Author's Note: Thanks to Lissie89, ears91, and jessixa for the wonderful
reviews!
Big hug to my beta reader, Lissie! Isn't she the best?
ears91: I agree. Her parents are being too overprotective, but they have their reasons. Plus, if they weren't acting like this I wouldn't have a story! Don't worry, though. Things always work out in the end...
jessixa: Wow. Thank you so much for that!
~IMPORTANT!~ The quotation marks have been disappearing on the stories and I now know how to fix it (thanks to a review left by Suki to my beta, who was kind enough to let me in on the secret). To fix the page, right click on the chapter and change the encoding to 'unicode'. This should fix it, but if it doesn't, let me know!
Disclaimer: All of the HP characters belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling, but she's kind enough to let me borrow them every now and then for my own entertainment...Like now, for instance.
Now that all that is said and done, on to the story!
*************************
Chapter 5
The next couple of months went by pretty uneventfully for Hermione. Except for the fact that Harry was not speaking to her. She had some idea as to what his sour mood was all about, though, thanks to Ron (who was still speaking to her, by the way). Ron had not been very happy when Harry had told him what Hermione had said the night of the welcoming feast. 'But at least he's still talking to me,' she thought. Ron told Hermione that Harry was just mad about her not being able to spend a lot of time with them, besides during classes. 'He's acting like a spoiled child!' She furiously threw the roots she had been chopping moments before into her cauldron during one potion's lesson. Even though they were not speaking to each other, Harry nevertheless was sitting close to her. Every time Hermione caught sight of him, she had to bite her tongue to keep from lashing out at him for ignoring her.
'He is acting like it's my fault!' she thought, watching him as he added his own roots to his potion, which had turned a forest green color. Hermione whirled around to face her own green potion and began to stir it. After exactly one minute of stirring it clockwise, she began to stir it counter-clockwise. The potion was supposed to be a much less powerful version of Veritaserum. After two minutes, Hermione stopped stirring and watched as it turned a very light shade of purple. She smiled to herself and looked around the classroom to see how the others had done. There were only eight other students (besides Harry and herself) taking the advanced potions class. They no longer had potions with just Slytherin since there were so few of them actually taking the class. In fact, there were two Slytherins, two Gryffindors, three Hufflepuffs, and three Ravenclaws. Malfoy had been in the class the previous year, but the rumor about him having moved was true. Plus, Snape was no longer breathing down their necks every minute, which turned out to work wonders for everyone (especially Harry). Harry was actually able to concentrate on what he was doing, which usually resulted in a potion that gave Hermione's a run for its money. It looked as if everyone else was doing just as well.
Speaking of Snape, he had just stood up and was walking around the classroom, checking each and every potion. Even though he was no longer acting quite so Snape-ish, you could still count on a snide remark and curl of the lip whenever he felt like it. Today, however, he made no comment as he glided around the room, hands clasped behind his back. When only five minutes remained, Snape told everyone to put a sample of his or her potion in the vial that had been provided.
"Put the vials on my desk before returning to your work area to clean up," he said, tapping the edge of his desk for emphasis. Hermione corked her vial and looked at it lovingly before walking to Snape's desk to set it down. The vial had just touched the desk when Hermione felt someone walk up to stand behind her. She was about to turn around when an arm slithered into sight, grazing her side. She knew that arm...The hand had just set the vial it was holding on Snape's desk when Hermione recovered and whipped around quickly. Harry was (as she had suspected) the one standing behind her. His emerald eyes began to bore into her own when she made eye contact. Harry was standing very close to Hermione, invading her space a little. Hermione's brain numbly registered a feeling of shock when she realized how close he was standing. Hermione dropped her gaze as she tried to take a step back, but her hip came into contact with the sharp edge of Snape's desk. Her escape was blocked.
Hermione looked up at Harry's face again, but just barely. She made sure her lashes veiled her eyes. She wanted to be able to see Harry without looking him directly in the eye. Hermione hoped that Harry didn't notice she was looking at him. She wasn't sure why she didn't want Harry to notice, though; all she knew was that the room around her seemed to have disappeared and the only sound she was aware of was her own breathing. Harry (who was still looking at her intently) did notice Hermione watching him from under her lashes, but instead of turning around and walking back to his seat to gather his stuff, he continued to watch her. Hermione could feel her cheeks flush with color under his stare, but she couldn't seem to tear her gaze away from his face. A shadow of a smile appeared on Harry's lips as he watched her cheeks bloom pink.
