Chapter 3.
Harry had walked back to his own dorm not long after Hermione had left him, and flopped down on his bed, head in hands.
"I'm such an idiot." He said.
"What happened?" Ron asked, walking over and sitting beside him. Dean and Seamus were still in the common room.
"I...I...oh god Ron. I've just messed everything up."
"How?" He asked, confused.
"I...I...oh." He sighed. "I tried to kiss Hermione."
"You did WHAT?" Ron asked, shock spreading over his face.
"Yeah. Shut up. And...and she just left. Oh god, she's never going to speak to me again."
"You...you never know. She...she might have had to...go somewhere?" Ron attempted, and failed.
"Yeah alright, I know I'm an idiot. Don't make me feel worse. She didn't have an excuse. I freaked her out!" He said, and fell back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
"I...I love her, Ron."
"Tell her that then!"
"I just tried to kiss her, I think that's enough."
"Yeah, a kiss is a kiss...love's different. I think you should tell her, mate!"
"Nah, I've ruined it now."
------
Early the next morning, Hermione crept downstairs, where she saw Ron sitting by the fire in his pyjamas and a dressing gown. Perfect. She smiled and walked over to him.
"Morning! How come you're up so early?"
"I dunno." He replied. "Here, what you so happy about?"
"Oh, nothing!" She grinned. "Can you do me a favour?"
"Sure."
"Is Harry still asleep?"
"Ron nodded, a small smile spreading across his face. Hermione ignored it, she had to do this.
"Can you put this beside him? On his bedside cabinet or something?" She said, handing him the folded letter.
"No prob." He said, now grinning wildly.
"What?"
"Nothing!" He said, and walked off to the boys dorms with the letter.
He entered the dorm and walked over to Harry's bed. Thankfully, he was still sleeping soundly. Ron looked about for where to put the letter. He put it at the foot of Harry's bed, just below his feet. Deciding he wanted to be here when Harry woke up, he took off his dressing gown and got back into bed, pretending to be asleep. A while later, he heard Harry stretching awake. Smiling to himself, he waited for his moment. On hearing a hearty yawn from Harry, he stretched and swivelled his legs out of bed so he was sitting over the edge. Rubbing his eyes in pretend-sleepiness, he turned to Harry.
"Morning Harry!"
He was replied by a grunt from Harry's bed. Ron couldn't take much more of this! 'Find the letter, find the letter!' he prayed.
Harry scratched his head and sat up. Yawning, he was about to get out of bed, when he noticed something at the bottom of his bed. Picking up the parchment, he twirled it in his hands.
"What's this?" He said, more to himself than anyone else.
"I dunno." Ron's voice replied from the other side of the room. Harry didn't look up to see Ron grinning like an idiot.
Harry opened the note and read, his heart flipping. He immediately leapt out of bed and ran out, leaving the note to flutter to the floor.
Ron watched him leave, disappointed not to get more of a reaction from him. He walked over to Harry's bed and picked up the note from the floor beside it.
'Harry,' Hermione's neat handwriting revealed itself.
'I'm truly sorry for the other night. I don't know what came over me. I hope this hasn't ruined our friendship, but I have to tell you.
Harry...I really have no idea why I did what I did the other night, but I want you to know that I love you. As more than a friend. I don't know if it was because of the beauty of that night, watching the stars...that made you try to kiss me...If you were caught up in the moment...but I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship. I'll still love you so much, as a friend, if you'll let me. I understand that these past few months have been horrible on you, they have been for me too, but it hurts me so much to see you upset.
I hope you know that I will always be there for you, Harry. Even if it is only as a friend. Come rain or shine, I'll always be right there by your side if you just call. Even if it's just for a hug, or a chat...god, I really sound pathetic now, don't I? Cheesy too. This is the hardest letter I've ever had to write. (And I write a lot!)
So, please. I love you so much Harry, and even if you can only let me love you as a friend...please just let me. If you don't feel the same...just remember that I'll always be there by your side as your friend. Come rain or shine.
Love...Hermione x'
Ron dropped the note on Harry's bed in shock, before returning to his own to get dressed, grinning away. This would be the best thing that could happen to Harry right now, he thought, as he rifled through his trunk for clean clothes.
---
Harry ran down the stairs into the common room, still in his pyjamas. Hermione was there! She was just leaving through the portrait hole, arm around Lavender. He ran up to her.
"Hermione!"
"Harry!" She said, stunned. Then she regained her senses. "I'm sorry...I have to take Lavender to the hospital wing. She's really ill."
Harry looked at Lavender and noticed that she was very pale and had sick all down her nightshirt. He looked at Hermione, who also had patches of sick down her.
