Unofficial Portkey Archive

Summer Writing Series Challenge
Challenge: Someone is tired of watching Harry and Hermione tiptoe around their relationship, and slips them Veritaserum.

Title: Backfire.

Harry Potter awoke not prepared in the slightest for what was about to happen to him that day. The sun was blazing and by the time the afternoon had come, he and Ron decided that it was far too beautiful to be indoors studying so they had opted to take an afternoon off. Hermione didn't need much convincing as she didn't particularly have a choice; Ron and Harry picked her up and carried her out of the castle all the way down to the lake while she protested and squirmed.

When they reached the lake they were not particularly surprised to see a horde of student lounging around in the sun and enjoying themselves. They found a large number of their friends from several houses shading under trees and running in and out of the water, as they approached Dean Thomas and Ernie McMillan were trying in vain to thrown Ginny Weasley into the lake, something Ron felt he should partake in. As Ron went off to intervene in his sister's watery end, Hermione sat with her back to a tree and took out a book she had smuggled out with her. Harry smiled down at Hermione thinking it was cute how she couldn't go without reading, he however decided he needed to catch some sun; he took of his shirt and lay down in the rays, his head resting up against Hermione's legs, much to her pleasure.

***

As the afternoon progressed, the sun became hotter and the laughter became louder, Harry was enjoying the feeling of Hermione's hand brushing though his hair, he assumed that she was doing this without realising it and so pretended to be sleeping.

***

"There he is, ladies, our sun-glistened, shirtless god of a target." Cho Chang stood at the top of the slope down to the lake with her cronies.

"Are you sure this is going to work Cho?" one of her friends asked her, "how do you know he will even want to drink that?"

"Because Harry loves pumpkin juice, it's a well known fact; he won't be able to resist on a day like this," she said with an evil smile. `After he drinks this, he can finally admit the way he feels about me and life will be great.' They made there way down to where the groups of teens were seated.

"Hey, guys!" Cho said loudly, forcing Harry out of his fake sleep with a start, Hermione whipped her hand away as he had predicted she would. He sat up, spying the pumpkin juice in Cho's hand; he adjusted his glasses and smiled up at her.

"Cho?" he asked with a large smile. She faked being unhappy about it but handed him the bottle. Harry took a large swig and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before he stiffened. Cho looked on smiling.

"What's going on?" Ron asked noticing Harry's new condition as many of the others had. Cho ignored him and began the task she set out to do.

"Harry? Can you hear me?" He nodded. "What's my name?"

"Cho Chang," he answered in his stiffened, comatose state. Cho merely smiled.

"Where are you?"

"The lake, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland."

Everybody looked on, intrigued by what Cho was up to. Hermione looked anxious, but small smiles crept over the faces of certain Weasley members as they predicted what was about to happen.

"What's you favourite lesson?"

"Defence."

"What's you favourite sport?"

"Quidditch."

"Who do believe to be the best Quidditch player at Hogwarts?"

"Ginny Weasley." Everybody rounded on Ginny as she became increasingly red. Cho didn't seem satisfied with this answer.

"Besides yourself who is the best seeker?"

"Draco Malfoy." There were a few gasps, but this only seemed to irritate Cho more as the crowd grew bigger to see Harry's confessions. Cho narrowed her eyes at Harry, determined to get what she wanted from him.

"Harry who do you love?"

"Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black (more gasps), Remus Lupin, Hagrid, and Hermione Granger" Cho became more and more irritated and asked the question she had set out to have answered.

"Who do you think is the prettiest witch is school?" There was a brief pause as if Harry was trying desperately to fight this, but it was no use.

"Hermione Granger."

Hermione eyes widened an everybody turned towards her, she reached for her wand pointing it directly at Cho.

"What the hell did you put in there?" she asked with a mad glint in her eyes.

"It's Veritaserum, Granger," Cho spat back at her furiously.

"Then why is he saying…?"

"Hermione, you really are stupid," Ginny cut in before asking Harry a question of her own, "Harry who is the most snoggable person at Hogwarts?"

"Hermione Granger."

Hermione looked on shock imminent on her face. Ginny smiled, willing Hermione to understand, nothing. This is where Ron decided he should get this over with.

"Harry, who do you love more than anyone in this world and trust most with your life? Who would you do absolutely anything to protect?"

"Hermione Granger."

As this last answer came out, Harry snapped out of his daze; his eyes became wide with realisation and darted from person to person. He grabbed his shirt stood up and started a quick pace back up to the castle, everyone except Cho looked at Hermione expectantly.

She snapped out of her bewilderment and went running after him.

"Oy! Will you wait?' she pleaded as she caught up with him.

"I've never been so embarrassed in my life," he said pulling his shirt over his head. "I'm so pathetic." Hermione stopped him and pulled his shirt down so she could see his face.

"Yes you are," she said sternly. "And so am I," she added as Harry looked crushed. "We've both been ignoring what was in front of us this whole time."

"You mean…?"

"Yeah, I mean," Hermione said with a large and beautiful smile.

Harry had never been so happy that Cho Chang was a noisy, interfering temptress in all his life.

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