Snogging Chronicles
Chapter 8 - Lost and Found
I walked into the common room my gaze frantically scanning the area. `I know it's here -it has to be! How could I have been so careless?!' It's about five o'clock in the morning and everyone else is asleep. The common room's completely deserted and here I am rushing around like a mad woman looking for the small flowered book. `What had I been thinking?!' I guess that was the problem -I hadn't. When Harry had unexpectedly entered the room earlier and I just shoved everything into my bag as fast as possible. And left, without making sure that the most important item was included.
After checking under every pillow, seat cushion, couch and chair I could find, I threw myself heavily onto the sofa and buried my hands in my hair. `Had I even reactivated my locking charm?' A sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach told me the answer to that question. `What was I supposed to do?! I couldn't summon it. Not after last year when I placed that anti-summoning spell on it subsequent to the incident where the twins summoned Allison Higgins' diary. The gits blew up the most embarrassing page and posted it in the common room because she had ratted them out to Filch about their latest project, the bleeding gum bon-bon's.'
I rubbed my temples. `Oh why did I have to be so bloody stubborn? Ginny told me not to use a muggle diary, but I had done so anyway because my mum had gotten it for me. Now look what happened -everything was in that journal, everything! My old feelings for Ron, my new feelings for Harry -Oh my God! The snogging sessions! I talked candidly about everything that we had done, sometimes in great detail! What if someone got a hold of it and read it all. What if they told the whole school?! What if they enlarged and posted the pages like the twins had?! Merlin! What if they sold it to The Daily Prophet?!'
I could feel myself beginning to hyperventilate. `Okay, I just needed to calm down, that's all… but I can't! The diary isn't here! I've looked everywhere and it's not here!' I conjured a paper bag and began to breathe deeply into it. Several minutes later my heart rate came down a bit and I slowly removed the sack from my face. `I had to approach this logically and sitting down here freaking out was not the way to do it. There's a great possibility whoever has the diary will come to me first -or at least I hope they will. Then I could either reason with them to give it back or, if that doesn't work, I could just obliverate their memory and take the sodden thing.'
`That's it, I'll just wait until tomorrow and hopefully the person would come to me to return the diary. Oh please let it be someone like Neville with the journal and not someone like Lavender! …Or Ron… or Ginny… or Merlin forbid, Harry!' I could feel myself beginning to get worked up again. `Okay, just breathe Hermione -it will all work out… it has to.'
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I was sitting on the bed doing my best to concentrate on my Arithmancy essay when the door to my dorm opened. Looking up I came face to face with Ginny Weasley. The younger girl's brows were furrowed; an intense frown was marring her features and a determined look was in her eyes... Sodden hell -she found my diary!
"Hermione," she stated coming forward and standing at the foot of my bed, with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Er…yes?" I winced, slowly setting down my quill.
"I have something to say and I would appreciate it if you would not interrupt but just let me say it,' she commented sternly.
I gave her a pained expression and nodded. Merlin, here we go…
"Look I know that you thought you were helping but in all honestly you really should keep your help to yourself from now on. I know that you meant well but let's be perfectly honest -when it comes to the subject of guys you are completely and utterly clueless.'
I frowned "Excuse me! That's a bit-"
"You promised not to interrupt," Ginny cut in; I glared at her. "Please understand Hermione, I know that you meant well but you know hardly anything about relationships or boys." She sighed, "I took your advice on Harry because you're one of his best mates and mine and I admit it did work a bit -but in the end I'm going to have to go with my heart on this one."
Okay… now I was officially confused. `What in Merlin's beard was she talking about?'
"Ginny?" I quizzed with a frown. "What, exactly is this about?"
The red haired girl sighed once more, "I know that when you told me to back off and be myself, then Harry would come to me you meant well. But lately -I don't know, he seems to be more interested. So I've decided instead of continuing to back off and letting him come to me, I'm going to go and talk to him."
"Wait? You -I… this is all because you want to tell Harry that you fancy him?"
"Well- yeah. Of course. What did you think it was about?"
I opened my mouth and then closed it. "I-I don't know… I guess I was just… confused…"
"Oh," she frowned, "well that's it. So… what do you think?"
I arched a brow, "Well since I don't know much about blokes, does it really matter what I think?" she gave me an exasperated look and I sighed. "Fine, I think that the only way to know is to talk to Harry," Ginny released the breath she had been holding. "However I also think that your chances are pretty good."
"Really?!" she exclaimed with a wide grin.
I gave her a bittersweet smile, "Really."
The red haired girl let out a loud squeal and launched at me, pulling me into a tight hug before rushing out of the room and in search of Harry.
Well -I guess that means Ginny doesn't have the diary…
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As I walked into the Great Hall for lunch my gaze swept the mass of students already sitting to eat. So far so good, no one had paid any more to me than usual and I hadn't received any strange looks. Well… at least not any more than usual. Doing one last general sweep I took a seat at the table, realizing to late that perhaps that was the area of the Great Hall that I should have been paying attention to.