"I'm sorry. I...I'll speak to you later, Harry." She said, and helped Lavender through the portrait hole...and they were gone. Harry stared at the space where she had been, all his energy leaving him.
A few minutes later, Ron came bounding down the stairs, grinning like an idiot.
"Hey, Harry!"
"Hey, Ron." Harry replied, a little less enthusiastically.
"SO......any NEWS for me?" Ron said, bounding up and down on the spot, with a child's energy.
"I...I...the letter was from Hermione."
"DUH...and???" He asked.
"She...she...she's taking Lavender to the hospital wing. I didn't have the chance to speak to her."
"Oh." Ron said, all the energy deflating from him like air from a balloon. "Well, you can speak to her later."
"I guess so." Harry replied, and went back upstairs to get dressed.
---
Hermione carried Lavender up to the hospital wing. So many thoughts were playing through her mind. Harry had come to see her...he must have read the letter...but she didn't have the time to figure out what his reaction was. She wanted so much to run to him right now, but she couldn't leave Lavender. They went through the doors of the hospital wing, to be met by Madame Pomfrey.
"Oh, what do we have here?" She asked, taking the sick girl to a bed and sitting her down, putting a bowl in her lap, which she promptly threw up into.
"I..I don't know. She's been throwing up for ages...I...I was in the toilet.." She lied, referring to when she had given Ron the note. "And when I came back, she was throwing up all over the place."
"Well well...looks like a simple stomach bug to me." Madame Pomfrey assessed, looking at her. "I've just the potion for her," she said, rifling through her drawers to find said potion. She managed to find a space inbetween throwing up to give her the potion.
"Now, she wont be sick anymore, but her body needs a few hours to re-adjust to the loss of water and food."
"Okay." Hermione said, unsure whether to go or not. Lavender answered that question for her.
"Oh god, it's going to be so boring in here! Please stay with me, Hermione!"
Hermione looked to Madame Pomfrey, who, unfortunately, nodded. "You can stay with her."
And so Hermione was stuck in the hospital wing, keeping Lavender company, all the while thinking about Harry.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I know you have to speak to Harry...you can go if you want...?" Lavender offered.
Hermione seriously considered it, but she didn't want to leave Lavender when she was sick. "Nah, it's ok. He's in quidditch practice all day anyway." She said with a sigh.
"Thanks...good luck for later then." Lavender said, lying back onto the pillows of the hospital bed.
Harry had walked back to his own dorm not long after Hermione had left him, and flopped down on his bed, head in hands.
"I'm such an idiot." He said.
"What happened?" Ron asked, walking over and sitting beside him. Dean and Seamus were still in the common room.
"I...I...oh god Ron. I've just messed everything up."
"How?" He asked, confused.
"I...I...oh." He sighed. "I tried to kiss Hermione."
"You did WHAT?" Ron asked, shock spreading over his face.
"Yeah. Shut up. And...and she just left. Oh god, she's never going to speak to me again."
"You...you never know. She...she might have had to...go somewhere?" Ron attempted, and failed.
"Yeah alright, I know I'm an idiot. Don't make me feel worse. She didn't have an excuse. I freaked her out!" He said, and fell back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
"I...I love her, Ron."
"Tell her that then!"
"I just tried to kiss her, I think that's enough."
"Yeah, a kiss is a kiss...love's different. I think you should tell her, mate!"
"Nah, I've ruined it now."
------
Early the next morning, Hermione crept downstairs, where she saw Ron sitting by the fire in his pyjamas and a dressing gown. Perfect. She smiled and walked over to him.
"Morning! How come you're up so early?"
"I dunno." He replied. "Here, what you so happy about?"
"Oh, nothing!" She grinned. "Can you do me a favour?"
"Sure."
"Is Harry still asleep?"
"Ron nodded, a small smile spreading across his face. Hermione ignored it, she had to do this.
"Can you put this beside him? On his bedside cabinet or something?" She said, handing him the folded letter.
"No prob." He said, now grinning wildly.
"What?"
"Nothing!" He said, and walked off to the boys dorms with the letter.
He entered the dorm and walked over to Harry's bed. Thankfully, he was still sleeping soundly. Ron looked about for where to put the letter. He put it at the foot of Harry's bed, just below his feet. Deciding he wanted to be here when Harry woke up, he took off his dressing gown and got back into bed, pretending to be asleep. A while later, he heard Harry stretching awake. Smiling to himself, he waited for his moment. On hearing a hearty yawn from Harry, he stretched and swivelled his legs out of bed so he was sitting over the edge. Rubbing his eyes in pretend-sleepiness, he turned to Harry.
"Morning Harry!"
He was replied by a grunt from Harry's bed. Ron couldn't take much more of this! 'Find the letter, find the letter!' he prayed.
