Masking the Truth

sunshinebelle

Rating: PG
Genres: Drama, Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 5
Published: 08/09/2003
Last Updated: 08/09/2003
Status: completed

What was it about Ron and Hermione as a couple that bothered Harry so much? He wasn't sure. All he knew, was that every time he saw them, a weird jumbled feeling happened in the pit of his stomach. It was also the fact that he was completely ignored by them--invisible, an afterthought. What are these feelings? Harry has no idea. But he's about to realize. A short fluffy H/Hr fic! My first ever! Check it out ya'll.. please??

Chapters

1. Masking the truth-- a short one-time story

1. Masking the truth-- a short one-time story

Masking the Truth-- by Sunshinebelle

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the mentioned characters. I am only a fan. And believe me, if I owned Harry Potter, Hermione and Harry would have been together a long time ago.

A/N: This is my first ever Harry Potter story! It's also a one shot story, so there'll most likely be no sequel. Anyways, I hope you like it. Please review and let me know!!

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Inspirational Quote: "Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and

know we cannot live within." -James Baldwin

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She was running.

Chasing after a petite redhead girl, and pelting her with a ball of ice. The girl laughed, and returned the favour, hitting her right in the chest. Just then, the redhead girl squealed. A slightly older, much more masculine version of herself, had just dumped a pile of snow down the back of her shirt, while the redhead was distracted.

"I can't believe you!" the redhead girl exclaimed, a mock-anger look on her face, while her eyes told a different story, smiling in spite of herself. Her blue eyes gave it all away.

"Good going!" the first girl grinned, slapping the guy a 'high-five' in celebration.

"Thanks." the guy smiled at her, taking one of her hands in his. She looked into his eyes expectantly, but all of a sudden, he threw her down in to the ground throwing snow in her face.

"I give up! I give up!" the girl yelped in surprise.

"Good." the guy smiled triumphantly. "Weasley is the King! Oh yes!"

What he had not seen, while jumping around in foolish jubilation, was the girl, along with the redhead coming up behind the guy, with a bunch of snow, dumping it on his head.

"More like the joker." the girl smirked proudly.

"How dare you!" he grabbed her, and the two started fighting in the snow, rolling around and trying to pelt each other with snowballs.

I stood at the window watching my two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, acting like two year olds. Ron's sister, Ginny Weasley watched their snow-wrestling with laughter and joy, throwing an odd snowball in, to pelt her brother.

I sighed and turned away, not wanting to watch them any longer.

I couldn't stand watching them anymore. When Ron and Hermione first started going out, I didn't really see that much of a problem with it -- sure I felt a tad bit left out at first, but I didn't expect to be so opposed to their relationship as I did now. I was constantly the third wheel.

An afterthought. Ron, Hermione and I would be doing our 6th level potions homework in the Gryffindor Common Room, and Ron and Hermione would end up snogging on the couch, barely pausing for breath. Then they would stop -- look at me and go.. 'Oh yeah.. we forgot about Harry. He's here.' Hermione would be apologetic and Ron tried to be, saying 'Sorry mate, we got a bit carried away there.' but his grin would show he had no regrets in staging a make out session right in front of me. I would of course mutter, 'It's fine, don't worry about it.' like any good friend would, but inside my heart was breaking.

Why did I care so much? Why did I not want to see them together?

I had absolutely no clue!!

Just then a voice interrupted me from my thoughts.

Oh great. They were back, I thought bitterly.

"I got you so bad!" Hermione exclaimed happily. A lump rose in my throat. Hermione. For some reason, her voice made me shiver. But again, I had absolutely no idea why.

"You did NOT." said Ron, laughing. "I got you bad!"

I huddled in a corner of the window seat. Maybe if I was absolutely quiet, they wouldn't see me--

"Harry!" Ron exclaimed. He came up to the seat, a grin on his face. "The snowball fight was bloody brilliant! Too bad you couldn't come." His eyes told otherwise. Somehow it didn't seem like he wanted me to come at all.

"I wish you could've." Hermione said, a sweet smile on her delicate features. "You would have loved it." her cheeks were rosy, her wavy brown hair was covered in snowflakes, and her chocolate eyes were sparkling adorably. She was beautiful. She placed a hand on my arm, like she always did.

A blush rose to my cheeks, and I looked away. Why was I blushing? I had no idea.

"Harry, you alright?" she asked, in concern. "You don't look very well, is it that flu you complained earlier about -- you know I could get you a potion to make you feel better." she placed a hand on my forehead, rubbing my skin tenderly.

I shivered at her touch.

