One Moment in Time
One Moment in Time
Author: Ohepelss Oramtnci
Spoilers: All Four Books
Category: Romance
Keywords: Harry Potter/ Hermione Granger
Rating: Hmm… how about Pg-Pg-13
Summary: Hermione thinks Ron is cheating on her and breaks up with him. Both are equally upset, and during this time, Harry stands by Hermione and helps her through. Would love eventually blossom between them or would them remain as best friends like they began with?
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter related characters belong to Ms. J.K.Rowling. Other characters which you do not recognize belong to yours truly. The song entitled Without You belongs to Ms. Mariah Carey.
Author's Note: Sorry for not updating for a long span of time. Work was increasing and I had a hard time coping. Finally, it was Chinese New year, and of course, I had time free on my hands to bring to you this New Year special, enjoy it.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed :D
Chapter 6: Happy Chinese New Year, Hermione…
After a few hours of flight, Hermione and Harry managed to make it to China alive, without bickering all throughout the plane. The air in China was seemingly fresh and Harry took in the many smells that came flooding to him. There were many different breeds of flowers, blending in colourfully with the bright blue sky and the chirping of the birds seemed like a sweet nature tune. Immediately, Harry took a liking to China, loving it for its peaceful nature, loving it for its serenity.
Harry whipped his head around to face Hermione, his hair being blown by a gentle breeze messily around his head. Hermione seemed rather subdued, not wanting to talk, not seeming to be taking in all the beautiful scenery. Harry's smile fell a little. When he had decided to come to China with Hermione, he had decided that she should be happy in her stay here. Yet, at the beginning, she already was feeling sad, which in turn makes the stay more miserable. Harry knew she was thinking about Ron again. Both were stubborn people, not willing to apologize to each other and make up. Harry knew he had to do something, just that he don't know what.
Running up to Hermione, he gently grasped her arm and pulled her out through the automatic doors out into the open. Taken by surprise, Hermione stumbled before catching her footing and running after him.
"What do you think you are doing?" Hermione asked as she felt a gentle breeze. It felt so comfortable. The tense muscles in Hermione's body and all unhappiness momentarily floated away with the wind to be blown up to the cloudy skies. Harry looked as Hermione gazed at the scenery before in awe. With a satisfied smile, Harry turned around and looked at the scenery too. They were such a sight. Two adults sitting on cemented blocks on the sidewalk surrounded by their numerous luggage watching the beautiful scenery. Occasionally, Hermione would adjust her baby pink sweater or combed her hair while Harry would change his positions. Sometimes, he was squatting besides Hermione. Sometimes, he was standing on the cemented blocked. Sometimes, he would be lying across four cemented blocks asleep and sometimes, he would just sit there.
If only life could remain forever that peaceful, Harry would have liked it. Ever since he entered Hogwarts, his life had not been an easy one. With Voldemort hot on his tail wanting to kill him, and only him. Now Voldemort is gone, it was time for him to relax and let his hair down. Maybe this was the vacation he needed and he was glad to have it. Work as an auror was taxing. He hardly had a good night sleep in ages. His eyes flutter softly, about to drift into deep sleep, when Hermione shook him violently.
"Look at that!" Hermione said, pointing to a rainbow in the sky. It had been drizzling moments ago and within seconds, a beautiful, sparkling rainbow had appeared before the duo. The colours of red to Indigo blended beautifully with each other and the sky and the clouds surrounding them. It was a classical scene of hope.
~*~
Ron had managed to get back to the burrow unharmed. He was in a bad mood, a very bad one indeed. He didn't know why everything has to happen to him? He wished for action, not heartbreak. He punched his fists through a glass window and an earth-shattering crash could be heard. Ron felt nonchalant as blood flowed from the cuts and onto the carpeted ground. Footsteps were heard running up the stairs as the door banged open. Ginny had rushed in upon hearing the crash. Draco followed closely. They had been planning on postponing their wedding, after Ron's wedding had failed. They had no intention of rubbing salt on his wound.
