A/N: Hermy and Harry in a fight! DundunduN! What's gonna happen?!?! R/R no flaming…fragile mind…
Chapter Eight"What are you talking about, Harry?" Hermione asked, worrying that she had done something wrong.
"This…US," Harry replied softly. "I just can't take it anymore!"
"Ok…" Hermione said slowly. Had she repulsed him somehow. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, its just I don't want to hurt anymore, Hermione! It hurts me when I'm with you." Hermione was very taken aback. His words stung her viciously. It hurt to be with her? Her eyes were burning now.
"Am I that bad Harry?" she asked angrily as a tear slid down her cheek. "Have I done something to deserve something like that?" Harry looked at her confused. Obviously she didn't understand.
"You just don't understand," Harry said.
"Well how can I understand if you don't explain it to me?" Hermione cried loudly. Harry didn't want to tell her the truth, that he wanted to be with her for real, it would embarrass him beyond reason.
"I just can't explain it, Hermione," Harry replied hotly.
"Why not, Harry? Is it that bad? Or are you just trying to keep me from getting madder at you? That's all you ever do! Keep yourself from experiencing something you don't feel like dealing with! That's how this whole mess started! You didn't want to go to the ball with Nell and so you dragged me into this, and I've gone along with everything! I've been saving your ass for a long time now! And now you're just gonna throw it back in my face! You're mistake is now my problem! Well fine, Harry, FINE! I'm sorry I helped you. I'm sorry I hurt you somehow. I'm sorry that I can't understand!" she shouted. Before he could retort, she fled. The tears were flowing freely down her face, burning trails down her cheeks. She ran to a carriage and threw herself in it. She let herself become enveloped in her own sobs now that she was alone.
Harry stood there, wondering how everything went so wrong. I should've just kept my stupid trap shut. I could've endured this until the dance, for Hermione's sake. Now she hates me because I can't explain what I mean. It would only freak her out and then she'd distance herself even more. I'm stupid. I should never have gotten her into this mess. A single tear tracked down his face as he turned away and began to walk aimlessly around the street. He didn't notice Nell standing at the top of the street, standing there in mild shock.
"Hermione?" a voice asked. Hermione looked up from curled position in the carriage. It was Ron and Lavender. "What's wrong?" She hadn't even noticed that there were people in the carriage with her. I am so stupid, she thought, even stupider now. I never should've helped Harry with his dumb plan. I should've listened to my brain when it told me to stop before I got hurt. "Where's Harry?" This only made her cry harder. Lavender put her arm around her and stroked her back soothingly. "Tell us what happened," she said softly. Hermione looked up at her friends. Their concern was etched in their faces. Before she could stop herself, she poured out the story; everything from the plan to her secret desire for him and then she finally ended with a recap of their fight. Lavender and Ron were fuming at the end. How could Harry have done that to Hermione?
"That boy has a serious talk coming to him," Ron said through clenched teeth.
"Ron, no!" Hermione said, wiping tears from her face. "Don't bother him about this anymore." But Ron wouldn't have any of it and refused to speak any more on the matter.
"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Ron roared as he entered the dorm. He stormed over to Harry's bed and ripped open the canopy. "WHAT THE-" he stopped mid sentence… "What's wrong with you?" Ron asked, studying the tear streaked face of his friend.
"Hermione," Harry whispered, fresh tears welling in his eyes. "I botched everything up, I never meant to hurt her. I shouldn't have let my own feelings get involved."
"You're right, mate, you botched everything up, especially her. You've cost that poor woman at least 50 years of therapy! How could you toy with her feelings like that?" Ron said icily.
"Toy with her feelings? What about my feelings?! I didn't want the pain anymore! Do you know how hard it is to restrain yourself when you're kissing the girl you like? And do you know how hard it is to know you're kissing a girl that will never like you back?" Harry shouted, not caring who heard him. Ron stopped his onslaught then, frowning at Harry in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" Ron said. "Wait…you like Hermione?"
"Apparently," Harry said testily, rubbing at his cheeks.
"But…Hermione…" Ron said, trying to piece the puzzle together. "Good lord! You two are both dumb prats!" he roared. Harry looked up at him in anger and confusion. "You two are both just torturing yourselves! If you'd tell each other in the first place how you feel, you wouldn't have to deal with all this!" Harry frowned.
"I can't just tell her. Besides…I know she doesn't like me," he whispered.
"Says who?" Ron said, climbing into his own bed. "You never know!" Harry looked at him again.
"Well as much as I'd like to believe you, she probably won't ever speak to me again."
"I dunno mate, something tells me she'll find it in herself to hear you out," Ron said before flopping over and refusing to speak any more on the matter for the second time that night. Harry simply frowned at his friend's back and stared up at the canopy covering his bed.
