Harry Potter is struggling with his feelings for Ginny Weasley, and who better to go to than his best friend? Chaos ensues as Hermione uses her arsenal of skills, Draco Malfoy gets involved, and Harry gets a bit more than he bargained for. Fun little one-shot.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or the universe.

I'm Finally Ready

"Hermione? Hermione! Hey! Wait up!"

Harry Potter shouted as loud as he could down the corridor to his best friend, hoping she would hear him, as he ran clumsily to catch up with her.

Hermione Granger turned around, stopping in her tracks when she saw her friend. "Harry, I have to go. I have Charms class in six minutes," she informed him.

Harry slowed to a stop as he approached her. "I know, I know," he murmured, panting heavily. "I'm actually headed to Potions myself. I just really need some advice pertaining to what I should do about Ginny. And you're smart. You know how to give good advice."

"I can't do this right now, Harry," Hermione muttered impatiently, tapping her foot. "I really have to go. Why don't I catch up with you after class?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine," he grumbled in disappointment. "After class."

Hermione nodded and skipped away, her curly brown hair flying out behind her and gleaming in the new April sun that shone through the wide windows of the corridor.

Harry began to walk again, dragging his feet glumly. He couldn't get his issue off of his mind for anything. He couldn't stop thinking about her, not even for a moment. The girl of his dreams. He thought about her adorable smile, one so innocent and pure and full of life. He thought about her piercing brown eyes, and how they would always light up and turn hazel whenever she was happy, or she learned something new. He thought about her beautiful red hair, soft and silky and shining in the sunrise that they would often sit and watch together. He loved everything about her.

Harry Potter had very much fallen in love with Ginny Weasley. He had fallen hard. However, Harry's only problem was his general inability to talk to girls. He was awkward and clumsy at times, and even though he was the so-called 'Chosen One', brave, true, and courageous, he was still human. A wizard, but a human still. He would often fumble over his words whenever he tried to talk to her. He would occasionally trip over his own feet as he would pass her in the corridor. And when he would talk with her, he would accidentally find himself staring at her like a lovestruck idiot, which he was, and he wouldn't be able to recall a single thing she'd said to him.

Harry Potter had faced down dragons, monsters, evil spells, and even the Dark Lord Voldemort with courage and bravery, but he was utterly unable to express his feelings to his crush.

Throughout Potions class, no matter how hard he tried, Harry couldn't focus. He barely listened to Snape droning on and on about the potential dangers of the Pepperup Potion. He nearly fell out of his seat and onto the floor, due to dozing off out of boredom, and being completely lost in his own thoughts. And when he attempted to sprinkle in the last of the leaves for his Draught of Living Death, rather than the tiny leaves dissolving into ashes, the concoction bubbled and blew up in Ron's face, singeing the tips of his red hair. Snape glared over at Harry, who put his head down on his desk to avoid making eye contact with his obviously irritated professor.

Potions class eventually ended, and Harry jumped gratefully out of his chair. He slipped quickly out of the room, not even bothering to wait for Ron. All Harry was focused on at that moment was finding Hermione so that he would know what to do about his feelings for Ginny, and he could finally put his mind at ease.

As he approached Professor Flitwick's classroom, Harry was relieved to catch sight of Hermione, leaning against the wall of the corridor and, for reasons he did not know, talking to one Draco Malfoy. They seemed to be engaged in an intense, almost angry conversation, perhaps even an argument of some sort. Harry decided to ignore anything snarky that Draco might choose to say to him, and walked right up to Hermione. "Hey, 'Mione."

Hermione glanced over at him, and smiled. "Hi, Harry."

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Draco muttered.

Harry ignored him. "Can you please help me, Hermione?" he asked. "This has been on my mind for days now. I just want to know what to do. I'm finally ready to tell her how I feel about her, but I just need some guidance. And you're the best person to come to for it."

Hermione nodded. "Don't worry, Harry. I'll help you out," she assured him. "Let's see here. Oh, I know! Draco, would you mind playing along and doing some role-playing with me here? Harry has a bit of a dilemma, and I promised I'd help him."

