Beyond The Wildest Expectation (Harmony)

A Touch Of Embarrassment

 "Harry Potter, the boy who lived...come to die" Lord Voldemort's voice echoed around the Forbidden forest like a deathly whisper. It was then that an electric green light burst out of his wand and hit Harry square on in the chest.

He felt a wave of pain rushed through his body, before he suddenly found himself sat up startled in a cool shower of his own sweat, breathing heavily. Another nightmare.

"Harry! Harry! What's wrong?!"

It was Hermione, leaning over him with a very panicked and worried expression etched across her face.

"N-nightmare" he breathed shakily, staring deeply into her chocolate brown eyes. He tried to slow down his breathing and waited before his heart to stop racing a mile a minute, before he managed to string a sentence together.

"S-Sorry, did I wake you up?" he asked,

"Oh no!" She responded, "I've actually been awake for a while... watching the sun rise, it's very beautiful..." She gazed in awe at the sun as it shone brightly through the slightly open curtains of Harry's bedroom.

Harry sighed, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.

"Ron told me you were having nightmares..." she murmured after a while. Harry nodded silently, not saying a word. He didn't really know what to say. It was quite embarrassing. No one else seemed to be having nightmares about the war, why was it just him?

"Maybe we all should have gone away around Europe... I think you need to clear your head too" she suggested thoughtfully.

Harry wordlessly agreed. Travelling would be perfect in distracting him from his horrid thoughts. He knew that all of the deaths were his fault. He couldn't forget, he wouldn't allow himself to forget them. Not just people who died in the war, but everyone. His parents, Sirius, Dumbledore... People who had truly loved him.

Going with Hermione would also have meant he could've spent more time with her, perhaps reveal his feelings for her. Tell her that he thought she was wonderful, amazing and so beautiful.

But it was too late for any of that.

He had to move on. He just had too. If he let himself live in the past, he would literally go insane.

"Haven't you got Auror training today?" Hermione wondered, standing up from her perched position on the end of the bed, looking at the time. "You know... you're going to be late and I think Ron's already gone"

Ron had left without him? He hadn't even bothered to attempt to wake him up. Harry felt hurt. They were supposed to be in this together, but now he was thinking maybe Ron wanted to be better than him.

He wanted to beat him at one thing for the first time in his life. Deep down, Harry knew Ron had always been somewhat jealous of him, but he never would have thought he'd purposely leave him asleep, while he went and made a head start.

Harry jumped out of bed in a flash, not thinking before realising he was completely and totally naked... and Hermione was still in the room.

She screamed in surprise, covering her eyes with her hands and hurriedly making her way out of the bedroom.

"Gosh Harry!" She squealed, shutting the door behind her. He was blushing furiously as he hastily pulled on his Auror uniform and grabbed his wand shoving it into his pocket. But he didn't have time to worry about it too much.

"See you later!" he called to Hermione, not wanting to go in the living room after the encounter they just had. It would be far too embarrassing. Instead, he decided to make a quick getaway.

Harry then apparated straight to the Ministry in the Auror department,

"Morning Mr Potter!" a young blonde receptionist voiced across the hall. Harry put his hand up as acknowledgement, but had no time to stop. It was still weird how everybody knew who he was.

He was desperately trying to reach his training and find Ron to give him a good piece of his mind. Best friends were meant to look out for each other, some friend Ron was being.

Harry was walking so quickly that he almost tripped over his own two feet, but he managed to use the wall to balance him before carrying on.

He arrived at room in which his Auror training was being held, but he knew he was extremely late. Upon entering, he saw Ron and a lanky dark haired man, who he believed was called Patrick Wood, who swiveled round to look at him.

Ron recoiled slightly as he saw Harry's angered face.

"Ron, can I talk to you outside?" he snarled through gritted teeth. He noticed Patrick Wood give him a confused glance but simply shrugged and said nothing of it.

Once outside the room and making sure no one was around, Harry exploded.

"Thanks for waking me up, mate! You know I could get downgraded for this!" he shouted, Ron's ears turned a bright shade of crimson, like they always did when he was embarrassed.

"N-Not my fault..." he muttered,

"You're supposed to be my mate?!" he bellowed, "Why couldn't you do me a favour?"

"Well, I—"

"No! I'll tell you why" Harry retorted "Because you're jealous, you always have been!"

"What?"

But Harry didn't answer and before Ron could say anything else, Harry turned around and strolled away.

He couldn't believe he had just said that to Ron, of all people. His first true friend, the guy who had been there through thick and thin, excluding the few months he had left them during their Horcrux hunting. He didn't need Ron though. All he needed was Hermione and that was precisely what he intended to get.