"Lavender," Ron said, pulling his girlfriend aside on the way to class. "Do I have something to tell you!" He quickly recapped what had happened with Harry the night before as she squealed in delight.
"So…if they both like each other…but they don't know it…they'll obviously need our help to get it together!" she said excitedly.
"Hmm…so now we need a plan," Ron said thoughtfully.
"We could trap them together in a classroom!" Lavender suggested.
"No…too overused and then too many things might get smashed or broken…which could result in a detention. You know how angry couples get," he said, grimacing as he remembered his aunt throwing a vase at her husband. Lavender shrugged.
"We could tie them together!" she suggested again. The continued walking down the hall, attempting to hatch a plan, though each idea grew crazier than the last. "SECRET NOTES!" Lavender shouted eagerly down the hall.
Hermione was alone in the library for the first time in forever. Her mind was still on the fight. It kept playing over and over in her mind, never stopping its relentless torment. She put down her quill and covered her face with her hands. She uncovered her face abruptly when she heard someone sit down in a chair next to hers. She was surprised to find Nell sitting before her. She sat there, silently staring at her. Nell's stony face was unreadable, though Hermione could tell she was trying to think of something.
"Can I help you?" Hermione asked tentatively, wiping her face with the back of her hands.
"I heard everything you know," Nell began, her usually booming voice unnaturally quiet. Hermione winced.
"I'm so sorry, Nell. It was wrong and hurtful of us to do something like that, I," she paused, turning away as she wiped tears from her eyes once more, "I didn't realize exactly how hurtful it would be, and I'm sorry…I'm really sorry." Nell shook her head.
"It's ok," she said. "It didn't matter to me when I saw how in love you guys were. I'm a…well a believer in stuff like that," she muttered, clearly embarrassed at revealing this secret about herself. Hermione blinked at her slowly, of all people, she did not imagine Nell to be a hopeless romantic. "But I saw you guys fight." Hermione grimaced and pressed her fingers to her eyes to keep the tears from coming back. "He didn't mean what he said the way it came out."
"How do you know?" Hermione whispered.
"Because I've seen the way he looks at you when you're not paying attention. You do the same thing to him," Nell explained, smiling softly. Hermione blushed. "He really cares about you, Herminie," Nell said, not noticing that she had gotten Hermione's name completely wrong. "You should give him a chance and listen to what he has to say; I'm sure he has a lot to say." With that said, she stood. "Good luck to you two," she said as she walked away. Hermione was still a little dazed and confused about what Nell had said. Could Harry really like her? And when the hell did Nell become the ultimate advice giver? Hermione gathered her things slowly and stood. She had to find Harry. But she was scared to. What if what Nell said wasn't really true? What if she was just trying to get her back for what she had done? Hermione sighed. She stood and exited the library. She wanted to hide away in her dorm and think about what to do.
"Your plans suck, Ron," Harry said bitterly, staring at the floor. Ron frowned at him. "I am not gonna go up to Hermione and beg her to come back to me…we were never together, remember?" Harry sighed, rolling over on his bed. "And I am not about to try to bribe her with candy." Ron pouted.
"But we worked all day on those plans!" Harry quirked his eyebrow. They spent all day on those and that's the best the could do?
"Well…whatever, thanks anyways. I think I'm gonna go for a walk." Ron shrugged.
"You should take the cloak, its getting close to curfew," he suggested. Harry nodded and fished his cloak out of his trunk. He draped it around himself, and flipped up the hood. Ron watched the door as it opened and closed on its own then flopped back onto his bed.
Harry wandered the dark corridors aimlessly. He didn't realize he was heading towards the library until he saw the unmistakable form of Hermione walking towards him. She looked up suddenly at the sound of the soft padding of Mrs. Norris's feet. Harry turned and saw the demon-cat before it scampered off to find her master. Hermione paled quickly and began to walk faster, but she heard Filch's footsteps thundering down the next hall. She searched the corridor around her for a place to hide. She was near tears again. This was definitely not what she needed right now. Harry grabbed her and pulled the cloak over her just as Filch came around the corner. The old man was panting as his beady eyes searched the hall for any curfew breakers. He grumbled something about, "getting too old for this," before stalking off down the corridor. Hermione was quivering in Harry's grasp as she watched Filch walk away. She turned her head to face Harry, blushing at their closeness.
"Hermione-"
"Harry-" They said simultaneously.
"We need to talk," Harry whispered softly. Hermione nodded slightly. They crossed the hall to find a vacated classroom and closed the door behind them.
"Ok, Harry, let's talk."
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A/N: Oooh! What are they gonna talk about?! Well freak I dunno, I haven't written that chapter yet. Anyways…yeah…I used to have more/better ideas for the fight, but sadly I forgot them all. Whoops. Anways…more drama next chapter! Review! Don't flame…I'm just a poor innocent writer who's bored out of her mind…don't make me cry!
