1997
Hermione sat quietly watching him from across the room. She looked at the dark hair that seemed so much tamer these days, the glint of green from behind his glasses, the width of his shoulders 'he's grown so much' as he bent over the book. She'd been waiting for the chance to see WHAT he was reading, knowing that Harry didn't spend that much time with books unless they were Quidditch related. 'well, he didn't in the past' she thought. Finally, he adjusted a little, moving the book so she could see the cover.
~Safety in the Darkness~
'Now why would Harry be reading something like that? I don't recall any of our classes requiring it?' Her thoughts were interrupted at that moment by her frustrated, red-headed boyfriend.
"Oi, 'Mione," Ron said as he plopped down on the couch with her. "Where've you been? I thought you'd be in the library, but you.." He trailed off as he noticed that she was still staring. He followed her gaze and found that it met with the image of his best friend in the world. Taking in Hermione's thoughtful expression, he leaned closer and whispered in her ear (making sure to let his breath tickle her neck in that way that made her squirm) "I could find myself jealous right now if I wanted to, you know."
Hermione turned to smile at him, the expression in her eyes letting him know his breath had the desired affect on her. "Honestly, Ron, you know there's nothing to be jealous of." Smiling sweetly, she leaned over and planted an innocent kiss on his cheek.
Ron barely had time to smile before she turned back to look in Harry's direction, only to find that he was gone. "Where'd he go?" She and Ron looked around the common room, curious as to where he could have gone. They hadn't heard a door close and he would have had to walk right past them to get to the portrait hole.
"He must have gone up to the dorm" Ron said, "just quietly."
Seeing no other explanation, Hermione nodded, but kept her troubled look. Finally she turned to Ron with her business-like 'we've got something serious to talk about' expression.
"Have you noticed anything unusual about him lately?"
"Like what? I mean, blimey, this is Harry we're talking about. Not much usual about him, is there?"
"I mean odd for Harry's normal behavior." She looked around, realizing the room was empty, but felt the need to continue whispering anyway. "He's reading something called Safety in the Darkness. Unless I'm mistaken it's about the Dark Arts. Last month, I noticed that he spent hours in the library reading up on the history of wizards good and bad, and something called Charm your Enemies or Curse your Friends. I have to admit, even with the restricted reading I've done, that one made me a little nervous."
"So you're worried because Harry's reading more?"
"No, it's more than that, Ron. It's WHAT he's reading. It's what ELSE he's doing."
"What else IS he doing?"
"Haven't you noticed that he seems to be getting along with Malfoy quite well? And even after that last detention, what was that - two months ago - they're almost..well.. CIVIL to each other! Plus, Harry's been working really hard in potions. I mean, it's great to see him taking school more seriously, but honestly it seems more like he's being influenced by something dark. He doesn't even smile anymore. And when's the last time you saw him looking forward to a Quidditch match?"
Ron sat quietly, taking in this information. 'I'm usually better at noticing things like this. I must really have my head in the clouds. It's all her fault. I'm so nutters about her I can barely focus in class, forget about noticing other stuff. Why did she notice it? Doesn't she feel the same way anymore? Maybe I really SHOULD be jealous of Harry? Maybe I..' He should his head, determined to stay on track here. 'Mione loved him. He knew that. She was just seeing something he wasn't. Something strange about a person that neither of them could see at the moment.
HARRY's POV
I'm sitting right here in front of them and they're asking where I've gone. This is absolutely too amazing for words. Hermione hasn't even noticed that my book is still here. I don't dare turn the page, though. I don't think I want anyone to know about this. At least not yet. At least not anyone in here.
Now wait a minute? Anyone in here? But there's someone else that I would like to tell?
~you know there is~
Ahh, there's that voice again. Not the snake from the Potions classroom, but the voice in the back of my head. The one that's been torturing me ever since I shook hands with Malfoy. I still marvel at that sometimes, over six years of knowing him before I took the chance to actually speak to him civilly. Before I reached out and accepted his touch. It's amazing that you can know someone that long, interact with them every day and never actually so much as touch their hand.
~that's not all you want to touch~
Shut up! So, Ron and Hermione are whispering about something. I'm guessing it's about me, but it's hard to tell for sure. I have been getting some really strange looks from Hermione lately. Neither of them have gone so far as to ask why Malfoy and I are getting along better. They haven't said anything about my improved Potion skills. They haven't said anything out of the ordinary. I'm glad of that. I really don't think it would do either of them any good to know what I'm doing. I try to keep our conversations normal, casual. I try to, but I'm not sure I'm succeeding. I'm rather excited, actually. All these years of fighting against Voldemort and his followers, I've felt so useless. Now I feel that I'm actually doing something. Something important. Something that can make a difference. And it's in large part thanks to Draco Malfoy.
~Perhaps you should go thank him in person~
For once, I decide to listen to this voice. Forgetting momentarily that I'm invisible, I get up and walk over to the portrait hole and through the opening. I realize I've left my book on the table and decided not to do anything about it after I hear Ron and Hermione asking 'who's there?'
I suppose it must be strange to see the portrait open for no reason.
I set out across the castle, determined to find a certain silvery-blond Slytherin friend of mine.
