Playing Pretend

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Summary: Hermione is playing her cheating boyfriend at his own game and is using Harry as bait. But playing pretend causes Hermione to take a closer look at her reality.

Author's Note: I was bored and decided to post another ficlet. I have lots of these one-shots and many more I'm working on, so I never run short of stuff to post! Thanks to all of you who reviewed Let Me Love You - You're all awesome and all the wonderful reviews mean so much to me! The only other thing I have to say is that they are in their 7^th year at Hogwarts and Kian is in Ravenclaw. Also, I wrote this one before L.M.L.Y, so they aren't related at all. Please enjoy and review!

Twisted*Anjel

P.S. Hermione might seem a bit OOC but she fits the plot.

::: Playing Pretend :::

A fuming Hermione skidded around a corner and continued to march along the long, dim lit hallway, her pretty face set in a scowl. She balled her fists at her sides, tightening her grip until she felt her nails bite into her skin. She didn't care that her palms started to ache or that her breathing was coming out in loud puffs or that students and professors alike watched as she rushed by, surprise written all over their faces.

"I hate him! I hate him! I hate him!" she kept screaming silently, over and over again. She didn't think her heart could have broken twice. But it did. And it hurt more than she wanted to admit and more than she would ever say.

She came to a halt in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Bubblegum!" she almost screamed, startling the poor lady out of her happy slumber.

"Oh my! What is your problem, young lady? I ..." she trailed off as she saw who she was scolding. "Miss Granger?" she said, looking at the young witch with a startled expression.

"Just let me in, will you?" Hermione snapped through clenched teeth.

"Well, I ... Never ... What ..." the Fat Lady stammered but opened the portrait nonetheless.

Hermione rushed through, not about to answer the Fat Lady's unasked questions. It was none of her business or any one else's for that matter.

She didn't stop in the middle of the Common Room to look for her two best friends; she just marched right through groups of students who chatted happily about their day to their friends, causing the sudden breeze to surprise them. But they became even more surprised when they saw who was pushing past them so violently. Hermione heard the murmur of rumors begin as she jogged up the spiral staircase to her own private dorm. Let them think what they want.

She slammed her door shut, breathing air through her teeth. She was seething and she needed to get her anger out on something that couldn't feel anything before real humans started to come up and bother her. She fell on her bed, face down, and buried her face in her pillow, letting out a quiet scream. She wouldn't cry. She had vowed, ever since she started dating, that she wouldn't cry over a guy and she wasn't about to start now; especially over a slimy git like Kian.

A light knock sounded across her room, then, "Hermione?"

She didn't answer but heard the door creak open anyway.

"Hermione, are you okay?"

Harry. Well, at least him and not Ron. He was horrible at mending an emotional situation.

He sat on the edge of the bed, making the mattress creak with his weight. She felt his hand slide over her back in comfort and she instantly felt better. If only a little.

"Want to talk?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, lifting her head to look at him. She saw the surprise in his face when he saw that she was dry-eyed. "Must girls always cry over guys? You don't see guys crying over girls," she answered before he could say anything.

Harry smiled. "I know. I just thought ... well, it doesn't matter what I thought. Now, what happened?"

Hermione sat cross-legged on the bed, turning to face him when Harry did the same. "The slimy git has been cheating on me!" she told Harry, her words coming out in a strangled cry.

"Kian?"

Hermione gave him an 'are-you-stupid-or-what' look. "No, Ron. Of course, Kian!"

"Right. Sorry, just making sure. Go on," he muttered, turning red.

Hermione suddenly felt awful. She had no right to talk to Harry like that when he was just trying to understand. Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. She tried so hard to hold them back, but tears that are held in for too long will eventually show themselves. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn't mean ... I ...." she choked, burying her face in her hands.

He placed a hand on her back, frowning. He always hated to see her hurt and this time was no exception. How many times could a person get their heart broken before breaking down entirely?

Hermione felt his strong arms go around her then felt herself being pulled into his embrace. She turned her head and buried her face into his chest, his robes cool on her flushed cheek.

"Sshh, it's going to be all right. The git doesn't deserve someone like you anyway ..." Harry murmured, his arms tightening around her.

