Awakenings
A Fanfic based on the writings of J.K. Rowling
By Meg Kelley

 
After one of his more particularly grueling practice 
sessions, Harry climbed through the portrait hole 
carrying his Firebolt, threw his muddy sweatshirt on 
a chair, and made a move toward the boys' staircase.  
 
"I wouldn't, if I were you," came an amused, but 
warning voice from the window.  Harry looked up, 
surprised.  Seamus was sitting there, working 
through a heap of their holiday assignments.  
Usually, at this point in the Easter week, Seamus 
began to lose his grip.  But today he looked 
positively cheerful.  He spoke again.  "Like I said, 
Harry," he grinned.  "I wouldn't."  

"Why not?"

"Hermione Granger's up there."

Harry's facial expression shifted from surprise to 
shock.  Hermione had been known to come into the 
boys' dormitory on one occasion only- Christmas 
morning of their second year- when the Gryffindor 
house had been almost entirely deserted.  What was 
she doing up there on a regular Thursday afternoon, 
when practically the whole house was sitting around?  
 
"Why?" was all Harry could think of to say.  
 
Neville looked up from his Potions essay.  "She got 
in a row with Ron.  A bad one.  And he tore up 
there, and she.... went on after him."  He gulped.  
"She looked fit to kill."
 
"She'd be right to!" said Ginny hotly, suddenly 
whirling from her place before the fire.  "He was on 
her again about Krum, and itıs really getting old!  
Why don't you ever DO  anything about it, Harry?"  

Harry had never seen Ginny quite so volatile.  "What 
am I supposed to do?" he asked. "I've told him to 
shut up about Krum a hundred times."
 
"Well," snapped Ginny, "try again."  And she turned 
back to her work with a humph. Harry turned to 
Seamus, open-mouthed.

"It wasn't good," continued Seamus, grinning.  "You 
should have heard them.  Cats and dogs those two."

"Always have been," said Parvati wisely, shutting her 
Divination journal and giving Lavender a superior 
nod.  "Always will be."  
 
Lavender giggled. "WE know what it's all about, 
though," she said conspiratorially, looking 
delightedly from Parvati to Harry. "It's so OBvious, 
isn't it?  It's-"
 
"None of your business!" finished Ginny, whirling 
again.  "Is it, Lavender?  How would you like it if I 
said that you and Sea-"
 
"Never mind, Harry!" squeaked Lavender in a hurry, 
narrowing her eyes at Ginny. "Just never mind!"

"Good."  Ginny moved her eyes from Lavender to 
Harry, and he felt himself grow rather hot under the 
scrutiny of her gaze, which did not waver.  

"What?!" he finally exploded.  "I'm s'posed to go 
and do something, then?"  Ginny nodded, her face 
set.  "Unless you think I should go up into the boys' 
dorms, too," she said, a touch of humor in her voice.  
Harry looked at her quickly.  Somehow, according to 
the expression on her face, he thought she might go 
ahead and do it, and for some vague reason, he 
didn't want her in their dormitory.  "Fine," he 
muttered presently.  "I'll go tell Hermione to come 
down."

"And then tell Ron to stop bothering her," Ginny 
insisted.  "He hasn't any right to say what he does 
about Viktor.  It's embarrassing for her, Harry.  She 
has every right to be-- to be dating, if she likes 
somebody."  Ginny looked away finally, slightly 
flustered.  "Anyway," she said quickly, "Ron's only 
upset about Viktor and Hermione because he 
wishes-"  But there, she cut herself short and 
blushed.  "Well," she said shortly. 

Harry couldn't help but grin, both at Ginny's 
confusion, and at what she had been about to say.  
He had a pretty good idea why Ron wouldn't leave 
Hermione alone about Viktor Krum.  "Yeah," he 
returned.  "Well."  Ginny blushed even harder, and 
turned back around in her chair.  

