This is going to be my disclaimer: I have never read a single HP fic, nor have I ever written one. My friend (who shall remain nameless, per her request) demanded that I write an H/HR fic, simply because she loves the couple. I am a HP fan, and just so you all know, I personally can see pretty much any couple such that I don't really have a bias. Well, almost any couple. My friend told me about the Draco / Ginny couples, and I'm sorry, I don't see that. I know I may be pissing a lot of people off, but hey, I have my opinions. Um . . . let's see. I'd love to know what you think of this story, which is my vision of how Harry and Hermione would get together. Flames are going to be used to roast marshmallows. If you don't see the h/hr couple, please go back now. Why would you want to read something you're going to hate from the off? Hope to hear from you if you like it – pottergal

PS. HP so doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the genius JK Rowling and WB and whoever else is in on it. I'm just a poor student with no claim to it whatsoever.

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Only Talking:

Chapter One

By: pottergal
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Sixteen year old Harry Potter sat at an empty table in the Gryffindor common room early one Saturday evening, surrounded by his school books. Most of the other sixth years had left for a trip to Hogsmeade, but Harry had elected to remain behind and catch up on some of his assignments. It was the first time since the beginning of November that he had honestly sat down and attempted his homework; for the past few weeks, he'd been in a state of shock. And all because of Cho.

Ah, yes, the lovely dark haired Ravenclaw. Harry still had a momentary sting of pain every time his mind wandered back to her. Her smile still haunted his dreams, her laugh still echoed through quiet corridors, and her sparkling eyes still gazed at him with that look, that look of unreadable emotions. He remembered the first rain of the season, how she'd gone out and twirled beneath the falling drops, her hair and skirt fanning out around her. She'd extended her hand, beckoning him to join her . . .

Harry shook his head furiously to clear his thoughts and told himself firmly to get a grip. Their relationship was over now; it had been over since the beginning of November.

God, we must've set some record. He thought bitterly, tapping his quill absently on a piece of parchment that was supposed to have his Potions homework on it. Cho and I barely lasted over a month.

At the end of September, just as the term was getting underway, Harry had finally worked up enough courage to ask the pretty Ravenclaw to go with him on a Hogsmeade trip. It had taken him several rushed questions and several deep breaths before he managed to slow his words enough for Cho to understand. He remembered with a faint smile how red her face had gone; it had been red enough to rival his own burning cheeks. She'd accepted, of course, and thus their relationship had begun.

But it felt like it had ended about a few seconds later, not one month. They hadn't really done much, save go to Hogsmeade, or maybe eat dinner together in the Great Hall once or twice. Both of them had Quidditch practice on top of homework, so they'd never found much time to do things as a couple. Besides, Cho had her own group of friends and was a year ahead of him. He should've seen the break coming, but being such that he had been floating on air most of the time, he hadn't.

It was right after the Halloween Feast, which they had spent together, that Cho had asked to speak to him alone. Of course he agreed, who wouldn't? She'd lead him to a secluded hallway before telling him she wanted to break up. This had hit him like a ton of bricks; he never had expected anything like it. He dimly recalled her saying something about the fun she'd had, but . . .

"It's Cedric, isn't it." He'd said, his lips pressing into a thin line. Her dark eyes had flittered to him in slight surprise, but she nodded. The pain of losing him was still too fresh for her, she'd said. And what with He-who-must-not-be-named gaining power, she didn't want to get attached to Harry and then lose him as well. The time wasn't right for her to have a relationship, she said. It had been wrong of her to even agree to go out with him; she said she'd felt like she'd been leading him on when she knew in her heart that she wasn't ready. Harry had only nodded to that, he didn't trust himself to speak. Cho had given him a faint smile then before hugging him slightly.

"Good-bye, Harry." She'd said softly before walking off and vanishing into the shadows.

