Posted 4/29/2015
.
This is a work of fiction, based on the book series by J.K. Rowling. Neither do I claim ownership nor do I intend to.
Chapter Sixty-Eight - Relationships
.
Harry watched as Lupin paced the kitchen.
"You thought this was funny?" the werewolf grumbled. "You could have gotten someone killed! Someone you hadn't meant to!"
"It didn't go quite as planned," Harry admitted, "but it wasn't me that picked that fight. And I certainly didn't aim to kill. They survived, didn't they?"
Lupin swallowed what must have been his first, impulsive reply, but sent Harry a glare. "They did, but not because you held back."
Hermione and Harry exchanged a quick glance, both silently disagreeing.
"So," Harry continued, "they survived. It doesn't matter what might have happened under different circumstances. And you know my opinion in this matter. The smaller the opposing forces, the better. Umbridge? She would have mucked it up somewhere, we both know that. Having someone like her in charge of justice would have been a farce. Having her lord over our courts and pulling strings would have meant an evil harpy with a grudge against our side and a devotion to the Ministry doing whatever she could to block us at every turn. Now they'll have to pick someone else. If they choose wisely, good; if not..."
"You can't continue like that," Lupin interrupted. "You were lucky this time. You managed to get the drop on them. They'll learn from their mistakes and will be more ready than ever for you."
Harry shrugged. "We'll see what'll happen. But have you heard anything more?"
Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Lupin nodded. "Arthur's relayed some of what's been going around at the Ministry. Don't worry, I don't think he knows you're responsible. Anyway, he heard most of the guards have been cleared of suspicion. Healing them was quite easy, of course, but... The Ministry's all up in arms, they're suspecting a spy among their ranks. You know what that means, don't you? Arthur has to toe the line, very few people dare talking to us any more. Oh, and Tonks has lost her job."
"Why her?" Hermione wondered. "She's an Auror. She has proven her worth and loyalty; she is one of the best workers they have. They had, I mean."
"She's loyal all right, but not to the Ministry. She's an excellent asset, true, but only really devoted to fighting crime. A corrupt Ministry she had been willing to work with. A downright oppressive and criminal government? No, that's not something she'd give her best for. And there might have been some mistrust as well. A metamorphmagus running around in the Ministry? Who's to say she didn't spy?"
"Did she?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course she did, but that's not the point, is it? Now she's gone, so we've lost yet another source. And you did anger some of the higher-ups with that stupid prank. Insulting the Ministry? Modifying Riddle's own magic?"
"You did something stupid?"`Daphne spoke up for the first time in a while.
"Just some harmless fun," Harry replied, casually recreating a smaller version of the rude hand gesture over the table.
Ron chuckled, but Daphne sent Harry a glare.
Shaking his head, Lupin grumbled, "Fun, you say?"
"Well," Harry tried with a smirk, waving the miniature of the rude hand gesture away, "did they try dispelling it?"
After a moment of hesitation, either to make up his mind or to suppress a laugh, Lupin answered, "They did. It took them about ten minutes just to stop that racket, Tonks said."
Snorting to not laugh out loud, Harry changed the topic. "Any news from elsewhere?"
"Indeed," Lupin sighed, "and it's not really good news. The Ministry's apparently stopped tracking the use of magic around Muggles. Two days ago, I ran into a bunch of drunkards that harassed a group of teenagers. Muggle teens, I mean. Well, I intervened and before I knew it, spells were flying. I scared the drunkards off and convinced the teens they had merely drunk something they shouldn't have – some strange drug. I added a few memory spells to make sure, and to this day, not a single notice or visit from the Ministry."
"And that's bad how?" Daphne spoke up, frowning. "It seems as if that would make the job of protecting Muggles easier. Now you can step in and do something on the spot."
"Well, ignoring for a moment the issue of the Statute of Secrecy," Lupin answered, pursing his lips, "I can't see the Ministry doing us any favours, but they probably had a reason to stop. Either too many reports came in about attacks on Muggles – Statute of Secrecy, again, but we're also talking about attacking and very likely harming Muggles – or, well..."
