Seventh Year

[franlock]

Title: Seventh Year
Author: Rachel (franlock)
Genre: General, romance
Pairings: Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny
Rated: PG
Summary: Ron, Hermione and Harry experience the trials of their final year at Hogwarts. This fanfic is told from the perspective of Hermione, Harry and Ginny.

A fresh wave of morning air flew into the room, waking up a sleeping Hermione. Pushing her palms up against the mattress and lifting herself up, she peered out of the window to receive an idea as to how late it was in the morning. Nine-thirty from the looks of it she thought. With a flutter in her stomach she realized it was the day of Bill and Fluer’s wedding. It was also the day of Harry’s arrival she thought happily. He’d written in his last letter that he wouldn’t make it for the ceremony but that he’d arrive later for the reception.
Since Fleur was busy attending Bill’s therapy sessions at St. Mungo’s most of the planning was left to Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Delecour. They had taken it upon themselves to plan the perfect wedding for their children. It became obvious in the first few days of planning however that they had very different ideas about the wedding. When she had arrived at the Burrow earlier that month, a debate between Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Delecour greeted her. They were arguing about whether roses or lilies would look better floating above the audience’s head during the ceremony. Ginny had told her later that evening that they had been fighting over the same subject an hour previous to her arrival also. The next few days at the Burrow revealed other fights between the two of them involving the wedding cake, music and invitations. Because of their fighting, the Burrow was often unpleasant to be around. Hermione and Ginny found resort away from the bickering by a lake nearby the Burrow, where they spent most of their afternoons. Sometimes they would go swimming in the lake but not often. Her favorite memory of their time at the lake so far was the afternoon where they dipped their toes in the water and held a boat-racing contest. They had used their wands to direct the boats to the finish line. Ginny had won most of the races with only a few exceptions. She reminisced on Ginny’s expression when she had won their final match. Ron would have been there if he hadn’t been plucked by the Order earlier that summer. He wasn’t doing any of the dangerous tasks; those were left to Lupin and Shacklebolt. The Order had assigned him as a messenger. He was in charge of sending letters and talking to various members of the order through fireplaces. Earlier in the summer, three members of the Order died from a vicious werewolf attack. Because of this, they were desperate for new members to take on their jobs. They chose Ron much to the dismay of Mrs. Weasley because of his familiarity with the society and the procedures. Hermione had only seen him once over her visit and it had been an uncomfortable exchange of “Hellos” and “How are you doing?”
Luckily, Ron was going to be at the wedding today giving them an opportunity to a proper conversation. Pushing her legs out of the warm sheets, she stood up and walked over to Ginny’s bathroom door where her dress hung. She had bought the dress with her parents over the summer while they were in Paris. It was black, short-sleeved and went a little bit over her knees. Her favorite part of the dress was the light, gauze-like material that formed wrinkles around the neck area. She laid the dress over the bed and performed an anti-wrinkling spell. Once finished, she slipped into the shower for a few minutes and then applied some make-up to her face. It took her a while to figure out how to charm her hair into a perfect French twist; it was only after several tries that she was satisfied with the outcome. While putting on her underwear she heard a small knock on the door.
“I’m getting dressed!” she called horrified, imagining a scenario in which one of the Weasley boys walked in on her dressing.
“It’s Ginny. Can I come in?”
She grabbed the dress from the bed and pulled it over her head quickly before answering the door. Once the door was open, a million voices burst into the room from the downstairs.
“Who are those people?” Hermione asked, confused.
“Relatives” Ginny said miserably, walking straight toward her bed before collapsing on top of it.
“I thought the wedding was going to take place at the Delecour Manor?”
“Nope, Phlegm changed her mind this morning. She said that traveling is too much for her precious Bill at the moment even though Bill has been apparating back and forth from the hospital for the last three weeks. Mum and Dad had to enlarge the place so the guests could fit.” she paused for a moment and then said. “I hate relatives. They’re all Ginny look at how much you’ve grown and Ginny do you have a boyfriend? Honestly, all relatives are good for is poking in on your personal life.”
Hermione sat down on the bed opposite Ginny’s and tried to sympathize but found it difficult. She only had three cousins compared to Ginny’s twenty-two.
“Honestly, they can’t be that bad and you only have to put up with them for the rest of today. By tomorrow morning they’ll be back in their home bothering other people.” said Hermione, being careful to give Ginny enough to time to cool off before saying anything.
“I know.” said Ginny with a long sigh. “I feel terrible for Ron. The relatives are digging deeper into his personal life since he’s older.”
