Fandom(s): Harry Potter
Pairing(s): Ron Weasley/Helenium Potter, and Viktor Krum/Hermione Granger
Warning(s): alternate universe; female!Harry (Helenium); het; and mild bashing of Viktor Krum

Summary: Helenium Potter has a lot on her mind, from her best friend to recurring dreams.

Whispered Conversations

It was hard to recall the exact moment she started to fall in love. It could have happened the moment they met on the Hogwarts Express and there was the moment he sacrificed himself on the chessboard so she could go on and there was the moment he hugged her after she pulled Ginny out of the Chamber of Secrets. There was the moment he tried to save her from Sirius Black, and there was the magical evening at the Yule Ball. Then there was the power he inspired in her when she defeated Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic.

It might have been any moment after that or any moment between.

There were hundreds of moments, spanning across six years.

There was the time third year, he brought her back a butterbeer from Hogsmeade. Maybe it was fourth year when he stood by her during the Triwizard Tournament and everyone else turned their backs on her.

Maybe it was clear now – because Voldemort was gone. With Voldemort dead, his Death Eaters were gone and the danger was over.

It was safe to love someone. There was no fear that Voldemort would take him from her – like he had taken so many others.

To be honest, Helenium Potter didn't know the exact moment she began to fall in love with Ron Weasley. There was no moment that stood out as it. Nothing she could look back on and fondly recall.

When Helenium could remember was when the nightmares started. It was a day she wouldn't forget – the twenty-fourth of February, the day of the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Ron was her most precious thing – someone she couldn't live without.

The very thought of living without him made her heart stop and it brought tears to her eyes.

That had been two years ago.

Helenium was staring up at the canopy of her four-poster bed. The curtains were pulled close around her and they were spelled for privacy. She needed a few minutes to herself before she had to get up.

...

An hour later, Helenium was slowly getting ready for classes. Her homework was done, checked, and packed in her bag for the day – along with her textbooks, quills, and inkwells.

From her own bed, Hermione Granger watched her before turning her attention to a letter.

Helenium scowled at the sight of the letter. She recognized the handwriting from her bed. The letter was from Viktor Krum. The fact that Hermione was so devoted to Viktor irritated Helenium. She knew her best friend was in love with him, and she supported Hermione. But Helenium was furious with Krum. After two years, there was no talk of an engagement or bonding, and Helenium was concerned he was stringing her best friend along.

Personally, Helenium didn't see the appeal in Krum. He was slightly taller than average at five foot ten inches with decent magical abilities, and his appearance was lacking. His lacking appearance complimented his lack of personality. He waddled like a duck. The greatest thing about him was his Quidditch skills. Even though she didn't understand Hermione's interest, Helenium wanted the best from her.

If Hermione decided Krum was the best, then Helenium would support her. At fifteen, Hermione fell in love with Krum in the library between whispers and books. The Yule Ball only cemented her feelings.

Helenium grabbed her bag and she slung it over her shoulder. "I'm heading to breakfast," she called over her shoulder.

"Wait up!" called Hermione. "I'll come with you." She smiled and placed the letter under her pillow. "Viktor's doing wonderful and he sends his greetings."

Helenium forced a smile. Whenever Krum wrote, he always sent his greetings. It made Helenium wonder why. Did he write to Hermione just so he could say that? Was he trying to be nice to Hermione's friends or did he want Helenium to himself?

"That's nice," she said.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. That was Helenium's usual response.

Hermione pulled her bag off of the foot of her bed. "Well, let's go," she said.

Brushing passed Helenium, Hermione stormed out of the dorm. With a sigh, Helenium followed. What was wrong with Hermione now?

"Morning," greeted a tired Ron Weasley.

Glancing up, Helenium smiled at her friend. She stopped next to Hermione.

"Let's go," Hermione said, heading towards the portrait hole. "We don't want to risk being late." Without another word, Hermione headed out of the common room.

"You alright, Hel," Ron asked, taking a step towards her.

She glanced at him. That was her special nickname. Only Ron was allowed to call her that.

"Hel?" His tone was concerned.

"Sorry, Ron," Helenium forced a smile. "I'm a little tired."

Wordlessly, Ron tilted her chin up, so she was staring at him. "Glamour Charms or Glamour Glam?" he asked. His thumb brushed under her right eye.

