Chapter 20
Harry couldn't believe his luck. Hermionie was his girlfriend.
They two of them walked inside trying to look like it was just an ordinary day. Hermionie couldn't stop smiling, and neither could Harry.
"What are you two so bloody happy about?" Ron asked through a mouthful of food.
"Nothing Ron." Hermionie said in mock innocence.
"Uh, huh." Ron stared at the two of them. Harry sat next to Emma, and Hermionie sat on the other side of Ron. "Right, okay."
"Harry," Emma whispered.
"Yea?"
"Um, never mind." She said, and went back to her food.
Harry just shrugged it off and went back to eating. Suddenly guilt flooded his stomach when Ron spoke.
"Hey Harry." Ron whispered.
"Yea?" He said, through a mouthful of food.
"I was thinking," Harry could see it was about Hermionie, because he glanced her way.
"That could be dangerous Ron." Harry interrupted. Ron just raised an eyebrow at him. Harry didn't want to go into the subject when Ron thinks about Hermionie. Quick, New subject, new subject, new subject.
"Are you feeling alright Harry? You're acting.odd." Ron said.
"So? I can't be weird?" Harry asked. Answering his question with a question will stall it.
"Well," Ron said, "No."
"Then leave me alone, I'm eating." Harry said playfully, and Ron gave a weak smile. There is something he's not telling me.he's way to jumpy. Ron thought to himself.
He's catching on to me! He knows I'm not telling him something. Harry thought.
Hermionie didn't know what was going on with this new girl Harry and Ron found, but for some reason she didn't like her. She way she smiled, the way she laughed, or the way she flirted with Harry. But was made her mad the most was that Harry was flirting back!! Right after they'd gotten together he was already starting up again. Great.
"Harry," Hermionie said to him on their way out.
"What?" He said.
"Can you meet me in the common room tonight? We need to study." She winked.
"Oh, yea." Harry smiled, "I'll be there." No one else had heard them.
Along the way the four of them chatted a little about this, and that. Then, after Hermionie and Ron climbed into the common room Emma pulled Harry aside. Little did he know, Hermionie saw this and listened from the other side of the portrait.
"What is it Emma?" Harry asked curiously. What could she possibly want?
"Um," She said again, just like at dinner. She watched her feet. "Could I talk to you tonight, at like 11? Meet me out here, okay? I don't want any one around."
Curiousity getting the better of him, he forgot he already had plans with Hermionie and said, "Sure. 11 it is." And smiled sweetly at her. "Is everything okay Emma?" He asked. She wouldn't look at him.
"Yeah, fine." She answered simply, still not taking her eyes off her feet.
"Are you sure?" Harry took a step closer, and put his hands on her forearms, trying to get her to look at him.
"Yeah." She answered and finally looked up at him. He watched her hazel eyes, and got lost in them. There was shyness and fear there. He had the urge to hug her, and make the shyness and fear go away. And, without thinking he did so, just as Hermionie cracked open the portrait to see what was going on.
What she saw horrified her. What is he doing?! Did he forget that we're together? Has he gone insane?! She just watched, and didn't know what to do.
"Hey, It'll be okay." She heard Harry coo, as he rubbed her back.
"I'm homesick Harry." Hermionie heard Emma say, sudden sadness filling her tone. She saw her nuzzle her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair.
"I'll be okay, really," comforting was one of his good points, "Ron and I are here for you." What about me?! Not that I'd want to comfort that.
"Hermionie?" Ron said behind her, and she jumped.
"Oh my goodness, Ron." She whispered, "Don't scare me like that."
"Whats wrong?" He asked, seeing tears brimming in her eyes. She stepped back and nodded her head toward the crack that was just open enough to see the pair of them outside. Ron looked curiously at her, then walked by and peeked through. When he stepped back, he acted like nothing was wrong. "Yea? So?" He said, the he realized he sound inconsiderate. Hermionie's tears had finally started to fall. "My Gosh, You still like him."
"Yeah, but that's not all Ron," She sobbed, "We're going out."
"WHAT?!" He said, in a loud whisper.
"Since this afternoon, right before dinner." She put her hands over her face. Then straightened up and went back to watching Harry and Emma outside, leaving Ron truly shocked, and wide eyed.
She heard soft sobs coming from Emma.
"Sh, Its okay," Harry cooed, and continued to stroke her hair. Boy she smells good. He thought. "Hogwarts is far from home, but me and Ron will make the year fun I promise." Herminie heard his comforting words. She wondered how she could so easily be left out, and forgotten. Ron was standing right by her, peering through as well now.
"Harry," they saw her pull away from him, and look up at him. Her face was tear streaked and her eyes were slightly puffy, "Thank you."
"Anytime." He smiled that charming smile of his. Ron and Hermionie saw her give a weak smile back. Then she rose slightly off the ground and put her lips to Harry's. Ron could almost hear Hermionie's heart breaking. They stood frozen on the spot, watching her kiss him, and him, not moving away, but kissing back. After a short minute they saw them break apart, and see Emma running toward the portrait. Just as she fat lady swung open, Ron and Hermionie had flattened themselves against the nearest wall. They watched her run up the stairs, and then heard a door shut. The stood silently, when Harry arrived a few seconds later. He didn't even see them, but just walked on by, and up the stairs as well, almost trance like. When Ron heard a second door close, he felt Hermionie slide down the wall into a sitting position. He bent down next to her. Her forehead to her knees and arms wrapped around her legs.
"Hermionie?" asked Ron cautiously. She didn't answer. All she did was sit there, and cry.
