| Jarvey
Join Date: May 2008 Location: Leicester, UK
Posts: 567
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Krysta Hedwig
Sixth Year | 
Chapter 10: Part 2
The afternoon was still pleasant and warm so they went outside and lounged on the grass by the lake.
“So what was it like? Surviving a Nightwraith! Wow!” Sharon was still excited and Hermione looked a little uncomfortable, but Harry couldn‘t help but get the feeling that Hermione was indeed enjoying this.
“Well I don’t really remember much…” began Hermione, but was cut off by Sharon.
“Wow, really? Of course you were asleep having your soul wrenched from you, so I guess it can’t be easy to remember.” She giggled and looked at Hermione in awe. “You must be a really great witch then. Of course I’ve seen your record and stuff, you’re like the best witch in your year!” she cried. Hermione was blushing now and Ron looked a little miserable. Harry watched him with concern. What could be bothering him?
“Well, you know, I work hard.” Hermione said, trying to be modest.
“Of course you do, you’re committed!” Sharon told her, beaming. Harry smiled to him self with relief when Hermione returned the smile with sincerity, and he could tell that the reservations she had had about Sharon were past. Ron however was looking more miserable by the second.
“Sharon, how do you know about Nightwraiths? Did one of the other students tell you?” asked Harry, realising that the whole world of magic didn’t seem to be totally foreign to Sharon, and he began wondering exactly what she’d been doing for the last two years.
“Oh no, my aunt told me about them years ago!” she replied as if it had been a silly question. Harry stared at her in surprise.
“Sharon, exactly how long have you known that you’re a witch?” he asked suspiciously.
“All my life of course.” She answered laughing. Harry was gob-smacked. “You should see your face, Harry.” She said, laughing again.
“But we were friends for years!” he exclaimed.
“I know! I was so frustrating, not being to tell you who you were, you being so famous an’ all. And I couldn’t tell anyone that I knew you or where you were or anything. My Aunt ordered it the moment she discovered I knew you. She looks after me.” She told them all. “My Mother died when me and Stephen were born. My Dad looked after us when we were kids, but I spent most of the time with my Aunt in Romania. She knows Dumbledore you know, which is why I was taking these tests.” She told them all.
“My brother works in Romania.” Said Ron, but was drowned out by Hermione.
“Oh yes, tell us about these tests.” Said an intrigued Hermione. Ron looked over across the lake and remained quiet. There was obviously something really wrong with him, but he couldn’t for the life of him think what it was.
“Ooh, it’s so cool! I’m a second year now!” cried Sharon, so excited she was bobbing up and down in her cross-legged sitting position. They all, including Ron, stared at her.
“What are you talking about?” asked Harry, utterly confused.
“I’ve just taken some first year exams and passed them, and I’ve been moved up into the second year.” She laughed at all their astounded faces.
“B-b-b-b…” was all Harry managed, and the girl giggled again.
“You see, because I finished primary school two years early and couldn’t go straight to Hogwarts, I went back to Romania with my aunt. Like I said, she knows Dumbledore and they did a deal. He said that if my aunt taught me at home for two years, then I could try out the first year exams and move up into the second year, instead of starting the first.” They all watched with awe. “My aunt wanted me to go into the 3rd year, but Professor Dumbledore said no, that I should stay with kids more my own age. So here I am.”
She finished and looked around for a response. She got none. They were all doing a very good impression of having been ‘petrified’. Finally Hermione managed to speak.
“I can’t believe the Ministry allowed that. A witch to be trained out of school.” She said.
“Oh it’s not that uncommon. My Aunt was like me, apparently. She was even smarter! She started in the 2nd year too. My Grandmother taught her from home. And as for the Ministry, it’s really Dumbledore’s decision.” She explained to them.
“Wow. Your aunt must be an amazing witch.” Commented Harry.
“Oh she is. She’s incredible. She doesn’t even need a wand!” answered the girl, a distinct tone of pride in her voice.
“Dumbledore’s like that.” Announced Hermione.
