I am not J.K. Rowling or Scholastic or Warner Brothers or the Warner sister, Dot.
This chapter is really, really late. I hope you like it anyway.
Chapter 6: A Hogsmeade Stakeout
Harry Potter could not remember a time when he had been so miserable on a Hogsmeade weekend. Oh, of course, there was the time in third year when he hadn't been allowed to go to Hogsmeade because Vernon Dursley was a first class berk, but once he had actually been allowed to go the experience had, on the whole, been a pleasant one. Until today. Not only was Ginny avoiding him, but he had to endure an extremely awkward 'date' between Ron and Hermione. The latter was noticeably frosty to both boys and the former was clueless as to why. It was the worst Hogsmeade date he had yet witnessed and that included his disastrous outing with Cho at Madam Puddifoot's. Still, Harry remained resolute: his best friends would become a couple.
'Ron and Hermione belong together.' This had become something of a mantra inside Harry's head as he wandered about the shops of Hogsmeade, barely managing to feign interest in Honeydukes chocolate and the latest racing broom. 'It's the only thing that makes sense. Ron was jealous that Hermione went to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum. Hermione was jealous that Ron went around the castle snogging Lavender so much last year. They bicker all the time. How could they not be meant for each other?'
"Hermione's a really bad kisser, you know," Ron declared out of nowhere, causing Harry to choke on his cup of hot cocoa and nearly burn his nostrils in the process. The two boys were standing outside in the crisp fall air, waiting for Hermione to finish up inside the book store. This was seldom a task for the faint of heart.
Harry could only stare at Ron, gape mouthed. It was things like this that were making him doubt his mantra. He told himself that this doubt had absolutely nothing to do with his future affair with Hermione that, of course, was now never going to happen. 'I won't let it happen. Ron and Hermione belong together,' Harry reminded himself. It would just take some more subtle prodding on his part before it all came together. "What do you mean by that, Ron?" Harry asked, his irritation with his best mate perfectly obvious.
Ron rubbed the back of his neck and looked very uncomfortable. "Well, don't get me wrong, Hermione's a smart girl. It's not like she missed my lips and hit my nose or anything, it's just…when we tried it, there was no spark. No magic. I just didn't feel anything."
Harry took a moment to consider what the best response to that would be. He doubted that 'You're nutters! Hermione's the best kisser I've ever had,' would help his cause any. "Why are you telling me this, Ron?"
"Well," Ron replied defensively, "that day when you found your name on the tower, you did ask me why I didn't just snog her and get it over with. That's why. Hermione is a right terrible kisser."
Harry had to bite his tongue to keep himself from defending Hermione's kissing ability. "Maybe she'll get better over time," he suggested.
Ron shook his head. "So what? I'm supposed to help her out with some snogging practice? No thanks, mate. If Viktor Krum couldn't teach her better than that, she's probably a hopeless cause." Ron's eyes wandered as a trio of female sixth year Hufflepuffs walked by them. "Besides, there's plenty of other girls at Hogwarts who can get the job done and I'm not just talking about Lavender, either. I've had enough embarrassing gifts and cutesy nicknames to last me a while."
Harry very nearly growled in frustration. "You don't go with a girl like Hermione just so you can have someone to snog, Ron. She's special. If you're going to have a relationship with her…"
"Who said anything about having a relationship with her?" Ron asked incredulously. "I'm just getting used to seeing her as something other than a bookworm." Ron stared at the entrance to the bookstore, glanced at his watch and then looked back at Harry. "She is something other than a bookworm, right?"
"Yes," Harry replied through clenched teeth. "She's a kind, compassionate girl who's very pretty and very smart. Girls like that are hard to find."
Ron gave Harry a very odd look. "If you really feel that way, mate, why don't you ask her out yourself?"
Harry turned his head to one side and stared blankly at his best mate. "Get serious, Ron."
"I am serious," Ron said with a small laugh. "If you really feel that way about her, you should start dating her."
"You…you're just…" Harry stammered, his cheeks flushed and his demeanor flustered. "You're missing the point."