Lavender and Parvati looked positively triumphant.  
"Go on then Harry," Seamus said from the window, 
his eyebrow raised in Lavenderıs direction.  "Come 
down and give us all the details.  We'll want to know 
if they've managed to strangle each other."
 
"Honestly," whispered Ginny, without turning 
around again.  

Harry shrugged at Seamus and Neville and flicked 
his eyes back over toward Ginny once, but she 
avoided looking back at him, so he turned and took 
the stairs up to his dormitory two at a time.  He 
imagined he'd be walking into quite a pretty scene.  
They were bound to be pulling each other's hair out 
by this time.  But five years' experience with Ron 
and Hermione's fights gave him confidence that he'd 
have them off one another in a moment.  It couldn't 
be any worse than usual. 

He crossed the hall to the door marked 'Fifth Years' 
and would have walked straight inside, but what he 
saw within was so unexpected that he spun counter-
clockwise, and stayed without. 
 
Ron and Hermione were standing, a body's length 
apart, pointing their wands directly at one another.  
Both their faces, Harry had seen in an instant, wore 
deadly determination.  He crept his body along the 
wall until he could see them through the crack in the 
door, and felt panic rise up in his throat at their 
expressions.  This didn't look like a joke.  He had 
never seen two Gryffindors pointing wands at one 
another, except in Lockhartıs dueling club, second 
year-- and he'd certainly never seen his own friends 
threatening one another with magic.  Harry felt for 
his own wand underneath his Quidditch T-shirt - 
he'd had a habit of keeping it there ever since his 
third year - pulled it out, and held it before him at 
the ready, just in case.  

"I'm serious, Ron."  Hermione's voice was steel.  
Clearly, this was the middle, or perhaps the end of 
the conversation.  "One more word about him, and 
I'll snap.  I'm THIS close."  She held up her free 
hand, keeping her thumb and index finger a fraction 
apart.  "Just stop it.  Right in front of everybody-- do 
you KNOW how embarrassing that is for me?"  Her 
voice wavered, but she caught it up again and 
continued.  "Don't you EVER say another word 
about him and me."
 
"Him and you," hissed Ron, clenching his wand even 
more tightly.  "I've had quite enough of him and 
you.  You say you're embarrassed-- well, you should 
be.  Lording it over everybody all year-"
 
"Lording---!"
 
"Oh, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking 
about." Ron put on a fake, high voice.  "Bulgaria was 
just AMAzing, Viktor taught me SO much, I've never 
had such a nice HOLiday!"  Ron narrowed his eyes.  
"Sickening."
 
"Shut up!" Hermione's eyes flashed dangerously. 
"Shut up!  That's exactly what I mean!  All year, in 
front of everybody-- in the halls, at meals, in class, in 
front of our teachers-- what do you care whether or 
not I liked Bulgaria?  What do you CARE?!"  With a 
sharp snap, Hermione flicked her wrist and sparks 
shot out of her wand, just missing Ron.  He jumped, 
and outside the door, so did Harry.   
 
"Go ahead!" shouted Ron recklessly, "Shoot your 
worst!  Canıt be worse than listening to you go on 
and on about Vicky, the great stupid-"
 
"He's incredibly intelligent-"

Ron switched back to the high voice and mocked 
her, "He's incredibly intelligent!"

"Shut UP!"  Hermione cried, her voice cracking.  
"Stop it!"
 
"YOU stop it!" bellowed Ron. "I don't want to hear 
one more word about your bloody boyfriend!"  The 
last word was a low snarl.  "Makes me want to-- you 
should never-"

"What, Ron?  I should never what?" Hermione 
hollered back, tears edging into her voice.  "Tell me!  
Whatever it is that's making you like this, just tell 
me!"
 
"LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW!"
 
"I DON'T!" Hermione was now extremely close to 
tears, and her voice lost some of its bite as her 
shoulders began to slump.  "All I know is, I'm so 
tired of you making fun of me that I.... I..... Ron, 
please," she implored.  "Please-you've just got to 
stop it.  You're taking something out on me that isn't 
my fault." 
 
