MISSING MOMENTS: DEATHLY HALLOWS
CHAPTER THREE:
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything relating to Harry Potter. I am merely a fan, wanting to fill in some of the missing moments in JKR's brilliant book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Despite the fact that there was no way Voldemort or any of his cronies could have found out that they were going to get Harry a couple days early, Hermione Granger was still anxious about their mission that was to take place later that day. And it didn't help a bit that she had been up half the night with nightmares of Voldemort attacking them. Hermione had accepted the fact that she wasn't about to get anymore sleep and had made her way to the kitchen for a cup of tea. She sat by herself at the kitchen table, a nice hot cup of tea warming her chilled hands. It was still too early for anyone else to be up and about. She took in a deep breath, hoping the rich aroma of the tea would calm her nerves. There was nothing to be worried about. She told herself. They would go fetch Harry and everyone would make it back all right. Their plan was full proof. What could possibly go wrong? Hermione thought back to their first meeting, when they came up with the plan to get Harry. Mundungus had suggested that they make decoys so that if any Death Eaters had found out, they wouldn't know which was the real Harry. It had seemed like a really good plan. Hermione was impressed with it at any rate. But, then why did Mundungus act so frightened when he was told that he was to be one of the Harrys? What was he so scared of? Everyone kept saying that there was no way Voldemort could find out the change, but then why was everyone acting so timid whenever the idea of actually going to get Harry came up? Did they expect Voldemort to find out? No one could possibly learn of the plan unless someone from inside the Order were to tell them. Did Moody and the others expect someone to reveal the plan? Hermione shook that thought from her head. They didn't have to worry about that. Everyone in the Order wanted best for Harry, even Mundungus, who had previously stolen from him. Sure he might be a spineless thief, but he would never put Harry in danger. I have got to stop thinking of this, she thought to herself.
In hopes of putting something else on her mind, Hermione looked out of the window. The sun was up and the birds were twittering happily to each other. It made Hermione smile. How could she be scared on such a bright cheerful day? The sky was already that brilliant blue that reminded her so of Ron. When ever he would get really excited about something, like when he won a Quidditch match or a game of Wizards Chess, his eyes would change to the brightest blue Hermione had ever seen. Even when he was trying to contain his excitement, his eyes would always give him away. Hermione sighed. He had really grown up this past couple of months. Hermione wasn't sure what it was, but something about him was different. He no longer tried to fight with her and was always there whenever she needed someone to talk to. It was so different, and although Hermione liked the new Ron much more, a piece of her wished he would act more like his old self. She just wasn't used to this new, mature and caring Ron. What had made him change so? Was it the death of Dumbledore and the realization that the three of them would be on their own? Or was it everything that happened with Lavender the previous year?
Hermione was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice that Ginny had bounded into the kitchen in search of some food. "Good morning" she said, rather chipper. "What are you so happy about?" Hermione asked amused, she knew exactly why Ginny was in such a good mood. Ginny shrugged. "It's a nice day," she replied. "Oh, so it has nothing to do with a certain Mr. Potter who is to be arriving later?" Hermione asked raising an eyebrow at the red head. Ginny blushed the customary Weasley red and smiled sheepishly. "It might," she laughed. "So what are you doing down here so early?" Ginny asked, buttering herself some toast and sitting down across from Hermione. "Couldn't sleep," she answered. "Yeah, I heard you up most of the night," she nodded, taking a bite from her toast. "Sorry, I was trying to be quite." "It's okay, I was too excited to really sleep anyway," Ginny said. Hermione smiled. Ginny was so open about everything. Why couldn't she be like that? Why couldn't she just confess that she was crazy about Ron? Ginny obviously had no problem letting everyone know that she was nuts about Harry. It almost made Hermione jealous of Ginny. She wished she could just come out and ask Ron if he felt the same way about her. Maybe she would just do what Ginny did and start making out with him in the middle of a crowd. Hermione shook her head, no that wasn't right. Sure that's something Ginny would do, but Hermione would never have the nerve to do that.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked. Hermione had momentarily forgotten that Ginny was sitting in front of her. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking of something," she said, turning pink. What would Ginny say if she knew that Hermione was trying to think of a way to tell Ron she liked him? She would probably take the mickey out of her, Ron was Ginny's brother after all. Ginny gave Hermione skeptical look and Hermione knew that she knew that she wasn't telling her everything. "Is the bathroom free? I have to take a shower," Hermione said quickly, changing the subject. "Yeah, I think. But you never know in this house," Ginny said finishing off her breakfast. Hermione stood and left Ginny in the kitchen. She felt a bit jittery. That was a close one, she thought as she climbed the stairs.
