Chapter 1 - The Bigger Man

Author – Chibi/Warlordess
Author – Chibi/Warlordess

Disclaimer – I don’t own HarryPotter. He is a product of JK Rowling’s imagination and for that, I salute andworship her. Just so you know who you’re dealing with. Lol.

Summary – Ron’s discussionwith Harry about how and why Hermione turns the redhead down for arelationship. Uhm, a Harmony fic, I suppose.

Dedication – To my friends andfellow Harmony shippers at The USA, including Chibi-B, Silvie, andPainesSorrow! I love you, gals!

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Title – The Bigger Man

One-Shot

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“What’s yourtrouble, mate…?” Harry yawned as he scribbled a few notes down onto hisparchment, where he was writing an Astronomy essay, noticing Ron’s very…Awkward… Expression as he collapsed onto one of the soft armchairs next to thefire.

It was late,probably past midnight, and they had classes tomorrow. Harry hadn’t expectedanyone to be up save for himself, and he was only in the common room in orderto finish some overdue homework… Otherwise he’d have to answer to Hermione’swrath. Then again, Ron was a Prefect and, since he’d just come from The FatLady’s portrait hole, it could have been surmised that he was just making hisrounds.

“I… I blew it,Harry…” He said weakly, giving a very timid grin as though, on some plane, hewas hoping that no one would suspect anything was wrong with him.

Harry raisedan eyebrow, obviously not following. Ron hadn’t been exactly specific, afterall.

“I toldHermione that I… I fancied her, had for awhile, you know, and she told me…”This was all it took for Harry to drop his quill and stare open-mouthed at hisfriend. He’d not even known before that night that Ron felt for Hermione inthat way, “She said no.”

“No…?” Harryquoted, as if this was a poor finish to a wondrous tale, “What, there were notears? No apologies?”

“Oh, therewere tears; plenty. Y-you know Hermione…” He joked meekly, although Harry sawthrough him completely, “Yea, she started crying and looked away and, well, bythat time, I knew that what she was going to say to me was going to be nothinggood…”

“Wait; howlong have you…?” Harry got up from his chair and moved to a spot morecomfortable, and one right close to Ron, “You know, how long since youstarted…?”

“I think itwas around… Fourth year… Possibly the end of Third.” Ron wasn’t looking at him,which Harry’d hoped he might, as it would help him assess how deeply his friendwas hurting. Perhaps this lack of eye contact in itself was a message.

“Really…?Well, sorry, Ron… If I’d known that you fancied her, I’d have tried to help youout. I dunno what I could have done, exactly, but I’d have tried to—“ He wasinterrupted by a short bark of laughter, “What? What is it?”

“You don’t seeit, do you? I suppose it doesn’t matter, as I’ve suspected it for awhile now.”Ron looked at him for the first time since his re-entry into the House thatnight and Harry saw a fleeting glimpse of withered irritation on his face,“You’re the reason she turned me down, Harry; she told me so, you know. She notone to be unclear about emotions, Hermione.”

“Me? What do Ihave to do with you two?” It was only now that the bespeckled boy came to seewhy his friend was acting so off, “I mean, if she was worried that I’d, youknow, feel like a third wheel, then she could have just asked me and—“

“Would youhave told her that you wouldn’t? And that it’d be okay to go along with this?”Ron asked and, a few moments later when Harry hadn’t answered, he continued tospeak, “In any case, it doesn’t matter. That wasn’t why she refused me.”

“Well, then,why--?”

“It’s becauseshe loves you, mate!” Ron half-shouted, as if this was the most obvious thingin the world.

“…Have I beenin some sort of coma for the past three years or what? How come I haven’tnoticed any of this going on with you or her?” Harry changed the topic, notwanting to even believe what he’d heard. It was too much to process in onenight that one of his friends was in love with the other, who was indeed inlove with him.

“Harry, she’sbeen mad about you since Third year! I suppose that I knew that when I askedher… But if you haven’t noticed it then you’re quite possibly thicker than Iam.” There wasn’t a trace of guilt or shamelessness on Ron’s face as he saidthis, “Honestly, Harry, it’s not that hard to see, what with how she alwaysstood by your side, how she always assisted you in whatever way you needed her,and no matter how many times she tried to talk us out of our plans, in the end,if you were willing to give them a go, she always came along. Only because ofyou, Harry.”

“It can’t allbe because of me…” Harry replied faintly, “I mean, what about--?”

The two boysstared at each other, both knowing that whatever Harry tried to say would haveno effect on the situation. And so they sat in a stony silence because neithercould think of much else to say.

“Where isHermione…?” Harry questioned, glancing at the portrait hole as though she’dappear on a whim at his beckoning.

“I think thatour… Talk… Earlier on this evening embarrassed her. She doesn’t want you toknow what’s gone on, I’m sure.” Ron’s brow creased and he sighed deeply.

