Blood (thicker than) Water (but what about) Lemonade?

An Awkward Situation

Avril and Harry were out of the hospital wing the morning after next despite a very reluctant Madam Pomfrey.

"Just in time for the weekend too!" Ron said cheerfully, trying very hard not to look at Hermione too often.

Together the four took a chilly (early Spring) walk round the lake while Avril and Harry filled them in on every detail of the past three days.

Afterward it seemed that no one had anything to say.

Then-

"So Fudge's a fish, huh?"

"Honestly Ron! Is that all you have to say?" Hermione scolded, her heart not in it. Personally, she felt it was a very appropriate silence breaker.

"Don't- it is pretty funny," Avril said, playing with the clasp on her cloak.

"How's your dad?" She asked, pleased that Ron had been regarding her with a friendlier manner since she had returned.

"All right. He's home now. A lot's going on with the Ministry; some of the hostages quit their jobs because they were afraid of getting hurt again."

Avril shook her head. "I don't believe people."

"Me neither," Hermione agreed. "You're awfully quiet Harry," she leaned over to look past Ron and Avril to Harry.

Harry shrugged. "It's nothing. It's just... Sirius... I haven't seen him since the other night."

Avril nudged Harry with her elbow. "I'm sure it's because he's really busy. I mean, he's part of the Order now, huh?"

"I guess." Harry sounded unsure.

"So what's Canada's take on this Avril?" Ron asked. "Your Minister must be pretty blown away. Imagine! Sirius just waltzing right into the Ministry- I'd have paid to see their faces."

"They didn't recognize him until he told them who he was," Avril replied. "And I bet that the Minister's doing all he can to help Dumbledore. My Minister's not stupid like yours."

Ron laughed and Hermione smiled. "Well he can't do much damage now that he's feeding off the ocean floor, can he?"

*****

It felt good to be back in his own bed, considering that the past few nights had been spent sleeping in the dirt, fighting his guts out with full grown wizards and running around Hogwarts with an inquisitive girl.

But, strange as it was, Harry didn't feel like sleeping. He lay awake for awhile, listening to Neville's snores before going downstairs to the common room.

For some reason, Harry wasn't surprised to see Avril curled up on the couch, staring deeply into the dancing flames in the fireplace.

Without saying anything, Harry sat down beside her and leaned on the arm of the couch.

Avril sighed and kicked the nearby table gently, and repeated it in a rhythmic motion.

"I just can't stop thinking," Avril muttered.

Harry cast a sideways glance at her. "Me neither. There's too much to think about."

"Do you really want to talk some more?" Avril asked, drawing her feet up to rest on the cushion beside her.

"No. Not really," Harry said truthfully. He just wanted to sit.

"Good. I was getting sick of heart to hearts," Avril said.

They were silent.

"It's just that-" Avril stood up.

Harry winced, disappointed that they actually had to talk.

"-Why don't we know what's going on? How come they haven't told us yet? We should go and see Dumbledore!"

Harry stood too. "Wait, no Avril. We are not going out into the school tonight. Not when we could see him tomorrow."

"Fine. I'll go by myself." Avril snapped, turning to go, but Harry stepped forward and grabbed her hands to stop her.

"C'mon Avril, Dumbledore's not going to leave us in the dark forever. And believe me, I'm just as anxious as you are, but I also just want to be able to forget about what's happening for at least a day or two before I have to be in on everything all over again!"

"All right. But we have to go and see him tomorrow." Avril tugged away.

Suddenly, a door opened at the top of the stairs and Avril grabbed his robe and pulled Harry underneath the overhang so they wouldn't be seen, lest it be Lavender or Parvati, both nosy and loud gossips.

They heard footsteps and the two moved quickly behind a pillar holding the overhang up.

The footsteps came downstairs and Harry peered around the pillar.

Hermione had come downstairs and was nervously running her fingers through her hair. She was in her school robes, and didn't look as if she'd changed since bedtime, though Avril knew she had.

