Waiting For Harry

Ron was laying spread eagled on his bed, fast asleep with his mouth slightly open. How he could sleep when Harry would be arriving today was beyond anything Hermione could imagine.

"Ron?" Hermione whispered, pulling her dressing gown more tightly around her as she looked up the stairs to her right and down the stairs to her left before ducking into the room. "Ron, wake up."

She shook him, and he stirred and snapped awake. "Wha? Whazzit...oh, it's you, Hermione."

"I'm worried about Harry," Hermione said grimly, sitting on the edge of his bed.

Ron looked at her and shook his head amusedly. "You're a mess, Hermione."

"I am not," Hermione denied. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Are you going to eat at all until Harry gets here?" Ron inquired in a maddeningly smug way.

"Of course not," Hermione sighed. "Who can eat? I'm too worried."

"Exactly," Ron said with a nod. "You can't just not eat when you're worried."

"Why not?" Hermione asked.

Ron let out a loud breath. "Because I've a feeling you'll be worried a lot, especially now."

Hermione looked at him.

"What with Voldemort back and everything, and the prophecy," Ron said pensively, staring off into nothing. "Things will never be the same again. Voldemort's out to kill our best friend, and us if we stand in his way."

Hermione looked at Ron sadly. Her best friend was growing up. How...bittersweet. Strange that she found this growing maturity fit him well, when she'd known him since he was eleven.

They were all growing up, she reflected. Even Ginny had gotten over that crush on Harry, and finally found her voice and her place. Harry was taking on way too much for any sixteen year old boy to handle, and Hermione was finding that she herself was growing up.

No one who was a friend of Harry Potter's was able to keep their innocence for long. Merely being in his company insured that your life would never be sane, never be normal.

"Stop worrying," Ron said. "He'll be fine."

And Ron. Ron, who always managed to find optimism in everything. Who lit up her heart with his smile, and warmed her life with his mere presence. Despite his energy and enthusiasm, he was rather comforting to have around. Nothing could take that light from his eyes.

It would have to be something truly terrible to keep Ron down. She hoped something like that would never come.

"I wasn't worrying about Harry," Hermione told him seriously.

Ron snorted. "That's a first."

"I was worrying about you," she said, and Ron went still.

"Don't," he said softly. "Don't waste your worry on me. I can take care of myself."

"I know," Hermione said, and bit her lip.

They were growing up, she reflected, in more ways than one. It must be the hormones wreaking havoc in her body that caused her to have these strange feelings towards a boy who had been her best friend for years. That made her want to do something crazy, like throw caution to the wind and kiss him.

She blushed and looked away, afraid he'd be able to divine her thoughts. Ron had always had an uncanny way of knowing exactly what she was feeling.

"Thank you," Ron said suddenly. "For worrying."

Hermione looked back at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "I always worry about you."

Ron groaned. "Don't cry, Hermione. I hate it when you cry."

She laughed hoarsely and wiped her eyes. "I can't help it. It's what girls do."

"Ginny doesn't fall weeping all over the place," Ron muttered.

"She has six older brothers," Hermione said. "Of course she doesn't cry."

They fell silent again, simply taking comfort from each other's presence as they waited for Harry's arrival. His absence caused a gap in the Trio that left them both feeling as if things were horribly off balance.

Hermione cast around for something to say. She thought back on everything that had happened recently. How Ron had looked with mold and dust in his hair from cleaning. How he and Ginny were always pranking each other good-naturedly. How he'd hugged her when they'd parted at Kings Cross. How she couldn't live without him.

"Ron, I - "

"Hermione, do you - "

They both blushed.

"You go first," Hermione said.

"No, go ahead," Ron offered.

A knock sounded on the door. "Ron, are you decent?" Ginny hollered, and walked in without waiting for a reply.

When she saw Hermione sitting on Ron's bed, she paused and cocked an eyebrow. "I was wondering where you'd gotten off to, Hermione."

For some reason, Ginny's knowing gaze caused Hermione to blush even redder. "I was just - Ron and I were - Er...waiting for Harry," she finished lamely.

"Yeah," Ron said hastily. "Waiting for Harry. Care to join us?"

Ginny flopped unceremoniously on Ron's bed beside Hermione. "We are so sad."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"Languishing around, not being able to do anything without Harry," Ginny sighed. "It's like something's missing."

Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"It wasn't so bad before," Ginny continued. "But now that he's coming in a matter of hours, it's hard to get in the swing of things."

"Harry fills up a room," Hermione murmured.

"He's Harry," Ron said, as if that should explain everything. For Hermione and Ginny, of course, it did.

"They can't expel him," Hermione said.

"They just can't," Ron agreed rather desperately.

They were all growing up too fast. Being friends with the boy with a big destiny did that to one.

But, Hermione thought, eyeing Ron and Ginny fondly, we can do it together. We can help Harry. Ron and I will do it, and Ginny would if Harry would take a second to see her as an ally.

They were a lot stronger than anyone on the outside could guess. They'd make do alright.

"We are not going to sit around and do nothing," Ginny proclaimed, jumping off the bed. "We're going to do something!"

"What do you propose?" Hermione asked.

"You and I are going to go back up to our room and get dressed, firstly," Ginny said. "Then we'll go down to the kitchen."

"And do what?" Ron asked with a grin.

Ginny shrugged. "Wait for Harry, of course."

Harry Potter, the boy who unknowingly had tied all their fates in with his. He'd changed their lives from the second he'd met them. That first train ride to Hogwarts set the course of destiny, and sealed the fate of those who dared to befriend The Boy Who Lived.

They would do their best to live up to their duties as his friend. They would survive, they would do whatever it took to keep Harry alive, to help him defeat the evil he was born to vanquish.

And in the meantime, they'd wait for Harry. For eternity, if necessary.

After all, it was their destiny.

Ron caught her eye and grinned. She grinned back, feeling that being friends with Harry and Ron wasn't really so bad.

And those stupid hormones were acting up again.

Ron should really stop smiling at her.

Right about here would be great.

Anytime now.