I need your help!
Harry felt numb as he started climbing the stairs to his dormitory. He couldn't quite realize what had just happened.
He had finally screwed up the courage to confess his love to Hermione and she... she had said 'no'. How could he have been so blind not to see that she didn't feel the same for him. Had he not sworn to himself never to let her know? He had wanted to avoid exactly the situation he was in right now. If it hadn't been for that night â€"that kiss...
What had Hermione thought she was doing? Did she not understand how she had hurt him?
It was not the fact that she had rejected him that made im feel angry. It was that kiss she had given him. She had mislead his thoughts...
***
Hermione was thinking. She had to figure out a way to show Harry her true feelings. The problem was that he would probably be angry right now and he most certainly wouldn't believe her if she just turned up and told him, she had changed her mind. No... it had to be something special... She decided that she needed professional help!
"Parvati, Lavender?", she strode over to the two girls, who were sitting on Parvati's bed, discussing some teen-magazine article.
"Yeah Hermione, what is it?", Lavender called back.
"I need your help!"
"Well, where could be possibly hep you? With your transfiguration essay?" Parvati laughed.
"No, it's nothing to to with school. Yous see, there is this boy..."
Lavender interrupted her. "BOY? Hermione, who is it?!"
"Oh for God's sake Lavender, let her finish please! â€"Keep going Hermione."
"Well, if you must know, it's about Harry." Hermione sighed. It was out.
"Ah, I see. And what exactly does it have to do with us?"
"I need you to help me convince him that I chaned my mind about... about my feelings. The problem is that he is probably mad or disappointed or both. I don't know. And he won't be too easy to convince."
"Alright. So you want us to help you in getting Harry back. That means you need a good plan. Right?" Parvati summed up.
"Umm, yes. Sounds like that." Hermione said. She wondered whether it had been a mistake to ask the two girls for help.
"Alright, give me a minute... Let's think..."
The three girls were silent. Only Hermione was looking around nervously anticipating with what kind of an idea they would come up. Hopefully it wasn't something that went out of her character too much.
"You know, you're a difficult case Hermione. But what about the Winter Dance we'll have in two weeks? Did you already get yourself a partner?" Parvati said.
"Well, no. I thought there was still enough time..." Hermione replied taken aback. She had completely forgotten about that dance.
"Oh, good. That helps a lot!" Parvati smiled.
"You mean... I should ask him out for the dance? I don't think, he'll agree. Remeber, he's probably still mad at me."Hermione said.
"Well, of course you're not going to walk up to him and just ask him! No, we need something more subtle..." Parvati said.
"What about an anonymous letter? That'll catch him by his curiousity!" Lavender suggested.
The two girls looked at each other.
"Great! And once you've got him there, we will prepare you for the dance. He will be flattened by your change of mind and appearance!" Parvati added.
So it was decided.
The next day, the three came together again and started on the letter. Hermione had brought some paper and a quill, but that wasn't nearly good enough for Parvati and Lavender for they had come up with their own equippment constisting of fine paper and ink in variuous colours.
"Now, we shouldn't make it too girlish or he'll be bored the instant he gets the letter. He is used to those by now. What we need is something pure and honest so he'll want to know who the author may be." Lavender announced.
With this premise, they settled down to work. Finally, it was ready. Given the time they had spent it seemed way too short but Parvati and Lavender assured Hermione that this was a normal thing to occur.
Dear Harry,
You are the boy who lived but that doesn't make you special for me.
You are always the hero but that seems almost boring to me.
And it's neither your looks nor your fame that appeal to me.
Yet, there is something that is fascinating about you.
This something might be hidden for you.
And it is only now that I see the truth about you.
So, if you are willing to go to the dance with me we
Could find out what might be between us.
Your dearest friend.
"Don't you think he will guess, reading that last line?" Hermione asked.
"And what if that thought occurs to him? It will only make him think harder about who the author could be and if it might really be you!" Parvati explained.
"But for the plan to work, it is essential that you behave absolutely normally around him!" Lavender reminded her.
