Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I am not fortunate enough to have come up with that idea.
Revealing the Prophecy - Chapter 2
The dawn came much too soon for Harry's liking. He would have been perfectly happy to hide inside his four-poster for the next two weeks than face Hermione after his and Ron's somewhat less than private discussion the night before. The boys dressed while discussing how best to handle the situation. Harry was desperately trying to put a positive spin on things by saying that it was better in the long run that things were out in the open. Ron was less enthusiastic.
"What do you mean, this is better? This is worse that her shooting me down."
"Ron, neither of us has any idea how she feels."
"Oh, I think she made it pretty clear how she feels last night," Ron challenged.
"I don't see it that way," Harry countered.
"C'mon, Harry. You're not that thick. If she was really interested in me and not you, why would she be upset? She'd just quietly slip up the stairs and wait for me to ask her out. All I've got is rejection waiting for me," Ron said bitterly.
Harry felt Ron actually had a pretty good handle on their predicament, but didn't want him to feel any worse than he already did.
"I think you're jumping to conclusions. Just go talk to her. She knows how you feel now. You two need to straighten things out."
"You go talk to her. I just want to forget this ever happened."
"I think you should speak to her first," Harry suggested. "If she's willing to go to Hogsmeade with you, it'll greatly simplify things for everyone." Ron stared at Harry in disbelief.
"You bloody coward," he retorted. "You just want her tired out so that she doesn't have any energy to rip you a new hole once she's bitten my head off."
"Is that so bad?" Harry asked innocently.
"Bad for me, yeah."
"All right then, how about this," Harry answered. "We'll play Rock-Paper-Scissors. The loser has to talk to Hermione first."
"What's Rock-Paper-Scissors?"
"It's a muggle game. It's perfect for deciding who goes first. You hit one of your fists into the palm of your other hand three times. On the third strike you choose rock, paper, or scissors," Harry said, gesturing to demonstrate the choices as he said the names of each. "Rock beats scissors, paper beats rock, and scissors beats paper. Get it?"
"Sortta."
"Here, watch me and Dean." Dean was getting dressed on the opposite side of the dormitory.
"Hey Dean! Come here for a minute." Dean finished buttoning up his shirt as he walked over.
"What's up, Harry?"
"I'm trying to teach Ron how to play Rock-Paper-Scissors. Can you play a few matches with me so he can see how it works?"
"All right," Dean replied putting his fist into the open palm of his other hand.
They walked through a few matches (Dean won 2-1) before Harry and Dean turned expectantly to Ron.
"You get the idea?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, let's get this over with."
"Okay, ready?"
They both smacked their hands three times. Harry held out rock, Ron held out scissors.
"Yes!" Harry exclaimed as Ron groaned.
"C'mon. Best two out of three," Ron pleaded. "This is my first time playing."
Dean chuckled and headed back to finish dressing.
"No way!" Harry said grinning. "Next time, you'll have to specify that beforehand. You're stuck, mate."
Ron muttered something under his breath about shoving Harry's rock somewhere as he proceeded to pull his robes on. Harry felt considerably better knowing he had managed to delay the inevitably difficult conservation with Hermione, if only for just a little bit longer.
Harry and Ron headed down to the common room together finding Hermione sitting in the chair Harry had occupied the previous night and looking very stern. Harry inwardly thanked lady luck and cheerfully clapped Ron on the back.
"Like a moth to a flame, eh?" Harry whispered to Ron before turning to make a hasty retreat from the common room. Ron gave Harry a look of deepest loathing.
"And just where do you think you are going, Harry?" Hermione called with a piercing gaze that stopped him midstride.
"Oh boy," Harry sighed. "Well, er… I thought … you see … that I would go down to breakfast while you and Ron, er… talked some," Harry said hopefully. Hermione raised her eyebrows in response.
"Thinking was your second mistake. Have a seat," she said gesturing to one of the seats across from her. Ron smiled triumphantly at Harry before heading towards the portrait of the fat lady.
"Oh, you're not going anywhere either, Weasley. You can pull up a chair right next to Harry." It was Harry's turn for a smug grin as Ron's own smile evaporated.
"Hermione, Harry and I both agree we should have this conversation separately."
"This isn't going to be a conversation. I want you two to sit down and listen to me. It's time you guys included me in my own future. So you are both going to sit and hear me out. Then we can decide how to handle things from there."
