A/N: Well well well. So you've found my quaint little story! I honestly hope you, the ready enjoy it, because if you don't, I'm not doing my job. I love getting feedback so I know how I can fix my story and make it better for you! Obviously, this is Harry Potter characters in the story Sixteen Candles. If you haven't seen the movie, rent it. So the cat is out of the bag; I didn't come up with the plot. However, there might be some differences here and there. And the last line is from the wonderful movie The Rules of Attraction. Enjoy!
PS: If you cant get enough of my writing (laugh laugh joke joke, boy, I crack myself up) you can always read my other stories, Till Death Do Us Apart, and the prequel, A Winter's tale. Original plots too! (Wow, she DOES have some original ideas!) Yea, so Once again, enjoy!
Sixteen Candles
Chapter One: How It All Began
Sixth year was different. Hermione knew it. She knew Harry and Ron knew it too. The only problem for her was that it was different-good for them and different-not-so-good for her. Hermione sat in the library, a very familiar place, on one of the last warm days of summer which would soon be fading into fall. She came to that familiar place hoping that it would give her comfort to sort through her issues. They were not problems. They were issues, damnit, and if she could survive all the things she had endured at Hogwarts (i.e. being attacked by : a basilisk, Voldie, and Snape), she could definitely get through this.
flashback
Hermione remembered when everyone had arrived at the platform for the beginning of the term not so long ago. She remembered pushing her cart timidly towards the train as she glanced at her classmates around her. They all looked so mature and so much older than the last time she had seen them. It was like all of the new sixth years had gone through an aging machine but she had never received her ticket to go.
Finally she saw a familiar head of black, unruly hair standing near the train. Hermione remembered when he turned around to greet her. This, this wasn't Harry. Harry was always on the smaller and scrawnier side. Hermione stopped dead in her tracks as she lost her grip on the cart (and and her ability to form sentences) as the cart rolled to a stop right in front of Harry, who was ten feet away from her. She was still trying to grasp the air for the bar of the cart for another moment before she realized where it was.
Harry. Oh, god Harry. What have the Dursleys been feeding you, she thought. Hermione began to step towards that boy she knew so well. Or at least, she thought she did. The closer she got, the harder it was to take in everything about him. His hair, she now noticed, was not unruly, but more of that messy-gelled that she had seen so much in fashion magazines. He was wearing an olive green shirt that said on it, which complemented his eyes. Oh, his EYES! His eyes! The most beautiful things she had ever seen. Hermione had always known Harry had nice green eyes, but now, she couldn't see how would ever do as a sufficient description. There was no beating around the bush, Harry had finally grown into his reputation as the most popular guy in school. The only thing that seemed to be the same were his glasses, which helped Hermione to gulp and walk forward towards her old friend.
he said, breaking into a beautiful grin. Harry grabbed her hands and gripped them tightly as he spoke. Can you believe it? We're sixth years! I hardly can. He let Hermione's hands fall to her sides again and enveloped her into a short but tight embrace as she stayed silent. Partially because she didn't want to interrupt the perfect moment.
However, fate had other plans as Ron ran up to the two, wrapping his long arms around each of them. Ah, my two favorite people! he said slapping Harry on the back, Well, that is other than Snape of course.
Harry chuckled and broke into that grin that Hermione couldn't help but fall for.
And truly, she did fall.
Harry said, looking to his friend who landed oh her butt on the pavement. She looked back up at him as he extended a gentle hand that easily pulled her up.
Are you ok? Ron asked, confused.
she replied, trying to regain her composure, I think I'm just a bit dizzy.
Harry furrowed his brow with a look of concern. Well then, we better get you seated in the train. Then I'll go get you some water.
~
She both hated and loved that day. She loved it when they touched. His fingers on her hands and arms caused a peculiar tingling sensation that Hermione wouldn't have minded having at every moment in time. She also hated that day because that invisible wedge that was being driven between the two boys and herself became more apparent just then.
Hermione snapped back to attention as five young, giggling Ravenclaw girls walked through the library door, much to the disappointment of Madame Pince. Her eyes combed back over the table as she remembered all the homework she would have to get done this weekend. And on her birthday, too. Yes, tomorrow would be her birthday, her only saving grace. However, Ron had a date with some girl he had been obsessing over for months who was in Hufflepuff and Harry had a Quidditch match against Slytherin. But that didn't mean they would forget the birthday of their bestest best best friend in the whole wide world! No, she told herself. They have always made room for me. That's what she loved about them.
But, there was Cho.
Ah yes, she thought, CHO. The words struck jealousy into the hearts of girls and admiration into the boys'. Cho, with her perfect body and her perfect grades and her perfect Quidditch career and her...perfect boyfriend. Oh Harry...
There was no good in feeling sorry for herself. She packed up her belongings and headed back to the common room to go straight to bed.
~~~~
Hermione bolted awake after what had seemed like a moments rest. Once she could finally focus, she gazed around her room to see that the other girls had already left the dorm for breakfast. Hmm, she thought, I must have woken up later than I expected.
She climbed out of bed and walked over to the full-length mirror that stood in the corner of her room. So this is sixteen.
What dear? her mirror said, Did you expect to wake up completely transformed?
she replied, surveying herself, I just thought I would wake up with an improved mental state that would show in my face. All that shows is I don't have anything left of a tan from my family vacation in South France. Hermione sighed with disapproval and walked over to her dresser to change. When she was done she took one last look in the mirror and said, You need four inches of bod and a great birthday!.
