Chapter 12
"Well, there is a bright side."
"Really? What's that?"
"If you were sober, you'd never let me carry you to bed."
Hemione was just about to word her response as they walked into one of the second floor bedrooms to find the familiar figures of Harry and Niles talking. They, however, fell silent as Ron, with Hermione in his arms, walked in. Niles gave Harry a yeah…right look and wished goodnight to Ron and Hermione, looking quite pleased with himself. Harry smirked at the two of them.
"What?" Ron said, eyeing Harry suspiciously.
"Nothing." Harry said, avoiding Ron's eyes and looking around the room, to keep him busy.
"There is something and you are not telling me. Now, what is it?"
When it came to a bad-tempered Ron, Harry understood that there was nothing to be done. He knew only a few people in this fair world who dared to confront Ron in that state. They were (in order of bravery) : Hermione, Molly Weasley and Ginny. If it came to arguing and bickering, others were simply negligent – Ron was by far too stubborn for them to begin with.
"Niles was just…asking me…" He coughed to hide his amusement over the business.
"Niles was asking you what?"
Harry kept coughing. Ron, standing in the doorway, with a drunk Hermione in his arms was probably a once-in-a-lifetime sight and therefore well worth seeing.
"Today please if you may? My hair will grow grey before you get it out."
"Alright. He was just asking me why I wanted two separate rooms for you two, that's all."
"He what! Come again?" Ron bellowed. Hermione snorted and mumbled something that sounded strangely like: 'Shut up Ron.'
"Okay…okay. Calm down Ron. You can do it. Simply get your mind off of killing Niles and Harry… so the first thing I'll do tomorrow is kill Niles… Have to write that down…" Ron lay Hermione on the bed and pulled the blanket over her, tucking the side.
"Your room is next-door and mine is last down the hall. Niles suggested that we accommodate you like this. He thought of your comfort. Said that he didn't want you to have a long trip to take." Harry quickly exited the room, Ron at his heels. He closed the door and then turned face to face with Harry.
"Me. And. 'Mione. Are. Not. Planning. To. Sleep. Together." He said, tips of his ears as red as his hair.
"Well, things don't always work out as planned. Night." Harry simply stated and walked towards the end of the corridor to his room.
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Bright rays of sunshine were peeking through the curtains as Hermione pulled her blanket over her head. She decided that since her head was about to explode with the awful headache she was having, she was in no position in doing anything today, but sleeping. Niles apparently didn't seem to share her opinion as he walked and pulled the curtains off.
"Rise and shine, Miss!"
Hermione poked her head out and the burning sunlight hit her with full power.
"What are you doing? I am not getting up! My head hurts like hell! Out!" She tossed a pillow at Niles, who retreated out of the room.
¤
"Sirs? I am sorry to announce that the Madam wishes to sleep and will no be attending…"
"Will not be attending, my ass! Come on Harry! If she has a hangover, it's her damn problem! Remember that one time when we came from that party the Ravenclaw girls were having? How she dragged us out of bed? Even though it was Friday and we had potions first? Oh! The sweet taste of revenge!" Ron spoke dreamily as he flew upstairs.
¤
Finally. Darkness and peace. Hermione made a mental note never to drink again, but for now, she just wanted to stay in bed with her frustration over the stabbing pain in her head. If anyone dared to come and disturb her peace…
She did not get any further with the death penalties, however, due to the fact that two evil people, also known as her best friends, bolted in. Harry pulled the curtains off and Ron dragged her out of bed.
"Miss Granger! You will get up, even if you have a hangover." Harry said in a motherly voice as Ron opened Hermiones trunk, looking for something she could wear.
"No! That is it! Get out! Now!" Hermione wasn't aware of the fact that she could make such a loud voice…but she did like the outcome, though. It stopped Harry and Ron, dead at their tracks. The effect, nevertheless, as she soon learned, was temporary. The two continued to move around energetically, making her head spin.
"'Mione? I imagine you should wear this. What do you think?" Ron was holding up one piece of clothing that did look like a dress, but you could not actually be sure of its use.
"My night-gown?" Hermione asked amusedly.
"You sleep in this thing?" Ron's jaw almost hit the floor.
"Yeah. It's comfortable."
"Comfortable?" Ron was stunned, looking up at Hermione and then the nightgown. He was probably having the time of his life, dressing Hermione in it, when Harry interrupted.
"I have my old PJs if you find 'em interesting…"
"Shut up Harry!" Ron was roughly brought back from his dreamy state and was not too happy about it.
"Boys…"Hermione snorted "…. Don't take this the wrong way, but GET OUT!"
"You'll just fall right back in bed. I swore on my mother's grave…"
"Your mother was and is alive and well Ronald!"
"…That I would revenge you for dragging us to potions." Ron finished.
"When was that?"
"After that great Ravenclaw party." Harry explained.
"You two would have skipped the hole day if it wasn't for me!" Hermione had a stern, almost MacGonagall look on her face as she said this, looking at them as if they were still in their seventh year. "Imagine what Snape would have done! He would've…he would've…Uh! Made you drink Neville's potions or something of that sort!" Hermione blurted out. It was very unlike her to say something bad about Neville, as she, of all people had always been very friendly toward him. "I'm sorry. I just said the first thing that came to mind."
"Nothing to apologise about. I'd hate drinking something like that. To think what he did to Trevor! If you hadn't helped Neville with his potion the poor thing would have surely died." Ron pointed out the obvious.
¤
All three of them sunk into a wave of memories that washed over them at the thought of Hogwarts. The classes had been great, leaving out Potions of course. The things they had to face over the years had not shattered their happy memories. Hermione was thinking about the cosy library of Hogwarts and how well she had got along with her professors and fellow students. (That is, not counting Snape and Malfoy and Crabbe and Goyle and the rest of the Slytherin gang) Harry missed the Quiddich matches; the excitement before the game started the early practices and Wood's long speeches over tactics (now they resembled more to Woods roaring over tactics). And as for Ron, he missed the food. The food and the time the three of them spent together. He had always feared that graduating would tear them apart. Harry regularly in the other end of the world somewhere and Hermione…
Well, Hermione was another matter completely. Whenever he spent time with her they fought or were silent feeling awkward in each other's presence. Before the Yule Ball, it had been fine…everything had been dandy between them. After the Yule ball, that was, when he started to doubt his we're-just-friends act towards her. Nevertheless, he had always had the common sense to keep quiet about it and now, with no hints of any kind coming from him, Harry was making strange comments. He couldn't have been that obvious, could he? Moreover, Harry wasn't a mind reader as far as he knew. Maybe he was talking in his sleep?
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