AN: I'm glad to see you're enjoying the story, I having a lot of fun
writing it. Fore those who don't like it - I'm sure you'll find stories
you'll enjoy somewhere else. Thanks to all the people who reviewed - I
hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the first. So on with the
story.
Hermione and Harry paused, holding their breaths, waiting. They heard a group of people enter the building and then pass the locker room they where in. It was the Slytherin team; they were coming in for an early morning practice. Hermione could hear muffled voices coming through the wall from the next room.
"Come on Hermione - lets get out of here." Harry whispered as he pulled his shirt on. Hermione put her cloths on quickly and she and Harry attempted to duck out of the locker room unnoticed. They walked into the hallway just as Malfoy was leading his team out onto the pitch.
"Well what do we have here? Famous Harry Potter, sneaking girls into the locker room, trying to use his influence as Gryffindor Captain to get laid. Well, well, well what a surprise. It's mudblood Granger. What's the matter Granger isn't Krumie enough of a man for you? Funny how you seem to have an appetite for famous Quidditch playing fools. To bad I'm not a fool or we could have at it, eh Granger." The Slytherin team stood behind their captain laughing stupidly. They didn't have an entire brain between them so they just followed Malfoy's stupid lead. Harry glared at Malfoy and pushed Hermione behind him.
"Shut-up Malfoy. Hermione and I know we are just friends, whether you believe it or not. So why don't you lead your team out onto the pitch and get to practicing. You're going to need all the practice you can get if you're going to beat Gryffindor in the next match."
"Watch your words Potter."
"Why don't you watch your own words Malfoy? Someday soon you will go to far with your comments and I wont be held responsible for what happens." Malfoy drooped his broom and stepped up right in front of Harry, locking eyes with him.
"Let's say I just went to far. What would you do about it Potter? Run and tell Dumbledore, fat lot that would do." Without warning Harry punched Malfoy hard in the jaw, knocking him off his feet. The Slytherin team was taken aback, surprised that Harry would ever take the first swing. They stared at Malfoy on the ground as he glared up at Harry. He got off the ground slowly brushing himself off. There was a small trickle of blood coming down his chin.
"I'm impressed Potter, never thought you would actually show any initiative. But I must say." it was Malfoy's turn to punch. He caught Harry sharply in the stomach and Harry doubled over, but didn't go to the ground. "You don't hit as hard as I would expect."
"Well at least I knocked you to the ground." Harry said straightening up. "You can't say that."
"Not yet anyway." They stopped talking and just started swinging. Every once in a while one of them making contact. Harry caught Malfoy in the right eye; Malfoy caught Harry in the ribs. Eventually Hermione broke in, pulling Harry off Malfoy. Both boys were bleeding heavily; Malfoy from his lip and left knuckle, Harry from a rather large gash in his forehead and a spot on his side. It was all the Slytherin team could do to keep Malfoy from jumping back onto Harry while his back was turned. They knew enough to know that Harry and Draco could keep fighting for hours. They had so much hatred for each other.
"Come on Harry." Hermione said pulling him out of the locker room. They walked back up to the castle Harry clutching his side.
"I think he broke my ribs." Harry moaned.
"Then we're going to the hospital wing."
"No Hermione, the teachers will know I've been fighting. I'll be okay let's just get back to the common room."
"Harry Madam Pomfrey never asks questions, it will be okay."
"No Hermione, let's just get back to the common room. I'll be fine." Hermione was very reluctant to let Harry not go to the hospital wing, but she couldn't force him. The common room was empty; apparently the house was all down at breakfast. Hermione helped Harry up into her dormitory and sat him down on her trunk. She knew the dormitory would be empty most of the day. After breakfast Lavender and Pavati would be up with Professor Trelawney, pretending to see the future. Hermione went to get a cloth from the washing basin to clean his cuts with. She gently dabbed at the cut on his forehead. He winced, pulled back from the pain.
"Don't fidget Harry it will only hurt more. I can't believe you attacked him." Hermione said getting up and rinsing the cloth out, the water in the basin turned a pale red. "Not that he didn't deserve it, I mean don't get me wrong he's a jerk. But I never thought I would see you attack him." Hermione came over and pulled Harry's shirt up over his head, wanting to get a closer look at his side.
"We seem to keep finding ourselves together like this, at least one of us with their shirt off." They both laughed and Harry winched in pain again. "Oh it hurts when I laugh. It hurts when I breathe."
