Author's Note:
Christmas/New Year's of 2004, I wrote this story, One Simple
Thing, and then I promised Justyna that I'd write a sequel before the clock chimed 2005 - A Simple Misunderstanding - which I still contend I did, because it was
before midnight HERE!
But at any rate, tonight I was thinking about doing some writing, and went rifling through my old files to get into the
mode and see what story I felt like working on (yes, there's more than one). And in the process, I ran across what
was supposed to be the sequel, which I had scrapped in favor of what I posted back then.
The continuity is only a little off, but, it still kinda fits between the two. So just imagine this is right after
One Simple Thing...
***
A Simple Concern
It was a late Thursday afternoon and the students of Hogwarts were buzzing with the excitement of the fast approaching holidays. Just one more day and they'd be free to go home and celebrate.
"Hermione, I - I need to talk to you."
She looked up at her best friend, suddenly afraid of the urgency in his voice.
"What's the matter?"
He looked around furtively at the scattered people in the common room.
"Not here... do you mind?"
Hermione briefly considered her Arithmancy homework, then noted the uncommonly serious expression he wore.
"Er, alright then. Give me just a minute."
She gathered her things and set them neatly in a pile on the table, not taking the time to run them upstairs. Whatever it was, it was obviously a matter of some importance, so she stood up and followed him out into the corridors. They strolled in silence until he thought they were far enough away from any prying eyes or ears.
"I... I don't really know how to say this without sounding completely daft, so just bear with me, alright?"
She looked up at him, and he suddenly seemed so strange. But she nodded her acceptance, and he looked slightly relieved.
"Have you ever heard of a vision quest? The ostendo charm?"
Her demeanor shifted slightly as she knitted her eyebrows and glanced to the left, her mind suddenly thrown into academic mode.
"It's... it's a type of meditation spell, isn't it? Something that's meant to clear your head - give you an idea of some sort?" She switched back from recall mode, then looked up for confirmation.
"Er, yeah. It's something like that."
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, we used it last week in Divination..."
Hermione grinned.
"You don't mean to tell me that Trelawney actually tried to use real magic in her lessons," she began to tease, then saw that he was still quite serious.
"I think... I think something went wrong when I did it... I mean, really wrong."
Her eyes widened.
"What do you mean?"
"She paired us off, had us concentrate on something we wanted for Christmas, then had us cast the charms on one another. But... I don't think it went off quite right."
Now she narrowed her eyes.
"Were... were you hurt?"
He looked at her, the concern evident in his eyes.
"Things haven't been right since we cast those charms, and you're going to think me silly when I tell you why."
Hermione sighed, then fixed him with a piercing gaze.
"You know, I don't usually give you this speech, but after everything we've been through, you know you can tell me anything, right?"
"I suppose - I mean, I don't know who else to tell... who else would understand."
"Then tell me already."
He looked down and gave a sigh, then looked up at her again.
"I think I botched the charm, and I think did something to Harry in the process."
"Something?" And now the panic rose slightly in her voice. "Ron, what on earth are you on about?"
"You know... I mean, you must have noticed how different he's been lately?"
Hermione had to keep herself from suddenly laughing. Ron's concern was admirable, but really, she had been rather enjoying the sudden change in Harry's demeanor, especially towards her. She couldn't put her finger on exactly what was different, but it was definitely better overall. It had been subtle things really, things she hadn't quite realized at first - and there was that silly grin that seemed to have become a permanent fixture of late.
Ron mistook her silence and tried to explain again what he meant.
"Hermione... he's... I dunno exactly. It's like he's..."
"It's like he's happy...," her voice was soft as the realization came to her.
"Yeah - that's it!" Ron's fingers snapped at the revelation. "That's it exactly! He's happy... real happy!"
"And Harry isn't exactly one to be happy, now is he?" Hermione was slowly beginning to understand Ron's concern.
"That's it - he's not happy, I mean, not like he has been. I think, I mean, I don't know how or if it's even possible... but, Hermione, is it possible to permanently befuddle someone? Did I do something...?"
She heard the fear in his voice and immediately responded.
"No," she stated firmly. "It isn't possible to do something that powerful, that precise, on accident. It would take a great deal of skill and preparation to do something like that."
Ron looked immediately relieved.
"Oh thank Merlin... but if I didn't do it, then... I mean... what do you think happened?"
"Well honestly Ron," a shrewd look of mischief washed over her features. "Have you considered just asking him?"
