Chapter 2

Hermione sighed, exasperated. This was the fourth time she had caught Ron staring at her.

"Ronald Weasley," she demanded, sounding very much like his own mother, "Why have you been staring at my face for the past five minutes??? If there's something on or wrong with my face, just say it."

"Oh, uhhh… Nothing," Ron turned away quickly.

She rolled her eyes and went back to eating breakfast. For the past two weeks, Ron had been like this, he was withdrawn and quiet when around her. Not like the fun and… funny Ron she knew. Quite frankly, she was beginning to think that he was dull and boring. Nowadays she'd rather be gossiping with Ron's sister, Ginny, than be around Ron himself, who would be staring at her like she'd suddenly grown a second head.

When Hermione caught him the fifth time, she had had enough. She stood up and told Mrs. Weasley that she wasn't hungry, then went to the bedroom that she shared with Ginny. She flipped open a book, then started munching on some crackers.

About half an hour later, the clattering of dishes could be heard downstairs, signaling the end of breakfast. There was a knock on the door, and Ginny entered the room.

"Hey, Hermione, what's up with you today? You seem a bit… down," Ginny sat down next to Hermione on the bed.

"It's nothing… It's just… I dunno. I thought you'd notice that Ron was the one being weird," Hermione replied.

"What are you talking about? He's been his normal, cheery, annoying self," Ginny said, "Now come down and have the rest of your breakfast."

Hermione frowned. That was weird.

"Maybe it's just me that's being weird… I'd better leave soon… do some quiet reading before I start buying things for the new school year."

"Are you joking? You're staying here with us. Don't allow Ron's pigheadedness get to you."

Hermione laughed. Ginny was a funny friend, and she was glad that they caught on right away when they met.

"No, I don't think it's Ron… Maybe I just need to spend some time alone. I'm going to start packing up. I think I'd better spend the rest of the summer in the Leaky Cauldron…"

And so she did. The very next morning, she gave hugs and kisses to everyone (Ron seemed to have mysteriously disappeared at that point…) and said goodbye, she wouldn't hear of Mrs. Weasley's complaints.

"Do stay a bit longer won't you, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked for about the sixth time. Her kind face showed a bit of worry.

"No, no, I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley, really, I just need some time alone," Hermione smiled at her and gave her another big hug, "Well, I'll be seeing you later!!! Bye!"

And, so, she departed for Diagon Alley, and a handful of Floo Powder later, she was standing in the ashes of the Leaky Cauldron fireplace.

It looked just like the first time she had walked in there, a bit dirty, a bit shabby… But nevertheless, it had a warm and inviting air. She told the bartender that she needed a room, and as soon as she was settled, she set off to the magical gateway from the small pub to Diagon Alley.

Hermione walked through the magnificent sights; it wasn't as crowded as usual because the Hogwarts supply letters hadn't been sent out yet, but it was still the same Diagon Alley. She strolled along the street, looking at the fascinating new items in the displays. Hermione glimpsed the new and improved self-correcting ink and sighed, they just keep coming up with new ways to harass the teachers…

But before she could buy anything, she paid a visit to Gringotts, the wizard (and witch,she added under her breath) bank to withdraw some gold. Just as she walked in, she saw a familiar face among the sea of people in Gringotts. Her breath caught, it was Harry. She couldn't seem to stop thinking about seeing him this summer…

Hermione had been crushing on Harry ever since she saw those gorgeous green eyes at Platform 9¾. Luckily, she had managed to cover all this time… But she was only in her 1st year, now, it was different. His eyes… They were breathtaking. They were the one thing that she noticed first. Those beautiful eyes behind his long lashes… She sighed.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, pretending to be shocked to find him, not letting on that she had been thinking about him just before.

"Hermione?!" Harry, who was genuinely shocked, turned around.

"What are you doing here? I thought you weren't due until, oh… What happened? You're a mess!"

"You're not too clean yourself," Harry grinned, looking at her dirty clothes.

Hermione looked down and sighed. She hadn't had the patience to shower right when she got to the pub.

"Yeah, but I was using Floo Powder," she said defiantly.

"Yeah, well I-" Harry looked down.

"What? What's the matter?" Hermione questioned him, curious as to what he was going to say.

"Well… You know that I'm not supposed to be here, do you?"

"Harry, what…?" Hermione was confused, but then, comprehension dawned on her face, "Oh, you did not!"

"Yes, I did," Harry grinned at the look of horror on Hermione's face.

Harry told Hermione the rest of the little argument he had with the Dursleys and she looked into his eyes, a little surprised that he should run away once more.

"So umm… Where are you staying?" Harry finally asked Hermione.

"Well, at the Leaky Caldron, where did you think? Aren't you staying there too?"

"Haha, yeah…"

Hermione studied Harry's anxious face, he seemed to be waiting for something. Then she realized. She hadn't given him the proper greeting… It was the perfect excuse… She suddenly lurched forward and started hugging him tightly.

"What-?"

