Graduating

GRADUATING

By Lady Jane

Chapter Two

As luck would have it, Ron slept a little later than usual the next morning, no doubt due to his tossing and turning the night before; it had felt like hours before he'd drifted off to sleep, the puzzle of Harry and Hermione continuing to taunt him. He woke feeling rather as though he'd been hit by a stampeding hippogriff and sat up, pushing his red, unruly hair out of his eyes, blinking at the bright sunshine streaming in through the windows. After passing his gaze over the four empty (unmade) beds around him, he cursed under his breath when the realisation hit him that this undoubtedly meant he was late for breakfast. Bloody hell. He hated to be late for breakfast, it being the most important meal of the day, as everyone knew. Then he remembered... last night. Bloody hell. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and sat there, his hands resting on his flannel-clad thighs as he tried to control the maelstrom happening inside his head. Harry and Hermione. Bloody hell. He felt definitely fuzzy in the head about this, as though he couldn't pin down any one single, coherent thought about the matter. He decided it was definitely going to be easier to sort this out on a full stomach. Breakfast being the most important meal of the day, and all. This decision having been made, he dressed hurriedly and walked as fast as his very long legs could carry him to the Great Hall. Two thoughts were clear in his head: one, eat breakfast; two, interrogate Harry and Hermione. Too bad he couldn't get hold of some Veritaserum to slip in their pumpkin juice; it would come in handy if they didn't co-operate.

Harry and Hermione on the other hand, had both woken rather earlier than usual with smiles on their faces (refusing to explain why to their respective, curious room mates) and while they, too, felt a little shocked, they both found themselves filled with a rather delicious sense of anticipation - as if they were each standing at the edge of a precipice with a breathtaking landscape of the unknown spread out before them, awaiting their exploration.

They had arrived almost simultaneously in the common room, stopping suddenly as they caught each other's eye, then smiling and falling into step without a word as they left the common room to head for the Great Hall. They found themselves turning their heads often and grinning foolishly at each other as they walked. Everything seemed different today. Even themselves. It was all quite intoxicating. Behind the foolish grins and happiness, Harry was wondering when he'd get a chance to talk to Hermione about the events of the day before. He still didn't really understand her about-face over his invitation to the Graduation Ball, although he certainly wasn't complaining about the end result.

As they sat down next to each other at the Gryffindor table, filling their plates with food and quite oblivious to their schoolmates, Harry decided he couldn't stand the suspense any longer and clearing his throat, said, 'Hermione, about yesterday,' Harry felt a little nervous, but he took a large gulp of pumpkin juice and continued, '-when I asked you to the Ball - the second time that is, when I asked you properly - why did you say yes after having been so angry with me?' Harry swore to himself. Do I really want to bring this up? Do I really need to know? Does it really matter now?

Hermione smiled at him and putting down her knife and fork she twisted on the seat a little so that she faced Harry.

'Well, Harry - I suppose it did seem a little like I went from being totally mad at you one minute, to saying yes the next, but actually, I've wanted to go to the Ball with you from the start - which is why I said no to - well, I was so hoping that you would ask me eventually, but I got such a shock when you finally did because of the way you asked me - it didn't fit in with how I'd imagined it would be...' Hermione's voice faltered and a slight blush rose in her cheeks at this point, then she swallowed quickly and continued, 'It sounds so foolish out loud - talking about daydreaming and such - but I guess I was awfully disappointed as well. Anyhow, after I asked you why you wanted to take me you managed to come up with the best reasons - I felt so good - and so I said yes!' Hermione took a deep breath after her long reply and smiled at Harry, waiting...

Waiting for what? wondered Harry. For me to say something? What?

Harry felt a little panicky, but he heard someone call out, "Morning Ron!" behind him and realised he had scant seconds to say something, anything before Ron joined them so he quickly said the first thing that came into his head - which luckily for him this time, was just the right thing: 'Hermione, you wouldn't believe how happy you've made me by saying yes!'

They sat smiling at each other until Ron plonked himself down on the other side of Hermione so that she was now between her two best friends.

'Morning,' said Ron, as he immediately began to pile as much on his plate as it could hold without actually spilling over onto the table, 'So, are you ready to tell me now what the heck's going on with you two?'