"Or they expect a lot of incidences to happen over the next weeks," Harry finished the thought. "So it's probably either covering up attacks that already take place or setting the stage for an offensive against Muggles. Either way, the Ministry stopped worrying about Muggles."
"Yes, that seems to be it," Lupin agreed after a moment of silence, giving Harry a strange, contemplative look. "On the other hand, not all is bad. Our allies abroad have begun their work, but it seems it might take a while. Those volunteers may have the will, but not the skill to chase the Death Eaters out of Britain." Lupin ran a hand through his hair. "Mad-Eye's been as busy as he could, of course. It helps that the Ministry has never really been able to keep an eye on him. He does what he wants, and now that he's not forced to follow their rules any more, there's even less holding him back. Also, he seems to see it as a personal insult to see the Wizarding Britain he had worked so hard to protect and rebuild fall into Riddle's hands so easily."
"Can't fault him there," Ron admitted.
"Your family's doing fine," Lupin told the redhead. "Charlie is doing great and wants to work on the front lines – or what qualifies as those nowadays. Arthur has been under a lot of pressure, and it's just a question of time until he'll have to go on the run as well, but we're prepared. Molly apparently managed to smuggle a lot out of the Burrow."
"She's leaving our house?" Ron groaned.
"She's not coming here, is she?" Harry added, thinking back to the woman's previous stay and knowing her presence would only cause trouble.
"Not here, no," Lupin replied, smiling thinly. "I've managed to talk them out of sending anyone here unless strictly necessary. We've arranged a few hiding places. Not as nice as this one, some not really houses at all, but they'll do. It helps that we have to drop out of sight a lot of the time, so there's little reason not to do something worthwhile. By the time we're finished, we could house an army of our own. A small one, though."
Harry nodded. "So once our reinforcements are trained up... ?"
"We'll see, but ideally, we'll smuggle them back. Dozens of witches and wizards suddenly popping back over would likely draw attention, but one or two at a time might work. Maybe we're lucky and someone's got an idea." He hesitated. "Harry, I'm not sure whether you've heard, but Wormtail –"
"Is at Hogwarts, yes," Harry interrupted. "We know. A good thing too, in a way. We know where he is, and just as he's probably there to keep an eye on the school, so can our friends at Hogwarts keep an eye on him."
"He's slippery," Lupin pointed out. "I know it better than most, and much as I hate to admit it, he isn't as incapable as he wants to be seen as. Your friends might have a difficult time keeping an eye on him."
The next week passed rather uneventfully. Harry returned to his preparations for the planned abduction of Snatchers, occasionally sneaking off at night to test some of his inventions. However, unlike before, he made a point of spending time with his friends, playing games with Ron and talking with Daphne.
Hermione and Daphne seemed to get along reasonably well – finally, Harry had thought with a sigh one evening. For whatever reason, Hermione had decided to teach Daphne Muggle games, which brought a fresh wind into the house in more ways than one. Not only was it something new in the rather dull and repetitive days, it also offered alternatives to Chess, which Ron dominated, and Exploding Snap or Gobstones.
Ron hadn't spoken up against Daphne after his attempt in Harry's bedroom, but he still kept his distance and found ways to not have to acknowledge her presence. Not even Hermione's glares had made a difference so far, which Harry found somewhat more unsettling than his actual behaviour. For Ron to not give in to Hermione, something had to be more important to him than appeasing her.