"Well you probably broke several of your ribs." Hermione cleaned up the blood from where Malfoy had hit him and looked at the wound carefully. "It's badly bruised." Hermione went to the cupboard and pulled out a white bed sheet. She started ripping it into strips.
"What are you doing Hermione?"
"What does it look like I'm doing. I'm improvising; we've got to bind your ribs somehow or they wont heal well." Hermione came over to him and started wrapping the strips tightly around his chest.
"Oh Hermione that hurts."
"I know it does, but if you refuse to go to the hospital wing to get your bones mended, then you'll just have to put up with my bedside manner." Harry laughed and winced again.
"Is it to late to change my mind about the hospital wing."
"Oh stop Harry and sit still." Hermione bound his ribs gently after that, not wanting to cause him more pain. When she was done she started to pull his shirt back on, but he struggled against her. "Harry you can keep your shirt off for know if you want, but you will have to face your cloths sooner or later."
"You take such good care of me Hermione. Thanks." Harry kissed Hermione on the forehead in a friendly manner.
"What are friends for? Well I'm going to change before I go downstairs but I'll meet you there in a few minutes."
"Okay, I'll see you down there. Thanks again Hermione." Harry grabbed his shirt and walked slowly downstairs. He had barley made it down to a soft chair by the fire when Hermione came down and sat next to him. People slowly started to come back into the common room from breakfast and they all wanted to know how Harry had injured himself. He told the story countless times, always leaving out what he and Hermione were doing down in the locker room. Everyone congratulated him on beating up Malfoy. Everyone that is except Ron, he seemed bitter about not being included.
"Why were you down at the pitch so early anyway? Is something going on between you two?"
"No of course not Ron. We would tell you if something was. You know that."
"Yeah I guess so." Hermione never did answer Ron's question. She just kind of danced around it. The next day Hermione helped Harry down to the Great Hall while Ron marched along ahead of them. Distancing himself from them, but not really wanting to be separated. When they reached the Entrance Hall Harry took his arm from around Hermione's shoulder and walked into the Great Hall like it was any other day. He wouldn't let Malfoy see him in pain. As he walked in he noticed Malfoy at the Slytherin table. He could barley open his right eye from all the swelling, but he was still attempting to look smug. They both glared at each other until Harry had taken a seat at the Gryffindor table with his back to the Slytherins. Harry exhaled sharply trying not to show any of the pain breathing caused him. The next two weeks past in exactly this fashion, neither guy would admit that they had been hurt badly. Eventually Malfoy's eye stopped swelling and Harry could breath without pain. Ron still seemed resentful, but he stopped being openly hostile about the situation.
One day Victor's response came in the mail. This time the letter was very short.
Dear Hermione,
If that is how you are truly feeling about our situation and Harry then I think it would be best for both of us if we stopped seeing each other. I really had feelings for you Hermione; maybe if you can sort your feelings out soon we can try again.
Victor
Hermione expected tears to pour from her eyes as she read Victor's letter. But they didn't some, yet. Did she really have a problem with Victor's decision to brake up with her? She wasn't sure.
The tears came that night while she was studying Potions with Harry. Ron was nowhere to be seen, he had acquired the strange habit, strange for Ron at least, of disappearing into the library all night. Harry asked Hermione what was wrong, but she just ran out of the common room. As Harry went to run after her Ron came in and asked Harry if he wanted to play a game of chess, they hadn't played in ages.
"No I'm sorry Ron, but I can't. It's Hermione - I think I might have said something to upset her. She ran out of the room crying."
"Fine Harry, we'll play later."
"Definitely Ron." Harry called as he ran out of the common room. Ron kept Harry in Gryffindor Tower just long enough for Hermione to escape from his sight. He ran after her, not really knowing where he was going, but then he got a sudden idea. It was late and the castle was mostly empty of students roaming the halls. Harry rushed down several flights of stairs until he reached the girls bathroom on the third floor (AN: I'm almost positive it is supposed to be a girl's bathroom on the third floor. You'll see what I mean when he gets there, but if I'm wrong, oh well - she never says it clearly)
"Hermione, are you in here?"
"Go away Harry, I don't want to talk to talk right know."
"That's fine, we don't have to talk we can just sit here. I'm not going to let you cry inhere all alone. Do you remember the last time you cried inhere?" Harry asked sitting down next to her and looking around.
"It was Halloween, first year. When I overheard Ron teasing me about not having any friends. That was the night the three of us became friends."
"Yeah Hermione, that was an experience. I can still remember how foul the troll smelled. Oh it was horrible."
"Harry, your not going to cheer me up this time."
