"Denials"
Description: The story revolves around their 5th year at Hogwarts.
A/N: Hope you'll like it. This is my very first fic. So please bear with me. You will see that the story is patterned the same as the story in the book but not actually the same. I just want to write something about what I want to happen between Harry and Hermione during their 5th year. You will see as soon as you finished reading my whole fanfic.
Disclaimer: I don't own any character of Harry Potter and definitely don't own the Harry Potter books. I just borrowed the characters from the book for this Harry Potter fanfiction.
CHAPTER 1: A Surprising Confession
"Cho wait!!!" Harry called after her but it was too late; the minute he reached the door she was suddenly out of sight. He didn't understand what exactly happened, so he decided to go to the Three Broomsticks although he knew he might be too early for his meeting with Hermione.
"Okay I was just telling her that I was meeting Hermione in the afternoon and then she just screamed at me like… like she's ---"
"Gone mad!" Hermione said while approaching him. "Relax Harry it's just me, so what exactly did you tell her?" she asked, curiously.
"Well, I told her that I had to meet you because it's really important," he said defensively.
"I mean I didn't promise her that we'll be spending all our afternoon together," he said defensively.
"You're my friend! What's wrong with meeting you halfway our date? I asked her to come but she just keeps on telling me stories like she was trying to make me jealous!" said Harry, sardonically.
"She is making you jealous Harry!" she answered desperately. "She likes you Harry can't you see that?"
"Is she jealous of you?" he asked looking thunderstruck.
"You are my friend since first year. What does she expect? That...That we're dating or something?" Harry said with difficulty.
"I mean I think Ron fancies you and I… I fancy her." he said awkwardly.
Something about what he said made him realize something. 'Does Hermione feel the same way about Ron? Of course she does! Why does it seem to bother me? I...I fancy Cho Chang' he thought.
Harry was expecting a reaction from her but she appeared to suddenly be deep in thought.
"Yeah… you fancy her," Hermione said in low tone.
'Was I jealous, was I hoping that it was I whom Harry was talking about' she thought and stood up trying to shake off whatever was in her mind.
"Wait what's wrong?" he asked her and he stood up also.
"She's here," Hermione said pretending to sound cheerful.
"Who's here?" he asked sounding confused.
"Rita Skee—"
"What's she doing here?" he asked looking rather annoyed.
"Oh… hi there Luna," now Harry changed from looking annoyed to looking astounded.
"Hello Harry," A dirty blond girl with a straggly waist length hair, very pale eyebrows and protuberant eyes said with a huge smile on her face.
He sat beside Hermione opposite Rita Skeeter and Luna Lovegood. Hermione explained everything to him. They agreed that Rita would be the one to ask Harry questions and write about what happened last June while Luna's father the editor of The Quibbler will be the one to publish it.
During the interview he glanced at Hermione a few times. He felt something different. He was watching her intently more of like the first time he saw her in a gown on their 4th year at the Yule Ball. But this time he felt something different.
'I can't believe I never noticed her before' Harry thought and looked away when he saw Hermione looking at him.
"Are you alright Harry?" she asked him sounding really worried.
"Yes…course I am…" he cleared his throat "ahem…alright I mean," Harry answered timidly.
After the interview they both headed back to Hogwarts. Harry couldn't help but notice Hermione's silence.
"Er... Hermione thanks," he said uneasily while trying to keep up with her.
She slowed down a bit and said, "I can't stand it anymore! You always turn into some sort of a madman in the Ministry's eyes; I mean not only them obviously many despise you when all you've done was to say the truth!" Hermione's voice was filled with rage.
He didn't know what to say to her. It's a normal reaction from her. She looses her temper when it's about him.
"I really appreciate this," he said absentmindedly. He turned red upon saying this.
"I'm glad you did," she said quietly.
"Can't wait to read The Quibbler, I wonder what Umbridge's reaction is though," Dean exclaimed.
"People should be informed of what's really happening," said Neville, cautiously.