"Alright, alright, I'll do my best!" Hermione sighed. This was going to be harder that actually confronting an angry Harry with her feelings right now.
All through tha next days, Hermione wasn't quite herself. Lavender and Parvati would deliver the letter, though of course not in person. The promised to do it secretly and so that omly Harry would see the letter. But still, Hermione was nervous and distracted.
"Miss Granger!" a cold and angry voice snapped at her.
Her head shot up and she looked straight into the black eyes of
"Professor Snape?" she tried to sound confident.
"Why are you not paying attention in my class?" he aksed.
"But I, I ... I didn't..."
"Enough of that stammering Miss Granger. Get up and in front of the board! Now!" he added as she did not move immedeatly.
"Now we will soon know whether you have payed attention or not" And with these words he started to throw questions at Hermione. While the others were ordered to continue with their potions, she had to stand in front of the class, sketching difficult diagramms and drawing complexe potions reactions onto the board.
But he hadn't been Snape if he had let it be with that. Furious, because Hermione knew all the answers, he started to test her on subjects they had not even really started on. He continued until Hermione came to one question, she could not answer.
"Very well." He sneered. "So we have come to a subject where you couldn't learn the content by heart. Miss Granger, I will not tolerate this behaviour in my class. It is not your task to learn your subjects in private so that you can do other things in my classes."
Hermione sighed. She had known that this would come. He would never have let her go without giving her a lecture.
"Of yourse you will need to recover this class. Detention tonight at 8 o'clock! And bring your potions materials." He hissed.
The bell rang.
"Dismissed" Snape bellowed and everyone hurried to collect their things.
At a quarter to eight Hermione made her way downstairs to the dungeons, again lost in thought. She knew nothing terrible was going to happen. This wasn't her first detention with Snape. All she had to do was stay calm and just finish the task he gave her as quick and clean as possible.
At five to eight she knocked at the door leading to Snape's classroom.
"Come in!"
She entered the room.
"Ah, Miss Granger. I take it that you brought all the necessary ingredients for today's potion?"
"Yes, sir." She replied.
"So what are you waiting for? Get started!" he said harshly.
Without another word she got her material ready and started to set up the potion. Of course she knew how to make it. She had known already before today's lesson. And so she was working silently and fairly concentrated. Perhaps this detention hadn't been that bad after all. At least she found herself calm down slightly and her mind had to focus on the potion and couldn't think about Harry for once.
The instant she thought this it knocked at the door.
"Come in!" Snape bellowed.
The door opened but Hermione did not bother to look up as she had reached a pretty difficult moment with her potion.
"You're late Potter!"
These words made Hermione bolt upright, sending an whole lot of prepared ingredients flying around. And there he stood. Harry. Obviously he had also gotten detention earlier.
When he strode over to a desk, he barely looked at her and her eyes filled with tears as she quickly bent down to look at her potion. To her shock it had turned all deep red when it was actually supposed to be cristal clear. She noticed the mess she had produced when she had stood up so suddenly and hastily tried to collect her ingredients that had fallen to the floor, trying to ignore Snape's evil glare. She had to be fast and recover her potion before it ws too late. But it was no good. Harry's mere presence was totally disconcerting to her and her movements were flustered.
"Now, now, Miss Granger. What do you think you are doing?" Snape interfered. It was obvious that Hermione was completely lost. She was feeling horrible. This was the first time a potion of hers hadn't worked. Why now? Why did it have to happen now? When she was alone with the two people she least wanted to be embarrased in front of?
"Would you get a grip Miss Granger! Concentrate and finish your potion!" Snape was standing right next to her blocking Harry from her view. Slowly she calmed down and started to add ingredients that should correct the potion. And it worked. After 15 more minutes with Snape standing between the two of them, her potion was finally ready and it worked.
"You are dismised Miss Granger." Snape simply stated. It seemed as though he had a pretty good idea what had been going on but neither Hermione nor Harry noticed this. They were too preoccupied with their own business.
