Trinket Kisses
Each time our lips touch, you'll die a little death.
Paradise Kiss
Ron needed to be smacked upside the head, Hermione Granger thought angrily. Better yet, he needed to be hung by his blasted balls. She let out a frustrated sigh and flung herself onto her bed. Thank Merlin for having private rooms as Head Girl. Otherwise she would have had to deal with the giggling escapades of Pavarti and Lavender. Granted, she wouldn't be responsible for her actions if either of two nitwits approached her. It really didn't help that Lavender was convinced that she and Ron were meant for each other, when Ron and Luna seemed be quite happy together.
"Bloody hell," she muttered, rolling onto her stomach. She leaned over the edge of her bed and grabbed her discarded sweatpants and an old shirt of her dad's. Comfort clothes, she thought with a sigh. You couldn't live without them.
Slipping her shirt over her head, her thoughts began to drift towards the events that had occurred earlier today. Ron had been teasing her about 'the thing', as all those close to her fondly referred to the cause of today's events, and how silly she was being about the necklace she wore around her neck. Ron claimed it was just a stupid trinket anyway. And with the mouth that Ron had and Lavender always lurking nearby, the entire story about how exactly she had come into possession of the trinket around her neck was all over the Gryffindor table in a matter of seconds.
That was only the beginning.
Ravenclaw knew her little secret as soon as little Patti Harkinson opened her mouth and expanded her vocal cords as any eager first year did when they were desperate to please.
Hufflepuff knew when Padma Patil, every bit of a gossip queen as her sister, told Hannah Abbott with a yell across the room.
And that's when Slytherin found out.
It sure as hell didn't help when Pansy Parkinson told Blaise Zabini, who ended up telling Draco Malfoy who just happened to be bloody Head Boy.
So to sum up the day in just a few jumbled words.
Horrid and crappy seemed to do no justice to what she was feeling right now.
Oh, how she wanted to feed Ron to the giant squid.
Then again, it really was Harry's fault.
She never really fancied herself one of those girls. The ones with the awful high-pitched voice and with giggles that would drive any insane man further into madness. Dear god, they were even worse that her former roommates, and that was saying a lot. Those girls could possibly have enough of them to form a bloody army. She shivered. Goddamn Harry Potter fangirls.
She was still waiting for the day when the merchandise started to come out.
Leaning back, she pulled off the necklace that had started the entire day's events and held it between her fingers. The denial had started back in third year, she mused with a fond smile. Back when it was okay for girls to crush on guys and guys to be shameless idiots. Harry and her had been very close that year, practically depending on each other for a lot of things. The Firebolt incident nearly ripped her heart to pieces, she remembered. But it had brought a sense of loyalty between them, he knew that she would rather place herself in harm's way rather than letting him suffer alone. Fourth year was an odd year. That year the morons know as her best friends had made a startling discovery.
She was a girl.
And not be vain or anything, but a rather pretty one at that.
Then there was that ridiculous crush on Cho Chang, which she had forgotten until fifth year. Her mind had been occupied with Harry and how he was coping with Cedric's death. She had never told him before, but atop her dresser at home was a box of letter that she had written him and never sent because she was too afraid and the safety precautions that Dumbledore had forced them to take.
But it was fifth year when she fell completely and utterly in love with Harry.
She supposed it was inevitable that she'd finally venture down that path or perhaps she could have possibly already been there. But it was fifth year where she finally admitter to herself and very reluctantly to Ron, that yes she was in fact in love with her best friend.
And again, it was entirely his fault.
It was the night before they had left on the train home and she had been coming back to the Common Room after being in the library after quite sometime. He had been waiting for her, she recalled. She remembered stopping in shock at him leaning against the wall, arms crossed and his brilliant green eyes watching her every step. It seemed as if he wanted to tell her something. In fact, it seemed as if he had been ready to burst.
But he was upset.
He had been upset because he had forgotten her birthday.
