Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or the phrase "word vomit," which comes from the movie "Mean Girls." Harry Potter comes from JK Rowling, if you didn't all ready know.
A/N at the bottom…sorry I haven't updated…
A new year, his last year…and it was all ready starting out like hell.
It was only the first day of the term and Harry felt like shit. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, but nothing could heal his mood. Hermione had successfully ignored him since the episode on the train and Harry woke up to a blinding headache. Somehow the Occulmancy had worsened his headaches.
Ron followed Harry down to the Great Hall for breakfast the first day of classes. As they began tucking into their breakfast, Harry groaned.
"What is it mate?" Harry didn't respond, but instead let his forehead bang onto the table.
NEWT potions, his first class. Of all the classes...
"Might as well eat something if you're going up against Snape." Harry nodded with his forehead still resting on the table. Over the past year, Ron seemed to grow up just a little. He became more aware of his surroundings and discovered that studying would prevent him from bothering Hermione all the time for her answers to homework.
Hermione.
Harry would have to see her in potions. Last year he usually walked with her to the dungeon. She kept him sane in the class…she was the reason he didn't spray Snape with shrinking potion and squash him like a bug. Hermione, who was now sitting across from him and Ron, purposefully not looking in his direction.
"Harry tells me you two have potions first." So maybe Ron still was a bit dense.
"That's right, I do have potions first." Hermione didn't look up from the toast she was buttering. Ron turned to Harry with an odd sort of look on his face.
"Do you reckon you'll be partners with Hermione, then?"
Harry couldn't help the word vomit, "I don't know, it looked like Millicent Bullstrode really wanted to partner with me this year." Hermione set down her fork and knife loudly on her plate. Seamus and Neville looked up from their conversation to watch the row going on.
"Harry, you don't need to act like such an errant pumpion."
"And you don't need to be so anal all the time, asking me so many questions about my scar." Harry's eyes were darkening and he glowered over her as he stood up. The entire hall was staring at them now.
"Harry, sit down. You know I only-"
"I'll see you in potions." Harry threw down his napkin and stormed away from the table.
He couldn't believe her, acting like she had. They might as well go back to first year with the way she had been ignoring him. Like a child would ignore their parents when they weren't getting what they wanted. She was acting like a downright pain in the…
Harry stopped walking. He relayed the conversation in his head. She ignored him for snapping at her, he snapped at her again so she responded and once again he snapped at her while she was trying to…bloody hell.
What an arse he had been.
He was more the child than she had been. Quickly he shook his head and continued down to the dungeon fifteen minutes early to class.
When Harry arrived in the potions classroom, he chose the desk in the front row that was a bit off to the right and sunk deeply into his chair. Sighing, he rested his head in his hands and tried to shake his mood out. He didn't notice when someone sat next to him.
"Why do you do this to yourself Harry? Why do you do this to me?"
"Hermione, I just-"
"No, I don't understand why you feel as though you need to continually push me away. I'm only trying to-"
"I know," Harry said more to the desk than he did to her. He didn't want to look at her…he knew her eyes would be all red and puffy. Her voice gave it away. Never in his life did he want to cause her pain like this.
"You know I'd never do anything to hurt you, right?" He nodded. "Then why do you keep doing this to me?"
"I don't know." She was about to open her mouth when he snapped towards her, putting up his finger to silence her. Everything he was about to say was lost when he looked into her eyes.
They were still quite swollen from tears, yet she never looked so beautiful. Instead of saying what he was going to, he took her into his arms and clutched onto her as though they'd never before embraced. Her tiny hands rubbed his back and one ventured up to stroke his hair. Never before had he felt so content in his life.
"I just…it's hard to say…I-"
"Shh," she lulled, "You can tell me when you're ready." Harry pulled back from her, still holding her hands in his. She rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb.
"I want to tell you, it's just…I, well-"
"Go on, tell her Potty." Both Harry and Hermione's heads shot up at the apparent voice they both hated so much. "You were going to say that you can't be friends with a mudblood anymore, go on."
Harry got up so quickly that the head rush almost knocked him out, but Hermione was quicker.
