Summer Writing Series Challenge (June 10)
Challenge: A late-night talk at the Burrow
Title: Miss Interpretation
Word Count: 1,000
"Harry, I told you to LEAVE ME ALONE!" Hermione hissed angrily as she pushed past him into the Weasley's kitchen.
Harry watched her stomp to the cooler in frustration and ran his fingers through his hair. "Hermione, could you keep it down?!" Harry hissed as he followed her to the table. "We don't need to wake the entire house!"
"That wouldn't happen if you'd just GO, Harry! LEAVE ME ALONE!" She looked at him dangerously then grumbled in frustration when she spilled milk across the table. "ARGH! Do you see what you've made me do?!" She snapped as she lopped up the spill with a towel.
"Will you calm down and tell me why you're so mad at me?" Harry pleaded with her. "You haven't spoken to me since before Christmas break and I have no idea why!"
"Why don't you sit there and THINK about it for a while!" She snapped and flung the milk from her glass at him. She watched in horror as his eyes went wide and he tried to duck the glass that had been in her hand. The spilled milk made it slippery and instead of splashing him with milk he was clutching a bleeding lump on his head.
"ARGH!" He hissed and doubled over with his head clutched in his hands as a strawberry-like swirl puddled on the floor. "Hermione, have you gone mad?!" He growled through clenched teeth.
"Harry, I'm so sorry." She said quickly and pulled him to a nearby chair. "I didn't mean to throw the glass, I'm so, so sorry ..."
"Just ... ARGH ... get away, Hermione!" He spat as he grabbed the towel she used earlier and pressed it against his fresh cut. "I just wanted to know why the ruddy hell you weren't talking to me and you had to go spare on me!"
"You don't get it, do you?!" She said angrily and yanked the towel away from him. He yelped and looked at her fiercely, causing her to step slightly back from him. With a renewed sense of purpose she ran the towel under the water in the sink and stalked back to him.
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?!" He growled angrily as she dabbed at the lump she'd caused.
"If you hadn't noticed, Harry, I'm trying to help you, now sit still!" She growled in return.
"You know, I still can't figure out what's gotten you so angry." He said a bit more calmly as he winced. "I thought we had a great time at the dance ..."
"I thought so too." She said indifferently. "But I was wrong."
"What?!" He asked incredulously. He grabbed her hand, forced her to stop dabbing at his head, and successfully forced her to sit down. She looked away adamantly, however, and refused to answer his question.
"Hermione ..." He said quietly. "Did I do something wrong? I was with you the whole ..." He stopped as an epiphany trampled through his head like a heard of Horntails. "G-Ginny ..." He whispered.
Hermione snapped her head around and glared at him. "Figured it out, did you?!" She spat at him in disgust. "Did you enjoy it? Did you have fun twirling me around to make her jealous?!" Angry tears were streaming down her cheeks as her temper boiled over again. With one motion she was out of her seat and Harry found a wet towel smashing into his face.
"Hermione, wait, you've got it all wrong." Harry stammered as he reached for her. He stood and suddenly felt dizzy. He took an awkward step forward, wobbled to the side and his eyes went wide. Hermione turned to yank her hand from his and caught him before he fell.
"Sit back down." She said coldly. "You might have a concussion. I'm going to get Mrs. Weasley. She can heal that for you."
With Hermione's support, Harry was able to finally take hold of her and did the only thing he could think of: he kissed her full on the lips. Hermione's eyes went wide before she pulled away and brought a hand up to slap him. He caught it easily and looked into her eyes.
"Hermione, I didn't kiss her, she kissed me when I told her we weren't dating." He said evenly. Harry had gotten too frustrated with her attitude towards him and angrily pushed her away. He turned to find his chair but the room swam around his head and he found himself on all fours vomiting violently.
"Harry?" Hermione knelt by his side and wiped his mouth with the discarded towel.
"You've done enough, Hermione." Harry said pitifully, reeling from the lingering aftereffects. "Gin ... Ginny kissed me and I turned her down. I was waiting for you in the common room when she surprised me." He looked up and frowned at his best friend and her twin and rubbed his eyes.
"You were waiting for me?" She whispered quietly.
Harry nodded and quickly regretted the act. "I wanted to kiss you but you never came back." He said sadly. "I thought ... I wanted ..." He lilted to the side and felt Hermione's arms around him.
"I'm going to get Mrs. Weasley." She said quietly. "We can talk afterwards." She didn't wait for his response and an hour later, he was lying on the couch with a pack of ice on his head. Molly didn't ask any questions, which was strange for her, and she left the two of them alone after she made sure Harry was doing better.
"I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions ..." Hermione whispered beside him.
Harry sighed. "It's ok, really." He looked over to her and cupped her cheek with his hand. "I'm sorry ..." He couldn't finish the question with Hermione's lips pressed to his and she pulled away just as quickly as she'd started. "Hermione ..."
"You don't need to apologize, Harry." She said quietly. "We'll finish that kiss after you're feeling better."