What do you want from me?
A bump to the shoulder and a clattering of books.
"Watch it, Granger."
She glared at the nameless Slytherin but bent to pick up her books all the same. Honestly, so immature!
"What a muggle," the Slytherin snickered meanly to his friend as they pass.
A hot flush flares her skin as she straightens and marches on. Bet I could beat you with my hands tied in a duel, git! It gave her comfort.
"What gits," a voice bit out, mirroring her thoughts.
Instantly, Hermione recognized that melodic voice, infamous around the entire school. It made her stand a little taller and gave an excited little jolt to her heart. 'Tall-and-pretty-Ginny-Weasley' stood before her, a scowl on her face as she glared after the boys.
It surprised Hermione that she had even said anything. In all the years she's been in the castle and around the underclassman, Ginny Weasley had been categorized as simply the main singer of the band Lightening. And while she'd prove to be very fiery and even nice, she also seemed self-centered.
How unexpected. She opened her mouth to respond but the arrival of the rest of Lightening had her heart thumping and her mouth snapping shut.
"And what's got you in a tizzy so early in the morning Gin?" As per usual, they appear beside her; Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Draco Malfoy in that order.
She couldn't help but recall an adjective Lavender Brown had used to describe the guys as they appeared before her. It's embarrassing for her to even think it but it's very fitting for a description all the same since they really are positively swoon-worthy.
As she thinks it, her eyes meet the startling green of Harry's. Involuntarily, her heart starts pounding furiously and a rush of excitement trills through her. Fangirl, fangirl, fangirl continuously echos in her mind at her own pathetic reaction and she immediately has to look away. Her parent's always told her that her face was like an open book.
She really hoped Harry hadn't read hers.
"Some prats picking on Granger." Gin explained giving Hermione enough time to rearrange her face back to her normal calm expression. You're not twelve anymore idolizing Gilderoy Lockhart!
"Alright there Hermione?" Harry asked politely, his eyes kind and nonjudgmental...unlike Draco's, she could practically feel his eyes rolling.
"Yes, just fine thanks." She responded curtly, falling back into her no-nonsense attitude. Harry nodded and the interaction ended, them breezing past her as she marched toward the library.
Oh shoot! She thought as she remembered something very important she had to tell them. She nibbled on her lip, debating with frustration if her information could wait. She just really didn't want to call out to them. Unfortunately, their good looks were hard to be immune to and she really hated the heart pounding feeling being in their presence, especially Harry's, gave her. It made her feel shallow, like all the other Lavender's in the school, when she had worked so hard to be anything but. Intellectual, logical woman like Hermione did not fall privy to mere outwards appearances.
Yeah, right.
Decision made, she turned around, clutching her ever-present books to her chest like a shield as she finally called out to them, her face intense like she was set for battle.
"Wait!"
Harry, Ron and Ginny all turned back towards her, surprise on their faces as Draco just tilted his head back, hands in his pockets, effortlessly looking like a model posing even with that irritated expression on his face.
"Don't you go barking orders out at me, Granger-" He said, putting voice to his expression even as the rest gave him baleful faces; Ron actually reaching out and hitting him in the back of his head.
"Oi!" Draco hollered out at the abuse.
"Draco you can't say that sort of stuff to the public! Image, Malfoy, image!" Ron hissed, failing at keeping his voice low enough for her to hear. Harry and Ginny both looked embarrassed and irritated at their fellow band members, their face saying really-you-guys-are-idiots.
Like earlier with the Slytherin guys, an ugly hot flush tinted her skin as she looked away with embarrassment and anger. How rude!
"You know what, nevermind. Forget it." She snapped, quickly turning with a flip of her untamed hair. I'll never do that again!
"Oh no, wait Hermione!" Harry called out "Malfoy's just a git and Ron's an idiot, ignore them."
"Yeah, we'd really like to hear what you have to say." Ginny added, smiling brightly as she gave a sideways kick to her brother who flushed red at the insults.
"Er, yeah, sorry." he said at a pointed glare from Ginny.
Hermione gave a great sigh, as if it was tremendously difficult to be in their presence for a second more- which it was when you have people like Draco and Ron to deal with- even though she was filled with frayed nerves on the inside.
"Right, I'll make this quick. You all did really well on your live last Hogsmead so Headmaster Dumbledore agreed to let you all continue to do live performances for any upcoming festivities in the castle and every Hogsmead trip. Congrad-"
"YES!" Ron bellowed with great excitement swinging his arms up and down with cheer. Excited, disbelieving expressions fell on all of their faces and just like that it was like she didn't even exist anymore as they turned to each other to share their celebrations.
