Chapter 5 - Conclusions Concluded
Harry and Ron were lounging at the living room playing chess when Hermione yelled from the hallway that she was going out. Neither of the boys paid her attention as they were both so engrossed at the chessboard, contemplating both of their next moves.
"Checkmate," Ron declared smugly yet again, after a while of silence. Lunch was already rolling around the corner.
"Ugh! I give up, Ron," said Harry tiredly and slouched on the couch they were playing by. "You've beaten me for the 6th time already and it's not even noon yet!"
Ron grinned. "Well, you know me. Chess is my expertise. Better stick to Quidditch, mate," he told Harry.
"Nah, it's your expertise now as well. I'll be sticking with the dark forces out there. As usual," he sighed resignedly.
"Say, Harry. What made you accept the Auror position so soon? I thought you said that you're going to postpone it for a month or so," commented Ron, fixing the chess pieces back into the chessboard.
"Not another round, Ron," replied Harry when he saw Ron fixing the chess pieces once more, not really answering Ron's question. "I'm dead beat." Harry removed his glasses, closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose.
"Well?" asked Ron once more, when Harry wasn't making any moves to answer his question.
"Well what?"
"You didn't answer my question, mate. Why did you accept the Auror position so soon?" repeated Ron.
Harry still didn't answer. He was looking at the painting that was hanging at the opposite wall of the living room without really seeing it. He was thinking back to what he suddenly felt upon realizing that Hermione will be gone for months if and when she took the job at Hogwarts. He had suddenly felt alone, knowing that the only person who always stood by him and believed in him would no longer be there. He knew he needed Hermione. And Hermione knew that, too. But he wasn't about to tell her that he needed her, that she shouldn't be taking the post at Hogwarts, ruining the only dream she has left. He didn't want her to forego of it once more because of him. But he couldn't help but feel resentful about her leaving.
"Mate?"
Harry sighed. "Sorry, Ron. I guess I zonked out for a moment there. You were asking…?"
Ron rolled his eyes, in an exact replica of Hermione, Harry noticed. "You know, when you did that - you just reminded me of Hermione. She was the one always doing that at us," Harry commented.
Ron chuckled then grinned. "So as I was saying, what made you decide to take the Auror post this soon?"
Harry shrugged. "I just felt like now is already a good time. Since both of you decided to take on jobs already, why should I postpone it any longer?"
Ron sensed that his best friend wasn't entirely telling the truth. Harry wasn't looking at him directly when he answered. "Is that the real reason?" he asked.
Harry sighed once more and nodded. "Yes, Ron. It is. I just feel like I can't take the idea of spending time alone here without you," he said. "Without her," he added quietly.
"Hermione sure is a great witch, isn't she?" asked Ron nonchalantly, deciding to change the topic. "And she's getting prettier by the second."
"She was always pretty, Ron. No, scratch that - she was always beautiful. I'm sure you know that. And of course, she's great. She was always great. She got out us alive during the Final Battle, didn't she?" Harry replied.
Ron smirked slightly and said, "Yeah, but what do you think about her, you know - personally?"
Harry didn't reply immediately. He just stared off into space once more. When Ron was about to wave his hand in front of him, he answered quietly, "She's perfect. For me, that is."
Ron grinned triumphantly and was about to comment when Harry asked, "Where is she, by the way? I didn't see her all morning."
"You were all set into trying to beat me and you didn't hear her call out that she was going out for a while," explained Ron. "What is up with you and her anyway? It looks to me that for the past couple of days, no - weeks actually, you were avoiding her and now you go all caring or something like that?"
"I've always cared for her, Ron. You know that. I've always cared for both of you. You are - well - you are my only family left. If I don't have you, what will happen to me?"
"But you were not talking to her -"
"Look," cut Harry. "Let's not talk about this, shall we? I'm famished and I'm sure you are, too. It's close to noon and we haven't had breakfast." He started to stand up and go to the kitchen with Ron muttering under his breath in tow.
They found Dobby in the kitchen rummaging about their cabinets. When he saw his two masters, he immediately stepped down from whatever he was doing and bowed down at them saying, "Masters in need of anything from Dobby?"
"Yes Dobby. Kindly prepare us our -," Harry stopped mid-sentence when he noticed that their lunch was already set-up at the table.
"Harry Potter, sir?" Dobby inquired.
"Never mind," said Harry and sat down. Ron sat down opposite him and immediately pounced on his food.
While the boys were having a late lunch and enjoying the companionable silence between them, Ron was too busy eating to talk anyways, Hermione Apparated in bringing with her the two young women from The Burrow.
