Lying back against the headboard of his four-poster bed Harry watched the setting sun through the window as he toyed with a half full cup of water on his nightstand. Presently he was making the cup float in the air, and then with a twirl of his pointer finger would make the glass flip through the air not spilling a drop of water in the process. Lowering his hand slowly the glass drifted back down to the nightstand unspoiled. His control over minor wandless magic had become very strong since Dumbledore started teaching him personally a few months ago.
The door to the dorm room flew open smashing against the wall breaking Harry concentration. The glass wobbled and fell off the nightstand shattering across the floor. Ron stomped into the room and hurled his bag against the wall near his bed. He didn't even acknowledge Harry was in the room before sitting down on the corner of his school trunk. His head dropped down into his hands as he mumbled to himself.
Eyeing Ron closely Harry asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Ron rolled his eyes and walked over to his night stand to empty his pockets, his back to Harry. "Nothing, just leave me alone."
As Harry starred at Ron's back he couldn't help but feel Ron's very mixed and unorganized emotions emanating from him. He felt angry, ashamed, embarrassed, and lonely. For some reason Harry was getting the impression this had something to do with Hermione, but how?
Trying not to sound angry or accusatory Harry stood up and walked towards Ron. "What happened Ron? Tell me," he asked in a calm voice.
Spinning around to face him Ron shot back heatedly, "I told you it was nothing! So just back off!" He tried his best to look intimidating which wasn't hard for Ron. He had a fierce temper, but when he looked Harry in the eyes his resolve crumbled. Ron may have had a temper, but Harry's anger would make even grown wizards quake in their boots. There was just something terribly unsettling about the way Harry's eyes would bore right through you.
"Why are you pissed at Hermione? What did you do Ron?" Harry demanded.
Ron kicked his dresser hard and pointed a finger at Harry as he yelled at him, "You've been poking around in my head haven't you?! How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of there?"
"So what! I didn't even have to look inside it's written all over your face. Anyone could see you two just had a fight!" Harry slowed down his temper with a few deep-calming breaths before continuing. "So are you going to tell me? Or do I have to go and find out from her?"
Ruffling his hair a bit Ron paced around in a circle. "I don't know why I did it, but . . ."
"But what? What did you two fight about this time?" Harry said in a weary tone.
"I told her OK!" Ron shouted shaking the rafters. "I told her how I feel about her, about us and, and everything!"
Harry swallowed deeply, 'There're going to hook up.' He always knew that this day would come. When Ron would confront her about the way he felt, but now that it was upon him he knew he wasn't going to like it. His stomach tightened at the thought of Ron-kissing her-touching her. He felt like he was going to be sick. "And?" he managed to croak out, dreading the answer.
Ron continued pacing around not even looking at Harry. "And what?" he answered, tearing off his robes and throwing them across the room.
Harry grabbed Ron by the arm and turned him around, "What did Hermione say?" He averted his eyes to the floor as he spoke. "Are you two um-going out now?"
"Hah!" Ron quipped shaking loose from Harry's grip. "Hardly, Do you know what she said to me after I poured my heart out to her telling her how much I love her. Loved her . . ."
"What?"
Taking a defiant stance Ron crossed his arms and glared at Harry. "She snorted! Can you believe that? She snorted and laughed."
Harry was at a loss for words. He just stood there starring at Ron blankly now with his mouth hanging open. On one hand he felt bad for Ron. He was his best friend, and he knew it had to hurt like hell to be rejected like that, but on the other hand he was happy. Happy that Hermione didn't like him back. Happy that now he was free to make a move of his own for Hermione's heart, but what would Ron say to this? Would Ron hate him, and what about Hermione? Would she laugh at him too? This was just happening all too fast for Harry to think straight.
Ron flopped down on the bed kicking the bedpost. "She thought I was joking Harry. She thought I was pranking her! She said there's no way she was going to fall for this one. That I couldn't be in love with her it just wouldn't work out." He mocked Hermione's voice with a sneer, "Just because we argue and fight all the time doesn't mean I like you Ron!"
"Umm. . . well maybe she . . ." Harry started to say, but Ron cut him off.
"Don't stick up for her. You always take her side!" Ron sat up, his face burning brighter then Mars. "You always rush to take her side and never mine! What the hell? I thought you where my best mate?"
"Ron, it's not like that and you know it."
"It is to! And I'm sick of it! I always come last in this group and it SUCKS!" Ron roared as he began to kick the bedpost harder. "That's why I told her off after she had her little laugh about my feelings, and the same goes for you Harry. I swear if you go running to her side again I'm going to . . ."
"WHAT? What did you say to her?" Harry waited for a second and he could feel the heat burning inside of him. He knew how nasty Ron could get when he was mad, and Ron was royally pissed. He was sure Hermione must be feeling pretty low about now. Ron scowled at him and rolled over in the bed away from Harry. "I asked you a question Weasley, what did you say to her?"
"It's none of your business anyway so why don't you run off and save the day. AS ALWAYS! Git!" Ron said with his face buried in his pillow.
"Arrah! You're an ASSHOLE! Yah know that Ron!" Harry shouted storming out of the dorm room.
Harry jumped down the stairs two at a time as Ron cursed at him from the room above. Leaping down the last few steps into the common room he made a thunderous bang when he hit the floor. Everyone looked over to him. The room was full of students carrying on and talking about the huge fight they had just witnessed between Ron and Hermione.
He scanned the room quickly and didn't see Hermione anywhere. When his eyes fell on Neville he shot him a questioning look and said, "Where?"
