Author's Note: I took this (Hermione ends up hiding in the boys toilets…why?) and created the following story out of it. The original sentence belongs to EmmyLou over at All I really own is the plot, the idea isn't mine and neither are the characters who all belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! )
Idea by EmmyLou
Beta'd by my own little Britpicker, Bec. Thanks Bec!
Written by Nesserz
I Told You So - Chapter One
"I'm telling you Ron, I'll find out who you fancy whether you tell me or not. I'm sure Ginny will tell me if I ask her," Harry said confidently.
"Don't be so sure of yourself. Ginny and I have an agreement that she's not to tell you anything about my love life," Ron said as they walked along the stone corridors that made up Hogwarts.
"I'm sure I'll be able to persuade her with something."
"Augh! Don't go there Harry mate, I don't want to know," Ron said making a face.
"What? Oh...oh! No, I meant Sugar Quill's you dirty minded bugger!" Harry said, shaking his head laughing. Ron blanched.
"Oh. Right."
"So anyway, back to the subject at hand," Harry said, hitching his bag up on his shoulder as they walked "I'm pretty sure I know who you fancy, so basically all you have to do is admit it. It won't be a surprise."
"Very sure of yourself aren't you?" Ron said, raising an eyebrow.
"Why shouldn't I be?"
"You could be wrong."
"I'm not. I can read you like a book."
"Alright. What am I thinking now?" Ron said, stopping completely and turning to face Harry front on.
Harry closed his eyes and placed his hands to his temples, in an uncanny resemblance of Professor Trelawney. He soon opened his eyes and grinned.
"You're thinking that I'm a stupid git who should spend less time worrying about his friend's love lives and spend more time worrying about Quidditch."
Ron started walking again and pushed open a door with a little more force than necessary.
"Well?" Harry prompted.
"Lucky guess."
Harry let out a short burst of laughter and followed his friend towards their destination.
"What can I say? I have the sight," he said, breathing on his fingers and rubbing them against his chest. Ron merely gave him a strange look and shook his head.
"If you have the sight then I don't need to tell you who I fancy then do I?" Ron said smugly.
"We Seers do not use our Sight to open vulnerable minds, Ronald."
"My mind is not vulnerable! And don't call me Ronald."
"It is your name is it not?"
"Harry mate?"
"What?"
"Shut it."
"Just tell me."
"I don't need to; you already seem to think you know. Where's the fun in pestering me about it?"
"Where's the fun? Ron, it's the funniest thing since Divination."
"You are far too interested in that subject right now," Ron said giving Harry a pitying look.
"No, I'm just interested in annoying you until you tell me," Harry said bluntly.
"That's your plan?" Ron asked, a smirk on his face.
"Iit was until I just told you it," Harry said frowning slightly. He then shrugged, laughing at his mistake.
"Well I'm not going to tell you. It's none of your business," Ron said huffily, walked a few paces ahead of Harry.
"Ron, we're best mates, we tell each other everything." Harry called out to him as he walked faster to keep up with Ron's long strides.
"That's bull and you know it. You don't tell me everything," Ron said pointedly.
"I tell you most things, that's got to count for something." he said shrugging.
"Look Harry, it does, but this is one thing I'm keeping to myself." Ron said pushing open the door to the boy's lavatory.
"I'll find out eventually. Though it better be before you decide to send out the wedding invites."
"Harry, for the last time, I --Hermione!"
Harry grinned. "I knew it! I was right, you--"
"No Harry, Hermione's she's--"
"Beautiful? I don't want to hear it. She's like my sister. I wanted to know who, I didn't want to know anything about her. You keep that to yourself," Harry said, holding his hands up in front of him as though to shield himself from any unnecessary details.
"Would you listen to me? She's right over there."
"She--what? Oh. Wait, Hermione? What's she doing in here?"
Ron rolled his eyes. "How would I bloody know?"
Hermione turned around at the sound of the door opening, but before she could duck down behind the sinks, she spotted red hair. She sighed with relief and ran over to the two boys standing at the door who were wearing identical looks of disgust.
"Oh thank goodness. Now I have someone to talk to! I was going spare in here all by myself," she said, a smile on her face.
"Uh...Hermione, you do realise you're in the boys' lavatory don't you?" Harry asked her as Ron didn't seem capable of speech at that very moment.
"Yes, of course. I headed here deliberately."
"If...if you wanted to talk to us, you could have just asked in class or something," Harry said, scratching the back of his neck, feeling rather uncomfortable.
"What? Oh no, you've got me all wrong. I didn't come here so I could talk to you!" she said, shaking her head, her bushy hair flying in all directions.
