Notes to some of my reviewers:
Sweet Preserves: Thanks for catching the mistake… I should have known it was a Healer.
Pretti-Ducki: The reason I ask for 15 reviews is because it buys me time to write. I like to put a lot of detail in my stories and I need all the time I can get. Between school and homework it's kind of hard to make a 10 page chapter in 2 days.
February Lane: I was kind of growing impatient also, so thanks.
~*~Thanks to my reviewers and if you have a question leave it in a review~*~
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Chapter 3
"There's something I have to tell you, Hermione…" began Harry, coming to a resolution that would leave him at peace with his conscience.
"What is it?" asked Hermione curiously, unsure of what he was about to say. She feared that he had changed his mind, although that would make her feel a lot better and with fewer things to worry about.
"I know Ginny is your best friend," he said, picking out his words carefully. "It didn't work out between her and me. You know that, don't you?"
"What does that have to do with anything right now?" asked Hermione, a bit impatiently, even though she knew where he was headed.
"I know Ginny is a very jealous person who is obsessed with me and she'll think you are betraying her if you become my girlfriend," said Harry, staring intently at Hermione. She stared back at him and began to process what he said. True, Ginny was her best friend but she would have to understand, wouldn't she? After all, she had told Hermione during her fourth year that she didn't have a crush on Harry anymore and then in a blink of an eye she announces she is crushing over him and his official girlfriend. She would have to learn to get over it once more.
"You have a point," said Hermione finally. "It would destroy her, but it's not betrayal. I didn't promise her anything."
"And you would want to destroy her?" asked Harry, trying to see if there was an evil, inhuman, cruel side to Hermione. He doubted it though. She would lay her life on the line for her friends. The sorting hat wouldn't have sorted her in Gryffindor otherwise.
"Who gave you this idea anyways?" said Hermione crossing her arms. "Because I KNOW you didn't think this up on your own."
"Are you saying I don't have the mental capacity to ponder my surroundings?" replied Harry, a bit offended.
"No, I'm just saying that it's not like you to analyze other people's feelings so deeply," she said, and suddenly realization dawned upon her. "Did Ron put this idea in your head?"
"He told me to consider it," said Harry, and he too realized something. Ron cared for his sister but never supported her obsession. Why would he decide to defend her all of a sudden when Harry was getting with Hermione? And even when he had waved off the thought, Ron had kept on pressing it deeper into his mind, as though he never wanted him to forget it. Of course, he couldn't prove anything, but he was suspicious.
"Well I can understand that Ron is worried about his sister…" said Hermione, more to herself than to Harry. Something deep down in her gave a jolt of happiness. She also knew that Ron never supported Ginny in her obsession. She also knew that several times he had been on the verge of telling Harry to give it another try with Cho and break up with Ginny. So this did bug Ron after all. There was something in him deep down that felt love for her, but wherever it was, she knew it would be too deep and difficult to dig out.
"I can understand it too," lied Harry, snapping Hermione out of her reverie.
"You know what? He's right," said Hermione suddenly, jumping down from the desk she had been sitting on. She headed for the door and Harry, alarmed, stood up from his chair and blocked her exit.
"Harry, move, please. There's nothing to talk about," said Hermione, attempting to push him out of the way. He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked in her large brown eyes.
"I love you Hermione," said Harry and Hermione's gaze wavered a bit. Those were words that had never been spoken to her by someone other than her parents. She hated the fact that she didn't love him back the way he loved her. She knew this was a futile attempt on her part to try to forget Ron and move on. It had been clear in her mind the minute she handed the note back to Harry.
"Think of Ginny," she tried, her eyes still focusing elsewhere.
"Forget Ginny. It's over between her and me. Let her throw a fit if she wants to," wheedled Harry.
"She's my friend."
"I'M your friend too."
"It's different," retorted Hermione, trying to loosen herself from his grip.
"Yeah, you're right. It is different. And I'll show you why," said Harry, grabbing her around the waist and planting a kiss firmly on her lips. When he let her go, she stumbled backwards, her knees weak. She stared at him and began to think that maybe things could work out with Harry. Maybe all her heart had to do was give him a chance. With this thought she walked towards him, pushed his back against the door, and returned the kiss.
