A/N: Okay, I have to tell you, this was one of my favorite chapters to write. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Once again, thanks to all of you that have been leaving a review. It means a lot to us authors, and spurs us on to be better writers. Thanks to my Beta, Dementor149 for keeping me on the right track.
I do not own these characters, JK Rowling does, but I do want to thank her for creating them. Now all we have to do is fix the relationships….
Chapter 7
An Awakening
As the evening wore on, and Harry had more firewhiskey, he began to relax and forget about any of his worries. He became agreeable to everything and felt giddy. Ron had introduced Neville to the joys of alcohol and he wasn't feeling any pain either. At one point he stumbled to where Harry was sitting (because he didn't trust his legs anymore) and fell down into the chair beside him.
"Harry," he said with a slight slur, "Isn't thish somtin? I'm glad I convish…convished…um, made my Gran let me sleep over."
Harry raised his glass to him and looked back at the dance floor. The girls were huddled together in a group giggling, whispering, and pointing in their direction. He figured something was up. He wasn't dead; he knew that when girls got together it meant trouble, and now there was a storm on the horizon. Hermione was there too, but she looked annoyed. He thought she looked so cute when she was annoyed; her eyebrows were furrowed, and her soft lips were pouting. He shook his head, trying to get rid of those guilty thoughts and looked for Ginny.
"Attention! Gather round!" called Lavender from behind Neville and Harry.
`How did she get back there?' Harry thought vaguely.
"Its time to play a game and," she gave Neville and Harry a conspiratorial wink, "give our birthday boys their gifts!"
Neville waved at the group, with a sloppy grin on his face. Harry knew they were in deep trouble. Anything that was cooked up by Lavender could only lead to disaster. Lavender produced a silk scarf from somewhere and tied it around Neville's eyes before his addled brain could react.
"Don't worry, Neville," she purred in his ear, "you're gonna love this. Okay ladies; line up, one at a time. We're going to play `Who's the Kisser?' Neville, you have to guess who is kissing you. Ready?"
Neville just grinned.
"Hey!" complained Ron, "you're just looking for a reason to snog Neville and Harry!"
"Jealous?" Ginny challenged.
"Yeah! Nobody suggested playing this game on my birthday!" Ron grumbled as everyone else laughed.
"Okay, who's first?" Lavender asked.
Ginny came forward and straddled his lap. She looked pointedly at Harry, then put her hands on Neville's face and kissed him hard.
"Wow!" squeaked Neville as Ginny moved away.
"So, who was it Neville?" asked Seamus.
"Umm…can she do it again?" he asked eagerly. Everyone laughed.
"No way, Neville! One shot!" laughed Lavender.
"It was worth a try," he laughed, "I know it was Ginny."
Harry raised his eyebrows in astonishment that Neville knew who it was. It must have been quite a date at the Triwizard Ball. He was surprised that the monster that lived in his chest didn't rear up its ugly head. He didn't feel anything at all after watching Ginny kiss Neville.
`Maybe it's the firewhiskey…'
The game carried on amid lots of laughter and catcalls. Neville guessed wrong for the next three girls until Lavender came and sat in his lap. The kiss she gave him must have been better than Ginny's because he sat there with his mouth hanging open for a few moments. He finally managed to gulp and whisper "Lavender" before turning a bright shade of red. Lavender giggled and blushed as well. The kiss must have shaken him because he didn't get any more right.
`Now how did he know it was Lavender? How many blokes has she kissed?' Harry shook his head in wonder. He didn't realize that Neville had it in him.
Ron whipped off the blindfold to the applause of everyone around him and Neville grinned sheepishly, his eyes searching for Lavender.
Before Harry could react, he was pulled back in his chair, his glasses were removed and the silk scarf was placed over his eyes. He nervously smiled as he heard the girls whispering in front of him. He felt the first girl straddle his lap and place a dreamy kiss on his lips. He could hear the clunking of her necklace and knew who it was.
"Luna," he said before she had even moved off of his lap.
"Wow!" said Ron, "That was amazing! You should drink firewhiskey more often!"