"Why not, I think I saw you smile a minute ago remembering first year."
"Everything was so simple then. Why do we have to grow up Harry? Why does everything have to change?" Hermione was weeping very heavily know.
"I don't know Hermione. Nothing can ever stay completely the same. Life would get boring. Imagine if all we did was what we did today. Going to lessons and doing homework. I know you would get along just fine, but the rest of us would get annoyed. Mind you I wouldn't mind going back two weeks and beating up Malfoy every day. Even if I had to continually break my ribs to do it." Hermione laughed through her tears, but then regained her resolve to stay upset.
"Harry, Victor broke up with me. He told me that my feelings are to confused for us to continue seeing each other, if you could call it seeing each other."
"Oh Hermione, I'm sorry." Harry said trying to comfort her, but he had missed what was bothering her.
"That's not the reason I'm upset Harry. Well it's one of the reasons, but not the important one. The real problem is that I think I want him to brake up with me. I didn't want to have a boyfriend anymore. Isn't that horrible?"
"No Hermione. It's not horrible to want out of a situation that is no good for you. I mean it would have been better to tell Victor you didn't want to date anymore then to let him end it with you."
"But could never do that Harry. I could never hurt him like that."
"Well it seems to me," Harry said standing up and reached out his hand to help her off the floor, "that you might not have known what you want and now that it has happened you are relieved and feeling guilty about it. It's okay to be relieved Hermione, it's okay to be confused about things, even your feelings. I get confused every Potions lesson, if that makes you feel better."
"You just staying that to cheer me up."
"Well yes I am, but it worked." Hermione's face broke into a broad smile.
"It did, you're the best Harry."
"I know Hermione, I know." They both laughed. "It's good to see you've got your sense of humor back. Everything happens for a reason Hermione. Maybe your brake up with Krum came just at the right time for the man of your dreams to come and sweep you off your feet."
"Yeah right Harry, who am I going to find at Hogwarts?"
"You never know Hermione, he could be right in front of you and you just didn't notice him till now."
"Maybe." Hermione paused in front of the mirror before they went upstairs. Her eyes were red and her hair was messy. She smoothed out her hair and splashed some cold water on her face. Intentionally getting Harry with a couple of splashes.
"Hay, I didn't ask for a shower Hermione." She just laughed. They walked back to the common room, Harry with his arm around Hermione's shoulder, smiling and laughing. When they walked into the common room Ron was glaring at them. Harry quickly removed his arm.
"There is something going on between you two. You're always hanging around together alone. I'm not stupid; I can put two and two together."
"Well Ron you're obviously coming up with three because there is nothing going on between Harry and I. We're just friends just like you and I are just friends."
"Then tell me what you were doing that day when Harry broke his ribs." Hermione was at a loss for words. She looked from Harry to the floor. She couldn't tell Ron what she had really been doing down there, luckily Harry cut in.
"I - I was spying on the Slytherin team. I took Hermione with me so that if they found me they wouldn't think I was spying on them."
"Oh," the anger disappeared from Ron's face immediately. "But why didn't you tell me that then."
"I didn't want people to know I was spying on them." Ron looked disbelieving.
"Okay. I'm sorry for not believing you." He had stopped yelling and everyone in the common room stopped staring at them.
It's alright Ron," Hermione said sitting down on a couch. "I suppose Harry and I have been spending a lot of time together, but I needed to talk to someone."
"But you could talk to me as well Hermione. I'm your friend too."
"I know Ron, but Harry was here and it was kind of a problem he had already helped me with." Ron came and sat down on Hermione's left side while Harry sat down on her right." Ron, Victor broke up with me today and since I had already talked to Harry about Victor I talked to him about it first."
"I'm sorry Hermione."
"Thanks Ron, but I'm okay now. Really I am."
"It was probably better for you to talk to Harry, I'm no good at advice." Hermione smiled and laughed.
"Okay Ron, I'll remember that." They sat there for a while talking and laughing. When the common room started to empty around eleven they all said good night and went off to bed. That night Hermione tucked the picture of her and Victor and his letters away in the bottom of her trunk. Putting that part of her life out of her mind, it was over now and for some reason Hermione couldn't be happier.
Ron was much more friendly after their yelling session. Now he believed that there was nothing going on between she and Harry. But Hermione couldn't help but think that Ron was somehow wrong. Then again maybe it was just because she had seen Harry naked that she felt something for him. She certainly hadn't felt this way about Harry before. But of course he had never been quite so sweet to her before. Harry was becoming a very kind man; he seemed to be genuinely concerned for her happiness. Something was telling her she wanted him as more then just a friend.