Ginny, flushing a pretty pink in the cheeks, reached her long arms around Harry's, smiling exuberantly as he, in turn, wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her up with a boisterous laugh. Draco actually laughed, a rare note-worthy occasion, as he clasped a bouncing Ron on the back.
Hermione smiled at them and their happiness, knowing that they deserved it. However, her duty ended here, so she turned to leave the four in their happy moment. She couldn't help but feel a little lonely at the sight of them in a mild sort of way. She could see a bond there. Since she hadn't thought between all her studying and all the fuss of her blood status to cultivate any bond with any of her peers, she felt envious of them. What it must feel like...to know someone so well because you've been with them for so long...to speak without having to use words...to have someone be there for you through all the hard times without even having to ask for them...
She felt wistful at the notation. The time for her to have a childhood friend had passed, however, in solitude, having made no childhood friends prior to Hogwarts nor after. For their little group it was obvious that they saw the world in two groups: them and, everyone else.
"Hey Hermione wait!" Harry called after her, sufficiently ceasing her thoughts and immediately eliciting a physical reaction from her.
Heart officially popping out of her chest, it was her turn to turn around with a surprised expression on her face. Harry smiled down at her, musing his hair as he came to her.
"Thanks for helping us out there. I know you had you're work cut out for you that day getting everyone to behave and all." She blinked slowly, uncomprehendingly for a moment before she remembered about the live they did last Hogsmead trip. It really had been sort of bothersome for her since as a prefect she had to help orchestrate the whole thing. Where they would perform, how to monitor the students and the like, and she hardly got any help from the other prefects since everyone was a fan of their band and could only stare completely star-struck. She had been all over the place trying to make everything go smoothly. To be honest she had been upset that no one had noticed her hard work.
An unexplainable emotion washed over Hermione that someone had noticed, and not just someone but Harry Potter. She hadn't really done it to impress anybody, lest of all him, but now that she could see the admire in his eyes a selfish part of her mind felt all to happy to have that smile sorely on her.
Hermione nervously smiled back at him, raising a hand to push back a lock of her hair away from her face, secretly mortified that her face might be as red as a tomato...or Ginny's hair.
"You're quite welcome!" she squeaked out, her voice rising with her nervousness. Oh Merlin, how embarrassing! she moaned internally, unable to look at him. Harry chuckled making her raise her eyes to his, startling with the fond way he looked at her.
"Harry, let's get a move on!" Draco called impatiently.
"Yeah mate, or we're going to miss breakfast." Ron chimed in.
Harry smiled, shaking his head and rolling his eyes at his best mates as if to say what a pig. Hermione smiled at the look with understanding. She'd seen Ron eat and even from afar it still disgusted her. She fully expected him to go on with them and already felt a little mournful that this unexpected and positively uplifting moment already was ending. Instead, Harry shocked her again with his next sentence.
"Just head on without me. I'll be right there." He responded in his easy going manner, as if he hadn't just decided stay with The Bookworm over The Cool Kids.
"Okayy..." Draco called out questioningly, his grey eyes narrowing between the two of them suspiciously. Ginny glanced between with a casualty belying her true emotions, her eyes quickly scouring Hermione up and down. In that brief searching moment Hermione could see that she was being assessed in a way that she didn't understand. In a blink, Ginny was smiling and waving with cheer at her.
"Thanks Hermione, catch you later."
Trying to hide her shock at how comfortable she was being to her, Hermione waved back. Well that's another first. She couldn't help but feel that it would probably be the last as well.
"Anyway," Harry said, drawing her attention back to him "since you helped us you should come to our practices." He invited, reaching inside of his pocket and pulling out a folded up parchment.
"Err..."
"Actually, with you I think I'll need to insist since you'll probably just give me excuse that you need to study or something." Harry said hitting the nail right on the head.
Honestly at a loss of what to do with this flabbergasting development, Hermione just blankly gazed at him as he touched his wand to the parchment. He smirked a horribly attractive upturn of his lips that had her heart skipping a beat.
"Bet you're going to love this." He said before raising, a strangely knowing lit to his voice and in his eyes.
"I will?" she asked, bemused at his overly familiar and friendly behavior.
"Yeah, watch." he said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Hermione just gave him a blank look as his smirk widened.