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Ginny sat in front of her vanity mirror in her dormitory, slowly combing her flowing red hair that reached her waist. She found herself staring at her green eyes and admiring them, like Harry had admired them once. She missed him very much. Ginny remembered how last summer in at Burrow he had sat with her in the backyard and bonded with her. She shared things about herself and he talked about his life. With every conversation she slowly began to evolve another crush on him, stronger than the last one. And how she treasured the day he had asked her to be his girlfriend. She felt she was the queen of the whole world while she was with him. While in the Room of Requirement, which always seemed to be filled with lighted candles and bean bag chairs when they entered it, she and him would share their thoughts on various subjects. Sometimes they would make out, but most of the time they just talked. One day she gradually began to notice he was losing interest in her, and she tried several methods to regain his complete attention. She did everything but offer her body because she wasn't a whore and she considered that wrong. He began to miss secret meetings with her, and then he didn't walk her to her classes anymore, until finally he avoided her whenever possible.
She never gave up on him even though it was evident he didn't want to be with her anymore. One day she sat in the Room of Requirement, desperate and crying, when he walked in, shutting the door firmly behind him. She remembered dread seep into her skin like poison. He broke up with her at that moment, telling her he didn't want her to suffer because of him and that they were better off each going their own separate way. She fought back, telling him she loved him but his answer only pierced her heart. He said that she was an interesting person to talk to and that she was fun, but there was nothing else. He didn't love her back. She cried for a week, and after that she stopped. She realized he wasn't with anyone and that maybe…just maybe…she had a chance. Ginny blinked her eyes a few times, trying to pull out of a painful flashback. She noticed that her green eyes were welling up with tears, but she held them back and soon they dried up. Parvati came bursting into her dormitory at that moment, flopping down on her bed.
"Hey Ginny," she said, lying on her stomach on Ginny's bed.
"Hey," said Ginny, pulling out a butterfly pin from the pocket of her robe and fastening it neatly in her hair. She pulled out her make up so she could do a little touchup on her gloss.
"You won't BELIEVE what I heard in Divination today," said Parvati, swinging her legs up and down like an impatient toddler.
"Must you get so attached to me now that your best friend croaked?" asked Ginny rudely, picking out a lip gloss from the many she owned. Parvati's face darkened and she sat up.
"You know I'm trying not to think about that," she said in a sad tone.
"Hence the fake giddiness."
"I can't walk around with a sad face. I hate pity. Lavender was the one who loved it," said Parvati, pulling her hair out of the messy ponytail she has it in. Her hair was shoulder length and black, though she wished it was an exotic red like Ginny's.
"Whatever," said Ginny, wanting to drop the conversation. "So what did you hear in Divination?"
"Well, Harry was talking with Ron," said Parvati slowly. She wanted to draw the best anger reaction from Ginny possible, out of cruelty.
"Yes, well they talk all the time. No surprise there," said Ginny, applying her gloss while staring at her reflection in her mirror.
"I heard Harry say he told Hermione he loved her," Parvati said. Ginny dropped what she had been holding and slowly turned to face her.
"You're kidding, right?"
"No, I'm serious."
"Look, I'm sorry about what I said regarding your friend dying but this is going too far!" said Ginny, going pale.
"I'm not kidding. That's what Harry said."
"Did he say what Hermione said? I know she would never do that to me. She wouldn't dare," said Ginny, frantically standing up and commencing to pace the room.
"You trust that bitch too much," said Parvati, looking smug.
"She's my best friend and she deserves that trust. She would never do that to me," she said, trying to convince herself. Finally she sat back down and put her head in her hands, not the reaction Parvati expected. She was going more along the lines of Ginny kicking Hermione's ass.
"Hermione's my friend. I trust her and that's that," said Ginny, swinging her school bag over her shoulder and leaving the dormitory. Parvati laid down in Ginny's bed and stretched, quite pleased with her ability to eavesdrop on valuable conversations.