“Cool. He’s just the most incredible wizard in the world, though!” said Sharon and they all had to nod in agreement to that, even Ron. He had remained silent throughout the entire conversation. Hermione and Sharon had started chatting away about life at Hogwarts, and Hermione was telling her about the second year and what sort of thing she’d be doing. Harry was delighted to see that Hermione had taken very much to Sharon. He was worried that the proud girl might be a bit jealous of the genius Sharon. Sharon was just reassuring Hermione that she must still be a wonderful witch to have achieved what she had in the past 5 years.
“Books alone cannot make you a gifted spell-caster – it was something that was inside you. Someone could study everyday and practise over and over and not manage to turn a teapot into a quaffle, just because they don’t have the gift. But you, Hermione…” the conversation went more or less like that, Harry left them to it. He was more worried about Ron. In a low voice he asked him what was up. Ron shrugged and turned away.
“C’mon, mate, what’s up?” he asked again. Ron let out a deep but quiet sigh.
“I just feel like I’m…so…ordinary.” He finally answered, keeping his voice low enough for the girls not to hear. Harry’s eyes widened in surprise. “I mean, your little friend there is brain of Britain, Hermione’s the “Girl who lived”…” he said making inverted comma signs with his fingers “…and you, well, you’re Harry Potter.” He concluded and looked at the ground, sorry for himself. “And me? I just average old Ron Weasley, the famous person’s sidekick.” He muttered. Harry didn’t know what to say. Ron was so wrong, but he didn’t know how to tell him. Ron was no less special than Harry. He’d gone through nearly all the same things Harry had, got pretty much the same test scores and the only real difference was that people knew Harry’s name. But Harry didn’t know how to tell him that. Luckily, he didn’t have to.
“Did you say you’re Ron Weasley?” asked a wide-eyed Sharon.
“Er, yeah.” He answered, a little surprised. Sharon gasped.
“Cool!” she exclaimed and the others looked at her in surprise, especially Ron. “You’re like my hero!” she cried and everyone stared at her. Ron was utterly speechless.
“Ay?” was all he could manage.
“You’re the chess guy! You’re so cool! You’re like the best chess player in the world! You must be to have beaten one of Professor McGonagall’s spells. My aunt told me all about it. Gosh, you must be so brave. I heard you sacrificed yourself to win the game! Is that true?” asked an eager Sharon, her eyes dancing with excitement.
“Well er…” began a nervous and taken-aback Ron. Hermione spoke up for him.
“You bet he did! He was so brave. It was the only way Harry and I could get through to the next chamber and search for the Sorcerer’s stone. He was so brave.” Ron had gone so red now and Harry noticed he and Hermione had caught each other’s eye. He was smiling gently at him. His face relaxed and the tension went out of him. “Oh yeah, definitely something going on.” Harry thought to himself, smiling slightly. Ron had cheered up considerably, and they spent the hour around dusk telling Sharon all about everything that had happened over the last two months and she listened with avid interest. She nodded and gasped when she heard about the Knight Bus and the strange letters, and fascinated with the pendant, which Hermione showed her, as it was still around her neck. She was transfixed by it. Hermione took it off to show her, and Sharon held it up gazing at it intently as it glistened in the evening sun. It was the quietest she’d been all afternoon.
They told her all about Malfoy, what he was like and how he’d disappeared. She’d seemed thoughtful about that, but didn’t make any comment. Then the bit she was most excited about, the terrible events of two nights ago when the Nightwraith had attacked Hermione. Ron, yet again seemed slightly on edge, and watched Hermione very closely all through the retelling of the story as though scared she might still collapse right there in front of him. Harry had been telling the story and when he came to the part about the dreams and the panther a strange look came on Sharon’s face that Harry couldn’t read. And when he told her that he and Ron had seen the panther in these very grounds they now sat in, she looked positively shocked.
“Don’t worry. Dumbledore isn’t going to let a nasty great big cat hurt anyone inside Hogwarts.” Hermione assured her, and Sharon smiled weakly. Harry finished the story with how she had awoken and how everyone was now calling her “The Girl Who Lived.”, and they all laughed a little.
