While You Were In A Coma

While you were in a comma







There was a smile on Harry's face; he was enjoying his lively conversation with Hermione, the first since she'd arrived at The Burrow. However, this was only because Mrs. Weasley had taken Ron and his siblings to a second-hand store to buy their dress robes for the coming year, while Harry and Hermione went to a pricier one.

"Why are they making us take dress robes again?" asked Harry as he glanced at the robes in the male section.

"I have no idea. You don't think they're planning another Triwizard tournament, do you?" she asked carefully, tearing her gaze from the multi-coloured robes on display and turning to face Harry.

His face went rigid as he recalled the horrible turn of events from the previous tournament, "No," he simply stated, "Every four years remember," he added rather dryly.

Hermione, noticing how dark and cloudy his eyes became, regretted asking such a question and decided to change the subject. "I think this year I'll buy a different coloured robe," she mused loudly, eyeing another powder blue robe. "I'm not quite sure if blue suited me last time," she said with a smile, thinking about her ridiculous change of subject. What would Harry know or say about fashion?

"What are you talking about? You looked pretty," Harry said unconsciously, picking up a dark, forest-green robe from a nearby rack and examining it carefully.

Hermione stopped what she was doing and turned to Harry, "Really?"

Harry turned to Hermione, realizing a moment too late that he'd spoken out loud. "Huh?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"You really think I looked...pretty?" asked Hermione, timidly.

Was it just his imagination, or were his cheeks growing incredibly warm under Hermione's questioning gaze? Oh, God, why had he said that? Why did he even think about it? He cleared his throat loudly and turned his attention back to his previously chosen robe, "Sure...I mean, I wasn't the one who noticed...of course... that was the moment Ron started to see you in another light."

"Yeah...I think that was the day I also started to like Ron...in a different way...it felt kind of nice to be noticed...as a girl I mean." Hermione said, her voice barely audible in certain parts of her statement, and then a certain robe caught her attention.

"Hermione, what do you mean, to be noticed?" Harry asked, perplexed; he'd just fully understood that part of what she had said. "We always took notice of you," he replied, searching for her eyes, which were still concentrated on the robe in her hand. "I always took notice of you..." he added softly.

Hermione lifted her gaze to meet Harry's and she smiled.

"...Seen anything as revolting as...that thing," Ron's voice boomed from the front door as he came in, apparently arguing with his mother, who was waving her hand dismissively from the window and walking away. His brothers Fred and George followed, with Ginny bringing up the rear.

While Hermione went to greet Ron, Harry chose to go pay for the robe he'd selected. After Hermione finished paying for the robes she'd picked out, they all decided to continue shopping for their school supplies together. As they were going to start their way, Ron stabbed Harry's arm and gave him a wink. Harry didn't understand what Ron wanted until he started talking, "I have a better idea, why don't we divide into teams of two? And divide the shopping, also? That way, we can finish much faster and head over to the Leaky Cauldron to have something to drink."

"Partners? I don't know Ron, won't it be more difficult having to divide all our money?" Hermione replied, arguing in her superior tone.

Ron slammed his foot at Harry's, his eyes requesting for some type of support. Harry wasn't fully convinced, but he relented. "Come on, Hermione, I, for one, would really like to finish this early," he said, trying to sound convincing.

Hermione remained silent for a few seconds before giving up, "Oh, ok! I was just saying that it's going to be more difficult this way."

"We know that you know best, but come on, just for a while," Ron begged, coming near her and casually securing his arm around her shoulders. She gave him an "annoyed Hermione" face before her face softened into a smile.

There it was again. That familiar flinch; spreading all the way through his body, right to the tips of his toes. Harry ignored it. They divided their money and their tasks and agreed to meet at the Leaky Cauldron once they finished.

"Well, Fred, you lucked out, you got the best partner of the group," George joked, turning to face his twin.

"Yeah? I always get the same partner," Fred muttered sarcastically as he led the way, but turned back to George before stepping through the door. "Shall we?" he said brightly, extending his arm to George.

"How chivalrous!" George sing-songed in an exaggerated tone. He looped his arm through his twin's and they set off together, heading for the Apothecary.

"Harry...I think that leaves you and me..." Harry barely heard Ginny's tiny voice.

"Oh! Uh, sure...let's go then. They left us the worst job, we've got to go and get our books," he said shortly, heading towards Flourish and Blotts. An extremely giddy Ginny tailed behind him.

An hour later when they were finished, Harry and Ginny arrived at the same time as Fred and George. Ron and Hermione were already seated at a nearby table, laughing and talking animatedly, drinking cans of warm, frothy butterbeer.

"Harry, are you sure you don't need some help with those?" asked Ginny for the third time.

Harry was single-handedly carrying all of the books in two bulging bags. "I told you...I'm okay...don't worry," he grunted under the weight of the books.

Finally he set the books on the table, and plopped onto a seat. "We finished all our shopping at record time. Told you it was a good idea!" Ron exclaimed proudly, his arm resting casually on the back of Hermione's chair.

Harry looked at Ron sourly, "Sure, they went to buy parchment, quills, and ink. Let's see him carry all of the books," he thought snidely.

"Well I don't know," interrupted Hermione, wiping her mouth with a napkin, "I wanted so much to go to Flourish and Blotts to see what new books they have in stock," she said, her voice gloomy.

"Hermione, don't you have enough books already?!" exclaimed Ron in his usual 'bother-Hermione' tone.

"You can never have enough books!" she exclaimed indignantly. Ron rolled his eyes in response.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Harry exclaimed all of the sudden, rummaging through the bags of books. "Here Hermione, I saw this in Flourish and Blotts and I thought you would like it," Harry said as he slid a very heavy book towards Hermione.

"Wow, Harry! I can't believe it! You shouldn't have!" she exclaimed excitedly, running her hand down the cover of the book, her face shining with pleasure. Ron peered over her shoulder, reading the title.

"Harry, you dolt! She already has that book. Don't you remember her constantly quoting Hogwarts, a History?" Ron said to Harry, receiving a rather painful stab in the ribs from Hermione.

"You idiot! This is the new edition, complete with more information from recent years and additional photographs. I wanted to buy this book all summer! Thank you so much Harry, this is very nice of you," she said, flashing him a huge, sparkling-white smile.

Harry just shrugged his shoulders, ignoring the now familiar warmth that spread across his cheeks. What was happening? Was he coming down with a fever? "It was nothing, really."

"Yeah, well, we better get a move on. Mum and Dad won't be long to come and get us," Ron said, standing up and helping Hermione with her chair.

They all went outside just as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley apparated outside the Leaky Cauldron. "Well, how was the shopping, kids?" asked Mr. Weasley.

They all started talking animatedly about their buys; the girls and Mrs. Weasley giggling about the dress robes the girls bought. Mr. Weasley made sure the twins hadn't spent all of their money in the Apothecary, buying ingredients for their inventions. It was during a normal conversation with the Weasleys, when Harry felt a sudden, ice-cold breeze around his neck. He shuddered slightly, wondering about this phenomenon. He looked around him, searching for anything abnormal in his surroundings, but found nothing.

"Harry is everything alright?" asked Hermione, noticing the far away look Harry's eyes had taken.

"Yes, don't worry," he said to her, flashing her a comforting smile. She smiled back. However, the feeling Harry had just experienced was far from comforting; he just hoped nothing would go wrong this year...

To Be Continued.