When she returned to the common room, Lavender and Parvati were already waiting for her to tell her that everything had worked out and that Harry would find the letter tonight under his blanket. Furthermore they had prepared a second letter that would be more precise about the place and time when they were to meet at the day of the dance.
This left Hermione with nothing else than the preparations for the ball. Though this grew to be more work than she had ever imagined.
First of all the three girls went to Hogsmeade the next weekend to buy a dress, shoes and other necessary items. They were not the only ones using the last chance to do dome shopping before the dance so Hermione was practically dead that evening.
The next week passed with Parvat and Lavender trying different sorts of stylings for Hermione every evening. As she still had to keep up with her daily schoolwork, Hermione stayed up late every night.
Finally friday arrived and Hermione went to bed very early trying to get some sleep at last. When she woke up, she couldn't believe that the day of the dance had actually arrived. It had been all very well to do the planning. It was the part of putting it into action that frightened her.
But there was no backing away now. When Lavender and Parvati woke up a little while later. Right after lunch they took Hermione to the prefects' bathroom she was allowed to use now. Together they had prepared a beauty program for Hermione, starting with a hot and steamy bath.
Several masks and treatments later, Hermione found herself looking into a reflection that she didn't recognize. She was wearing her new dress. It was made of a silky material that shimmered lightly, it was pale blue and showed her perfect figure nicely tough not too agressively. Her long brown hair was all silky and some parts of it fell out of the elegant yet romatic knot down to her shoulders. Her make up made her eyes look like shining stars and emphasized alle the positive aspects of her face.
Yes, Parvati and Lavender had done a great job. You would still recognize Hermione Granger although she looked changed.
Prepared like this, Hermione found herself in a much calmer state of mind than she had expected when she went downstairs to the place were she would hopefully meet Harry.
Slowly, she approached the classroom, nervosity falling off her with every step...
***
Oh, a cliffhanger! I'm sorry but this chapter was already much longer than it was supposed to be... I had to stopp here! ;-) Next chapter will be about the ball, of course...so stay tuned!
Anyway, I hope you liked it so far! Please review!!!
Harry felt numb as he started climbing the stairs to his dormitory. He couldn't quite realize what had just happened.
He had finally screwed up the courage to confess his love to Hermione and she... she had said 'no'. How could he have been so blind not to see that she didn't feel the same for him. Had he not sworn to himself never to let her know? He had wanted to avoid exactly the situation he was in right now. If it hadn't been for that night â€"that kiss...
What had Hermione thought she was doing? Did she not understand how she had hurt him?
It was not the fact that she had rejected him that made im feel angry. It was that kiss she had given him. She had mislead his thoughts...
***
Hermione was thinking. She had to figure out a way to show Harry her true feelings. The problem was that he would probably be angry right now and he most certainly wouldn't believe her if she just turned up and told him, she had changed her mind. No... it had to be something special... She decided that she needed professional help!
"Parvati, Lavender?", she strode over to the two girls, who were sitting on Parvati's bed, discussing some teen-magazine article.
"Yeah Hermione, what is it?", Lavender called back.
"I need your help!"
"Well, where could be possibly hep you? With your transfiguration essay?" Parvati laughed.
"No, it's nothing to to with school. Yous see, there is this boy..."
Lavender interrupted her. "BOY? Hermione, who is it?!"
"Oh for God's sake Lavender, let her finish please! â€"Keep going Hermione."
"Well, if you must know, it's about Harry." Hermione sighed. It was out.
"Ah, I see. And what exactly does it have to do with us?"
"I need you to help me convince him that I chaned my mind about... about my feelings. The problem is that he is probably mad or disappointed or both. I don't know. And he won't be too easy to convince."
"Alright. So you want us to help you in getting Harry back. That means you need a good plan. Right?" Parvati summed up.
"Umm, yes. Sounds like that." Hermione said. She wondered whether it had been a mistake to ask the two girls for help.
"Alright, give me a minute... Let's think..."
The three girls were silent. Only Hermione was looking around nervously anticipating with what kind of an idea they would come up. Hopefully it wasn't something that went out of her character too much.
