[A/N: An episode of Ed and a short romance novel by Betty Jo Schuler called Heartthrob were the inspiration for this fic, but my plot [Er, non-plot ::blush:: ] is completely different to both of them.
Since everyone who reads my ficlets probably think of me as this sad, sad, morbid person (because it might seem I take pleasure in killing main characters *whistles* ), here's proof I can do angst without death :D ]
That keychain
September 19, 1992
`Here, Hermione. Happy birthday,' said a twelve year old boy, grinning widely. He gave her a small box. They were alone in the Gryffindor common room because their friend had gone ahead to have his breakfast.
`Ooooh, what is it? You shouldn't have!' said Hermione Granger. She took the box and opened it. It contained a miniature hardback book of Hogwarts: A History attached to a keychain.
Hermione giggled.
`Awww, this is sooo cute! Thank you, I love it. I really do, it's adorable!' She gave her friend a hug. He smiled awkwardly.
…
5 years, and some months later…
`Gah! Where is it?' Hermione shrieked, looking violently around her four poster bed. `Where is it?'
`Where's what?' said a confused Lavender. Hermione ignored her. `Hermione, if you could just stop harassing your bedcovers, tell us what you're looking for, and maybe we can help.'
`N-no, it's okay. I'll find it. It's in here somewhere, I'm sure,' she said hastily. `Ugh, I just wish I knew where-'
`What is it, anyway?' Parvati asked, checking under their beds, not really knowing what it was she was checking for.
Hermione bit her lip. `Um… nevermind, it's not really important.'
Lavender scoffed.
`Well, if you're alright looking for it by yourself…' she said, heading for the door.
`Yeah, Hermione. I'm kinda hungry, so I'll see you at the Great Hall.'
Hermione nodded, checking the drawers of her bedside cabinet.
How could I lose it, she thought. I've never lost it, not once! And of all the things… ugh.
She started to feel incredibly frustrated moments later, and deciding to continue searching after dinner, Hermione finally joined Harry and Ron at the Great Hall. Upon seeing her, Ron jumped.
`Wow, is it just me, or is steam coming from your ears?' he said.
Hermione ignored him.
`What's the matter, Hermione?' said Harry.
`Nothing,' she said, sighing. `I just… I've lost something, and it's driving me insane!'
`What did you lose?' Ron asked, before drinking from his goblet.
`Oh, it's no use, Ron,' said Lavender. `She won't tell. Believe me, we tried.'
Hermione rolled her eyes. Harry raised his eyebrow.
`What is it?' he said.
She stared at him for a moment, then, sighed.
`Oh, it's nothing. Just something… personal.'
`Must be reeeeeeeaaally personal, if you end up looking like you've been mugged,' said Ron. She glared at him, but she knew he was right. She had forgotten to comb her wavy hair, making it even wavier, and she didn't bother to fix her clothes after wrestling with the bed sheets, and going through everything she owned.
`When was the last time you saw it, then?' Harry asked. Lavender looked very bored, and so turned away from the three of them to talk animatedly to Parvati Patil.
`Erm… After lunch, I think. Before I went to Transfiguration, I had it with me, and then …' she trailed off.
Ron mumbled something, but his mouth was so full, Hermione found it very hard to understand him.
`Yeah, you're right. We should look in the Transfiguration classroom,' said Harry. How he had understood Ron, Hermione will never know. Must be a male thing, she thought to herself.
`Hmmm, okay, but, I was certain it was somewhere in my dormitory. I mean, I never just misplace things like that, especially in classrooms!'
`Is it really that important to you?' said Harry.
`Yes!' said Hermione.
`Was it - was it a gift from somebody, or something you bought?' inquired the bespectacled boy with green eyes. Lovely green eyes, Hermione never failed to notice.
`… A gift. It's irreplaceable!'
`How big is it, exactly?' said Ron.
`Er, small,' said Hermione.
`…. And?'
`What do you mean, "And?"?' she asked him.
`Well, you're getting all worked up about this "thing", and somehow made Harry and me offer to help you find it, and all we know about it is that it's a gift that is small,' Ron told her. `So I think we could use a lot more to go on. Can you even describe it for us?'
Hermione could have roared.
`I never made you offer to help me!' she said angrily. `Look, I don't even need your help. I'm going to find it myself!'
And she stormed out of the Great Hall.
`One of us better follow her,' said Harry immediately. `She doesn't normally do that. She just stops talking to us, usually.'
`Well, I'm not doing it. She made us offer, didn't she? Didn't she?' said Ron. Harry somehow felt he shouldn't agree or disagree to that comment, so instead he said, `I'll do it, then.'
As he got up, Luna sat next to Ron.
