A/N: Hi, Dragonessa again. This chapter is a bit fast-paced, you'll see why in a bit. I know Hermione's reaction to Lavender isn't exactly realistic, but I kinda got a small case of writer's block there. Thanks to all my wonderful and lovely reviewers! I know have double-didgit reviews! Woo-hoo! I think that's all I have today.
You lagged behind on purpose, didn't you?
Yes, she thought angrily. I did. And you can't do anything, because you're just a voice in my head. I'm going to tell him how I feel about him, right now.
"Hermione?" Charlie asked. "Can I do something for you?"
Yeah, make me seven years older or make yourself seven years younger, so this crush might have a chance to work.
Stalling. You won't tell him.
Will too.
"Hermione?" Charlie asked again.
"Um, no, never mind." She turned and hurried to catch up with Ron and Harry.
Told you so.
Shut up.
~!*!~
September 30, 2006
"Hermione?" Lavender asked. She held her hands behind her back. Parvati stood beside her, hands on hips.
"Mmm?" Hermione muttered. She was lying on her bed, finishing up a bit of Arithmacy homework, and she was in the middle of a rather tricky equation.
"What are you doing?"
"Homework."
"Oh, I see." Lavender said. She took from behind her back a sheet of paper covered in little hearts. "Since when does your homework involve doodling "HG+CW" in little hearts?"
Hermione froze. She knew her face was burning red, but she couldn't move, couldn't grab the paper away from Lavender, shout at Parvati, or strangle them both so they could never, ever tell anyone.
"Now, I know you're HG, and I know that Charlie's initial's are CW, but that can't be the same CW as you wrote on here, right? Because that would mean that you like Charlie, but you don't, do you?" Parvati sounded slightly panicked at the thought of smart, sane Hermione falling level head over heels in love, with a teacher, no less.
Hermione hung her head. "You didn't tell anyone, did you?"
"Oh. My. God." Parvati sunk to the floor, her head in her hands. Lavender was staring at Hermione like she'd grown another head. "I never thought I'd see the day you had a crush on someone."
"Why?" Hermione asked, suddenly angry. "You think I'm that shy? That anti-social? That much of a bookworm? What? Why did you never think I'd have a crush?"
"Well," Lavender said slowly. "You're either enemies or friends with all the cute guys at school, and I guess we just assumed that you'd never have a crush on any of them, and, well, all that's left is the not-cute guys."
Hermione felt the anger deflate as quickly as it had come. She knew that Lavender was telling the truth. She was a terrible liar.
"Okay. I forgive you guys...I guess." Hermione said. To tell the truth, she had been dying to tell someone, anyone. If Malfoy, heaven forbid, had come up to her with the paper, she would have been relieved.
"So you like Charlie?" Lavender asked brightly, tactfully switching onto a lighter note. "I must say, you have pretty good taste. And an older guy. I know, guys our age are so immature."
"When did this start?" Parvati had appeared behind Lavender again.
"Well, it started at the Ireland vs. Bulgaria Quidditch World Cup..."
~!*!~
October 1, 2006
"What is with her?" Ron asked Harry and Charlie. Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati were huddled in a corner of the common room by the fire, giggling.
"Giggling, for goodness sakes. Doesn't she know what giggling does to a guy?" Harry asked.
"I wonder what their talking about?" Charlie wondered.
Probably a cute guy, a seventh year guy, not a seven-years-older guy.
"I dunno." Ron said. "But it must be really funny, because their giggling up a storm."
A sudden crack of thunder intensified Ron's statement. Minutes later, rain lashed against the windows of Gryffindor Tower.
The common room emptied quickly after that. Charlie moved to a seat closer by the fire, thinking about Hermione.
He was quite sure he was alone, until he heard a scratch of a quill on parchment. He stood up and looked around behind him, searching for the source of the noise.
Hermione sat, her back to him, drawing something on a piece of paper. It wasn't schoolwork, Charlie could tell. So what was it?
"Hey Hermione." He said, walking up behind her. "What's that?"
She must have jumped nearly five feet in the air. Hermione grabbed the sheet of paper and held it against her chest, her arms wrapped protectively around it.
"Nothing." She looked absolutely horrified.
"C'mon, let me see; it can't be that bad." He tried to grab it, but Hermione held it just out of reach behind her back now.
"No." She said quietly.
"Fine, fine..." Charlie said, giving up. Hermione relaxed a little bit. She turned around to gather her things. "I don't need to see it."
He snuck up behind her and grabbed the picture from under her arm.
"Actually, yes I do."
"No!" Hermione yelled. She tried to grab the picture back, but he stuck his arm out and held her back. In desperation, she jumped on his back and tried to grab the picture from him. But it didn't work.
Suddenly, Charlie froze.
Charlie froze.
It was obviously an enchanted drawing. The two figures were moving, waving at him.
One was a rather tall boy who had a mess of red hair, and was wearing jeans and a "International Quidditch Association" T-shirt. His arm was around a girl's waist. The girl had brown hair, and was wearing a dark green, knee-length dress.
The girl was obviously Hermione. It looked exactly like her.
She's a good artist, Charlie thought numbly.
The boy could have been any of the Weasly brothers. They all looked more or less the same whenever anyone drew them.
