A/N: Thanks for my reviews—11, wow! I am very happy! ::does happy dance::
Here's your chapter, as promised, and I hope you didn't wait too long for
the fluffy-soon-to-be-angst goodness!
Ah, yes: I decided to make every chapter the subsequent line in the "Superman" song. Good or bad idea? People, I need to know! LOL, ty!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is JK's. Enough said.
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Harry Potter strode down the corridor, feeling like he was on top of the world; no, beyond the top. He was soaring through the clouds with a one- way ticket up. And he heard a voice. "Are we going to sit down and take this?"
"No!" echoed a sea of voices in unison.
"I said, 'Are we going to sit down and take this?'!"
"No!" the voice cried, even louder than their previous outburst. Curiosity caught Harry and he turned into the auditorium where the voices were originating. The first thing he saw was the back of a head. The backs of a myriad of heads, actually, for the auditorium was packed, wall to wall, with Hogwarts students. It was a rally of some sort. After pushing his way to the front, and getting several elbows to the ribs in the process, he managed to make out the person ranting on stage.
"Hermione!" he called, cupping his hand over his mouth to keep his voice from getting lost in the crowd. She spun on her heel and spotted Harry. Waving joyously, she beckoned for him to meet her on stage as the students filed out of the room.
The silence died down and Hermione broke into a grin. "Harry, it's great to see you!" She wrapped her arms around him and they embraced for a minute until she released him. "Look at you!" she laughed. "You look great!"
"You too, you too," he agreed.
"We weren't… I mean…" she was obviously at a loss for words as her expression broke into concern. "We didn't know if you would be coming back this year… after…"
"I know," Harry nodded solemnly. He swallowed hard, but tried to smile. "But nothing could keep me from our 7th year!"
This seemed to reassure Hermione of Harry's well-being and she led him down from the platform. "So, what were you orchestrating in here?" Harry asked her, remembering that she had been the one screaming her head off onstage.
"Oh," she said, blushing faintly. "I was organizing a, er, protest. Y'see, Harry… um, well, Hagrid…"
"What about Hagrid?" Harry asked urgently, his voice rising. "Is he okay?"
"Harry…" she said softly, avoiding his intense green eyes. "They fired Hagrid before this term." She looked up to see his jaw had dropped and his eyes burned furiously. "Don't worry, Harry, we've got posters and publicity and—"
"WHY?" Harry erupted, cutting off the petite brunette mid-sentence. She looked away, refusing to reply. "Mione… please…" He touched her shoulder gently, pleading for an explanation.
"They said that he was indirectly involved in… what happened…" said Hermione slowly. "Harry, I'm sorry. I really am." She met his eyes painstakingly to see that they were numb, staring off far past her at nothing particular. She tensed and breathed heavily as he briskly brushed past her and ran down the hall. She had a funny feeling that she knew where Harry Potter was heading.
Hermione took off after him, her soft brown waves flying back as she ran, her equally gentle brown eyes open wide with concern. She found her way out of the Hogwarts doors, the night air cold and harsh against her smooth, pale skin. Her long pink cotton sundress swayed with the breeze and she shivered involuntarily, folding her arms as she strode across the outside grounds to warm herself. Sure enough, she watched Harry disappear into the Astronomy Tower from a distance.
The stone stairwell seemed to encircle Hermione as she dashed up them in pursuit of Harry. She reached the top, panting breathlessly, and looked out to see Harry, leaning out of an open window. "Harry, don't!" she wailed, fearing that he may have prospects of jumping. He twirled around suddenly to face her flustered face.
"Hermione?" Harry stated, his expression bewildered. He began to back away from the window and toward the wall. "Why did you follow me?"
"I… I was worried," she sighed, brushing a stray lock of her chocolate hair from her blushing face. "And from the looks of where you were, for good reason."
By Harry's facial expression, it seemed to take him a minute to comprehend this. "I wasn't going to jump!" he protested, an amused grin forming on his face. "Wait, you thought…"
Hermione suddenly felt abashed, and then angry. "Shutup!" she frowned. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, is that so terrible?"
