Author's Notes: I finally came up with an H.P. fic!!! Yahoo!!! *jumps up and down while slamming head against wall* This is the first chapter of Book One from the Trilogy: Withheld... If anything's wrong with its plot, do be free to tell me. And if anyone's got an idea bout the succeeding events, just e-mail me. OKAY!!!
We strode to the common room, all three of us wearing a rakish grin on our faces. Okay, maybe Ron's the only one who's really wearing a rakish grin. Maybe that's why I liked him, 'coz he's weird and all that. We passed a cluster of Hufflepuff girls who were pointing their long fingers, all nails polished and all that. I really don't care about those flirty girls who did nothing but gawk at Harry's back, or bat their eyelashes, or accidentally trip in front of him. It's not that I find Harry unattractive. I admit that Harry's not ugly, I mean definitely not ugly. He's even cute, and that's fine but his face is soooo ordinary. I've seen a lot of guys who possess those features. Harry's so ordinary while Ron... I looked down to avoid his eyes. All I hear is his lively conversation about taking Muggle Studies.
Talking about the 'muggle world', we (me, Harry, and Ron of course) decided to take up Muggle Studies this year, mainly because Ron's innocence (not ignorance) endangered Harry's head three years ago. Some people think it's hilarious, but I think they're being too harsh. I mean, it's quite normal for a pureblood to call a telephone 'fellytone.' It's not like he's one ounce less of a wizard. Anyway, Harry thought it was fun to study the so-called muggle civilization in the wizarding world's point of view. Besides, we all agreed that we'd have more chances to excel in that particular subject without Malfoy's constant bugging and trouble-making. It was considerably a great relief that Malfoy and his trusty dogs, Crabbe and Goyle, thought that Muggle Studies was useless and really easy, and therefore out of their league.
We reached the common room only to find out that it was packed with Gryffindor students. I looked around and spotted Neville who was struggling to put his pet toad inside its cage. That's when I noticed that the only seats left were those on either side of Neville. I guess no one's brave enough to sit beside Neville.
"Hey, boys!" I said, nudging Ron with my elbow. I looked away to hide my blush, "the only seats left are those." I said while pointing my shaking finger at the direction of Neville's table.
I heard Harry sigh, "Bad day, eh?"
Without thinking a word, Ron strode towards Neville's table and occupied the seat on Neville's left side.
I walked slowly, wondering whether any of the two guys would have enough dignity to offer their seats to me. Then Harry took the other seat, leaving me standing. Forget about the gentleman thing- just then, out of the blue, Harry rose and with a wave of his hand, ushered me to his chair. I was about to sit down when:
"Hermione! Come, sit here," Ron's voice was the only sound I heard. I gaped for words but didn't find any. I just floated towards the direction of his sweet (or croaky) voice as the whole common room dissolved into space.
The next thing I knew, I was already seated and Ron was standing beside me. He doesn't use any perfume or cologne but he smells of sweet peppermint. I took out my textbook, "Life of Asian Muggles." I was looking for page 112 when Neville decided to leave. I think it's because Ron's been towering over him for the last two minutes.
"Got to go for now," Neville stammered, "I don't think I'm okay with people around me."
Neville need not say it twice, a split second later, Ron was already sitting beside me and smiling mischievously.
I tried hard not to look at him or listen to his constant blabbering. I struggled to regain my composure and concentrate on the book. That's when I noticed that the common room is surprisingly hushed. Anyone who'd walk in might think of it as the library. Just then, Harry broke the utter silence:
"Hahaha (laughs)... this is totally hilarious! Check this out, Hermione!" Harry said, leaning back at his wooden chair and slapping his palms against the table. I wondered why he talked to me though Ron's sitting right beside him.
"What's that?"
"Page 56, Hermione, page 56... (laughs again)," Harry muttered in between fits of laughter.
I turned the book to page 56 and read:
"... Research proves that Muggles also take animals as pets, but not for any other purpose but to play with it..."
"I don't see anything funny about this," I said, shaking my head.
"Go on, turn to the next paragraph," he answered back.
I went on and read:
"... Muggles all over Asia use different types of vehicles for transportation. Among these are the automobile cars which ran on four wheels. Many other types of machines with wheels are used all over Asia and all over the Muggle world... This brings us to the conclusion that the Muggles' form of transportation is weird and extremely unusual compared to the use of broomsticks or Floo Powder..."
That's when I got the point. You see, Harry undergone a fateful incident about four years from now wherein he got lost in the bad side of town because of Floo Powder. Even I don't think that Floo Powder's better than riding a car or a subway train.
"Ain't it funny? I mean, these people think that automobiles are weird and Floo Powder's quite... normal..." he said, bursting into yet another fit of uncontrollable laughter.
"I think they're serious stuff - complicated – even hard to understand... It's not funny, I'm even having a hard time figuring these out myself," Ron interjected.
"Really, Ron?" Harry asked him, taunting, "These are 'serious stuff', eh?" he said, making a hand interpretation of quotation with his fingers.
"Um... Yes!" Ron said, nodding.
"Whatever," Harry muttered while rolling his eyes. "This sounds funny to me, right Hermione?" He reached out for a fiver.
"Um... Maybe," I said bluntly. I gave him a fiver and yawned.
Ron must've thought that he was losing a fight because in less than two seconds, all I saw was his dark robes that were heading towards the boys' dormitory.
"Uh-oh... Harry, I think Ron got affected with our conversation," I said, moving to occupy the seat Ron vacated, very much aware of the pairs of eyes that watched my every movement.
"Nah... I don't think so. Maybe his ego's a li'l bruised but it would be fine in a little while." He whispered against my ear. I moved away, I'm not in a mood good enough to accept any confrontation with Harry's admirers. I sighed as I read on.
"Now, what's that sigh for?" Harry asked while toying with a lock of my curly hair.
"A sigh for nothing?" I replied, while pushing his hand away from my hair. I sighed once more and closed my eyes, thinking about the possibility that Ron's angry at me. I shook those thoughts away and opened my eyes.
"You know what? I'll go get Ron and apologize. I guess that's what this is all about," now it was his turn to sigh. He rose to leave and I tugged his free arm lightly.
"Thanks, Harry. I hope you won't go on thinking that I like Ron better-" I blushed at my own statement, "I mean, we're best friends, the three of us. It's not as if Ron's special..."
"Yeah, right..." I sensed a tinge of sarcasm in his voice but I brushed it off quickly, "I'd never think of those things... Mainly because I've already formulated a conclusion..."
I craned my neck to see his face but I didn't find it, all I saw was the hem of his robe as the words he spoke lingered in my ears.