By far the most welcome change at Grimmauld Place was being more open about his relationship with Daphne. While they refrained from obvious displays around Ron and Hermione, having admitted their feelings meant there was no need for secrecy any more. As a consequence, it hadn't taken long for Daphne to forgive Harry's past inattention. More than once, Kreacher had interrupted their private moments in some corner of the house. In fact, Harry had thought he'd seen the elf's lips twitch when he had bowed to them, but asking about it seemed too much like admitting defeat. An unexpected downside of admitting their relationship and feelings for each other became apparent about mid-February. While she seemed perfectly willing to enjoy the moments all around during the day, Daphne had stopped her visits at night completely for reasons he couldn't quite understand. She had been perfectly fine strolling into his room before, and she certainly didn't argue against spending time as a couple at day, but once it was time to turn in for the night, she kept her distance.
His nights were filled with mulling over the long-term plans weighing on his mind. He was no step closer to taking care of Nagini and had half a mind to get the snake's location out of Snape so that he could do a full-frontal attack, but always dismissed the idea whenever it seemed more tempting. Voldemort was many things, but there was no doubt he would not stay anywhere for long where he didn't have control over anything going on. Moreover, if the memories were anything to go by, Voldemort was far too fond of holding court to not have at least half-a-dozen people grovelling at his feet at any time of the day. Storming whatever stronghold they stayed in would be knowingly walking into a trap.
However, without Nagini out of the way, Voldemort might still be immortal, and Harry wasn't sure what would happen if he lost his body before the last of the Horcruxes was gone. And even if taking care of him first would work, Harry still didn't know how to get to arrange for Voldemort's death. A formal challenge to a duel? Voldemort might be arrogant enough, but he wouldn't show up alone, and once there'd be any serious risk of losing, even Voldemort wouldn't stick around, would he? Or maybe he wouldn't fight fair in the first place after the last duel with the pesky Boy-Who-Lived. So how could Harry get to Voldemort? So far, he only knew he had to lure the self-proclaimed dark lord out of hiding and turn the tables so fast even Voldemort couldn't react in time.
As the third week of February came to an end, Harry turned his attention towards Ron's suggestion and picked up their training. Unsurprisingly, Hermione was the best of his friends, already quick and with an impressive accuracy and extensive spell repertoire. Unfortunately, her lack of physical activity like Quidditch had resulted in a poor constitution. Ron on the other hand was blessed with stout, boorish strength Harry hoped he'd find a way to apply in combat. It was unlikely Ron would ever come close to a sophisticated duelling style, and he was either unwilling or unable to duck attacks which might one day cost him dearly, but if he managed to translate his determination into raw power, he might pull off an aggressive style that could force his opponents into the defence. Even an unmoving rock could break someone's toes, so why shouldn't Ron's stubbornness pay off similarly? Daphne had spent the most time training with Harry, and he was very happy with her growth. She had managed to develop her slippery style of constantly shifting, easily ducking attacks and striking like a viper. Whether it was the challenge he posed or the many hours spent training, she had developed very good reflexes as well, to the point that Harry was sure she would easily be a challenge for many, possibly even matching Death Eaters in skill.
After a training session with Hermione on the last day of February, Harry broached a subject he had so far kept out of for the most part.
"So, Hermione," he said, watching as she blew the remaining feathers in a corner to vanish them at once, "how are your lessons with Ron proceeding?"
She groaned. "You'd think he'd get it after a while, but no. It seemed promising at first. There's some basis to build on, I won't lie, and I think he wants to learn it. He certainly knows why he should, but I'm starting to think he cannot truly learn it. There is just too much of a jumble and too little control over his subconsciousness. He starts out acceptably –"
"High praise, coming from you," Harry put in, knowing enough about Hermione's standards and mentality.
"Well, like I said, there's something to build on already. I know he wouldn't have managed with the book anytime soon; he really needs someone to translate it into concepts he can understand. It's like describing a painting to someone who has never seen colours – he can't wrap his mind around how a mind works, but he can grasp the concept of locking away what he doesn't want seen. Unfortunately, he can't do it that well. He hides what he doesn't want seen, but only moments later, it bubbles back to the surface. And the things I see there, urgh! Did you know about Dean's... Wait, of course you'd know. I didn't, and I wish I still wouldn't. How am I supposed to look him in the eye the next time I meet him?"