"Harry? Hey, Harry!" A distant voice called, snapping him out of his reverie and into the present. The blank sheet of parchment was now covered in random inkblots and his Potions homework was no closer to being done. He blinked and looked up to see Seamus and Dean looking down at him curiously.

"Drifting there, eh Harry?" Dean said and Harry nodded. "And I see why. Potions homework."

"Dean and I haven't done it either. Mind if we sit down and work on it with you?" Harry shook his head and the two of them squeezed into the spot across from him. They opened their books, brought out their quills and parchment, and began to read.

"What page was the assignment again?" Dean murmured before looking at Harry's book and flipping to it. "So why aren't you at Hogsmeade?" Harry shrugged. "Just didn't feel like going, or what?" He shrugged a second time. "It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Cho Chang, would it?" Harry stared.

"Maybe just a little." He finally said. "But that's only part of it." He crumpled up the blotted parchment before pulling out a fresh one. "More of it has to do with Ron and Hermione." Dean and Seamus gave eachother knowing looks.

"Ah yes. The two . . . lovebirds." Seamus drawled sarcastically before snorting. "I don't know how those two ever got together. You'd think they'd be lunging for the other's throat when they're not cuddling." He made a face of disgust.

"The amount of time they spend fighting is incredible." Dean added. "I've been wondering how much time they have until one of them decides enough is enough." Seamus nodded in agreement. "Mind you, I'm hoping it's before their fights turn physical and Hermione puts Ron in the hospital wing with a nasty hex." Harry's mouth quirked slightly in a smile.

"I don't think things will escalate that far." He said with more wishing behind it than believing.

"Oh come on, you're not deaf, even though you might be after one of their fights." Seamus said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "You've heard them, and the way they carry on, I'm sure eventually it'll happen. Personally, I hope for Ron's sake that it doesn't."

"Yeah, the amount Hermione reads, she must know some damn powerful hexes. I bet she could blow Ron to kingdom come if she wanted to." Dean said and Seamus snickered. Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised Ron doesn't live in fear of her."

"Hey, maybe that's how she got him to go out with her. She threatened to hex him if he didn't." The two began to snicker more loudly and Harry glared at them slightly.

"Come off it, you two. You know Hermione isn't like that at all." The snickering stopped. "The amount of times she's saved you in Transfiguration, I would've thought you'd be a little nicer to her." He said heatedly, annoyance slowly turning into anger. "And even if they do fight a lot, I'm sure they care a lot about eachother. They've lasted since the beginning of summer, haven't they?" He said waspishly, a small part of him jealous of how much longer they'd manage to stay together. Dean and Seamus shared a slightly worried look.

"Sorry there, Harry. We didn't mean to offend you, we were just having a bit of fun." Dean soothed, his gaze still slightly worried. "Look, we're sorry we insulted Hermione. I know she's your friend and she means a lot to you. But you don't have to get so worked up about it." Harry drew back slightly and took a deep breath, his anger slowly draining out of him.

"I know, I know . . ." He grimaced. "I just . . . I haven't really . . ." He trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"You haven't been yourself since Cho dumped you." Harry felt a nasty pang as Seamus' words cut through him. "Hey, we know. Everyone could see it, the way you were slacking off in school. I was surprised that we managed to win that Quidditch game, but then again, it was against Ravenclaw." Seamus said with a wry twist to his mouth. "Must've felt good to beat her."

"There's no doubt about that." Harry said with a smile. "Now what about that Potions homework? I really need to - "

"What's that noise?" Dean said suddenly, cutting Harry off. The three of them fell silent and listened as two loud voices drew closer and closer. Harry blinked as Seamus groaned and Dean sighed heavily. "Here we go again . . ."

Right on cue, the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger stomped into the common room, their faces red not from the cold but from the fact they were bellowing at eachother at the top of their lungs. Seamus put his head down on the table and Dean plugged his ears. Harry debated whether to get up and pull them apart, but decided against it. He'd already been dragged into enough of their squabbles.