Ginny looked around only to see the blood spotted carpet and the shattered pieces of glass. She had promised Harry to take good care of Ron and knew fairly well that this wasn't what one would meant by good care. Immediately taking out her wand, she cleaned the spots and the pieces of glass on the ground while Draco helped Ron to the bed. Draco and Ginny had been dating for a long time and when Draco had pledged loyalty to Dumbledore, the Weasleys knew his wasn't bad and had allowed their youngest daughter to go out with him.
"Ron, what do you think you are trying to do?" Ginny said as she repaired the broken window. Draco motioned to her that he was going down to get some tea and she nodded. Ron remained quiet, like he was a student defying the teacher.
"Oh, Ron, what am I going to do with you?" Ginny said as she sat down beside him, feeling hopeless. At that moment, a knock came at the door and it opened. Draco walked in and set a cup of tea on the bedside table and settled himself down beside Ginny.
Ron looked quietly around the room which was specially decorated to house him and Hermione while he looked for another house where they could start their own little family. Posters of Quidditch teams have been removed and stuffed into drawers. The old wallpaper had been removed and changed to a new light pink one. Even the old red carpet had been switched to a yellow coloured new one. Ron had took pains in changing his room to suit Hermione tastes and it seemed like it was going down the drain.
Silently, he stood up. Ginny and Draco followed his every movement with their eyes. He walked over to the window and fingered the curtains. He gave a short laugh as he remembered Hermione scolding him about his old and tattered curtains. "Ron, those curtains are… are… are absurd… I don't know how you managed to live in this room for 20 years but it has to be changed.
And so, he changed the curtains, beautiful blue lacy ones which enhanced his already perfected room. Hermione was a perfectionist and all Ron did was to follow. He didn't know why their love turned out this way. He just didn't understand. Why did those words have to be said? Why couldn't he resist the imperius curse like Harry could? Maybe than, he and Hermione would have been peacefully married and happy.
He began humming a song, a song which he recently heard, one of Hermione's favourites.
"No, I can't forget this evening
Or your face as you were leaving
But I guess that's just the way the story goes
You always smile but in your eyes
Your sorrow shows, yes it shows." Ron sang softly as Ginny and Draco watched him. Not knowing what to do.
They were dumbfounded. They never knew that Ron could feel this way. But as he began singing, they could feel him pour
all his sorrows out towards them. They both looked at each other, each thinking how lucky they were to have each other.
They could never thank god enough for letting them unite as one.
"No, I can't forget tomorrow
When I think of all my sorrow
When I had you there but then I let you go
And now it's only fair that I should let you know
What you should know." A tear roll slowly down Ron's cheek as he continued singing. He has so many things
he has yet to tell Hermione. He just couldn't accept the fact that she thought he never loved her. He wanted her to
know that he did, he always did. He never once changed his feelings for her, he just didn't know why she
couldn't understand that.
"I can't live, if living is without you
I can't live, I can't give anymore
I can't live, if living is without you
I can't give, I can't give anymore."
Ron paused momentarily. Life without Hermione was torture. He had given everything he could to make her happy, get this was all he has to give. It was Hermione's turn to give instead of just receiving. Didn't she know that he too felt the same insecurities? Ever since his first year at Hogwarts, he has been constantly over shadowed by Harry and when he finally broke out of the shell he lived in, earning his own respect, he had taken up the courage and asked her out and she agreed. Why couldn't she understand that he also wanted to receive her loved, needed her to continue living.
"Well, I can't forget this evening
Or your face as you were leaving
But I guess that's just the way the story goes
You always smile but in your eyes
Your sorrow shows, yes it shows."
Ginny and Draco watched as the single tear rolled down. Yes, it was a single tear, but it was a tear that contained so much sorrow, so much unhappiness that no one could explain, not even Ron himself. Ginny felt a need to do something for this brother of hers, but she didn't know what she could do. She could only hope that Harry will manage to talk Hermione round and bring her back to England, back into Ron's arms where she belonged.
"I can't live, if living is without you
I can't live, I can't give anymore
I can't live, if living is without you
I can't give, I can't give anymore."
These few simple words make Draco looked back on his past as he thought of how he used to be. Knowing Ginny certainly was the best thing that ever happened to him. This brought a smile to his face. He knew he should treasure this relationship between them, treasure the wonderful woman that was in front of him, the woman that was one in a million, no one else could ever compare to her beauty, a character.
