A/N:Hey guys! Happy Christmas Eve!
Haha well this week has been amazing! I can't believe the reviews all of you guys gave me.
I was so excited that you guys liked the first chapter so I've been working on looking over the 2nd chapter all week. So this chapter is kinda short because I really liked the ending of this
chapter, so I decided to end this chapter shorter than it was intended to be. BUT wait you guys don't have to get your pitchforks out just yet! I'm almost absolutely positively sure that I'm going to post again on Christmas so you guys don't have to kill me for the little tiny cliff hanger at the end of this chapter. Wow I'm talking way to much soooooooo here….I hope you like your early Christmas present from me!!
Disclaimer: No I don't own Harry Potter but if I did own Harry Potter….there would be a lot more harmony in the world. =]
She was already halfway down the next hallway when a hand appeared out of know where and stopped her movement. She slowly turned around only to smile at the familiar face.
"No, I'll wait for your Hermione. What kind of date would I be if I didn't wait for you?" Harry grinned grabbing her hand and together they ran down the hall.
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They arrived at Slughorn's office twenty minutes later, once Harry opened the door he immediately grimaced. Slughorn's office was larger than the most of the teachers' studies Harry had seen. Slughorn obviously knew this and took advantage of it with the multicolored hangings that were draped on the walls making it appear as if the party was in a tent. Suspended from the ceiling were randomly placed ostentatious orange lamps that continuously swayed with the breeze that came from an open window.
Harry looked sideways at Hermione with a skeptical look on his face silently asking her if they had to go to the party. She turned and smiled while silently communicating with him, Harry's shoulders slumped with defeat.
"Come on Potter." Hermione sighed when he refused to return her smile.
Harry stood there still looking rather unconvinced but grabbed her hand in reassurance before stepping into the overly crowded, stuffy room.
Immediately they began weaving their way through the crowd at the door, along the way getting pushed, shoved, and toes stepped on. Apparently the Weird Sisters decided to make their appearance at the same time Harry and Hermione did.
"Were never going to get out of here," Harry yelled to Hermione over the loud music playing in the room.
Luckily, Harry spotted Neville over in the corner. "Neville!" Harry shouted waving his hand.
Neville turned around and spotted Harry and Hermione in the middle of the huge crowd. He chuckled to himself as he put down his tray before making his way over to his helpless friends.
"Harry-," He paused as he lost sight of Hermione, "How'd you get in there?"
Harry laughed sourly at Neville's attempt at lightening the situation but smiled as he held his hand out.
"Mate, just help us get out of here please."
Neville nodded and began to tug on Harry's free arm. "You still have Hermione with you?" He quickly questioned as he began to pull harder.
"Yeah, barely."
Soon enough both a disheveled Harry and Hermione appeared next to Neville. Harry breathing heavily turned to Hermione. "Are you okay?"
Hermione laughed as she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror on the wall. "Yes I'm fine, though that trip to the lavatory seems rather worthless now."
Harry laughed along with her before turning to Neville and patting him on the back. "Thanks for that mate, you really saved our skins." Harry cheerfully stated.
"No problem, I'm sure you would've done the same," He chuckled to himself. "There isn't really enough room for all of these people though."
Harry and Hermione both nodded their agreement. "So…um Neville what's with the outfit?" Harry questioned pointing to Neville's choice of attire. He was wearing a waiters' uniform that was completely white and adorned with brass golden buttons along his chest. He also wore white pants with gold stripes down the side of his pants. Harry wasn't sure but it looked as if Neville was rejected from the Slugclub.
Neville just shrugged offering refreshments to a passing Hufflepuff. "Well-"
"HARRY! Just the lad I wanted to see," Came Slughorn's booming voice making Neville drop nearly all of his drinks. "All hands on deck Longbottom."
Harry looked at Hermione with wide eyes as he felt a hand on his shoulder that slowly began leading him away from his friends. "Come on, so many people I'd like to introduce you to." Slughorn's voice laced with excitement at showing off his latest recruited student.
Slughorn seemed unaware of how hard he was gripping onto Harry's shoulder. Harry looked around and once he saw where he was being led he began to panic. He reached around Slughorn blindly trying to grasp Hermione's hand but only to find his hand clutching around thin air.
Harry visibly gulped when he realized he would have to endure this torture alone. He turned around and prepared to face his doom as he was led back into the crowd.
"Harry I'd like you to meet…"
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After being introduced to Eldred Wormple, two members of the Weird Sisters, Sanguini the vampire, and several other people whom Harry couldn't name. He was forced to take pictures with all of them and several with Slughorn before he finally was able to excuse himself.