"Hermione--" Ron said, interrupting us, he took her hand away. "Harry doesn't want us to baby him, do you Harry?" he asked.

I could've kicked him. "No." I said quietly, "I suppose I don't."

"But you have a fever!" Hermione expressed with concern.

I did? Maybe that's the reason why I felt so hot.

“Perhaps you should lie down.” she suggested, ignoring Ron who was rolling his eyes with exasperation.

“Umm alright I will.” I said, standing up quickly and heading upstairs. “Have fun at the Christmas party,” I called. “Go without me!”

“Thanks mate!” grinned Ron. “Alright, shall we go?” he asked Hermione.

She glared at him, and smacked him in the chest. “Are you sure?” she asked sadly.

“Yes, yes of course. I don't want to be a bother!” I insisted.

“Well.. if your sure.” Hermione said quietly. “Fine let's go.”

Ron smirked, and took her hand in his. He lead her out of the common room, while I stood at the top of the stairs, watching. She turned to face me, one last time before she left, looking, for some reason, sad to see me go.

I didn't go to bed. Instead I sat in the common room, thinking.

Just then Ron walked through the room briskly, shooting me a look of pure venom and ran up the steps to his room. What was that? I wondered, curiously.

Ginny Weasley followed soon after, calling up the stairs.

“Ron!” she yelled. “Ron! Please come down, and talk.”

He ignored her. She let out an annoyed sigh, very reminiscent of Hermione and sat down on one of the chairs, looking at me with curiosity.

“What is it?” I asked, suddenly well-aware that I was being watched by her. “What? Do I have food on my face or something?”

“No.” she said simply, still watching me. Finally she sighed.

I decided that I had to take the conversation into my own hands.

“What's wrong with Ron?” I asked her.

“Never mind -- its not my place to tell you. Hey, just out of curiosity, what's wrong with you lately? Why have you been acting so strange?”

“I'm not sure myself.” I said, my brow furrowed in thought. “I've been feeling so strange lately, so different.. but I can't quite put my finger on it.”

“Are you sad about Sirius again?” Ginny asked with such innocence.

I laughed.

“No, no... it's different. It's not sadness, although that never completely leaves me.”

“Well.” she said, sitting up in her chair suddenly interested. “Tell me about it? What does it feel like?”

“I don't know..” I answered my eyes narrowed, trying to concentrate on putting words to my feelings. “I can't eat-- I cant sleep...”

I stopped, and looked at her.

“Hmmm.” she said thoughtfully. “Well from what I've heard and felt-- It sounds like you're in love.” she burst out in giggles, finding it particularly amusing that Harry Potter could possibly be in love.

And then the thought hit me. Really hit me.

It felt like a ton of bricks fell on top of my head, but yet a burden that had been on my shoulders for ages had been lifted. I was in love.

With Hermione.

“I'll be back.” I told her, as I raced out of the room and out of the portrait hole. I ran down the stairs past an angry Slytherin Prefect who shouted

“No running!”

Blast him. I had to find Hermione!

I ran all the way, down numerous flights of stairs, and many hallways until I found the great hall.

I looked inside it. It seemed to be empty.

It was so silent, you could have heard a pin drop..

My shoulders sagged in sadness.. She wasn't here.

All of a sudden I heard a sniffle.

My heart raced. Hermione.

I looked around more thoroughly, and sure enough, there she was sitting, her back against the wall with her face in her hands

I ran over to her.

“Hermione!” I called, kneeling down to where she was sitting. “Are you alright?”

She sniffled and looked up, at me, her eyes were full of tears, threatening to pour.

“Oh Harry!” she threw her arms around my neck in true Hermione fashion, and I felt myself relax, with her in my arms. She cried a bit, and then let out a small laugh, and stood up, grinning and shaking her head, ridiculously.

I stood up, wondering what was so funny, but not wanting to upset her, I didn't ask.

“I'm being stupid.” she said sighing.

"Why?" I asked her carefully.

"I'm crying.. about something I dont even care about.. I wanted to, so it doesnt really matter. It just feels strange to be alone now.. and I didn't want to upset him, I really didn't."

“Hermione, what are you talking about?” I asked patiently.

“Well.” she said, letting out a shaky sigh. “Me and Ron had a fight. We broke up.”

“You did?” I said, trying to keep my excitement to a minimum.

She nodded.

“And I feel dreadful about it.”

“Oh..” I said quietly, feeling defeated. “You want to get back together with him, don't you?”

She shook her head.

