The Talk
The next few days passed quietly for Harry. He did some cleaning, only to have most of the Black Family items disposed of by Kreacher, thought about what new furniture he would need and actually walked around the garden out back. Hermione was still helping her cousin move and wasn't sure when she would be able to visit again.
It was so nice to relax, read, watch the TV that he managed to procure (he was still on the look out for anything strange that might be on the news. Call it an old habit), he had owled Neville once asking how his summer was going and Hedwig had come back with a long letter of the trip he was going to be taking with friends and his grandmother to Italy. Neville also sent the news that Trevor had run away for good so he was in search of another pet and would probably get an owl when he had to go to Diagon Alley.
Watching a Muggle TV Show about a bunch of college students living together Harry got the idea to invite Ron to stay until school started again. It would be nice to have him here, but also a way to try and repay everything Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had done for him. He figured he better ask Ron's parents first and, right then, he decided to apparate on over. With a soft POP he landed in the middle of the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley was cleaning up from lunch.
"Harry! How good to see you!" she gave him a huge hug, like always and went back to casting spells to clean dishes and the table.
"I have a question for you and Mr. Weasley about Ron." Harry sat down and helped himself to an apple from the dish in the middle of the table.
"Ron? He isn't in trouble is he?" she glanced at the clock, where his face was on "work". Harry shook his head.
"I thought it would be fun if he came and stayed with me until school started. He would be closer to Fred and George's shop and wouldn't be arguing with Ginny while he WAS here."
"Hmmm," Mrs. Weasley paused for a moment and took a seat next to him. "I don't mind the idea, and I know Ron won't, but let me run it by his father." She smiled at him and reached out to touch his hand.
"How are things going, dear?"
"Fine! Enjoying the freedom, actually having fun for the first time in I don't know how long," Harry replied.
"And…how is Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a wink. Harry could feel himself blush and busied himself with throwing the apple in the trash.
"She's fine. Helping her cousin move into their new flat this week."
"She has turned into a very pretty girl and her cousin is so nice." Harry could tell Mrs. Weasley was trying to ask in a round a bout way if they had a relationship and he had no idea. He just nodded and glanced over at the clock. It showed Ginny was out in Diagon Alley.
"Do you think that you'll spend some quality time with your friends now that you-know-who is gone, thanks to you?"
"I hope so, Mrs. Weasley. It'll be strange just being at school and not have a sense of foreboding about what lies ahead. But," he pushed himself out of the chair, "I need to get going and write Neville back. He lost his toad and I think I need to cheer him up a bit."
Harry thanked her for the apple and apparated back to his house, where he spent the remainder of the day making a list of things he needed for the house, writing Neville and having thoughts about whatever relationship he was having with Hermione.
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As it happened, Ron was given the all clear to come move in with Harry. After selecting his bedroom, at the opposite end of the hall after Harry made a comment about his snoring, they settled down while Ron played with the TV and remote control.
Harry just sat there and Hermione's birthday note was floating around his brain. He was trying to make sense of the part where she talked about the amazing kiss and leaving her breathless…and going to the moon for him. What did she mean? He pondered asking Ron the question while Ron flipped through the channels, oohing and ahhhing over each one.
"Hey Ron."
"Yeah?" Ron didn't move his eyes from the screen.
"Ron!"
"I am listening. I can do two things at once…oh man, look at her!" Ron pointed to a girl in a music video and sat back hard in his chair.
Harry sighed and got up and physically turned off the TV.
"Hey!"
"I have to tell you something, so pay attention." Harry swatted him upside the head, in a friendly way, and sat back down on the sofa.
"Better be good," Ron mumbled and glanced over at Harry, throwing the remote down next to him.
"Do you remember that note that Hermione wrote, about meeting her in the Astronomy Tower?" Harry looked at his hands and fiddled with a nail, not looking at Ron. He didn't know if he would be mad that he lied to him or not.
"Yeah. Why?"
"I said she wanted to talk about the whole Voldermort and me fighting him scenario that was bound to happen?" Harry could feel Ron's stare boring holes into his head.
"Yeah…," Ron said suspiciously.
"Well, we did talk about that..."
"Then why are we talking?"
"-but we kissed too." Harry finished interrupting his interruption.
There was a moment of silence and Harry looked up. Ron's passive expression hadn't changed. He was still sitting in the chair, elbows on knees, hands clasped between them, leaning towards Harry, as if waiting for more.
"And?" Ron gestured for more information.
"You aren't mad that I lied?"
"Harry, I'm not stupid. I knew you had to do something up there, especially when we ate breakfast the next day. You two kept looking at each other so much even I noticed it."
"Huh," was Harry's intelligent response.
"How was it?" Ron asked curiously.
Harry figured he could at least answer him, after lying to him and keeping it a secret, so he thought, for so long.