Good luck, dear! the mirror called back as she left the room.
Harry and Ron were sitting on the couch, without fail, and adamantly talking about Quidditch. What else. They smiled at her when she walked up to them, dragging her book bag sluggishly behind her.
Boy Hermione, we thought you must have been ill. You're never late! Ron said while nudging her with his elbow.
she began, notice anything DIFFERENT about me today? Hermione smiled hard at them hoping they would get the hint.
No not really, Ron said. Come ON! We're going to miss breakfast! WIth that, he stood up, grabbed his two friends, and pulled them in the direction of the portrait hole. Ginny was just walking in and Hermione wrenched out of Ron's grasp to talk to her. She told Harry and Ron that she would see them later.
Ginny asked as soon as the two boys had left.
So THEY DIDN'T REMEMBER!
Ginny asked, What did you expect? A breakfast birthday party?
No, but they could have at least said Happy birthday.' I mean, it was just like any other day. Arg!! They're just to preoccupied with Quidditch and girls.
Hermione, dear, I think most normal males their age are. We are just meant to suffer.
The two girls chatted a little bit longer and then went their separate ways for class. However, Hermione's History of Magic class was joined by Ginny's Transfiguration class because Professor McGonagall had an urgent errand and Professor Binns had the largest classroom.
Hermione tried really hard to concentrate on the boring lecture on the Warlock Agreement of 1798, but it was so incredibly hard when one was sitting next to Harry Potter. Suddenly a note zoomed from the corner of the room to her seat. She looked up to see Parvati wink at her from across the room. She unfolded the note to reveal...a sex test?! Oh god, grow up. She shifted her stack of books to Harry's side so he couldn't read what she was writing and then she began to fill it out. It wasn't that interesting. Mostly questions like Have you ever done it? or Have you ever touched it? Yea, like I could even lie about those. Then, the last question was Who would you do it with if you could pick anyone? Hermione turned her head towards Harry, who was stretching his arms up in the air. He sighed and looked back at Hermione with a big smile. She turned beet red and looked back down again. Well, my name's not on this so...what the hell. Harry Potter.
The note said she was supposed to pass it on to Ginny so she glanced around the room only to find Ginny sitting at the table right behind her. Hermione fake-streached and dropped the note onto what she thought was Ginny's table. She neglected to realize Ginny had fallen asleep and the note bounced off the edge of the table and landed right at Harry's feet. Now Harry was no Hermione but he could tell the girls were passing notes. So when this note landed in front of him, he waited for Hermione to focus back on the lesson again and quickly grabbed the little paper.
~~~~
After class, Hermione was leaning up against the wall...and panicking. You're SURE you don't have the note?!?! Ginny shook her head. I didn't have my name on it but it had some pretty personal stuff. I had to name who I'd do it with if I could pick.
Who'd you pick?
she said in a small voice, unlike her own.
Harry?!?! He thinks you guys are like brother and sister!
Oh, gee thanks, Ginny, that's a nice thing to say at a time like this.
Well, he's taken. And I mean REALLY taken.
God I hate that Cho.
~~~~
The quidditch game had been canceled previously due to an outbreak of some new species that had broken loose that Hagrid had recently created. It went rampaging through the school grounds and managed to destroy much of the Quidditch pitch. The week the pitch was done, there was a game between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw on Saturday already. The only choice was to cancel Friday afternoon classes and hold the game then.
Harry was sitting in the Gryffindor locker room with keeper, Dean Thomas, before the game and the two were chatting it up about the usual: Quidditch and Girls.
What do you think of Hermione Granger? Harry asked him as he began to polish the handle of his Firebolt.
She's your and Ron's best friend, right?
Yeah. Would you ever go out with her?
Depends on how much you paid me Dean replied with a chuckle.
She's not ugly, Harry replied with a defensive look on his face.
It's not ugly, it's just...void. There's nothing in it. Plus you've got Cho, now there's a real woman. Hermione's too young to party serious.
Well, maybe I'm interested in more than a party.
~~~~
Fed up with all her birthday drama, she headed back to her room before the quidditch match after she finished in Arithmancy.
As she rounded the corner she came face-to-face with Colin Creevy, the only thing more slick than Draco Malfoy's hair. Hey you sweet thing. he said, stopping to block her path by leaning against the wall with one hand on his hip.
Oh geeze, not now... she mumbled under her breath.
So are you hungry? Or do angels not eat? he continued with a grin.
she said, look, I'm really not in the mood.
he asked, you got a boyfriend?
Hermione replied, three big ones and they lust wimp blood. So quit bugging me or I'll sic them all over your weenie ass!
You know, I'm sensing some hostility here, he said, reaching over to touch her shoulder.
Go to hell, she retorted.
Very hostile! Just answer me one question—
Yes, you're a total fag.
He fake chuckled. That's not the question. Colin took a step forward and she could smell the gross cheap cologne that emanated from him. Am I turning you on?
Disgusted, Hermione knocked his hand down that was blocking her path and walking past him. Colin kept smiling as he watched her leave.
She continued on her original path right back to the portrait hole, which swung open after she muttered, Hermione, feeling exhausted went straight to her room and collapsed with a sigh on her bed. God. It was like bad poetry: and then what?
~~~~
End Chapter One! Thank you readers! You keep me going!