As abruptly as the moment began, it was over. Hermione watched as Harry walked back to his seat, picked up his book and bag in one motion, and walked out the door. He never looked back. Hermione brought a hand up to her face and laid it on her cheek, still feeling slightly shocked at what just happened. She idly noted that her cheek was very hot. Hermione pushed herself off the edge of Snape's desk and walked back to her own seat to grab her stuff before heading to lunch. As Hermione walked out the door, she absentmindedly rubbed her side. It was stinging where the sharp edge had been pressed into it.
~
Harry threw his bag underneath the Gryffindor house table before sitting down next to Ron, who was shoveling food into his mouth.
"Hey Harry," Ron said after swallowing the mouth full of food. "What's wrong? You look like you just ate poison or something."
"Nothing Ron. I'm fine." Even though Harry wasn't particularly hungry, he pulled a plate of sandwiches toward him and grabbed the one on top. He took a big bite before chasing it down with a swig of pumpkin juice. He hoped Ron would get the idea and not bother him. He really didn't feel like talking just now. Ron looked at him with narrowed eyes before shrugging and returning to his own meal. The scene in the dungeons kept playing in his mind. He had no idea what had possessed him to do that. He remembered seeing Hermione cork her vial and head toward Snape's desk with it. He corked his own vial after watching her for a moment and also walked to the desk. Then on impulse he stood behind her, waiting to see if she noticed him or not. He didn't think she had; that is, until he slid his arm past her on the premise of setting his own vial down, and she whipped around to stare at him with eyes as wide as dinner plates. 'She has such pretty eyes...' Harry thought before he could catch himself. Where did that come from? Harry stopped chewing his food and instead stared at his sandwich. He saw Ron out of the corner of his eye looking at him again. Ron was about to say something, but was cut off when Hermione showed up and plopped down right in front of Ron.
"Hey Hermione," Ron said, shooting Harry another quizzical look before returning to his food. Hermione grunted an acknowledgment and buried her nose in the Advanced Transfiguration book. After a moment, she reached around the book and snatched a sandwich from the plate in front of Harry, making sure her face remained hidden. Harry watched the top of her forehead for a moment before finishing off his sandwich and drinking another generous amount of pumpkin juice.
"So," Ron began, turning slightly in Harry's direction, "what did you do in potions?" Harry's gaze flew to what he could see of Hermione before answering.
"Oh, nothing special; just brewed potions and stuff. You know, it's been getting really hot in the dungeons lately," Harry said, putting extra emphases on the word "hot." He was still gazing intently at Hermione's forehead. After a moment, it began to turn red. Harry smiled to himself. He wondered how far he could push Hermione until she finally snapped.
"Oh," said Ron. "What kind of potion was it?"
"It was..." Harry began, but was cut off mid sentence by 'Mione.
"It was a weak truth potion," Hermione's voice sounded a little high pitched. Harry smiled again. Apparently, it wasn't going to take much to get under her skin today. Ron also noticed the irritated way she sounded.
"Right," he said, looking from Harry to Hermione, confusion in his eyes. "Right..."
"So, Ron. What did you do during..." but Harry was interrupted yet again by Hermione. She snapped her book shut and hit it against the table with a loud WHAM! that made several people around them jump in surprise. Harry succeeded in causing Hermione's composure to snap.
"How could you?" she hissed viciously at Harry. He calmly set the pumpkin juice back on the table before meeting Hermione's gaze. "How could I what, Hermione?" Hermione's eyes widened.
"You know perfectly well what!" Her voice was rising steadily. This drew several pairs of eyes. Harry, however, paid them no mind. He was returning Hermione's gaze unflinchingly. Instead of answering her question, he raised an eyebrow. Hermione stared at him, incredulous.
"Oh come on, Harry! First you act like a spoiled little-" Harry didn't hear the rest of Hermione's words. The only thing he did hear was the sound of his own blood rushing in his ears.
"What?!" Harry yelled, coming up out of his seat a little. Hermione, however, appeared to not have heard him.
"And then sneaking up on me in the dungeons!" Hermione continued speaking, waving her hand the air. "Furthermore, it's not right for you to stop speaking to me-"
"I did not 'sneak up' behind you!"
"-because of a decision my parents made!"