"You know, you're a difficult case Hermione. But what about the Winter Dance we'll have in two weeks? Did you already get yourself a partner?" Parvati said.
"Well, no. I thought there was still enough time..." Hermione replied taken aback. She had completely forgotten about that dance.
"Oh, good. That helps a lot!" Parvati smiled.
"You mean... I should ask him out for the dance? I don't think, he'll agree. Remeber, he's probably still mad at me."Hermione said.
"Well, of course you're not going to walk up to him and just ask him! No, we need something more subtle..." Parvati said.
"What about an anonymous letter? That'll catch him by his curiousity!" Lavender suggested.
The two girls looked at each other.
"Great! And once you've got him there, we will prepare you for the dance. He will be flattened by your change of mind and appearance!" Parvati added.
So it was decided.
The next day, the three came together again and started on the letter. Hermione had brought some paper and a quill, but that wasn't nearly good enough for Parvati and Lavender for they had come up with their own equippment constisting of fine paper and ink in variuous colours.
"Now, we shouldn't make it too girlish or he'll be bored the instant he gets the letter. He is used to those by now. What we need is something pure and honest so he'll want to know who the author may be." Lavender announced.
With this premise, they settled down to work. Finally, it was ready. Given the time they had spent it seemed way too short but Parvati and Lavender assured Hermione that this was a normal thing to occur.
Dear Harry,
You are the boy who lived but that doesn't make you special for me.
You are always the hero but that seems almost boring to me.
And it's neither your looks nor your fame that appeal to me.
Yet, there is something that is fascinating about you.
This something might be hidden for you.
And it is only now that I see the truth about you.
So, if you are willing to go to the dance with me we
Could find out what might be between us.
Your dearest friend.
"Don't you think he will guess, reading that last line?" Hermione asked.
"And what if that thought occurs to him? It will only make him think harder about who the author could be and if it might really be you!" Parvati explained.
"But for the plan to work, it is essential that you behave absolutely normally around him!" Lavender reminded her.
"Alright, alright, I'll do my best!" Hermione sighed. This was going to be harder that actually confronting an angry Harry with her feelings right now.
All through tha next days, Hermione wasn't quite herself. Lavender and Parvati would deliver the letter, though of course not in person. The promised to do it secretly and so that omly Harry would see the letter. But still, Hermione was nervous and distracted.
"Miss Granger!" a cold and angry voice snapped at her.
Her head shot up and she looked straight into the black eyes of
"Professor Snape?" she tried to sound confident.
"Why are you not paying attention in my class?" he aksed.
"But I, I ... I didn't..."
"Enough of that stammering Miss Granger. Get up and in front of the board! Now!" he added as she did not move immedeatly.
"Now we will soon know whether you have payed attention or not" And with these words he started to throw questions at Hermione. While the others were ordered to continue with their potions, she had to stand in front of the class, sketching difficult diagramms and drawing complexe potions reactions onto the board.
But he hadn't been Snape if he had let it be with that. Furious, because Hermione knew all the answers, he started to test her on subjects they had not even really started on. He continued until Hermione came to one question, she could not answer.
"Very well." He sneered. "So we have come to a subject where you couldn't learn the content by heart. Miss Granger, I will not tolerate this behaviour in my class. It is not your task to learn your subjects in private so that you can do other things in my classes."
Hermione sighed. She had known that this would come. He would never have let her go without giving her a lecture.
"Of yourse you will need to recover this class. Detention tonight at 8 o'clock! And bring your potions materials." He hissed.
The bell rang.
"Dismissed" Snape bellowed and everyone hurried to collect their things.
At a quarter to eight Hermione made her way downstairs to the dungeons, again lost in thought. She knew nothing terrible was going to happen. This wasn't her first detention with Snape. All she had to do was stay calm and just finish the task he gave her as quick and clean as possible.
At five to eight she knocked at the door leading to Snape's classroom.
"Come in!"
She entered the room.
"Ah, Miss Granger. I take it that you brought all the necessary ingredients for today's potion?"
