It is rarely enjoyable to feel left …out of the loop, so they say. It is also rarely enjoyable to experience the event of being slighted, feeling that information…perhaps privileged information…was withheld from you. For on this snowy night, Ronald Weasley, best friend to Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, was feeling precisely this way. Left out. In the dark. Call it what you wish, but Ron was surely in disbelief that his two friends neglected to tell him something so…life changing.
After hearing the word 'baby,' he sure did feel one thing: …denial.
He thought to himself, 'Harry and Hermione? Baby? Are they nuts? No, this is just some joke, really…' and as he continued rehashing the scenario over and over in his mind, Harry and Hermione both had the wheels spinning in their heads as well. 'What were they going to tell him?...'
It was Harry who spoke first. He let go of Hermione's hand, and stepped forward towards the couch.
'Look, Ron…I know you're angry…but this is something I've…' looking at Hermione, '…we've been meaning to tell you…I mean it just happened you know?...we were just looking for the right time to tell you, or something…' Harry trailed off.
Ron took his gaze from Harry and placed it onto Hermione. With a scrunched-up look upon his face, he spoke to Hermione:
'You think that this is OK, that I'm just going to be like, 'Oh great my two best friends decided to hook up one night, and now they're going to be parents and all this…all this in the…in the middle OF A WAR?!? ' Ron's speech became rapid and echoed within the common room.
'Ron,' said Hermione, taking a few steps forward to sit next to Ron on the sofa in front of the fireplace, 'stop yelling. For Christ sake, did you think this was planned?!...did you honestly think that I did this on purpose?!...' asked Hermione, her voice cracking and tears beginning to fill her eyes.
'No!' shouted Ron, '…but it's still…I mean…seriously guys, ' his voice becoming a bit softer, '…what are you going to do? I mean this is all real, isn't it? I'm not dreaming?...' And as he looked at Harry and Hermione, the pair silently shook their heads no.
'Blimey…' Ron uttered softly. 'Did you tell…anyone? I mean I know I'm pissed that I just found out and all, but…I mean you have to tell the Order eventually. They'll find out you know… and boy, they are gonna be pissed –' said Ron.
'Yea Ron…we know,' interjected Harry, the sound of defeat unmistakable in his voice.
'Well, for now,' said Hermione, '…it's you me and Harry that know…Oh and Madame Pomfrey…' and she added with a quiet voice, looking down at the carpet, '…and Professor Snape,' she added, her voice trailing off quietly.
'Snape?!' shouted Ron, 'what the hell does he have to do with all of this? You're joking, right?!'
'No, he was…he is…,' Harry stammered, and then defiantly stated, 'Ron he can help us. He told us that Voldemort knows about Hermione and I…and that he's going to do something about it. We don't know what, yet, but…we know he's up to something,' Harry said to Ron.
After a long pause, a pause in which Ron took time to soak in this new information, he looked at his best mate. 'Are you sure?' he asked.
Harry replied with a sad look in his eyes, 'Yea…he knows, Ron…'
Ron again took this into consideration. His two best friends were perhaps in more trouble now than ever before. True, he was upset at the way he found out this relatively new information. But even so, he worried for them.
Ron looked up at Hermione. 'What can I do? I mean…how can I help? I…I don't know anything about babies, but…but I'm willing to do anything' Ron said quietly.
Hermione, touched by his willingness, spoke no words, but instead slowly grabbed hold of his hand, held on to it, and choked back a sob.
Harry simply looked at the floor. 'There's something else…' he said, not looking at Ron.
Turning his gaze from Hermione to Harry, Ron asked, 'What is it, mate?'
Harry took a deep breath in, and then exhaled. He walked to the window pane, a few feet from where Hermione and Ron sat. Looking at the accumulation of snow in the courtyard, he spoke: 'It's about Snape,' he continued. 'We made him…well he kind of agreed to it…Ron, we asked him to be our secret keeper…you know, in case anything happens…' trailed Harry's voice, as he continued to focus his gaze through the window pane.
For this had pained Harry to tell this to his best friend. Wasn't Ron the logical choice for a secret keeper? He was a good guy, down to earth, would do anything, anything for his two best friends. And yet they chose a man, a man with a tarnished soul, a man who Harry wasn't sure if he completely trusted, to keep them safe should the occasion arise. Did thismake sense at all? Harry's mind was full of thoughts such as these until Ron interrupted his musings:
'What?!' was all Ron said. 'Him?..Snape as secret keeper - Oh now wait, this has gone way too far,' Ron said, standing up, yelling at Harry.
'Ssh, Ron,' said Hermione. 'You'll wake everyone up!'
'I don't care!!' yelled Ron, looking at Hermione.
'Ron, really…' said Harry, peeling his gaze from the window and looking at Ron's face, full of hurt.
'Really what?!' said Ron. 'Sure, let's make Snape secret keeper! Really Hermione, I thought you had more brains than that!' shouted Ron at Hermione.
