[Fic] "Follow the Leader" -- Harry Potter

[edenfalling]

This one's a sort of Trio friendship fic, but the focus is on Ron and Hermione. Also, the dock for the first years' boats, because I don't think we've ever seen that after the one time in PS/SS, and I always thought underground lake cavern thingies were cool.

I'll have to use it again sometime, give it more detailed attention.

[ETA: The AO3 crosspost is now up!]

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Follow the Leader
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"Tell me again why I should eat this."

Hermione rolled her eyes and thrust the handful of gillyweed into Ron's face. "Because Harry's not talking to us again, but I overheard him muttering about the lake and secrets, and I read in Hogwarts: A History that the merpeople are supposed to keep a great treasure down there. That's what the squid guards. So we're going to go fetch it before Harry tries and nearly gets himself killed again."

Ron eyed the gillyweed, feeling a bit queasy at the idea of eating the slimy mess. "So we'll get killed instead? Great idea, that."

"No! I have a plan, it'll all work out, and we'll be back in an hour. Now come on, before Harry gets back from detention."

Hermione dragged Ron through the castle and down the long stairs to the underground boat-landing the first years used every September. "Of course we can't just walk down to the lake shore -- we don't want to be seen. Honestly, Ron, do you ever even try to use your brain?" she said when Ron protested the unusual route.

As he munched on the slimy weed, trying not to gag at the flavor, Ron wondered when he'd lost control of this friendship. He used to be the one who talked her into crazy schemes, and she'd grit her teeth and go along with him. But somewhere along the line, Hermione had figured out how to make him follow her plans -- which were a lot nuttier than his ever were, no matter how much she talked about logic! Why the bloody hell was he going along with this?

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked, wiping traces of gillyweed from her mouth. Her eyes shone with excitement and determination. "We have to find the merpeople's treasure before Harry figures out that I stole his gillyweed."

Oh, yeah. Harry. As long as they were both trying to keep Harry alive and sane, Ron figured it didn't really matter which of them came up with a plan. He could put up with Hermione being a worse bossy know-it-all than usual. He wouldn't even mind the way she'd gloat if this mad idea actually worked. He'd never tell her, of course, but he thought she might already know.

"Ready," he said. "But Hermione? Next time, I get to make the plans."

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Inspired by the 2/8/2004 15minuteficlets word #41: submission

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In other news, I was attacked by an evil plot bunny, my first for a non-HP fandom. It seems to be a series of drabbles about a woman named Raven Carlson who works as a church music director. Oh, and she has four arms, a prehensile tail, and black fur all over.

Yes, X-Men. God save me. I think this is my bitterness at the shallowness and stupidity of the whole superhero concept coming out via a fictional spokesperson. Ah well. At least Raven is too sensible for that sort of thing.

And in yet other other news, Rajesh lent me a copy of Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories today, in return for a Bach violin concerto CD. We're attempting to culture each other. We'll see how it goes.

Comments

[rianax.livejournal.com]

Ron and Hermione do not get enough love without it being shippy.

[edenfalling]

True, that. I have a longer story, "Sir Ron and the Green Knight," which is really all about Ron and Hermione and their friendship/bickering, though they never meet in the story. It's up on ff.net and at FictionAlley. (It's also a fusion of HP and the poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," but it actually works in its own right and you don't need to have read the poem to understand the story.)