"Stop, Harry, I don't care what he says."
"Well I do." Harry wrenched himself from Hermione's grip. Crabbe and Goyle laughed dumbly behind Malfoy.
"That's right, Potter, go ahead and have a go at me. You can't-uff." Harry's fist had gotten there quicker than Malfoy's snide remark. For the second time in his life, Harry pounced on Malfoy, punching blindly as his adrenaline took over. He could vaguely feel Hermione trying to pry him away as Crabbe and Goyle tried defending their leader by accidentally shoving Hermione into a table. Before Harry could strangle Crabbe, his arms and legs snapped together and he fell forward, unable to move.
"There will be no muggle fighting in my classroom," a flat voice droned. "You should know they don't allow that in Hogwarts, Potter. Fifty points from Gryffindor." The lot of Gryffindors standing in the doorway groaned.
"What about Slytherin!?" One of them shouted.
"Potter clearly attacked Malfoy, so I don't see why he should have to suffer."
"But Crabbe pushed Hermione."
"Nu-un," Malfoy groaned from the ground. "Granger was cheering him on."
Snape smirked, "Is that so? Perhaps it should be fifty points each…what do you say, Potter?" Harry could not move from the curse Snape had laid on him although his eyes were burning. "I thought so. Fifty each it is."
"But professor-"
"Take Potter with you to see your head of house, Granger. I know Professor McGonagall will be pleased to see her favourite student. It's quite unfortunate that the Head Girl would miss her final first class of the year." An abnormally cruel grin spread itself on his greasy face as he lifted the curse from Harry. Hermione ushered Harry from the room quickly before they could get a chance to look at Malfoy acting all pleased with himself. They pushed through students to get through the door and it wasn't until they got around the corner that Hermione started crying. Other than the sounds of her whimpering, their trip to McGonagall's office was very quiet.
***
"I can't believe we have to do this." Hermione didn't respond.
Their visit with Professor McGonagall had been far from pleasant. Not only had she lectured them to the point Hermione was crying again, but they would be missing their first NEWT Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the year. Instead, she gave them detention of the worst sort.
"Why don't we do a quick cleaning charm and let it be over with?"
Hermione sighed impatiently. "Professor McGonagall clearly said, no magic to clean the owlery."
"How would she know?" Harry picked up another clump of bird crap.
"You know she could tell, Harry, she's no idiot. She could tell the difference between the poor job we're doing and waving our wands to get it over wi-ahhh!" Hermione shrieked as one of the barn owls nearly took her head out and flew over Harry. He felt something splatter on his head and groaned. Hermione, however, looked up and seemed as though she were trying very hard to suppress the laughter building in her.
"It's not funny, Hermione."
"You're right, Harry it's not-" but a wave of hysterics washed over her and she burst out laughing, pointing her wand at him and muttering scourgify somewhere in her fit. It was good to see her laughing so hard. Harry doubted he had ever seen her laugh like this before.
His eyebrows unfurrowed slightly and a smile grew on his face.
"I suppose it's a bit funny."
"Oh, Harry! It looked as though your entire head-" she couldn't even finish from another wave of laughter racking her body. Harry even began to laugh.
It was wonderful, being able to laugh again. He couldn't remember the last time he laughed so hard.
And this girl, this woman. This wonderful woman who was able to make him laugh and cry all at the same time. She was amazing, and he hugged her, losing his balance and tumbling down, bringing her with him as they tried to grab hold of their senses rolling around in the crap-infested straw.
Suddenly the door to the owlery flew open and Hermione stopped laughing in her place beneath Harry. The smile on his face quickly froze as he turned his head to see Ron Weasley gaping at the tow of the, quite speechless. It was then he realized Hermione was pinned quite snugly beneath his hips and a strange sort of heat flooded his body. He could only imagine what this looked like.
A/N: I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry I haven't updated in so long…I kept trying to write this, but it never came out right. I don't even feel 100% about this. Plus I've been quite busy with two jobs and getting ready for college. Once again, I'm very sorry, but hope you liked this chapter somewhat…
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