Harry grinned. He liked this game. The combination of the blindfold and the firewhiskey took away his inhibitions. The next girl wiggled into his lap, trying to get a reaction from him. He knew it was Ginny. She would be the only one aside from Lavender, who would be brazen enough. She kissed him, running her tongue over his lips and then biting his bottom lip with her teeth.
"Ginny," he said as she came up for air. He had to admit, she was a great kisser.
"Two for two!" yelled Dean, and everyone laughed.
Harry grinned. He was using all of his other senses to figure out who each girl was, which was quite a feat considering how much he had to drink. He did mix up Padma and Pavarti, but they were very similar, being twins. He could hear furious whispering going on while he waited for the next girl, and it sounded like someone was being dragged. Who ever it was bumped into his legs, and he grinned brazenly, opening his arms to welcome her.
"Next!" he said cheekily.
He could feel the girl hesitate before sitting primly on his lap, and he thought it might be Cho. He felt tentative hands on his shoulders as she was slowly leaning into him. He waited, expecting to feel Cho's lips on his. He felt her hesitate for a moment, so close that he could feel her breath on him. Then, after the observing crowd threw out several challenges, their lips met. An explosion seemed to occur in Harry's brain and he inhaled sharply, as he was assaulted by the feelings her kiss caused. He instinctively put his hands on her back, pulling her closer and trapping her. Time stood still as he kissed her back, deepening the kiss. He felt daring, the blindfold and the firewhiskey gave him courage, and he ran his tongue over her lips, feeling the tingle explode out from his chest and wrap him in warmth. It felt like an electric current was running from Harry to her, and he knew she felt it as well. She pulled back from him and gasped.
"Hermione," Harry whispered huskily, but it was so quiet no one could hear him, except her.
That kiss held more emotion than Harry thought possible. He was confused; he felt like he was going to burst from
the feelings coursing through him. He wanted to kiss her again, with no thought as to who was watching them. He leaned
towards her, but she stood up quickly and the warmth and the tingle that he felt were suddenly gone. He didn't know
if anyone else had caught the exchange, since he couldn't see, and they were all laughing and making catcalls at
him. To cover for his hesitation, he pretended to ponder for a moment, tapping his chin, and then said,
"Was it Cho?"
Which created even more laughter.
Lavender called out, "Don't you even recognize your own best friend Harry?"
Harry feigned shock and said, "Ron! I didn't know you had it in you!"
That made everyone laugh even harder and Harry pulled the scarf off his eyes grinning. He had to see Hermione, had to see her eyes. He grabbed his glasses and put them on. Looking around he saw three things; Ginny looking furious, Hermione standing there looking confused and hugging herself, and Ron laughing nervously, his eyes darting between Harry and Hermione. The music started up again and Lavender declared the game over as she dragged Neville to the dance floor.
Ginny came over to where Harry was still sitting and stood with her hands on her hips.
"Did you really think it was Cho?" she asked, her eyes blazing.
Harry just shrugged.
"It was just a game, Ginny, no big deal," he said as he ran his hand through his hair.
`That kiss…' he thought.
"You kissed her back!" she hissed and then stormed away, grabbing a confused but delighted Dean by the arm and leading him to the dance floor as she went.
Harry let his eyes roam around the garden, looking for Hermione. He finally found her, walking off into the darkness behind the broom shed, with Ron's arm around her protectively. His chest hurt to see them go off together and he ran his hand through his hair again as his alcohol induced thoughts ran around in circles. He really didn't like the way his emotions seemed to be playing with him.
`She was his best friend!'
`Where did that feeling come from?'
`He had never felt it with Ginny or Cho…'
`She's Ron's girlfriend!'
`He was supposed to be Ron's best friend!'
`They're together!'
`She's not with you!'
But then another small voice from deep inside that was hard to ignore asked one simple question: `Why not?'
He all of a sudden found a glass in front of his nose and looked up. It was Luna. He took the drink she offered and took a sip, grateful that it wasn't firewhisky.
"That was fun, wasn't it?" she said dreamily.
"Yeah, Luna, great," Harry said as he took another sip.
"How did you know it was me?" she asked.