Harry and Ron shared a glum look before slumping into chairs opposite of Hermione. Hermione shifted her chair so that she sat in the middle of the two. Taking a calming breath, her face softened as she fixed her gaze on her lap. The boys, for that matter, did not seem interested in making eye contact either.
"Listen," Hermione started, "this has turned into quite a mess and don't think there is any better way to address this than to make sure we all understand where each others' feelings are first."
Harry snuck a glance at Ron out of the corner of his eye. He was looking about as good as Harry felt. Hermione didn't notice.
"You both need to understand that I care about both of you tremendously. We have been through some really tough times together and our friendship has never suffered long term. I am hoping that our friendship won't fall apart over this."
Hermione paused to gather herself, shifting to face Ron.
"Ron, I am flattered that you want me to go to Hogsmeade with you, but I would be leading you on if I went with you as more than a friend." Ron's shoulders slumped in defeat and his face reddened with embarrassment. "You're a great guy, Ron, but my feelings don't extend beyond friendship. I'm sorry. I know its hard Ron," she continued, "and I-,"
"What do you mean, you know it's hard?" Ron bellowed jumping to his feet. "You're not the one having their heart torn out and trampled by a herd of rampaging hippogriffs!"
"I said I'm sorry Ron, but I can't just wave my wand and suddenly have new feelings for you!" Hermione retorted. "I've been dreading this day for over a year. Worried that the day you finally asked me out would be the last day of our friendship."
Harry didn't think it was possible that Ron's face could have been any redder than it already was, but the news that Hermione had known Ron liked her for over a year turned his face a violent shade of scarlet. His anger disappeared only to be replaced by towering embarrassment.
"You've known all this time?" he asked quietly, his face still burning. Hermione looked down at the ground.
"Yes."
"Oh."
Ron seemed to be trying to make himself as small as possible. Harry decided it was time for him to intercede.
"Ron, none of us can help the way we feel about each other. It's certainly not something any of us planned. It just happened, but if you get nothing else out of this conversation, understand that your friendship is absolutely essential to me and Hermione. Our lives would be greatly diminished without you in it, so don't think that either of us isn't going to fight tooth and nail, to keep you as our friend."
Harry's statements seemed to placate Ron. He fell back into his chair, sitting in moody silence. Each of them was lost in thought for several moments before a scuffling sound from the bottom of the dormitory stairs drew their attention. A group of students led by Dean Thomas had gathered out of sight waiting for a break in the action so that they could head down to breakfast. They began moving across the room, trying to draw as little attention as possible to themselves. It didn't work.
"Enjoying the spectacle?" Ron roared at them. Startled, the herd of students broke ranks stampeding towards the portrait of the fat lady. Ron returned to his brooding.
Hermione sat back down in her seat and turned to look intently at Harry.
"Harry, you've made such great strides in Occlumency, and I don't agree that you and I can't be together. I am not willing to let Voldemort dictate my happiness. Think about the prophecy Harry. You said it yourself last night. You need to love and be loved to defeat him."
"I don't need to hear this," Ron growled, rising from his chair to stomp off after the other students.
"Ron," Harry called before Hermione stopped him.
"Let him go," she said. "He's right; he doesn't need to hear this."
Harry watched Ron disappear before turning back to Hermione.
"Hermione, it is precisely because of my feelings that you are at such a risk. Voldemort will use you to get to me. There is no way we can be together right now."
"How can you say that?" Hermione asked quietly. "How can you cast aside your feelings like that?"
"Hermione, I'm not casting aside any feelings, I want nothing more than for us to be together. But the stronger my feelings are for you, the less capable I would be of fighting him if something were to happen to you. Look at the way I shut down in the Department of Mysteries. I already need you too much."
Hermione stepped closer to Harry.
"And I need you that much too."
"But we can't cross that line between friends and something more. The second Voldemort discovers you are more than a friend to me, he'll come after you."
"We have already crossed that line, Harry," she said intently. "We passed that point long ago. If Voldemort were listening right now, he would know that something more exists between us. There is no going back. It doesn't matter whether we label each other boyfriend or girlfriend. He would know how you and I feel, period. The risk to me, to us… will not change."
Harry felt he was losing ground in this argument, but wasn't willing to relent. Hermione, however, seemed to be getting into a rhythm and wasn't about to let him get a word in.
"Harry, if you turn your back on us you will be giving Voldemort exactly what he needs to win. He needs us to be miserable. He needs us to suffer alone. Isolating yourself will only make the situation worse. He can be beat Harry, but you have to give us a chance."
"You make it sound so easy."
