WOW! Lots of reviews! Yay! Thanks guys! You're all so sweet. I'm really glad you are all liking my story! A special thanks to chapter five reviewers: Ramy, cyberfrogX, llevan, ears91, Wraith6, HarryPotterFan17, Isabella Grace, Sidhe, observer, Jen (aka dancingpotter), MEGAN, Otter the Mutter the Gutter (cool name), Millie*A, dragonbrat, crazynrfan, chelita, Harry Potter Lover1, mjk306, Harry-Potter5972, Robaatsu, Bachy A (lol funny review!), rowan Ruth3, takari4ever7 and Gamefreak2000. Thanks for reviewing and thank you all so so much for the compliments! Wow! Sorry if I forgot anyone!
Couple of notes: This chapter may contain spoilers, but only if you haven't read book 5, so heads up. Also, just for future refernce, ~*~ means the chapter is either starting or ending while *~* means it's the same scene, but from a different character's POV. Easy to remember!
Disclaimers: Much to my dismay, I am not J.K. Rowling, so I do not own Harry Potter. Also, the title is a Mandy Moore song.
Ok, enough rambling, here's the chapter! R&R if you want (please please please!) but also, enjoy!
~*~
"Lavender?" Harry echoed. "Lavender's here?"
Ron nodded grimly. "She wants to talk to you."
Wordlessly Harry got off the couch and went to the front door. What on earth did she want? And why, after weeks of hearing nothing from her, was she showing up at his flat? Had she forgotten that she'd broken up with him?
He suddenly found himself facing Lavender. She looked exactly the same as she did when they broke up. In fact, she even wore the same guilty, upset expression as she had on that fateful day.
"Hi, Harry," she said meekly.
"What do you want?" he asked coldly.
"I want to talk to you. In private," she added, glancing in the direction of the living room.
"All right," Harry said with a sigh. He led her to his room, where they could talk without distractions. As soon as the door was shut, Lavender flung herself at Harry, kissing his lips passionately.
After the shock wore off, Harry managed to push her back, keeping her at a safe distance. "Whoa! Lav, what do you think you're doing?"
Lavender blushed slightly, but her voice was full and steady when she spoke. "I miss you. I want you back."
Harry's jaw dropped open. He hadn't expected her to say that, not after the way she'd ended things. "But what about that Richard—"
"—Robert—"
"—Robert bloke? You chucked me for him, remember? I thought you were together."
Lavender's eyes misted over. "No. Robbie was just using me. He only took interest in helping me because he wanted to sleep with me." A tear trickled down her cheek.
Harry knew she deserved what she got, but all the same, he couldn't help feeling bad for her. "I'm sorry, Lav."
She wiped her eyes quickly. "I am too. For ever thinking any other guy was right for me. I don't even know what came over me. I didn't see how great you are, or how much you mean to me."
Harry sat down on his bed, dazed. Lavender sat beside him, a hopeful expression on her pretty face. "Well?"
"I don't know, Lav," he said. "You broke up with me. I haven't forgotten that. And a lot has changed since then."
"I know, but I want to give this another try," she insisted. "I know we're meant to be together."
Harry thought long and hard. Were they meant to be together? She was the first girl he'd ever loved, after all. Plus, even though they constantly broke-up, they always ended up together. They were happy with each other. And he did still care for Lavender a lot.
On the other hand, she had been the one who'd ended things last time. To be with someone else, no less. And the minute this other guy dropped her, she'd come running back to Harry—what was that supposed to mean? Was she serious about seeing the error of her ways? Did she really care about Harry, or was he just her fallback plan?
And what about Hermione? If he did take Lavender back, he'd have to break things off with Hermione, and he didn't want to do that. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized he cared a lot more about Hermione than he was supposed to.
"I don't know," he said at last. "I need some time to think about this."
"I understand," Lavender said quickly. "How about if I come back tomorrow around five? Will you know by then?"
Harry nodded. "That sounds good."
"All right. I guess I'll go, then." Without even hesitating, Lavender leaned in and kissed his lips again, this time more softly. Harry found that he wasn't resisting her at all—he was most definitely kissing her back.
And it felt so right.
Finally Lavender pulled away. "Bye, Harry," she whispered.
She left, leaving him alone with his very confused thoughts.
*
Hermione frowned as Lavender let herself out with a superior smile on her face. What had she wanted with Harry? Judging by the look on her face, Lavender had obviously gotten what she wanted.
