Even though this is based on the idea of the movie "What Women Want", it isn't going to be like the movie (sorry to those of you who said you loved the movie, etc). I'm just taking the idea from the challenge in the forums.
Ok, if the quotations are in italics, then they are thoughts, not spoken. But Harry still doesn't know that he is hearing thoughts!
Wow! This story was a pretty big hit! I hope I don't disappoint you all! Thanks to the many reviewers who reviewed my story so far! They are really helpful!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to Harry Potter. Everything belongs to the magnificent genius J. K. Rowling
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Chapter Two:
Harry ran out of the portrait hole. He had faced Voldemort, Tom Riddle, a whole party of death eaters and all kinds of other danger before, but Ginny Weasley's words shared the shit out of him.
He stopped, panting and bent over just outside the common room. He knew that Ginny's crush on him never really died completely, but honesty!
He heard the fat lady swing back into place. He also heard her say:
"Oh, its Mr. Harry Potter. He thinks he can just ignore the rules and sneak off into the night whenever he wants to…"
Harry stopped panting and stood up straight, listening. He turned to look at her. Her mouth was full of grapes.
"Just like his father, he is!"
He scrunched up his brow, mouth slightly open.
A Ravenclaw 6th year passed Harry, who was still staring at the fat lady. As she got just past him, she turned to look forward and said quite clearly for everyone to hear (if there was anyone else in the corridor, but that wasn't quite relevant to what she said), "Harry Potter... I really don't think that Lucy was telling the truth: no way has Harry Potter slept with her. She's such a bitch; I'm going to win the bet! Plus, I'm way more experienced in these matters. Harry Potter doesn't stand a chance…"
His head whipped around and his eyebrows shot up. He backed away slowly, turned, and ran off.
Walking with his head in his hands, several people passed him, each one saying totally random stuff to… well Harry wasn't even sure as some people seemed to just be talking to themselves. He even thought he heard some things that, he for one, wouldn't have said out loud.
Harry turned and walked down an empty corridor, thoroughly disturbed. "What is wrong with everyone? Everyone is acting very… odd. First Ginny's… yea, then the fat lady turned moody! And what was with that Ravenclaw; can you say `mating season'? What's next? OH SHIT!"
Not watching where he was going around the corner, he ran head-on into someone and fell over backwards. Rubbing his head, his eyes slowly refocused. A girl with long, frizzy brown hair and glasses was staring back at him. He didn't recognize her, but he guessed her to be around 5th year.
She was in the process of picking up her many books that had fallen out of her bag to notice who she'd ran into. Harry spotted a book beside him and picked it up and handed it to her. Taking it and turning to look at Harry, she nearly feinted.
"Oh sweet Merlin! Harry Potter"
She smiled weakly at Harry, who just stared back at her perplexed, and she walked away, hugging her bag.
"Oh, I bet he doesn't even know my name."
As Harry heard her comment as she walked away, his brain reached two conclusions: either he was going mad, or everyone else was. The former was probably more possible, ironically. He backed up very slowly, checking to see that the corridor was completely empty.
"Harry, just calm down…"
Harry rubbed his temples and he sat down on a bench in the corridor, head in hands.
"Breathe… this is a weird dream, just pinch yourself and wake up…Ow! Damn it! Ok, obviously not a dream…"
A loud slam and a yelp of pain erupted in the hallway and Harry's head jerked up. Two girls were standing a little ways down the corridor; one bending down to pick up a book that she had evidently dropped on the other girls' foot.
"I'm really sorry Hetty! Is your foot all right?" the first girl said, extending out her arm in remorse.
"Oh, don't worry about it, it's fine!" "Clumsy bitch, your always dropping things! And I'll probably have a bruise there later!" the second girl replied, smiling sweetly.
Harry just stared at the two girls as they walked off. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear that he was hearing… but no, even in the wizarding world that was impossible. He had already experienced once that even hearing non-existent voices labeled you as a nutter.
Harry took a deep breath and turned to walk into the Great Hall were everyone else was eating breakfast. The amount of noise that vibrated off the walls was a lot louder that Harry had ever heard it.
Harry quickly found Ron sitting with Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Ginny. Harry eyed Ginny nervously, who was engaged in a conversation with Dean. He sat down and smiled meekly. Ron turned to talk to Harry.
"Hey mate, where have you been?" asked Ron. "I lost you in the common room."
"I…uh…I'm fine!"
"Ok… where did you go when we went downstairs?"
Harry didn't seem to hear Ron's question and carried on. "I mean… do I look different? I don't look like I'm going crazy, do I?"
"Harry…"
"Cause if I do, then that explains…"
"Harry!"
Harry stopped rambling and looked up at him, apparently surprised to hear Ron was speaking to him.
"What?"
"Are you alright?"
"Yea you do look a bit pale, Harry," interrupted Ginny.
Harry's eyes widened slightly and his head rotated to look at Ginny, whose face was unreadable.
"Aww, he's so cute when he's tired!"
Harry blinked. "Pardon?"
"I said you look a bit pale."
Harry stared at her. "No, what did you say after you said that?"
"Harry?" Dean asked. "You sure you're alright?"
"Of course, why not? I just didn't quite catch what Ginny said."
Dean glanced at Ginny, slightly confused. "She didn't say anything mate."
Everyone went back to eating, after giving Harry odd looks. Harry himself scrunched up his brow and leaned back, thinking.
"What the devil is everyone playing at?"
"And he's even cuter when he's confused!"
Harry sat straight up. "Sorry, what was that?"
Ron put his fork down and gave Harry a queer look. "Harry, are you sure you're ok?"
"I'M FINE!"
"Well you bloody well aren't acting like it!"
Harry shrugged his comment off. "You… you didn't hear… anything?"
"Well, seeing as no one has really said anything… no!" Ron said obviously.
Harry slowly let out his breath that he realized he was holding. Everyone was looking at him like he was eccentric.
"What? Please tell me as to what is so odd, because you are all the ones that are deaf!"
"Oh I'd like to tell you a few things…"
Harry was fed up with this act. "Then please, Ginny. Pray tell."
Ginny's eyes darted, "I… I… Harry?"
"WHAT!"
Ginny gapped at him, at loss for words.
"Fine! Gods, if you are all trying to drive me crazy…" Harry stood up, searching for the right words. "Well, it's working!"
He walked fuming out of the Great Hall, headed for the dungeons for potions for, little to Harry's knowledge, what was destined to be a very interesting lesson.
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AN: I'm really sorry that this one is short as well. I really wanted to post a chapter, but I also really want to work on the potion's class scene some more. Sorry! And the reason that I haven't posted it because I'm VERY busy this season: I'm in the Wizard of Oz pantomime (any of you English people near Manchester - come and see it! It's at the Lowry and it will be magnificent! I'm a senior dancer!). That plus other dance classes and a growing mountain of schoolwork has me extremely booked for no free time! But after the 17th, it will get better, and it will definitely get better after the Pantomime ends in early January. I'm really sorry that posts will be a bit slow until then! Please keep reading - I have some great ideas for this story!
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