"What's she doing down here?" Avril whispered lightly to Harry.

Harry shrugged. He looked up and saw Ron standing on the balcony opposite. He was looking down and though the room was lit only by the firelight, Harry could see that his face was as red as his hair.

Ron was still in his pajamas.

Harry pushed Avril behind the pillar as Ron hurried down the stairs.

"Hermione," he said, his voice slightly strained.

Hermione, who had been standing in front of the fireplace, whirled around and flushed brightly.

"Oh! Er, hullo Ron."

Carefully, Harry and Avril peered around the pillar.

Ron and Hermione were standing awkwardly, facing each other.

"Er, I got your note," Hermione said, twisting her fingers in front of her.

"Yeah?" Ron replied, looking at her carefully. "What did you think?"

Hermione was silent for a moment, as if considering it, but then-

"I liked it."

Ron suddenly brightened a bit. "Really?"

Hermione managed a nervous smile. "Really. But- I never knew you felt like that- why didn't you say anything?"

Ron shrugged and sat down on the sofa and Hermione tentatively lowered herself to sit beside him.

"I'm saying it now," he replied, his voice lowered but his face still nervous and unsure.

Hermione swallowed hard and didn't move away when he inched closer.

"Well, I'm glad you feel this way- I mean, I wasn't sure-"

Hermione stopped when Ron reached for her hand.

Avril kicked Harry; it was the only way she could get across what she was thinking.

And Harry felt the same way.

This was serious. Not necessarily bad, but serious.

And they definitely weren't supposed to be there.

He kicked back but Avril caught his foot.

He lost his balance.

He fell forward.

Out from behind the pillar.

And Avril grabbed for him, but it was too late.

Harry fell forward and landed on his knees. Avril, who had thrown herself forth to pull him back, landed on top of him.

Ron and Hermione, who had both been caught in the awkward space between speaking and snogging (which means they were doing neither) looked over.

"Harry! Avril!" Hermione and Ron were on their feet and ten feet away from each other at the same time.

"What are you two doing down here?" Ron asked sharply, looking both angry and abashed at being interrupted.

"We, uh-" Harry and Avril both jumped to their feet, scrambling for an explanation.

"Well, you see-" Avril began-

Hermione's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Oh!"

She hurried over to Avril and grabbed her arm.

Avril gave Harry a very confused look as Hermione dragged her away from the boys.

"It's very late- we shouldn't be out here- what if a Prefect catches us?"

They disappeared around a corner, leaving Harry and Ron standing together, both very confused.

"Hermione, you are a Prefect!" Avril said as Hermione pushed her in their room and shut the door.

"I know that," Hermione said, pressing a finger to her lips and nodding toward the sleeping Parvati and Lavender.

They climbed into the nearest bed (Hermione's) and drew the curtains closed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione asked, her eye's sparkling as if she'd discovered some wonderful secret.

"About you and Harry?"

"What?"

Avril couldn't believe her ears.

Hermione's eyes stopped sparkling. "You- you weren't?"

Suddenly Avril understood.

"My God, no!"

At Hermione's confused expression, something seen by very few and not often, Avril searched for words to explain.

"I couldn't sleep. I guess Harry couldn't either. We both came downstairs and started talking. Then you came downstairs- we didn't know who it was, so we hid in case it was someone who would jump to conclusions."

Like you, she thought amusedly.

Hermione flushed, and Avril smiled mischievously.

She might as well- now that she had confessed to eavesdropping.

"What were you doing downstairs, Hermione?" She asked.

Hermione bit her lip, then reached into her robes pockets, extracting a small, rolled up piece of parchment.

"Ron sent me a note this morning, before you and Harry came out of the hospital wing."

Hermione handed the note to Avril, who unrolled it and read it.

Basically, it stated that Ron couldn't stop thinking about Hermione and wanted to speak to her later that night in the common room.