"Yeah…it's about time they do!" said Harry, darkly.
Cho Chang was sitting beside Marietta on the Ravenclaw table. Harry gazed at Cho. 'I should've run after her,' he thought.
"Could you tell me exactly what you told her and what happened after that?" asked Hermione intensely.
"I just asked her if she wanted to come with me because I'm meeting you in the Three Broomsticks," said Harry while he munches on some of the rhubarb crumble.
"And then she ran outside, the rain was pouring mad I couldn't see her that's why I wasn't able to ran after her," he retorted..
"You should've lied to her or tell tales about me just to convince her that you'd rather spend some time with her than with me," she said hazily glancing over at the Ravenclaw table avoiding Harry's eyes.
"I don't want to lie to her and I certainly won't tell anything bad about you!" he said firmly.
"Never mind, maybe after reading The Quibbler, she'll come to you, she said impatiently.
"Why can't people just say what they mean!" he said desperately.
"It complicates things…I mean could you tell her directly that you fancy her," she said despairingly. 'Even I couldn't tell you how I feel about you because you're my friend' she thought.
"I can't believe that she's jealous of you, there's nothing to be jealous about nothing is going on between you and me and why does she wants to talk about Cedric---"Harry paused as he watched Cho Chang leaves the Great Hall with her friend Marietta.
'I had to say this so you wouldn't notice anything unusual from me, I just hope you wouldn't take it the wrong way' he thought.
Hermione looked astounded. She can't believe what she just heard from Harry. She stood up and turned her back on him.
'I must be mad thinking he would see me more than just a friend' she thought. A single tear fell from her eye but she wiped it right away so Harry won't see it. Nobody seemed to notice her crying.
"I need to go now, I don't feel really well" she said vaguely and went upstairs to the Gryffindor common room without even looking back at him.
"Hermione wait!" he called out on her. Some students from the Ravenclaw turned their heads because of Harry's yell.
Ron and Ginny arrived looking extremely tired. They saw Hermione running upstairs and did not even stop to greet them. Harry on the other hand sat there looking befuddled. It happened so fast. He was left there speechless.
When Hermione reached her dormitory she paused to catch her breath. Tears were streaming down her eyes. She wiped it. But it wouldn't stop. When she went inside she was glad no one was in there. She was alone.
'What does Cho have that I don't? Harry thinks it was silly of Cho to be jealous of me, now it's clear to me that I will always be just a friend to him' she thought.
"I'll go down later and see them and…and talk to Harry, I don't want him to worry about me, I will try to act normal," she said to herself. She wiped her tears away and tried to cheer herself up.
'What's the matter Hermione? Why did you just walk out on me like that?' he thought.
"Did you and Hermione just had a row, she looks really upset?" asked Ginny and she sat beside Harry.
"What's wrong mate?" asked Ron while reaching for the rhubarb crumble.
"Nothing, she said, she didn't feel well," Harry replied feebly and pretended to continue eating.
He lost his appetite after Hermione walked out on him like that. He wanted to check on Hermione to see if she's alright and tell her to go to the hospital wing. But he couldn't bring himself to stand up and go after her.
'I must have done something wrong, did I hurt her unintentionally? Or Maybe she's really sick' he thought convincing himself.
Harry, Ron and Ginny went to the Gryffindor common room after dinner. Ron and Ginny took their baths. Harry sat to his favorite couch by the fire. He was thinking again about what happened at the Great Hall.
'She'll probably go down later, when she's feeling better' he thought. He was used to doing his homework beside Hermione and Ron.
Hermione went downstairs carrying her books and smiled upon seeing Harry.
'This is it Hermione please act normal' she thought.
Harry stood up and helped Hermione carry her books. "Are you feeling alright now?" asked Harry, nervously. He placed the books on the table near the couch.
"Yes I feel alright now, I thought I was feeling sick, I just got tired that's all," She said briskly and sat at the couch.