"Unexpected but….brilliant," Harry breathed and looked at him. He shook his head a little bit. "I just never imagined doing that but as soon as we were, my whole life turned upside down."
"Huh," Ron answered, clearly not knowing what to say to that.
They could hear creaking in the house and the chair made a noise as Ron shifted his weight.
"So, I know you kissed her again, or did both happen to be an "oops my mouth slipped" moment?"
"Uh---yeah… we have so I don't think it was an accident." Harry pulled out the note he had in his pocket.
"Then, for my birthday she gave me a moon crystal and this note." He passed it to Ron, who sat back to read it. After a moment, Harry could see Ron's eyebrow's shoot up.
"She sent you THIS?" he waved the paper, clearly surprised.
"Yea, doesn't sound like her does it? What does she mean by all that?" Harry took it back and carefully folded it.
"Harry, who knows what a girl means when she says that? Symbolism, underlying meanings, reading between the lines….remember the talking too we got from her after the Cho incident on what girls really mean?" They smiled at each other. "But I think finally she's admitting she really likes you, loves even, and from what I have seen with you, you… like her…so…what's the problem?"
"It's Hermione. HER-MI-O-NE! I just can't get over the fact that she likes me this way."
"You might have to talk to her mate." They both rolled their eyes at Ron's comment. "I do have to say that with Samantha I know where I stand!"
"What?"
"Well, she tells you like it is. When we were flying on the broom, she said it was great, wonderful and glad I showed her. Wanted to do it again. At your party she came up and kissed me on the cheek," Harry had missed that one, "I have to say she is the first girl that I don't feel like a git in front of…don't really know why, but I'll take it!" Ron raised his butterbeer to Harry and took a sip.
"So, basically I'm going to have to have a relationship talk with Hermione," Harry muttered and Ron nodded, reaching for the remote.
"Are we done?" Ron asked, glancing over at his friend, finger poised on the POWER button.
"Yea…I have a headache from all this emotions talk. I'm going to lie down." Harry made his way upstairs.
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"I really like your new room," Hermione said to her cousin. Samantha and her parents had just finished moving into their new flat. A nice two bedroom, top floor with a great view. Hermione looked out her cousin's bedroom window which overlooked the city.
"I can't wait to paint it and get some new pictures to put up." Samantha flopped down on the bed with a huge sigh. Moving had been hard, then unpacking everything and trying to keep out of her very stressed parents way. "Want to spend the night tonight?"
Hermione nodded and turned away from the window.
"I got a letter from Hogwarts yesterday saying that they are having their first annual Parent's Day at Hogwarts about a month after we get there. Would you be interested in coming? I have to give them a head count so they can make arrangements for transportation." Hermione flopped down on the other twin bed and stared over at Samantha. She gave a huge smile.
"I would love it! I could finally see this school and all the wizards," she let out a dramatic sigh, "They are so much more handsome then REGULAR boys." She winked at Hermione as she stared at her cousin and shook her head.
"Well, they are! I bet Ron and Harry would look dashing in those robes you talk about."
"Hmmmph…you should see them in their Quidditch uniforms," Hermione said, blushing slightly. She never really talked about boys with Samantha before; Samantha was the one who has had three boyfriends, gotten "pretty far" with them, so Hermione felt like an amateur next to her.
"Ohh…what do they look like?" Samantha sat up and crossed her legs, attention totally focused on Hermione.
"Well, tan tight pants, like those one's American baseball players wear, the appropriate color cape, sometimes goggles if it's raining, black boot type shoes. It's just a rush really when you see your house fly out in a line on to the field." Hermione smiled at the memories of girls screaming at the boys. Right around the end of their 5th year, girls discovered that the boys looked GREAT in their uniforms, and looked even greater in 6th year, as they grew and filled out into young men.
"Can't wait to see that. What are the other boys like?"
"What do you mean?" Hermione had a puzzled look on her face.
"There are other boys besides Harry, and Ron, what are they like?"
"Well, they have some roommates who are pretty nice, one is Irish. Umm…there is this guy Draco who is Harry's nemesis and likes to cause problems for anyone who isn't in his house."
"Why?"
Hermione sighed and tried to figure out how much she should tell Samantha. She decided just the overviews would be sufficient for now.
"He is your basic bully; jealous of Harry for being a more powerful, better wizard than him. Harry doesn't really get along with Draco's father either, and since Draco is from a pure blood wizard family he loathes anyone who isn't."
"Why is Harry more powerful than he is?" Samantha inquired.
Hermione shrugged, trying to play it off. "He just is. A long story that I can't even tell you in one night. But, I promise I will." She smiled at the disappointed look on her cousin's face. She needed to change the subject because, knowing Samantha she would keep grilling Hermione until she gave in.
"So, Ron….do you fancy him?"
Samantha cocked her head and thought for a moment, staring at a point over Hermione's shoulder.