It wasn't sweet and romantic, as it was Ron, but it was as sincere as Ron could bring himself to be, and Avril could see how it would make a girl, especially Hermione, feel special.

"That's cool Hermione." Avril handed it back.

Hermione smiled.

"So, what's going to happen?"

Hermione looked unsure, again a reaction not seen very often.

"I don't exactly know- after all, you and Harry sort of barged in on us before anything could happen."

Avril hung her head, smiling. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be sorry about that, be sorry that it wasn't what I hoped it was."

Avril let out a surprised laugh. "Since when have Harry and I-" she stopped.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"It's just- the words Harry and I took on a different meaning just then- when I said that. It was sort of awkward, you know?"

Hermione shook her head apologetically.

******

"Well Harry?"

Harry looked up from his spot on the couch.

He had not been quite sure what to do after Hermione had dragged Avril off, so he had just sat down, hoping Ron would tell him what had just been going on.

Knowing Ron though, he probably wouldn't.

"Huh?"

"What was that all about?" Ron was grinning, which relieved Harry, who knew that Ron was probably disappointed that he had been there to ruin it all.

"I should ask you the same question," Harry returned, trying to grin back, but still very shaken by what he had just seen.

Ron sat down beside him, sighing.

"I dunno. I sent her a note today... I wanted to meet her here tonight, you know?"

Harry nodded, urging him to go on.

But Ron didn't offer anymore information.

"So you like her then?" Harry asked, hoping to be able to be let in on this little secret.

Ron nodded. "A lot, I think."

"You think?"

"Well I don't know!"

"Why not?"

"I just don't." Ron looked very uncomfortable.

Harry decided to leave it at that. He knew Ron wasn't keen to talk, especially about something like this, and was also now very tired despite this newfound information.

"I'm off to bed, Ron. Coming?"

Ron looked relieved that Harry had ended the strenuous conversation,

"Yeah... All right."

Both very muddled where thoughts of the present situation of girls were concerned, Harry and Ron headed up to bed.

It was nice though, Harry couldn't help but muse to himself, to be able to think about something that was (while still very uncomfortable) much more pleasant than thoughts of Voldemort.

33

A New Trust

April went by quickly.

The morning after the Ron and Hermione incident Harry and Avril had risen early to approach Dumbledore on current events.

They had waited outside his office (the old password had been changed) for more than a half hour, only to be shooed away from the entrance by a harried Professor McGonagall.

"Professor Dumbledore has enough on his plate without the two of you harassing him," McGonagall told them sternly, looking thoroughly stressed and tired.

Ron and Hermione clearly hadn't spoken about their growing attraction for one another since the fateful night when Harry and Avril had ruined everything, and the two couldn't help but feel guilty.

So, seeing as they weren't going to be told anything about the outside world, Harry and Avril both set to work on the main problem in world around them; Ron and Hermione.

"I spoke to Hermione," Avril whispered one morning at breakfast. The two had hurried downstairs, leaving their friends in bed (and hoping they'd meet in the common room and be unable to avoid each other any longer (something they hadn't exactly been doing; they didn't refuse to be near each other, they just avoided unnecessary conversation)).

"And?" Harry looked at her earnestly, chewing slowly on his toast.

"And she said to bug off," Avril replied glumly, helping herself to some of Harry's bacon.

Harry winced. "She won't talk to you at all?"

"No," Avril corrected, "she was talking when she told me to bug off."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"No, I mean about her and Ron."

"Nope."

Harry sighed. "It's not like Hermione to just ignore something like that."

"Oh, she's not ignoring it, she's probably thinking about it right now. I just don't think she wants to talk about it."

"Yet another thing unusual for Hermione. Most of the time I can't get her to stop making me talk about my feelings," Harry muttered.

Avril laughed and glanced up as post arrived; a hundred owls flying throughout the Great hall.

Harry watched curiously as a large white owl flew in through the huge window, and realized it wasn't Hedwig only when it dropped a package and a letter at Malfoy's place.

