Um, H/G fans, don't hurt me, please. I still like that pairing, this is just for fun!
Parvati sighed as she walked out of the shower. The day was already not going well for her. She was home alone with Harry, as Bella was away on some Ministry business. And Harry, well, he was being depressed, and she didn't feel like talking to him. She pulled on her Muggle clothes, which, she had to admit, where a lot more comfortable than robes. She rubbed the mirror clean to get a better look at her face. Staring back at her was her reflection. It seemed all right, but like it was missing something. She tried smiling. It must've worked because the mirror suddenly said, "Much better, my dear. Now go see what that Potter boy is doing." Parvati looked back at the mirror.
"It's not so easy," she whispered, walking out of the bathroom. She trudged down the hallway, stopping at Harry's door. Her hand rested on the wood, and she was trying to decide whether or not to knock.
She really did feel sorry for Harry. She knew he must really like the Weasleys, because he and Ron were inseparable. She sighed as she remembered.
"Parvati, will you go to the ball with me?" Parvati was taken aback. She hadn't really expected Harry to ask her to the ball. But after all, a girl could dream, couldn't she? And now, here she was, being asked by Harry, the Harry Potter, if she would go to the ball with him. She giggled with the absurdity of it all, it just seemed so funny. Finally, she got a hold of herself.
"Yes, all right then," she answered, and she could feel herself blush. She wondered why she was doing that. It wasn't as if she really liked Harry, was it? And then Harry had asked her about Ron. Finally she suggested Padma.
Harry's nobility struck Parvati as funny. Harry had asked her to the ball, and then immediately, he had asked about Ron. He really was noble after all.
Parvati sighed as she remembered. He really is noble. Too bad he'd never ask me to any kind of ball ever again. I believe he just asked me as a last resort anyhow, though he'd never tell her that. She sighed again. "Stop thinking about Harry!" she told herself firmly. She examined the memory one more time, thinking of how concerned Harry was about Ron then. He must be worrying himself sick now.
"Maybe I should cheer him up." She knocked.
No answer.
She knocked again, and this time opened the door. She couldn't see him standing around anywhere.
"Harry?" she asked softly.
A light snore answered her. She turned in direction of it and saw Harry lying down on his bed. She walked over to look at him.
For some reason, he looked different when he was sleeping. He looked calmer, but without his glasses, he looked younger. Parvati stood over him and watched his chest rise up and down with each breath he took.
"Not exactly the hero now," she thought wryly. But, nevertheless, she still felt herself drawn towards him, and she couldn't take her eyes off him. For once, she didn't care if he was the hero, the Boy Who Lived. She cared that he looked so young, so calm, yet at the same time, so vulnerable. She bent over him, and reached toward his scar.
Suddenly, Harry opened his eyes. Parvati jerked her hand away. His emerald eyes blinked a couple of times, and he reached for his glasses. For some reason, Parvati stood rooted to the spot, her head bent over Harry's.
"Parvati?" Harry blinked his eyes. What was she doing in his room? Moreover, what was she doing standing over him like a hawk? "Maybe she was trying to kiss me…" Harry thought to himself. He shook his head to clear away the crazy thought, but Parvati was still standing over him.
"What are you doing in my-oof!" Harry had tried to roll out from under Parvati, but he had rolled too far.
He sat up on the floor of the other side of his bed and looked at Parvati. Parvati seemed to be overcome with giggles, and Harry felt himself turning red. He could see his reflection in the mirror across from him, and it showed his with disheveled hair, his glasses dangling off his nose, and his cheeks a bright red.
He stood up indignantly. "What are you doing here?" he asked, slightly annoyed that she had seen him like this. He fixed his glasses and patted down his hair as he glared at her.
"N-nothing," Parvati answered breathlessly. "I tried knocking on the door and there wasn't any answer, so I came in and saw you were sleeping." She was still smiling like the Cheshire Cat.
Harry glared at her some more. "And why were you standing over me?"
"Er." Parvati seemed to be blushing, though Harry really couldn't tell. "Wonderful say we're having here, isn't it?"
Harry looked outside. It was raining. He decided not to say so. "If you say so." He walked to the desk in his room and sat down.
"C'mon Harry, cheer up."
Harry looked at Parvati in disbelief. "Are you nuts? My best friend's brother just died!"
"It doesn't mean you have to go around moping!"
