The Friendship That Grew

“Well, I just thought you would like to see it,” she yawned.

“You're tired. We'd better go to bed,” said Harry, slightly anxious about her tiredness.

Hermione gave him one of her sweetest smiles and meekly followed him all the way to the common room. After they had said goodnight, and were on their way to their separate rooms, Hermione called out to him.

“Harry! Have you done your Potions yet?”

Harry looked over at her and shook his heads.

Her face went slightly red.

“Um, well, I could give you some tuition if you like, um, after school in the library…” she mumbled.

Harry stared at her in amazement. Hermione, helping him? What a great friend.

“I knew you wouldn't want to,” she added hastily, “it was just an idea.”

“Hermione…”Harry began.

Hermione turned and hurried away.

“Wait!” he shouted. She turned her head round.

“Sounds great,” he winked at her.

She looked a little bit startled at his wink, but pleased all the same. They both headed off to bed, with slightly satisfied smiles on their faces.

“Ron, Luna, do you have any sense at all?” snapped Hermione irritably as she sat down at breakfast the next morning, “I don't particularly want to go down to breakfast and find you two snogging happily! I didn't even know Luna was supposed to be at the Gryffindor table.

Ron and Luna just grinned goofily. Hermione sighed impatiently, grabbed a slice of toast and stormed off to the library by herself.

Honestly, sometimes she wished Ron and Luna had never started dating. Both could be so agitating sometimes, it was enough to drive even a saint mad.

When she was alone, she didn't have any distractions. She could be peaceful and be herself, without anyone else interrupting her. She enjoyed being alone and it was fun to eat up here by herself. Ah, the pleasures of independence…

Harry chuckled to himself at the sight of Ron and Luna together, lips locked. They had started to go out very recently and in his opinion they were a very sweet couple. Hermione did not like them as a couple. Every time she saw them together, she groaned in disgust. Ron had wondered whether it was because she was jealous, but Harry didn't think so. It was something deeper than that. There was definitely something wrong with Hermione.

“Where's Hermione?” he asked.

Ron and Luna looked at each other nervously and then at Harry.

“She came down when we were kissing and she got so annoyed and stormed off with a piece of toast!” said Luna.

Harry groaned.

“Can you guys please have a little consideration for her occasionally?” he sighed.

Ron and Luna shrugged.

It was Harry's turn to grab a piece of toast and storm off. He walked off to the Gryffindor common room, feeling very alone. Hermione was never there when he needed her, that was the only problem with her friendship. He would have gone to Ron but he was always with Luna or Dean nowadays. He seemed to have forgotten that Harry existed.

Later on, the bell for morning lessons went, and a little half heartedly, Harry got up and hurried to Transfiguration.

Hermione was already in the Transfiguration classroom. She was sitting alone, reading through her text book.

“Are we still on for the Potions help this evening?” he asked her.

Hermione looked up at him, slightly startled, and smiled.

“Of course,” she replied.

“Um…can I sit here?” he asked her again.

“Go ahead,” she answered.

They sat again the same awkward silence that they had last night. There was something missing, something that should happen but wasn't. But he couldn't think what. Thankfully, the rest of the class arrived at that precise moment, Ron heading to the back to sit with Dean and Seamus, not even glancing at Harry and Hermione.

He did, however, give them a grin and a wave, which made Harry feel somewhat happier.

The rest of the school day passed in a blur and soon it was time for Harry's extra Potions lesson with Hermione. He rushed to the library, glad to escape Ron and Luna, who kissing passionately in the middle of the Great Hall.

He couldn't find Hermione at first, because she was hidden behind a huge tower of books. When he did find her, she didn't seem to realise he was there - she was too busy writing some notes. It looked like a lesson plan for him,

She jumped when he tapped her on the shoulder.

“Oh god, Harry, you didn't half scare me! Well, sit down. I wrote out some notes that we can go over in this session, if you like,” she said.

“It's so nice of you to do this, Hermione. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you. One thing: can we do my homework first?” Harry questioned her.

Hermione nodded, and so began the session. It was going along just fine, and Harry and Hermione were really getting on well with each other, when Cho appeared.

Cho Chang, Harry's ex girlfriend, came sidling into the library, in tears. She flung herself on Harry, causing Hermione to scowl.

“HARRY!” she wailed, “I'm so sorry that I was so mean to you! Lets start afresh!”

Harry pushed Cho off him and glanced over at Hermione. She wasn't watching him though, she had become highly interested in the ceiling. He felt a little worried.

Cho was now trying to kiss him, but Harry shoved her off.

“Please, Cho. Can't you see I'm busy?” he glared.

“Oh, get rid of that geek and come with me,” she laughed airily.

Harry clenched his fists and his teeth, shooting Cho an angry look.

“Cho - please - go - away - before - I - lose - my - temper -” he began furiously.

“But Harry -”

“CHO!”

“OK. But I'll be back…”

Once Cho left, Hermione let a long, low whistle.

“You still like her?” she asked uneasily.

“I don't know,” Harry replied.

“But it's not like I care if you do or not,” said Hermione quickly.

“I know;”

Once more, that annoying awkward silence came. It was really beginning to bug Harry. And after Cho's visit, Hermione wasn't the same. She was jumpy and stand-offish. Something had clearly irritated her but he didn't know what.

Maybe she would tell him later.

Hermione did end up telling someone what was wrong later - but that someone wasn't Harry. It was, in actual fact, Ron. It was later that evening the common room - Harry had gone to bed early - and she and Ron were sitting alone by the fire. Hermione found herself pleased for some time alone with him - she needed to get some advice from him about Harry.

“Ron, we've been friends for a long time, right?” she asked him.

Ron's face went pale, his heart began to pound.

“Yeah?” he swallowed.

“So…could I tell you about some strange feelings that I have towards someone?” she pressed him.

“Yeah!” he squeaked, in an unnaturally high voice.

“Ron…today in the library, I was with Harry and…and Cho came. And she was being SO stupid, all over Harry. Ron…I don't know, I felt really annoyed and angry at the idea of them being together again. I wanted to hit that stupid little sad Ravenclaw!” cried Hermione. She then put her head in her hands.

Ron grinned mischievously.

“I'm relieved. I thought you were gonna ask me out!” said Ron uneasily.

Hermione shot him a disgusted look.

“Why would I do that?”

Ron shrugged and looked over at her.

“I don't know much about the ways of the heart but I think you're jealous…” he started.

“WHAT? I am not jealous! Harry's a friend no more, no less! Just shut up, Ron. I should have known you would give me bad advice!” she shouted.

Ron rolled his eyes. Hermione screamed and stalked out of the common room, thinking about how annoyingly sensitive Ron was.