"I'm winning"
"No you're not."
"Yes I am."
"No you're not"
"Yes I am."
"Now you're just trying to make me lose concentration by talking to me!"
"No I'm not."
"There you go again! You're cheating!"
"If talking is the same as cheating that means you're also cheating!"
"No I'm not!"
"Yes you are!"
"No I'm-"
Hermione Granger walked into the nearly deserted common room at that point. It was lunchtime and everyone was in the Great Hall eating. She, on the other hand, had gone to Gryffindor Tower to drop off her books. At first, she didn't notice the other two in the room owing to the fact that she was having trouble balancing her books just right. However, after giving up and tossing the books lightly onto an armchair, Hermione looked around the room.
The minute she saw who was there, she let out a small squeak.
"HARRY!" She cried, not taking her eyes off the…thing opposite him. "What are you doing?!"
Harry and Voldemort looked at the brunet as if just noticing she was there. "Oh, hey Hermione." Harry said with a small wave. To Hermione's surprise, the Dark Lord waved too.
"Harry what are you doing in here with- with him?!" She said, pointing a shaking finger at Voldemort.
"Having a staring contest." Harry stated mater-a-factly.
Hermione gaped at him, "Having a-"
"Staring contest." Voldemort finished, crossing his arms and looking aggravated. "What, to hard for you to comprehend, Mudblood?"
Harry shot him a glare. "That was mean."
Voldemort rolled his eyes. "Well I am the dark lord."
"Why are you two having a staring contest?" Hermione asked, slipping her hand into her pocket for her wand in case Voldemort decided to come to his senses. The boys exchanged looks before shrugging at her.
"Anyway," Voldemort said turning back to Harry, "Let's start another round since we were so rudely interrupted." Here he glared at Hermione. "Why don't you make yourself useful, girl, and referee the match so that this boy does not cheat again."
"I was not cheating! You started talking first!"
"All I said was that I was wining. It didn't warrant a comment from you."
"You didn't exactly try to shut me up though, did you?"
"Um, Harry?" Hermione said quietly, "Shouldn't we tell Dumbledore that You-Know-"
"For Salazar's sake! It's great that you fear to say my name and all but I'm standing right here!" The Dark Lord interrupted with annoyance obvious in his voice. "If you're more scared of saying my name than you are of looking at me," He raised an eyebrow at Hermione, "Which you have not stopped doing since you walked in here, then something is clearly wrong with you!"
Hermione didn't know what to say. On reflex, she apologized. "S-Sorry."
"Sorry what?"
"Sorry, V-Voldemort." Hermione shuddered as she said this. If felt like uttering a swear word.
"Right, then." Harry turned back to Voldemort. "Start again; on the count of three." Both men closed their eyes.
"One-"
"Two-"
"THREE!" They yelled together and they opened their eyes, staring intensely at one another. Hermione watched them for a few seconds before walking cautiously forward. She took special care to stand beside Harry, watching the two compete. After only a minute, she could see both green and red eyes starting to water.
Hermione really thought Harry should win. After all, Voldemort was evil! But how to make Harry win…
"You know," Hermione said, "You can blink in a staring contest."
Voldemort snorted, still not taking his eyes off "The-Boy-Who-Lived". "Nice try girl-"
"Her name's Hermione."
"Like I care. Potter here has already tried that bout of trickery. If you plan on stopping me from winning, try a little harder." Hermione bit her lip, thinking. Cheating was not high in Hermione's list of skills and now she was put in a position where she had to use what she had on the Dark Lord himself. If I could just distract him-
As if willed there by Hermione's thoughts, Ron walked into the common room. Unlike Hermione, he noticed right away that the Dark Lord was in the room.
"It's him!" Ron yelped as he pulled out his wand, "Harry, its You-Know-Who! How'd- Why did- What are you doing?" He seemed to have realized that Harry was staring at Voldemort intently.
Voldemort, not braking eye contact, raised his wand at Ron. "It is in your best interest, Weasley, to leave us alone."
Ron looked at Hermione with wide, confused eyes. "Do you know what's going on?"
"Time Out, Voldemort!" Hermione and Ron looked over at Harry who turned his gaze from Voldemort to them. "Ron, we're having a-"
"Oh this is ridicules!" Voldemort yelled, interrupting Harry, "First that Longbottom boy disrupts us and runs away, then this Mudblood and now a blood trader! I'm done!" He glared at Harry, "Next time, I get to decide where we compete!"
And with that, the Dark Lord jumped from the window and flew out of sight.
No one spoke until-
"I beat him!!!" Cried Harry, pumping a fist in the air and smiling broadly.
"Harry, you didn't really win. V-Voldemort left." Hermione pointed out.
"A forfeit's a forfeit!" Harry retorted.
Ron suddenly realized something, "Harry, where did Neville go after he saw you two?" Harry shrugged and continued to celebrate his victory.
"But I swear, Professor McGonagall! You-Know-Who was having staring contest with Harry in the common room!"
"Mr. Longbottom, that is impossible. Stop being an idiot."
So yeah, just assume this takes place early in the fifth book or something.
I think I like how this turned out! I came up with this while, you guessed it, having a staring contest. I'd LOVE it if you'd review! Thanks for reading!
I named this Ravenclaw's Diadem because it's not a battle you can win with pure strength.
I rule Hyrule,
Kimono