Hermione stirred slightly. It was morning, she could tell. She turned
over, with her eyes still shut, but she felt weird. Like someone was
watching. Like there was someone else there in the room besides her. She
gingerly opened an eye and saw a pair of startling green eyes staring back
at her. She jumped up in surprise.
"Harry!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"I was wondering if you were awake," he replied calmly.
"I am now.what time is it?" she looked over at her clock. 4:52 AM. "Are you insane? It's 5 in the morning!"
Harry grinned. "I know.care to take a brisk walk?"
She sighed in exasperation. "Alright, wait in the common room while I throw some clothes on."
He left obligingly and Hermione threw open her closet. Rummaging through the mess, she managed to produce a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a white spaghetti strap tank top. She quietly closed her door and went to the common room where Harry was waiting, hands jammed in pocket, rocking back and forth on his heels like a seven-year-old.
"Ready?"
"Rather cold, isn't it?" asked Harry brightly as they walked together along the lake.
"Mm, was there any particular reason you wanted to take a walk, at, er, 5 in the morning?" Hermione asked.
"No.not really. I heard it was good for your health." The last statement sounded more like a question than a comment.
"I see." Hermione shuffled her feet along the dewey grass. She was cold. She could see her nipples poke out awkwardly in the early morning air; she had forgotten to put on a bra in her sleepy stupor. 'Whatever,' she thought. "How's Quidditch going?"
"We're wrapping up the season. No more games, at least. There's supposed to be some celebratory gathering at the Three Broomsticks in a couple of days or something like that.it usually ends up as an orgy in the back room. I don't know if I'll be attending this year."
"Oh."
"Have you, er, got a dress picked out yet?" Harry asked as he stole a glance at her profile.
"Yes," she answered shortly.
"Should I.match or something? I heard girls like that," he answered.
"I-I don't really care either way," Hermione said shrugging her shoulders. The shade in the trees that they were now in made the weather even chillier. Despite the normal June weather, mornings at Hogwarts were almost always cold.
Harry suddenly stopped. "Has Malfoy been getting to you?"
"What?" Hermione froze. Did he know.? Unconsciously, she tensed up.
"You seem very different lately. And Draco's always following you. Or at least, it looks like it," Harry said with a concerned expression.
"You must be seeing things. Anyway, about the ball, Parvati and Lavender told me that they'd love to go with you-"
"You're changing the subjects. Plus, I don't want to go with them, I want to go with you," Harry said forcefully. Hermione started to panic. Her breathing quickened and her fists clenched and unclenched. She swallowed hard.
"Alright.don't get upset, Harry."
"I'm not upset," he answered calmly. He looked her up and down and his eyes rested on her chest for a moment, reflecting on her nipples' boldness. Hermione saw this and she felt herself start to blush"You're cold," he commented. He put his arm around her.
"Harry, that's really not necessary-" Hermione said as she started to push him away lightly.
"Sh." Harry put a finger to Hermione's mouth and leaned in. He closed his eyes and tilted his head sideways.
"Harry, stop!" Hermione pushed him away with more force. "Don't jeopardize our already precarious friendship with your raging hormones!" she spat as she ran away.
"Wait! Hermione, wait!" he called after her, but he was too late. She had already sprinted halfway to school. He slumped against the tree and gripped his head in his hands.
Hermione panted as she ran back to school. 'What was that all about??' Sure, she loved Harry, but in the purely platonic sense. And it was different. Different from when Draco was about to kiss her and when Harry was about to kiss her. With Harry there wasn't.chemistry, as much as she didn't want to admit it. There was chemistry with Draco.
She was about to round the corner to the corridor that led to Gryffindor tower when a body appeared from behind the corner.
"What's the matter, Hermione?" Draco asked silkily.
"Get out of my way," she said as she tried to push past him.
"Ah ah ah.I'd suggest you be quieter, Hogwarts is asleep right now," he replied as he gripped her wrist firmly.
"Move," Hermione hissed. She stalked past him.
"If you can't even stand up to Potter," said Draco. Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. "How on earth do you plan to win against me?"
She reflected angrily on this for a moment and then continued to walk on towards to her dormitory room. She locked herself in and began to cry on her bed. She wept for all the things that went wrong, that were going wrong, that were destined to be wrong.