"Nah…" Harry said softly; Hermione noticed that as he trailed off, he seemed to stare at her, searching her face for something. "Hermione?" he said huskily.
"Uh… huh…" she said, realizing how close his face was to hers. Was he going to… say something?
"Nothing," he replied obstreperously, smirking cruelly.
"Harry, you stupid bloke!" she shrieked, holding up her hands threateningly. He laughed and maneuvered his way past her and bounded down the staircase, Hermione at his heels. The wind mussed his already disheveled black hair and he laughed into the night as Hermione caught his shoulder from behind and pulled him to the grass. "Ow, ouch!" he winced as she jabbed him in the ribs several times. "Mione, ow!"
"That's what you deserve!" she said, now laughing rather than frowning. "Aaah!" she giggled as Harry caught her arm and pulled her down. They lay on the dew-covered grass for a minute, breathing heavily. As she caught her breath, Hermione propped herself up on her elbows and turned to her friend, a demure expression falling on her face. "Harry, I can't tell you how scared I was… we all were," she confessed, her eyes watering softly. "We didn't know if… if you…"
"Hey," he said gently, trying to lift her spirits, "Mione, it's okay. I'm okay." He clasped her hand in a friendly manner and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Everything is fine. But about Hagrid!" His voice turned bitter and his expression sour as he stared with enmity toward the towering school. "He didn't cause this, you know that!"
"I know," Hermione snapped sharply, suddenly feeling as if she had been accused of something. "Why do you think that I'm protesting it?"
"And Ron?" Harry questioned suddenly, rolling over to face her once more. "What does he think?"
"Harry…" Hermione quivered sadly. "You know Ron doesn't talk to me anymore."
Harry nodded, as he had expected that. "Who would have ever expected. Ron Weasly, becoming a supporter of—"
"Please don't say it!" Hermione cut him off, cringing at the thought. "I don't want to think about it, Harry."
"Do you think…?"
"What?"
"Do you think that it's my fault, Ron going dark and all?" Harry asked, his green eyes lined with guilt. "I mean, if I had been there instead of—"
"Stop it, Harry." Hermione was crying a little. "Please, just don't."
"Who's out there?" Harry and Hermione tensed as a crotchety old voice pervaded the air. "Come on, my pretty, you can find those filthy students."
"Filch!" they both hissed under their breaths. Hermione gulped nervously, knowing that this could oust her as Head Girl. She motioned to Harry; they crouched, creeping silently along the grass and toward the school. Her breathing was rapid with nervousness and she tried to silence it, but it was futile. She was rasping by the time that they reached the indoor corridors.
They slinked up the Gryffindor tower. "What are you doing up? It's midnight!" Sir Cadogan yawned, perturbed.
"Slinky dog!" Harry whispered urgently, and he yanked Hermione through the portrait hole just as Filch rounded the corner. They tumbled into the common room, laughing from the built-up adrenaline. Sprawled on the floor, breathing heavy, they fell asleep within a few moments.
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"Well, looky here!" cooed a giggling voice. Harry forced his eyes open to see Lavender Brown and Dean Thomas, arms linked, standing over himself and Hermione. He shook off the drowsiness flooding his mind and disentangled his arms from Hermione's.
"G'morning," he grumbled, eyelids drooping. "What time's it?"
"Eight," Dean replied, checking the wall on the clock briefly. His smirk turned serious. "It's good to have you back, Harry."
Harry nodded, sick of everyone saying that. He had survived, he was there—what more was there to say? He still dreaded seeing Ron, afraid that Ron's statements may be severely differing from everyone else's. Harry shook off the thought and woke Hermione.
"Herm?" he whispered, trying to get a sign of life out of her still body. She rolled over, annoyed. "Mione, it's eight; wake up!"
"I… love… you…" she mumbled.
Harry's face went white; he was baffled. Had she just said… He swallowed hard. "Hermione… wake up!" She sat up groggily and looked at him blankly. Harry pulled at his collar nervously.
"What time is it?" she yawned. "I'm exhausted!"
"Er, eight."
"What's wrong, Harry? You seem so nervous?" She stretched her arms above her head.
