Title: Beyond Friendship
Chapter Four:
Author: Jaycee and Marga
Disclaimer: Not ours! And never will be.
Note: Jaycee here! I know, I know. Marga said that we wouldn't be updating until we get a totally of 25 or more reviews. We only got 18 but I decided to post this chapter anyway. We just watched The Chamber of Secrets – and can I just say that it's BLOODY BRILLIANT! I love everything about the movie… and how cute is Daniel huh? Oh my gosh… I am such a cradle snatcher! I'm 19 and he's only 13… I am sooo older than him! LOL. I can't wait for the third movie. Hehe… for all those people who hasn't seen it yet – I urge you to watch it now! Okay? I can't resist posting this now – coz after seeing all those Harry/Hermione shippiness in the movie (with all the hand-holding and that totally sweet hug at the end.) We are more than excited to write more about our two favorite characters! (We love Ron too okay?)
Anyway – again, thank you so much for all the people who reviewed. You owe us more reviews, okay? We only got 21 so that means you owe us 4 more… but if you want the fifth chapter to be posted as soon as possible, then I suggest that you give us 15 more reviews! LOL. Is that asking too much? Well… maybe 10 more will do.. but if you want to give us more than that then so be it – all right?
Theta Sigma – hehe… sorry for the mistake about breakfast. We just want to say that we don't really know that much about British breakfast – we're Filipinos. LOL. We corrected that mistake in the breakfast scene in this chapter, okay? Thanks for pointing that out!
Again, thank you for everyone who reviewed and we promise to write this fic as good as we can! Have fun reading!
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Early morning, two weeks later, Harry grabbed his treasured Firebolt. The very first Quidditch match of the year is going to take place within a week and he wanted to be ready for it.
He sighed as he got onto his broom and started to circle the stadium. He shook his head to clear his thoughts in order to start envisioning the game but it seems that no matter what he did, his thoughts would stray to the one thing that he doesn't want to think about anymore.
He zoomed across the sky. He loves the feeling of flying. There, he felt so free. Everything that's been looming over him that's connected to Voldemort, ever since the start of his fifth year in Hogwarts was left on the ground as he flew over the trees.
Harry looked up and closed his eyes, as the sun's rays started to shine on his face. It feels so peaceful here and he wished he could stay right there forever. At the corner of his mind, he heard a voice calling him from below. He reluctantly opened his eyes and looked down.
He almost fell out his broom when he saw who was calling him. Hermione.
He grinned in spite of himself as he flew down to the ground to talk to his friend. "Hey Hermione. Good morning." He greeted, wondering why his stomach seemed to be filled with butterflies that were all whipping their wings into a frenzy against his stomach linings.
Hermione grinned and Harry felt his heart skip a beat. "Morning Harry. Your up early." She commented.
Harry nodded and the two of them started to walk towards a tree. He gestured for her to sit down and he plopped down beside her, resting his broom against the tree's trunk. "I just thought that I should start practicing. I was so out of practice because we had the Triwizard Tournament last year." He replied.
"Yeah. I remember the Triwizard Tournament." Hermione said in a somewhat dreamy voice. Harry stared at her, feeling of jealousy threatening to envelope him as he remembered the reason why Hermione was being all dreamy.
"Oh yeah. Viktor Krum." He spat out the name as if it's a bad thing.
Hermione snapped out of her daydream at the tone of Harry's voice. "What do you have against Viktor, Harry?" She asked curiously. She felt kind of hurt that Harry doesn't seem to like her boyfriend.
Harry turned to look at Hermione and she was surprised to see a range of emotions passing through his eyes. She placed a hand on his arm and looked into his eyes. "Are you okay Harry?" She asked worriedly.
Harry felt like he was drowning in Hermione's brown eyes and he noticed how her eyes seem to resemble a pot of melting chocolate. He can't believe that he never noticed how beautiful her eyes were. He opened his mouth to answer her but his voice seems to fail him as he felt Hermione's hand rest softly against his arm. He looked down at her hand and covered it with his own.
Hermione smiled. "I'm just hoping that maybe you would like Viktor. I would love it if my boyfriend would be in good terms with my best friends." She told him softly.
Harry stiffened at her words. Boyfriend when she refers to Viktor… and only her best friend when she talks about him. He was suddenly hit with the desire to hear Hermione refer to him as her boyfriend.
He shook his head and started to concentrate on her words. "I hope that you'll do that for me." She said, looking at him beseechingly.
Harry sighed. He looked up and nodded slowly. "Okay 'Mione. You know that I will do anything for you." He said in a soft voice and he realized that he's never meant anything more in his entire life.
He was rewarded with that smile that he was beginning to love so much. He was surprised when Hermione leaned over and hugged him around the neck.
"Thank you Harry. Thank you so much. You've made me so happy." Hermione whispered against his neck.
