None of the Harry Potter characters belong to me
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Chapter 8: Secrets
A few days has passed since Harry and Hermione admitted how they felt for each other, to each other. No one else knew, or could share with them, the happiness they are feeling. The two lovebirds did crack their brains over when to break the news, and concluded that the day of the Halloween Ball would be perfect timing.
"It's not like we're doing anything wrong or anything, being together. It's just that, wouldn't it be nice just to give everyone a surprise?" asked Hermione thoughtfully as she was talking this through with Harry, both of them sitting on the grass, leaning against the trunk of a willow tree. They have both snuck out of the Great Hall, finishing breakfast earlier than anyone else, away from all the attention to get some time alone down by the lake.
"Of course there's nothing wrong with it! Plus...I'm not looking forward to spilling all this out to Ron..." Harry added.
"Yeah...but we'd have to do that sometime yeah?...Wonder how he'd feel, now that we're together...he seems so alone..." Hermione started, giving Harry a swift look, "not like we're gonna leave him out or anything of course." she said quickly.
Harry looked at Hermione, smiling.
"You worry too much," said Harry, giving her a teasing smile, "we'll tell him before we go to Hogsmeade next week to get our gowns...talking about gowns...who're you going to the Ball with?" asked Harry mischievously, knowing the answer perfectly well.
Hermione feigned a shocked look.
"Hmm...let me think...if I'm not wrong, it's this guy that was giving me the looks during Flitwick's lesson this morning..." Hermione answered teasingly, remembering those green eyes staring at her from sideways that belonged to a certain someone.
"You...!" Harry's voice trailed off as he tickled Hermione all over, sending her off with fits of laughter and toppling over, rolling on the grass. Hermione, not ready to admit defeat that easily, poked Harry lightly where the itchy spots are. Soon, their laughter and joy could be heard distinctively all around the still deserted lake.
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"Where have the both of you been at breakfast today?! I was looking—OUCH!" started Ron grumpily at Harry and Hermione as they suddenly appeared at his sides walking towards Herbology (first period), when someone passing him from in front stepped on his foot accidentally. He looked up to see who was the culprit who just added to his misery.
"Oops, sorry Ron! Didn't see you! Alright?" a voice shouted from the crowd somewhere outside the greenhouses.'
Harry scowled, his face twisted in thought. Something about that voice reminded him of something.
"S'all right, Lavender!" Ron replied, the corners of his downturn mouth twitching slightly.
Oh! Now I know where I heard that sickening voice from, it's Lavender! Harry thought. When he looked up, he saw Hermione looking at him with a worried expression, frowning from behind Ron's back. Harry moved his lips "LATER", apparently, Hermione got the message and nodded her head.
"Oh, we were just doing prefect duty earlier on, Professor MacGonagall informed us last minute." Hermione answered to Ron's previous question, hoping he wouldn't ask why the other prefects didn't go.
"Mm-hmm..." answered Ron. Not looking at all angry compared to when they popped up by his sides a few minutes ago. In fact, he had this blank, dreamy look on his face. Harry raised an eyebrow.
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"Quiet down, quiet down now..." Professor MacGonagall's voice rang out loud, shouting over the chattering class of Gryffindors and Hufflepuff (well, what's left of those who actually made it into her class this year for the NEWTs Transfiguration level). Soon enough, nothing could be heard apart from the shuffling of feet and scratching of chairs.
"Thank you...," Professor MacGonagall started, now that she's got everyone's attention," I have been going through the work we've done last year, and realized that we have covered practically everything needed for passing the NEWTs this year. So, today, we will just be revising and brushing up old work..." Professor MacGonagall looked around the class swiftly and took out her wand, "You will be transforming these..." flick, frogs appear, "into..." flick, frogs changes into rabbits, "these rabbits. It may look simple, but it takes quite a lot of concentration and time. We have transformed living things into objects before, and vice versa. Now I want you to try transforming living objects into another living object. Start as soon as you get a frog." Professor MacGonagall started moving around the classroom, levitating frogs from her basket, one to each student.
"Hmm...this should be easy..." muttered Hermione to herself. Lavender, who was sitting beside her (Parvarti's in the Hospital Wing, still recovering from her slight fever) groaned. She has never been very good at Transfiguration.
"Hermione...can you help?" asked Lavender nervously.
"Sure!" Hermione replied cheerfully.
Across the aisle from Hermione's table, Harry and Ron were having a casual conversation while working.
"I can't...believe..." Ron flicks his wand in agitation while muttering the incantation, "our luck...frog to rabbit?! This is mad...no one can do that...okay, maybe except MacGonagall..." said Ron, a scowl appearing on his face as his frog sprouted greenish furry, yet stumpy short ears.
"I'm sure you'll be able to do it Ron," said Harry, trying to keep a straight face. He looked over at Hermione's table, "Look, even Lavender..." Harry did a double-take at what he saw.