Hermione managed a strangled, 'Morning, Ron', but looked as though she wanted to be anywhere else other than where she was at that moment. She straightened in her seat, picked up her knife and fork again and tucked into the remainder of her breakfast, choosing to pretend she hadn't heard Ron.

Harry, however, couldn't ignore him and said, as he dropped his head forward to look at Ron, 'Morning, Ron! Look, so far the only thing going on is that I've asked Hermione to go to the Ball with me and she said yes. That's all. Full stop.'

Ron frowned, 'But why did you ask her in the first place?' he inquired, his voice a little muffled around a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

Harry sighed. Really, his best friend deserved an explanation - such as it was, so he put down his knife and fork and leaning on his elbows as he looked at Ron, he said matter-of-factly, 'Because I fancy her.'

'Fair enough,' said Ron, who felt as though he wasn't truly taking this information in, but rather storing it away for later consideration.

A rather strange choking sound came from Hermione at this point, but Ron seemed oblivious, appearing to be satisfied with Harry's answer for the time being and as Harry patted Hermione on the back in an attempt to relieve her choking fit, looking at her with great concern, Ron turned and said to her, 'So, Hermione, why did you say yes?'

Hermione was now desperately sipping at her pumpkin juice in an effort to quell the coughing so Harry answered for her, giving her a lopsided grin, 'Because she fancies me back, I imagine. I hope!'

Hermione didn't hear Ron say, 'Makes sense,' because her coughing fit had renewed itself rather violently on hearing Harry's answer and she was sure she was going to cause herself permanent damage if she didn't stop coughing some time soon.

'Actually,' continued Harry, frowning, 'someone else did ask her but thank goodness she turned him down. Mind you, I'd probably have to have done something rather drastic to him if she'd yes. I couldn't bear the thought of her being with someone else. I don't suppose you could tell me who it was?' he finished, looking quizzically at her.

Hermione in the interval had managed to get her coughing fit under control and taking another sip of pumpkin juice she looked from Harry to Ron, exclaiming, 'I absolutely cannot believe you two!' Then she kept her gaze on Harry as she said, 'No, I won't tell you who asked me - you don't need to know and it doesn't really matter now, anyway.'

Two pairs of startled eyes fixed themselves on her and there was silence. Hermione felt a little silly, but pushed on.

'Harry, you really shouldn't go round telling people we fancy each other like that, it just sounds a bit flippant or something. I mean, you're right, all we've done so far is agree to go to the Ball together - we haven't really gotten going as a couple yet, if you know what I mean. Not that I don't want to - or that we won't-' Hermione seemed to realise the possible implications of what she was saying and floundered, looking down at her plate and deciding to shut up before she could embarrass herself even more.

'So you don't fancy him, then?' asked Ron as he once again attacked the diminishing mound of food on his plate, not really sure what Hermione was on about.

Hermione sighed in frustration. 'For heaven's sake, Ron, of course I fancy him-' Hermione groaned at her unthinking repetition of that word, '-but you just don't go round talking about it as though we're discussing sweets from Honeydukes! Honestly, you two have a lot to learn!' Hermione was far more exasperated that she was angry, but she was rather fed up with her two friends and their lack of sensitivity so she rose from the table and left, saying, 'I'm going back to the common room for my books.'

Harry and Ron were left looking at each other, confusion on their faces, then Ron shrugged (he was never going to figure girls out) and went back to eating but Harry decided he'd much rather catch up with Hermione and make sure everything was all right so he left too, once again running after Hermione.

He caught up with her fairly quickly and without thinking about it, grasped her left hand as he walked up beside her. Hermione looked up at him in surprise but then smiled and gently squeezed Harry's hand.

'Hermione, I'm really sorry - again! I seem to have such a knack for saying exactly what I'm thinking without actually thinking about it first! I definitely wouldn't win any prizes for my attempts at romance,' he grinned sheepishly. 'Besides, I think Ron has a far less complicated outlook about many things-'

'You can say that again!' laughed Hermione. 'It's all right Harry - I can never stay angry with you, you know that. And besides, I did go on a bit - after all, it was just between the three of us; it's not as though the whole of Gryffindor was listening in!'