Ron awoke with a start. The ghoul in the attic banged away on his pipes as the birds outside chirped as loudly as they could. Ron was surprised he had managed to sleep through all the racket. Seeing as there was no way he was going to get anymore shut eye, Ron rolled out of bed and got dressed. As he did every morning, Ron went through the things he had to do that day. His mum would probably have a list of her own for him, they had been preparing for the wedding for a month now. With that in mind he added a few of his own tasks to the list. Ask Dad about the ghoul and get Mum to agree. That was the first thing he had to do. Second, get Harry. That was probably going to be the toughest. Hopefully everything would go as planned.
Ron made his way downstairs. He had to use the bathroom, but steam was emitting from beneath the door, a clear indication that someone was using it. So Ron continued the journey to the kitchen.
The sound of sizzling sausages met Ron's ears as he entered. Molly hummed happily as she flipped over a sausage. She's cooking by hand, Ron noted. That was a distinct sign that she was in a good mood. Brilliant, he thought. He sat down at the table beside Ginny who had already finished her breakfast. "Good morning," she said. "How come your in such a good mood?" Ron asked. For as long as he had known her, Ginny was never a morning person and today it seemed as though she had suddenly changed. "It's a nice day," she repeated. Ron gave her a questioning look. What was up with her? But before he had a chance to ask, Ginny got up and left.
"What's her deal?" Ron asked his mother. Molly turned around. "Oh, it is quite a nice day isn't it?" she said, before turning back to the sausages. "Do you want some breakfast, love?" "Er," his stomach growled loudly, answering the question for him. Molly chuckled as she placed some sausages and toast on a plate before him. "Thanks, Mum," he said before digging into his food. Why were they acting so weird? Ron wondered as he ate. Was he missing something?
"Is Dad home?" Ron asked, as he finished the last of his sausages. "He's out in the shed. Tell him to come in and eat before breakfast gets cold," she replied, flipping another sausage. "Okay." Ron dashed out of the kitchen and into the bright sunlight. It took him a couple of seconds for his eyes to adjust, but once they did he continued to his dad's shed.
As Ron opened the door a puff of purple smoke engulfed him. As the smoke cleared Ron could make out his dad bent over what looked to be a large Muggle motor bike. "Er, Dad?" Ron asked, making his presence known. Arthur Weasley looked up from what he was doing, his entire face was blackened with soot. Arthur pulled off the pair of ordinary Muggle swim goggles he was wearing to protect his eyes. Ron chuckled to himself. With the goggles off Arthur looked like a reversed raccoon. His whole face was completely black except for the areas around his eyes. They were as white as snow compared to the dirt. "Just a second, Ron," Arthur picked up his wand, which had been lying on the work bench beside him. He pointed it at his face and muttered "Scourgify." Instantly Arthur was so clean, you would have never thought he had just been working on a dirty bike.
Arthur sat on down on the work bench and looked at his youngest son. "You wanted to talk?" he asked. "Um, yeah," Ron had no idea what he was going to say. He didn't think to think it over before coming to ask. He had just acted on impulse.
"Well, the thing is, we, Harry, Hermione and I, we're not going back to Hogwarts," Ron said. He paused, waiting to see what his dad's reaction would be. As he had hoped, his dad was uncommonly calm. He could just imagine what his mother would say when he told her that they weren't going back. She knew they were talking about it but she had tried to stamp on that idea the second she heard it. What would she do when she found out that they actually intended on not going?
"Ron, I got that impression already," Arthur sighed.
"Right, well, you see, Hermione and I, we thought of a story to tell the school. You know, so that it doesn't look like I'm with Harry."
"And what's the story?"
"Well, we were thinking of telling them that I have Spattergroit."
"Ron, you realize that they're probably going to check up to see if that's true-"
"Yeah, I know, that's where I need your help. You see, the ghoul can play my part. We can put it in my bed, dress it up as me and give it some purple spots."
"But that ghoul doesn't look a thing like you. Just putting it in your clothes isn't going to do the job."
"I know, that's what Hermione said. But we'll give it red hair and when they come to check, we'll make it lay in my bed. They won't really be able to see him and they won't come to close since it's so dangerous."
"Hmm. That might actually work," Arthur said, considering Ron's plan over. "Do you think Mum will agree to it?" Ron asked. "I'll see what I can do. Let's make the ghoul over first and then we'll try to talk her into it."
