"Hermione…"
The voice was distant; echoing on the walls surrounding me. It was as though I was being sucked into a black vortex with barely any room to breathe. My body was numb; not even the tiny imaginary needles poking at my skin. Bloody annoying things, those were.
"Hermione"
The voice became firmer, but was still blurred at the edges, still slightly disarrayed. Reality was slipping past me… keeping me company in my black hole of numbness if only for a few seconds. They were fast comets, rushing past my eye sockets at odd intervals, they almost looked like tiny sp-
"HERMIONE!"
The sound of skin slapping against skin rang loudly in my eardrums, making them vibrate. I felt my face begin to tingle slightly, the feeling slowly coming back; the numbness disappearing. It also felt a bit heated and… oh, Gods… here comes the pain.
"Oh, oww" I croaked, trying to lift my arm to reach my burning cheek, but couldn't muster the strength. I shook my head slightly and re-focused my eyes. The colors were coming back, the black evaporating. And then there was Ron, looking slightly worried with a raised, open, hand. It only took me a second to put two and two together.
"Ron, what the hell did you do that for?!" My voice returned its normal volume, along with the redness to my cheeks. I felt my face heating up with anger, tears (of anger or pain, I couldn't tell) forming in my eyes.
"The lady speaks!" he said, clearly very much amused and relived at my return to normalcy. He leaned back on the chair he was occupying.
"Thank-you, captain obvious" I muttered, finally gaining control of my hand and bringing it up to my cheek. The skin felt warm beneath my hand, and I swear that it was pulsing. "Now would you care to explain why you smacked me?!"
"Well what was I supposed to do, Herms? It was like you'd gone into cardiac arrest or something!" He said, his tone turning frantic.
The brim of my forehead creased. "Since when do you know about Muggle heart deficiencies?"
"Since I've been hanging around Harry for the past week!" My stomach tightened. "That guy has issues! All he could talk about was Quidditch, some Muggle band called The Pixies, and how horrid he felt because you walked out on him! Using, but not limited to: cardiac arrest, heart failure, anxiety attacks, and acute paranoia! It was like he was a human version of the `How to Convince Your Best Friend You Are a Deranged Psychopath!' by Harry-freakin'-Potter! Not to be confused with `I'm a Confused Dolt Who Is So Obviously in Love with The Kid With the Scar On His Forehead But Is Too Damn Proud to Admit It' By Hermione-thickheaded-Granger!"
By the end of his rant, he was breathing heavily through his nostrils. If I tilted my head to the right, I probably would've seen some form of smoke coming out from either one. But I remained stiff as a board, soaking in his words. I unconsciously mumbled something under my breath.
"What was that? You wanna add something?" Ron asked through gritted teeth.
I cleared my throat softly and avoided his eyes, choosing to focus on the scarlet tapestry behind him. "I'm not proud."
Even with my attention not focused on him I saw his jaw loosen. "What do you mean?"
I shifted my gaze back to him. His face was returning to normal color, the anger in his demeanor gone. "Exactly what I just said" I murmured softly "When I was with Dean today… I started to think. Think about why he and the other members of our house would be in a pool dedicated to pining for me and Harry to get together." I saw Ron's face pale and smiled feebly, "It got me contemplating about what it would be like to be with him… how our relationship would match up with the likes of our parent's bonds. Then, I knew why I wasn't so appalled at the aspect of it."
"You mean you're…"
"Yeah"
He let out a long breath, puffing out his cheeks. His faces tilted down towards the floor and I thought he was going to be sick. But then his mane of hair began to shake as a smirk formed on his lips. Lifting his head back up to meet my eyes he said, "Well what are you still doing here? You need to tell him."
"I know I just… don't know how to go about it yet." I confessed, my head bowing in defeat.
"Herms, for once in your life don't think about it. " His voice was so even, it scared me. I wasn't used to hearing this side of Ron. It was as if someone switched his sensitivity on after years of it being jammed. That thought made me smile and look up at him. "Just go with your instincts"
I nodded my head as he held out his arms to me. I got up gingerly and gave him a tight hug, relishing in this warm moment. This was the closest I'd ever been to Ron without some sort of bickering taking place and by Merlin, I'd enjoy it! With a small squeeze I let go, muttering a quiet "Thank-you".
He just smiled and nodded as I retreated to my room, completely set on coming up with a sure-fire way to get the guy. Oh, what a night it would be!
~*~
I had nothing! Abso-bloody-lutly nothing!
I had stayed up half the night planning something epic… spontaneous. And I came to only one conclusion: I was screwed. I had no creativity whatsoever! I knew I should have paid more attention in my Creative Writing class in Primary School! At least then I would have some idea about things like these.
I groggily began to eat my breakfast in silence, envying the obvious morning people. Oh, how they annoyed me. It was like someone shoved a pack of sunshine down their throat. So peppy… so bloody annoying!
"Hey Hermione!"
Ahh, speak of the devil. Here was the peppiest of them all. I forced a small smile, "Hey Lavender."
"Ohh, looks like someone didn't wake up on the right side of the bed." She said with a sickenly sweet giggle.
