p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong id="docs-internal-guid-c5e2676e-7fff-5b64-054a-78811d043491" style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Mine": A Harry Potter Fanfiction/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" By: TheWonderingWizard/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;"br /br /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Rating: T/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Summary: Response to a prompt from Matt Weber on the Harmony Co Prompt Bank over on Tumblr. I am not going to say much other than that, because this is a short story. Very light Weasley bashing. Standard disclaimer applies. Allons-y!/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;"br /br /br /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Hogwarts/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"October, 1995/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"I'm Harry Potter, and I have a secret to tell you. I have a crush on my best friend. Before you go and automatically think that it's Ron Weasley, let me tell you up front that is definitely not. Ron is not my best friend. He's a friend, sure. A fair-weather one to be sure, but I think he's more my best mate. He's good for a laugh, knows more about Quidditch than nearly anyone else I know, is a master at chess, and loves to have fun. We met at King's Cross before taking the Hogwarts Express for the first time four years ago. I had my ticket, which had the time and platform on it, but could not find out how to get onto the ruddy platform. Then, I heard a woman talking about how the station was always packed with Muggles. I hadn't been back in the magical world for long, but I knew that Muggles were non-magical people. Taking a chance, I followed them. So, that's how I met Ron Weasley. We were both sorted into Gryffinor, and wound up as roommates with Neville, Seamus, and Dean. Classes began, and we had all classes together with the rest of the firsties from Gryffindor. I quickly learned that while he's good for a laugh, Ron was not who I wanted to emulate in terms of grades. For once since I started going to school, I wasn't forced to curb myself in class. I was at Hogwarts to become a wizard, and becoming a wizard takes hard work. I guess I felt like I should have been friends with Ron because he was my real introduction to the wizard world. Being my first friend, it was be hard to see his flaws, which were obvious to nearly everyone else. His talking with his mouth full was enough to have the first-year boys basically ostracised at meal time. He can be petty, short-sighted, shallow, crass, and a total bore. Yeah, he's good for a laugh and all, but my patience is wearing thin. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"There have been times when his value as my friend was put to the test. He accepted a challenge to a wizarding duel on my behalf against Malfoy, claiming to be my second. We were barely a month into our first term of our first year. He also got us into a huge amount of trouble when he insisted we take that stupid flying car to school in second year. Then, there was when he wouldn't help me get Hermione to the Hospital Wing after the Polyjuice cockup. He honestly could have at least tried to take Runes in third year, but he took the easy way out and took Care of Magical Creatures. He tries to . The biggest test was when my name came out of the Goblet of Fire, putting me in competition for the Tri-Wizard Tournament last year. I would almost been able to handle the school thinking I'd cheated and put my name in, if Ron hadn't joined the mob mentality and turned his back on me until after the first task. I've decided to see how he shapes up this year, both as a friend as a wizard. I've come to realise that though he's the youngest son and feels he needs to be better than his brothers, he has not done much to accomplish this. He was jealous of me over the summer when I got made Prefect for Gryffindor. He seemed to think that he was somehow /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"owed/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" this badge I'm wearing instead of him. Not to bust his ego, but school Prefects are typically chosen for their academic performance and exemplary behaviour. Granted, I'm no angel here. I guess McGonagall convinced Dumbledore of my leadership abilities, and so I got the Prefect badge over Ron. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;"br /br /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"My best friend has been in my life since we met on the Hogwarts Express in 1991. She came into the compartment Ron and I were sitting in, looking for a lost toad. I remember that she had a lot of very bushy brown hair, brown eyes, and her top front teeth were a little on the large size. What stood out was that she was already in her Hogwarts uniform, but there weren't any House colours on it, like I'd seen on older students on Platform 9¾. After seeing Ron attempt to turn Scabbers yellow, she seemed unimpressed. She sat down opposite me, drew her wand and pointed it at the bridge of my nose. After saying she'd been practicing some of the simpler spells, she fixed my glasses as easily as breathing. This girl was smart, and unafraid to prove it. I'll admit that it was a little intimidating, but I was impressed that she could do that level of magic without