Accidentally In Love

It was a long climb to the Astronomy Tower. He felt so tired out when he reached the top. But somehow he finally did. He knocked on the door and entered. Professor Trelawney was sitting at a round table, gazing into her orb. He rolled his eyes. Professor Trelawney definitely couldn't see the future - so why was she so obsessed with it. “Come here, my child,” she whispered. He went to her, a little nervously. “I see you are in love with Hermione Granger,” she said. “Yes,” he replied. “Do you want to die, boy?” asked Trelawney. “No. But what's this got to do with Hermione?” said he. “You and her will both die if you continue this secret relationship. Break up with her, NOW!” And with that, Trelawney gave him a hard push, so he stumbled and then fell down the stairs to the bottom of the Astronomy Tower.

“Ow…”

“Harry! Harry! Are you alright?” Hermione was bending over him, looking extremely concerned. She seemed to be moving in and out of focus.

“What?” he answered groggily.

“You were sleepwalking. I was in the common room and you came out of your room and walked all the way here, to the bottom of the Astronomy Tower. You went up the stairs and then five minutes later you came back and fell down them. I cast a spell on you so you wouldn't break any bones though,” said Hermione, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

“Hermione?” Harry asked, after a few minutes pause.

“Yes?”

“I have to break up with you,” groaned Harry.

“Whatever for?” Hermione was shocked and hurt.

“Trelawney said…”

Hermione interrupted him, “You're going to believe what that mad old cow says?”

“She's been right before,” said Harry.

“When?” scoffed Hermione.

And out came the story of the Prophecy, out came all the things that Dumbledore had told him in his office last year, things he hadn't found the courage to tell Ron and Hermione yet until now.

“Oh…my…goodness,” gasped Hermione when he was finished.

“I know,” Harry nodded.

“So,” she swallowed, “out of you and Voldemort - one of you is going to die in the - in the end?”

Harry nodded again. Hermione stared at him for what seemed like an age. Then, she walked right up to him and pressed her lips softly against his. After a few seconds, she let go of him.

“Let's defy destiny,” she whispered, “it doesn't matter what Trelawney may say. I'm keeping you. Love fights all objects in its path.”

“I know,” said Harry sadly.

The next morning, as Harry and Hermione made their way to breakfast (Ron was in bed, snoring), they bumped into none other than Luna Lovegood.

She had a huge scowl on her face and her hands were on her hips. She walked slowly and menacingly towards him.

“Um, Harry, why is Luna walking towards us and looking so angry?” Hermione whispered urgently into Harry's ear.

Harry shrugged, looked over at Luna and gave her a huge fake smile. Hermione did the same, but she had a bad feeling about it.

“Luna!” beamed Harry through clenched teeth.

“You're both horrible!” cried Luna.

“Oh, Luna!” Hermione pretended to be deeply hurt, “that isn't very nice!”

“No, I suppose it's not. But then again, it's not very nice to cheat on someone behind their back, is it, you two?” snarled Luna.

Hermione's heart began to pound in her chest. Luna knew. How, she guessed she would never know. But Luna had found out and now she was most likely going to tell Ron about it.

“Luna…” Harry began.

“Don't Luna me! Hermione is so lucky to be going out with someone like Ron, he's mad about her and look what she's doing! She's cheating on him with you. You, Harry Potter, who is supposedly besotted with Ginny Weasley. I am disgusted by your behaviour- both of you!” Luna shouted, angry tears springing to her eyes.

Harry wanted to shout back at Luna, but just as he opened his mouth, Hermione laid a hand on his arm and put a finger to his lips. She reached out to Luna and took her hand, then smiling kindly into her eyes.

“You must really like Ron. It's so nice of you to care for him. I'm going to break up with him very soon and Harry's going to do the same with Ginny. We don't like cheating on them. But Luna, you must know, who can stop the course of love?” she said.

Harry felt his heart melt towards Hermione. She was so brilliant. How could she be so kind to Luna after she had insulted her so badly? He felt so lucky that she loved him. Him! Harry Potter! He vowed to be the boyfriend Hermione never had. He would never be possessive over her, he would always love her and look after her forever.

Luna nodded her head.

“Just don't cheat on them for too long, OK? It makes me feel bad, you see,” she replied.

