NB: *posts chapter* … *runs away from angry people*
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 Nine:
Harry starred moodily into his porridge the next morning. Down the table, Hermione was whispering animatedly with a giggling Lavender and Parvati, which involved lots of excessive arm movements. Harry couldn't even bring himself to look at them. Ron was nowhere to be seen, and had Harry's mind not been too preoccupied with Hermione, the Hufflepuff's problems at the next table, and the previous night, he would have noticed.
Harry relived the previous night in his head and suppressed a groan. Was this the best way to get rid of his problem? To take Hermione to the ball, when he can hear her every thought? It would absolutely drive him mad trying to ignore her thoughts and concentrate on what she actually said, without acting apprehensive or paranoid. So many things could go wrong. Besides, he didn't even know what the potion's book meant or if this was going to solve it, so why go through with it?
Harry peered down the table at Hermione and she paused, cheeks tinted pink, to smile at him. That's why.
*****
Many floors above the Great Hall, Ron sat hunkered over a cauldron. He was positive he had found the antidote to Harry's… problem. But the old potions book was very hard to decipher and he was pretty sure Harry wouldn't follow his harebrained logic anyway; Ron himself could only follow it once. But his friend was in need and Ron had a plan. He'd just have to slip it to Harry without him knowing. And the Halloween Ball was the perfect setting.
*****
Harry sat by himself in the back of the history of magic classroom, leaning backwards with his arms crossed over his chest, as Professor Binns droned on about troll wars… or dragon wars… or a leprechaun revolution, Harry wasn't really paying any attention. Ron, who normally sat with him as far away from Binns as possible, wasn't in class. In fact, if Harry had thought more about Ron, he would have noticed that he hadn't seen him since the previous night. But Harry wasn't thinking about Ron, he was thinking about Hermione.
This year, Hermione had chosen to sit away from Harry and Ron so she could take notes in peace without having to shield her parchment when a hangman dramatically died, ink going everywhere. Harry starred at her. Every time Binns would pause of shuffle his notes, Hermione would whisper with Parvati. Probably about the upcoming ball, Harry mused, as Parvati was in charge of it. Every so often, she would glance back at Harry; luckily, slowly, so Harry had time to pretend that Binns had, yet again, put him to sleep.
In between these glances, Harry watched how the sunlight streamed in from the window and reflected off her hair in different shades of golden brown. How a small strand would cover her face when she bent over her parchment. How when she wasn't writing, she would lightly tap the end of her quill on the desk, looking up at Binns and listening to him and Parvati both.
She gave an unexpected giggle from something Parvati said and quickly turned to look at Harry, who had no warning and was caught starring back at her. Hermione winked slightly at him and went back to writing her notes from the monotone that most students couldn't even decipher as words.
After class, Hermione slowly put her books away as Harry was also taking his time about leaving. As Harry lazily walked to the door, Hermione fell into step beside him, reciting rune translations in her head.
She paused to ask, "Have a nice nap?"
He gave a roguish smile, "Yeah."
"Oh right, as if you were actually sleeping! Does he know I know he was starring at me the entire lesson?"
Harry rubbed his forehead. He was getting such a headache. This had to stop.
"Uh," Harry fished his brain for an excuse. "I'm going to go find Ron, we have a free lesson together. See you after Ancient Runes?"
She smiled and nodded, and backed away in the opposite direction. Harry watched her leave, giving her a small, guilty smile as she turned around the corner. He gave a sigh and went off to the common room, where he and Ron always did homework together during their free lessons. Or at least, where they went during their free lessons.
*****
Harry sat in the common room, writing an extensive essay for Snape. Snape was such an ass to set an essay due the day of the Halloween Ball. And of course Harry had waited until the last minute to write it. That's all everyone was talking about these days, Harry mused. Even Harry sometimes caught himself thinking about him and Hermione at the ball together. Harry glanced at the clock; he still had a few hours before he would have to dig his dress robes out of his trunk. Harry wondered what Hermione's dress would look like tonight.
Harry caught himself mid thought. No, there was no way he could go through with this. Hearing Hermione's every thought was NO way to spend an entire night, especially at the Halloween Ball. In fact, hearing any girl's thoughts at the ball didn't sound like it would go down too well. He would just have to fake sick! Yeah, that's it, fake sick and… and hurt Hermione. Harry mentally groaned and agreed that he couldn't do that either.