“But honestly, I don’t know what the big deal is.” Announced Hermione, and Ron looked sharply at her. Harry thought he looked angry, but that couldn’t be right, surely. “I mean, ok, I was unconscious and all, but I was fine. I’m just glad I woke up before lessons started!” she finished, as if that would be far more terrible than not waking up at all. To Harry’s and everyone else’s surprise, Ron suddenly got hastily to his feet. He looked livid.
“You don’t get it do you? You just don’t get it. How can you be so selfish!” he cried angrily at Hermione who just stared at him completely shocked. “We thought you were dying! I held you in my arms and I thought you were dying! I thought that it was the end, that I’d never see you again. But you don’t think do you? Not about us, not what we were going through. It’s always the same, you and your…your bloody academic record!” with that he turned on his heel and stormed across the field towards the castle, not one looking back. Harry thought about following him, but didn’t know what he’d say if he caught up with him. He turned to Hermione who was looking at the daisy-covered grass nervously, fighting back a lump in her throat. Sharon looked bewildered. Harry couldn’t speak, though he knew what he wanted to say. Sharon said it for him.
“Boy! He really likes you!”
Ron wasn’t at dinner when they went in at 7 o’clock, and he didn’t come down during the meal. Hermione and Harry sat silently, Hermione miserably eating her way through her meal, Harry hardly eating at all. It wasn’t that he wasn’t hungry, or even that he was upset and couldn’t eat. He was just so lost in thought that he didn’t get around to eating.
Ginny watched them both curiously while Fred and George were too busy whispering with Lee Jordan to notice.
Harry didn’t really know what to do and Hermione obviously didn’t want to talk about it. She kept her head down and avoided eye contact throughout the meal and Harry left her to it. She was in a difficult position. He wanted to ask her how she felt. He wanted to tell her what Ron had been like when she had been unconscious. Waiting up all hours, hardly leaving her side, frantic with worry and unable to eat. But he felt as though if he did, he would somehow be betraying a kind of trust to Ron. It was a man thing. You just didn’t talk about those things. They were private. Harry had noticed for himself that he could only talk about those kinds of thing with Hermione, and more recently, Ginny. They were things you could say to a girl, but not with another bloke, because Harry had come to notice that as well as good talkers girls could be good listeners too. Harry could talk to Ron about almost anything: his secrets, about Voldemort, about Sirius, almost anything private. But things like this? No. He could never really talk to Ron about his feelings for Cho, and what worried him more recently: his new growing feelings for Ginny. He’d tried to ignore them and pretend they weren’t there, or that maybe one some deeper level, some kind of guilty feelings about the way he ignored her for so long before noticing she’d grown up. But last night when she’d been holding the Arinella, the tiny red sphere battering against the sides of the crystal at her, he had realised it. His best friend’s little sister or not, he was falling for her. Slowly, though he had to admit, it was there all the same, and he didn’t know what to do about it. He couldn’t tell Ron. He had his own problems with love and besides, Ginny wasn’t just some girl, she was his little sister. That made a difference. He was stuck. Completely stuck. He let his mind go else where and realised that the situation between Hermione and Ron was a far more pressing subject in the here and now.
His thoughts were cut short when people started leaving the Great Hall and he was one of the only few left. He hadn’t even noticed Hermione leave the table so when she tapped him on the shoulder he jumped and turned to see Sharon had joined her.
“We’re going to the library.” Hermione announced.
“We wondered if that Pendant of your Mothers might be famous or something. Everyone but us seems to recognise it, so it might be in a book or something.” Added Sharon a little more brightly than Hermione. Hermione was still avoiding eye contact, and Harry felt a little hurt. It wasn’t like he had yelled at her.
“You coming with us?” asked Hermione, flicking her hair over her shoulder in a defiant manner. Harry shook his head.
“I’m gonna…go check something else out.” He said, not wanting to say that he was going to go and find Ron.
