A/N: I do not own the characters... any of them! Please be kind and rewind.. oops! Wrong saying... Please be kind and R&R. No flames please. Just an inspired fluffy H/Hr fic! Thank you and have a nice day! PS: I want to thank my Auror cousin Belle for being a Hermione and reminding me of the title of the book! On with the show!
"What? What is it?"
Silence.
"What?"
Silence.
"What?" She cast a confused smile towards him, her eyes searching into him for an answer that he obviously wasn't giving her. "What is it, Harry?"
Silence. Just eyes on her, regarding her, studying her, taking every single part of her in. A controlled smile on his face that wasn't cold, but wasn't warm either. Not to mention the silence.
She gave a small laugh mixed with a bit of nervousness. "Do I have something on my face?" Wiping around her mouth with a handkerchief Mrs. Weasley knitted for her, "Is that it, Harry?" She glanced down at the handkerchief, then her eyes turned back to Harry, "Well, guess there was nothing there at all."
Silence. Eyes still steady on her, smile still controlled.
She sighed as her eyes returned to the parchment and the book before her, quietly hoping that he'll say something. Out of the corner of her eye she took note that he wasn't going to open his mouth anytime soon. And that not only irritated her, but made her extremely... well, extremely uncomfortable. There was something so disturbing about the way his green eyes just stared at her.
"Harry James Potter! What is it?!" Her voice raised, yet wavering. Her eyes began to blaze the same fire that she usually reserved for Ron Weasley when he was being an insufferable prat.
Silence.
And to add to her uncomfortableness, the whole Hall had suddenly drawn quiet from surprise at her outburst.
Sixteen year old Ron Weasley and his fifteen year old sister, Ginny, were the most surprised. Even the Slytherin table fell silent in shock, especially Draco Malfoy, who would normally enjoy seeing a "mudblood" like her getting riled up at his nemesis, Harry Potter. Draco, however, proved true and moments later had provided a snicker towards the Gryffindor table.
If there was anyone within the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that would never ever raise one's voice in anger at Harry Potter, it would be Hermione Granger.
Hermione Granger, the girl that was Harry Potter's best friend. The girl that was the envy of other girls because of her closeness to the Harry Potter. A closeness that was totally platonic! Something that some of them couldn't understand Hermione for having, considering if they were in her place, the play in platonic would be more emphasized. Hermione Granger, the girl that only saved her raised anger voice for a certain red head. Hermione Granger, the girl that was more than level headed towards a certain green eyed, black haired, thunderbolt scar on the forehead, Gryffindor Quidditch player.
Hermione Granger, the girl that has now suddenly gone scarlet with embarrassment for her outburst and was now gathering up her books to flee the scene.
Trying to resist apologizing to Harry for her outburst, with her pride still intact, Hermione ran out of the Hall and away from the many eyes on her.
A few seconds passed before the Hall returned to normal. With the exception of the usual girls gossiping about the motivation for the Gryffindor girl's outburst, everyone soon dismissed it as a "couple's spat". Especially since a good majority of people believe that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were dating, just not admitting to it in public.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron scooted on down next to Harry. He had been helping his sister with one of Snape's endless essays. Usually Hermione would help Ginny with things scholastic wise, which Ron gladly accepted. However, today Ron was, for no reason, just particularly annoyed that Ginny went up to Hermione for help without even asking him. Reluctantly, and also not wanting to hear her two friends bicker yet again, Ginny allowed Ron to help her.
"What'd you do get her all riled up at you for?"
"Harry?" Ginny regarded him, noticing a certain glassy look in his eye, and the way his lips seemed to stand in this timeless life-like state, like this one muggle painting called the Mona Lisa. "Are you okay?"
Harry Potter finally allowed a noise to escape his lips as he let out one big sigh. His eyes finally blinked, and his lips relaxed to one knowing smile. He stood up, patted his friend on the back, and before he left, he uttered, "The thunderbolt."
Ron watched Harry leave, then he turned back to his sister, more confused than ever. "What does a bloody broom have to do with Hermione?"
As usual, she had a book in her hands, practically in front of her face. Hermione had found that over the years, she would use a book as her defense. If she wanted to ignore someone, she held a book up to shield her view of the person. If she wanted to calm down after an argument with Ron, one of many, she'd get herself caught up in the chapters. If she was surrounded by people and suddenly felt a sob coming up, she'd cover her tears with the pages.
In this particular moment, all alone in the Gryffindor's Common Room, Hermione was feeling the latter and did just that, with the help of "Hogwarts, A History."
