harry_20

Chapter 1 The Approaching Storm

The sun dropped in the sky over the castle, mottling the horizon with swirl of muted pink and gold. The air held the crisp feel of the approach of cooler nights and the smell of fall was in the air.

The new school term had begun at Hogwarts again. If it hadn’t been for the sheer weight of things to come, it would have been a very pleasant evening indeed.

A boy with dark, untamable hair and an unmistakable lighting bolt scar sat quietly looking out of a castle window from his dormitory four-poster.

Harry had been recounting the events of the past few years over and over in his mind. He was trying to think of something, anything that he could have done differently to change the course of events.

Again, he came up empty.

The world around him seemed to be spiraling out of control. Voldemort was gaining strength and recruiting followers to his devoted group of minions, the Death Eaters.

When they finally attacked, the Order suspected it would be swift and brutal.

Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix had been expecting this for some time. They had also grown in number, but it would make the actual fighting no less intense or deadly.

The older students of Hogwarts and Beaubaxton Academy, as well as a few from Durmstrang, were also to join the fight. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had just entered their 7th year at Hogwarts and knew that when it came down to it, their place would be in battle with the others.

The students spent many long nights practicing curses and defensive spells in the Room of Requirement, away from the prying eyes of possible spies. They all worked very hard.

Hermione, in particular, was faced with the challenge of conquering one of her greatest fears…flying. She absolutely hated to go flying in any way other than within the safety of a Muggle airplane. They had told her that there would be plenty to do on the ground, but Ron and Harry would be in the air, and she refused to be left behind.

Upon consideration of her phobia of broom transport, Ron was utterly perplexed. He really couldn’t understand her trust in Muggle machines. Having not grown up in a Muggle household as Hermione had done, he thought of them as a whole… a bit dodgy.

Ron’s dad had always been fascinated by all things Muggle. You’d think a bit of his obsession would rub off, but to the contrary, Ron was of the opinion that anyone who trusted a metal box run by a motor to fly them around was bordering on insanity.

This belief was only reinforced by his experience once with a Muggle car that had been bewitched to fly. It had let him and Harry down at a critical time.

Ron had apparently filed that away and applied it to all motorized machinery. His vocalization of his opinion on this particular subject led him and Hermione straight into another one of their arguments.

“Well, what if the motor is faulty? Then what? It’s not as if the Muggle driver of the…. arrow thingy could do anything to fix it, is there?” Ron had sarcastically inquired.

“First of all, it’s ‘airplane’ Ronald, and…well, actually…if there is a problem with the plane’s engine, well…then…it may be prone to…well…crash.” Hermione ended in a somewhat defeated tone.

“CRASH?! You mean fall?…all the way to the ground?” When Hermione didn’t respond, he took her silence as a yes. “Well, that’s exactly my point isn’t it? It’s just as I said then, you’d have to be daft to ride in one of those.” And feeling quite triumphant, Ron looked to Harry and added “Right Harry?”

Harry, for his part, actually agreed with Ron. He’d never flown by airplane because any time the Dursley’s had flown anywhere they certainly didn’t invite him to join them. He would be left behind with their cat loving, batty, old neighbor, Mrs. Figg.

Of course there was also the fact that Harry was never happier than when he was soaring through the air on his Firebolt, a fact that Ron knew all too well. To him there was really no comparison, but Harry was not about to admit that now. Taking his side would only lead Ron to gloat and Hermione would then be angry with Harry too.

Trying to be the diplomat and desperately wanting to stay out of it, Harry said, “I suppose it really comes down to… personal preference, doesn’t it.” Then he quickly added, “The point of the matter today though is that Hermione needs to learn to fly on a broom safely. So, if you’re finished…we’ll get on with it.”

They both looked at each other with a grimace and a huff, and then decided to move along.

They began by having her ride with them so she could get the feel for taking off and landing without having to go it alone. Then they moved onto solo flights.

She worked tirelessly with Ron, Harry, and Ginny at getting comfortable on a broom and eventually she seemed to be mastering the art of flying.

Part of Harry secretly thought that one of the only reasons she did it was to prove to Ron that she could do it…even if she did prefer planes to brooms.

That was not the only necessary preparation. They also sat up late on several nights talking about the inevitable challenge that they all faced and what they would need to do if they were to win the day.

The trio usually reserved their quiet Common room discussions for just the three of them, but under the circumstances, Neville, Ginny, Dean, Seamus, and several others had joined them on a few occasions. After all, it concerned each and every one of them.

The entire wizarding world was in extremely dark times. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley said that it brought back horrible memories of the last time Voldemort had been in full power.

The Dark Mark would appear over a family member or friend’s home and what lay inside was horrific. Muggles and wizard folk alike were being slaughtered at Voldemort’s whim. It seemed the Death Eaters looked at Muggle killing especially as some sort of sadistic sport.

The prophecy about Harry and Voldemort was nearing reality. Harry could almost feel it in his soul. He knew when it came down to it, the prophecy would come to life and one would die at the other’s hand.

The moment the Death Eaters entered Hogsmeade, Harry would know exactly what he had to do.

Of course, his devoted friends Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and many of the other original members of Dumbledore’s Army would go to back him up, but in the end it would all come down to good against evil…love versus hatred.

Harry had long since accepted this fact and he was resolute. He was no longer afraid of dying.

What he was fearful about was the safety and survival of his friends and fellow wizards if he did not succeed. He even thought of the poor Muggles, who wouldn’t know what hit them if Voldemort truly got the upper hand.

It was certainly a lot of pressure for one young wizard, barely of age, but he could not allow himself to dwell on the immensity of the task. There was really no other way and Harry knew it was his responsibility. Dumbledore had made that fact quite clear.

Professor Dumbledore never intended to become so emotionally involved with the Potter’s son.

True, he had known and respected Lily and James a great deal. He had even offered to be their secret keeper years ago when they went into hiding.

Considering the circumstances, he thought it best for him to remain detached from young Harry… to keep his objectivity. As time passed, however, Dumbledore could not help but grow to admire and care for him, just as he had Harry’s parents.

It was true. Harry was very much like his father James in appearance and spirit. He also seemed to not only have his mother’s eyes, but her heart as well. He was the best of both of them and he seemed to grow more and more like them with each passing year.

This fact was repeatedly pointed out to Harry over the years, but he didn’t mind. He liked the fact that he was like his parents, although he never really knew them. It somehow made him feel closer to them.

Dumbledore, intervening when possible, watched Harry as he faced adventures that not even adult wizards had dealt with before and he was repeatedly victorious.

He had the true heart of a Gryffindor and Dumbledore grew to love and respect him as if he were family. He knew that Harry had grown strong and he had faith in him. He only hoped it would be enough.

Over the years Harry’s feelings for Dumbledore had been somewhat tumultuous to say the least. There were times that Harry completely admired and trusted the headmaster and other times where he felt abandoned by him.

As of late though, Harry and Dumbledore had begun to have frequent talks in the headmaster’s office.

During one such talk, Dumbledore offered, “Harry, you have become a great wizard and a great young man. Make no mistake. We all wish there were another way.

Anyone of the Order, myself included, would gladly die to save you from… your destiny. You need to know, however, that we have great faith in you.

Your father would be proud of you…as am I.”

Dumbledore crossed his office and stood in front of the window looking out over the grounds, then continued.

“Over the years, I know that I have not always… handled things properly where you were concerned, but I want you to know that I always did… what I thought was right.

Perhaps it was the fault of an old man’s ignorance, but I think I was trying to spare you for as long as possible from what you may face at anytime now.”

Harry moved to stand next to the headmaster.

Professor Dumbledore peered over his half moon spectacles at Harry. He then turned back towards the grounds and added, “Never allow yourself to believe for even one moment that I had forgotten about you or didn’t care about what you went through over the course of your time at the Dursley’s or your time here in my care.

I believe perhaps it was my affection for you that may have caused my poor judgment at times… and I apologize to you now.

I hope you can forgive me and begin to fully trust me again, for we need to be truly united now, more than ever. No matter what happens I want you to know how I feel. I consider myself fortunate to have gotten to know you Harry.”

Dumbledore paused and placed his hand on Harry’s shoulder as they stood looking out of the tower window of Dumbledore’s office.

Harry looked up at his headmaster. He was more than that. However angry Harry had been over the last couple of years with Dumbledore for not telling him everything, the anger was gone now.

This was his mentor, his friend, the greatest wizard Harry had ever known… and probably… the closest thing Harry had to a father since Sirius’ death.

He looked at the professor affording him a smile then said, “I think I needed to do a bit of growing up professor.

I may have been a bit thick, over the last couple of years. I didn’t understand the reasons behind your efforts and the need for secrecy, but now I know that you have always done what you have felt was best. For that, I will always be grateful.”

With that they stood in silence, for there are some moments in life that come, where words simply are no longer necessary.

It had been nearly two weeks now since the last conversation in Dumbledore’s office.

Harry knew the time was drawing nearer. He no longer took notice of the whispers and sideways glances in the school corridors. He knew what they were talking about…

Could Harry really do it? Was he capable of defeating the darkest wizard of their time? And the one that plagued Harry the most …What if he can’t?

Ron and Hermione always told him to just ignore it. They were always reassuring him that they had faith in him with Ron adding, “Besides…we’ve got your back Harry.”

Harry had a tremendous faith in his friends. They were taking their preparation for the upcoming fight very seriously and working very hard in their Defense Against the Darks Arts lessons. They also worked fervently in their D.A. sessions.

After the downfall of Professor Umbridge, ‘Dumbledore’s Army’ had consequently resumed their meetings with a renewed vigor.

Unfortunately, not everyone at Hogwarts was supportive of Harry in regard to his upcoming challenge, which was hard to understand considering how much was at stake.

Nonetheless, Harry had grown rather accustomed to hearing jeers from Draco Malfoy and his gang of devoted Slytherins.

Passing in the corridors, in the Great Hall, out on the grounds…anytime that Malfoy was sure that a professor wasn’t in ear shot, he was quick to offer his own brand of encouraging words and advice.

For instance, once he bellowed, “Hey! Scarhead! Why don’t you just drown yourself in the lake? The giant squid would probably just swallow you whole. That’s much kinder than what I know is in store for you… and probably much more than you deserve, Potty,” he had added with a sneer, while his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, sniggered stupidly beside him.

Malfoy, although quite intolerable, was not however, stupid. He never traveled alone, but was endlessly flanked instead by two mountainous idiots that were his housemates.

They also shared a family secret. Their fathers all belonged to the league of Death Eaters. Harry, himself, had seen them at it, standing hooded in the inner circle, the very night that Voldemort returned to power.

Lucius Malfoy and his own adult versions of Crabbe and Goyle thugs had been in hiding for over a year now. They only appeared briefly to do their master’s bidding and then they were gone again… untraceable.

When they did show their faces, they made no attempts at hiding their identities. Harry guessed that now that their allegiance had been discovered, they felt it useless to try to move in secret anymore. All pretenses were abandoned.

Lucius had certainly fallen out of favor with the Ministry. No amount of generous donations to the Ministry and its causes could buy his way out of this one, so, it appeared that he had ceased to care.

In addition to the terror that Lucius was inflicting throughout Britain, whatever Lucius told Crabbe and Goyle, Sr. to do, they were only too happy to oblige.

This was a characteristic that seemed to be repeating itself through the generations Harry noted grimly.

While Malfoy, Jr. was apparently, biding his time, carrying on with the part of the “good student”, Malfoy, Sr. and the other Death Eaters were openly attacking wizards and Muggles alike.

It was rumored that the Death Eaters also had an unplottable hideaway as the Order did. It only made sense, but to date, no solid intelligence about its possible whereabouts had been gathered.

Harry suspected that that was Professor Snape’s moonlighting job, his unspeakable mission for the Order. Harry felt certain that Snape was given the task of infiltrating Voldemort’s inner realm by convincing him he was just staying at Hogwarts so he could gather valuable information and keep an eye on Dumbledore.

A plan that Harry was sure Voldemort would relish.

Snape was by far Harry’s least favorite teacher at Hogwarts. That included spacey Professor Trelawney, who was always predicting Harry’s gruesome and painful death.

His hatred of Snape was undoubtedly only matched by Snape’s mutually foul feelings for Harry. Snape never missed an opportunity to make Harry’s life miserable whenever possible.

Given all the professor’s obviously negative qualities, Harry still had to admit he was probably the best man for the job.

Snape was a gifted Legilimens and Occlumens. Harry had also been forced to master the art of Occlumency after the death of his godfather.

In reality, if Harry had been more diligent in practicing before Sirius’ death, he may not have been so easily lured to the Ministry of Magic that night and Sirius may still be alive…the guilt of which Harry had lived with everyday for nearly a year and a half. Snape was asked to train Harry, but their mutual dislike for each other had made their attempts far less than successful.

The truth was though, that Snape himself was very good at it. Snape could ward off Voldemort’s attempts to pry into his mind and discover the true nature of his allegiance. He was also able to enter Voldemort’s follower’s minds undetected.

Harry often wondered if Snape had been using his talents to penetrate the young Slytherin student’s minds for information as well.

Those students whose parents where in league with the Death Eaters had the potential to be very useful and would be the least likely to fight him out of their minds, and for that matter, the most likely to be completely unable to detect his neurological invasion.

It was no longer a question it seemed of whether there were indeed spies about the castle, but who were they and how many.

Harry and the others definitely believed that not all, but at least some of the Slytherin students were either secretly gathering information for the Death Eaters or had actually already joined their foul ranks.

The dark side was growing. Some informants were obvious, like Malfoy, but they were quite sure there were others, possibly ones they would never suspect.

This made Snape’s talent for blocking others out of his mind while at the same time penetrating theirs, an even more powerful and valuable gift.

Regardless, of Snape’s talent for psychological warfare, Dumbledore’s wishes, the Orders plans, or even his friend’s loyalty, facts were facts.

The reality of it was it was no longer possible for Dumbledore or anyone else to intervene on Harry’s behalf.

He knew they would assist them where they could, but ultimately they would have to allow this teenage boy, whom they had watched grow as a wizard and a young man, meet his fate head on, and ultimately, alone.

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Chapter 2 The Rage of Battle

It was a little over half way through September when the attacks began.

One of the Order’s contacts stationed in Hogsmeade sent word when it started, but there was really no need. They could see wand sparks and here blasts all the way at the castle.

The plan had been set long ago, so when it all began, everyone literally flew into action without hesitation.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged quick, but meaningful looks when they got the news. They left the common room and headed down to the castle entrance in front of the Great Hall.

Malfoy saw them enter as they were gathering with the others. He took that brief opportunity to get in a final dig while Dumbledore and McGonagall were in conference.

“Well, if it isn’t Potty, Weasel, and their Mudblood wench,” he said with a smirk. “Ready to die Potter?”

