Misconceptions

Ramychan

Rating: PG
Genres: Angst, Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 4
Published: 25/08/2003
Last Updated: 29/12/2003
Status: completed

Ron & Hermione just broke up. Harry finds out about the break up from a lost letter. A series of misconceptions ensues between Harry, Ron, & Hermione. Out of all of this, Harry & Hermione find something new in their friendship - love.

Chapters

1. The Letter

2. The Request

3. The Invitation

4. The Confusion

5. The Aftermath

6. The Outburst

7. The Mentation

8. The Confession

9. The Dream

10. The Insult

11. The Inclination

12. The Confrontation

13. The Conclusion

1. The Letter

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon, and the Gryffindor Quidditch team had seized the opportunity to have a practice meet earlier that morning. After three hours of practice, the team dispersed back into the castle to have a hearty lunch. When they were done eating, they all went their separate ways – some went to the library, others went outside to take a stroll around the school grounds, and others yet decided to go back outside and practice some more. Harry, the Gryffindor Seeker, was headed towards the Gryffindor common room. He wanted to talk to Ron about the trip to Hogsmeade that night, and was sure that he’d find him in the common room. As Harry approached the fat lady at the portrait hole, he said the password, “Golden Snitch,” and was allowed in. Just as he walked through the hole, he heard a startling squeal.

“I’m sorry–I didn’t mean to frighten–” apologized Harry, looking around for a face in the room, but was interrupted.

“I-I-It’s okay–I-I was just leaving a-anyway,” came the small, quivering voice from behind the couch, which Harry recognized almost immediately.

It was Ginny, Ron’s little sister. When she squealed, she must have jumped up in fright, and whatever she was holding spilled onto the floor, because she was now barely visible, bent over, picking up her strewn belongings. Harry couldn’t see her except for her back, as she was bent over; he was facing the back of the couch. Harry walked over to the front of the couch as Ginny stood up. Harry saw her face was a bright, crimson red as she began stuffing her things away in a hurried fashion. She threw her quill and ink bottle, along with whatever she was writing on, in her carryall and scurried past Harry out of the portrait hole in a flash. As Harry looked down, he noticed something poking out from underneath the couch. He bent over and retrieved it; it was a letter.

Ginny must’ve dropped this, thought Harry.

Harry unfolded the letter and read:

Dear Ginny,

Thank you for being so understanding about all of this – he is your brother and all. But, yes, I'm okay. It was a mutual decision; Ron and I decided that it just wasn’t working out for us. We haven’t spoken since the break-up, but we aren’t mad at each other – I think that we’re just a little sore about the whole thing and unsure of how to be friends again. What Ron and I had was fun, at first, but there were to many problems for it to continue. We constantly bickered, we rarely ever agreed with each other, and he was always making unkind comments about my habits that I would retort to with snide remarks. With all of that in the way, we hardly had any good times together. When we were friends, we could put up with having our tiffs and not speaking for a day, but as a couple, it happened more frequently, and it just hurt too much. Going a day without speaking to your boyfriend isn’t easy, and coupled with the heated arguments and the make-ups – I just couldn’t deal with the stress of it all. I put up with it because I thought that I loved him, but I realize now that it wasn’t love that I was feeling. I confused my feelings for him as one of my best friends with feelings of love. I think that Ron and I can still be friends after all of this, but the dust will have to settle some before we can start rebuilding our friendship. Ginny, thank you so much for listening to me; you are a true friend.

Love from

Hermione

Harry couldn’t believe his eyes – had Ron and Hermione really broken up?!

A/N – This is my first fanfic, so please, give me feedback. I will continue this story, and I plan to have it span a few chapters. By the way, this will be an H/Hr fanfic. Thank you for reading and I hope that you review!

2. The Request

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

In disbelief, Harry reread the letter. Sure enough, it had said that Ron and Hermione had broken up. He just couldn't believe that this had happened.

Ron and Hermione seemed so happy together; they were always talking with each other...and disagreeing...and fighting...then not speaking for a day, thought Harry.

These thoughts swirled around in Harry's mind until finally, it hit him like a bludger to the head.

Wait a minute, thought Harry. They really weren't happy together, were they? It seemed that all they did was fight and not speak while they were dating. It was a notorious pattern with them. In that case, maybe it is for the best that they aren't together anymore - maybe they'll fight less and get along more, pondered Harry.

Harry stared blankly at the letter, still thinking about Ron and Hermione. Now what was he to do? Ginny would eventually find that the letter was missing. She would want it back for sure - no one knew about the break-up except for Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and now Harry, unbeknownst to the latter, and Harry was sure that Ginny would want to keep the break-up secret...at least until Ron and Hermione were ready to let it out. Hogwarts was famous for spreading gossip faster than a disarmament spell, and Harry knew that a certain few students in a certain house - none other than Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle from Slytherin - would just love to stick it to Ron and Hermione.

Harry considered just putting the letter back where he found it, but then he thought of the possibility of someone else finding and reading it, and that was no good. He also thought of stuffing it under Ginny's dormitory door, and then realized that one of the other girls in her room could easily pick it up and read it. Running out of options, Harry decided that honesty was the best policy, and that he would just find Ginny and return the letter to her in person.

Harry stuffed the letter into his robe pocket and set out to find Ginny. He figured that she would be in the library, seeing as she was in the middle of writing something, and that she probably wanted to finish it in peace. Just as Harry turned the corner into the library, he spotted her. She was in the far corner of the library's quiet study room, which was empty, and was hunched over a piece of parchment. Her quill was dancing madly about the page, and she seemed to be very taken with her writing.

Ginny looks exactly like Hermione when she's writing her essays, thought Harry, as he chuckled lightly.

Harry approached Ginny's table and sat down on the chair across from her. Right as Harry sat down, Ginny jerked her head up swiftly and gasped. She quickly threw her arms over her parchment so that Harry couldn't read what she had written. Her face began to redden as she opened her mouth to speak.

“Hi, Harry, w-what's up?” Ginny said in a shaky, hushed whisper. Her face was now almost as red as her hair, and she looked very nervous.

“I need to talk to you, Ginny,” whispered Harry. “Can we go to the common room?”

“O-okay, let me gather my things,” Ginny replied. She closed her ink bottle tightly, put away her quill, and folded the parchment in thirds, so that it was folded like a letter, Harry noticed.

It must be the reply to Hermione's letter, thought Harry.

After Ginny put her things in her carryall, they headed out of the quiet study room into the library's main study room, which was occupied by a good number of students. As they walked through the room, a round of giggles soon followed. Harry wondered what was so funny, but his question was soon answered by a second-year Slytherin's hushed remark, “Look at Weasley's arms, she's got ink all over `em!”

Ginny's face became even redder, if that was possible.

Harry surmised that the ink was from the parchment that Ginny had been writing on. Ginny had laid her arms on top of the wet ink on the parchment when Harry sat down. Now he felt bad - he didn't mean to make a spectacle out of her in front of the whole library, that's why he asked her to come to the common room.

As soon as they exited the library, Ginny's face contorted as she started scrubbing at her arms, trying to get the ink off. She excused herself to the nearest restroom and emerged ink-free in minutes. As Harry and Ginny made their way to the common room, not a word was spoken between them. Apparently, she was still embarrassed about the ink incident. Once they had entered through the portrait hole, Harry asked Ginny to sit down at one of the tables. The room was empty, thankfully, so Harry had the perfect chance to return the letter to Ginny. She sat down, pensively, wondering what Harry had wanted with her. She hugged her carryall closely to her stomach, as if it was her security blanket. Harry sat down - his back to the portrait hole - and reached into his robe pocket. He pulled out the letter and brought it into sight. Holding it out over the table, he presented it to Ginny. Looking at him oddly, she took the letter, unfolded it, and began to read. It didn't take her long to realize what it was.

Perplexed, Ginny looked up at Harry. Her mouth slightly agape, Ginny set the letter down on the table.

“Harry, h-how did you get this letter?” Ginny was flabbergasted.

“When you left the common room earlier you must've dropped it, because I found it underneath the couch after you had left,” replied Harry. He knew what Ginny wanted to ask him next, and he noticed by the look on her face that she was unsure of how to ask him. After a lengthy pause, Harry decided that he would go ahead and give her the answer to the unasked, looming question.

“I-I read the letter. I'm sorry, I didn't know it was yours when I picked it up,” blurted Harry. “I...I'm really sorry about Ron and Hermione,” said Harry quietly. He looked down at the table, then at Ginny. She looked down at her carryall, twisted its handles, and then looked back up at Harry.

“Me too,” said Ginny, her voice barely audible.

Just then, Ron burst through the portrait hole. Ginny saw him first, as she had a clear view of the common room entrance. She quickly confiscated the letter off the table and stuffed it into her carryall as Harry turned to see who it was, as he had his back to the portrait hole. He saw Ron walking toward him, wearing a relieved look on his face.

“Ah! There you are, Harry! I've been looking all over for you!” Ron exclaimed. “I've got to talk to you about the trip to Hogsmeade tonight,” said Ron. “Will you excuse us, Ginny?” Ron beamed at his sister with a questioning look.

“S-sure, I've got to get ready for the trip, anyway,” replied Ginny. She glanced at Harry as she stood and proceeded up the stairs to her dormitory.

Harry looked back at Ron. “Have a seat. What's up?” said Harry.

“I was wondering if you could help me with something, Harry,” replied Ron, thoughtfully.

“What is it, Ron?” inquired Harry.

“I want your help in winning back Hermione—” Ron was cut off abruptly as Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas stepped through the portrait hole.