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The curiosity was killing Ron, who was sitting in Transfiguration waiting for Harry and Hermione to arrive. A bit of deeper thinking had made him think that maybe they were made for each other but they aren't opposites. If anything, they are as similar as twins. Hermione has a strong attitude and determination that pushes her along. She is smart and is never afraid to show it. Harry has similar characteristics and one that Ron could never understand. No matter what you're doing, if Harry's in the room, you can feel his presence as if power were emanating from him. Ron thought this was extremely creepy but never mentioned anything to him. Just as Ron was thinking that Harry and Hermione were going to be late, they ran into the classroom. He noticed, to some mild discomfort, that they were holding hands. She wore a big smile, which Ron thought was fake, and not because he wanted it to be fake but because it really was. She looked like a fish out of water. Harry was the one with the genuine smile. He looked as if the best thing in the world had happened to him. They sat down, Hermione next to Ron and on her right was Harry. She took out her books and laid them in front of her as always and folded her hands on top of them.
"What took you guys so long?" asked Ron, talking more to Harry than to Hermione.
"We had to go get out books. We left them in the Great Hall," answered Hermione, not looking at Ron, but rather at her hands.
"Yeah, guess what?" said Harry excitedly. "Don't say anything Harry, please…" thought Hermione but she knew it was pointless. Harry was going to shout it out to the whole entire world before she could do anything about it.
"What?" said Ron, already knowing what was coming and bracing himself.
"Hermione and I are a couple," said Harry, putting his arm around her. Ron saw her stiffen up a bit but then relax.
"Congratulations," said Ron, showing the best smile he could muster at such a moment. Hermione turned her head look at him and their eyes met for a moment so he adverted his gaze. After a moment she returned to staring at her hands until Professor McGonagall walked in with a broom in one hand and a mini cauldron in another.
"Silence please," spoke McGonagall, and the class stopped talking and paid attention.
"Today we will transform brooms into snakes and cauldrons into pumpkins. Pick a person from your table to come up here and get one broom and a cauldron," she said, motioning to a table next to her desk, piled up with the supplies. Harry got up and strode along to the table along with a few others.
"He asked you to be his girlfriend?" Ron turned to Hermione suddenly. She jumped in her seat and turned to face him. She again looked deep into his eyes, but this time trying to analyze something he didn't know.
"Yes, he did? Aren't you happy for me?" said Hermione, giving him a fake smile. He gave her his trademark grin a laughed.
"I'm glad you're happy about it. You'll be the most talked about couple in Hogwarts," said Ron, through gritted teeth, but Hermione didn't notice.
"I know," she said, and then she thought of something. "Ron, why did you-"
"I have the stuff," said Harry, putting the cauldron and the broom on the table. He took his seat next to Hermione and once more put his arm protectively around her.
"Ok, then lets get to work," said Hermione, pulling out her wand and checking her book for the spell even though she knew it by heart. A few moments of silence passed between them and then Ron spoke.
"Are you guys coming to Lavender's funeral tomorrow?" he asked, pretending to be distracted by a carving on his desk. Hermione and Harry looked at each other and then at Ron.
"Of course we are. What did you think? That we were going to leave you by yourself?" said Harry, pulling out his own wand and flipping the pages back and forth on his book with it.
"Thanks," said Ron, actually grateful that he would not have to pass the whole ordeal by himself. Class zoomed by at a quick pace even though it was double transfiguration and, as always, Hermione managed to get the spell before anybody else. Harry was beaming with pride at his girlfriend. Ron could almost throw up in disgust.
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Ron hated the twist and turns his life took. They were like a roller coaster of emotions. One minute he was all over Lavender, the next he was all over Hermione. He felt awful for it. He had loved Lavender for how similar she had been to him and he liked Hermione for being the complete opposite. He missed Lavender with all his heart and he truly did love her. He was a bit angry at Hermione for making him focus on her and be jealous when he should be mourning the death of his girlfriend. All his energy should be focused on Lavender, because with her died all the hopes he had for the future. He felt disloyal to her when the thought of dreaming up another future with Hermione popped into his mind. He kicked the thought in the ass. Oh, he felt like an asshole. His girl had barely died the day before and he was already thinking about replacing. Maybe he didn't really love her, but that was impossible. He had felt so complete with her, it had to be love. Or maybe a good cover-up for who he really loved. He kicked this thought in the ass too. Ron sat thinking all of this in front of the fireplace in the common room. Gryffindor tower was empty since everyone was at dinner. He wasn't particularly hungry and watching Harry and Hermione made him sick. He heard footsteps descend the staircase to the dormitories and looked up. Ginny stood in the doorway, eyes a bit swollen as though she had been crying, but she wore a serious and slightly murderous expression. She silently walked over to Ron and sat down beside him, crossing her arms and staring at the fireplace.