Her senses suddenly awakened. “What about Ron’s personal life?”
“Oh, you know,” said Ginny, rather bored. “The usual”
Hermione suddenly felt a burst of annoyance erupt inside her. “Ginny, I don’t have a big family; I don’t know what ‘the usual’ is!”
Ginny lifted herself up so that her back now rested on the headboard of her bed. “Okay, okay.” she said, obviously taken aback. “They’re asking him about his long term plans, what kind of job he wants, if he has a steady girlfriend…”
Hermione’s eyes widened. “Well, what sort of things has he been saying?”
“I can’t remember very well. I was too busy trying to sneak the raspberry tarts away from Aunt Laurie before she ate all of them. He didn’t say anything about you if that’s what you’re really asking.”
“Well how would you know? You were too busy sneaking away tarts!” Hermione dropped onto the bed and sighed. She imagined her introduction to the Weasley family and tried to fathom all the embarrassing moments her and Ron would have to endure. Maybe he hasn’t said anything Hermione reassured herself. After all, nothing has happened as of yet.
Hermione’s stomach began to bubble at the thought of their relationship finally taking flight. Something is bound to occur she thought hopefully. They’d waited for so long to take their friendship to the next level and they always missed the opportunity. But what if Ron doesn’t do anything still? She thought pessimistically and knowing Ron, that was always a possibility. If Ron won’t make a move, I will she resolved. This is silly, we both want this to happen, so why be afraid to make a move?
With that thought her spirits rose and she felt better about the situation.
“I’m sorry I pushed you.” Hermione finally said, recollecting her thoughts. “I was a little nervous about the wedding but I feel better now.”
She left the bed and settled in front of a mirror. Her perfect French twist she noticed to her frustration, had come a little undone from lying down on the bed.
“I know.” Ginny finally said after a moment, sighing deeply before continuing; “It will be the first time I see Harry since…” she drifted off. “At least he’s not coming until later tonight, right?” Hermione saw Ginny look up at her sadly through the reflection in the mirror.
At these words, it struck her what Harry’s return must mean for Ginny. She had not forgotten about their brief relationship but it had slipped from her mind the weight their relationship would carry from now on.
“I’m so sorry, Ginny” she said sincerely, turning away from the mirror. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I don’t know either.” Ginny said, her voice shaking slightly and her eyes filling up with tears.
“Oh, Ginny….”
She walked over to Ginny and threw her arms around her. As Ginny’s head rested on her shoulder Ginny began to sob.

[franlock]

As she descended onto the stairs, a group of children and adults cluttered her view from below. The living room, she noticed, was heavily decorated with silky pink ribbon and white bulbous flowers that wrapped around anything that would allow it to. There were lilies with fairies dancing above them in the air and a musical group playing a sweet melody on the violin and harp. At the bottom of the staircase there was a table covered in white, glittery silk and a massive photograph of Bill and Fleur rested on top of it. They were smiling and waving cheerfully at the guests. Hermione could easily distinguish the Delecours from the Weasley’s from judging what she already knew about the Weasley family, which was that they all had red hair. As soon as her feet hit the final stair an overwhelming feeling hit her. Not only was she worried about Ginny’s outburst but she also remembered the promise she’d made to herself about making a move on Ron. As she looked at all the tall, red headed boys, a sick nervous feeling squirmed around in her stomach. I’m not ready she told herself. A sudden desire to run back upstairs and hide overcame her. Deep down, she knew however, that she was ready. They were both ready she reminded herself. Briefly she thought about how much she hated their stubbornness before stepping forward into the crowd. “Excuse me” She said pushing away a short, odd-looking man so she could carve a pathway to a table littered with breakfast treats. Hermione caught sight of some children nearby, staring at her curiously. It made her awfully uncomfortable. How was it that she didn’t recognize anyone here? Desperately her eyes sought out for someone she recognized.
To her surprise, a tall, skinny, ginger haired woman approached her.
“Excuse me but have you seen a short, plump little girl?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know many people here” Said Hermione, scanning the room once more for someone she recognized.
“So you’re not a Delecour?” She asked questioningly.
“No. I’m a family friend to the Weasley’s”
“Oh! Silly me!” the woman said, hitting her forehead for emphasis. “I forgot to introduce myself! I’m Jane Weasley”
“Nice to meet you” said Hermione, smiling politely and shaking her hand which Hermione noticed was adorned with silvery pink nail polish and thick rings.