having had a single formal lesson. Introducing herself as Hermione Granger, we shook hands, and that was our introduction. She introduced herself to Ron, who responded his name was Ron Weasley. He did say it around a mouthful of a Cauldron Cake, which I could tell did not make for the best first impression. The three of us were sorted into Gryffindor that night, and started taking classes. Hermione and I became friends after an incident with a mountain Troll that had her trapped in the girls' lavatories in the dungeons. Hermione has never wavered in supporting me since then. I owe her so much for that./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"I've noticed that Hermione is a bit...different this year. Not in personality, thankfully. No, it's in her physical appearance. At the Yule Ball last year, she'd worn this absolutely stunning periwinkle blue gown that fit her perfectly. She had also styled her hair into perfect ringlets, and she was wearing makeup. It was then that the school, myself included, realised how truly beautiful she is. I think she might have paid a bit more attention into her appearance this year. Maybe she switched shampoo, or something. Girls are still a bit of a mystery to me anyhow. I thought I should talk to her about it when we're on rounds together this year. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Apparently I'm not the only bloke that's noticed how different Hermione is this year. I see how other boys turn their heads when she passes by. Their eyes get bigger, and a little glazed over. They try to flirt with her, and she just smiles in return. Ron doesn't notice this. He notices the change in how Hermione looks, but not the effect it has on other guys, himself included. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"One day, I overheard Justin Finch-Fletchley and a couple of other boys from Hufflepuff talking about Hermione. I was in the library, getting a needed text for a Transfiguration assignment that was due in a few days. I listened for a few minutes, and it made my blood boil. Yes, Hermione is attractive. Yes, she has gorgeous hair, and a winning smile, and everything. But, I will not tolerate them talking about my best friend like she's an object for their depravity. Hearing them talk like that makes me realise something. I not only had a crush on my best friend, but I /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"love her/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;". More than that, I found myself /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"in love/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" with Hermione Granger. I flick my wand into my hand from its holster up my sleeve, and cast a quick Confundus charm on the gaggle of Hufflepuffs. This action isn't enough, though. I needed to find Hermione and show her what she means to me. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;"br /br /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"I'm out the door and on my way to the Great Hall moments later. I hear the sounds of students moving down the stairs and into the Hall for dinner. I take my usual seat near the top of the Gryffindor table, and wait for her to come in. Looking around, I can see that just about the whole school is here. Then, Hermione walks in with her bookbag slung over her right shoulder. I stand up, and move toward her. I have my plan of action fully formed in my head now./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"I approach Hermione as she gets to between the Hufflepuff tables, smiling. She smiles back. I put my arms around her waist in a light embrace and look into her warm cinnamon and gold eyes./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" "Harry, what are you doing?" she asks, with just a little bit of nervousness in her voice./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Something I should have done earlier, Hermione." I reply, and put my lips to hers. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"She stiffens in shock for a moment, and then relaxes. Then, Hermione is kissing me back. Her bookbag falls with a thud to the wide stone tiles at our feet, and she puts her arms around me. We're kissing lightly, gentle caresses of our lips together. All I can smell is her shampoo. All I can hear is her breath and mine. Hermione touches her tongue to my lips. I open my mouth slightly, and she gently touches her tongue to mine. I can feel a heartbeat speeding up, unsure if it's hers or my own, and not really caring. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"My hearing comes back, and I hear stunned silence in the hall, and then whistles and applause. Hermione and I open our eyes, and gaze at each other. Did that really just happen? Did I just snog my best friend in front of the whole school? I see similar questions in her eyes, along with a look of happiness. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Hermione, I realised something today. I realised that I love and am in love with you. I'm totally yours, 'Moine. Will you be mine?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Hermione nods slowly, and kisses me lightly once. I turn to the assembled students, faculty, and staff, and say/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Mine."