"That's enough, Ron Weasley! You're such a moron, sometimes I wonder what it is I see in you!" Hermione shrieked, her voice loud and high. "I'm sick to death of you! The only reason you asked me out in the first place is because I'd do your homework? Honestly, I don't know how I can stand you!" And before Ron could get a single word in, she stomped out of the common room, the Fat Lady telling her off for slamming the portrait shut.

"Well neither do I!" Ron shouted through the closed portrait, his whole body positively shaking with rage. "You're a nightmare, you hear me!?" He roared in frustration before kicking one of the chairs. Harry shook his head slightly. Those two were quite simply impossible.

"All right, what'd you do this time, Weasley?" Dean said, his arms now folded over his chest and his expression slightly amused. Ron glowered at him before stomping over and plunking down heavily beside Harry.

"I didn't do a single thing. All I was doing was talking to Parvati and Lavender while Hermione got some butterbeer and suddenly I had a mug chucked at me and Hermione yelling like a banshee about what an insensitive jerk I am." He said crossly and Harry noticed that Ron smelled strongly of butterbeer; apparently Hermione had thrown a full mug and it had doused him.

"I'll tell you what you did, Weasley." Seamus said with repressed laughter. "You opened your mouth." Dean and Harry snorted with mirth. They couldn't help it, and Ron threw them death glares just the same.

"Honestly, she's mental. All I was doing was talking. Where's the harm in that?" Ron said defensively and Harry gave him a look.

"Well, you obviously said something to upset her." Ron bristled.

"Why is it always my fault, huh? Everybody always sides with that . . . that . . . devil!" Ron pointed at the closed portrait, clearly meaning Hermione. "Even you, Harry, my best friend!"

"Don't give me that." He growled slightly, not being in the mood to be accused of anything today. "I side with you more often than not, even when I know what a loud mouth you can be." Ron blinked slightly and Harry stood up, gathering his things. "I'm going to the library, where I might be able to get some peace and quiet. I'll see you later." And with that, he left the common room.

"What's with him?" Ron asked in slight confusion as the portrait slammed shut for the second time that day.

"Oh nothing." Seamus said. "He just hasn't been himself since Cho dumped him." Ron looked stunned. "But of course you'd know all about that, being the wonderful friend that you are." He said as he busied himself with his Potions assignment.

"How long . . ." Ron began, but Dean waved him to silence.

"He's been like that for about two weeks or so? And honestly, that's the most I've heard him say in a while." He and Seamus shared a look. "It means he's on the road to recovery." The two smirked before returning to their homework, leaving a still stunned Ron to tramp up the stairs to the boy's dorms to wash off the butterbeer.

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Hermione stomped through the nearly deserted halls of the Hogwarts castle, the pure rage pouring off her making anyone left in the halls scurry out of her way as fast as possible. Her whole face was set into a deep and nasty scowl as she thought about the one person who had made her this angry, Ron Weasley. Honestly! She felt like screaming, he made her so mad.

" 'I didn't say anything, Hermione!' " She repeated bitterly. "Yeah right, you jerk." She turned a corner and stormed through a throng of first-years, hardly even stopping to notice them or allow them a moment to get out of her way. She stomped onward, leaving a wake of very confused and slightly hurt eleven-year-olds behind her.

"I wish I could throttle him, just beat him to a bloody pulp sometimes!" She seethed, her fists clenching at her sides. "Hex him, curse him, do anything to make him realize what a goddamn moron he really is!" She stomped up a flight of stairs, her mind not registering where she was going. She was just marching aimlessly, working off the fury inside her.

It had started like any other Saturday at school, with the hum of excitement among anyone in their third year and up. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, and soon they'd be heading down to the village for butterbeer and the joke shop and all the sweets. Ron kept talking about the new fudge Honeydukes was coming out with, failing to notice Harry's lack of enthusiasm. When he finally failed to notice his best friend's indifferent attitude, he simply ignored Harry's shrug as an answer to what was wrong. Hermione's warning instincts had kicked in then, but she hadn't had a moment to really pester Harry. Ron had been too busy talking.

