Hermione looked up from her book and smiled. She uncurled her legs and swung them off the bed, then remembered her night-table was on the left side now. She switched her position, got up, and took the few steps to the window where she saw Hedwig waiting for her.
Hermione had switched beds with Parvati shortly after they had arrived back at school, mainly because the other girls had grown tired of hearing the floorboards creak as she crossed the dormitory late at night to answer her notes from Harry. Lavender and Parvati were sure she was keeping up correspondence with Viktor Krum, but she had let him go during the summer entering 5th year. Now she was nearly 17 years old and having a secret relationship with yet another celebrity. She didn't TRY to go for the famous types; Krum was really a rather nice guy after she had gotten to know him and looked past his "rugged" qualities the other girls found attractive and she found revolting.
But Harry Potter was a very different person altogether. Hermione had known him for years, of course, but it wasn't until towards the end of their 5th year that she really began to notice him. Just after last Easter, he had started spending a lot more time in the library studying for O.W.L.s. Ron really couldn't care less about his O.W.L.s (he was too busy wrapped in Seamus' arms anyway), so Harry and Hermione usually had a table to themselves. And that was how the whole thing started.
It was the little things about him that had began to catch her attention. The way his eyes flicked back and forth when he was at a loss for what to say next. His eyes in general, really. The bottle-green pigment really stood out against his pale complexion, and contrasted well with his sweetly messy black hair. It was also the way he smiled that had managed to give Hermione a girlish flutter in her heart she had never experienced before. It was always a shy smile, too. That was what really got her; the way he would just smirk a bit, as though he was trying to tease her. They were such close friends, and now that they had this secret affair, their bond was all the more special.
Hermione unlatched the window and opened it out. A disgruntled Hedwig flew in and perched herself on the headboard, where she stuck out her leg to give Hermione the tightly furled piece of parchment she had delivered. Eager as Hermione was to read Harry's latest, she took the time to peer out the window at the Hogwarts grounds. It really was beautiful, and all the more so because she had someone to share it with. Her mind lingered back to the time spent near the lake, just talking and laughing and knowing how much one cared for the other, until her thoughts were interrupted as Hedwig hooted to catch Hermione's attention.
"Shh!" Hermione hissed as she rushed back over to Hedwig. The owl was so impatient because instead of hunting for the past fortnight, she'd been flying from one side of Gryffindor tower to the other several times a night to deliver one or two lines of writing between Harry and Hermione. They were used to the short forms of nonspoken communication from the summer, when Harry had managed to get his hands on an old cell phone of Dudley's. Hermione had convinced her parents to get her a phone as a coming-home gift, and the pair had text-messaged from June until August. When they got back to Hogwarts, though, the phones were retired. With all the magic in the air, the phones wouldn't work. "Hogwarts, a History" was correct, as always.
Hermione untied the scroll from Hedwig's leg and was about to open it when Hedwig clicked her beak as yet another reminder to Hermione. She rolled her eyes and opened the night-table cabinet, where there was a box of owl treats, perhaps the only reason Hedwig still delivered for the lovestruck teenagers. Hermione offered Hedwig a treat, she took it graciously and stuck out her leg. Eager to read Harry's note, Hermione pushed the cabinet door shut without much thought. BANG! The door slammed closed, making a noise loud enough to wake the Slytherins in the dungeons. She anxiously glanced around the dormitory, hoping to Merlin no one had been disturbed by the noise. Lavender stirred and muttered something that resembled "Neville", but other than that, all was calm. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and grinned at what Lavender could be dreaming about. She glanced at her bedside clock illuminated by moonlight and realized with shock that it was nearly 2 o'clock in the morning. She had to be awake to study for Ancient Runes in 4 hours! Hermione open the window for Hedwig and placed Harry's scroll on top of her book. She'd have to catch up with him at breakfast tomorrow.