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"We sit down, side by side at the Gryffindor table, to congratulations from our housemates and friends./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Mine": A Harry Potter Fanfiction/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" By: TheWonderingWizard/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;"br /br /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Rating: T/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Summary: Response to a prompt from Matt Weber on the Harmony Co Prompt Bank over on Tumblr. I am not going to say much other than that, because this is a short story. Very light Weasley bashing. Standard disclaimer applies. Allons-y!/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;"br /br /br /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Hogwarts/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"October, 1995/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"I'm Harry Potter, and I have a secret to tell you. I have a crush on my best friend. Before you go and automatically think that it's Ron Weasley, let me tell you up front that is definitely not. Ron is not my best friend. He's a friend, sure. A fair-weather one to be sure, but I think he's more my best mate. He's good for a laugh, knows more about Quidditch than nearly anyone else I know, is a master at chess, and loves to have fun. We met at King's Cross before taking the Hogwarts Express for the first time four years ago. I had my ticket, which had the time and platform on it, but could not find out how to get onto the ruddy platform. Then, I heard a woman talking about how the station was always packed with Muggles. I hadn't been back in the magical world for long, but I knew that Muggles were non-magical people. Taking a chance, I followed them. So, that's how I met Ron Weasley. We were both sorted into Gryffinor, and wound up as roommates with Neville, Seamus, and Dean. Classes began, and we had all classes together with the rest of the firsties from Gryffindor. I quickly learned that while he's good for a laugh, Ron was not who I wanted to emulate in terms of grades. For once since I started going to school, I wasn't forced to curb myself in class. I was at Hogwarts to become a wizard, and becoming a wizard takes hard work. I guess I felt like I should have been friends with Ron because he was my real introduction to the wizard world. Being my first friend, it was be hard to see his flaws, which were obvious to nearly everyone else. His talking with his mouth full was enough to have the first-year boys basically ostracised at meal time. He can be petty, short-sighted, shallow, crass, and a total bore. Yeah, he's good for a laugh and all, but my patience is wearing thin. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"There have been times when his value as my friend was put to the test. He accepted a challenge to a wizarding duel on my behalf against Malfoy, claiming to be my second. We were barely a month into our first term of our first year. He also got us into a huge amount of trouble when he insisted we take that stupid flying car to school in second year. Then, there was when he wouldn't help me get Hermione to the Hospital Wing after the Polyjuice cockup. He honestly could have at least tried to take Runes in third year, but he took the easy way out and took Care of Magical Creatures. He tries to . The biggest test was when my name came out of the Goblet of Fire, putting me in competition for the Tri-Wizard Tournament last year. I would almost been able to handle the school thinking I'd cheated and put my name in, if Ron hadn't joined the mob mentality and turned his back on me until after the first task. I've decided to see how he shapes up this year, both as a friend as a wizard. I've come to realise that though he's the youngest son and feels he needs to be better than his brothers, he has not done much to accomplish this. He was jealous of me over the summer when I got made Prefect for Gryffindor. He seemed to think that he was somehow /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"owed/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" this badge I'm wearing instead of him. Not to bust his ego, but school Prefects are typically chosen for their academic performance and exemplary behaviour. Granted, I'm no angel here. I guess McGonagall convinced Dumbledore of my leadership abilities, and so I got the Prefect badge over Ron. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;"br /br /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"My best friend has been in my life since we met on the Hogwarts Express in 1991. She came into the compartment Ron and I were sitting in, looking for a lost toad. I remember that she had a lot of very bushy brown hair, brown eyes, and her top front teeth were a little on the large size. What stood out was that she was already in her Hogwarts uniform, but there weren't any House colours on it, like I'd seen on older students on Platform 9¾. After seeing Ron attempt to turn Scabbers yellow, she seemed unimpressed. She sat down opposite me, drew her wand and pointed it at the bridge of my nose. After saying she'd been practicing some of the simpler spells, she fixed my glasses as easily as breathing. This girl was smart, and unafraid to prove it. I'll admit that it was a little intimidating, but I was impressed that she could do that level of magic without having had a single formal lesson. Introducing herself as Hermione Granger, we shook hands, and that was