Happy Valentine's Day; this story is for everyone who's alone on this excessively romantic holiday. Enjoy.
Harry Needs A Hug
"I just want someone to hug me." Harry moaned aloud to his two best friends as they lounged at one of the quaint tables in the common room. They were gathered around a circular table off towards the side near the fireplace with Harry seated between Hermione, who was currently scribbling her life away on unnecessary notes and Ron who was munching happily on chocolate frogs. Around them several people sat talking, laughing and hanging out all sprawled around the common room enjoying the Valentine's Day atmosphere.
"You bloody liar!" Hermione exploded and slammed her quill down with such force it knocked over the ink cartridge and startled everyone within ear shot.
Dumb fallen, Harry turned to face her, his eyebrows high on his forehead. "Hermione?"
"Excuse me?" Ron asked, his voice shocked and slightly offended. "What did I do this time?"
Annoyed, she quickly grabbed her wand and spelled the spilled ink away then righted the cartridge. "Not you Ron." She turned her head to face Harry and put on her withering Mother Hen face. "No Harry, you don't." Hermione sighed dramatically. "For once will you just be honest?"
Two utterly confused faces stared back at her while the rest of the common room chalked it up to work overload or boyfriend problems then returned to chatting about the soppy holiday and the woes of not having a Valentine.
"You don't just want someone to hug you Harry-you want someone to hug you who will also meet all of you expectations." Hermione stated exasperatedly. "You want someone who is strong, attractive, doesn't care about your fame and fortune, and who won't burst into tears and decide to fill a bloody ravine at any given moment." She tucked a stray curl behind one ear and raised a perceptive eyebrow. "So don't say you just want someone to hug you. Not anyone will do." She snorted. "Otherwise you know Ron and I would have covered that base for you ages ago."
Beside her Ron smothered a laugh then reached out to clasp a now depressed Harry on the back. "She's right mate-don't just say anyone, 'cause you know a whole horde of girls are right outside there waiting to molest you." He pointed out the Gryffindor portrait hole just as Seamus walked inside with Neville trailing behind him blushing furiously.
Harry groaned and sunk further down into his chair with his hands buried deep into his mess of hair. "Gee all I wanted was a little sympathy!" He whimpered pathetically.
"Why?" Ron asked, offering Hermione a chocolate frog only to have her decline with a wave of her hand.
"Because…"
"Of Valentine's Day?" Hermione answered distractedly, her attention already back on her notes.
Ron raised a red eyebrow at his girlfriend but shrugged at her lack of interest. "Well mate, is it?" He nudged Harry's prone form only to receive a groan as an answer.
"Oy, hey what's wrong with Harry?" Seamus asked as he strode over, hands shoved in his pockets with a grin on his face.
"He's depressed." Ron answered automatically, leaning back in his chair so he balanced precariously on its hind legs.
"Clearly." Seamus laughed and sat on the table; disrupting Hermione's writing and earning a mild groan and muttered curse at him. "So what's he depressed about?" He carried on, ignoring the slightly irate bookworm.
"How about we not talk about me like I'm not here yeah?" Harry put in, finally sitting back up and lifting his head. With a sigh, he fixed his askew glasses on the bridge of his nose and stretched his arms high over his head, cracking his back.
Seamus shrugged and glanced down at Hermione to see her crossing out some of her notes and re-writing them in the margin. "Alright Harry. What's got you all hot and bothered ay?"
"He's depressed not hot and bothered." Hermione cut in and looked up at the Irishman with a pointed look on her seriously pale face. "It's about Valentine's Day." She sighed and rolled her eyes, setting down her quill and pulling her hair up into a high messy bun atop her head. "He's miserable because he hasn't anyone to be with." She tied a hair tie around the bun then rolled her shoulders.
"But Harry! You're famous!" Seamus moved to punch his friend on the shoulder around a laugh. "You've got girls lined up around the bloody castle screaming to give you chocolates and flowers and throw confetti over your head you old sod!" He hopped off the table shaking his head in mild vexation. "And even a few guys I've heard." He chuckled, slightly bitter and shook his head. "Its guys like me that should be depressed-not you the famous savior." With that said he turned around and walked over to the couch to lounge and chat with one of the Patil twins.
Quite fell over the trio for a few minutes with Hermione reviewing her notes, Ron balancing on the chair and eating and Harry staring poignantly up at the high ceiling. It only ended when Hermione stood up with all the flourish of a queen addressing her subjects. "Alright get up." She stated, gathering up her notes and packing them away in her knapsack.
"What? Why?" Ron asked curiously, setting the chair back down on its four legs and looking up at his girlfriend. "Is this about Valentines? Because you know I'll get you a gift 'Mione…as soon as Harry agrees to go to Hogsmead with me." He sent his best friend a pleading look.
Hermione rolled her eyes and pointed her wand at her knapsack, muttered something under her breath and watched as it flew away; up to her room and presumably, neatly beside her bed. "No Ron." She resisted the urge to sigh again. "We're going to show Harry here that being alone on a romantic holiday isn't bad."
Harry quirked an eyebrow at her.
"Oh just get up and grab your coat will you?" She sighed and slipped on her jacket slung over her chair.
Harry Needs A Hug Harry Needs A Hug
They trudged though the hallways with Hermione in the lead, Harry following with his head bowed down trying his best to will himself invisible as to not see all of the adoring looks and heart shaped bubbles the fan girls and guys were sending his way. and Ron bringing up the rear end. "'Mione where exactly are you leading us?" Ron called, stepping up to walk beside his best friend.
