Disclaimer: Not mine! Not mine! Fanfic = mine! Everything else = JK's! =D
The day had dawned bright and warm one fine Friday in the middle of March. The sun's rays spread so enticingly across the sky that the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry wished nothing more than to go lie outside on the grass with a big pitcher of iced pumpkin juice and some treacle tarts. However, this was not to be, as most students were inside, attending their daily classes and maybe stealing the occasional glance out the window.
The students of Gryffindor House were currently in Professor Binns's History of Magic lesson, by far the most boring lesson ever known to Hogwarts students, and also the easiest to get away with mischief in. Professor Binns, droning on and on at the front of the room from his notecards, seemed to take no notice of the students in front of him giggling, passing notes, and playing games. Rather, he seemed totally oblivious to it all, just floating at the front of the room (for he was a ghost) and reading serenely from his notes.
That day, as usual, Hermione Granger was the only one who was actually taking notes on what Professor Binns was saying. Not even Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, who usually at least tried to listen, were writing. They, too, like the rest of the class, had given up listening about five minutes into the lesson and were now goofing off.
It was really quite incredulous that Professor Binns did not notice what all was going on under his nose at that very moment. Ron Weasley and Seamus Finnigan were chatting animatedly with Parvati and Lavender, whom they had become quite friendly with this year. Neville Longbottom and Dean Thomas were also talking; Dean explaining to poor Neville all the rules of his favorite sport, Muggle soccer. All the other students were also grouped in little bunches, playing Tic-Tac-Toe on scrap pieces of parchment or discussing the upcoming Mazel Ball.
Harry Potter was the only one not in a group, excluding Hermione, of course. He was twirling his wand between his fingers and absentmindedly gazing at Hermione as she lazily scribbled down notes.
Suddenly, Hermione abruptly laid down her quill and snapped her text closed. Harry started and stared at her as she stretched her arms above her head and yawned, then turned back to face him.
"That's it. I'm done. Let exams go to hell; I'm about to fall asleep here," she proclaimed in a half whisper to Harry.
Harry grinned. "Hermione!" he exclaimed while pressing a hand over his heart. "You- you- you just dissed a class! I am appalled!"
Grinning, Hermione swatted Harry's hand away from his chest. "Oh, shut up," she said. "I am just as capable as anybody else is of dissing a class."
Harry grabbed Hermione's hand which had been pulling his hand from his heart. "Yes, but...." he faltered off, staring at their hands held together. A sudden feeling had just coursed through him which he could not explain.
Hermione, too, was staring down at their hands. An odd expression had appeared on her face.
Suddenly, at the same moment, both of them pulled their hands away. Harry's eyes moved upward and met Hermione's. For a long moment, each of them just stared into the other's eyes. Harry felt a large warmth start in his heart and spread to every inch of his body, and he felt himself relax and start to lose himself in Hermione's enticing eyes....