Chapter 6: Along the Road
"Are you nervous?"
"Me? Nervous? Why the very thought makes me laugh!"
"Your hands are shaking"
"It's cold today"
"Harry what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong Mione I'm fine, I've kicked Slytherin arse multiple times", Harry replied confidently.
"Alright if you say so", Hermione said, ending the subject as they walked towards the Quidditch pitch.
Harry was nervous, but not about Quidditch. He was nervous about the tingly feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach when Hermione grabbed his hand as they were walking.
The tingly feeling had spread from his stomach to the tips of his fingers and he could feel his hands shaking, like Hermione had observed.
'It's just the game that's going to start in less the thirty minutes' he told himself.
But then when Hermione had asked that he had to admit that it wasn't it.
She was talking again.
Rosy lips skimming over perfect teeth, brown eyes sparkling excitedly.
'Ok.. Stopping with the poetic thinking.. Now', Harry commanded internally and forced himself to pay attention to what Hermione was saying.
But before he could, he hear a voice he loathed.
"Excuse me; I have a game to win"
It was Draco, looking obviously good in his Quidditch robes, but since he knew it that took away from the fact he did.
When Draco noticed who was in his way on the path he stopped.
"Potter ready to lose?"
Harry rolled his eyes on the inside, this whole jibbing and cutting at each other was getting really old.
Draco felt the same way, but there was just something so annoying about the stupidly optimistic people like Harry that made him want to throw a rock at his head.
Then Draco noticed Harry's companion. "Why hello there Gran.. Hermione" Draco smiled cunningly at his correction, "how are you this fine afternoon"
Hermione smiled back politely, "very well Draco, you?"
"Gorgeously fabulous, if you don't believe me just ask all the names in my little black book" Draco said with a cocky smile on the side.
Normally Hermione would have rolled her eyes, but it was witty she couldn't help but giggle.
Harry steamed at Hermione, he tried to give her the evilest look until Draco said, "Careful there Potter you're going to break a blood vessel squeezing your face like that, can't say it would improve your looks"
Harry was about to make a nasty remark back, but Hermione knew it was coming so she cut in between them.
"Harry you should go prep and organize a game plan," Hermione smiled at him, then to Draco with a much cooler tone, because of the insult at Harry, "good afternoon Draco."
"Good bye Hermione, cheer for the winners, in other words .. me," Draco said with his usual laidback tone.
Then to Harry in a snobbish way, "Would wish you the best Potter but with your luck it wouldn't do much"
With that Draco walked away towards the Slytherin Quidditch locker room.
Harry's voice broke the silence bitterly, "You know I can't stand him almost all the time?"
"I know Harry, I know, but there has to be some good in him" Hermione pulled Harry closer by hanging off his arm instead of holding his hand now.
"Yes I know", Harry quickly replied so he could enjoy the feeling of having this lovely girl hang on to his arm, and pushing the thoughts of Malfoy away.
They were at the pitch then, Harry went off the go over a game strategy and Hermione went to the bleachers to read a bit of a book before the game got set up and started.
She was on chapter 26 when she heard a voice then felt a tap on the shoulder.
It was Ron.
"Hermione I know you're mad at me and that we're probably never going to be friends again because you hate me. I'm very sorry to have hurt you and that it had to come to that. I could tell you tons of reasons why that happened, but you'd push them aside as excuses. So I won't waste my time. I just felt that you needed to hear an apology, and that I am stupid to have had what I wanted but to have thrown it away with both hands. If you want a reason though it's best you ask Lavender what happened that night so that you won't think it's a bull excuse from me."
Hermione just sat there with her mouth opened wide, there had been so much to absorb in such little time, but she'd gotten the most of it. What really stuck out in her mind were the words, 'because you hate me'.
Before she could stop herself she'd gotten up and was hugging Ron, "oh Ron I don't hate you, I just hate what you did, and maybe it was my fault that you did that in the first place, if I hadn't been so busy with school work you wouldn't have felt neglected and have gone looking for other people who had time to be with you."
"No Hermione, that's not a reason or a fault that you have, it's an excuse for a wrong thing. If I had a problem with us, then I should have said something before acting out the way I did" Ron looked physically and emotionally exhausted, "I need to go, I did what I set out to do, I needed to apologize you didn't have to do anything just hear that apology"
Ron got up and left, his robe billowing behind him.
Hermione looked shocked; Ron had apologized but didn't want anything else? That was so odd. But Hermione was a little happier about how things were beginning to turn out for them.
Then she remembered that if she wanted to know the whole story she would have to talk to Lavender. That idea didn't appeal to her at the moment; it was too soon to talk to that slag.
'But I can't put it off, sooner or later we're going to talk', Hermione reasoned as she returned to her book.