"Well, I'm sorry if someone as shallow as you can't understand what I'm feeling!" Harry kicked himself immediately. What had he just said?
Parvati bit her lip to stop it from trembling. "And I'm sorry if you can't for once let loose and enjoy life!" Without another word she spun around on her heel and left, leaving a very confused and angry Harry behind.
****
Parvati threw herself onto her pillow, waiting for the tears to come. They didn't. Instead, pure rage did. Shallow? Is that what everyone thought of her? Hermione certainly did, Parvati could see it in her eyes. But Harry? Harry spent too much time around book loving Hermione to see that lots of other girls just wanted to have fun. Did he really think that Parvati hadn't noticed him staring at Cho Chang throughout the Yule Ball? How did he know what she was like? He hadn't talked more than five syllables to her at one moment in his life! "I am not shallow!" Parvati thought angrily, punching a pillow.
****
Harry stared at the spot where Parvati had just been. He felt angry, but it was softened by confusion. Why had he just said that? Parvati was about the third girl he'd really gotten to know, not counting Moaning Myrtle. Hermione was a book learner, Cho was pretty and nice, and Parvati was, well, different from them, really. What was wrong with different? "God knows I'm different. She was just trying to get me to lighten up," Harry thought. He swallowed. Unless he wanted the next week to be a living hell, he knew he had to apologize. He actually did want to talk to Parvati when Arabella was gone. He gathered up all his courage and opened his door, trying not to think about the consequences of what he was about to do.
****
Parvati heard footsteps echoing through the hallway. She sat up. Was Bella home already?
There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Parvati called.
The door opened, and Harry stepped in, closing the door softly behind him.
Parvati glared at him icily and turned away from him, staring at her pillow.
"Parvati?" She didn't reply. She heard him coming closer, until she felt him sit on the bed about a foot away from her. "Parvati?" he asked again.
"What?" she snapped.
Harry looked kind of surprised at the tone of her voice. "Well, er, about just now, um, what I'm trying to say is…"
"Oh, just spit it out, Harry! You're wasting my time!"
"You weren't doing anything but staring off into space anyhow," Harry retorted. "Anyhow, as I was trying to say, I'm sorry."
Parvati looked at him. "Let's tease him a little," she thought to herself. "And?" she asked him.
Harry glared at her. "I'm sorry! What more do you want?"
Parvati moved closer to him so she could look him in the eye. "Did you mean what you said about me being shallow?"
Harry backed away from her penetrating stare. She moved closer, and kept doing so until he was up against the bedframe. She leaned in a little closer so that they were just two inches apart. "Well?" she asked.
Harry gulped. What was she doing? He could smell the taste of mint on her breath. "No, I didn't. I guess I got used to being around serious girls like Hermione. I guess you just like having fun a bit more."
"Okay. Apology accepted." With that, Parvati backed away, and Harry suddenly felt a sense of loss. He wasn't going to let her get away that easily.
"Wait. It's your turn." He leaned in closer to her. She didn't budge. Harry blinked and continued. "Do you really think I need to have fun while my best friend is in mourning?"
She leaned in closer and looked him square in the eye. They were only a scant inch apart. Harry shivered for some reason. Parvati replied, "No, that's not what I said. But do you really think that Charlie Weasley would've wanted you to sit around moping? No. So lighten up, enjoy life. Don't let Charlie's death stop you from being Harry, just like you didn't let the deaths of your parents stop you."
Harry stared at her. Why in the world had he called her shallow? She was anything but it. She looked at him, waiting for a reaction, breathing a little heavily for some reason.
"Well?" she asked breathlessly. "What do you have to say?" She realized how close they were and tried to back up. However, Harry had grabbed her shoulder with one hand, and her hand with another.
Harry wasn't sure what made him do it. It just seemed like the right thing to do at that time. Grabbing her, he leaned in. "Thank you," he whispered. And then he kissed her.
Parvati was flabbergasted. Was Harry Potter kissing her? He had just plopped his lips on hers, waiting for her to respond in some type of way. So she did. She kissed him back, and it felt right.
After an eternity, which was really only five seconds, Harry broke away. "I'm sorry," he said, panting, his face a bright crimson. "I don't know what happened." He looked horrified.
Parvati also felt a little taken aback. She didn't know what to say. So she just simply nodded and watched Harry walk rather quickly out of the room.