Harry just glared at him and Malfoy continued, “If you aren’t now…you soon will be. I’ll wager you’ll be begging for the dark lord to end it all for you by nightfall. I for one can’t wait to see it when you do.”

Harry and Hermione had to hold Ron back from tearing Malfoy apart right there in the hall. For a brief second, they entertained the thought of just letting him do it.

Hermione came to her senses though and realized that they would need to have Ron in top form. He couldn’t duel or even fight Malfoy hand to hand if he was to be of any help to Harry in the air.

Harry continued to glare at Malfoy. He was through favoring his comments with replies.

Hermione however, quickly shot at Malfoy “You’ll see who’s begging for mercy…you filthy, git of a ferret! …that is if you even have the guts to join the battle!”

Malfoy just sneered at her and shot back, “I’m going to enjoy torturing you mudblood…probably almost as much as I’m going to enjoy listening to Potter’s screams to just let him die!” Looking directly at Hermione he added, “Now that I think about it, I may just keep you around for awhile Granger, you know…for kicks.” He was looking her up and down, which was implication enough.

Again, they had to restrain Ron. As Dumbledore and McGonagall finished their whispered conversation, Malfoy lost his nerve and moved on through the crowd.

“Don’t listen to him,” Hermione said. “You can do it, Harry. I know you can. You’re ready,” she told him before quickly hugging him.

Ron shook his hand and growled, “Let’s finish this.”

As they entered Hogsmeade, Harry could feel the adrenaline pumping through him. It wasn’t so much fear that he felt though, it was more like the feeling he had before a particularly important Quidditch match…tense, anxious, ready to go.

Harry and the other members of the D.A. were to mount their attack on brooms as the Order and the ministry members fought from the ground.

The plan was to distract or eliminate as many Death Eaters, Dementors, and giants as they possibly could, to give Harry a clear path to Voldemort.

This had proven to be no easy task, but finally the scales seemed to be tipping in the direction of the Order.

Many of the D.A. could now produce highly effective Patronuses, so surprisingly the Dementors had actually turned out to be the easiest of their enemies to erase from the equation.

The scene was amazing. The sheer numbers of Patronuses and the various forms that they took gave the battlefield an almost ethereal glow.

It wasn’t long before most of the Dementors had retreated. A few glided their way back into the fray periodically, for it seemed they were unable to resist mass of emotion emanating from the field. To them it was probably like sitting at a banquet and they were being repeatedly drawn to the table.

Fortunately, when they did return, they were readily dispatched again by the D.A.

The giant’s were proving to be a bit more formidable of a foe. Fortunately, although many giants remained on the side of Voldemort, Hagrid’s little brother, Grawp, had been able to persuade a handful of giants to join Dumbledore. Hagrid and Grawp had been actively trying to sway the giant’s allegiance where possible.

In some respects, Voldemort had unwittingly aided them. He wasn’t always consistent in the treatment of his servants except for one aspect. Voldemort preferred to use cruelty to keep his charges under submission. The giants were treated no differently.

As it turned out though, giants apparently tend to be less than submissive charges. They didn’t take kindly to Voldemort’s tendency at all. In fact, the giants detested it.

In the end, it seemed they either didn’t care about the reactions of the dark lord or weren’t intelligent enough to be afraid of the consequences.

To that end, they had a habit of changing sides as they saw fit. By the time the battle began, Hagrid, Madame Maxime and Grawp had recruited nearly a score of giants to fight for the Order.

The scales were certainly still not even where the giants were concerned, but those in league with Grawp had served as somewhat of an equalizer and had drawn the Voldemort’s giants away from the heart of the battle.

When giants go into battle, by any standard, it is a brutal sight to behold. They are able to give and receive painful blows that would kill most wizards instantaneously. Due to the fact that Hagrid was only half-giant, he was certainly at a disadvantage. He, like Hermione however, refused to be left behind.

He simply insisted on entering the battle alongside his brother. Hagrid felt that he had brought Grawp into this war and he was going to die by his side if it came to that.

That very pledge very nearly became reality. Hagrid came very close on several occasions to receiving mortal blows. If it weren’t for Grawp’s protection, he surely would have died on the battlefield that very day.

Grawp was guarding Hagrid ferociously. If Hagrid was in a tight spot, Grawp served as his shield, receiving the worst blows himself while deflected them from Hagrid. He had on more than one occasion fought off on-coming attackers while Hagrid positioned himself to better defend himself.

With the Dementors dispersed and the giants distracted, that left the Death Eaters and the Order to duel it out on the ground while Harry and the D.A. went after Voldemort in an aerial assault.

The members of the Order, led by Dumbledore, were an astonishing sight. Harry had never realized that there were so many of them. Obviously, from the variety of robes they wore, they had traveled from all over the world to join the cause.

As Harry and the D.A. took to the skies, a battle, the likes of which they never been seen before, had begun on the ground.

Wand blasts were flaring in every direction as Dumbledore ordered Harry to go. Harry was to be flanked on all sides by Ron, Hermione, and most of the D.A. They were to provide a flying brigade of protection for him.

While Harry dueled with Voldemort, he could hear curses and counter curses coming from the members of the D.A. to assist him throughout the battle. Unfortunately, these attempts usually resulted with the D.A. member either being hit by a counter curse thrown at them by a Death Eater, or worse, from Voldemort.

They held their own as long as possible, fighting bravely and fiercely, but the fact remained that they were still only students. They seemed to be serving as only a temporary deterrent for their enemies and were beginning to falter in their attempts.

In the end, it was surreal.

The battlefield lay strewn with members of the D.A. and Order, as well as a scattering of defeated Death Eaters. Harry glanced around quickly and saw that most of the D.A. members in fact had been eliminated from the battle at this point.

He peered toward the ground, but was unable to make out the faces of the robed figures waging war below him. His entire body was aching.

He was quite sure he’d broken a rib. The weightlessness of flying was the only thing that allowed his body to keep going. He was certain that if he were on the ground, he would be of little use on his feet.

He knew he had to do something fast or it would not be Voldemort, who died, but Harry and all of his friends… all of the people he loved.

Harry struggled to regain his concentration. He needed to remain focused on the here and now. He didn’t have the luxury of contemplating the future or even what was happening right below him.

He needed to place all of his strength and will into the task at hand…kill or be killed. There were no options now.

The battle raged on and Harry had just dodged yet another blast from Voldemort’s wand. As Harry had learned, Voldemort’s wand was the brother of his very own beloved wand. Just as he and Voldemort were joined by a curse, in a strange twist of fate, so it seemed, were their wands. Put into simple terms, this made fighting very difficult.

Voldemort had returned as strong as he had ever been, but now, Harry wasn’t merely a baby, or barely a year old, as he was the last time Voldemort came after him in full power. In fact, Harry had become a very powerful wizard himself.

Harry also had one thing that Voldemort didn’t …a desire to save the ones he loved.

Voldemort thought love was a wasted and useless emotion. He couldn’t understand it and this made it difficult for him to guard against its advantages.

Voldemort on the other hand, had hatred and revenge to fuel him, which also proved to be a formidable power.

So, it seemed to come down to the wands. The wands were apparently resisting the task of battling one another. The wand’s brotherhood was preventing them from landing any solid curses.

It seemed that this could go on forever as the fighting continued for hours. Harry robes were drenched in sweat and they clung uncomfortably to his body. He was tiring. Fortunately, Harry could tell that he was also beginning to wear down his enemy as well.

Harry looked around at his friends again as they flanked him. They were rotating positions in turn, swooping all around him. Together, they formed a funnel-like configuration with Harry at its center.

The D.A. was given the task as serving as his guard. They were, at all costs, to protect Harry. They were to shield him long enough to allow him to attack and, if successful, defeat Voldemort. They were to ward off Dementors, Death Eaters, and anything else that endangered the mission.

It had to be successful. If they failed, all would be lost. Harry saw that at least Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Neville had managed to continue the fight. Seeing his friends had bolstered his energy.

He also saw that Fred and George Weasley had mounted their brooms as reinforcements for the D.A. Ron’s twin brothers were full-fledged Order members now, but Harry believed that no doubt Dumbledore had directed them to the skies. Given their experience as fliers, and their undeniable gift for curses, they would be welcome additions to the brigade.

Suddenly, Harry and the others heard three loud cracking noises. It gave them all quite a start.

Of course, they had been hearing blasts and other battle noises from the beginning, but this was different. It was much too close, as if it came from the sky.

It sounded a little like wizards Apparating, but the sounds were so loud, it couldn’t have been…could it?

Ron, spotting Fred and George, circled them and shouted, “What the bloody hell was that?”

George swooped over closer to Ron, “Not to worry little brother, Charlie and his mates have just arrived from Romania.” George had a bit of a sly grin on his face and one eyebrow raised.

Ron’s other twin brother, Fred, came swooping past in turn and added with a smirk, “Yeah, I expect that will be…let’s just say… a bit of a shock for you-know-who’s lot.”

Ron’s eyes were as big as crumpets and his mouth was gaping.

Seeing his brother’s shock, and enjoying the moment, George matter-of-factly added, “He’s a bit late though. I guess he wanted to make a bit of an entrance. Do you think he succeeded?”

With that, they rejoined formation and began throwing curses in every direction.

Harry, having seen the exchange between Ron and the twins yelled to Ron, “What’s happened? What was all that noise?”

Without a word, but grinning from ear to ear, Ron directed Harry to look over his shoulder.”

Glancing around quickly, he then stopped dead in the air and took a second look. Then returning his attention to Ron with a huge grin on his face as well, Harry simply responded, “Bloody hell!”

“Yeah, I know. Wicked, isn’t it!” Ron shot back.

What they had seen was Ron’s older brother Charlie and two of his friends from Romania. They had just apparated into the air over the battle raging below, but they weren’t exactly alone.

Charlie and his mates were soaring through the air but they weren’t on brooms, they were mounted on three rather testy-looking Norwegian Ridgeback dragons.

As they boys scanned the ground below them, they could just make out small figures running in every direction as Charlie’s lot began making fiery passes over the Death Eaters.

Hermione flew in closer almost laughing and simply said, “Beautiful night for a fire, don’t you think?”

“Oh definitely…very pleasant indeed,” Ron responded with a playful wink and then added, “Well, back to work I suppose.” and with that they were off again.

Harry was left with a smile on his face and a renewed sense of strength. He was beginning to really believe…they could do this. They could really end it all…today.

He felt a deep sense of pride in the bravery of all of his friends and in the fact that they had each become very powerful wizards in their own right. Never, in their wildest dreams, could any of them have imagined on that first train ride to Hogwarts, where they would be on this night. None of them had asked for this. None of them deserved to live it, but here they all were…united in a cause…ready to die for each other.

All of this had raced through his mind in seconds. He knew he could not let them down.

Harry willed himself to press on, flying faster and more erratically to try to throw off Voldemort’s aim and concentration. Harry was a great flier, there was no question. That fact explained why Dumbledore had devised this aerial assault. The hope was that being airborne, where Harry was at home would give him an edge.

Harry turned toward Voldemort once again for yet another pass on his Firebolt to try to somehow gain the upper hand. However, his thoughts of the love of his friends distracted Harry enough to allow a blast from a wand on the ground to hit.

Harry swerved at the last second and the broom took the brunt of the blast, but it did serve to throw him off balance. In that small window of opportunity, Voldemort had struck.

Harry veered to the left just in time to avoid the majority of the latest curse, but Voldemort had succeeded in knocking Harry’s wand from his hand and it was now falling freely to the ground.

Harry was just about to yell Accio wand to recover it when Ron came plummeting out of nowhere to shield him with his own body.

Voldemort laughed at the stupid sacrifice of the teenage boy. He thought it preposterous that Ron would do something that was, in Voldemort’s mind, so thick. He laughed even more when Hermione, in Voldemort’s approximation… a mere girl, shot over and flew directly in front of them both at the last second.

Both Hermione and Ron were blasted off their brooms by the curse. Harry was stunned. It had all happened so fast. Harry shouted to the others for help. His pleas for help were unnecessary because Ginny was already there.

Ginny, Harry thought, next to Ron and Hermione, had grown the most in his eyes.

She had matured both as a wizard and a person. She was independent, confident, and strong. From observing her with her brothers and various boys she dated, Harry also knew she was not one to be crossed. After all, she seemed to take after her twin brothers Fred and George, who were known for their talent for curses.

Having been possessed by Voldemort in her first year at Hogwarts, she was probably the only other person that could come close to truly imagining what Harry had lived through all these years. Harry felt connected to her because of it.

He had developed a deep admiration for her over the last couple of years. They had formed a bond of sorts through their experiences fighting Voldemort. He had saved her from the Chamber of Secrets and Voldemort’s possession in his second year.

She had also accompanied him to the Ministry of Magic in his 5th year without a second thought to help him find Sirius. Harry had talked to her later about why she had gone when it had been so utterly dangerous.

She had told him that “I believed you needed to go Harry, and I believe in you. I know you were doing what you had to do.” then she added, “Besides, I owe you not only my life, but also the life of my father. For that matter, Ron may not be here either if it weren’t for you. I’d go anywhere with you if I could repay even a portion of that debt.”

Even when times were calmer, they still spent more time than usual together. After all, she was his best friends little sister.

The fact that Harry had no family to speak of, at least family that wanted to speak of him, meant that he not only saw her at school, but also at the Burrow during summers and holidays. Harry felt they definitely had a connection on several levels.

Now, at that very moment, she was again fighting bravely from his flank. Ginny had been watching the movements of her brother and Hermione. She saw their dire situation and had swooped in from the left to defend them.

She’d deflected the majority of the blast with a counter curse, but it was too strong for her to stop completely.

Ron and Hermione were both falling to the ground lifeless.

Ginny had managed to slow them down before they hit the ground, much as Dumbledore had done at a Quidditch game in Harry’s 3rd year.

The Dementors had entered the grounds of the school and had caused Harry to fall some 50 feet to the surface of the pitch below. Now, seeing Ron and Hermione disappearing from view, Harry felt an intense anger swell in him, the likes of which he had never felt. That was really saying something considering what he had been through and all that he had lost in his lifetime at Voldemort’s hand.

Voldemort had taken his parents, his godfather, and many of his friends now lay below on the ground… some of which Harry knew would not survive. This was too much…not Ron and Hermione…it just couldn’t be.

As much as he wanted to, he had no time to go to them now. His love for them, and his coursing anger, fueled his strength. He had even forgotten about his wand.

Suddenly, he realized he didn’t need it.

This had happened to Harry on a few occasions before in his life. Once as a young child on a visit to the zoo, he released a snake that seemed to go after his cousin Dudley before slithering away. Harry had done this very much by accident and hadn’t even realized at that point that he was in fact a wizard and not just Harry.

On another occasion, he had blown up his Aunt Marge by simply thinking about it. In that instant, it was the love of his parents, whom she had been verbally degrading, that caused his anger, and in turn, his power to swell. It appeared that this was something similar to those times, but he felt very much in control this time over what he was doing.

