Chapter 4: Noticed
Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw; the first match of the season for both teams turned out to be one of the hardest fought matches Hogwarts had seen in some time. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw always put on an excellent showing, as they were unquestionably the two most skilled house teams, whereas Hufflepuff was a bit of a pushover and Slytherin was a bunch of cheating wankers. Today however the entire school was in for a huge shock as the match had gone on for a full two hours with neither team scoring a single goal. Harry had seen the snitch five minutes into the match but hadn't been able to grab it as his dive for the elusive golden entity had been disrupted by a combination of the Dopplebeater Defense by Ravenclaw's beaters and the Hawkshead Attacking Formation by their chasers. His only solace had been that in the crush of bodies their own seeker had been unable to see how to get to the snitch either.
It looked as though the third hour would pass them by scoreless as well until Ginny pulled off an amazing Reverse Pass that resulted in the first score of the game. Following Ginny's goal the Gryffindors regained a bit of their fighting spirit and scored twice more before Ravenclaw was able to score at all. At the start of the fourth hour of the match Ravenclaw tied Gryffindor with a score and a penalty. Not a single goal was scored for the next thirty minutes of the fourth hour until Harry went into a spiral to avoid being hit by a bludger and caught sight of the snitch. He continued his downward spiraling descent until he caught up with it and closed his fingers around it. Madam Hooch blew the whistle and her voice rang out declaring Gryffindor the winner with a final score of 180 to 30. Three and three quarters of an hour had passed; both teams were sweaty and exhausted as they touched down and congratulated each other on a well played match.
As both teams made their way to the changing rooms the stands began to empty as well. There was a great deal of animated chatter going on about the level of skill displayed by both teams during the game, however, most of the talk was concentrated on Harry's seeming infallibility as a seeker. With the exception of the time in his third year, when he had been besieged by Dementors, Harry had never failed to catch the snitch. No one other than those who knew him best appeared to have noticed Harry's preoccupation while he was on the pitch that day. Everyone else was so impressed by his spiraling catch of the snitch they failed to realize how long it had taken him to find the blasted thing in the first place. And even when he had finally seen the coveted snitch it seemed that it was more dumb luck than practiced ability and keen reflexes that allowed him to catch it. As the students continued to file out of their seats and spill onto the pitch Seamus turned to Dean and asked in an undertow.
"What'd you reckon got into Harry…I mean why'd he take so long to get to the snitch…its like he was preoccupied or something."
Dean shrugged his shoulders and shook his head in reply as he muttered a whispered "I dunno". Upon hearing this Lavender and Pavrati exploded in a stream of giggles that lasted the duration of the journey from the stands to the changing room They too had noticed Harry's preoccupation but unlike Dean and Seamus they knew exactly what had caused it.
Throngs of people were at the entrance to the Gryffindor changing room congratulating the winners on their victory. Harry was surrounded by a group of eager looking witches from every house; each vying for his attention, at the front of the pack was Serena Chambers.
"Well, well Mr. Potter that was an impressive bit of flying you did out there today."
Harry looked down at Serena who was gazing up at him smiling seductively; he nodded and answered with a slightly inattentive air.
"Ummm…nothing special really…just a bit of luck is all."
Harry scanned the crowd; he appeared to be looking for someone. Serena stepped closer to him and placing a hand to his cheek directed his gaze back to her as she spoke.
"I was torn between whether to cheer for you scoring or cry over our losing…"
She paused and Harry made an indistinct mumbling reply as he resumed his searching of the swarm of students passing by. Serena wondered what in the world could possibly have Harry so turned around that he was almost ignoring her. Serena sighed in irritation before she ventured again to engage Harry in conversation.
"I was thinking seeing that the match is over…you've probably got the evening free…I thought maybe we could go someplace quiet and work on those Defense spells that have been giving me so much trouble."
Harry shook his head.
"Sorry I've got other plans."
Serena frowned and said.
"Oh…well maybe …"
It was at that exact moment that Harry saw Dean, Seamus, Neville, Pavrati, Lavender and Hermione weaving their way through the crowd towards the changing rooms. A jovial smile curved the corners of his lips as his eyes settled on Hermione. Without glancing back at Serena Harry replied offhandedly to Serena's unfinished statement.
"Excuse me Serena…but can we talk some other time I've got to shove off just now."
