Author's Note: This fic is AU, contains femslash and some strong language. Don't like, don't read.
Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Harry Potter or related characters. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.
I stood from afar, looking at her standing at her locker, talking with her friends. She is so open, cheerful and popular. I have always wished to be like her. It wasn't until recently that I figured out that I had actually liked her.
I look at her once more before I head off to class. She is my complete and total opposite. Cho Chang is tall with straight jet black hair with blue streaks in it. She always wears black. I think it is a fashion statement, but one can ever be really sure these days. She puts a strand of hair behind her ear, showing off the four earrings in her left ear alone. Her lips are ruby red and her eyes are a brilliant hazel.
I look down at myself and scoff. I will never look that pretty, how on earth could Cho ever be interested in me? I am short, well, short for a girl my age, anyway, standing at only five foot two. My hair is always a mess, brown, bushy and wild. I have no fashion sense whatsoever. I really wish that this school had uniforms, but it doesn't. If they did, at least I would be able to wear something that didn't make me look like a complete geek. Well, I guess that is what happens when you are sixteen and your mother still buys your clothes for you…
It is lunchtime, and I am sitting by myself, as usual. None of my friends have the same lunch period as me, so I am really surprised when Ginny sits down next to me.
"Hey, Hermione." She says, a giant smile spread across her face.
"Hi Ginny, what are you doing here?" I ask. I really do hope that I didn't sound rude…
"Oh, my lunch schedule got changed. Stupid Dumbledore, the man can't figure out how to make it easy for his students, so he just makes sure that they always have total stress and class changes going on."
A laugh escapes my lips.
I never really liked that man, our principle, Albus Dumbledore. He tries to act all sweet and caring, but in reality, he is just a manipulative old man that wants everything to go his way. Ginny, Cho, Hannah, Ron, Harry and I all have a bet running as to how old Dumbledore really is. It will be simple figuring it out though, I just need to hack into the school's computer, no real challenge. I really wish there was an actual challenge at this school, but alas, there is not…
"Oh, they changed Cho and Harry's schedules too, so they both have the same lunch as us!" Ginny said happily.
Oh great… I can't believe that this is happening. I am totally going to freeze up in front of Cho, I know it. Perhaps I should just talk to Harry. The two of us get along rather well. Harry was the one who found out first hand about Dumbledore's manipulative tendencies. He didn't really go into them that much, so I can't tell you what happened. All I know is that it made Harry lose all respect for the man and made him really, really bitter.
"Hullo 'Mione, Gin." Harry said, sitting across from Ginny.
Cho came up, lollipop in her mouth, her fingers holding the stick delicately. She plopped herself in front of me and begins to lick the lollipop, her tongue darting out and taking long, long licks. I feel a blush rising on my cheeks, but I refuse to look away.
"Want some, 'Mione?" she asks, pointing the lollipop in my direction.
I shake my head fervently, knowing all to well that my voice wasn't going to be working anytime soon.
"So, what prison are you off to after lunch, 'Mione?" Cho asks.
I stare at her for a few minutes, wondering why on earth she would be talking to me of all people.
"Um, physics."
"My gosh! Do you have Snape? He is such a drag, isn't he?" Cho says. She then moves in closer to me, so close that the tip of the lollipop stick is brushing my lips, "Don't you just want to throw him to the floor and do him?"
My face flushes completely and I scream out, "Hell no!"
A smirk plays across Cho's face as she settles herself back down into her seat.
"So, she knows how to curse."
"Of course I do. I have been doing it since I got into high school." I mumble, embarrassed with my little outburst and kind of angry at Cho for thinking that I am nothing but a good little girl.
"Say some more, then."
I blink.
"Damn, bitch, hell, shit, crap." I respond, slightly confused.
"Say the 'f' word." She commands.
"No. That is one word that I won't say."
"C'mone, 'Mione! Say it!"
"No, Cho." I reply.