"She must have been sleeping," Harry assured himself, silently. "She probably didn't even know who was waking her… I shouldn't jump to conclusions!" But as Harry watched Hermione sleepily make her way into the girls' dorm to change, he couldn't help but think over and over again in his mind, "She loves me…"
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A/N: Hello, fluffy, I guess, but the angst will return! Muchachacha! Anywhatsits, I realize u must have lots of questions… like about Hagrid, why Ron is evil, and what happened with Harry that everyone's worried about. That's what authors like me like to call "suspense" and "foreshadowing." Don't hate the author, hate the game! LOL, j/k… well, I got more than ten reviews so I am oh-so-pleased! Thanks to everyone!
Mwarren—hey, ur not online! Sobsob… well, thanks very much mi amigo!
Miss Spinn—Thanks so much! I saw that u reviewed my poetry and I can not thank u enough! That was sooooo nice! I added another poem just a few minutes ago. Here's your delayed second chapter! Thanks again!
Kay—LOL, here ya go! Thanks!
Sammi—Yes, I love Superman song too. It is sad, hopefully plot will develop well. Sorry so slow! I have been working hard on my other story, Road trip. Please check it out!
Bookworm4ever—LOL, thanks very much. This is my first H/Hr… ok, anyway, thanku!
Nick—ok, thanks lots!
Black Eyeliner—I read ur story and loved it soooooo much! I re-read it all the time. Well, thanks very very very much for such a nice review. I looked for the song you mentioned but I could not find it. Thanks verrrry much!
Angel-Undercover—Thanks! I am doing so…
Melly08—thankkkku! I continue, I continue…
Archangela—anytime, and thanks so much!
Katie janeway—Thank you more than anything! I am soooo glad u liked my poem ::beams:: Thanks indefinitely!
And another chapter is complete… thanks to all the reviewers, this was made possible by u! If you'd like to read some poems, including the one in chap1, then do go and read my collection by all means! And, my story Road trip has been doing fantastically. Last time I checked, 154 reviews so please do go look! I appreciate it very much!
Estoy haceindo mi tarea tan tengo que ir… gracias y adios…
Ah, yes: I decided to make every chapter the subsequent line in the "Superman" song. Good or bad idea? People, I need to know! LOL, ty!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is JK's. Enough said.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^
Harry Potter strode down the corridor, feeling like he was on top of the world; no, beyond the top. He was soaring through the clouds with a one- way ticket up. And he heard a voice. "Are we going to sit down and take this?"
"No!" echoed a sea of voices in unison.
"I said, 'Are we going to sit down and take this?'!"
"No!" the voice cried, even louder than their previous outburst. Curiosity caught Harry and he turned into the auditorium where the voices were originating. The first thing he saw was the back of a head. The backs of a myriad of heads, actually, for the auditorium was packed, wall to wall, with Hogwarts students. It was a rally of some sort. After pushing his way to the front, and getting several elbows to the ribs in the process, he managed to make out the person ranting on stage.
"Hermione!" he called, cupping his hand over his mouth to keep his voice from getting lost in the crowd. She spun on her heel and spotted Harry. Waving joyously, she beckoned for him to meet her on stage as the students filed out of the room.
The silence died down and Hermione broke into a grin. "Harry, it's great to see you!" She wrapped her arms around him and they embraced for a minute until she released him. "Look at you!" she laughed. "You look great!"
"You too, you too," he agreed.
"We weren't… I mean…" she was obviously at a loss for words as her expression broke into concern. "We didn't know if you would be coming back this year… after…"
"I know," Harry nodded solemnly. He swallowed hard, but tried to smile. "But nothing could keep me from our 7th year!"
This seemed to reassure Hermione of Harry's well-being and she led him down from the platform. "So, what were you orchestrating in here?" Harry asked her, remembering that she had been the one screaming her head off onstage.
"Oh," she said, blushing faintly. "I was organizing a, er, protest. Y'see, Harry… um, well, Hagrid…"
"What about Hagrid?" Harry asked urgently, his voice rising. "Is he okay?"
