Confession: I hate this chapter. I think it's my worst by far. But I've run into some MAJOR writer's block. I think I've just been too tired and stressed out lately.
I promise you that the next one will be better. I'm working on it now (my mind is more refreshed, though I honestly don't think I can redo this chapter, yet all the same I need this chapter - hopefully you understand what I'm saying), so it should be out relatively soon.
Please forgive me for this. I hope you can still find a way to enjoy it.
*****
November 2
My date with Terry was...all right, I'm not going to lie. It wasn't spectacular.
Terry is really sweet and endearing, and I like him very much, but there's only so many times one can discuss Transfiguration NEWTs, even me, without feeling as if they're dying from boredom. I honestly never believed I'd say such a thing, but it's true.
Meanwhile, Ginny is acting like the greatest prat in existence...
*****
"You love him," Ginny said in a singsong voice. "Hermione loves Harry, Hermione loves Harry…"
"I do not under any circumstances feel anything for Harry," I replied automatically, twiddling my hair in a bored manner. "Friends, Ginny. We're just friends. Once in a while, a male and a female can have a relationship with one another that is strictly platonic."
"Oh," Ginny replied, raising her eyebrow and perching her chin on her hands in interest. "Friends? Do friends honestly harp about their friend's girl friends?"
"If they care about their friends," I replied tensely, now pulling on my hair in annoyance.
"My Merlin, Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed, jumping up from the chair at that wretched vanity and plopping herself next to me onto my bed. "Did you even listen to the type of things that spilled out of your mouth about Parvati? It was completely unreasonable, and clearly sprouted from some sort of jealousy!"
"Jealousy?" I repeated with a laugh. "Ha! I'm positive every single thing I said was completely reasonable."
"Reasonable?" Ginny asked in an incredulous voice. "Do you call this reasonable? Because I certainly don't!" She then went on to impersonate me: "Oh, Ginny! Parvati's holding his hand! Oh, Ginny! They're moving too fast! Oh, Ginny! They're going to have sex and Harry's going to forget all about me! Oh, Ginny! Parvati's trying to poison Harry with sugary treats! Oh, Ginny! Oh, Ginny! Oh, Ginny! Parvati's holding his hand, Parvati's talking to him, Parvati's on his right side!"
"Left," I corrected, before quickly covering my mouth with my hand to silence myself to prevent further interrogations from Ginny. Needless to say, that attempt failed miserably.
"What was that?" Ginny asked me. "What did you just say?"
"Er…"
"You see!" Ginny exclaimed. "This is exactly what I'm talking about, Hermione! You're head over heels!"
"My heels happen to be planted firmly to the ground, thank you," I replied obstinately with a little sniff.
Ginny gave a small, "Ha!"
"They are!" I insisted. "So I went a little overboard with the whole Parvati thing that night."
"A little?" Ginny poked me forcefully. "A little? I was just about ready to send you to Madam Pomfrey! You were absolutely, without a doubt, completely mental!"
"I'm just not used to Harry having a girlfriend," I continued coolly. "That's it. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Hermione Jane Granger," Ginny growled at me, standing up so that she towered over me. "I am absolutely sick of this!"
"Sick of what, exactly?" I countered, standing up myself.
"I am sick of your petty excuses!" Ginny cried out, flinging up her hands in frustration. "Honestly! Either get over him or dump Terry and tell Harry how you feel! I don't care which one you choose, but just choose one, because I have had it up to here!" Ginny raised her hand stiffly to just below her eyes, as if to demonstrate her amount of anger.
"I am absolutely, without a doubt, to quote you, completely and most definitely over Harry!" I cried out in irritation, slamming my hand into my pillow.
"You know what?" Ginny said, stomping away, "I can't take this anymore! You're impossible Hermione. You're just…impossible! I can't let your blindness occupy my entire life!" I was startled to find tears building up in Ginny's eyes. "It's horrible that you can't realize this, but there's only so much I can do, and I have done it! I have my own life, Hermione. I have my own boyfriend, and my own studies, and I have other friends. I just…" Ginny breathed in deeply and massaged her forehead with her fingers. "I just can't, alright?" With that she turned around and walked towards my door.
