The Next Adventure by padfoot_puppyeyes

Rating: PG
Genres: Drama
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 5
Published: 03/04/2005
Last Updated: 03/04/2005
Status: Completed

Late one night the summer after fifth year, Ron confronts Harry about a conversation that's
been a long time coming-it's just not the one Harry thinks it is. Includes the prophecy,
crushes, Sirius's death, and a lot of drama. Enjoy, and please feel free to review!




1. The Next Adventure
---------------------



**AN- Hey guys, I promise to make this short and sweet, just like this one-shot. I DID NOT GIVE
UP MY CHAPTER-STORIES, I could never abandon them…I've just been a bit busy. I'll try and
update soon, but no promises, okay? I'm sorry for the long wait. Anyways, I'll let you read
this one, and I'll try to update within the next week. I'm going to ask that you review,
but I won't demand it, and I apologize for any spelling spoofs-I've looked through it
several times to iron the worst of it out, but if there are accidents then I can't do anything
about them now. Sorry**

**Disclaimer- If Harry Potter was mine to claim,**

**I'd have good looks, money, talent and fame,**

**As it is I'm just a fan**

**But I try to write the best I can ;)**

**The Next Adventure;**

“Harry?” Ron croaked out, turning in his bed to face his friend's bed on the other side of
the room, and leaning on his elbow to support himself. “'You asleep?”

“If I was before, I'm not now.” Harry replied good-naturedly, turning himself to face Ron.
Ron, who knew his friend too well, said,

“We both know you don't go back to sleep after a nightmare, and I've already woken you
up from one tonight, so don't try to worm out of this one. This talk's been coming for a
long time, let's just get it out of the way, alright?”

Alarm rose up in Harry at Ron's words, but he managed to simply nod, then cleared the lump
from his throat to say “All right, then, what is it you wanted us to talk about?” He knew things
had been a little awkward lately between the three of them, but eventually Harry had planned to
tell them about the prophecy. The right time just hadn't come yet. Was that was this
conversation was about? Or was it about what had happened at the Department of Mysteries two months
ago? Or-

“Hermione.” Ron replied evenly, and Harry almost laughed at how off-topic he'd been. “I want
to talk, just between you and me, about Hermione.”

“What about her?”

Ron hesitated before saying, “Not strictly about her…more like our relationship with her. I know
right now it's probably the last thing on your mind, what with the war and all” *you have no
idea* “but I really need to get this out of the way. I need to know where I stand with her and
you. Because I like Hermione.”

Even as Ron let out a breath he seemed to have been holding in after saying that, Harry laughed
quietly before relying, “Of course you like Hermione, Ron. I like her too. She's kind, smart,
brave, thoughtful, reliable-“

“But, see, that's what I mean!”

“What do you mean that's what you mean?”

“I mean I don't just like Hermione as a friend. I like her as more, and the feelings
aren't exactly of the brotherly sort.” Ron answered, irritated.

“Well…alright, why don't you just ask her out to Hogsmeade or something then. I can get a
date once and disappear for a while, and the two of you could have some time alone to-“

“Harry.” Turning towards Ron's sharp tone, Harry realized that there was more to it than
that. “I can't do that, because she'd be all upset that you'd left. She'd worry,
and complain, and just wouldn't be any fun to be around because you weren't there.
That's how she acts whenever you aren't nearby. So I like who she is around you. But not
who she is without you.”

“What?”

“Yeah. She acts different around you.”

“Why?” Harry asked, confused.

“Because she likes you.” Ron stated softly, a note of unusual sadness entering his voice.

“Well, of course she likes me, Ron, she is my best friend…” He studied Ron's face for a
moment before saying, “But I guess you don't mean it like that, do you?”

There was silence for a while, and then Ron asked “Well? Do you like her too?”

“Ron, I-“

“Do you, Harry? Like her like that, I mean…” Harry paused for a moment to think before replying.
He thought in that moment about how upset he'd felt to see Hermione upset throughout the year.
He thought about the relief he felt when she made it with them through another adventure, and about
the concern he felt whenever she was unhappy. He remembered all the times Ron had made fun of
Hermione when she had been angry or hurt, making it worse while he had tried to comfort her.

“Yeah, I think I do.”

Ron sighed, and turned away from him, and Harry felt like a wall had been put up between them,
even as Ron quietly said, “I thought so.”

“Ron…Ron?” His friend grunted in reply, but when Harry didn't continue, he turned around and
was met with Harry's frightened face. “You aren't too mad at me, are you?”

“No.” Ron sighed, but his voice was tired in a way no amount of sleep could ever cure. “No,
I'm not angry. Just a little hurt that she doesn't feel for me the way she does about you.
I'll get over it…Harry? What's wrong?”

“Nothing.” Quickly he tore his eyes away from Ron's concerned face and looked at the
wall.

“Don't. You've said that all summer, and I don't think anyone's buying it. That,
and I'm getting pretty sick of pretending to believe it. So just tell me whatever it is
you're hiding while I'm up.”

“You don't understand-“

“And I never will, why you act like you have to do all of this alone. If you don't tell me,
at least tell Hermione. She's been driving me batty with her worrying, and I think I'm
starting to worry about you myself. That, and she deserves to know. She's been through
everything with you, and she'd follow you to death. So would I. We're already involved, and
there's no keeping us out of it, so at least let us in all the way.”

Harry couldn't keep it in anymore. He told Ron all of it. He told Ron about how he missed
Sirius, and felt guilty, and finally about the prophecy that would change his life and friendships
forever. At least, that was what he thought. Ron, however, looked unimpressed when Harry repeated
the words Trelawney had spoken just sixteen years ago.

“Is that it?”

“Is that is? I have to kill or be killed! I don't want to die yet, and I don't want to
kill, I don't even want to be involved!”

“But you are.” Ron pointed out in a rare moment of logic. “and complaining won't change
it.”

“How can you be so calm about this?” Harry demanded, sitting up and starting to get a little
upset.

“Well, what does it change? I mean, I might not have heard it in words before like that, but
didn't we always know that it had to be you?”

* * *

*“It has to be* **you***, Harry! Not me, not Hermione,* **you***!”*

* * *

Harry sat in shock for a few moments, the familiar words running through his head and thoughts.
When he finally managed to breathe again, he simply stated, “You always knew.”

“Yep.” Ron replied easily.

“Ron…I could die in this.” Harry said uncertainly, remembering what Ron had said earlier about
following him to the death.

“Right. But not without me. We always go on adventures together, remember? And death is but the
next great adventure.”

“To the well organized mind.” Harry pointed out. “We are hardly organized.” But already he felt
a calm running through him that had been missing for months, the comfort and warmth of
friendship.

“Well, that's what we have Hermione for.” Ron replied casually, turning in bed. “If
that's all, I think I'd like to get some sleep before I have to get up. `Night Harry.”

“'Night Ron.” Harry replied, smiling and burrowing into his blankets.

For the first time in a while, he fell back to sleep after a nightmare without seeing Sirius
fall through the veil. Instead, he had some very interesting dreams of a pair or bright, dark,
brown eyes…

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