Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and any of the characters mentioned hereafter. They belong to the incredible JK Rowling. I am not making a single cent out of this. I wish I did, and was.
[A/N: I just love it when Harry was angry at Hermione for a good cause. It shows that they still had a strong bond even after arguments… Anyway, I hope you enjoy! ]
Hermione's fault
A boy with jet black hair, glasses and emerald green eyes sat at the very corner of the Gryffindor common room, eager not to be noticed. He had spent the whole day pondering and arguing with himself, and was now fed up with all of it. There was one person he wanted to see most of all, and at the same time, least of all.
`That's not possible,' he thought to himself. ` but then, everything else is, with her…' He groaned. He had just remembered what he was trying to forget. However, before he could groan some more and hurt himself thinking about it, he was spotted.
`Harry! There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you,' a tall, red-head, freckled boy said, looking exhausted. `Have you seen Hermione? I want her to look at my Potions essay. I think I'm missing something.'
Harry hung his head.
`No. She's probably on the grounds with Seamus. He's going to ask her today.'
`Oh, is that what day it is?' said Ron, a dawning expression on his face. He took a seat next to Harry and sighed. `I just don't get it, mate. She's not even his type. Hermione will probably say…' he sat up straight, cleared his throat, and said in a high-pitched voice, `"I'm sorry, Seamus, but I'm afraid I can't be your girlfriend. The house elves have finally taken notice of me."'
Ron chuckled at his own Hermione impression. Harry was too restless to find this funny. He decided he still wanted to be alone. He made up an excuse, and left through the Portrait of the Fat Lady.
He was so angry at Hermione. And he had good reason, too. She unknowingly made him realize what he really felt for her in the wee hours of last night, in front of the fireplace, where he found her staring into space all by herself.
`Ever been in love, Harry?'
`No, I don't think so. In fact, I don't even know what it feels like to be in love.'
`I do.'
`Really? Is that why you're here?'
`Yes, and no.'
`Dare I ask?'
`It doesn't really matter. He doesn't know.'
`Why not?'
`Can't say…'
`Well, um, I'm not really good at these things, but, if you want, you can tell me why you think you love him.'
`Hmmm... he's the person who knows me most. He's always been so supportive of me. He's also the voice in my head…'
Funny how her words remained in his head hours after they left her lips. She was all of those things to him. How had he never realized that? Oh, how he hated her. Except he didn't.
And funny how he suddenly found himself outside the castle. His feet seemed to know where to go.
***
Harry saw that the sun was shining sickeningly across the grounds. Couples were outside taking long walks and laughing together.
`This is pathetic,' he thought. `This is stalking, too,' he thought again after a while, behind a bush that was a few feet from Hermione and Seamus. Seamus was flashing her his killer-smile. `Why am I here to witness this?'
`Hermione, you're the smartest witch in school, you know that?' Seamus said, pushing a lock of wavy hair behind her ear. She looked at the grass. Harry blinked. Was it just him or did she look uncomfortable?
`Do you have a point, Seamus?' she asked tentatively. Harry saw a bee buzzing around his head. He swore quietly.
`Yes. What I'm trying to say is, I would really love it if you became my girlfriend,' he said without stuttering. Hermione kept her eyes fixed to the ground. `And it would be really nice, because if you said yes, I would be dating the smartest witch at Hogwarts.'
`Is that all?' she asked, finally looking at him.
`Well… yeah, I mean, no…'
Whether or not it was all, Hermione never found out, for at that very moment, the bee that had been buzzing around Harry's head stung him in his arm, and Harry jumped out from behind the bush, waving his arms frantically and screaming, `Ow, ow, ow ow!', making Hermione and Seamus jump.
Harry soon realized what he had just done, and was at a loss for words. Much like Hermione.
`What are you doing, Harry?' she asked moments later, obviously unaware of the real situation.
`Bee… from behind the bush… stung me…' he answered, looking at the side of his arm. Hermione raised her brow.
`What were you doing behind the bush?'
Harry kept quiet. Seamus chuckled.
`It's not like you were spying on us, Harry.' He continued to chuckle. When Harry didn't say anything, he stopped.
Hermione furrowed her brows.
`What were you doing behind the bush?' she repeated, though quieter. Much quieter.
Harry looked at her, and remembered how angry he was with her.
`I… I have to go,' he said, turning around and heading to the castle.
He couldn't have stayed there. She might see into his eyes. He won't let that happen. She can't know his feelings for her while she is in love with someone else.
***
Harry once again found himself in the corner of the Gryffindor Common room. It was past midnight, and he didn't feel like sleeping. He had too many thoughts to sleep.
The silence of the single candle flickering in the empty room was suddenly broken as Harry heard footsteps coming down one of the staircases. A few moments later, a bushy-haired girl in a sleeping gown appeared into view. He was hoping to remain undetected, but the single candle flickering in the corner gave him away.
`Harry?' he heard Hermione say moments later, her tone a little concerned.
Harry got up, and started walking, stopping for a brief moment in front of her, then continued to walk. There were two reasons why he was doing this, one was because he was just so angry with her, and the other… The other was that if he stayed in a candlelit room with her alone, he might do some very unplatonic things to her. But he wasn't admitting it yet. At that moment, he was just leaving because he was angry with her.
`Harry, wait,' she called after him, a little less than calmly. He turned around, looked at the floor, and waited. `Look, I really have no idea why you are acting this way. As far as I know, I didn't do a single thing. Whatever it is you are angry with me for, it's not my fault! In fact,' she said, panting and her hands clenched, `I should be angry at you! You were spying on me, and -'
`It's your fault. I blame you,' Harry interrupted in a barely audible voice, not taking his eyes off the floor. `for being the person who knows me most. For always being there whether I needed you or not. For being the voice in my head.' He looked into her eyes, which were now shining with tears. `It's your fault I love you-'
Hermione started wiping her tears and sobbing.
`You lie,' she said.
Hermione crying was too much for Harry to take, especially since he was the one who made her cry. His feet, who always knew where to go, started heading towards her, but he wasn't complaining.
He took her in his arms, wipe away her tears for her, and tilted her head. She was a little reluctant at first, but he wasn't taking no for an answer.
Harry looked into her eyes.
`I'm not lying,' he said gently. `I do love you… so much. And I'm grateful for you being what I said you were. I'm grateful for you, Hermione.'
`Y-you just solved my problem,' she said unexpectedly.
`I did?' Harry said, bemused [and no longer angry, the author noted]. `How?'
`Because you love me, too,' she said simply.
`Does that mean you love me, t - '
Hermione smiled mischievously, and pulled Harry into a kiss.
Harry noted that it was the shortest he had ever gotten angry at someone. But then, he was never angry at Hermione for long. And vise-versa. That was proof enough that she loved him, too.
-The End-
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