"Well then, what the bloody hell are you doing in here? This is the boy's bathroom, did you get lost?" Ron asked who, Harry noticed, seemed to have found his voice after getting over the initial shock at having found their best female friend in their bathroom.
"Ron! Don't be so rude," Hermione said crossing her arms and glaring at him.
"Oh I'm sorry Hermione, but this is the boys' bathroom. You aren't meant to be in here," Ron said sarcastically, matching her glare.
"I think we've established that this is the boys bathroom Ron, thankyou." Hermione stressed the word 'boys' much like Ron had been doing.
"Yet I'm almost sure that I'm likely to point it out again during this conversation," he said exchanging a look with Harry who shrugged.
"Hermione, why are you here?" Harry asked, taking Hermione's attention away from Ron who was bouncing from one foot to the other. He ignored this behaviour and paid attention to Hermione who had stopped glaring at Ron.
"I can't tell you that," she said, a nervous look on her face.
"Well get out then!" Ron said, walking back and forth.
"I can't do that either," she said, leaning against the ledge of a sink that was behind her and smoothing down her skirt.
"Don't suppose you want to tell us why do you?" Harry asked, again noticing how Ron couldn't, or wouldn't, keep still.
"No," she said as she hopped up on the sink and began swinging her legs back and forth.
"You're not leaving anytime soon are you?" Ron asked, an odd expression on his face as he looked at Hermione.
"Not exactly..." she said as she slowed the swinging of her legs to pay closer attention to Ron who was acting odder by the second.
"Ron...what's wrong?" she asked attentively, getting up to walk over to him to inspect the situation.
"I...uh," Ron said, looking at Harry with a pleading expression that plainly asked for help. Harry remained puzzled for a few seconds before his eyes widened and Ron nodded at him, the peculiar look on his face more prominent than ever.
"Ron?" Hermione asked again, Ron forgetting she was there, snapped his head in her direction and opened his mouth but closed it again. "Tell me what's going on right now!" Hermione said, annoyed as she saw the two boys exchange a look again. Though Ron's was worried, Harry's was one of amusement.
"I...uh. I need to use the loo," Ron said, blushing slightly. Hermione however, jumped back as though she'd been burned.
"Oh. Right. I...oh don't. Please, that's disgusting," she said shaking her head and retreating to the other side of the room once again, now that she knew Ron wasn't in immediate danger, as he'd looked.
"I can't exactly help it Hermione! When you've gotta go, you've gotta go and I gotta go, now!" he said, looking to the ceiling and clasping his hands behind his back.
"Ron, you're sixteen, I would have thought you'd have more self control than that by now," Hermione said, sounding as though she was trying to admonish him but sounding rather embarrassed herself at the same time. "Can't you hold on or something? I mean...uh...just...not go?" she asked hopefully.
"It's not that simple. Now, I have to go and that's final. Just...stick your fingers in your ears or something so you don't have to hear about it."
Harry had to try rather hard not burst out laughing at Ron's comment and the look of pure disgust on Hermione's face as he said it.
"I will not subject myself to something so--" Hermione began but cut herself off as she placed her fingers in her ears upon hearing Ron shut the toilet door behin him and jumped around on the spot, making as much noise as she could, ignoring Harry who was doubled over laughing. "Not one word Harry!" she yelled over the noise she was making, feeling very foolish indeed.
"Well we're going now Hermione. See you later?" Ron asked her as he reached for the door handle minutes later.
"Oh don't leave me. It's terribly boring in here," she said looking around. She had recovered from the toilet incident and was back to sitting on the sink, swinging her legs.
"We'll send Ginny up here for you to talk to then," Ron said as he opened the door.
Hermione rushed over and slammed it shut. Ron pulled his fingers out of her reach.
"Watch it, are you crazy? What's going on?" he asked though this time he sounded seriously concerned, which Hermione noted, made her feel worse.
"I uh...so have you two done that Transfiguration Essay that's due next month?"
"No, due to the fact that it's not due until next month," Ron said pointedly. "Anyway, don't change the subject."
"Harry, how's Quidditch practice going?" she asked, quite obviously stalling for time.
"Fine...Hermione, you're worrying us now. Is there anything we can do?" Harry asked, looking to Ron for help though he merely shrugged. Harry restrained himself from rolling his eyes. It just figured. Ron was never able to help when he needed it. Or at least when it came to Hermione.
"I don't think so. I might be here for a while. You can go if you want," she said looking upwards toward the high ceiling.
"Fine. See you...whenever," Ron said reaching for the door again.