Hermione and Harry paused, holding their breaths, waiting. They heard a group of people enter the building and then pass the locker room they where in. It was the Slytherin team; they were coming in for an early morning practice. Hermione could hear muffled voices coming through the wall from the next room.
"Come on Hermione - lets get out of here." Harry whispered as he pulled his shirt on. Hermione put her cloths on quickly and she and Harry attempted to duck out of the locker room unnoticed. They walked into the hallway just as Malfoy was leading his team out onto the pitch.
"Well what do we have here? Famous Harry Potter, sneaking girls into the locker room, trying to use his influence as Gryffindor Captain to get laid. Well, well, well what a surprise. It's mudblood Granger. What's the matter Granger isn't Krumie enough of a man for you? Funny how you seem to have an appetite for famous Quidditch playing fools. To bad I'm not a fool or we could have at it, eh Granger." The Slytherin team stood behind their captain laughing stupidly. They didn't have an entire brain between them so they just followed Malfoy's stupid lead. Harry glared at Malfoy and pushed Hermione behind him.
"Shut-up Malfoy. Hermione and I know we are just friends, whether you believe it or not. So why don't you lead your team out onto the pitch and get to practicing. You're going to need all the practice you can get if you're going to beat Gryffindor in the next match."
"Watch your words Potter."
"Why don't you watch your own words Malfoy? Someday soon you will go to far with your comments and I wont be held responsible for what happens." Malfoy drooped his broom and stepped up right in front of Harry, locking eyes with him.
"Let's say I just went to far. What would you do about it Potter? Run and tell Dumbledore, fat lot that would do." Without warning Harry punched Malfoy hard in the jaw, knocking him off his feet. The Slytherin team was taken aback, surprised that Harry would ever take the first swing. They stared at Malfoy on the ground as he glared up at Harry. He got off the ground slowly brushing himself off. There was a small trickle of blood coming down his chin.
"I'm impressed Potter, never thought you would actually show any initiative. But I must say." it was Malfoy's turn to punch. He caught Harry sharply in the stomach and Harry doubled over, but didn't go to the ground. "You don't hit as hard as I would expect."
"Well at least I knocked you to the ground." Harry said straightening up. "You can't say that."
"Not yet anyway." They stopped talking and just started swinging. Every once in a while one of them making contact. Harry caught Malfoy in the right eye; Malfoy caught Harry in the ribs. Eventually Hermione broke in, pulling Harry off Malfoy. Both boys were bleeding heavily; Malfoy from his lip and left knuckle, Harry from a rather large gash in his forehead and a spot on his side. It was all the Slytherin team could do to keep Malfoy from jumping back onto Harry while his back was turned. They knew enough to know that Harry and Draco could keep fighting for hours. They had so much hatred for each other.
"Come on Harry." Hermione said pulling him out of the locker room. They walked back up to the castle Harry clutching his side.
"I think he broke my ribs." Harry moaned.
"Then we're going to the hospital wing."
"No Hermione, the teachers will know I've been fighting. I'll be okay let's just get back to the common room."
"Harry Madam Pomfrey never asks questions, it will be okay."
"No Hermione, let's just get back to the common room. I'll be fine." Hermione was very reluctant to let Harry not go to the hospital wing, but she couldn't force him. The common room was empty; apparently the house was all down at breakfast. Hermione helped Harry up into her dormitory and sat him down on her trunk. She knew the dormitory would be empty most of the day. After breakfast Lavender and Pavati would be up with Professor Trelawney, pretending to see the future. Hermione went to get a cloth from the washing basin to clean his cuts with. She gently dabbed at the cut on his forehead. He winced, pulled back from the pain.
"Don't fidget Harry it will only hurt more. I can't believe you attacked him." Hermione said getting up and rinsing the cloth out, the water in the basin turned a pale red. "Not that he didn't deserve it, I mean don't get me wrong he's a jerk. But I never thought I would see you attack him." Hermione came over and pulled Harry's shirt up over his head, wanting to get a closer look at his side.
"We seem to keep finding ourselves together like this, at least one of us with their shirt off." They both laughed and Harry winched in pain again. "Oh it hurts when I laugh. It hurts when I breathe."
"Well you probably broke several of your ribs." Hermione cleaned up the blood from where Malfoy had hit him and looked at the wound carefully. "It's badly bruised." Hermione went to the cupboard and pulled out a white bed sheet. She started ripping it into strips.