"Oh," Harry said. "You know, I heard the butterbeer cork necklace, and it was the… um…the way you kissed."
Luna looked pleased with his answer. Harry glanced back over towards the shed, hoping for Ron and Hermione to return. Luna watched him.
"It won't work," she said dreamily as she followed his gaze.
"What?" Harry said distractedly as he pulled his eyes away from where he knew his two best friends were.
"It won't work," she said, quite clearly this time. "Those two. They're too close. You know, like family."
"What makes you think that?" Harry puzzled.
They certainly looked like a couple to him when they left. Luna turned and looked at him with her big blue eyes. She gave him a look that reminded him of Trelawny. She shrugged.
"I just know. Their paths do not mingle. They walk side by side, but not as one."
Harry was getting confused and decided that maybe, he had had too much to drink. Then he thought that if he had drunk too much, this conversation would make sense. He shook his head at the way his thoughts seemed to be going in circles. He grinned at Luna suddenly, and put his glass down, happy for the diversion.
"Come on, let's dance!" he said, and he pulled her to the dance floor.
****** ****** ****** ******
Ron had gone to Hermione as soon as Lavender had declared the game over. He put his arm around her shoulders and steered her away from the dance floor. She shivered, so he grabbed her shawl from one of the chairs as they went by and put it over her shoulders.
"Thanks," she murmured.
She was quiet then, but willing to let Ron lead her. He needed to talk to her privately, just the two of them. He walked with her, away from the party, and behind the broom shed.
Ron knew what he had seen. The way Harry had reacted to Hermione's kiss made his blood boil. He had never seen Harry kiss Ginny like that, and he had caught them several times. There looked like there was some kind of…connection between his two so-called best friends just now. Ron frowned as he realized something else. Once again, Harry got to be first. He got to kiss Hermione before he had. He was starting to get pretty frustrated with all of the roadblocks that he seemed to have in front of him…
Hermione was in shock. That kiss…it felt like…she didn't know what it felt like. Harry's lips had been so soft and the jolt of electricity that had gone through her had touched her to the core. When Harry had kissed her back, knowing it was her, it confused her even more. The way he had whispered her name, it gave her goose bumps. She had never seen or felt such an emotion from Harry before. She took a deep breath and tried to push her thoughts down. Harry was, after all, just her best friend. They were all coming to an age where hormones would be affecting them, she had read about it. Besides, Harry was interested in Ginny, not her. He had also been drinking; she had tasted it on his lips…his soft lips, that seemed to caress her mouth and make her want to melt...
She shook her head, trying to get those images out of her mind. There was no way he was in control of his emotions with all that alcohol flowing through him. Feeling satisfied that she had figured it out; she looked up and smiled at Ron. Ron, who was caught up with his own thoughts, was surprised by her change in mood, and gave her a shaky smile back.
"Lavender sure comes up with some crazy ideas," Hermione laughed nervously.
"Yeah, not fair though. I didn't get a group of girls eager to snog me on my birthday," Ron pouted.
Hermione smiled at Ron's attempt to humor her.
"Hmm, I don't know if I would have liked that," she teased.
Now that he had her alone, Ron was nervous. He felt like he was fighting an unseen demon, and the demon was winning. He sensed he was losing his chance with Hermione, and he felt panicked. He wanted to know if there was going to be a relationship past handholding. He figured there was, since he felt very protective of her. He liked her a lot, and she had grown into a beautiful woman. Even though they argued, he liked her company, and he liked to try and make her laugh.
But that kiss he saw… it made his heart lurch. They had looked so natural together. Would he look the same with her? He felt the pangs of jealousy again that Harry got to kiss her first, although he knew Hermione didn't readily agree to the game. He led her to the big tree and they sat down. They sat in silence for a while. They could hear the faint strains of the music from the party. Ron took Hermione's hand in his and squeezed it. She turned and smiled warmly at him. He leaned closer to her, watching her reaction. She just watched him, waiting. He turned to her and reached up to cup her face with his hand. He ran his hand back, through her hair to the back of her neck. He pulled her gently towards him and claimed her lips. They were soft, and he closed his eyes, trying to sense the magic that he expected to feel between them. He could feel her soft lips on his…
But that was it.
