"There's a new wind blowing like I've never known
I'm breathing deeper than I've ever done
And it sure feels good to finally feel the way I do
I wanna love somebody, love somebody like you…"
__________________________________________
Over the course of the week, nothing extraordinary occurred at Three Runespoor Lane. Hermione and Ron bickered, as per usual, and Harry conveniently disappeared around these times. One Saturday, though, everything changed.
Hermione was immersed in a thick book, curled up in Harry's armchair, when the phone rang. She didn't move an inch from her perch, looking over the top of the book only to eye Harry and Ron, who were playing chess across the room. Ron was biting his lip in concentration, and after letting the phone ring a few times; Hermione lifted herself out of her chair with heavy sigh.
"I'll get it, then," she muttered on her way by the boys.
Harry flashed her a grateful smile. "Thanks."
She picked up the phone. "Hello?"
Ginny's voice was an excited squeal. "Hermione! How are you?"
Hermione paused. "What do you want?"
Harry looked up from the game and flashed her a grin. "Ginny?" he mouthed. She nodded.
"You know about that new club opening up next weekend? The one in Hogsmeade?"
Hermione already knew what Ginny was going to ask, even before she said it. "Yes…" she trailed off, dreading what was coming next.
"Well, since I have to do a review on it for the paper, I have four passes to the opening night-I was hoping that you, Harry, and Ron would be willing to join me." She waited for an answer, already knowing what Hermione's would be.
Hermione bit her lip, and raised her eyes to Harry. The look on his face was one of utmost concentration, his brow furrowed. His tongue was just barely sticking out of his mouth, and his eyes were trained on the chessboard. She cleared her throat, "Of course we'll come."
At the Burrow, Ginny's eyes grew wide. She most definitely did not expect that answer. But for fear of pressing her luck, she kept her mouth shut. "That's wonderful! Does Friday night sound good to you?"
Ron raised his fists in the air, grinning madly. "Checkmate!" he yelled, startling Hermione. She glared at Ron, and then turned her attention back to Ginny.
"Sure, that sounds fine--"
Ginny interrupted her. "And keep Thursday open, Herm, I want to take you shopping. We'll find the perfect outfit-one that will really make Harry's jaw drop. Although, on second thought, any outfit you wear would most likely make Harry's jaw drop, but we'll leave it at that. Don't forget, Thursday. Thanks, Hun! Talk to you then!"
And with that, she hung up.
Hermione's eyes were huge, and all she could do was stare at the phone in her hand, the dial tone buzzing impatiently in her ear. Harry looked over at her, curious. "What's wrong, Hermione?"
She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his concerned ones. "It's nothing. I told Ginny that we would go with her dancing Friday night-she has VIP passes."
This caught Ron's attention, "Did she say that anyone else was going?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Ron, it's opening night. Of course there'll be other people there."
"He's just concerned about whether or not there'll be any girls there," Harry laughed.
Ron stared at him, incredulous. "And you aren't?"
Then a quick look of understanding flashed across Ron's face, but it was gone before Hermione could even begin to try to comprehend it.
"Ah, never mind. Well, it should be fun. Hey, what do you guys say to dinner tonight? My treat," he offered.
Hermione still had a perplexed look on her face, wondering what Ron had meant by that. Harry surely wasn't gay, so why would he not care for girls? Then it clicked. Ah, the mystery girl who has Harry's heart in the palm of her hand, Hermione remembered, feeling slightly resentful.
"That's not it." Harry stated, staring at Hermione. His intense gaze made her heart speed up, even more than it already was. Had she said that out loud? Oh, no.
Her cheeks turned pink, and she began to stammer. "I…uh…"
He looked closely at her. "That's not all Ginny said, was it? She said something that made you nervous-and don't tell me she didn't, Herm, because I could tell by the look on your face."
That was what he meant? Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, color returning to her face.
"Oh, nothing. It was nothing. She just wanted me to go shopping with her on Thursday to give her an opinion on an outfit she was considering. That's all." She flashed him a smile. "Well, I'm going to go get ready for dinner tonight."
With that, Hermione turned and headed down the hallway, leaving Ron and Harry staring after her.
"What was that all about?" Harry murmured. He turned, a look of bewilderment on his face.
Ron hid a smile; "I don't know…I'll ask her about it later, maybe I can get it out of her with a banter or two."
