CHAPTER 3 - Alone In The Library
Harry went through the school day as though nothing had happened. Ron was also doing the same. Hermione was going through her school day normally as well as tutoring Harry and Ron for exams. It went on like that for the next few days until it was time for students to take the midterm exams. After long, tired, and exhilarating hours in classes, every student was finished and got their results.
Hermione passed, of course, with the highest marks while Harry passed with above average marks and Ron marked just high enough to pass.
Not too long after exam results, it would be time for students who would be leaving for the Christmas holidays to board the train. As Harry and Hermione saw Ron off near The Great Hall, he pulled Harry aside and wished him good luck on his attempt to ask Hermione to the Yule Ball. After a thank you and a handshake from Harry and a goodbye and hug from Hermione, (which made Harry a little jealous) Ron dragged his trunk away and was gone.
"So what'd you plan to do today Harry?" Hermione asked smiling as she turned toward him.
"Well, I…" said Harry turning toward her, but he became distracted to what he was now looking at. He and Hermione were now standing at arms length to each other and his eyes examined Hermione as though for the first time. He looked at her bushy brown hair, but it didn't seem so bushy to him anymore. It was drowned out by her teeth, which was fixed in their 4th year, that made out her smile, which sparkled below two brightly lit brown eyes which now he was looking deep into. A feeling had come over Harry, something that was buried deep inside of him and only now triggered when he saw Hermione up close. Hermione was beautiful. She casually stared back into Harry's emerald green eyes.
"…I-I w-was going to follow you t-to whatever you w-were going to do," Harry stammered, trying as hard as he could to hide what he was really feeling from Hermione.
"Oh, well I was going to the library to do a little research," said Hermione uneasily, still looking into his eyes but looking as though nothing was wrong with Harry. "Holidays or not, I'm still going to study. Are you going to come with?"
"Sure thing," he answered. Hermione grinned and pointed behind him in the direction of the library, also turning him around. She put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a soft push as if to say 'go'. Her hands remained there while they walked for quite sometime before she took them off. Harry noticed this of course and his soul danced happily.
As they both walked down several corridors, Harry noticed a few students whisper to each other as they passed. He knew, of course, what they were talking about. They were talking about Hermione and him finally being alone after Ron's departure. Harry got a feeling that made him want to say something to Hermione. Something to say to hide from her that he knew what people were gossiping about. He slowed down his pace a bit until Hermione came so close to him that her chest almost touched Harry's back. He turned his head to the side and whispered softly to her. "Hermione? W-what…what's going on?"
"What Harry?" she replied putting her head closer to him so that she could hear.
"What are all these people stammering about?" he lied. "What'd you think they're talking about?"
"Shhh," she replied, putting a finger to her mouth and giving him another push as if to say 'hurry up'. Harry turned his head around and raised an eyebrow to himself, hurrying to the library.
***
The two Head-of-Gryffindor-House students sat across from each other in the library. Harry has his arms crossed on the table while his eyes moved back and forth on his "Potions Grade 7" book. He looked up and opened his mouth to ask Hermione a question but no sound came out. The sight he saw again distracted him. Hermione was taking notes and twirling a single strand of wavy hair that came down the front of her face with her finger. Harry continued to watch dreamingly, as she played endlessly with her hair strand and then finally brushed it to the side of her face. Hermione also paused. Even though she was looking at her book, she saw and felt Harry's eyes on her, still with his mouth open. She looked up at him.
"What?" she asked self-consciously, brushing her frizzy hair with her fingers, "Do I have something in my hair, Harry?"
"Oh! Oh no Hermione, I just…" he said shaking his head, embarrassed. "I just…"
"What?"
"I…uh…wanted to ask you something."
"Well?"
"I…uh…I…I forgot," Harry embarrassingly said, turning slightly pink. Hermione scoffed and let her head drop back down to her book, continuing to write.
"Wait! I remember!" Harry lied. Hermione looked back up at him with an irritated look on her face. This was Harry's chance to redeem himself and he didn't want to blow it. "I…I uh," he stammered, "I… was… wondering..." Harry realized that his fake question could be followed up by asking her to the ball. But, a sudden voice inside him yelled, "Not now! Not like this! Not when she's irked by you."
"…what book you were reading?" he finished.
"This?" Hermione replied, her face looking sort of embarrassed. "It's…it's a book on…Quidditch. Quidditch Seekers to be more exact."
"What?" Harry cried, looking very surprised and excited. It was great that Hermione showed a little more interest in Quidditch. But Quidditch Seekers?
"Since when are you ever that interested in Quidditch Seekers?" asked Harry, hoping that Hermione would give him the answer he wanted.
