A/N: This is a very old fic of mine (my first), published back when I didn't know to double-space between paragraphs and whatnot. I didn't want to delete it so I reformatted it to look prettier but I didn't change any of the words. I don't really ship Harry-Hermione (I'm all for Ron-Hermione and Harry-Ginny) but this idea came to me as H/Hr, so my apologies to fellow H/Hr lovers. Also, though it was canon in 2004, it no longer fits with books 6 & 7. Please read and review.
Thanks to Bobwot, my editor.
Disclaimer: All of these characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The song is Everything by Fefe Dobson.
Chesswatching
By Shieldmaiden wot
Professor Cloakspell, the Hogwarts Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, was walking down an empty Hogwarts corridor with her equipment floating behind her.
Melinda Cloakspell had been the DADA teacher for two years now and so far nothing had happened to her. She was having to train her students extra hard these days in all manner of spells that would defend them against the evil creatures that inhabited the wizarding world in abundance now that Voldemort had risen again. Most of the students liked her, with the exception of a few Slytherins. But it seemed even they had warmed to the new Professor.
She felt especially privileged to have Harry Potter and Hermione Granger in her seventh-year class: Granger could perform almost every spell Professor Cloakspell knew and Harry was so skilful from all his encounters with the Dark Lord that he and Granger usually helped Professor Cloakspell with the other students. And of course, you couldn't forget Ron Weasley. He kept the whole class laughing and he wasn't too bad at spells himself, as long as he remembered what to say and didn't trip or drop his wand. Ron also had, as did most of the boys at Hogwarts, a crush on Professor Cloakspell. She was young, pretty, kind, and funny, and poor Ron blushed a lot around her.
Anyways, Professor Cloakspell was walking down a corridor when she heard the muffled sound of somebody crying. It seemed to be coming from the other side of a statue of one of the previous Headmasters.
The Professor hurried towards the statue and saw a girl with tangled brown hair sitting with her arms around her knees, crying. The Professor was surprised, but even more so when the girl raised her head and the Professor saw that it was Hermione Granger. "Granger?" she said, hurrying forward and kneeling in front of the girl. "Are you okay?"
Hermione wiped her eyes with her sleeve and looked away, her hair falling in front of her face. "Yeah," she said. "I'm fine."
"So why are you crying?" asked the Professor.
"It's... it's Harry," whispered Hermione, biting her lip.
"What about him?" prodded the professor.
"I... Never mind."
"Please tell me," pleaded the Professor. "I don't like to see people crying. Has Harry hurt you?"
"Oh no, nothing like that. I just wish... no, it's impossible."
"Nothing's impossible. Tell me," urged Melinda.
"You won't tell anyone?"
Melinda shook her head.
Hermione looked uncertain. "Okay... Harry and I have been friends since first year. You knew that, right?"
Melinda nodded. "You, Harry, and Ron. Everybody knows."
"Well, I really, really like Harry. About a month ago, he told me that he liked me a lot and I was too stunned to answer. Ever since then he's been treating me so carefully that he'll hardly speak to me at all. I can't stand it any more. I don't want a mere 'I really really like you'. I want to know if it's more than that." Hermione broke into fresh sobs.
Melinda smiled. "Do you have a crush on him?"
"No!" cried Hermione. "I don't have a crush on him. His stupid fangirls have crushes on him. I think I really love him."
"You should tell him."
"No," said Hermione stubbornly. "What if he doesn't love me? He'll just think I'm stupid."
"I haven't seen him even look at any other girl than you for as long as I've known him. And I doubt if anybody would ever think that you're stupid."
Hermione wiped her tears on her sleeve again. "Thanks," she said. "I'll think about it."
Hermione sat in a chair in a corner of the common room, her favourite old copy of Hogwarts: A History in her lap. She wasn't really reading it, though. She was watching Harry, who was sitting next to Ron and watching him play wizard's chess with Colin Creevey. Ron was, obviously, beating Colin, but Colin was getting better and better. He and Ron were Gryffindor's two best players.
It was eight o'clock at night, the day after Hermione's encounter with Professor Cloakspell. Harry was surrounded by admirers and friends, including lots of first and second years who were somewhat in awe of Harry.
A feeling of melancholy had been settling deeper and deeper over Hermione that evening as she watched her friends in the warm firelight coming from the huge fireplace. She knew that she could go join them, but she didn't want to - these days she had taken to just watching Harry and Ron, not laughing and playing with them. She was becoming more and more frustrated with herself - she was acting like a third-year fangirl, not a friend.
Sometimes I give in to sadness
Sometimes I don't
Ron's rook bowled over Colin's last bishop and Colin swore, then turned red as everyone laughed.
Harry smiled, but he had a faraway sort of look in his eyes. He tapped his wand absently on the table until someone told him to stop and then he just sat quietly, his chin in his hands, the firelight playing off his pale skin and black hair.
At times I'm part of the madness
Sometimes I won't
Give in to you
Hermione sighed. "I should ask Ron to teach me some chess strategies," she thought to herself. It was the last thing she thought before resting her head on the armrest and drifting off to sleep in the warm firelight.