She hadn't had time to talk to Harry before they left for Hogsmeade, and had been stunned when Neville had told her that Harry had stayed behind. When she'd told Ron this, he merely brushed it aside before wrapping his arm around her. It gave them more time to be alone, he'd said, and had earned a glare from Hermione. Didn't he care about his best friend? She'd asked. It was nothing to worry about was the answer she'd received. Harry just got like that sometimes. Hermione had opened her mouth to argue, but Ron had shushed her.

"Let's not start arguing." He'd said with an endearing smile, signaling the end of that conversation. Hermione had smiled in return, but was squashing down a frown and more worry. Harry never got distant unless something was really bothering him. Sure, he had his times where he'd get quiet, but even then when she'd talked to him, he'd been warm and friendly. Now he'd just been cold. But Ron never saw this. Ron never saw anything beyond his nose, she thought frustratedly.

"We should go back and make him join us." She'd said after a while and Ron had thrown up his arms.

"Hermione, you're such a worry-wort! Give it up already, there's nothing wrong with Harry. He's not going to burn down the castle." She'd fixed him with her best McGonagall glare as he spoke.

"Sometimes you've got to be the thickest person on the planet, Ron Weasley. I bet you haven't even noticed that he's been - " But he'd cut her off by clamping a hand over her mouth.

"Come on, Hermione. Have some fun for once, and stop worrying. I'm sure that whatever is bothering Harry will come out in due time." She'd glowered at him, but didn't stop him from dragging her into Three Broomsticks. "Now, how about some butterbeer? I'll go find us a table." She'd huffed in a miffed sort of way before going to get two mugs of the drink.

"Two please." She'd told Madam Rosmerta, who passed her two steaming tankards of butterbeer. Picking them up carefully, she'd picked her way across Three Broomsticks until she reached the table Ron had picked out.

" . . .it is true then, that the only reason you're going out with Granger is because she does all your homework?" Hermione had stopped cold as Parvati Patil's voice floated to her. She could see the back of Ron's head, directly between Parvati and Lavender Brown, both of whom were focused on him intently. "That's what I heard you'd said."

Anger had raced through her again then, part of her marveling over what a real git Ron was. She could dimly hear his answer, but she didn't stop to decipher it. She did the first thing that came to mind; she dumped both tankards of butterbeer over his head and dropped them. Parvati and Lavender had leapt away from Ron at that, who had looked rather shell-shocked. And then the fight had begun.

"Sometimes I hate him beyond belief!" She hissed as she stomped into the library, earning a reproving glance from the librarian, Madam Pince. She found a secluded table and plopped down in one of the chairs before getting up again and wandering through the rows, her anger cooling once faced with the books surrounding her. This place always seemed to calm her, she couldn't say why. Maybe it was the quiet atmosphere, or the slightly musty smell of aging books, but whatever it was, it managed to overpower her fury and quell it. She sighed slightly as she ran her fingertips along the cracking bindings of the books before finally settling on one to pull out and read.

"Around the World, A Comparison of Wizarding Lifestyles." She read off quietly before slipping back to her table to sit down and begin flipping through it. She blinked as she reached the table; someone had beaten her to her favorite spot. It was the chair right below the paned window, the deep sunset pouring in and illuminating the dark hair of a young man. She couldn't quite see who it was, due to the fact he had his head down on a pile of books.

"Excuse me?" She said timidly. "Do you mind if I share the table?" He may've been in her spot, but she wasn't about to give up the table. It was the only one surrounded by tall bookshelves, and she loved the private feel. Plus it had a great view of the lake and the sunset. However, the young man didn't respond. Hermione suppressed a flash of annoyance; she didn't like being ignored.