"Oh... very funny!" His nose wrinkled and he mock glared at her. "Of course I tried asking him, but he keeps saying that everything's just fine - couldn't be better. You know how he gets when he doesn't want to talk about something." And then he looked a bit sheepish. "That's why I wanted to ask you..."
It had always been an unspoken understanding between them. If there was something that was bothering Harry, something serious that he refused to talk about, then it fell to Hermione to draw it out of him. She simply held that rare gift - the innate ability to connect with Harry, even if he was terribly reluctant to do so otherwise.
"Do... do you really think it's that serious?"
"I don't know what to think, Hermione. I mean, we both know that no one deserves to be happy - to have even some kind of happiness - like Harry does. And normally I'd be really thrilled for him, honestly. But this... whatever this is... I don't think it's real. I tell you, it's something to do with that stupid vision quest. I think the charm addled his brain and gave him some false sense of happiness."
"Like what? Like some kind of drug?"
"Maybe... I dunno... I just don't feel right about it. The sudden change in him, it's just too sudden. And I can't help but feel that it's my fault somehow."
Hermione knitted her brow. Ron did have a point - the sudden turnaround in Harry was just that - sudden. And for no foreseeable reason.
"And... and there's something else as well." Ron's voice was quiet, and that only worried Hermione more.
"Do you know... I mean, since the end of last year... Hermione, you know that Harry doesn't generally sleep very well."
It was true. She had often harped on him to get some rest, for he often looked pale with constant dark circles under his eyes. Between regular studying, Quidditch practices and the general worry of simply being who he was, she highly doubted he was getting any proper rest at all.
"Nightmares?"
"Usually. He doesn't like to speak about them, unless he thinks it's something significant, like that attack on Dad last year. He sleeps in shifts throughout the night mostly - a few hours here and there. I usually hear him at night - restless or some such."
Hermione looked down, afraid that looking at Ron would betray how truly upset she was.
"But this last week... he's actually been sleeping through the night. No nightmares, no rummaging around the room. In fact, he sometimes comes back before dinner to have a quick nap."
That's what she hadn't been able to put her finger on! Besides the change in behavior, she hadn't noticed how fit... how rested, he actually looked.ȼ/span>
"That isn't normal for him Hermione. I don't know what I did, but I've changed him."
"It isn't your fault Ron. If anyone's to blame it's that old fraud."
"But that's just it. Nothing odd happened to anyone else - just Harry."
Hermione scowled and crossed her arms.
"Of course! If there's something odd that's going to happen, it's bound to happen to him, isn't it?" There was no mistaking the cold anger in her voice.
"That's why I was hoping you could talk to him - find out what really happened."
"Right. So tell me, what happened when he cast the charm on you?"
Ron's face went slightly pink.
"Er, it's like I told you. Trelawney told us to concentrate on one simple thing we'd like for Christmas."
"And then what?"
"Well - um, then we did." He tried to add some finality to his short statement.
"Ron, you're not being very helpful. I need to know exactly what you experienced so I can get a better idea of what happened to Harry."
Ron blushed even more.
"Fine then! We cast the charms and then I felt really clear in the head, as if there were nothing else to think about or worry about except what I wanted for Christmas."
"Well that could explain quite a bit there. If Harry were under that type of influence, with nothing else to worry about, I could see how that would make him quite happy." Hermione was now thinking aloud. "I'm sorry Ron - so then what happened."
He looked as if it were causing him a great deal of pain to tell her the next bit.
"I... er... well, you see, there's this thing that Ginny was telling me about once, and I hadn't thought about it in quite awhile. But then I could suddenly see it, really clearly, and someone giving it to me for Christmas."
"And what was it?"
"Does it matter?"
"Well, yes, it does Ron. What if Harry saw the same thing? Then I'd know what to ask him."
"I highly doubt he thought of the same thing."
Hermione fixed him with a stern glance, and he cowered.
"It was a pennant, alright!" He hissed at her. "It was a 'Weasley is my King' pennant and I saw Luna giving it to me! Satisfied!?"
Hermione gave him a broad smile, then touched his arm as she tilted her head sideways.
"Ron Weasley... that is the sweetest thing I've ever heard!"
His eyes grew wide and he stammered.
"Y-you mean... that is... you're not upset?"
"Why on earth would... oh." Now she had gone slightly pink. "Well Ron, that was a rather long time ago." It was no secret to anyone that Ron had most likely fancied her back in fourth year - but so much had happened since then.
"For what it's worth, I think you and Luna would be brilliant together."
And Ron blushed again, deeply.
