Authors' Notes:
Christine:
Buck: As you can see my co-author who did write the first part of this chapter, but forgot to write an author's note before quitting summed it up rather nicely. I hope that you enjoyed this little short story and I hope you will post a review. Thanks!
Chapter 5 - Storming off
Harry POV:
The trio had stopped in their tracks.
If Snape finds us, there will be a lot of explaining to do…an explanation I'm not willing to give him. It was bad enough telling the prophecy to my best friends.
"Well, what are you waiting for? We need to hide," Hermione said frantically, wringing her hands.
"Hermione, in case you haven't noticed, there is nowhere to hide, unless you can transfigure us into a piece of wall… but I don't think that'd be too easy to get out of!" Ron said.
Hermione scoffed. "Ron, honestly—"
"Merlin! Would you two stop bickering already? I'm not sure what the problem is, but whatever it is, the solution can be determined after we evade Snape." Harry motioned for them to follow him and started walking quickly in the opposite direction of Snape's footsteps. Ron soon fell at Harry's pace.
Hermione had to run a bit to keep up with them. "Harry, we'd better not go to the kitchens now. He could check inside."
"Good point. How about a secret passage? The map says there's one to the fifth floor behind a statue of Philip the Peaceful," Harry gestured toward the old sheet of parchment in his hand.
"Great idea, Harry," Hermione said, smiling. Harry looked over at Ron, who had an expression quite the opposite of Hermione's on his face.
"What's the matter with you, Ron?" Harry asked, concerned.
"Nothing," Ron said quickly and sharply. Harry knew it wasn't "nothing," but he continued on in silence.
Ron POV:
"Here we are," said Harry. "The spell is 'Ostende ianuam.' Hermione, would you care to do the honors?"
Hermione raised her wand and cleared her throat. "Show off," Ron muttered, barely audible.
"What was that, Ronald?"
"Er…nothing. Just…get on with it, will you?" Why does she always have to use my full name whenever she's angry with me?
Hermione sighed and said the incantation.
Philip the Peaceful slid to the right noisily. Harry glanced at the map again. "Let's hope Snape didn't hear that. Who first?"
No one volunteered, until Ron grunted and lowered himself into the vertical tunnel. He soon hit the earth, and hard at that. Bugger. He lit his wand and stepped out of the way as Hermione came down, completely ignoring him.
After they were all inside, with Philip safely back in place, Ron walked forward, into something solid. "It's a spiral staircase," he said grimly, shining his wand light upon it.
"Let's hurry, then. We want to get back up as soon as possible. Snape's already up on the ground floor, and he might be traveling upward," Harry said.
The three began climbing the staircase, Harry in the lead, and Ron in the rear. Ron's stomach growled. I really could have used that ice cream right about now.
They reached the top of the staircase and found a trapdoor on the ceiling above the rickety metal landing. "All right," said Harry. "Snape is on the third floor, so we've got enough time to get up to the common room."
It was Ron who couldn't keep silent anymore as he spoke up.
"We've gone this far so why don't we make our way back to the kitchens? I don't know about you but I'm famished."
Hermione's eyes immediately started to roll at Ron's declaration and her hands flew to her hips as she leaned forward to give her customary its-against-the-school-rules speech that Ron had heard countless times over the years.
"Ron, when are you not hungry? Honestly, you would risk getting caught for breaking the rules to feed your face? Is food the only thing you care about?"
Ron's involuntarily gnawed as his teeth before he argued back. "No, Hermione. It just so happens I care about my family, my friends—"
Hermione didn't even wait for Ron to finish his sentence as she scoffed at his declaration.
"Humph."
Merlin, she's infuriating! Can't she for once, shove that I-have-to-always-be-right mind-set? Honestly!
"And I suppose the only thing you care about is to always be the first one to answer the Professors' questions during class"
Hermione and Ron were now mere inches away from each other as they stood face to face even with Ron's height advantage.
"I unlike you, Ron, don't have the emotional depth of a teaspoon."
"Oh is that so? I'll have you know that—"
"Will you two SHUT… UP!" Harry threaten both of them with a look of someone who was about to hex someone if they didn't do what he told them to do.
"It's all Ron's fault—"
"Hermione is the one—"
"QUIET!" Harry bellowed to the both of them.
Hermione POV:
As she fumed silently at Ron it was surprisingly Harry who would send her over the top.
"Okay, we'll go to the kitchen. I could use some ice cream to help me calm down from all this fighting you two—"
"Harry!" Hermione interrupted in a roar. "I can't believe you of all people would be stupid—"
"He's not being stupid, you are!" Ron interrupted her with his finger pointing directly at her.
"How am I the one being stupid enough to risk getting caught over some silly need for ice cream!" Hermione screamed back over at Ron.