Hermione sat quietly watching him from across the room. She looked at the dark hair that seemed so much tamer these days, the glint of green from behind his glasses, the width of his shoulders 'he's grown so much' as he bent over the book. She'd been waiting for the chance to see WHAT he was reading, knowing that Harry didn't spend that much time with books unless they were Quidditch related. 'well, he didn't in the past' she thought. Finally, he adjusted a little, moving the book so she could see the cover.
~Safety in the Darkness~
'Now why would Harry be reading something like that? I don't recall any of our classes requiring it?' Her thoughts were interrupted at that moment by her frustrated, red-headed boyfriend.
"Oi, 'Mione," Ron said as he plopped down on the couch with her. "Where've you been? I thought you'd be in the library, but you.." He trailed off as he noticed that she was still staring. He followed her gaze and found that it met with the image of his best friend in the world. Taking in Hermione's thoughtful expression, he leaned closer and whispered in her ear (making sure to let his breath tickle her neck in that way that made her squirm) "I could find myself jealous right now if I wanted to, you know."
Hermione turned to smile at him, the expression in her eyes letting him know his breath had the desired affect on her. "Honestly, Ron, you know there's nothing to be jealous of." Smiling sweetly, she leaned over and planted an innocent kiss on his cheek.
Ron barely had time to smile before she turned back to look in Harry's direction, only to find that he was gone. "Where'd he go?" She and Ron looked around the common room, curious as to where he could have gone. They hadn't heard a door close and he would have had to walk right past them to get to the portrait hole.
"He must have gone up to the dorm" Ron said, "just quietly."
Seeing no other explanation, Hermione nodded, but kept her troubled look. Finally she turned to Ron with her business-like 'we've got something serious to talk about' expression.
"Have you noticed anything unusual about him lately?"
"Like what? I mean, blimey, this is Harry we're talking about. Not much usual about him, is there?"
"I mean odd for Harry's normal behavior." She looked around, realizing the room was empty, but felt the need to continue whispering anyway. "He's reading something called Safety in the Darkness. Unless I'm mistaken it's about the Dark Arts. Last month, I noticed that he spent hours in the library reading up on the history of wizards good and bad, and something called Charm your Enemies or Curse your Friends. I have to admit, even with the restricted reading I've done, that one made me a little nervous."
"So you're worried because Harry's reading more?"
"No, it's more than that, Ron. It's WHAT he's reading. It's what ELSE he's doing."
"What else IS he doing?"
"Haven't you noticed that he seems to be getting along with Malfoy quite well? And even after that last detention, what was that - two months ago - they're almost..well.. CIVIL to each other! Plus, Harry's been working really hard in potions. I mean, it's great to see him taking school more seriously, but honestly it seems more like he's being influenced by something dark. He doesn't even smile anymore. And when's the last time you saw him looking forward to a Quidditch match?"
Ron sat quietly, taking in this information. 'I'm usually better at noticing things like this. I must really have my head in the clouds. It's all her fault. I'm so nutters about her I can barely focus in class, forget about noticing other stuff. Why did she notice it? Doesn't she feel the same way anymore? Maybe I really SHOULD be jealous of Harry? Maybe I..' He should his head, determined to stay on track here. 'Mione loved him. He knew that. She was just seeing something he wasn't. Something strange about a person that neither of them could see at the moment.
HARRY's POV
I'm sitting right here in front of them and they're asking where I've gone. This is absolutely too amazing for words. Hermione hasn't even noticed that my book is still here. I don't dare turn the page, though. I don't think I want anyone to know about this. At least not yet. At least not anyone in here.
Now wait a minute? Anyone in here? But there's someone else that I would like to tell?
~you know there is~
Ahh, there's that voice again. Not the snake from the Potions classroom, but the voice in the back of my head. The one that's been torturing me ever since I shook hands with Malfoy. I still marvel at that sometimes, over six years of knowing him before I took the chance to actually speak to him civilly. Before I reached out and accepted his touch. It's amazing that you can know someone that long, interact with them every day and never actually so much as touch their hand.
~that's not all you want to touch~
Shut up! So, Ron and Hermione are whispering about something. I'm guessing it's about me, but it's hard to tell for sure. I have been getting some really strange looks from Hermione lately. Neither of them have gone so far as to ask why Malfoy and I are getting along better. They haven't said anything about my improved Potion skills. They haven't said anything out of the ordinary. I'm glad of that. I really don't think it would do either of them any good to know what I'm doing. I try to keep our conversations normal, casual. I try to, but I'm not sure I'm succeeding. I'm rather excited, actually. All these years of fighting against Voldemort and his followers, I've felt so useless. Now I feel that I'm actually doing something. Something important. Something that can make a difference. And it's in large part thanks to Draco Malfoy.
~Perhaps you should go thank him in person~
For once, I decide to listen to this voice. Forgetting momentarily that I'm invisible, I get up and walk over to the portrait hole and through the opening. I realize I've left my book on the table and decided not to do anything about it after I hear Ron and Hermione asking 'who's there?'
I suppose it must be strange to see the portrait open for no reason.
I set out across the castle, determined to find a certain silvery-blond Slytherin friend of mine.