Hermione sat in the common room bent low over a badly dog-eared copy of Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7. However consuming the book was, she could not concentrate. She kept thinking about the kiss she had shared with her best friend the night before. Since fleeing to her dormitory immediately after, she had completely avoided both Harry and Ron all of the following day.
What was he thinking? He can't possibly have meant…no, he wouldn't think of me like that.
Just then the portrait hole opened and in walked Ron, closely followed by Harry. With a small gasp, her eyes darted towards the dark corner where they had emerged, and then quickly back down to her book again. As she feigned scanning the same page she had been scanning for the past half-hour, she began to chew her lower lip.
The noise level in the common room - that normally would have aggravated Hermione - now soothed her. For once she was glad that the room was packed with students. Harry and Ron obviously hadn't seen her sitting on the plump couch in front of the fireplace, because they sat at one of the smaller tables and were soon engrossed in a brutal game of Wizard's Chess.
Her eyes zoomed toward them again, checking to see if they had noticed her. When she saw that they hadn't, she clambered off of the couch and zoomed up the stairs towards her dormitory.
-(-(-
The next morning, Hermione had made up her mind that she could no longer avoid her two best friends without raising suspicion. She dressed quickly and rocketed down the stairs and out the portrait hole to make sure she was the first one of the Trio to be in the Great Hall for breakfast. She settled in a spot on a bench all by herself, making sure there was plenty of room on either side of her. She wanted to see if he would choose to sit next to her, or across the table from her. Thinking about it, she decided that either choice could mean certain death for her.
If he sat across from her, they would most definitely exchange awkward glances throughout the meal. And if he sat next to her, she was certain that they would be forced to make physical contact; whether it be bumping elbows or touching shoulders.
She scrambled to pile food onto her plate. What's wrong with me, I never eat this much! She continued, however, and began shoveling the food into her mouth at a pace that would likely put her in danger of gagging herself to death.
Then, suddenly, Harry and Ron were both sitting down next to her. She gave a small jump, but pretended not to notice them.
"What's wrong with you, Mione?" Harry inquired, brows furrowed in much the same way that hers often did when asking the very same question of him.
"Mmphust ee mmagn" she tried to force out through the mouthful of food.
This was horrible! She looked like a pig for Merlin's sake!
She jumped from her seat between them, trying to mumble something about the library. She turned away and zoomed swiftly from the Great Hall, leaving them sitting with startled looks on their faces.
-(-(-
"Hermione, what's wrong," she heard a voice whisper behind her, as she felt a strong hand tighten over her shoulder.
She jumped slightly, but composed herself quickly and turned to face him.
"Nothing. Why?" That sounded so rehearsed!
"Well let's see, we didn't see you all day yesterday, and today you run out of the Hall after shoveling your face full of food…hmmm? And now I find you out here by the lake. It's freezing; you should be wearing a sweater."
"I…I-I" What's wrong with me? Suddenly I've lost the ability to speak coherently?
"C'mon Mione, I can tell you're lying to me. I'm getting much better at Occlumency, you know…"
"Oh Harry, I just can't! It would be so unbelievably embarrassing! Please don't make me tell you," she exclaimed, flinging her arms around his neck and burying her face into his chest.
"Whoa, whoa, just calm down. There's no reason to freak out. Of course you don't have to tell me."
He smells so good. I wonder if he knows how good he smells.
"Harry, could you just…sit with me out here for a while? I mean maybe I'll get up the courage to tell you…" she ended abruptly.
"Sure," he said calmly, as they sat down side by side beneath the huge beech tree. They sat quietly for a few moments, just staring out at the lake. Gently, he slipped his hand into hers and intertwined his fingers amongst hers. She shifted herself and dropped her head onto his shoulder, sighing deeply.
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