To my regular readers: I know, I haven't written anything in AGES, and I'm really really sorry. I'm juggling a lot right now, but I'll get an update up as soon as possible, okay?

To anyone else: My first Harry Potter fic! I've been meaning to write one for ages, and I found out about GravityOnEarth's quote-centric challenge on the HPFC Forum, which called me, so this was born! A little short, I suppose, but I think it turned out pretty well. So, hope you like it, GravityOnEarth!

Can miles truly separate you from friends... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there? - Richard Bach

"Hermoine! What is that noise?" My chestnut eyes tore themselves away from the inky black print, gazing upwards towards the window which revealed not only a cloudless blue late afternoon sky, but also the source of my mother's disturbance.

"Nothing, Mum!" I quickly opened the window and immediately a small feathery body zoomed into the lavender room, where it continued to buzz about excitedly. After much activity, the small owl calmed enough for me to hastily untie the letter attached to its thin leg before it frantically began flying around in circles once more. Upon spotting the sender, I sat cross-legged on the plush carpet directly below me and open the slightly yellowed parchment.

Hermoine,

So, how are you? I am fine and... Oh, come on- you know I'm rubbish with letters! I'm writing to ask when you're arriving. It has to be before July 15th because we'll be transporting Harry... soon after. I hate this, having to watch everything I write. It makes me feel so bloody trapped. Restrained, I guess, would be a better word. Merlin, I must be spending way too much time with you. Do you know I actually read a schoolbook last week? I didn't even need to! Just shows how bored I am. Anyway, write back soon.

~Ron

I mentally traced the three letters written in untidy and uncaring scrawl that spelled the name of my good friend Ron. Though, I don't even know if that really encompasses the complications of our friendship, if it can even be called that. I mean… I don't know. I know I love him, but that doesn't mean as much as it might have if we were just going back to school. We weren't, though, and that's just the thing. We have to save the world, and that's no time to worry about such things. I refuse to be the girl in a fiction book who, even though there are far more pressing matters, idles away precious time thinking about her love interest. I had always scorned those characters when I was younger, and that's not who I will become.

I sigh, however, and think perhaps I already have. I glanced at the worn leather binding that lay open on my neat bedspread. I had just finished chapter 1 of Heinous Hexes, the ultimate guide to understanding the Dark Arts and hoping for further information about what we might face during the journey looming ahead in the very near future. I walked over to pick it up, and saw that chapter 2 began on page 12. Red digits blinking from the nightstand told me I'd been reading for almost two hours- or not reading. If I was really honest with myself, my mind wasn't on the mission- just the people on it. Harry, Ron, and me.

I thought a lot about that- us. Ron, specifically. It's not that I don't think about Harry, or care about him- I do. It's just… different. Harry's like my brother. Ron… I'm not even sure what he is. What am I? Am I the girl who gets distracted by the guy in the middle of disaster? I closed and placed the forgotten book on my cream bedside table, the fading light reflecting off the gold lettering on the cover. Yes, I think I am. I am the girl who's thinking about the guy instead of her work. The girl who I always found shallow in stories. But, the girl who I always liked because they managed to win in spite of that. And I would. I'd make sure of it. I looked down at the letter I still held in my ink-stained fingers and mentally began formulating my response, selecting a quill and sitting myself at my worn desk.

Ron,

You'd think that you would've improved by now, considering you've been writing to me for how many years now. I'll be there as soon as I can, probably by next week. I still have a few things to set in order. But, trust me, in my head, I'm already there. I'll be out of here as soon as possible, I promise.

All my love,

Sincerely,

Hermoine

P.S. Tell Ginny I say Hello!

After watching Pig sail away into the now dusk horizon, I tore myself away from the window and tightly gripped my shaking hand around my wand. As soon as possible, Ron, I echoed in my mind, I promise.

Can miles truly separate you from friends... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there? - Richard Bach

I hope everyone enjoyed! I also hope to branch into the Harry Potter forum a little more soon. Don't worry, I still have plenty of Percy Jackson that I'll keep up with. Well, still write, maybe not keep up with considering my updating history... ANYhow,

Peace, Love, & Life

PLKBerry