Last Love
Summary: Well, Hermione is dating Ron, but Harry is in love with her. Yet many problems arouse as he tries to stay loyal to his friends.
Thanks to: Ashley Potter13 I'm glad you enjoyed my story. Here is my next chapter. Thank you very much for being the first reviewer. I enjoyed reading YOUR story! Can't wait to the next chapter!
Golden Love Thank you for reviewing. I'm very glad that you liked my story! It's my firts Harry Potter fic! This makes me want to write more. :P
Author's Note: Well, hello again! This is my second chapter, it takes a very different turn than the first one, the first one was more like the prologue. This is were the story really starts! Ch. 2 – Potion Explotion Hermione and Ron sat in the common room late at night, it was almost midnight."I don't get it. He said he'd be here." Hermione said standing up and pacing around for the millionth time.
"Calm down, he just probably went out to walk." Ron said calmly.
"Walk?! At 12:00 am?"
"Ok, maybe not, but I bet he's ok." Ron said, standing up and putting his arms around Hermione's waist. He turned her around slowly and started kissing her.
"Check your room!" She said breaking apart.
"What?" Ron was wide eyed.
"Maybe he's there!" She said pushing him towards the stairs.
"But I already did, like 7,000 times." He said resisting her push.
"Maybe he's back."
"So he magically apparated into the room?" (A/N: Ah! The power of sarcasm)
"You can't apparate nor disaparate inside Hogwarts! How many times do I have to tell you?" Ron went upstairs reluctantly, knowing that Harry was not going to be there, he hadn't been there ten minutes ago, nor twenty, nor thirty, nor any other time Hermione had made him go look.
"She's just worried because he's been very distant lately." He sighed as he looked at Harry's empty bed, Ron was worried too, but he wasn't compulsive. "I hope she never hears me say that or she'll kill me." He smiled to himself and went down to give her the bad news.
At around 1:00 Ron had fallen asleep in the couch, yet Hermione still paced the length of the room. The sun had come out and after Hermione waking Ron up rather roughly, which involved the falling and howling in pain of Ron, they had decided to go down to breakfast, there was actually no point in just sitting there.
Harry woke up feeling lighter than ever, as if the world didn't weigh on his shoulders anymore. He sighed loudly not bothering to suppress the yawn that came afterwards.
"I'm glad you are awake, Mr. Potter." Harry leapt up and saw Professor McGonagall sitting at the end of the bed.
"Professor, where am I?" Harry asked as he looked around, McGonagall needn't answer, he new exactly where he was.
"Professor Dumbledore told me to stay with you, he had to attend some business." Harry looked at her, puzzled, and noticed that he was only wearing his uniform pants and shirt. He looked around confused. "The bathroom is that way," McGonagall pointed at a big door at the top of the stairs. "I have summoned you clean robes and uniform. If you wish I can wait for you here and head to the Great Hall with you, or I can leave you on your own."
"It's ok... I think." Harry said as he got out of bed. McGonagall smiled, nodded and walked out the door. After getting ready Harry walked down to the Great Hall.
"Harry! You are alright!" Hermione said running to him and hugging him tight.
"You had us worried sick last night! We couldn't even sleep." Ron said as he came over to inspect who Hermione was hugging. (A/N: Ah... the jealousy.)
"That's not true, Ron slept like a baby in the couch." Hermione said sitting back down at the table.
"Yeah, Hermione was the one obsessed, I kept telling her you were alright, but noooo... she had to wait up for you." She hit him playfully and looked at Harry. He was smiling, genuinely smiling, mostly at the fact that Hermione cared enough for him to stay up all night. Not doing anything, no homework or reading, but waiting for HIM, Harry, to arrive.
"Where were you?"
"In Dumbledore's office." He answered as he sat down next to Hermione.
"What did you do?" Ron asked enthusiastically.
"He just wanted to talk." Harry justified himself.
"You spent there all night?" Hermione frowned...
"Yeah, I kind of fell asleep." Harry laughed. (A/N:Yeah, I know... this is more of a non descriptive dialogue...)
"You fell asleep talking to Dumbledore?" Ron asked in shock. Harry nodded and avoided the details, just telling them they had spoken about Sirius, the Dursleys, etc, etc. They finished breakfast and left the Great Hall talking and laughing as they used to. Harry somehow, wasn't aware of Ron and Hermione holding hands... he just... went with the flow. 'Dumbledore must have said something to him,' Hermione thought laughing at a stupid joke Ron had just made. 'It's the first time in the whole year that we have had a whole meal together, or that I see him laugh now that I think about it.'
"I got to go get my stuff at the common room." Harry said heading the opposite direction that their next class.
"Hermione has them." Ron said handing them to him. (A/N: Yeah I know Hermione had them, but she gave them to Ron...sometime during the conversation :P) Harry took them thankfully and they walked towards Charms, where they learned a complicated Binding Charm.
Not after Ron had mispronounced the spell and blown up a jar in front of Harry, making all the girls squeak and Hermione roll her eyes as she cast a cleaning spell on him, had they been dismissed from Charms.