As always, Hermione thought sourly. She had a horrible suspicion about what Lavender had wanted. Was she really going to be back in their lives? Again? The thought made Hermione feel sick to her stomach.
Finally Harry wandered into the living room, looking lost.
"Harry? What did Lavender want?" Ron asked curiously.
Harry jumped slightly, as if surprised to find himself in their company. Then he shook his head quickly and said, "She wants to get back together."
"What?" exclaimed Ron and Hermione in unison.
Hermione had been right. Even so, hearing the news out loud made her heart sink.
"She said she misses me and wants to try again." Harry explained what had happened between Lavender and Robert.
"What a bitch," Ron commented angrily.
Normally, Hermione would've scolded Ron for swearing, but this time she agreed with him. In fact, she was convinced she'd thought it first.
"I hope you told her to eat dragon dung, because there's no way you're going to take her back. Right?" Ron asked after Harry didn't reply.
Harry shrugged and took his place on the couch. "I really don't know. I told her I needed some time to think about it," he admitted.
Ron made noises of outrage, but Hermione remained silent. How could he even think about getting back together with Lavender? she wondered. Doesn't he care about me at all?
No, she reminded herself. Of course he doesn't. We're just having fun—no strings.
So why have my feelings for him increased? asked a small part of her brain. She quickly pushed that thought out of her mind and decided to say something. "Well, I'm sure you'll make the decision that's right for you," she said lightly.
Both boys stared at her, but Hermione ignored it and tried to turn her attention on the movie they had abandoned. Inside, though, she had the strangest sensation that her heart was breaking.
*
Harry lay awake in his bedroom. It was well past midnight, and indecision was preventing him from sleep.
I'm going to take Lavender back, he thought determinedly.
No way. I'm not going to take her back. I'm just her second choice, he thought a moment later. Besides, I don't want to break things off with Hermione.
But Lav was my first girlfriend and my first love. How can I really throw that away?
How can I not? Look at all she's put me through! Things just get too complicated and this time, it's just not worth it.
But maybe, if we give it one more try, we could make things work. Lav really thinks we're meant to be together—what if she's right?
Harry felt very frustrated. He had been arguing with himself ever since Lavender left, and that was hours ago.
He suddenly thought of Sirius, wondering what advice he would've given Harry. I bet he would've known exactly what to do, Harry mused. The thoughts were unwelcome, though, since he knew he wouldn't be able to ask Sirius for advice.
To keep himself from thinking why this was so, Harry jumped out of bed and paced his room. Think about Lavender. Do you really want to be with her? he asked himself.
Yes, but I want to be with Hermione, too.
The latter thought struck him hard. He suddenly realized he didn't just want to have fun with Hermione, he wanted to be with her.
He wouldn't allow himself to admit he might possibly have feelings for her. It was just too weird, too unprecedented, to even think about.
But at the same time, he couldn't ignore it.
Without thinking, Harry hurried out of his room and crossed the flat to Hermione's. He knocked lightly on the door and pushed it open.
She was awake, looking just as worn out and frustrated as he felt. But his sudden appearance had obviously taken her by surprise.
"Harry! What's going on?" she asked, turning on her bedside lamp.
He made sure the door was shut behind him—though he knew Ron was snoring away across the flat—before he spoke.
"I don't know what to do about Lavender," he said, sitting at the foot of her bed.
Hermione propped her pillows against the headboard and leaned against them. "Well, do you really want to get back together with her?"
Harry shrugged. "I thought so, but then—"
"That's your answer, then," she interrupted.
"But—"
"Harry, it's okay. Really. I understand completely."
"But Hermione—" he tried again.
"We had fun while it lasted, right? We had a good time."
Harry ran a hand through his hair, thinking hard. She was practically telling him to get back together with Lavender. That had to mean that she did not have feelings for him; otherwise, she would've said something. She didn't even seem that upset that he was ending their fling.
And what if I'm wrong about my feelings for her? It's late and I'm tired. Maybe I'm just over-analyzing how I feel. Everything always seems clearer in the morning. I'll know then if I actually have feelings for her.
Harry took a deep breath as an idea came to mind. "Yeah, we had a great time together. But even if I take Lavender back, I don't us to stop this."
Hermione looked scandalized. "Harry James Potter, I will not help you cheat on your girlfriend!"
"No," Harry said with a smile. "If I decide to get back with her, it won't be exclusive. I don't know how much she really wants to be in a relationship, so I'll tell her I want a few months to see if we can handle dating each other. But we can both still see other people. Would you be okay with that?"