Ten minutes later Harry gave the password and entered the common room. It was practically seething with life. He had almost forgotten that classes started tomorrow, and everyone had gathered to chat and discuss their timetables. Timetables! Harry had forgotten to get his. He was just beginning to panic when a voice spoke behind him.
“I thought perhaps you guys would have forgotten to pick these up, what with everything that’s happened.” Harry turned to see Neville holding out two sheets of white paper, a faint smile on his face. Harry took the timetables from him.
“Oh, thanks Neville, you’re a life-saver!” Harry was extremely relieved. He really hadn’t fancied facing McGonagall right now.
“No problem.” Harry was about to turn and leave. “Er, Harry?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m, er, glad Hermione’s ok. She…she was always kind to me.” Harry smiled and Neville returned it.
“By the way, have you seen Ron?” Harry asked. Neville looked thoughtful.
“Well he isn’t in the dorm.”
“You looking for our darling brother?” came a new voice, Harry turned to see Fred and George sitting at a desk with Angelina and Alicia. The girls waved with a friendly smile and he waved back.
“I saw Ron heading outdoors. God knows why, it’ll be dark soon.” Said Alicia, brightly. Harry thanked her and left the common room.
In the huge lobby, he crossed from the corridor and approached the huge oak doors, lost in thought.
“Where are you going?” It was Filch, grouchy as ever with Mrs. Norris circling his feet.
Harry wasn’t in the mood for this, and besides, he was a 5th year and it was none of Filch’s business where he was going.
“Outside. What’s it to you?” he answered gruffly. Filch looked shocked for a second before the anger set in.
“You watch your lip, lad. You think you’re untouchable, that’s your problem. Going outside, you say? If I were Dumbledore I’d be putting curfews up for everyone, even the famous Mr. Potter. Dangerous times, lad, and one of these days, he’ll catch up with you. Mark my words, ‘e’ will.” Harry snorted, and tuned to leave. “Think you’re invincible do you? There were more than you that thought so, and they’s dead, lad.” Harry had had enough and the anger was getting out of control.
“If I wanted advice, I’d ask someone who knows what they’re talking about, not some grubby Squib, like you.” He hissed back and marched out of the door. Filch must have been shocked into silence, because no bellows of fury and pounding feet followed him, just an eerie silence. Harry sped up and hurried around the corner in case he got over the state of shock and decided to follow.
The great Hogwarts grounds stretched out towards the forest to his right, the great lake behind him on the other side of the castle. Hagrid’s hut was just visible at the edge of the forest, the smoke as ever puffing out of the tiny chimney. Harry could just see a faint light glowing within the cabin, which in the summer dusk looked warm and cosy. The sky had painted itself in hazy strips of peach and purple clouds against the fading blue sky. Far away across the across the lake, the horizon sky was already a deep indigo dotted with two or three faint stars. The huge lawn glowed a dull gold, which contrasted with the early evening shadows giving the place an eerie atmosphere much like a partial eclipse gives the day. Birds had stopped singing and as one flew high in the air above his head, Harry looked up to watch it soar across the ever-changing sky. It was a bird of prey, a small one, not the like the Eagles they occasionally saw flying through the highlands. The bird swooped lower then hovered perfectly in one place it’s wings fluttering at tremendous speed. He watched it in wonder as it hung in mid-air then suddenly swooped in an instant to the ground. Almost as quickly as it had dove, it climbed back into the sky again soaring high. It flew above the castle circling one of the towers. And then to Harry utmost astonishment, it flew straight through a window and into the castle. He stood gaping at it feeling as though he must be seeing things.
His attention was quickly drawn away when he realised he was actually out here for a particular reason. But where should he even start to look? Where would Ron go? To see Hagrid? Harry thought maybe Ron wouldn’t go to see Hagrid, not by himself. Maybe he’d gone to the lake, but Harry didn’t fancy going back the way he’d come, for fear of meeting Filch again. He was determined to find him though. He glanced towards the forest and shivered. Despite the warm gold glow on everything else, the forest was dark and full of shadow. What lurked in there? He shivered again just at the thought of the creatures he knew resided within those trees. Yet something was drawing him in. He felt his feet moving, but it didn’t really register. Harry was slowly walking towards the forest. It was drawing him. Calling. A wave swept through his mind, heavy and foggy, drifting through him.