Harry shut his potions book in frustration. What the hell was he going to do? Harry sighed, and ran his hand though his black hair, making it more unruly than it already was. Harry looked over at Ron's chair to… Harry could have kicked himself. He had been so caught up on getting his potions essay done, that he forgot about finding Ron. Harry had promised him that they'd do their essays together.
Come to think of it, Harry realized that he hadn't seen Ron in over a few days now. Harry's brow rose in bafflement. The rest of his body followed.
"If I were a teenage boy living at Hogwarts and had disappeared," Harry thought. "Where would I be…?"
Harry almost laughed. He WAS a teenage boy, he DID live at Hogwarts, and he knew where HE'D be if he had to disappear. But Harry shrugged off the thought; this was no time to think about Hermione.
Harry starred at his nearly finished potions essay. He thought that he better finish it and hand it in to Snape… Snape, that was it! A brilliant idea flashed its way into Harry's head. And it totally wouldn't be his fault! Harry checked his watch, remembered it was broken, and opted instead on finding the time from the huge clock in the common room. Harry, calculating that he still had a few hours left, ran out of the common room.
*****
Ron smiled to himself as the last ingredient to his concoction was added. After exploding in flames, it sat in front of Ron, smoking. Ron stared at it. He knew that potions wasn't exactly his forte, but so what? It wasn't like he was going to kill Harry, was it? Ron caught himself. He frowned at the potion, and decided to ignore that last thought of his, pouring the potion into a large hip flask. After the screwed on the lid, he held it up proudly. The flask suddenly puffed out a bit, as from a mini explosion. Ron shook his head and pocketed it anyway.
*****
Harry stopped running as the sight of Professor Snape's office door loomed ahead. Constantly running into nooks and broom closets to avoid the Hogwarts female population was tiring. He leaned against the wall in support as he caught his breath. Harry looked up, and his eyes roamed over the intricate swirls around the door's frame, almost…snake-like. He shuddered, remembering the last time he was approaching the demonic door.
It was last year, and he had just, successfully mind you, turned Draco Malfoy's precious eagle owl into a pigeon after an "accidental" (to quote Malfoy) attack on Hedwig. Despite the twenty-odd witnesses in Harry's defense, Snape still had managed to argue the `no magic in the corridors… especially by Mr. Potter' rule, and had given Harry a month of detention, which included expulsion from a quidditch game. Harry smiled, remembering Snape's fury when Griffindor won the cup anyway, beating Slytherin for the 6th year in a row. Soon to be 7th, Harry mused.
The door in front of him crashed open and Snape stormed out of his office. Harry stopped, still smiling stupidly, in his tracks. Snape paused in his rampage when he saw Harry.
"Ah… Mr. Potter," he sneered. "Come to turn in your essay, or is there an actual reason as to why you are smiling outside my office?" Snape seemed to have to force out the word `smiling', as if it weren't an actual word.
Harry didn't need to consciously stop smiling; he had forgotten to bring his essay! Harry's head was in turmoil; Snape would surely give him detention. But then Harry caught himself. He could have laughed, he had forgotten why he was standing in front of Snape in the first place, to receive detention for that night. And Harry reconsidered his situation, and figured that this way was much easier than what he had planned on doing.
Harry forced a scared, timid look and crossed his arms behind his back. "Err…sir… I forgot to do my essay."
Snape didn't look surprised. His mouth took a slight upwards turn in a very crooked smirk. "Well, Mr. Potter, then I guess I forgot that the Halloween Ball was tonight. I'll see you in detention at… oh, about 8 o'clock."
Before he could catch himself, Harry panicked, "But the ball starts at 6!"
Snape looked taken aback. He frowned at Harry, and Harry could feel his head throb slightly, as if he was being probed by an outward force. "Oh yes, that's right. We better make it 6 then."
Still frowning, Snape continued on his way, his oversized robes billowing behind him.
Harry stared at the door in front of him, and felt something of regret. He knew that there was no way he could go to the ball. That was just asking for a can of worms. But still, he felt that he had somehow done the wrong thing.
*****
Preview to Chapter 10:
Harry glanced disgustedly at Hermione just to see her lean closer to her date. Harry's eyes widened and he jumped up to stop her. His head spun and his vision blurred from standing up to quickly, or was it the drink, Harry didn't know. But his vision didn't really focus back. Harry closed his eyes and swayed slightly. He looked up and squinted to try and see Hermione. The last thing Harry saw before he blacked out was the Ravenclaw kissing Hermione on the dance floor.
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