Without waiting for an answer to his question Harry strolled off to meet Hermione leaving Serena staring dumbly at his back. Ron and Ginny who had been standing nearby heard the whole exchange. Ron had to clap a hand over Ginny's mouth to keep her from laughing out loud. He whispered roughly in her ear.
"Come on let's go and say hello to our friends shall we."
Ron and Ginny made their way through the crowd and caught up to Harry just as he joined Hermione and their partners in crime who immediately began congratulating them on their win over Ravenclaw. Hermione hugged Ginny first as she commended her on being the first to score. She then hugged Ron and praised his excellent ability at holding his opponents nearly scoreless. Finally she moved over to Harry who was standing a bit off from the rest of the group a rather annoyed expression on his face. As she wrapped her arms around Harry Ron, Ginny and the others had to strain to hear what they were saying as the tone of their voices inexplicably lowered. The seven tried not to be too obvious about their ogling and eavesdropping. Hermione hugged Harry tightly and seeing the look on his face attempted to cheer him up by saying.
"Brilliant catch as usual."
Harry replied.
"Hardly brilliant that was…more like I got bailed out by that blasted bludger!"
Hermione snuggled a bit closer to Harry and breathed in his present scent of fresh air, grass and musky sweat though it should have been a bit odious Hermione found she didn't mind it much at all. She looked up at him and said.
"Well it looked brilliant whether it was or not."
Harry smiled. Hermione always knew exactly what to say. Right now she was so close to him he could feel every inch of her body pressing into his. She was so deliciously warm and soft and she smelled absolutely heavenly…like citrus and vanilla. Harry felt a stirring begin in his nether regions and it was then that he became aware of the fact that he and Hermione had been embracing much longer than was considered proper for two friends. Reluctantly he set her away from him and breathed a sigh of relief as thankfully no one seemed to have seen how long the embrace had lasted. Harry raised his voice and said in what he hoped was a natural tone.
"I'm getting you all sweaty."
Hermione hadn't minded the sweat at all as she was more focused on other things at the time. It occurred to her that there were far better ways for him to get her all sweaty if he wanted to have a go at it. She froze for a second wondering where such an illicit thought had come from. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed her thoughts back to more neutral ground and answered Harry quietly.
"That's alright."
Harry nodded awkwardly and said.
"I had better go and get changed if we plan on getting that studying done…that is if you still want to?"
Hermione's response was a simple nod of her head. Harry grinned and said.
"Alright then…I'll meet you in the library in twenty minutes."
Hermione nodded again. Harry smiled then turned and headed for the changing rooms. Seeing his departure Ron and Ginny excused themselves as well. Lavender, Dean, Neville, Seamus and Pavrati turned and started towards the castle. Pavrati turned to ask Hermione a question and saw that she was not walking with them. She looked back and saw that Hermione was making her way to one of the benches near the changing rooms. Puzzled Pavrati turned back to her and asked.
"Hermione aren't you coming?"
Hermione shook her head and replied.
"You lot go on ahead I think I'll sit here for a while."
Pavrati nodded and smiled the biggest brightest smile Hermione could ever remember seeing on her face.
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Inside the Gryffindor changing room Ron watched as Harry showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Ron was lacing up his own trainers when he realized that Harry hadn't swapped those muggle contraptions that he stuck into his eyes for Quidditch practice and games for his standard black round-framed glasses.
"Ummm…Harry…where are your glasses?"
Harry turned to stare at Ron a puzzled expression marring his face as he yanked the red jumper Ron's mum had made for him that past Christmas down over his gleaming head of tousled black hair, plastering the damp strands to his forehead and retorted with.
"What are you on about?"
Ron replied.
"You haven't taken those whachamacallits out of your eyes!"
Harry queried him.
"You mean my contacts?"
Ron nodded.
"Yeah those…you're still wearing them and the match is over."
Harry replied.
"Yeah well I reckon it doesn't matter how I see so long as I see."
Ron threw a confused glance at Ginny who leveled a gaze at him that said leave it. Ron eked out an "Oh" and returned to his own dressing. Harry picked up his Quidditch robes and stuffed them into his Quidditch bag alongside his shoes, pads and gloves. He picked up his Firebolt hoisted it onto his shoulder and called out to his teammates.
"Excellent match today…you all looked quite sharp out there!"