"Ar..." Ron groaned. "I cannot believe we have Potions... AGAIN! This is worse than torture this is like... like... agony!"
"Isn't that like the same thing?" Harry whispered to Hermione. Hermione nodded and giggled at Harry's comment.
They sat down in their usual spots in Potions, soon enough, (Too soon for Harry) Snape walked into the class, glaring at every student, even some Slytherins.
"I think he's in a bad mood." Hermione whispered.
"Isn't he always?" Ron sighed.
"Silence!" He yelled as he turned to look at the class, with a quick move of his wand some instructions appeared in the black board. "Now, follow these instructions precisely!" He glared at Harry who tried to avert his eyes.
Snape kept talking for a while but Harry could only stare at Hermione, smiling as he saw her concentrated on Snape as if her life depended on it. After Snape ordered them to continue with their potions he started pacing around the room, in that silky way of his. The cauldron next to Harry shot some liquid into Harry's arm and started to burn through his robes and into his skin.
"Mr. Longbottom!" He walked over to Neville. "You are causing Mr. Potter a big load of pain." Snape roared as he neared Harry. "Ten points to Gryffindor." He mumbled so that no one else could here him. "What did you just do?"
"Hey, Potty, why don't you go and call Daddy?" Malfoy yelled across the class. "Oh, hold on! He's dead." (A/N: He's a git isn't he!, personally I kinda like him... sorta, not really, but well)
"After I'm through with YOU, you're going to go crying to your daddy!" Ron mocked him.
"Ron," Harry reprimanded. "He can't do that!"
"Yeah, he's in Azkaban remember?" Hermione pitched in. Malfoy moved from his cauldron over to Harry.
"Potter, Weasley, Granger, 15 points each!" Hermione looked up at Snape and sat back down disappointed.
"My father may be in Azkaban but HE will..."
"He who? Voldemort?" Harry taunted him, everyone in the room except him, Hermione and Snape flinched at the name.
"How dare you say his name?" Malfoy said as he drew closer.
"Hey, your father is all buddy-buddy with him, and you are still scared to say his name. While Harry here, is being tracked down to be killed, and he says it calmly. H'm, I wonder who the biggest man is?" Ron mocked.
"Shut it, Weasley! Are you sure you can AFFORD that many words?" Ron glared as Malfoy turned to Harry whose arm was now burning. (A/N: Not like on fire but like feels burning) "So, Harry, tell me. You never answered my question last year, why DO you spend all that time in the Weasley's house? If you can call it a house." He added as an afterthought. "Does it remind you to how you mother and father stunk?" He said laughing.
Harry realized what he was doing too late, his fist had hit Malfoy right square in the face. Malfoy stumbled back and glared at Harry.
"Potter!" Snape yelled or rather hissed...
Malfoy was not far behind, he landed a punch into Harry's stomach pushing all the air out, Harry gasped for air, and stood up. Panting, he punched Malfoy straight on the nose and it started bleeding badly, in rage Malfoy started throwing random punches at Harry knocking him down to the floor. Snape, rather reluctantly, grabbed Malfoy and pulled him away while Ron and Hermione checked if Harry was alright.
"Yeah," He said with his hand on his lip, it was bleeding rather mercilessly. "But he won't" Harry mumbled as he stood up and Malfoy freed himself from Snape's grasp. In record time they were engaged in another throwing and dodging of punches, Harry having had experience in fist fights before (A/N: Dudley actually did something good in his life...sigh) had an upper hand. Finally when they broke apart Ron came over and held Harry back.
"Harry stop." He said through clenched teeth as he tried to stop Harry. When Ron noticed that being behind was not going to work, he went in front of him and tried to push him back. "Harry, be sensible, this is enough to earn you detention for a month."
"You better not piss your parents off, right Weasley, they can't afford to send you another howler, can they?" Ron turned around angrily ready to yell, 'Just drop it already.' Hermione ran over to Harry when she saw him stumble to stay standing up.
"Are you alright?" She said as he leaned on her. But before Harry could answer Ron was on the floor with his nose and ears bleeding non-stop, and Malfoy laughed. Harry and Hermione turned in unison, Harry forgetting all the bruises and all the pain looked at Malfoy, who was holding his wand out.
"Potter, 30 points from Gryffindor!" Snape leaned next to Ron to check if he was still alive... "Mr. Malfoy!" He yelled. "The curse you just used is not to be used in school! I do not know where you learned it or how you learned it, nor do I care to know, but I will not tolerate it in my class, EVEN if it IS from a Slytherin," He sighed loudly. "10 points for starting a fight, 10 points for fighting and 20 points for using that curse."
"But, Professor..." Malfoy was cut short by Snape's raised hand.
"Potter, Granger, kindly take Mr. Weasley off my floor and take him to the Hospital Wing. Mr. Potter, I want to see you and Malfoy during dinner, my office... now go before I take another 20 points for being inefficient." Harry and Hermione didn't think about it twice and started pulling Ron out of the dungeons, when they were out of Snape's hearing range it was safe to speak.