Ron threw up his hands in defeat. "Well, what is the point, then?"
"The point is that some people are just right for each other," Harry answered him forcefully. "They're meant to be. So why fight it?"
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Like you and my sister, you mean?" Harry's mouth opened to reply but nothing came out of it. "Look, Harry, what happens between Hermione and me has to be up to us, not you." One of the sixth-year Hufflepuff girls turned and winked at Ron. "Besides, I'm not quite sure that I'm ready to 'settle down' yet, if you know what I mean. There are still a lot of fish in the lake."
"Actually, there's just the giant squid," Harry replied in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Ron now wore a look of puzzlement on his face. "Then what does the giant squid eat?"
As Harry pondered that, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas approached them. "Oi, Weasley, Potter," Seamus called out. "Have you heard? Ravenclaw's got a new Seeker."
"Really?" Harry and Ron asked in unison. Romance might not be a subject that the two boys had an easy time discussing, but Quidditch was another matter entirely.
"Yeah," Dean Thomas confirmed with a nod of his head. "Goldstein posted his roster for the first match this morning, even though it's not for another month and a half. Those Ravenclaws must like to start training early."
"So spill it already," Ron urged them on impatiently. "Who'd they get?"
Seamus barely suppressed a snicker as Dean doubled over with laughter. "Looney Lovegood."
Ron looked stunned. "Loo…Luna? Luna Lovegood? She knows how to play Quidditch?"
"Who cares, mate," Dean said between howls of laughter. "With Looney flying all around the Quidditch pitch looking for snorkle-backed randlemerks or something, we're bound to win our first match against Ravenclaw and with a really impressive score, too."
Ron's face reddened noticeably and he could only manage a squeaked "Mmmhmm" as a response.
"Harry always catches the snitch anyway," Seamus remarked with a casual shrug. "Well, when he's on the team, at least. And now that Snape's not here anymore, there's no way you'll be kicked off."
Harry winced inwardly but said nothing. Thinking of Snape not being here meant thinking of the reason that he wasn't, which in turn meant thinking of Dumbledore's murder. An image filled his mind suddenly: a thousand jets of green light causing a thousand deaths, including dozens of his friends and loved ones. How could he be expected to concentrate on Quidditch when there were so many other, more important things he needed to focus on?
"You're sure it said 'Luna Lovegood'," Ron inquired dazedly. "Maybe it was supposed to say something else, like, erm, 'Tuna Lovegood'."
Seamus snorted derisively. "'Tuna Lovegood?!' What's that? A fish in the lake?"
Dean shook his head. "There aren't any fish in the lake. There's only the giant squid."
"Really?" Seamus asked as he scratched his chin. "Then what does the squid do for food?"
"I think he gets take out," Harry said as he pinched the bridge of his nose to ease the tension that was building there. "Does anyone care that I'm not going to be on the Quidditch team this year?"
From the shocked look on the three boys' faces, it seemed that all of them cared. "What do you mean, you're not going to be on the Quidditch team?" Ron whined. "You're the Captain!"
"Not anymore," Harry declared forcefully. "I'll give Ron the badge when we get back to the castle."
"You can't quit the team, Harry," Seamus insisted. "Who'll be Seeker?"
Harry gave the three seventh year Gryffindors a shrug of indifference. "It's up to Ron now, of course, but Ginny would seem to be the logical choice. She's every bit as good as I am."
"No, she isn't," all three boys said in unison.
Harry fixed them with a scathing glare. "Sorry, mate," Ron elaborated sheepishly. "I know she's my sister and your girlfriend, sort of, so this is kind of awkward, but…how can I say this…you're better than her."
"Much better," Seamus confirmed.
"She is a good snog, though," Dean pointed out.
Harry couldn't argue with that, but shook his head anyway. "The team won the Quidditch cup the last two years with Ginny as Seeker. I'm sure she'll do fine."
"Not as good as you would, though," Ron grumbled.