Hermione promised that they wouldn't and off went Luna. Harry told her how much he admired for being so good to Luna. Hermione, blushing, gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Psst, Potter. Over here.”

“Malfoy!”

“Yeah, me. Look, er, have you got that date yet? With Ginny?”

“Malfoy, before I do anything about that date, I have to break up with her.”

“Well, do it fast please!”

“I'm impressed with you, Malfoy.”

“Why?”

“You're in love with a Gryffindor. It's really good. It shows you might actually be a nice person, despite the fact you're a Slytherin. If all goes well with Ginny, I might value you as a friend.”

“Potter?”

“Yes?”

“Don't say things like that. You're beginning to scare me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hi, Hermione!”

“Oh, Ron! What a nice, um, surprise.”

“Just wondered whether I could have a little chat with you.”

“Yeah, sure. About what?”

“Us.”

“Oh. What about us?”

“Well…there's a ball for Valentine's Day coming up.”

“Oh no!”

“What do you mean? You don't want to go with me?”

“Yes! I mean, no. I mean, I'm not very good at dancing.”

“So? Neither am I. So will you come with me, Hermy?”

“Hermy? And anyway, no.”

“Why not?”

“Just because we're a couple doesn't mean we have to go together. Why don't you go with Luna?”

“I never thought of that.”

“Well now you have, so ask her.”

Thank goodness that's over with, thought Harry, as he watched Malfoy go back to the Slytherin table. Now all he had to was split up with Ginny.

It was easier than he'd imagined.

“Um…Ginny,” he mumbled.

“Harry! I can't see you anymore! I don't love you!” gabbled Ginny.

“Oh. Right. That's what I was going to say,” he answered.

“Well, bye!”

“Bye!”

Harry grinned to himself. He was now a single man. He didn't have to have a guilty conscience the next time he kissed Hermione.

She did though. She had absolutely no idea why she had turned Ron down, and suggested that he went with someone else. She had just wanted to go with Harry. She glanced over longingly at him. He was in so much danger, their relationship was at such a big risk.

She remembered the words of her father.

“Hermione, never date someone that could die soon. Date someone who you could spend the rest of your life with. That's my advice.”

It was good advice, it really was. But Harry was her true love. She needed him, he needed her. They were one couple of love, they would be together forever. Wouldn't they?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ron stared down at his complicated Transfiguration homework. He couldn't concentrate at all. His mind kept on revolving back to this morning, when Hermione had suggested they go with different people to the Valentine's Ball. Did she not like him anymore? Or perhaps she was just so embarrassed about her dancing skills? But he didn't get the impression that she was that bad at dancing.

He shook his head slightly and then got up.

“Weasley, old boy, I think the girls just don't like you,” he murmured to himself. He went outside and stood by the lake, contemplating life in general for him.

It didn't seem to be going well. He had no friends. Harry had been funny towards him ever since he started dating Hermione. Hermione had recently been so unfriendly and began to spend all her time with Harry. It wasn't fair. She was his girlfriend after all.

“Ron? It's me, Luna.”

Ron turned round and smiled at her.

“Would you like to go to the ball with me, Luna?” he asked gently.

“Yes!” said Luna excitedly.

Ron nodded, tucked some of Luna's loose strands of hair behind her ears and kissed her.

Unlike Hermione, when she kissed Harry, Ron did have a guilty conscience. He only felt happy to be kissing Luna.

Poor Hermione. She was walking back from Hagrid's hut when it happened.

“What about Hermione?” she heard Luna say.

“Who cares about Hermione?”

Who cares about me, thought Hermione. She ran, ran, ran all the way to the Gryffindor common room and burst into tears. Harry saw her and rushed across to her.

“What's wrong, Hermione?” he asked, putting his arm around her.

“It's Ron! He was kissing Luna and he said - he said -” she broke off and started sobbing hysterically. People were watching them.

“He said who cares about me when I can't stop thinking abiut him when I kiss you,” she whispered.

“Oh come here,” said Harry, reaching out and hugging Hermione. She laid her head in his chest, while he stroked her forehead, soothing her. She cried for quite a while, until it was time for supper.

“Harry?”

“Yep?”

“First of all, lets meet in the library after supper and secondly, I hate Ron.”