"Ginny!" I called after her, but she didn't turn around and left my room. I ran out to the top of the staircase, yelling after the redhead. "Ginny, wait! Ginny!" But she didn't wait.
I was completely alone.
I stood there in shock for a few minutes. Then I finally got my head together and rushed downstairs and to the Gryffindor common room. I searched frantically for Ginny, even went to the sixth year girls' dormitory, yet she was nowhere in sight. I trudged back downstairs and flung myself on the couch Harry, Ron, and I used to sit in, closed my eyes, and groaned.
"What's up?" asked an overly perky voice.
"Oh no," I moaned, not needing to open my eyes to find out who it was. "No, no, no."
"Are you okay?" the voice asked. I opened one eye and my belief was confirmed - the energizer bunny.
"Hi, Lavender," I said weakly, pushing myself up. "You haven't seen Ginny anywhere, have you?"
"No, I haven't," Lavender replied, playing with a blonde tendril. "Why? Do you need her?"
"We just got into a huge fight is all," I sighed.
"What about?"
"Oh, it…er…it just concerns Harry," I responded meekly.
"Oh!" Lavender exclaimed, as if a light bulb had just switched on in her brain. "About how you're hopelessly in love with him?"
I felt myself turn to stone. "I am not helplessly in love with Harry," I replied through gritted teeth, feeling my hands turn into fists.
"You're not?" Lavender asked in complete surprise. "Funny. I always thought you were. I mean, the way you looked at him, in my opinion, and many others, made it painfully obvious." It struck me at that moment that Lavender was Parvati's best friend, as in the girl dating my best friend. So why was she so collected about the fact that there was a belief that I had feelings for Harry?
However, my anger took over my confusion, as by now my nails were cutting into my skin. I ended up yelling, "I do not have any feelings like that for Harry!" at the top of my lungs. The whole common room went silent as its entire population turned to stare at me.
Great, I thought. Just bloody perfect.
I closed my eyes in an attempt to rid myself of my anger, but found myself failing. So, I did the only thing I could think of.
I ran. I ran as fast as I could back to the Head common room, only feeling that it was safe to breathe once I had collapsed on our (Harry and my) own couch.
However, I realized that I wasn't alone. How, might you wonder? Well, someone talked to me, that's how.
"Hello, Hermione," Harry greeted me cheerily.
I rubbed my aching temples. "Hi, Harry."
"How are you?" he asked me with a worried tone.
"Oh fine," I grumbled. "I feel simply splendid." I took a deep breath and then sat up, and it was then I discovered Harry doing something I never in my life thought I'd see him do.
Harry James Potter was studying. For Transfiguration. And we didn't even have a test coming up.
"Er, Harry?" I asked tentatively.
"Uh huh?" came his reply as he removed his focus from his NEWT Transfiguration text book.
"What in the name of Merlin do you think you're doing?" I grilled him.
"Studying," he replied merrily.
"For what, exactly?" came my dubious reply.
"For the questions McGonagall might ask in class," Harry answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You do it all the time." He gave a little shrug.
I gave a curt laugh. "True, but I'm Hermione. You're Harry. Studying and being obsessive about answering questions is my thing>, Harry. It simply isn't yours."
"Well, I thought I'd take a page out of your book," Harry smiled.
I stared at him, still not understanding why he was doing this. "Right," I said finally. "You know what, I've had a really tough day, so I think I'm going to call it a night and get some sleep."
And so I left Harry to go back to his, I honestly can't believe I'm saying this, studying.
*****
Honestly, who does he think he's fooling? I know that something is up! I mean really! Harry doesn't study for no reason whatsoever. I will get to the bottom of this.
Oh, I miss Ginny already. She would've been able to help me with this.
Then again, there is one more Weasley in this school. True, not as useful as Ginny can be when it concerns figuring out Harry, but still…
I'm sure Ron can get me some inside information…
-->