And perhaps it was hormones, perhaps it was the mere fact that Ronald Weasley could not keep his big mouth shut at three in the morning and risked waking up the other Gryffindor students, but whatever it was, Hermione sat up off the couch, looked at Ron with wild eyes, and spoke sternly to him:
'RON STOP IT!' She pointed a finger at him, travelling ever so dangerously closer to him as she spoke: 'You!...you are our best friend!...Ron, this whole thing is so complicated! You don't even know the half of it…How I feel when I think I have to explain to the Order what we've done…How I have to look at Harry and feel as though I've ruined his life…'At this Harry, shuffled his feet refusing to look at Hermione, and she continued: 'I…I have no idea what I'd do if I lost you, Ron …OK!? Maybe that's why we didn't choose you…you mean the world to us…' and she continued to yell at him, voice cracking, and tears beginning to roll down her flushed cheeks.
'Snape - he knows other information that no one else knows…he has the heads-up should something happen…and…oh Ron,' and with this, Hermione broke down, plopped back on the couch, and sobbed. She sobbed and wept, head in her hands. The kind of sobbing where one shakes, and may even have a hard time catching their breath. And all of a sudden it hit her like a ton of bricks. Hermione just couldn't take it - Her own words stung her:
…she ruined Harry's life.
Ron at once, feeling immediate remorse, sat down with her, placing an arm around her shoulder and spoke soft words of comfort: 'Ssh, Hermione…look…I'm sorry…about yelling at you…I'm just upset, that's all. It's…it's just a lot to take in on one night,' said Ron, trying to calm Hermione. And all Harry could do was watch in the shadows as Ron comforted Hermione. It wasn't that he didn't love her, because he did. More than he knew. It was, at the moment, difficult for Harry to find words to sooth Hermione, for he did not know what to tell her. He didn't want her to feel guilty, guilty for something that was equally his fault. His fault, he thought to himself. Well , the hell with that, he thought.
'Hermione,' he stated boldly, walking over to her, '…this is going to work. We're going to make it. Don't you ever…ever think for one moment that you ruined my life. I love you, with all my heart! This is something that we should be happy about, not a dark cloud over our heads…' and Harry kneeled on one knee in front of her and grasped her head in his hands.
'Hey, look at me…' he asked Hermione, the softness unmistakable in his voice. With his hands on either side of her face, she looked up, eyes blood shot, nose red.
'I love you Hermione. I really do. ' Harry whispered, at which Ron piped up, '…and I love you too Hermione…well, like a sister…you know, best friend… oh you know what I mean…' at which Hermione chuckled a little at Ron's embarrassment. Harry turned to Ron and smiled a small smile at him, which was in fact reciprocated by Ron.
Hermione took a deep breath. Perhaps things were going to be OK.
The three kept silent for a brief moment, before Hermione spoke to the boys: 'Oooh..' she groaned, looking at the grandfather clock, 'it's 3 AM already?! I really need to get some rest, I still have to go over some Transfiguration for tomorrow's class,…' Hermione said.
'Yea, we'd better be off too,' said Harry, looking at the clock as well.
Ron stood up and outsretched his arms to Hermione. She smiled, and gave him a hug. 'It's going to be alright…' he whispered to her. She smiled with her eyes closed, and returned the hug. Ron gave her a half smile, a typical Weasley grin, and started up the steps to his dormitory.
Harry lingered for a moment. Hermione looked at Harry. He spoke to her, 'Well, you should be off too – after all, what, we'll get a solid four hours sleep or so...' she chuckled, looking at him.
'Yea, I know,' said Hermione.
'Hermione, listen..' stated Harry, looking at Hermione, '…I know this…all of this…is really sudden. I mean, not sudden, but you know…it's just unexpected and all…' said Harry. 'I don't want this to change anything between us…I mean I want things to continue, I meant what I said before, Hermione…I really do love you…' said Harry, stepping closer to Hermione.
'I know, Harry…I love you too,' said Hermione, looking at Harry. He stepped closer to her, stroked the side of her cheek with his hand, and embraced her, and before long, the embrace became much more passionate. After a few moments, Hermione broke the kiss, and said breathlessly, 'Harry, this is what got us in trouble in the first place,' an amused look on her face. Harry smiled and just looked at her. 'I know, I know…hey, how about going to Hogsmede with me this weekend. We can grab a nice lunch, you know, just the two of us…' said Harry.
'That sounds lovely,' said Hermione, looking into Harry's eyes. In an instant, a yawn consumed her, and Harry laughed at her. 'Come on – off to bed you go,' ushered Harry. Hermione smiled, and with one final kiss, Harry and Hermione parted ways for the night.
The morning would bring much more…excitement, perhaps. For Minerva McGonagle was, at this time, unable to sleep as well. She too had noticed that two of her pupils had traveled up to Gryffindor Tower quite late that evening, and when she had arrived in her quarters and summoned Severus Snape in the fireplace to speak to him regarding Order business, he was not in his rooms. 'How odd,' she thought to herself. A mere coincidence, no? With a flowered tea cup full of earl grey in her hand, she sat by her fireplace and contemplated her thoughts.