Harry Potter and the Adventure He Affectionately Calls Life

Slowly, the letters "P-O-I-S-O-N" wrote themselves across John's arm.

"Poison? Who would poison John?" She shook her head, demanding answers. "Leto Manifesto."

The letters on John's arm erased themselves, and Hermione stared in shock as her uncle's name appeared on his arm. "Uncle Jay?" she gasped.

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Uncle Jason died some years later. Ironically, for someone as skilled as him in the art of mysterious killings, he didn't realize he had drunk one of his own potions accidentally

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Back at the lake, Ron couldn't have looked any happier. "You do love me," he said, tilting her chin so he could look deep into her eyes. "Or you wouldn't have let me kiss you."

Hermione looked pale in the moonlight, paler than normal. She stared at him, unsure of what do to.

Ron took a step back from her and opened his arms. "Run to me, Hermione," he begged. "I know you love me."

Hermione ran into his arms and he held her tightly. She sobbed hysterically. "I don't love you," she said, kissing him fiercely. "I don't love you."

"Yes, you do." He lowered her head so her ear lay on his heart.

"No, I don't," she said, clinging to him. "I don't love you."

"Hermione..."

"I love you, Ron." She pulled him onto the sandy shores of the lakeay next to him. "But I'm scared."

"Of me?" Ron felt his heart break. He wouldn't let her be scared of him, even if it meant not having her to call his own.

"Of two people, neither being you."

"Then?" He rolled onto his side, propping his head up with his hand.

Hermione closed her eyes, tears still trickling down them falling into the sand. "It's complicated," she sniffled.

"You can explain to me if you want to."

Hermione took in a deep breath. She was cold. She would have brought her cardigan, but she had left her cardigan under her pillow because it still smelled of his cologne a little.

She was trembling violently, Ron noticed, taking her in his arms. "Better?" he whispered.

"Yeah." She sniffled again. "I'm scared of two people, one more frightening than the other."

"Give me the least scary one first, so at least I can make myself look productive and comfort your fears."

Hermione socked him lightly in the shoulder. "This isn't funny, Ron."

"I'm sorry. Tell me."

"I never told you about my Uncle Jason."

"No, you didn't."

"Well, I'm going to tell you now."

So Ron listened carefully as Hermione told him about her uncle. She told him about her princess book and her fits of giggles at her uncle's statement. She told him about John, and she told him how upset she was when he died. She told him how she discovered that her uncle was the one who had killed him. Ron closed his eyes as if it somehow made Hermione's tale less painful. She told him how scared she was that her uncle would find out that she knew his secret and try to kill her too. She said that her uncle died years later, and Ron couldn't help but think, serves him right, the bastard.

"He died, Ron, and I should be upset about this, but I'm not. I'm a horrible neice. I actually felt relieved to know he was gone." Hermione closed her eyes, as if she was reliving the events detail by painful detail.

"Hermione, he's gone," Ron said gently, wiping her tears away. "He can't hurt you anymore."

"Not me, Ron. You."

"He can't hurt me. You'd be there to protect me. But you know I would have died for you, Hermione. Not that I'll ever get the chance, considering your uncle is gone."

"That's one chance I never want you to have," Hermione insisted.

"And the other person you're scared of?"

Hermione reached into the pocket of her Hogwarts sweatshirt and pulled out her wallet. She opened it to a picture of herself kissing Ron. Lana had taken that picture when they weren't paying attention. "Her." She pointed to herself. "I love you, Ron, and last week in your room..."

"When I ruined your birthday?" he guessep>

"You didn't ruin my birthday. I'm not worried about you, Ron. You wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

"Yeah. Uncle Jason wouldn't let me."

"Shut up," she said. "But I'm worried that I may not have the will power to say no to you."

"I'm flattered," Ron said honestly. "But you don't have to worry. I'm not going to turn into some sex-crazed psycho."

Hermione blushed, looking like a porcelain doll in the moonlight.

"So that's why you've been putting us through a week of misery?"

"Mom always said I was impossible to deal with," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Yes you are," Ron said. "But don't stop being impossible on my behalf."