He attacked swiftly and directly at Voldemort’s heart. The dark lord was taken aback at the power that lay in Harry’s hands, in Harry’s heart.

“This is not possible!’ Voldemort bellowed as he winced.

His expression told Harry that he was actually beginning to fear Harry, as he watched the life begin to leak out of his opponent. The end did not come easily.

Voldemort continued to fight. At this point though, his magic seemed to be significantly less powerful than Harry’s, for Harry’s magic was no longer coming from his wand, but from his heart and the very soul of his being.

This was something Voldemort could not understand or defend against. Harry was not fighting for himself, but for the lives of his friends and family who had suffered and died at the hands of the dark lord.

In the end, Harry’s last blast was the killing curse.

It was the same curse that Voldemort used on Harry’s parents, on Cedric and countless others. It hit home on a weakened Voldemort whose body glowed green. The glow began to erupt from his very heart.

Death didn’t seem to just wash over him the way it had Cedric when Voldemort abducted he and Harry from the Tri-Wizard tournament by Portkey. This was different. He began shaking uncontrollably and then he violently exploded from the inside out.

Voldemort completely disintegrated in a blaze of green fire. Harry was blasted backward from the intensity of the explosion.

He slowly regained his bearings and looked around for any sign that Voldemort had tricked him, but when none came he turned on his Firebolt and headed for the ground at full speed, eyes stinging against the rush of wind.

Harry flew down to Ron and Hermione.

The pain that Harry had ceased to feel when his anger had taken over was now returning with a vengeance. Harry was not only totally exhausted, but also completely overcome by emotions concerning the lives of his best friends.

It was too much. His body and mind would allow no more.

Harry collapsed on the ground and lay unconscious at their sides. Whatever happened in battle after that went on without Harry.

________________________________________
Chapter 3: The Aftermath

Harry awoke in hospital nearly a week later. He discovered to his great relief that the war was in fact over. Voldemort was gone forever.

Sadly, before Voldemort’s defeat, he and his Death Eaters had managed to take down several members of the Order, as well as some members of the Ministry of Magic, who finally believed the worst to be true.

They all knew from the start, that this battle would not come without losses, and it had come to pass, as they feared it would, it had been a swift and brutal attack.

Voldemort’s downfall was a fact, but Harry was having difficulty fathoming how different his life could be now that Voldemort was gone.

No more Voldemort, no more Dursleys, no more living in fear of the next attempt on his life or the lives of his loved ones…at least not by Voldemort himself.

He had lived with that hanging over him for the better part of seven years and it was taking awhile for it to really sink in that that horrible part of his life was truly behind him.

Unfortunately, this did not mean that all evil wizards were eliminated from their world, but for now they were without a lord to guide them and without a plan. Many of the remaining Death Eaters had fled at the defeat of their leader.

It appeared that when Harry defeated Voldemort, many of them ran in fear. Some had been left dumbstruck that “that boy” had actually killed, in their opinion, the most powerful wizard of all time.

In their disbelief they were caught off guard. Some had been captured and there were also those whom had not survived the battle.

Many members of the Order were also among the casualties. Harry knew at least two of the fallen Order members personally.

Tonks and Shacklebolt had on more than one occasion come to Harry’s side in his defense. They died bravely in battle, but not without taking several death eaters with them first.

Harry felt some pangs of guilt at his relief that it had not been Remus Lupin, his only real remaining tie to his parents.

Draco Malfoy and some of his gang had openly supported Voldemort in battle. He had disappeared somewhere during the fight and hadn’t been seen since.

Harry suspected that no doubt things had gotten too intense for Malfoy, Crabb and Goyle. At that point, Malfoy did what he always did…abandoned the others to save his own skin… for he left behind several other Slytherin students to face capture or perhaps even death.

That was not to say that he wasn’t out there biding his time with his father and the other surviving Death Eaters, but he too had tipped his hand and was just as much a fugitive now as his dad.

Hagrid had been aiding the giants that were fighting for Dumbledore. He and his half-brother, Grawp, had fought side by side. Grawp was a full-blooded giant. In spite of the fact that giants tend not to form strong relationships with others, they had definitely bonded and were truly brothers.

In the end, it was Grawp who died defending Hagrid. Hagrid was badly injured, but was now recovering, at least from his physical injuries. Aiding Hagrid’s recovery was none other than Madame Maxime of Beaubaxton’s and it was progressing rather well. Incidentally, she was no longer renouncing her giantess bloodline.

Most of the professors had survived, with the exception of Professors’ Flitwick and Sinistra. Harry had never felt very close the Professor Sinistra, but Professor Flitwick had openly supported them in their 5th year as they tried to undermine Professor Umbridge’s attempts to dominate the school.

He even gave the swamp that Fred and George Weasley had conjured a museum-like place of honor when Umbridge was gone.

He had simply stated that, “it was just a very good bit of magic”, but they all knew it was to pay homage to two of Hogwarts biggest mischief-makers in their finest hour.

Harry had always held a special admiration for Flitwick after that. In battle, the professors both died defending Dumbledore himself.

Dumbledore looked older and weaker than Harry had ever seen him, but nonetheless, he had survived.

The entire Weasley family had joined the fight. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, along with Bill and Percy had dueled from the ground with the Order.

Ron, Ginny, Charlie, and the twins had been part of the air assault team. They were all somewhat battered and bruised.

Percy, incidentally, had acquired a rather nasty burn and had most of the hair singed off the back of his head. Bill had of course apologized profusely for the near miss with the dragon fire, but Harry had a sneaky suspicion that it hadn’t been a total accident. After all, Percy had complained that he hadn’t been standing anywhere near a Death Eater at the time.

Harry suspected that the stray dragon fire was in fact Charlie’s attempt at a bit of payback, for Percy’s turncoat behavior prior to returning to the Weasley fold.

Mrs. Weasley must have shared Harry’s suspicions, because he had overheard her telling Charlie off in the hospital corridor. All he could make out was “dragon” and “could have been killed”, but he figured he didn’t need to hear the rest.

All in all the Weasley family had come away with various levels of injuries, but much to Harry’s relief, they were basically unscathed.

That was of course, with the exception of Ron. Ron had dove in front of Harry to protect him and took a rather nasty blast of a curse.

The Weasley’s hadn’t blamed Harry for Ron’s injuries. In fact, they commended him for taking the opportunity that Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had given him to defeat the dark lord, once and for all.

They were proud of Ron. Even Fred and George admitted he had come through in the clutch. They had always enjoyed picking on Ron. Next to Quidditch and picking on Percy, it was a favorite sport for them growing up. Now it seemed they viewed Ron as an equal. It was as much as any one of them would have done, if they had been in Ron or Hermione’s place, and they told Harry as much.

Ron didn’t wake up for another full week after Harry. Harry had been so worried that he sat day and night at his bedside at St. Mungo’s after he, himself, was strong enough to do so.

The only time he left Ron’s side was to sit with his other best friend. Hermione, who had taken the worst of Voldemort’s curse, had shown very little, if any change, since her arrival at the hospital. Harry ached with guilt at the sacrifice Ron and Hermione had made on his behalf, although he knew he’d have done the same for them without a single second of hesitation.

They had willingly offered their lives in exchange for Harry’s.

When Ron finally came ‘round Harry was beside himself with relief and joy. So much so that he openly hugged his best friend as his tears welled up.

“I’m alright mate…,” Ron had awkwardly said as Harry hugged him.

Harry’s happiness began to ebb away when he realized that only part of his waiting had ended. It was then that he remembered and realized that he had to tell Ron about Hermione.

Ron sat and listened and was speechless for a full minute. To Harry’s surprise, he then grew angry. At first Harry thought Ron was upset with him for letting Hermione shield him, but as it turned out, he was actually angry with Hermione… and Harry suspected… himself.

“What the bloody hell was she thinking!” Ron yelled. “She never should have blocked Voldemort for me! I was to be you’re barrier! She and I had agreed beforehand…if it came to that. She was not to interfere, unless, of course… I was already dead.” Ron had said matter of factly.

Harry was in a stunned silence for a minute before he asked, “Hang on …you mean, you planned to die shielding me?” Ron just looked at him with a ‘what did you think I’d do’ look on his face and finally said ”well… yeah.”

“And Hermione and you had agreed you’d die first, and then, and only then, she’d step in?”

Again Ron responded ratherly lamely…”Yeah.”

“Why didn’t I know about this… agreement?” Harry demanded, getting a little angry himself.

“Well, we knew you’d never agree to it would you, and it had to be done. We were fighting for more than just ourselves weren’t we? You had to succeed! Let’s face it Harry, our survival wasn’t really… necessary… or at least it wasn’t as important as yours was.”

As upset and Harry was, he realized that what Ron was saying was actually true.

They had been fighting for all wizards and muggles alike.

Dumbledore had told his friends to defend him at all costs, and they took that responsibility very, very seriously.

Harry began “Ron…I don’t know what to say. I can never repay you and Hermione for what you ….”

Ron cut him off “Repay?!? Hell Harry…you saved the world !! I think that’s thanks enough for any act…don’t you? …especially between mates. What would you have done in our situation?”

Harry just looked at his friend thinking to himself that he’d have definitely done the same.

Then eventually they both began to smile and Ron said, “It’s over Harry. It’s really over!”

The two friends sat in silence grinning for a few more seconds until, having been alerted of Ron’s change in condition, the entire Weasley clan entered Ron’s hospital ward and began to smother him with hugs and kisses.

Mrs. Weasley began to cry on Mr. Weasley’s shoulder. Ginny went over to Ron’s bedside, quickly hugged him and left the ward.

Harry had stepped back with a broad grin on his face to let all of Ron’s brothers in to slap Ron on the back or punch him in the arm…as only brothers would.

Even Percy had realized his mistakes in the end and had been allied with the Order. The whole Weasley family was united, and now that Ron was awake and recovering, the family was again complete.

Harry was beginning to feel a little like an intruder, although he knew they looked on him as part of their family too. He had overheard Mrs. Weasley once say he was as good as a son to her. Her words had made him swell with gratitude and it only deepened his love for spending time at the Burrow with his “family.”

Nonetheless, he thought they might like a little time alone. Harry saw Ginny leave the room and decided to follow her. He wanted to make sure she was ok. Besides, Professor Dumbledore had told him that Ginny had in fact spent a good bit of time at Harry’s bedside while he was unconscious.

What with worrying about Ron and Hermione, he had never taken the time over the last week to thank her. He thought this would be a good time to do that.

He found Ginny just outside Ron’s room. She was leaning against the wall and she was trembling. There were tears in her eyes, but she seemed to be willing them not to fall.

Harry looked at her for a few seconds.

“Ginny?”

He spoke her name, about to ask if she was alright.

At that moment, she threw herself onto Harry and wrapped her arms around him burying her face in his chest. She was sobbing uncontrollably.

He held her for a few minutes, softly rubbing her back, letting her pour out her pent up emotions. Then he said soothingly.

“It’s going to be ok now, Ginny…it’s over now. Ron is awake and he is going to be fine.”

Ginny slowly drew back from him and spoke through her choked tears…”I’ve… been… so worried… Harry. I haven’t… slept… properly for weeks. Between Ron… and you… I didn’t know what to do with myself. “

Suddenly her expression changed from desperation to what appeared to be anger. He’d seen this emotional shift in a Weasley before…Ron tended to suddenly change tracks under stress as well.

She was fighting to steady her breathing and continued, “ Why wasn’t I…stronger? I should have done better at blocking… that curse! My brother almost died because I was too… weak! Poor Hermione is still… still fighting to come back to us! All because… of me!”

Harry was astonished at Ginny’s confession of guilty feelings. After he collected himself he responded, not meaning to, but raising his voice a little too, “Ginny! Is that what you really think ?! You saved all of our lives with your quick reaction time. You were on it before I could even call for your help! Voldemort had knocked my wand away. I felt helpless. You saved us all! Don’t you ever think this is your fault…not ever! Do you hear me Ginerva Weasley?”

They stood frozen for a few seconds looking at each other. His words seemed to be sinking in and they calmed her a little.

“Now, come here,” he said in a more soothing voice, as he gently drew her back into his arms and then in a whisper, he breathed in her ear. “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you, Gin, and that’s the honest truth. I’m really proud of you. You’re strong…. and independent… and quite a powerful wizard yourself. “ Then looking at her he added, “ I actually came out here to thank you.”

Ginny responded with an odd quizzical look, so Harry continued.

“I wanted to thank you for your help in battle and for staying by my side in the hospital.”

It seemed to Harry that Ginny was beginning to flush pink in the face and it wasn’t from crying.

“How did you know about that?” she asked quickly. “Well…Dumbledore told me…”was Harry’s response.

He was a little surprised that she appeared to be embarrassed that he had found out, as though it had been her secret.

“Well….I was really worried about you…and Ron,” she added as almost an afterthought.

“Well,” Harry said with a small grin on his face, “I’m glad I had you in my corner.”

She smiled at his words and seemed to relax a bit. Harry was looking into her eyes. He still had his arms around her and was absentmindedly, softly stroking her back and shoulders.

It was like he was just seeing her properly for the very first time.

Even though she was his best friends little sister, it was easy to see that she wasn’t really little anymore. In fact she had grown quite beautiful he had thought.

He was having quite an internal struggle at the moment and becoming all too aware of how close they were standing to each other.

Beginning to feel a little nervous at the thoughts running through his mind about his mate’s younger sister, he said “So…shall we go back in and see Ron then?”

Ginny looked slightly disappointed then sighed “Yeah, …ok…”

Although it didn’t really sound to Harry like she wanted to end what seemed to be happening between the two of them at that moment.

In actuality, neither did Harry.

His problem was that he’d run out of things to say and their silence was starting to feel extremely intimate. Like each was waiting for the other to say or do something more.

Harry had had a strong urge to lean down and kiss her. He mastered the impulse when he remembered the last time he had kissed a girl. It had been nearly two years since the kiss in the Room of Requirement.

It wasn’t that Harry hadn’t had an interested in dating other girls in the meantime, but unfortunately his circumstances didn’t allow much time for romantic pursuits.

Then, there was also the fact that, frankly some girls were too afraid. They believed that dating him placed them in the direct path of unnecessary danger.

Now, as he remembered kissing Cho after the D.A. meeting that night, he thought of the fact that she’d been crying too, and that certainly didn’t end well. He didn’t want a repeat of that disaster.

He decided that if anything were to happen between he and Ginny, the right moment would come.

He’d know it when it did…right? …at least he hoped he would.

So, Harry opened the door instead and made a motion for Ginny to go first adding “After you.” with a bit of a smile.

She’d collected herself by then and returned his smile then led the way. They returned to the room to the sound of laughter and happy chatter.

________________________________________
Chapter 4 The Return to Hogwarts

Their feelings of happiness were rather short lived because one fact had remained. Hermione was still lost to them.