"Courtyard." She answered primly, stopping to glare at a group of girls crowded around the courtyard entrance giggling and whispering to one another while shooting glances at Harry. "Oh bugger off the lot of you!" She moved to whip out her wand just as they scuttled aside, glaring at her.
Harry blushed as he allowed Hermione to manhandle him into the yard but grateful that she shooed the fawning fan girls away. "Why did you bring us here of all places?" He finally asked, sitting down on the bench while she took to pacing in front of him.
"Yeah, why here-the Mecca of all the Valentine's Day celebration?" Ron took the seat beside Harry and looked around.
She didn't answer right away, just continued to pace and look around every once in awhile. Eventually she stopped and sighed, one hand on her hip the other massaging the back of her neck. "Harry…" She began gently. "Look around will you?"
Confused, he hesitantly obliged and looked around him. There were students everywhere; gathered in groups all sitting around on the grass, benches and around the fountains. Several were perched in the giant archways surrounding the courtyard. Everyone was laughing, joking around and making grand gestures with their arms or wands. All around them was decorated in Valentine's Day paraphernalia; on the trees hung heart shaped cards, in the air floated roses of various colors, garland like hearts were draped about, even the benches were covered in intricate flower designs.
"What do you see?" Hermione finally asked her voice tender and low.
Perplexed, Harry scratched behind his head and shrugged. "A lot of people and a bad decoration committee?"
"I'll say." Ron muttered beside him and pointed to a group of Hufflepuff girls sitting in the grass making arts and crafts. "What'd you suppose they're making?" He asked, completely transfixed with the sight as one girl attached a bubble charm to a heart shaped card then set it on the edge of the fountain.
"More specific Harry. What do you see?" She pressed, ignoring her boyfriend whose attention was captured by the bubbles now floating all around changing colors.
Green eyes scanned the courtyard again, taking in the various groups of friends, girls and guys laughing, chatting and hanging out. "Uh…"
Exasperated, Hermione pulled him to his feet and away from Ron. "Harry do you see any couples?"
He looked around, noting the lack of pairs but abundance of large groups.
"Exactly." She murmured, looking around. "There aren't a lot of couples right? Mostly friends hanging out? Laughing? Having fun? Enjoying each other's company and making jokes out of all of this lovey-dovey stuff?"
Harry nodded and sighed. "Yeah 'Mione I see that but…" He trailed off, running a hand though his hair.
"But?" She pressed.
"But it still would be nice to have someone you know? I mean…you have Ron." He jutted his chin over to the red head. "I want that too…that…that…" He screwed his face up in thought then sighed, growing frustrated. "I want someone to share things like this with-Ron and you are great but it's just not that same as having...a…"
"Oh Harry." She turned to face him, a calm, sympatric, knowing look on her face. "One day you will find that special someone; someone who will love you and care about you for more than you fame or money. They will grow with you and learn to accept your faults and appreciate all that you have to offer-as will you them." She reached out and caressed his shoulder like a sister comforting her younger brother. "But sometimes it takes a lifetime to find the person that will make you happy." She shrugged understandingly. "One day you will meet someone so special and realize that all this waiting and time alone was absolutely worth it. That one Holiday means absolutely nothing because it's just a day Harry…you'll realize that so long as you're with whomever you love-any day can be special and full of love and happiness and absolute gut wrenching sugary sweetness." She sent him a crooked smile and pulled him into a hug. "Harry…now you may be alone and sad and thinking that you just want a hug-and whenever you need one just ask for it-" She chuckled and pulled back to look into his flushing face. "But you will find that perfect someone Harry. They may not be who you initially think-" She cast a weary glance over to Ron who was standing awkwardly off to the side staring up into the sky looking painfully uncomfortable having come to realize what the conversation was about. "But they will make you happy and forget all of the moaning and groaning you did while waiting for them."
Awkwardly, Harry scuffed his shoe and looked down at Hermione. "I…need a hug." He mumbled so low she wasn't quite sure she heard him correctly until he opened his arms.
"Of course." She pulled him into a tight embrace. "The truth is Harry; we all have to do a lot of waiting to find that one person who we will spend the rest of our lives with." She pulled back a little; her arms still wrapped around his shoulders, a sisterly smile resting on her face. "Look at it this way, this Valentine's Day, you're alone. But one day, you're going to spend it with that one special person who makes you laugh, smile, cry and do all sorts of stupid romantic things for." She smiled at him. "And it'll be all worth it."
He smiled down at her, slightly uncomfortable but appreciative. "Thanks 'Mione…I needed this."
"Are you…uh…is Harr…erm…you two…" Ron trailed off nervously, his face red and his hands shoved into his pockets and eyes glued somewhere off to the side.
Hermione pulled away and took a step back from Harry but kept one hand on his shoulder. "You okay? Really?"
Harry let out a chuckle and nodded. "Yeah…really I am." He turned to face Ron and walked over to him. "Hey, how 'bout we go eat?"
Relief flooded the red head at the coded signal and nodded. "Yeah. Food." He laughed uneasily before turning with Harry and Hermione to leave the courtyard. "You uh…you good now?"
"Yup." Harry nodded. "Much better…I guess I just needed to know that I wasn't the only one alone." He sent his best friends a grateful smile. "But I guess it isn't all bad if you two are here."
Harry Needs A Hug Harry Needs A Hug
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