Hermione rubbed her tired face as she exited the library. It was almost like she was trying to rub away the dream that was very fresh in her mind. She kissed Harry. Her legs were on auto-pilot as she walked towards the Gryffindor tower. Her mind was still back in the library underneath Harry's invisibility cloak. Of all things she could have dreamed of why did it have to be Harry. Probably because he's been on my mind a lot, she thought, walking up the last flight of stairs towards the Pink Lady. Only because of what happened last year, she quickly rectified.
"Heffalumps and Woozles," she said, and the portrait swung open. The Common Room was deserted- or so she thought until she heard a voice call her name from a chair in front of the fire place.
"Hermione?" said Ginny, her head half visable from atop the chair. "I was just wondering if- you okay?" she inquired studying the very flushed face of Hermione.
"Promise you won't tell anyone?" said Hermione taking a seat next to her.
Ginny immediately shut her book and shifted on her seat to face her. "Spill it."
Hermione considered the floor and then looked up at Ginny, " I had a dream...a very strange dream...about Harry."
Ginny shifted her eyes to the side and looked back at Hermione. "And?"
"IwaskissingHarryinmydream," she said really fast, and then put her hand to her face.
"Come again?"
Hermione took a deep breath, " I kissed Harry... in my dream."
Ginny smiled. "No.Way."
"I don't know why," said Hermione becoming flustered, " I mean one minute I was returning the books and the next we were underneath his cloak...just...kissing like…we-" Hermione motioned her hand back and forth and fell silent unable to get the right words out of her mouth. " It was weird."
"Might have been something you ate," said Ginny as though she gave this advice often. "I remember once I had two bowls of Ice Cream, and I had this dream where I was a cherry and Malfoy kept trying to eat me. Freaked me out."
Hermione stared at her. " Yes, I completely see the connection."
"I wouldn't worry about it, my Mum said that dreams are just the brain's way of getting rid of things, you know?"
"That doesn't make sense," said Hermione scrunching her eyebrows, "because my brain tends to keep reminding me of how hot it was underneath that invisibility cloak."
"I bet," said Ginny under her breath. "Listen, it's past 10 o'clock-maybe if you go to sleep know you can see how far you make it-"
"GINNY!" Hermione hissed
"Only joking!"
The next day Harry found himself wandering the aisles of the Divination section in the library, hoping to find the same
book he had read before about 'kissing your best friend' in your dreams. But when he had reached it he found
somebody else standing there reading the same book.
"Ginny?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, "I didn't know you take Divination?"
"One of the many things you don't know about me Harry," she said with a smile,
"actually, I'm just looking something up for a friend."
"Was your friend kissing his best friend in his dreams too?"
Ginny froze." Who have you been kissing? I should let you know that Ron isn't like that," she said with a twisted smile.
"Very funny," said Harry with a smirk. He looked around and leaned forward a little. "Promise not to tell?"
"Cross my heart."
"I- well," Harry opened and closed his mouth four times in an attempt to form a sentence. " Iwas in my room- just after Quidditch practice- and then Hermione came in. She was saying all this stuff about us being friends for so long, and the next thing I knew...we were...you know," Harry gave a nervous shrug of the shoulders, "just wish I knew what it meant- Er- if it means anything at all."
"I see," said Ginny with a look of understanding on her face, "so you and Hermione kissed...very interesting indeed."
Ginny stood there observing Harry, tapping the top spine of the book against her lips. Suddenly the wheels in her head began to turn. With a smile she handed the book to Harry.
"Check out page 258, if you really want a second opinion."
"What? I haven't even had a first," said Harry turning around to watch Ginny walk away.
"Yes you did Harry," said Ginny calmly," your mind has already told you."
Ginny walked out of the library, leaving Harry with a dumbstruck look on his face. She turned her head just in time to see Harry shove the book back on the shelf. Ginny shook her head and smiled. You'll get it one day Harry, she thought to herself while side stepping a few third years.
As she continued down the corridor she saw Hermione walk with a rather fast pace towards her, hoisting up her nearly bulging book bag as she weaved in and out of the crowds.