"What are you doing Hermione?"
"What does it look like I'm doing. I'm improvising; we've got to bind your ribs somehow or they wont heal well." Hermione came over to him and started wrapping the strips tightly around his chest.
"Oh Hermione that hurts."
"I know it does, but if you refuse to go to the hospital wing to get your bones mended, then you'll just have to put up with my bedside manner." Harry laughed and winced again.
"Is it to late to change my mind about the hospital wing."
"Oh stop Harry and sit still." Hermione bound his ribs gently after that, not wanting to cause him more pain. When she was done she started to pull his shirt back on, but he struggled against her. "Harry you can keep your shirt off for know if you want, but you will have to face your cloths sooner or later."
"You take such good care of me Hermione. Thanks." Harry kissed Hermione on the forehead in a friendly manner.
"What are friends for? Well I'm going to change before I go downstairs but I'll meet you there in a few minutes."
"Okay, I'll see you down there. Thanks again Hermione." Harry grabbed his shirt and walked slowly downstairs. He had barley made it down to a soft chair by the fire when Hermione came down and sat next to him. People slowly started to come back into the common room from breakfast and they all wanted to know how Harry had injured himself. He told the story countless times, always leaving out what he and Hermione were doing down in the locker room. Everyone congratulated him on beating up Malfoy. Everyone that is except Ron, he seemed bitter about not being included.
"Why were you down at the pitch so early anyway? Is something going on between you two?"
"No of course not Ron. We would tell you if something was. You know that."
"Yeah I guess so." Hermione never did answer Ron's question. She just kind of danced around it. The next day Hermione helped Harry down to the Great Hall while Ron marched along ahead of them. Distancing himself from them, but not really wanting to be separated. When they reached the Entrance Hall Harry took his arm from around Hermione's shoulder and walked into the Great Hall like it was any other day. He wouldn't let Malfoy see him in pain. As he walked in he noticed Malfoy at the Slytherin table. He could barley open his right eye from all the swelling, but he was still attempting to look smug. They both glared at each other until Harry had taken a seat at the Gryffindor table with his back to the Slytherins. Harry exhaled sharply trying not to show any of the pain breathing caused him. The next two weeks past in exactly this fashion, neither guy would admit that they had been hurt badly. Eventually Malfoy's eye stopped swelling and Harry could breath without pain. Ron still seemed resentful, but he stopped being openly hostile about the situation.
One day Victor's response came in the mail. This time the letter was very short.
Dear Hermione,
If that is how you are truly feeling about our situation and Harry then I think it would be best for both of us if we stopped seeing each other. I really had feelings for you Hermione; maybe if you can sort your feelings out soon we can try again.
Victor
Hermione expected tears to pour from her eyes as she read Victor's letter. But they didn't some, yet. Did she really have a problem with Victor's decision to brake up with her? She wasn't sure.
The tears came that night while she was studying Potions with Harry. Ron was nowhere to be seen, he had acquired the strange habit, strange for Ron at least, of disappearing into the library all night. Harry asked Hermione what was wrong, but she just ran out of the common room. As Harry went to run after her Ron came in and asked Harry if he wanted to play a game of chess, they hadn't played in ages.
"No I'm sorry Ron, but I can't. It's Hermione - I think I might have said something to upset her. She ran out of the room crying."
"Fine Harry, we'll play later."
"Definitely Ron." Harry called as he ran out of the common room. Ron kept Harry in Gryffindor Tower just long enough for Hermione to escape from his sight. He ran after her, not really knowing where he was going, but then he got a sudden idea. It was late and the castle was mostly empty of students roaming the halls. Harry rushed down several flights of stairs until he reached the girls bathroom on the third floor (AN: I'm almost positive it is supposed to be a girl's bathroom on the third floor. You'll see what I mean when he gets there, but if I'm wrong, oh well - she never says it clearly)
"Hermione, are you in here?"
"Go away Harry, I don't want to talk to talk right know."
"That's fine, we don't have to talk we can just sit here. I'm not going to let you cry inhere all alone. Do you remember the last time you cried inhere?" Harry asked sitting down next to her and looking around.
"It was Halloween, first year. When I overheard Ron teasing me about not having any friends. That was the night the three of us became friends."
"Yeah Hermione, that was an experience. I can still remember how foul the troll smelled. Oh it was horrible."
"Harry, your not going to cheer me up this time."
"Why not, I think I saw you smile a minute ago remembering first year."
