Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and the rest of the
characters are all property of JKR. Please do NOT sue me! Thanx a bunch! =
)
A/N: This will be my first attempt at a serious Harry/Hermione thing, so wish
me luck! Please don't forget to read and review, I'd really like to hear what
you think! Constructive criticism would be appreciated, but most of all...
I just hope that you enjoy!
Chapter One ~ The Secret of the Princess
She stood two yards away from him in Gryffindor Tower, wondering
how to muster up the nerve to speak a few words towards him. But would he
listen? Or would he even acknowledge? A dark cloud fell in front of her
face, and she fell back into the cushioned chairs of the common room. His
eccentric raven hair was so dazzling! His clear green eyes were so mystifying!
He moved, how enchanting! He smiled, how amazing! He laughed, how she fainted!
But he should never - not, he would not ever realize that she secretly
admired him from a far, for so many of their years together... six of them.
She would always be the right-hand girl, the one who followed him everywhere,
simply as the friend who was the girl, just not the girlfriend. And although
it ached her so, she knew that it would always be this way. The seventeen
year old sighed. Sinking farther into the chair, she considered herself
defeated again. She knew it was not puppy love anymore. Her once crazy crush
had turned into true love over the past years. Yes, it was true... Hermione
Granger was deeply in love with Harry James Potter.
~*~*~*~
A/N: You are now entering the story!!!
~*~*~*~
"Just as I thought!" Snape spat. "Mr. Longbottom, you're never going to
learn, I'm afraid. Homework was due at the beginning of class, not
the end! Now here you are scrambling to finish it before turning it in.
I WILL NOT HAVE THIS IN MY CLASS!!! Now, I thought that after six years,
you really would have understood. I suppose I was wrong. However... I will
not tolerate this, and I expect you to serve a detention this Sunday, missing
the Quidditch game... too bad for you... AS FOR YOU, MR. WEASLEY!!! Mr.
Longbottom has no brains, what is your excuse for not handing in your homework?
GIVE IT TO ME AT ONCE!!!"
Monday morning started with another boring few hours of Double Potions with
the Slytherins... and Professor ::shudder:: Severus Snape. There essays
were due at the beginning of class, but most unfortunately, Neville Longbottom
had forgotten to do it, and Ron Weasley - well, he remembered - he just
plain did not do it.
Ron Weasley did not exactly care. He loathed Severus Snape like no other,
perhaps with the exception of one - Harry Potter. Of course Severus Snape
had not gotten to Harry Potter yet. And when he would... Harry Potter would
be in for it.
"Miss Granger... when I ask for an essay, I do not expect a THIRTY PAGE
ONE!!! I suppose you thought you'd try and butter me up as you do the other
teachers... Just for that, I want you to REWRITE the essay, and if it isn't
TOO MUCH TROUBLE FOR YOU, I'd like you to make it under TEN pages!" Snape
bellowed across the room.
Hermione Granger blushed a deep crimson. She hated getting in trouble, and
this was the only class it ever happened in. Hermione looked at Harry. He
made a face towards Snape when he wasn't looking, and Hermione felt a little
better. They exchanged a roll of their eyes and faced the front again with
bored looks across their faces.
In a timid voice Hermione said, "I'll gladly rewrite the essay, Sir. I'm
sorry it wasn't more to your liking."
Snape threw out another terrifying look towards to class and shuffled through
the essay papers again. One by one he found a fault in each and every Gryffindor
student's papers. They all learned long ago that Severus Snape loved to
play favorites... Especially with Draco Malfoy.
After Snape decided that he was through critiquing all the essays,
they learnt the new Potion and practiced it. Then Doubles Potions was over
for the day and they left the class room.
Ron Weasley had a look of disbelief on his face as he stared at Hermione.
"How do you do it? How on Earth do you put up with him?"
"What do you mean?" Hermione inquired honestly.
"If I wrote a thirty page essay and handed it in and then had to re-do it,
I'd be picking up my desk and throwing it at Professor Snape by this time!"
Ron exclaimed.
"Well Ronald, that's the difference between you and me," Hermione replied
dantily.
Ron stuck out his tongue at Hermione as Ginny Weasley walked up.
"Oh, please Ron! That is so juvenile!" she begged.
"Thank you Ginny," Hermione said with a smile.
"No problem," Ginny replied, returning the smile. "So, how were Doubles
Potions today?"
"Horrible! As usual!" Harry remarked.
Ginny blushed a little - like she always did when Harry spoke towards her.
"I'm sorry to hear that," she replied, trying to sound bold and cool, so
that Harry might take some notice of her.
But Harry would always think of Ginny Weasley as Ron's kid-sister. Nothing
more, nothing less. She was a good friend to him, but at friendship it stayed,
and no further did it travel. Ginny sighed a little sigh to herself. Perhaps
he would never like her. There were other fish in the sea. Besides, someone
told Ginny during Muggle Studies last week that Seamus Finnigan was thinking
of asking her out!
A/N: Sorry it ended with Ginny, but I wasn't exactly sure how to
end this first chapter considering that I have to go finish my HW and take
a shower right now. Well, next chapters will be longer, I just wanted to
get this first one out quick, thanx!!!