"I DID NOT SNEAK UP BEHIND YOU!" Harry was standing at his full height now, his breath coming heavily. Hermione stopped speaking. She was also breathing in short gasps. Then, they both became aware of their surroundings once more. The entire Great Hall had gone quiet. Everyone was staring at the two of them, open-mouthed. Hermione gestured at the doors of the Great Hall before grabbing her stuff and walking toward them. Harry followed suit, but chose to leave his stuff behind.
"Harry, you're acting like a spoiled brat!" Hermione yelled, whirling around to face him once the doors to the Great Hall were closed behind them. Harry's eyes grew wide at this.
He said, "Well, forgive me for worrying about you, Hermione."
"Ignoring me sure doesn't sound like worrying," Hermione responded, still sputtering with rage. Harry didn't hear her, however. Instead, he began to pace the Entrance Hall.
"I'm so sorry if I offended you by wondering about how you were doing after St. Mungo's..." Hermione watched him walk back and forth, but she said nothing. She was still shaking with anger, yes, yet she decided it would be a good idea to remain quiet and let Harry talk.
In a voice dripping with sarcasm, Harry continued, "I'm sorry for being upset with you for not writing to me over the summer, and I'm sorry I got mad and ignored you over an issue that was your parents decision," Harry stopped walking in a circle and walked straight toward Hermione when he said (the sarcasm completely gone from his voice), "but I am NOT sorry for being mad at your parents for taking away pretty much all the freedom you have! Hermione, do you not see how ridiculously extreme they are being?"
Harry stopped just in front of Hermione. He was breathing heavily and anger flashed in his emerald orbs. Hermione couldn't say anything. She was too stunned by Harry's words. It wasn't any of his business what rules her parents had regarding her anyway; so why did he care so much? Why did it make him so angry? This thought had just crossed Hermione's mind when Harry made some kind of exasperated noise and turned away. He ran his hand through his hair as he opened the doors to the Great Hall and went inside, not looking back at her. Hermione remained where she was for another moment or two, trying to calm down and get her breathing under control again. Once she felt a little calmer, she turned on her heel and walked up the grand staircase in the direction of her next class.
******************
I'm sorry this chapter took me so long to write. To be honest, I had a hard time deciding how I was going to write it in the first place. Things should go smoother for Harry and Hermione here-on-out...Please review and let me know what you think!
BTW, go check out Lissie89's stories. If you like mine you'll love the ones she's writing!
ears91: I agree. Her parents are being too overprotective, but they have their reasons. Plus, if they weren't acting like this I wouldn't have a story! Don't worry, though. Things always work out in the end...
jessixa: Wow. Thank you so much for that!
~IMPORTANT!~ The quotation marks have been disappearing on the stories and I now know how to fix it (thanks to a review left by Suki to my beta, who was kind enough to let me in on the secret). To fix the page, right click on the chapter and change the encoding to 'unicode'. This should fix it, but if it doesn't, let me know!
Disclaimer: All of the HP characters belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling, but she's kind enough to let me borrow them every now and then for my own entertainment...Like now, for instance.
Now that all that is said and done, on to the story!
*************************
Chapter 5
The next couple of months went by pretty uneventfully for Hermione. Except for the fact that Harry was not speaking to her. She had some idea as to what his sour mood was all about, though, thanks to Ron (who was still speaking to her, by the way). Ron had not been very happy when Harry had told him what Hermione had said the night of the welcoming feast. 'But at least he's still talking to me,' she thought. Ron told Hermione that Harry was just mad about her not being able to spend a lot of time with them, besides during classes. 'He's acting like a spoiled child!' She furiously threw the roots she had been chopping moments before into her cauldron during one potion's lesson. Even though they were not speaking to each other, Harry nevertheless was sitting close to her. Every time Hermione caught sight of him, she had to bite her tongue to keep from lashing out at him for ignoring her.
'He is acting like it's my fault!' she thought, watching him as he added his own roots to his potion, which had turned a forest green color. Hermione whirled around to face her own green potion and began to stir it. After exactly one minute of stirring it clockwise, she began to stir it counter-clockwise. The potion was supposed to be a much less powerful version of Veritaserum. After two minutes, Hermione stopped stirring and watched as it turned a very light shade of purple. She smiled to herself and looked around the classroom to see how the others had done. There were only eight other students (besides Harry and herself) taking the advanced potions class. They no longer had potions with just Slytherin since there were so few of them actually taking the class. In fact, there were two Slytherins, two Gryffindors, three Hufflepuffs, and three Ravenclaws. Malfoy had been in the class the previous year, but the rumor about him having moved was true. Plus, Snape was no longer breathing down their necks every minute, which turned out to work wonders for everyone (especially Harry). Harry was actually able to concentrate on what he was doing, which usually resulted in a potion that gave Hermione's a run for its money. It looked as if everyone else was doing just as well.