Drifting in what appeared to be a dreamless state of sleep, she was to be transferred from St. Mungo’s to the hospital wing at Hogwart’s.

Madame Pomfrey said the reason she was being transferred was that, honestly, there was no real medical reason for her continued comatose state.

It was like her mind hadn’t caught up with the fact that her body had healed and it just simply refused to let her wake up.

This was both encouraging and discouraging at the same time because the doctors had said she could wake up at any time or sleep endlessly…only time would tell.

Ron’s doctor, with Mrs. Weasley’s support, insisted that Ron stay another day or two at St. Mungo’s Hospital and rest.

It was decided that Harry would return to Hogwarts immediately to be with Hermione. They didn’t want her to be alone.

Her parents visited her as much as they could, but it was hard for them to get away for long periods of time from their dentistry practice. They had been alternating visits every two or three days and were being kept informed daily by owl post of her condition.

They had requested that she be allowed to remain in London, but it had been virtually out of the question. Due to the fact that she was not really in need of any specialized healing, that only St. Mungo’s could provide, and the fact that there were many other injured wizards from the battle that were, frankly they needed the bed.

The Grangers had only made the request in the first place because they knew it would be even harder for them to visit her now that she would no longer be in London.

The trip to Hogwarts muggle-style was long and rather treacherous. They’d also have to be given special permission because of all of the anti-muggle wards on the castle and the village nearby.

If they went on their own, they’d never find it…even if they were standing right outside the main gates.

When Hermione was transferred to the castle’s hospital wing Harry accompanied her to her new bed. The first two days were long, but Ginny stopped by a few times to keep him company and this helped the time to go by faster. She and Harry were always able to talk easily, at least since Ginny had given up her crush on him in her third year.

Ginny developed a crush on Harry the first time she saw him, but according to Hermione, she had moved on…a fact that Harry secretly was not so grateful for now perhaps.

Nonetheless, talking to Ginny wasn’t like talking with other girls. When Harry was with Ginny he was comfortable. He didn’t get tongue-tied or search for silly small talk to fill the gaps of silence.

They were friends. They had spent lots of time together playing Quidditch and spending holidays together…They had lots of material to pull from so very few silences dotted their conversations. Harry really enjoyed her company, but this was the one subject he was having trouble broaching with her it seemed.

Just spending time with her made him feel happy. That was enough for Harry…at least for now.

________________________________________
Chapter 5 The New Guard

When Ron was finally released from St. Mungo’s, he and Harry began taking shifts at Hermione’s bedside.

Madame Pomfrey had long since given up any hopes of trying to usher them out at the end of visiting hours. They simply refused to leave her.

Eventually, Professor Dumbledore gave them special permission to enter the hospital wing and stay with Hermione at any time of the day or night. It was useless to try to restrict their visitations anyway. He knew that they wouldn’t stay away. Even if it meant they had to go under the cover of Harry’s invisibility cloak, they would stay by her side.

He respected their loyalty and knew how they felt about Hermione. The fact was Dumbledore had thought it would be rather cruel to try to force them out. He decided it wasn’t a cause he could get behind. He chose to help them instead.

Now that the war had ended, Professor Dumbledore and the members of the Order, as well as the Ministry of Magic, felt it was important to return to normalcy as much as possible.

They needed to begin to pick up the pieces and start to heal. So, unbelievingly to the students, classes were to resume at Hogwarts.

They reopened the school year with the annual Halloween Feast.

Professor Dumbledore gave a moving speech to honor all those individuals who had fallen and commend all those who helped bring their victory.

Classes were to resume the first week of November. He announced that lessons were to be abridged to fit the remaining time in the terms.

Surprisingly, Professor McGonagall actually followed this order. When the term began, her classes became much less stressful and much more enjoyable. She said they would hit the highlights and then spend the remainder of the year practicing for their NEWTS transfiguration practical exam.

Professor Binns, however, didn’t seem to understand Dumbledore’s instructions because he picked up right where he left off with his History of Magic lectures. I guess, to a ghost, what had transpired was merely a brief interlude between his retelling of Goblin Rebellions and the Witch Burnings of the 18th century.

Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons had been taken over again by none other than Remus Lupin. He told them that the year would basically be spent on a discussion of the recent war and it’s strategic strengths and flaws.

He had said that they would work on some frequently tested blocking spells and curses, but they had pretty much already gone well beyond 7th year level in preparation for the attack.

In fact, they had even learned some spells that were usually only taught in Auror training. Given that fact, some of the lessons usually taught in 7th year seemed laughable at this point, at least compared to what they had already lived.

Professor Snape, it seemed, took Dumbledore’s instructions to it to mean that he should work them harder than ever before, so they would complete 10 months work in 8 months time. This turn of events wasn’t unexpected, but nor was it welcomed by the students as a whole.

There was a ray of light though…In Dumbledore’s support of Harry and Ron’s dedication to Hermione, their professors had been ordered to allow special exceptions for them in attending classes and turning in assignments.

They were required to attend every other class, which worked well because they had identical schedules. They just took it in turns to take notes for the other and actually missed very little of the material. They had also begun bringing their books and resources from the library to the hospital wing to do their homework.

During their study sessions, they were continually upsetting a variety of medical potions and equipment in their attempts to practice spells from their Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons.

Madame Pomfrey would bristle with each and every crash and yell “Mr. Potter! Mr. Weasley! This is a hospital…not a study hall or a dueling club!”

But to Harry and Ron, her anger really only seemed half-hearted. The boys kind of had the feeling that she admired their dedication to their friend and their unwillingness to leave her alone. They were determined she’d wake up, and when she did it would be one of their faces that she would see first. They would make sure of it.

So, to that end, there was never a minute that either one or both of them were not there. When they did take breaks for fresh air and exercise, it was one at a time.

They had also begun to take their classes much more seriously than ever before in their school careers. It wasn’t that they had been poor students before, but they had to admit, they never quite applied themselves. This was a fact that Hermione had on countless occasions reminded them of.

They used to get annoyed with Hermione’s nagging. This was especially true of Ron. Her nagging had led to plenty of rows between the two of them over the years.

If truth be told, at times it seemed to Harry that they were only truly happy when they were arguing… or making up and being unnaturally nice to each other after having just finished arguing. They fought like siblings he thought…or perhaps an old married couple… he wasn’t sure which.

Now Harry and Ron would give anything to hear her berate them. They could imagine her yelling at them or rolling her eyes over how she had to take notes for them or help them finish their essays they had left until the last minute again. She always insisted that she was fed up and wasn’t going to help them anymore if they didn’t start trying harder to keep up on their own, but when it came down to it, she always gave in to their pleading faces. She couldn’t resist her two best friends.

Now, they would look at Hermione and say “She wouldn’t believe the way we’re working…and without the help of her notes, too” and they’d smile at the thought of Hermione’s approval and surprise at their efforts.

Their newfound scholarly pursuits were crucial and they knew it. It was important that they not only finish their work, but do it well.

They had discussed it after Ron’s recovery. They had both decided that they would join the League of Aurors after leaving Hogwarts and they needed top marks on their NEWTS to get into the program.

They both wanted to help track down the remaining Death Eaters still at large. The Malfoys were definitely at the top of Harry and Ron’s list, but first things first.

They had to finish school before they could become aurors, and they were determined to do it. The order that Dumbledore had given the professors on their behalf was allowing them to stay by Hermione’s side and still complete their coursework effectively.

The only professor that had really protested at these exceptions was of course… Snape.

It appeared that Harry’s saving the world was not sufficient enough reason for Snape to detest Harry any less. He had always felt Harry was coddled and given special privileges and it grated at him endlessly.

As Snape was not given a request, but an order from Dumbledore, however, he was forced to comply.

So it went…on and on…

________________________________________
Chapter 6 Ron’s Confession

A couple weeks into the new term, somewhere in the small hours of the morning, the glow from a single light was visible in the castle.

Two boys were stationed on either side of a small bed, one with unruly black hair and one with flaming ginger hair. This is where they could be found most nights.

Once in awhile they would take turns sleeping in the dormitory when they really needed a good night’s sleep, but not very often. Most nights they sat perched on a chair beside her or slept on the hospital beds next to her.

Harry and Ron had kept a vigil at Hermione’s bedside for weeks now. They had been hoping for some small sign that their best friend would show any indication of improvement, but there had been none.

It was Ron who awoke first on this particular morning. It was actually Harry’s turn to attend classes that day, and Ron really didn’t need to be awake yet, but he had had another nightmare. Both he and Harry were often plagued by bad dreams about Hermione diving in front of them at the last second, shielding them from Voldemort’s curse.

Ron had awoken with a start to find himself in the warm hospital wing, almost falling off his chair.

He quietly moved his chair closer to the bed then glanced over at Harry who was sleeping. He watched him stir slightly at the movement of the chair and then roll over on the hospital cot he had claimed the night before as his bed.

Ron figured Harry had at least another hour before he needed to be up, so he was glad he hadn’t jarred him out of sleeping with his movements.

Dobby, the house elf, had been bringing all their meals to the hospital wing, and he wouldn’t arrive for another hour and a half or so.

Ron sat looking at Hermione. He reached over and brushed a wisp of hair out of her face. He then performed a spell that basically served as a magical bath for her without moving or disturbing her.

Harry and Ron had discovered this spell after discussing how mortified Hermione would be at not having bathed in so long. They had searched the library and found a simple charm that could take care of the problem. They began to take turns freshening her up on a daily basis. It was a small gesture, but it made them feel as though they were helping her stay comfortable.

Ron sat staring at her for several minutes then reached over and gingerly took her hand in both of his. Her hand felt warm but limp in his. He began to talk to her softly as he was gently gliding his thumbs over the back of her hand.

“Hermione, you need to fight. You need to come back. We all miss you very much.”

He looked down at the foot of her bed at the ginger cushion that was her cat and added.

“Even Crookshanks misses you. I know you’re tired, but you’ve got to wake up.”

Ron was quiet for a few minutes, gazing at her. He was feeling so hopeless. To Ron it seemed that the longer she slept, the less likely it became that she’d ever wake.

As he tried to banish that though from his mind he began to speak to her again quietly, “Please Hermione…we’re lost without you, Harry and I. Actually… I’m lost without you.”

Knowing his questions were useless he still felt compelled to ask, “Why did you have to fly in front of me? I should have known that you wouldn’t really keep our bargain…I mean about only interfering if I couldn’t… do it myself. That’s how you’ve always been isn’t it?

You are always looking out for Harry and I. But, Hermione, what you don’t know is…if I’ve lost you, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. I should have reacted quicker and moved you out the path of that blast.

It should be me, not you. We agreed.”

Ron went on for several minutes telling her how much he missed her and that he was sorry that it was her lying there in that bed and not him. He then lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly.

“I need you so much, Hermione…I even miss arguing with you. Nobody has your fire you know. There is simply no one quite like you. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to notice.”

Harry stirred at hearing a muted voice somewhere around him. Ron froze momentarily as he watched to see if Harry would settle again.

Harry had now begun to wake up and rolled over to see Ron holding Hermione’s hand. They just looked at each other for a minute as the sleep cleared from Harry’s head. It wasn’t unusual for Ron to be holding Hermione’s hand. They both had done it on several occasions.

The part that struck Harry was the expression on Ron’s face. It was truly desperate, so much so, that Harry was sure something had happened and he sat bolt upright in the bed.

“What’s wrong…what’s the matter?”

Ron was speechless for a few seconds. He looked from Hermione to Harry and back again.

Harry sat frozen, waiting for what he was sure was going to be terrible news.

Finally Ron spoke and said only four quiet words, “I love her, Harry.”

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Not catching Ron’s full meaning, he answered honestly, “I know Ron… I love her, too. You and Hermione are… my family. I couldn’t bare to loose either one of you. You two are like a brother and sister to me. You’re all I’ve got.”

Ron appreciated Harry’s words. The three of them had been through so much together over the years. There couldn’t be stronger friendships than theirs and Ron knew it. That’s when Ron decided he needed to tell Harry his secret. He felt the time had come.

He had to tell someone what had been eating him up…what he had known for some time, but hadn’t admitted…even to himself.

“You know Hermione and I feel the same way about you. You are part of my family, but that’s not exactly what I meant. I don’t just love Hermione… I think I’m… in love with her.”

Harry looked at Ron with raised eyebrows. He had never heard Ron talk about his feelings this way before but he wasn’t as shocked as Ron had apparently expected him to be at the news.

He just sat there and let Ron go on confessing his feelings.

Ron continued “I think I’ve actually fancied her for awhile. You probably didn’t notice, but I kind of get a little jealous any time she mentions that she is still writing to Krum.”

Fighting back a grin Harry said, “Well, maybe just a bit.”

Then Ron went on “It drives me just about mad! I even think back to when they went to the Yule Ball together. Imagining them saying good night just about drives me crazy. Do you remember that fight she and I had after the Yule Ball?”

Harry nodded but didn’t comment. Harry most definitely remembered entering the common room and walking in on that explosion. Hermione had been telling Ron that if he didn’t like her going with Victor, he should ask her to the next ball himself, before someone else did.

At the time, Ron had been too stubborn to admit that she had the better measure of him and had shrugged her off.

Harry, however, had thought Hermione had hit the nail right on the head…Ron had definitely been jealous. Ron continued and brought Harry back from his memories.

“That’s why I…you know… gave her such a hard time that night. Besides…did you see how beautiful she looked?”

Harry had in fact been watching Cho most of the evening, but it wasn’t hard to spot that Hermione looked radiant. Again Harry nodded and added, “Yeah, she had never looked prettier.”

“That’s right!” Ron said, as if her beauty had been some sort of evil plot, then softening a bit Ron added,“I couldn’t stand to think of someone kissing her goodnight. Especially someone like Krum, who had everything going for him.

How could I compete with the likes of him?.. You know older… and a World Class Quidditch player to boot?… The funny thing is, I don’t even know if he kissed her…. just imagining it is really about all I can handle. I’m not sure I really want to know if they had.”

Ron was now gazing at Hermione again, and “Then there have been all these times that she and I were…well… alone. Like during Quidditch matches while you were playing before I joined the team or when you couldn’t go into Hogsmeade that year. She and I would walk through the streets and shops and talk. Really talk. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Harry nodded.

He was thinking of his talks with Ginny and was pretty sure that he knew exactly what Ron had meant.

“There were times where I felt something between us,” Ron added, “but as usual, I was either too thick to do anything about it at the time or I’d start an argument with her and the moment would vanish. Now, I may never get the chance to tell her how I really feel about her…all because she tried to sacrifice herself to save us. What if she never wakes up Harry?”

Harry saw his chance to reply “Don’t even think it Ron. Hermione is strong. She won’t let this be the end. I’m sure of it.”

Trying to lighten to mood a little, he added, “besides, Hermione would never allow herself to miss sitting for her NEWT exams.”