"Ron, I want a straight answer to my question. So you better give it to me when I ask it, alright?" she said, not taking her eyes off the fireplace. Ron knew what was coming and, frankly, he wasn't up to it. He had other things to worry about than his sister's love life.
"Ginny, not now," he said, letting out an exasperated breath and standing up.
"Are Hermione and Harry together?" Ginny asked anyway, as her brother climbed the flight of stairs up to his dormitory.
"Ask them yourself!" Ron yelled down, and Ginny heard a door slam. This infuriated her, so she jumped off the couch, ran up the staircase, and went in to the dormitory where Ron slept.
"I'm not going to go asking around. I want the answer from you and I want it now!" she yelled. Ron, who had been standing by the window spun around and pushed her out of the dormitory. He slammed the door in her face.
"I told you Ginny, I don't want to hear shit from you right now," yelled Ron, locking the door. Ginny tried desperately to turn the doorknob but to no avail, so she took out her wand and attempted to unlock it. When that didn't work, she turned her back on the door and gently slipped down until she was sitting on the floor.
"I don't know why you're turning against me all of a sudden, Ron Weasley!" she said, wiping away the tears that were on her cheeks. A few moments of silence passed, and when she saw Ron didn't come out, she stood up and left.
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Harry lay in bed, thoughts running through his mind. He was thinking about everything he had done during the day, analyzing each piece. He tended to do that a lot and he didn't know why. His thoughts wandered over to Divination, and chuckled a bit as he thought about what happened to Neville. Then he thought about the conversation he had with Ron. Ron had been acting pretty suspicious. It was almost as if he had been trying to prevent him from getting with Hermione. It still seemed pretty suspicious that Ron had tried to pull a whole bunch of "buts" on him. He had been one of the first ones to support Harry during his breakup with Ginny. Ron had always said that Ginny's obsession over Harry was not healthy. Why would he all of a sudden want to ignite that obsession all over again? Was it maybe because he would get some benefit out of it? Harry hated the thought that maybe he was doing it because he felt something for Hermione. He tried to push the thought out of his mind, trying to convince himself with the fact Ron loved Lavender and he wouldn't dare be with someone else so soon after her death. After all, Ron had said that he couldn't love anybody but Lavender, but things change. Harry turned over on his side and ran his fingers over the quilt on his bed. That's when he remembered about something that had happened a long time ago during his fifth year…something that made him angry…
*~*Flashback*~*
The weather was stormy outside and Quidditch practice had been cancelled. It was difficult to see the quaffle and the bludgers and when half the team had had accidents, they called it quits. The team decided to have a party in the locker room for no apparent reason but Harry, not feeling in a party mood, decided to head back up to the castle. The lightening bolts crashed behind him as he shut the large wooden entrance doors to Hogwarts. He tried to get to the common room as quickly as possible so Filch wouldn't see him tracking mud and water in the halls. When he reached the portrait hole, the Fat Lady, who had been reading a book, looked up at him in disgust and asked for the password. Harry muttered it tiredly and walked into the common room and up the flight of stairs to the boys dormitory. He stopped suddenly in front of the door to his room when he heard a female voice giggling inside, and then a male voice laughing. He slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door only a crack, just to peek inside. He was surprised to see Ron and Hermione sitting on Ron's bed studying, because they always did their studying in the common room. Harry listened closely to their conversation.
"It's called 'gillyweed' not 'sillyweed'," said Hermione, laughing again. She wiped tears of laughter away from her eyes and turned the page in what Harry supposed was her Herbology text book.
"Ok, sorry," said Ron, leaning towards her and looking in her book.
"This next thing we have to learn about is the 'Hypnotizing Flower'," said Hermione, pointing at the picture on the page.
"Why do they call it that?"
"Well, it's because it is so beautiful that you get hypnotized by it. You can't stop staring at it unless someone rips it out of the ground and then the flower turns into a weed. All ugly and nasty," explained Hermione.