"It is easy. You just have to listen to your heart."
"Listening to my heart already got Sirius killed," Harry said bitterly.
"And listening to your heart will give you the power you need to defeat Voldemort," she countered.
"If I were a normal guy, this would be so much easier, but I'm not a normal guy, Hermione. All because of that damn prophecy."
"But Harry-," Hermione interjected.
"But nothing. I'm a marked man. My future is set. At worst, I could die tomorrow. At best, I have a long, miserable life fighting Voldemort. I can't offer you the happiness you deserve."
"You have already given me more happiness than I had ever hoped for. I see in us something I have seen in no other couple at Hogwarts. It's so special and rare; I won't set it aside for another day."
Harry felt his resolve weakening at her words. Hermione seemed to sense it too.
She smiled warmly at Harry and took another step towards him, placing her hands on his waist and resting her forehead on his chest. "From everything we've heard about them, I believe it's what your parents had."
Harry knew this was her trump card, but didn't doubt that she meant what she was saying. He realized he would never argue with her when she said that. If she would love him like his mother loved his father, he would return it tenfold without doubt or question. Harry pulled her into a tight embrace willing his body to tell her what his choked voice could not.
Hermione let out a sigh of relief as he held her. They clung desperately to each other not caring if the castle fell down around them. The moment, however, was broken by muffled voices from the bottom of the stairs. It seemed another group of students was hungry as well.
Harry reluctantly released Hermione and poured everything he had into a loving smile before clasping her hand in his and turning to address the growing crowd.
"You guys can go ahead now," Harry called to them, smiling akwardly.
Seamus poked his head around the corner briefly and glanced down at their entwined hands, smirking.
"Glad to see you guys finally worked this out. I lost 10 sickles to the Weasley twins last year because of you two."
Seamus stepped out at the head of another pack of students. The rest of the students filed past whispering and grinning at Harry and Hermione.
"Best 10 sickles I ever lost, mate," Seamus quipped, making for the exit. He paused just before leaving the common room.
"And, uh, don't worry about Ron too much. He'll come around. He'll just need some time."
"Thanks, Seamus," Harry answered. "That means a lot."
"Thank you," Hermione echoed.
Seamus nodded and left for breakfast. Harry turned back to Hermione.
"Speaking of Ron, I need to head down and try to smooth things over."
"Don't you think I should talk to him first?"
"Definitely not. His pride is pretty wounded now. I don't think he's ready for that yet. Besides, he and I have a truce of sorts going. At least, I think it's still going…
"All right, Harry," she said looking at her watch, "but I'll give you ten minutes before I head down for breakfast. Ron or no Ron, I'm starving and if don't go down to eat then, I'll be late for class."
"Okay, but if I can get him to talk, we may end up skiving off class, so don't wait."
"And if you can't get him to talk?"
"Then I'll drag it out of him during morning break."
"All right."
"One more thing, I think we should be careful how we act around him for a while. I don't want to flaunt our relationship in front of him. We should sort of ease into it, you know? I don't want him to think were rubbing it in."
"I was going to suggest the same thing."
"Well then, cross your fingers for me." Harry said as he departed.
"Harry," Hermione called before he got too far.
"Yeah, Hermione."
"Ron's not here, you know," she teased.
"Yeah?" Harry responded quizzically.
"So, we don't have to worry about Ron seeing us, do we?"
"No?" Harry questioned, still not catching on.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, stamping her foot. "Most boyfriends kiss their girlfriends goodbye when they leave!"
"Oh!" Harry said stupidly. Thinking he had to make this kiss good after he'd been so dumb, he took a deep breath, gathered himself momentarily and strode purposely over to her. Harry grasped her waist with one hand, gently pulling her tight to his body. Raising his other hand to her blushing cheek, he caressed her soft skin as their eyes locked with one another.
Harry's heart pounded out a rapid staccato against his rib cage and his stomach seemed to be trying to swallow itself whole. Praying that there were no other students waiting to leave Gryffindor tower, Harry leaned in, pressing his lips gently against hers. Hermione responded in kind, and the world melted away.
When Harry reflected on that first kiss with Hermione as he headed down to the Great Hall, he couldn't remember any details of what it was like, but could only recall an overwhelming sense of joy and completion, of being exactly where he belonged. The best comparison he could ever make was the feeling he got when the lofty spires of Hogwart's came into view after a long, painful summer with the Dursleys. And even that was feeble in comparison.
A/N: Next chapter will be the last. It will deal with the "Ron factor."