Unrequited
Hermione had been dating Ron for a few weeks now, they were acting as any new couple would. Snogging at the most inappropriate times, talking to each other in the most annoying lovey-dovey voices, and laying with each other at night on the couch in front of the fire in the common room. They hardly ever bickered like they used to and they were always together unless they had separate classes.
At first Harry was always with them as usual. His friendship with Ron and Hermione didn't seem to be suffering at first, then they started ignoring him caught up in each other. He was getting tired of watching them fawning all over each other all the time. He started spending more time alone in the library, on the grounds, visiting Hagrid anything to get away from them. When their relationship stared he was happy for them, he knew they had liked each other for a long time. He saw what no one else did, that behind all of the bickering they really did care for one another. Lately it has really started getting to Harry them being together.
Harry was sitting in the common room one afternoon, which happened to be deserted as everyone was outside enjoying the sunny weather they had been having. He was rather enjoying the quiet after being subjected to Ron and Hermione's antics all morning. It seemed they had come up with these ridiculous nicknames, Ronnybear and mionepoo. Harry could only wonder what they were thinking when they came up with those.
The only problem that harry was having with all of his new found "alone" time as he liked to call it was the amount of thinking he was able to do. He had been sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace trying to concentrate on his charms homework for the past hour. He hadn't gotten any closer to being finished than when he first started, all he could think about was Hermione. He didn't know why she was invading his thoughts so persistently these days. Is mind was filled with images of he and Hermione walking through the halls hand in hand laughing about some private joke between the two of them. Sitting cuddled together on the couch in front of the fire in the common room. Harry shook his head in an attempt to shake the thoughts away, but he knew it wouldn't work, it never did.
All Harry knew was he no longer liked seeing her with Ron, he couldn't help but wish they would break up. Harry wanted Hermione to himself there was no doubt in his mind about that, even though Ron was his best friend and the repercussions would be horrendous he still wanted to be with her.
He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of someone entering the common room. A moment later Hermione appeared inside the common room, alone.
"Hi Harry," she greeted him as she sat on the other end of the couch.
"Where's Ron?" Harry asked a little bitterly.
Hermione was shocked by his tone, but decided to overlook it, "don't know, I saw him once earlier, why?" she answered.
"I was just wondering why he wasn't with you," The bitterness had not left Harry's voice.
Hermione could not ignore his tone or behavior the past couple weeks any longer, "What's going on with you Harry, you've been avoiding me and Ron like the plague and now you have this attitude with me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about Hermione," Harry lied.
"Yes you do and I want the truth Harry Potter,"
"Well if I had wanted the third degree today I would have come looking for you," Harry yelled this as he packed up his books and left the common room.
Once he was in the corridor he decided to go to the library, hopefully Hermione wouldn't follow him. He knew he would never get away with yelling at her like he had. The fact that he wanted to be with her and couldn't was making him irritable, he knew that it was eventually going to take its toll on his friendship with Ron and Hermione. He had to do something, but what and most importantly how? He knew that if he approached Hermione now after he had just yelled at her she would hex him or something. She was the one he would have to go to, she was after all the one he had snapped at. He decided to give her a couple of days, if he knew her as well as he thought he did she was furious now but would cool off some with time.
Three days later Harry decided it was time he faced Hermione no matter what the consequences. He had been avoiding her, she entered the room he was in he exited as quickly as possible. At meal times he sat as far away as the table would allow, ate fast and left before she could corner him. The only time he couldn't avoid her was classes but thank Merlin for the no talking rule. In the end Harry decided a surprise attack would be best so she could yell at him in private at a time of his choosing.
He chose an empty class room on her route to the common room at the end of the day, she would go to drop her books in her dormitory before dinner. He waited just inside the door of the classroom, when he finally saw her coming up the corridor she was alone. Just as she passed the doorway he was in he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the room closing the door behind them.