"Oh, Harry, I missed you! You were supposed to wait for next week to come- not that I'm saying I'm not glad that you came a week earlier. But it's just that, I don't know. I haven't seen you in a long time! And Ron's been acting like a git!"

To Hermione's surprise, he hugged her back and smiled. But she suddenly broke away, blushing, not realizing how close she and Harry were just a moment ago.

"Sorry!! It's just that… Erm. I didn't see you for a long time and I didn't give you the proper greeting!!!!!" Hermione finished lamely.

"So what did you say about Ron being a git? I thought he always was," Harry joked, not noticing the deep blush that was forming on Hermione's cheeks.

I can't believe that I just did that!!! Oh my god… Hermione turned away for a second, then took a deep breath. She turned back around to face Harry.

"Well… I mean, he seems to be acting sort of… weird, I mean, he hasn't been himself lately. He doesn't joke, or play around anymore. He just sits there all modest (and believe me, Ron's never like that) and just, STARES at me. For HEAVEN'S sakes!!! It was driving me nuts."

They chit-chatted for a while more, waiting for the crowd to disperse; as soon as there was an empty goblin, Harry walked up to him and gave him his vault key.

Hermione sighed as soon as Harry walked into the door leading to the deep underground passageway of Gringotts. She had let it slip. She had lost control. Hermione hoped that Harry wouldn't think she liked him; she shouldn't give him the wrong impression. But it was hard not to reveal the truth. He's your friend! she thought to herself, and nothing more…

Or so she thought…


Hermione plopped down on her bed. It had been a long day, and she needed her beauty sleep. But she decided that maybe she'd visit Harry to see how he was doing and… Maybe talk some more… And maybe while they're talking, Harry will notice how beautiful she was, and realize that she was the one, the one and only for him… (Oh, never you mind, she thought to herself, irritated that she had let her mind wander back to the subject, you'll never get him, why don't you just settle with some other guy? Say, Viktor Krum?). But he shuddered at the fact of being an "item" (for want of a better word) with that Quidditch guy… He was kind of cute… But for god's sake, he was a professional Quidditch player, and she wasn't very much into Quidditch in the first place.

But before she got up from her bed, there was an unexpected knock on her door. "Come in!" she called from her bed.

The door slowly creaked open to reveal-

"Harry!" Hermione said, smiling gently, "I wasn't expecting you."

"Hey, Hermione, how's it going?" Harry asked.

"I'm fine, so… What do you want?" Hermione replied, feeling a sudden surge of excitement, what could he possibly want to tell me after we've just discussed everything back at Gringotts? She wondered.

"Oh, just checking on you," Harry said quickly; he looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Oh, ok… Just don't start acting weird like Ron. The last thing I need is two guys acting weird around me, just Ron is enough," Hermione said, attempting to crack a joke, but apparently, Harry didn't find this very funny. He paled, and then muttered a quick goodbye as he walked out the door, leaving a very confused Hermione sitting on the bed.

She looked at her hand; she wanted Harry to come and tell her that he loved her and wanted to be with her. She willed those words to come out of his mouth… But, they never did… But those kinds of things happen only in fairytales… She told herself.


There was a loud knock on Hermione's door. She awoke groggily and looked at her clock. It was 7:30, who the hell would be knocking on my door this early in the bloody morning??? She grumbled. Then she suddenly thought, Harry! She was reminded of her conversation with him last night. She looked down at her nightgown, then gasped. "COMING!!!" she yelled, then she messily threw on a t-shirt and jeans, ran a brush quickly through her hair, and popped a mint in her mouth.

Hermione eagerly opened the door, hoping that Harry would be there to greet her, but instead she saw… Ron. Her eager face disappeared, replaced by a confused look. What business did Ron had hanging around her door at 7:30 in the morning? She broke the awkward silence:

"Oh, hi, Ron… How'd you get here? I mean..." Hermione trailed off.

"Er… Hey, ummm. I've been thinking-"

"Hold on, you still have to tell me how you got here at 7:30 in the morning," Hermione interrupted, a bit annoyed that he even thought of bothering her at that time.

"Well, I guess… Uhh… Well, I thought that since you moved here, maybe I should too… You know, so Harry doesn't have to wait for me when he comes, and maybe we could… you know…"

Oh, goodness, Ron, YOU'RE the bloody reason I came here in the first place.

"Well, you're in luck, because I bumped into him at Gringotts yesterday. Apparently, he's run away yet again."

And you just couldn't stay put. I would have liked to spent time with Harry ALONE. She thought to herself.

"Uhh yeah well…" Ron muttered something incomprehensible, then looked down and blushed furiously.

"Excuse me?"

"Err. Nevermind…"

Hermione gave him a weird look and flopped back down on her bed as Ron left the room. Hermione wondered what he was going to say and why he didn't just say it. They had nothing to hide from each other… Right?


Around 12:00, there was a gentle knock on Hermione's door. Goodness gracious, Ron, how many times do you have to bother me?!?!? Before you would look at me and turn away when I noticed… Now you're begging for my attention. Geez, I never heard of such mood swings. Hermione opened the door with an exasperated look on her face.