"Ron wait. Hermione, you realise that anyone is permitted to use this bathroom--"
"Girls aren't!" Ron said pointing at Hermione whilst looking at Harry with an indignant expression on his face.
"Don't point at me and talk as though I'm not here, Ron!" Hermione said standing up again.
"Well you shouldn't be here so why not?" he said, walking over to her.
The two of them were glaring at each other, head to head before Harry got the chance to speak again.
"Malfoy could come in here, Hermione," he said pointedly. These words had an immediate impact on the two teenagers.
"That settles it then, we stay in here as long as Hermione does," Ron said crossing his arms which obviously meant his words were final.
"Excuse me, but I can look after myself thank you very much!" Hermione said, a note of hurt in her voice, though she looked pleased that Ron had stood up for her so easily. Harry rolled his eyes and smiled.
"Alright. We stay. On one condition. You tell us why we're all here. Now," Harry said, giving Hermione a look that told her she had stalled long enough.
"You'll laugh at me though," she said, a pathetic whimpering tone in her voice.
"No we won't," Harry said, giving her a sympathetic look that he hoped would make her open up. It was nearing dinner time and he'd promised to sit next to Ginny at the Gryffindor table...
"You won't," she said, "But Ron will." she crossed her arms, and wore a defiant look on her face. Ron merely shrugged.
"What can I say? She's probably right."
"You're not helping Ron," Harry said pointedly to which his friend shrugged again and grinned, running a hand through his hair. Hermione sat down yet again and swung her legs harder than ever.
Harry walked over to her and grabbed her shoes and held them still in his hands and looked into his friend's face.
"Alright!" Hermione said, looking anywhere but at her two friends. "If you insist."
"We do." Harry and Ron said together and she sighed, hanging her head.
"Well you see...the er...house-elves are a little...disgruntled with me. There! Now you know so you can leave me alone," she said looking at Harry who dropped her feet in an instant.
"That's it? That still doesn't explain why you're in here, which was the general question of the last half hour!" he cried, getting slightly annoyed now.
"Oh but you're wrong Harry. You're Inner Eye isn't doing too well now is it?" Ron asked, a grin on his face.
"What are you two talking about?" Hermione asked curiously.
"We'd tell you but since you like holding out on us, we'll try it on you, see how you like it," Ron said rather nastily, to which Hermione sniffed rather suddenly.
"Ron," Harry said warningly, annoyed at his friend for being so nasty in one shot. Usually he at least took the time to spread his nastiness to Hermione out amongst a few sentences instead of dealing one blow.
Ron adopted a sheepish look on his face. "Sorry Hermione." he said not looking at her.
"S' alright." she said thickly and lifted her head but refused to look at Ron.
"Anyway," Harry said glad that Ron looked genuinely sorry. "What's this about my Inner Eye not working? Before you ask Hermione, I was joking with Ron about Divination before. So, Ron, what?" he asked as Hermione looked at Ron and Ron pointedly ignored her to look at Harry, a grin on his face.
"Well, Hermione basically just told us the sole reason why she's in here. In a round about way anyway," he said shrugging.
"Care to share it with me then Trelawney?" Harry asked, putting hands into his pockets.
"Call me that again and I'll thump you one," he said a wide smile on his face before he turned to Hermione. "The house-elves were chasing you around the castle weren't they?" he asked smugly.
"No!" she said indignantly, though she refused to make eye contact with him.
"The truth Hermione..." Ron said, his grin fading to be replaced with a knowing smile.
"Not that you would know what that is," she muttered then sighing, spoke again. "Yes, Ron, they were...after me," she said, an embarrassed look on her face.
"I knew it! Taking spew to a new level were you? Society of Run Hermione, Run!" Ron said, barely able to control his laughter.
"You think you're so funny don't you?" Hermione said crossing her arms in annoyance.
"I try."
Hermione let out a noise of frustration.
Harry had always thought that he was a person who could understand people's fears but this was ridiculous. No one had spoken for the last ten minutes. Harry was sitting with his back leaning against the wall, Hermione was sitting on the sink once again and Ron was sitting on one of the window ledges, staring down onto the grounds.
Harry rolled his eyes. Hermione was stewing silently though every now and then when a noise could be heard out side the door, she jumped and a nervous expression would replace the recent annoyed one. Ron however, was looking rather pleased with himself. As Harry was thinking this, Ron turned away from the window.
"Hermione, I need to tell you something."
Hermione snapped her head in his direction and answered, a little too eagerly Harry noticed. "Yes?"
"I told you so," he said smugly, looking towards Hermione to watch her expression then returned to looking down at Hagrid's Hut.
