Title: Affectionless
Author: LilPrincess48
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own Daniel Radcliffe. i do not own Draco Malfoy. I do not own Tom Felton. I do not own the Weasley twins, either. Must you constantly remind me of my inner turmoil???
Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait and, gosh, thanks for the reviews. I love you guys! ^___^ I'm down with a fever right now so before I'm gone for another long period of time, here's the next chapter. And, oh yes, I stayed up all night reading the fifth book. At least now I know what I missed. Ron and Loony Lovegood? Eh, why not. Right, then, here we go.
Date Begun: June 16, 2004
Date Posted: June 16, 2004
Chapter 2: Now Where Did THAT Come From?
Hermione was quite, quite convinced that Harry Potter simply had to be some sort of hellish demon in disguise.
The trio was sitting in Herbology and Hermione was, for once, not paying the slightest bit of attention to the lesson. Her attention was much more focused on the fact that Harry was flirting up a storm with some Ravenclaw girl. The sight made her blood boil for reasons she wasn't really sure off. What, she wasn't good enough for him?
"Hermione... Er... I don't think it'd do us very good in the long run for you to burn a hole into the back of Harry's head..." Ron interjected carefully, knowing from firsthand experience just how horrible Hermione's temper could get. She cast him a glare, then sulked in her seat. "What is the matter, anyway?"
"Harry. He's... And... Like some kind of... I feel so..." Hermione ran her fingers through her hair. "What are we supposed to be doing right now?"
"Mione," Hermione looked up to see Harry raising an amused eyebrow at her. "Weren't you paying attention?"
"Well... No..." There was a collective gasp from Harry and Ron which caused Hermione to flush and shout "Shut up!" before falling silent again.
"I never thought I'd see the day..." Ron muttered.
"What's got our Mione so riled up that she can't pay attention to a few plants and things?" Hermione scowled. She couldn't very well say, "Oh, Harry, you see I wasn't paying attention because I was overcome by this utterly bizarre wave of jealousy when I saw you flirting with that girl." She could just imagine how well that would go. Before she could think up a good excuse, Harry and Ron had switched seats and Harry was now sitting beside her. She noted with displeasure that he was keeping a reasonable distance away. "Oh, come on, you can tell me."
"I can't."
"We're best friends aren't we?" Hermione raised her gaze to him in time to see him fix her with a hurt puppy look and she immediately felt guilty. Damn him for having that effect on her!
"Of course we are, Harry." She hastily reassured him. "It's just that I--"
"She's madly in love with you and wants to give up the bet already." Ron interjected, getting a cross glare from Hermione. "Or not."
Harry grinned. "Well, if that's all that's worrying you--"
"It is not. I wasn't even thinking of that at all! Sometimes I swear you two can be so--"
"Miss Granger, please return to the assignment and stop conversing with Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley." The three in question flushed a bright red and went back to their work, though neither of the boys missed the glare Hermione shot them next. They were scared. The glare distinctly held something vindictive about it... And no student in Hogwarts knew more curses than Hermione...
*
He knew she was watching him. And she knew he knew. And he knew she knew that he knew. And she knew that he knew that she knew that... Harry shook his head before his thoughts confused him any more than they already had. Either way, he felt Hermione's eyes on him as he stuffed his third piece of pumpkin pie into his mouth and raised an eyebrow in false interest at whatever Ron was hammering on about and fought the urge to smirk.
As arrogant as it sounded, Harry knew that Hermione couldn't make it the full week. He knew it. It was merely her stubborn and rebellious nature that had made her take up the bet in the first place. It would only be a matter of time before she gave up... And then Harry could make his move... Maybe even finally admit the secret he'd been keeping ever since they were in 5th Year.
"Harry. Harry! Are you listening to me?" Ron shouted, bring Harry out of his thought process. The Boy Who Lived blinked.
"Er... Yes?"
"Right. So what was I talking about?"
"Er... How Snape is a bloody git who gave us way too much homework and should have his greasy hair washed out and his nose shortened a couple inches?"
Ron fumed. "Lucky guess."