“No.. no I don't.” she took my hand in hers. “I-I realized that I didn't really want him, and I was just putting on a kind of mask, you know? Something to help forget about my feelings?”

“What feelings?” I heard myself ask.

“About someone else.. someone I cared--still care deeply about.”

“Oh really?” If emotions were my skin colour, I would be green with envy.

“Yes.” she said simply, looking down at our clasped hands.

“Well.. I have something to say to you -- I guess I'd better, since your starting out with this somebody--” she nodded, still looking down.

“I've felt really weird since you and Ron got together, kind of jealous I guess. And-- And it took me a while to realize it, since I'm such a hopeless git, but--” I stopped, catching my breath. “I realized that the feelings I was having were love... for you Hermione.”

She looked up quickly in shock.

“And.” I continued. “I know this is stupid, and foolish and everything. You obviously like someone else and I probably shouldn't have mentioned this. But I needed it to get off my chest you know? And you can go be with the person-- not with me I don't mind.”

“Harry.” she said laughing. Her eyes were sparkling, in the special way that they did.

“What?” I asked, looking up, from my speech-eye-contact-spot. The floor.

“You really are a hopeless git.” she smiled teasingly.

“Huh?” I asked with bewilderment.

“The person is you.”

“Huh? What? I don't get it.”

She laughed harder. “You! Don't you understand?! YOU! You're the one I love.”

I looked up, my eyes wide with shock.

“Me? Really?”

She nodded, smiling. “Yes really.”

I grinned happily, reaching out to touch her face.

“Harry.” she said.

“What?” I asked, still smiling at her.

“Just kiss me.”

“Wha--” and before I could say anything else, she had took matters into her own hands, and grabbed my face, pressing her lips to mine.

I got lost in her.

My hand got lost-- for one thing, not knowing where to place themselves. I touched her cheek, her waist, and finally settled on the back of her neck, bringing her face even closer to mine.

Her hands were intertwined in my hair, and her tongue found its way into my mouth, making me feel like I was in heaven.

Finally we stopped, and I was short of breath. She smiled, touching her finger to my lips playfully, and I rubbed my nose against her face, relishing in the soft feel of her skin.

“You know what?” she said, after about a minute of silence.

“What?” I asked, still smiling, as I played with locks of her brown hair.

“I'm starving.”

I laughed. “I'm pretty hungry myself. What do you say we sneak away to the kitchens?”

“Yes, I'm sure Dobby would love to feed us--” we began walking out of the great hall's doors to the left hallway, laughing.

Just then I heard a noise that sounded distinctly like `Ow! My foot!'

I stopped suddenly.

“Did you hear that?” I asked Hermione.

“Hear what?” she asked.

“Oh.. “ I whispered. “Never mind.” I shook my head, and placed an arm around her shoulders as we continued walking.

Meanwhile more voices echoed, in front of the doors to the great hall, however, Harry didn't hear them this time.

“Good going.” said a female voice, obviously that of Ginny Weasley.

“What?” asked a male voice.. Ron.

“You almost got us caught!” she exclaimed.

“Me?! You're the one who yelled!”

“Well YOU stamped on my foot! What was I supposed to do?” she asked.

“Not yell, that's for sure!”

“Oh calm down..”

“Fine..” he grunted.

“Ron?” Ginny asked, her voice suddenly quiet and concerned.

“Hmm?”

“You okay?”

“Yeah.. I'm fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.. I'm glad you showed me this. I really was a brat.. they kind of are meant to be together aren't they?”

“Yeah they are. I'm surprised it took them this long.”

“I'm not.” Ron stated.

“Your not?”

“No! I always knew it would happen-- but I also know that Harry's a complete prat at this sort of thing--”

“Oh, and your not.”

“Shut up!”

Playful bantering continued, as the two siblings, huddled under Harry's invisibility cloak, headed to the right, down the hallway.

...

And somewhere, far away.. Harry and Hermione were finally at the kitchen, getting something to eat.

“So what do you want to eat?” Harry asked her.

“I don't know.”

“Well choose.”

“Why do I have to decide?” she asked.

“Because you're better at it then I am.”

“Ok.. How about pumpkin pie?”

“Sure! That's a great choice!”

“You're not just saying that are you?” she asked, a coy smile playing at her lips.

“No of course not!” he said eating a bite, and then leaning over to kiss Hermione.

“Mmm.” she said. “You taste like Pumpkin pie.”

“Do I?” he asked. “Is that a bad thing.”

“Nope.” she said taking a bite, and kissing him again. “It's a good thing.”

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THE END!

(A/N: Hope you liked it! Please let me know!)