She lifted her head and as much as she wanted to stay in his arms, she pulled away slowly. "Go ahead. Ask me who he's been cheating on me with," she whispered, dragging the back of her hand across her eyes.

"Hermione ..."

"Ask me, Harry."

He sighed. "Who?"

"Parvati Patel," she said, almost calmly. "I don't blame him really, she is beautiful. Don't you think so?" she continued, casually.

"Hermione, don't do this," Harry told her quietly, beginning to get worried. She was being too calm for comfort.

"Tell me."

"Yes, I think so. But I also know someone who is not only much more beautiful but also brilliant," he answered.

"I'll get revenge somehow," she murmured, ignoring Harry's reply.

"Hermione, you're scaring me. This isn't like you," Harry leaned close to take her hands in his. When she looked up at him, her eyes startled him. They weren't the warm honey brown that he knew so well. They were cold, unrecognizable.

"Exactly, Harry. I'm sick of people taking me as someone who is always so logical. That's why Kian doesn't know that I know he cheated because he thinks I would never suspect that of him. The Bookworm Hermione always has her nose in a book and won't notice a thing. Well, he's wrong!"

Harry shook his head; she was hardly making sense. "He doesn't know you know?"

"Of course not. I just have to find a way... Got it!" she shouted suddenly, jumping to her feet. "I'll play him at his own game!"

"What?"

"Think Harry! I'll pretend to be cheating on him, and then he'll be sorry he ever fooled around with another witch! I just have to find a guy who ..." she rambled on, her finger curling a tendril of hair as she thought.

Harry just shook his head, baffled. "And when you find this guy, what are you going to do? Get him to pretend to be your 'secret' boyfriend so you can make Kian jealous?"

"Exactly."

"You do realize you will actually need a guy, right?" Harry asked.

"Yes, silly! I just have to find -" she stopped here, then turned her head slowly to look at Harry.

"No! No way am I being caught up in your little game!" Harry cried, holding up both hands.

"But Harry! Please? It'll only be for a little while!" Hermione told him, sticking out her bottom lip.

"Nope. I don't think so."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

Harry glanced at her and something tugged at his heart. Sighing, he agreed, sounding as if he were surrendering to the enemy.

"Yes! Thank you so much!" Hermione jumped up again, hugging him tightly. "You won't regret it."

Harry watched as she sat down at her desk, her fingers tapping on the wood as she thought up a plan. Shaking his head sadly, he rose silently and crept outside; Hermione barely noticing.

What have I gotten myself into? He thought, before going to find Ron. Someone had to talk him through this mess.

: : : :

"You what?" Ron cried, turning to face his best friend.

"You heard me, Ron," Harry replied, looking up with a guilty expression.

"Okay, let me get this straight: you agreed to pretend to be her boyfriend for a week?" Harry nodded, turning red. "Have you gone off your rocker? Why on earth did you agree with her in the first place?" he cried, then his eyes became wide and he began to shake his head. "Oh, oh you didn't! Don't tell me the only reason you agreed to this is because this is the only way you'll get to be with her, is it?"

Harry turned away, something painful squeezing his heart a bit too tight for comfort. He knew Ron was right and he knew it was stupid. Even if he did get to be Hermione's boyfriend for a week it was only because she wanted to get back at Kian for hurting her. Well, Harry had a much better way at getting revenge but he didn't think Hermione would have appreciated it if he hexed Kian to China and back.

"Oh no! Harry! I can't believe ..." Ron shouted, incredulously, trailing off when Harry looked back up at him with guilt splashed all over his face. But when he turned away again, Ron must have caught the pain in his usual bright eyes, because he lowered his voice and spoke gentler.

"Listen, Harry, you know this isn't going to work," he began again, placing a hand on his friend's hunched shoulder. "We both love Hermione and trust her with our lives, but she's using you. And though you can dream, you have to remember that it's all pretend, fake, not real, and that after a week you'll go back to being her best friend."

Harry buried his face in his hands, trying to hold back tears. "I know," he choked. "I just ... I ..." he didn't know what else to say so he let the sentence trail off.

"I know, mate. I have to admit, I'm very shocked. This doesn't sound like our logical Hermione," Ron said, shaking his head.

