This is a re-write of my original story. Looking back, there were a lot of mistakes. Thanks to iheartweasleytwins for looking over this!I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I would also have Crookshanks(:
The moon rose one Tuesday night to see the familiar sight of two-thirds of the infamous Golden Trio sitting in the Gryffindor common room. The emerald-eyed boy and the chocolate-eyed girl were lounging around on their favorite couches, which were pulled up next to the large, roaring fire. They were attempting to plow their way through their excessive pile of homework. This was a tedious task; however, for the noise the students were making in the common room proved to be extremely loud and distracting. While many other students preferred to work in the library, Harry and Hermione had passed the opportunity, reflecting that it would be full by the time they made it there. Thus, the two sixth-years were doing their Runes and History of Magic essays in the common room.
However, Harry and Hermione had other things on their minds besides obnoxious students and homework ... certain red heads, as a matter of fact.
Harry seemed to have a scowl permanently etched on his rather handsome face. Looking over to the other corner of the merry room, he could see a beautiful girl with long red hair. She was the very same red-head infiltrating his mind. Ginny Weasley. She seemed struggling to complete a rather long essay, but seemed to be distracted by her flirtatious boyfriend, Dean Thomas. Harry turned back to his essay, but stopped when he spots the name of his object of affection scrawled all over the parchment. ' I'm doomed,' he thought. ' Just take me now '. Cue head-bashing on said essay.
Across the couch, Hermione looked amused at Harry's actions. The series of peering over his shoulders in a supposedly nondescript manner and then attempting to do his essay had given Hermione valued entertainment, while taking her mind off of another red-head. A certain red-head named Ron. Shaking her head, Hermione went back to her Runes essay, but failed when she looked down on the fresh piece of parchment and saw "Ronald Weasley" written in her neat print. She groaned in frustration. "Urgh!" And cue round two of head-bashing on failed essays.
After this episode was repeated several times, Harry looked up in time to see Ginny waltz by, leaving a lingering flowery aroma that he thought he might have smelled at the Burrow. The scowl on his face relaxed into a grin, and Hermione made a mental note of this. Could come in handy for blackmail, she thought sneakily. Harry was still looking up and saw Ron walk across the room to the boy's dormitory. He glanced at Hermione, flashing a grin, which brought an abused Runes textbook to her nose, but keeping her big, brown eyes continuously on Ron. Her face flushed when she saw Harry amused by the situation.
"Oh, just shut up," Hermione quickly said to defend herself. The red-headed crushes once again invaded their tired minds. "Call it a day?" Hermione began. "I doubt we can do anything else tonight. I think our minds are a bit too preoccupied for homework right now."
"Hermione, stopping homework on a school night?" exclaimed Harry. "Call the Daily Prophet!" He laughed good-naturally as he picked up his belongings. After both teenagers cleaned up the mess they had made, Harry began, "I guess we both have the same problem. A Weasley infection."
Hermione saw mischief in his eyes and promptly replied, "Yes, I quite agree. I just wish we could find the cure to this insufferable disease while curing thick-headedness as well. That way, we can solve most of our problems."
At that point, Harry pointed to his scar. Hermione responded with: "I said 'most of our problems', did I not? Besides, it's only December. He never attacks till the end of the school year. I've noticed a pattern."
"Yes, I've actually noticed that too. Weird, it's like he cares about my education." The large Gryffindor fire merrily burned on, leaving a soft crackle and a warm glow. Harry and Hermione slumped down on a couch again, overcome with exhaustion. Hermione rested her head on Harry's chest in an entirely friendly and platonic way. There was also nothing romantic about the way Harry put his arm protectively around Hermione. A lot of unspoken things were felt in the silence that ensued, and for the first time in weeks both felt entirely at peace.
"Harry?" Hermione's voice, slurred by sleep, came drifting towards him.
"Yeah?" Fatigue layered Harry's voice.
"You'll always be there for me, right?"
"Of course ..." Harry mumbled. Hermione formed a complicated motion with her wand and there appeared a blanket and two fluffy pillows. She arranged them on the couch. Harry's head automatically moved to one of the pillows, as did Hermione's.
"Harry?" Hermione repeated, yawning.
"What?" Harry muttered.
"No more gazing at red-headed people late at night. I mean, we didn't even finish our homework!"
The corners of Harry's mouth turned upwards. "Glad the old worrywart Hermione is back. Now go to sleep." And Harry was out like a light.
Neither him nor Hermione noticed a bright flash. They were also completely oblivious to two sinister chuckles from the Weasley twins that heralded talk of Hogwarts' latest "couple" the next morning at breakfast.