our introduction. She introduced herself to Ron, who responded his name was Ron Weasley. He did say it around a mouthful of a Cauldron Cake, which I could tell did not make for the best first impression. The three of us were sorted into Gryffindor that night, and started taking classes. Hermione and I became friends after an incident with a mountain Troll that had her trapped in the girls' lavatories in the dungeons. Hermione has never wavered in supporting me since then. I owe her so much for that./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"I've noticed that Hermione is a bit...different this year. Not in personality, thankfully. No, it's in her physical appearance. At the Yule Ball last year, she'd worn this absolutely stunning periwinkle blue gown that fit her perfectly. She had also styled her hair into perfect ringlets, and she was wearing makeup. It was then that the school, myself included, realised how truly beautiful she is. I think she might have paid a bit more attention into her appearance this year. Maybe she switched shampoo, or something. Girls are still a bit of a mystery to me anyhow. I thought I should talk to her about it when we're on rounds together this year. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Apparently I'm not the only bloke that's noticed how different Hermione is this year. I see how other boys turn their heads when she passes by. Their eyes get bigger, and a little glazed over. They try to flirt with her, and she just smiles in return. Ron doesn't notice this. He notices the change in how Hermione looks, but not the effect it has on other guys, himself included. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"One day, I overheard Justin Finch-Fletchley and a couple of other boys from Hufflepuff talking about Hermione. I was in the library, getting a needed text for a Transfiguration assignment that was due in a few days. I listened for a few minutes, and it made my blood boil. Yes, Hermione is attractive. Yes, she has gorgeous hair, and a winning smile, and everything. But, I will not tolerate them talking about my best friend like she's an object for their depravity. Hearing them talk like that makes me realise something. I not only had a crush on my best friend, but I /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"love her/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;". More than that, I found myself /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"in love/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" with Hermione Granger. I flick my wand into my hand from its holster up my sleeve, and cast a quick Confundus charm on the gaggle of Hufflepuffs. This action isn't enough, though. I needed to find Hermione and show her what she means to me. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;"br /br /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"I'm out the door and on my way to the Great Hall moments later. I hear the sounds of students moving down the stairs and into the Hall for dinner. I take my usual seat near the top of the Gryffindor table, and wait for her to come in. Looking around, I can see that just about the whole school is here. Then, Hermione walks in with her bookbag slung over her right shoulder. I stand up, and move toward her. I have my plan of action fully formed in my head now./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"I approach Hermione as she gets to between the Hufflepuff tables, smiling. She smiles back. I put my arms around her waist in a light embrace and look into her warm cinnamon and gold eyes./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" "Harry, what are you doing?" she asks, with just a little bit of nervousness in her voice./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Something I should have done earlier, Hermione." I reply, and put my lips to hers. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"She stiffens in shock for a moment, and then relaxes. Then, Hermione is kissing me back. Her bookbag falls with a thud to the wide stone tiles at our feet, and she puts her arms around me. We're kissing lightly, gentle caresses of our lips together. All I can smell is her shampoo. All I can hear is her breath and mine. Hermione touches her tongue to my lips. I open my mouth slightly, and she gently touches her tongue to mine. I can feel a heartbeat speeding up, unsure if it's hers or my own, and not really caring. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"My hearing comes back, and I hear stunned silence in the hall, and then whistles and applause. Hermione and I open our eyes, and gaze at each other. Did that really just happen? Did I just snog my best friend in front of the whole school? I see similar questions in her eyes, along with a look of happiness. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Hermione, I realised something today. I realised that I love and am in love with you. I'm totally yours, 'Moine. Will you be mine?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"strong style="font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Hermione nods slowly, and kisses me lightly once. I turn to the assembled students, faculty, and staff, and say/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Mine."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"We sit down, side by side at the Gryffindor table, to congratulations from our housemates and friends./span/p