Speaking of Snape, he had just stood up and was walking around the classroom, checking each and every potion. Even though he was no longer acting quite so Snape-ish, you could still count on a snide remark and curl of the lip whenever he felt like it. Today, however, he made no comment as he glided around the room, hands clasped behind his back. When only five minutes remained, Snape told everyone to put a sample of his or her potion in the vial that had been provided.
"Put the vials on my desk before returning to your work area to clean up," he said, tapping the edge of his desk for emphasis. Hermione corked her vial and looked at it lovingly before walking to Snape's desk to set it down. The vial had just touched the desk when Hermione felt someone walk up to stand behind her. She was about to turn around when an arm slithered into sight, grazing her side. She knew that arm...The hand had just set the vial it was holding on Snape's desk when Hermione recovered and whipped around quickly. Harry was (as she had suspected) the one standing behind her. His emerald eyes began to bore into her own when she made eye contact. Harry was standing very close to Hermione, invading her space a little. Hermione's brain numbly registered a feeling of shock when she realized how close he was standing. Hermione dropped her gaze as she tried to take a step back, but her hip came into contact with the sharp edge of Snape's desk. Her escape was blocked.
Hermione looked up at Harry's face again, but just barely. She made sure her lashes veiled her eyes. She wanted to be able to see Harry without looking him directly in the eye. Hermione hoped that Harry didn't notice she was looking at him. She wasn't sure why she didn't want Harry to notice, though; all she knew was that the room around her seemed to have disappeared and the only sound she was aware of was her own breathing. Harry (who was still looking at her intently) did notice Hermione watching him from under her lashes, but instead of turning around and walking back to his seat to gather his stuff, he continued to watch her. Hermione could feel her cheeks flush with color under his stare, but she couldn't seem to tear her gaze away from his face. A shadow of a smile appeared on Harry's lips as he watched her cheeks bloom pink.
As abruptly as the moment began, it was over. Hermione watched as Harry walked back to his seat, picked up his book and bag in one motion, and walked out the door. He never looked back. Hermione brought a hand up to her face and laid it on her cheek, still feeling slightly shocked at what just happened. She idly noted that her cheek was very hot. Hermione pushed herself off the edge of Snape's desk and walked back to her own seat to grab her stuff before heading to lunch. As Hermione walked out the door, she absentmindedly rubbed her side. It was stinging where the sharp edge had been pressed into it.
~
Harry threw his bag underneath the Gryffindor house table before sitting down next to Ron, who was shoveling food into his mouth.
"Hey Harry," Ron said after swallowing the mouth full of food. "What's wrong? You look like you just ate poison or something."
"Nothing Ron. I'm fine." Even though Harry wasn't particularly hungry, he pulled a plate of sandwiches toward him and grabbed the one on top. He took a big bite before chasing it down with a swig of pumpkin juice. He hoped Ron would get the idea and not bother him. He really didn't feel like talking just now. Ron looked at him with narrowed eyes before shrugging and returning to his own meal. The scene in the dungeons kept playing in his mind. He had no idea what had possessed him to do that. He remembered seeing Hermione cork her vial and head toward Snape's desk with it. He corked his own vial after watching her for a moment and also walked to the desk. Then on impulse he stood behind her, waiting to see if she noticed him or not. He didn't think she had; that is, until he slid his arm past her on the premise of setting his own vial down, and she whipped around to stare at him with eyes as wide as dinner plates. 'She has such pretty eyes...' Harry thought before he could catch himself. Where did that come from? Harry stopped chewing his food and instead stared at his sandwich. He saw Ron out of the corner of his eye looking at him again. Ron was about to say something, but was cut off when Hermione showed up and plopped down right in front of Ron.
"Hey Hermione," Ron said, shooting Harry another quizzical look before returning to his food. Hermione grunted an acknowledgment and buried her nose in the Advanced Transfiguration book. After a moment, she reached around the book and snatched a sandwich from the plate in front of Harry, making sure her face remained hidden. Harry watched the top of her forehead for a moment before finishing off his sandwich and drinking another generous amount of pumpkin juice.