They all nodded genially at Harry's praise of them and replied with good-natured remarks about his impressive catch of the snitch. Harry bristled a bit at the praise as he knew that his mind had been focused elsewhere during the match and that the bludger that had nearly hit him was the only reason he'd seen the snitch at all. Shaking his head Harry congratulated them all again and remind them of when practice for their next match against Hufflepuff was to begin. Harry then turned back to Ron and said.
"I'll see you back at the castle mate."
Ron who was slipping his bag onto his shoulder said.
"Hang on I'm done I'll walk out with you."
Ginny called out to the pair of them.
"Wait for me!"
Harry and Ron waited for Ginny to gather up the rest of her things before the three of them walked out of the Gryffindor changing room and into the late evening sun. The wind had picked up since the match had ended and the temperature had dropped several degrees. Ginny looked up and caught sight of Hermione sitting on one of the benches outside the changing room with a book on her lap staring at the setting sun. She nudged Ron in his side with her elbow and threw her head in the direction in which Hermione was sitting. The siblings shared a momentary look before Hermione looked in their direction and waved to the three of them. Ginny was the first to speak.
"Hermione what are you doing out here?"
She pointed to her Charms text and offered a one-word explaination.
"Studying."
Ron cut in and asked.
"But why are you out here instead of in the library?"
Hermione shrugged and replied.
"I was waiting for the crowd to thin out so I decided to get in some reading. Next thing I knew I looked up and the sun was setting. Its quite spectacular."
Ron and Ginny mumbled a collective "Oh". Harry followed her gaze and asked.
"Would you like to see it a bit closer?"
Hermione smiled then nodded as Harry dropped his Quidditch bag onto the bench and held out a hand to her. Ron and Ginny struggled mightily to keep their faces impassive. Hermione slipped her small hand into Harry's larger one as he steered her over to his hovering Firebolt. She mounted the broomstick and waited as Harry climbed on behind her. As they lifted off the ground and soared up into the air Ginny looked at Ron and said cheekily.
"I thought they were studying Transfiguration…not Astronomy."
Ron grinned and replied with.
"Considering that they've got no books I reckon they'll most likely be studying Anotonmy."
Snickering the two pelted off towards the castle to tell the others about what had just happened.
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Hermione felt as if a thousand butterflies had been let loose and were fluttering about madly in her stomach as Harry wrapped his arm firmly about her waist and pulled her back snuggly against his chest. He circled the pitch once then veered off and flew over the lake before heading to the tallest tower of the castle. He hovered there, and they watched as the sky seemed to explode in shades of orange, red, pink and purple. Hermione expelled a breathless sigh as she said.
"Harry, isn't it the most beautiful sight you have ever seen in your entire life?"
Hermione was so focused on the sight before her that she hadn't realized that Harry was looking at her as he replied in a low whisper.
"Yes it is."
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Harry raised his head and looked across the room at Hermione who was sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace in their shared common room engrossed in, what else, a book. She was in lounging attire, gray sweats and a white tank top. She sat with her legs tucked daintily underneath her body. Her silky chestnut locks were pulled up in a ponytail exposing the length of her graceful neck, the low cut top accentuated the swell of her full firm breasts. Even the loose fitting gray sweats she wore hugged the womanly contours of her tiny waist and her softly rounded hips and derriere. Harry watched as Hermione ran one of her hands up and down the column of her throat absently. He watched the movement of her hand and he wondered what her skin felt like and what would it taste like beneath his lips. He imagined that her skin would taste warm and sweet like honey…or perhaps it would carry the same taste as the smell that perpetually rose from her …citrus and vanilla…DAMN…DAMN…DAMN…DAMN…he was doing it again after he'd promised himself he wouldn't think of her in that way again! HERMIONE…GRANGER… IS…YOUR…BEST…FRIEND!!! Harry as good as screamed the words to himself for the one-millionth time in hopes of forcing his brain back to a state of normal thinking. He closed his eyes and laid his head on the back of the chair he'd been sitting in for the past hour.
Seven years…that's how long he'd known her…that's how long they'd been friends. And in all that time he'd never once detected that she was a girl…Brilliant Potter…very well spotted. Of course he knew she was a girl…in the strictest sense of the word. He knew she had all the parts that other girls had…but she was his friend…one of his very best friends…and so he'd never really looked at her like he looked at others of the opposite sex. Somehow their friendship had blinded him to the fact that Hermione was indeed a girl. No actually Hermione was a woman…a beautiful young woman…a beautiful young woman with gorgeous chocolate brown eyes, full pouty lips, long shapely legs and a deliciously sexy walk that would drive even a eunuch mad enough to want to explore every inch of her voluptuously curved form…BLOODY HELL! He'd done it again…yes Hermione was a drop dead gorgeous young woman…who also happened to be his best friend…a fact he kept having to remind himself of lately.