`Winning back Hermione?!' But she wants to be his friend, not his GIRLfriend! How can I help Ron win her back when I know that Hermione doesn't want a relationship! thought Harry.

A/N - Well, that's the second installment. I have a lot planned for this fanfic, so stayed tuned! I appreciate all of the reviews, thank you to all of you. Just as a reminder, this is an H/Hr fanfic. Please keep reading and reviewing!

3. The Invitation

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Wild thoughts were spinning through Harry’s mind; he couldn’t imagine how he was going to handle all of this. How can I help Ron do something to Hermione that I know she wouldn’t want?

While Harry was busy contemplating what to do next, Seamus and Dean had walked over to Ron and started up a conversation. Harry was oblivious to the whole situation, drowning in his thoughts, until the word “quidditch” snapped him out of his reverie.

“Yeah! Great idea, Ron, let’s get some more of those booster packet qudditch cards at Hogsmeade tonight,” agreed Dean.

“Hey, maybe we’ll even get one of those rare Viktor Krum cards!” exclaimed Seamus.

“Yeah, yeah, excellent! Why don’t we try to get one of those new….” By now, Ron was really absorbed into the conversation. Harry picked up on this and thought that Ron wouldn’t even notice if Harry slipped away out of the common room. Harry silently got up from the table and swiftly escaped the common room unnoticed.

Whew! I’m glad that I’m outta there. Thank goodness for Seamus and Dean’s timing. One second later and I’d have been put on the spot about Hermione and Ron’s relationship! thought Harry as he started to go downstairs, staring down at the steps and not watching where he was going.

Just as Harry blindly turned the corner step, he heard a gasp and stopped abruptly in his tracks. He looked up at the person he had come face-to-face with. Harry gulped.

“Hey, Harry, how’s it going? Are you ready for the trip to Hogsmeade tonight? We’re leaving in a half-hour,” came the rushed voice.

It was Hermione. Harry was nervous…very nervous. I don’t like holding things back from my friends, but I’m not supposed to know about the breakup yet. I’ll just have to act naturally, like I don’t know anything about it. Harry chuckled nervously and replied, “Yeah, um, I’m gonna get ready in a minute. Um, I’ll see you in a bit.” And with that, Harry zipped down the rest of the stairs and left Hermione standing there with a puzzled look on her face.

I’ve never seen Harry that nervous before, not even when he was up against that dragon last year. I wonder what’s up with him? pondered Hermione. Well, anyway, I’d better get ready for tonight. I need more time to think about what I’m going to say to Harry tonight. And with that, Hermione started up the rest of the stairs to the common room.

Hermione, finding the common room empty, went straight up to her dormitory. She already had her robes laid out on her bed, so she quickly got dressed and sprayed some perfume on. She combed her hair and brushed her teeth, and finally, now finished getting ready, she exited her dormitory and descended the stairs leading to the common room. Just as she glanced up, she met eye-to-eye with Harry as he was descending the stairs from the boys’ dormitory. They both reached the common room floor at the same time, and Hermione giggled.

“Fancy meeting you here, Harry!” giggled Hermione.

“Yeah, nice timing we had there, huh?” Harry gulped again.

“Harry, would you mind if we sat together in an empty carriage on the way to Hogsmeade tonight? I need to talk to you about something. I’m very upset that you—“ Just then Lavendar and Parvati walked into the common room.

“Ahhh, there you are!” exclaimed Parvati. She looked relieved to see them.

“Come on, you two, they’re getting in the carriages as we speak!” said Lavendar, urging the two to come towards her and Parvati with a hand signal. “Let’s go!”

And with that, Harry, Hermione, Lavendar, and Parvati were on their way to the carriages.

Oh, no! thought Harry as he and Hermione stepped into their own carriage. What is Hermione upset with me about?! Did she find out that I read her letter to Ginny?! Oh, great, now what am I gonna do – I’m trapped?!

A/N – Finally, the third installment. I should be updating more frequently now that I’m done with my highschool classes. I still have a lot planned for this fanfic, so keep checking! Don’t forget, this is an H/Hr fanfic. Please continue reading and reviewing!

4. The Confusion

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Harry couldn’t have been any more nervous than he already was. His palms were sweaty, his hands were shaking, and his stomach felt like it had been tied in knots. Hermione was now sitting across from him in the carriage, and they were both waiting for the carriage to take off on its way to Hogsmeade. Harry was now staring down at the floor of the carriage, wishing and praying for some kind of distraction to get him out of the situation.

That distraction never came.

The carriage had finally started moving on its route to Hogsmeade, and Harry was now officially trapped in the carriage with Hermione. Just as Harry lifted his head up to look at Hermione for the first time since they got in the carriage, Hermione began to speak.

“Harry, are you alright? You seem jittery. Well, when we get to Hogsmeade we can get some butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks. That should help,” spoke Hermione in a rush.

Harry simply nodded at this, moving his eyes back down to the carriage floor. He was so nervous that Hermione’s fleeting words didn’t even reach his thoughts. He was going numb waiting for Hermione to tell him that she knew about his reading the letter.

“Well,” sighed Hermione, “let’s get on to the reason why I wanted to talk to you. As I was saying before, I’m very upset that you—”

“I’m sorry, Hermione!” interrupted Harry. “I didn’t mean to read your letter, I had no idea that it was yours!” he blurted. He let out a sigh of relief. Finally, the cat’s out of the bag! Thank goodness! thought Harry. Quickly getting over his short-lived relief, Harry realized that he had yet to hear what Hermione had to say. He lifted his gaze from the carriage floor and met eyes with Hermione.

Hermione looked back at Harry with a sheer look of confusion. What in the blazes is he talking about?! What letter? thought Hermione. In a ball of confusion, Hermione blurted out sharply, “What?!”

“I’m sorry, I’m really, really sorry! Ginny dropped it in the common room earlier today and I found it under the couch. At the time I didn’t know that it was Ginny’s, or I wouldn’t have read it, but I did, because I didn’t know, and I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to invade your privacy! You have every right to be upset with me! But I haven’t told a soul about the breakup, and I won’t. I’d much rather have heard about it from you and not the letter – I’m really sorry, Hermione!”

Hermione had finally started to put two and two together. Ginny…letter…breakup…. Oh!!! Harry read the breakup letter that I wrote to Ginny! He already knows! And he’s not mad at me?! Oh, this is going to go better than I thought it would! brainstormed Hermione. “Then you know…that I broke up with Ron?” asked Hermione, still with her eyebrows furrowed.

Harry gulped. “Yes.” Harry was trying to read Hermione’s facial expression, but was getting nowhere fast. Well, thought Harry, at first she seemed to be confused, then pensive, and now she looks like she does when she asks a question in Professor McGonagall’s Transfiguration class—like she’s trying to figure out a six-page-long explanation of a spell for 7th years’ in the back of the book! I can’t tell what she’s thinking—I give up! Harry stared back at Hermione, waiting for her response. The carriage had stopped moving by now, but neither of them had noticed.

“Oh, Harry, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day!” exclaimed Hermione, and with that she fell to her knees right in front of Harry and threw her arms around him. Just as she settled her arms around him, the door to the carriage opened, unbeknownst to either of them. Harry put his arms around Hermione to complete the hug, and at that moment, a voice sounded. They broke their hug and turned their heads in shock to look at the source of the voice – it was none other than Ron.

“I guess that I was wrong in trying to find you two, seeming as you’re perfectly happy just being with each other. Thanks a lot, Harry, you really came through for me,” said Ron in a disgusted voice, as he slammed the carriage door shut.

Harry immediately bolted for the carriage door after Ron, but Hermione grabbed his arm and stopped him dead in his tracks. “Harry, what did Ron mean by ‘you really came through for me’? What are you up to? Did you really find out about our breakup from that letter, or did Ron tell you and send you to lie about it? You’re not trying to put Ron and me back together, are you, Harry, because if you are, you’ve really crossed the line!” And with that Hermione released her hold on Harry’s arm and jumped out of the carriage.

Harry’s thoughts were whirling in his head. WHAT JUST HAPPENED HERE?!?!?! his mind screamed.

A/N – The fourth chapter is complete! There are many more chapters to come, and I still want to note that this is an H/Hr fanfic. Please continue reading and reviewing!

5. The Aftermath

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Harry shakily sat back down on the carriage seat. He put his elbows on his knees and held his face. His stomach was now so upset that he didn’t even want to move. How could this happen?! thought Harry. They’re both mad at me – for no reason! I’ve lost both of my friends in a matter of seconds!! What am I gonna do?! What CAN I do?! I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS JUST HAPPENED!!!

***

Hermione was now briskly walking through the gates of Hogsmeade. She now had tears streaming down her face. How could he do this to me? How could Harry justify reading my letter then agreeing to help Ron win me back?! HOW COULD HE?! And Ron! I should have known that he would do something like this! I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!!! thought Hermione as she stormed into one of the shops.

***

Ron was now in The Three Broomsticks, downing a humongous glass of butterbeer at a table by himself. How could Harry do that?! thought Ron. How could he go and hook up with Hermione right after we broke up?! And Hermione?! How could she be that insensitive?! Well, I guess I don’t mean much to either of them, otherwise they would’ve waited to jump all over each other until they had told me!! I CAN’T BELIEVE THEM!!!