“Then why areyou telling me! It’s not like I wanted to know either!” Harry statedmaddeningly, “Really, Ron, what are you saying all of this to me for? I don’tunderstand.”

“I want youboth to know that… I am not so desperate to have her that I wouldn’t face thefact that I can’t have her since she doesn’t want me. She wants you, and I’mletting you know that because I want you to know what you’ve never seen before,but what has always been right in front of you all of this time. Have you everrealized just how much she is to you? Have you ever thought of it?”

Harry couldn’thonestly say that he had. In truth, he’d always considered Hermione a decent,positively brilliant friend, but he’d always been too preoccupied with eitherother girls or his troubles with Voldemort to think about her otherwise. It hadcrossed his mind that she was worth an infinity of material items, but thenagain, what friend wasn’t?

“I know thatyou used to be infatuated with Cho, and that Cedric and Sirius’ deathsdistracted you from that romantic part of your life, but she’s always going tobe the one at your side when it truly comes down to it.” Ron’s voice echoedsomewhere in the back of Harry’s mind, but his own thoughts were now such apriority that that’s where his tone remained.

Perhaps hehadn’t really taken a chance to look at Hermione the way she’d hoped he would.Well, obviously, actually. But could he really bring himself to find suchfondness in such an incredible friend when he was caught up in so many otherthings at once? Did he have any room in his challenged soul for a love of anytype at this point? What was he going to miss out on in an entirety while fulfillingthe prophecy that he lived for?

This was morethan Harry had ever bargained for when coming of age. He couldn’t bring himselfto say that he and Hermione didn’t have a chance, but how could he take thatchance when every other person he’d bothered to get close to had died, or comeclose to death, at some point or another? Would Hermione be just another weakpoint for Voldemort to exploit if he, Harry, accepted her into his heart andthe two of them lived in love? Would Harry be able to prevent somethinghappening to her if, indeed, it came to Voldemort taking her captive, orthreatening her life in any way?

“Harry; ifthere’s any doubt in your mind that you and Hermione are just friends, thenlook into that now, while you have the chance, before you end up breaking herheart like she broke mine.” Harry awoke from his reminiscing to hear thisstatement from Ron.

Doubt… Well,he doubted a lot of things at this time. He doubted he was going to livethrough his seventeenth year, he doubted that he was going to pass his Sixthyear at Hogwarts, he doubted he was going to become an Auror upon leaving theschool, he doubted… Oh, how he doubted.

Was thereanything in his life that he was certain of anymore?

“I knowthat you used to be infatuated with Cho, and that Cedric and Sirius’ deathsdistracted you from that romantic part of your life, but she’s always going tobe the one at your side when it truly comes down to it.” Ron had said, and itwas probably truer than anything else at this point, that Hermione’d always bethere for him. Why should he have any reason to doubt her? She’d always beenthere for him so far…

“Honestly,Harry, it’s not that hard to see, what with how she always stood by your side,how she always assisted you in whatever way you needed her, and no matter howmany times she tried to talk us out of our plans, in the end, if you werewilling to give them a go, she always came along. Only because of you, Harry.” It seemed so obvious,so easy to believe now. How could he have ever wondered if…

“It’sbecause she loves you, mate!” But did he – could he – love her back?

At this pointin time, the portrait hole opened up to reveal Hermione in all of her grace,looking almost ragged. Her face was tear-stained and her robes were wrinkled asthough she’d been groping at them in nervousness for quite a while. She took achance to distinguish Harry and Ron’s silhouettes against the dark of theCommon Room and the flickering flames of the Gryffindor fire.

And Harry wasstaring at her. Why did he have to stare at her? It was a determined sort oftrance, it seemed, and even as she countered his gaze, he didn’t look away. Itwas as though he couldn’t bring himself to do so. As if he finally knew whatshe’d been waiting for him to grow to understand for so long…

“W-why are youlooking at me that way, Harry?”

The twoteenage boys rose to their feet and stood an equal distance away from her, andHermione looked to Ron as though silently questioning whether or not he’d givenup her secret. He chose to look away, a silent admittance that he had, and hereyes widened to their maximum limit.

“I… I askedyou why you were looking at me that way, Harry.”

He was goingto answer her now, she knew, and he was going to say something that would payher back for the heartbreak she gave Ron…

But he smiledwidely, leaving Hermione to understand that, for once, Ron wasn’t attempting toruin her for how she treated him, and he wasn’t trying to avenge himselfagainst her guilty retreat from him.

“…It’s becauseI never have before.”

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Notes – Oh my God… I finallywrote my second-ever Harmony fic! WooT! That’s two in under a week! I’m soproud of me! Yep; anyway, thanks to those who bothered to review this rubbish(well, I’m actually very proud of this one) and I hope that you’ll choose toreview and give me some advice, or any commendation or approval that you canspare. I have to say, I’m hoping for more than three reviews this time aroundsince I tried so hard to make this appealing.
 

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