"Glam," Helenium answered. Glamour Glam was a new magical makeup. "It's a girl's best friend." She resisted rolling her eyes at the last time. It was Glamour Glam's tagline.

"And here I thought I was your best friend," he joked.

"You are," Helenium whispered.

...

Classes went by quickly. Most of Helenium's day was spent with Hermione. Around lunch, Hermione cooled off. She knew Helenium wasn't fond of Viktor for some reason, but Helenium supported her relationship with Viktor.

So, Hermione spent the afternoon observing her friend. While Helenium supported her relationship, Hermione had no clue who her friend liked. Through her observations, Hermione came to the conclusion Helenium was crazy about Ron.

It made perfect sense.

Helenium and Ron had been best friends since their first train ride at the beginning of their first year. Ron was one of the few people who believed and supported Helenium two years ago, during the Tournament. Helenium's most precious person was Ron – he was a person, not a possession.

In fact, Helenium's feelings for Ron explained her behavior. Helenium had been standoffish towards anyone who showed an interest in Ron after years of either ignoring him or making fun of him. Helenium had glared daggers at Lavender Brown when she expressed an interest in dating Ron.

...

Hermione and Helenium stayed up late that night, reviewing their Potions report. It had to be beyond perfect. Snape would look for any reason to mark it down. Helenium had rewritten the report seven times for various reasons – lettering size, paragraph formations, ink color, and others. Hermione looked over the essay each time, checking the facts and the spelling. Between the two, Helenium had the better hand writing, a skill she prefect in elementary school.

"Why don't you like Viktor?" Hermione blurted out. Her cheeks colored. It was something she was dying to know.

A look of shock passed over Helenium's face. With a sigh, she answered, "You've been together for two years, but there's no talk of your future, like engagement and children."

Hermione's heart skipped a beat. Helenium was concerned because she wasn't sure if Viktor took her or their relationship seriously. "That might be my fault," she said. "After the Second Task, Viktor started talking about his family ring and how it would keep me safe." Her cheeks darkened. "I freaked because we only dated for three months."

Helenium nodded. That was something she could see Hermione doing. For all her planning and scheduling, Hermione's plans didn't extend to the long term. Most of the time Hermione didn't even have summer plans until the spring holidays, in April.

"How are the nightmares?" Hermione asked.

A look of shock passed over Helenium's eyes. "What – how did you know?" she whispered.

"You only spell your curtains shut when they're reoccurring and you're not sleeping," Hermione replied, concerned. "Your Glamour Charm's a little weak today."

Sighing, Helenium didn't say anything.

"You should consider telling him," Hermione whispered as she stood up and headed towards her own bed. "Ron's crazy about you."

...

In the early hours of the morning, Helenium woke up with her heart pounding and in a cold sweat. It was the nightmare again. The one where she was too late to get Ron, and he was gone, lost forever. Biting her lip, she rolled onto her side and tried to calm down.

It was only a dream.

It wasn't real.

Ron was safe. He was sound asleep in the sixth year boys dorm.

Heart still beating away, Helenium got up and she grabbed her outer robe before climbing out of bed. She picked up her wand and left the dorm room. She paused on the last step. There was someone in the common room.

It was Ron.

He was stretched out on one of the couches, in front of the fireplace. He was dressed in a pair of pajama pants, and Helenium had a full view of his muscular chest. It wasn't Ron's body that caught Helenium's attention it was the magical display he conjured.

It was a flower. With each wave of Ron's wand, a petal was plucked off. As each petal was removed, his lips moved.

Curiosity getting the best of her, Helenium crept closer to Ron. Plucking flower petals reminded Helenium of the childhood muggle ritual of "he loves me" or "he loves me not."

She stopped a foot behind Ron.

"I tell her, I don't tell her, I wait, I tell her," he muttered as petal after petal was removed from the flower, to confess or not to confess. Turning around, Helenium bit her lip as tears started to form in her eyes. On her way back to the stairs, she crashed into a table.

Behind her, Ron jumped at the sound and he looked around. When he spotted Helenium, he leapt off of the couch and hurried over to her. "Hel, are you okay?" he asked, hovering at her side.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Helenium lied, her voice shaking.

Ron turned her around and he placed a hand under her chin, forcing Helenium to look up at him. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

"Nothing," she cried, trying to break free of Ron's hold.