"Excuse me?" She crept closer, raising her voice a little. "Hello?" Abruptly his head shot up and she blinked. "Harry? What on earth are you doing here?" She asked in surprise, her insides giving a small happy jolt. He blinked a couple of times, his green eyes confused. "Shouldn't you be up at the common room?" He seemed to get his bearings because he shrugged.

"I couldn't concentrate there. Ron was getting . . ." He trailed off as he saw storm clouds gather around Hermione. "Well, people were starting to come back and I just couldn't work in quiet any longer." He said before opening one of his books and pulling his quill and parchment out of his bag. Hermione moved to sit beside him to see what he was working on.

"I should've known." Harry looked at her quizzically. "Potions." He nodded with a small smile.

"This is the third time I've tried to start this assignment. First it was Seamus and Dean, and then it was Ron . . . Maybe it's jinxed or something. I can't start it without being interrupted." Hermione smiled.

"Then before you try and start again, let me ask you something." She put down her book and he turned to give her his full attention.

"Sure. What is it?" He asked and she looked at him, her gaze searching his face. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as the silence between them stretched and she sensed him shift uncomfortably in his seat. "Hermione? You do have a question for me, don't you?"

"What's been bothering you lately?" She asked softly and watched his eyes widen ever so slightly. "I know you think you can hide it, but I've watched you slack off more and more with your homework and then there was that talk with Professor McGonagall . . ." A muscle in his cheek twitched, but she pressed on. "You never talk much any more, and then you don't come to Hogsmeade with Ron and me." On impulse, she reached out and laid her hand gently over his. "I know Ron and I haven't been the greatest of friends lately, what with the rough spots in our own relationship, but . . . Harry, that doesn't change anything. We're still best friends, aren't we?" He'd been looking at the table for a while now, his eyes boring into the wood.

"Yeah, I suppose." He muttered.

"Then tell me. What is wrong?" She said gently, but firmly. "I know Ron doesn't notice these things, being the great git that he is, but I want you to know that you can talk to me. I'll always listen, Harry, no matter what." There was another long stretch of silence, broken only by their breathing. Harry finally closed his eyes before tilting his head back and reopening them to stare at the ceiling.

"You know what? I'm a fool." He said softly and Hermione frowned. "I'm one of the biggest fools to ever walk the face of this planet. Me, who thought everything was perfect at last, that nothing could get any better . . . but no. Life is just cruel that way, isn't it? The moment everything is going great, and you're at the highest, it rips everything away. Everything." He whispered bitterly. "Look at me. Everything I do fails. Nothing goes right. People have died because of me, lots of people. People who shouldn't have. And then . . . when I thought I could handle a simple little relationship, that too shatters."

"Cho?" She whispered. "When . . ."

"Right after the Halloween Feast." Things abruptly slid into place for Hermione. It explained everything, all his actions, his sudden distant nature.

"Why didn't you tell us, Harry? That was a stupid thing to do, keeping it to yourself." He didn't respond, and after a moment, Hermione tried again. "Harry? Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't want to bother you, I suppose. Maybe I thought you'd find out sooner or later, or something, seeing as how news travels so fast." He shook his head. "Besides, you and Ron were fighting again. I didn't want to give you yet another thing to worry about, and Ron wouldn't have listened if I'd tried him. He was too busy going on about you."

"Now you listen here, Harry Potter." She said, adopting a stern voice. "I am one of your best friends, and I have been so since our first year here. I'd think after six years our friendship would count a little more to you." She could see a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "If you ever think that I won't listen to you, then you need to go bang your head against a wall or something because that's not true." He finally smiled slightly, but Hermione could see a faint sheen to his eyes. He looked down at the table before removing his glasses and began to rub at his eyes furiously.

"Pathetic, isn't it?" He muttered, his voice cracking a little. "Not once have I cried. Not one single time since coming here, even with all that has happened. And now look at me. Some stupid girl makes me lose it." He stood up and turned away from Hermione, who did the only thing that came to mind. She stood up as well and forced him to face her before enfolding him in a hug.