Harry grinned, his gaze traveling across the table to Hermione, who was now chatting animatedly to the just-arrived-at-the-table Ginny. She looked flushed and out of breath and her hair and clothes were disheveled. She also had a familiar glint in her eye...
Somebody'd been having a grand old time in the broom closet with Malfoy again. Harry mentally crossed his fingers and hoped that Ron didn't find them there one day. He'd either be out of a best friend or out of a rival.
Hm... The latter wouldn't be so bad...
"HARRY!" Ron shouted again, causing Harry to jump and choke on his pumpkin pie. When he finally got it dislodged from his thought (And floating interestingly in Neville Longbottom's goblet of pumpkin juice), he raised an eyebrow at Ron, who looked sheepish, but firm none-the-less. "Would it kill you to listen to me?"
"Actually, considering your judgment skills, Ron, it might someday." George said, plopping down on one side of Harry as Fred plopped down on the other. Well... He thought it was George. It might have been Fred who spoke and George who plopped. Harry really couldn't be sure.
"Ha, ha, George." Ron said unhumorously. Fred grinned.
"Aw, did we make Ickle Ronnikins upset?"
"Shut up, Fred."
"Now, Ronnikins, don't take that tone with us." George said, grinning widely. "Anyway, hullo Harry. Heard all about that bet you made with Hermione. How's that going so far?"
"Perfectly well." Hermione interjected. Harry raised an eyebrow at her, wondering how long she'd been listening. "Harry and I haven't touched all day."
"And the withdrawal is killing you." Parvati inputted, earning a snicker from Lavender.
"Maybe you should keep your mouth shut and stay out of other people's business." Hermione said coolly. "I daresay you've done enough meddling to last a lifetime, the both of you."
Harry watched with mild interest as Parvati and Lavender flushed an interesting shade of red before advancing on Hermione in a fit of screaming and arguments which she threw right back at them, equally as enraged. Harry wondered if he should be insulted. Was there something so wrong with being widely known as his girlfriend--?
"Hey, Lavender." He said, drawing her out of the argument briefly. "In your article, there was something about an Official Harry Potter Fan Club..." He flushed bright red just thinking about it. It was bad enough that he was in every newspaper, magazine, or tabloid every two months or so, but now he had a fan club? And how had they gotten official?
"Oh yes." She said dreamily. "I've been to some of their meetings. They do have quite a collection of your things, you know. A few of your shoes--"
"Er..."
"A lock or two or three of your hair--"
"My..."
"Some discarded robes, a half-eaten piece of toast--"
"Half-eaten, you say?" Fred asked, joining the conversation. Lavender nodded.
"They've also got an assortment of Every Flavor Beans that you spat out and, interestingly enough, a pair of your boxers with golden snitches all over them--"
Harry gulped down what he had been eating and stood. Hermione looked at him. "Harry, where are you going?"
"I'm going to go hide under the bed in the dormitory. Come back for me when you're forty and everybody's long since forgotten who I am. Goodbye." Hermione and Ron raised an eyebrow as he swept briskly out of the Great Hall, casting nervous looks over his shoulder.
"What was that about?" Hermione asked.
Lavender shrugged, looking innocent while Fred burst into a fit of laughter. "I haven't a clue.
*
Day 1
So far it's been easy. Harry thinks I need his affection. Ha! He thinks I'm some kind of dependent little hormonal teenage girl, does he? Ha! Thinks I'm a member of his fan club does he? Ha!
Okay, maybe not so ha.
I really have no clue why I'm even writing this. I'm just going to burn this parchment afterwards. Just to keep myself preoccupied I guess. I've already read this chapter of Fantastic Beats and Where To Find Them seventeen times already.
I must admit, I had quite a bit of a problem when we all took a seat for dinner. i couldn't take my eyes off him. It was like they were stuck watching how each individual strand of hair on his head had a mind of his own, how smooth his skin looked and how much smoother it must be to touch, the curve of his neck, the--
Merlin's beard, I need help!
*
"Have you ever thought about snogging him?" Ginny asked off-handedly when Hermione finished recounting her thoughts at dinner. Hermione looked shocked, her cheeks flaming.
"I-I... I mean... that is to say... Er..."