"I guess love makes you do crazy things," Harry whispered, the word sticking in his throat.

Ron turned to face him, shaking his head vehemently. "You don't actually think she loves him, do you?" When Harry didn't answer Ron continued, disbelief evident in his voice. "Well, I don't. She's just upset, Harry. This is the second time a bloody wizard has broken her heart, it's only natural for her to be so upset. She doesn't love him, trust me. "

"Well, she doesn't love me," Harry replied, almost angrily.

Ron looked at his best friend, feeling sorry for him. "Give her time. One day she'll turn around to tell you something and then realize that the perfect wizard was you all along."

He gave a bitter chuckle. "Yeah, only in my dreams."

: : : :

"There he is! Okay, start laughing like I just said something funny!" Hermione whispered, scooting closer to Harry, closing the small gap between them.

He turned to Ron, almost desperately, but his friend only shrugged his shoulders and went back to his breakfast. "Hermione ..."

"C'mon! Laugh!" she whispered again, a bit more harshly. "And put your arm around my waist."

She turned away to check that Kian was watching then when she didn't feel the arm she had requested for she turned back to face Harry, rolling her eyes when she noticed his cheeks had turned a bright pink. "Seriously, Harry! You're my best friend for Merlin's sake! Now stop acting like you've never touched me before and laugh! You're pretending to be my boyfriend, remember?"

He sighed, wondering what the rest of the school would think. He slowly slid his arm around her waist, his pulse racing as his hand came in contact with a bit of her skin, which went unnoticed by Hermione since she was catching glances at her ex. Once she felt his arm was secured around her, she leaned into his chest and hurriedly nudged him in the ribs. "Laugh!" she hissed, leaning close and pretending to say something funny.

His breath caught in his throat but he managed to get out a laugh, which seemed to satisfy her. She tilted her head back and laughed, which sounded like music to Harry's ears. She placed a hand on his chest and smiled up at him, causing Harry's heart to go crazy.

He caught a glance of Kian, blonde hair perfect and white teeth blinding, but when Harry turned to get a full look at the guy, Kian's blue eyes were shining with, Harry assumed, jealousy. He smiled, half glad Hermione's plan was working and half hurt that she was only playing.

He narrowed his eyes and gave a slight nod (to no one in particular), and with determination took Hermione's hands in his and leaned forward, their noses inches apart. He gave her a dazzling smile before letting out a loud laugh. Heads turned in their direction but he kept his eyes focused on Hermione's face, liking the surprised yet pleased expression. Taking a deep breath, he leaned even closer and let his lips come in contact with hers.

If he were going to pretend to be Hermione's boyfriend, he might as well do it right.

: : : :

"Did you see his face!" Hermione squealed, clapping her hands and jumping up and down, a devious smile lighting up her face.

"Yeah, I sure did," Harry replied, the lack of enthusiasm lost on Hermione but not Ron, who was still in shock over the small kissing scene in the Great Hall.

Hermione stopped clapping and twirled around to face the guys, her eyes flashing. "You! Don't even talk to me! What were you thinking kissing me like that in front of everyone?" she screeched, her finger pointing menacingly at Harry.

Harry turned away from the fire to stare at her. He was puzzled beyond belief, not to mention scared. Hermione looked as if she were about to burst and the light from the fire wasn't helping her crazed look either. "Wha ...?" he managed to get out before she interrupted him.

"Don't you play innocent with me, Harry James Potter! Now answer me!"

"Ouch, the use of your full name. You're on your own this time, mate," Ron mumbled before rushing out of the Common Room and away from Hermione's wrath.

"Thanks a ton," Harry muttered.

"What was that?" Hermione questioned, hands on hips.

Harry stood up with a sigh; Hermione was much less intimidating when he had to look down at her. "Listen Hermione, you tell me to pretend to be your boyfriend so you can make Kian jealous and so that's what I did. I don't know why you're going all crazy on me."

Hermione marched forward until they were only a few feet apart. Her eyes flashed with anger and something else Harry couldn't decipher. "I told you to pretend, keyword pretend, to be my boyfriend but I didn't say you could snog me senseless in front of the whole school!"

"It was one lousy kiss!" Harry shouted back and then instantly regretted using the word 'lousy' when he saw anger melt away from her eyes and hurt replace them.