"I have other things I need to be doing now, Ron," Harry said. "Once I find the…" He gave Seamus and Dean a furtive glance. "…inner strength to defeat Lord Voldemort, then maybe I can start concentrating on Quidditch again. Until then, you'll have to settle for Ginny."
Ron nodded in acquiescence, although he was clearly still unhappy about his best mate's decision. "I guess." His eyes widened and his chest puffed out a little. "I'm glad you made me Quidditch captain, though."
"Saves you from having to pass a try out again, eh?" Seamus asked jokingly as he gave Ron a manly slap on the back. "C'mon. Justin Finch-Fletchley's got a case of firewhiskey stashed out near the Shrieking Shack. We can discuss team strategy on the way over."
As Ron looked ready to say 'yes', Harry yanked him by the arm, pulling him out of earshot of Seamus and Dean. "Have you forgotten that you're on a date with Hermione?"
"Why not? She seems to have forgotten about it," Ron reminded him. "Besides, if I'm on a date with Hermione, why are you along?"
"I…I was here to…" Harry hemmed. He didn't want to say that he was pushing them together, although that was clearly the case. "Chaperone," he finished lamely.
"Right," Ron said with a sarcastic roll of his eyes. "I'll be at the Shrieking Shack."
Harry frowned deeply as Ron began to walk away from him. "She made canaries attack you the last time you did this to her, you know. I'm just giving you fair warning."
"Thanks for that," Ron called back, his tone completely unconcerned. Seamus and Dean flanked him as the three began walking off in the direction of the Shrieking Shack.
"Now, what's our plan for the match against Ravenclaw?" Dean asked.
Ron looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I'd say the biggest problem is going to be Luna. Sure, she seems completely barmy, but that's just part of her charm…er, guile." As Ron continued talking about Luna Lovegood until the three of them were out of earshot, Harry seethed.
"Wonderful," Harry muttered to himself. "Just marvelous." 'Ron's gone off to get pissed, Hermione's going to be furious and I'm no closer to getting them together than I was before,' he thought angrily. 'This isn't going at all like I planned. Why doesn't Ron care what Hermione thinks of him? Why doesn't Hermione do more to make Ron interested in her? And what am I going to say to…?'
"Hermione," Harry called out as he saw her exit the book store, her shopping bag spilling over with thick tomes. "Over here."
Without smiling, Hermione acknowledged Harry and made her way slowly to where he was standing. "Where's Ron?" she asked immediately.
"He had to go buy some quills," Harry tried. Hermione tilted her head to one side and glared at him. "Er, I mean parchment." Her head did not move, nor did her eyes blink. Harry sighed. "He went to go get drunk with Seamus and Dean." As Hermione's face reddened and she began to quiver angrily, Harry bravely offered her a cup of steaming hot liquid. "Cocoa?"
"Thank you," Hermione said as she took the hot cocoa from him and set her large bag of books on the ground. "Tell me, Harry, do you know anything about conjuring falcons?"
"Not really," Harry responded in confusion. "Why?"
Hermione seemed to be considering something. "I was just thinking of conjuring something bigger than canaries this time, scarier…like maybe falcons or eagles. Ooh, what about hippogriffs?"
"He means well," Harry said in Ron's defense. Hermione shot him another skeptical look. "At least I think he does. And he really cares about you."
The two of them had begun walking away from Hogsmeade village as they drank their hot cocoa, although they were paying very little attention to anything going on around them. "He has some funny ways of showing it."
"Guys aren't usually very good at that sort of thing," Harry tried to explain. "Showing their feelings, I mean."
"But you are," Hermione pointed out.
"What? No I'm not," Harry protested in surprise. "I'm rubbish at it, just like every other bloke. Why would you say that?"
"You waited for me outside for nearly an hour even when my 'date' didn't," Hermione told him in a soft voice. "You had hot cocoa waiting for me when I came out, even if you did have to use several warming charms on it. You're even carrying my books. You didn't offer; you just did it."