Ron smiled and said “Yeah” but on a more serious note added, “She just has to wake up Harry. When she does, I’m going to tell her everything. Even if she doesn’t have the same feelings for me, I need her to know what’s in my heart. I owe her that much.”

Harry nodded and began to think that Ron had the right idea.

________________________________________
Chapter 7 The Dilemma

Harry and Ron sat for awhile longer talking and then Harry began to get ready for class.

Dobby came trotting into the hospital wing just shortly before Harry needed to leave for class.

“Good morning, Harry Potter sir,” the elf said brightly, then turning to Ron added, “Good morning Harry Potter’s Weazly sir. Dobby has brought you delicious food.” Dobby had come with their breakfast trays.

“Thanks Dobby can you put it on the table for us.” Said Harry.

Dobby was acting very silly doing acrobatic tricks with the trays. He hated to see the boys so down and was always trying in his house elf way to cheer them.

It usually resulted in another crash and a bellowing Madame Pomfrey entering the ward as eggs and sausages vaulted through the air. Most mornings this served as a pleasantly humorous start to the day, but today they just magicked their food back onto the trays and began to eat in silence.

A disappointed Dobby retreated back to the castle kitchens.

When it was time to leave for class Harry kissed Hermione on the top of the head and patted Ron on the shoulder.

“She’s strong you know. She’ll come back to us. You’ll have your chance. I’m sure of it.”

Ron nodded and told Harry he’d see him later.

The truth was, Hermione had been asleep a very long time. Harry didn’t like to admit it, but the thought that it may be possible that she never wake up had also crossed his mind.

Hearing Ron say it out loud, had somehow made it seem like more of a reality and Harry didn’t like it, not one little bit.

Harry had been thinking about Ron’s words all the way to his first class. After all, although Voldemort was gone, all of his followers weren’t. Was it only a matter of time before one of them stepped into his master’s role and took up the cause again?

They had also added the younger Slytherin’s to their ranks after the war ended. How long would it take for them to regain their strength and their numbers and have another go he wondered.

He started to think about the prospect of never exploring the feelings he was beginning to have for Ginny. He really wasn’t sure he could put a word to it, but he did know that he liked being with her and he thought about her a lot when he was away from her. He actually had been having dreams about that day in the hall at St. Mungo’s Hospital.

In his dreams, he had given in to his impulse to kiss her. He almost felt guilty about the dreams. He’d wake up and see Ron and think, “If he only knew what I had just done in my sleep, he’d probably slug me.”

It wasn’t that he liked keeping this secret from Ron, but he just really couldn’t come up with a smooth way of bringing it up. Everything that he rehearsed in his head sounded quite lame.

“Hey Ron, I think that I fancy your sister…what do you think?” Or “Would you mind if I asked your baby sister out? Or worst of all. “Last night I dreamt that I was snogging a girl…by the way…it was Ginny.”

Until all the stupid ways of telling Ron cleared his mind, he decided that telling Ron was definitely out of the question. This was a job for Hermione.

She was always so wise about feelings and things. He was sure she’d know exactly what to say and when it should be said. For now, it would have to remain secret.

Harry knew that the one thing that all of the Weasley brothers had in common was that they were very protective of their only sister, Ginny… and Ron perhaps more than the rest.

He had always scrutinized boys that she dated…and never liked any of them. Even when she dated Dean Thomas it was still more of the same. Dean was a roommate of theirs and they had all gotten on quite well together since their first year at Hogwarts. When Dean started dating Ginny however, Ron began glaring at him at every opportunity and pointing out all sorts of dodgy qualities about Dean that he had never bothered to mention, or Harry doubted, even notice before then.

Strangely, those qualities seemed to vanish when Ginny broke up with him and started dating, apparently in Ron’s approximation, a shifty looking 6th year from Hufflepuff that was simply… not to be trusted.

Once, just to get Ron, Ginny actually went out with a Slytherin from her year. Harry thought Ron would actually, physically explode. And so it went. It seemed that no one was good enough for Ginny.

A fact that Ginny herself had argued with Ron about on numerous occasions.

No…telling Ron was definitely out…at least for now.

Harry didn’t want to be under Ron’s critical microscope too. Would he suddenly find Harry was less than suitable too? He hoped not, but Ron was in a pretty tenuous state right now with his emotions and confessions about Hermione. He thought it best not to make things worse.

Yes, he would have to keep his feelings for Ginny, whatever they were a secret for now.

“It was for Ron’s own good.” Harry had told himself.

Harry turned his thoughts from images of Ron berating him about what he was he going to do with his sister on their dates to wondering what he should actually do now.

Should he do anything at all? Maybe he misread the tension between he and Ginny. Maybe she wasn’t the least bit interested in him romantically.

What if she just thought of him as Ron’s best friend or worse… family…like Harry did Hermione. After all…she had moved on …right?

She had dated several other boys after all. None of them seemed to be very serious relationships, but Ginny had become more and more attractive as the years progressed. She was fun and… a natural beauty. She wasn’t like some of the high maintenance girls at Hogwarts like Parvarti and Lavender.

It wasn’t that she didn’t wear make up or do girlie things, but in Harry’s opinion, she really looked great with or without those efforts.

Harry knew this because he had seen her just after waking up on several occasions at the Burrow. A guy would have to be blind not to notice her Harry thought.

He was sure that there were probably those who had designs on her at that very moment. She was never in short supply of offers it seemed. In fact, he wasn’t even truly certain that she wasn’t seeing someone now.

Given the current circumstances, it would be easy for her to go out with someone and Harry would never know. That thought began to eat at him.

What if she is seeing someone already?

Several thoughts were running in quick succession through his mind about it then suddenly said out loud, “What am I thinking? I’ve got to stop or I’ll drive myself mad.”

Regardless, he knew he wanted to see her. They hadn’t talked in a few days and he was missing her. He decided that today between classes he would find Ginny.

If Ron really had missed his opportunity with Hermione, he didn’t want the same thing to happen to Ginny and him. He at least needed to tell her how he felt…but how was he going to do it?

At midday Harry returned to the hospital wing to check on Hermione. As he suspected, there had been no change. Ron looked extremely tired and Harry suggested he take a little nap on the cot.

He promised that after class that afternoon he’d come back and let Ron have a break. He told Ron he had to get to the library between classes so instead of waiting for Dobby, he’d eat lunch in the Great Hall today. Ron nodded and Harry left.

The truth of the matter was, Harry was off to find Ginny. He only hoped he could find her quickly and alone.

He had considered the possibilities of where to start looking. After searching the library and the common room he finally entered the Great Hall and discovered she was sitting between some particularly giggly girls.

This was Harry’s idea of his worst nightmare in relation to females. Why in world did they always travel in packs and why were they always giggling?

Harry didn’t want to attempt to wisk Ginny off for a talk with the entire Great Hall looking on, so he decided to wait until later in the day.

After class he’d definitely find her, hopefully not so well guarded…and then they’d talk.

He decided while he was there he might as well have a bite to eat. He proceeded to sit down a few places away from her next to Neville.

She spotted him and with a smile brightly yelled, “Hi Harry!” down the table to him.

Harry smiled and then responded with an innocent wave as she returned her attention to her giggling friends.

________________________________________
Chapter 8: A New Miracle

Back in the hospital wing, Ron was in fact feeling quite tired.

He hadn’t slept well the night before and had awoken early. It also seemed that pouring out his feelings to Harry that morning had rather taken it out of him. Saying the words out loud only seemed to make the feelings stronger.

Ron was right next to Hermione’s bed now in his chair. He felt himself nodding periodically then jolting awake. He decided that he’d take Harry’s advice and rest a bit. If she woke up, he’d still be right there.

Holding her hand he leaned over and kissed her forehead and whispered, “Night luv. I’ll be right here.”

Ron didn’t remember actually falling asleep. He knew he had rested his head on the side of the bed and he must have drifted off rather quickly. He had been sleeping soundly and deeply.

Being close to Hermione comforted him and he had truly relaxed for the first time in days. Apparently, he had laid his head on Hermione’s stomach in his sleep and was cuddled up to her with one arm draped across her and the other holding her hand.

He was having a particularly nice dream and didn’t want to wake, but he felt something tickling him. He stirred slightly and when he realized the tickling wasn’t part of his dream, he made a haphazard motion as if he was swatting a fly in his sleep.

Hermione smiled and froze for a minute. When he seemed to relax, she started stroking his hair again gently.

Ron began to feel himself waking up. It took a minute for it to sink in that the tickling was actually a hand running across his head. The realization had not yet reached Ron’s sleepy mind that it was in fact, Hermione.

When Hermione had awoken earlier, she had felt a weight pressing down on her body and wondered what it was. When her eyes came into focus, she saw that it was Ron.

She was so touched that he was there sleeping beside her, that she couldn’t help but reach out to him with her free hand. She was gently stroking his hair and watching him sleep.

She really hadn’t meant to disturb him, but she had been unable to resist. He had looked so peaceful and sweet lying there resting against her. Her soft touch, however, had been enough to wake Ron up.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw two beautiful brown eyes looking back at him. Blinking against the light streaming in from the castle window, he quickly came to his senses.

“Hermione…you’re awake!”

She slowly nodded and a weak smile spread across her face. Ron sat up and moved to sit on the bed next to her. He was grinning from ear to ear.

She was trying to sit up and he began helping her. He had both of her hands in his now and was looking in her eyes. He felt tears welling up in his.

She quietly whispered “It’s ok now, Ron.”

He leaned into her and wrapped his arms around her. He didn’t want to ever let go. They just sat in silence holding each other for a few minutes.

When they finally broke apart he asked, “Are you ok? Do you hurt anywhere? What do you need?”

She replied in a whisper, “I think I’m ok, I just feel a bit groggy. What happened?”

She looked down and saw that Ron was still holding her hands. Before she could say anything else, Madame Pomfrey had come bustling out of her office.

Upon seeing Hermione sitting up she exclaimed, “Oh Miss Granger! You know you’ve given us all quite a scare young lady! Slept a bit long for my liking…but nonetheless…time for a checkup.

Out you go Mr. Weasley…” and seeing Ron’s expression she added…”and no arguments. I have to examine my patient. You’ll have to give us a little privacy.

Why don’t you go send an owl to Mr. and Mrs. Granger. I’m sure they’ll want to be informed straight away.

While you’re at it, tell Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. The headmaster and your head of house will want to be kept in the know too…and you’d better find Mr. Potter. I’m sure he’ll be angry if he’s the last to hear.”

With that she unceremoniously ushered him out into the corridor without so much as a chance to say goodbye to Hermione.

________________________________________
Chapter 9 Spreading the News

Ron just stood there for a few seconds staring at the back of the hospital wing door with his mouth gaping.

He didn’t like Madame Pomfrey very much at the moment and mumbled some…not so flattering words about her to himself. He momentarily entertained an impulse to barge right back in there again and tell her as much, but upon reflection, he thought that might not be the best tack to take in this situation.

After all, now that Hermione was actually awake, he didn’t want to be banned from the hospital wing or sent to detention for rudeness to a staff member.

He decided he would follow Madame Pomfrey’s orders, however grudgingly, and go and spread the word. He decided that he would go and owl the Grangers first then find Harry and they would tell Dumbledore and McGonagall together.

The corridors were basically deserted as he made his way to the owlery. The final class of the day was still in session, so with the exception of Sir Nearly Headless Nick, Ron didn’t encounter anyone else along the way.

He arrived at the owlery and quickly found his owl, Pig. After all, he was rather hard not to spot. Ron thought him a bit of a prat really. He was always flying around wildly and twittering whenever Ron went in to post a letter.

“What a show off!”, he thought. “Get down here you ruddy bird!” Ron snatched the feathered ball from the air on it latest pass and tied the letter he had written to the Grangers onto his leg.

“Now take this to Mr. and Mrs. Granger…and be quick about it. Hermione is awake!”

The bird seemed to understand and became even more excited, so much so that it flew right into a rafter before collecting himself and flying out the window with a slight wobble.

Ron couldn’t help but laugh. His owl was a bit annoying, but Pig was his, and deep down he thought he had a great deal of personality for such a small bird.

Having completed his first task, he set off in search of Harry. He figured that he should just be coming out of History of Magic and he went to head him off.

When he arrived at Professor Binns classroom, the door was just opening and students began to funnel out into the hallway.

Harry came out about midway through the crowd with the usual look of stupor that accompanied all of Professor Binns lectures. It took Harry a second to notice that Ron was standing there beaming.

He hadn’t been expecting him and had actually been anticipating finding Ginny with a virtual flock of butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He almost ran right into Ron before he spotted him. Ron didn’t even need to speak.

The uncontrollable grin spreading across his face was all the explanation that Harry needed. He began firing questions in quick succession at Ron.

“When did it happen? How is she? Can we see her? Why did you leave the hospital when she was finally awake?”

When Harry stopped to take a breath, Ron began to tell him what had happened, leaving out of course the part about him waking up cuddling her, and then added how Madame Pomfrey had shunted him into the hall and basically slammed the door in his face.

“What is she playing at?” Harry yelled. “After all this time, after all that waiting…she’s not even going to let us see her?! She can’t do that! We’ll go to Dumbledore!”

Ron tried to calm Harry a bit. “I don’t think we’ve been evicted permanently. She said she had to examine her. She wants me to inform Dumbledore and McGonagall.

I’ve just sent an owl to the Grangers and I’m sure they’ll be here later today. I bet they really wish they could use floo powder or apparate now. It’ll be hours before they’ll get here in the muggle way.”

Calming down slightly Harry said, “Well, then I guess we might as well find Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. We’d had better go tell Hagrid, too. He’ll be furious if we don’t.”

Ron didn’t want to spend anymore time than necessary on spreading the news, but he knew Harry was probably right about Hagrid. Ron hadn’t even thought of him.

Honestly, they hadn’t seen Hagrid very much over the last few weeks besides in Care of Magical Creatures lessons or when Hagrid came to the hospital to visit Hermione. It really wasn’t the case that Harry and Ron didn’t want to see Hagrid, but things being as they were presently…

Well, first there was their commitment to stay by Hermione…and besides, Hagrid was somewhat busy as of late himself with Madame Maxime.

They were frequently seen leaving the grounds in the direction of Hogsmeade together. Harry had even spotted them going into the Forbidden Forest on a few occasions.

“Hagrid’s idea of a romantic stroll no doubt.” Harry had told Ron one day with a smile on his face. “Only Hagrid would consider a jaunt through a dangerously deadly forest a good idea for an outing or even a date.”

They had both laughed at the thought of it. Hagrid was definitely one of Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s favorite people, but they didn’t always agree with Hagrid when it came to what was cute and cuddly, especially when the cuddly creature had claws, jaws, stingers, or in most cases with Hagrid’s pets…all three.

Nonetheless, Hagrid was as gentle as could be for being a half-giant. They knew they’d never find a more loyal friend than they had in Hagrid, with the exception of each other of course.

