Chapter 4.
That lunchtime, Hermione left Lavender in the hospital wing and went down to the Great Hall for lunch. She sat down beside Ginny and filled her plate, waiting for Harry and Ron.
"Have you seen Ron and Harry?" She asked Ginny nervously, wringing her hands.
"Um...they're probably caught up at Quidditch practice...you know how it gets." She smiled. "Is everything ok?"
"Um...yeah." Hermione said, giving a half-hearted smile back and stood up, leaving her full plate untouched and went to the library to get started on the Potions homework they had been set the day before.
---
Later that day, Hermione was getting increasingly nervous, as she hadn't seen Harry, or Ron all day. At about 7, she trudged back to the common room. Before she got there, however, she saw the portrait hole open and out emerged...Harry! Her heart lifted at the sight of him. He looked up and their eyes met. Harry ran his hand through his hair and put his hand back into the portrait hole...helping out a moaning Ron.
"It hurts Harry...oooh....ooowww!" He cried.
"Um...Hi, Hermione. Ron hurt his ankle in training, I'm taking him to the hospital wing. Sorry. See you later." He said, and he helped a hobbling Ron towards the hospital wing, leaving Hermione standing there speechless. Was this some sort of a joke? She ran into the common room and up to her dorms, dumped her books and ran up to the astronomy tower, where her and Harry had sat that fateful night. She ran right out into the night air and roared in frustration.
"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" She yelled at the stars, for having nothing else to yell at. She paced the ground, angry, humiliated....she had come to the conclusion that Harry was embarrassed by the letter, and that's why he had been avoiding her all day, although the sensible part of her brain told her he had sensible excuses.
She sat down on the ground and hugged her knees to her chest and sobbed into them. She loved Harry so much, even though she was humiliated that she had told him. She was convinced she had ruined their friendship, even if they tried to put it behind them, there would still be that awful awkwardness between them...and poor Ron, caught in the middle...she thought about Ron and Lavender too...the only other two people who knew about her feelings for him. She imagined them laughing at her, as she sobbed even harder into her robes.
-----
Harry sat beside Ron's bed, shaking nervously. "Just go to her, Harry! I'll be ok, go! Before it's too late!" He said.
"You sure? Thanks!" Harry said, and leapt up to leave, and nearly collided with Angelina Johnson and the rest of the team.
"You're not going anywhere. Team meeting." She said, pushing him back towards Ron.
"Come on! We've been practicing all day!" Harry protested, looking pleadingly at Ron.
"Yes, practicing. We need to talk now!" Angelina said, pulling chairs over to Ron's bed for everyone.
"But I...I..."
"Something more important to attend to?" She asked, glowering at him.
"God, you're turning out to be just like Wood!" Ron sighed. And Harry was trapped for an hour, as bored as the rest of the team, listening to Angelina drone on about tactics for their match against Slytherin next week.
As soon as he could get free, he ran all the way to the common room, but she wasn't there.
"Ginny." He panted, walking up to her. "Have you seen Hermione?"
"Um...no....sorry, not since Lunch." She said, shrugging. "Is it important?"
"Um...very." He settled, before running back out of the portrait hole. Where would she be? He ran to the library, but there was no one there, save for a few Hufflepuff second years. Then something popped into his head. The astronomy tower. Would she go back there? It's worth a shot, he decided, and ran up.
He turned the corner quietly and saw Hermione sitting in a heap on the floor. It was raining by now, and she was soaked. What hurt him the most was that she was crying. It's funny, he thought. I've hardly thought of Sirius in the last few days...All I've thought about is her...he thought, and he stood there watching her for a few minutes, before advancing closer to her.
"Hermione." He whispered. Her head jerked up and she jumped to her feet.
"Harry...." She breathed, ready to shout at him, but all her anger disintegrated as she stared into his eyes. Her face was soaking with rain and tears. She raised her hand, out of habit, to wipe her cheeks, only for them to be soaked by raindrops as soon as she put her hand back down.
He had no idea what to say. He came closer to her and took her in his arms. He looked into her eyes, which were a little red from crying, and he found the words.
"Come rain or shine." He smiled, and lowered his face to hers and kissed her. At first she was taken aback, but excitement rose in her stomach as she realised what this meant. He loved her back! She smiled to herself and kissed him hungrily back. It felt so perfect, standing in the rain, soaked...in each others arms. She put her arms around his neck and ran her hands through his wet hair.....Perfect.