"Like always?" Harry suggested, having a good idea what she was talking about. "It's not unheard of for people to buy –"
"And it doesn't bother you," she groaned.
"I have a dark lord after me. My life's been in danger for years, and frankly, I had better things to do than be bothered by why sometimes, Dean took so long to get ready in the morning," Harry pointed out. "His business, not mine. So Ron's lessons aren't going that well?"
"They're not progressing," Hermione complained. "He can block me out for a while, but not that much long than weeks ago during our first lesson. By now, I'd have hoped to have moved on, maybe work on refining his style or giving his protections the last look-over. How did you learn it, and not him?"
"First of all, I should be offended," Harry chuckled.
"I didn't mean –" Hermione began, scrunching up her face.
"I know what you meant. I wasn't the most studious guy around. Though I did usually get things done, and I'd like to think I managed just fine, all things considered. To answer your question, I had an incentive."
"So does he! He's your friend, but he needs to protect the secrets, your secrets! I can do it, you can do it. Daphne can do it."
He raised his eyebrow, not quite liking the sound of Hermione's words.
"I didn't mean it as an offence," she told him with a dismissive wave. "But she can do it. A Slytherin pureblood, so Ron should be working until his brain melted, if only to show he's at least as talented as her. His pride should demand he outdo her, shouldn't it? You can't claim he had or has any real fondness for her. I mean, I was bothered by her learning it, and not only because she might use it to hide something from us – which, yes, is well within her rights – but also because she was the outsider who for some reason was allowed to share that one secret of yours – Occlumency."
"Not sure whether I'd call it a secret, to be honest," Harry mused, "but go on."
"Well, you know what I mean. Before you told us, it was something between you, Ron, and me. I'd hoped Ron might see it as a challenge, but no, he's too busy thinking about... something," she told him, blushing slightly.
"About you," Harry replied with a snort.
"I don't know what you mean," she said, avoiding his eye. Harry was about to disagree, but stopped when she heaved a big sigh. "I do."
It was an odd moment to see her staring off into the distance looking for answers she didn't have. All through their friendship, she had almost always known what she wanted to say. She had always given the impression of knowing her way even if Harry didn't agree with her. She had been confident in her decisions in life, yet Harry had to remind himself that she was technically still only a very smart eighteen-year-old and didn't have the life experiences of someone else.
"I do know what you're talking about," Hermione repeated, pursing her lips, "and it's driving me mad. I've known Ron... I thought I knew Ron for –"
"Stop," Harry told her, holding up his hand. "You do know him. And you must have had some inkling –"
"Well, I didn't," she hissed, sending Harry a glare.
"What'd I do?"
"You..." She broke off, pinching the bridge of her nose as she took a few calming breaths. "You knew."
"So did a lot of people?" Harry pointed out.
"You sided with him," Hermione accused.
"Sides? Hermione, they don't matter here. Sure, I saw through Ron's act. I've been around him so much I wouldn't be surprised if I dreamed about him riding a hula dancing giraffe on a tightrope over a volcano and singing the theme from The Great Humberto, and I certainly paid enough attention to him to know how much he paid you. And I also spent enough time around you to know or guess that you aren't completely opposed to it."
"I – What?" she stammered.
"Hermione," Harry said, shaking his head in mock-disappointment, "I was there when you got angry over Ron's bumbled invitation to the Yule Ball. You were a lot angrier with him than you were with me –"
"You hadn't said anything quite so stupid," Hermione interjected, "And you had the tournament to worry about and a lot more pressure to actually get a presentable date in the first place."
"I was there when you showed up with Krum. You were beaming at me, but got nervous once Ron was with us. And yes," he continued, lifting a hand to stop her interruption, "I know his glares didn't make it any easier, the dance had probably still been on your mind, you were winded, maybe you were distracted by something, I know. Still, I was there when you joined us. And I was there when you butted heads with him after the ball. 'The next time there's a ball, don't ask me as your last option' or something?"