"Are you nervous?"
"Me? Nervous? Why the very thought makes me laugh!"
"Your hands are shaking"
"It's cold today"
"Harry what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong Mione I'm fine, I've kicked Slytherin arse multiple times", Harry replied confidently.
"Alright if you say so", Hermione said, ending the subject as they walked towards the Quidditch pitch.
Harry was nervous, but not about Quidditch. He was nervous about the tingly feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach when Hermione grabbed his hand as they were walking.
The tingly feeling had spread from his stomach to the tips of his fingers and he could feel his hands shaking, like Hermione had observed.
'It's just the game that's going to start in less the thirty minutes' he told himself.
But then when Hermione had asked that he had to admit that it wasn't it.
She was talking again.
Rosy lips skimming over perfect teeth, brown eyes sparkling excitedly.
'Ok.. Stopping with the poetic thinking.. Now', Harry commanded internally and forced himself to pay attention to what Hermione was saying.
But before he could, he hear a voice he loathed.
"Excuse me; I have a game to win"
It was Draco, looking obviously good in his Quidditch robes, but since he knew it that took away from the fact he did.
When Draco noticed who was in his way on the path he stopped.
"Potter ready to lose?"
Harry rolled his eyes on the inside, this whole jibbing and cutting at each other was getting really old.
Draco felt the same way, but there was just something so annoying about the stupidly optimistic people like Harry that made him want to throw a rock at his head.
Then Draco noticed Harry's companion. "Why hello there Gran.. Hermione" Draco smiled cunningly at his correction, "how are you this fine afternoon"
Hermione smiled back politely, "very well Draco, you?"
"Gorgeously fabulous, if you don't believe me just ask all the names in my little black book" Draco said with a cocky smile on the side.
Normally Hermione would have rolled her eyes, but it was witty she couldn't help but giggle.
Harry steamed at Hermione, he tried to give her the evilest look until Draco said, "Careful there Potter you're going to break a blood vessel squeezing your face like that, can't say it would improve your looks"
Harry was about to make a nasty remark back, but Hermione knew it was coming so she cut in between them.
"Harry you should go prep and organize a game plan," Hermione smiled at him, then to Draco with a much cooler tone, because of the insult at Harry, "good afternoon Draco."
"Good bye Hermione, cheer for the winners, in other words .. me," Draco said with his usual laidback tone.
Then to Harry in a snobbish way, "Would wish you the best Potter but with your luck it wouldn't do much"
With that Draco walked away towards the Slytherin Quidditch locker room.
Harry's voice broke the silence bitterly, "You know I can't stand him almost all the time?"
"I know Harry, I know, but there has to be some good in him" Hermione pulled Harry closer by hanging off his arm instead of holding his hand now.
"Yes I know", Harry quickly replied so he could enjoy the feeling of having this lovely girl hang on to his arm, and pushing the thoughts of Malfoy away.
They were at the pitch then, Harry went off the go over a game strategy and Hermione went to the bleachers to read a bit of a book before the game got set up and started.
She was on chapter 26 when she heard a voice then felt a tap on the shoulder.
It was Ron.
"Hermione I know you're mad at me and that we're probably never going to be friends again because you hate me. I'm very sorry to have hurt you and that it had to come to that. I could tell you tons of reasons why that happened, but you'd push them aside as excuses. So I won't waste my time. I just felt that you needed to hear an apology, and that I am stupid to have had what I wanted but to have thrown it away with both hands. If you want a reason though it's best you ask Lavender what happened that night so that you won't think it's a bull excuse from me."
Hermione just sat there with her mouth opened wide, there had been so much to absorb in such little time, but she'd gotten the most of it. What really stuck out in her mind were the words, 'because you hate me'.
Before she could stop herself she'd gotten up and was hugging Ron, "oh Ron I don't hate you, I just hate what you did, and maybe it was my fault that you did that in the first place, if I hadn't been so busy with school work you wouldn't have felt neglected and have gone looking for other people who had time to be with you."
"No Hermione, that's not a reason or a fault that you have, it's an excuse for a wrong thing. If I had a problem with us, then I should have said something before acting out the way I did" Ron looked physically and emotionally exhausted, "I need to go, I did what I set out to do, I needed to apologize you didn't have to do anything just hear that apology"
Ron got up and left, his robe billowing behind him.
Hermione looked shocked; Ron had apologized but didn't want anything else? That was so odd. But Hermione was a little happier about how things were beginning to turn out for them.
Then she remembered that if she wanted to know the whole story she would have to talk to Lavender. That idea didn't appeal to her at the moment; it was too soon to talk to that slag.
'But I can't put it off, sooner or later we're going to talk', Hermione reasoned as she returned to her book.