Harry blushed. "Well, I have to get back into your good graces somehow, don't I?" When Hermione averted her eyes at that remark, Harry felt the need to say more. "Look, about us not being friends in the future…I didn't tell you the whole story…"
"We can change it, right?" Hermione asked hopefully. "We can change what happens. It never has to be that way between us. Not if we don't let it."
"O…of course we can," Harry stammered. He had been prepared to tell Hermione about their future affair, but was more than happy to postpone that particular revelation for another day. "Hermione, I don't want to lose you as a friend. Not ever. You know that, right?"
"I do now," Hermione replied, the beginnings of a smile forming on her face. "I never should have gotten so angry with you for breaking things off with Ginny. It wasn't any of my business."
"Of course it was," Harry assured her. "You're my best friend. What goes on in my life will always be your business. I was just being a git."
"It's understandable, really," Hermione reasoned, "given how new these visions are to you. I should have been able to see that."
Harry smiled at her playfully. "D'you think we can forgive each other?"
"I think so," Hermione replied after pretending to take the time to think it over. "On three, ready? One, two, three."
"I'm sorry," they said in unison. "Apology accepted," they both said only a moment later.
Hermione heaved a melodramatic sigh. "I'm glad that's over with."
"Me, too," Harry said as a feeling of genuine relief washed over him. He hated fighting with Hermione; it made him feel worse than anything. However, after it was over, their friendship always seemed to be the stronger for it. Boldly, Harry took this opportunity to ask her something that had always bothered him. "Why don't your fights with Ron ever end this well?"
"Because Ron's not enough of a gentleman to apologize. You are." Hermione appeared to give no more thought to her answer, but Harry did. He suspected that she reacted more strongly to Ron's mistakes because of her deeper feelings for him. However, he did not think he could get Hermione to realize that, at least not today. Perhaps, given time, she would see it for herself.
***
The Monday after Hogsmeade was a particularly disappointing day for Harry. He had been thrilled to discover a discarded
journal of Voldemort's, but found that it was only filled with actual homework assignments, along with little
doodles in the margins that said things like 'I am Lord Drovelmot' and 'How about Lord Ordemvolt?'
Needless to say, it did not pass the horcrux test, nor did anything else that Harry tried that day.
Taking the time to have a small lunch, Harry sat down on his bed…only to quickly find himself inside a Muggle automobile, sitting in the passenger seat. Thankfully, he appeared to be eating lunch in his vision as well, as a thermos full of soup sat in his lap. 'At least I won't miss a meal.'
Sitting beside him was Hermione Granger. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of jeans that were actually quite flattering to her figure. 'Not that I'm noticing that now or anything. I mean, I noticed it before, but it didn't mean anything then. It's different now, though. Because…well, it just is. It shouldn't be, but it is.' Harry chanced a look at her as she ate a salad from a small, plastic bowl and gave her a shy smile. 'Bloody hell, why do I still want to kiss her?'
"Harry," Hermione said sweetly, addressing him for the first time in this vision. "Would you mind being a dear and getting us some coffee?" They were parked near the waterfront of what appeared to be a major Muggle city, although it was one Harry had never been to before. "It looks like it's going to be another long night."
"We're…we're spending the night together," Harry stammered nervously. "You and me? Together? Us?"
"Yes Harry," Hermione replied as if she were addressing a five-year-old. "That's what a stakeout is. Two Aurors wait around for something to happen for hours on end until something actually does. Now would you mind getting us some coffee?"
"Sure," Harry squeaked, relishing the opportunity to get out of the vehicle and find out more about what was going on. The idea of spending an entire night with Hermione alone in a muggle automobile both thrilled and terrified him, although he wasn't quite sure why. 'Hermione and I must be Auror partners.' As Harry spotted the nearest coffee vendor, there was a bit of a spring in his step. He had changed the future. 'Now the only thing I have to do is find out exactly how I've changed it.'
I'm hoping I can get another chapter out before "Deathly Hallows". Maybe yes, maybe no. I have a feeling I'll be sticking around after anyhow, but I do hope you good people will stick with me. Thanks for reading!
ITL