"A lousy kiss, huh?" she repeated, her voice dropping a couple of notches but still too loud.

"I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that you're making a big deal out of nothing," Harry said, desperately trying to save himself.

Hermione's arms dropped to her sides. Her face scrunched up as if she were trying hard not to cry. "Maybe that's why Kian cheated on me. I'm sure even Parvati is a better kisser than I am," she said, her voice cold.

"Hermione ..."

Tears glistened in her eyes as she turned away and headed towards the stairs. "Thanks for helping me see what went wrong, Harry," she whispered harshly before disappearing up the stairs.

Harry stood there, staring at the spot where Hermione had been a second ago. He fell back on the couch and buried his face in his hands, taking a deep breath. He hadn't meant to call Hermione a lousy kisser; in fact, he could still remember her soft lips against his. Now Hermione was madder at him than she had ever been before and there was probably nothing he could say to make it all right.

He looked up when the Common Room suddenly went dark and realized the fire had gone out. He rubbed his hands over his face and stood up, surprised to find it was well over twelve midnight. Stuffing his hands deep into his pockets, he trudged up the stairs and into his dorm.

"Didn't go so well, huh?" Ron asked, as Harry walked into the room.

Harry just shrugged, dragged himself over to his bed and buried himself under the covers without even bothering to remove his clothes.

Ron shook his head sadly and rolled over, shutting his eyes. Something had to be done about Hermione and he was going to make sure that the Perfect Trio stayed that way.

: : : :

"It was his fault!"

Ron sighed, stopping himself from rolling his eyes. "Hermione, you're being childish. It doesn't matter whose fault it was," he told her, thinking how weird it was for him to be scolding Hermione when it was usually the other way around.

"Childish? How can you say that? You of all people!" Hermione cried, disbelief sprawled all over her face.

"I know I have a history of pranks, which you can't blame me for after growing up with Fred and George, but it's time to grow up. You have to admit that this little game you're playing isn't like you."

"But don't you see? That's the whole point!" she told him, a spark lighting her eyes.

"Hermione, are you sure you're all right?" Ron asked her, looking at her as if she had grown another head and antennas to go with it.

She rolled her eyes at him, as if her reason were so obvious. "Of course I'm all right. Look, every one thinks they have me all figured out. I would never do anything spontaneous, I'm the goody-goody. Well, you're all wrong. There's more to me than you guys think."

Ron was a bit taken back. He knew Hermione was more than just all brain but this rebel behavior was startling even him. "Listen, Hermione, I don't want you to get hurt."

She rolled her eyes again. "Why do you and Harry always say that? You're so sexist! I'm not a little girl, Ron, I know what I'm doing."

"Okay, fine. But have you thought about hurting others?" Ron said, trying a different approach because, clearly, that one wasn't working.

"Who on earth am I hurting?" she asked.

"Open your eyes, Hermione!" Ron cried, secretly substituting 'eyes' for 'heart'. "Harry!"

"Harry? How is he getting hurt?" she asked, trying to seem unconcerned, especially since the fight last night, but Ron saw it in her eyes. She cared more about him than she wanted to admit, even to herself.

He was glad he had brought the conversation back to the subject he had meant to stick to. Now was the time to tell Hermione what Harry was so afraid to show her. "You dragged him into this foolish game without stopping to think how it would affect him. You expect him to slip into the role of your 'pretend' boyfriend so easily and when he does something to bring the ball in your court, so to speak, you go ballistic on him!"

"But Ron -"

"No, let me finish. Have you considered Harry's feelings? You're using him, Hermione! He knows it but wants to be with you so badly that he'll even play your boyfriend if that's what it takes to be closer to you. I don't know what your problem is but you've been treating him like trash these last couple of days. Then you blow up at him in the Common Room yesterday for no reason!" Ron was not only on a roll but he also realized that if he didn't calm down he would make an already bad situation worse.

"He kissed me!" Hermione cried, indignantly. Apparently, she didn't hear Ron's comment about Harry's feelings or if she did she chose to ignore it.