"The thunderbolt."
Hermione felt her heart caught in her throat, startled by his voice. A part of her wanted to look at him, but after what happened moments ago...
"One of the first few DVDs that Uncle Vernon bought..." He trailed off for a moment, as if contemplating something.
Knowing him well enough, Hermione lowered her book, gave him a feigned exasperated smile, and said, "Yes, Harry, I do know what a DVD is. My parents are muggles, remember?" And with a quick sneer, "Or as Malfoy likes to put it, I'm a 'mudblood'."
She noticed Harry's face cloud over with anger. "You just had to bring up that ferret..."
Hermione gave him a small smile, "I'm sorry... you were saying about a DVD?"
"Oh, right..." His face relaxed as he continued, "Uncle Vernon bought this movie called 'The Godfather' by this guy named Mario Puzo."
"I think my father read that book before." Hermione injected, glad that she at least knew partly of what Harry was speaking of.
"This one afternoon, they, uncle Vernon, aunt Petunia, and--much to my overly protective aunt's dismay--Dudley, had gathered around the tele to watch the movie."
Hermione flinched, recalling how her father reacted one day when she attempted to pick up and read the book. "I heard the movie was more gruesome than the book."
Harry chuckled, a memory of Dudley hiding and whimpering under Petunia's legs flashed through his eyes. "Yeah... Dudley knows that now..." He laughed a bit more, then sombered up, wanting to tell his story. To make Hermione understand...
"So, I was curious to see what was causing his whimpering. I was able to sneak a quick peek and I started watching at this one part." He looked at Hermione, the same look in his eyes like before. The same look that not only startled, but also scared her. And if she was willing to admit, caused a deep flutter inside of her. "Michael Corleone was hit by the thunderbolt. The moment he first saw Apollonia, he was struck by the thunderbolt."
"Oh my!" Hermione gasped. "How awful! Did he die?"
Harry paused, casting a confused look towards her. Suddenly, confusion gave way to realization, which gave way to laughter. "Oh! Hermione!"
"What?" She smiled at first, caught up in Harry's laughter. But then irritation quietly sunk in as she realized that he was laughing at her. "Are you laughing at me?"
Harry quickly tried to calm down, though he managed to only control himself to teetering a bit with laughter. "No! It's just... you actually thought he was literally hit by a thunderbolt!"
"I don't understand, Harry."
Her best friend slowly stopped laughing and once again fell into a silent state.
"Harry..." Hermione bit her lower lip as she lowered her gaze from his, mostly out of sheer fear of his stare and what was behind it. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"
Before Hermione could react, Harry reached for her hand, holding it in his. With his other hand, he leaned over and brought her face to look up at him.
"I later discovered, by actually reading, mind you. And yes, don't laugh at me, Hermione, I did read over the summer. I read the book." Still holding onto her eyes with his own, "Only a lucky few men get hit by the thunderbolt. When Michael got hit, all due to the sight of Apollonia, he wanted her. He wanted her... he desired her... he wanted her to be his wife... he wanted to kill any other man that even looked at her... And all because he was hit by the thunderbolt." All the while Harry was speaking, his eyes never left Hermione's. In fact, she realized that his eyes might have followed every movement she made.
Suddenly, she silently gasped as a crazy, yet somewhat wonderful, thought crossed her mind. "You got hit by the thunderbolt."
"From the first moment I saw you after this long summer without you."
Hermione took him in with her eyes, still afraid of the look he was giving her, yet not so much now. Then again, maybe she should be afraid... afraid of the thought of him never giving her the look at all.
"Harry..." She began to speak, but he hushed her by placing his forefinger on her lips.
"My name is Harry Potter... when it comes to Voldemort, I'm a marked man," He noticed her flinch by that name, but then pretended not to let that fact bother her. "And I've been hit by the thunderbolt, which means I desperately want you..." Pretending to be stuck in a dire conflict, "What should I do, Miss Granger?"
Despite the serious look on Harry's face, Hermione giggled. When Harry mocked hurt, she stifled up and put on her most serious face. Harry, in turn only knowing that look so well, began to laugh.
"What you should do, Mr. Potter..." She smiled shyly, then with a bravery that Harry knew she possessed, "Is you should kis--"
But before Hermione could finish her sentence, Harry leaned in and kissed her. A simple, innocent first real kiss. It wasn't a real passionate, fireworks, earth shattering kiss... but this kiss left a bigger impact, for it did leave open a door of hopeful possibilities.
And all because of a thunderbolt.