Harry scratched his head and sat up. Yawning, he was about to get out of bed, when he noticed something at the bottom of his bed. Picking up the parchment, he twirled it in his hands.
"What's this?" He said, more to himself than anyone else.
"I dunno." Ron's voice replied from the other side of the room. Harry didn't look up to see Ron grinning like an idiot.
Harry opened the note and read, his heart flipping. He immediately leapt out of bed and ran out, leaving the note to flutter to the floor.
Ron watched him leave, disappointed not to get more of a reaction from him. He walked over to Harry's bed and picked up the note from the floor beside it.
'Harry,' Hermione's neat handwriting revealed itself.
'I'm truly sorry for the other night. I don't know what came over me. I hope this hasn't ruined our friendship, but I have to tell you.
Harry...I really have no idea why I did what I did the other night, but I want you to know that I love you. As more than a friend. I don't know if it was because of the beauty of that night, watching the stars...that made you try to kiss me...If you were caught up in the moment...but I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship. I'll still love you so much, as a friend, if you'll let me. I understand that these past few months have been horrible on you, they have been for me too, but it hurts me so much to see you upset.
I hope you know that I will always be there for you, Harry. Even if it is only as a friend. Come rain or shine, I'll always be right there by your side if you just call. Even if it's just for a hug, or a chat...god, I really sound pathetic now, don't I? Cheesy too. This is the hardest letter I've ever had to write. (And I write a lot!)
So, please. I love you so much Harry, and even if you can only let me love you as a friend...please just let me. If you don't feel the same...just remember that I'll always be there by your side as your friend. Come rain or shine.
Love...Hermione x'
Ron dropped the note on Harry's bed in shock, before returning to his own to get dressed, grinning away. This would be the best thing that could happen to Harry right now, he thought, as he rifled through his trunk for clean clothes.
---
Harry ran down the stairs into the common room, still in his pyjamas. Hermione was there! She was just leaving through the portrait hole, arm around Lavender. He ran up to her.
"Hermione!"
"Harry!" She said, stunned. Then she regained her senses. "I'm sorry...I have to take Lavender to the hospital wing. She's really ill."
Harry looked at Lavender and noticed that she was very pale and had sick all down her nightshirt. He looked at Hermione, who also had patches of sick down her.
"I'm sorry. I...I'll speak to you later, Harry." She said, and helped Lavender through the portrait hole...and they were gone. Harry stared at the space where she had been, all his energy leaving him.
A few minutes later, Ron came bounding down the stairs, grinning like an idiot.
"Hey, Harry!"
"Hey, Ron." Harry replied, a little less enthusiastically.
"SO......any NEWS for me?" Ron said, bounding up and down on the spot, with a child's energy.
"I...I...the letter was from Hermione."
"DUH...and???" He asked.
"She...she...she's taking Lavender to the hospital wing. I didn't have the chance to speak to her."
"Oh." Ron said, all the energy deflating from him like air from a balloon. "Well, you can speak to her later."
"I guess so." Harry replied, and went back upstairs to get dressed.
---
Hermione carried Lavender up to the hospital wing. So many thoughts were playing through her mind. Harry had come to see her...he must have read the letter...but she didn't have the time to figure out what his reaction was. She wanted so much to run to him right now, but she couldn't leave Lavender. They went through the doors of the hospital wing, to be met by Madame Pomfrey.
"Oh, what do we have here?" She asked, taking the sick girl to a bed and sitting her down, putting a bowl in her lap, which she promptly threw up into.
"I..I don't know. She's been throwing up for ages...I...I was in the toilet.." She lied, referring to when she had given Ron the note. "And when I came back, she was throwing up all over the place."
"Well well...looks like a simple stomach bug to me." Madame Pomfrey assessed, looking at her. "I've just the potion for her," she said, rifling through her drawers to find said potion. She managed to find a space inbetween throwing up to give her the potion.
"Now, she wont be sick anymore, but her body needs a few hours to re-adjust to the loss of water and food."
"Okay." Hermione said, unsure whether to go or not. Lavender answered that question for her.
"Oh god, it's going to be so boring in here! Please stay with me, Hermione!"
Hermione looked to Madame Pomfrey, who, unfortunately, nodded. "You can stay with her."
And so Hermione was stuck in the hospital wing, keeping Lavender company, all the while thinking about Harry.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I know you have to speak to Harry...you can go if you want...?" Lavender offered.
Hermione seriously considered it, but she didn't want to leave Lavender when she was sick. "Nah, it's ok. He's in quidditch practice all day anyway." She said with a sigh.
"Thanks...good luck for later then." Lavender said, lying back onto the pillows of the hospital bed.