Not Like Them
She had told him that she never really gave up on him.
It made him feel special, loved-that one person (and a beautiful girl, no less) never stopped liking him.
Little did he know that many other people had done the same, but most of all, one of his best friends.
While one girl-the one he had once called his girlfriend-acknowledged and had always known that she still liked him, his best friend didn't think anything of it. To her, it was common sense, not a big deal. He was her best friend, of course she would stick by him through and through.
Both of them never really acknowledged it.
That is, until one summer day.
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Harry had just told his ex-girlfriend the prophecy. He thought that she should know, as they were rapidly becoming very good friends. He was pretty sure that his old mentor would have approved, as well, so he had no qualms about telling her.
Her reaction stunned him.
"Why didn't you tell me when we were going out?" Ginny demanded to know.
He gave her an incredulous look. "When? Between Death Eaters attacking the school and Dumbledore dying? For bloody sakes, Gin, we weren't even going out that long!"
This seemed to sting her more. "My brother knows about this, doesn't he?" She asked coldly.
"Of course he does!" Harry said, looking at her as if she lost her mind. "He's one of my best friends!" Apparently this was not the right thing to say, as her glare got scarier, if there was such a thing.
"And Hermione?"
"Yeah-she would be my other best friend," he said slowly, as if explaining this all to a child.
In a way, he was.
Ginny started to rant. "First I get a boyfriend who pouts every time he loses a quidditch game-then I get a boyfriend who treats me like I'm a flippin' glass doll-and now, I get a boyfriend with trust issues!" She threw up her hands. "Why are you telling me this now, anyway?"
He replied coldly, "As one of my friends, I thought you should know." He turned and walked away from her, towards her family's house. "I suppose I was wrong."
And to think his heart once beat faster at the thought of her.
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"How did it go?" His male best friend asked as he plopped wearily onto his bed.
"Ron," his other best friend-female-shushed. "Look at him-how do you think it went?"
He knew that what his big-mouthed best friend would say next would have as much sensitivity to it as a "blunt axe".
"Not very well, then?" He said. "Blimey, what'd you do wrong?"
"Nothing," He snapped back shortly. "I don't see what I did wrong. All I did was tell her-be honest with her."
His female best friend sighed. "You did your best, Harry-that's all you can ask for."
"Apparently my best isn't enough for her," he said bitterly, staring up at the ceiling.
Ron, sensing some anger, said hastily, "I think I'll go check on Gin." He left the room, mostly unnoticed.
Harry could feel her gaze, sad and understanding, on him. "Then maybe," Hermione said softly, "it's time you find someone who will appreciate your best."
He turned on his side to look at her. "You're so good to me, you know that?" He told her. "I can scarcely understand why sometimes."
Hermione gave him a rueful smile. "And sometimes I can scarcely understand how you put up with me." She sighed. "I was so horrible to you last school year. Not believing you about Malfoy and… and being so uptight about you beating me in potions." She frowned. "Although I still think it a little unfair, I know I overreacted… I'm used to being the best, you know."
"And you genuinely are," Harry told her. "I just… you know… like the easy way out of things."
She smiled softly. "I think you deserve that-just a little. You've had a hard life-it's time at least one aspect of it is easy."
He sighed. "But still… if she waited for me, why can't… why didn't she…?"
She seemed to understand. "I never quite fully understood her," Hermione said. "We get along fine, but perhaps Lavender and Parvati got to her in younger years." A tad bitterly, she said, looking down, "She's more of a normal girl than I."
"Hey," at his tone, Hermione looked up. "You're perfect just the way you are. Ask Ron as well, if you don't believe me."
Hermione sighed. "Ron, Ron, Ron…" she said. "What will I do about him?"
Harry frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I thought… I thought I liked him, romantically," she said. "But… really, would we have lasted long? We fight so much… are so different… I began to wonder why I was attracted to him in the first place… and I couldn't… I couldn't really find anything." She sighed. "I behaved like such a fool last year. And I probably led him on. It's just… I realized that we could never be close. We never were really there for each other… not like…" she trailed off, realizing something.
He seemed to inexplicably sense what she was about to say. "Not like… us?"
She turned her head to him, eyes full of revelations and awe. "Not like us."
Neither of them had anything to say after that. What was there to say? Both Harry and Hermione weren't sure how they felt about each other-after all, didn't they fancy themselves to be infatuated with a Weasley?
But despite that-despite everything-
It was a start.
WRITTEN: July 16
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Last Thoughts: So I lied when I said I would be taking a break from writing HP fanfiction-I can't help myself.
I took all the tiny hope I have for canon HHr and put it into this fic. It was done in a good half-hour so it may not be my best.
Tell me what you think!
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