Author's Note: If you've read the Leaky/Mugglenet interview with JKR, you know what happened. I've written my personal feelings on the matter in my author profile, so click over if you're interested.
Anyways, here's the last chapter. Sorry it's so short; had I known it would be this short, I would have just made Chapter Two longer. Ah well.
Chapter Three
As soon as I spotted Hermione, I felt my heart begin to race. It's one thing to say I'm going to talk to Hermione at some undetermined point in the future; it's a completely different thing when that time is now.
I'd like to say that I showed my courage by standing up and walking right up to her. And while I did stand up, it was less because I was brave, and more because Lavender (or Pavarti) had stuck her quill point into my leg. And so I stood, but it was accompanied by a rather unmanly yelp that caught Hermione's attention, along with every other person in the room. After glaring at the two obviously unrepentant girls with their silly, self-satisfied grins, I took a deep breath and approached Hermione as she was crossing the common room.
I opened my mouth to speak to her, but then something else caught my attention - a sudden flash of red hair. I turned, and then I saw her: Ginny. All of a sudden I realized that everything I've felt over the past few months, nay, years, had not in fact been directed at Hermione, but instead towards this beautiful girl that I've never really noticed before. I was in love, and-
And then I shook my head and returned to the world of reality. I swear, if Ginny uses that love potion one more time…
But by this time, Hermione had passed me. I ran to catch up with her. "Hermione," I called out, but she ignored me. "Hermione, wait!" I grabbed at her arm when she was only a few paces from the stairs.
In hindsight, grabbing Hermione's arm was probably a mistake. She whirled around and fixed me with this really angry glare.
"Get your hands off of me," she practically screamed. I dropped my hand from her arm immediately and furtively looked around, confirming that, yet again, all eyes were on us.
"I'm sorry Hermione…" I said in a low voice, hoping she'd get the hint to lower her own voice as well.
"What do you want, Harry?" she asked scathingly - and loudly. So much for hinting.
"I just want to talk to you for a minute."
"What about?" she asked impatiently. "Still asking for notes? What to see my homework? That's all I'm good for, right? Well FINE! Here, take them all!" she shouted, shoving her entire book bag into my arms. I staggered a few steps (her bag is heavy!), and by the time I recovered, she was already up the stairs. Ron, who apparently had followed Hermione into the Common Room, smirked at me as he passed. I ignored him for now.
"Hermione, wait!" I called out, and bounded up the stairs after her. I didn't realize what was happening until I felt the ground shift beneath me, and I fell painfully onto Hermione's book bag, still clutched in arms, as the stairs became a slide and the alarms began to go off. I slide rather uncomfortably down the slide and landed in an undignified heap at the bottom. It was highly embarrassing, to say the least, and when you add that onto all the yelling and shouting that I've been subjected to, I got angry.
So I snapped.
"God damn it!" I yelled, slamming my fist into the ground. I stood up quickly, seething. "I did not spend ten years with the Dursleys and six years fighting Voldemort to be defeated by a god forsaken staircase!"
I whipped out my wand, and I heard a collective gasp from the nosy Gryffindors. Gritting my teeth, I cried out "Reducto!" and blasted at the staircase.
Small chunks of rock flew about, leaving behind a large indentation in the slide - a perfect foothold. "Reducto!" I cried again, and another indentation was created. Over and over I cast the Reductor Curse, creating footholds in the slide and making my way up to the girls' dormitory. Finally I got to the top, only to be faced with an outraged Hermione.
"Harry Potter! What do you think you're-"
"No!" I shouted, my wand waving around wildly, little sparks coming from the tip. "It's my turn to talk now!" Hermione was stunned by my outburst, but she did clam up. "For the past month you and Ron have treated me like a leper and excluding me, and I've had enough!"
"Me and Ron? Me and Ron?!" Hermione yelled back, obviously getting her bearing back and angry enough to use incorrect grammar. "We're not the ones who've been treating the other badly!"
Maybe it was because I was so fed-up, but that didn't make any sense to me. "What?"
"You're the one who's been ignoring us, not the other way around!" Hermione clarified in a loud way.
"That's so not true!"
"Oh yeah? And where were you today? Off with Luna again!"
"I was doing an interview with her father!" I yelled.
"Right," she snorted in disbelief. "You're always off with Luna!"
"I'm only with Luna because my supposed best friends have dropped me! Besides, Luna doesn't even like me like that! She fancies Ron!"
There was a loud, confused "huh?" followed immediately a shocked and angry "Hey!" and "Harry!"
I turned around to look down the stairway at Ron, who looked dumbstruck, and Lavender and Pavarti, who looked betrayed, along with what was probably every other Gryffindor staring back at me.
I gave Lavender and Pavarti an apologetic look. "Sorry, it just sorta slipped out," I said to them.
"Humph!" was the only reply.
I looked back at Hermione, who for once looked unsure of herself. After a second, she said, "Luna fancies Ron?" She said this in a much quieter voice than before.
I nodded.
"So you and her aren't going out?"
I shook my head.
"Oh. All right. Well, sorry then, and good night," she said very quickly, and turned around. I was so surprised by this sudden change that I just watched her turn, but fortunately for me there were so many girls standing behind her, attracted by the slide-carnage and watching the scene we were making, that she couldn't bolt. I grabbed her arm again, but lightly this time.
"Hermione, wait." She stopped, but she didn't turn around. "Why do you care if Luna and I date?" I was pretty sure what the answer was, not only based on what Lavender and Pavarti said, but also on her actions, but I still had to know for certain.
She turned around, but she stared at the ground. "Oh, this is so embarrassing," she muttered.
I gently put my finger underneath her chin to raise her face so that we were looking at each other. "I think we're both well beyond the point of `embarrassing' right now."
She smiled. "Listen Harry," she said, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I was just upset, that's all."
"Why were you so upset? Does the idea of Luna and I being together bother you that much?"
"I…I…I just think you can find someone more…suitable," she stammered, blushing furiously and unable to meet my eyes.
She looked so adorable that I decided to let her off the hook. "You mean…someone like you?" I asked, my voice barely above that of a whisper.
She looked up in surprise, but before she could respond, I did something I've wanted to do for a long time. I lowered my head and kissed her.
She made a small squeak of surprise, but then sighed softly and leaned into me.
I have to say, that without a doubt, it was the best kiss of my life. True, I don't exactly have a wealth of experience, but it really was amazing. Initially I was focused solely on the feeling of kissing Hermione, but then a sound started intruding into my consciousness. I tried to bat it away, but it just couldn't be denied. Finally I broke away to investigate and was shocked when I realized what that sound was.
It was the sound of clapping and cheering.
Hermione and I looked around in amazement as everyone, and I do mean everyone, around was clapping and cheering at us. I looked down the stairs at Ron, and he was hooting and hollering just as loudly as the rest of them, even giving high-fives to everyone he could, while Lavender and Pavarti wept happily.
Hermione and I looked at each other, shrugged simultaneously, and resumed kissing. For once, I didn't care that everyone was watching.
A/N: And so ends another fic. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed.
On a non-shippy related note, anyone reading out there attend Spellbound2005 at Randhurst Mall near Chicago? If you did, maybe you saw me: I was the guy using his two-year old daughter as an excuse to attend a Harry Potter party. There were some great costumes, mostly kids dressed up as Hogwarts students, and there was even a Jedi or two. But there was this one woman in a very extravagant witch costume, purple with a long cape and a cool hat. My daughter was amazed by it. Unfortunately, I had to leave by 11ish, since it was time to put the kid to bed.
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