Our table is called for dismissal and I rush out of the cafeteria and straight to the girl's bathroom. I splash water all over my face in hopes of bringing down the mad blush across my cheeks.
No such luck.
"C'mon 'Mione! Say it!" Cho says, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
I glare at her, "No."
That is how my past few weeks have been going. I can't believe that she is so gung-ho on me saying the f word. Does it really make any sense? Maybe she just wants me to come out of my shell. Yeah right, like that will ever happen.
I sit at lunch again, having a staring contest with the person on my milk carton.
A hand touches my shoulder and I nearly jump out of my skin.
"It is just me, Hermione." Harry says, his deep voice silky and touched with concern, "What is wrong? You're usually not this jumpy."
I look at him for a few moments. I know that I can trust Harry. Hell, he is pretty much the only person that I really trust in this school, besides Mr. Lupin and Ginny.
"Cho." I finally say, motioning for him to take a seat.
"Chang?" he asks for confirmation.
I nod as I take a bite out of my sandwich.
"What about her?"
"Remember the conversation that we had a few weeks ago? When she had that lollipop in her mouth and was driving me nuts?"
Harry nods.
"Okay, well, she has been bugging me to say the 'f' word since then. And I… I can't help but think that there is something more to me saying that word than just being assertive and being a 'bad girl'."
Harry thinks for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing and his hand going to rub his neck like he always does when he thinks.
"She likes you." He says as though it is the most obvious thing in the world.
"What?!" I nearly scream.
"Yeah, 'Mione, I really think she likes you."
"But… but why me?" I ask, my voice a whisper.
"You are a mystery to her." Harry replies, "And when she talks about you, she has this really giddy look on her face, like she is talking about the most important thing to her in the world. You should have seen her the other day. She heard Malfoy bad mouth you and she was right there in a second, pounding his face into the cement." He chuckled at that point, a fond look on his face, "Severus gave her detention for about a month for doing so, but she said that it was worth it."
I blink. "Severus? Who is that?"
Harry's cheeks turn red and a goofy smile spreads across his face. "Just the nicest man in the universe."
I smile. It has been a while since I saw Harry so happy. He went through a really bad break up with this guy Michael Corner last year, and for a while I thought that he had totally given up on love.
I was the first person that Harry came out to, back in freshman year. He was so confused back then that he was crying when he told me, not really understanding his feelings and thinking that he was the scourge of the universe. Though, that was mainly because that was what his aunt and uncle had drilled into him.
And then, a year and a few months later, it was me who told Harry that I was gay. It was odd, but Harry said that he kinda figured it all along. When I asked, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know why, I just had an inkling."
But back to the present…
I sit and think for a moment. Only teachers can give out detention, well, teachers and staff, so I know that it isn't a student. I looked up all of the school's records the other day to settle the Dumbledore age bet (He is seventy-three. Harry and I won the bet.) and looked at some of the teachers records as well. Thus, I look through my 'memory files' as Ginny calls them and finally find what I am looking for.
"Snape?" I ask in a hushed voice.
Harry nods, goofy grin still in place.
I let out a little chuckle and my lip quirks to the left a bit, "Harry, you little devil."
"He isn't as bad as everyone thinks. He just had a really bad childhood. He also has no idea how to express his emotions, but I am helping him with that.
"But back to you. What are you going to do about Cho?"
I sit and think.
"I… I don't know." I say.
"Well, I think that you should say something before the years ends. Anything, you know? You don't want to regret it later in life, do you?"
I shake my head.
I am walking down the hall when I see Cho talking with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. I take a deep breath and walk over to her, standing right in front of her. I look into her quizzical hazel eyes and a smile spreads across my face.
"Fuck." I say.
Cho's eyes widen. She looks at me for a moment, and then she laughs. She pulls me into a one-armed hug and presses our foreheads together.
"Took you long enough, love." She whispers as she places a chaste kiss upon my lips.
My cheeks are burning and I feel like everyone is staring at me, but I don't care.