"Don't worry," Hermione said, standing up and dusting herself off. "I won't." She looked at Ron, who had stood up, too. "So," she said, extending her hand. "Friends?"

Ron looked at her hand, then looked at her. Then he looked at her hand again. "Friends," he said, taking it.

Before Hermione knew what was happening, Ron had lifted her off her feet and carried her into the warm waters of the lake. "Ronald Weasley, put me down," she shrieked.

"Okay," Ron said obediently, dropping her immediately.

Hermione landed with a huge splash in the waters. "Ron, I'll kill you!"

Ron helped her to her feet and held her close. "I love you," he whispered. He bent down to kiss her.

This time was different. This time Hermione didn't pull away from him.

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Lana was asleep in her own room. Ron was outside with Hermione. So Harry was left alone at ten minutes to midnight. He wondered if Ron and Hermione had gotten back together. He knew he could look out his window and take a peek, but he would rather Ron tell him. Then he figured that if they were taking this long to come back, it could only be a good thing.

With a sigh, he flopped onto his bed, lifting his heade moon. In four days, his questions would be answered. Lana had noticed his anxiety lately. And she was very supportive of it, too. I must have done something right to have them in my life, Harry marveled.

Harry wondered if the letter would be long. Or would it be cryptically short, like, "Becareful, Harry"? He didn't know if he could handle waiting so long for a two-word-long letter.

Tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable enough to fall asleep, he heard the grandfather clock chime in the hallway. It was midnight, and now there were only three days until he read his letter.

At two o'clock in the morning, Harry was still awake. Ron's bed was still untouched. Where the hell is he? Harry wondered, trying to restrain himself from looking out the window. If it was Lana and I, Ron wouldn't look, he chastized himself.

Then again, if it was Lana and I, if it was Lana and I, Ron would definitely make sure his cousin was okay. And in all logic, if Hermione is m can peek, too.

So Harry peeked out the window. It took his eyes a few seconds to see into the darkness. In the moonlight, he could see Ron and Hermione in the water of the lake. Kissing.

Harry nodded slowly. Finally. He knew that they couldn't not be together for very long. He took off his glasses with a sigh and got into bed, feeling sleepy suddenly.

Harry was rudely awakened by a very wet Ron creeping into his bed as the sun was just coming up.

"Of course I've been here the entire time," Ron said, hands up in surrender.

"I'm sure," Harry muttered sleepily. "So what was wrong?"

tyle="text-indent: 0.00mm; text-align: left; line-height: 4.166667mm; color: Black; background-color: White; "> "Her psycho uncle who murdered her ex-boyfriend and emotionally scarred Hermione for life."

Harry rolled his eyes. "If you don't want to tell me, it's fine."

"Yeah. Okay. Except I'm actually serious."

"Really?"

Ron nodded.

"Wow! Oh shit, that's fucked up. But what does John have to do with anything?"

"You knew?!"

"I knew she had an ex-boyfriend named John. But don't worry, she loves you."

Ron threw his pillow at Harry's head. "I know that, twit. I didn't know about John."

"Now you do. I didn't know he died because of her psycho uncle. I didn't even know she had a psycho uncle. Hmm..." Harry chewed on a fingernail. "Do you mind if I ask her about it?"

"Yes. She's sleeping."

Harry threw Ron's pillow back at him. "Not now, you idiot. I was trying to get some sleep before you woke me up. I mean do you mind if I ask her about it when she's awake?"

"Go ahead. But not now. I'm sleeping." And he was. Ron had just fallen asleep, a content smile on his face.

Harry smiled at the sight of his best friend, amazed at the powers of love. It was love that had created him and Ron and Hermione and Lana. It was love that had saved him from Voldemort. Love made him want to be a better person to everyone. And love made Ron sleep better at night. I love love, Harry thought. Knowing he wasn't destined to sleep much that day, he stuffed his feet into his slippers and grabbed his clothes. After a shower, he could decide what to do.

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Lana and Hermione had gone shopping in Hogsmeade together. Something about a girls day. So Harry and Ron had from noon to eight at night to do nothing.

"Seems kinda' odd without the girls, doesn't it, Harry?" Ron asked, flopping down onto his bed.