Ginny immediately went for the kitchen, grinning when she saw both of the boys in there. "I knew it. I could hear you munching that chicken from the hallway, Ron. Hello, Harry," she greeted as she sat down in one of the chairs.
Luna went inside next and was smiling serenely. "Hi Harry. Hello Ronald." She gave Ron a special smile which made Ron's ears turn red. He smiled back in return, chewing on his chicken more carefully now.
Hermione went in last. "Hi Ron. You're eating just now?" She went and sat beside him. "Hi Harry," she added quietly.
"Hermione," acknowledged Harry, without lifting his head from his plate. Luna, Ginny and Ron exchanged wary glances. The girls most specifically were asking questions. Ron just shrugged in response.
"You girls wanna eat?" asked Ron.
Hermione shook her head. "We had lunch at The Burrow. Your mum left us a big lunch enough to feed an army."
Ron chuckled. "You know how mum is."
The boys resumed eating with the girls talking by their side. Occasionally, Ron interrupted their conversation, which earned him a glare from either Hermione or Ginny as his mouth was always full when he did so. Harry remained quiet as he finished his lunch.
After the boys were finished, the whole group got up and walked towards the living room. Harry was the last to get up, sighing heavily. Hermione looked back at him with concern and Harry gave her a ghost of a smile. She smiled back and turned towards the living room, the smile never leaving her face until she entered the living room.
Everyone was having a grand time talking and laughing and reminiscing and Ron was amusing Luna and Ginny once more with his antics. Everyone that is, except Harry and Hermione, who were both sitting at either end of the couch. Hermione with a book in her hand, Harry with The Daily Prophet. Luna kept on glancing at the pair of them, noticing that both were not really reading. The tension between them was so thick and Luna knew she just had to tell Ron about it. She got up abruptly stopping Ginny mid-way in her laugh and with Ron looking at her curiously.
"I have to go to the bathroom. Ronald, could you point me the way, please?" she asked, in her normal detached manner. Ginny grinned knowingly at her brother while Ron simply shrugged and stood up telling Luna, "This way."
When they both got out of earshot of the living room, Luna dragged Ron back to the kitchen. Ron raised his eyebrows at her and started to ask something when Luna silenced him with a finger. She closed the door, locked it and asked Ron to perform a silencing charm. Ron looked at her questioningly once more but adhered to her request. Once that was done, Luna sat down and gazed at Ron piercingly. Ron looked around before sitting down slowly in front of her, asking, "I thought you wanted to go to the bathroom."
"I did. But I have some more important things to talk to you about. Besides, the Knarckles are still probably in the bathroom. I'll wait till they are done. I think they will be done in another 10 minutes or so. That's enough time for us to talk," she said.
Ron nodded, not questioning at all what Luna meant about Knarckles and how they were in the bathroom at that moment.
"Harry and Hermione love each other," she told Ron bluntly. Ron just looked at her without even a reaction. After a few seconds, Luna asked, "You also knew?"
"Well, of course they do. We've been best friends since we were 11 and 12, why wouldn't we love each other?"
"No, that's not what I meant, Ronald. They are in love," explained Luna. "The Snitch has already been caught, but they're too busy watching the Quaffle. Then again, I've always preferred watching the Keeper, instead of the Seeker, that's Hermione's department. But all this tension between them gives me a headache."
Ron looked at her for a short while before saying, more to himself than to Luna, "I know they fancy each other, but…" He stood up and started to pace the kitchen, every talk he had with Harry and Hermione and the way he tried to observe them all coming back to his mind.
"Yes, Ronald. That's what it is. I've known it since I saw Hermione walk in The Burrow a while ago. Though I've expected this to happen for a long time"
Ron stopped pacing and looked sharply at Luna, "You knew since she walked in The Burrow a while ago?" he asked incredulously. Luna simply nodded. She walked to him and said, "I already told Hermione that she needs to delve deeply inside in her heart to understand what she's going through right now."
Ron sat down pulling Luna down beside him. He sighed, not really asking as to how she found out what Hermione was going through. "And do you think that Hermione understood what you meant by that?"
"If she looks in her heart and stops analyzing and thinking through her brain like she usually does, then she will," she answered.
Ron simply shook his head, not even trying to comprehend what Luna was telling him. "Ok, now that we both know, or at least assume, that they love each other, what should we do about it?"
"I know Ronald. I could see it with the way they interact with each other. You just cannot assume," Luna stated, returning to her normal detached air.
Not able to hold it any longer, he asked, "How could you know all this? From the moment you saw Hermione today a while ago and from what I reckon - this is the only time you saw Harry since Graduation."
Luna looked at him without blinking for a few minutes. When Ron, unnerved by the way she was staring at him, was about to say something, she said, "You know me, Ronald. I just do. I feel it. I can see it. And as for what we are supposed to do about it?"