"Friends can go to balls," she muttered stubbornly, glancing to the side.
"And despite what you may think, I did notice the way you acted around Ron. And I wasn't the only one who picked up that he had a talent to get under your skin."
"That doesn't prove much," she tried. "We could be opposites – a lazy, easy-going boy and a hard-working, studious girl."
"If you say so. The point is, I knew where both of you are coming from, but I fail to see why that would put me on Ron's side."
"I... Look, Harry, I'm sorry I..." She broke off, running a hand through her hair. "This isn't easy for me. I thought I knew Ron. I thought I'd seen through him, that I had everything under control. That nothing could get past me. I know who Ginny is. I know what I can expect from her. I know who Lavender is and what to expect from her. I knew who Harry was and what to expect from him. I know who you are now and what to expect from you."
"I'm seeing a pattern there," Harry said with a smirk.
"Well, yes. And I thought I knew Ron and how he acted and reacted. And now I've seen into his mind and know I was wrong and can't help but wonder whether I really was that blind – and if I was, what does that say about me? If I miss that, what else didn't I pick up on? I already needed to stumble upon you and Daphne to see it, and know I don't even notice what's happening right under my nose?" She shook her head. "So what does that say about me? Apparently, even people who don't know us that well saw it. If I didn't even have a inkling..." She snorted humourlessly.
"Well," Harry mused, "maybe you simply blocked it out. You know, since you didn't want to think or focus on your... on Ron as anything but a friend, you might have ignored the signs. Of course, now that you're aware of them –"
"I can't not see them, yes. And I don't..." She broke off once more shrugging helplessly. With a chuckle, she added, "I don't know where I can find a book on how this works."
"Well," Harry pointed out, "you did seem to know what you were doing with Krum."
"Oh, Viktor was easy," Hermione sighed, only to blush brilliantly a moment later. "I meant, with him just visiting and all, there wasn't a big risk of... making things worse? I mean, I could have... Well, maybe not stabbed him or anything severe, but even if we had hated each other by the end of the night – evening! By the end of the evening!" She pointed a warning finger at Harry who had trouble keeping from grinning. "Even if Viktor and I had hated each other, we could have gone our separate ways at any time."
"So, a lot less consequences and responsibility," Harry summarized.
"Yes, something like that. Less meaning."
"Still, you liked giving relationship advice. To Ginny and me, I mean."
"Well, your love life would have affected me a lot less than my own," Hermione said with a shrug, "and I also thought you two were destined for each other. Being certain about that, what could have possibly gone wrong? Why not give advice? But this... ?" She pursed her lips. "This is big, and whatever I do, it is bound to have consequences that could mess up our lives."
"True," Harry admitted.
"And if I'm not even sure who I am, don't know any more about the world I'm living in, how can I be sure I won't make the biggest mistake of my life? I could ruin my friendship with Ron. I could mess up all of our friendships and forcing you to take a side. Do we really need that now?"
"It's not really my business," Harry told her, scratching his chin to buy himself some time, "but from where I'm standing, it'd take a lot to mess up our friendships that severely. I won't say it's impossible because we have both seen and heard enough impossible things to no longer discount anything, but you'd have to do a lot to destroy that much."
"You took a risk," Hermione spoke up, looking at him with a mix of hope and curiosity. "With Daphne. You gave it a try, and here you are."
"That's not," Harry tried, thinking about how to best phrase it, "well, not quite how it happened, I'd say."
"Well, you two are a couple, aren't you?" Hermione said, tilting her head. "So you must have decided at some point –"
"'Decided' might not be the right word," Harry interrupted, smiling as he glanced to the door, thinking back to the first kiss on New Year's.
"You never did tell me how that happened," Hermione mused, pursing her lips in thought.
"And I probably won't," he replied. "Not until I know what I want people to know and think about me."
