A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back again! Long time no see! Okay, this chappie is
the start of the stalking.....I hope.
The next morning, Hermione was up bright and early, despite the fact that she had gotten almost no sleep. Her thoughts had been plagued with Krum, and when she did manage to fall asleep, her dreams (or should I say nightmares) were filled with him also. Harry arrived soon after she had showered and dressed.
"Knock knock," he said as he opened the door, rapping slightly on the frame. He smiled as he saw her sitting on the bed, face hidden under her long hair, which she was trying to brush. "I see my sleeping beauty has already awoken."
Hermione's only response was a grunt, as she had come across a particularly painful snarl, although she felt her cheeks grow warm when Harry called her his beauty. As she continued yanking on that same snarl, she felt a pair of hands gently grasp hers and remove the brush from her hands.
"Here 'Mione, let me," he said softly as he began to carefully brush her long locks. Hermione didn't protest; instead she relaxed into Harry as he methodically untangled her snarls. Harry's touch was so gentle and soothing that she almost fell asleep. She felt Harry stop and put the brush down on the nightstand beside the bed. Turning around, she opened her mouth to protest, but she never got the chance. Harry's lips captured hers in a breath-taking kiss. Hermione was so shocked, she didn't even close her eyes, which gave her the opportunity to study Harry. His eyes were closed, and he looked like he was enjoying himself. He pulled away after a few moments, and when his eyes opened she could see they had darkened with desire.
"I've been wanting to do that ever since last night," he whispered, his breath ragged.
Hermione's head was swimming. Harry had just kissed her! And what's more, Harry had just admitted that he had been thinking about her!
"Hermione? You there?"
Words could not form themselves in her head, so she just smiled and nodded.
"Okay, but did you hear anything I said?"
What was Harry asking? Oh, did she hear anything he said? She shook her head.
"I said, are you okay with this, with us?"
"You really have to ask?" she said incredulously, words finally finding a way out.
He smiled and said, "Just wanted to make sure," as he drew her in for another kiss.
Several minutes later, as they drew apart yet again, another thought dawned on Hermione.
"Harry? What about Ron?"
"What about him?"
"Well, I mean, we've always done everything together. And besides, he's our friend. Don't you think we should tell him?"
"Hermione, we will tell him; when the time is right. Don't worry." He went in for another kiss, but she pulled back again.
"Harry, I really think we should tell him. He's our friend. We owe it to him to tell him."
"Hermione, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Is there a reason you want to tell Ron about us?"
"He's our friend. And he deserves to know."
"Okay, one other question."
"Okay."
"Will you let me kiss you again?"
"Not until you promise to tell him," she replied with a devilish grin. Harry groaned and said,
"My girlfriend, the peace-keeper. Okay, I promise to tell Ron about us. Tonight," he added hastily after she glared at him. "Can I kiss you now?"
"Well..." she started. "Harry, I'm just joking. Yes, you can kiss me now." And he did just that.
Finally, when they were both breathless, Hermione pulled back and smiled.
"Harry, as much fun as I'm having, I really think we should go back to the common room. Anyone could walk in on us. Besides," she continued, after seeing his crestfallen look, "isn't it breakfast time? Which would mean that there would be no one in the common room....." she trailed off, letting the implication stand in the air.
They strolled through the halls, hands joined loosely at their sides, stopping every so often when the urge to kiss became too strong to control. As they rounded the last corner, they ran right into Lavender. After apologies were exchanged, Lavender eyed them suspiciously and asked, "What are you two doing here?" Then her eyes widened when she saw their hands joined. Harry and Hermione realized what she was looking at and quickly tried to separate them, but it was too late. The damage had been done.
"Were you two just.....Why are you.....Ooo," she finished, as understanding set in.
"Lavender, please, don't tell anyone," Hermione pleaded, knowing it was futile to deny anything.
"What? Oh, no, I won't tell anyone," she said. Her lips curved into a grin, and she said, "I always thought you guys would be good together!" With that, she bounded off, grin still in place.
