the door open in their haste and only then realized it might have been smarter to try and sneak in. Ron flinched at their professor's harsh gaze as Hermione tried to explain. "We are so sorry we are late profess-" but Snape cut her off.
"Sit down; you will both see me after class and 25 points from Gryffindor for your inability to act considerately towards your classmates who can apparently not learn without your disturbance." He looked furious and they both sat down without further ado, starting straight away on their potion. They only hoped they could finish it before class was over so that Snape would not have another reason to be angry.
Class finished and Hermione and Ron surprisingly had a vile to turn in. Their potion was not exactly the shade of blue a dreamless sleep potion was supposed to be, but it would probably work anyways. They returned to their seat to clean up their bags as the rest of the students left, most of the Gryffindors giving them apologetic glances on the way out. Finally the classroom was empty save the three and the two students walked timidly towards Snape's desk. He surprised them though, "50 points to Gryffindor for having to go through such a terrible ordeal." They just gaped at their professor. "I am sorry I was so harsh on you today in class, but some of these students correspond frequently with their death eater parents, and it would not be a good idea for any of Voldermort's supporters to know that I was being less than awful to any of Harry Potter's friends." It was a sign as to how detached the two of them were that Ron didn't even flinch at the sound of Voldermort's name. Hermione nodded in sudden understanding,
"We understand, we are sorry we caused you that inconvenience." Snape shrugged, a very odd gesture for their cold hearted potions master,
"You couldn't have been thinking about that with what's been on your mind." Both students just stared unblinkingly forward, at a loss for what to say, so he continued. "I would feel it acceptable," he began hesitantly, "if you two wanted to skip dinner tonight." Ron immediately started shaking his head.
"No, no, we definitely want to come. We need to be there, to support Harry. Even if he doesn't know we're there, we need to know that we did the most that we could, even if it is a sad, pathetic attempt to do something." Snape nodded,
"That is very noble of you both. If Harry survives, I am sure he will appreciate it." Ron and Hermione turned to leave, "but just remember, the choice is yours." The students turned back one last time and locked eyes with their professor, a silent acknowledgement and deferral of what he was saying. Then they turned and made their way to classes, Ron to Divination, Hermione to Arithmacy.