Author's Note: This next chapter finds us a little further into the school year, Harry and Hermione are happily together and Voldemort's big plan is coming together. This chapter is short…I apologize…the next one will more than make up for that I promise. Again, not much going on here. You will hear mention of a character that will not come into play in this part of my trilogy, but will figure quite prominently in the next one. This is a three-part story---first part being "Again" and the second part "My Sacrifice" and the third…well, let's just say I'm still deciding/debating titles on that one. I hope you enjoy this short chapter.
Chapter Ten
Somebody Like You
"Yeah, I wanna feel the sunshine,
Shinin' down on me and you.
When you put your arms around me,
Well, baby there ain't nothing in this world I can't do"
(Keith Urban "Somebody Like You")
She was asleep. They'd snuck up here to the Room of Requirement shortly after lights out. They'd met down in the common room and used the Invisibility Cloak to sneak up to the 7th floor. This time, instead of the cozy cabin that the room has transformed itself into during Christmas, it was now just a simple bedroom with a large, comfortable four-poster bed. Harry couldn't help thinking to himself that he'd like to thank whomever it was that decided to put such a room in the castle. It was really the only place that he and Hermione could be alone in and not worry about someone walking in on them. In the past couple of months, they'd used it quite frequently.
As it was Saturday morning, they didn't have to worry about waking up early enough to make it back to their rooms to get ready for classes, but Harry had Quidditch practice in about fifteen minutes. At the moment, he was trying to get dressed quietly so as not to wake up Hermione. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, having just put on his jeans and jumper. He was bending down to pick up his trainers and socks when he heard the soft rustle of the sheets.
"Good morning," he said, turning to see her sleepily rubbing her eyes.
"Is it morning already?" she asked groggily.
"Yes," he said, laughing, as he turned back around to put on his other sock.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Getting dressed," he said.
"Well, I can see that," she said, with a slight laugh. "But why?"
"Quidditch practice, remember?" he asked her.
She sat up in bed and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"What time do you have to be there?" she asked him, resting her head on his back.
"Nine," he said.
"What time is it now?" she asked, kissing his neck.
He looked down at his watch.
"Ten 'til nine," he said.
"So, you have some time, then?" she asked, pulling him further back onto the bed.
"Yeah," he said, nodding, "But I still have to get my broom from downstairs."
"Hmmm," she purred.
"Hermione," he said, smiling, as she playfully pushed him down on the bed. She pulled at his sweater and started to lift it up.
"I should really be going," he said, not really knowing how he'd be able to do so if she kept doing what she was doing. Mind you, he didn't want her to stop, not at all.
"Yeah," she said, nodding, as she smiled wickedly at him. She began to unbutton and unzip his jeans. "Yeah, you should probably get going. You wouldn't want to be late."
"Hermione," he whispered, as she let her hands wander. When he couldn't stand it any longer, he pulled her up so he could kiss her.
"What was that you were saying about having to go?" she asked him, her eyes twinkling.
"I do believe that you are a bad influence on me," he said, kissing her again. All thoughts of anything but her went out of his head.
Nearly a half hour later, Harry had finally managed to tear himself away from Hermione and make it onto the Quidditch pitch. His teammates were already up in the air, practicing.
"Well, it's about bloody time, Harry!" Ron exclaimed. "Where in the blue blazes have you been?"
"Yeah, Harry," Ginny called down to him. "We thought you'd overslept or something."
"Lost track of time," Harry evasively called up to him. He mounted his broom and kicked off from the ground.
Ron watched as his friend joined in on the practice, but knew that Harry hadn't just lost track of time. There was something more there, and he was going to find out what it was.
An hour and a half later, Ron and Harry were cleaning up in the changing rooms when Ron stared quizzically at his best friend.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"If I ask you something, will you tell me the truth?" Ron asked him solemnly.
"Yeah," Harry said. "Ask away."
Harry sat down on the bench. Ron, however, continued to stand.
"What's going on with you?" Ron asked, leaning back against the lockers.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked him, nonplussed.
"Well, I've noticed that you've been sneaking out of the room at all hours of the night. You come back at the arse crack of dawn and don't say anything about where you've been. Is something going on that I should know about? I mean, is there something with You-Know-Who?"
"No," Harry said. "It's nothing to do with him." His face was red. He wasn't sure if this was a subject he and Ron should be discussing. Harry turned away from his friend and became preoccupied with putting his towel and t-shirt into his bag.
"Okay," Ron said slowly. "If it's not that, what's going on?"
"Ron, maybe we should head back up to the castle. I didn't get a chance to grab breakfast this morning, so I'm famished. Let's go get something to eat."
"Not until you tell me what's been going on," Ron said. "Come on, Harry."
Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I don't think I can, Ron."
"We're best friends. We can tell each other anything, right?" Ron asked. "I mean, if you asked me something, I'd tell you."
Harry looked at him uncertainly. Ron stared back just as hard, his eyes pleading with Harry to tell him the truth.
"Oh, okay," Harry said, running his hand through his hair. "If I tell you this, though, you have to promise that you won't say anything to anyone."
"Not even Hermione?" Ron asked.
"Well, it has to do with her, but I don't know how happy she'd be to know that I'd told you about it."
Ron sat down on the bench beside Harry, clearly intrigued.
"Promise," Harry said.
"I won't tell a soul," Ron said. "Now tell me."
Harry took a deep breath. "Okay, you know how Hermione and I broke things off right before Christmas?"
"Yeah," Ron said impatiently. "I know all of this."
"Well, then, you also know how we got back together," Harry said.
"With a little help from Ron Weasley," Ron said proudly.