Ron couldn't hold back his smile. "Great. Thanks Dad. I've got to go tell Hermione." As Ron ran out of the shed, Arthur smiled and shook his head before putting the goggles back on and getting back to work on his bike.
Ron had just stepped out of the shed when he remembered his Mum's orders. He stuck his head back in. "Hey, Dad. Mum wants you to go eat breakfast before it gets cold," he shouted in. "Tell her I'll be up in a minute." Arthur replied, tapping his wand on the motorbike in various places.
After Hermione finished her shower and ate breakfast, she retreated to the back garden. It had become a sort of safe haven for her. A place where she could think freely and not have to worry about hiding her true feelings. The garden was such a wild place, with all the gnomes running around and the weeds growing anywhere they pleased, and yet, it brought a sense of comfort to her. No matter how many times she sat in that garden, nothing changed. The same gnomes played in the same plants that grew along the same crooked stone wall. She liked that. In a way, it reminded her of her life. With the war, everything around her was spiraling out of control, and yet she always had the same people around her, who were always there when she needed them most.
Thinking back to her life before the war, she couldn't believe how much it had changed. Hermione smiled as she remembered the first time she met Harry and Ron. They had been in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, buried in a pile of sweets and she had been helping Neville look for his toad. Why had he been so worried about that toad? She wondered. At any rate, he would have been better off without it. They had all been so little then. Harry with his too big clothes, Ron with a streak of dirt on his nose. And her with her bushy hair and big teeth. She no longer had the big teeth, but her hair hadn't improved much, though she did learn how to manage it. Ginny had showed her some potions and tricks she could use to make it a bit more tolerable and she had found a couple of years ago, that fixing it in a braid really helped. Hermione sighed, life had really changed. Now a days they couldn't even walk in Diagon Alley on their own. And to think just a couple years ago, they had stayed in Diagon Alley, right at the Leaky Cauldron. To stay there now would be unthinkable, not with the Death Eaters swooping down every other night to kidnap innocent people. Poor Ollivander, she thought. Even though he was a little weird, he didn't deserve what had happened. Who knew how painful it had been. They had probably tortured him until the very end.
Hermione looked up to the heavens. The bright blue sky, spread above her, going on for ever. Absolutely endless. Tufts of white clouds floated above, randomly dispersed. How could such bad things be happening? She asked herself. It didn't seem possible. Everything was just so wonderful. It was such a nice day. Hermione smiled. It really was a nice day, but that certainly wasn't the reason Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were so happy. And poor Ron, he had no idea what was going on. He really could be completely clueless sometimes. But still, she couldn't help but love him.
Hermione sighed. She had to tell him and soon. It was one of those situations, when you keep a secret for so long that it builds and builds inside you, and then it gets to the point where it just gets too big to keep in. It was at that point and Hermione was afraid that if she kept it in much longer, she would just burst out and tell him, no matter where she was or who was around. Hermione's cheeks felt warm just thinking about how embarrassing that would be. Immediately the image of her sitting at the dinner table, surrounded by all the Weasley's filled her head. Meaning to ask Ron to pass her the plate of roles, Hermione would open her mouth to have the words 'I love you, Ron!' escape accidentally. Hermione buried her face in her hands. Although it was highly unlikely that something like that would ever happen, she couldn't help but feel humiliated at the thought.
But still, she couldn't risk it. She would have to get him on his own soon and just let him know how she felt, if nothing else but to get it off her chest. Hermione tapped her feet nervously. What if he didn't share the same feelings? What if she confessed her love for him and he just laughed in her face? Surely, Ron wouldn't do that to you, she thought to herself. After all, just yesterday he held your hand. Remember?
"That's true," Hermione said out loud, answering her inner thoughts. He had held her hand. But maybe that was just because he knew she was upset. Maybe the was just trying to be a good friend. Hermione groaned. Why did all of this have to be so difficult? Did everyone go through these same uncertainties?
Just as Hermione was having an inner battle with herself, she heard the sound of Mr. Weasley's shed door shut with a loud bang. Startled by the sudden sound, Hermione looked up, like a deer caught in headlights, to see the very person she wanted to speak to, making his way back to the house.
This is it, she thought. There's no one else around to embarrass yourself in front of and if he doesn't share mutual feelings, you'll be so busy helping with the wedding you won't even see him. Taking a deep breath, Hermione stood up and walked briskly over to Ron.
