I forgot the disclaimer on the first 2 chapters, hope I don't get struck by
lightning!
Here it is:
Disclaimer: Yeah right, I only wish I was J. K. and this was all mine. In
my dreams.
Hermione was late coming down to the Common Room to meet Ron and Harry for the Dance. They'd planned to walk together to meet Cho in the Great Hall. Harry sprawled in a chair, feeling surprisingly relaxed, while Ron paced the room's length with one nervous eye on the clock. Every once in a while he said something to Harry along the lines of, "Reckon she decided to add a few more inches to her Potions homework?" or "Think she might have started studying for final exams instead?" He had just turned toward Harry with another one of these anxious queries when Hermione finally came down from the girls' dormitories.
She'd swept her long hair up in a complicated-looking twist, and having it pulled back drew attention to her sparkling eyes and long lashes. Her dress showed much more of her figure than everyday robes; the boys hadn't known she was shaped like that. It was the first time all year Harry had seen her without her prefect badge; he supposed it didn't match the dress. She approached her two best friends shyly.
"You look great, Hermione!" said Harry, standing up.
"Thanks, Harry," she replied with a smile, turning a bit expectantly to Ron.
Ron just looked at her, completely frozen, with an expression on his face that was at once shocked and dreamlike. Almost a full minute of it seemed to make Hermione uncomfortable, and she sent a panicked look to Harry, who poked Ron in the back. He halfway snapped out of it, saying distractedly, "Right, well, um, look nice, Hermione." and then going immediately to the other extreme: refusing to look at her.
"He's utterly hopeless," Harry thought. "Whoa, look at the time, hope I'm not late meeting Cho because of you two, better get going." Harry said briskly, walking toward the door and discreetly indicating to Ron that he should offer Hermione his arm, which he did, stiffly, still without looking at her, almost without breathing.
Harry, smiling, opened the door for the couple and then hung back in the hall to give them privacy, even though they didn't seem to be saying much. And, though he was trying to be unobtrusive, Harry couldn't quite fully stifle his laugh when he heard Ron finally break the awkward silence by asking Hermione, "So, um, read any good books lately?"
Hermione was late coming down to the Common Room to meet Ron and Harry for the Dance. They'd planned to walk together to meet Cho in the Great Hall. Harry sprawled in a chair, feeling surprisingly relaxed, while Ron paced the room's length with one nervous eye on the clock. Every once in a while he said something to Harry along the lines of, "Reckon she decided to add a few more inches to her Potions homework?" or "Think she might have started studying for final exams instead?" He had just turned toward Harry with another one of these anxious queries when Hermione finally came down from the girls' dormitories.
She'd swept her long hair up in a complicated-looking twist, and having it pulled back drew attention to her sparkling eyes and long lashes. Her dress showed much more of her figure than everyday robes; the boys hadn't known she was shaped like that. It was the first time all year Harry had seen her without her prefect badge; he supposed it didn't match the dress. She approached her two best friends shyly.
"You look great, Hermione!" said Harry, standing up.
"Thanks, Harry," she replied with a smile, turning a bit expectantly to Ron.
Ron just looked at her, completely frozen, with an expression on his face that was at once shocked and dreamlike. Almost a full minute of it seemed to make Hermione uncomfortable, and she sent a panicked look to Harry, who poked Ron in the back. He halfway snapped out of it, saying distractedly, "Right, well, um, look nice, Hermione." and then going immediately to the other extreme: refusing to look at her.
"He's utterly hopeless," Harry thought. "Whoa, look at the time, hope I'm not late meeting Cho because of you two, better get going." Harry said briskly, walking toward the door and discreetly indicating to Ron that he should offer Hermione his arm, which he did, stiffly, still without looking at her, almost without breathing.
Harry, smiling, opened the door for the couple and then hung back in the hall to give them privacy, even though they didn't seem to be saying much. And, though he was trying to be unobtrusive, Harry couldn't quite fully stifle his laugh when he heard Ron finally break the awkward silence by asking Hermione, "So, um, read any good books lately?"