"Yes, the modest and humble Ron Weasley," Harry said, rolling his eyes.
"Go on," Ron said, ignoring Harry's last comment.
"Well, when I say that we got back together," Harry said, "I mean we got back together completely."
"What do you mean?" Ron asked confused.
Harry raised his eyebrows at Ron and watched as the realization finally hit him.
"BLIMEY!" Ron said, hitting his forehead with his hand. "DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT YOU AND HERMIONE ARE SHAGGING?"
"Shhhh!" Harry said, waving his hands, and looking to see if anyone had heard Ron. "Geez, Ron, you could have been a little louder, because I don't think they heard you in America!"
"Sorry," Ron said sheepishly. "But, holy cricket, Harry! Are you serious?"
"Yes," Harry said.
"Wow!" Ron said, his voice in a whisper. "I mean…this is…huge. When did you?…how did you?….Wow!"
"Well, the first time we did was over Christmas," Harry said. "And I don't really feel comfortable discussing the how part with you, okay?"
"Wow!" Ron said, clearly still flabbergasted.
"You've said that already," Harry said.
"Well, it bears repeating, don't you think?" Ron asked. "Wow."
"Can we go back to the castle, please?" Harry asked, grabbing his bag and standing up.
"Yeah," Ron said, nodding, but still in a bit of a daze over what he'd just heard. "Wow."
"Ron," Harry said, rounding on his friend. "If you say wow one more time, I'm going to hit you with a broomstick."
"Sorry," Ron said, watching as his friend led the way out of the changing rooms. As he did so, he couldn't help miming the word "wow" one more time.
They met up with Hermione in the Great Hall for lunch. She was reading a book with an untouched plate of shepherd's pie was in front of her.
"What are you up to?" he asked, kissing the top of her head as he and Ron sat down.
"Studying," she said. "You know our exams aren't too far away."
"Don't remind me," Harry said.
"Preparation is power," Hermione said. "You know the two of you have pretty much taken the art of procrastination to an all new level."
Hermione looked expectantly at Ron for his trademark sarcastic comeback to her comment, but to her surprise, he was silent. He just stared at her, as if in awe. She looked at him a little longer before finally turning back to Harry.
"So, you weren't too late, were you?" she asked him with a wink.
"No, not too late," he said.
Hermione smiled. She again, looked across the table at Ron, who stared transfixed at her.
"Ron," she asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah," Ron said, stammered. "I'm okay."
He continued to gape at her.
"What?" she asked him again. ""Do I have something in my teeth? Is there something in my hair?"
Harry took his foot and kicked Ron hard on the leg.
"Ow!" Ron said.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"I think I'm going to go and find Ginny," Ron said, giving Harry a scathing look as he limped off away from the table.
"What on earth is wrong with him?" Hermione asked.
"He took a bludger to the head in practice," Harry said, trying not to look at her. "I think he'll be okay."
Hermione looked a little uncertain, but just shook her head as she refocused on her book.
Harry let out a sigh of relief and then dug into his meal.
Meanwhile, in the house where Voldemort was hiding out, Wormtail walked into the sitting room and sat down on the couch. He was waiting to report his latest findings to the Dark Lord.
He didn't have to wait long. Voldemort came into the room and without so much as a glance at Wormtail, walked over to his desk and sat down.
"Sir," Wormtail said, uncertainly, "Simon checked in. He wanted you to know that he has secured the location you requested and that he has procured all the documents and photographs. Everything seems to be pretty much in place."
Voldemort didn't say anything. He just continued to sit there on his chair. His face was unreadable.
"Sir," Wormtail said timidly. "Do you mind me asking why you've gone to all this trouble? I mean, wouldn't it be easier just to kill them all. I mean, just let Potter watch his friends die."
"It's not enough to do that, Wormtail," Voldemort said condescendingly. "When you have your enemy on the ropes, you have to go for the jugular."
Wormtail nodded as if he understood, but his face and expression were both vacant.
"I know that someone as good as Potter wouldn't be able to sacrifice his friends. I can almost predict what he'll do. He'll offer himself instead. He'll beg for me to let them go. He'll say that it is him that I want. He'll say I should let them be."
"If by some stroke of luck, Potter is able to defeat me; his victory will be quite hollow." Voldemort scoffed. "Think of it, Wormtail. In his greatest triumph, he will experience his greatest pain. His victory will be hollow. The world will rejoice and he will be in terrible pain. Either way, I win."
"That's brilliant, sir," Wormtail said. "Absolutely brilliant."
"Thank you, Wormtail," Voldemort said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I live to impress
you."
"Are you sure this will work?" Wormtail said. "I mean, are you sure that Simon is someone we can trust?"
"I'd trust Simon with my life," Voldemort said solemnly. "He will not let me down. Too much has been put into this plan for it not to work. Hopefully, it will all be for naught, but like I said, in the rare case that Potter manages to defeat me, this plan will lead to his ultimate undoing."
"Simon will not let me down, Wormtail," he said. "I chose him very carefully."
Wormtail nodded. There was a heavy silence in the room. Wormtail didn't dare move, he hadn't been dismissed. He didn't dare speak; as he knew one of Voldemort's pet peeves was when someone spoke out of turn.
"What is the latest on Potter and the mudblood?" Voldemort asked finally.
"Closer than ever," Wormtail said.
"Excellent," Voldemort said, laughing. "Excellent. The closer they get, the more heartbreaking this will be for Potter."
Voldemort arose from his seat and walked over to the window. He drew back the curtains and looked out the window.
"Enjoy it while you can, kids," Voldemort said coldly. "It will all be over before you know it."