Hermione looked up from her book at the sound of someone sitting down in the chair across from her.
An uneasy Harry Potter returned her gaze, half-heartedly smiling. "Hey, 'Mione," he said, his voice sounding rather hollow.
Hermione snapped her book shut, setting it aside; something was wrong, and she wasn't about to let her schoolwork interfere with helping her best friend. Contrary to popular belief, Hermione wasn't just book smart. She also knew how to be a good friend.
"Hi, Harry," she greeted gently, reaching across the table and resting her hand atop his. "What's wrong?"
He tried to play it off for a few seconds, then shook his head with a grin. "You can read me like a book, can't you?"
Hermione grinned at his obvious pun, nodding at him. "I know something's wrong. Do you want to talk about it?"
Harry hesitated, awkwardly scratching at the back of his neck. "Well... um. I actually sort of need to tell you something, rather than talk about... God, I dunno. Yes." He looked around, as if trying to see someone hiding behind the bookshelves.
"Not here, though," Hermione said, voicing Harry's thoughts. She smiled gently, gathering her things and getting up, surprised at the relief on Harry's face. Whatever it was that he had to say, she mused, must be very important.
The pair walked out of the castle and onto the grounds, heading toward the lake. Once they'd circled around and found a secluded spot by the shore, Harry sat on the ground and gestured that Hermione sit with him.
"Now," Hermione said, turning the face her friend. "What's wrong?" She allowed a little concern to sneak into her voice, hoping it would coax Harry into talking about his problem. She'd worried the whole way to the lake, but didn't want to scare him with her concern.
"I don't even know how to start," Harry muttered, picking up a rock and tossing it into the lake.
"... Is there a beginning?"
Harry shrugged. "I dunno. I just started realizing it recently. I mean, I always wondered what it meant, but I never understood until..."
Hermione frowned slightly. She wasn't sure what he was trying to say. Her intuition told her that it was a romantic problem, and she edged a little closer to Harry in case she needed to provide comfort. "Go on."
Harry coughed, looking as though he'd never felt as awkward in his life. "Well, uh, y'know how Ron's always going on about girls?"
Hermione nodded, her mind jumping to what must have been the obvious answer.
"Well, I'm not exactly into girls," Harry mumbled, chucking another rock into the lake with a little more force than was necessary.
Hermione waited for a moment, then spoke up. "So then, you're gay? Not that there's any problem with that at all, I won't mind. I'm just a little confused," she added quickly, wincing inwardly at her need to backpedal.
"Nope, not gay." Harry started tapping a nervous pattern on his knee. "Look, you may not believe me or tell me that I just haven't met the right person yet, but I really don't believe that. It's just who I am."
All Hermione's logical conclusions were shattered with Harry's last statement, and she was left with confusion swirling in her mind. Hermione hated being confused.
"'Mione, I'm asexual. I never saw anyone as someone I'd want to have sex with or anything. It never interested me. I just... I guess I never cared." He sighed. "I thought I was just... broken somehow, but the Dursleys were off on holiday and I saw this documentary on sexuality on the telly... Soon as I heard the word, it clicked, and I realized I wasn't broken, just asexual."
Hermione blinked. For a moment, she pictured all the asexual reproduction she'd ever studied and imagined a tiny Harry budding off Harry's body. She forced the image and the smile that came with it out of her head, reaching over and hugging Harry gently. "It's okay," she told him. "I'm not sure about how it all works, but that's nothing a bit of research won't fix. I believe you."
Harry looked surprised. "You do?"
Hermione nodded, smiling at him. "Of course, Harry. Don't worry."
Harry grinned at her. "Brilliant." He wrapped an arm around her in a grateful hug. "Thanks. And... can you not tell anyone? Not yet, I mean."
Hermione nodded. "Of course. My lips are sealed."
Harry laughed, looking more relaxed than he hand in months. "God, you don't know how relieved I am." He sat there for a moment, then jumped up. He extended a hand to Hermione, nodding in the direction of the castle. "Come on, let's go celebrate!"
Hermione allowed Harry to pull her to her feet, confused once again. "Celebrate?"
"Yeah, we'll go to the kitchens!" Harry began leading the way back to the castle. "Maybe the house-elves can make us a cake." He started laughing, the stupefied expression on Hermione's face making him laugh even harder.
"I don't get it," Hermione admitted. "What's so funny about cake?"
"Sorry," Harry chuckled. "I guess it's just an inside joke."
Hermione smiled, still not understanding. Either way, she was happy that Harry was happy. Now she could get back to her studying without worrying about him all night. Though there was no way she was going back to the library until after she'd had some cake.