Now it was Ron's turn to roll his eyes. "Please Hermione. I saw it too, and it was barely a peck. Besides, didn't you tell him to act the part you had forced him to play? It worked didn't it? Kian's eyes almost popped right out of his head," Ron said. "Wish they had popped out of his head," he muttered.

"Okay, fine, you're right okay?" she said, almost angrily.

"Oh my gosh!" Ron cried, his hands coming up to rest on his cheeks while his mouth formed a perfect 'o.'

"What? What is it?" she asked, glancing around the room.

"Hermione Granger is wrong! And she actually admitted it!"

She rolled her eyes and threw a large pillow at him. "Better relish in it now, you great git, because I'll never say it again," she told him, trying not to smile but failing.

Ron grinned goofily at her and sat down next to her, turning serious again. "So what are you going to do?"

She shrugged then turned to look at him. "Ron, did you really say that Harry only agreed to this because he wants to be closer to me? As in, he wants to be more than friends?" Hermione asked quietly.

He nodded, letting out a sigh. Harry would definitely kill him for that.

She stared at him for a moment before burying her face in her hands. "For how long?" she asked at last, her voice muffled.

"You'll have to ask him that yourself. I said way too much already."

She just shook her head, choosing not to say anything else.

"You have to fix this, Hermione."

"I know, I'll apologize as soon as you're finished reprimanding me," she replied, looking up with a smirk.

"Harry's at practice though."

"I know. I'm going to go sit on the stands until he's done. I know I've treated him unfairly and I feel awful, it won't kill me to sit in the cold for a while after what I've done to Harry."

"Well, I'm coming with you. Let's go," Ron said with a smile, standing up and offering her his hand.

Apologizing will be hard, Hermione thought, but asking for him to play along a couple of more days will be even harder.

: : : :

Harry did another dive, loving how the wind whipped around him and the way his heart thudded as the ground came closer and closer. Pulling the end of his broomstick up at the last minute, he soared up, then down again, not noticing that his teammates had already retired for the day.

Flying was a way for him to release all anger and stress. It was better than screaming at someone and saying something you would regret later on. Harry was angry at Hermione yet knew that if she apologized he would forgive her immediately. Why did he have to fall in love with a girl who would never love him back? Or not in the same way, anyway.

It's not fair! Harry thought, as he passed clouds and birds that looked at him curiously. Why does Hermione go out of her way for wizards who don't appreciate her when I'm right under her nose? He shook his head angrily and zoomed towards the ground, trying to release as much anger as possible.

While circling the pitch again, he noticed two figures sitting in the Gryffindor stands, waving at him. Flying closer, he realized it was Hermione and Ron, bundled in their Gryffindor robes and scarves. Taking a deep breath he landed on the dewy grass and adjusted his clothing as they jogged over to him.

"Hey," Hermione greeted him quietly. She glanced at him then looked down at her shoes.

"Hey," Harry repeated, just as quietly.

"Oh, stop this, both of you!" Ron cried, startling them. "We aren't eleven anymore, so stop acting like it."

They both looked up at each other. "Ron's right. I'm so sorry, Harry," Hermione spoke first, stepping closer to him. "I shouldn't have said what I said and I shouldn't have treated you the way I have been," she continued, reaching for his hand. "Forgive me?"

Harry smiled and pulled her closer to hug her. "Of course."

"Good! I'm glad that's settled. Let's go back, we're gonna miss dinner," Ron said with a smile for his friends before heading towards the castle.

"Him and his stomach," Harry muttered, smiling.

Hermione laughed then turned silent. Harry glanced at her, the way she was biting her bottom lip was making his stomach churn. "Hermione? What's the matter?" he asked finally.

She looked up at him, and then stopped walking. "Harry ... I really am sorry," she said again, turning to face him.

"Just forget about it," he said, starting to walk again.

"Uh, Harry?"

He stopped and turned around, giving Hermione a puzzling look. "Come on, Hermione! Ron's going to eat all the food!" he cried, good-naturedly. Lucky for him, Ron had already disappeared inside the castle.

"I, um, need to ask you something."

Her nervousness made him stop and turn around again. His eyes flooded with concern and he went over to her. "Sure, anything."

"I, well, I, um, really am sorry, Harry, but, well, I was kind of hoping, uh, if you would still, er, pretendtobemyboyfriend," she said this all in a rush.