`I don't think that was very nice of you, Ronald. I overheard you offer your help,' she said dreamily. He looked at her incredulously. She smiled innocently.
Harry was laughing in his head as he left the Great Hall.
***
Harry knew Hermione would be in the Transfiguration classroom. If she wasn't there, he would go to the library. Fortunately, he didn't have to go to the latter. He found her looking under the desks.
`I'm guessing you haven't found it, still,' he said, calm-like.
`What are you doing here?' said Hermione.
`Helping you find whatever it is you're looking for,' he replied.
Hermione sat on the floor.
`I'll never find it,' she whimpered.
`Awww,' said Harry sympathetically, sitting down next to her. `I'm sure it's here somewhere…'
`But… but you don't understand! It's very important to me, and there's nothing like it in the world! And… someone important gave it to me.'
`Well, then,' he said gently. `maybe you should tell me what it is, and I can actually start helping you find it.'
After a moment's pause, Hermione spoke.
`You might think this is silly but, I'm, as Ron would put it, "all worked up about" a keychain. My keychain.'
`A keychain, huh?' said Harry. `I haven't seen you with one at all, what does it look like?'
`Well, it's this tiny version of Hogwarts: A History, and it's the most adorable thing I possess.'
At these words, Harry clasped one of his robes pockets.
`Oh!' he said. `You're not talking about this, are you?' He held out a small book, that was attached to a keychain, with the fading words "Hogwarts: A History".
`Yes!' she exclaimed happily. `That's the one! Oh, Harry, how did you find it?'
`I, er, saw it on the floor at the common room. I didn't know it was yours. I was supposed to let you have it, since you love the real thing so much,' he said, scratching his head absent-mindedly.
Hermione was almost tearful, and immediately launched herself unto Harry, and pulled him into a hug.
`Aw, come on, Hermione,' Harry laughed awkwardly. `It's not like I'm a hero, or anything. I mean, it's just a keychain.'
`But it's my keychain. My lovely, lovely, keychain,' she said blissfully, letting go of him.
There was silence for about a second, but not at all awkward. Hermione was smiling at Harry gratefully, and he was smiling back.
`If, er, if you don't mind my asking, Hermione,' he said finally, breaking the silence. `What makes that keychain so special?'
`Well… it's sort of a secret,' she said, blushing.
Harry laughed.
`Come on,' he said. `I found it, you have to tell me.'
Hermione thought about it for a nanosecond.
`Okay, but -'
`But nothing, Hermione,' said Harry.
`Oh, alright. See, this keychain was-'
The door opened and interrupted Hermione before she could even really begin explaining about her beloved keychain. It was Ginny.
`Harry, there you are. Ron said you might be here. Hi, Hermione…' She saw that Harry and Hermione were sat down, and quite close to each other. `Er, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?' she added, a teeny, tiny bit coolly.
Harry stood up.
`No, not at all,' he said. `I've just helped Hermione find her keychain.'
`Right. I was wondering if you guys wanted to play exploding snap with Ron, Luna, Neville and me. We're playing in the Great Hall. And Ron said you didn't make him offer his help,' he added to Hermione, rolling her eyes at the thought.
`Sounds great,' said Hermione. `But you two go ahead. I have to put the desks back to their places.'
Harry shrugged, and left with Ginny, taking her hand in his. Hermione saw him give her a kiss, because naturally, that's what boyfriends do to their girlfriends: give them kisses.
When the door closed, she sighed inwardly.
She looked at her keychain. She smiled uneasily as she remembered the day Harry had given it to her. He's forgotten he did, obviously, she thought to herself. It was her birthday.
Truthfully, the reason her keychain was so special to her was because Harry had given it. It was something she could carry around anywhere and everywhere, that reminded her of him. She took great care of it, too. In fact, she was so careful with it that no one's even seen her carry it.
Harry wasn't even friends with her for two years, and he gave her something she truly cherished, aside from his great friendship. She doubted he realized just how important the keychain was to her. No one would understand.
She stood up with mixed emotions; happy that she finally got her keychain back, and sad she had to be reminded that Harry's heart was not hers to keep.
About two months or so ago, when Harry once again had stopped being single, Hermione had figured that since Ginny had him in her arms, she, Hermione, would have a part of him in her pocket. A precious memory.
She slowly put the desks back to their original places, and then left the classroom.
Finally reaching the Great Hall again, the first thing she saw was Ginny's arm around Harry's neck. Sighing for the billionth time that day, she joined the small group that was playing Exploding Snap loudly. Every now and then, when Ginny or Harry did anything "couple-ish", Hermione would clutch her tiny keychain for support.
If not for that keychain, Hermione wouldn't know how she would handle her secret feelings, and Harry's relationships. This was the reason she was, as Ron so originally put it, "all worked up about".
***
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