"Yeah. Our little group has been cut in half."

Ron laughed. "So how are things between you and my cousin?"

"Good," Harry said. "You and 'Mione?"

"She lets only you call her that. And only the twins call her Herm-erm. But we're good. Ever since we got back together, we've been closer than ever."

"Why exactly did you break up?"

"Hermione had a crazy uncle, Uncle Jason. He was very over protective of her, but Hermione thought he was just kidding around as uncle's tend to do."

"So?"

"So right before our third year, Hermione had a breif fling with this other guy, John, her neighbor."

"I know who John is," Harry said, slightly annoyed.

"Oh yeah. Anyway, he became her boyfriend and her uncle got insanely angry, so he killed John by poisoning him."

Harry was shocked. "Oh my god. Poor 'Mione!"

"Yeah," Ron said grimly. "Poor Hermione. Then after Hermione used one of her braniac skills to figure it out, she didn't say anything because she was scared that he wonow that she knew and that he would try to kill her, too. Then some years later, her uncle died and she was telling me that she was so guilty that she was relieved that he was dead."

"I would be," Harry insisted. "My god."

"But we've put it behind us. That accounts for 75 percent of why we broke up."

Harry adjusted himself so he was more comfortable. "And the other 25?"

"She was scared she wasn't going to be able to say no to me. I told her I wasn't going to turn into some sex crazed psycho."

Harry laughed. "Ronald Weasley in Playwitch magazine. I can see it now."

"Please don't," Seamus said, walking in. "The thought of Weasley naked is more than I can bear."

"Shut up," Ron said, throwing a pillow at Seamus's head.

"Harry said it! I don't see any of your pillows being aimed at him."

"He's Harry," Ron said, as if that simple explanation explained it all. "He's allowed to think of me naked."

"He'd rather think of your cousin naked," Seamus said, grinning slyly.

Ron winced. "Ew. Picturing Lana naked is not high on my list of priorities." He shuddered.

Harry burst out laughing as Seamus left. "What about 'Mione?"

"Eh.." Ron shrugged. "Nothing I haven't seen before."

"On 'Mione?" Harry demanded.

"No, twit. On those sex-ed videos dad brings home every so now and then."

"Right..."

And so they lay there, content in each other's company. Neither of them said a word. Neither of them needed to.

"What's going on with that letter?" Ron wanted to know an hour later.

"Three days," Harry said. "I get it Monday night."

"Ironic."

"What?"

"You get the letter on a full moon. Monday. MOON-day."

"Oh. Yeah. Whatever. Oh God, Ron, I can't wait. It's killing me. Just the thought of knowing that there's one last bit of communication from him eats at him. It haunts me, Ron. It's in my every thought lately. I look at Lana and I see two huge eyes, full moon shaped eyes. I'm obsessed." He took a breath. "Ron, I think I may kill myself trying to wait all the way until Monday night. I mean, I won't really try to kill myself, but it's ow. And Lana's been really paitent with me. She knows that until I get this letter, I won't sleep in peace."

"Not to be the party pooper, but are you prepared for dissapointment?"

"Like if it says some cryptic message like BEWARE?"

"Yeah. Something like that."

"I don't know. I just don't know."

"Harry... What if Sirius is still alive?"

"Then I will hate Dumbledore forever for not telling me."

"What if he doesn't know?"

Harry glared at him.

"Right. Dumbledore knows everything."

"Right."

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you let me read that letter?"

Harry looked at Ron strangely, as if he was just seeing him for the first time. "Ron, are you insane? I don't think I'll be able to read it myself. I'll probably pass it to you and 'Mione before I read it."

"No, you should read it first."

"Yeah. But I know if I'll be able to."

"You will. Hermione and I'll be there for you."

"I know." Harry smiled. "You know, you two are my best friends. It's like, in the middle of all this Voldemort crap and all the shit I take from Malfoy, I know that I have two shoulders to cry on."

"What about Lana?"

"I love her. You know I do. But even though you write to her and tell her everything, it's a little different. I don't have history with her, you know?"

Ron nodded understandingly.

"Yeah."

"Hey, Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"