Chapter 14 - Christmas Morning
Harry bolted his head straight up after hearing a constant pounding on his door. Last thing he remembered was talking to Dan and looking through Secrets of Potions: Made Easy for a moment. He had gotten so out of it that he must've fallen asleep, straight through until morning. It was Christmas. He could still hear the faint music that came from the Great Hall where the Christmas Ball was but lost the sensation with the knocks at his door. Harry rubbed his eyes, straightened his glasses, and lazily walked over to the door to open it.
Hermione's face matched the color of her dress the night before and she looked to be very tired and very irritated about something. Harry didn't notice. After seeing her, he walked back to his chair and thumped his head back on his desk.
"Not going to invite me in Harry?" asked Hermione sourly. Harry picked his head slowly off of his desk.
"Since when do I have to tell you that you can come in?" said Harry, not noticing Hermione's tone.
"I dunno," she shrugged. "Maybe because I just have to keep listening to you don't I?" She walked in the room and closed the door, a bit harder than Harry was used to.
Harry didn't understand what she was talking about and picked up Dan's book once again. "It's so early Hermione."
The look on her face told him that somehow that was a wrong statement to say. Harry quickly tried to change the subject.
"How was the Ball?" he yawned. At first, Hermione didn't answer him. She wore the same expression as when Harry had opened the door. Harry, finally haven woken up almost to the extent, noticed this for the first time. Her lack of an answer told him something was definitely wrong.
"The ball was fine," said Hermione coolly. "But you don't care if it was fun to me do you?"
Harry narrowed his eyes at her. He really had no idea where this was going. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't play stupid with me Harry Potter!" spat Hermione. "I know what you've been up to."
Harry froze. Had she found out? Had she found out the one secret that he had been giving hints to for years? He had prayed that one day Hermione would figure it out, being the clever witch she was but he had never expected Hermione to be so upset at it. Deep down he knew there was some danger in her being upset, but not like this! He was beginning to feel frightened…
"Hermione…" started Harry, "I didn't mean for this to happen…"
"What's that supposed to mean!?" shouted Hermione. "You "accidentally" said those things?"
"No, I…"
Harry stopped. What was Hermione talking about? He had thought that she found out he had been crushing on her for years but by her saying that he accidentally said something, whatever that may have been, didn't fit at all. "Wait a minute. What is it exactly that I said?"
"You being ignorant on purpose?" asked Hermione in a maddeningly voice.
Harry blinked at her with an expression he hadn't given her since she was responsible for his Firebolt broomstick being taken away in third year.
"No," spat Harry. "And I don't know what the heck you're talking about Hermione."
"You said nasty things Harry!" she preached. "Ernie and I were the talk if the whole Ball! 'See! Look who Hermione Granger is with now!' and 'Harry hates him so much because he stole Hermione away from him' and 'Ernie is a no-good, rotten, pig-stealing freak and that Hermione better do the right thing and dump his sorry…'"
"What the hell are you talking about!" shouted Harry at the top of his lungs.
"People at the Ball said you…!"
"I never said any of those things!" interrupted Harry, shouting so loudly that Hermione flinched in the middle of her sentence, despite how upset she was. "I would NEVER say those things! And you should know that! You especially!"
"EVERYONE was talking about it Harry!" retorted Hermione. "How that you and I went out as friends couple of times to Hogsmeade and how you got jealous about Ernie asking me to the Ball before you could…"
"I WASN'T JEALOUS OF ERNIE!" roared Harry. Though he did feel a little guilty about saying that because it was true.
"EVERYONE was talking about it Harry!" said Hermione.
"You said that already!" slapped Harry.
"It's you against the school Harry!"
"SO WHAT!?" screamed Harry. "You're going to side with the majority of the school over 7 years of friendship with me? I don't believe you! That's very un-Hermione like!"
"Then what is Harry!? Huh!? Tell me!?"
"I just don't understand why you're so upset!"
"I just don't understand why you said those things!"
"THAT'S the thing! I DIDN'T say those things!"
There was a long and terrible silence between the both of them. Hermione, still red in the face, had vary labored breathing. Harry on the other hand was scorching with anger.
"You know what Harry," explained Hermione her tone a little softer but with the same maddening vibe. "I finally find someone I like, you don't like him, and what do you do? You call him names because of it. That's very un-Harry like to me."
She turned on her heel and marched to the door, pausing for a moment.
"Oh yeah," said Hermione coolly he back still to him, "Merry Christmas to you." With that she slammed the door behind her.
Harry sat there for a moment. Half of him frustrated and half of him confused. What the hell was going on at the Ball?
"Oh yeah," Harry retaliated, "I'll give you a Merry Christmas." He walked over to his closet to pull out and item. He knew exactly what to do with them. All four of them…
A/N: Well that's all I have for now. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soon. BTW did this chapter make sense? I mean you know how it can be when you have an idea in your head and you think you get it all out, but for some reason, I feel that I may have forgotten something or something is still confusing…