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Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!!
Chapter 11
Hermione walked out of the bookshop and started towards Hogwarts, not caring whether she left Lavender and Parvati behind. She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her sleeve and choked back a sob. *Why can't Ron just say it? If I mean something to him, why can't he just say it?*
"Hermione! Hermione!"
*Go away, Harry!*
"Hermione, wait," Harry said and grabbed her by the arm, making her stop. "Hermione--why are you crying?"
"I'm fine," Hermione replied hoarsely, wiping the falling tears.
Ginny arrived, breathless. "Hermione! Why are you crying?"
Hermione looked at both of them. "What are you guys doing here? How'd you know where I was?"
Harry cleared his throat. "Well... uh, we were walking around and then we saw you running away or something. What happened?"
"It's hard to explain," Hermione began. "And I don't want to talk about it."
"Do you want me to come with you back to school?" Ginny offered.
Hermione became quiet for a while then nodded slowly. She needed someone to talk to and Lavender and Parvati would be out of the question for now. Ginny took her arm and they began to walk back to school, Hermione still crying.
**
"Ron, what's wrong?" Harry asked as they walked back to school. Ron became very quiet and looked like he was supressing his anger.
"Nothing," Ron said through clenched teeth.
"Something's wrong. Why can't you just tell me?" Harry pressed on. Harry knew that supressing anger could be bad for a person.
"I saw Hermione," Ron finally said.
Harry tried to act surprised. "You did? When?"
"In the bookshop," Ron answered.
"What happened?"
"We talked for a while."
"And?"
"Nothing."
"What do you mean nothing?" Harry asked, acting confused. "What did you guys talk about?"
"About what happened. Everything was going fine when... I--I moved forward to kiss her. And then--I backed away," Ron said.
"You backed away?" Harry asked incredulously. "Why did you do that?"
"I don't know," Ron answered, sitting at a bench and running a hand through his hair. "I was afraid, I guess."
Harry sat down beside him and sighed quietly. "Afraid of losing your friendship?" Ron nodded. "Ron, I don't think Hermione would allow that to happen. And I don't think you would, too, right?"
"I know I wouldn't. But it's so hard keeping a friendship that has so many obstacles to it. I don't know what to do next, coz I don't know how she'll react. She might suddenly shun me away or something," Ron said, obviously frustrated.
"What do you feel about her?" Harry asked casually.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you love her?" Harry repeated bluntly.
"Is that important?"
"It is to girls," Harry replied calmly.
"But I kissed her didn't I? Isn't that enough of an answer?" Ron asked.
"Apparently not," Harry said, shrugging. "So... do you?"
"Do I what?" Ron asked.
"Do you love her?"
Ron didn't answer. Harry smiled slightly and patted him on the back. "Figure that out before you make another move." Then he stood up and left Ron on the bench. Shortly after Harry left, Ron realized that Lavender told him the same thing a couple of days ago.
**
"Ginny, thank you for coming with me," Hermione said.
"No problem," Ginny replied, patting her hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Drained," Hermione answered.
Ginny grinned. Even when Hermione's feeling bad, she could still manage to joke a little. "Yeah. That's the effect for crying for about a whole morning."
Hermione sighed and rested her head on the pillow. "Ginny, how do you know if you love a certain person?"
"Well... it depends, I think. For me, I knew it when I first saw Harry. I guess you could say it was love at first sight," Ginny said. "Why?"
"Don't get mad, okay?" Hermione said. Ginny nodded and Hermione proceeded. "You see, I thought I was in love with Harry." Ginny cringed a bit. "But now... I don't know. I'm confused."
"Because you kissed Ron?"
"Yeah and when I did, it was...I don't think there's any other word for it. It was perfect," Hermione said. Ginny giggled. "What?"
"I think that's sweet," Ginny admitted.
"Sweet? It's confusing, chaotic and messy," Hermione said.
"Whoa. No need to tell me you have a big vocabulary," Ginny said.
"It's just... I don't know. I never knew I had feelings for Ron," Hermione said absent-mindedly.
"So you have feelings for Ron?" Ginny asked, surprised.
Hermione gasped. "Did I say that out loud?"
"You did! So... you do?"
"I... I guess. I just realized it now. But why? Why just now?"
**
"Did it work?" Parvati asked Harry and Ginny.
"Weren't you there?" Ginny asked.
"She left for the bathroom," Lavender explained.
"Yeah, and when I returned Hermione had left," Parvati said.
"I don't know if it did," Harry said. "It's making Ron realize some things."
"Same for Hermione," Ginny said.
"You know, I think we should just leave them alone," Harry said.
"Why?" Ginny, Lavender and Parvati asked.
"Because it's their life?" Harry said.
"Nothing's going to happen between them if we don't do something," Lavender insisted.
"Well, what if that's the way it's supposed to be?" Harry pointed out. "What if they're not meant to be together?"
"Listen to yourself, Harry," Ginny scolded. "Didn't you see how they looked at each other? They have feelings for each other. They don't realize it, but they do. If we don't do something, they'll never get together and well... I believe that we'll regret it as much as they do."
Lavender and Parvati clapped after Ginny finished talked. Ginny turned red and Harry grinned.
"Thank you for showing me much insight," Harry said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Ginny felt pleased.
"So what do we do about it?" Harry asked them.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!!