There were but eight days left of school, two days left until Graduation Ball, and Hermione Granger wondered whether she would live to see graduation at all.
"Harry!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"I was wondering if you were awake," he replied calmly.
"I am now.what time is it?" she looked over at her clock. 4:52 AM. "Are you insane? It's 5 in the morning!"
Harry grinned. "I know.care to take a brisk walk?"
She sighed in exasperation. "Alright, wait in the common room while I throw some clothes on."
He left obligingly and Hermione threw open her closet. Rummaging through the mess, she managed to produce a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a white spaghetti strap tank top. She quietly closed her door and went to the common room where Harry was waiting, hands jammed in pocket, rocking back and forth on his heels like a seven-year-old.
"Ready?"
"Rather cold, isn't it?" asked Harry brightly as they walked together along the lake.
"Mm, was there any particular reason you wanted to take a walk, at, er, 5 in the morning?" Hermione asked.
"No.not really. I heard it was good for your health." The last statement sounded more like a question than a comment.
"I see." Hermione shuffled her feet along the dewey grass. She was cold. She could see her nipples poke out awkwardly in the early morning air; she had forgotten to put on a bra in her sleepy stupor. 'Whatever,' she thought. "How's Quidditch going?"
"We're wrapping up the season. No more games, at least. There's supposed to be some celebratory gathering at the Three Broomsticks in a couple of days or something like that.it usually ends up as an orgy in the back room. I don't know if I'll be attending this year."
"Oh."
"Have you, er, got a dress picked out yet?" Harry asked as he stole a glance at her profile.
"Yes," she answered shortly.
"Should I.match or something? I heard girls like that," he answered.
"I-I don't really care either way," Hermione said shrugging her shoulders. The shade in the trees that they were now in made the weather even chillier. Despite the normal June weather, mornings at Hogwarts were almost always cold.
Harry suddenly stopped. "Has Malfoy been getting to you?"
"What?" Hermione froze. Did he know.? Unconsciously, she tensed up.
"You seem very different lately. And Draco's always following you. Or at least, it looks like it," Harry said with a concerned expression.
"You must be seeing things. Anyway, about the ball, Parvati and Lavender told me that they'd love to go with you-"
"You're changing the subjects. Plus, I don't want to go with them, I want to go with you," Harry said forcefully. Hermione started to panic. Her breathing quickened and her fists clenched and unclenched. She swallowed hard.
"Alright.don't get upset, Harry."
"I'm not upset," he answered calmly. He looked her up and down and his eyes rested on her chest for a moment, reflecting on her nipples' boldness. Hermione saw this and she felt herself start to blush"You're cold," he commented. He put his arm around her.
"Harry, that's really not necessary-" Hermione said as she started to push him away lightly.
"Sh." Harry put a finger to Hermione's mouth and leaned in. He closed his eyes and tilted his head sideways.
"Harry, stop!" Hermione pushed him away with more force. "Don't jeopardize our already precarious friendship with your raging hormones!" she spat as she ran away.
"Wait! Hermione, wait!" he called after her, but he was too late. She had already sprinted halfway to school. He slumped against the tree and gripped his head in his hands.
Hermione panted as she ran back to school. 'What was that all about??' Sure, she loved Harry, but in the purely platonic sense. And it was different. Different from when Draco was about to kiss her and when Harry was about to kiss her. With Harry there wasn't.chemistry, as much as she didn't want to admit it. There was chemistry with Draco.
She was about to round the corner to the corridor that led to Gryffindor tower when a body appeared from behind the corner.
"What's the matter, Hermione?" Draco asked silkily.
"Get out of my way," she said as she tried to push past him.
"Ah ah ah.I'd suggest you be quieter, Hogwarts is asleep right now," he replied as he gripped her wrist firmly.
"Move," Hermione hissed. She stalked past him.
"If you can't even stand up to Potter," said Draco. Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. "How on earth do you plan to win against me?"
She reflected angrily on this for a moment and then continued to walk on towards to her dormitory room. She locked herself in and began to cry on her bed. She wept for all the things that went wrong, that were going wrong, that were destined to be wrong.
There were but eight days left of school, two days left until Graduation Ball, and Hermione Granger wondered whether she would live to see graduation at all.