"Well, actually, seeing as I'm a prefect I wouldn't much appreciate if you were up to no...good...Oh my!" Hermione trailed off, her wide eyes on the parchment changing right before her.
Harry threw back his head and laughed, making Hermione flush and smile bemusedly.
"Knew you'd like it." he said meeting her eyes intently. Shivers raced down her arms as they gazes a little longer than necessary. "Anyway, we practice here," he said pointing to a wall right by a statue of some barmy wizard "everyday after dinner. It's right by the library so there really is no reason you shouldn't be able to pass by."
"But there isn't anything there according to your map. There's only a statue-"
"Wrong," he said teasingly.
His eyes were laughing as he gazed down at her, daring her to take the bait, to challenge him right back. She quickly averted her eyes, however, feeling overwhelmed whenever she looked at him too long.
"I'm only joking, Hermione. There's an invisible door there. It's a long story but its a room that does whatever you want it to. If you come I'll tell you more about..." He prompted non too subtly.
"I think I'll be able to come." Hermione said, playing blase to mask her utter nervousness and excitement. How did this happen? She was oh so pleasantly surprised.
Harry smiled slowly, as if he could hear her thoughts and it amused him that she put up a front.
"Good. Come a little after dinner. There will be a door there so you can just knock or come in. There won't be anybody else there, really. Only our close friends sometimes come to see us practice. So you don't have to feel nervous about a big crowd or anything..." Harry reassured as Hermione tried to wrap around her head that he just implied that they were-or even could be- close friends.
"R-right..." She spluttered her face again inflamed and her eyes locked on some point on his shoulder.
Harry ducked his head, that damned attractive smile on his face as he made her met his eyes.
"So I'll see you there tonight." An irrational urge wanted her to run a finger over those curved lips, follow the trace of that smile and press her lips to her own. Merlin, she really like his face, like having those eyes sorely on hers.
"Yes, definitely." IlikeyouIlikeyouIlikeyou. She briskly made away from him, pretty sure her heart wouldn't be able to take another second being in his presence without doing something infinitely embarrassing, like confessing. She really hoped that he didn't think she was being rude. She squeezed her eyes shut tight in mortification. That would be the absolute worst.
Peaking back behind her with some dread at his reaction, she was shell-shocked to find him still standing there staring after her. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned a little more towards him. She felt a nervous little jolt in her heart at the way he was staring at her though she couldn't put a name to his expression.
She gave him a bemused smile and was incredibly relieved when he gave her a smile back.
And then he just turned around and walked off in the opposite direction. She stared after him, still wondering just what he had been thinking, wishing she would have studied Legilimency so she could read him.
His green eyes had looked like bottomless depths as he had gazed after her.
The day got away from her and the next thing she knew, Harry and his band mates were leaving the Great Hall after dinner, obviously on their way to the come and go room. It felt surreal that she knew that. She had sometimes wondered in the past where they went off to since they were never in the common room or out on the grounds at this time.
And now she knew.
She smiled down at her food that she finally had privy to this knowledge. A hopeful, excited feeling built up in her chest at what might happen at their rehearsal... Would she have even more heart thumping conversations with Harry? Would the distance between them that had seemed as wide as the Atlantic Ocean just this morning shrink a little smaller. His behavior earlier made her feel hopeful and optimistic that it would.
Again, that heart thumping feeling coursed through her. Her thoughts had hardly strayed from Harry all day. She kept playing back his expression; that way he had looked at her, his black hair in his gorgeous eyes that had so many different colors of green she hadn't even realized... His surprising smiles ranging from bright and boisterous, to smirk of amusement, to impossibly attractive genuine smiles.
She had never realized just how expressive he could be.
Merlin, she wanted to know more about him. The things he had made her feel in the short time that had spoken were unlike anything she had ever felt before. She had always had a crush on Harry, but her eyes had also followed Draco and Ron and Gilderoy Lockhart. She had crushes, of course, she dreamed about dating boys all the time as girl her age naturally should, and she had fantasizes but she had a tight grip on herself, acknowledging them accurately as passing fancies.
Having your whole day measured on whether a boy had said hi to you or not was for the other girls. Dating boys were for all the other girls. It was not something that fit into the mold of Hermione's life.
But now after that one short encounter...an encounter that could lead to even more and more...it had her picturing herself with Harry. Getting to sit beside him during meals, walking together to classes, listening to his brilliant fingers playing the guitar with perfected skill. Those marvelous fingers intertwined in her own...