Neville pushed past the others and pointed out the window towards the lake. Harry gave him a grateful nod and rushed towards the portrait hole, but Neville called out for him to stop before he left, "Wait Harry! You'll need this." He tossed Harry his cloak from the back of the sofa. Harry caught it one handed, smiled his thanks and climbed through the hole.
Half running half jogging Harry ripped through the castle down to the main gates of the school. Stopping briefly to fasten the clasp of Neville's cloak he slipped out of the already open front doors.
The wind howled, pushing powdery snow across the winter landscape of Hogwarts. With little difficultly Harry spotted Hermione on the far side of the lake. She was walking slowly around the path with her head hung low. He grimaced and started to jog down towards her. 'Why does she always have to go so damn far away when she's mad? Couldn't she just storm around the common room or the Library? No that would be too easy right. Crud!' he thought to himself as he crunched through the frozen snow.
The lake had a thick layer of ice over its surface, and Harry thought of just running across the lake to the other side. That would look great in the papers if I died drowning in the lake after everything I've been through. So he ran as fast as his legs could carry him on the frozen path around the lake. The cuffs of his pants became wet and cold chilling his skin. He wished he'd brought his wand with him about now. He tried a wandless version of a drying charm, but he wasn't sure of the wrist movements. The best he could do was to warm the palms of his hands.
As Harry reached the far side of the lake nearing Hermione she stopped walking and turn towards him. Her face was red and tears where frozen on her cheeks. She looked so cold as she clutched her cloak around herself tightly. Harry skidded to a stop in front of her, huffing rapidly to catch his breath.
When he regained his composure he looked up at Hermione and said, "I heard what happened. Are you ok?" She didn't speak as she struggled to find the words to say. As her eyes met his Hermione began to cry again throwing her arms around Harry's neck. Harry pulled his cloak open and wrapped it around her trying to warm her up the best he could. He didn't say anything. He simply held her tight and rubbed her back as she cried into his shoulder. He tried the drying charm again knowing it would fail. His palms heated up again and he pressed him against Hermione's back warming her slightly.
"Why did he have to go and tell me this now. After all time he finally tells me now. I tried to play it off as if he was joking thinking maybe he would get the hint, but instead he just got really mad and started yelling." Hermione mumbled against Harry's neck. "Doesn't he get it? I don't like him. There's only one man for me," she said looking at Harry through shimmering tears.
Harry's hands came to rest on her lower back. His mind seized up in mid thought, 'so, she does like somebody else. Damn it!' He mentally kicked himself. 'Missed the boat again Potter. In fact, you where never in the running. Everyone's known that Ron has liked her since fourth year. So whomever it is she does like beat you to the punch ages ago. Dumb-ass you never had a chance anyway.'
When he finally did find his voice the only thing he could say was, "Oh."
She continued to stare at him as he fumbled to speak. Slowly a small smile played across her lips.
Urging her to start moving again to keep warm Harry tried to disengage from their embrace. He slipped a hand up to her face and dried the tears away with the sleeve of his cloak. "Umm, maybe we should head back now. Ahh…before you catch a cold."
But Hermione wouldn't release her arms from his neck. "Don't you want to know whom it is that I truly like?"
Of course he wanted to know. He wanted to crack the git's head open and do a jig on his brains, but that wouldn't stop her from loving this guy. Whoever he was. Harry tried desperately to act casual about this and said, "Well, um ah-I'm sure he's a nice chap, and ahh I'm sure that when he finds out what a great girl you are and . . ."
He never got a chance to finish that sentence because the next thing he knew Hermione was kissing him. Her lips where cold, but still very soft, and for a second he just stood there like a wooden statue totally confused. She broke away from the kiss gently looking into his eyes and whispered, "It's you Harry. It's always been you."
Harry's fingers wrapped tighter around her now. "Me?"
Hermione placed another sweet kiss on his lips and nodded. "Ever since the first day on the train. It's always been you."
Her words felt like a hundred rockets bursting inside of his chest, and he couldn't help but smile. He captured her lips with his own this time. Together they rekindled the warmth stolen from them by the chilling wind. When they finally did come back up for air Hermione giggled at the goofy look Harry had on his face.
Sliding his arm up under her shoulders Harry lifted her off her feet and began to spin Hermione around.
Between her laughing Hermione squealed, "Harrrrryyyy! Woooo! I don't like flying!"
Gradually he slowed the spin and returned her to the ground.
When she was on the ground again Hermione swatted Harry's arm cursing him, but he couldn't help smiling as he threw his arms around her. "Beautiful day today isn't it?"
Hermione slipped back under his cloak as they slowly started back towards the castle, "Yeah, it's not to bad. Let's see how the night goes." Harry looked down at her with a smirk on his face wiggling his eyebrow as he squeezed her arse. She elbowed him in the ribs sharply. "Perv!"
Quickly Harry removed his hand and apologized, "Sorry, sorry just going with the moment yah know."
"It's ok Harry." She said looking down at the ground as they walked so that he couldn't see the deep red blush on her cheeks. Harry looked off across the lake up towards Hogwarts and worried a bit about Ron. Yes he would be mad as hell about this, but what could he do? He sure as hell wasn't going to push Hermione away. Not when things where finally starting to happen between them. He thought about it for a bit, but then kicked it in to the back of his mind when Hermione tightened her grip around his arm. 'We'll work it out later,' he thought as he hugged Hermione tighter.
'Yeah, much later.'
Fin
AN: Inspiration for this story came from this picture I did some time ago.
Harry and Hermione outside of Hogwarts in the snow
Thank you Cheeringcharm for the beta. You rock!