Looking forward my gaze clashed with a pair of beautiful sparkling emerald eyes. Harry gave me a weak smile from his seat across from me, before looking back down at his potatoes and stabbing them with his fork.
"Uh… hey," I offered, fighting a loosing battle with the blush I could feel creeping up my neck.
"Hey," he responded not even bothering to glance up.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "Are you…" he looked up and I flushed even more "a-are you alright?"
Harry gave a small hitch of the shoulders and turned his attention back to his food.
"Harry?" I inquired leaning forward a bit. He continued to cut his potatoes but had yet to eat a single bite. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he responded, now poking idly at his meat.
I gave a frustrated huff, "What is your problem?"
"Nothing."
"Harry?…Harry!" his movements froze but his gaze still remained fixated on his plate. "Look at me," I demanded.
His eyes rose to mine. "What Hermione? I'm trying to eat lunch here."
"Poppycock, you haven't taken a single bite since I sat down." He frowned but maintained eye contact. "Harry… are you-well, are you, you know mad at me?"
He sighed, looking briefly at his plate then at me once more. "Why would I be mad at you Hermione?"
"I don't know, we haven't really talked since -well, since," I leaned a bit closer "that night and I was wondering…"
His frown dissipated and his brows rose, "You were wondering what?"
"Well… are you…" I blushed and looked down. "Are you disappointed? You know, now that you've had time to think about it -do you regret it?"
When I looked back up the dark haired boy was frowning once more. "No and no," he sighed and went back to his potatoes.
"Then what's the problem? What do you want me to say Harry?" I asked feeling frustrated once more, like I was missing something.
He looked back at me. "Nothing Hermione. Nothing at all. What do you want me to say?"
"I… nothing," I looked down at my empty plate and distractedly grabbed a roll.
"Was there something that maybe you wanted to say to me then?" Harry asked softly, my gaze shot to him.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean -did you want to tell me something?"
"No… well… yes, I guess," when his brows rose expectantly I looked back down at the roll and began to tear it in two. "I talked to Ginny today -she… well, she wants to see you. We had a really long talk and well… I think that she's really interested Harry. Now's your chance." I glance back up with a small smile only to find him frowning once more.
"My chance? So you think I should go for it with Ginny?"
"I…well, yes. Of course, I mean that's what we were working for… right?"
He sighed and gave me a small smile "Right," he muttered as he went back to his potatoes.
"Harry, am I-"
"There you two are," Ron declared taking a seat to my right. "I've been looking all over."
I rolled my eyes. "It's lunch time Ron, didn't you think that perhaps it would be best to try the Great Hall first?"
"Well…" the red haired boy blushed, "I guess… I was just -er, look it doesn't matter I found you. So what are you guys up to?"
"Hum," I tapped my chin, "well it is lunch Ronald. What do you think we're up to?"
"Well if that ripped up, uneaten roll is any indication then you're not up to eating, Hermione," he smirked.
I flushed and threw him a glower.
"Actually I was just heading out," Harry commented standing. Ron and I looked at him. "I have to go and find Ginny. I guess she wanted to talk to me or something," he picked up his bag. "I'll see you guys around."
As he turned and made his way out of the Great Hall my longing gaze followed until he disappeared through the door. Glancing back to my right I noticed Ron giving me a strange look.
"I guess he had to go," I muttered, tearing my roll even more.
Ron frowned. "That's fine, since the person I really needed to talk to was you anyway."
My gaze flew to him, "Really?" I squeaked, my eyes wide.
"Yes really."
He released a harsh breath and his brows furrowed as he attempted to gather his thoughts. I could feel myself beginning to sweat and wondered belatedly if perhaps gathering my thoughts wasn't something I should have been attempting to do also. Considering the fact that right now they were festering away in one indistinguishable muddle. `What if Ron had found the diary? He had sounded pretty serious, and Ron doesn't do serious very often. Then again he wasn't sulking and that was is his favorite pastime, so maybe I still had a chance.' I nervously ran a hand through my hair. In hindsight perhaps getting my thoughts in order wasn't such a bright idea.
"Hermione," Ron started before huffing once more.
`Just stay quiet. Admit to nothing,' my mind advised, I gave a mental nod of acquiesce.
"Ronald?" I prompted after a moment when he appeared to be once again lost in thought.
"I need you to be honest with me," he stated gravely.
"Wha-" I cleared my throat. "About what?"
"You know about what," Ron retorted with an annoyed look.
"Well, if I knew about what I wouldn't ask `About what?' now would I?" I replied in my most annoyingly placating tone.
His face contorted into one of pure irritation. "Rott it, Hermione! You know you really can be a pain in the arse."
I arched a brow but didn't comment.
"About the dream."
"The dream?"
"Yes the bloody dream -you know the one Harry had about `You Know Who'? Ever since that night you two have been acting increasingly dodgy and I want to know what's going on. I'm tired of being left in the bloody dark while you two share you're little inside jokes!" he finished in a harsh whisper.
"Wait? Let me get this straight, you're calling a dream about `You Know Who' an inside joke?! Are you completely out of your tree Ronald?"