Sitting obediently on both his girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend's desk were two furry white rabbits. The two girls were now chatting animatedly while stroking the contented-looking rabbits. Ron turned to the direction where Harry was looking at, dumbfounded.
"Lavender?!...Excuse me awhile, Harry," said Ron. With that, he scooped his frog into his arms and scurried over to the direction where Lavender was sitting
Harry watched Ron point to his frog, then at Lavender's rabbit, saying something to Lavender. Lavender smiled and nodded. Hermione, witnessing all these (and probably hearing first-hand what Ron was saying), whispered to Lavender, and before Harry could react, Hermione was sitting in Ron's seat (with her rabbit of course), and Ron in hers.
"Missed me?" Hermione leaned over to Harry and whispered into his ears, nibbling cheekily on his earlobes as she did so; and quickly resumed her position on the seat before anyone could see what she just did.
"Of course...now if you would just..." Harry gritted his teeth, "turn this toad of a frog into a rabbit."
Hermione looked at Harry, a smile playing on her lips as she watched Harry's face screwed up in what seems like concentration. Hermione sighed.
"No, it's not like that..." she began patiently. Holding her wand in position, she said, "All you have to do, is flick downwards...like this, and then draw a small circle with the slight flick of your wrist. Come on Harry! It's not that hard! We learnt it last year!" Hermione encouraged him, but not boasting so that it made him feel stupid.
Harry watched Hermione's wand work, and when she's done, he mustered all the concentration he has, and tried again. No way he wanted Hermione to think he was that lousy.
"Flick...down...circle...pop!" Harry looked down at his frog. Amazingly enough, he saw a brown rabbit sitting on his table, his frog gone. Hermione was now looking at the rabbit thoroughly, checking if Harry's done it right.
"Wonderful Harry!" Hermione beamed with pride, "...but um...your rabbit is everything like a rabbit...except it doesn't have a tail." She gave the rabbit's rear end another look, and unable to control herself, Hermione burst out laughing.
"Very funny, Hermione." Harry replied, thinking Hermione was pulling his leg. He picked his rabbit up by its ears and looked. Seeing that she was right, he ruffled his hair and gave a sheepish grin.
"Ron seems to be getting along fine with Lavender! That's a rare sight!" Hermione exclaimed as she turned around and saw Ron and Lavender laughing while Ron's rabbit leapt around their tables with it's green, scaly hind legs (apparently, the legs weren't transfigured very well).
Harry looked, and remembered what he had meant to tell Hermione just now after breakfast. He beckoned for Hermione to lean in, and told her what he thought would come to happen.
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"Cling, Cling..." Professor Dumbledore tapped his spoon against his goblet. Students in the Great Hall put down whatever food they were in the middle of eating and turned their heads to look at the headmaster.
"I would like to make an announcement..." Dumbledore cleared his throat, "As all of you know, the Halloween Ball is scheduled for the week after Hogsmeade weekend, which is this coming week. Well, due to the fact that the band that we are planning to book for the Ball has been over-booked on Halloween, the Ball is postponed to two weeks after Hogsmeade weekend. But although Halloween would be over by then, we would still be calling it the Halloween ball. I'm sure some of you had already got your costumes and won't want it put off to next year right?" Dumbledore paused while there were mutterings in the crowd, "Okay, so, you will go the Hogsmeade on the 25th of October, Saturday; and the Ball would be postponed from the 31st of October, Friday, to the 7th of November, Friday. The dates will be posted up onto your bulletin board in the respective houses. You may continue eating now." Dumbledore finished off. With that, chattering in the Hall resumed again.
"Ron, Hermione. We're getting our costumes in Hogsmeade tomorrow right?" Harry asked as they looked at him.
"Yeah, of course." Hermione replied, winking at Harry from sideways.
"Umm...yeah. Um...I need to ask both of you something..." said Ron, looking down at his feet.
"What is it?" Harry and Hermione asked in unison.
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A/N: Cliffhanger! Haha, ok, I'm not all that good with cliffhangers, but still, that's all for this chapter...I know it's not that great...and for those who wanted make outs or at least kisses (more intimate ones anyway), well, it's coming up...next chapter!
Kimberly Grace: Thank you for reading and reviewing...and thank you for reminding me how cheesy it is making Harry laugh like that. My sister did point that out to me too when she read it. No, that wasn't idiotic, I'm just used to it as that is how I show that I'm laughing (but not in that corny way loudly) whenever I chat online, so...forgive me, I'll try to stop myself in future.
Follow-ur-dreams: Thank you for reading and reviewing...and liking the "cuteness" of it, Hoped you liked this chapter as well!
Weasley's Girl-35: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
XxXHermione-GrangerXxX: Thank you for reading and reviewing...I'm glad you liked it!
Hhromancefreak: Thank you for reading and reviewing...Well, I thought I made it pretty clear what happened. Anyway, if you didn't get it, it doesn't really matter, as long as you're together right? :)