Ron decided Harry was right. Yes, they’d have to make at least one more stop before returning to the hospital. Hopefully by then, Madame Pomfrey would be finished with her examination and they could see Hermione.

They found Professor McGonagall first. She was cleaning up from an apparently challenging transfiguration class with the first years.

There were feathers, and what appeared to formerly have been teacups, spread all over the tables.

As they looked around “Don’t ask!” she said with a snort.

They both grinned remembering their first attempts at transfiguring. Poor results sometimes were the most humorous, at least until Professor McGonagall assigned extra work to improve their substandard performance.

As if a light went on in McGonagall’s brain, she suddenly realized that they were both standing in front of her.

“She’s awake?!”, she shot quickly at them.

“Yes professor, only just. Madame Pomfrey is examining her now, but before she… asked me to step out,” Ron said struggling for words that wouldn’t get him into trouble. “Hermione sat up and we were talking. She’s a bit weak, but she looked pretty good considering.”

“Well, that is good news. Have you informed the Grangers yet?” McGonagall asked.

“Yes professor, Ron has just sent them an owl.” Harry interjected and then added. “Now we’ve got to go and tell Professor Dumbledore and Hagrid.”

It was now the start of the dinner hour and Professor McGonagall offered to go to the Great Hall and inform the students at the Gryffindor table of the good news.

This thought hadn’t occurred to Harry and Ron before now and Ron said, “Yeah, that’s right…Neville, Seamus, Ginny and the others will definitely want to know as soon and possible.”

“Ginny!!” Harry thought out loud, quite by accident. Ron shot a quick look at him. “What about Ginny?” Ron asked looking around, half expecting her to be standing right behind him they way Harry had said her name.

Grasping around quickly for a reason for his outburst he lamely said, “Er…well…um… she’s been pretty worried, you know. Maybe we should…er…find her too.”

Ron just looked at him then said in a she’s only my sister manner, “She’ll be fine. Don’t worry, she’ll find us after she’s heard and then we can tell her what we know.”

Harry tried to appear in agreement, but he wasn’t sure if he was really pulling it off. He noticed Professor McGonagall was sizing him up with one eyebrow raised and a bit of what appeared to be a knowing grin on her face. Harry looked away from her quickly.

Harry gave a sigh of relief when Ron asked, “Shall we go then?”

He had apparently missed the whole silent exchange that had just occurred and was ready to go find Dumbledore and Hagrid and then get back to the hospital.

Harry was suddenly quite grateful for Ron’s ability to miss the point, as Hermione would have most undoubtedly said at that moment. The fact remained though, Harry would have liked to tell Ginny himself, but couldn’t think of an acceptable argument to support his action.

He pictured her hearing the happy news and getting excited. She might even be inclined to hug him in her excitement.

Harry daydreamed about telling her the good news for a few minutes as they walked along to Dumbledore’s office. He had completely forgotten his mission to find her when Ron met him outside of his last lesson.

Well, there was no time for them to go off and talk alone now. It would have to wait.

“But if I could talk to her now….” Harry had thought… “Harry! …Harry?… I’m talking to you!” Ron’s voice invaded his daydream and brought him thudding back to earth.

“Oh…sorry. What were you saying?”

Ron just looked at his friend with an odd questioning expression, but when Harry didn’t offer an explanation he just shrugged his shoulders and continued.

“Well…I was saying that I bet that Hermione would like to have some fresh clothes to put on before she starts getting flooded with visitors. I know we’ve been performing the Freshening Charm, but I’m sure she’d still prefer a new outfit to what she’s been wearing for almost 2 months. For her it will…you know… be the principal of the thing, not how clean we’ve kept her. Don’t you think?”

“Yeah, you’re probably right, but how will we get into her dormitory to get them. You know the castle won’t allow boys to enter the girl’s dormitory.” Harry reminded him.

Then Ron went on, “It’s not fair really is it?… I mean, Hermione can come to our room any time, but we can’t go to hers.” Ron grumbled.

Harry responded, “Well, I guess it’s like Hermione said. I guess the Headmasters through the years have found girls to be more…trustworthy than boys…at least in that respect.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Ron said, allowing his mind to wonder Ron began thinking of what might happen if boys could have free access to the girls’ rooms.

It seemed a bit of a mischievous grin was rounding the corners of his mouth.

Harry noticed and said, “What’s on your mind Ron?” he too was grinning and thinking the same thing.

“Oh…nothing.” said Ron with a smirk.

“Yeah…and there’s nothing on my mind either,” Harry added with a grin.

They broke into laughter and turned the corner to the passageway that led to Professor Dumbledore’s office with smiles on their faces and a bit more spring in their step than they’d had in nearly two months.

________________________________________
Chapter 10 Dumbledore’s Informant

As they approached the stone gargoyle that marked the entrance to Dumbledore’s office, it suddenly began to move. Harry and Ron looked up and saw Dumbledore himself descending the spiral stone staircase. He had a knowing grin on his face.

Harry spoke first, “Professor, we were just coming to find you.”

“I thought I might be seeing you, however, I thought it best that I save you the trouble.” he said.

“So… you know already?” Ron asked.

“Oh yes, I was just visited by a somewhat disoriented, little, tawny owl. It seemed he was thrown a bit off course.” Dumbledore added and Ron blushed.

“Oh no, Pig! That bloody bird, oh sorry professor.”

“Yes, well, I hope you don’t mind Mr. Weasley, but I sent Fawkes on in his place. Young Pigwidgeon didn’t appear to be up to the trip today.” Dumbledore exclaimed.

Ron responded, “Thanks professor, that bird’s a menace,” but then softening a little, he added, “but I guess he’s ok most of the time.”

Dumbledore then said, “I was just on my way to visit Miss Granger. If you’re not otherwise engaged, would you two care to join me?”

Together they said “Yes!!”, but then remembering about Hagrid, Harry said with a note of disappointment in his voice, “but, we have to go to Hagrid’s and tell him first. He’ll skin us if we don’t let him know Hermione’s awake.”

Dumbledore let them stew for a few seconds then said looking over his half-moon spectacles at them with a bit of a smile, “Well, if you’d rather tell him in person, that would be very nice…

However, I took it upon myself to give Faux instructions to stop by Hagrid’s on his way to inform the Grangers. I hope I haven’t overstepped my bounds.”

Ron practically shouted, “Oh no! That would be just fine…don’t you think Harry?”

Harry was smiling at Dumbledore, who seemed to be enjoying this little exchange. Then Harry exclaimed, “Yeah, come on then, let’s get to the hospital wing. Surely Madame Pomfrey is finished with her now.”

Suddenly remembering how Ron had been practically thrown out of there earlier he added a bit nervously, “She will let us in, won’t she professor?”

With a wink and a smile, Professor Dumbledore said, “Don’t concern yourselves with such things my young wizards. You just leave Poppy to me.”

With renewed confidence off they went, striding toward the hospital wing and back to Hermione.

As they entered the wing Ron’s heart was racing.

Harry too was excited. He couldn’t believe that she was finally awake.

Hermione was sitting up in bed and looked much stronger than when Ron had left earlier. When she saw the boys, she beamed at them and held out her arms.

She hugged them both in turn and began, “Madame Pomfrey has been telling me how you to stayed with me morning, noon, and night.”

Harry answered, “We just couldn’t let you wake up alone.”

They both were beaming back at her.

Gazing at Ron, she responded, “Well, I definitely wasn’t alone.”

Ron flushed and seemed to squirm a bit under her smiling gaze. He quickly changed the subject, “So, um…tell us. How are you? What did Madame Pomfrey say?”

“Well, I’m in perfect health. I’m just a little weak from lying here for so long. She’s given me a strengthening potion that I have to take for the next couple of days, but I’ll be fine. She says I can probably return to the dormitory in a couple of days.” Hermione answered.

Then spotting the headmaster, she added, “Professor, it’s so good to see you.”

“Miss Granger, it’s very good to see you, too. We’ve all been a bit worried, but the body does what it must I suppose.”

“Yes, I suppose it does.” she said with a smile then continued. “Professor, since I woke up I’ve been wondering what happened, you know, after I fell. How are Hagrid and the others?”

Dumbledore had no time to respond for at that moment a booming voice came from behind him.

Hagrid had just arrived and was striding toward the group of visitors huddled around her bed with Professor McGonagall following closely behind.

“Hagrid!! Professor McGonagall!! I’m so glad you’re both ok! How’s Grawp and Madame Maxime?”

Everyone went silent for a moment, then Hagrid broke the silence. He walked over next to Hermione and took her relatively small hand in his. Then he told her what had transpired and the fate of his brother.

“He was a hero. Saved my life, he did. Wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

Hagrid was beginning to get a little choked up. He told Hermione how glad he was she was awake and recovering then he said that he’d visit again later. After Hagrid left Hermione felt awful for making him relive the events again.

“I didn’t know. There is so much I don’t know. What I do know, is that I’ve lost nearly two months of my life.”

She was beginning to get tears in her eyes. Ron and Harry tried to comfort her.

Harry took her hand and said, “It’ll be alright now Hermione, we promise.”

Ron sat down at the end of the bed opposite Harry. He started gently patting her leg through the blanket and added, “We’re all together now, that’s what’s important. Harry and I will tell you everything, but you need to get your strength back.”

Hermione looked at Harry’s hand and then held the other out to Ron. He moved closer to the head of the bed and took it. Harry sat down on the other side of her bed and there they sat.

Professor Dumbledore said his farewells and excused himself.

McGonagall also bid Hermione goodnight and left the ward shortly after the headmaster. They both knew they needed time to catch up.

Harry overheard the professor telling Madame Pomfrey that he would limit her other visitors to Hagrid and her parents, but that Ron and Harry were to be admitted freely. With a bit of a grumble about ‘needing rest’ she reluctantly agreed.

The three talked for hours.

The ward was filled with laughter mostly, but there were of course moments of sadness as they relayed the fate of fallen members of the Order and school staff.

They tried to fill her in on everything that had been going on while she was asleep. She was temporarily mortified when they told her that classes had begun again a few weeks prior.

She went into a sudden panic over how much she had missed and that she would fail her NEWTS horribly.

It wasn’t until Harry pulled out some of the rather copious notes he and Ron’s had taken and laid them in her lap that she calmed down a bit.

“You two did all of this? I don’t believe it!” She said with a smile. “That’s not all you’ll be surprised about.”

They went on to tell her how they had really applied themselves and that she would definitely be proud of their efforts. They also told her about the abridged course schedule for the year and their plans for auror training following the end of the summer term.

The time had flown by that evening. It wasn’t until Mr. and Mrs. Granger entered the ward that they had realized how long they had been talking.

They were beside themselves as Mrs. Granger ran over to Hermione’s bed with tears streaming down her face.

Mr. Granger was rather tired and worn looking as though he had just run a very long race.

Harry and Ron greeted them and decided they should give them some privacy with their daughter. They promised to return later and left the ward.

They thought this would be a good time to visit with the others in the common room. They were sure that they were desperate for news, having been kept from visiting Hermione in person.

________________________________________
Chapter 11 Common Room Court

As Harry and Ron entered the common room, they were nearly bowled over by the wave of people coming at them firing questions.

When the initial attack was over, they all made their way over to their favorite chairs by the fireplace.

Ron and Harry sat in the oversized chairs nearest the fire while the rest sat on squashy poufs on the floor. As Harry and Ron sat talking to the audience on the floor, they had the appearance of holding court.

It had been a long time since the last evening they spent sitting together in that room and it felt good to be together again.

It would even be better when Hermione was released from hospital, completing the group once again. They began answering a barrage of questions as best they could.

Everyone was ecstatic that Hermione was back, no one more so than Ginny. She had still been feeling a bit guilty about the condition of her friend.

Regardless of Harry’s admonitions, she still felt responsible for not being able to completely guard against Voldemort’s curse that struck them.

She and Hermione had become quite close over the past few years. Hermione, after all was her brother’s best friend and she had spent vacations and holidays with the Weasley’s at the Burrow.

Ginny sort of looked at Hermione as an older sister and a very good friend. Being the only girl in a family of seven children, Ginny really appreciated Hermione’s visits. It gave her an ally in the den of Weasley males.

Dean and Seamus had gone to the kitchens to knick some late night snacks and a regular party had ensued.

The only thing missing, other than Hermione, was Fred and George Weasley’s Wizarding Weazes.

Neville had thought though that it was somewhat of an improvement due to the fact that he was the most likely candidate to have been the victim of the twins’ inventions.

They celebrated until around 11:00 when Professor McGonagall came in and told them off for keeping her awake.

People began to slowly clear the room. At the end of the night Ron, Harry, and Ginny were the last to remain. Ginny yawned, but didn’t seem to want to go to bed yet. Ron started talking of getting back to the hospital and Harry agreed that it was probably time to head back. As they were preparing to leave, Ginny continued to stare into the fire sleepily.

“Aren’t you going to bed Ginny?” Ron asked.

“Well, I am a little sleepy, but I’m not ready to go straight to bed just yet. I’ll turn in soon. Tell Hermione hello for me and that I’ll visit as soon as Professor Dumbledore will allow it.”

“Okay. Well, see you later Gin. Are you ready Harry?”

Harry paused for a moment then responded, “Yeah, okay.”

He glanced back at Ginny quickly as they were exiting the portrait hole. Her ginger hair seemed to be glowing in the firelight. Harry suddenly had an idea to buy himself a few minutes alone with Ginny.

“Ron?”

“Yeah?” Ron asked. “Well remember we were planning to get Hermione some fresh clothes before all of the visitors began descending upon her?” Harry asked.

“Yeah, I know, but we still can’t get into the girl’s dormitory.” Ron said. “Well, no, we can’t, but Ginny can. Why don’t you go ahead to the hospital and see Hermione and I’ll go back in and ask Ginny to go up and get her a fresh change of clothes.” Harry said crossing his fingers in his robe pockets.

Ron thought for a second and then said, “That’s a good idea, but you don’t mind do you? I mean I know you’d like to see Hermione too.”

Harry responded trying not to sound too anxious, “No, it’s fine. There will plenty of time for me to see her. Besides, this would give you a little time alone with Hermione. You are still planning to tell her, you know, how you feel?”

Liking the idea of spending quiet alone time with Hermione, Ron considered his answer then said, “I do want to tell her, but now that she’s awake, I’m not sure it will be as easy as I’d like. It was no problem telling her I fancy her when she was completely unconscious, but now…well, it’s a bit harder looking her in the eyes and saying the same things.

What if she doesn’t feel the same or worse…laughs at the prospect of the whole thing?”

Harry felt sympathy for his friend, he knew exactly what he was feeling.

“I don’t know Ron. Hermione is the best person to ask about relationships, but obviously that’s not really an option is it? All I know is that while she slept you really regretted not telling her sooner.

What if something else happens and you still haven’t told her? I know it’s hard, but why don’t you go spend some time with her and just see if it feels right. Maybe you’ll know when it’s time, if it happens.”

