Rating:
G
House:
Astronomy Tower
Characters:
Harry Potter Hermione Granger
Genres:
Romance
Era:
Multiple Eras
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix
Stats:
Published: 11/06/2003
Updated: 11/06/2003
Words: 2,862
Chapters: 1
Hits: 1,473

Celebration

PeterMurray

Story Summary:
The Gryffindors in Harry’s year go out for a celebration at the end of their seventh year. Harry, though, is more in the mood to talk than to celebrate, despite Voldemort’s death. H/Hr

Posted:
11/06/2003
Hits:
1,473
Author's Note:
Thanks once more to Anne for beta-reading this story, which is (finally) my first real Harry/Hermione story.

Celebration

Harry thought they had good reason to celebrate. The group of eight Gryffindors he'd been part of since his first day at Hogwarts had now completed their NEWTs, and were in the Three Broomsticks to celebrate. That was the traditional reason to celebrate the end of the seventh year. None of the Gryffindors had been killed by Death Eaters, despite Voldemort's final plot, and now Voldemort himself was dead. Those were two reasons to celebrate, and better ones. Other houses had chosen other evenings to celebrate -- tonight was the turn of the Gryffindor seventh-years.

The party was going well, but Harry found he was in no mood for it, even after the events of the past year. When the group were getting their drinks, Hermione seemed to have a similar lack of the right mood, and he wanted to talk to her anyway, but now she was sitting talking to Neville at one end of the table. Harry didn't want to interrupt them, so he sat next to Ron, and talked to him instead.

Ron asked, 'So, have you decided if you're going to train as an Auror, after suffering through all those Potions NEWT classes, or go for your Quidditch dream?'

'There doesn't seem to be as much point now. I'm free now to find out if I'm good enough to play Quidditch professionally. For one thing, I don't have to wait for the NEWT results before trying Quidditch.'

'I'm sure you will be good enough to play. I can see why you don't want Auror as a first choice any more.'

'Yes, I know there are still Death Eaters out there, but after I've spent three years training, hopefully there won't be. So they won't need as many Aurors by then.' Harry paused. 'At least, I really hope not. We deserve a quiet life.'

'You're trying to make it sound as if I'm wasting my time becoming an Auror!' Ron objected. 'I've got to have dreams for my future, you know.'

'Sorry, I didn't mean it like that.' Ron's mention of the future reminded him of something else that had been on Harry's mind. 'So, have you said anything to Hermione about how you feel?'

Ron looked at him blankly for a moment. 'She already knows I'm happy that school's over. How could she miss something that obvious?'

'I don't mean that, I mean you two! Did you think I hadn't noticed how you feel about each other?'

'We get on OK. We've hardly argued at all this year. Well ... not compared with our third year, anyway.'

'I didn't mean that. I meant the complete opposite -- aren't the two of you in love?'

Ron stared blankly at him. 'In love? Hermione and me? Are you serious? No, we're not!'

'But ... right back to that Yule Ball, when you were jealous of Krum being with her -- and later when she said I wasn't a bad kisser, you thought I'd kissed her, and got upset, then there's all those Head Boy and Girl meetings and so on -- Percy never seemed to need quite as long as you two did, to be away from the common room ...'

'Idiot! I wasn't jealous of Krum! I meant what I said -- he wanted her to help him in the Tournament, and after that ... well, his headmaster was a Death Eater, remember? You might not have thought he was a spy for You-Know-Who, but I disagreed. OK, so I know better now, since we found out that Karkaroff was murdered by Death Eaters, but I didn't then.'

Harry was so taken aback by this explanation that he sat back in his chair, unable to think of anything to say.

'And the kissing bit -- you'd just said you'd kissed Cho, and it sounded as though you'd kissed Hermione too. My problem with that was that I hadn't kissed anyone by then, and I didn't want to be the last of us to get that far!'

'Really?'

'Of course.' Ron was turning red. 'Look, about the extra meetings -- they were just an excuse --'

'Yes, I guessed that!'

'Not to spend time alone with Hermione! I wanted an excuse to be alone with Susan. Hermione found out, and she used to go to the library while Susan and I met up, to make the excuse look real.'

'Susan? Susan Bones? You kept that quiet.'

'Yeah. Well ... it's not about making sure everyone sees you're a couple, is it? As long as she and I know, nobody else has to -- though I'd have told you sooner or later, of course. She didn't want people to think she just liked me because I was Head Boy. Hermione said she knew that wouldn't make up for the rest of my personality.' Ron grinned. 'Can you really imagine us as a couple? We'd have loads of house-elves visiting to talk about their rights, and helping us rebuild the house every week, after we'd torn it apart arguing.'

Harry laughed. 'OK, so I got it wrong.' Suddenly, he felt better.

'You got it so wrong, I don't even care if you tell Susan. She'd just have a good laugh.'