"Because," Ginny carried on briskly. "When I first started to fancy Draco, I'd always stare at him and wonder what it'd be like to grab him and pull him down for a snog."
"And you have no problem doing so now, do you?" Ginny smirked, but Hermione pressed on in a business-like manner. "But I'm not in love with my best friend. I'm merely going through the typical teenage hormonal stage where I find anything remotely attractive to be the sexiest thing ever."
"Harry is not just any thing." Ginny said grinning. "And as a member of the Official Harry Potter Fan Club -- And the one who supplied them with the golden switch tighty-wightys -- I should hex you for that."
"Ginny, I need some help. I've got to make it through this week. I have to prove that I can. Harry and I are not a couple and--"
"Why are you so violently opposed to the idea, anyway? I, for one and if I didn't have Draco, would be overjoyed that everybody thought Harry and I were dating."
"I don't know what you see in him, anyway." Hermione said, changing the subject. "I mean, really, it's Draco Malfoy."
"If you'd've ever snogged him, you'd know." Ginny said dreamily. "And, besides, that bad-boy act is just a mask he puts on."
"Hiding a dirty, lowlife of a person, right?" Both girls snapped their heads towards the door for the source of the mysterious, yet familiar voice, and seeing no one, Hermione whipped out her wand.
"Accio Invisibility Cloak." Said cloak immediately flew into her hand, revealing a sheepish looking Harry. "How long have you been there?"
"Just got here, actually. In time to here you mention Malfoy and that's about it." Hermione hoped he was telling the truth.
"What are you doing in here, anyway, Harry? This is the Head Girl's bedroom. Which, as we all know, if Hermione." Ginny said, an air of pride to her tone. Hermione flushed.
"Yeah, and I'm Head Boy in case you've forgotten. But that's not why I'm here. I'm hiding."
"From what?" Hermione asked as he sat down next to her.
"From--" He suddenly grabbed the invisibility cloak out of her hands and wrapped himself in it, disappearing from view. The dip in the bed where he'd been disappeared a swell. Suddenly, two fifth year Gryffindor girls came racing him, panting.
"Have you seen... Harry Potter come this way..." One breathed.
"We just asked him... For another pair of boxers because we lost the first pair... And he took off..." Hermione felt a pang of jealous before amusement overcame it and she smiled. Exchanging glances with Ginny, she grinned and relied,
"Haven't seen him."
"Nope. Not all day."
"We might know where he's hidden though."
"I think he said something about--"
"Hiding out in--"
"The girl's lavatory."
"Mmhmm."
The girl's exchanged glances and Hermione felt a sharp whap on the back of her head, but ignored it, reveling in the look of utter confusion on the girl's faces.
"Why... Why's he...?"
"He hated looking at urinals all the time so he started going into the girls' bathroom instead of the boys'." Hermione explained, ignoring the second whap. The girls, looking very, very confused, turned and headed down the stairs and once they were completely out of earshot, Hermione was picked up from behind and found herself under the Invisibility Cloak with an annoyed Harry mere inches before her.
"That was a low blow, Granger." He rattled off coolly. Hermione grinned.
"Hey, we covered for you didn't we?"
"Tsk. Snogging while invisible. Losing the bet already, Herm?" Hermione immediately sprang out from under the clock, her face bright red, but set in determination.
"That was all Harry. He pulled me under. You're not supposed to try and be affectionate!" Harry became visible, holding the Invisibility Cloak in his hand and grinning.
"It was worth a shot. I just love how you feel in my arms, Mione." Hermione flushed another deep scarlet and Harry, as if he hadn't just said such a... A... Statement... Turned to Ginny and grinned.
"See you tomorrow, Ginny. Without Malfoy I hope." Ginny rolled her eyes, but waved as Harry once again disappeared from view and waited for his footsteps to fade away down the stairs. Then she squealed. Loudly.
"Oh Hermione, did you hear that! 'I love the way you feel in my arms'... Hermione? Hermione?" The older girl seemed not to have heard her. She merely continued staring distantly off into space, a smile grazing her lips and the beginnings of another blush staining her cheeks.