Not looking completely convinced Ron answered, “Well, I guess that’s as good as a plan as any. I’ll see you a little later okay.”

As Harry turned to reenter the portrait hole he quickly added, “Listen, I’ll take my time so you can spend more time alone alright.”

“Yeah, thanks, Harry…you’re a great mate.”

With that Ron headed down the corridor and disappeared from sight.

Harry turned and gave the password to the Fat Lady, who annoyingly swung open again adding, “Make up your mind won’t you.”

When he stepped into the common room it was still empty except for the rather small ball curled up in the chair by the fire that was Ginny.

He walked quietly to her and looked down at her. In the few minutes that he was talking to Ron in the hall, she had fallen asleep in the chair that Harry had vacated. He wasn’t sure what he should do. Should he wake her or let her sleep?

She looked beautiful sleeping in the glow of the dying fire. He was beginning to have the urge to lean over and kiss her again. He stood gazing at her for probably a full minute then decided he’d wake her.

After all, he had told Ron that he’d return with a change of clothes for Hermione. Ginny was the only one who could help him with that at the moment. He didn’t think she would mind. It was for Hermione after all.

He slowly reached down and placed his hand on her shoulder and quietly spoke.

“Ginny? Ginny wake up.”

She slowly opened her eyes and gave a cat-like stretch as she began to focus on Harry’s face.

“Oh, Harry. Have I been sleeping long? How come your not at the hospital with Ron and Hermione?”

“I’m sorry to wake you Ginny, but I wanted to ask you a favor.”

arry explained about the fresh robes for Hermione and then asked, “So, can you help me?”

“Sure, I’d be happy to Harry. I’ll be right back.” She rose and walked to the stairs and disappeared into the dormitory to the left.

Harry’s mind began to reel. What was he going to say when she came back? What if she’s just too sleepy and wants to go straight to bed?

He decided he’d take his own advice and wait for his moment. If it felt right he’d talk to her, if not, he’d wait.

With a plan in mind he felt a little calmer. After about ten minutes Ginny reappeared at the bottom of the stairs with what appeared to be an overnight bag in tow.

“Here, Harry. I think this will work.”

“Thanks Ginny, I know Hermione will appreciate this.”

“Oh it’s no trouble, as I said I’m happy to help.”

Noticing Harry wasn’t leaving she asked, “Is there anything else?”

Harry wasn’t sure how to approach this then a thought came to him.

“Well, I thought I’d hang around here for a little while, you know before I go back to the hospital. Ron kind of wanted to go on ahead…alone.”

Ginny seemed to have a look of dawning comprehension on her face and said excitedly, “So, has he told her then?”

Not meaning to tell Ginny the whole story, without Ron’s permission, he said, “Er…told her what?”

“Well, that he’s in love with her silly. It’s been very obvious hasn’t it, especially since Hermione’s accident.” Then seeing the look of surprise on Harry’s face she added, “Didn’t you know? Surely you had suspicions.”

At this point Harry could see no reason to keep the secret any longer, she already knew without being told. He began to tell her the whole story of Ron’s confession to him at Hermione’s bedside. Then asked, “You and Hermione talk about, you know… girl things… right?”

“Yeah…Why?” She asked with a curious look on her face.

“Well, I was just wondering…what are his chances? Does she ever say anything… about Ron I mean?”

Ginny considered the question for a few seconds, which had begun to make Harry quite nervous for Ron as he thought of him pouring out his heart to Hermione.

“I really shouldn’t say… but honestly, she had kind of given up that he’d ever come to his senses. I’m not sure where she is right now on that subject. She has had feelings for Ron… in the past I mean, but…they fight so much and stuff. She just wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or not. If Ron’s gone to talk to her tonight, I guess we’ll find out soon enough won’t we.” Ginny added matter-of-factly.

At this Harry replied, “Well, it’s not definite really. He was going to kind of see how things went and only talk to her if it felt…you know…like the right moment. You absolutely cannot tell Hermione about this or say anything to Ron, or heaven forbid, you can’t say anything your brothers. Ron would have my hide.” Harry pleaded.

“Not to worry Harry, your secret, and Ron’s of course, is safe with me.” She added with a grin.

She was now thinking about all the torture she could inflict upon Ron. That is if she hadn’t just promised Harry that she wouldn’t.

Harry seemed to become a little nervous and suspicious at her smirk and quickly interjected, “Please Ginny, promise me you won’t make Ron’s life miserable over this.”

Smiling and enjoying her bit of power she said, “Okay, okay, I swear I won’t use my knowledge for evil, but you have to admit, it’s a bit of a sacrifice for me. Especially after all the grief he’s given me over boys that I’ve dated.”

At this point Ginny realized that they were still standing in the middle of the common room and she asked, “Well, since you appear to be sticking around for a bit, would you like to sit down? I could stay with you if you like, you know, to help keep you awake she said with a small yawn.

“Well, if you’d like to…and you’re not too tired, that would be great. I’d love some company,” Harry answered.

“No, I’ll be fine, I’m actually starting to get my second wind now. After that news, who could sleep.”

With that they sat down in the chairs near the fire together and talked for some time about nothing in particular, but at the same time everything. They laughed and teased each other for nearly an hour.

They were both feeling a bit sleepy now and there was a small lull in the conversation. Ginny was sitting closest to the fire and was looking into the flames.

Harry was looking at her.

She looked sweet and beautiful. He wanted to tell her what he was thinking. They had spent the last hour doing what they always do, comfortably talking and laughing.

He wanted so badly to reach out and take her hand.

When Ginny turned, she saw he had been looking at her. He held his gaze for a few seconds before his face began to flush a bit and he looked at the floor.

Feeling a bit surprised at Harry’s expression and his reaction to her catching him looking at her she asked, “What is it Harry? What’s wrong? You know you can talk to me, right?”

Harry looked at her once again and before he could stop the words, they came tumbling out, “Yeah, that’s just it. I can talk to you so easily, Ginny. I like it… maybe too much.”

Then he just froze. His mind was racing. Why had he said that now?

Maybe he was sleepy and he had let his guard down, regardless it was too late now.

Ginny just sat there looking at Harry, not saying anything mouth gaping and eyes wide open.

Harry figured he had past the point of no return and he might as well lay everything out on the table now.

Before he could lose his nerve he plunged on, “The truth is Ginny, I think I have…feelings for you. Real feelings I mean, not just ‘you’re my best friend’s sister feelings’, but real feelings.”

Without pausing to let her respond he continued, “I know this is probably coming as a bit of a shock for you, and I’m sorry about that. Hermione has told me that you had kind of had given up your crush on me years ago and had …moved on.”

She blushed a bit at those comments and made a mental note to talk to Hermione, but was still silently just staring at Harry in disbelief.

“Well, er…I guess that’s… that’s it then.

Um…I fancy you a bit… and have for awhile, but since you don’t feel the same…that’s okay.

You er… probably are already seeing someone else anyway. It’s okay; um…well…We can still be friends can’t we? And…could we keep this between us? Please? I’d rather not have to endure your brother’s ribbing any more than Ron would. Well, good night Ginny.”

With that he made a hasty retreat towards the portrait hole, unfortunately he had forgotten Hermione’s bag on his first get-away attempt and had to back track.

Ginny was still sitting in her chair speechless.

“Er…forgot Hermione’s bag…well…good night then.” Harry said blushing scarlet and with a bit of cracking in his voice that he’d hoped she hadn’t noticed.

Again he turned to leave and got as far as the portrait hole exit before he heard, “Harry!… Wait… Where are you going? You can’t just…just say all those things… and …and go off without so much as letting me say a single word!”

Uh-oh, here it comes Harry thought. He’d seen Ginny telling off boys before and he didn’t fancy being on the receiving end of it. However, he had started this and he thought it only fair to let her finish it.

Better now, in the empty common room, than later in some other populated part of the castle he thought. So, he stopped dead where he was and just stood there with his eyes closed tight and his face screwed up, gritting his teeth.

He was still facing the door and he was waiting for the explosion.

About thirty seconds passed and nothing happened. He began to ease the tension in his face and slowly turned around.

Ginny was standing now on the other side of the room. When Harry turned to face her she simply said two small words, “How long?”

He stood there thinking that this could be worse. At least she wasn’t throwing curses at him.

Cautiously he responded, “Well, I’m not exactly sure, but for awhile. I think it first really hit me at St. Mungo’s outside of Ron’s room the day he woke up. I had wanted to…”

“To what?” Ginny demanded.

“Well, to…to kiss you.”

Harry’s heart was pounding somewhere in the vicinity of his Adam’s apple now and his stomach had been inhabited by the flock of butterflies once again.

He couldn’t believe he was actually saying these things out loud. Ginny was slowly moving towards Harry now. He wasn’t sure what to do. He wasn’t sure what she was about to do. He felt like running, but for some reason he was frozen to the spot.

Ginny continued to advance silently on Harry. She was very close now, only a foot or so away. She was looking directly into his eyes. He was melting under her gaze.

Then she broke her silence, “You said you wanted to kiss me, so why didn’t you?”

Harry’s mind was spinning. What did she want? What did she expect from him? He wasn’t sure what was happening.

He then answered again, in a somewhat crackling but quiet voice, “Well, it didn’t seem like the right time. You were crying and upset and I didn’t want to make it worse.”

She answered quietly, “I’m not crying now, Harry.”

And she moved even closer to him. Their bodies were literally inches apart. She was looking up at him as he was looking down.

She just stood there waiting for him to respond.

“No… you’re not.”

Harry’s mind was racing. He couldn’t help himself. She looked so incredible. He leaned down slowly toward her keeping his eyes on hers.

He took both of her hands in his. Her hands were trembling.

She didn’t pull away, he thought. That’s a good sign.

He leaned even closer and whispered, “Ginny…”

Then he slowly closed the remaining gap between them. He kissed her softly and tenderly. He felt her shudder against him.

Feeling her body respond to him that way only urged him on, and with that he totally let go.

He eased his hands up her sides and then slowly slid his them around her pulling her tightly against him. When his lips met hers again, he kissed her more deeply than he had ever kissed anyone before in his life.

He had imagined this so many times, even dreamed about it, but this was so much better than his imagination. He couldn’t believe he was there and this was happening.

After a few minutes they drew apart.

A few seconds of breathless silence passed then Harry whispered, “I guess this means, you aren’t angry with me?” Harry said with a mischievous grin.

Ginny smiled back at him and asked, “Do you want to go back and sit down then?”

As Harry slid his hand down her arm and took hold of her hand again he responded, “Yeah, I’d really like that.”

They walked hand in hand over to the fireside again and sat down in Harry’s favorite chair together. He put his arms around her and pulled her close.

They sat quietly, content to just be close to each other, staring into the fire. After a few minutes Harry broke the silence. He had questions. He wanted to know if she had been feeling the same way. Had she wanted him to kiss her too before now?

Ginny began blushing a little, “Well… it’s always been you, Harry. I know I started going out with other guys, but that was because I didn’t think I’d ever have a chance with to be with you. I think the reason that none of my other boyfriends worked out was because I was always comparing them to you…and they seemed to fail miserably.”

Harry smiled and raised one eyebrow at this and said, “Miserably, huh?”

“Don’t get cocky, Mr. Potter.” She responded with a smirk. “Anyway, it worked didn’t it. Letting go of the idea of you ever having feelings for me, is actually what allowed us to get to know each other better wasn’t it. When I decided to ‘move on’, as Hermione had put it, I wasn’t nervous around you anymore and we became friends.”

Harry leaned over and kissed her temple, “Yeah, it definitely worked alright.”

Ginny smiled and touched his face with the palm of her hand. They kissed again playfully for a few minutes.

When they broke apart this time Harry asked, “Ginny, what do you think that Ron and the rest of your family are going to think about this? I mean obviously, I want to see you again.”

She smiled at his nervousness about her family’s approval. “Harry, they all love you.” Then in a slightly teasing voice she added, “Besides, how could they argue that I could find anyone better than the wizard who saved the world?”

Harry gave her a sheepish look and said, “I’m serious Ginny. What if Ron suddenly thinks of me as less than worthy of his only sister like he has the rest of your boyfriends?”

She could tell he was really worried about this and she thought it rather sweet.

Then she said, “Listen Harry. They all know how I’ve felt about you in the past. They really do love you and they know what type of person you are, especially Ron. They may be a little surprised at first, but I really think they’ll be happy for us.”

Looking at Harry she could tell he wasn’t completely convinced.

“If you’d like, we could just keep it our little secret for awhile. You know, see how things go. It might be kind of fun keeping it to ourselves, at least for now.”

Harry looked at her for a few seconds then with a feigned look of astonishment he said, “Why Ginerva Weasley… us?… sneaking around?…sounds fun.” He finished with a laugh.

He didn’t want to go, but he started thinking about the fact that it had been a couple hours since Ron had gone back to the hospital and it was nearly one in the morning. Ron was probably beginning to wonder what happened to him.

“Ginny, I really don’t want to leave you right now, but if we are going to keep this quiet for awhile, I’d better get going.”

She signed then said, “I know, I’m just really comfortable here in this chair. When will we be able to see each other again?”

Harry thought for a second then said, “Well, it’s Ron’s turn to attend lessons tomorrow, so it would probably be a little suspicious if I didn’t spend the day in the hospital. I will be in classes again on Friday. I could probably make an excuse about not stopping by at lunch on Friday and we could meet somewhere. Where do you think would be good?”

Ginny thought for a second, “What about the library? We could… kind of sneak off between the stacks.”

With a little bit of true surprise Harry’s eyes popped wide open, then recovering he said, “I like the way you think, Gin. So…it’s a date then?”

He leaned down and kissed her gently and said, “Goodnight Ginny. I had a great time tonight.”

With a smile she answered, “So did I, Harry. Sleep well.”

Harry walked backwards a few steps looking back at waving to her then he turned and left through the portrait hole feeling happier than he had in a very long time.

________________________________________
Chapter 12: Ron’s New Dilemma

Several minutes later Harry walked into the hospital wing. He saw Ron sitting in his usual chair beside Hermione’s bed and approached him quietly.

He wasn’t sure if he was awake or asleep.

When he arrived at the bed Ron jumped a little and said, “Hi. I was beginning to think you decided to sleep in the dormitory tonight or something.”

Harry suddenly feeling a bit guilty said, “Well, Ginny got some clothes for Hermione and then we just kind of sat up talking for awhile.”

It was after all, the truth, just not the whole truth.

Obviously Ron didn’t find this odd because he simply replied, “Oh.”

Grateful for his acceptance of his explanation Harry looked down at Hermione who was sleeping peacefully then asked, “So? How did it go here?”

Ron got up from his chair and motioned for Harry to follow him.

They walked away from Hermione’s bed and towards the window.

Harry again said, “Well?”

Ron looked a bit down. Harry was beginning to worry that things had not gone well at all.

