Of Scrolls and Sleeping

Chapter Six: Converse to Resolution

Hermione walked into the cacophonic din of a few hundred voices speaking all at once that was the Great Hall on any given day at mealtimes. She marveled at how anyone ever heard anything in here. Somehow the vaulted gothic arch above really did act as the perennial Halloween mask of open sky it hid behind and allowed the sound to disperse just enough. She shook her head slightly as she reached the foot of the Gryffindor Table and surveyed it for a familiar shock of brilliant red hair sticking up a bit above the other heads. She spotted Ron about half way down the length of the table sitting on the side closest to where she was standing, Harry sitting at his left on the far side from her.

As she approached them she could see their plates were only half full, but not from having been eaten already. Ron was reaching to grab another sausage. She also noticed they were surrounded by much younger students so must have just arrived within the last few minutes ahead of her and found nowhere else to sit. She saw that there was a seat next to Ron and smiled that he had thought to save it for her. She came up quietly behind him and put her arms around his neck, grinning down at him. He jumped slightly at the contact then his hands came up to hold hers as he turned his head slightly to the right and looked up at her smiling. Harry looked up at them, a small sad smile on his face as he thought automatically of Ginny. He pushed his plate a bit away, not at all hungry for the food that Ron had spent the last few minutes piling onto his plate 'for his own good'. Hermione leaned over and kissed Ron briefly, trailing her left hand around his shoulders as she moved to sit next to him. A few of the younger students closer to them snickered quietly and pointed in their direction, Hermione and Ron only beamed brighter. She reached forward and grabbed a pasty to eat, took a bite, chewed and swallowed. The surrounding students that were still watching them lost interest right around 'chew' so she then turned to the two on her left, leaning close to and just in front of Ron so she could speak to both of them and not be overheard.

"Harry, what were you thinking? Ginny's really upset" she asked reprovingly.

Harry's hands balled into fists on the edge of the table and he leaned forward slightly over the table as though trying to fight off the urge to hit something. Hermione cringed slightly into Ron's side and he put his arm reassuringly around her shoulders.

"He already knows she's upset, Hermione," Ron sighed, "he just can't do anything about it till he sees her." At the last part Harry deflated to stare languidly at the edge of the table.

"Oh," escaped her lips silently and her eyes went slightly wide as she realized the thing Harry was trying to keep from harming was himself. Ron stared sadly at his plate for a moment before looking up and around at the little faces that had returned their attention to the three them.

"Uh, I think we should find somewhere else to talk about this," he said quietly to the two on either side of him while smiling at the students around them.

"Oh." Hermione broke out of her thoughts. "You're right, Ron, we should."

Ron and Hermione got up, shouldered their bags and took each other's hands. She turned, prepared to go while Ron nudged Harry's arm and looked back at him expectantly. Harry stared up at them blankly for a moment, then reached for his bag, got up and followed them. They made their way past the other house tables and out into the entrance hall. Once well past the view of anyone inside the Great Hall Hermione looked around for Filch or anyone else. When she made sure no one was there, she hurried them across to an empty chamber in the far corner and ushered them inside before looking around one last time and closing the door. She turned around to find Ron there next to her, watching Harry lean against the shadowed corner opposite them, arms crossed over his chest and staring mutely at the floor. Hermione put a hand on Ron's arm to draw his attention. She looked him in the eye, seeking some bit of insight from him, but he shrugged and gestured her towards the brooding figure in the corner. Feeling as though she were missing some vital piece of information she turned back toward Harry. She sighed, dropping her bag where she stood and walking over to put a hand on Harry's shoulder. Ron crouched down by the door and placed his eye to the keyhole to keep a look out.

"Harry, it's alright," she consoled him, "Ginny's worried you won't want to have anything to do with her now. Once you two talk you'll be able to just be friends again and put this behind you."

"But, I don't want to put it behind us." Harry rounded on Hermione and she backed away guardedly. "I want to have last night back so I can do it right this time! So I can kiss her and hold her and make her happy! Not let her run away crying because I'm too stupid to catch her before she's gone!" He had advanced slightly on Hermione in the heat of his words, but upon finishing he retreated backwards to the corner chagrined.

"But Harry," Hermione started brightly, "this can be mended, she will forgive, for you she'd do anything."

"I can't take away last night, though, and it kills me that she had to go through even a little pain over me," Harry lamented, face downcast, his arms hanging listlessly at his sides. "She deserves so much better." Hermione moved to stand in front of him and placed her hands against his shoulders.

