Chapter Two: When All That is Normal, Becomes Strange
Hermione and Ron looked up from their game of chess as Harry walked into the common Room.
"I did it!" he announced, a silly grin on his face, "I passed the classes I needed to." He brandished the parchment before handing it to Hermione to verify.
"Well done Harry," She smiled up at her friend, "See? You had nothing to worry about."
"Yeah." Ron agreed. "Guess now all we have to do is pass our NEWTS, and we'll be able to begin training as Aurors. "
Harry's grin grew bigger. "Yep, I can't wait those NWETS wont know what hit them!"
"Then you'll be wanting this." Hermione decided, pulling out a colorful piece of parchment, "Your study schedule."
Harry glanced it over, it wasn't so bad, he guessed, "Thanks Hermione." He walked over and hugged her before retreating to his room.
His friends exchanged glances, "Is it me," Hermione started.
"Or does it seem like Harry is a bit to overjoyed about this? Nah, it isn't you." Ron assured her, looking back up the stair case.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sitting on his bed, Harry tried to make shapes out of the wrinkles his canopy made, thinking.
Occasionally, he fingers went back up to his lips.
It had been a passing gesture, but for some reason, he mind kept floating back to it.
Why had she kissed him?
"Why wouldn't she?" he muttered. He was thinking about Luna Looney Lovegood.
But perhaps what was baffling him the most, was his views on the matter.
He kept hoping that she'd do it again, maybe for longer next time.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day Harry was sitting in his Potions class, which had shrunk considerably.
"Well, I'm surprised there are so many of you here today." Snape had drawled upon entering.
So many? There was only one class for Harry's year, and beyond him Ron and Hermione, there were two Slytherins, Blasie and Malfoy, two Ravenclaws, Padama and someone Harry had never met.
And there was no yellow in the room at all.
"This is your only year between OWLs and NEWTs. I do hope some of you realize that it takes two OWL like years to get you ready for NEWTS." Snape lectured. "So we shall start, This year we will not be learning any new potions in class."
Everyone looked more attentive.
"We will, however, be learning how to modify all the potions you do know into new ones." He smirked at the class's well executed moan cover. "Open to page six, we begin with the sleeping drought."
Harry felt his mind wandering. He tried to force it back onto the change of the Sleeping drought to the Dream reading elixir, but it wouldn't stick.
"Mr. Potter!" Snape snapped, "Ten points from Gryffindor, do try to pay attention as you chose to be here!"
Harry nodded, and picked up his quill to write down the notes.
Occasionally it strayed, and he started making lucid 'L's' all around his work.
"May I ask, what this is?" Snape hissed, taking Harry's parchment away and brandishing it to the class. "Doodling?" he asked innocent, Harry saw Ron and Hermione look at his worried. "DOODLING?!" Snape yelled when Harry didn't respond the first time.
"Sorry sir, I, my mind was wandering, I was trying to make it focus." He said softly, scared.
"Thirty points," Snape decided, "And get your notes from someone else, 'incindo'." The parchment crumbled into ashes, and were sprinkled in front of Harry, "Keep you mind on task better Potter." He ordered and went back to lecturing.
*~*~**~*~*~*~*
That wasn't the only class Harry found he couldn't keep mind to task.
All of his classes that day were the same, and he had doodled over all of his notes.
Hermione, at Dinner, looked over them when Harry had asked for help. She noted the constant and only use of 'L' in all of the drawings.
"Harry," she sighed, "I hate doing this, but I'm sending you to Lavender. She knows more about this kind of thing." She handed his notes back to him as he looked at her strangely.
"What kind of thing? Its only concentration."
"No, Harry," She said sternly, "Its not that, Lavender can help you." She physically pushed him to where Lavender and Pavarti were sitting, and he left.
"What's wrong with Harry, Hermione?" Ron asked.
"It seems we now know why he was acting odd last night." She said simply, "It appears our shy hero, has fallen for someone without realizing."
"Who?" Luna asked, sitting beside Hermione.
Hermione looked up for a second, and, after registering who had spoken, she responded simply, "no clue.."
*~*~*~*~*~**~*~
"Harry!" Lavender greeted, hugging him, "Its nice to see you, so have you finally realized your over the top feelings for me?" she joked.
Harry smiled, "No, but Hermione said that I had to talk to you."
Lavender frowned. She and Hermione were friendly, but neither of then sent friends to the other. They had a large battle field were their opinions crossed. Unless it was for certain things.
