Sweet and Sour Sixteen

Sweet and Sour Sixteen

Summary: It's the fall of the trio's sixth year, before Hermione's sixteenth birthday. During a late night conversation with Lavender and Parvati, they ask Hermione whether she's ever kissed a guy. She replies no. They get into a long discussion about sweet and sour sixteen birthdays, and how it makes you sound so innocent to have a sweet sixteen. The conversation bothers Hermione, and she needs someone to talk to about it. And that someone ends up being Harry. The summary sucks, I know, but I couldn't really describe this little fanfic. You'll just have to read it. It's just a little sweet mushy fanfic between Harry and Hermione. Please read and review when you're done, it'd mean a lot if you did.

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“Hermione, can we ask you something?” Lavender asked her roommate, Hermione Granger, one night when Hermione was reading (no surprise) and Lavender and Parvati were discussing their favorite topic: boys. Hermione nodded that they could ask her.

“Promise to tell the truth?” Parvati asked.

“Depends on what it is.” Parvati and Lavender looked at each other.

“Are you going to have a sweet or sour sixteenth birthday?”

“Sweet or sour sixteenth?”

“Yeah.”

“What's a sour sixteenth birthday?”

“If you've never kissed a guy, you'll have a sweet sixteenth, if you have, it'll be a sour one. Guys go through it too with girls.” Hermione laughed.

“That sounds like one of the stupidest things I've ever heard, and I'm best friends with Ron, so that's saying something.” The two best friends gasped, like Hermione had insulted them. Hermione rolled her eyes. She liked her roommates, but they could be too much into boys and popularity sometimes.

“Are you going to answer the question?” Hermione sighed.

“Will you leave me alone about it if I do?”

“Yes.”

“I'll have a sweet sixteen.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“Oh my God.” Lavender said, the shock evident in her voice.

“Why, what's wrong with having a sweet sixteen?”

“It makes you sound like an innocent, pure, good person.”

“So?”

“You want to be a person with that kind of reputation?”

“What's wrong with it?” Lavender and Parvati looked at each other, and Parvati said, as though it was sealing Hermione's fate,

“You'll die a virgin.” Hermione looked at her roommates with a look of disbelief on her face and laughed.

“Just because I haven't kissed a guy doesn't mean I'll die a virgin.” The other two didn't think it was funny, though. Lavender said,

“You set too much to the books, my friend, you need to live a little, get out there and kiss some guys.”

“Oh, I see what this is all about, you're trying to set me up with someone.”

“Only if you want us to.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. There's nothing wrong with school being my first priority in life at the moment. Maybe once I finish school I'll have time for dating.” Parvati shook her head and said,

“I doubt it, Hermione. I see you as one of those working types who never have time for any fun at all, and who end up old maids because they never took the time to date.”

“I'm not too concerned about it, Parvati, I don't see why you should be more worried about it than I am.”

“I'm just looking out for you, Hermione. We both are. You're our friend, and we want what's best for you. So, how about a guy? Any preferences? There's this one sixth year that I know…” Hermione groaned in exasperation and rolled onto her side and turned off the lamp by her bedside. When the room was dark, there was silence for a minute or two until Lavender said to her best friend,

“You think it's guys in general she doesn't like?” Suddenly, a pillow came flying through the air and smacked Lavender in the side of the head, coming from the direction that Hermione was laying. Parvati grinned and laughed as Lavender frowned. Parvati said,

“I don't think so, Lav.”

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Hermione told herself that what Lavender and Parvati were saying to her was nothing, it didn't matter that she was going to have a sweet sixteen. It didn't mean that she was going to die a virgin or was a lesbian, all it meant was that she didn't have her head in the clouds all the time, thinking about guys, clothes, make up and hair. Even if she had kissed a guy before her sixteenth birthday, it didn't guarantee that she wasn't going to die a virgin. Despite her reassuring herself, the conversation the night before still bothered her. She didn't say anything to anyone, and not too many people noticed that there was anything different, except one. Harry noticed something was bothering his best friend, and wondered what it was. Ron, of course, was oblivious to the whole situation.

“Ron, do you know what's been bothering Hermione?”

“No, why?”

“Because it looks like something is worrying her.”

“I hadn't noticed anything.”

“You haven't noticed that she's barely said a word to anyone all day?”

“Come to think of it, I had noticed, it was quieter without someone nagging me to do my homework, or telling me how thick I'm being. It's kinda nice.”