'OK. I've been waiting for you two to say something, and when you didn't, thought I'd better ask now, before we left Hogwarts. It's just -- well, I'm surprised how wrong I've been all this time.'

'So am I, to be honest. I thought you knew Hermione and me better than that.'

'I think I just don't understand romance at all.'

'Ask a girl to explain it to you,' Ron said, grinning at him. 'Hermione's good at explaining how girls think about things.'

'Maybe I will,' said Harry, looking over at her. She was still talking to Neville, who was probably thanking her for all her help before his NEWTs. Harry finished his Butterbeer while waiting for them to finish talking. To fill the time, he asked Ron, 'Have you switched from Butterbeer to Firewhisky, then?'

'Not exactly, but if I can't try it now, when can I?'

'In a week's time, when we've left school?'

'Yes, but I wanted to try it just once before leaving Hogwarts. I'm of age now, after all.'

'Well, I won't tell you off about it, but we've got to watch out for the Head Boy and Girl. I hear they're really strict,' joked Harry, looking around and seeing that Neville was now talking to Dean.

'Don't you forget that, either,' said Ron, grinning. 'I've got my eye on you.'

'You don't need to bother, I'm going to talk to the Head Girl now.'

'Ha! Good luck.'

Harry went round to the other end of the table, where Hermione was sitting alone. 'Can I join you?' She nodded. 'Want another drink?' he asked. There was an almost-empty glass on the table, with a torn paper umbrella in it.

'Yes, thanks, a ...'

'... cherry syrup and soda,' he finished for her. He got her that, and another Butterbeer for himself, and sat down with her.

'Thanks, Harry.'

'Umm,' he began. He took a sip of his drink while trying to think how to start.

'How do you feel about leaving Hogwarts?' she asked. 'It's been a home for you, hasn't it?'

'Yes, and a refuge from Voldemort. But I don't need that any more.'

'I owe you my life, after what happened this year.'

'Yes, and I think I owe you an apology.'

'What for?'

'Er ... ever since that Yule Ball, I've been sure that you and Ron ... felt something for each other.'

'You mean, like anger? Oh, Harry, you didn't think we were in love, did you?'

'Well, yes, I did. Ron's just told me that it's not true. I suppose I like happy endings.'

'You've got a happy ending,' she said with a smile. 'Voldemort's dead. You can finally live a normal life.'

'Yes. That was one of the things I was going to talk to you about.' He sipped more of his drink. 'You know, you've always believed in me, and I've never said thank you.'

Hermione blinked as if surprised by the change of subject.

'All along -- you were sure I could get the Stone, you were just about the only pupil who actually believed that I hadn't put my own name in the Goblet, you put up with me being angry all through the fifth year, and then you and Ron went with me to rescue Ginny from Voldemort two months ago.'

'Friends should believe each other. Ron did those things too,' she said. Harry's praise seemed to be making her uncomfortable, and she was fidgeting with the paper umbrella in her drink.

'He didn't believe me about the Goblet -- or, if he did, he wouldn't admit it for ages. He wasn't as tolerant as you in our fifth year, either.' A sudden noise distracted him, and he looked up, to see that Ron had joined Seamus, Lavender, Neville, Dean and Parvati in what Harry thought was either a sideways conga or an attempt at the can-can. 'And now you're putting up with me telling you all this, when you could be dancing with the others,' he added with a slight smile and a raised voice.

'That doesn't look quite my thing,' she said. 'After all, I am supposed to show a certain amount of decorum.' She gestured with her wand and the sound around them seemed muted. Now they could talk normally.

'You're just using that as an excuse. The Head Boy's not too worried about that,' said Harry. 'Bet you a Galleon he can't even spell decorum.'

'Ah, no.'

'I don't blame you for not taking that bet,' he said, turning back to face her. 'Where was I? Oh, yes, you've always believed in me, and where's that got you? Attacked by a Basilisk, threatened by Dementors, cursed by a Death Eater ...' He paused, remembering that, and shuddered. 'I thought you were dead, for a moment, and it would have been all my fault for not listening to you telling me it was a trap.'

'I got better,' she said with a smile, but Harry didn't recognise the quote.

'I know, but I'm always endangering you. And then this year, we got Ginny back, and then Lucius Malfoy trapped you and started carrying you over to Voldemort ...' he closed his eyes, remembering the events that followed.

'I was really scared then. I thought Voldemort was about to use the Killing Curse on me -- but you saved me again.'

'I was scared too, but then I saw you struggling, and thought of when Cedric was killed, and when I thought you were dead at the Ministry, and I got angry instead. I thought you really were going to die, and it was my fault again, because you'd believed in me, and ... and then I'd let you down. Again.'

'You didn't let me down, though,' she said softly. 'I didn't realise you even knew the Killing Curse.'