“So which Weasley family are you friends with?” Jane asked Hermione as a toddler zoomed past their legs.
“Molly and Arthur’s family”
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Arthur’s my brother! So are you friends with Ginny?”
“Yes. I’m friends with Ron also. We’re in the same year at Hogwarts”
“So you’re seventeen?” Jane asked.
“Sixteen. I turn seventeen this September” she replied.
“Ron’s age…” said Jane, rubbing his finger across her chin in deep thought.
“Are you dating?” she asked politely.
Hermione tried hiding her shock by keeping a blank face. Her cheeks turned warm in spite of her efforts however.
“No. We’re not dating” She said simply, being careful to keep her voice level and calm.
“That’s such a disappointment. You two would have the most darling children. The brown hair and blue eyes combination is so popular these days” said Jane
regrettably.
“Excuse me?” managed Hermione weakly.
“Aha!” exclaimed Jane, looking behind Hermione. “I think I see my Abby. It was a pleasure talking to you” They shook hands again before Jane disappeared into the crowd of people shouting, “Abby! Over here! Mummy’s been looking for you!”
Hermione felt her stomach growl with hunger. She made her way over to the breakfast table and grabbed a muffin lying in a basket laced with pink ribbon.
“Hermione! Don’t you look pretty!” It was Mrs. Weasley. Hermione turned her head to see Mrs. Weasley not so far away from where she was standing, dishing up some fruit onto a plate.
“Oh, Hi! You look really nice too Mrs. Weasley” Hermione said, admiring her blue dress.
“Thanks dear. Ginny helped me pick it out a few weeks ago. Speaking of which, do you know where she is?” Mrs. Weasley moved in closer to Hermione before whispering, “Is she feeling well? She looked a little sick last time I saw her”
“I don’t think she’s sick. She looked tired when I saw her so I Before I left suggested she take a nap”
Mrs. Weasley waved to a tall, thick old man before turning her attention back toward her.
“How nice of you! Can you wake her up ten minutes before the wedding starts?”
“You won’t need to. I set her bedside clock to wake her up fifteen minutes before the ceremony.”
“Excellent! So have you met any of Ron and Ginny’s family?” Mrs. Weasley asked eagerly.
“Yes actually, I ran into their Aunt Jane a few minutes ago”
“Jane! She’s really nice. Did you like her?” Mrs. Weasley asked, dishing up some more grapefruit.
“Yes” Hermione said quickly, pulling a muffin out of her mouth so she could speak properly, “She’s Mr. Weasley’s sister right?” she continued, after swallowing the remaining bits of muffin.
“Yep. She’s the youngest in the bunch and the smartest! Don’t tell Arthur I said that though. They have a bit of a rivalry.” Mrs. Weasley chuckled a bit.
Hermione spent the next three minutes listening to a story about how Arthur insulted Jane’s music taste and she cursed him so that 3,000 Broomsticks blasted in his ears all day long when a tall, silvery blond haired woman interrupted them. Hermione noticed that she had made that horrid hem hem sound to get their attention and that a few men were drooling behind her.
“Molly, I don’t mean to bother you but Fluer’s dress needs to be mended. she accidentally cut some of the dress off so it iz now crooked” requested Mrs. Delecour coolly.
Molly made a sound of frustration. “I specifically told Fleur not to touch the dress! How hard is it to follow a simple instruction?”
“Zat is my daughter you’re talking about Molly!” Mrs. Delecour gasped, “It iz her wedding day! Do you not want her to be happy? You know perfectly well I do not sew!”
“Fine, I’ll have a look at it” she exasperated angrily, "But this is the only thing!" added Mrs. Weasley before heading up the stairs in a huff with Mrs. Delecour closely behind her.

[franlock]

Without further interruptions, Hermione finally got to finish up her breakfast. Afterward, she wandered into the crowds a bit, in the hopes of finding someone she knew. Every once in a while she caught a glimpse of someone tall and red headed in the hopes that it was Ron. Where on earth could he be? Hermione thought annoyed, after the seventh sighting of a Ron-look-a-like. Jane mentioned that she had seen him earlier which meant that he was around here somewhere. She was so distracted that when she accidentally bumped into someone it took her a moment to remember why she was on the floor.
“Watch vare your going” the person replied in a heavy Bulgarian accent.
“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.” She said standing up. “It won’t happen again”
The man she bumped into was bulky and strong. It looked like he could fit two more of her inside his long mink coat. He had dark hair and rigid features along with a scruffy beard.
