Hermione flopped down into one of the cushioned arm chairs in the
Gryffindor common room. She twirled a loose strand of hair that had fallen
from her ponytail around her index finger. The words that she had heard
Taylor say taunted her, swirling around in her mind, a bad memory that she
wanted to forget. What if Harry really did like this Kathi girl? What
would she do if she lost him? He meant everything to her...
Her thoughts were interrupted by the slamming of the portrait hole door. Meredith smiled at Hermione as she walked across the room. "Hey, Hermione!"
She managed a weak smile back at Meredith. "Hey, Mere," she said.
"What's wrong with you, girl?" Came her respose. Hermione spilled out the whole story to Meredith, and was please with the reaction. "YOU GO, GIRL! You really showed that Taylor girl that Harry is your man, and there is nothing that she can do about it!" She reached out and gave Hermione's shoulder a reassuring pat. "Harry loves you, Hermione, you're stupid for even doubting that. He's crazy about you, trust me. I have to listen to him go on about how perfect and wonderful you are."
"Yeah, you're right. Thank you so much, Meredith! How are things with you and Ron?" Hermione felt better about the subject, and she felt stupid for ever doubting what she had.
"We're great, I'm so lucky to have him! I just wish he was a crazy about me as Harry is about you, girl!" She said. She smiled at Hermione.
Crazy about her...the thought whirled in Hermione's head, erasing everything that Taylor had said earlier. Of course, how could she be so stupid? I'm so lucky to have him in my life, he means so much to me, she thought to herself. Nothing can bring us apart, not even the danger that we're facing, not even the threat of being defeated. We can make it through anything, as long as we have each other.
"Hello? Hermione? I have only been talking for the past million years, and you're just sitting there with that goofy expression on your face. You okay?" Meredith interrupted her thoughts once more. She snapped back to reality and smiled.
"Yeah...I'm great. Listen, I have to go find Harry...thanks Mere!" She got out of her chair and climbed out of the portrait hole, setting off at a run to find Harry. She disregarded the teachers that she passed by, this was more important than any rule that they had. She ingored the comments that were made by fellow students as she flew past them. Her side was aching, but she didn't care, she sped down the hallways in search of Harry.
When she rounded a corner, she ran into something solid. She inhaled, and the scent smelled like soap, the outdoors, oranges, cinnamon, gingerbread, and a million other wonderful things. She had found him. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder, gasping for breath and with tears running down her cheeks, but not caring, because she had found him.
"Harry!" She felt his arms go around her waist, and she felt complete, and didn't care who came along or what happened, nothing could hurt her. "Harry, I've been looking all over for you! I'm sorry I doubted everything, I'm sorry!!" He pulled her back and held her at arms length. His bright green eyes searched her face.
"What happened? Is everything okay?" She could hear panic in his voice, but she just laughed and threw herself back into his arms.
"Everything is wonderful, Harry. I love you," she whispered into his chest.
Thaddeus stepped back. He had just witnessed the single most painful moment in his life. Hermione had come running down the hallway, red faced and out of breath. She ran into Harry, who had been walking a few feet in front of Thaddeus. He walked forward to hear their conversation. Hermione was crying, but she looked happy. She looked beautiful, even though her red cheeks were tear stained. He watched as she was back into Harry's arms, and wished that it was him holding her instead of Harry. Even though he was younger than the two, his 14 year old body had grown to one that could rival Harry's. He was tall for his age, but muscular, and his blue eyes were almost as peircing as Harry's vivid green ones.
He listened to the conversation that was unfolding before his eyes. Hermione whispered something into Harry's chest, but he couldn't catch what. Then he realized what was said...she told him she loved him. The thought of her saying those words hit his heart like a thousand knives.
"Little Thaddeus is hurting, is he?" The cold voice inside his head taunted him. Thaddeus couldn't take it anymore.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" He screamed. People turned and stared at him. He smiled sheepishly, then pulled aside Rachel Brandwater, and said loud enough for everybody around him to hear, "Please, Rachel! I don't want to go out with any of your friends!" He whispered to her that he would explain later, and asked her to play along. He thought it was a good coverup, and in the back of his mind he thought it might make Hermione jealous. He looked over to the side to see if she had looked up, but she was still in Harry's arms.
"Poor little Thaddeus' heart is sinking, isn't it? The girl he loves loves his enemy," the voice said.
He's not my enemy, Thaddeus thought to himself. He's the one person that has destroyed you, and if he can do it once, he can do it again!
The voice inside his head laughed. Thaddeus shivered, he hated having to listen to that laugh. "Do you really think so? I have my ways of surprising people, boy, you should have learned that by now."