"Yeah?"
"We're going to do nothing."
Silence greeted this answer. Ron wasn't able to grasp immediately that Luna was actually suggesting that they were not going to do anything about his best friends' situation.
"And why is that?" he asked, looking at Luna skeptically.
"You'll know. Eventually," she replied and walked towards the door. "I think I can use the bathroom now. The Knarckles are probably gone already."
Ron gaped at her unbelievingly, shook his head and walked out of the kitchen as well, canceling the Silencing Charm on his way out.
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Ginny, at that moment, was feeling uncomfortable in the living room with both Hermione and Harry. She couldn't use the same excuse as Luna, but she wanted to get out of there, fast, if Luna and Ron were not returning anytime soon.
Harry and Hermione were both not speaking to one another, with their heads still buried in whatever they were reading, or pretending to read, anyway. Once or twice every minute, one of them would take a glance at the other one, but not saying anything. It was unsettling for Ginny.
She didn't know what happened between those two. They were fine the last time she saw them. And now, it seemed something is so wrong between them. The tension was unbelievable.
Ginny stood up and announced that she would just go out and get herself a drink. When she was already out in the hallway, she bumped into Ron, looking worried about something. "Ron, what's the matter? Did something happen?" she asked. Ron shook his head and took a peek inside the living room at Harry and Hermione. Luna met them in the hallway, a few moments after Ron and took a peek inside as well.
Ginny looked in as well and saw that nothing changed between her two friends. "What is wrong with them?" Ginny whispered. "They haven't been talking for the last hour and are not turning a page at all in those things that they are supposed to be reading."
Luna turned to her with unblinking eyes and said, "They have some unresolved issues within them that they need to fully understand soon. It has been going on for quite a while already, since before the Final Battle came. I'm sorry about that, Ronald."
Ron shook his head and told her, it was ok. He felt that it was bound to happen anyway. Ginny looked back and forth between Luna and Ron and back to Harry and Hermione. "What do you both mean by that?" she asked, mulling over what they both said. "Don't tell me that they have something going on. And even before the Final Battle happened? Don't you go both pulling my leg. They have a lot of things to think about then."
Both Ron and Luna turned to her and solemnly nodded. Ginny shook her head unbelievingly. "I'll just go and get that drink," she said and hurried off to the direction of the kitchen.
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After another couple of hours of not speaking to anyone and not really reading the book she was holding, Hermione grew tired of the silence between her and the one seated on the couch with her. She stood up and stretched, noticing that Ron and Luna were in one corner playing chess while Ginny looked on. When did Luna start playing chess? she wondered.
"Checkmate," said Luna, smiling serenely at Ron. Ron returned her smile and said nothing.
"Well, seems like someone is better than you at chess after all, dear brother," commented Ginny. "Congratulations, Luna."
Hermione smiled, watching them. I am willing to bet that Ron lost to Luna on purpose, she thought.
Ron turned to look at her and was surprised to notice that she was standing up and observing them. "So you decided to finally quit that pretending?" he asked. Hermione was shocked that Ron knew that she was only pretending to read. She placed a finger to her lips and gestured for them to be quiet. Ron shrugged and said, "Don't worry. He wouldn't hear." He then gestured towards Harry. Hermione looked to where Harry was seated at the other end of the couch and noticed that he was asleep. She smiled at the peace that showed, belying the tension that had been his norm of late.
Hermione got her wand out of her hip holster, which was given to her by Harry before the Final Battle and summoned his blanket from his room, without a word. Once she had it, she carefully removed the newspaper he was still clutching and draped the blanket over him. She also removed his glasses and placed it on the table beside him.
All throughout this, Ron, Luna and Ginny were watching at the other end of the room. Luna had a knowing smile on her face.
"I am going to my room for a nap as well," said Hermione. "If you girls want to stay for dinner - that would be wonderful. And Ron - do try and be quiet, ok?" With that, she ambled out of the room and they heard her muffled footsteps towards the stairs to her bedroom.
"Well," said Ginny, standing up. "I don't know about you two, but I'm a bit hungry. I think I'd ask Dobby to make me a sandwich."
"I'll come with you," said Ron immediately, which earned him a roll of the eyes from Ginny and a quiet laughter from Luna.
"I'll come with you two as well," Luna told them. And together they went out of the living room quietly, leaving Harry to his nap.
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(A/N: I wouldn't be able to accomplish this without the help of my beloved beta - Lady Starlight. All my love and thanks to her. And yeah - I know, I suck for not updating soon. I've been on a road-trip for the last 3 or 4 weeks but it's no excuse. Hope you enjoyed this!)
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