A/N: What can I say...enjoy!
Friendship often ends in love; but love in friendship - never.*
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or his world. If you don't know who does, well...visit www.jkrowling.com. That'll give you a few pointers.
5. Chaos
Harry woke up and saw immediately that Ron was troubled. He sat up and looked over at where his best friend was sat on the end of his bed, breaking owl treats into tiny bits. Why is he so anxious? thought Harry.
“Ron? Mate, are you alright?” Harry asked cautiously.
Ron jumped. “Oh, Harry you’re awake! Sorry, what did you say?” gabbled Ron hurriedly.
“I asked if you were ok “ you look kind of, well, nervous,” said Harry cautiously.
“What? Me? No, I’m fine, Harry, just fine. Nothing’s wrong “ don’t worry. See you downstairs!” insisted Ron, before he fled through the door and down the staircase.
But Harry was worried. Something had definitely happened.
*
Ginny sat up in bed, watching as Hermione folded and refolded her robes, with more ferocity each time. Eventually, she chucked them unceremoniously into her trunk and grumbled to herself quietly. She looked over at Ginny’s bed, and was shocked to see her awake, watching patiently as Hermione screwed up her robes.
“Tell me,” Ginny demanded.
“Tell you? Tell you what?” asked Hermione, looking flustered.
Ginny simply stared insistently at Hermione, determined to hear what was bothering her. Hermione took this opportunity to walk out of the door, and therefore avoid any more intrusive questions.
Gazing after her, dumbfounded, Ginny made a silent promise to herself. I will find out. Somehow.
*
The rest of the morning was a blur “ shouts of frustration, screeches of impatience and grumbles as everyone prepared to leave for Hogwarts. Harry’s trunk was at exploding point, thanks to all the new books he required for his final year of study. Hermione finally lost the battle with her trunk and consented to bring an extra one this year.
The Ministry cars had been hired out again, and once more they were running late. Despite this, as Harry was lugging his trunk down the stairs, he felt a tug on his arm and caught sight of a flash of red hair from the direction of Ginny’s room. Grinning sheepishly, he abandoned his trunk and slipped into Ginny’s room.
He spotted her lying provocatively on her bed, twisting her hair around her index finger and smiling at him. He shut the door behind him, heat rising in his face, as Ginny got up and walked over to him. She kissed him fiercely, then pinned him up against the door, weaving her hands through his hair. Harry responded immediately, slightly surprised at her haste, but happily obliging. After a while, they broke apart.
“Ginny, isn’t this a little, um…fast?” he asked delicately.
“Did you enjoy it? Did it feel right?” she questioned.
“Well, yes…”
“Then surely it’s fine…” she concluded, and resumed kissing him passionately.
“Wow, Ginny, why all of a sudden then?” gasped Harry, determinedly wrenching her from his lips.
“Harry, think about it, we’ll be at Hogwarts in a few hours, and once we’re there we’ll get no privacy at all “ and just think, if Ron walked in on us…” she pointed out.
“Excellent thought,” replied Harry, kissing her neck.
Harry left reluctantly about ten minutes later. Mrs Weasley had come knocking on Ginny’s door, advising them both to ‘get a move on or they’d make everyone late’. They hurriedly did as she said, glad that everything was too hectic for her to notice their flushed cheeks and Harry’s tousled hair.
They all endured a tense ride to Kings Cross, during which Mrs Weasley kept up a constant stream of reprimands and warnings. Harry noticed Ron glancing furtively at Hermione, and her staring at him with a searching face. He felt sure this was something to do with Ron’s behaviour that morning.
Everyone paired up and slipped through the barrier as soon as they reached the station, as usual Harry went with Mr Weasley. He chatted casually to him as they leant against the barrier, and before he knew it, the Hogwarts Express came into sight. With a sudden sense of shock, Harry realised that this would be the last time he would ride the train to school. He heard a sigh behind him, and turned to see Ron and Hermione standing behind him, staring reminiscently at the scarlet steam engine, evidently thinking exactly what he had just been.
“It feels just like my first day,” remarked Hermione. “I don’t know what to expect from this year, and I’m nervous about how it will go…how it’ll end…” she looked close to tears.
“This feels really weird,” agreed Ron. “It seems like it was yesterday when I first met you both…I can’t believe it’s been seven years!”
“Six,” corrected Hermione.
“What?” Ron looked confused.
“It’s been six years, not seven Ron!” she explained, smiling irritatingly.
“Oh ha ha Hermione, you just love correcting Harry and me…” replied Ron sarcastically.
Harry laughed. It was so true. “Let’s go and find a compartment,” he suggested.
“Um, well, sorry Harry, Ron, but I have to go “ I have to go and talk to the Prefects…I’m, well…” she reached into a pocket and withdrew a circular badge with four colours on it, and gold lettering reading ‘Head Girl’.
Harry suddenly remembered. His badge! Where was it?
“Oh yeah, I forgot,” mumbled Ron. “Well, see you two later…” He drifted off in the direction of the end of the train.
“Wait, Ron, why are you going?” yelled Harry, desperate to find out how he had known that Harry was Head Boy.
“Well, you two need to sort the Prefects,” he called back.
“Who says I’m Head Boy?” questioned Harry.
“Oh, come on Harry, I’m not thick! See you later!” he bellowed, smiling at them both. Harry grinned back at him, then at Hermione.
“Harry?” she said slowly. “Where’s your badge?”
“Oh, that,” replied Harry. He had just remembered a few moments ago where it was. “In the pocket of my robes.”
“And they are?”
“In my trunk.”
Hermione groaned.
*
Harry eventually retrieved his badge from his suitcase, just as the train began to move. He ran to the nearest window, and waved goodbye to Mr and Mrs Weasley. After they faded from sight, he hastily went to find Ginny, gave her a quick kiss and said hello to Neville, Luna and Ron, who were all sat in the same compartment as her. He then followed Hermione to the compartment at the front of the train, where Professor McGonagall was sat, waiting for them.
“Right, now you’re here, Mr Potter, Miss Granger, I’ll explain what you have to do,” she announced sternly. After a few minutes, she had finished and smiled warmly at them. “Good luck,” she said fondly, then left.
*
After completing their responsibilities, Harry and Hermione returned to the compartment right at the back of the train, and rejoined Ron, Neville, Luna and Ginny. They all laughed and joked happily, and Luna shared some of the contents of the September issue of The Quibbler, Hermione biting back her comments. When it became dark, everyone changed into their robes, and Harry and Hermione pinned their badges to their robes.
As they pulled into Hogsmeade station, they all left the compartment, but Ginny held Harry back. She kissed him, then whispered in his ear, “Did you notice anything odd about Ron this morning?”
“Yeah, actually I did,” Harry replied, slightly surprised.
“Well, Hermione was acting strangely too.”
“You don’t think - no…” Harry gasped.
“Maybe, maybe not…we’ll just have to wait and see!” laughed Ginny. With that, she kissed Harry again, before dragging him off the train.
Harry let himself be lead onto the platform and, casting an eye over all the students, spotted Ron and Hermione. He saw them over by a carriage, evidently arguing already.
This should be an interesting year, thought Harry.
*Charles Caleb Colton