Harry Potter and the Heart-Shaped Box

Hermione and Neville

Harry decided quickly, to run after Ron and attempt to catch up with him. As he did so, Harry was amazed at Ron's speed.

"Bloody Hell!" thought Harry. "When did Ron learn to walk so fast?"

As he turned left and right down various corridors Harry began to think that he would never be able to catch up with Ron when he ran into a very, just recently, familiar sight. It was that of Ron and Hermione, very close to each other, while talking animatedly about something lovey-dovey, no doubt. Harry stood there and watched he was attacked by a sudden sense of déjà vu...

(Flashback)

Harry had been wandering the halls in search of Ron or Hermione, but preferably both. He had recently survived yet another detention with Snape and as a result, he was in a foul mood and ready to vent off some anger with their usual round of jokes and insults directed at their least favorite teacher.

"Where could they be?" thought Harry. "I know they are supposed to be patrolling the halls somewhere ever here."

Harry heard some whispers down the hall and walked toward them. He spotted several students walking and as soon as they saw him, they quickly walked off in the other direction.

"I bet even they know what Dumbledore and the other professors are keeping from me," thought Harry. "Everyone seems to know more than me. Except perhaps for Hermione and Ron, or so they tell me." he added as an after thought.

He searched in vain for another twenty minuets when he decided to give up.

"Oh well," he thought "I guess I'll just see them in the morning".

He passed an empty classroom and began to ascend the stairs when the sound of his name caused him to stop abruptly.

"...We have to tell Harry!"

"No we can't! Don't you see what it would do?"

"Hey," thought Harry. "that sounds like Ron and Hermione"

"Listen to me, Harry won't care! I'm just so sick of lying to him all the time! Aren't you Hermione?"

"Oh of course I am Ron, but don't you see? Harry has too much to deal with right now and I just don't think that adding this on would be productive. We can't be so selfish. We have to just keep this to ourselves, o.k.?"

"So, they do know what everyone is keeping from me! Those prats! They swore to me that they didn't know anything! I can't believe them!" thought an infuriated Harry.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, not that there was any doubt," said Ron.

"Oh come off it!" said Hermione in a very un-Hermione-ish manner.

Harry was flabbergasted. "Oh and now they've decided that they know what's 'best for me' and, oh what a surprise, now they're fighting again. Well I hope they hex each other good and painful- no wait! I'm going to hex them both! I can't believe them!"

And just as Harry was about to burst into the room he caught the significance of what Hermione had just said.

"All right Ron, we need to go," said Hermione breathlessly.

"Aw, do we have to? Just one more kiss?" pleaded Ron.

Just as Harry dared to peek into the door, he saw Hermione lean in toward Ron and...

(End Flashback)

"Listen here Mister Weasley! I don't care if Hogwarts was on fire it does not give you the right to run down the halls. It is a direct violation of the Weasley Words of Wisdom, which, by the way, you should be quite familiar with, seeing as how it was written by your brilliant twin brothers!" shouted Hermione.

Now this was a sight Harry was more accustomed to, although Harry thought he would never understand how Hermione and Ron could go from snogging incessantly and being unable to keep their hands off each other to shouting in mere minutes.

"Wait a minute, is Hermione wearing Ravenclaw robes?" thought Harry. "What is going on here?"

"I'm sorry! I was just trying to...err...get to...er...class early," said Ron, though it was apparent that this was a fallacy.

Hermione looked as though she were in complete bliss.

"First off, it's lunch, and you therefore couldn't possibly have been trying to 'get to class' and even if you were, 'sorry' doesn't change the fact that you were still in direct violation of Code Six, which explicitly prohibits running in the corridors and I'm afraid I'll have to reprimand-"

"Now, Hermione, must you really "reprimand" Ron?" interjected Neville.

"Oh, hello Neville," said Hermione sweetly, though Harry could tell her tone was not how she would have preferred to respond.

"Hermione, I bet this is Ron's first offense..."

"Yes, well..."

"And I also expect that Ron is not one to usually break rules..."

"Well, that has yet to be proven..."

"So I don't see any reason for you to tell his brothers of this little, misunderstanding."

"No, I suppose not," said Hermione thoroughly disappointed.

"Good, now Hermione if you're looking for someone to punish I thought I saw a group of first years down at the Great Hall trying to set off some dung bombs," said Neville.

"Really? I need to get there immediately before they try and set them off!"

And Hermione rushed off towards the Great Hall, but not before glancing quickly at Ron and, Harry thought, leaving her eyes there a bit too long. Sensing a break in the conversation, Harry trotted over to Ron and Neville. He attempted to greet them, but was once again ignored. Harry had become somewhat used to this reaction by now and had come to the conclusion that either he was in an extremely livid dream or that he the Heart Shaped Box really did send him in an alternate universe. Either way Harry figured that in order to keep himself entertained he might as well follow his friends around.

"Thanks for saving me Neville," muttered Ron.

"No problem, but really Ron, you shouldn't let people push you around like that," advised Neville.

"I don't! Well maybe a little, but I always try to stick up for myself with her and look what it got me! Nothing! Mind you, Hermione is rather scary and bossy. She's always picking on me 'Mr. Weasley your shirt is not properly tucked in.' or 'No magic in the corridors Mr. Weasley' or 'Mr. Weasley your hair is too red!'" replied Ron.

"She's not that bad," said Neville laughing.

"Oh sure, easy for you to say, She never bothers you, and besides, you're not afraid of anything, or anyone for that matter."

"Listen Ron," advised Neville. "Just because I 'defeated' Voldemort (Ron squealed) doesn't mean that I'm not afraid of anything. I barely even remember it, I was just a baby you know, and besides, I have always found professor Snape a bit frightening, haven't you?" said Neville.

"WHAT?!?!" thought an outraged Harry. "What is Neville playing at? He 'defeated Voldemort', fat chance!" Harry knew Neville had always had a bit of a confidence problem, but he never thought Neville would stoop so low as to lie about his past, especially not to someone like Ron who would obviously know that it was he, Harry who had "defeated" Voldemort as a child.

"Wait a second," thought Harry. "Ron's in Hufflepuff, Hermione's in Ravenclaw, Neville has 'defeated Voldemort' and no one notices me?"

"Maybe, this is an alternate universe or something, and in this world Neville was the one Voldemort chose to go after, and if that's true, then maybe my parents are alive after all!" thought an excited Harry. "But then why am I here at Hogwarts and not with them?"

"Yeah, I guess. Well I'll see you around Neville, and thanks again." said Ron as he headed off to the Great Hall.

"Anytime Ron!" said Neville. Though Harry thought he heard him mutter under his breath "That boy is hopeless" as he set off for the Great Hall as well.