Harry squinted at her, every word going over his head. "What? I didn't get any of that."

Hermione sighed and looked down at her feet, scuffing the dirt with the toe of her shoes. "I was hoping you would still pretend to be my boyfriend," she muttered, but loud enough for him to hear. "Only for a couple more days, though," she added, quickly.

Harry wasn't sure whether to blow up on her or just agree, again. He was angry that she would bring this up again after what it caused and, yet, how could he say no? "I guess," he said with a sigh. "But only for a few more days, okay?" he told her, firmly.

"I promise," Hermione answered then squealed and hugged him. "Thanks again, Harry! And I promise I won't go all crazy on you this time!" she told him as they neared the large oak doors.

Holding them open for Hermione to pass, he slipped his hand around hers as the doors shut behind them. Hermione looked up and smiled at him, winking when she saw Kian turn to look at them. As they neared the Gryffindor table, Harry held on a bit tighter to her hand, loving the feel of her soft, warm skin on his. If only this were for real.

"What are you guys doing?" Ron asked, as soon as they sat down.

"What do you mean, Ron?" Hermione asked, sweetly.

He rolled his eyes and tried to gesture with his hands. "You know what I mean! Don't tell me you're still playing that stupid game!"

Hermione just smiled innocently at him while Harry gave him a pleading look. "I can't believe you, Hermione!" he said, but let the subject drop, muttering under his breath.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him but when Harry squeezed her hand reassuringly and gave her a smile (that almost made her melt, much to her surprise), she tried to squash that guilty feeling that was welling up inside of her and found that she couldn't. She suddenly felt horrible, yet when she glanced at Harry one more time, she also felt ... what? ... love? Couldn't be. She took a deep breath but everything seemed to be closing in on her. Standing up quickly, she mumbled something to her friends and dashed out of the Great Hall.

Harry watched as Hermione hurried away, concern bubbling to the surface and replacing sadness and comfort. Anger made itself known also as he saw Kian get up and run after her. He was about to get up too when he felt a hand restraining him.

"Leave them alone, mate. I think Hermione just realized something," Ron told him quietly, a smile beginning to show.

"What do you mean?" he asked, reluctantly sitting back down.

"While you were at practice, Hermione and I had a little chat. I didn't think she was really paying attention when I found out she had asked you to play pretend with her again, but judging by the way she was looking at you a second ago and the way she practically ran out of here, I think it's finally clear to her."

"Huh?"

Ron sighed. "Never mind, mate. You'll understand sooner or later."

: : : :

"Hermione!"

Hermione had broken out in a run as soon as she was out the door, but now she stopped at the sound of her name and bent over, her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. She had always hated running.

"Hermione, wait," Kian called again.

She turned around to face him, her heart racing from the running but, surprisingly, not from having Kian so close to her again, something she had wanted since she had found out that he was cheating on her.

He stepped closer but stopped himself from touching her. "Hey," he said quietly, blue eyes downcast. "I, um, miss you," he added, looking up at her, now reaching out to take her hands in his.

When Hermione just looked at him, he continued. "I, er, also wanted to apologize for being such a prat lately. I'm really sorry, Hermy. Forgive me?"

As Hermione stood there, staring at this wizard who had caused her to treat her best friend like crap, she came to some astonishing realizations. She looked up into Kian's eyes, the same eyes that used to be able to make her melt, and realized that Harry's were more beautiful and clear, but it wasn't the color that she loved so much, it was that spark of love that he always kept just for her. She noticed that Harry's shoulders were broader, his body more muscular, his voice deeper, his hair softer.

Softer? Was she going insane? She felt herself falling as she thought of running her fingers through Harry's raven locks and Harry's strong hands wrapping around hers, making her feel secure and appreciated. She finally understood why he would buy her small gifts for no special occasion, or why he wordlessly sat with her in the library on Saturdays, or why he would comfort her even if she acted like she didn't need it; she also finally understood Ron's words.

"Hermione? Hermy!" Kian shouted, waving a hand in front of her face. She had always hated that nickname.

"Hmm?" she snapped out of her thoughts, looking up at Kian. "What were you saying?"

He sighed. "Forgive me?" he repeated impatiently.