"Harry, look at me," Hermione said sternly and he did so before she continued, "We all deserve better than life usually hands us, you more so than any of us! But that doesn't mean it's all worthless, now you have the chance to make it up to her. She took the first move so now you can both be happy! Trust me I know." She smirked at that and her eyes twinkled puckishly. She could still see the shadow lingering just behind his eyes, but he smiled faintly and she could see him visibly relax to a degree. She patted his shoulder and dropped her arms to her sides, sighing quietly.

"We should really be getting to class," she said, calling their attention back to the feelings of impending doom that Double Potions with the Slytherins always inspired. They both moved over to stand next to Ron by the door. Hermione placed her hand on his back and leaned over to speak softly into his ear.

"How's it looking, is anyone out there?"

"Ok, all clear," he said after a brief pause. "Mrs. Norris just passed by." He got to his feet, threw his bag back on his shoulder and opened the door. Harry and Hermione hurried out followed quickly by Ron, closing the door behind them. They moved over to the stairs leading down to the dungeons, heading for Potions.

"Oh, I have to go get a book I left in the dormitory," Hermione said, halting their progression to the steps.

"I'll go with you," Ron said smiling at her. "We'll meet you in Snape's dungeon, Harry."

"Ok," Harry replied, not too terribly excited about entering Double Potions with Slytherin and Snape without his friends, but he didn't press the issue. Ron obviously wanted a moment alone with Hermione before being subjected to newt's eyes and Malfoy's taunts. If things were different he'd have probably sought out Ginny for a bit of 'moral support'. Harry sighed and headed down into the dungeon as Ron and Hermione moved around and up the marble staircase to the upper floors. When they were up past the second floor, Hermione reached for Ron's hand.

"I missed you," she said softly, a slight blush coloring her cheeks as she looked up at him sideways from beneath her lashes. His mouth went quite dry and he gulped, his eyes never leaving her. He felt a warm sudden swell in the pit of his stomach. Gods she was beautiful, and she loved him, no one else, just him.

"I missed you, too," he told her, and he meant it, no matter how absurd it might have seemed to him yesterday to think that a few hours apart could make him miss someone. He pulled her to a stop at that and drew her to him, putting his arms around her waist. She allowed both her arms to rest on his, her hands wrapped around the outside of his upper arms. They stared intently at each other for a moment, reading intimate things in the other's eyes, and then they leaned in to a deep but brief kiss. They broke apart and their hands dropped together down each other's arms, then they turned together and continued up the steps, hand in hand as before. They walked along in a contented silence for a while before Ron sighed heavily.

"I hope they work this out soon," he stated in earnest. "I mean I know he's the 'brooding hero' and all but this is ridiculous!" Hermione's eyes went wide at his words.

"Ron!" she exclaimed in shock and then softened, "sometimes he really is, even though he has every right. But you haven't seen your sister today!" Hermione added tones of concern mixing with a note of irony. "She is beside herself over this, worrying that Harry won't even want to see her anymore, let alone be her friend. If she only knew what he's going through... all they need to do is talk and it will work itself out."

"Really Hermione," Ron smirked at her, "talking has done us so very much good for the last few years." She blushed furiously. When she regained her composure a second later she answered him.

"Some things are far too big for words," she whispered, smiling up at him just as she had only minutes before. Again his mouth went dry and again he couldn't help swallowing hard as he stared at her staring at him from beneath her lashes. Honestly, he had barely noticed her lashes before last night and now...

"I never thought I'd hear you say that."

"Say what?" she inquired, her brow creased, quite puzzled.

"That anything was too much to be described," he began, his eyes downcast slightly, "especially anything to do with me. You've always had so many words for what you think of how I use my brain." He looked up at her at that, his eyes filled with so many things, not the least of which were an all encompassing love and an anxious pleading. Understanding and soothing dawned on her face. And she stopped them, turning to face him and placing her free hand against his cheek. "No Ron, I have been the fool, and you have brought me to my senses. You have more insight than you know. Thank you for thinking when I forget myself." His eyes filled with relief at her acknowledgement and he pulled her close in a tight embrace. She began to kiss his neck where her face nestled against it, slowly, sweetly at first and then with a touch more passion. Hermione felt his arms tighten instinctively around her and he bent slightly to trail a series of kisses down across her temple and the side of her face to her ear.