"What are you doing Harry? Dragging me in here like this, after you yell and you're still avoiding me. What's gotten into you, and I want the truth this time?" she started off yelling but as she went on her voice returned to normal.
"I know Hermione, I've been horrible and I'm sorry for my behavior," Harry was staring at his shoes and running his hand thru his hair as he said this.
"I miss my friend Harry,"
Harry winced at her use of the word friend, "I miss you too Hermione, but…," Harry started.
Hermione cut him off her anger clearly returning, "But what Harry, you don't get to say that, your behavior has been awful. You need to get it together and tell me what's bothering you, maybe I can help," she was starting to really worry about Him it wasn't like him to act this way.
"I really don't think you could help me, and as far as telling you what's bothering me, it's not that easy Hermione. I wish it was, but it's not."
"So how are you going to resolve this problem between us if you can't tell me what's wrong?" she asked irritated.
Harry stared at Hermione and something inside him clicked any reservations he had before slipped away. He crossed the room to where Hermione stood, took her face in his hands and kissed her. When their lips met all he could think about was how right it felt. What surprised him most she didn't push him away, she kissed back. His lips danced across hers and she allowed his tongue to enter her mouth, he deepened the kiss. The kiss lasted for what seemed like forever until…
"What the bloody hell is going on here?" yelled Ron from the open doorway.
Harry and Hermione Jumped apart as if someone had dropped a burning stick between them. They were both confused and breathing heavily, it took a moment for them to realize Ron was standing there looking at them expectantly.
"Hermione I've been looking for you everywhere for the past hour, I'm walking down the corridor and Lavender Brown says if you're looking for Hermione I saw her go in that classroom with Harry, so I open the door and here you are snogging my best friend," Ron was furious to say the least, practically yelling at the top of his lungs.
Without giving either of them the chance to explain he turned on Harry, "My girlfriend Harry? You have known how I felt about her for a long time and this is what you do, I thought our friendship meant something to you."
Harry had nothing to say to this, the truth was he wasn't sorry for kissing Hermione. He knew he couldn't tell Ron he had secretly been wanting to kiss her for weeks now. No, that would only make matters worse than they already were, Ron would probably kill him. It was defiantly if he kept his mouth shut, on the other hand Hermione didn't look like she was going to stay quiet. Harry was quite curious as to what she was going to say, then to his surprise she gave him an apologetic look. Harry wondered what that look was, then she opened her mouth to speak.
"Ron I think your over reacting, it was only a kiss, it meant nothing there's no reason to get this upset," Hermione said this in the most confident voice she could have at this time.
Harry now understood the look she had given him, but was she really sorry? So many questions ran thru his mind at that point, did she feel the same? Would this be the end of her and Ron? Then Ron found his voice, "Just a kiss? You're not really expecting me to believe that are you?"
"It didn't mean anything right Harry?" she turned to look at him giving him a pleading look.
"Right, nothing," Harry hoped he sounded convincing.
"It didn't look like just a kiss, you two have been acting weird for awhile now and I want to know what's going on," said Ron still raising his voice.
"Harry seemed upset so I drug him in here to talk, find out what's going on,"
"I don't believe you Hermione, I want the truth out of the two of you."
Harry didn't know why Hermione was trying to cover for him, but he decided he had to tell the truth even if it ruined his friendship. Honesty is the best policy after all he thought. Telling the truth was the only way to get thru this mess he'd made, "I drug Hermione in here, we had been fighting and I wanted to fix it, we were talking…" harry paused he really didn't want to say the next part but he knew he had to, so he took a deep breath and continued, "and I kissed her, it wasn't her fault so if you want to be mad at someone be mad at me,"
Ron was in shock, his best friend? "Why would you do this to me Harry, what did I do to you?"
"You didn't do anything to make me do this…?" Harry couldn't finish the rest would only cause more problems.
The three of them stood in silence for a few moments in their own thoughts. Then Hermione spoke asking the question she was sure was on all their minds, "Where do we go from here?"