A/N – The fifth chapter is up! I know that it’s short, but it’s a separate part of the story, and it’s here to show everyone’s thoughts after the carriage scene. I want the readers to know everyone’s perspective on what’s going on. It’s critical that you know what all of the characters are thinking now so you will understand their motives behind what they say and do next. There are many more chapters to come. Remember that this is an H/Hr fanfic. Please continue reading and reviewing!

6. The Outburst

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Five minutes had passed, and Harry’s stomachache finally started to subside. He had decided that he would rather call it a night and go back to the castle than face Ron or Hermione that night. He stood up, opened the door, and got off the carriage. Harry retraced the path of the carriages and went back to Hogwarts. Once in his dormitory, Harry put on his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and turned in for the night.

***

Still in The Three Broomsticks, Ron was now on his third glass of butterbeer. He wasn’t paying much attention to his surroundings, otherwise he would’ve seen Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle walk in the pub and scowl at him as they passed his table. Usually Ron would have scowled right back, but he was too deep in his thoughts to notice.

Just then Ginny walked into the pub and saw Ron. She decided to go over and talk to him since he looked a bit lonely. She walked up to his table and sat down across from him. Ron looked up, slightly startled, and met eyes with Ginny.

“Oh, it’s you. You gave me a start, Ginny. Well, anyway, what’s up?” said Ron, in a flat sort of tone.

“Nothing much…is something wrong, Ron? I thought that you were over the whole breakup thing. You seem really down in the dumps,” said Ginny.

“Yeah, you could say that. After all, I just found Harry and Hermione alone together in one of the carriages, in a very compromising position, no less. I mean, Hermione and I just broke up, and Harry goes and hooks up with her?! What kind of friend does that?! And Hermione – how could she be that fickle and shallow?!!” Ron practically shouted the last few sentences across the table at Ginny, not seeming to care who heard him. Ginny could feel the other students in the pub staring at her and her brother now, and she started to redden in the face.

“Oh…I’m sorry, Ron. But are you sure that what you saw wasn’t misleading? I mean, I can’t imagine that Harry or Hermione would do something like that,” said Ginny in a low voice. She was hoping that Ron would follow suit and lower his voice, too.

“Are you calling me a liar, Ginny?!!! I saw what I saw!!! Harry and Hermione were hugging in a MORE than friendly way!!!” shouted Ron. He couldn’t get the image of Hermione kneeling down between Harry’s legs and hugging him. He was now furious. Ginny’s face reddened a shade darker as she saw more heads turn to their table. She could see that Ron wasn’t going to change his mind right then, or lower his voice, for that matter, so she decided to shy away from the subject.

“Ron, let’s go to Honeydukes and get some candy, we only have about twenty more minutes before it’s time to leave,” suggested Ginny in a low tone.

“Alright, sounds good,” responded Ron in a matter-of-fact tone. He picked up his glass of butterbeer and downed the remainder of it with one swig. He slammed the mug down on the table and stood up. Ginny followed Ron’s lead out of The Three Broomsticks, happy to be leaving the room full of stares out into the welcoming night air.

Malfoy turned his head to watch Ron and Ginny leave the pub, then switched his attention back to his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. The whole time the three of them had been sitting at the table directly behind Ron and Ginny, and they had heard every word of Ron’s outburst. The three of them exchanged sly glances, then Malfoy sneered, “So… Potter’s a girlfriend snatcher, eh? Well, this ought to be interesting. Come on – Crabbe, Goyle – let’s go spread the good news that Potter’s stolen himself a Mudblood for a girlfriend!”

The three Slytherins laughed evilly as they got up from their table and made their way over to where Pansy Parkinson and her chums were seated. They knew that the best way to spread gossip in Hogwarts was to put it into the capable hands of Pansy and her group of gossiping gals.

A/N – The sixth chapter is up! Many more chapters are to come. Please leave a review; I would really appreciate your feedback!

7. The Mentation

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Hermione was now sitting outside on one of the wooden benches, waiting for the arrival of the carriages at Hogsmeade’s gates. She had just come out of one of the shops and had purchased a new quill and ink set for herself, as hers was getting quite worn out and used up. She took the set out of the bag and looked at it. It contained a luxury eagle-feather quill and a large bottle of black ink. Hermione put her fingers over the picture of the quill on the box cover.

This is the same type of quill that I got for Harry for Christmas second year, thought Hermione. She started thinking about what had happened earlier that night with Harry, and her eyes began to well with tears again. I really hope that I’m wrong about all this, Harry. I honestly don’t think that you would do something like this, especially since you knew that I only wanted to be friends with Ron. I really don’t want to lose your friendship, you’re too important to me. A tear rolled down Hermione’s face and dropped onto the quill box. Just then she heard the lurch of the carriages halting in front of the gates. Hermione stuffed the quill set back into the bag and made her way to the carriages.

***

Harry awoke with a start. He sat up and put his glasses on, glanced at his bedside clock, and saw that it was a quarter ‘till ten at night. Was that a dream?! thought Harry. He looked around at his surroundings and saw that he was still in his bed in the boys’ dormitory, and that he was the only one in the room. Well, I suppose it was, but it seemed like I was really there. I could swear that I was standing behind Hermione in my Invisibility Cloak, unbeknownst to her, and that she was sitting on a bench looking at an eagle-feather quill set, one just like the one she gave me for Christmas second year. Then I heard her say that deep down she didn’t think that I would try to get her and Ron back together, and that she didn’t want to lose my friendship, because I am too important to her, recalled Harry.

I can’t believe that that was a dream – it seemed so real! exclaimed Harry in his thoughts. Harry, still trying to figure out his bizarre dream, took his glasses off and laid them back on the nightstand. He got back under the covers and yawned. Well, one thing’s for sure; I don’t want to lose Hermione’s friendship, because SHE’S too important to me. Harry yawned again, and he eventually dozed off in the midst of his thoughts.

***

As everyone was boarding the carriages at Hogsmeade’s gates, Hermione spotted a group of Slytherins looking her way and snickering. I wonder what their problem is? Weirdos, thought Hermione. She ignored them and made her way towards an unoccupied carriage. Just as Hermione got in and had made herself comfortable, the carriage door flew open.

“Ah! There you are, Hermione, I’ve been looking for you,” came Ginny’s voice. “Can I sit with you on the ride back?”

“Sure,” replied Hermione. She was glad to see Ginny; she really needed to confide in her after what had happened that night. Ginny smiled and got in the carriage. She closed the door and sat down across from Hermione. She set her bag of candy next to her on the seat. A few seconds later, the whistle sounded and the carriages took off for Hogwarts.

“I just talked to Ron in The Three Broomsticks,” started Ginny. She looked up at Hermione, and upon closer inspection, she noticed that it looked as if Hermione had just cried. “Are you okay, Hermione? You look like you just cried,” said Ginny in a concerned matter.

Hermione sighed shakily and looked down at the carriage floor. She brought her eyes back up to meet Ginny’s and said quietly, “I had a blow out with Harry and Ron earlier tonight. I suppose Ron told you what happened?” asked Hermione sullenly.

“Yeah, he did. He was really upset. He said that he found you and Harry hugging in a ‘more than friendly way.’ He said that you two had hooked up,” replied Ginny. She looked at Hermione’s face to see her reaction.

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and disbelief. “WHAT? He said that we had ‘hooked up?’ How ridiculous, really! I was hugging Harry because I was relieved that he wasn’t mad about Ron and I breaking up and still not being on speaking terms!” said Hermione pointedly. “What else did he say?” demanded Hermione. She was infuriated now, and Ginny had picked up on that.

“That was it, really,” said Ginny. She knew that Ron had also added in a few nasty adjectives about Hermione, but Ginny didn’t see the need for Hermione to know about those. She continued, “I cut our conversation short because he was making a spectacle out of us in the pub by yelling everthing out. I was so embarrased that I got us out of there as soon as I could, using Honeydukes as an excuse,” replied Ginny as she pointed over to the bag of candy to her right.

“Oh, great, that’s just great. Now everyone that was in the pub thinks that Harry and I are going out! Just great!” exclaimed Hermione. “As if things aren’t hard enough!”

“About Harry…did he tell you what happened earlier today?” inquired Ginny, changing the subject. She was feeling Hermione out to see if Harry had told her about the letter.

“Earlier today?” Hermione asked. She thought about the question for a moment, then realized what Ginny was getting at. “Oh, yeah, about our letter? Yeah, he did. He told me that he found it after you dropped it in the common room. I guess he thought that I would be mad, though, because he apologized up and down for having read it. That’s when I hugged him, because I found out that he already knew about Ron and me and he wasn’t upset. Then Ron bursted in, and after seeing us hugging he sarcastically thanked Harry for ‘coming through for him,’” explained Hermione.

“‘Coming through for him’? What was that supposed to mean? Ron didn’t mention that,” pondered Ginny.

“I wondered the exact same thing, so when Ron slammed the carriage door and Harry started to go after him, I stopped Harry and asked him what Ron had meant, and—” Hermione abruptly stopped speaking. Something had just dawned on her.

“And?” Ginny urged Hermione on.

“And…I made a big mistake,” said Hermione slowly. She looked really upset. She continued, “I just realized something.”

“What? What did you realize?” inquired Ginny in a concerned tone.

“That I never gave Harry a chance to answer,” said Hermione quietly. She thought about what she had just said to Ginny about asking Harry what Ron meant and realized something – she had never given Harry a chance to answer that question. She immediately accused him of plotting with Ron about getting them back together, then she bolted out of the carriage.

Just then the carriage came to a screeching halt. Ginny and Hermione got off of the carriage, bags in hand, and made their way into the castle. They followed the rest of the Gryffindors to their house tower, said ‘goodnight,’ and went to their own dormitories to turn in for the night.

