A/N: Here's chpt. 3. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Still not mine
Harry woke up groggily and with his head throbbing slightly. Some one was shaking his shoulder. "Harry, Harry." He heard a familiar voice whisper. "Wake up. I need to talk to you." Harry looked up with great effort and peered into the darkness.
"Who's there?" he questioned.
He heard the voice whisper "Lumos." The area filled with a soft light. Harry recognized the person to be holding the wand to be Hermione.
"Hermione!" He squealed. "What are you doing in here? Girls aren't allowed in the boys' dormitories!"
"Uh, Harry. We're not in your bedroom." She stated, "We're in the common room."
Harry looked around, noticing his surroundings. "Oh, how'd we get down here?" He asked, looking a bit puzzled.
"This is where I found you. I checked the boys' dormitories, but you weren't there, so I came down here." Hermione said, looking a bit concerned. "Oh, my! What happened to your head? Did you and Ron have a row? He shouldn't be taking this out on you. After all, I did make you promise."
Harry's hand flew to his forehead and found a lump. It was the source of the aforementioned throbbing. Suddenly the events of the evening came rushing back to him. He must have fallen asleep. He wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole. "No, it wasn't Ron." Harry said, sounding rather irritated.
"Then what happened?" Queried Hermione.
"Look, it doesn't matter. What did you need to talk to me about?" Harry asked.
"Well, the thing is, I'm sure the reason Ron is cross with me is that he found out about Draco and me. I asked Draco if he told him, but he said he didn't, but I don't know if I can trust him. He is a Slytherin, you know? And the only other person that knows is you, and, don't get me wrong, I trust you completely, but who else could have done it? I'm so confused. Ron is one of my best friends, but I'm really starting to like Draco, even if he is a complete git. He's so mean to Ron; I don't like it. I tell him to stop, and he apologizes, but I don't think he's really sorry. I'm not sure if I can choose between the two. Please help me Harry, I don't know what to do." Hermione managed to get all of this out in one breath. Somewhere in the middle of it all she had started pacing subconsciously. She stopped and looked pleadingly at Harry who looked like he was about to fall back to sleep. "Well?"
Harry shook his head, snapping back to reality. "Uhhhhh. Oh yeah. Ron did talk to me. Well, he did a bit more yelling than talking. That wasn't really necessary. He didn't even give me a chance to explain. He's not being fair." Harry said grumpily.
"Harry, could you focus please?" Hermione pleaded.
"Oh, yeah, sorry. Ron saw you and Draco snogging after lunch today, or yesterday. I'm not really sure what time it is. Anyway, he's really worked up about it. You know, I warned you. I told you this would happen. Malfoy of all people. You're right you know, he is a complete git." Harry said coldly.
"Look Harry, I didn't come to you so you could make me feel more guilty. I need some advice, and you're the only one I have to talk to." Said Hermione shortly.
"All right, all right. So, what's your problem exactly? You need to choose between Malfoy and Ron, right? Well isn't that kind of a no brainer? I mean come on. Ron is one of your best friends. You guys have been through a lot together. I mean I know he has his flaws, but compared to Malfoy he's a saint. Ron will always be there for you. Unless you do this to him of course, and Malfoy, well he's just Malfoy. You know he'll be in a corner kissing some one else next week." Said Harry flatly. He looked up and saw tears shimmering in Hermione's eyes. "Oh, Hermione, I'm sorry. Please don't cry. That was awful of me. I shouldn't have said it. It's just that, well, it's true. Look, you're the most intelligent person in this school. You knew, deep down. It would be better to get rid of him now, before he breaks your heart. Imagine what Ron would do to Malfoy if he hurt you. Even if he is mad at you right now, he's always going to be there. He'll always care for you . Whether he likes it or not. Whether you like it or not. C'mon, you could have any guy you wanted." Harry let out a sigh, "It's up to you though, I can't make the decision for you."