Ron blushed, "Well, perhaps I didn't put it the best way. However that doesn't change the fact that you two are leaving me in the dark about this. I tried speaking with Harry but he seems to be avoiding talking to me-"
"Shocker there," I muttered; he glowered at me.
"Funny, really funny Hermione. I'm about to have a flippin' eppy it's so sodden hilarious," he ground out.
"What's the big deal Ronald? It was a bad dream, a nightmare -so obviously Harry doesn't want to talk about it. It didn't have anyone we knew in it so everyone is safe and we looked up what little information that we had in the library. It's over, done, finished, stick a fork in it, it's-"
"Fine I get it," Ron interrupted harshly. "But that doesn't explain why you two have been acting so bleedin' weird lately!"
"We have not been acting weird!" I hissed back.
"Yes you have, Harry's not acting like Harry, he's all quiet and for some reason doesn't want to hang out like we use to. And though you're as much of an overbearing know-it-all as you've ever been, you seem a bit off too... well, a bit more off than usual, that is."
"Excuse me! Did you just call me-"
"Yes -I did, because it's true and you know it! Now can we get back to the point?"
"I think the only point in this conversation is that you finally took your ruddy tongue out of Lavender Browns throat long enough to notice the outside world. Then when you did you sussed out that things weren't going exactly the way you liked and took it upon yourself to bring you highhanded opinions and moronic observations to me, as though I were supposed to stop the world and make it magically revolve around you. Well I'll tell you what, Ronald Bilius Weasley, even though your head may, in fact, be large enough to have its own solar system to revolve around it. Amazingly enough one doesn't. So what I suggest you do, is shrink your head back down to a size that's not only manageable but small enough so that that little pea that you call a brain isn't left rolling around in all that extra space damaging the few cells that you had left! You pompous git!" I finished breathing heavily -how dare he?
"Geez Hermione," Ron muttered, giving a small nod and wave to the several students who had turned during my rant to watch the show. "No need to have sodden eppy, I was just trying to make a small point." I glowered and he winced "But I guess you made one instead…"
I sighed and ran an agitated hand through my hair `I really do not need this shite right now. Harry's mad at me about something and I don't know what, not to mention that I still haven't sussed out who has my journal.'
"Look Ron… Harry and I just had a bit of a ruck the other day and… well, we're going to talk and then things will be back to normal."
He frowned "But weren't you two talking when I walked up?"
"No… well not really. I just let him know that Ginny was looking for him, that's all."
"Oh," the redhead commented with a thoughtful look. "Is she finally going to tell him that she fancies him?"
"You knew?"
He snorted, "Really Hermione, who doesn't?"
I responded with a nod of consensus and the red haired boy finally turned to the food in front of him. As Ron piled his plate with at least two of every item I looked down at my mutilated roll and let my mind wander.
`I guess Ron doesn't have my diary either….'
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As everyone made their way out of the Room of Requirement still talking animatedly about the latest D.A. lesson, I threw a glance to the dark haired boy who was staring blankly at the mirror. Heaving a small sigh and telling Ron and Lavender that I would catch up with them later I made my way over to Harry. As I neared I noticed him watching me through the reflection.
"Harry," I hesitantly touched his shoulder, pulling back when a frown when he moved away from my fingers and walked towards the far wall. "I… uh, I noticed that Ginny wasn't here…"
His steps faltered but he didn't look back, instead he proceeded to one of the chairs placed against the wall and took a seat. I looked briefly around the room before slowly approaching him.
"Harry did something happen with you guys?"
"No," he stated looking up at the ceiling.
"Then where was she?"
He frowned and looked at me "I don't know."
"Then why are you acting so weird?!"
"I'm not acting weird," he replied frowning more. "Look Hermione, class is over. Maybe you should just go."
"Why?" I quizzed, cringing a bit at the desperation apparent in my voice. Harry shook his head but didn't answer, instead opting to look at the ceiling once more. "What is wrong with you?! Why are you being such a prat?!" he looked at me again and I felt myself began to crumble. "Why are you-"
The tears came so unexpectedly that they were falling before I even realized it. Cutting off with a strangled squeak I turned and rushed towards the door, only to find myself enclosed in a pair of strong arms. That somehow managed to both calm me and yet upset me even more at the same time.
"Hermione," Harry whispered from by my ear. "Please don't-"
"Don't what Harry? Leave? Why not, that's what you told me to do. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"
"I…no, I didn't, I was just…"
I turned in his arms and glared at him, headless of the tears still streaming down my face. "You what Harry? What is going on? Why are you being so… so…. Ugh!"
He gave a small chuckle, grimacing when I hit him in the shoulder.
"This isn't funny Harry!"
"I know! And I don't think it is, it's just… I just…"
"You what?"
The dark haired boy sighed and ran an agitated hand though his hair before reaching into his robes. My eyes widened and I slowly shook my head back and forth in an attempt to somehow combat what I knew was about to happen. However my attempts at mind control were to no avail when a moment later Harry pulled a small flowered book from his interior robe pocket.
"Hermione, we need to talk."
`I guess that answers that…'
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