"Hermione!" Ginny called.
"Oh, Hello Ginny," said Hermione as she came closer, she seemed rather stressed, "I'm sorry but I can't talk right now, Professor Vector just assigned us loads of homework, not to mention the foot long essay I have to do for Ancient Runes, so I really must go."
"Where are you going?"
"Common Room- why?"
"Oh, just- wait a minute! No! Don't go to the Common Room!" said Ginny grabbing Hermione's arm and pointing her towards the library.
"Ginny, what on earth-"
"You should go to the library, it's more quit there and all the information is there anyway."
"Are you trying to keep me out of the Common Room?"
"No- yes…yes I am...Ron's on a power trip," Ginny lied and leaned in closer, " got three second years a detention and yelled at a first year till they cried for setting off a dung bomb near the Common Room."
Hermione glared towards the common room.
"But don't worry, I've sorted him out," she said quickly.
"I suppose the library would be better, it's just around the corner anyway, but I really should be off."
"Oh, of course. And er- if you're interested, your dream is in the Divination section," Ginny added with a wink.
Hermione blushed furiously and with an embarrassed smile she turned and walked away.
"Matchmaking is fun," Ginny said and was about to walk away but stopped dead in her tracks, smiled, and followed Hermione into the library.
Hermione went straight for her favourite table, and pulled out her favourite chair and let her book bag fall to the ground with a loud THUD.
"SHHH!" hissed Madam Pince for across the room.
"Sorry!" Hermione whispered and began her stroll of the aisles, picking out various books. She walked straight passed the Divination section with out even looking at, trying to keep herself focused, on the task at hand.
A few minutes later Hermione emerged with a pile of books stacked high enough that she could barley see over the top. It wasn't however, high enough to stop her eye contact with Harry.
"Harry!" said Hermione from behind the stack of books, her eyes wide with embarrassment.
"Hermione?"
"What are you doing here?" they said together.
"Research," they said again.
There was a brief pause before Hermione spoke." I have to do- oh no!" Hermione tripped over her own foot and books went everywhere.
Harry got down on all fours. "Here, let me help," he said picking up book after book.
"This is really embarrassing," said Hermione picking up her share of books.
"Don't worry, I don't think anybody can see past these...shelves..."
Harry and Hermione looked up at each other- their faces mere inches apart.
"Er-"
Harry felt a little hot under the collar and Hermione felt a nervous jolt in her stomach.
Flashes of each others dreams were bouncing around in their minds so clearly it was as if they had dreamed it just seconds ago, and now it seemed that their dreams would come true any second now. But still, in the back of their minds there was this slight hesitation- a hesitation that they both seemed to dwell on. Hermione's eyes flickered in between Harry's eyes and his lips, drawing herself ever closer to him.
Ginny's mouth went dry as she watched from behind a bookshelf .
"Merlin, I wish I was in her shoes," said Ginny quietly. Just then Luna's head popped from the side of the bookshelf.
She looked at Ginny with a curious expression and wondered what she was looking at. Walking up behind her she followed Ginny's gaze from between the books.
"Have they kissed yet?"
Ginny jumped and accidentally knocked over a few books causing Harry and Hermione to snap back to reality and away from each other.
"Luna!" Ginny hissed and grabbed her by the sleeve.
"I like Hermione's hair like that," said Luna craning her neck to see a parting glimpse of the two before Ginny dragged her away.
Hermione and Harry stood up and brushed off their robes.
"I have um-" Hermione pointed to her table, unable to speak.
Harry nodded. "And I have to uh- uh-" Harry pointed his thumb over his shoulder.
Hermione nodded, " I'll- I'll see you."
"Yeah," said Harry, his mouth going dry.
They nodded at each other for another second, laughed nervously and departed each other's company, both of them holding a part of their face as if to control the furious blushing that was threatening to take over.
Ginny swung Luna around in front of her. " What are you doing sneaking up on me like that, it almost worked!"
"What worked? Oh, Hermione and Harry? That has a nice ring to it don't you think? Hey that rhymes!"
Ginny stared at her.