"I bet girls are dying to be like that flower," joked Ron, and Hermione threw a pencil at him.
"I don't let yourself be mislead by beauty. I think that what counts is what is on the inside," she said, jotting down notes on parchment.
"But it's hard to find someone who is both beautiful on the inside and on the outside."
"No it's not."
"Yes it is," said Ron.
"No, it's not," pressed Hermione, distracted.
"Why aren't you paying attention to me," said Ron, snatching away the parchment. Hermione tried to take it back but he waved it away from her.
"Give it back Ron," said Hermione, knocking the books off the bed in a struggle to get her paper back. They wrestled around a bit until Ron pinned Hermione down on the bed with one hand and sat on her, one leg on each side. Hermione tried sitting up but Ron was too strong, and she started laughing. Harry seethed with jealousy and wanted to push Ron off her.
"You're heavy, get off of me before you squash me to death!" said Hermione, trying to push him off.
"Well, finally you're paying attention to me!" said Ron, throwing his full weight on her and she laughed. He dropped the parchment on the floor and grabbed both her wrists, pinning her now with his whole body.
"Ron, I can barely breathe, get off," said Hermione, laughing. Ron's face had gone serious and her eyes met with his. He placed a kiss on her lips and searched her eyes for resistance and, when he saw none, he proceeded to give her the most intense kiss Harry had ever seen. Harry clenched his hands so hard, his nails dug into his palms and drew out blood. He saw as Ron and Hermione sat up, groping each other desperately all over the place, and though he knew he should not watch this private moment, his eyes were glued to the scene.
"Ron, I don't think we should be doing this…" said Hermione as Ron ripped open her blouse.
"This isn't wrong Hermione," said Ron, trying to work the clasp on her bra. Hermione pushed him off and got out of the bed, pushing her hair out of her eyes.
"I can't do this," Hermione said, shaking her head. Harry was furious and wanted her to cover up from the prying eyes of Ron. How dare Ron make a move on the girl he loved? He had completely forgotten that Ron had a crush on her too.
"Why can't you do this?" retorted Ron, standing up angrily.
"It's not right! This is not a level-headed thing to do," she said, buttoning up her blouse.
"For once in your life, can't you just be led by your heart and not your mind?"
"I don't want to get pregnant. I don't want a boyfriend. I need to worry about studying, not about you!" said Hermione, and little did she know that she would come to regret those words when a year later she would be yearning for his touch. Harry didn't take her seriously, because he had always been confident he could change a person's mind.
"I wasted 3 years of my time trying to get with you," said Ron, after a few moments of silence. "The effort didn't pay off."
"The only thing I said was that I don't want a boyfriend now. Maybe in the future-"
"I'm not sure I want to be with you anymore, Hermione," interrupted Ron, and he walked into the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him. Harry, knowing he had seen enough, walked back downstairs to the common room and waited for one of them to come down. He heard the boy's dormitory door open and close and then the girl's dormitory door do the same, and he assumed Hermione had gone to her room. Neither of them came downstairs.
*~*End Flashback*~*
He remembered how hard it was to face Ron and Hermione the following day, and he succeeded in pretending he saw nothing. Harry clutched the quilt in anger and looked over at Ron's empty bed, where the whole incident had happened. He was surprised to find that deep down in his heart he had a little hate for Ron. He was happy that Hermione stopped things before they went further but he could tell that if it hadn't been for the fact that at that time she was worried more about her studies than having a boyfriend, she would have done it with Ron. Harry heard the dormitory door open and turned around to see who had walked in, even though it was dark. It was Ron, who stretched and tossed his jacket on his school trunk and flopped down on his bed.
"Harry, are you awake?" asked Ron, looking over at Harry's bed.
"Not really," lied Harry, faking a sleepy voice.
"Oh ok, so I'll see you in the morning then," said Ron, putting his hands behind his head and looking up at the ceiling. Harry looked at him and a hate he had never known before surged through him. He decided at that moment that he'd be damned if he let Ron have Hermione.
To Be Continued….
(A/N: You know the drill, 15 more reviews and I'll post the next chapter!!! Thank you to all who are reading this story!!!)