Ron glared at her fiercely but said nothing.  

"Just TELL me what it is," Hermione entreated.  
Still, Ron was silent, eyeing her narrowly.  

Hermione waited another moment for an answer, 
but none came. Harry, who rather thought he knew 
why Ron was behaving so unkindly, had to hold 
himself back in the tense silence, from shouting, 
"Say it!"  But he bit his tongue and watched as a 
defeated Hermione dropped her wand arm to her 
side, looking suddenly tired.  "Okay," she said 
quietly.  "That's all I can do, then, isn't it."  
 
But a second later, as though making one last appeal, 
she looked up at Ron swiftly and all the heat was 
back in her voice.  "Tell me," she said again.  "Please, 
Ron.  Whatever it is, really, whatever, even if it's...." 
she blushed a little, and looked at her feet. Harry 
raised his eyebrows.  Hermione, it seemed, knew 
what the matter was with Ron.  "You can tell me, I 
swear," she finished, stepping a foot closer to him. 
 
But again Ron said nothing, nor would he meet her 
eyes, and Harry could see that Hermione's tears were 
now threatening to fall.  In an effort to hide this, she 
turned quickly, tucked her wand hastily inside her 
robe, and brushed her fingers under her eyes as she 
strode toward the door.
 
Now did Ron speak-- so abruptly that he startled 
Harry, Hermione, and himself. "No. YOU tell ME.  
You TELL me what you really feel about Krum."
 
Hermione turned back slightly and gaped.  "What--?"

"Is this all-you know-serious-with you and 
him?" Ron continued, in the same quick, low voice.  
"Just tell me, and get it over with.  Go on."

Hermione was too much taken aback by this sudden, 
intimate interest in her love life to form a response, 
and now that Ron had finally begun to speak, he had 
grown too impatient to wait for her answer.  He 
threw his wand behind him on the bed suddenly, 
stepped forward and grabbed Hermione's hands.  If 
her face had held surprise before, now it held utter 
disbelief.  "Ron," she began slowly, looking at her 
hands in his, "I don't under-"
 
"Because if you really like him-" Ron winced, as 
though this small group of words had caused him 
some physical pain-"then.... then I'll back off.   But 
if you don't...."
 
Hermione blinked.  "Yes?" she whispered. "If I....if I 
don't...?"
 
Harry held his breath and waited.  This was a rather 
spectacular moment, and though he half-way knew 
he shouldn't listen, he felt an incredible curiosity to 
know who would say what.  The tension was 
palpable and he shifted edgily from one foot to the 
other.
 
"Well, if you don't, then..." Ron trailed off.  He 
looked like he was trying to work up the nerve for 
something.   His face was slightly drawn, and very 
nervous.  He was quiet.
 
"Then?"  Hermione's voice came up a notch in 
volume.  "Well?"  Ron seemed stuck in his unease, 
and Hermione let out a sigh.  "Either come out with 
it right NOW, Ron" she said finally, "or don't.  But 
either way, you've got to stop being so mean to me 
all the ti-"
 
But Hermione didn't get to finish her ultimatum.  
Ron had made up his mind.  Harry watched his 
friend's face change from nervous indecision to 
gritty determination, and in a flash of long arms, Ron 
had grabbed Hermione and pressed her mouth with 
a swift, unmistakable kiss. 

Harry had to stick his fist in his mouth to keep from 
yelling at this tremendous event.  He looked rapidly 
both ways down the hall to make sure no one was 
coming, then turned back, glued, to the scene 
beyond the crack in the door.  Ron had released 
Hermione and was standing back from her, waiting 
to see what she would do, looking rather wild. 
 
Hermione, for her part, was absolutely stunned. 
When Ron let her go, she swayed on the spot.  Her 
mouth was partly open, and she put her fingers to it, 
as if testing to see if what had happened was real.  