"Yes, sir." She replied.
"So what are you waiting for? Get started!" he said harshly.
Without another word she got her material ready and started to set up the potion. Of course she knew how to make it. She had known already before today's lesson. And so she was working silently and fairly concentrated. Perhaps this detention hadn't been that bad after all. At least she found herself calm down slightly and her mind had to focus on the potion and couldn't think about Harry for once.
The instant she thought this it knocked at the door.
"Come in!" Snape bellowed.
The door opened but Hermione did not bother to look up as she had reached a pretty difficult moment with her potion.
"You're late Potter!"
These words made Hermione bolt upright, sending an whole lot of prepared ingredients flying around. And there he stood. Harry. Obviously he had also gotten detention earlier.
When he strode over to a desk, he barely looked at her and her eyes filled with tears as she quickly bent down to look at her potion. To her shock it had turned all deep red when it was actually supposed to be cristal clear. She noticed the mess she had produced when she had stood up so suddenly and hastily tried to collect her ingredients that had fallen to the floor, trying to ignore Snape's evil glare. She had to be fast and recover her potion before it ws too late. But it was no good. Harry's mere presence was totally disconcerting to her and her movements were flustered.
"Now, now, Miss Granger. What do you think you are doing?" Snape interfered. It was obvious that Hermione was completely lost. She was feeling horrible. This was the first time a potion of hers hadn't worked. Why now? Why did it have to happen now? When she was alone with the two people she least wanted to be embarrased in front of?
"Would you get a grip Miss Granger! Concentrate and finish your potion!" Snape was standing right next to her blocking Harry from her view. Slowly she calmed down and started to add ingredients that should correct the potion. And it worked. After 15 more minutes with Snape standing between the two of them, her potion was finally ready and it worked.
"You are dismised Miss Granger." Snape simply stated. It seemed as though he had a pretty good idea what had been going on but neither Hermione nor Harry noticed this. They were too preoccupied with their own business.
When she returned to the common room, Lavender and Parvati were already waiting for her to tell her that everything had worked out and that Harry would find the letter tonight under his blanket. Furthermore they had prepared a second letter that would be more precise about the place and time when they were to meet at the day of the dance.
This left Hermione with nothing else than the preparations for the ball. Though this grew to be more work than she had ever imagined.
First of all the three girls went to Hogsmeade the next weekend to buy a dress, shoes and other necessary items. They were not the only ones using the last chance to do dome shopping before the dance so Hermione was practically dead that evening.
The next week passed with Parvat and Lavender trying different sorts of stylings for Hermione every evening. As she still had to keep up with her daily schoolwork, Hermione stayed up late every night.
Finally friday arrived and Hermione went to bed very early trying to get some sleep at last. When she woke up, she couldn't believe that the day of the dance had actually arrived. It had been all very well to do the planning. It was the part of putting it into action that frightened her.
But there was no backing away now. When Lavender and Parvati woke up a little while later. Right after lunch they took Hermione to the prefects' bathroom she was allowed to use now. Together they had prepared a beauty program for Hermione, starting with a hot and steamy bath.
Several masks and treatments later, Hermione found herself looking into a reflection that she didn't recognize. She was wearing her new dress. It was made of a silky material that shimmered lightly, it was pale blue and showed her perfect figure nicely tough not too agressively. Her long brown hair was all silky and some parts of it fell out of the elegant yet romatic knot down to her shoulders. Her make up made her eyes look like shining stars and emphasized alle the positive aspects of her face.
Yes, Parvati and Lavender had done a great job. You would still recognize Hermione Granger although she looked changed.
Prepared like this, Hermione found herself in a much calmer state of mind than she had expected when she went downstairs to the place were she would hopefully meet Harry.
Slowly, she approached the classroom, nervosity falling off her with every step...
***
Oh, a cliffhanger! I'm sorry but this chapter was already much longer than it was supposed to be... I had to stopp here! ;-) Next chapter will be about the ball, of course...so stay tuned!
Anyway, I hope you liked it so far! Please review!!!