"I have never seen Snape so mad. Wonder what curse Malfoy used." She said concerned.
"I don't know, I couldn't hear." This was not the first time Harry had seen Snape this mad, he remembered last year, when he dropped into the pensieve, Snape had been mad beyond words, he wasn't sane enough to say anything, he just... yelled at Harry to get out and never mention that again.
"Locomotor Corpus!" Hermione pointed har wand at Ron and he started floating by himself.
"Oh, dear. What happened here?" Madam Pomfrey said as she helped Ron and Hermione to place Ron on a bed, after telling Madam Pomfrey what happened, avoiding certain details, she went to her storage cupboard.
"You think he'll be alright?" Hermione asked.
"Pomfrey can cure anything." He said putting his arm around Hermione for comfort.
"Well, he will be fine, he just has to spend a week in the Hospital Wing. He cannot be disturbed, any day. Now out, out you go! Back to class." She said shooing them away.
"A week?" Hermione asked as the Hospital Wing door closed to them.
"That seems like rather a long time." Harry sighed. He wasn't sure if he was glad or worried. Hermione nodded and soon the bell rang and all the kids were out of class.
"Let's go to dinner." Hermione pulled Harry by the arm.
"I have to go to Snape's office!" Harry remembered.
"I'll go with you, I can wait outside." Harry and Hermione walked slowly towards the dungeons, not saying a word. Harry was scared about what Snape might say to him. He was probably going to loose 150 points from Gryffindor, if Snape felt like being nice.
"Well," Harry turned to look at Hermione who smiled gently.
"Calm down, I'm here." She squeezed his hand and pushed him towards the door. Harry knocked softly and waited for Snape to respond, he then opened the door and sighed. Snape was sitting in his desk with Malfoy in front of him. Malfoy turned around and grinned slyly as Harry cleared throat.
"You are late, Potter." Snape said dryly.
"Er... Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let us out, she kept explaining..."
"I don't want to know. Let's cut this short. You two behaved in today in a less than filthy way. I thought you would know muggle fighting was not permitted in school, after having been banned from Quidditch, Mr. Potter." Harry just nodded, he didn't really want to taste Snape's patience. "Yet, as giving you detention or sending you to the Headmaster, Potter, would question my professionalism I will not give you a detention. In fact, I have a better punishment, you will give me 3 rolls of parchment on muggle fighting."
"What about Malfoy? I was not punching the air." Harry said his temper raising.
"Mr. Malfoy and I have already discussed his punishment. Now, I'd like to get to dinner so would you leave my class?"
"How'd it go Harry?" Hermione said as she saw Harry walk out of the door. "It was rather quick."
"All I have to do is three parchments on muggle fighting." Harry sighed.
"That's not that hard, I mean, there are a lot of ways of muggle fighting, you live with muggles, I'm muggle-born it's going to be easy. When is it for?" Hermione asked enthusiastically.
"He didn't really say. I bet it's for next class."
"Well, that gives us 'til next week." They sat down in the Gryffindor table and started eating right away. Hermione was interested in hearing Harry tell of all the times he had been in a fist fight, and although they weren't exactly graceful, or glorious, Hermione was enjoying them and laughing harder than she ever had.
"And then, I was in the swing right, just pondering about what it would be like if my parents hadn't died in the car crash I was made to believe they had died in. All of a sudden Dudley comes out of NOWHERE grabs me by the collar and started punching me, then two of his fat friends grabbed me from behind and well, let's just say I wasn't able to breathe properly for a couple of weeks." Harry blushed. She laughed harder. "I'm glad you take pleasure in my pain." He said sarcastically with the hint of a smile.
"I'm sorry..." She said between breaths and giggles. "It's just... the mighty Harry Potter." She mocked. "You've changed a lot, you know." She said in a more serious voice.
"I know."
"I'm glad I have been here to see you evolve from that scrawny, unhappy, pained, frightened little kid, to a confident, joyful, handsome, daring mad you have become Harry." She smiled gently as she placed a hand above his.
"You think I'm handsome?" Harry questioned baffled. She blushed.
"I... er... uh..."
"It's alright." Harry laughed as he noticed their hands were still touching. He rapidly pulled it away. See he had grown used to the fact of Hermione and Ron dating, but he was not over the fact that he was in love with Hermione. He gulped loudly.
"Let's go to the library, maybe we can find something about muggle fighting there." Harry nodded, not bothering to argue. They headed to the library to do the essay.
"You know, you don't have to help me, it's my essay." Harry said as she started pulling stacks of books out.
"I want to." In that moment Dumbledore came in and greeted them warmly.
"Well, then I won't interrupt you and your... study session." He said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Muggles have two main ways to settle disputes violently. Weapons and Physical Means." Hermione read aloud.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed making it. Please review, I will wait for 8 reviews as well. Please read and review! And again be CONstrutive not DEstructive.
Next Chapter: Harry gets over Hermione? Finally other teachers feature in! Ron is still not out of the hospital wing. Christmas vacation next, next week. Snape and Lupin talk to Harry!