Then Ron began, “Well, when I got back her parents had just left. She seemed glad to see me and we talked for awhile. She asked about you actually and I told her about the clothes. Then we talked more about what has been happening while she was asleep.”

“So you never really felt like the time was right then?” Harry asked.

“Well, actually there was a point where she started thanking me for staying with her and that it meant a lot to her that I was here when she woke up. I was sitting on her bed at the time with her and things seemed to be getting…you know…a little tense.” Ron said.

“So you did tell her then?” Harry asked.

“Not exactly, I kind of lost my nerve.” He ended lamely “What if I never get up enough nerve to actually tell her? I’m just not good with romance stuff. I’m afraid I’ll foul it up and then she’ll never speak to me again. I couldn’t stand it if we weren’t friends anymore.” Ron ended in a rather desperate tone.

Harry stood there looking sympathetically at his friend for a minute, then said, “What you need is a plan Ron. We’ll think of something. Maybe there is a way that you could tell her, without actually saying anything.”

Ron looked mortified, “You mean, just kiss her right out of the blue and see what happens?”

Laughing a little Harry responded, “No, no of course not. We have to come up with a way you can surprise her. You know, do something nice for her. Hermione’s a very smart girl. She won’t need words if you do the right things.”

Ron looked at Harry and then over at Hermione before continuing, “Well, that sounds good in theory, but what exactly do you have in mind?”

“I don’t know just yet. Give me some time to think about it and try to relax.”

Harry wanted to tell Ron that Hermione really had considered him before as boyfriend material, but not knowing how she felt now, he didn’t want to get his hopes up too much yet.

“For now, let’s sleep on it. You have class tomorrow and I’ll be here with Hermione. Maybe the two of us can come up with something. We have a little time because she won’t be out of the hospital until the beginning of next week. I’m sure you can be ready by then.” Harry reassured him.

“I’m glad one of us is sure,” Ron said.

After that they sat and considered a few ideas that didn’t sound that great out loud. It was really late now, nearly 3:00 in the morning in fact.

They decided they’d better get to bed especially Ron who needed to be able to focus in lessons in the morning.

________________________________________
Chapter 13: Catching Up

When they hit the cots that night next to Hermione, they fell immediately asleep and didn’t wake until Dobby came in with the breakfast trays the next morning. They were both groggy and not very hungry.

Hermione seemed much stronger and less tired than the day before and was chattering cheerily along to them as the three ate. She was carrying the conversation, a fact for which they were grateful at the moment, because they were having trouble with cohesive thought going on their mere four hours of sleep.

Ron got ready to leave for his first class shortly after eating. He said good bye to Harry and out of habit he went over and touched Hermione on the cheek as he gently leaned down and kissed Hermione on the forehead.

“Bye Hermione, I’ll be back.”

He and Harry had both been doing that for weeks when they left her each day. He hadn’t considered that it might come as a bit of a shock to her until he did it that particular morning.

He was flushing pink as he straightened himself again. Hermione was looking up at him with a slightly surprised face. Harry was just standing there looking back and forth between them, not offering any assistance whatsoever.

Ron began to ramble on with an apology as he stood there blushing wanting to disappear. If you could only apparate inside Hogwarts, he thought, I’d get the hell out of here.

“Um…oh…sorry, Hermione. It’s just… well, you see…we’ve been kind of been saying good bye to you that way, haven’t we Harry?”

Looking to his mate for support, Harry nodded and added, “We thought maybe you’d feel us near you more than hear us.”

Ron went on, “Yeah, that’s right.” Looking at Harry gratefully is if he suddenly had taken on the role of his loyal defense attorney, then added “Of course, you don’t want me to keep doing it…well, now that you’re awake. Just habit I guess. Well… sorry.”

She could tell he was embarrassed and she decided to let him off the hook.

“Don’t be silly Ron. I think it’s sweet that you and Harry were so protective of me and took such good care of me… I don’t mind at all.”

She gave him a slightly shy smile then she reached her hand out and squeezed his gently.

“It’s really okay Ron.”

Ron’s voice was faltering a bit and he stuttered on, “Oh… well… okay… good then. Well, see you later then. Bye Harry.”

As Ron left the hospital he was still a bit flushed, but his heart was a little lighter. He was thinking of how she reached for his hand.

She certainly didn’t have to do that. What did it mean?

He was having a bit of a one-sided conversation in his head about not getting himself too excited, after all, it could have been just a friend thanking a another friend.

Back in the hospital Harry and Hermione exchanged somewhat awkward smiles and then Hermione said, “That Ron, he can be so…so,”

She was grasping for the right words, but Harry helped her along by adding, “so, Ron-like?”

With a bit of a chuckle she responded, “Yeah, exactly.”

Sitting down by the bed Harry remembered the overnight bag that Ginny had packed for Hermione and asked her if she would like to change. Hermione thought that it was a great idea and thanked Harry for thinking of her.

“Well actually,” Harry began, “it was Ron’s idea. I just asked Ginny to get them for you.”

With a bit of surprise on her face, she responded, “Oh, I just thought, well…that’s not very ‘Ron-like’ is it? Things really have changed while I’ve been sleeping.”

Harry said he’d step out and give her some privacy while she got dressed and come back in a few minutes. He stepped around the side of her privacy screen and turned his back.

Hermione quickly changed and then called to Harry, “Okay, I’m decent now. You can come back.”

Harry reappeared from behind the screen and moved back to his chair by the bed. He told her how good it was to have her back and that he and Ron had really missed her.

They began talking about all the things the three of them would do together after she was out of the hospital in a couple of days. He was actually trying to fish around for something that would help Ron.

He ask her things like, “If you could do one thing this week after you’re released, what would it be?” or “What do you think you’ll feel up to doing?”

All she offered though was that with all of the classes she missed, she would definitely be heading to the library with their surprisingly, but very thorough, notes.

That wasn’t exactly what Harry was looking for, but it was typical Hermione and he smiled as she went on about getting caught up on her studies.

Next they turned their conversations to how everyone else was doing. When she finally hit upon Ginny, Harry didn’t mean for it to be, but his face must have been a bit revealing, because Hermione definitely noticed something was up.

“What’s wrong? What’s going on with Ginny? She’s okay isn’t she? Harry Potter…What is it that you aren’t telling me? Spill it!”

Harry wasn’t sure if wanted to share his secret yet. First of all, even though it was a bit devious, the idea of sneaking around was kind of exciting. He also wasn’t sure if he should tell Hermione if he hadn’t told Ron.

He was about to say nothing was up, but unfortunately, she was persistent, “Well? Come on, I know you’re up to something, Mr. Potter. You can’t lie to me.”

Looking at Hermione, he knew he’d never convince her.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was looking down at the floor and he was most definitely ‘spilling it.’

He was telling her everything from the moments outside of Ron’s hospital room to the meeting the night before in the common room and all of his thoughts in between, well maybe not all of his thoughts. Of course he left out some of the more intimate details, but she got the gist of it all.

When he finished he looked up at her, not knowing what to expect. To his relief, she was beaming at him.

“I knew it! I just knew it was only really a matter of time. You two have so much in common. I realize not everything that you and Ginny have shared has been pleasant, but it has certainly bonded you two for life. After all Harry, you’ve saved her life! What girl wouldn’t be attracted to a guy who’s done that?”

Harry interrupted her for a moment, “Well, I can think of at least one. I’ve saved your life before, too.” He said with a teasing grin.

“Well, that’s different. We’re different aren’t we?” She said stumbling a bit, but regaining her previous tack she continued, “Anyway, I think she’s perfect for you Harry. Not at all weak or whiny like…oh, sorry.”

Harry just raised his eyebrows at Hermione. He had no idea she felt that way about Cho. Hermione continued as if he had had no reaction to the comment she just let slip and he decided to let it go.

He did have to admit that she was right about Cho. That was the one thing he didn’t like…all the crying. He never knew quite how to handle it because it was always about Cedric.

“I bet Ginny is just beside herself with disbelief that it finally actually happened. I can’t wait to see her.”

Harry suddenly felt mortified. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of his best friend talking about him with his new…what should he call her? Was she his girlfriend? They hadn’t actually gone on a date, but she certainly had gone well beyond being a friend at this point.

“Hermione please,” he begged. “Please don’t say anything. We haven’t even told Ron yet. You’re the first and only person to know actually. We don’t really know how to tell Ron. Now that we’re on the subject, what do you think Ron will do?”

He began telling her about his worries that he would soon be joining the ranks of the other boys in Ginny’s life on Ron’s hit list.

Hermione giggled, but seeing that Harry was serious she said, “Harry are you kidding? I think Ron will love the idea. You know, he may bristle at first because after all, he is Ron, and it is Ginny, but I think he’ll be thrilled after it has a chance to sink in. Please try not to worry. Oh Harry, it’s simply wonderful.”

He had to smile in spite of himself. He had to admit he felt happier than he could ever remember feeling in very long time.

“I do think that you should tell Ron soon though. He may not appreciate being kept in the dark about this, and you wouldn’t want him to find out accidentally. He might be a bit hurt if that happens you know.”

Harry knew she was right. He decided he’d have to talk to Ginny and they’d decide how to tell Ron together.

________________________________________
Chapter 14: The Summons

Just then, as if his ears had been burning, Ron entered the hospital wing. It apparently was already lunchtime. The morning had flown by as Harry and Hermione had talked the day away.

They thought Ron was must have been coming to join them for lunch but he was carrying a piece of parchment in his hand and was wearing a scowl on his face.

He softened a bit when he greeted them, but then began to tell Harry that they were expected in the Headmasters office immediately after lunch.

Harry just looked at Ron waiting for some explanation, but when none came he asked, “What’s up?”

His mind was racing. What had they done? Did Dumbledore know about what happened between he and Ginny the night before? Was he going to be reprimanded for it right in front of Ron? Ron didn’t seem to know anything more than Harry, but he tossed the note to Harry to read for himself.


Dear Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley,

Given recent events, I would appreciate the courtesy of your presence in my office this afternoon following the noon meal for a brief meeting.

There are some things we need to discuss concerning the remainder of the school term. I feel it best that this discussion take place away from the student body at large, so I felt my office would be best. By the way, the new password is Choke Cherries.

Thank you for your prompt attendance of this meeting. Oh, and please give my fondest regards to Miss Granger. It is so good to have her back.

Yours truly,
Professor Dumbledore

Harry looked up just as Dobby was entering with the lunch trays with a puzzled look on his face.

As they ate they talked over possible reasons for being summoned to the headmaster’s office, but really couldn’t come up with anything plausible. They finished their meals and decided they’d better get going.

They said goodbye to Hermione and said they’d see her later. This time Ron didn’t kiss her, but awkwardly waved like he didn’t quite know what to do with himself.

Hermione just smiled to herself as they left. Ron really was hopeless, but that didn’t make his flustered behavior any less adorable she thought to herself.

All the way to the office they talked about what was going on but never could settle to an explanation. They considered everything from war injuries to the possibility of Malfoy’s return.

Before they knew it, they were standing at the base of the entrance in front of the stone gargoyle.

“Choke Cherries” they said together and the stairway came to life as they stepped on board.

It carried them up like a spiral escalator. Harry had seen a real muggle escalator once in a department store. Aunt Petunia had been forced begrudgingly to take him along on a shopping trip one day because Mrs. Figg was unavailable.

They reached the top stair and knocked on the door. They heard the familiar voice of Professor Dumbledore beckoning them inside.

As they entered Harry looked around. He had always marveled at the instruments that decorated the inside of the headmaster’s office. Some he recognized and some were unknown to him.

Professor Dumbledore was seated behind his desk with Fawkes resting on his shoulder. He was stroking the beautiful scarlet bird and she appeared to be cooing something into his ear.

“Thank you, Fawkes, you can return to your post now.”

The bird soared around the boys then rested quietly on her perch.

Before they could ask, the professor began, “How is Miss Granger? I trust she’s recovering nicely?”

Ron and Harry both nodded but they knew that wasn’t why they were there and didn’t have much interest in small talk at the moment.

Dumbledore continued, “So, I’m quite certain you’re no doubt wondering why I have called the two of you here today. I felt considering the circumstances, that it was time that we had a little talk about the remainder of the term.”

Still not sure what he meant they just looked at each other and then at Dumbledore.

“Now that Miss Granger is awake, I feel that we should discuss among other things, you’re sleeping arrangements. I know I gave you… certain allowances… while she was unconscious, but now that that is no longer the case, I feel it may be viewed by others as inappropriate for you to continue with your coed sleeping quarters.”

The boys began to protest, “Surely, you don’t think that we would ever try to take advantage of Hermione professor!”

The old man held up his hand to quiet them then and went on.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you two, I trust you to always conduct yourselves as gentlemen, but circumstances being what they are” He paused and looked at Ron briefly with a somewhat knowing grin, as Ron squirmed a bit uncomfortably under his gaze. “I feel it best if you both return to the dormitory to sleep now.”

Ron felt a bit embarrassed. How did Dumbledore know about his feelings for Hermione? How could he? Then on second thought, what was he thinking? Dumbledore knew just about everything that went on in the castle, sometimes before it happened.

“In addition to your sleeping quarters, there is the matter of your lessons. Professor Snape has been to see me just this morning.” Dumbledore continued.

“Snape!” Harry and Ron said together.

“Yes, Professor Snape pointed out the fact that now that Miss Granger is awake and will soon be returning to lessons herself, that it is no longer appropriate for the two of you to have a modified course schedule.

I have to say I rather agree. I am proud of the way you two have truly applied yourselves so far this year, but there really isn’t any reason to continue attending alternating classes, as you have been doing up until now. It would tend to cause the other students begin to… talk, I suspect.

Therefore, beginning with Monday morning lessons, you shall both return to your full course schedules.”

Ron and Harry hadn’t thought of any of this. They had been so thankful that Hermione was awake, that they never stopped to consider what changes the new course of events would make in their daily routines.

They had no choice, but to agree to the headmaster’s wishes and with that he thanked them for coming and told to have a good day.

As they were entering the corridor at the bottom of the spiral staircase, Ron began, “Damn him, that sleazy, slimy git! Leave it to Snape to try to screw things up for us at the first possible opportunity! He probably had trouble sleeping last night just waiting for the chance to talk to Dumbledore this morning.”

Harry definitely agreed that Snape was probably happily gloating in his office at that very moment. They both took turns coming up with less than flattering names for Snape and how good it would feel if they could just curse him senseless.

Then Harry asked, “Do you think he knows?”

Ron looked at him for a second and then with dawning comprehension said, “You mean about my feelings for Hermione? That’s what I was wondering. It certainly seemed he was trying to send me a silent…behave…message didn’t it?”

“Yeah, it kind of did.”

Harry was worried that if Dumbledore knew about Ron’s feelings, did he also know about he and Ginny steaming up the common room last night? At least he didn’t let on in front of Ron if he had.