"I think I do, but am pretty unsure as to how to even be friends with a wizard. It's a bit intimidating." She gave a little shrug and smile at Hermione who laughed out loud.
"RON? Intimidating? Come one…he is anything but! I have known him as long as Harry and he would never scare a fly; offer him any kind of candy and you have him in your back pocket."
"He can put his hand in my back pocket anytime," Samantha said with a bit of wistfulness in her voice.
"You really do like him?"
"Hermione, he is cute, funny and totally amazed me with that little magic trick at lunch awhile ago. I can't even imagine what he would be like in…" Samantha started.
"NO! Bad picture for me Samantha!" Hermione put her hands over her ears, then her eyes.
"Wizards have to be great kissers and such." Samantha got up and removed Hermione's hands which her back on her ears. "You've kissed Harry, what was it like?"
Hermione lowered her hands and felt Samantha sit next to her on the bed. She gave a small shrug.
"Tell me…you have a way with words." Samantha nudged her.
"I can't compare it to a Muggle, Sam, I haven't kissed one so I don't know if it's any different."
"Then just tell me what you felt when you kissed him in that tower." Samantha laughed as a blush crept up Hermione's cheeks. Hermione moaned and fell sideways on to the bed pillow.
"I was nervous at first," she paused as she recalled that event in her head. "Then, I felt like I was melting into him and couldn't think of anything else but him and how right it was and how brilliant it felt." Her voice was muffled as she was now face down in the pillows.
"Ok, pretty close to what I felt when I was going out with Frank last year, except for the melting part." Samantha put her finger to her lips as she thought. "Anything else that struck you?"
There was a moment of silence and Samantha, being the Granger that she is, knew to let the silence linger as Hermione gathered her thoughts.
"I had to pull away when his hand touched my back, under my shirt."
"Why? That's when it gets good!"
"It felt like a jolt of electricity shot from my head to my toes and I couldn't breathe for a second. Like everything stopped in time." She paused, "Stupid I know."
"Hermione, that is awesome! I've never felt that! Man….what've I been missing all these years?"
"Oh, Samantha, being a witch and wizard isn't all it's cracked up to be, believe me." Hermione pushed herself up and she touched shoulders with her cousin.
"So, how much do you like him?"
Hermione just nodded, then shook her head. "I don't…I can't explain."
"I have heard the name Harry Potter since you were twelve and never met him until lunch. He's everything you said and more! I see how he looks at you, how you act with him." Samantha put an arm around her cousin's shoulders. For some reason, Hermione was close to tears. She didn't like being out of control of her emotions and she was with Harry.
Samantha continued, in a softer voice. "I have met many boys and Harry is totally different. Even a plain, "Muggle" girl could see it. He radiates a power, but yet doesn't even seem to know it. But, when he is with you and you are together, you are all he thinks about. I see you with him and how you struggle with how you feel. It's called "Love", Hermione, and you just need to give yourself into it and then it can become magical."
With that said, Hermione's eyes spilled over and tears started running down her cheeks.
"I do…," she whispered and wiped frantically at her cheeks. "I do love him; I have forever, but as we got older it evolved." She accepted the tissue Samantha handed her and tried to gather herself together.
"I feel like a git crying over him like this." Hermione blew her nose and pushed her hair back from her eyes.
"It is what a woman in love does and I think even more so for you because you keep all your emotions inside of you."
"What if he doesn't feel the same?"
"I'm sure he does."
"But, what if he doesn't?"
"Why do you say that? He wouldn't have kissed you back like he did if he didn't feel the same…."
"He's a guy…what if it's just fun to fool around…," Hermione felt bad even saying that about Harry, who never had a true girlfriend.
"The way he acts around you, all protective and how he studies you when you aren't looking says otherwise." Samantha gave Hermione's shoulders a squeeze.
"I think you will need to talk to him before you go back to school, which is what, three weeks? A bit less? You haven't seen him for a week, so next time you do, just go somewhere and talk about the two of you."
"Easier said than done." Hermione stood up and threw the tissue into the trash.
"Well, I could come with you and maybe the four of us could go out somewhere, then Ron and I could leave you two alone for a bit. That way, we will be there for moral support." Samantha looked at her clock as she yawned.
Hermione nodded in agreement. "I guess we can drop by tomorrow. It's Saturday and Ron doesn't have to work."
She turned away from the window she was looking out, again and pulled down the shade.
"All this emotional crap has made me tired…got something I can borrow for bed?" Hermione helped Samantha open a box of clothes and they continued to talk a bit, mainly about the boy Samantha had broken up with last year and why she hadn't dated since.
Samantha was picky and very outgoing…not many people could handle or even like the way she spoke her mind. 'Could Ron?' Hermione thought, not really knowing the answer to that one. She actually hoped, deep in her heart, that he could.