"Sit then." She gestured beside her seat, "And tell Lavender all about it."
"I haven't been able to think on my studies at all today, and I've been doodling, something I never do." He pulled out his papers and showed then to her, "I need help, I have to concentrate or I'm doomed."
"Hm." Lavender looked at each page, "It appears to me Harry, that you have a crush."
Harry did a double take, "What?!" he asked shocked.
"Look here," She pointed to his transfiguration paper, page two, bottom left corner. "You can see you weren't thinking at all here HP and L?" She questioned.
"what?" Harry took the paper, and indeed there was a small doodle that had HP with a vine wrapping it up with a 'L'. "Gods," he set the papers down.
"Sure you don't have a thing for me?" Lavender pocked fun.
"Positive." Harry grumbled back.
"Then, spill who?" Pavarti asked, tired of listening.
"Harry, if you tell it will not distract you as much." Lavender cajoled him. "and if you tell the person you like, you'll be free to study." She explained further.
"That's the problem." Harry moaned, "I don't know 'who'. I didn't even know there was a 'what'!"
"Then lets look at all the girls in the room then." Lavender summoned a parchment and tapped her wand at it. Harry watched as all the girls, regardless of house, whose names began with L passed over the sheet.
"That's it." Lavender smiled, looking at the end of the table. "I know who you like," she said smiling to Harry.
"who?" he asked.
"On everyone but on girl your eyes never changed," she paused for effect, "But on Luna, they grew very soft." She smiled proudly, "You, Harry Potter, are attracted to Luna Lovegood." She announced to him.
Harry's eyes were wide. "Uh, thanks." He picked up his papers and went back to Hermione and Ron.
"Hello Harry." Luna Smiled, "What did you get on your owls?"
"All the classes I needed," he assured her.
"As you should." She nodded and went back to eating.
Harry couldn't help catch glances at her throughout the rest of dinner.
Did he really fancy her?
If so, did she like him back?
*~*~*~*~*~*
AN: Sorry about it being short with such a long break between updates.
I'm trying to get better at that.
Anyway I hope you all are enjoying my story, I loved all the reviews! This story has my record beat. 25 posts per chapter is the largest I had for any of my stories.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Review!
Relena
Hermione and Ron looked up from their game of chess as Harry walked into the common Room.
"I did it!" he announced, a silly grin on his face, "I passed the classes I needed to." He brandished the parchment before handing it to Hermione to verify.
"Well done Harry," She smiled up at her friend, "See? You had nothing to worry about."
"Yeah." Ron agreed. "Guess now all we have to do is pass our NEWTS, and we'll be able to begin training as Aurors. "
Harry's grin grew bigger. "Yep, I can't wait those NWETS wont know what hit them!"
"Then you'll be wanting this." Hermione decided, pulling out a colorful piece of parchment, "Your study schedule."
Harry glanced it over, it wasn't so bad, he guessed, "Thanks Hermione." He walked over and hugged her before retreating to his room.
His friends exchanged glances, "Is it me," Hermione started.
"Or does it seem like Harry is a bit to overjoyed about this? Nah, it isn't you." Ron assured her, looking back up the stair case.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sitting on his bed, Harry tried to make shapes out of the wrinkles his canopy made, thinking.
Occasionally, he fingers went back up to his lips.
It had been a passing gesture, but for some reason, he mind kept floating back to it.
Why had she kissed him?
"Why wouldn't she?" he muttered. He was thinking about Luna Looney Lovegood.
But perhaps what was baffling him the most, was his views on the matter.
He kept hoping that she'd do it again, maybe for longer next time.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day Harry was sitting in his Potions class, which had shrunk considerably.
"Well, I'm surprised there are so many of you here today." Snape had drawled upon entering.
So many? There was only one class for Harry's year, and beyond him Ron and Hermione, there were two Slytherins, Blasie and Malfoy, two Ravenclaws, Padama and someone Harry had never met.
And there was no yellow in the room at all.
"This is your only year between OWLs and NEWTs. I do hope some of you realize that it takes two OWL like years to get you ready for NEWTS." Snape lectured. "So we shall start, This year we will not be learning any new potions in class."
Everyone looked more attentive.
"We will, however, be learning how to modify all the potions you do know into new ones." He smirked at the class's well executed moan cover. "Open to page six, we begin with the sleeping drought."