"Oh...." she breathed.  "Ron...."  And then she flung 
herself forward and kissed him in the same 
impetuous manner.   

When she drew away, Ron let out a sort of 
breathless laugh.  "Hermione!" he managed. They 
both stood there a moment, breathing rather 
strangely, and then, in an instant, Hermione had 
turned and fled the room, barely avoiding smacking 
into Harry on her way down the hall, looking flushed 
and beaming and frightened.  Thankfully for him, 
she was far too caught up in her own thoughts to ask 
him if he'd seen or heard anything.  She ran down 
the boys' staircase and out of sight.  

Harry listened a moment, heard the sound of voices 
in the common room- Parvati's instant questioning, 
Lavender's giggle..... then a low murmur from Ginny 
that sounded like, "Everybody just hush.  We're 
going up-- leave us alone."

Harry shook his head slightly, to clear the thoughts 
that were whirling about in it, and then faced his 
doorway.  Ron had just thrown himself down on his 
bed in there with his eyes shut, an expression of 
shock on his face.  Ron had just kissed Hermione.  
Right on the mouth.  Harry felt a wave of shock pass 
over him as well, but he shook it off.  He wanted to 
see just how much Ron would tell him, without his 
having to ask.  Resolutely, he stuck his wand back 
under his T-shirt, assumed an expression of 
innocence, and entered their dormitory.  

"Hey," he said casually.  "What's up?"  
 
Ron kept his eyes shut and didn't move.  Harry 
paused, wondering how he could approach the 
subject of what he had just seen, without revealing 
he had seen it.  "You asleep, or what?" he said 
loudly.  

Ron opened his eyes and stared at the canopy above 
him. "Awake," he said.  

Harry considered, then said, "Er-was Hermione in 
here?  I saw her in our hall."

Ron turned his face away.  "Yeah, she was in here," 
he barely muttered.  

"How come?" Harry asked, desperately hoping this 
still sounded offhand.  "What was she doing in the 
boys' dorms?"
 
Ron was still.  Harry became impatient, but strove to 
keep the edges out of his voice.  "You going to 
answer me?" he said, in what he hoped was a 
normal, indifferent tone of voice.  "Did something 
happen?"  
 
Ron laughed.  "I'll say," he said under his breath.  
But Harry caught it.  "What then?" he said, a little 
too quickly.   But Ron didn't seem to notice.  He 
rolled over and sat up suddenly, facing Harry, his 
hands clenching the bedcovers. 

"I don't know how to tell you this, Harry..." he said 
slowly.  Harry held his breath. "...but I....well, 
Hermione.... we were fighting... she was getting 
upset...."  Ron shook his head sharply, and it seemed
to clear his mind.  "I kissed her, Harry."  

"What.....Hermione?" said Harry slowly, trying to 
sound amazed.  It wasn't difficult.  After all, it was... 
Hermione. 
 
Ron laughed again, shortly.  "Yeah. Can you 
believe... I reckon.... I reckon I LIKE her!"

"I guess!" snorted Harry, letting out a deep breath of 
relief.  Ron had told him.  He wouldn't have to 
pretend not to know.  He wasn't being kept in the 
dark.  It would be bad enough to have his two best 
friends going 'round kissing-but it would be far 
worse for him if they were secret about it.  At least it 
wouldn't be uncomfortable between the three of 
them. Feeling suddenly very charitable, and really 
rather impressed with what Ron had managed to do, 
he fell flat on his own four poster, looked over at 
Ron, and grinned.  "So...?" he said.  
 
Ron's ears turned an incredible shade of purple.  
"So?" he muttered.  "What?"

"Did she..." Harry had to choke back a disbelieving 
laugh, for even though he knew the answer to the 
question he was about to ask, it was still pretty 
amazing to hear about it from Ron.  "Did she- er- 
kiss you back, or anything?"  Harry's mouth was 
twisted in a sort of lopsided, suppressed smile as he 
regarded his friend.  Ron looked absolutely baffled.