"Since…since…" she started nervously. But she didn't get a chance to finish because Harry interrupted her.
"…you were with Krum." he finished, giving a forced smile. "I should've known. Anyway, go on with your reading Hermione, sorry to interrupt you like that."
"No Harry, it's not that. It's when…" she paused. Harry waited for her to answer. "…it's when I noticed what an excellent Seeker you've become."
Harry turned bright scarlet when he heard this. And so did Hermione. It meant so much to him getting a compliment like that. It felt even more special to him since it came from Hermione.
"You really think I'm good?" he asked, still slightly red.
"Good!? I said you're excellent!" she exclaimed. This made Harry turn even redder. "Can I ask you something?"
"Well you just did Hermione," replied Harry jokingly, grinning at her.
She grinned back at him and continued. "Can I fly with you on your broomstick sometime? I just want to see how it feels."
Harry's eyes widened at Hermione's request. And, of course, he couldn't refuse.
"Of course my fellow Head Girl. It'll be an honor," said Harry, trying to make it sound as casually as possible.
"Oh, Harry thank you!" she exclaimed and got up and took her book with her as though she was going for another one. But to Harry's surprise, she walked around the table to Harry, bent down and kissed him right on the cheek. "Thanks again Harry. You're the best!" she said.
Harry felt a great sense of warmth flow through his body and he had to close his eyes to prevent himself from fainting. He opened his eyes and looked at Hermione, smiling. "I'm going to get another book," she told him and trotted off.
Harry nodded and went into a blank stare. "She kissed me. Again," Harry thought to himself, as he remembered one other time Hermione had kissed him on his cheek in their 4th year at Hogwarts. He hadn't forgotten that first kiss that she had given him. Of course, at the time, he accepted it as a friendly kiss and nothing more. Now it meant something more to him. He wished it were a kiss out of love, not out of friendship. "Why did she kiss me again? What does it really mean? Is she feeling what I'm feeling? Does she know that I'm in love with her?" he wondered.
At that point, his conscious jumped. "That's it!" a voice in his head cried, "You're in love with Hermione!" Harry himself, jumped at this thought. Although he had found himself thinking about Hermione more often, talked about asking her to the ball with Ron, and even Ron implied that Harry liked her, Harry never actually said or admitted to anyone or himself that he was in love with Hermione. After a quick smile to himself, he was shaken from his trance because he saw Hermione make her way back to the table.
"Found it!" she exclaimed slamming the book on the table. It was a very thick book and it looked very new. Harry looked on the cover. It was titled, Famous And Well-Known Seekers. "Who knows Harry," she continued, "maybe you're in here somewhere. I think you might be, it's the newest edition."
Harry chuckled, "don't strain yourself Hermione," as she immediately started turning through pages, grinning herself. "Hermione?" he asked. She looked up toward him. "What'd you think those people in the corridors were snickering about as we passed them? Do you think they were talking about us?"
"Oh!" exclaimed Hermione. Harry noticed that she turned a slight shade of pink. "That. Well…it's been going on for awhile now…but they think…"
"Yes?" asked Harry, looking very interested.
"They think that finally, after all these years…" she hesitated to answer. "…were finally a couple." She then turned slightly scarlet.
Harry's eyes widened. He didn't know whether to act happy or surprised. It made him feel good, having people think and talk about him and Hermione being a couple. It felt even better hearing it from Hermione. "Oh…well, silly them," he said casually, "we really have them guessing don't we?"
"Yeah we do! I mean they think that because…since…. were always together," added Hermione.
Harry felt a sense of joy run through his body. It felt as warm as jumping into a hot tub after a cold swim. He looked at the new book Hermione was looking at, then up at her. "Hermione?" he called again.
"Not now Harry," she protested. "I'm trying to look for-
Harry put his hand on top of hers to stop Hermione from flipping through pages. She looked up at him and again their eyes met. This time Hermione didn't look casually at Harry. She looked more concerned and more interested in what he had to say.
"Yes Harry?" she asked softly.
"I need to talk to you."
"You are talking to me."
Harry let out a smile. A real smile he hadn't let out in days. Hermione immediately saw it.
"There's the smile I know and love from Mr. Harry Potter! Feels good doesn't it?"
Harry smile widened. He nodded and continued. "I need to talk to you alone. Privately. After everyone is asleep."
Hermione didn't even seem to think. "Oh! Ok. Where and what time?" she asked.
"Half-past 10. In the Gryffindor common room."
"Ok, I'll be there," she answered without question, not having the slightest idea what Harry wanted to talk about with her that late at night. Harry, on the other hand, knew very well what he was going to say. He was going to ask her to The Yule Ball.