"Harry…" she said softly, avoiding his intense green eyes. "They fired Hagrid before this term." She looked up to see his jaw had dropped and his eyes burned furiously. "Don't worry, Harry, we've got posters and publicity and—"
"WHY?" Harry erupted, cutting off the petite brunette mid-sentence. She looked away, refusing to reply. "Mione… please…" He touched her shoulder gently, pleading for an explanation.
"They said that he was indirectly involved in… what happened…" said Hermione slowly. "Harry, I'm sorry. I really am." She met his eyes painstakingly to see that they were numb, staring off far past her at nothing particular. She tensed and breathed heavily as he briskly brushed past her and ran down the hall. She had a funny feeling that she knew where Harry Potter was heading.
Hermione took off after him, her soft brown waves flying back as she ran, her equally gentle brown eyes open wide with concern. She found her way out of the Hogwarts doors, the night air cold and harsh against her smooth, pale skin. Her long pink cotton sundress swayed with the breeze and she shivered involuntarily, folding her arms as she strode across the outside grounds to warm herself. Sure enough, she watched Harry disappear into the Astronomy Tower from a distance.
The stone stairwell seemed to encircle Hermione as she dashed up them in pursuit of Harry. She reached the top, panting breathlessly, and looked out to see Harry, leaning out of an open window. "Harry, don't!" she wailed, fearing that he may have prospects of jumping. He twirled around suddenly to face her flustered face.
"Hermione?" Harry stated, his expression bewildered. He began to back away from the window and toward the wall. "Why did you follow me?"
"I… I was worried," she sighed, brushing a stray lock of her chocolate hair from her blushing face. "And from the looks of where you were, for good reason."
By Harry's facial expression, it seemed to take him a minute to comprehend this. "I wasn't going to jump!" he protested, an amused grin forming on his face. "Wait, you thought…"
Hermione suddenly felt abashed, and then angry. "Shutup!" she frowned. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, is that so terrible?"
"Nah…" Harry said softly; Hermione noticed that as he trailed off, he seemed to stare at her, searching her face for something. "Hermione?" he said huskily.
"Uh… huh…" she said, realizing how close his face was to hers. Was he going to… say something?
"Nothing," he replied obstreperously, smirking cruelly.
"Harry, you stupid bloke!" she shrieked, holding up her hands threateningly. He laughed and maneuvered his way past her and bounded down the staircase, Hermione at his heels. The wind mussed his already disheveled black hair and he laughed into the night as Hermione caught his shoulder from behind and pulled him to the grass. "Ow, ouch!" he winced as she jabbed him in the ribs several times. "Mione, ow!"
"That's what you deserve!" she said, now laughing rather than frowning. "Aaah!" she giggled as Harry caught her arm and pulled her down. They lay on the dew-covered grass for a minute, breathing heavily. As she caught her breath, Hermione propped herself up on her elbows and turned to her friend, a demure expression falling on her face. "Harry, I can't tell you how scared I was… we all were," she confessed, her eyes watering softly. "We didn't know if… if you…"
"Hey," he said gently, trying to lift her spirits, "Mione, it's okay. I'm okay." He clasped her hand in a friendly manner and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Everything is fine. But about Hagrid!" His voice turned bitter and his expression sour as he stared with enmity toward the towering school. "He didn't cause this, you know that!"
"I know," Hermione snapped sharply, suddenly feeling as if she had been accused of something. "Why do you think that I'm protesting it?"
"And Ron?" Harry questioned suddenly, rolling over to face her once more. "What does he think?"
"Harry…" Hermione quivered sadly. "You know Ron doesn't talk to me anymore."
Harry nodded, as he had expected that. "Who would have ever expected. Ron Weasly, becoming a supporter of—"
"Please don't say it!" Hermione cut him off, cringing at the thought. "I don't want to think about it, Harry."
"Do you think…?"
"What?"
"Do you think that it's my fault, Ron going dark and all?" Harry asked, his green eyes lined with guilt. "I mean, if I had been there instead of—"
"Stop it, Harry." Hermione was crying a little. "Please, just don't."