"Hmm, I thought Malfoy's owl was brown," Avril commented lightly before stealing another strip of bacon from Harry's plate."

"I did too, and get your own if you're so hungry," Harry replied, moving his plate away.

Avril grinned for a moment but was distracted at what she saw over Harry's shoulder.

Harry snatched the bacon back, but seeing the look on Avril's face, he turned around and forgot about it.

"What is it?"

Then he saw Malfoy.

He was peering into the package he had received, but rather than opening it with a smug smile as usual, revealing brightly coloured sweets and cookies, he didn't open the bag more than a crack.

Crabbe and Goyle were peering into it too, and all three looked very excited.

"What are they so excited about?" Avril muttered, her voice dripping with repulsion. She had grown to hate the Malfoys even more than Harry since her ordeal with Malfoy Senior.

"Exactly what I was wondering," Harry muttered back, feeling similar anger toward them.

"Want to find out?"

Harry whirled around to face Avril, who was missing her usual mischievous smile. It had been replaced with a seriousness that took him by surprise.

"How?"

"Still got that cloak?"

******

Ron stirred when he heard voices. Rolling over with a sleepy groan, he peeked through a crack in his curtains and saw Avril and Harry rummaging through his trunk.

Avril pulled out the silvery invisibility cloak from Harry's trunk and tugged on Harry's shirt, indicating to follow her.

Then the two left without another word.

Ron rose shortly after, pulling on jeans and a jumper before heading out to the common room.

Knowing that Harry and Avril were off somewhere under the invisibility cloak irked him slightly.

That was something that he and Harry used to do.

Ron liked Avril very much now; he appreciated what she had been through and had since her return tried to get along with her, but he now couldn't help but feel the sharp jab of jealousy when he saw Harry and Avril together (which was now all the time).

However, it hadn't been all that difficult to ignore the constant nudging of enviousness.

This was because of Hermione.

Descriptive adjectives pertaining to her looks, intelligence and personality perpetually circulated throughout his head, each more flattering then the last.

Ron couldn't explain the tightness that formed in the pit of his stomach when she spoke to him, nor the sudden bout of lightheadedness he suffered when he was required to speak to her.

Of course, Ron could never bring himself to speak any of these flattering adjectives because it was totally against his character.

He would never confide to anyone the physical torment he underwent whenever Hermione's name was brought into the subject; whatever the subject may be.

All he knew was that he liked Hermione, and that was enough to avoid any jealousy threatening to bubble over.

Ron came down into the common room and saw Hermione sitting cross legged at a table, sipping a glass of pumpkin juice and turning the pages through what looked like (curiously enough) a book of wizard fashion.

"What're you doing?" Ron asked, wincing as his voice tightened and his head began to swim.

Hermione looked up and smiled.

Ron's breath caught.

Quit it, he told himself fiercely.

"Oh, nothing. Just reading. It's nice not to have to do anything on a Sunday morning."

Ron sat down opposite her.

You could cut the tension with a knife, Hermione thought as she nervously turned the page of her "Witch's Wear" magazine.

Ron was sitting across from her, his hands knotted tightly in front of him, his eyes burning into her head, bent over the magazine.

He didn't look all that bad. Hermione really didn't see why, whenever another girl talked about him (Padma Patil for example), they never had anything nice to say.

She liked his hair. It wasn't a darkened orange, like most 'redheads'. It was a vibrant red.

And shiny. It always caught the light, however dim it was in the room, and always had an unmistakable sheen to it.

And while his eyes weren't as colourful as Harry's, the brown and gold flecks inside them were enchanting.

"Quit it," she told herself, irritated by her girlish conceptions.

"You are a hopeless romantic Hermione," had been a phrase often said to her by Avril.

"You're one to talk," she'd retorted only a few nights before Avril had been kidnapped.

She was fighting a losing battle; her feelings for Ron were yet to be deciphered, but Hermione had a feeling that she liked where they were going.