No spark.
He pulled her closer, thinking that the extra contact would make a difference, but after a brief minute, he realized that he felt like he was kissing a relative, not a beautiful girl. He drew back from her slowly and looked at her. She opened her eyes, but he didn't see any passion for him there. When he was with Lavender, he could at least see something smoldering behind her eyes. With Hermione, he saw worry. He recognized a fear that she, for once in her life, didn't know what to do. He searched his own feelings for her, and he didn't find the kind of emotion that he thought was supposed to be between two people in love. But what really surprised him was that he felt more disappointed, than hurt. He sighed, and leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. Hermione looked at him anxiously. She knew he was expecting more from her, but she just didn't feel it. She knew he was disappointed, she could see it in the way he was sitting.
"This isn't going to work," Ron finally said.
"What?" Hermione asked, suddenly in a panic. She had just figured out how to handle this situation, and now Ron was throwing a wrench into her plans.
"You. Me. Us. It's not going to work. Hermione…" he stopped, trying to figure out what he wanted to say. "Hermione, I do love you. You are very important to me. I enjoy the times we have spent together, especially this summer. It was great not having to share you. I even enjoy our bickering."
"Ron-" Hermione began.
"No, let me finish before I lose my nerve. I thought that there was something between us, but now I think I was wrong." He ran his hand through his hair. "I don't want to hurt you. You were my best friend first, and I guess we just kinda fell into this, it just happened. I don't think that either one of us have really looked at our relationship."
Hermione," he took a deep breath to steel himself against what he had to do, and he felt a pang of regret. "I don't think we should be dating."
There.
He said it.
He looked over, and saw the look of shock on her face, and started to panic. What would Bill or Charlie say in this situation?
"Uh…it's not you, its me. I...ah…you need someone special, and I don't think it's me,"
Boy, was he making a mess of this. He sighed, and his shoulders slumped.
"Look, if it's okay with you, I would like to just stay friends. I'm sorry Hermione; I really screwed this up. I wish I could fix this. I don't want to mess up the friendship we have, but I don't think I love you the way you want me to. It's…it's like kissing my sister," he finished quietly.
He saw the tears in her eyes and felt sick, thinking he had made her cry. He never knew what to do with crying girls, but he figured that maybe after his botched speech, she wanted to be alone, so he got up to leave.
"Don't go," Hermione said quietly.
Ron felt uncomfortable. It hadn't felt this hard to break up with Lavender. Then again, Lavender wasn't as important to him as Hermione was. He sighed and sat back down again and after an awkward moment, he put an arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him gratefully.
"I'm so sorry Hermione. I didn't mean to hurt you," he whispered.
She turned and smiled at him, blinking back tears.
"I have a confession to make Ron. I am glad that this has happened, sort of."
"What?" Ron asked.
Hermione sighed. "I think you are right. I didn't really know what my feelings for you were. I love you too Ron, but not that way. You're very important to me, and I thought it was for real, but…it's not. I'm sorry if I made you think any different."
"You don't need to apologize, I think we were both delusional," Ron said as he gave her a squeeze.
Hermione sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I am so lucky to have two of the best friends in the whole world. If you were just some guy that I was dating, I am sure that he wouldn't have tried to let me down that easy. You, Ron, are a gentleman. You're more worried about me than your own feelings. Yes Ron, we will still be friends because I treasure that relationship more than you will ever know. You are my second family."
"So does that mean," Ron said with a grin, "you just kissed your brother?"
Hermione punched him in the arm and he laughed, relieved to have her back as a friend, glad he hadn't lost her completely. Hermione shook her head in wonder. She couldn't believe this was the same guy that she had attacked with canaries for trying to make her jealous. She was amazed by the change in him. They sat together under the tree, as best friends, for a long time. They talked and laughed, and rediscovered their relationship. After a while, they decided they had better get back.
"Everyone will think we've been snogging," Ron said good-naturedly as he stood up. Hermione followed.
Hermione stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "I thing there's already too much in-breeding going on in the Wizarding world, dear brother," and she laughed as she put her arm around his waist.
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