"He's looking at you"
"No he's not!"
"I swear he is, why is he doing that?"
"It's called using your eyes for what they were made for, looking Harry! I don't understand why you're that uptight about it, pass the jelly please"
"It's a Malfoy that's why I'm a little uptight, he's no good, I'm just concerned Hermione," Harry said before taking a bite out of his toast.
Hermione rolled her eyes, and then stared down at her plate. She seemed to be in deep thought. Then her head jerked up and she quickly turned to face Harry.
"You've been acting like a bodyguard ever since The Incident."
Hermione had developed the habit of calling Ron's cheating The Incident, when Harry had asked about how she felt about Ron, she'd gotten angry and asked him never to say that again, so he christened it The Incident and it stuck ever since.
But right now the origin of the name wasn't what as on Harry's mind, the well being of his closest friend was.
"Hermione I'm sorry, but it's just that you're my best friend, I don't want to see you hurt. Malfoy is probably plotting to do something to you," Harry whispered urgently.
Hermione sighed; she hadn't told anyone what had happened a few days before after the Quidditch game, she knew that her relationship with Draco had changed since, but she did notice he was staring at her a bit more then usual.
`I wonder if he wants to talk again. Maybe that's why he's staring?' Hermione tried to reason, then spoke a loud to Harry, " Look Harry don't worry about it, I have to go proof read an essay before classes start, I'll see you later."
"Alright," Harry said in a resigned tone before resuming eating his breakfast.
Hermione walked briskly out of the Great Hall trying to get away from Draco's gaze.
Draco saw Hermione get up and counted to 10 before getting up himself and following her.
`Why are you doing this Malfoy? It's Granger!'
`Because she's the only person who's been nice to you even when you didn't deserve it?' Draco argued back to himself.
"This is ridiculous," Draco muttered, and then he stopped short as he saw Hermione sitting on a window ledge in a quiet corridor reading a long piece of parchment.
`Go and talk to her, you need to talk to someone and she's the only one who cares to listen'
"Fine", Draco straightened his robes and ran his fingers through his hair over the side of his head.
But before he could make it down the corridor to her, he saw a blonde girl approach her cautiously.
`Damn! Who is she and why is she talking to Hermione, I need to talk to her more!' Draco thought angrily.
He sighed and when he saw the girl sit down next to Hermione he knew it'd be a while.
`Forget it, I don't even remember why I wanted to talk to her,' Draco thought as he started to retrace his steps and headed to the Slytherin common room.
Hermione had just finished her fifth paragraph when she heard a soft cough from the person standing in front of her.
It was Lavender Brown.
Lavender, with blonde hair falling into soft curls, blue eyes, long lashes, rosy cheeks, full lips. Not only was she pretty she was sweet and nice. Dozens of guys had fallen for her. Even people, who were already seeing someone else, people like Ron.
Hermione remembered that fact and her smile faded.
"What do you want?" Hermione said coolly.
"I thought you might want to talk to me" Lavender said softly.
"What gave you that idea?!"
Lavender looked a little startled but then composed herself, sounding more determined she replied, "You'd spoken to Ron almost a week ago, he told me he apologized but hadn't bothered to explain himself and his actions with me. He also told you to talk to me to find out, you didn't seek me out but I wanted you to know so that you don't have to keep ignoring him anymore"
"Well if I don't go looking for you what makes you think I want to know"
"I know you don't want to know, but I don't want you hate him so please listen to me," Lavender begged.
"I don't hate him," Hermione sharply cut in, "I hate what he did to me."
"I know but hear me out please" Lavender was beginning to lose hope in ever talking with Hermione she was so stubborn, "may I please sit?"
"Do what ever you want," Hermione mumbled. `You did what ever you pleased with my boyfriend' she thought.
"Ever since 3rd year Ron liked, but you hadn't given him a glance, asking you out was one of the hardest things he ever had to do. When you said yes he was so happy. But you didn't seem to show that you had the same mutual feelings," Lavender began.
Hermione tried to protest but was silenced by the wave of a hand, "please let me finish. Ron's always felt like seconds compared to Harry he thought so even when you were friends, he thought that you becoming his girlfriend would change things, you still acted the same though. The only differences were you held his hand more; you were still wrapped up in being the smartest student and being Harry Potter's sidekick."
Lavender took a breath then said the next part of her monologue without looking Hermione in the face, "when you caught Ron and me it wasn't the first time we'd kissed, we'd been seeing each other a good month before."
Hermione turned bright red with angry, she couldn't believe it, and she was going to rip Lavender's hair out!
Lavender noticed the distressed look on Hermione's face before she pointed out, "you didn't even notice or care, Ron's been dealing with a lot of emotions towards how he felt about you and being Harry's friend, I took the time to listen to him. You were busy off studying all the time, and if he wanted to talk to you I bet you didn't take the time to listen. It was wrong to cheat on you, but is it cheating when your girlfriend is just that by title not by anything else?" Lavender was getting tense, he voice shrilled a bit.
Hermione sat in stunned silence, everything Lavender said was true.
Lavender got up off the window seat, "thank you for listening to me, if you have any ill emotions towards anyone, direct them to me instead of Ron, he still loves you both." And with that she walked silently away.
Hermione stared down at her hands, she did feel guilty.
`But you didn't do anything wrong, he did the wrong thing!' a voice shrill called in her head.