Hermione changed her robes, brushed her teeth, and got in bed. She lay there in the dark as she thought about the events of the day. A wave of guilt washed over her. She accused Harry of doing something with no solid proof. That wasn’t right, not at all. Now she knew what she had to do – she had to go to Harry and get the truth.

A/N – The seventh chapter completed at last! What did you think? The connection between Harry and Hermione is now starting to show through, but this is only the beginning! More chapters are on their way. Please leave a review; I would LOVE to know what everyone thinks!

8. The Confession

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

A ray of early morning sunlight shone through the window onto Hermione’s face, waking her from a night of restless sleep. It was now Sunday morning, and Hermione was the first in her dormitory to stir, as was usual. Over the course of the night, as she tossed and turned, Hermione decided that she didn’t even have to ask Harry for the truth – she already knew it. Harry would NEVER go behind her back like that, or Ron’s, for that matter – it just wasn’t something that he would ever do. Knowing this, Hermione decided that she was going to apologize to Harry for even thinking that he would do such a thing.

Hermione pulled the covers off and got out of bed. She went through her normal morning routine of getting showered and dressed, then made her way down into the common room with a book tucked under her arm. I’ll just sit in here and read until Harry comes down for breakfast; that way I’ll catch him first thing, thought Hermione. She made herself comfortable in one of the big armchairs near the fireplace and began reading.

Not long after Hermione began to read had she noticed that some students started trickling downstairs into the common room. Hermione would look up from her reading every time a student would come down from the boys’ dormitories; and so far, Harry hadn’t been one of them. Harry doesn’t usually sleep in THIS late, thought Hermione as she checked her watch.

It was now 9:30, and breakfast had been served a half-hour ago. Hermione had already seen Seamus and Neville come downstairs along with Ron – who was tactfully avoiding her presence – but still, no sign of Harry. Fifteen minutes later, Hermione looked up to see Dean coming downstairs. She decided to ask him about Harry.

“Hey, Dean? Is Harry still asleep?” asked Hermione.

“No, when I got up he was already gone,” answered Dean.

“That’s strange, I’ve been sitting here since 8:30 and I didn’t see him come down,” commented Hermione. She furrowed her eyebrows. “Oh, well…thanks,” finished Hermione, closing her book. Dean nodded and made his way out of the common room.

He must’ve gotten up really early then, thought Hermione, otherwise I would’ve seen him. Well, knowing Harry, he’s most likely outside practicing for Quidditch.

Hermione decided to check her theory out, so she put her book away upstairs and set out for the Quidditch field. As she approached the field, she looked up and saw what appeared to be a tiny, black dot darting around up above. Upon closer inspection, Hermione realized that it was Harry flying high above the field, flitting about on his broom.

Oh, great! I’ll never catch his attention when he’s all the way up there! pouted Hermione to herself. Well, if I can’t get his attention from down here, then I’ll get it from up there, reasoned Hermione, as she went into the Quidditch locker room and grabbed a spare broom.

Hermione had never liked flying, especially since third year when Harry and her had to fly on Buckbeak to save Sirius. Nevertheless, she was determined to talk to Harry, and she was willing to face one of her biggest fears in order to do so.

She mounted the broom and kicked off, unsteadily rising off the ground. You can do this, you can do this…just DON’T LOOK DOWN, Hermione reassured herself as she made her ascent. She held onto the broom tightly as she tilted from side to side.

Finally, as Harry made a quick turn, he saw Hermione flying unsteadily towards him.

“Hermione?! What are you doing?! You know that you’ve never had good control over a broom!” shouted Harry to Hermione as he hovered quite a few feet above her.

“I made a mistake, Harry! I’m really sorry!” shouted back Hermione. She looked up at Harry, not focusing on steadying her broom.

“Yeah, you’re making one right now – you’re gonna kill yourself up here!” replied Harry. He always trusted Hermione’s skills as a witch, but when it came to flying, Hermione just didn’t have it. She tottered unsteadily back and forth on the broom as she focused her attention on Harry.

“Harry, I’m really sorry about what I said last night, I really don’t believe that you were cohorting with Ron. I know better than that.” Hermione was focusing her gaze on Harry, still teetering dangerously from side to side.

Harry stared at Hermione and listened with his mouth slightly agape. She's…apologizing? pondered Harry.

“I know deep down that you would never disregard my feelings like that, and I can’t believe that I accused you of doing such a thing. I don’t want to lose your friendship, you’re too important to me. Will you forgive – meeeee?!!!!!” Hermione suddenly lost what little control she had over the broom, and it dipped forward and threw her off, plunging her into a downward fall, a fall 60 feet from the ground.

“HERMIONE!!!” shouted Harry, as a great pain shot through his chest. He turned his broom straight downward and flew after her. She was falling face forward as fast as a bludger, and Harry was racing to reach her before she hit the ground. HERMIONE, I CAN’T LET YOU FALL!!! BUT I CAN’T CATCH UP WITH YOU!!! screamed Harry's thoughts. Tears started to well up in his eyes. I’LL NEVER GET TO YOU IN TIME!!!

Hermione was getting closer yet to the ground, and she was screaming in fright. Harry was focusing real hard on Hermione, hoping and praying that he could somehow save her. He wished that she would just stop falling so he could catch up to her. Tears streaking his face, he yelled out her name one last time, “HERMIONE!!!”

All of a sudden, Hermione’s fall was broken, and she was left floating in midair, 20 feet above the ground. Harry couldn’t believe his eyes. His wish had come true – Hermione had stopped falling. He flew the rest of the way down to her and grabbed her around the waist with one arm, hugging her close to his side. She threw her arms around his chest as they began their descent. He slowly brought them down to the field, and as soon as his feet were planted firmly on the ground, he let go of his broom and it fell to the grass.

Harry, tears now falling freely down his face, threw his arms around Hermione’s shaking frame. She was crying, too, as she hugged Harry closer to her.

“Hermione, I thought that I was going to lose you! You really scared me!” said Harry, his voice cracking as he spoke. He held her closer to him.

“Harry, you saved me! I was so scared! I didn’t think that I was gonna make it! But you saved me!” said Hermione, her voice quivering.

“Hermione, don’t EVER scare me like that again. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you,” said Harry shakily. He hugged her tightly to him still, afraid to let go.

“And I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, Harry. You just saved my life,” replied Hermione, still with a quiver in her voice. She felt safe in Harry’s arms, and her body started to calm down and stop shaking. Harry noticed this, and pulled away enough to look Hermione in the eyes.

“Why did you go up there, Hermione? You could have waited until later to talk to me,” asked Harry. He noticed that Hermione’s cheeks were streaked with tears too, and he brought his hand up to her face to wipe them away. Hermione brought her hand up and placed it on top of Harry’s hand.

“Because I couldn’t stand the thought of what I accused you of doing, and I wanted to tell you that I was wrong. I couldn’t wait, I had to talk to you right away,” replied Hermione. She looked Harry square in the eyes. “Will you forgive me?”

“Of course I will! I was never mad at you, Hermione. I understood how what Ron said could have confused you. I never plotted with him to get you two back together, so I don’t understand what he meant by ‘coming through for him’ either,” said Harry, as he looked Hermione in the eyes.

“Oh, Harry, thank you!” squealed Hermione as she put her arms back around Harry. She hugged him tightly to her. I feel so safe in his arms, thought Hermione to herself as she closed her eyes.

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” said Harry, as he returned the hug. This feels right, hugging Hermione, Harry remarked to himself. He closed his eyes, too.

They stood like that for a while, revelling in their newfound understanding. Just then, a flash of bright light washed over Harry and Hermione. Startled, they looked in the direction of the flash.

It was Colin Creevey, a fourth-year Gryffindor, and he had just taken their picture.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle laughed hysterically as they watched Harry and Hermione’s reaction from inside the Quidditch locker room. They had seen Colin take notice of Harry and Hermione out in the Quidditch field together, and they followed him outside to get a closer look.

“Oh, this is priceless!” snickered Malfoy.

Colin moved the camera away from his face and said excitedly, “What a cute picture of Hogwarts’ newest couple!”

A/N – The eighth chapter is done! Things are brewing between Harry and Hermione! More chapters are in the works. Please leave a review; I really like hearing from you. Thank you to all of you who have reviewed!

9. The Dream

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Harry and Hermione stood there in the pitch, awestruck, staring at Colin. They were still standing close together, having just broken their hug. Colin grinned wildly at them as he turned on his heel and took off in a run back towards the castle. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle scurried out of the locker room and followed Colin back into the castle – they wanted to get to Colin and that picture before anyone else had the chance to.

Thunderstruck, Harry turned his head back to look at Hermione. She was already looking at him with an odd little grin pasted on her face. Hermione giggled lightly at Harry’s dumfounded expression, and Harry couldn’t help but to return her grin – seeing her smile made him smile. She’s cute when she smiles, thought Harry.

“Do you want to take a walk around the lake?” asked Hermione through her now wide grin.

“Yeah, I think that I could use one,” laughed Harry as he grinned back at Hermione. They took off for the lake at a slow pace, walking right in step with each other.

***

“You know, Harry,” started Hermione as they were making their way towards their favorite spot under the oak tree, “I think that you sported a bit of wandless magic back there. I can’t imagine what else could have stopped me midair like that.”

“I just remember wishing real hard that you would stop midair, and then you did. It was strange,” remarked Harry.