“’arry! What yer doin’?” the voice startled him. He looked around to see Hagrid with Fang at his side, both watching him curiously. Harry frowned.
“Looking for Ron. Have you seen him?” Hagrid looked sharply at him.
“No, I ain’t seen ‘im…but I doubt you’ll be findin’ ‘im in there.” Harry frowned and looked in the direction Hagrid pointed. Harry was shocked to find that he had strayed a good 10 meters right into the forest. He hadn’t even noticed, hadn’t even planned to come this way. He looked down at the ferns and ground crawlers growing around his feet in surprise.
“I…I…what am I doing here?” Hagrid raised an eyebrow beneath the dark bushy hair.
“Well, if you don’t know, your guess is as good as mine.”
“Right. I…erm…what?”
“You alright, ‘arry?” asked Hagrid with concern and suspicion.
“I…er…don’t know. I didn’t even mean to come this way…I was going in the other direction.”
“Well…you got an awful funny way o’ goin’ about it. You want a cup a tea?” Hagrid offered.
“No, I better go and find Ron. Thanks Hagrid.”
They said their goodbyes and Harry made his way back across the grass to the castle paths. He was just wondered what on earth had happened when he rounded the corner. The view from here was always beautiful, but in the warm glow of the evening sun it was truly lovely. The grass-covered hill sloped down and away from Hogwarts, rabbits grazing happily in family groups and one or two rooks pecked at the ground for insects. As one flew off, cawing as it went he watched it fly over the goal posts at the far end of the huge Quidditch pitch. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw that the huge black bird was not alone in this venture. Two black figures swooped and dived around the pitch like they were birds themselves. He squinted and could just tell that they both had red hair. The twins, maybe having a little practise session? But they had been in the common room just 15 minutes earlier. He continued walking getting gradually closer and closer to the pitch. Eventually, and to his mild surprise, he discovered that the two figures flying so gracefully and skilfully about the pitch were Ron and Ginny. He could hear their laughter and their shouts as they jested each other. As he drew closer still one of the figures, Ginny pointed in his direction and waved frantically, then yelled with annoyance when Ron snatched the Quaffle from her. Both laughing they glided to a halt a few feet from the ground and hovered and Harry crossed the pitch to them.
“Hi.” Called Ginny, a little out of breath but grinning.
“Hi.” He grinned back and was relieved when Ron returned the grin. He’d obviously calmed down a lot.
“Well, I’m done practising for tonight.” Announced Ginny bringing her broom to the ground and offering to Harry. She winked and he caught her meaning. He smiled and took the offered broom.
“See you later.” She called and jogged off across the field. Harry watched her go his gaze lingering a little longer than necessary until he remembered Ron was there and quickly looked away again. He felt the broom in his hand. It was a Hogwarts broom and much heavier than his beloved Firebolt. He mounted it anyway and slightly shakily flew up to meet Ron.
“Hi.” Said Ron, a slight smile spread across his face as he watched Harry adjusting to the broom. “Not a patch on the Firebolt, huh?” Harry grinned in response.
“A bad flyer always blames the broom.” Said Harry as the broom teetered again, sending Ron into chuckles, which Harry joined in. As Harry eventually found a comfortable balance he regarded Ron carefully. Was it safe to delve into the situation? He decided to anyway.
“So…” he began, then realised he had no idea what to say or how t6o start this. There was a pause.
“So…” repeated Ron. Another pause.
“You ok?” asked Harry carefully. Ron shrugged. He paused before answering in a low, sad voice.
“Not really, no.” Harry looked at him in surprise. He hadn’t expected that answer. It was obvious there was something wrong of course, Ron was his friend after all, but he hadn’t expected Ron to own up just like that.