'Dumbledore taught me it after Lucius escaped from the Ministry. He said he hoped I'd never have to use it, but it was best if I had the choice. And it only works if there's real anger and hatred behind the curse. Those both came from seeing you in danger because of me. And, if Voldemort had been paying attention to me, instead of gloating at you, his wand would have stopped the curse killing him.' Harry remembered an anxious time after that, before it was clear that he wasn't going to be sentenced to Azkaban. Instead, he was in line for the Order of Merlin, First Class.

'Good for Dumbledore. I hope I was in time, and he recovers from those Dementors' attacks.'

Harry nodded, accepting that her near-death wasn't something she wanted to talk about. 'That was a good Patronus. I wish we'd realised what was happening sooner -- we might have been able to keep him out of the hospital wing altogether.' They both sipped at their drinks. 'I'm going round in circles here. I've talked about the whole time we've known each other, and that wasn't what I meant to say at all.'

'What were you going to say?'

'I still owe you an apology.'

'Still? After everything you've just said?,' said Hermione, smiling at him.

'Oh, yes. Well, it's because I thought that you and Ron were ... whatever the word is.'

'An item? Romantically-linked? Boyfriend and girlfriend? In love? Sweethearts?' suggested Hermione. 'Or dating? Going steady? Destined to be together?'

'Oh. I thought there was just one word I couldn't remember. I should have known you'd think of a list,' he said, smiling at her.

She smiled back. 'We aren't any of those things, anyway. But Ron's told you that.'

'I thought that would be a happy ending, the two of you in love. Neither of you would be endangering the other; you two weren't Voldemort's favourite target. It was just being friends with me that kept you both in danger.'

Hermione looked down at her drink, and started picking at the paper umbrella. 'Ron likes Susan, and that's fine with me. I'm not interested in being with him.'

'Oh yes, you knew about Susan because you were hiding in the library to cover for Ron. That made me think you two were together.'

'I'm not surprised you didn't notice. You've had other things to think about, like Voldemort.'

'Not now. Not any more. I can think about much happier things now. Maybe I'll notice more things happening around me.'

'I hope so.' She was still playing with the umbrella, which was getting torn. She drank more of her cherry soda.

'OK, I give up. What didn't I notice?'

'You thought I was in love with Ron.' She was still not looking at him.

'Yes. All right, I'm stupid. I didn't mean that I really wanted you two to be in love, anyway. So ... if it's not too personal ... never mind, of course it is.'

She looked up and smiled. 'Who people are in love with is personal. What could be more personal?' She looked back at the drink, and pushed the cherry around the glass with the straw. She added quietly, 'You were close, though.'

'Close?' he asked. 'So ... you are in love with someone, and I just haven't noticed?' Hermione nodded. 'Someone in the pub at this moment? I hope I can rule out Lavender and Parvati!'

She grinned back at him. 'Yes, someone in this pub, and certainly not those two.'

'It's not Ron either. That leaves ... oh, I don't think I want to know.'

'Why not?'

'Like you said, it's very personal.'

'I don't mind you knowing, though,' she told him.

'I think I mind. Was that what you were talking to Neville about?'

'No, it wasn't. Why do you think you'd mind? It's not Neville, anyway.'

'Forget it. I should have stopped while I was still going in circles. At least I wasn't going backwards then.' He pushed his chair back and started to rise.

Hermione grabbed his arm. 'Do you think you'd mind because you don't want me to be in love with Seamus or Dean? Is that it?'

'Please let go. I shouldn't have started this.'

'It's neither of them.'

'It's got to be!' he objected. 'If it's not them, and it's not Neville or Ron, then ...' He looked around the room. Had he missed someone, another Hogwarts pupil in the pub? He couldn't see anyone else likely; all Madam Rosmerta's other customers were too old. He sat back down and stared at Hermione. 'Really?'

'You do need to notice more of what's happening around you,' she told him, smiling again.

'Do you really think you might be in love with me?'

Her smile slipped. 'Why not?'

'Well, it's ... I didn't think you could be. I thought I was just daydreaming and there was no chance. For one thing, I'm always putting you in danger.'

Her smile returned. 'Ah. I thought you didn't like the idea. Besides, the danger's over.'

'I think I like it.' He looked around the pub. The others were still doing a dance, a different one this time, but apparently just as noisy. 'I don't think I really know what love is. I thought you two were in love, and I was wrong, and if the Dursleys were in love, I never saw any hint of it. I suppose Ron's parents are, but they've been married years, and mostly don't show it, except when Mrs Weasley thought Mr Weasley was dead.' He stopped to organise his thoughts. 'Anyway, the point is, I keep saying I "think" I like it, or asking if you "think" you might be in love with me ... I don't suppose that I really know what love is.'

'I'm sure you can learn. And you'll be more interested in learning than you ever were for History of Magic, won't you?'

'Yes. This can be my first lesson,' he said, smiling and leaning towards her, to meet her kiss.