"Hey," said a shaky voice behind him. Although the voice wasn't loud or frightening, Ron jumped about a foot in the air, before turning around to see Hermione standing behind him. "Merlin's pants, Hermione, you nearly gave me a heart attack," he exclaimed. "Sorry," she replied sheepishly. She certainly hadn't meant to scare him, she just wanted to get his attention without disturbing the occupants of the Burrow. All the windows of the house had been thrown open and Hermione knew that some of the members inside were still sleeping.
"Er, could we talk?" she asked. Ron couldn't help but notice how nervous she looked. And was she always that small? Ron thought to himself. Maybe it was just because she didn't have that confident air about her at the moment. Ron shrugged. "Sure, let's go inside. I think Mum's still cooking," he replied, starting to walk toward the back door. "Actually, I've already eaten. Do you think we could talk out hear, away from everyone," she almost whispered the last part of her sentence. Ron gave her a quizzical look. What was her deal? "Uh, yeah, sure." He gestured over toward the edge of the orchard. It was far away from the house that their voices wouldn't carry, but it wasn't too terribly far. Hermione took the lead, walking slowly toward the trees.
Although, it was three to four minute walk to the trees, Hermione felt as though it took about two milliseconds to reach them. Hermione stopped beneath one of the first trees they came to. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Ron asked, his hands concealed inside the pockets of his old denim pants. "The thing is, I-I want to- No, have to tell you something. I've been wanting to talk to you for a while now, actually it's been years and I just have never been able to find the courage to do it," Hermione was rambling now, unsure of what to say.
"Hermione, wait, what are you trying to say?" he asked, completely confused. What did she mean, she'd been trying to talk to him for years. She had been talking to him for years, they were best friends!
"I-I guess" Hermione took another deep breath, trying as hard as she could to keep her voice from trembling. Hermione looked down a her feet as she spoke. "I guess I'm t-trying to s-say that, I love you." She started out louder at the beginning and as she continued to speak, her voice got lower and lower so that she had just mouthed the words 'I love you'.
"You're going to have to talk a little louder," Ron said, with a smirk on his face. He had an idea of what she had said, but he wanted to be sure. Hermione looked up at him, his blue eyes the same color as the sky. "I love you," she whispered. Although she had hardly spoken any louder than before, Ron had no doubts in his mind about what she had said, but still he couldn't believe it. Hermione waited for a reaction of some sort. Say something, she urged him silently. Hermione had never felt more nervous than she did at that moment, standing there under an apple tree with her best friend.
"Y-you what?" he managed to stutter out. There was no way she was actually saying that she loved him, not after all the years of bickering and arguing and especially not after last year. It just wasn't possible. Hermione lowered her gaze again, choosing to stare at the emerald grass beneath their feet. That's it, she thought. He doesn't like you. She felt her face fill with heat and her eyes stung with tears. Could this be anymore embarrassing? She wondered. "Ron, listen, I shouldn't have said anything. Let's just forget this ever happened," she said, not daring herself to look at him. She went to turn around and walk back to the house, when he grabbed her wrist.
"Wait, don't go. I-" Ron didn't know what to do. Should he repeat her words? Should he kiss her? What was a bloke to do when the girl he loves says that she loves him? He couldn't just kiss her right then. What if she didn't want to? He had never had problems like this with Lavender. Probably because he hadn't actually loved her, he thought. Ron looked at Hermione's face. She had a mixture of emotions on her face. Anxious, as if she didn't know whether or not she wanted to hear what he was going to say and hopeful, like she knew exactly what she wanted him to say. Ron wet his bottom lip, which had suddenly dried out. "I, uh, I like you, too. I mean, I like you a lot." Why is it, that at moments like this, you can never get out what you want to say? Ron asked himself. "What I mean to say is, I-I love you, too," he finally managed.
Hermione's face split into, what one would describe as, an ear-to-ear smile. "You're serious?" she asked, making sure he wasn't just saying it to spare her feelings. "Well, uh, yeah," he replied grinning. Hermione wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug. "Good," was all she said.
A/N: Well, I really didn't know where I was going with that one. It was just kind of a filler. I always liked to think that Ron and Hermione actually got together at the beginning and just kept it a secret so that they wouldn' t be distracted during the hunt. I keep trying to tell my sister and friends that, but they don't agree with me. LOL Anyway, I'm sorry this one is really that good, I just felt bad that I hadn't updated this one in quite a while. So, I felt you deserved at least one chapter. I'll try as hard as I can do to better, I promise. Now that the SAT's are over, I should have some more time on my hands.
Thanks for reading. Please R&R as always.
-Lily Rose-