The fact that Hermione was such a stunning young witch was something that he'd been happily blind to for seven years. In all that time he had been content living in his world where Hermione was as sexual in his eyes as Ron was…Harry shivered at the thought. But all that had changed yesterday at breakfast when Hermione's hair had come undone and he had suddenly become extraordinarily aware of the fact that every inch of his beloved best friend was enchantingly, warm and soft and sexy and hot and…SHITE...there he was again thinking impure thoughts about Hermione. The longer he stayed shut up in this dorm with her the more likely he was to go bloody mad. With that thought in mind Harry abandoned his Charms work and went quickly to his room to retrieve his cloak. As he came striding back into their shared common room Hermione looked up and asked.
"Finished with your Charms already Harry?"
Harry fastened his cloak and replied.
"Er…no…but my brain's a bit fuzzy…thought I'd get some fresh air…want to come along?"
Harry could have smacked himself. Why in blooming hell had he asked Hermione to come along when he was trying to get her out of his thoughts in the first place? How thick was he? Harry beseeched Merlin to make her say anything but yes. Hermione smiled then opened her mouth to speak.
"Thanks but I'm a bit behind on my NEWTS study schedule so maybe next time."
Harry nodded somewhat stiffly and replied.
"Alright…I guess I'll see you later then."
Harry turned and nearly ran out the door. Hermione watched his receding form and let out a breath of air she'd been holding for the better part of an hour. Ever since Harry had come out of his room and sat down to finish the Charms and Transfiguration that they had not got around to completing the day before. For some reason that Hermione had yet to figure out, since yesterday morning she'd been acting like every other simpering twit in the castle around Harry. Well not exactly. Thankfully she had not descended into uncontrollable giggling accompanied by endless longing sighs and rampant clumsiness…but she had caught herself ogling him unnecessarily and having the most wicked thoughts imaginable.
On more than one occasion in the past twenty-four hours Hermione had found herself upraising her friend of seven years in a more than friendly way. Of course Hermione thought Harry was an attractive bloke what girl in her right mind wouldn't…with those arresting emerald green eyes of his and that sexy low rumbling baritone and Merlin that gorgeous smile and those sculpted lips that could cause any girl to swoon. And she hadn't even started to cover that leanly chiseled six foot two inch frame and his broad chest and shoulders, his washboard abs or his tight bum and muscular legs and thighs. This morning she had bumped into him in the hallway and the sight of him in just his boxers had very nearly sent her to her knees! Hermione shook her head to clear it of the image that was fast causing her cheeks and another spot to grow warm. What in the name of Merlin had gotten into her? Honestly she and Harry were friends…had been since their first year of Hogwarts! Why was she suddenly seeing him in this new light? Leaping off the couch Hermione decided that Harry had been right to get out of their dormitory. What she needed was a distraction. Perhaps a visit to the main common room to chat with her other friends or a stroll around the grounds would do the trick. Hermione went into her room and changed into a pair of jeans, a fleece and her favorite pair of trainers and sauntered out the door.
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Hermione had gone to Ginny's room first but her roommates said she'd gone down the hall to Pavrati and Lavender's room. So Hermione went down the hall to the room she had shared with the two girls for six years. Hermione knocked on the door and called out for her old roommates and Ginny. When she received no answer she knocked a second time…still no answer. She thought of sticking her head inside the door but she reasoned that if anyone were there they would have answered. That done she turned and headed down the stairs. She walked through the common room and seeing no familiar faces headed out the portrait hole. As soon as the portrait swung open Hermione found herself face to face with Ginny. They smiled at each other and exchanged hellos.
"All right Hermione…where are you off to?"
"Hello Ginny…I was just heading out for a stroll around the grounds…care to join me?"
Ginny nodded and replied.
"Sure."
Ginny stepped back out of the portrait hole and the two young witches started down the corridor that led to the Great Hall and the main entrance. As they walked down the hall Ginny asked Hermione.
"So what pulled you out of your dorm today? You haven't been socializing much these days."