Tears were coursing freely down Hermione's cheeks now. She just stood there staring at Harry. I don't know what to do. Harry makes it sound so easy. If only life was that simple. Why shouldn't it be? Harry's right. I've got to break it off with Draco before I get in too deep. But what If I'm already in too deep? Hermione collapsed onto Harry. She needed something that she knew was solid. Some one she knew was on her side. Harry put his arm around her shoulders. Comforting her to the best of his ability, being rather new at this. Her tears slowed, and Harry wiped the remaining ones from her cheeks. He kissed her gently on the top of her head as she fell asleep with her head on his chest. Harry falling asleep soon after her.
On the other side of the room, standing on the stairs with his mouth open slightly, was Ron with a truly crushed look on his face. A single tear slid down his cheek as he turned and walked back up the stairs to his bed.
***
Harry woke up the next morning incredibly sore from not being able to change positions all night. He looked around and saw that it was daylight, and Hermione had gone. There were still kids talking leisurely, so he figured he wasn't running too far behind schedule. He got up and went to his dorm, noticing that Ron had already left. He's probably still cross with me. Harry changed quickly, deciding that he didn't have enough time for a shower, and went down to the Great Hall to get some breakfast before the start of classes. Harry sat down at his usual spot at the Gryffindor table. Neither Ron nor Hermione were anywhere to be seen. I wonder where Ron is. He's probably avoiding me. I need t talk to him about Hermione though. She's probably off dumping Malfoy right now. I hope she's okay; she was pretty broken up last night. Ron will be so happy. Just then Harry caught a glimpse of red hair. Harry bolted from his place to pursue it, knowing it had to be Ron because his three siblings were still eating breakfast. Harry had almost caught up with Ron now. "Ron!" Harry called, "Wait up!" Ron, however didn't even acknowledge Harry's presence. "Ron!" He called again, "Please, I need to talk to you." Ron stooped and turned around.
"About what?" He asked Harry, "What a lousy excuse of a friend you are? Well I already have that figured out, so if you don't mind--"
"No, wait. Please, Ron. I know you're mad at me right now, but you really need to hear this. Can we go somewhere to talk?" Harry pleaded.
"What's wrong with right here?" Ron questioned, "It's not like it won't be all over the school soon enough."
"Yeah, because Malfoy will be so eager to let everybody know about his rejection." Harry said sarcastically.
"I'm not talking about Ferret Boy; I'm talking about Hermione. She's probably so happy that she's already told all of her little girlfriends, and they've gone and told all of their girlfriends and boyfriends and anything else with ears. The fabulous news has probably already made it to the Daily Prophet. It'll probably be in this morning's edition. I'm sure everyone will be very excited." Ron finished, nearly yelling now.
"Ummm, did Hermione already tell you? And why would she go around telling everybody? We're the only ones that she would need to tell." Harry said, adding, "and Malfoy of course." As an afterthought. What is his problem? Are we even talking about the same things?
"I can't believe you!" Ron said incredulously, "It's like you actually expect me to be happy about this." Okay, I'm pretty sure we aren't talking about the same thing.
"Ron, Hermione's breaking up with Malfoy. If I'm not mistaken, that's a very good thing in your eyes." Said a rather bewildered Harry.
"Yeah, ditching Malfoy for you!" Ron practically screamed. "There, it's out n the open now. I know. You can stop pretending you've done me a favor."
"Ron, what are you talking about? You know I don't like Hermione like that." Said Harry, still very much confused.
Ron guffawed "You certainly weren't complaining last night. She practically threw herself at you." Ron turned and ran down the corridor.
Harry was left standing there shocked. Oh, great. He saw us... and he thought.... ewww. Good going Potter. How are you going to handle this one? Well at least Hermione isn't with Malfoy anymore. I think it's her turn to help me. Just then he noticed a couple in a dark corner. A boy with hair so blonde it was almost white and a girl with bushy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Hermione must have felt Harry's eyes boring into the back of her head because she turned around just then and saw him. He glared at her and turned away. Hermione opened her mouth to call after Harry, but Draco pulled her back into the embrace. He smiled wickedly.
A/N: Muahahahahahaha. The plot thickens. Angst, angst, angst. Life is good. R&R please. Oh, and to those who are waiting for a reason for Hermione to be with Draco..... be patient my friends. I have one; I just haven't had a chance to work it into the story yet. I'll try to get it into the next chapter.