Draco shrugged noncommittally.

Harry smiled. "Thanks, Hermione," he said gratefully. "I appreciate this."

"Of course, Harry," she replied, and turned to Draco dramatically. "Draco, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

The irritated, gaunt look on Draco's face disappeared in an instant, replaced instead by an anxious, unsure frown. "I don't know if I should tell you," he murmured, looking down at his shoes and scratching the back of his head nervously.

Hermione crossed her arms. "Come on, Draco," she replied softly. "You can trust me. What did you want to tell me?"

After a moment, Draco looked up. "I wanted to tell you that I love you. I always have loved you, but it just took me a while to realize it, because I'm an idiot. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Hermione, but in truth, that's only the beginning. I love the way your voice sounds when you talk to me. I love your adorable sense of humor. Your personality and generosity are both so admirable. I'm actually quite jealous of how intelligent you are. And by God, you're the most powerful witch I have ever met. I love everything about you. And I've wanted you to know that for so long."

A small smile spread across Hermione's lips. "I love you too, Draco," she murmured, her gaze fixated on his face. "You're such a sweet person, you are wise beyond your years, you're strong, and you are the most handsome man I know. I love every single thing about you. And I've wanted to be with you for years. Longer than you think, I'm sure."

Harry watched this exchange go on, impressed by their techniques and taking note of what they said and how they opted to say it. "Wow, guys. This is great," he commented. "I can definitely use some of this when I talk to Ginny. Thank you."

Hermione and Draco simply ignored him, not once breaking eye contact with each other. Draco smiled. "You really have no idea how long I've been wanting to tell you that, Hermione," he whispered, completely enraptured and lost in her eyes.

Hermione giggled melodically, and twirled a piece of brown hair around her finger with grace. "And you have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear it from you," she responded softly, as she continued to look lovingly into his grey eyes.

"I didn't know if you would feel the same way," Draco mumbled. "But you have no idea how happy I am to know that you feel the same way as I do."

Hermione batted her eyelashes. "Of course I do," she replied flirtatiously. "I always have."

Harry glanced from Draco to Hermione and back again. "Alright, guys. I've got the idea. You can stop now. You have both been a great help," he stated.

At the same moment, Draco and Hermione turned their heads sharply, glaring at Harry with the force of five Whomping Willows. A resounding 'Shut up' emanated from the mouths of both the blonde-haired wizard and the curly-haired witch, and Harry stepped back. "What?"

Draco and Hermione turned back to each other, ignoring Harry once again, and Draco took Hermione's hand gently in his own. "Would you care to join me for a walk in the gardens this evening?" he asked hopefully.

A delighted look spread over Hermione's face, and her eyes twinkled. "I would love that," she said sweetly, squeezing his hand gently.

Harry spoke up. "Okay, well...I'm gonna leave you two alone now," he squeaked nervously, and scuttled away, completely confused by what had just happened. As soon as Harry was out of earshot, Hermione and Draco looked at each other and began to laugh hysterically.

"I can't believe he actually fell for it! That was amazing!" Hermione exclaimed, tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks.

Draco, unable to control his snickers, replied, "I give that a ten out of ten. I never knew you were such a stellar actress, Granger!" He raised his hand and high-fived her.

Hermione grinned proudly. "You were great too!" she insisted. "I wasn't actually expecting you to go along with it so well."

Draco smirked. "Anything to make Potter feel uncomfortable, Granger."

"So, how long do you think it will take him to realize that we put one over on him?" Hermione wondered out loud.

Draco let out a long, pent-up sigh. "Probably when he realizes that today is that weird Muggle holiday that you told me about. The one with the jokes and tricks and fooling your friends."

Hermione nodded, stifling another giggle. "April Fool's Day."

(Author's Note: Yes, I know it was cliche. But the idea made me laugh. Hope you enjoyed! -BlackthornUnicorn98)