`I'm just the same amount in the fault' she corrected.
"Hermione are you done yet? We have to go."
Hermione snapped her head up; she hadn't even heard him approach. Noticing her bag in his outstretched hand she grabbed it smiling.
"Thank you Harry, yes we should go"
"Get a lot of work done on the essay?"
"Not the essay but more important matters," Hermione replied back as they walked down the corridor.
/./././././.
Harry walked silently beside Hermione, as they made their way to class.
He turned his head slightly so out of the corner of his eye he could have a passing glance at her.
He studied her profile, how her cheeks were a little flushed pink, how the sunlight caught certain strands in her hair and turned them gold. Her teeth were perfect after 4th year. Her eyes, so expressive, were now staring at him questioning.
`I've been caught!' Harry shook his head and turned from her gaze.
Hermione stopped in her tracks, and turned to face him.
"Is something wrong Harry?"
"What? Oh nothing, just lost focus thinking, you know how when you think sometimes and you stare at something or someone…" Harry trailed off in his ramblings.
"Ok then," Hermione said in an uncertain voice, "We better get going we're probably late by now."
With that she walked briskly down the hall, leaving Harry to catch up.
././././.
Harry quickly finished lunch; he'd been eating by himself because Hermione was helping another student with Transfiguration or something. Harry was glad because then he could think about why he'd been looking at Hermione like that earlier.
`You were just looking at her because she was there!'
`But looking at her the way a friend shouldn't?'
`Looking is allowed, its touching that you have to look out for'
"I don't even know why I'm getting worked up about this;" Harry muttered under his breath, "Wish I had someone to talk to."
"Is this seat taken?"
Harry didn't look up from his plate, just motioned his hand for the person to sit.
"I'm surprised you let me sit," the voice was quiet, male and familiar.
Harry turned to face Ron.
"I wasn't paying attention, you can sit where ever you want, after all you do whatever you want," Harry said as his stuffed a roll into his pocket and prepared to leave.
"Harry wait please," said Ron, "I really want to talk to you."
"We have nothing to discuss"
"Harry, stop acting like a ponce and listen!" Ron raised his voice a bit in impatience.
Harry glared at Ron.
"Sorry, "Ron cast his glance downwards, "please would you listen?"
Harry sighed, "Alright Ron, we do need to talk, let's go outside."
They walked out side by side, the way they always used to except now there seemed to be an invisible wall between them.
They reached the lake and sat down on a rock, where they used to sit and talk before about Quidditch and girls. But now it was time for more serious matters.
"Talk," Harry commanded.
"You know what I did was wrong, that there's no excuse for it. But you only know about it from Hermione's perspective, as the victim. But you don't know how things are from my point view. But that's more between Hermione and I. What's between you and I is that you took her side. You didn't even make an effort to ask me what happened, I thought you were a friend and that you'd attempt to listen and understand, but instead you ignored me and give me glances that you should save for You-Know-Who. I know you're mad about what happened to Hermione, but she's at least forgiven me, can't you? I hate not being your friend"
Harry looked out over the lake, considering all that Ron said. It was true; he hadn't bothered to listen to Ron's side of the story. Technically it wasn't his fight or position to take a side.
Harry took a deep breath, "Ron what you did was wrong but I was wrong too, I don't like it when we fight and I hope that we can start again"
Ron grinned, and went to give Harry a handshake, before he notice Harry's back straighten uncomfortably, so he just said, "thank you Harry, see you around."
Harry watched Ron walk away, wondering why he was reluctant for the handshake from him.
`It's going to be hard to trust him again, but at least I can try'
`But it will take more then an I'm sorry to set things right again'
Harry sighed, before getting up to go to his next class, DADA
././././.
"Ok people you know what to do, partners now!" came the loud voice of the teacher throughout the room, "half of you go to the library for research the other half stay here and practice curses, I'll see you at the end of the period, waste time you'll suffer for it later with N.E.W.Ts."
"Well let's go to the library!" Hermione said turning to Draco with a smile.
"Oh joy and goody I can hardly contain myself," Draco said dryly.
Hermione glared at him as they left the room and headed down the hall, "there's no reason to make fun of me just because I want to use my brain."
"Oh but when the library is your favorite place to be and you look like you've won a 100 galleons then yes I think a little jibbing is in order," Draco said with a hint of laughter in his voice, but he was trying to keep a straight face.
"Oh bother on you, what's your favorite place to be?"
Draco stopped in his tracks; Hermione thought it looked that he was thinking really hard.
"Depends," was the answer he gave, before he started walking on.
"Depends on what?" Hermione trotted to keep up with his long gait.
"What mood I'm in and who I'm with"
"Let's say right now"
They were in the library now heading to the back where there were tables by windows, where the sunlight was streaming in.
Draco walked up to the window, looked out then turned at leaned on the windowsill facing her, they were eye level now.
"Right now, I'd like to be right here with you," his silver blue eyes were boring holes into Hermione's eyes.
Hermione broke away from his gaze, "And why's that?" she was a little scared to ask but it was too late.
"Because nothing wrong's happening now, so for a few seconds I don't have to worry; besides you give off a vibe of peacefulness so it's a nice change from the usual."
Hermione kicked herself in the pants for starting this conversation; she cleared her throat, "Well let's get down to business."
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