Thaddeus tried his best to ignore the voice that was taunting him in his mind. He thought of other things, more important things. He kept replaying the scene he had witnessed over and over in his mind, but instead, he pictured himself instead of Harry. He decided that the only thing for him to do was confess to Hermione of how he felt. But could he handle the reaction?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the slamming of the portrait hole door. Meredith smiled at Hermione as she walked across the room. "Hey, Hermione!"
She managed a weak smile back at Meredith. "Hey, Mere," she said.
"What's wrong with you, girl?" Came her respose. Hermione spilled out the whole story to Meredith, and was please with the reaction. "YOU GO, GIRL! You really showed that Taylor girl that Harry is your man, and there is nothing that she can do about it!" She reached out and gave Hermione's shoulder a reassuring pat. "Harry loves you, Hermione, you're stupid for even doubting that. He's crazy about you, trust me. I have to listen to him go on about how perfect and wonderful you are."
"Yeah, you're right. Thank you so much, Meredith! How are things with you and Ron?" Hermione felt better about the subject, and she felt stupid for ever doubting what she had.
"We're great, I'm so lucky to have him! I just wish he was a crazy about me as Harry is about you, girl!" She said. She smiled at Hermione.
Crazy about her...the thought whirled in Hermione's head, erasing everything that Taylor had said earlier. Of course, how could she be so stupid? I'm so lucky to have him in my life, he means so much to me, she thought to herself. Nothing can bring us apart, not even the danger that we're facing, not even the threat of being defeated. We can make it through anything, as long as we have each other.
"Hello? Hermione? I have only been talking for the past million years, and you're just sitting there with that goofy expression on your face. You okay?" Meredith interrupted her thoughts once more. She snapped back to reality and smiled.
"Yeah...I'm great. Listen, I have to go find Harry...thanks Mere!" She got out of her chair and climbed out of the portrait hole, setting off at a run to find Harry. She disregarded the teachers that she passed by, this was more important than any rule that they had. She ingored the comments that were made by fellow students as she flew past them. Her side was aching, but she didn't care, she sped down the hallways in search of Harry.
When she rounded a corner, she ran into something solid. She inhaled, and the scent smelled like soap, the outdoors, oranges, cinnamon, gingerbread, and a million other wonderful things. She had found him. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder, gasping for breath and with tears running down her cheeks, but not caring, because she had found him.
"Harry!" She felt his arms go around her waist, and she felt complete, and didn't care who came along or what happened, nothing could hurt her. "Harry, I've been looking all over for you! I'm sorry I doubted everything, I'm sorry!!" He pulled her back and held her at arms length. His bright green eyes searched her face.
"What happened? Is everything okay?" She could hear panic in his voice, but she just laughed and threw herself back into his arms.
"Everything is wonderful, Harry. I love you," she whispered into his chest.
Thaddeus stepped back. He had just witnessed the single most painful moment in his life. Hermione had come running down the hallway, red faced and out of breath. She ran into Harry, who had been walking a few feet in front of Thaddeus. He walked forward to hear their conversation. Hermione was crying, but she looked happy. She looked beautiful, even though her red cheeks were tear stained. He watched as she was back into Harry's arms, and wished that it was him holding her instead of Harry. Even though he was younger than the two, his 14 year old body had grown to one that could rival Harry's. He was tall for his age, but muscular, and his blue eyes were almost as peircing as Harry's vivid green ones.
He listened to the conversation that was unfolding before his eyes. Hermione whispered something into Harry's chest, but he couldn't catch what. Then he realized what was said...she told him she loved him. The thought of her saying those words hit his heart like a thousand knives.
"Little Thaddeus is hurting, is he?" The cold voice inside his head taunted him. Thaddeus couldn't take it anymore.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" He screamed. People turned and stared at him. He smiled sheepishly, then pulled aside Rachel Brandwater, and said loud enough for everybody around him to hear, "Please, Rachel! I don't want to go out with any of your friends!" He whispered to her that he would explain later, and asked her to play along. He thought it was a good coverup, and in the back of his mind he thought it might make Hermione jealous. He looked over to the side to see if she had looked up, but she was still in Harry's arms.
"Poor little Thaddeus' heart is sinking, isn't it? The girl he loves loves his enemy," the voice said.
He's not my enemy, Thaddeus thought to himself. He's the one person that has destroyed you, and if he can do it once, he can do it again!
The voice inside his head laughed. Thaddeus shivered, he hated having to listen to that laugh. "Do you really think so? I have my ways of surprising people, boy, you should have learned that by now."
Thaddeus tried his best to ignore the voice that was taunting him in his mind. He thought of other things, more important things. He kept replaying the scene he had witnessed over and over in his mind, but instead, he pictured himself instead of Harry. He decided that the only thing for him to do was confess to Hermione of how he felt. But could he handle the reaction?