Hermione replied.
"Boredom I suppose. I stopped by your room but your dorm mates said you were down the hall visiting Lavender and Pavrati. I stopped by there as well but no one answered so I was on my way to plod around by myself when I ran into you."
Ginny responded by saying.
"Oh yeah I did stop by to see Lavender and Pavrati earlier…we went to the owlery to send some post. But they had some work to do so they headed to the library and I came back to the common room that's when I ran into you."
Hermione nodded. By now the two had made it out of the front doors and down the stairs of the castle. Hermione turned towards the lake instead of the customary path they took around that led around past the Quidditch pitch. Ginny noted the detour and attempting to sound casual asked.
"Where's Harry? Normally you two are joined at the hip."
Hermione shrugged her shoulders and mumbled.
"He went out a while ago not sure where."
Ginny studied Hermione's face and noticed the pink tinge that covered her cheeks. Ginny smiled a bit as she asked her next question.
"Hermione are you alright?"
Hermione nodded quickly and replied with both an answer and a question.
"Yes I'm fine…why do you ask?"
"No reason…its just…you seem a bit distracted…as if you've got something on your mind…want to talk about it?"
Hermione worried her bottom lip with her teeth as she considered whether or not to tell Ginny what was going on. It was probably nothing at all just one of those weird things that happens when your best friends in the world happen to be both attractive and male. Hermione giggled at her own stupidity and responded to Ginny's inquiry.
"I think I've been studying too much."
Ginny quirked an eyebrow and said.
"Studying too much?"
Hermione nodded.
"It's the only logical explanation for my behavior of late."
Ginny stopped walking and gazed at Hermione.
"What behavior?"
Hermione motioned for Ginny to sit. The two girls sat down underneath a tree on the banks of the lake and Hermione took a deep breath and told Ginny exactly what had been roving through her mind of late.
"Well…you see…yesterday I caught myself…er…ummm…admiring Harry."
Again Ginny quirked an eyebrow and asked.
"Admiring Harry…what do you mean you were admiring Harry?"
Hermione stared intensely at Ginny and replied.
"I mean I was admiring Harry…"
Hermione paused took a steadying breath and added.
"And his attributes."
Ginny frowned for a second trying to suss out what Hermione meant; she covered her mouth with her own hand and giggled when she realized what Hermione was referring to when she said "attributes". Giggling Ginny smacked Hermione's shoulder as she said.
"Hermione you've been checking Harry out!!"
Hermione covered her face with both her hands and bobbed her head up and down. Ginny leaned over and pulled Hermione's hands from her face and flashed an impish grin.
"Well he is quite sexy."
Hermione's eyes widened in surprise as she exclaimed.
"Ginevra Weasley!"
Ginny waved a hand and replied.
"What…he is…you bloody well can't deny that considering you've been sizing him up yourself!"
Hermione blushed and Ginny patted her knee.
"What I was trying to say is that it's nothing to be ashamed of. Harry is a fine specimen of a young wizard…its only natural that an attractive young witch such as yourself would find him appealing. Merlin knows when we started Quidditch practice back at the start of term and he whipped his shirt off for the first time I nearly fell off my broom…poor Janice Arnold took a quaffle to the head she was so dumbstruck. There's nothing at all wrong with admiring a nice looking bloke even if he is a friend!"
Hermione smiled. Ginny was right there was absolutely nothing strange about her appreciating Harry's muscular physique. It was perfectly normal behavior…nothing for her to worry over. Hermione looked over at Ginny and said.
"Thanks."
Ginny nodded.
"No problem…we better head back…dinner's about to start."
As they started back towards the castle Ginny quizzed Hermione.
"So…exactly which of Harry's attributes do you like the best?"
Hermione playfully shoved Ginny.
"Shut it you!"
Ginny laughed.
"I was just curious about your personal preferences about wizards…what you appreciate about Harry you'd appreciate in any male…its not like you're fantasizing about him or anything."
At Ginny's last words Hermione's head dropped and her cheeks flamed as bright red as the fleece she was wearing. Ginny pretended not to notice her friend's reaction as they trudged the rest of the way up to the castle in silence.
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It was two in the morning when Harry entered the common room in Gryffindor tower. He expected everyone was already in bed so it came as quite a shock to him when he caught sight of his gangly red-haired friend Ron sitting at one of the tables scribbling furiously. Harry walked over to where Ron was sitting and said.