"Tell me the truth, Hel," Ron whispered, maintaining his hold on her.

"No, it doesn't matter," Helenium said, clutching her eyes shut and shaking her head.

"It does. Just tell me, Hel."

"I can't. It'll ruin everything."

"It won't, I promise."

Helenium cried a little harder. "I don't know that."

"Trust me, Hel."

"I love you."

Ron was stunned at the confession. He loosened his grip on Helenium, allowing her the chance to flee up the stairs into the safety of the girls' dorm.

...

Helenium wasn't able to sleep anymore. She curled up in her bed and his under her blankets. When the next morning came, Helenium didn't move. She pretended to be asleep when Hermione tried to wake her up.

Laying in her bed, Helenium listened to the sounds of her roommates getting ready for classes before leaving. Even after everyone left, Helenium didn't leave the safety of her bed. She rolled onto her back, staring up at the canopy. Tears came on and off throughout the day. After crying last night, she didn't pay much attention to them.

She heard her roommates return a few times throughout the day. Lavender forgot her hairbrush. Parvati returned briefly to shift a textbook. Fay came back to grab her Exploding Snap Cards. Hermione came back the most. Each visit, she tried to talk to Helenium, but she remained silent.

...

It was late when Helenium decided to leave the safety of her curtains. She pulled them back, only to find herself facing Hermione. Hermione sat cross legged on her bed, facing towards Helenium's neighbor bed.

"Can we talk now?" Hermione asked, speaking softly.

Helenium found herself nodding. She didn't want to talk at all – now or later.

Hermione sighed, quickly taking a seat next to Helenium on her bed. "I wrote to Viktor," she whispered. "I asked about our future."

Turning to look at her friend, Helenium saw the vulnerable look on Hermione's face. "He'd be stupid to turn you away," she said.

Nodding, Hermione leaned into Helenium's side. "Ron's dying to talk to you," she said.

Shutting her eyes, Helenium forced herself not to cry. She needed to move on, and she didn't want to cry over Ron Weasley, anymore.

"Look, I don't know what happened last night," Hermione whispered, "but Ron spent all day in the common room, waiting for you. Whatever it was, he wants to talk about it."

Helenium felt Hermione pushing on her back. With a glance at her friend, she stood up. Talk to him was Hermione's advice. Even though she wasn't ready to, Helenium nodded. Slowly, she walked out of the dorm and down the stairs to the common room. It was take some time, but Helenium would get over Ron. Ron deserved to be happy, and he should bond with that witch.

She found Ron seated in an armchair, facing towards the stairs. He leapt to his feet the moment he spotted her on the stairs and dashed over.

"Hel," he greeted, sounding breathless.

She forced a smile.

"I want to tell you," he rambled, "but you ran away last night. I've been trying to tell you for years, but I've never had the courage."

"Ron," Helenium said, cutting him off. "What is it?" The sooner Ron finished breaking her heart, the better.

"I love you," Ron declared, a grin on his face. His hands came up to cup Helenium's face. "I've loved you since we were eleven."

Without another word, Ron pressed his lips against Helenium's.

This fanfiction is a part of The Halloween Collection, which is a collection of unrelated ficlets, oneshots, and full-length fanfiction stories that are related to a Halloween themed word prompt, which is listed at the end of each story.

Type: Oneshot
Prompt: Nightmares

The Halloween Collection
One: Accord de le Destin (general)
Two: Her Niece and His Goddaughter (general)
Three: Love on Her Arm (Bill Weasley/Hyacinthe Potter)
Four: Of Flames and Snow (Jon Snow/Hedera Waters) [Crossover with Game of Thrones and A Song of Fire and Ice]
Five: A Tale of Two Lilies (general)
Six: Bonds of Family (general)
Seven: Just a Glance (Jacob Black/Heather Potter) [Crossover with Twilight]
Eight: Shine Bright (Danny Williams/Helene Potter) [Crossover with Hawaii Five-0]
Nine: Whispered Conversations (Ron Weasley/Helenium Potter)
Ten: Emmett Cullen: Triwizard Champion (Emmett Cullen/Roselia Hale, Harry is Emmett) [Crossover with Twilight]
Eleven: Enchanting (Abraxas Malfoy/Halesia Potter)
Twelve: Eclipsed (Tom Riddle/Heliconia Peverell)
Thirteen: Silent Symphony (general)