TWO
In Which It Begins And Harry And Ron Experience Great Confusion

"Today," Snape began the lesson, striding up to the front of the class, "we will be concocting the high involved and very difficult—" Neville groaned softly, "Invulnerability Brew. It is highly useful in combat, as it protects the drinker from all of the most common curses, jinxes, and hexes but it is nuisance in any other situation. Instructions are on the board," Snape flicked his wand at the blackboard and the ingredients and method appeared. "Begin."
"Hey, Potter," Malfoy whispered from behind Harry. "What are you and your girlfriend doing this weekend, Potter? Have a romantic date planned for you and the mudblood?"
Feeling his temper rise, Harry concentrated on ignoring Malfoy and powdering his Dragon claw.
"Shut it, Malfoy," Ron muttered.
"Why, Weasley? Jealous? Bet you'd never be able to afford a date, even with a mudblood like her—"
"I said shut it, Malfoy! If you call Hermione a — that word — one more time, I swear I'll—"
"Threats, Weasley?" Snape murmured admonishingly, his voice loud enough to carry to the whole class. "Ten points from Gryffindor." Ron glared daggers at Snape's back as he swept away and Malfoy was having trouble controlling his malignant laughter. Hermione turned around to retort, but as her eyes made contact with Malfoy's, a strange expression crossed her face. To Harry's amazement, Hermione blushed. She turned back to her cauldron and Harry looked, confused, at Malfoy, who was staring at nothing with a foolish grin on his face. Ron was too busy bashing up his dragon claw to have noticed, so Harry finished the rest of his Invulnerability Brew in bewildered silence.
When class ended, Harry scooped up a sample of his potion and placed it on Snape's desk, Turning back to clean up, he saw Hermione had already finished and had gone on ahead, seemingly intent on catching up with Malfoy. As Harry left class, he explained, in whispers, to Ron what had transpired when he was too angry to notice.
"Weird," Ron agreed, as they walked into History of Magic, "but maybe Malfoy has, I dunno, developed telepathy, or something, and they were communicating, you know, telepathically."
"Right, Ron," Harry said disbelievingly. "But that still doesn't account for that look on Malfoy's face. I mean, usually he's looking pretty full of himself when he's pulled of some trick like that."
That sat down next to Hermione, who barely even registered their presence. She, like Malfoy not too long ago, was staring into space with a look of foolish happiness. Ron gave her a weird look and seemed about to ask her a question, but Professor Binns began first, heading off any further conversation for the moment.
Nearly all the way through the lesson, Harry was interrupted from a daydream (in which he'd been trying to stuff the snitch down Malfoy's throat,) by Ron leaning over to Hermione and asking her, "What's wrong with you?"
Hermione looked startled, as if she had only just noticed Ron was there. "Wrong? With me? Why, nothing, really." She smiled dreamily. "I feel better than I've ever felt before!" She sighed happily, returning to her notes.
Ron gave Harry an exasperated look. "Just leave her alone. Let her take her notes." Harry stifled a yawn. "Or else we'll fail the class." Ron grinned at the truth in that statement.
"What's Binns talking about just now? Gobrid the Garish?" Ron leaned over to look at Hermione's notes. She moved a hand to cover them, but too late.
Ron let out a strangled noise. "What is this?" he exclaimed as the bells rang, ending the class. he jumped up with Hermione's parchment.
"Give it back!" she screeched. Several people leaving the classroom gave her weird looks, but she ignored them and tried to jump Ron, who was, unfortunately for her, taller. "Ron!"
"Just let me read this thing, Hermione! Dearest Draco, —" Ron cast a bewildered look at Hermione who was scrabbling at Ron's wrist frantically.
"Ron! Give it back! Stop reading it!" Hermione yelled. Ron just shook her off and scanned the rest of the parchment.
"Never before have I felt such an overwhelming torrent of emotions, tumbling around in my— What is this drivel, Hermione?"
"Here, give it to me," Harry reached out, by now sufficiently curious to take Ron's side. he grabbed the parchment from Ron's fingers and continued, "I feel the need to speak, my dear Draco, and to give vent to these thoughts and feelings which have all of a sudden, like lightning across the sky, taken root in my heart... What the heck? And what's this? ...Even as I write these words, my heart is beating faster and faster at the thought of you reading this letter. For there is yet one question that remains to be unanswered—"
"I'm not sure I want to know what that question is," Ron interjected, still fighting to keep Hermione from reaching Harry.
"Well, here it is," Harry continued. "...These feelings for you which have come alight in my heart... do you reciprocate them? Or shall I continue to wallow in misery at the painful thought that my love must remain unrequited?" Harry stared, completely poleaxed, at Hermione. Ron was no longer putting up much of a fight, so Hermione was able to break through and rip the parchment from Harry's hand. Her cheeks were flaming as she folded it neatly and then stuffed her books into her bag. She practically ran out of the classroom, saying nothing to either of them.
"C'mon, Ron," Harry said after a moment of stunned silence. "We'll be late..."
"Yeah," Ron agreed, absentmindedly gathering his books and heading towards the grounds for Care of Magical Creatures.