You see in a way
I have been drifting down a river to nowhere
And you've given me nothing
The common room gradually emptied. No one noticed Hermione sleeping curled up in a corner chair with Hogwarts: A History on her lap. Harry and Ron were the last people to leave. They were talking about chess until a crash came from the boys' dorm and Seamus' angry voice yelled, "I'm going to kill that owl!"
"Pigwidgeon!' gasped Ron, dashing up the stairs. Harry watched him leave and laughed. Then he stopped on the stairs and, for some reason, looked back at the empty common room. His gaze was caught by Hermione, curled up on the chair. He called her name but she didn't answer.
"Asleep," he said to himself, surprised. "That's very unlike Hermione." He went back down the stairs and over to her chair.
Harry stood there for a while, looking at the girl in front of him. She looks so peaceful like that, he thought to himself. Then his shoulders slumped. I wish she'd tell me she doesn't love me and get it over with. I can't stop hoping.
Harry leaned over Hermione and shook her shoulder gently. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter and muttered, "Go 'way."
"Hermione? Shouldn't you go up to your dorm?"
"Hm?" murmured Hermione. The next instant she was wide awake and she sat up, blushing. "Did I fall asleep?"
"Yeah."
"Oops," muttered Hermione. Then she looked up. You have to tell him now.
"Um, Hermione...?"
"What?" she asked.
"Do you like me?"
"Yes," she said. "You're my best friend, Harry. You know that."
"It's just that you've sort of been avoiding me lately."
"No I haven't!" protested Hermione. "You've been avoiding me."
"Oh. I'm sorry," apologised Harry, hanging his head so that his hair fell in front of his eyes. "It's just that I haven't been able to look at you lately. It... hurts."
Hermione looked at him, surprised. Harry Potter, apologising? He hated apologising. "I hate it when you don't talk to me," she whispered.
Harry turned his back to her, not wanting her to see his face. "I thought I loved you, but you didn't return the feeling," he blurted out.
"Are you kidding?" asked Hermione incredulously. "You were the one who wasn't serious."
But if you're ready to be my everything
If you're ready to see it through this time
And if you're ready for love then
This I will bring
But I'm not gonna wait for you forever this time
"How was I supposed to know that you loved me?" she demanded. "I'm not a mind-reader! I need proof! You just acted like it was no big deal. You told me how much you liked me and then you just dropped it! I'm not going to just hang around and wait for you to tell me you love me!"
"This isn't exactly easy for me!" shouted Harry.
And if you're ready to be my everything
If you're ready to see it through this time
And if you're ready for love then
This I will bring
But I'm not gonna wait for you forever this time
"Well if you don't care enough, then don't waste your time! I don't want half of your heart, Harry!" yelled Hermione. If he wasn't willing to make a little effort, it wasn't going to happen. She walked around until she was facing him. "You don't need to wait forever to tell me you want me, Harry," she whispered.
Are you waiting for a special occasion
To give me your heart
Cause I need a little confirmation
To make a real start
Don't wait till it's too late
Are you ready to show me?
Are you ready to love me?
Harry hesitated. Am I even good enough for her?
Hermione saw the hesitation on his face and shook her head. "Forget about it, Harry," she whispered. Then she turned and stormed up the girls' staircase.
"Hermione, wait!" cried Harry, but the door to the dorms had already slammed shut. With a heavy heart, Harry walked slowly up to his Head Boy dorm and collapsed on top of his bed, falling asleep without even taking off his robes.
Hermione got up early and went down to the Great Hall to eat before anyone else got up, namely Harry. She was half-heartedly eating her toast and marmalade when someone sat down beside her.
She turned with a smile, which quickly disappeared when she saw it was Harry. "Hi," she said, resting her chin on her hand.
"Hi," replied Harry. "Look. You have to tell me where I stand with you. Please."
"I don't know what I want," said Hermione. "Well, I do, but I don't know what you want."
You see in a way
I have been drifting down a river to nowhere
And you're giving me nothing
And if you're ready to be my everything
If you're ready to see it through this time
And if you're ready for love then
This I will bring
But I'm not gonna wait for you forever this time
Hermione took a deep breath. "I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you," she said. "But I can't live with you loving me half the time. I need you all of the time. I'm not just someone you can get rid of. And you have to tell me now. I'm not going to wait forever for you."
"You're sure you love me?" said Harry, hardly daring to hope.
"Of course I am," she said, a tear running down her cheek. Oh, please say you love me too..
"I love you."
"And you'll..."
"I'll give it everything I have if it means I can be with you. I love you, I love you, I love you. Please, say you love me."
"Don't worry," she said, smiling. "The feeling's mutual."
And if you're ready to be
Ready to be my everything
And if you're ready to see it through this time
If you're ready for love then baby
This I will bring
But I'm not gonna wait forever this time.
Ron, watching from the doorway, grinned evilly to himself and stifled a laugh. Just wait until he told the fangirls! Not to mention the rest of the school...
The End
A/N: Ron isn't being mean… he's just following in the pranking footsteps of Fred and George.
I hope you enjoyed it… please review!