"So I'm people now?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'd rather work out the story first just in case," he told her, smiling. "Not just my story, is it?You want to know what I think? About your situation, I mean? What I've learned from the vast dating experience of Harry Potter and Tom Riddle?"
She looked unsure of herself for a moment, likely second-guessing whether she could learn anything from him, but finally nodded.
"Well, Ron is an immature idiot. He's not yet grown up and stuck in his awkward teens. He... Hmm, how do I put this? He hasn't figured out how dating works, how and why boys and girls click and how and why they might not. A few years younger and he might try wooing you with a dead frog or something. Or he might pull your hair. You're a bit ahead of him in that respect. For the longest time, you were the most mature of us three. You could – ahh – take him by the hand, for example, and introduce him to the concepts he hasn't figured out yet. Point him in the right direction, and once he's got it, you'll be happier as well."
"Sounds a bit manipulative," Hermione pointed out.
"Not more or less than teaching someone manners. Or dancing or something. There's one widely accepted form of how there things work and not following causes more trouble than it's worth. And ask yourself whether you really want to spend the next months or years pining –"
"I'm not pining!" she complained.
"You know what I mean. Or you could enjoy this time as irresponsible teenagers. It might very well be the last chance for you to not care about the weight of the world. No nosey neighbours, no bossy boss, no taxing taxes."
"Taxes? Really, Harry?"
"Well, you aren't a stuffy old madam yet, tutting at unruly children. There's little stopping you from just doing whatever you want and seeing where it gets you. You're smart, no doubt about that, but you're also a human being. Feelings, instincts and wants aren't tied down by logic, and they answer to something less restrained and orderly than your mind might. So, do you want to... ? Err, I don't know. Drag him into a broom closet? Or... Hmm. Ruffle his hair?"
"Well, be that as it may," Hermione argued, "but there's more to a relationship than... than that." She gave a pointed look.
He shrugged. "No one said a partner has to be perfect. So what if Ron's a lazy, slobbish, immature idiot? Or rather, what if he is now? So you won't enjoy a fun soiree with him, and he probably won't want to go to the opera or something."
"I'm not overly fond of them either," Hermione admitted.
"A relationship need not be about what you can make your partner into, but what you can do with each other, right? If you inspire him to change his ways, awesome. But even if you can't, there's no reason to expect a partner to be perfect. Humans are flawed. He's flawed. You are flawed. Knowing you two, he'll probably make you mad half the time. Likewise, you'll probably nag him the other half."
"That's not... not very encouraging," Hermione told him, frowning. "Albeit a reasonable assumption based on our previous behaviour."
"Well, there will also be moments when it's neither – when you get along. Those tend to be fun, from what I know." He didn't quite manage to keep the smile off his face while thinking about the fun moments with Daphne.
"From what you know," Hermione repeated, her tone carrying a hint of doubt.
"Maybe, just maybe, you two should take a risk," Harry advised. "Maybe sit down and talk it through. It might clear your heads – or at least, it might help you get yourself sorted out – and afterwards, you'll be a lot more relaxed about matters."
She pursed her lips. "Let's assume you are right – and I'm not saying you are, but let's just say you are – I'm not certain I should. Ron's not... quite as bad as I sometimes make him out to be, but... can you imagine us being anything more than friends?"
"Can you?" Harry countered.
She didn't answer, and from the slight blush that shimmered on her cheeks, he had a good idea what she was thinking.
Then she heaved a sigh. "There might be something to it, I suppose," she admitted. "It's just something I never really put any thought into. It's not something you can read up on, and I've... Then again, you and Daphne seem to work fairly well, don't you?"
"I suppose so," he replied, shrugging. "She hasn't been complaining much lately."
Hermione looked as if she wanted to say something, but seemed to think better of it. "Well, Ron is immature, yes, but I'd hoped he'd get better over time. I mean, out of everything about him, that might very well be the worst. Quidditch has kept him somewhat in shape, I know he can apply himself when he wants to and he is loyal to friends and family, all of which is good and all. But... Well, he's still so... so Ron."