"You could say that." I grumbled. She took a seat next to me with a small bounce when she hit the wood. I was instantly aggravated. "Is there something else you needed?"
"Can't a girl sit next to her roomie?" she asked, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl.
"Not when said girl has never sat next to her roommate a day in their schooling career." I said smartly as I watched her eat her food with careful nibbles. God, couldn't she just take a simple bite out of the thing? It was an apple, not a damn habanero seed!
"I've sat next to you before, silly! When I was dating Ron!"
"That's different. You simply ignored me and sucked his face off." I must've sounded like a jealous girlfriend the way I was treating her. Oh well, it's not like I've got anything to lose anymore… Great. Now I'm an emotional train wreck. Just great.
"Okay fine, I am here for a reason." She disclosed with a small hint of exasperation.
My ears instantly perked up with her confession. "Care to share?"
"I want to help get you and Harry back together."
I sputtered my drink, regurgitating the orange liquid back into its goblet. Grabbing a napkin, I wiped the residue off of my cheeks while looking at her with an affronted look on my face. "What? How did you-"
"Oh come on, everyone can see it!" she said as though explaining that the sky was blue. Well, technically it was grey right now… "You're sitting on the opposite sides of the table, you both looks miserable as hell. The signs are so blatantly obvious it make me want to puke." There was no sense of sugary sweetness in her voice. In fact, she kind of sounded like me. Scary.
"So what do you want me to do, hmm?" I said as I picked at my yogurt.
"Well something surely. I have ten gallons on you two getting together by tomorrow and I need a new pair of shoes by my date this weekend." She said matter-of-factly. "So I suggest you pick up the pace and just do what you got to do and soon. Don't think about it."
With that she left. That was the second person who told me not to think about it. How in Merlin's name could I not think about it? It was so consistent in my thoughts; I thought I might just scream! Not to mention that the only reason Lavender wanted me to get together with Harry was over a new pair of shoes! How extremely selfish of her!
I left the table in a huff to face the rest of the day.
~*~
Thunk.
I sighed as I continued to work on my assignment.
Thunk.
My back tensed.
Thunk.
My quill stilled.
Thunk.
I turned my back. That was the last bleeding straw! I had been getting crunched up pieces of parchment thrown at me all class and I was sick of it! I turned my back to the source of the ruckus and saw Ron looking pointedly at me. My jaw clenched as my temper enflamed. How dare he?! I was about to tell him to shove off when he threw another paper ball at me. I caught it with reflexes I didn't know I possessed and looked down at it, then back at him.
He made a motion with his hands as if to open a book and turned back to his assignment. I turned back in my seat at looked curiously at it. I opened it quietly, glancing around me to see if anyone noticed. They didn't. I smoothed it out on my desk and tried to comprehend the chicken-scratch that was Ron's handwriting.
Have you told him yet?
I sighed as I turned back to where Ron sat. He was still working on his assignment as if the paper had held a survey on what their favorite item on the school menu was. I had not heard the end of this.
I jumped in my seat as the bell rang to signal the end of class. I gathered my books in a hurry and tried to avoid bumping into Ron on my way out. I saw he and Harry leave just before I did, so it wasn't a hard feat. I had just cleared the corridor when I was pushed into a nearby wall roughly. I saw a tuft of fiery hair as I regained my balance.
"Merlin's pants, Ron" I moaned, "by the time you're done with me I'll be in a bleeding wheelchair."
"Clever, Herms." He commented sarcastically.
"I thought so."
I leaned back into the wall to see the serious look on Ron's features. Ahh, the return of Mister-Serious has arrived. "Look into my eye sockets." I tried not to chuckle at his statement and complied. "You need to get your stuff together soon or I swear to God I'm going to die. If I have to say `I'm sorry, mate' one more bloody time, I'm gonna punch a house elf!"
I gasped in horror. "You wouldn't dare!"
"You try switching spots with me and not go mad!" he squeaked.
With the picture of Ron on a violent rampage of elf-beating I nodded. For the house elves; those poor, poor creatures. "Alright, I… I'll try to do it soon."
"You better do a hell of a lot more then try." He mumbled.
"Fine, I'll tell him soon. I promise."
He nodded and walked away, muttering to himself. I thought I heard the word "bloody idiots" and "kick Dobby in the sock" in the mix somewhere. I grumbled to myself as I continued to walk down the corridor feeling even hotter under the collar then I had that morning.
~*~
Some people say that when you're anticipating something, good or bad, the day goes by faster. Whoever made that up must have inhaled one too many tubes of runespoor eggs. The day passed by so slowly, I thought the clock was going backwards half the time. I had tried to concentrate in class, I really had. But I was a bit distracted by the mane of shaggy black hair in front of me to care. I thought staring at him might conjure something up… some epiphany of what I could do. Nothing.
I blame the bloody brain cells in my head. It was as though they were on lunch break or something. I hadn't thought of one slit of a plan to tell him. Not one. Not even a small fragment of one. My pheromones couldn't even give me some idea! God, what was I going to do now?!
