Ron pretended to look offended as Hermione laughed, threading her arm through Harry's. Together, they started walking towards the portrait hole. Harry noticed Ron glancing over his shoulder over Hermione's head and looked around behind them. Seamus was looking after them with a sour expression on his face as Dean looked around the common room, almost as if he expected a book to materialize before him. Neville, strangely, had a disquieted look on his face. As Harry frowned, Ron stopped them. "Just a sec, Hermione," he said and quickly ran back to Seamus and Dean, no doubt to collect. Hermione looked up and saw Harry's frown.
"Harry, is something wrong?" she asked, leaning into him. Harry brought himself out of his daze and looked at her. She was very close, enough to make him nervous. An image of Cho in the Room of Requirement back in his fifth year sprang to his mind and he ducked his head, hiding his face from her. He hadn't been kissed since that day and, although he knew that Hermione was with Ron and he was very happy for them, her tendency to touch him and lean in close to him made him nervous.
"No, nothing," he said, wincing when his voice trembled. He felt her hand as it cupped his chin, forcing his eyes to meet hers. She was too close.
"Ready?" Ron asked, walking up. Hermione turned to him with a smile. Harry blushed lightly and turned away again, getting angry with himself. Why did it bother him so much? It obviously meant nothing to her. Even Ron, who had a small jealous streak, was unperturbed by her tendency to touch him. He stepped forward through the portrait hole before she could snag his arm again.
He was several yards away from the common room when they called out to him. "Harry, wait up! Not so fast!" He paused, sighing as they ran up. They walked in silence for a little while. Then, the other shoe dropped.
"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione asked tentatively. Harry was known to blow up when asked that question one too many times, so he really couldn't blame her, but the hesitance in her voice hurt him. He sighed.
"I'm fine, Hermione." He didn't even need to look at her to know that she didn't believe him. His nervousness, however, made him feel the need to put her mind to rest so that she would drop it. "Really," he added. "I'm just… in a strange humor, I suppose."
He could almost feel the sideways glance shared by his two best friends. "Are you sure?" Hermione asked in a doubtful voice.
He nodded and turned to favor her with a smile. The concern in her eyes made his chest tight, but he pretended he didn't see it.
"Relax, Hermione," Ron said, trying to distract his girlfriend. "You know how Harry is. He could smile and nod his way through the end of the world."
Needless to say, this did not cheer her up. Harry decided to take matters into his own hands. "Actually, I was just worried about that bet that Ron made with Seamus and Dean. How much money did you make on that?"
Ron eyes widened in surprised shock. Hermione stopped walking, favoring Ron with narrowed eyes. "What bet?"
Ron gave her his best impression of a suffocating fish. She turned back to Harry. "What bet?"
"Ron made a guess on what you would be doing when we got down to the common room and Seamus took him up on it."
Her gaze swiftly turned to Ron. "Now, wait one minute. You started that bet." Her gaze turned back to Harry. He just shrugged.
"I'm not the one with the galleons in his pocket, mate."
Ron, flabbergasted, didn't know what to say about that. Hermione stared at Ron for a moment, then looked at Harry. She looked him up and down for a moment, then, so that Ron couldn't see, she slowly smiled and favored Harry with a wink. Maintaining her disdain, she disentangled herself from Ron, took Harry's arm, and continued to the Great Hall.
After Ron was out of earshot, Harry quietly asked Hermione, "How did you know?"
"You, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville never come down at the same time. Neville looked a touch upset and Ron and Seamus looked almost smug. Dean looked expectant. You, however," and she looked at him, as if trying to read him, "looked blasé, as if it was any other day. Then, of course, there was Ron going to collect money from Seamus."
Harry nodded and faced forward. "You're not mad?"
She shrugged. "No, I guess not. It's immature and you both should know better, but I suppose you can't help yourselves. Must be the testosterone." They were quiet for a moment. "Harry, I know you told me about the bet to get me to leave you alone. I know something is wrong and I wish you would tell me. Your developing ability to act like nothing is wrong is just a little upsetting." He opened his mouth to retort but she raised her hand to quiet him. "If you don't want to tell me, that's your business. It's not okay, but I can't make you. I just really wish you would. Whatever it is that we're doing to upset you won't go away unless we know what it is. That's all."
Harry was dumbstruck. How could she not know? "Gee, Hermione," Harry said, pulling his arm out of hers as they reached the Great Hall. "I guess you're not as good at reading people as you thought." He walked over to the Gryffindor table, Hermione lagging behind.
Harry was already eating as she sat down across from him, Ron beside her. Hermione looked upset, but Harry was tired of her trying to guilt him into telling her what was wrong. If she couldn't figure it out than he wasn't going to tell her. Besides, deep down he felt awful about how mixed his feelings were over her. She was Hermione, his best friend, and Ron's girlfriend. He shouldn't be so confused over her.
Ron looked between the two of them, Hermione picking at her food and Harry ignoring her. "Is something wrong?"
Harry grit his teeth. He was really beginning to get irritated. "No, Ron. Nothing's wrong," Hermione replied before he could think of a scathing remark. She sounded tired.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Ron turned to get a confirmation from Harry, but he ignored him. Ron shrugged and started on his breakfast.
They all ate in strained silence. It seemed strange to Harry that after six years his friends still had trouble understanding him. He gave up on trying to be sullen at the beginning of sixth year. Being angry at everyone was nothing more than a good way to get a firm talking to by both Hermione and Ginny, Ron's younger sister. After their talks, he always felt like he was the one in error and that he had no right feeling the way he did around them. So he didn't. He started putting on an unconcerned face whenever he was upset. This seemed to pacify Ginny, though he had a feeling that the shrewd girl knew exactly what he was doing, but Hermione always seemed to know when he was upset. She didn't always question him, but she didn't understand the source of his discomfort around her so she questioned him about it. Harry understood this, but he felt he didn't have to appreciate it.
Just then, Professor McGonagell came around the table, passing out their schedules. Harry looked at his. He only had five classes, Advanced Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, and Care of Magical Creatures. Today was Care of Magical Creatures and a free period in the morning and double Defense in the afternoon.
"What have you got, mate?" Ron asked as he glanced over Harry's shoulder.
"Care of Magical Creatures in the morning and Defense Against the Dark Arts in the afternoon," he replied. "What about you?"
"Same," Ron said. "Loving the free period," he remarked as he shoved a piece of toast in his mouth.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's so you can catch up on all the homework you will have for your classes. Seeing as this is our last year, we should be expecting a lot."
"What have you got?" Harry asked her.
"The same, except I have Arithmancy during your free period."
Ron's eyes went wide. "You mean we have a free period without Hermione badgering us? Wicked!"
The glare Hermione sent him would have melted a lesser man. Harry shook his head, glad her ire wasn't focused on him. Than again, he didn't exactly try the way Ron did. Must have something to do with being in love.
On that disturbing thought, Harry stood, trying to ignore the feelings that rose in him. "We're going to be late," he said, grabbing a final piece of toast.