Not only was Harry kinder, more caring, but had more patience as well. She smiled up at her ex-boyfriend. "Sure," she said. That game of revenge now seemed so stupid and childish. What was she thinking? Oh, that's right, she wasn't thinking. Ron would never let her live it down.

"Sure? That's it?" Kian asked, looking at her as if she had just said she hated studying. "How about I take you to Hogsmead this Friday?" he asked instead.

"I'm sorry, Kian, but I can't. I'm going with someone else," she said, now dropping the game entirely. She wished Kian would leave her alone so she could go ask her best friend out.

"With who? That prat Harry Potter?" he said, angrily.

"Yup, the one and only. Now if you'll excuse me ..." She smiled again then walked away, leaving a very shocked Kian Hanson standing alone in the middle of the hallway.
: : : :

Harry told the Fat Lady the password who told him to cheer up. "Everything will work out, you'll see," she told him, smiling suspiciously. Harry just smiled politely and stepped through the portrait hole, wondering if maybe it was time for her to retire to a portrait in the attic.

"There you are, mate, thought you got lost or something," Ron kidded, as Harry plopped down next to him.

Rolling his eyes, he decided to ignore his best friend.

"So, have you seen Hermione lately?" Ron asked finally, obviously trying to avoid eye contact.

Harry turned to look at him. Was everyone going bonkers or was it the other way around? Ron was the fifth person who had asked him that since dinner. "No, maybe she's in her room."

Ron snuck a peek at Harry. "Hmm ... Maybe you should go see if she's all right."

"What for? So I can run in on her and Kian snogging each other senseless? No thanks, I'll pass," he mumbled, moving over to the couch and stretching out.

"Just go, she didn't look too happy the last time I saw her."

Harry sighed and stood up, getting the feeling that something was going on and he was the only person out of the loop. "Oh all right. Geesh, you act like I haven't seen her in ages," he muttered as he descended up the stairs.

"See you tomorrow morning!" Ron shouted after him, stifling laughter.

Tomorrow morning? It was only eight o'clock and Ron was going to bed already? Well, whatever floats his boat ...

He knocked lightly on the door, then louder when he didn't hear a response. "Come in!" came Hermione's voice.

He poked his head in. "Are you descent?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Will you come in already? Geesh ..."

He shut the door quietly behind him and went over to her bed, sitting down. "Are you okay?" he asked, as she turned away from the mirror to look at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine, why?" she asked, and then seemed to regret answering so quickly.

"I was just making sure ..."

"Actually, Harry, I'm not okay," she interrupted.

Harry looked up at her. "What's wrong?" he asked, standing up and stepping in front of her.

Hermione looked down at her feet and took a deep breath. "I have something to confess," she started, still not looking at him.

"You can tell me, Hermione, whatever it is," he urged her on, reaching to take her hand in his.

"Well, I .... I.... Harry, I, I think I love you," she finally managed to blurt out.

Harry placed a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to look at him. He gave her a goofy grin. "I love you, too," he whispered.

Hermione blinked several times, her eyes tearing up. "Really? I mean Ron told me you had feelings for me but he didn't say.... I didn't even know until this evening at dinner ... I looked at you and my heart just went on one of those dives you do that give me heart attacks ... and I knew that I loved you and always have and that I've been so blind chasing the wrong guy this whole time when you were always right there .... I just can't believe I had to make you pretend to be my boyfriend for me to realize ..."

Harry did the only thing he could think of to shut her up, planting his lips on hers. He felt her melt into him and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. His pulse went crazy when he felt her snake her arms up his chest and around his neck, as she responded to the kiss that was going from small and hesitant to fast and passionate in a flash.

"So Harry, want to go to Hogsmead with me this Friday?" Hermione panted as they pulled away for air.

Harry smiled his response then leaned forward again. They backed up slowly until they fell on the bed, Harry's hand going under Hermione's head to soften the fall. As Harry moved down to her neck (causing Hermione to squeal), Hermione reached forward and tugged on the rope that was holding the curtains bundled together, causing seclusion to envelope them.

And as Harry let his lips slide over the baby soft skin of Hermione's neck, he came to a conclusion:

Reality was so much better than pretend.

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