Harry laughed, "I'm sure. Well, I'd best go get ready for dinner, too." He headed down the hall toward his bedroom.
Ron was left standing in the living room, shaking his head in amusement at his two friends.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione rolled over and yawned. Sleepily, she opened one eye, and then shut it quickly to block out the sun gleaming through her window, where the blinds had already been opened. She cursed under her breath and snuggled deeper into the bed. It was Thursday morning, and Hermione did not want to get up yet. But, due to one of her so lovable flatmates, there was no way she was falling back to sleep now. The day looked promising, from what Hermione could see.
She threw back the heavy comforter and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. As she stretched, she could smell something delicious from the kitchen. She padded across her bedroom, the wood floor feeling wonderfully cool against her bare feet. She followed the smell down the hall and around the corner, where she found Harry flipping pancakes expertly at the stove.
Harry looked over his shoulder and smiled when he saw her.
"Well, good morning! It's about time you woke up!" he turned back to the stove, adjusting knobs and shuffling frying pans.
Hermione yawned again as she made her way over to Harry's side, hoisting herself up to sit on the counter beside the stove. "Morning," she returned as she took a deep breath in. "That smells delicious."
He grinned, "Of course it does. I always make the best pancakes, don't I?"
She gave a sleepy laugh. "Mmm. What time is it, anyhow?"
He nodded toward the clock on the wall. Hermione's hand was pointing to, "Almost time to leave."
"I'd say that it's almost time to leave," Harry announced. He laughed as she swatted at him again.
"You're an insufferable git, Harry Potter." With that, she slid off the counter and headed toward her bedroom, his laughter following her.
She surveyed her room with a look of dismay. It was a mess. She had to clean it and be ready for Ginny in….oh, no. The electric clock on Hermione's bedside table read nine forty one, and Ginny was due at ten thirty.
She flew across the room to her closet, whipping open the door and searching the shelves frantically. Grabbing the first outfit she saw, Hermione spun around and headed straight for the bathroom.
Unceremoniously, she dropped the clothing in a pile on the floor, and shrugged out of her nightgown. While the shower was warming up, she squeezed some toothpaste onto her toothbrush, and hurriedly brushed her teeth.
Taking a shower in record time, Hermione was ready for Ginny by ten. She still had a half-hour to clean…oh, hang it, she thought. I can clean later.
She took her handbag out of the closet, and headed out to the living room to read for a bit before Ginny's arrival. Then she stopped short, slapping a hand to her forehead. She had forgotten all about the breakfast Harry had made, and quickly changed course to the kitchen. Harry was sitting at the kitchen table, munching on a piece of toast, Daily Prophet spread out in front of him.
Hermione entered the kitchen guiltily.
Harry looked up from the paper, smiling. "Finally decided to make an appearance, Ms. Granger?"
Hermione blushed a bit. "Sorry, Harry, I completely forgot…I got a little carried away in the shower."
Harry raised one eyebrow, a questioning look on his face. "Excuse me?"
Hermione looked up from the counter, where she was spooning hash onto her plate. "What? Oh! Oh, no, I meant…" She blushed. "Oh, dear. No, I meant I got carried away…oh, there's no way to explain this, is there?"
Harry grinned, and shook his head. "Caught red-handed."
Hermione took her place opposite him, giving him an indignant look. "I did not…I did not, er…I didn't do what you're thinking I did! You and Ron, permanent residents of the gutter."
He merely laughed, and flipped the page of his newspaper. Hermione shook her head in an exasperated sigh.
"I'm just kidding with you, Herm."
She gave him a small smile. "I know. I'm just stressed out because usually I'm very on top of things…and I'm very behind schedule today. I was supposed to clean my bedroom before I left, and I clearly am not going to be able to get to that today. And on top of all that, Ginny's dragging me along to some bloody dress stores…I'm not going to end up buying anything, so I don't see the point in today's activities--"
Harry watched her ramble on, amused. "Don't worry about your room, Herm. Take a minute to catch your breath."
She stopped, and blinked. Then she took a deep breath. "Ginny knows I'm not the type to get all dolled up to go out dancing, so why is she insisting that I do?"
Harry set down the newspaper, carefully folding it. "You were the one who agreed to go dancing, no?"