That lunchtime, Hermione left Lavender in the hospital wing and went down to the Great Hall for lunch. She sat down beside Ginny and filled her plate, waiting for Harry and Ron.
"Have you seen Ron and Harry?" She asked Ginny nervously, wringing her hands.
"Um...they're probably caught up at Quidditch practice...you know how it gets." She smiled. "Is everything ok?"
"Um...yeah." Hermione said, giving a half-hearted smile back and stood up, leaving her full plate untouched and went to the library to get started on the Potions homework they had been set the day before.
---
Later that day, Hermione was getting increasingly nervous, as she hadn't seen Harry, or Ron all day. At about 7, she trudged back to the common room. Before she got there, however, she saw the portrait hole open and out emerged...Harry! Her heart lifted at the sight of him. He looked up and their eyes met. Harry ran his hand through his hair and put his hand back into the portrait hole...helping out a moaning Ron.
"It hurts Harry...oooh....ooowww!" He cried.
"Um...Hi, Hermione. Ron hurt his ankle in training, I'm taking him to the hospital wing. Sorry. See you later." He said, and he helped a hobbling Ron towards the hospital wing, leaving Hermione standing there speechless. Was this some sort of a joke? She ran into the common room and up to her dorms, dumped her books and ran up to the astronomy tower, where her and Harry had sat that fateful night. She ran right out into the night air and roared in frustration.
"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" She yelled at the stars, for having nothing else to yell at. She paced the ground, angry, humiliated....she had come to the conclusion that Harry was embarrassed by the letter, and that's why he had been avoiding her all day, although the sensible part of her brain told her he had sensible excuses.
She sat down on the ground and hugged her knees to her chest and sobbed into them. She loved Harry so much, even though she was humiliated that she had told him. She was convinced she had ruined their friendship, even if they tried to put it behind them, there would still be that awful awkwardness between them...and poor Ron, caught in the middle...she thought about Ron and Lavender too...the only other two people who knew about her feelings for him. She imagined them laughing at her, as she sobbed even harder into her robes.
-----
Harry sat beside Ron's bed, shaking nervously. "Just go to her, Harry! I'll be ok, go! Before it's too late!" He said.
"You sure? Thanks!" Harry said, and leapt up to leave, and nearly collided with Angelina Johnson and the rest of the team.
"You're not going anywhere. Team meeting." She said, pushing him back towards Ron.
"Come on! We've been practicing all day!" Harry protested, looking pleadingly at Ron.
"Yes, practicing. We need to talk now!" Angelina said, pulling chairs over to Ron's bed for everyone.
"But I...I..."
"Something more important to attend to?" She asked, glowering at him.
"God, you're turning out to be just like Wood!" Ron sighed. And Harry was trapped for an hour, as bored as the rest of the team, listening to Angelina drone on about tactics for their match against Slytherin next week.
As soon as he could get free, he ran all the way to the common room, but she wasn't there.
"Ginny." He panted, walking up to her. "Have you seen Hermione?"
"Um...no....sorry, not since Lunch." She said, shrugging. "Is it important?"
"Um...very." He settled, before running back out of the portrait hole. Where would she be? He ran to the library, but there was no one there, save for a few Hufflepuff second years. Then something popped into his head. The astronomy tower. Would she go back there? It's worth a shot, he decided, and ran up.
He turned the corner quietly and saw Hermione sitting in a heap on the floor. It was raining by now, and she was soaked. What hurt him the most was that she was crying. It's funny, he thought. I've hardly thought of Sirius in the last few days...All I've thought about is her...he thought, and he stood there watching her for a few minutes, before advancing closer to her.
"Hermione." He whispered. Her head jerked up and she jumped to her feet.
"Harry...." She breathed, ready to shout at him, but all her anger disintegrated as she stared into his eyes. Her face was soaking with rain and tears. She raised her hand, out of habit, to wipe her cheeks, only for them to be soaked by raindrops as soon as she put her hand back down.
He had no idea what to say. He came closer to her and took her in his arms. He looked into her eyes, which were a little red from crying, and he found the words.
"Come rain or shine." He smiled, and lowered his face to hers and kissed her. At first she was taken aback, but excitement rose in her stomach as she realised what this meant. He loved her back! She smiled to herself and kissed him hungrily back. It felt so perfect, standing in the rain, soaked...in each others arms. She put her arms around his neck and ran her hands through his wet hair.....Perfect.