Disclaimer: Mostly not mine
Harry and Hermione looked very strange at breakfast. They kept glancing at each other, and barely ate any food. Ron looked at them, puzzled.
"What's going on?" he asked, yet again.
Hermione paused and chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. How many ways were there, exactly, to say "nothing's going on" when really something WAS going on?
"Nothing, Ron," she told him slowly. He shook his head in response.
"I don't know why you guys aren't eating. The food today is absolutely scrumptious. Is yours undercooked or something? Harry?"
"Wha-" said Harry, snapping out of almost a trance, "oh no, the food's fine. It's just, um," he stopped for a moment, trying to think of a good reason he wasn't eating, "It's just remember-we were supposed to go get food last night from the house-elves. You fell back asleep, I think, but I went and got food, so I'm not so hungry this morning."
"He gave me some too," Hermione said, stepping in quickly. "I know that usually I'm opposed to forcing the poor house-elves to make food all night, but when he came back up, the food just smelled so delicious that I simply had to eat some!"
"I wish I'd come with you guys," said Ron, grinning. "If it was good enough for Hermione to eat, then wow!"
Harry and Hermione exchanged quick smiles. Their lie had fooled Ron! Hermione felt like she could dance. Her secret was still safe! They finished breakfast without other problems.
After breakfast, Ron raced to catch up with Hermione.
"Hermione, I. . . I know!"
Hermione felt her heart race. Trying to sound casual, she said, "Know what Ron?"
Ron smiled. He looked around, making sure that nobody could hear him. "Your-secret," he whispered.
Hermione almost fainted. She felt like her life was over. "What do you think my secret is?" She knew that she didn't sound very intelligent, but she had to know. How on Earth did Ron find out?
"It's quite obvious, really, I don't even know why I didn't guess before. Well, when I saw you and Harry I was sure. . . "
"Sure of WHAT?" Hermione asked, blood pounding in her ears.
"Sure that," Ron paused for a moment, "you like Harry! And he likes you back!"
"Oh," said Hermione, laughing with relief.
"What?" asked Ron, confused. He was positive that she liked him. They wanted a "moment alone" before breakfast, and they hardly ate, and they kept giving each other little glances. If they didn't like each other, then what was going on?
Hermione thought for a minute. If Ron believed that she and Harry liked each other, then he wouldn't try to figure out what was going on. He would let them be, and Hermione's secret would remain safe. Then again, if Harry found out that Hermione said that she liked him, then what would he do? Would he care? Would he think that Hermione REALLY liked him? She had no idea what to say.
"Um, of course! I can't believe we were so, erm, obvious about it! Just don't tell. . . other people, ok?"
"Of course not!" said Ron happily. He was glad he had finally figured what on Earth was going on. He sighed. Now he could stop worrying about it.
Ron walked away, an easy, careless walk. Hermione shook her head. How long had it been since she had been careless-truly careless? She knew the answer to that. It had been 9 years, 9 long years since she could be happy, since she could go a day, an hour, a second, without desperately worrying.
Suddenly, she saw Harry approaching. She ran up to him.
"Harry, just play along, alright? Just pretend, please?"
"Pretend WHAT? What's going on here?"
Hermione stopped. Usually, she was so careful about what she said- now Harry would think she was crazy. No matter. "Well you see, you know I don't want Ron to find out"
"Yes, I know! What happened?"
"And Ron, he guessed what was going on, he thought that we were, you know, well, we liked each other! And I pretended it was true because then he wouldn't try to figure out what was going on, because he would think he already knew, ok?"
Harry digested this bit of information for a moment. "So, you let Ron believe that we-liked each other?"
Hermione looked up at him, trying to read the look on his face. "Well yes, because-"
"That's fine, I understand. So if Ron asks, I do like you?"
"Yes!" said Hermione, immensely relieved.
Harry grinned, and they started out towards Care of Magical Creatures.
Harry and Hermione looked very strange at breakfast. They kept glancing at each other, and barely ate any food. Ron looked at them, puzzled.
"What's going on?" he asked, yet again.
Hermione paused and chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. How many ways were there, exactly, to say "nothing's going on" when really something WAS going on?
"Nothing, Ron," she told him slowly. He shook his head in response.
"I don't know why you guys aren't eating. The food today is absolutely scrumptious. Is yours undercooked or something? Harry?"
"Wha-" said Harry, snapping out of almost a trance, "oh no, the food's fine. It's just, um," he stopped for a moment, trying to think of a good reason he wasn't eating, "It's just remember-we were supposed to go get food last night from the house-elves. You fell back asleep, I think, but I went and got food, so I'm not so hungry this morning."
"He gave me some too," Hermione said, stepping in quickly. "I know that usually I'm opposed to forcing the poor house-elves to make food all night, but when he came back up, the food just smelled so delicious that I simply had to eat some!"
"I wish I'd come with you guys," said Ron, grinning. "If it was good enough for Hermione to eat, then wow!"
Harry and Hermione exchanged quick smiles. Their lie had fooled Ron! Hermione felt like she could dance. Her secret was still safe! They finished breakfast without other problems.
After breakfast, Ron raced to catch up with Hermione.
"Hermione, I. . . I know!"
Hermione felt her heart race. Trying to sound casual, she said, "Know what Ron?"
Ron smiled. He looked around, making sure that nobody could hear him. "Your-secret," he whispered.
Hermione almost fainted. She felt like her life was over. "What do you think my secret is?" She knew that she didn't sound very intelligent, but she had to know. How on Earth did Ron find out?
"It's quite obvious, really, I don't even know why I didn't guess before. Well, when I saw you and Harry I was sure. . . "
"Sure of WHAT?" Hermione asked, blood pounding in her ears.
"Sure that," Ron paused for a moment, "you like Harry! And he likes you back!"
"Oh," said Hermione, laughing with relief.
"What?" asked Ron, confused. He was positive that she liked him. They wanted a "moment alone" before breakfast, and they hardly ate, and they kept giving each other little glances. If they didn't like each other, then what was going on?
Hermione thought for a minute. If Ron believed that she and Harry liked each other, then he wouldn't try to figure out what was going on. He would let them be, and Hermione's secret would remain safe. Then again, if Harry found out that Hermione said that she liked him, then what would he do? Would he care? Would he think that Hermione REALLY liked him? She had no idea what to say.
"Um, of course! I can't believe we were so, erm, obvious about it! Just don't tell. . . other people, ok?"
"Of course not!" said Ron happily. He was glad he had finally figured what on Earth was going on. He sighed. Now he could stop worrying about it.
Ron walked away, an easy, careless walk. Hermione shook her head. How long had it been since she had been careless-truly careless? She knew the answer to that. It had been 9 years, 9 long years since she could be happy, since she could go a day, an hour, a second, without desperately worrying.
Suddenly, she saw Harry approaching. She ran up to him.
"Harry, just play along, alright? Just pretend, please?"
"Pretend WHAT? What's going on here?"
Hermione stopped. Usually, she was so careful about what she said- now Harry would think she was crazy. No matter. "Well you see, you know I don't want Ron to find out"
"Yes, I know! What happened?"
"And Ron, he guessed what was going on, he thought that we were, you know, well, we liked each other! And I pretended it was true because then he wouldn't try to figure out what was going on, because he would think he already knew, ok?"
Harry digested this bit of information for a moment. "So, you let Ron believe that we-liked each other?"
Hermione looked up at him, trying to read the look on his face. "Well yes, because-"
"That's fine, I understand. So if Ron asks, I do like you?"
"Yes!" said Hermione, immensely relieved.
Harry grinned, and they started out towards Care of Magical Creatures.