“Now that I think of it, I had a dream not long ago where I was falling and I just stopped mid-fall like that. Weird, huh?” said Hermione.

“Yeah, it is,” replied Harry,“Speaking of dreams, I had the strangest one last night.” Hermione’s eyes lit up. They had finally reached the large oak tree by the far side of the lake, and she motioned to the spot underneath the tree. Harry nodded and they made their way under the branches and sat down, leaning against the trunk close together.

“What was the dream about?” asked Hermione interestedly.

“Well, it was about…you,” replied Harry nervously as he caught Hermione’s eye. Why did I just say that! screamed Harry’s thoughts. Hermione raised her eyebrows and her lips parted slightly. She was speechless.

Harry gulped. Why am I telling her this?! This is SO embarrassing! thought Harry. But a part of me wants to see her reaction. Well, here goes nothing…

Taking her loss for words as a good sign, Harry continued slowly, nervously looking out at the lake, “Well…you were sitting on a bench, looking at an eagle-feather quill set – one just like the one you gave me second year for Christmas – and I was standing behind you in my Invisibility Cloak, but you didn’t know that I was there. Then I heard you say that deep down you didn’t think that I would try to get you and Ron back together, and that you didn’t want to lose my friendship, because…because…” Harry was getting tongue-tied. Finally, he managed to get the words out.

“I am too important to you,” finished Harry and Hermione, TOGETHER. Harry quickly turned his gaze from the lake back to Hermione, and he was met with an incredulous expression.

“How…how did you…?” Harry couldn’t form the rest of his sentence. He was too awestruck. He saw Hermione reach into her robe pocket and grab something. She brought it out in front of her and opened her hand. It was a quill – but more importantly, it was a luxury eagle-feather quill. She looked back up at Harry.

“Harry…that dream that you had last night…well, it…it wasn’t a DREAM,” Hermione looked intensely at Harry. “Harry, everything you just told me actually happened…but the bit about what I was saying – I wasn’t SPEAKING it, I was THINKING it.” Hermione kept her eyes fixed on Harry’s.

“You mean…?” spoke Harry slowly. He kept his eyes fixated on Hermione.

“Harry, you read my thoughts,” concluded Hermione.

A/N – The ninth chapter is up! Harry and Hermione are making some very important realizations now. How will they handle them? Only the following chapters will tell! Thank you to all of you who have been keeping up with this story! Remember – I LOVE reading your reviews. Please leave them! Thank you!

10. The Insult

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Harry and Hermione shared an intense look. Harry broke their eye contact and looked down at the grass, seemingly trying to collect his thoughts. I read her mind…wow…how in the world did I manage that? thought Harry amazedly. He looked back up at Hermione, who was still staring at him.

“Wow…I must be paying WAY too much attention in Trelawney’s class,” said Harry, a grin forming on his face.

“Harry!” exclaimed Hermione with a giggle as she shoved Harry’s arm playfully. He laughed with her.

Her laugh is so cute, thought Harry as he smiled at her.

Hermione returned his smile as she put her quill back in her robe pocket. He’s cute when he smiles, thought Hermione. Suddenly, her smile dropped. OH NO!!! I wonder if he knows what I just thought! Oh, how embarrassing! I better not think along those lines again…, panicked Hermione, her cheeks reddening. She averted Harry’s eyes and stared down at the grass nervously. Now he probably knows that I think he’s cute—OH NO!!!, Hermione gulped. I better not think AT ALL!!!

“Penny for your thoughts,” said Harry as he lowered his head to see Hermione’s face. Hermione, cheeks reddening even more, looked up at him. A devilish little grin formed on her face.

“Why PAY when you can read them for free?” giggled Hermione. Harry laughed at her remark, and the two of them shared a wide smile.

“Seriously, though, I wonder how this works…,” pondered Hermione, looking back at Harry.

“Well…why don’t we try it out? Go ahead – think of something and I’ll see if I get anything,” said Harry. He looked intently at Hermione.

“Okay, good idea. Here goes…,” answered Hermione nervously as she looked out over the lake. Just then, Hermione’s stomach growled, loud enough to break the silence. She quickly turned her head back to Harry, and they burst out laughing.

“Well, as an INTELLIGENT GUESS, I’d say that you’re hungry!” exclaimed Harry between laughs. Hermione nodded as she continued to laugh. Harry looked down at his watch and saw that it was now 11:00. Lunch would be served in a half hour, and he figured that it would take about that long to walk back to the castle. He got up off the grass and reached his hand down to Hermione.

“Help up?” offered Harry as he smiled down at her.

“Thanks,” replied Hermione, blushing slightly as she put her hand in his. He nodded in reply as he helped her up. As they walked around the rest of the lake, they talked about their classes and how Snape was bound to give them a rather large assignment on the usefulness of snake venom any day now. “The better to poison us Gryffindors with,” joked Harry on the matter as Hermione giggled.

But for one reason or the other, they hadn’t let go of their hands since Harry had helped Hermione up, and they were walking towards the castle hand in hand.

Her hand is so soft, like velvet, thought Harry as he looked down at their hands. He lifted his gaze from their hands to Hermione’s face, and he smiled when he saw that she was looking down at their hands, too.

His hand is so warm, thought Hermione as she looked up, her gaze meeting Harry’s smiling face. She smiled back as she felt Harry squeeze her hand gently. She squeezed back as she looked ahead at the castle, which was only steps away now.

“Oh! I’ve just realized – I left my broom out in the pitch!” exclaimed Harry as he stopped abruptly. Hermione stopped walking a second after Harry had, and their hands broke apart. She looked back at him as realization hit her too.

“Oh! I left the broom I was using out there, too! I’ll go with you,” said Hermione, as she motioned towards the field.

“No, that’s alright – you go on ahead, I’ll take care of the brooms,” said Harry. “Save a seat for me?” he asked, a smile playing on his face.

“Who could say ‘no’ to you, Harry? Of course I will,” replied Hermione with a smile, as she stepped closer to Harry and did something that she had done before, and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for that walk, and for being you.” And with that, Hermione turned on her heel and hurried up the castle’s stairs.

Harry stood there outside of the castle, staring at the doors where Hermione had just disappeared. He brought his hand up to his cheek and touched his fingers to the very spot where Hermione’s lips had been.

My heart’s racing! Hermione just kissed me on the cheek! Funny…she’s done that before, but it didn’t feel quite the same last time. This time…this time it left me with my heart pounding and my cheek burning, contemplated Harry. He smiled to himself as he headed towards the field – with a spring in his step – to retrieve his broom and put Hermione’s back in the locker room.

***

Just as Hermione turned the corner into the Great Hall, she was taken aback by what she saw. The whole hall went silent at her entrance, staring at her, waiting for some kind of response. But that wasn’t the whole of it.

Floating in front of her was a rather large photograph of her and Harry as they were a few hours before, hugging out in the Quidditch field.

Trying to hold back any facial expressions, Hermione walked around the four-foot long photograph in a huff and sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Ginny. Hermione could feel the stares of the students as she took a goblet and began to pour herself some pumpkin juice. She heard a rumble of laughter erupt from the direction of the Slytherin table as she set the pitcher back down on the table. Looking over to her right on the other side of the table she caught Ron glaring at her icily. He turned his eyes back down to his plate as he twisted his fork in his food, rather uninterestedly.

Hermione turned her gaze back down to her goblet as a shrill voice broke through the silence.

“Where’s your BOYFRIEND, there, Granger?” said Malfoy with an evil grin.

Hermione turned in her seat and looked menacingly at Malfoy.

“Ooh, tsk, tsk. Don’t screw your face like that, Granger, it makes your features even MORE unpleasing to the eye,” spat Malfoy as a round of laughter at the Slytherin table followed.

Hermione turned back around in her seat, with a look of disgust written on her face. She took a sip of pumpkin juice and looked back over at Ron. Well, he can’t avoid me FOREVER. I might as well try to mend things sooner rather than later, thought Hermione, as she set her goblet back down on the table. She got up and walked over to where Ron was seated. Ron looked at her incredulously as she sat down in front of him.

“Ron – look, this isn’t what it looks like. Harry and I—” whispered Hermione, but she was cut off abruptly by an outraged Ron.

“—are going out!!! You don’t have to rub it in my face!!! How could you, Hermione, HOW COULD YOU!!! We JUST broke up, and you’re dating again ALREADY—and with my BEST FRIEND, OF ALL PEOPLE!!! How SHALLOW!!! You’ve turned into—into…A SCARLET WOMAN!!!” sputtered Ron indignantly, as he slammed his fist on the table in anger.

Hermione’s eyes welled up with tears as she shot up from the table. She put her hands over her face as she ran out of the Great Hall, sobbing. She passed someone on her way out, nearly knocking them over.

It was Harry.

He had just arrived from putting his broom away in his dorm when he caught the tail end of Ron’s flare-up. He glanced backward and saw Hermione heading up the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower, still sobbing violently. He turned his eyes back to Ron.

Harry’s face was twisted up in anger for what Ron had said. Words couldn’t convey the contempt he had for Ron. Harry had never been THIS mad before – EVER. His mind was racing. HOW DARE HE!!! shouted Harry’s thoughts.

Harry moved his glare from Ron to the four-foot photograph in front of him. He reached his hand out and grabbed it, scrunching it up in his tight grip. He cast one last contemptuous look at Ron, and then turned on his heel, running up to the Gryffindor Tower after Hermione.