“You don't need Hermione to tell you that you're thick sometimes, Ron, I could tell you that.”

“Gee, thanks Harry.”

“Happy to help, but anyways, what's bothering Hermione?”

“I don't know. I never know what goes on in her head, nor do I want to know. Whatever it is, it's best to leave her to it. It's probably best that we don't know. She probably got a nine out of ten on one of her homework papers and is fretting about it.” Harry didn't think it had anything to do with homework. He didn't want to give up, and as the day went on, the more it worried him. At lunch, he decided to ask her about what was troubling her.

“Nothing's wrong, Harry.”

“You sure? You seemed very subdued.”

“I'm fine.” He didn't believe her, and she could see it.

“Something happen last night that's bothering you?”

“No, nothing's bothering me, Harry, honestly.”

“You're lying to me, Hermione.” She scowled, forgetting how hard it was to lie to Harry now that he had mastered Occlumency and moved on to Legimency over the summer. The bell rang for the next class, and before they left, Harry said,

“We'll talk later.” Hermione sighed and smiled slightly. There was no escaping her best friend.

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That evening, Hermione thought Harry had forgotten about wanting to talk to her, and she couldn't be more relieved. She felt embarrassed that she was letting this all bother her. Before she knew it, they were the last people left in the Common Room. Just as soon as Hermione realized they were alone, Harry closed his book and said,

“Ok, what's wrong?” Hermione made a face. So he hadn't forgot.

“Like I said earlier, I'm…”

“You're not fine, Hermione, I've known you for almost six years of my life, I can tell something's wrong with you.” Hermione sighed, and launched into telling the conversation of sweet and sour sixteenth birthdays with Parvati and Lavender. When she finished, Harry burst out laughing. It startled Hermione to see him laugh, and she glared at him for making fun of her. Seeing her glare, Harry's laughter subsided, and he said,

“I'm sorry, `Mione, but it sounds so stupid. Sweet and sour sixteen birthdays? And if you have a sweet one, you'll die a virgin? It sounds so ridiculous. I don't know why you let it bother you so much.”

“Easy for you to say, you've already kissed a girl before you turned sixteen.”

“Oh, yes, when I was fifteen. It was such a long time ago.” Harry said sarcastically.

“Course, she started crying again after I kissed her, which always has given me confidence about my kissing.” Hermione smiled and sighed.

“You're not a bad kisser, Harry.” Harry leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest, looking questionably at his best friend.

“You know, Miss Granger, I believe that is the second time I've ever heard you tell me that, and like Ron said before, how do you know whether I am or not?”

“I don't, but I know what kind of emotionally distraught teenage girl Cho is or was then and it doesn't surprise me that she cried. But I could've told you from the beginning that that relationship wouldn't last.”

“Why not?”

“Because you remind her too much of Cedric, you were with him when he died, and she remembers that every time she sees you.”

“Why didn't you tell me this last year?”

“You need to figure stuff out for yourself, Harry, I won't always be there to explain things out for you.”

“You don't know that, but still, we're off topic of your dilemma.”

“It's not a dilemma, it's just…” She trailed off, and looked up at Harry to see he was fighting the desire to laugh. Hermione shrugged.

“I don't know why I'm letting this worry me so.”

“I don't know either.”

“It's nothing I can change, I'm going to have a sweet sixteen, so what? Right?”

“Right. But here, I think I can help you out.” Harry leaned over and brushed a kiss on Hermione's lips. Hermione's first reaction was to close her eyes, and when Harry leaned away, Hermione's eyes flew open, and a shocked look came onto her face.

“What was that for?”

“I'm helping you out.” Hermione smiled, and touched her lips with her fingertips. Harry said,

“Well?” Hermione nodded.

“Not bad. Thanks, Harry.”

“Happy to help.” They both smiled and Hermione said,

“Well, Mr. Potter, I can now tell you from experience that you are not a bad kisser.” Harry laughed and said,

“And now you'll have a sour sixteenth birthday.”

THE END

A/N: I hope you enjoyed my little one-shotter. I got the idea for this story when I was reading a Chicken Soup book and even though it was a long time ago, something made me think of it, and I decided to write a fanfic about it. I think it was either in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul 2 or 3. Hope you enjoyed, and please review, it'd mean a lot to me if y'all did.

Husker_fan_2006

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