"What now Ro- oh!! It's you Harry! Sorry, I thought it was Ron, he visited me earlier in the morning."

"Yeah, well, I just had something to tell you. Ummm…"

"Oh, umm, come in," Hermione turned away and blushed. Well this is awkward…

But before Harry could get a word out of his mouth, there was another knock on the door. THAT would be Ron, Hermione thought to herself grimly. She opened the door for the 3rd time today and was not disappointed. For at her doorway stood none other than Ron; Hermione invited him in and he sat down on the bed next to Harry.

"Yes, Ron? What is it that you want now," Hermione asked him. What a bizarre thing to have two boys sitting on her bed at this time of the day, even if they both were her best friends.

"Um…" Ron started sputtering again.

"I'm not here to hear you stutter, just spit it out!!!" Hermione snapped; her was patience withering, as she was more interested in what Harry had to say.

Ron looked hurt.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go and get something to eat, and since Harry's here, he could come too!"

"Ok, well that wasn't so bad was it? Ok, alright, I'll go, get ready guys," Hermione said reluctantly.

In a couple minutes, everyone was ready and they set out to find a place to eat.


They picked a nice and small place called "Magical Minutes". Ron sat down at the table and just ordered a small drink. Harry ordered the same. But Hermione ordered a large meal with chicken and potatoes. Hermione stared at her meal. I'm not really hungry… She kept stealing small glances at Harry, and sometimes, their eyes met, but when they did, she turned back to her food quickly.After Hermione finished, she looked at Harry with concern.

"Harry? Why haven't you eaten anything but a small drink? Eat something more!"

"No, I fine, I had something already."

Ron looked hurt, he was being completely left out of Hermione's sympathy; he had ordered the same thing as Harry.

Hermione noticed Ron's hurt expression. Oh my goodness, Ron, you eat way too much, I should be glad that you just ordered a small drink. I mean, look at the rate you're growing. It's like an inch a day. Hermione looked at him in exasperation and said, "Oh, for heaven's sake, Ron, you have 3 big meals everyday (thanks to your mother) and poor Harry here has to cope with his aunt and uncle…"

Harry stood up and loudly said, "I didn't come here to be pitied because I look underfed, I'll pay for us and leave, I have to organize my suitcase."

Oh, no!!! I think I said the wrong thing… Oh god, did I just hurt Harry's feelings???? Ron looked at Harry gratefully, but Hermione looked quite crestfallen, though luckily for her, no one noticed.

"Well, I'd best be going too. I'll pay…" Ron said quite happily now.

"No I'LL do it," Harry argued.

"No really, I-"

"Both of you stop! I'LL pay the check," Hermione had joined in the fight, giving Harry a feeble, apologetic smile.

But before anybody said anything more, Harry had slammed the money onto the table and had hurried out the door.


Ron!!!! What the hell? Why don't you just go and fuck yourself. Who the hell do you think you are? Coming up to bother me at 7-fucking-30 in the morning only to spill gibberish and waste my time.

The time that I could spend pondering about Harry…

Why the hell did Ron have to come back anyway? It's not like what he has to say is important.

What was more important… Than Harry's words? Maybe Harry had something important to say. She knew that she was having a very dramatic reaction and she knew it wasn't Ron's fault, but she still wanted to hear what Harry had to say. (She couldn't care less about what Ron had to say.)

Maybe what Harry had to say would have changed her life (ok, maybe not that, but something close to that), but Ron had come in and he didn't even have a chance to talk.. Damn, Harry must not have wanted Ron to hear it. So maybe it was something that he wanted only me to hear… But now Harry probably changed his mind and decided not to tell me. Damnit Ron!!

There was yet another knock on her door.

Oh hell. What the hell did I do to deserve this???

At this point, Hermione just wanted to get her want, point to her throat to say 'Silencio', then do as much silent screaming as she wished. She twisted her face so it seemed like everything was fine, then opened the door saying, "What now Ron?!?!" making it clear that she didn't want to be disturbed. (She wished the place was rich enough to afford 'Do Not Disturb' signs… like the ones in Muggle hotels.)

"C-can I come in?"

"Yeah sure."

Her voice was friendly, but her smile was definitely fake.

"Hermione?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Err, well, this is sort of private… "

"Yes? What is it Ron? Is there anything wrong? Are you sick? Tell me."

Hermione suddenly started worrying. Maybe Ron has some sort of sickness… And maybe he was going through pain all this time and that's why he's been acting so weird!!! Maybe it's an embarrassing sickness… But… Ginny told me that he was just fine… soo… What's wrong with him?

Ron wringed his hands nervously.

And then… then it all came stuttering and spilling out before Ron had another chance to turn back and walk right out the door of Hermione room.

"No, I'm not sick… This may seem sort of weird but…I liked you ever since our third year, I was just too afraid to tell you. And I wanted to ask you w-will you g-go to… dinner with m-me?