"Everything was so simple then. Why do we have to grow up Harry? Why does everything have to change?" Hermione was weeping very heavily know.
"I don't know Hermione. Nothing can ever stay completely the same. Life would get boring. Imagine if all we did was what we did today. Going to lessons and doing homework. I know you would get along just fine, but the rest of us would get annoyed. Mind you I wouldn't mind going back two weeks and beating up Malfoy every day. Even if I had to continually break my ribs to do it." Hermione laughed through her tears, but then regained her resolve to stay upset.
"Harry, Victor broke up with me. He told me that my feelings are to confused for us to continue seeing each other, if you could call it seeing each other."
"Oh Hermione, I'm sorry." Harry said trying to comfort her, but he had missed what was bothering her.
"That's not the reason I'm upset Harry. Well it's one of the reasons, but not the important one. The real problem is that I think I want him to brake up with me. I didn't want to have a boyfriend anymore. Isn't that horrible?"
"No Hermione. It's not horrible to want out of a situation that is no good for you. I mean it would have been better to tell Victor you didn't want to date anymore then to let him end it with you."
"But could never do that Harry. I could never hurt him like that."
"Well it seems to me," Harry said standing up and reached out his hand to help her off the floor, "that you might not have known what you want and now that it has happened you are relieved and feeling guilty about it. It's okay to be relieved Hermione, it's okay to be confused about things, even your feelings. I get confused every Potions lesson, if that makes you feel better."
"You just staying that to cheer me up."
"Well yes I am, but it worked." Hermione's face broke into a broad smile.
"It did, you're the best Harry."
"I know Hermione, I know." They both laughed. "It's good to see you've got your sense of humor back. Everything happens for a reason Hermione. Maybe your brake up with Krum came just at the right time for the man of your dreams to come and sweep you off your feet."
"Yeah right Harry, who am I going to find at Hogwarts?"
"You never know Hermione, he could be right in front of you and you just didn't notice him till now."
"Maybe." Hermione paused in front of the mirror before they went upstairs. Her eyes were red and her hair was messy. She smoothed out her hair and splashed some cold water on her face. Intentionally getting Harry with a couple of splashes.
"Hay, I didn't ask for a shower Hermione." She just laughed. They walked back to the common room, Harry with his arm around Hermione's shoulder, smiling and laughing. When they walked into the common room Ron was glaring at them. Harry quickly removed his arm.
"There is something going on between you two. You're always hanging around together alone. I'm not stupid; I can put two and two together."
"Well Ron you're obviously coming up with three because there is nothing going on between Harry and I. We're just friends just like you and I are just friends."
"Then tell me what you were doing that day when Harry broke his ribs." Hermione was at a loss for words. She looked from Harry to the floor. She couldn't tell Ron what she had really been doing down there, luckily Harry cut in.
"I - I was spying on the Slytherin team. I took Hermione with me so that if they found me they wouldn't think I was spying on them."
"Oh," the anger disappeared from Ron's face immediately. "But why didn't you tell me that then."
"I didn't want people to know I was spying on them." Ron looked disbelieving.
"Okay. I'm sorry for not believing you." He had stopped yelling and everyone in the common room stopped staring at them.
It's alright Ron," Hermione said sitting down on a couch. "I suppose Harry and I have been spending a lot of time together, but I needed to talk to someone."
"But you could talk to me as well Hermione. I'm your friend too."
"I know Ron, but Harry was here and it was kind of a problem he had already helped me with." Ron came and sat down on Hermione's left side while Harry sat down on her right." Ron, Victor broke up with me today and since I had already talked to Harry about Victor I talked to him about it first."
"I'm sorry Hermione."
"Thanks Ron, but I'm okay now. Really I am."
"It was probably better for you to talk to Harry, I'm no good at advice." Hermione smiled and laughed.
"Okay Ron, I'll remember that." They sat there for a while talking and laughing. When the common room started to empty around eleven they all said good night and went off to bed. That night Hermione tucked the picture of her and Victor and his letters away in the bottom of her trunk. Putting that part of her life out of her mind, it was over now and for some reason Hermione couldn't be happier.
Ron was much more friendly after their yelling session. Now he believed that there was nothing going on between she and Harry. But Hermione couldn't help but think that Ron was somehow wrong. Then again maybe it was just because she had seen Harry naked that she felt something for him. She certainly hadn't felt this way about Harry before. But of course he had never been quite so sweet to her before. Harry was becoming a very kind man; he seemed to be genuinely concerned for her happiness. Something was telling her she wanted him as more then just a friend.