Disclaimer: Still not mine
Harry woke up groggily and with his head throbbing slightly. Some one was shaking his shoulder. "Harry, Harry." He heard a familiar voice whisper. "Wake up. I need to talk to you." Harry looked up with great effort and peered into the darkness.
"Who's there?" he questioned.
He heard the voice whisper "Lumos." The area filled with a soft light. Harry recognized the person to be holding the wand to be Hermione.
"Hermione!" He squealed. "What are you doing in here? Girls aren't allowed in the boys' dormitories!"
"Uh, Harry. We're not in your bedroom." She stated, "We're in the common room."
Harry looked around, noticing his surroundings. "Oh, how'd we get down here?" He asked, looking a bit puzzled.
"This is where I found you. I checked the boys' dormitories, but you weren't there, so I came down here." Hermione said, looking a bit concerned. "Oh, my! What happened to your head? Did you and Ron have a row? He shouldn't be taking this out on you. After all, I did make you promise."
Harry's hand flew to his forehead and found a lump. It was the source of the aforementioned throbbing. Suddenly the events of the evening came rushing back to him. He must have fallen asleep. He wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole. "No, it wasn't Ron." Harry said, sounding rather irritated.
"Then what happened?" Queried Hermione.
"Look, it doesn't matter. What did you need to talk to me about?" Harry asked.
"Well, the thing is, I'm sure the reason Ron is cross with me is that he found out about Draco and me. I asked Draco if he told him, but he said he didn't, but I don't know if I can trust him. He is a Slytherin, you know? And the only other person that knows is you, and, don't get me wrong, I trust you completely, but who else could have done it? I'm so confused. Ron is one of my best friends, but I'm really starting to like Draco, even if he is a complete git. He's so mean to Ron; I don't like it. I tell him to stop, and he apologizes, but I don't think he's really sorry. I'm not sure if I can choose between the two. Please help me Harry, I don't know what to do." Hermione managed to get all of this out in one breath. Somewhere in the middle of it all she had started pacing subconsciously. She stopped and looked pleadingly at Harry who looked like he was about to fall back to sleep. "Well?"
Harry shook his head, snapping back to reality. "Uhhhhh. Oh yeah. Ron did talk to me. Well, he did a bit more yelling than talking. That wasn't really necessary. He didn't even give me a chance to explain. He's not being fair." Harry said grumpily.
"Harry, could you focus please?" Hermione pleaded.
"Oh, yeah, sorry. Ron saw you and Draco snogging after lunch today, or yesterday. I'm not really sure what time it is. Anyway, he's really worked up about it. You know, I warned you. I told you this would happen. Malfoy of all people. You're right you know, he is a complete git." Harry said coldly.
"Look Harry, I didn't come to you so you could make me feel more guilty. I need some advice, and you're the only one I have to talk to." Said Hermione shortly.
"All right, all right. So, what's your problem exactly? You need to choose between Malfoy and Ron, right? Well isn't that kind of a no brainer? I mean come on. Ron is one of your best friends. You guys have been through a lot together. I mean I know he has his flaws, but compared to Malfoy he's a saint. Ron will always be there for you. Unless you do this to him of course, and Malfoy, well he's just Malfoy. You know he'll be in a corner kissing some one else next week." Said Harry flatly. He looked up and saw tears shimmering in Hermione's eyes. "Oh, Hermione, I'm sorry. Please don't cry. That was awful of me. I shouldn't have said it. It's just that, well, it's true. Look, you're the most intelligent person in this school. You knew, deep down. It would be better to get rid of him now, before he breaks your heart. Imagine what Ron would do to Malfoy if he hurt you. Even if he is mad at you right now, he's always going to be there. He'll always care for you . Whether he likes it or not. Whether you like it or not. C'mon, you could have any guy you wanted." Harry let out a sigh, "It's up to you though, I can't make the decision for you."