"Who's out there?" Harry and Hermione tensed as a crotchety old voice pervaded the air. "Come on, my pretty, you can find those filthy students."
"Filch!" they both hissed under their breaths. Hermione gulped nervously, knowing that this could oust her as Head Girl. She motioned to Harry; they crouched, creeping silently along the grass and toward the school. Her breathing was rapid with nervousness and she tried to silence it, but it was futile. She was rasping by the time that they reached the indoor corridors.
They slinked up the Gryffindor tower. "What are you doing up? It's midnight!" Sir Cadogan yawned, perturbed.
"Slinky dog!" Harry whispered urgently, and he yanked Hermione through the portrait hole just as Filch rounded the corner. They tumbled into the common room, laughing from the built-up adrenaline. Sprawled on the floor, breathing heavy, they fell asleep within a few moments.
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"Well, looky here!" cooed a giggling voice. Harry forced his eyes open to see Lavender Brown and Dean Thomas, arms linked, standing over himself and Hermione. He shook off the drowsiness flooding his mind and disentangled his arms from Hermione's.
"G'morning," he grumbled, eyelids drooping. "What time's it?"
"Eight," Dean replied, checking the wall on the clock briefly. His smirk turned serious. "It's good to have you back, Harry."
Harry nodded, sick of everyone saying that. He had survived, he was there—what more was there to say? He still dreaded seeing Ron, afraid that Ron's statements may be severely differing from everyone else's. Harry shook off the thought and woke Hermione.
"Herm?" he whispered, trying to get a sign of life out of her still body. She rolled over, annoyed. "Mione, it's eight; wake up!"
"I… love… you…" she mumbled.
Harry's face went white; he was baffled. Had she just said… He swallowed hard. "Hermione… wake up!" She sat up groggily and looked at him blankly. Harry pulled at his collar nervously.
"What time is it?" she yawned. "I'm exhausted!"
"Er, eight."
"What's wrong, Harry? You seem so nervous?" She stretched her arms above her head.
"She must have been sleeping," Harry assured himself, silently. "She probably didn't even know who was waking her… I shouldn't jump to conclusions!" But as Harry watched Hermione sleepily make her way into the girls' dorm to change, he couldn't help but think over and over again in his mind, "She loves me…"
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A/N: Hello, fluffy, I guess, but the angst will return! Muchachacha! Anywhatsits, I realize u must have lots of questions… like about Hagrid, why Ron is evil, and what happened with Harry that everyone's worried about. That's what authors like me like to call "suspense" and "foreshadowing." Don't hate the author, hate the game! LOL, j/k… well, I got more than ten reviews so I am oh-so-pleased! Thanks to everyone!
Mwarren—hey, ur not online! Sobsob… well, thanks very much mi amigo!
Miss Spinn—Thanks so much! I saw that u reviewed my poetry and I can not thank u enough! That was sooooo nice! I added another poem just a few minutes ago. Here's your delayed second chapter! Thanks again!
Kay—LOL, here ya go! Thanks!
Sammi—Yes, I love Superman song too. It is sad, hopefully plot will develop well. Sorry so slow! I have been working hard on my other story, Road trip. Please check it out!
Bookworm4ever—LOL, thanks very much. This is my first H/Hr… ok, anyway, thanku!
Nick—ok, thanks lots!
Black Eyeliner—I read ur story and loved it soooooo much! I re-read it all the time. Well, thanks very very very much for such a nice review. I looked for the song you mentioned but I could not find it. Thanks verrrry much!
Angel-Undercover—Thanks! I am doing so…
Melly08—thankkkku! I continue, I continue…
Archangela—anytime, and thanks so much!
Katie janeway—Thank you more than anything! I am soooo glad u liked my poem ::beams:: Thanks indefinitely!
And another chapter is complete… thanks to all the reviewers, this was made possible by u! If you'd like to read some poems, including the one in chap1, then do go and read my collection by all means! And, my story Road trip has been doing fantastically. Last time I checked, 154 reviews so please do go look! I appreciate it very much!
Estoy haceindo mi tarea tan tengo que ir… gracias y adios…