“You…wanna talk?” he asked cautiously. Again a silence and a shrug.
“I just don’t know what to do about it.” He finally said. Harry looked at him again, but Ron was looking away across the hills.
“Do about what?” asked Harry, suspecting he knew, but wanting to be sure. There was a longer pause, followed by a deep sigh from Ron. Harry thought he was probably building up the courage to say something. After what seemed like an age, he spoke.
“About the way I feel for her.”
Harry stared at Ron wide-eyed. Again, he hadn’t expected Ron to just come out with it like that without any prodding at all. He realised in that moment that Ron hadn’t just grown up on the outside, but that he had become mature as a person. He was in awe of him in that moment. Envied him almost. Harry didn’t know what to say. Ron had got right to the root of the problem.
“How exactly do you feel?” he asked quietly. He thought he’d have to wait for the answer again but again, Ron surprised him.
“Oh probably a bit like how you feel for my sister.” Harry stared at Ron in shock, and swallowed back a nervous lump in his throat. Ron laughed.
“It’s ok. I don’t mind. I know you’d never deliberately hurt her. Besides…she’s a big girl now.” Harry felt a little more relieved. He had been petrified of what Ron’s reaction would be if he found out about Harry’s growing feelings for Ginny.
“What about Hermione?” he asked slowly. Almost immediately Ron answered in a certain though sad voice.
“I’m in love with her, Harry.”
It was Harry’s turn for silence. He didn’t know what to say. Ron continued talking instead, and Harry let him.
“When she…that night…” he looked at Harry for confirmation and Harry nodded solemnly. “I thought she was dying. I thought…that was it. That she would never be around anymore. No more nagging us when we’re heading into trouble, no more quotes from ‘Hogwarts: A History’, no more saving our lives with a simple spell we hadn’t bothered to learn ourselves, no more evil scowls when we wind her up…” he paused, then continued in a softer voice “No more of her making me feel better about myself, no more of her insane determination and her irrational impulsiveness. She never gives up, have you noticed?” Harry smiled. “And…the way she pouts when she’s nervous, chews her hair when she’s thinking hard. I knew I’d miss them so much I felt so sick. Physically sick. I felt like my gut was being wrenched from me.” He paused again, and Harry realised something. Some of the things Ron had described, Harry had never noticed. Had Ron always watched her that closely? He made a mental note to pay more attention to her. And to Ginny. He already felt like he’d missed so much.
“I thought maybe…maybe I had feelings for her last year. The whole thing with Krum…” he trailed off and Harry nodded. He knew exactly what Ron meant. “But I didn’t take it seriously. And then this summer…I dunno, something happened. I guess I woke up. Giving you the Arinella with her felt really good. Technically you know it was from her. She really wanted to get it, but just couldn’t afford it, so I said we’d get it together. She saw it as a favour from a friend…but it was more. I guess she never realised.” Harry frowned.
“You never know. You don’t know how she feels?” Harry asked. Ron sighed deeply.
“She doesn’t love me, Harry. Not in that way. I’ll always just be…Ron.”
They were both silent for a while. Harry hated to say it out loud, but he couldn’t help feeling that Ron could be right. Girls were difficult to read, but he really hadn’t seen any behaviour from Hermione that suggested she had feelings for Ron. And in that moment, above all the other feelings he had about everything that had happened over the last two months, all Harry felt was pity for his friend. He’d once heard it said that there was nothing worse than unrequited love. The expression on Ron’s face strongly suggested that this was probably true.
Later as they were making their way back to the castle, Ron pointed up into the sky and cried out.
“Hey! Isn’t that a Silver Kestrel?” Harry followed Ron’s gaze to see the bird of prey he’d observed earlier flying in through a Castle window. A Silver Kestrel? The same kind of creature Mr. Weasley had told them delivered all the mysterious letters. They both watched in wonder and interest as the graceful bird swooped across the Hogwarts grounds hovering briefly before flying away at speed across the forest.
But what had surprised them above all, was that the bird carried a scroll, gripped tightly in its talons.
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