“Excuse me, but do I know you from somevare?” The Bulgarian man said after examining her for a moment, “You vook familiar”
She looked at him closely. Nothing from his appearance helped her identity him. Who did she know from Bulgaria? Viktor Krum was her immediate answer but she didn’t remember him having a beard or being close friends with Bill or Fluer. Wait a minute…
“Is your name Herm-o-ninny?” He asked, hope brimming through his eyes.
“Viktor! It is you!” She replied, instantly recognizing the old nickname and giving him a quick hug. “What are you doing here?”
“Fleur and I were champions together, remember? I was surprised she invited me after what I did in the maze. I guess she is a forgiving person.”
Hermione thought it more likely that she invited him for his fame rather than his company but didn’t say anything.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I haven’t seen you since the summer of fourth year. That was so long ago.” She said, remembering the lunch they’d had together in Viktor’s hometown when she had visited Bulgaria with her parents.
“I’m very sorry I didn’t recognize you.” He apologized. “I have no picture of you so I haff forgotten what you vook like. You vook very pretty.”
“It’s ok. I didn’t recognize you with that beard. You look so different since the last time I saw you.” She paused. “Is that a bruise right above your left eyebrow?”
“Yes it is” he said, covering up the bruise bashfully, “Qudditch accident.” He said simply when Hermione threw him an inquiring look.
“While I was practicing outside my home one morning, I got hit with a rock. I believe it was an attack.”
Hermione gasped, “Why would anyone want to hurt you?”
“I guess you have not heard since I have not written for so long” He paused, “I’ve been in court for the past three months. One of my friends from Drumstrang has been convicted as a Death Eater. Since we ver close the Bulgarian Wizengamont vanted to put me on trial for certain Death Eater crimes. I was proven innocent but there are still some loons who tink of me as guilty”
“That’s awful” Hermione said sympathetically, “I cannot imagine what that would be like”
“It was hard” he said reminiscently,“I’m better now though. I’m back on the Bulgarian Quidditch Team again which is nice.” He added pleasantly.
A moment after Viktor finished, a tall red headed boy walked up to them. He was in nice, black dress robes and wore a rose pinned to the front pocket. It was Ron. Her stomach flipped over – She’d wanted to see him, but with Viktor? Vaguely, the Yule Ball came to mind.
A moment after Viktor finished, a tall red headed boy walked up to them. He was in nice, black dress robes and wore a rose pinned to the front pocket. It was Ron. Her stomach flipped over – She’d wanted to see him, but with Viktor? Vaguely, the Yule Ball came to mind.
Before she could say anything he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away from Viktor. They weren’t too far away from him, just enough so that he couldn’t hear Ron whisper, “I need to talk to you.”
“Ron! I was in the middle of a conversation. We can talk later” she said, looking over at a confused and worried Viktor.
“No, we need to talk right now” he said sternly.
“Ow! You’re hurting my arm!” she winced, referring to his tight grip around her wrist.
He let go immediately and apologized. “It’s important” he said sincerely, “You can talk to Krum later” he finished, not looking her in the eye as he said it.
When he did look up, their eyes locked. She didn’t know why but in that brief moment her spirits elevated and her mind went fuzzy. Dazed, she walked over to Viktor and explained while Ron lingered nearby.
“--It was so great to see you again. I’ll talk to you after the wedding. You’re coming to the reception, right?” Hermione asked Viktor after apologizing and explaining Ron’s intrusion.
Viktor nodded.
“I’ll let you two talk.” He smiled and looked over at Ron who was tapping his foot and looking around the room, impatiently. As soon as she turned around, Viktor leaned toward her and kissed her on the cheek before she could get away. She smiled warmly at the gesture while internally horrified of what Ron must be thinking.
As soon as Viktor disappeared Ron grabbed her arm again and led her over to the kitchen which was brimming with dirty pots and pans from Mrs. Weasley’s pre-wedding cooking. “So,” he began as they came to a halt near the kitchen table. “What do you think of the wedding? I mean, how do you think the wedding’s turning out?” he rushed out.
“It seems to be going well.” replied Hermione coolly. “I don’t know if I’m the person to ask seeing as how I’ve only been down here for ten minutes or so.”
There was another pause before Hermione spoke up again but Ron was planning on saying something too so the result was a mix of, “How do you think the wedding is turning out?” and “That dress is really pretty”
Hermione blushed. “Thank you. My parents bought it in Paris.”
“It looks….”
“Nice?” Hermione suggested.