"If you hadn't taken us down to the Room of Requirement and changed it into that bloody Department of Mysteries we wouldn't need some ice cream right now!"
Hermione stepped back as if she was punched drunk with Ron's illogical statement. To make matters worse Ron must've sense that she was thrown off by his last statement as he pushed on.
"You just had to keep pressing it, didn't you?" Ron offended to her.
It was Hermione's turn to set the record straight on who was responsible for Harry finally admitting the truth about the prophecy to them.
"If I hadn't he would've still been brooding like he has for the last few months." Hermione snarled back at a frowning Ron.
"No, he wouldn't. All you had to do was ask him over a pint of butterbeer or a scoop of—"
Hermione immediately cut him off his silly suggestion. "Ron, don't be so childish he would've never—"
It was to Hermione's surprise that Harry spoke next. "Actually, I would've."
Hermione was flabbergasted at Harry agreeing with Ron as she turned her head to stare at Harry softly shaking his head yes at her. To add further insult to her wounded pride Ron took the moment to stab her a little bit more deeply.
"Merlin, Hermione. What you going to do next? Ask Harry how he feels about his parents with the room looking like his house where they bought it trying to save him."
If ever there was a moment that brought her nerves, anger, frustration, and total exasperation to come rolling to a stop, get out, look around, and make a decision to camp here of all places – it was now.
"Agghhh! I've had it with the both of you!" By now Hermione could feel her heart beating wildly and her face scrunching up as she scowled at both Ron and Harry backing away from her with a look of fear on their faces.
"Merlin, why do I have two thick-headed boys as best friends! Ronald Weasley, you are the most lazy, tactless, and emotionally insensitive … friend that there ever was!" Hermione paused as she said friend as she was about to say something entirely else. She immediately swung her head to a silent and imitated Harry waiting for her to explode at him. "Harry Potter, not everything in this world is your fault, so stop brooding about it and blaming yourself!"
"Honestly, if you two would have an ounce of caring or understanding in either one of you, then you would realize that there might be other people that care about you two. That they might not want to see you get in trouble, hurt, killed, or even worse - expelled!" Hermione sermon to both of them as they didn't dare speak against her.
"So if you two idiots want to get a week of detention - or even worse over some silly ice creams, then fine leave me out of it! I'm going back to the Common Room where you two should be."
Hermione grabbed the Marauder's Map from Harry and stormed a few paces past them toward the direction of the Gryffindor tower, but stopped and spun around to snap at Ron one last time.
"And as for you, Ronald. I must've been insanely mad to even think about asking you out for a date in Hogsmeade."
With that she spun around again, feeling her long house robe whisking in the air as she stormed off to the Gryffindor tower.
Harry POV:
Harry didn't dare say anything as he watched Hermione turn a corner in the hallway toward the direction of Gryffindor tower. When he did turn his sight over to his other best friend he couldn't help but wonder if he got hit with a freezing charm. As Ron was completely frozen from where he stood with his mouth forming a perfect O and his eyes in glassy confusion. Harry watched Ron a few more seconds hoping for him to move on his own, but it wasn't until he jiggled his arm to snap him out of his state of shock did he finally see movement. Not just movement from his body, but also fromhis mouth as he silently mouthed, "a date in Hogsmeade."
For some reason, Ron looked like he lost his broomstick and a bag of Chocolate Frogs candy to a Mountain troll.
Harry knew now was the time to cheer him up a bit by reminding him that he would feel better if they go on and get some ice cream in the kitchen.
In spite what Hermione said, Ron was right about that. It would've been a lot easier if she had asked me over a Butterbeer or a wizard's banana split.
"Come on, Ron, you'll feel better after some ice cream."
Harry watched as Ron moaned a soft whimper in agreement before he shifted his view down toward his shoelaces and shuffled along behind him. Harry continued to support his best friend with a few more words of encouragement as they headed for the kitchen.
"Relax, Ron, you know Hermione. A few days from now after she gets over her anger, she will be willing to talk to us again. You can ask her out then."
Ron grunted meekly in agreement.
As Harry climbed up yet another staircase for the floor where the kitchens were he look back to ask Ron a question.
"Say Ron, why didn't you ask her out to go to Hogsmeade with you already? I mean it's not like she has been waiting since 4th year or anything."
Harry look back to see a huge disappointed snarl written across Ron's face as he answered back.
"Shut up, Harry."
Harry smirked at Ron's reaction as he walked straight into something solid blocking his path. His nose immediately smelled something moldy like it had been in the dungeons for far too long. As he stepped back to see what he walked into and heard Ron gulping air in fear he knew he wasn't going to like what he saw.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley are you two enjoying your late night stroll through Hogwarts?" Asked Professor Snape with a small grin playing across his mouth like a cat who was about to swallow a mouse.
Harry was right; he definitely did not like what he saw.