Harry snorted. "He's a class of his own, you mean?"
"Yes," Hermione laughed. "There's playful." She indicated a spot on her right, moving her hand slightly to her left. "Then there's childish and immature. And then," she added, moving as far as she could reach to the left, "there's Ron. And you know what, this is in part your fault. You got my hopes up of him finally growing out of it."
"I also have decades worth of memories of a manipulative, psychopathic, egoistic bastard," Harry reminded her.
"In both senses of the word," she sighed, smiling sadly. "I'm a bit offended you'd consider manipulation a good guideline for dating."
"Well, there isn't that much of a difference. 'You should have told her how ugly you find me' ring any bell?"
Hermione had the good grace to blush once more. "You could write a book about it, then. 'Scoring for experts through cruelty and mind tricks'?"
"Heh, yeah. But I'd have to stick his face on the cover," Harry laughed. "Maybe some day when I've made a name for myself so I'd get a better deal, but that doesn't help us now with you still hung up on –"
"I'm not hung up on him!" she protested.
"Fine, you aren't," he said with a roll of his eyes. "With you two not sorted out. It's still slightly more urgent than any potential book deals for me, and if you don't get moving soon, there'll be a lot of disappointed people who have money riding on this."
"Money riding... ? They bet on us?" Hermione asked, outraged.
"Probably," Harry replied with a shrug. "People around here bet on everything. The twins had a betting pool during the Triwizard Tournament, including whether I'd survive, remember? And with you two constantly at each other's throat... Well, you know how those things go."
"Sure, but we're friends," Hermione said, shaking her head.
"So are we, and we never had argument that were quite that... heated."
"So," she spoke up after a moment of silence, "you think Ron and I should just 'give it a try'? Harry, we're talking about relationships. If it doesn't work out, I cannot simply give it back to the dealer after a test drive and be done with it. This is serious."
"This coming from the girl who advised Ginny to... what was it? 'Date boys and get comfortable about it'? That's what you said in fifth year about Corner, that she tried to get some practice or something."
"Well, that's something completely different," she argued. "Ginny only dated Corner to get comfortable around boys, she didn't plan to... I don't know, think about her future or something."
"A lot less consequences if things don't work out?" Harry guessed. "A lot less responsibility?"
"I guess you could put it like that," Hermione agreed, "even though it was a bit –"
"So that was just her playing with him?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "Trying to get some experience?"
"Well, no. I mean, she knew what she was getting into and what it meant."
"Did he?" Harry asked, curious now.
"I would think so. I mean, we are talking about teenagers here. I'm frankly still aghast Hogwarts doesn't have some kind of health class to scare the children straight. Can you imagine what would happen if – say – Malfoy didn't pay attention? Or Crabbe and Goyle? And don't get me started on the girls! Do your honestly think teenagers care about responsibility? From your experience? Either one?"
Harry couldn't bring himself to disagree. Didn't he know from personal experience just how stupid teenagers could be? How he had acted around Cho? How she had acted around him? How Ron had acted around Hermione and vice versa? "So why can't you 'date boys and learn to get comfortable with it'? You did with Krum."
"I did not," she complained.
"You liked him?" Harry tried.
"Well, he was nice," she admitted. "And I can't deny that it wasn't... thrilling? And flattering, I guess. But this isn't about him, Harry."
"Fine, Ron and you then. Why not give it a try? Make it abundantly clear you don't know whether anything will ever come of it, whether you actually like him enough. He's an idiot, but he might just need a reason to take the next step. To overcome his uncertainty and lure him out into the world or something? Or you could wait until we're done here. Maybe that's more to your liking? Come to think of it, maybe that's even better – both of you would have room for yourself and a bit of distance."
"Not to mention, time," Hermione added, staring at the door in thought.
"And it could be fun," Harry concluded. "Just Ron and Hermione on a casual outing, enjoying the summer sun?"
Just Harry and Hermione talking about their feelings.