Chapter 11
Hermione walked out of the bookshop and started towards Hogwarts, not caring whether she left Lavender and Parvati behind. She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her sleeve and choked back a sob. *Why can't Ron just say it? If I mean something to him, why can't he just say it?*
"Hermione! Hermione!"
*Go away, Harry!*
"Hermione, wait," Harry said and grabbed her by the arm, making her stop. "Hermione--why are you crying?"
"I'm fine," Hermione replied hoarsely, wiping the falling tears.
Ginny arrived, breathless. "Hermione! Why are you crying?"
Hermione looked at both of them. "What are you guys doing here? How'd you know where I was?"
Harry cleared his throat. "Well... uh, we were walking around and then we saw you running away or something. What happened?"
"It's hard to explain," Hermione began. "And I don't want to talk about it."
"Do you want me to come with you back to school?" Ginny offered.
Hermione became quiet for a while then nodded slowly. She needed someone to talk to and Lavender and Parvati would be out of the question for now. Ginny took her arm and they began to walk back to school, Hermione still crying.
**
"Ron, what's wrong?" Harry asked as they walked back to school. Ron became very quiet and looked like he was supressing his anger.
"Nothing," Ron said through clenched teeth.
"Something's wrong. Why can't you just tell me?" Harry pressed on. Harry knew that supressing anger could be bad for a person.
"I saw Hermione," Ron finally said.
Harry tried to act surprised. "You did? When?"
"In the bookshop," Ron answered.
"What happened?"
"We talked for a while."
"And?"
"Nothing."
"What do you mean nothing?" Harry asked, acting confused. "What did you guys talk about?"
"About what happened. Everything was going fine when... I--I moved forward to kiss her. And then--I backed away," Ron said.
"You backed away?" Harry asked incredulously. "Why did you do that?"
"I don't know," Ron answered, sitting at a bench and running a hand through his hair. "I was afraid, I guess."
Harry sat down beside him and sighed quietly. "Afraid of losing your friendship?" Ron nodded. "Ron, I don't think Hermione would allow that to happen. And I don't think you would, too, right?"
"I know I wouldn't. But it's so hard keeping a friendship that has so many obstacles to it. I don't know what to do next, coz I don't know how she'll react. She might suddenly shun me away or something," Ron said, obviously frustrated.
"What do you feel about her?" Harry asked casually.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you love her?" Harry repeated bluntly.
"Is that important?"
"It is to girls," Harry replied calmly.
"But I kissed her didn't I? Isn't that enough of an answer?" Ron asked.
"Apparently not," Harry said, shrugging. "So... do you?"
"Do I what?" Ron asked.
"Do you love her?"
Ron didn't answer. Harry smiled slightly and patted him on the back. "Figure that out before you make another move." Then he stood up and left Ron on the bench. Shortly after Harry left, Ron realized that Lavender told him the same thing a couple of days ago.
**
"Ginny, thank you for coming with me," Hermione said.
"No problem," Ginny replied, patting her hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Drained," Hermione answered.
Ginny grinned. Even when Hermione's feeling bad, she could still manage to joke a little. "Yeah. That's the effect for crying for about a whole morning."
Hermione sighed and rested her head on the pillow. "Ginny, how do you know if you love a certain person?"
"Well... it depends, I think. For me, I knew it when I first saw Harry. I guess you could say it was love at first sight," Ginny said. "Why?"
"Don't get mad, okay?" Hermione said. Ginny nodded and Hermione proceeded. "You see, I thought I was in love with Harry." Ginny cringed a bit. "But now... I don't know. I'm confused."
"Because you kissed Ron?"
"Yeah and when I did, it was...I don't think there's any other word for it. It was perfect," Hermione said. Ginny giggled. "What?"
"I think that's sweet," Ginny admitted.
"Sweet? It's confusing, chaotic and messy," Hermione said.
"Whoa. No need to tell me you have a big vocabulary," Ginny said.
"It's just... I don't know. I never knew I had feelings for Ron," Hermione said absent-mindedly.
"So you have feelings for Ron?" Ginny asked, surprised.
Hermione gasped. "Did I say that out loud?"
"You did! So... you do?"
"I... I guess. I just realized it now. But why? Why just now?"
**
"Did it work?" Parvati asked Harry and Ginny.
"Weren't you there?" Ginny asked.
"She left for the bathroom," Lavender explained.
"Yeah, and when I returned Hermione had left," Parvati said.
"I don't know if it did," Harry said. "It's making Ron realize some things."
"Same for Hermione," Ginny said.
"You know, I think we should just leave them alone," Harry said.
"Why?" Ginny, Lavender and Parvati asked.
"Because it's their life?" Harry said.
"Nothing's going to happen between them if we don't do something," Lavender insisted.
"Well, what if that's the way it's supposed to be?" Harry pointed out. "What if they're not meant to be together?"
"Listen to yourself, Harry," Ginny scolded. "Didn't you see how they looked at each other? They have feelings for each other. They don't realize it, but they do. If we don't do something, they'll never get together and well... I believe that we'll regret it as much as they do."
Lavender and Parvati clapped after Ginny finished talked. Ginny turned red and Harry grinned.
"Thank you for showing me much insight," Harry said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Ginny felt pleased.
"So what do we do about it?" Harry asked them.