"Excuse me?" Hermione said, narrowing her eyes at his figure.
"Didn't I tell you to leave the House Elves alone? It was only a matter of time until they forgot their manners and took it into their own hands to decapitate you. For once I'm right, and you're wrong."
"This is far from decapitation Ron. Congratulations on using such a big word by the way. Don't get used to being right either." Hermione muttered darkly, folding her arms across her chest and looking skywards.
"Touchy subject Hermione?" he asked, grinning.
"You know what? I don't like you very much right now," she said bluntly, hoping it would get through to him how annoyed with him she was.
"What else is new?"
It didn't.
"If you two would stop being so nasty to one another, then maybe you would like each other a lot more," Harry said from his place on the floor.
Even though he'd been the one to say it, he didn't believe it. He believed that if Ron and Hermione didn't fight with one another, they wouldn't know how to live with themselves. It was lunacy as far as he was concerned, but something that they needed and who was he to deny them of it?
"Are they gone?" Hermione asked ten minutes later when Ron had gotten fed up with sitting there doing nothing, without any food no less.
He stood up and headed over to the door, Hermione following him. They'd opened the door and were now staring out through the small crack of hallway they could see. Ron had wanted to open the door all the way and stand in the hallway to check if the coast was clear but Hermione hadn't allowed it and now she was looking out the door from her vantage point from under Ron's elbow. She couldn't very well look over his shoulder, so she'd ducked under his arm instead.
"Nope," Ron said shutting the door again, narrowly missing catching Hermione's hair in it.
"Watch out!" she said, as she tossed it over her shoulder, though it just bounced back to the position it had been in previously; all about her shoulders in a frizzy mess. Ron stared at it for a second before shaking his head.
"No, the little creeps are pacing up and down the halls. Sounds like they're chanting something. If I'm correct it sounds like...'Kill the Granger Girl!" Ron said, walking towards with his arms held out in front of him, acting like a zombie.
He followed Hermione around the sinks, talking like a house elf. "We elves don't like you we don't. You is disgracing us! We will kill you!" he said, having difficulty controlling his laughter as he followed her around the room even faster as Hermione backed out of his way.
"Oh Ron stop, it's not funny," Hermione said, stamping her foot childishly.
"I beg to differ, it's bloody hilarious," Ron said, grinning annoyingly at her.
Even Harry, who was getting slightly worried that Ginny was going to yell at him for being late, was having a hard time holding back a grin.
"Let's go, we've been here long enough," Harry said as he stood up from his spot on the floor.
"Oh but what if they get me?" Hermione said, seemingly forgetting herself for a moment, letting her fear show through.
"Get you? Hermione, they are two feet tall! I think you'll be safe," Ron said, giving her an incredulous look to which she blushed, embarrassed. "I'll give you a piggyback if you want," Ron said, bending slightly.
Hermione gave him an incredulous look this time. "Are you serious?"
"No, but the look on your face was worth it. Come on, they'll be too busy getting dinner together to bother with you," he said as he opened the door and walked out of it, Harry following him.
Hermione brightened at this thought but started as Ron jumped out at her as she exited the bathroom. She answered with a shriek and pummelled him on his arms and chest as far as she could reach up. Ron merely laughed and held an arm out for her to join onto. She took it with a mock glare and linked onto Harry's arm too as they walked down to the Great Hall together.
"Hey, what did you say to them anyway Hermione?" Harry asked her curiously.
"Nothing!" she said as she walked ahead of them, a spring in her step.
"She's always getting herself into trouble with those elves. We won't always be around to help her," Ron said, as he watched Hermione seat herself between Colin Creevey and Luna Lovegood who had mysteriously joined their table for the evening meal.
"Right Ron."
"What?" he asked, tearing his eyes away from the table and looking at Harry.
"You'll always be there to help her. You know you will."
"What are you talking about? Ron asked, and Harry wasn't surprised to find that his ears were slightly red.
"Let's just say that I don't need to be a Seer to know that my earlier predictions were spot on," Harry said as they arrived at the table and sat down, Harry next to Ginny, and Ron on Colin's other side. He smiled, not volunteering any information to Harry, though as he'd just pointed out, it was unneeded.
Ron bit into a piece of chicken as he heard Ginny speak to Harry. Catching Harry's eye, he grinned.
"And where have you been?" Ginny asked, eyes narrowed.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Harry answered, looking at Ron who had turned his attention to Hermione, who was engaged in a conversation with Colin about photography. Ron suddenly looked back at Harry and shrugged, a sheepish but pleased smile on his face.
"You 'See' nothing," he said returning to his food.
Fin.
Nesserz.