"Sorry sir but I have to go see where my date went off to." Harry kindly said as he slowly started backing away as if expecting Slughorn to attack him if he made any sudden movements.
"Ah of course m'boy! You are here with Miss Granger correct?" He asked loudly
Harry opened his mouth only to be interrupted as Slughorn continued on with the conversation.
"Of course, well Harry don't let her slip through your fingers," He paused emphasizing his statement by clenching his fist, "That young woman is going places, you mark my words; of course we already new that about you. None the less if you continue on the path of which you are now on you two could be the power couple of the century." He gleefully shouted patting him on the back before walking off and engaging another student in conversation with no perception of the mayhem he implanted in a young man's mind.
"Bloody Hell! Power couple of the century?" Harry exclaimed aloud to himself. "We aren't even together." He quickly closed his mouth when he realized it was still open from the shock of hearing his professor's assumption.
"Well its not like you tried to set him straight, now did you?" His conscious accused him in a voice that sounded like Ron's.
Harry gulped as he put his head in his hands. "I don't even like Hermione, I like Ginny." He yelled frustrated with himself.
"You seriously like Ginny? Doesn't it bother you that she has been with more guys than you can count? It wouldn't surprise me if she started dating Draco Malfoy." His conscious scoffed, this time taking on the voice of Lavender Brown. "She's completely shallow Harry, she has no depth to her personality…and that means a lot coming from me. You would be a fool if you dated someone who knew nothing about you but just liked you because you were the 'boy who lived'. Actually if you chose anyone except Hermione you would be a fool because no one knows you the way she does."
"Wait…what?" His eyes opening wide with realization.
"Hey Harry, finally got rid of Slughorn did you?"
Harry turned around. "Oh hey Neville," He paused as he noticed that Hermione wasn't with Neville, "Um..where did Hermione go?" He questioned craning his neck to see over Neville's shoulder.
Neville rubbed his neck looking uncomfortable with the entire situation. "Oh …um some bloke asked her to dance and I've um haven't seen her since."
Harry looked around the room searching for Hermione and the mystery bloke. He didn't trust several of the people attending the party so he thought it was best to find her quickly. He knew he was overreacting, Hermione could take care of herself but that didn't stop him from worrying.
"Who was she with?"
"Um…Mclaggen." Neville looked down at his shoes.
"What!" Harry loudly exclaimed. "I've-I've got to find her; I don't trust Mclaggen at all." He added as Neville raised an eyebrow in his direction.
He took off almost at a run dashing into the crowd, leaving behind a very suspicious Neville. While he was searching for his best friend he began to think about what his conscious had mentioned earlier. He realized that Ginny didn't care about him the way he cared about her. To her he would always be the boy-who-lived and he admitted that he couldn't live with someone who was only with him for the spotlight that he held, even when it was unwanted. He still didn't under stand the monster in his chest whenever he saw her but he knew it was gone.
"She would never be able to understand me; she would never be able to understand how I'm feeling without having to ask me first. I'm never going to be able to talk to her like she was the best thing that has ever happened to me because, well she wouldn't be. I could never trust her like I do with Hermione. And Ron of course," He added self-consciously. "She makes me happy, she distracts me from everything that's going on around me, but when the world is suffering from the looming darkness surrounding the world we live in, could she- no will she stand next to me until the final battle?" He asked himself
Harry stopped suddenly as he almost ran into Slughorn and veered left quickly before he was pulled into another conversation. That man could talk up a storm and personally Harry would rather talk to Luna than Slughorn any day. He had just passed the camera man when he saw a streak of coral run in between two members of the Weird Sisters.
"Hermione! Hermione!"
Harry swore under his breath when she just continued running giving no indication that she had heard him. He just stood there trying to follow her with his eyes but lost sight of her as she disappeared under one of the hangings. Harry just sighed suddenly feeling hopeless as he continued to walk trying to avoid his many fan girls begging him for a dance.
"Ok, Hermione's right I really do need to be careful about who I fancy; it can't just be anyone. She has to really know me, not Harry Potter the bloody boy who lived; she has to know the real Harry. She has to understand why I do what I do, why I have these sudden urges to save people. She has to support me no matter what happens. She has to be there for me, to stop me from brooding over things that aren't really my fault, even when I convince myself that they are. She has to love me for what I am, understanding that I couldn't change even if I wanted to. She has to stand with and love me till end, even if I have a piece of Voldemort in me." Harry laughed at the thought, "No girl would ever come near me if that happened. Who would love me enough to even do all of those things?"
"Oh Harry."
Well Happy Christmas Eve!
Oh btw I like presents…almost as much as me likey reviews! Oh and I still need a beta!!!