Harry felt his mind wandering. He tried to force it back onto the change of the Sleeping drought to the Dream reading elixir, but it wouldn't stick.
"Mr. Potter!" Snape snapped, "Ten points from Gryffindor, do try to pay attention as you chose to be here!"
Harry nodded, and picked up his quill to write down the notes.
Occasionally it strayed, and he started making lucid 'L's' all around his work.
"May I ask, what this is?" Snape hissed, taking Harry's parchment away and brandishing it to the class. "Doodling?" he asked innocent, Harry saw Ron and Hermione look at his worried. "DOODLING?!" Snape yelled when Harry didn't respond the first time.
"Sorry sir, I, my mind was wandering, I was trying to make it focus." He said softly, scared.
"Thirty points," Snape decided, "And get your notes from someone else, 'incindo'." The parchment crumbled into ashes, and were sprinkled in front of Harry, "Keep you mind on task better Potter." He ordered and went back to lecturing.
*~*~**~*~*~*~*
That wasn't the only class Harry found he couldn't keep mind to task.
All of his classes that day were the same, and he had doodled over all of his notes.
Hermione, at Dinner, looked over them when Harry had asked for help. She noted the constant and only use of 'L' in all of the drawings.
"Harry," she sighed, "I hate doing this, but I'm sending you to Lavender. She knows more about this kind of thing." She handed his notes back to him as he looked at her strangely.
"What kind of thing? Its only concentration."
"No, Harry," She said sternly, "Its not that, Lavender can help you." She physically pushed him to where Lavender and Pavarti were sitting, and he left.
"What's wrong with Harry, Hermione?" Ron asked.
"It seems we now know why he was acting odd last night." She said simply, "It appears our shy hero, has fallen for someone without realizing."
"Who?" Luna asked, sitting beside Hermione.
Hermione looked up for a second, and, after registering who had spoken, she responded simply, "no clue.."
*~*~*~*~*~**~*~
"Harry!" Lavender greeted, hugging him, "Its nice to see you, so have you finally realized your over the top feelings for me?" she joked.
Harry smiled, "No, but Hermione said that I had to talk to you."
Lavender frowned. She and Hermione were friendly, but neither of then sent friends to the other. They had a large battle field were their opinions crossed. Unless it was for certain things.
"Sit then." She gestured beside her seat, "And tell Lavender all about it."
"I haven't been able to think on my studies at all today, and I've been doodling, something I never do." He pulled out his papers and showed then to her, "I need help, I have to concentrate or I'm doomed."
"Hm." Lavender looked at each page, "It appears to me Harry, that you have a crush."
Harry did a double take, "What?!" he asked shocked.
"Look here," She pointed to his transfiguration paper, page two, bottom left corner. "You can see you weren't thinking at all here HP and L?" She questioned.
"what?" Harry took the paper, and indeed there was a small doodle that had HP with a vine wrapping it up with a 'L'. "Gods," he set the papers down.
"Sure you don't have a thing for me?" Lavender pocked fun.
"Positive." Harry grumbled back.
"Then, spill who?" Pavarti asked, tired of listening.
"Harry, if you tell it will not distract you as much." Lavender cajoled him. "and if you tell the person you like, you'll be free to study." She explained further.
"That's the problem." Harry moaned, "I don't know 'who'. I didn't even know there was a 'what'!"
"Then lets look at all the girls in the room then." Lavender summoned a parchment and tapped her wand at it. Harry watched as all the girls, regardless of house, whose names began with L passed over the sheet.
"That's it." Lavender smiled, looking at the end of the table. "I know who you like," she said smiling to Harry.
"who?" he asked.
"On everyone but on girl your eyes never changed," she paused for effect, "But on Luna, they grew very soft." She smiled proudly, "You, Harry Potter, are attracted to Luna Lovegood." She announced to him.
Harry's eyes were wide. "Uh, thanks." He picked up his papers and went back to Hermione and Ron.
"Hello Harry." Luna Smiled, "What did you get on your owls?"
"All the classes I needed," he assured her.
"As you should." She nodded and went back to eating.
Harry couldn't help catch glances at her throughout the rest of dinner.
Did he really fancy her?
If so, did she like him back?
*~*~*~*~*~*
AN: Sorry about it being short with such a long break between updates.
I'm trying to get better at that.
Anyway I hope you all are enjoying my story, I loved all the reviews! This story has my record beat. 25 posts per chapter is the largest I had for any of my stories.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Review!
Relena