Hermione considered, then smiled back at him. "Definitely. It seems like a good compromise."
Harry nodded and inched closer to her. She giggled and said, "Do you want to stay here tonight?"
He nodded again. Hermione reached over and turned off the light.
It was a perfect compromise.
*
Promptly at five the next afternoon, the doorbell rang. Harry had been waiting by the door, so he pulled it open. "Hi, Lavender," he greeted.
"Hi, Harry," she answered, giving him her best smile.
"Come on, let's go to my room," he said, ushering her in. Her smile broadened as they holed up in his room for the second time in two days.
Harry was still going to stick to his plan. Earlier that day, after a good night's sleep, his thoughts had become clear at last. He'd come to realize that he wasn't entirely sure about how he felt about Hermione, but he also knew he'd find out in the next few weeks, when his time was divided up with both girls. As soon as he found out what those feelings were, he'd either break up with Lavender or stop his fling with Hermione, depending. It seemed fair—as long as Lavender understood what was going on.
"Okay, Lav. I made my decision," he said straightforwardly. Why bother beating around the bush? "It wasn't an easy decision, believe me, but I want to give us another try."
Lavender squealed with delight. "I knew it! I knew it! Oh, Harry, I'm so happy! This time, it's going to—"
"On one condition," he added, cutting her off.
Lavender's smile dropped. "What's that?"
"I'll take you back if we agree that it's not going to be exclusive. We'll date each other, but we can also date other people and see how everything goes."
"Kind of like a trial period?" Lavender asked, her face impassive.
Harry nodded. "Exactly."
Lavender sat silently, clearly thinking it over. Then she said, "All right. I can handle that," she said with a small smile.
"There's something else," he went on. "I—I…" His voice trailed off. He'd had every intention in the world to tell her about Hermione, but he suddenly found he couldn't. Lavender didn't need to know every detail of his life.
But I should say something about Hermione, he thought.
"What?" Lavender asked, sounding slightly impatient.
"I'm going to take this seriously. There's this girl who I've been with the last few weeks, and I'm going to see her, too." Well, that was somewhat truthful.
Lavender looked like she wanted to protest, but instead, she gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Well, that's part of the deal," she said. "Thanks for telling me."
"Let's go out to dinner on Tuesday," he suggested, wanting to mollify her.
This time her smile was sincere. "All right. Pick me up at seven?"
Harry agreed, and walked her to the front door. Lavender kissed him good-bye, but unfortunately, it was right in front of Ron and Hermione.
Harry closed the door behind Lavender and turned to his friends.
*~*
"What, you actually took her back?" Ron asked, disgusted.
"Yeah, sort of." Harry explained the deal he'd struck with Lavender. "It works out perfectly, doesn't it?"
"I guess," Ron said uncertainly. He glanced at Hermione, then back at Harry. "What about…" he gestured back and forth between Harry and Hermione.
Harry grinned. "What about us? We're not going to stop anything. I'm not tied down to Lavender, remember?" He and Hermione were now smiling at each other, but Ron noted that Hermione's looked a little forced.
"I have to go now," Harry announced. He pulled on his jacket. "Oliver called a quick meeting about practices, then the whole team's going out for drinks afterwards. See you later tonight." Harry gave them a wave and left.
"So," Ron said, wasting no time in turning to Hermione. "How do you feel about this…arrangement?"
Hermione shrugged but wouldn't meet his eyes. "It's all right, I guess. I don't know. Or even care, for that matter." She finally met Ron's eyes, just for a second, before she looked away again. In that brief moment, he knew she was lying.
"I have to go study now, I've got a really important test coming up." Hermione nearly ran to her room.
Ron just shook his head. No matter what they said, Ron knew that his two best friends had fallen for each other. He'd just caught Hermione in her lie. He saw the way Harry looked at her. It was just too obvious. Even if neither wanted to admit it, Ron knew they had it bad for each other.
He also knew this new arrangement was not going to work. It was only a matter of days before the whole thing blew up in their faces.
And that's something I don't want to miss, Ron thought with a laugh.
~*~
Hurray for chapter six! Lol. It would've been up sooner, but…you know…it's hard to post things on the Net when the power isn't on. (Yes, my power was off! I am a part of Black-Out 2003!) Anyways, I apologize. Really, I do. I know how much you all hate Lavender. I'm sorry, but she is a big part of the story. If I haven't scared you off from reading my story, I thank you, and look for the next chapter coming soon, and if you want to, please review. Thanks!!