It had been a rather ridiculous argument they shared. He was upset that she hadn't said anything and she had gotten upset because she didn't want to mention anything to him with the pressures of Voldemort and finally Sirius' death. He had been completely occupied and her natural reaction had been not to bother him.
It had been stupid until he had tossed something at her.
Her first reaction was initially thing that Harry was a big prat and that what on earth had possessed him to throw a box at her. But then she realized what it had been. Years ago, when she had been a child, her grandmother had given her an old Chinese coin on a chain as a present. Her mother had thought that the trinket necklace was ridiculous but she had loved it all the same. Her grandmother told her that it would bring her luck and good fortune, but moreover it was the one thing that she had left of her grandmother once she had passed away.
So then came the troll incident during first year, where among the rubble she had lost her precious necklace. She had been devastated and said nothing to her parents when they had inquired about its whereabouts. In fact, Harry had been the only one who knew what had happened to it.
But that night, before they had left for the summer, everything had changed between them. Although six year and the defeat of Voldemort were almost a blur, Harry and her were closer than ever but at the same time they were even more distant than ever before.
It made her sad.
And now, she had to deal with the embarrassing escapades of Ron and the twit of her former roommate had put her through.
"You weren't at the Quidditch match."
Hermione flew up from her position on her bed, her eyes wide and startled. Harry Potter stood, leaning against the doorframe and watching her intensely with those unnerving eyes of his.
She licked her lips nervously. "I was planning on napping."
He snorted. "You've only missed two matches in all your years here and that was because you were in the Hospital Wind. Don't lie. You're terrible at it."
"Well, then. Excuse me. What on earth are you doing her, then?"
He walked towards the bed, discarding his Quidditch robes on the floor and dressed only in pants and a white t-shirt. His wild hair was askew and fell into his eyes. She held her breath.
"You weren't at the Quidditch match," he repeated.
Her grip tightened around her necklace. "I fail to see your point."
"You've also been avoiding me all day," he continued, ignoring her comment. She rolled her eyes, shifting so he couldn't see what she held in her hand. If he was going to be a git, so be it. She could use a good fight.
"Again, I fail to see your point. And you're being an arrogant prat. Go away, I'm sleepy and I have Advanced Arithmancy tomorrow."
"No."
She growled as he sat down, the bed sinking lower with the shift in weight. Her hair tumbled down her shoulders and her eyes were burning with fire. He was pushing it.
"Go away, Harry."
He shook his head, leaning closer. "No can do."
"I don't want to fight today," she hissed as she watched his lips curve into a smile. Harry was slowly entering number one on her hit list. It was now looking like the giant squid would get a full course meal.
"What's in your hand?"
"Absolutely nothing," she replied. "Go away."
"Uh-uh. I want to see what's your hand."
"Go a-"
His hands flew and attacked the sides of her stomach and soon, she found herself laughing as he tickled her mercilessly. She squirmed to try to get out of his grasp, but he was a hell of a lot stronger than he was ages ago. His large hand reached up and pried her fingers open, her coin necklace falling with a soft plunk onto the pillow beside her head.
"So this is what everything's about," he whispered in awe, his body leaning over and covering her smaller frame. "I can't believe it."
She refused to meet his gaze, only slowly becoming more aware of his body on top of hers. A faint blush began to creep into her cheeks.
"You were at lunch," she spoke quietly.
"I wanted to see… I wanted to see for myself."
His fingers danced over the softness of her cheeks, forcing her to meet his eyes. God, she loved his eyes. He took the necklace out of her hands and reached back to tie it.
"I'm going to kiss you right now," he whispered. "And everywhere else I damn well please. We'll give Lavender and Pavarti something to talk about."
Slowly her lips curved into a brilliant smile as his descended upon her own.
Ron be damned.
The giant squid could wait.
Finished.
I hate exams. I don't want put spankin' new stuff until after exams are over. So more procrastination. More spring-cleaning. Review, por favor.