A squeal to her right had her eyes landing on Lavender Brown, Hogwarts very own valley girl. The sight of her girly, ditsy, annoyingly fickle face had Hermione back to reality.
She was really getting ahead of herself.
She couldn't let her excitement and crush on Harry turn her into all the things she prided herself not to be embodied in the form of Lavender Brown. She was too proud to ever act so foolishly for a guy.
She glanced at her watch distractedly and then a niggling little worried sensation plagued her.
Harry had told her to come a little after dinner. But when exactly was 'a little after dinner'? Ten minutes? Fifteen? A half hour?
She didn't want to get there too early and look too eager, but then again, she didn't want to get there and end up missing the whole practice or interrupting them when they were in the middle of it. She doubted Draco would appreciate that much.
She snorted at the face her imagination conjured of Draco's face pointed dramatically and frowning like a cartoon.
She decided that fifteen minutes as a great time to start heading up there. Too bad those fifteen minutes seemed to crawl at a rate slower than molasses.
However, as she got closer and closer to the come and go room time seemed to sped up again this time at an alarming rate. What was she playing at? Even if Harry had invited her here, there were still other 'close friends' that she probably didn't even know that would be there too. It wasn't like he would spend time just with her. She felt embarrassed at how thoroughly she had allowed herself to get carried away.
She debated for half a heartbeat with her hand poised over the door if she should just go back to the tower and forget about the whole thing. Surely, Harry would not miss her presence and she would rather not put herself in any uncomfortable compromising positions.
But her feet did not budge and her hand had already knocked before her mind could go any further in thinking of taking the easy way out. Harry's face as he stared after her had demanded that she not be coward, that she not ignore the slightly forlorn look in his eyes...
The door opened and Hermione's eyes met the confused suspicious eyes of Blaise Zabini. He gazed sharply at her not moving from the doorway for a full fifteen seconds before he turned his head back.
"Hey, what's this Granger girl doing knocking on our door?" he asked to the room at large as a furious red painted Hermione's neck, ears and face.
Did all Slytherin's really have to be such rude little pricks to her? She doubted she would ever find out.
"Blaise don't be a prat." Harry immediately retorted from somewhere in the room that Hermione still could not see because Blaise was still in her way.
"Harry invited me, so if you'll just move-"
"Sorry Hermione," Harry said, coming up and pushing Blaise out of the way "I forgot to tell everyone else that I invited you. I'm really happy you came." He beamed, reaching out for the strap of her shoulder bag and taking it from her, effectively managing to pull her the rest of the way inside as he did so.
Hermione didn't respond too distracted by how easy Harry seemed to be able to get comfortable with her. She missed the curious and surprised gazes of everyone else in the room but Harry didn't, subtly shooting them warning looks as he placed her bag on the floor.
"This is really incredible," Hermione observed aloud, her eyes taking in the surroundings. A little mini stage stood in the middle of the room, the magical instruments all ready to be played. Comfortable seats lined the open space reminiscent to Hermione of a sort of poetry jam session. She let a smiling Harry led her to one of the chairs closest to the stage, leaning against it with a boyish excited grin as she sat down.
"Yeah, really brilliant. Don't know what we'd do without it, honestly. Since I promised to tell you more about the room, I'll let you in on a little secret only us band mates know," He leaned down closer to her with a mischievous grin on his face, one Hermione was unashamed to admit, had those same fluttery feelings in her stomach returning at full force.
"What?" she returned conspiratorially, playing along.
"You only have to think what you want and the room will give it to you..." Harry answered, making Hermione draw back from him so he could see her skeptical look. He laughed again, something he did very often in her presence for some odd reason, and shook his head at her. "What, you don't believe me? Go ahead give it a go..."
You. I want you.
The instant unbidden thought had her flushing in guilty embarrassment. Harry eyed her curiously and she quickly averted her eyes and scrambled for something else.
"Hey, why are you blushing?" Harry asked with that disarming smile a teasing lilt to his voice as he came closer to her.
"Err..." Hermione couldn't think of what to say, her nerves going high-wire as she felt herself getting even hotter.
Not so close, not so close! I don't think my heart can take it!
Suddenly, a table inserted itself between the two, knocking Harry back and making Hermione gasp. Harry gazed up her blankly, glasses askew, stuck between the stage and the large desk while Hermione gaped at him.
And then she was laughing. She just couldn't help it, his dumbfounded face and the fact that the room came up with that to put some distance between them... She didn't see Harry's own smile as he gazed at her smiling face with a little tenderness.
