For some reason, I really like the idea of Hermione and Parvati having random friendship moments. It doesn't change canon, not really, because they're not best friends, but I feel like Parvati could be good at comforting Hermione when she needs help. Thus . . . this. All property of JK Rowling.
"Won-Won!"
Oh, God.
Parvati buried her face in her hands, pressing herself tighter into the armchair and wincing. How many times did you have to watch something like this before you went insane? Even if the number was ridiculously high, Parvati felt like she was getting close.
Barely stopping the groan before it left her lips, she peeked over her hands, and immediately squeezed her eyes shut again.
Nope. It wasn't over.
Bad enough that Lavender had come up with that ridiculous nickname, bad enough that she now kept Parvati up until midnight every night to obsess over every tiny gesture Ron made and every word he said, but Parvati was now forced – as was the rest of the common room – to be a spectator in their daily – no, hourly – groping sessions in the common room.
The common room! Where anyone could see it!
Where was the decency around here?
Parvati had noticed that Hermione was scarcely to be seen in the common room nowadays, and that Harry was a rare sight, too. But she wasn't stupid enough to think what some people would think in that situation. She'd seen Hermione's face when first Lavender and Ron got together, and Parvati would have pasted it in the dictionary next to the word "heartbreak."
And Parvati, as Lavender's best friend, felt it her duty to be on Lavender's side in this particular situation – but she hardly felt like Lavender's best friend anymore. All of Lavender's time, thoughts, and emotions were spent on Ron.
Finally, rude or not, Parvati couldn't stand it anymore. She really needed to get this homework done, and if she couldn't even raise her face from her hands she was never going to be able to write the essay. Quickly, she packed up all of her things and headed into the library.
She sat down at a table in the corner, and started to work on her essay again, but she'd barely written two words before a familiar voice from a few tables over floated to her ears.
". . . perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes. I really couldn't care less."
Parvati froze. A drop of ink fell from her quill, suspended in midair, blurring a word, but she didn't pay it any mind. The voice she'd heard was Hermione Granger's, and Parvati was almost certain as to exactly what she was talking about. She strained to hear more.
". . . and incidentally, you need to be careful."
What? Parvati would have bet the entire contents of her Gringotts vault that she was talking to Harry, but she didn't get what Harry had to do with Lavender and Ron.
"For the last time, I'm not giving the book back!" Harry's voice was quiet, but exasperated, and Parvati sighed. They were no longer talking about Ron. And she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate anymore.
Giving up the essay for the moment, Parvati stuffed her things back into her bag and left the library. Brushing (with a covert wince) past Ron and Lavender in the common room, she headed up to the dormitory and sat cross-legged on the bed, brushing her hair.
It wasn't long before the door opened again, but as her hangings were closed, Parvati couldn't see who it was. "Lav?" she called. Had she decided to come up and chat for a bit? Maybe she had noticed Parvati in the common room?
"No." The word was abrupt – too abrupt, as though the one syllable was all that the speaker could force out. Parvati pulled her hangings aside and saw Hermione walking fast toward her own bed, brushing furiously at her cheeks as she went.
Parvati didn't know exactly what she hoped to accomplish with this, but she set down her hairbrush and stood up, following Hermione across the dormitory and plopping down on the other girl's bed before she had a chance to close the hangings.
"What?" asked Hermione, determinedly avoiding Parvati's gaze. "Do you need something?" Her voice was belligerent, challenging, but trembling at the same time. Hinting to break. Parvati realized that's what Hermione was these days, and felt an overwhelming wave of sympathy rush through her.
"You know he loves you, right?" she said abruptly.
Hermione did a double-take. This was obviously not what she'd been expecting to hear. And Parvati could see, as they locked eyes for the first time, that Hermione realized it was no use playing dumb.
"No, he doesn't," she sighed.
"How are you so blind?" asked Parvati incredulously. "You don't even realize he's been in love with you for two years? How?"
Hermione ran her fingers through her hair, and sighed again, a sigh of frustration and pain. "That's not the question," she said tiredly. "The question is how is he so blind? I'd like to pretend I'm not obvious, but the truth is I know I am. I just can't help it!"
Her words were coming faster now. "Do you realize how much it hurts to see them together? To know I'm not the one he wants to be wrapped around, and to feel like he knows how I feel and is just rubbing it in my face that he doesn't feel the same? And at first I was angry at him – but I'm not anymore, because now I'm just mad at myself."
"Why?" asked Parvati, a little dumbfounded despite herself. "Why are you mad at yourself?"
Tears were starting to form in Hermione's eyes, and she jammed her fists against them. When she spoke, it was barely more than a whisper. "Because I always knew I wasn't good enough! There's nothing about me that could hold a boy – I'm too . . . bossy and . . . I read too much and . . . really, what boy would ever even look at me next to Lavender Brown?"
The last few words were said in a kind of desperate wail, and Parvati reached out without thinking. Hermione flinched at first, but relaxed as Parvati wrapped her arms around her.
"Hermione," Parvati said finally, "He doesn't love Lavender."
Hermione let out one tiny, choked sob. "H-how do you know?" she asked, pulling away and wiping her eyes.
Parvati laughed bleakly. "You think those hours they spend locked at the lips are love?" She shook her head. "That's not love. That's an attempt at making someone else jealous if I ever saw one." She paused and looked at Hermione – were her words sinking in? "And everyone who's ever seen the two of you knows who he's trying to make jealous – except you, apparently. I would bet you anything even Harry knows – and we all know how clueless he is when it comes to this sort of thing."
Hermione blinked, eyes clearing a bit. "You really think that?"
"Hermione, I know that." Parvati sighed. "And I know Lavender. I think even she knows it, deep down, but she won't admit it to herself. She likes Ron a lot, and she knows he likes you – she has for a long time. I guess she just caught him at exactly the right moment for her, and exactly the wrong one for you."
Hermione ran her hands through her hair again. "I can't blame her," she admitted. "I can be angry at her, because that's natural – jealousy is natural – but I can't blame her for liking Ron. How can I?"
"Are you angry at her?" asked Parvati, honestly curious.
Hermione shrugged. "Sometimes. Sometimes I want to hex her into oblivion, but other times I feel like I can't be angry at her just for having what I want. But sometimes I feel like she's just doing it to hurt me."
Parvati didn't know as much as Hermione about some things, but she did know Lavender. "She's not. That much I know. She went after him because she honestly liked him, and she doesn't care as much about who she hurts because of it. And she knows you two are going to end up together anyway – she's just somehow managed to delude herself into forgetting it."
"Are you going to tell her about this?" Hermione's eyes were a bit accusing.
Offended, Parvati drew herself up. "What kind of person do you think I am?" she asked. "I may be Lavender's best friend, but I don't go around telling other people's secrets, Hermione Granger."
"Sorry," said Hermione, looking appropriately abashed. "I didn't – I mean – sorry."
"It's fine," Parvati said, calming down. She sat back down on the bed. "Look, Hermione, Ron and Lavender are not a relationship for the long haul. And I know that you and Ron are going to end up together some day. So what does it matter if he's had a girlfriend before? At least it means he'll have some experience before he gets together with you!" Parvati raised an eyebrow.
Finally, Hermione let out a reluctant giggle. "I hope you're right," she sighed.
"Like I said, I know I'm right." Parvati stood up again, and stretched. "Don't worry about it."
"Thanks," said Hermione. "For talking, I mean. And if there's ever anything I can do for you . . ."
"Well now that you mention it," said Parvati, getting up and going to find her Transfiguration essay, "how much do you know about Conjuring Spells?"