"Sorry for leaving you like that, I didn't mean to…I'm just---"
"It's a good thing Ron and Ginny is not here," whispered Fred to both of them.
"We don't---I mean they won't even stand a chance with Hufflepuff, Ron can't save goals, he keeps on letting those quaffles in," George said desperately.
"It's a good thing Ginny got the snitch earlier or it would have been a complete fiasco, if you know what I mean," said Fred, sniggering. And the twins left at the sight of Ron and Ginny.
"Are you okay Hermione?" asked Ron, idly
"Yes, I am, listen sorry for walking out on you like that I just didn't feel well that's all, replied Hermione defensively.
"Oh! I thought you had a fight with Harry, I'm glad you're feeling alright now," said Ginny and squeezed herself in the couch beside Hermione.
They chatted about the Quidditch. And surprisingly Hermione didn't object to anything they were talking about. It seems like her mind is flying off somewhere while Harry kept on glancing at her.
When Ginny realized it was late, she bid them goodnight. The three of them where the only ones left there in the common room. Ron was still clutching his mug which appeared to be a butterbeer but he keeps on hiccupping.
"I'll just take this upstairs I'll be back in a sec." said Harry and proceeded at the boy's dormitory.
"Ron! You're a prefect!" said Hermione grumpily. She realized it was a firewhisky he was drinking.
"Er… Hermione you don't think I'm lousy right?" Ron asked her while he was sitting by the fire in the common room.
"Of course not Ron," she said awkwardly and then she glanced at Harry who just got back from their dormitory.
"Go…Good! I mean I was able to save some…some goowls….right?" Ron said while hiccupping. His eyes are barely open.
"What did you like about that…that Bulgarian see…hick..hick..ker?" He looks grumpy and old."
"You mean Viktor?" replied Hermione irritably.
"Yes..yes Vicky… hick..hick" Ron said sternly and the bottle slipped out of Ron's hand. "Oops!" He said laughing unusually loud.
"Look Ron there's no use talking to you, I'll go ahead now." Hermione stood up and hesitated for a moment and said "Good night Harry."
"Blimey Harry I didn't know your there. Oh well…"Ron said and reached for Hermione's hand. Hermione took Ron's hand off of hers and proceeded upstairs.
"I… hick… hick… really really like you Hermione," Ron fell flat on the floor of the common room.
Harry ran towards Ron, he didn't know how to react to this kind of situation and the moment he decides to pull Ron up he'll be standing face to face with Hermione which adds to his own dilemma.
He wanted to punch Ron. He was furious. He was jealous of Ron. He felt like he was stabbed in the back. He felt hurt knowing that if Hermione feels the same way, tomorrow or the next day they might be a couple. His insides were swarming with a mixture of rage and sympathy for his best friend.
Hermione on the other hand froze there. She couldn't move. Hermione didn't expect this. Her mood suddenly changed from angry to being plainly sympathetic. She knew that if Ron really did mean what he said it would complicate things especially now that she has special feelings for Harry.
"Ron really is drunk but at least he finally said it. It took him ages but it was worth it," Harry said and turned his back at Hermione.
"I guess he needs an answer by tomorrow if you know what I mean in case he remembers," said Harry indifferently and gently placed Ron on the couch. "I need to catch my breath before I carry him back upstairs."
"Harry wait," Hermione walked towards him.
For a moment they stared at each other. And then Harry nodded and looked away. He pulled Ron up and nudged him over to his side.
"He will get an answer Harry but I assure you it's not a yes," Hermione said softly and walked away.
With that Harry was left in the common room bewildered and with Ron's loud snore. After about an hour he carried back Ron to their dormitory.
"Maybe its Viktor then," he said softly, putting Ron to his bed and laid on his own bed also.
'Right too bad for us mate. Were more of like a brother for her and nothing more than that, I wish I was drunk too Ron, so… so I can tell her too that I see her now more than just a friend' he thought.
Hope you like this first chapter. And read the next one. Please review.