"D'you know what, Harry?" he said, his eyes turned 
inward as though watching the scene again, "She... 
she did."  He opened his eyes wide, and blinked hard, 
forcing himself to focus outward again.  Face slightly 
bemused, he looked at Harry.  "Reckon she likes me 
back," he mumbled, looking at his fingers, which he 
kept clenching and unclenching.  
 
"Guess so!" said Harry again.  "She looked, er, pretty 
happy-you know, when I saw her in the hall."

"Did she?" asked Ron immediately, looking highly 
grateful for this news.  "Oh, good.  I mean, I'm 
glad... I mean..."  Ron took a deep breath and blew it 
out, then suddenly looked petrified  "What do I do 
now?" he moaned.  "I haven't got the first bloody 
clue!"
 
"Me either," said Harry, grinning.  "Maybe you 
should write her a poem," he suggested, in a not-at-
all serious tone of voice.
 
Ron looked at him quickly, and grinned back before 
he could help it.  "Oy, shut up, you," he retorted, 
throwing a pillow at Harry, who caught it easily and 
threw it back at Ron, who let it knock him 
backwards and cover his face.  He lay there a 
moment and then in a muffled voice, Harry heard, 
"You know, Harry, you ought to give it a try.  It's 
brilliant." 
 
Harry smirked.  "What?" he said, "Kissing 
Hermione?" 
 
Ron shot up from under the pillow and gave Harry a 
look that told him not to try that joke again.   "No," 
he said briefly, "Somebody else."

"Right," laughed Harry, rolling his eyes, shutting 
them, and settling back in his pillow with an image 
of one particular girl in his mind.  "Cho?"  He sighed 
derisively.  "Forget it.  We know that's not going to 
happen."  
 
"Somebody else then," repeated Ron, shrugging and 
falling back easily onto his pillow, as though now 
that he had done it, it was the easiest thing in the 
world to grab a girl up and kiss her.  "There are a 
million girls at this school, I'm sure there has to be at 
least one other good one.  Anyway, you've practically 
got a fan club."  
 
But with that comment, Ron sat up again suddenly, a 
thought seeming to occur to him.  "Just stay away 
from my sister, right?" he said, crossing his arms and 
raising an eyebrow of mock-warning at Harry.  His 
tone of voice was very light.  But Harry knew Ron 
well enough to know that his friend was not entirely 
in jest.
 
Harry flinched imperceptibly, feeling somehow 
guilty. The moment Ron had said that, Harry's usual 
mental image of Cho Chang had been replaced 
without warning.  Into his mind's eye had come, 
unbidden, a picture of Ginny Weasley, blushing 
stubbornly at him from her chair by the fire.  He felt 
his heart give a funny jump, and he blinked his eyes 
in surprise.  Ron was still looking at him, arms 
folded, awaiting a response.  Harry felt at a loss, but 
didn't want to betray it.  Instead, he forced a laugh.  
"Right, Ron," he said carelessly, waving a hand as if 
to dismiss such an idiotic idea.  "I'll keep away from 
Ginny."  Ron looked satisfied, and returned to his 
position on his back, staring up at his canopy, 
presumably musing about what to do next about 
Hermione, now that he had managed to kiss her.
 
Harry, on the other hand, was highly unsettled.  
Another memory of Ginny had just occurred to him 
- she was pale, and cold, barely alive, the way she 
had appeared underground in the Chamber of 
Secrets.  The thought flashed across his mind- not 
for the first time- that Ginny Weasley was the only 
person he knew, aside from himself, who had faced 
Voldemort alone and come out of it alive.  His heart 
gave another queer knock.  
 
Harry took off his glasses and shut his eyes, feeling a 
bit apprehensive of Ron.  For suddenly, though the 
thought surprised him utterly, he wasn't entirely sure 
that he would stay away from Ginny Weasley after 
all.