"So," Ron began, turning slightly in Harry's direction, "what did you do in potions?" Harry's gaze flew to what he could see of Hermione before answering.
"Oh, nothing special; just brewed potions and stuff. You know, it's been getting really hot in the dungeons lately," Harry said, putting extra emphases on the word "hot." He was still gazing intently at Hermione's forehead. After a moment, it began to turn red. Harry smiled to himself. He wondered how far he could push Hermione until she finally snapped.
"Oh," said Ron. "What kind of potion was it?"
"It was..." Harry began, but was cut off mid sentence by 'Mione.
"It was a weak truth potion," Hermione's voice sounded a little high pitched. Harry smiled again. Apparently, it wasn't going to take much to get under her skin today. Ron also noticed the irritated way she sounded.
"Right," he said, looking from Harry to Hermione, confusion in his eyes. "Right..."
"So, Ron. What did you do during..." but Harry was interrupted yet again by Hermione. She snapped her book shut and hit it against the table with a loud WHAM! that made several people around them jump in surprise. Harry succeeded in causing Hermione's composure to snap.
"How could you?" she hissed viciously at Harry. He calmly set the pumpkin juice back on the table before meeting Hermione's gaze. "How could I what, Hermione?" Hermione's eyes widened.
"You know perfectly well what!" Her voice was rising steadily. This drew several pairs of eyes. Harry, however, paid them no mind. He was returning Hermione's gaze unflinchingly. Instead of answering her question, he raised an eyebrow. Hermione stared at him, incredulous.
"Oh come on, Harry! First you act like a spoiled little-" Harry didn't hear the rest of Hermione's words. The only thing he did hear was the sound of his own blood rushing in his ears.
"What?!" Harry yelled, coming up out of his seat a little. Hermione, however, appeared to not have heard him.
"And then sneaking up on me in the dungeons!" Hermione continued speaking, waving her hand the air. "Furthermore, it's not right for you to stop speaking to me-"
"I did not 'sneak up' behind you!"
"-because of a decision my parents made!"
"I DID NOT SNEAK UP BEHIND YOU!" Harry was standing at his full height now, his breath coming heavily. Hermione stopped speaking. She was also breathing in short gasps. Then, they both became aware of their surroundings once more. The entire Great Hall had gone quiet. Everyone was staring at the two of them, open-mouthed. Hermione gestured at the doors of the Great Hall before grabbing her stuff and walking toward them. Harry followed suit, but chose to leave his stuff behind.
"Harry, you're acting like a spoiled brat!" Hermione yelled, whirling around to face him once the doors to the Great Hall were closed behind them. Harry's eyes grew wide at this.
He said, "Well, forgive me for worrying about you, Hermione."
"Ignoring me sure doesn't sound like worrying," Hermione responded, still sputtering with rage. Harry didn't hear her, however. Instead, he began to pace the Entrance Hall.
"I'm so sorry if I offended you by wondering about how you were doing after St. Mungo's..." Hermione watched him walk back and forth, but she said nothing. She was still shaking with anger, yes, yet she decided it would be a good idea to remain quiet and let Harry talk.
In a voice dripping with sarcasm, Harry continued, "I'm sorry for being upset with you for not writing to me over the summer, and I'm sorry I got mad and ignored you over an issue that was your parents decision," Harry stopped walking in a circle and walked straight toward Hermione when he said (the sarcasm completely gone from his voice), "but I am NOT sorry for being mad at your parents for taking away pretty much all the freedom you have! Hermione, do you not see how ridiculously extreme they are being?"
Harry stopped just in front of Hermione. He was breathing heavily and anger flashed in his emerald orbs. Hermione couldn't say anything. She was too stunned by Harry's words. It wasn't any of his business what rules her parents had regarding her anyway; so why did he care so much? Why did it make him so angry? This thought had just crossed Hermione's mind when Harry made some kind of exasperated noise and turned away. He ran his hand through his hair as he opened the doors to the Great Hall and went inside, not looking back at her. Hermione remained where she was for another moment or two, trying to calm down and get her breathing under control again. Once she felt a little calmer, she turned on her heel and walked up the grand staircase in the direction of her next class.
******************
I'm sorry this chapter took me so long to write. To be honest, I had a hard time deciding how I was going to write it in the first place. Things should go smoother for Harry and Hermione here-on-out...Please review and let me know what you think!
BTW, go check out Lissie89's stories. If you like mine you'll love the ones she's writing!