A/N – YAY! The tenth chapter! This chapter has the promised angst, along with little sparks of the romance. I really enjoy writing this fic, and I hope that you all have as much fun reading it as I do writing it. ALL of your wonderful reviews keep my writing spirit alive. Without you, there wouldn’t be a reason to write. H/Hr is in the beginning stages! Stick around to see a beautiful romance unfold! I plan on this story having a VERY happy ending! Ron will straighten up…eventually. In the meantime, enjoy the angst he provides! But remember, YOUR REVIEWS INSPIRE ME!!! I LOVE your reviews, so please LEAVE them!!! THANK YOU ALL!!!

11. The Inclination

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Once Harry reached the Gryffindor common room, he bolted up the stairs to Hermione’s dormitory. Upon opening the door, Harry saw Hermione lying on her bed, with her back to the door, clinging to her pillow as she sobbed into it. Her body was shaking uncontrollably as she struggled to catch her breath between sobs. Harry released his hold on the photograph scrunched up in his hand, causing it to fall to the floor. He ran over to Hermione’s bed and knelt on the mattress right next to her.

“Hermione…it’s okay, it’s okay…,” soothed Harry as her stroked her back comfortingly. Still sobbing, Hermione pushed herself up with her arms and turned to look up at Harry. Her eyes were red and puffy and her cheeks were flushed.

“Oh, Harry…Ron just…,” sobbed Hermione as she sat up on her bed, rubbing her eyes.

“I know – I heard what he said, the prat. He’s a bloody git to call you that,” said Harry as he brought his hand up to Hermione’s chin. He lifted her chin up and met eyes with her. She’s beautiful…even when she’s been crying, thought Harry. He could see the hurt in her eyes, and wished nothing more than to make it all disappear.

“But I know that what he said isn’t true, Hermione. You are nothing of the sort. The only thing that you are guilty of is being incredibly beautiful, even when your cheeks are flushed and your eyes are swollen,” finished Harry with a slight smile, as he moved his hand up to wipe the tears off of Hermione’s cheek.

“Harry…,” sobbed Hermione as she plunged forward and enveloped Harry in a hug. Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione and held her to his chest. He shifted off of his haunches under her weight and fell sideways against the pillow and headboard of the bed, taking Hermione with him. Hermione ended up lying against Harry’s chest in his arms, with one of her arms around his back. Harry shifted to a more comfortable position as Hermione brought her other arm from around Harry’s back and snuggled closer to his chest.

“You don’t have to say that to me, Harry,” said Hermione as her crying subsided. I can feel his heartbeat – it’s so comforting, thought Hermione as she rested her head on his chest. Harry smiled down at Hermione as he began to stroke her back again.

“Of course I do, Hermione. I’m telling the truth,” spoke Harry softly as he stopped stroking her back. Hermione lifted her head up from Harry’s chest and met his gaze, their faces only inches apart.

“You ARE beautiful, Hermione, inside and out,” said Harry softly as he brought his hand up to caress her cheek. Hermione looked deeply into Harry’s eyes as he gazed into hers. Harry slowly moved his hand from Hermione’s cheek down to her neck. He lowered his head to meet hers and captured her lips in a gentle kiss.

A/N – Here it is, folks, the chapter you’ve all been waiting for! H/Hr ship gratification time! But what happens after the kiss? You’ll have to wait for the following chapter to find out! In the meantime, review this chapter and let me know what you think! Your reviews are the ‘fuel’ for my writing ‘engine’! Thank you again to all of my lovely reviewers – you mean so much to me!

12. The Confrontation

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

A jolt of electricity coursed through Hermione’s body. She felt as if time were frozen – as if this moment in time was all that was in existence. Her whole world stopped when Harry Potter placed his lips upon hers; her whole world froze as he kissed her for the very first time.

Harry’s lips left Hermione’s lips as delicately as they came, leaving Hermione wide-eyed and dumbstruck. Harry opened his eyes and met Hermione’s expression of surprise with a look of sheer complacency. At this, Hermione’s expression softened to that of contentment.

I should have done that a LONG time ago…, thought Harry as he held Hermione’s gaze with his. Hermione’s face dropped, and suddenly, as fast as it had gone, came back with a slight smirk.

Yes, you should have, think of all the lost time…, thought Hermione, as she searched Harry’s eyes for some sign of confirmation.

Now it was Harry’s eyes that widened. He returned Hermione’s searching gaze as he finally came to realize what had just occurred.

“Hermione…,” spoke Harry in a low whisper as an incredulous expression consumed his face. He continued to search her eyes for confirmation, but instead received a nod of the head as his answer.

Hermione’s smirk broke out into a wide smile, and Harry soon followed suit.

Harry moved his hand back up from Hermione’s neck, placing it on her jaw line. He closed his eyes and brought his lips down upon hers for the second time. Sparks of electricity seemed to explode when his lips touched hers, and this time, he felt Hermione’s lips moving against his.

As they broke apart, something in the doorway caught Harry’s eye.

It was Ron.

He was staring at the crumbled up four-foot photograph of Harry and Hermione hugging that was lying on the floor in front of him. He lifted his gaze from the photograph to the bed where Harry and Hermione were.

“I came up here to apologize to you, Hermione,” seethed Ron, “but you know what? I don’t think that you deserve it. How could you? I mean, couldn’t you have waited – I don’t know – maybe a month?” finished Ron, glaring at Hermione as she moved closer into Harry’s chest.

“And you, YOU,” boiled Ron, “have got a lot of nerve–”

“Not here, Ron. Outside,” interrupted Harry with a stern voice. He looked back to Hermione.

You stay here; I’ll be back shortly, thought Harry, gazing directly into Hermione’s eyes.

But–, thought Hermione, but was interrupted by Harry’s reassurance.

Don’t worry – everthing’s going to be okay. You just get some rest, thought Harry, as he gently slipped out from under Hermione. He got out of the bed and turned to Ron.

“Let’s go,” said Harry harshly, as he gave Ron an intimidating look. Ron grunted and turned around, leading the way down the staircase to the common room.

***

Harry led Ron outside of the castle and out into the courtyard. He turned around and looked Ron in the eye sternly. Ron glared back.

Harry’s features softened as he looked at Ron’s facial expression. He looks like a flaming fireball with that red hair of his, thought Harry to himself. Harry broke into a light chuckle at the sight of Ron’s reddening face.

“What?! Think this is funny?!” spat Ron, glaring evenly into Harry’s laughter filled eyes.

“Well,” chuckled Harry, “…how do you expect me to look you squarely in the eye when you’re making like a fireball over there!” finished Harry with another round of chuckles.

Ron’s expression broke into a forced defiant look, then eventually into a reluctant laugh. “Why are we doing this, Harry?”

“Well, that’s a good question,” replied Harry with a chuckle, “because, the truth of the matter is, I simply can’t look at you with a straight face when you’re flaming mad.” Harry looked at Ron as he shook his head and waved his hand in disagreement.

“No,” chuckled Ron, “I mean, why are we fighting?”

“Well, you tell me, Ron,” replied Harry searchingly. “Let’s start with this: why are YOU mad?”

“Well…I’m mad because I can’t believe Hermione moved on so quickly. I…I just expected for it to take longer, I guess,” replied Ron slowly, moving his gaze to the ground. “It makes me feel like she didn’t care about me at all the way she just picked up and moved on like that, you know? And it hurts even more to think that she moved on with you, Harry,” answered Ron truthfully, avoiding Harry’s eyes.

“I understand that,” said Harry agreeingly, “and I don’t blame you for feeling that way. But here’s the thing: do you want to HURT Hermione?” Harry tried to find Ron’s gaze by leaning over, but Ron just averted his gaze yet again.

“No, of course not, that’s why I went up to her dormitory to apologize. Ginny already gave me the full description of my mistakes in that department. She pulled me aside when you guys left the Great Hall,” said Ron glumly, as if recalling a sore yelling session from Ginny. “I know that I’ve hurt Hermione, and I didn’t mean to go up there and hurt her again,” admitted Ron, finally bringing his gaze up to meet Harry’s, “but then – then I saw you two together, and I just lost control.”

“I am SO sorry Ron, really, I am. I didn’t mean to hurt you. WE didn’t mean to hurt you. But honestly – in all truth – we didn’t plan this, it just happened,” said Harry apologetically, holding Ron’s gaze.

“And I honestly didn’t think that you did,” replied Ron truthfully, “but my temper got the better of me. Can you forgive me?”

“Put it here, mate,” replied Harry with a smile, holding out his hand to Ron. Ron looked at his outstretched hand, then at his face. He broke out into a weak smile and shook Harry’s hand.

“Thanks, mate,” replied Ron, “now…tell me,” said Ron, nudging Harry in the ribs, “when are you going to ask Hermione out?”

“Let’s worry about you two mending the fence first, okay?” Harry burst out into a fit of laughter, soon followed by Ron.

A/N – I’m so, so, SO sorry!!! -_-;;; I didn’t have any time this semester to finish this fanfic! I had planned on getting it up before the semester started, but preparations to enter college were more time-consuming than I had expected. Once the semester started, I didn’t have a lick of free time. ¬.¬ Now that the Christmas holidays are here, I have the time to finish this story! I’m very sorry for making the wait so long; but the chapter will be up before the week is out! Happy Holidays!!!

13. The Conclusion

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

After their laughter had quelled, Harry and Ron decided to go back up to the girls’ dormitory in order for Ron to make amends with Hermione. While on their way up to Gryffindor Tower, Ron was mulling over his apology to Hermione when Harry spoke out of the blue.