I felt a small poke at my shoulder and saw Lavender take a seat beside me. This didn't surprise me, after our little chat at breakfast who knew what the girl would do to get her shoes? I smiled politely at her and continued my stare at the back of Harry's head. This was the last class of the day and I would use it to my advantage. Good things came to those who wait…
The bell rang and Professor McGonagall (in her Animagus form, which I had properly nicknamed FeFe) jumped into her seat and transfigured back into her human form. This was a regular occurrence and hadn't impressed me since first year. Actually… it really didn't impress me in first year. I had heard before I had started school that one of the teachers was a registered Animagus. The only thing that was a surprise to me was who it was. Who would've thought that the strictest Professor in the school would be the only one to master such a beautiful art? And that's why I came up with FeFe, so I could believe that she had multiple personalities to pull it off.
I felt something slide under my elbow and looked to see a folded piece of parchment. Another note? Honestly, why couldn't people just talk after class? No wonder half of our year is failing. I looked at the handwriting as I unfolded it and saw intricate swirls for letters. This could only be from Lavender.
Any progress on the Harry market?
I sighed as I write down a simple response. No. I passed the paper back to her and could hear her tisk.
Rolling my eyes, I began to copy down the notes that were etched on the board. It wasn't long before I felt the
poke again. This time it was on my stomach, under the table. I swiftly grabbed the piece of parchment and spread it on
my desk.
Well, you'd better get a move on. I need those shoes.
My face scrunched up in disgust and I hurriedly scribbled down another response. I'm trying the best I can. Don't rush me.
Alright, don't get your knickers in a twist. Just do what you have to do. But try to hurry.
I crumpled up the paper. God, did people have no respect nowadays? When a person doesn't want to be rushed, don't rush them. How hard is that to comprehend? Well… this is Lavender and Ron I'm talking about.
I continued copying down the notes with careful precision, trying to calm my nerves. By the time I was finished, the homework had already been assigned and everyone was busy working on it. I glanced ahead of me and saw that Harry was leaning back on his chair, laughing at something that Ron had said. I smiled as I saw him rock his chair back and forth. It was as though the world had gone into slow motion as I watched him. He looked so angelic, so peaceful. God, how did I get myself into this? How did I let myself fall for such an angelic creature? Then again, how could I not?
I heard the bell ringing faintly in the background, but didn't start packing up my things until Harry had abandoned his seat, leaving the chair vacant behind him. I shook my head and returned back to reality as best as I could, still dazed from my staring war with the back of Harry's head.
I made my way slowly out of the classroom, dropping off my books in the common room before going to dinner. I was sitting alone again; Lavender was back with her cronies again. She'd backed off, thank God. I thought I would have to smack the girl if she didn't stop pressuring me.
All I did during dinner was stare at him again. Stare just for the sake of staring. He looked forlorn, picking at his food like he was on death row. I flinched at the thought. He was so miserable. I wish I could just hug him and say it would all be okay. He'd probably think I was jumping him, though; attacking his fragile form.
It was as though my thoughts had become un-clouded.
People began to file out of the Great Hall, Harry included. I quickly took a last bite of chocolate cake and jumped out of my seat, jogging to catch up with him. He was a whole crowd of people ahead of me when I reached the Entrance Hall. I called his name loudly and people began to let me through. The throng of people became thinner as I continued to call his name. Thank-you, gossip mills.
I called his name one last time, as loud as I could and he turned. His face dropped when he saw it was me. That made me step back a bit, think twice about my plan. But then I ceased any second thoughts. I was going to do this and I was going to do it without any fear of consequence. I plastered a smile on my face and Harry's demeanor turned to one of confusion. I ran.
I sprinted the distance between us and jumped up. Please catch me… please catch me, I thought as I was in midair. I had never been so thankful for Harry being a Seeker in my life. He caught me and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he steadied me with his arms. Our faces were only an inch apart. I was still smiling.
"Hermione, what are you-"
I interrupted him with a kiss. His arms tightened around me as he returned the kiss, making my stomach flutter. I tilted my head, deepening it and hanging onto Harry for dear life. His tongue plunged into my mouth and tangled with mine and I moaned. That moan caused Harry to pull back with a slight smile to his face. I didn't need to say anything, he could read my mind. But I wanted to say it.
"I love you, too."
His smile turned into a grin, "I've waited so long to hear you say that."
"I know." I responded, tangling my hand in his hair, feeling its silky locks.
We both heard a faint buzz. Turning around and wriggling out of Harry's grasp, I saw a crowd around us, clapping frantically. I blushed slightly as Harry put his arm around me and held me close to him. I saw Ron's face, looking more relived then happy, I saw Terry, looking as though he had been punched in the face. Ha. I also saw Lavender, looking as though she had just won the lottery, which I'm pretty sure she had.
I turned to Harry and he wrapped both his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him. "Any particular reason you chose to proclaim your love to me in such an eccentric way?"
I giggled. "It was spontaneous."
"That it was. But ho-"
"Just shut up and kiss me."
And he did.
A/N: Well, there you have it! No, it's not finished, I was planning on doing an epilogue but need help as
to what it should be about. Post-Hogwarts? Their first day as a couple? Please leave your ideas in a review. Which, by
the way, have been magnificent! Thanks so much So, until the final chapter *sniff*.
-Shar
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