Unforgettable

(A/N: This was a request from sonnetStar. She requested that I write something that would be like a prelude to my story Catching Up. I hope that this is what you imagined when you thought of the story.)

Hermione Granger could hear the giggling coming from the couch just as well as she could feel the worried eyes of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. They all expected her to snap, she supposed. A small gasp came from the couch; Hermione looked up and scowled in disgust. Lavender Brown sat on her best friend, Ronald Weasley. His head had disappeared behind her curtain of blonde hair. She rolled her eyes and bit back the request that dangled on the tip of her tongue. As if reading her mind, Ginny Weasley clicked her tongue.

"Take that somewhere else, would you?!" She snapped. The couple jerked away from one another slightly. Hermione suppressed a small chuckle and turned her eyes back to the book in her hands. Instead of words, she stared at the front page. It would have been blank if it weren't for the message scrawled in black ink. Her brown eyes softened as she reread it.

Hermione,

I recalled you telling me that you wished to read this book. Seeing as how you would be gone when the book came out, I took the liberty of purchasing the book for you. I hope to hear from you soon.

With Love,

Spencer Reid

A small sigh escaped her lips. 'Spencer…what are you doing now?' She could see him now sitting behind a desk in college. He was probably rolling his eyes at the teacher's incompetence and fighting the urge to correct her or him. Her heart tugged uncomfortably. Spencer Reid was her first almost boyfriend. Spencer had been her first willing kiss. It had been shortly after they had met. The kiss had been very innocent and had happened very fast. She had been leaning over his shoulder as he worked a problem in an advanced chemistry book. He had turned his head to see her reaction and their lips had brushed. They had simply acted as though nothing had happened, but she had never forgotten. She doubted she ever would.

"Hermione?" A worried voice questioned from beside her. She tore her eyes from his name and looked toward the speaker. The green eyes of other best friend, Harry Potter, greeted her. "Are you alright?" Hermione smiled in what she hoped to be a convincing manner. Harry raised a black eyebrow. Obviously, she hadn't been successful.

"I'm fine, Harry," she reassured. "Just tired." She knew that all her friends and most of Hogwarts believed that she was caught up on Ronald Weasley. They all thought that she was burning with jealousy over Ron's new relationship, but they were wrong.

Before the start of the year, Hermione had realized something about her feelings for Spencer Reid. She was hopelessly in love with him. In all honesty, she should have expected it. He was an amazing man with a brilliant brain. He could keep up with her intelligence level. More importantly, he understood her. He didn't snort and ask her if she were a witch or not. He didn't only call her brilliant when she did something for him that he didn't want to do for himself. She supposed that was why she loved Spencer Reid over Ronald Weasley.

She was so quiet and subdued not because she was jealous but because she had no idea how to tell Spencer. One would think that it wouldn't be so hard. After all, she had spent so many holidays by his side. She knew him thoroughly. But…there was still that lingering fear that he would reject her if she ever told him. Then there was the problem of Voldemort's growing power. To get involved deeply with Spencer would be putting him at risk. Tears gathered in her brown eyes. She jumped as an arm wrapped awkwardly over her shoulders. A tear fell from her eyes as she glanced over at Harry. She had forgotten that he was sitting next to her; she had even forgotten where she was.

"I'll take over from here," Ginny whispered to Harry. Hermione almost chuckled at the immensely grateful expression Harry shot her as he fled from the couch. Ginny smiled slightly and slid into the vacated spot. "You okay?" Hermione shook her head as she eyed at her best and only girl friend.

"Can I tell you something in confidence?" Hermione asked her. Ginny's brown eyes darkened for a moment before the redhead nodded. That night Ginny Weasley found out all about Spencer Reid. Shock did not fully cover Ginny's feelings at the news, but she still took the older girl in her arms and held her as she cried.

If only the teens could see what would happen years later between Spencer Reid and Hermione Granger…then maybe hope would not feel so far away.