"If you insist on snogging like that at least do it inside so those wretched Slytherins can't see you." They heard from a small ways off and jumped a fraction apart. They both whipped around in the direction of the voice to see the portrait of the large woman in a pink dress that covered the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, staring at them both with a mingled expression of concern, obligation and conspiratorial glee.

"What Slytherins!" Ron practically barked from just behind Hermione, still in shock. His arm tightened protectively around her waist, pulling her back against his chest.

"There's a nest of fifth years just below, slithering their way up here to get to Divination," the Fat Lady told them matter-of-factly. Hermione placed her hand over Ron's on her stomach as she rested her temple against his cheek before she moved towards the Fat Lady, holding his hand as it slipped around her waist and off behind her, catching it with her opposite hand.

"We should hurry up anyway," she chided him, half in jest, as she pulled him forward. "We're going to be late as it is." Ron rolled his eyes at her slightly as he had so many times before, but this time it was accompanied by a cherishing smile. They stepped up to the portrait. The Fat Lady smiled at them knowingly.

"May I just say that we are all so pleased you two have finally... reconciled your differences." She winked at that and they blushed, aghast, their jaws dropped slightly as their eyes popped. She answered their unasked question, "All the pictures have been talking about how happy they are for you since they saw you two last night in the common room." Ron and Hermione looked at each other in self-conscious distress. "Oh and we do hope Harry and Ginny work things out as well, Ginny's so upset and Harry's just torturing himself over it, and all over such a little misunderstanding as sleep dulled reflexes and a far too hasty departure." They blinked incredulously at her, still not believing she had said so much or that the schools canvas inhabitants all discussed them at such length. She continued to smile at them blithely as they heard the Slytherin fifth years reach the top of the stairs and head away from them down an adjoining corridor.

"Password," she intoned as if this was the first she'd opened her mouth since their arrival.

"Golden Apple," they both said unconsciously, still staring at her smiling face as the portrait swung open admitting them to the Gryffindor common room. They walked inside hand in hand still, looking quite dazed.

"That was a bit unnerving," Hermione whispered to Ron so as not to alert the watching eyes.

"Yeah, I suppose," he agreed, his expression still thoughtful, "But what else have they got to do hanging on the walls," and he grinned at her in such a way that she hardly cared what the portraits would say and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull herself up to his lips and kiss him deeply. He held her there for a moment and then they pulled apart rather reluctantly but aware they needed to get to class.

"I'll just go and get my essay and we'll be off," she told him and ran off up the stairs to the girl's dormitories leaving him behind to wait.

She climbed the stairs to Ginny's floor and walked into the room. Her curtains were still drawn on the side of the bed facing the door so she walked around to the other side which still hung open, just as Hermione had left it before heading down to breakfast. Ginny lay turned away from her, half flopped down on her belly with Crookshanks nestled into her far side beneath her arm. Hermione noticed her book on Ginny's nightstand and flipped through it till she found her essay, which she took out. After placing the book back where she found it, she folded it carefully before she put it in her pocket. She then moved over to the bed and sat down, placing her hand on Ginny's back.

"Ginny, how are you feeling?" she asked in curiosity and concern. Ginny turned and looked up at her, slightly groggy.

"A bit better," she said as she rubbed her face with one hand while she held herself up off the bed with the other.

"That's good," Hermione started and then thought for a moment before continuing. "Listen Ginny, Harry is worried sick over you," Ginny sat up on the edge of the bed next to her. "The way you ran off last night... he really wants to talk to you about what happened and make sure you don't hate him."

"You mean he's concerned about me and still wants to be friends?" Ginny asked, the closest thing to happiness since she'd run up here the night before settling on her face.

"Yes," Hermione responded smiling, leaving the full truth for the two of them to work out later. This was enough to draw her out from her misery. "Ginny, I've got to get to Potions before Snape births livestock and I'm in detention for a week, are you going to be ok now?" Hermione rubbed Ginny's back with her palm a few times and Ginny smiled at her, "Yes, I think I'll head to my History of Magic class as soon as I get ready."

"Good, I'll see you at lunch ok?" Hermione smiled back as Ginny nodded, then got up and made her way across the room to walk back downstairs. As Ginny absentmindedly petted Crookshanks where he slept soundly next to her on the bed she sighed to herself. This was better than nothing right? Of course it was. She got up and changed into her robes, lost in thought. As she gathered her things for class she decided that she would skive off early from History of Magic and wait for Harry outside of Potions. It was easy enough to escape Professor Binns and she couldn't bear for Harry to hurt over this for one more second than was completely necessary. Resolute in her course, she set off out of her dormitory.