Hermione grimaced at the memory, and nodded. "Yes…unfortunately."
"Well, since you did agree to it, you can't back out now. Maybe you'll have fun! Have a nice day out with Ginny, shopping and doing things girls do…" Harry laughed, ducking to avoid a smack from Hermione.
"You are cruising today, Harry Potter," Hermione warned, lowering herself back into her seat and reaching for her fork. He merely laughed again, and pushed the newspaper aside. It was quiet for a few minutes; Hermione was eating, and unbeknownst to her, Harry was watching.
Finally, Hermione sensed his gaze, and looked up, stopping in mid-chew. She raised an eyebrow, and swallowed. "Is there something on my face, Harry?"
This startled Harry out of his reverie, and he shook his head. "No."
"Okay, then," Hermione shrugged and continued to eat, but this time she held Harry's gaze. Ten seconds went by, and neither cracked a smile. Hermione carefully set down her fork and leaned forward, making sure not to laugh. Harry cleared his throat, but he, too, didn't smile.
And this is how Ron found them, ten minutes later, fresh from the shower. Hermione with her breakfast pushed aside and forgotten, the newspaper laying open to Harry's right. They were talking in low tones, but were careful not to break eye contact or to crack a smile.
"You know what I heard the other day? Dean Thomas told me. Apparently, Snape was caught in a…compromising position with Trelawney, just last week,"
Hermione didn't even look impressed. "Oh, yeah? Well, the other day while you were out, a group of fangirls came by scantily clad in just rainboots and short slickers. Nothing underneath them either, most likely. They asked to see you, but I told them that we were busy in the bedroom right now, and could they come back another time? They decided not to."
Harry's eyes widened, and he appeared to be trying to hold back a snort, but he didn't laugh. Ron, on the other hand, choked. He was trying to figure out if perhaps some girls in just raincoats did come by, or if that part was a lie, too.
"At least now I know what took you so long. Why don't we turn the attention to you? How was your shower this morning? Steamy, certainly, judging from the sounds I heard coming from your bathroom..." Harry leaned forward, wondering what she would say to that.
Hermione bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing out loud. She was racking her brain trying to think of something to make Harry laugh, and could not think of anything for the life of her. He was just too good at this game-he never laughed at anything. She leaned forward on the table, her face now just a few inches away from his.
"Oh, it was good, all right. Almost as fun as that time you let me ride your broomstick. Let me tell you, that was fun. Strangely satisfying, too."
Ron's eyes widened, and he looked back and forth between his two friends, who were moving, slowly closer to each other. Surely she couldn't mean…no, they wouldn't have shagged and not told him. No, this was just part of the game. He hoped.
Harry was now only a few inches from Hermione's face, and still neither of them had even offered a small smile. "Maybe you can have another go sometime. We'll have to try out the Broomstick Servicing Kit, as well."
A knock sounded at the front door. Hermione reached for her purse and gave Harry a sweet smile. She got up, and just before leaving the kitchen, she turned around. "You win."
Harry was still sitting there with somewhat of a dazed look on his face, and Ron was trying his best not to laugh. He heard Ginny's voice, then the front door shut once more. He poked his head into the living room to make sure that they were gone, and then slid into Hermione's vacated spot.
He waved a hand in front of Harry's face. "Well, that was interesting."
Harry sat back in his chair. "No different from every other time we play."
Ron nodded. "Exactly. And when are you planning on telling her that you would not, in fact, mind all too much if she were to have a go on your broomstick?"
Harry choked, his face rapidly turning red. "Excuse me? I think you are mistaken, Ron. Hermione and I are only friends."
Ron nodded, and got up to leave the room. "Keep telling yourself that, mate. Just remember to keep that in mind Friday night, at the club. No dancing with her-you're only friends."
Harry was still blushing, but gave Ron an indignant look. "You can dance with friends."
Ron smirked, "Not in the way you want to."
He turned and left the room. Harry remained seated, wondering how Ron had picked up on the fact so easily.
______________________________________________________
"Love Somebody Like You" song lyrics belong to Keith Urban, "Unsinkable Ships" belongs to Kenny Chesney, Harry Potter and Co. belong to J.K. Rowling.
I'd like to thank Julia, my beta, for all her help, and all the people who reviewed. You're too kind! :)