Harry wrapped his arms around her and softly took a deep breath. His nose was filled with Hermione's strawberry scented shampoo. He raised his hand and gently started to stroke her hair. He was awed with the incredible silkiness of Hermione's hair.
That's when it hit him. He wants to be with her. "'Mione?" He called out softly.
"Yes Harry?" Hermione murmured.
Harry took a deep breath and waited as Hermione straightened herself and looked at him curiously. He has decided to ask her if he has the chance to be more than her friend. He opened his mouth. "I… well… I know that this is a bit sudden but… I would just like to ask you if… well…" He stammered.
Hermione looked at him, completely weirded out. She's never heard Harry stammer before. "Is there something wrong, Harry?"
Harry looked at her. "What shampoo do you use?" Blurting out the first question that popped into his head.
Hermione stared at him in surprise. And then she started giggling. "I think someone's hungry." She teased and then stood up. She held out her hand and helped him to his feet. "Let's go to the banquet and eat." She smiled and walked in front of him.
As Harry followed her, he was filled with the immense urge to hit himself with his Firebolt a million times for being so, so stupid.
* * * Ron looked up and sighed when he saw his two friends. He piled his plate with some more bacon before he opened his mouth. "Where have you guys been?" He asked.
Hermione grinned. "Harry was out at the stadium, practicing for the upcoming Quidditch match." She replied, helping herself to some sausage.
"Oh I can't wait till Quidditch starts again. And I just hope that we win again this year." Ron said as he resumed to eating.
Harry just sat there, not saying anything. He was still very embarrassed from the question he blurted out earlier. He looked down on his plate, hoping against hope that Hermione wouldn't say anything about it in front of…
"And Ron? Do you know that Harry is planning to change his shampoo?" Hermione asked teasingly.
Too late. Harry turned to look at Hermione. "Come on 'Mione. Don't tell Ron about that." He said pleadingly.
But Ron's interest was already peaked. He stopped eating and looked at Hermione for more information. "What do you mean, 'Mione?" He asked.
Harry sighed in defeat and just stayed there, listening to Hermione tell Ron the story about that dorky question he asked earlier.
At the end of her story, Ron was laughing so much that he almost choked on his food. "Bloody hell Harry! Why did you ask that?" He asked laughingly.
Harry straightened up, its time to come clean. He took a deep breath and turned to Hermione. "Wanna know why I asked that?" He asked her.
Hermione looked at him. "Because you want to change shampoo brands." She said as a matter-of-factly. She continued to look at him and shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose you have a real reason why you asked me that, don't you?" She said.
Harry nodded. "Because I love the way your hair smells. And the fact that its so soft to touch." He said truthfully.
Hermione's smile faded as she listened to his response. Even Ron stopped eating at what he said. "Excuse me?" Ron asked.
Harry looked at him. "You heard me." He then turned to Hermione, and to his delight, he saw her blushing.
"Oh." Was all she can say, and she looked down at her lap.
Harry continued to look at her, smiling in delight as she continued to blush. She suddenly looked up and their eyes met and held. "Thank you." Hermione whispered.
Harry grinned. "Your welcome." They continued to look at each other and were only snapped out of their mutual daydream when they heard Ron say that the mail has arrived.
Hermione smiled at him one last time and then they all looked up and saw dozens of owls swoop into the dining hall. Harry started eating. He was about to ask Hermione something about a lesson they had yesterday when a small package was presented in front of her. "What's that?" he asked. Ron leaned over to get a closer look.
Hermione shook her head and took the box in her hands and looked for a card. "There's no card." She said, somewhat confused. Smiling at her friends, she opened the package and the three of them saw a square silver box, with a small card attached on it.
Harry moved closer to her and asked, "Who is it from?"
Hermione took the card and grinned. "To 'Mione, with all my love, Viktor." She read out loud.
Harry grimaced when he heard those words. "Figures." He muttered.
"Well, open it 'Mione!" Ron urged.
Hermione nodded and eagerly opened the package. Inside, she saw a silver locket. She sighed happily and she lifted the necklace, admiring it against the glittering sunlight. "This is so beautiful…" She admired breathily.
Harry just stared at the locket, feelings of jealousy swirling inside him. He watched as Hermione's face light up as she continued to admire the necklace.
"Harry?" She said softly, not taking her eyes off the jewelry.
"Yeah?" He snapped. Hermione looked at him curiously. "I just wanted to ask if you could help me put this on." She said.
"That is beautiful Hermione." Ron commented.
Harry held out his hand as Hermione gave it to him. He fought back the urge to throw the necklace into the Dark Forest and waited for Hermione to turn around.
As he placed the necklace around his friend's neck, he couldn't help but wish that the necklace came from him.
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That's where I end the fourth chapter! Please review – don't ever forget to do that!