Harry couldn't believe his luck. Hermionie was his girlfriend.
They two of them walked inside trying to look like it was just an ordinary day. Hermionie couldn't stop smiling, and neither could Harry.
"What are you two so bloody happy about?" Ron asked through a mouthful of food.
"Nothing Ron." Hermionie said in mock innocence.
"Uh, huh." Ron stared at the two of them. Harry sat next to Emma, and Hermionie sat on the other side of Ron. "Right, okay."
"Harry," Emma whispered.
"Yea?"
"Um, never mind." She said, and went back to her food.
Harry just shrugged it off and went back to eating. Suddenly guilt flooded his stomach when Ron spoke.
"Hey Harry." Ron whispered.
"Yea?" He said, through a mouthful of food.
"I was thinking," Harry could see it was about Hermionie, because he glanced her way.
"That could be dangerous Ron." Harry interrupted. Ron just raised an eyebrow at him. Harry didn't want to go into the subject when Ron thinks about Hermionie. Quick, New subject, new subject, new subject.
"Are you feeling alright Harry? You're acting.odd." Ron said.
"So? I can't be weird?" Harry asked. Answering his question with a question will stall it.
"Well," Ron said, "No."
"Then leave me alone, I'm eating." Harry said playfully, and Ron gave a weak smile. There is something he's not telling me.he's way to jumpy. Ron thought to himself.
He's catching on to me! He knows I'm not telling him something. Harry thought.
Hermionie didn't know what was going on with this new girl Harry and Ron found, but for some reason she didn't like her. She way she smiled, the way she laughed, or the way she flirted with Harry. But was made her mad the most was that Harry was flirting back!! Right after they'd gotten together he was already starting up again. Great.
"Harry," Hermionie said to him on their way out.
"What?" He said.
"Can you meet me in the common room tonight? We need to study." She winked.
"Oh, yea." Harry smiled, "I'll be there." No one else had heard them.
Along the way the four of them chatted a little about this, and that. Then, after Hermionie and Ron climbed into the common room Emma pulled Harry aside. Little did he know, Hermionie saw this and listened from the other side of the portrait.
"What is it Emma?" Harry asked curiously. What could she possibly want?
"Um," She said again, just like at dinner. She watched her feet. "Could I talk to you tonight, at like 11? Meet me out here, okay? I don't want any one around."
Curiousity getting the better of him, he forgot he already had plans with Hermionie and said, "Sure. 11 it is." And smiled sweetly at her. "Is everything okay Emma?" He asked. She wouldn't look at him.
"Yeah, fine." She answered simply, still not taking her eyes off her feet.
"Are you sure?" Harry took a step closer, and put his hands on her forearms, trying to get her to look at him.
"Yeah." She answered and finally looked up at him. He watched her hazel eyes, and got lost in them. There was shyness and fear there. He had the urge to hug her, and make the shyness and fear go away. And, without thinking he did so, just as Hermionie cracked open the portrait to see what was going on.
What she saw horrified her. What is he doing?! Did he forget that we're together? Has he gone insane?! She just watched, and didn't know what to do.
"Hey, It'll be okay." She heard Harry coo, as he rubbed her back.
"I'm homesick Harry." Hermionie heard Emma say, sudden sadness filling her tone. She saw her nuzzle her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair.
"I'll be okay, really," comforting was one of his good points, "Ron and I are here for you." What about me?! Not that I'd want to comfort that.
"Hermionie?" Ron said behind her, and she jumped.
"Oh my goodness, Ron." She whispered, "Don't scare me like that."
"Whats wrong?" He asked, seeing tears brimming in her eyes. She stepped back and nodded her head toward the crack that was just open enough to see the pair of them outside. Ron looked curiously at her, then walked by and peeked through. When he stepped back, he acted like nothing was wrong. "Yea? So?" He said, the he realized he sound inconsiderate. Hermionie's tears had finally started to fall. "My Gosh, You still like him."
"Yeah, but that's not all Ron," She sobbed, "We're going out."
"WHAT?!" He said, in a loud whisper.
"Since this afternoon, right before dinner." She put her hands over her face. Then straightened up and went back to watching Harry and Emma outside, leaving Ron truly shocked, and wide eyed.
She heard soft sobs coming from Emma.
"Sh, Its okay," Harry cooed, and continued to stroke her hair. Boy she smells good. He thought. "Hogwarts is far from home, but me and Ron will make the year fun I promise." Herminie heard his comforting words. She wondered how she could so easily be left out, and forgotten. Ron was standing right by her, peering through as well now.
"Harry," they saw her pull away from him, and look up at him. Her face was tear streaked and her eyes were slightly puffy, "Thank you."
"Anytime." He smiled that charming smile of his. Ron and Hermionie saw her give a weak smile back. Then she rose slightly off the ground and put her lips to Harry's. Ron could almost hear Hermionie's heart breaking. They stood frozen on the spot, watching her kiss him, and him, not moving away, but kissing back. After a short minute they saw them break apart, and see Emma running toward the portrait. Just as she fat lady swung open, Ron and Hermionie had flattened themselves against the nearest wall. They watched her run up the stairs, and then heard a door shut. The stood silently, when Harry arrived a few seconds later. He didn't even see them, but just walked on by, and up the stairs as well, almost trance like. When Ron heard a second door close, he felt Hermionie slide down the wall into a sitting position. He bent down next to her. Her forehead to her knees and arms wrapped around her legs.
"Hermionie?" asked Ron cautiously. She didn't answer. All she did was sit there, and cry.