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes - yes I do." She noticed he looked both grateful and relieved at this."Right, then," and they started walking back towards the tower. Ron relayed the other specifics of that day, and when they reached the portrait, she turned to Ron and gave him a reassuring smile.ȼ/span>
"I'll go and look up what I can on the ostendo and see what may have happened. And then I'll talk to Harry."
"Thanks Hermione!"
They entered the common room and Hermione was relieved to see that Harry still hadn't returned from his occlumency lessons. She took her homework up to her room, then set off straight for the library, her mind focused on Harry.
'Alright Harry... why on earth would you completely change over something as simple as that?' She began breaking down the problem as she pored over the three books she had found regarding vision quests and the ostendo charm.
She couldn't help but feel disappointed when the books revealed what she already knew - the charm did nothing more than help you focus. However, the power of the visions one received was tied directly into their magical ability, which explained Ron's account of Harry's half hour trance.
She returned to the tower, went up to her room and changed for bed. She retrieved her knitting needles and the rolls of red yarn she'd purchased on their last trip to Hogsmeade, then drew the drapes around her bed.
'Right then Harry, what happened?' She grabbed her wand and began absentmindedly knitting, the repetitive motion and minor concentration helping her to focus more clearly. She ran over what Ron had told her, narrowing down the specifics and assessing what must have happened from Harry's perspective.
'Trelawney sets the task, and no doubt you thought it was silly. Why are you even still taking divination Harry?' She sighed, then focused again. 'Right, so, what is the one thing you want?' Her brow furrowed. 'Besides Sirius and your parents back? Surely you must have tried to think of something more tangible - more possible than that...' She thought about her best friend... her wonderfully sweet and horribly put upon best friend, who always carried the weight of the wizarding world on his shoulders.
'Oh, Harry,' she suddenly rubbed the heel of her palm across her eye, afraid to let her emotions get the best of her. She had prided herself these last few years on her ability to regard Harry's situation with logic and levelheadedness. She had to, otherwise she'd be of no use to him. The last thing Harry needed was a blubbering wreck at his side.
She sniffed, then concentrated again.
'What you need is some peace, Harry, more than anything. Some peace, and some happiness.'
What would Harry have seen, if that had been his thought? Were peace and happiness even tangible items that he'd be able to interpret in a vision? It would hardly be something you'd find wrapped under a tree.
And then it hit her.
'Peace! You had a vision of... some vision of a peaceful future! Of course!' She hardly noted the furious clicking of the needles as she became more and more excited at having figured it out.
She furrowed her brow in concentration, trying to recall the specifics of the books she'd just read.
The ostendo was the mildest of charms in regards to focusing vision. There were hardly any detrimental effects if one were to somehow miscast it - however, most vision and meditation type charms were done in pairs or groups, to ensure that each person was brought out of the vision, in case of any difficulties.
But the ostendo was a beginners' charm. She highly doubted that someone as powerful as Harry would have any fears about casting that simple a charm on himself - especially if what he'd seen were that important.
'Maybe he's seen how to defeat Voldemort!' But then she quickly dismissed that idea - he'd have certainly shared that with them.
So, what was it that he'd seen that was helping him to sleep at night - causing him to most likely charm himself repeatedly into the same trance?
The item she'd been knitting suddenly fell to her bed, as the needles had run out of yarn.
If it were something that made him as happy as he'd been all week - that caused him to continue to seek out the vision - then it must be extremely personal. That would explain his obvious reluctance for sharing it with either of them.
'Specifics, Granger - think specifics!' If it were a peaceful future, well, that was something everyone wanted. At least everyone she knew. There was something else then, something more than just peace, that was doing this to him. 'What's making him so ridiculously happy?'
And then she felt completely stupid for not realizing it before. Happiness was making him happy. He'd seen something in that vision - something that told him he'd be happy. Not just lucky to survive or fortunate to be living, no, whatever it was it must have showed him a specific future.
His specific future.
She felt relieved. It made absolute and complete sense.
And yet, he hadn't shared it with either one of them.
He hadn't shared it with her.
'That's awfully petty of you, Granger,' her conscience chimed. Yes, she was happy that Harry finally had some hope for the future, yet she couldn't help but feel hurt that he hadn't told her about it.
She sighed, pulling back her drapes. Grabbing the scarf that had been knitted in a fury, she placed it on her night table, lamenting that she'd have to redo some of the stitches. She put out the light, then drew the drapes closed, resting her head on the pillow.
Harry was happy, and he didn't want to tell her why.
And if he didn't want to tell, did she really, really and truly, want to know?
"You bet your Quidditch playing arse I do," she mumbled, then turned over and fought her way towards an uneasy sleep.
***