"I can't live, if living is without you
I can't live, I can't give anymore
I can't live, if living is without you
I can't give, I can't give anymore."
Ron continued, not knowing that both Ginny and Draco were staring at him, not believing the sight before them, the sight of Ron crying. Ron didn't have a care about anything else. All he wanted was Hermione back to him. All he wanted was her and there was no one he wanted more. He knew he should have swallowed his pride and apologized to her but he was stubborn. He knew Hermione was in fault and refused to apologize until she does. Both each thought the same way, both refusing to apologize, and nothing could make them do it.
~*~
Both Harry and Hermione and finally given up on sitting on cemented blocks and watching the scenery. Harry tapped his foot impatiently at the lobby of the hotel waiting for Hermione. Today was Chinese New Year, they had heard about it from the manager and had cast a spell which allowed them to understand what the people were talking about. The lights of the lift flickered as it changed to one. The door opened silently as Hermione stepped out, wrapped in a sweater. Together, they were going to shop the night market and get into the spirit of New Year, one of Harry's better ideas to cheer Hermione up, which he really did would work.
"Come on Hermione, the parade ain't going to wait for us." Harry commented, practically dragging Hermione out of the hotel lobby into the open where they made their way in a taxi to the city. Along the way, Harry admired the shimmering lights which were hung around the streets. It looked pretty much like Christmas in England, though it was much more coloured in red, a lucky coloured.
After a very bumpy ride on the road, Harry and Hermione reached the city where a staged was set up and people dressed in colourful costumes performed. Harry dragged Hermione everywhere, eating the local delicacies and many other new and weird items not seen in England. Hermione however seemed uninterested. Harry really didn't know what to do. He needed to cheer Hermione up someway. It was Chinese New Year, she should be happy, not sad. He knew that after the incident with Ron, she was pretty affected. But she need to be in a good mood to listen to what he has to said, and maybe it will be more effective in getting her and Ron back together.
Speaking about Ron, Harry wondered how he was doing and whether Ron had read his note. He sure wished that Ron did and was on his way to China now, but it was a little too much to ask. Both needed time to cool down and this was a great time to make Hermione cool down.
An intercom signaled the start of the show. Harry immediately dragged Hermione to the front of the stage. Hermione, on seeing that Harry was trying to get her to cheer up, relented and followed him, thinking that maybe he will only give up if she followed him. The lights around the stage darkened as spotlights focused on the speaker.
"Welcome to tonight's New Year celebration. I hope you will enjoy the performances put up by our artistes for you." The speaker, a middle age man said. As he left, a group of danced began to dance to a sweet tune with silk pieces swirling gracefully around them in whirls of circles, a mixture of many different colours, like the rainbow that they saw earlier on. Hermione looked on, Ron momentarily forgotten as she saw the beautiful silk dance. It was so new to her, so interesting. As the dances disappeared, performances came up one after another, each more beautiful and more interesting than the rest before them. Harry looked at Hermione; she seemed to be happier as she watched the performance. Harry was glad he decided to bring her to this festival.
As the last of the performances fade away, the speaker came out again and announced that it was time for the countdown.
"10!" The crowd shouted, so did Harry and Hermione, who had finally gotten into the spirit and was finally enjoying herself.
"9!"
"8!"
"7!"
"6!"
"5!"
"4!"
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
"0!"
"Happy Chinese New Year!" At this shout, fireworks were set off simultaneously, each more beautiful than the previous. The fireworks exploded into many different shades of colours as they streaked the dark night sky with many colours. It seemed pretty much like a black piece of paper with paint sprayed on it. It was a beautiful sight. It wasn't as if they never seen fireworks before, but this time, it was outside of their country, celebrating a whole new occasion. Harry and Hermione broke away from the crowd as Harry summoned his broom which he had brought with him. Covering both of them in his silvery invisibility cloak, he rose high up in the air and together, they watched the many fireworks up in the sky, exploding one after another.
"Hermione," Harry said softly.
"Yes?" Hermione asked, tearing her gaze away from the fireworks and faced Harry.
"Happy Chinese New Year" Harry said, smiling. A smile grace Hermione's lips. Harry spoke again.
"Happy Chinese New Year, Hermione."