Tears were coursing freely down Hermione's cheeks now. She just stood there staring at Harry. I don't know what to do. Harry makes it sound so easy. If only life was that simple. Why shouldn't it be? Harry's right. I've got to break it off with Draco before I get in too deep. But what If I'm already in too deep? Hermione collapsed onto Harry. She needed something that she knew was solid. Some one she knew was on her side. Harry put his arm around her shoulders. Comforting her to the best of his ability, being rather new at this. Her tears slowed, and Harry wiped the remaining ones from her cheeks. He kissed her gently on the top of her head as she fell asleep with her head on his chest. Harry falling asleep soon after her.
On the other side of the room, standing on the stairs with his mouth open slightly, was Ron with a truly crushed look on his face. A single tear slid down his cheek as he turned and walked back up the stairs to his bed.
***
Harry woke up the next morning incredibly sore from not being able to change positions all night. He looked around and saw that it was daylight, and Hermione had gone. There were still kids talking leisurely, so he figured he wasn't running too far behind schedule. He got up and went to his dorm, noticing that Ron had already left. He's probably still cross with me. Harry changed quickly, deciding that he didn't have enough time for a shower, and went down to the Great Hall to get some breakfast before the start of classes. Harry sat down at his usual spot at the Gryffindor table. Neither Ron nor Hermione were anywhere to be seen. I wonder where Ron is. He's probably avoiding me. I need t talk to him about Hermione though. She's probably off dumping Malfoy right now. I hope she's okay; she was pretty broken up last night. Ron will be so happy. Just then Harry caught a glimpse of red hair. Harry bolted from his place to pursue it, knowing it had to be Ron because his three siblings were still eating breakfast. Harry had almost caught up with Ron now. "Ron!" Harry called, "Wait up!" Ron, however didn't even acknowledge Harry's presence. "Ron!" He called again, "Please, I need to talk to you." Ron stooped and turned around.
"About what?" He asked Harry, "What a lousy excuse of a friend you are? Well I already have that figured out, so if you don't mind--"
"No, wait. Please, Ron. I know you're mad at me right now, but you really need to hear this. Can we go somewhere to talk?" Harry pleaded.
"What's wrong with right here?" Ron questioned, "It's not like it won't be all over the school soon enough."
"Yeah, because Malfoy will be so eager to let everybody know about his rejection." Harry said sarcastically.
"I'm not talking about Ferret Boy; I'm talking about Hermione. She's probably so happy that she's already told all of her little girlfriends, and they've gone and told all of their girlfriends and boyfriends and anything else with ears. The fabulous news has probably already made it to the Daily Prophet. It'll probably be in this morning's edition. I'm sure everyone will be very excited." Ron finished, nearly yelling now.
"Ummm, did Hermione already tell you? And why would she go around telling everybody? We're the only ones that she would need to tell." Harry said, adding, "and Malfoy of course." As an afterthought. What is his problem? Are we even talking about the same things?
"I can't believe you!" Ron said incredulously, "It's like you actually expect me to be happy about this." Okay, I'm pretty sure we aren't talking about the same thing.
"Ron, Hermione's breaking up with Malfoy. If I'm not mistaken, that's a very good thing in your eyes." Said a rather bewildered Harry.
"Yeah, ditching Malfoy for you!" Ron practically screamed. "There, it's out n the open now. I know. You can stop pretending you've done me a favor."
"Ron, what are you talking about? You know I don't like Hermione like that." Said Harry, still very much confused.
Ron guffawed "You certainly weren't complaining last night. She practically threw herself at you." Ron turned and ran down the corridor.
Harry was left standing there shocked. Oh, great. He saw us... and he thought.... ewww. Good going Potter. How are you going to handle this one? Well at least Hermione isn't with Malfoy anymore. I think it's her turn to help me. Just then he noticed a couple in a dark corner. A boy with hair so blonde it was almost white and a girl with bushy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Hermione must have felt Harry's eyes boring into the back of her head because she turned around just then and saw him. He glared at her and turned away. Hermione opened her mouth to call after Harry, but Draco pulled her back into the embrace. He smiled wickedly.
A/N: Muahahahahahaha. The plot thickens. Angst, angst, angst. Life is good. R&R please. Oh, and to those who are waiting for a reason for Hermione to be with Draco..... be patient my friends. I have one; I just haven't had a chance to work it into the story yet. I'll try to get it into the next chapter.