“Hey, I just thought of something.” Ron looked over at Harry as he continued, “What did you mean when you said ‘you really came through for me’ back in the carriage last night?” Harry looked curiously over at Ron and noticed a very embarrassed expression creep up onto his features.

Scratching his head, Ron replied sheepishly, “Well…my frame of thought the moment I opened the carriage door and saw you two hugging was, ‘How can he possibly be talking to Hermione about her friendship with me if he’s hugging her?!’. So I just kinda branched out from there and sarcastically thanked you for ‘coming through for me’ with your talk with Hermione.” Ron finished with a reluctant glance over at Harry, and then his eyes fell to the floor in front of him. There was a moment of silence before Harry spoke again.

“…My ‘talk’ with Hermione? You lost me – what talk?” Harry looked perplexedly over at Ron. Ron ran a hand through his hair and stared at the ground in front of him for a moment, then looked up at Harry with his mouth slightly agape.

“Ohhh…that’s right! I never actually got to ask you! When I turned back to the table to finish, you had left the common room.” Ron’s epiphany might have seemed complete in his own mind, but Harry was swimming in a sea of confusion.

“Come again?” said Harry, clearly lost.

“Okay, remember when I started to explain to you what I wanted your help for and I got interrupted by Dean and Seamus?” Harry nodded and the beginnings of contemplation crept onto his face.

“You said that you wanted my help in winning back Hermione,” replied Harry carefully. He concentrated on Ron’s reaction to his remark. Realization hit Ron as he looked over at Harry.

“And that’s when I got cut off! Oh, brother; talk about timing!” Ron threw his hands up and laughed. Forget swimming – Harry was now drowning in confusion.

“What?” Harry managed to say. Ron looked back at Harry, wearing a sympathetic expression.

“I wasn’t done explaining yet when I got cut off,” explained Ron, “I wasn’t asking for your help in winning back Hermione, I was asking for your help in winning back Hermione’s friendship! You see, I was preparing to tell you that we had broken up, and that Hermione and I hadn’t yet returned back to being friends. So I wanted you to talk to her at Hogsmeade and see how she felt about us going back to the way things used to be.” Harry’s confused expression lifted and it was replaced with a look of wonderment.

“Ohhh…okay…I get it! Now that makes sense!” laughed Harry. Ron grinned as Harry patted him on the back. “My goodness – I can’t believe that that happened!”

“Yeah, Dean and Seamus have impeccable timing,” said Ron in a mock flat tone. Harry laughed with Ron at his remark as they climbed the final flight of stairs leading to the Gryffindor portrait hole.

“Hey, Harry? I’ve got a question for you,” said Ron as their laughter subsided.

“Yeah?” replied Harry as they said the password, “Golden Snitch,” and climbed through the portrait hole.

“Well, I just wondered…why did you forgive me so quickly? You know, out in the courtyard? I mean, if I were you, I think I’d have had steam coming out of my ears,” chuckled Ron.

Harry put a hand on Ron’s shoulder and stopped them both from walking towards the girls’ dormitories. They were now standing face-to-face in the middle of the empty common room.

“Ron, do you remember the big blowout we had last year because of the Triwizard Tournament?” Ron nodded. “I was absolutely miserable when we were on the outs. You’re my best friend; not talking to you is like losing the feeling in my right arm.” Ron smiled in response to Harry’s remark. Harry smiled back and continued, “Sure I was mad about what you said, and granted, I didn’t intend on forgiving you right away – but I was reminded of that awful, sickening feeling of losing our friendship when I met your eyes glaring at me out in the courtyard.” Ron smiled in understanding and nodded at Harry’s words.

“Thanks, mate,” smiled Ron, turning and patting Harry on the back. The boys then began to make their way up the stairway to Hermione’s dormitory.

“Of course, your glares have always set me off into a fit of laughter, so that played a factor in it as well,” chuckled Harry on a side note as Ron knocked on Hermione’s door, chuckling himself.

They heard a mattress creak, then footsteps, and finally the doorknob turned and the door opened slightly. Hermione peaked her head out of the door and saw that it was Harry and Ron. Not knowing what to say, she smiled slightly and opened the door for them to come in. They walked into her dorm room, which was vacant save for Hermione, and closed the door behind them.

Hermione walked over to her bed and sat down, motioning for the boys to do the same. They sat on either side of Hermione and turned in to look at her. Hermione studied the floor, not knowing what to say to either of them. They sat there in silence for a few moments, until Ron finally broke the ice.

“I’m sorry, Hermione,” stated Ron. She lifted her head up in response to his apology and met eyes with him. Harry watched the goings on closely. “I’ve been an arse, a major one at that. I shouldn’t have said the things that I said, and I should have stuck up for you when Malfoy was making fun of you in the Great Hall. You definitely don’t deserve to be called a ‘scarlet woman’ – I’m really sorry for that. Can you forgive me?” Ron looked pleadingly into Hermione’s eyes, hoping beyond hope that she would give a positive response. Harry watched Hermione intently, waiting for her response as well.

Hermione, her eyes watering, gave a small smile before she nodded her head ‘yes.’ She moved in and hugged Ron, and Harry could see the tears falling from her eyes as they pulled out of the hug.

“So…does this mean that you guys are friends again?” asked Harry. Hermione and Ron looked over at Harry, then back to each other. They both smiled and nodded as Hermione replied, “Yeah.”

“THANK GOODNESS!” exclaimed Harry, letting out a breath of relief. Ron and Hermione laughed at Harry’s enthusiam, and Harry grinned widely at them.

“Oh, and to clear one more thing up,” started Harry, “that whole thing about me ‘coming through for Ron’ was about me helping you two to be friends again. It took Ron and I ages to understand that misunderstanding, so I thought that I’d give you the nutshell version.” Harry winked at Ron and he laughed. Hermione’s eyebrows rose in understanding.

“Ahh, I see,” said Hermione, suddenly sporting a mischievous smile. She laughed to herself and stood up to face the two boys, grabbing a pillow off her bed as she stood. “What am I going to do with you two?!” Hermione exclaimed as she threw her pillow – a rather large pillow – at the boys.

Harry managed to dodge it; Ron got the brunt of it, the pillow knocking him backwards onto the mattress. All three of them laughed as Ron sat back up (“Hey, that’s not fair!”) and threw the pillow at Harry, knocking him into the mattress as well. Harry sat up and threw the pillow at Hermione, who caught it rather expertly. Another round of laughter ensued as Ron reached over for another, smaller pillow to throw at Harry while Hermione went and got more pillows from Lavendar’s bed.

Soon after there was raucous laughter filling the room as blurs of big, fluffy pillows were flying through the air without abandon as Harry, Ron, and Hermione had themselves a good old-fashioned, muggle pillow fight.

***

Later that night, the Gryffindor common room was bustling with life. Harry and Hermione were sitting closely on the love seat in the common room, Hermione reading Divining the Divine: How Mind Reading REALLY Works while Harry played with her hair. Ron was playing wizard’s chess with Seamus, as Dean watched on in utmost amazement. Ginny was sitting over in the far corner of the common room, absorbed in writing yet again. Upon closer inspection, Harry noticed that she was still writing on the same folded parchment from yesterday. That’s odd, thought Harry, we all talked to Ginny after our pillow fight – she knows that everything is settled now. We even told Ron about the letter. Why would she need to write to Hermione when it’s all out in the open now?

Harry, his arm on the back of the love seat, reached down and massaged Hermione’s shoulder to get her attention. She looked up at him and smiled, taking her bookmark – she had charmed the creases out of and transfigured the four-foot photograph of them animatedly hugging in the pitch to a lovely bookmark size – and marking the page she was on as she closed the book and held it to her chest. She smiled up at him and focused on his eyes.

Look over at Ginny, thought Harry, wanting to silently communicate with Hermione. He saw that she had indeed heard his thought, as she leaned forward and quickly glanced at Ginny. She leaned back into the love seat and gave Harry a questionative look.

She told me that she was glad that the letter writing was over; that everything was settled now. Why is she still writing then? Hermione and Harry both looked back over to where Ginny was sitting. They silently decided to go over and see what Ginny was up to.

Ginny was now holding her letter up and reading it to herself silently when Harry and Hermione approached her. She was so absorbed in it that she didn’t even notice Harry and Hermione’s presence until Harry cleared his throat. Ginny jerked her head up with a look of shock and swiftly folded the letter and stuffed it into her carryall.

“Hey, guys! W-what’s up?” said Ginny nervously. She gave them a lopsided grin as she put her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her hands. Harry and Hermione tried to stifle their giggles, causing Ginny’s grin to slowly fall. She followed the focus of their eyes to her arms, and she turned her head down to see what they were seeing.

“Oh, Merlin! NOT AGAIN!” protested Ginny as her face turned a bright shade of red.

For the second time this weekend, Ginny had black ink stains all over her arms.

“Excuse me, you guys, I gotta get this off!” said Ginny embarrassedly, as she grabbed her carryall – stuffing the letter deeper into it – and making her way up to her dormitory.

Harry and Hermione shared a quizzical look as they watched Ginny zip up the stairs and disappear into her dorm room.

“Okay, now that was very odd,” remarked Hermione slowly, looking over at Harry. “What did she mean – again?”

“Oh,” chuckled Harry, “she did the same thing yesterday in the library. She ran into the loo and scrubbed her arms clean, and I swear that her face was as red as her hair.” Hermione giggled an ‘oh’ at Harry’s remark and they looked around the common room, realizing that it was quickly emptying. Harry looked down at his watch and looked back up to Hermione, raising his eyebrows.