“Yeah, that’s the word. The wedding is turning out fine by the way. Aunt Laurie yelled at mum though; said she didn’t make enough raspberry tarts.”
Hermione chuckled nervously. “Oh yeah, Ginny told me about her.”
There was another pause before she spoke up again, Hermione felt desperate for conversation. “I met one of your aunts today. She was nice”
“Oh yeah?” he said, pretending to look intrigued. “Which one?”
“I believe her name was Jane. She has a daughter named Abby. She was…nice.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty cool. Once my dad insulted her music and-”
“-She blasted 3,000 Broomsticks in his ear all day” Hermione finished, “I ran into your mum also.”
“Oh” he said, disappointed.
Hermione knew how he felt. They had nothing to say to each other. Well they did, but it was having a hard time coming out.
Finally, after a quick glance at each other and another pause Ron held his breath and revealed quietly, “You know I’m sorry about the whole Lavender rubbish, right?”
“I know” she said, looking him straight in the eye so he knew she was serious.
They had apologized so many times over the last couple months it was becoming redundant. Their lengthy apology to one another at the hospital wing last March should have been enough but neither one of them could stop apologizing.
“You really don’t need to apologize” Before she could stop herself she added, “I should be the one apologizing; I’m the one who gave you scars from that horrid canary attack”
“They weren’t too bad, kind of itched though but that’s not my point” He paused and then hesitantly opened his mouth again. “I-I-I like you. I really like you. And I’m pretty damn sure you like me too and I thought that since we’ve had some cooling off time that we might make something out of it. Would you like to go out with me?”
Hermione stood there for a moment and stared while her heart hammered a million beats a second. She felt as if she were going to vomit from happiness. They’d waited for this so many times and each time had disappointed her and now things were finally playing to her favor.
“Oh course I would like to go out with you” Hermione managed, trying to keep her eyes from filling up with tears, “There’s nothing better I’d like to do.”
To her amusement Ron jumped into the air and said excitedly, “That’s great!” Hermione began to laugh when Ron grabbed her face to his own and kissed her hard on the mouth.
At first it felt weird than she began to warm up to it. Hermione had never been kissed like this before and was terrified that it showed. Being so inexperienced she was afraid that Ron was completely disgusted with her, but he kept on kissing her…and while he kissed her she realized for the first time in her life how complete and whole she felt. Someone liked her enough to be this close to her.
Suddenly an overwhelming feeling of regret swept over an a million questions followed. Why did we wait for so long for these feelings to begin? There were many others but the most prominent question in her mind was - Why did we wait till the end? No one could deny the cold shiver that ran down their spine whenever they read the newspaper; each reported death bringing them closer to Voldemort. The feeling was treated like a secret that everyone kept buried in their hearts in hope that it would disappear but that never did for it arrived again the next day at breakfast.
When they parted, Ron looked at her as though he had read her thoughts and gave her that same regretful look that she knew her eyes reflected as well. Then he cupped his hand onto her cheek and kissed her forehead.
They stood like this for a long time, standing close together and thinking. This time they weren’t speaking because they had nothing to say but rather too much.

[franlock]

Harry didn’t know why he came to the wedding early. Perhaps it was because he was bored at Order headquarters and despite his anxiety over seeing Ginny he needed to do something other than sit around all day and cross off possible horcrux locations. At least it’s better than being at the Dursleys, he told himself. While he was at the Dursleys, all he did was obsess over horcruxes and R.A.B, the mysterious stranger who had destroyed the locket before Harry and Dumbledore’s attempt. It made Harry sick knowing that Dumbledore had died for a cheap, gold-painted locket; the same one that now lay on top of his desk, mocking him. His stomach twisted with fury, thinking about the very idea – The greatest wizard in the world dying for nothing. These thoughts consumed him to the point of misery. Every morning he woke up, looked out the window and knew that the only thing he could do to stop Voldemort that day was sit on his bed all day and think; analyze the same details over and over until they unlocked something new. They never did.
It wasn’t until late July that he was rescued by Lupin and given an opportunity to help. At first, he was a messenger with Ron. Together they went through mail, making sure that each of the writers was who they said to be and talked to members of the Order when they missed an important meeting through the fireplaces. This was the most unpleasant task because they had to wear an identity cloak whenever they did this to make sure that their conversation was untraceable and unidentifiable. The Floo Network had very strict security making it harder to communicate secretly. The identity cloaks smelled like sour milk and gave the wearer a strange, bubbly rash. Fred and George, the inventors, apologized to Ron and Harry whenever they came to visit but secretly sniggered every time they caught a peek of their red-dotty arms.