"Well you're getting a lot farther with them than I have. I've been trying to set them up for weeks!" replied Luna.
"You have? I didn't notice."
"Well that's the point isn't it? No one's supposed to figure it out."
Ginny chewed the corner of her lip, she was right, " Well now I- or we, rather," said Ginny noticing the look on Luna's face," have to try something else."
Harry was walking rather fast down the corridors with a single thought occupying his brain: He almost kissed Hermione.
He scratched the back of his head and wondered what on Earth possessed him to get that close to her. It's that
dream, Harry thought to himself, that stupid dream. He was so focused as to what was going on in his head
that he wasn't really paying much attention as to what was in front of him.
"OUCH!" he heard a female voice yell as books and quills came crashing to the floor.
"Oh, sorry!" said Harry absently bending over to pick the stuff up.
"Harry?"
Harry froze, now the voice was very familiar indeed. Harry slowly stood up straight with the fallen books and quills in his hand and looked straight into the face of Cho Chang.
Harry stared at Cho as she slowly grabbed her books from his grasp and gave a polite smile.
"Hi Harry," she said.
"Hi," he said suddenly aware of his speech, "how's Micheal?"
"He's great," she said looking at the ground, "listen, I'm sorry things didn't work out for us…I really am. But," she said taking a step closer to him, "we'll always have those D.A. lessons right?"
"Yeah," said Harry with a trace of a faint smile.
"Maybe if the circumstances were different-"
"What circumstances?" Harry interjected.
"Well you and Hermione for one."
"Hermione's my best friend," said Harry taking a step back.
"Yes, and that's fine Harry but...I felt like I was in competition with her, for you."
"Hermione and I go way back and if you feel that you're in competition..."
Cho pursed her lips and sighed. "She's lucky to have someone like you, Harry. She means a lot you, I can see that. Everyone does."
Harry stared at her as if she grew a second head.
"I have to go... I'll be late for Transfiguration. I'll see you Harry," Cho side stepped him and walked away.
Harry turned to watch her go, he threw his hands up in frustration and let them fall by his side. Suddenly the back of his mind played the events of what happened in the Library just minutes ago. He had nearly kissed his best friend.
"OY! HARRY!"
Harry turned around to see where the voice was coming from and saw a tall red head walk towards him.
"Hey Ron," said Harry he was glad to be finally talking with someone who didn't think he liked Hermione.
"Was that Cho you were talking to?"
"Yeah."
"Probably came to tell you how much different things would have been if you two were a couple," said Ron with a look of disgust on his face.
"Not really," said Harry, "she just told me how different it would be if Hermione wasn't around."
"She said what?"
"She said something about being in competition with Hermione...can you imagine?"
"She's probably still bitter about what Hermione did to her friend last year," Ron started to laugh," that was brilliant. But yeah, I can see why."
"You think that I like Hermione?"
"Never said that mate, it's just well-"
"Well what?"
"I can see why she would feel that there's competition. I mean, Hermione's been the only girl in your life, well there's Ginny but I guess you can't really count her. Look, Hermione's been to hell and back with you...we both have. She could have walked away from you at anytime, but she didn't. Cho could never measure up to Hermione like that."
"Sounds like you put her on a pretty high pedestal," said Harry with a grin.
"Sod off, " he said playfully shoving Harry," but yeah, I can see why Cho would feel threatened. Look who she has to compete with."
Harry saw a brief flash of his dream in his mind and a sudden thought occured to him, "Ron are you going to be in the common room later?"
"Yeah why?"
"I have to go talk to Hermione about something, can I meet you back there?"
"Alright, I have to keep patrolling the hallway anyways, See ya Harry."
"See you."
When they departed each other's company Harry found himself walking more faster than usual to the library. When he entered he found Hermione sitting at the table, exactly where he left her. On the opposite side of the library however Ginny and Luna were sitting on the table chewing on their fingernails trying to think of a new plan. Ginny did a double take at Harry and smacked Luna's arm. Luna jumped and followed Ginny's wide eyed stare.
"Whoa...can Harry read minds?" Luna asked.