"All right Ron."
"All right Harry."
Harry plopped down in the chair next to Ron's and asked.
"What are you still doing up?"
Ron replied with.
"Astronomy chart."
Harry nodded; his mind drifted to the Charms and Transfiguration work he had yet to complete. Harry was about to get up and make his way to the heads dorm and spend the night catching up on his assignments when Ron asked.
"Where've you been…I didn't see you at dinner"
Harry sighed and said.
"Hagrid's…the lake…the Quidditch pitch…the Owlery…the Astronomy Tower."
Ron looked up from his chart and laid his quill aside.
"Something on your mind?"
Harry sighed again as he thought of the reason he'd fled the confines of the castle. Running a hand through his hair he stared into the dying fire and spoke.
"What do you think of Serena Chambers?"
Ron frowned and asked.
"What?"
Harry repeated his question.
"What do you think of Serena Chambers…I mean…do you think she's good-looking?"
Ron nodded and said.
"Yeah…she's really pretty…a bit transparent…but definitely pretty."
Harry nodded his head in agreement.
"She is rather obvious…alright what about Pavrati and Padma Patil?"
Ron smiled.
"Two of the best looking birds in our year…lovely curves on the pair of `em…but one's too flighty and the other's way too serious."
Harry nodded again and tossed out another name.
"Lavender Brown?"
Ron smiled.
"Hmmm…very nice…very nice indeed."
Harry wondered briefly if Ron fancied Lavender but instead of querying him about it he tossed out another name.
"Luna Lovegood?"
"Loony!"
"Other than that."
Ron screwed up his face as if he were in deep thought then responded with.
"She's got pretty eyes and a nice enough figure…but she's effing mental!"
Ron pinned Harry with a questioning glance and asked.
"Is there a point to this…or are we simply discussing the highs and lows of the witches of Hogwarts?"
Harry's answer was another name.
"Pansy Parkinson."
Ron's immediate reply was a sound.
"Urgh!! Harry what are you trying to do make me ill…what in the name of Merlin are you going on about?"
Harry held up a hand and uttered a final name.
"Hermione."
Ron thanked Merlin for the dim light in the room as he bit back a smile and lowered his eyes to hide the delight that he knew to be showing in them over Harry's adding Hermione's name to the list. Harry drummed his fingers on the table as he waited for Ron to speak. When nothing was forthcoming Harry prodded him.
"Well!?"
Ron took a deep breath and answered truthfully.
"Hermione's Hermione. I mean she's cute enough…got a nice figure near as I can tell…but being that she is my friend I try not to look at her like I look at other girls."
"But you have looked at her that way?"
Ron heard the slight desperation in Harry's voice as he posed his question. Ron knew the nature of Harry's feelings for Hermione but more importantly he knew Harry and asking him straight out if he liked Hermione as he'd done before would lead to another series of denials and excuses. Using that knowledge and taking the plan he and the others were in the midst of executing into consideration Ron decided for the second time that evening to be truthful.
"You know I've looked at her that way considering the fact that I told you I used to have a bit of a crush on her when we were younger. And before you ask yes I have noticed how she has…ummm…developed over the years."
Harry cut in.
"Then you've found yourself checking her out?"
Ron nodded.
"Well…yes…I mean when she arrived at the burrow this summer it was a bit hard not to see the change in her with her running around in those tiny shorts and tops of hers…"
Ron paused as a scowl formed on Harry's face. No doubt he was imagining Ron drooling over Hermione's half clad body. Ron hurriedly picked up his thread of speech.
"And even though I noticed her as a well…as a very attractive girl…I look at her and feel the way I feel about Ginny…like I need to watch out for her and make sure nothing happens…keep the rift raft away…you know…I see her more like a sister than as a girl I'd try for."
Harry nodded.
"Yeah I understand."
Ron posed another question.
"Is something going on with you and Hermione?"
Harry shook his head.
"No nothing like that. I'm not sure what happened…it just all of a sudden hit me how beautiful Hermione is."
Harry paused then added.
"But I guess that's normal when one of your best friends is a girl eh."
Ron replied with a vague "Hmmm". Harry stood up and stretched then turned to Ron and said.
"I'm heading up."
"Oh alright then…goodnight Harry."
"Goodnight Ron."
Ron watched as Harry disappeared up the stairs that led to the dormitories.
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