She could sense him jerk in surprise as she wrapped her arms around him, but soon he was clinging to her as though she was the only thing holding him to the face of the earth, his face buried in her shoulder and muffled sobs wracking his body. She ran her fingers through his hair while absently whispering soothing words. She could feel torrents of sorrow course through him as she held him. It was as though every single sad emotion he'd been holding back over the years had come flooding out in one giant deluge.

His sobs finally seemed to quiet, and abruptly, he pushed her away. Hermione frowned at him as he swiped at his red eyes.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." He said softly. "If anyone saw, there'd be even more rumors and Ron . . ." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Oh, just forget him for a moment. All that matters right now is whether or not you're feeling better. I don't care about rumors, I care about you." She looked at him intently. "I know it's hard to break up with someone, Harry. You feel like you're never going to be the same without that person, but trust me, you will be. And you'll be stronger because of it." She reached up and wiped away tears from his cheeks. "Don't give Cho a second thought. You're not the fool, Harry. She is for passing up such a wonderful opportunity. I know about a million girls who would go out with you in a heartbeat." He finally smiled, a real, honest smile, as she handed him back his glasses.

"Thanks." He said softly. "This really helped, Hermione. It helped a lot." She reached up and brushed some hair out of his face and smiled up at him.

"What else are friends for, Harry? Any time something is bothering you, don't you dare hesitate in coming to me. I will listen as best I can, given the situation, but I don't want you shunting your feelings aside just because it isn't the time to talk about them." He gave her another smile and her insides gave a little flutter. Hermione blinked inwardly and did her best to suppress the feeling. "So is anything else bothering you?"

"Now that you mention it . . ." Harry looked over at his pile of books and Hermione fixed him with a stern look.

"You know me better than that, Harry. I most certainly will not do your homework, no matter how far you're behind." He gave a small sigh at her words before taking his seat.

"It was worth a shot, wasn't it?" He said with an impish grin, one that made Hermione's insides do a small flip.

Lord, what is wrong with me? Hermione thought with a faint tremor of fear. She already had a boyfriend. She couldn't be falling for Harry. She just couldn't be. He was her best friend, one whom she'd admired since first year, but she most certainly wasn't going to fall for him. It would just make things even more complicated than they needed to be.

I won't fall for him, even if I have to squash the feeling out of me. She thought, her face set in determination.

"Hermione?" She blinked; Harry was staring at her with concern. "Is there a reason why you're just standing behind me silently?" She plastered a smile she hoped didn't look too fake on her face before shaking her head.

"No, I just got caught up in something. I'm fine." She took her seat beside him and opened her book. "I'll let you work in silence, okay? And don't be afraid to ask me anything if you need to." He gave her another smile and another happy jolt went through her.

"Thanks, Hermione. You're a lifesaver, you know that?" He said warmly before returning to his homework. Hermione watched him for a moment, her eyes greedily taking in his features. His strong jaw, his pale lips pressed together in concentration, his thick but sculpted eyebrows knitted as he worked, and his emerald eyes reading silently. She could've sat all day, her chin in her hands, and watched him work. He was fascinating, even the way his hands moved as he wrote was worth her interest.

Get a grip! Her mind yelled and she tore her eyes from their feast to begin reading. Hermione, you've promised yourself not to fall for him. And you aren't about to be doing just that. She told herself firmly but a small voice inside piped up.

"Ah yes." It seemed to say. "The handsome Harry Potter . . . it's what you want, isn't it? You know you've wanted to be his for a while now." She shook her head. "Oh, come on. Admit it." She shook her head again.

I can't be falling for him. Not when I have Ron. That would just be sick! She couldn't be falling for Harry, it just wasn't possible. She wouldn't, she couldn't, there was no way in hell. But still . . .

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Woo! First part is re done. I'm splitting it up into ten page parts, like I should've done in the first place. Hope this doesn't take me forever. . . see you next time! -pottergal