Then he moved up and began helping members of the Order devise plans for security and analyze information on recent attacks (Which showed up daily) in hopes that it would lead them to the Death Eaters. Harry fanaticized frequently of when this information would lead them to Snape, the man who had told Voldemort of the prophecy and killed Dumbledore. Snape was the other subject that drove him mad over the summer and to this day remained. He felt that resolution would only come once Snape was behind bars in Azkaban.
Ron wanted to work on security. Ever since the Hogwarts attack last June, the Order was often called upon to guard important members of the government and cast special charms over entrances to special events and public places. Mr. Weasley seemed more open to the idea than Mrs. Weasley who pressed that Ron’s experience with the Dark Arts was limited.
“That’s bullocks!” Ron would say every time. “Who helped Harry in the Chamber of Secrets? Who fought off the Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries!”
Harry tried to avoid these arguments whenever possible. It made him uncomfortable knowing that the Order gave him more responsibility than Ron even though they were both the same age and had equal experience with the Dark Arts. Well almost, Harry thought briefly of his first encounter with the resurrected Voldemort. The only real difference was that Ron had parents who cared about his safety and he didn’t. Everyone who had authority and cared about him was gone. He was alone now which was the way it should be.
An old passage he’d read from a book when he was ten raced to front of his mind; the hero is always alone in the end.
“Harry!” he heard a familiar voice shout from the kitchen. Before turning around to face the owner he was smothered in a hug.
“Harry it is so good to see you! I didn’t think you were coming until later tonight! You look nice too!” Hermione exclaimed, admiring his dress robes.
Harry saw Ron approach them from the kitchen over Hermione’s shoulder, smiling.
“I wasn’t planning on coming to the ceremony either but thinks worked out. I’ve been—er—very busy”
Ron and Hermione gave him an I-don’t-buy-it look and Hermione said, “Mr. Weasley just told us yesterday how the Order is stuck in a rut, trying to figure out what they’re going to do next. I doubt you’re that busy”
“Give the guy a break.” Ron interrupted. “If I knew Lavender was going to be at the wedding I’d have run off to Australia by now, at least he came”
“You know, not everything is about Ginny” Harry snapped. “I have important things to think about too”
“Such as…?” Hermione persisted.
“Well, Voldemort for starters! And what about the horcruxes? Have you guys forgotten about R.A.B? And Snape? There are tons to do”
“Life isn’t all about work, Harry. You need to live too” Hermione advised softly. Behind Hermione, Harry noticed a group of children, staring at him through wide eyes and open mouths. Between Ron and Hermione and the star struck children, Harry briefly wished he had stayed at headquarters instead.
“She has a point you know” Ron said quietly.
Harry furrowed his eyebrows as a realization dawned on him and he turned at Hermione. “You’re the one to talk! Isn’t your motto – The more schoolwork the better?”
Instead of fighting back like he predicted, Hermione smiled and laughed. “That’s true but at least I wasn’t using my work to avoid someone!”
“I’m not trying to avoid her.” Harry argued. “I just—it’s awkward. We still like each other or at least I still like her, for all I know she completely hates me. And even if she still does like me, we can’t do anything about it!”
“She doesn’t hate you.” Hermione reassured. “She’s just as nervous about this wedding as you are. Is it possible that you two could remain friends?”
Ron and Harry threw her a look.
“You talk about it like it’s easy” Ron said. “When you like someone you can’t just be friends”
Hermione reflected on this for a moment and then nodded her head and mumbled, “That’s true”
Was it Harry or was something different about Ron and Hermione? As he looked at them half-smiling at each other and then quickly darting their eyes back to the ground, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge in his stomach at their behavior. It reminded him of…wait a minute…
“Ron, can I speak to you for a second” Harry said, fumbling through his thoughts so he could come up with a good excuse that would get Ron away from Hermione. “It’s about the Order” He decided.
Harry noticed that Hermione looked hurt by this but didn’t think much of it figuring that it was better that he talk to talk one of them about their odd behavior than together.
“Sure” said Ron, glancing at Hermione first as though seeking her permission. She nodded and said, “Go on ahead. I’ll get the three of us seats.”
Ron continued to look after her until she disappeared through the doors leading to the outside.
“So, what up’s with the Order?” Ron asked, his voice now serious and business-like.
“Did you kiss Hermione?” he asked bluntly.