For one wild second, he thought it was Ron. Then he saw the little hearts that were floating around the couples.
HG+CW
Hermione slid down off his back.
You lagged behind on purpose, didn't you?
Yes, she thought angrily. I did. And you can't do anything, because you're just a voice in my head. I'm going to tell him how I feel about him, right now.
"Hermione?" Charlie asked. "Can I do something for you?"
Yeah, make me seven years older or make yourself seven years younger, so this crush might have a chance to work.
Stalling. You won't tell him.
Will too.
"Hermione?" Charlie asked again.
"Um, no, never mind." She turned and hurried to catch up with Ron and Harry.
Told you so.
Shut up.
~!*!~
September 30, 2006
"Hermione?" Lavender asked. She held her hands behind her back. Parvati stood beside her, hands on hips.
"Mmm?" Hermione muttered. She was lying on her bed, finishing up a bit of Arithmacy homework, and she was in the middle of a rather tricky equation.
"What are you doing?"
"Homework."
"Oh, I see." Lavender said. She took from behind her back a sheet of paper covered in little hearts. "Since when does your homework involve doodling "HG+CW" in little hearts?"
Hermione froze. She knew her face was burning red, but she couldn't move, couldn't grab the paper away from Lavender, shout at Parvati, or strangle them both so they could never, ever tell anyone.
"Now, I know you're HG, and I know that Charlie's initial's are CW, but that can't be the same CW as you wrote on here, right? Because that would mean that you like Charlie, but you don't, do you?" Parvati sounded slightly panicked at the thought of smart, sane Hermione falling level head over heels in love, with a teacher, no less.
Hermione hung her head. "You didn't tell anyone, did you?"
"Oh. My. God." Parvati sunk to the floor, her head in her hands. Lavender was staring at Hermione like she'd grown another head. "I never thought I'd see the day you had a crush on someone."
"Why?" Hermione asked, suddenly angry. "You think I'm that shy? That anti-social? That much of a bookworm? What? Why did you never think I'd have a crush?"
"Well," Lavender said slowly. "You're either enemies or friends with all the cute guys at school, and I guess we just assumed that you'd never have a crush on any of them, and, well, all that's left is the not-cute guys."
Hermione felt the anger deflate as quickly as it had come. She knew that Lavender was telling the truth. She was a terrible liar.
"Okay. I forgive you guys...I guess." Hermione said. To tell the truth, she had been dying to tell someone, anyone. If Malfoy, heaven forbid, had come up to her with the paper, she would have been relieved.
"So you like Charlie?" Lavender asked brightly, tactfully switching onto a lighter note. "I must say, you have pretty good taste. And an older guy. I know, guys our age are so immature."
"When did this start?" Parvati had appeared behind Lavender again.
"Well, it started at the Ireland vs. Bulgaria Quidditch World Cup..."
~!*!~
October 1, 2006
"What is with her?" Ron asked Harry and Charlie. Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati were huddled in a corner of the common room by the fire, giggling.
"Giggling, for goodness sakes. Doesn't she know what giggling does to a guy?" Harry asked.
"I wonder what their talking about?" Charlie wondered.
Probably a cute guy, a seventh year guy, not a seven-years-older guy.
"I dunno." Ron said. "But it must be really funny, because their giggling up a storm."
A sudden crack of thunder intensified Ron's statement. Minutes later, rain lashed against the windows of Gryffindor Tower.
The common room emptied quickly after that. Charlie moved to a seat closer by the fire, thinking about Hermione.
He was quite sure he was alone, until he heard a scratch of a quill on parchment. He stood up and looked around behind him, searching for the source of the noise.
Hermione sat, her back to him, drawing something on a piece of paper. It wasn't schoolwork, Charlie could tell. So what was it?
"Hey Hermione." He said, walking up behind her. "What's that?"
She must have jumped nearly five feet in the air. Hermione grabbed the sheet of paper and held it against her chest, her arms wrapped protectively around it.
"Nothing." She looked absolutely horrified.
"C'mon, let me see; it can't be that bad." He tried to grab it, but Hermione held it just out of reach behind her back now.
"No." She said quietly.
"Fine, fine..." Charlie said, giving up. Hermione relaxed a little bit. She turned around to gather her things. "I don't need to see it."
He snuck up behind her and grabbed the picture from under her arm.
"Actually, yes I do."
"No!" Hermione yelled. She tried to grab the picture back, but he stuck his arm out and held her back. In desperation, she jumped on his back and tried to grab the picture from him. But it didn't work.
Suddenly, Charlie froze.
Charlie froze.
It was obviously an enchanted drawing. The two figures were moving, waving at him.
One was a rather tall boy who had a mess of red hair, and was wearing jeans and a "International Quidditch Association" T-shirt. His arm was around a girl's waist. The girl had brown hair, and was wearing a dark green, knee-length dress.
The girl was obviously Hermione. It looked exactly like her.
She's a good artist, Charlie thought numbly.
The boy could have been any of the Weasly brothers. They all looked more or less the same whenever anyone drew them.
For one wild second, he thought it was Ron. Then he saw the little hearts that were floating around the couples.
HG+CW
Hermione slid down off his back.