"Oi Harry! You going to stay over there making googly eyes at Granger or night, or what?" Draco's obnoxious voice rang out, effectively ending Hermione's laughter and making Harry frown.
"Oh shut it you tosser," Harry retorted back at him over his shoulder as Hermione felt the heat rise in her face. Making googly eyes at Granger. Her eyes widened as she ducked her head. Was that what it looked like he was doing? "If I want to make eyes at Granger then you shouldn't interrupt now, should you, wanker?"
Hermione's head immediately snapped up to him, her heart completely frozen in her chest. He threw her a cheeky grin and stood, the table between them vanishing as he coolly hopped up onto stage and shouldered the strap of his guitar.
Dumbstruck, Hermione stared after him like a gaping fish. Actually, almost all the occupants were gaping at him to which he was either really good at ignoring or he just was oblivious.
A feeling started to bloom in Hermione's chest, one that she could not put a name to. The lights above Harry on stage shine down on him like a halo, and he was smiling down at the floor, lightly running the pick down the strings of his electric guitar; his eyes looked up and met hers.
She felt electric.
She didn't even notice the others joining in, their music combining and flowing together to make an awesome collaborative sound. All she could do was watch the boy who set a spark into her life so suddenly.
He looked like a star.
It made her shiver as she watched the ease of which he strummed his guitar like a pro. He looked...he was...incredible. A rare talent, no other way to put it, not only in the way that he played, but how he played it.
Plan and simple, she was awe-struck, her wide eyes fixed on him. The very words she had early been so mortified to become shot through her like a rocket, fangirl, but now it just felt right.
If nothing else came from this night, at least this would stand, she was now a true and loyal fan of Lightening.
"If you want to see Lightening," Ginny's voice called out, "Then let me hear you roar louder than thunder!"
Hermione smiled, and then she joined in with the screams.
"That was..." Hermione faltered, not finding any adequate words.
"That bad...?" Harry joked, as Hermione sputtered at him before seeing his teasing grin. She gave a harassed little smile and lightly thumped his arm.
"Oh, you...You already know you guys are nothing short of spectacular."
Harry grinned mischievously down at her as they walked side by side back to the common room. He shouldered not only his guitar but her bag as well which sort of left her feeling naked but pleased.
"I'm sort of surprised at your reaction to be honest. You've been there when we've performed in the past..."
Hermione blushed and reflexively pulled her hair behind her ear as she lowered her gaze. Harry followed her movements and she wondered again for the hundredth time what he could be thinking as he looked at her.
"Well, I..." Hermione looked up toward the ceiling as she tried to put her words to sound less insulting "I never really paid that much attention when you guys played. Not because you guys played bad!" Hermione reassured as she saw the disappointed look on Harry's face. "It's only 'cause I had to scramble around so everything was in order and I never really got a chance to watch you all. I mean, I could see the crowd going wild and now I can see why. You guys are all so talented."
"And good looking," Harry added cheekily, laughing as Hermione swatted him with a building blush. "Though sadly, not all of us are brilliant..."
Hermione giggled thinking of Ron, an image of his face at dinner with a chicken leg in each hand and a mouth full of potatoes with that open look on his face popping into her mind and making her laugh harder.
"You know, you laugh why may than I thought you would." Harry spoke unexpectedly, making Hermione raise her eyes to his in surprise.
"Really? Why do you say that?" she asked curiously but then realized what a silly question that was. She was the bookworm Granger. Studious, prissy, McGonagall-in-the-making extraordinaire. Of course it would be a surprise to everyone that she actually knew how to joke around and have a good laugh.
"Well, I just thought that with the way everyone else treated you like shit for no reason that you might feel a little bitter. I would be if I were you. I don't know how you are so nice." Harry said his gaze in front of them.
Hermione didn't respond. She coudn't. Not only was that the first time anyone had ever called her nice but it was also the first for someone to not blame her personality. They walked in silence for the rest of the short distance to the Fat Lady. She stopped when they were in front and gazed up at him.
"Hey Harry, why did you decide to invite me tonight?" Why now? Why not years ago? Why at all?
Harry smiled again as if he knew the questions ringing in her head.
"I guess it's because I've realized that I've always wanted to get to know you. Should of done it sooner."
She beamed, her arms going around him the next second in a hug.
"Thank you so much. Good night Harry." She said, retracting her arms and rushing into the common room. She didn't dare to look back, her furious blush causing her to retreat hastily; so she missed Harry's own blush and surprised face.