“It’s dinnertime! Can I escort you to the dining hall, milady?” asked Harry suavely, grinning as he offered his arm for Hermione to take hold of.

“Why, yes, you may,” replied Hermione in a very royal tone, “but first—” Hermione paused, gazing intently into Harry’s eyes. Kiss me.

Gladly, responded Harry, smiling.

They closed their eyes as he slowly lowered his head down to hers. Their lips brushed against each other’s softly at first, starting the kiss off lightly. As their kiss grew more intense, Hermione brought her arms up around Harry’s neck, and Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione’s waist. Harry could feel Hermione’s lips curve underneath his in a smile, and they slowly pulled out of the kiss, slightly out of breath.

You take orders well, Mr. Potter, thought Hermione, smiling brightly.

Only your orders, Miss Granger, Harry smiled suggestively as she giggled, taking his arm.

They laughed together as they made their way out of the common room to the Great Hall.

***

The Great Hall was bustling with chatter as dinner was just about to be served when Harry and Hermione arrived, still arm and arm. As they entered, a lull of quietness came over the hall. It seemed as if everyone’s eyes were magnetically attracted to the couple making their way to their seats. Harry and Hermione looked around at everyone watching them and turned and looked awkwardly at each other.

All of the sudden, a single clap resounded in the hall, followed by another clap. Everyone’s eyes peeled away from the couple to the source of the clapping.

It was none other than Malfoy.

He snickered as he stopped his sarcastic applause and stood up, now holding the attention of all the students. Just then, unbeknowst to Draco, the teachers had just entered the Great Hall from behind their table. Crabbe and Goyle reached up and tugged on either side of Malfoy’s robes, trying to alert him to the teachers’ presence.

“Not now,” he said aside to them. “Well, well; Potty and his Mudblood have decided to grace us with their presence,” spoke Draco rather loudly. “How lovely. Oh, how did you two like my congratulations present? You know, the four-foot photograph I charmed of you two?” Malfoy frowned confusedly as he watched most of the hall – including Harry and Hermione – stifle their giggles as they looked up at the head tables. Draco turned his gaze to the teachers’ tables. His jaw dropped.

“DRACO MALFOY!” bellowed Professor McGonagall, coming up to the head table and pressing her hands on it. “Come here this INSTANT!”

Draco looked down at Crabbe and Goyle disgustedly. “Bollocks! Why didn’t you two idiots say anything?!” said Draco menacingly.

“We tried to…,” whispered Goyle.

“…T-tugged on your robes…,” stuttered Crabbe.

“NOW!” rang Professor McGonagall. Draco shoved Crabbe and Goyle out of his path as he made his way up to the head table. The whole hall went silent, waiting for Professor McGonagall to speak.

As Draco approached the table, Professor McGonagall motioned to Professor Flitwick. Everyone’s attention turned to Professor Flitwick as he held his wand up and pointed it to the professor’s lounge. A student, decidedly male, floated out of the lounge and was set on his feet.

It was Colin Creevey.

His feet were magically bound so that he couldn’t walk, and his camera hung around his neck, the lens clearly cracked. Colin furrowed his eyebrows at Draco.

Professor McGonagall looked from Colin back to Draco, then back to Professor Flitwick. “That will be all, you can unbind him now,” commanded Professor McGonagall, turning her eyes back to Malfoy. Professor Flitwick charmed Colin’s feet free and performed the repairing charm on his camera lens. Colin smiled and thanked Professor Flitwick animatedly for fixing his camera.

“My student tells me that you were the one to bind his legs and break his camera. He also stated that you were the one to steal the photograph from him,” said Professor McGonagall sternly, “And since I just heard your confession to the whole of the hall that it was your ‘congratulations gift,’ I’m assuming that you were indeed the one to vandalize Mr. Creevey as well.”

“I was only joking, Professor. You see—” but Draco was interrupted by Goyle, who stood up and pulled Crabbe up with him, clearing his throat loudly.

“Professor, Malfoy did do it – w-we were with him…we’re guilty, too,” spoke Goyle with conviction, looking over at Crabbe. Crabbe looked to Professor McGonagall and nodded his head with a frown.

Wide-eyed and tongue-tied, Malfoy tried to object, only to mutter incoherent words about his father. He looked wordlessly at Crabbe and Goyle, then back to Professor McGonagall.

“Well, thank you for your honesty in confessing, Crabbe, Goyle. Your punishment will not be as severe. As for you, young man,” bristled Professor McGonagall, “you’re coming with me.” Professor McGonagall motioned for Malfoy to follow her and Professor Snape to her office. Draco gave one last, desolate look out to the hall and turned his back to follow the professors.

The whole hall – save for the Slytherins – burst out with cheers as Malfoy and the two professors disappeared. Harry and Hermione shared a surprised look, then smiled at each other. The cheers subsided and the hall resumed staring at Harry and Hermione.

Once again, a single clap resounded in the hall, followed by another clap. Everyone tore their eyes away from Harry and Hermione to search for the source of the clapping this time.

It was Ron.

He was smiling widely as he continued to clap, standing up out of his seat. Lavendar and Parvati stood up and began to clap with Ron, and Ron looked over and smiled at them. Next came Seamus and Dean, then Fred and George. Soon the whole of Gryffindor was standing, clapping their hands. Harry and Hermione smiled at each other, then at Ron as students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw stood and joined in. Harry and Hermione looked around the hall as more and more students stood up and began clapping.

Soon the whole hall – even a select few Slytherins – were standing up applauding for Harry and Hermione. Harry and Hermione were smiling widely as they looked around at everyone. Hermione’s eyes began to water as she hugged Harry’s arm tighter to her.

Harry, isn’t this amazing?! Hermione looked back over at Harry through her tears, and he nodded in response.

YOU’RE amazing, thought Harry, looking down and taking her hand in his. She widened her grin as a lone tear fell from her eye. She looked down at their hands, squeezed his hand, and then looked back up at him. He smiled at her and squeezed back.

“Congratulations, you guys!” exclaimed Ron, grinning. Everyone in the hall followed suit and said their congratulations to Harry and Hermione. (“Congrats!” “It’s about time!” “Saw it coming!”) Harry and Hermione laughed and bowed their heads in appreciation to the students as the clapping dribbled off. They then walked the rest of the way to their seats at the Gryffindor table and sat down. Just then the food magically appeared on the tables in front of them and dinner had officially begun.

It was then that Ginny appeared in the doorway to the Great Hall, still hugging her carryall close to her. She hurriedly walked up to the Gryffindor table and took her seat next to Ron and began making herself a plate of food and pouring herself some pumpkin juice. Harry and Hermione noted that her arms were slightly red due to the scrubbing she had obviously done to get the remnants of the ink off. They turned to smile at each other and then resumed eating. Ron looked over at his sister and his eyes dropped to her carryall.

“You’d think that that thing was a bloody security blanket; every time I see you, that bag is on you!” exclaimed Ron with a laugh. Ginny laughed nervously as she set her carryall next to her on the bench. The handles fell to the sides of the bag, opening it up. She smiled lopsidedly at Ron before she picked up her fork and began to eat.

“Well, you missed the show,” remarked Ron, shoving a heap of shephard’s pie into his mouth.

“What show?” asked Ginny curiously, lifting her goblet to her mouth.

“Well,” started Ron, a contented look washing over his face, “Malfoy confessed to charming that photograph in the hall earlier and Professor McGonagall caught the whole thing—”

“Oh, bollocks!” exclaimed Ginny, barely downing her swig of pumpkin juice and slamming her goblet down on the table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione jumped at her sudden outburst, looking oddly at Ginny, and she waved her hands dismissively as she blushed, “Nevermind me…I-I’ll be right back…save my food for me!” Ginny grabbed her carryall while getting up and scurried out of the Great Hall.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked after her, simply flabbergasted. They shared quizzical glances for a moment, and then Harry and Hermione resumed eating. Ron turned his eyes downward to Ginny’s plate of food.

“If she thinks I’m going to save her any of this, she’s lost her marbles,” said Ron seriously as Harry and Hermione laughed.

But just then, something underneath the table caught Ron’s eye. He bent over and retrieved it. Harry and Hermione noticed Ron fetching it, and curiously looked on as he brought it up to the table.

“What’s this – an envelope?” said Ron slowly. He turned it over in his hands and saw that there was a name written on it. He recognized the handwriting to be Ginny’s, and he recognized the name as well….

“WHAT?!” bellowed Ron. Harry and Hermione jumped slightly in their seats as Ron shocked them with his reaction.

“What’s the matter, Ron? What is it?” questioned Hermione. Harry watched Ron’s face turn purple as he sputtered his response.

“W-w-what’s she doing writing HIM!” boiled Ron. He turned the envelope in his hands and revealed what was written on the envelope. Harry’s jaw dropped, and Hermione choked back her bite of shephard’s pie.

Ron turned the envelope back around and read the name again. Sure enough, it still read the same name: DRACO.

A/N – WAHOO!!! This is the final chapter of Misconceptions, my FIRST fanfic ever! ^_^ Thank you all so very much for reading and reviewing; you warmed my heart and kept my writing spirit alive! ^^

Now, I’ve got a bit of a surprise for you all; I’m planning a spin-off fic! The new spin-off fic, titled Unforeseen, will be a Ginny/Draco fic that is based off of two plot lines in Misconceptions – Ginny’s letter to Draco and Draco’s punishment for his wrongdoings. Look for the first chapter to Unforeseen sometime before the week is out!

Once again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart for reading and reviewing! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!