'Well, isn't she cute?' That was the first thing I thought when I saw her. A cute, innocent first year. A muggle-born, new to the world of wizardry, who acted like she knew it all. That was my first impression of Hermione Granger.

When she'd walk down the hall, she'd have a bounce in her step. Her brown curls would fall over the books she was carrying, on her way to her next class. When she started hanging out with 'Ronniekins', I thought it was cute. Our dear little Ronnie, and his sweet brunette girl-friend. We'd tease him on this, to which he'd blush, and blatantly deny.

Came along 6th year. I'd never noticed before then in that way. She had grown up, and gone from cute to pretty. Her smile became captivating, her laugh like music. As she and Ron argued, I wondered how Ron couldn't see. Why he couldn't see everything he had.

I really fell in love with her the night of the Yule Ball. She was an angel; I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. On the arm of Viktor Krum, dancing, I had never seen her so happy, so beautiful.

I never got a chance to dance with her.

I admired her from a distance. Watching her with Harry and Ron, never getting a chance to be alone with her, or to somehow express how I feel. It's the only thing I ever felt shy about in my life. George was the only one who could tell. "Dude," he'd say, "just talk to her."

Life went on. George and I started our joke shop. Still, whenever I saw her, I got butterflies in my stomach. Somehow, I couldn't move on. With the fame of the joke shop, there were plenty of girls who wanted to get to know me. But the only one I wanted to know was her.

She was all I could think about when she was missing. Lost with Harry and Ron on some heroic mission, I couldn't not worry. I kept working, kept fighting, kept on a goofy smile. I didn't show to anyone how I was feeling. Except George knew. George could tell. "Dude," he'd say, "Wow."

And 'wow' pretty much summed it up. How did I fall for this girl, my little brother's best friend, so hard, for so long? How did I find myself in this predicament, years later, still loving her?

Her. She was all I could think about during the battle of Hogwarts. Her face her smile, her laugh. I thought of how her shampoo made her hair smell like strawberry-watermelon, and the pink of her tongue when she'd stick it out at me. Would I ever see her again? I wondered where she was, if she was okay, if she was lying in a distant hallway, killed by a Death Eater. The thought of the latter was almost too much to bear. I wondered if I'd ever be able to tell her. I wondered if she'd ever feel the same way.

Then I turned.

And saw a flash of green light.

A/n: this was so much longer on paper! D: but i hoped you liked it even though it was a bit sad. i have a second chapter narrated by Hermione, that I'm thinking of posting, do you think i should? Please review! Even if you're not like a master critique-er, even a simple 'i really liked it!' or 'that was amazing!' will make my day. thanks!

~Neytah