Harry smiled happily at the Fat Lady as they reached her portrait and he gave her the password so they could crawl through to the common room to get their books for the morning's lessons.

Once he finished breakfast, Ron walked slowly back to the common room, hands in his pockets, a far away expression on his face. Harry and Hermione. Who would have thought? Hard to imagine those two actually fancying each other. Bit weird. Or maybe it just seemed so because they were Harry and Hermione - always just friends... Well, not any more it seemed. He thought that Harry might be the only person Hermione wouldn't be able to organise to death; she never really did get angry with Harry either, not the way she did with him. She only really got mad when he did something that put him in danger and even then she never really stayed mad for long. Not with Harry. And Harry had always seemed quite comfortable with the fact that Hermione was cleverer than he was - she was probably the cleverest witch they'd ever known - or would ever know, for that matter. Mind you, Harry was probably going to end up being the most powerful wizard around - after Dumbledore that was, and after he got rid of You-Know-Who which Ron had no doubt he would.

Slowing to a stop, Ron walked to a window overlooking the lake, perching on the wide, stone windowsill as he looked down at the autumn sun sparkling off the water, the giant squid visible in the warm shallows. He remembered that at sometime in the past he'd felt jealous about Hermione. Over Krum, mainly. That seemed to have just faded into nothing without him even realising. What would happen now? he wondered. Would the Trio become a Duo? Somehow, he didn't think so. There was, between the three of them, such a bond that he didn't feel in danger of being left out. Except maybe when they snuck off to the Astronomy Tower... Now there was a thought. He could take Luna and show her the Astronomy Tower! He pushed off from the windowsill, a smile on his face as he decided it was going to be a pretty good day: he'd made it to breakfast despite sleeping in, he'd sorted out the Harry and Hermione thing in his head without giving himself a headache and he could now work on getting Luna to visit the Astronomy Tower with him. A good day, indeed!

At lunch later that same day, Harry, seated next to Hermione, and Ron, sitting opposite them, listened patiently as Hermione outlined the revision timetables she'd drawn up for the two of them covering the next four weeks before their NEWTS which were to commence the second week in June (she'd done the same for herself, of course, only much, much earlier). Ron groaned when she finished as it seemed to him she'd left hardly any time for what he considered to be very important relaxation breaks. After all, a game of wizard's chess, walks outside and visiting Hagrid were surely essential activities as well!

Harry really didn't care because he planned on spending as much of his study time as he could studying Hermione - oops! Studying with Hermione! He grinned to himself. He'd do both.

Then Ron remembered something. 'Isn't this weekend a Hogsmeade weekend?' he asked.

Hermione sighed. 'Yes, but we don't have to go-'

She was interrupted by both Harry and Ron making loud noises of disgust at such an idea.

'You must be joking!' cried Ron, looking at her aghast. 'There's no way we're missing a Hogsmeade weekend, is there Harry?' He looked across at Harry for support.

'Absolutely not,' Harry said firmly. However, he smiled gently down at Hermione as he continued, 'And just think, you and I could go together.'

Hermione smiled back, but then broke into a chuckle. 'Harry, we always go together!' she laughed.

'Yes, but this time it'll be different,' replied Harry, gazing at Hermione with an intensity that made her breath catch in her throat.

Ron sat gazing forlornly across at his two friends, a sinking feeling in his stomach at the thought of it being them and him until he remembered Luna - surely she'd come with him? He said as much to Harry and Hermione and they encouraged him to ask Luna as soon as possible. Ron decided to go and find Luna then and there. At Hermione's suggestion, he wrapped a couple of sandwiches in a serviette for Luna as she hadn't come in to lunch and then left, giving them a wave as he did so.

Hermione watched Ron as he walked towards the entrance hall. How strange, she thought to herself, one day we're just Harry, Ron and Hermione - the next we're Harry and Hermione, Ron and Luna - it seems so far away from how we were in such a short time. It's sort of a little bit sad, but at the same time it's rather exciting. Exciting - like the thought of Hogsmeade - with Harry. She thought of the way he'd looked at her a few minutes before and felt an unfamiliar sensation set out from her stomach and trickle throughout her body and found herself wondering if he'd kiss her...