Like Parents, Like Teens
Part 2
A/N: Hi again! Let's get the chappie started!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter…or his friends….or his enemies.
I dedicate this chapter to Ms. Selly, my wonderful sis.
"This will be a simulation of…marriage." Ron's mouth seemed to touch his chest.
"Marriage?" he squeaked. Hermione simply nodded.
"Understandable." She waited silently for Dumbledore to continue, as he had stopped due to the huge murmur that had risen from the students.
"What's understandable?" Harry hissed, but didn't receive an answer.
"Now, I can understand that you are all greatly shaken up about this," Dumbledore's voice echoed in the silent hall. "But we are doing this to help your communication skills, as you will see that this is sometimes very hard to do. The simulation will also help you understand what it is like to have commitment. Now that is enough speech for tonight! Tomorrow morning I would like all 5th, 6th, and 7th year students to report here in the great hall. But until then, let us feast!" He sat as chatter returned to the hall, and food appeared on the golden platters.
Through the delicious feast, the trio was unusually silent, all thinking about the announcement. As the last of the food disappeared from the plates, Hermione and Ron stood and beckoned the first years toward them. Harry followed the mass with the rest of the Gryffindor population.
That night, as he lay in the solitude of his four-poster, Ron pondered the days events. His thoughts wandered back to the reunion with Hermione and he put his hand to his cheek…..Hermione had just called them, and was running over. She hugged Harry. Then she turned to Ron, hugged him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She pulled away, white wedding dress glistening in the lamps of Platform 9 3/4….Ron drifted into sleep, memory turning to dream.
Waking with a start, Ron shook his head. Hermione in a wedding dress, Harry drifting into oblivion, being clutched by a floating leather miniskirt. What a weird dream. Pulling back the curtain of his four-poster he saw Harry doing the same.
"You okay?" Harry asked him.
"Yeah, fine." Ron quickly pulled on a pair of pants and shirts. Pulling on their robes, the two boys raced down the staircase into the common room, where Neville, Hermione, Seamus, Dean, and Ginny were all talking.
"What took you so long?" Neville asked. "I was up ages ago," he complained.
"Since we're all here, lets get going," Hermione prodded briskly, and led them out of the portrait hole.
Entering the great hall, the seven of them sat down next to Parvati, Lavender, Katie, a few other seventh years, and a couple of fifth years. Lavender started giggling as soon as she saw Seamus and started batting her eyelashes at him. The Irish boy smiled back uneasily then began talking to Neville.
"Well, well, well," an unfortunately familiar, drawling voice came from behind Ron, Hermione, and Harry. "If it isn't Potty and the weasel. And I see you've got the mudblood tracking dirt around after you," he smirked as his cronies laughed dumbly.
"Malfoy," Ron growled turning around. "Don't call her a mudblood!" he made a move to stand and Crabbe and Goyle started rolling up their sleeves. Seeing this, Hermione grimaced imagining Ron's head, squished.
"Just ignore him," she told Ron, pulling him back into his seat.
"Hello students." The headmaster's voice drifted through the doorway, sending Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle back to the Slytherin table.
"You are here, so we may pick our married couples." Dumbledore stood in front of them. The students cringed. Ignoring this, Dumbledore continued. "We will pick names randomly from each year, though from each house. Professor McGonagall, if you would please." The deputy-headmistress brought up four baskets, each with slips of paper in them.
"In order to do this, we will do it the muggle way," he smiled then stepped aside to allow McGonagall to pass.
"All right! Listen up." She stood in front of them. She called off Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. "Slytherin! Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy." Pansy squealed and turned to look admiringly at the now smirking Malfoy. She paired both Crabbe and Goyle with two 7th year girls and did the rest of the house.
Hermione stiffened in her seat. It was their turn now.
"Gryffindor! Harry Potter and Parvati Patil!" Harry groaned as Parvati turned to him and smiled. "Neville Longbottom and Katie Bell!" Neville and Katie sighed unhappily. "Ginny Weasley and," Ron straitened up as did Ginny. Dean looked hopeful. "Dean Thomas!"
"Yes!" Ginny cried and was echoed by Dean. The couple smiled at each other.
"Lavender Brown and Seamus Finnigan!" Lavender started madly batting her eyelashes at Seamus again.
"Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger!" Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, both slightly relieved at being paired with a friend. Ron's uneasiness grew, though, as he remembered the dream. The rest of the names called, Dumbledore returned to the front.
"Now, we will have events and schedules for each of our couples. You will find you each have a room connected to the common room for personal use. Ron snorted.
"As if we'll ever need that!" Hermione glared at him.
"Oh yes we will! This is just like another assignment and I will get an A," with that, Hermione turned her attention back to Dumbledore, leaving Ron staring at her, outraged.
"You are dismissed," Dumbledore said to the students.
"You can't mean that Hermione!" Ron gaped, following her up and out of the Great Hall, arguing with her. Harry shook his head chuckling, but stopped when Parvati latched onto his arm.
"Hello…..husband," she giggled furiously as Harry rolled his eyes. The couples, some overjoyed and others downright outraged, headed out the great hall doors and up the winding stairs to the portrait of the fat lady.
"Password?" she smiled down at them.
"-bloody controlling,-" Ron muttered.
"Correct," she swung open. Harry's best friend looked up, amazed.
"The password is 'bloody controlling'?" he asked in shock.
"Of course not," Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's 'pickled parsnip'."
"Well how was I supposed to know?"
"You're a prefect Ron! Really! Well, aren't you coming?" She glanced at Harry, still being held captive by Parvati. She grabbed Ron's wrist and stalked through the portrait hole, dragging Ron with her.
The cosy Gryffindor common room looked the same as always, except on the walls were large wooden doors. The all had small plaques located on the front. Hermione walked up close to the wall, Ron in tow. She scrutinized the bronze plaques.
"Mr. And Mrs. Harry Potter, Mr. And Mrs. Dean Thomas," she muttered under her breath. "Mr. And Mrs. Neville Longbottom." She straightened. "Ah, here we are. Mr. And Mrs. Ronald Weasley."
She released Ron, looking at him to see if he was interested in witnessing this moment, but he was whimpering and rubbing his wrist tenderly.
She opened the door, to see a large scarlet couch emblazoned with the Gryffindor lion. It was placed next to a small brick fireplace, which offered a homey feeling to the room. There was a wooden table, with a tablecloth to match the couch. The walls were a very light red, and the carpeting was a creamy color. Off to the side, seemingly unimportant was a small card table. On it's surface rested a piece of paper.
Ron followed Hermione in, a look of awe on his face. Walking past Hermione, who was lounging on the couch, he walked over to the card table. He picked up the piece of paper.
"Hey, Hermione," he joked. "It looks like the house elves have been listening to you." He waved the scrap in the air. " They're getting messier by the day!" She looked at him seriously.
"Do you really think so?" The honest look on her face made Ron uneasy. He thought someone as smart as her ought to realize that he had just been joking. He didn't want to hurt her feelings... Ron gulped.
"Uh…yeah, why else would I say it?" he found that at this time, the scrap very interesting. He turned around, inspecting it. Ron surprised Hermione by interrupting her speech on S.P.E.W. "Hey, Hermione," he stated slowly. "There's writing on this thing."
"Well what does it say?" she demanded impatiently.
"Don't be so pushy," he snapped back. " It reads:
Good evening 5th, 6th, and 7th years.
These slips of paper will be our way of communicating special events to you.
If you do not check every day, then you will most likely become very befuddled when you classmates are doing strange things. Thank you, and good night.
Albus Dubmledore
"See, I knew that this sheet of paper was important! If it had been just you, we'd never have figured it out! Good thing you've got me around!" Ron declared looking very proud of himself.
"You are so…." Hermione gritted her teeth. She sighed exasperatedly, and stormed out of their "couple room".
Bursting into the common room, Hermione strode up the girls staircase, violently pushing Parvati, who had been waving at a tired-looking Harry, aside. After both girls had disappeared behind the slammed door, Harry turned to look at Ron, who was emerging from the door, looking equally as confused.
"What did you say?" he asked.
"I don't know," Ron replied, bewildered. The teens glanced up at the girls dormitories.
"Women."
A/N: I like Ginny/Harry, but this is really a Ron/Hermione story. Sorry to all those GWHP fans out there. Short chapter, I know. Next chapter is written completely from Hermione's POV. R&R!
KW