"Great, so now what do we do?" groaned Hermione.
"What are you talking about Hermione? You heard Lavender. She said she wouldn't tell anyone," said Harry.
"Honestly Harry, you can be so bloody thick sometimes. Of course she's going to tell everyone. That's what she does. She gossips, and she has the latest 'tidbit' of information on who's with who---us!" Hermione's voice was tinged with hysteria.
"Hermione, why are you getting so worked up about this? So what if everyone knows we're together. Remember, it was you who wanted to tell everyone in the first place."
"Yes, but I don't want people to find out through Lavender. She tends to.....ahem.....distort the truth to make it sound more interesting."
"How much distortion are we talking?"
"Umm.....well, let's see. Remember when Fleur dumped Ron last year?"
"Yeah.....your point?"
"Well, according to Lavender, Ron was cheating on Fleur with her sister while at the same time Fleur was secretly dating Draco. Does that answer your question?"
"Oh boy," was all he said. She nodded.
"Yeah, it's that bad."
"Well, I sincerely doubt there's anything we can do to stop her. She ran off so fast that I thought she was seriously going to slam into the wall because she couldn't stop. Besides, anything we say will just add to Lavender's story, and make the whole thing worse," said Harry.
"So what should we do?"
"I guess we just have to live with it until the gossip dies down. I don't really see anything else we can do."
"Yeah, I guess so," said Hermione, but she didn't sound too convinced.
"C'mon 'Mione, we can do this. We can make it through some little gossip. Remember how we made it through Rita Skeeter?"
"But Harry, that was completely different. What she said about us was a complete lie. Now, it's actually true."
"I'm not entirely sure how inaccurate Rita may have been, but that's beside the point. Hermione, my point is, we made it through that, and we will make it through this. I promise," he said, and he gave her a little kiss.
"Mmm," she sighed. "Damn you and your perfect lips."
"Well, if you would prefer it, my perfect lips can find some other girl to kiss, one who won't curse them," he said jokingly.
"Hey!" she swatted him playfully. "I didn't say I didn't like them," she whispered as she pulled him in for another, longer, kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as her hands wound into his unruly hair. As they kissed, Harry's tongue tentatively licked her lips, which opened to grant him further access. As their tongues dueled, Harry couldn't help but let out a groan.
Hermione pulled back, looking concerned. "Harry, are you okay?"
"I won't be if you don't get back here right now," he said as his lips sought out hers for another ravishing kiss. After a bit, he broke the kiss as his lips traveled down the length of her neck.
"Harry?" said Hermione breathlessly. "Don't you think we should hurry and get back to the common room? Breakfast is almost over." Harry gave her neck one last nibble, and then the two set off rather quickly for the Gryffindor common room. Once they arrived, they each went their separate ways to their rooms, so not to cause any suspicions when the rest of their house returned.
Upon entering her room, she inhaled deeply, glad to be away from the sterile smell of the hospital wing, even if it meant almost choking on the over-powering scent of her roommates various perfumes.
"It's so good to be back," she thought. She was just about to flop on her bed, when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was a red rose, with a little note attached to the stem. Impending dread filled her as she picked it up, careful not to prick her fingers. Once glance at the card brought back every heart-wrenching nightmare she had been trying so hard to forget. It said:
My Hermione,
I am willing to forgive your actions these past several months. That is how strong my love for you is. You know my love is pure, and together we can be eternally happy.
Love always and forever,
Viktor
Swallowing, she fought back the lump in her throat and the tears that threatened to cascade over and down her cheeks.
"What do I do? What do I do?" she thought to herself frantically. Her roommates would be back any second, and the last thing she needed was to breakdown in front of them. Her eyes fell on her trunk, and without hesitation she threw it open and thrust the rose and its card in. She shut it, and then, having a second thought, opened it again and covered it with several layers of clothing so she wouldn't have to see it every time she opened her trunk. Without a moment to spare, she flung herself on her bed, as her original intent had been, and tried to calm herself. She heard the voices of Lavender and Parvarti as they climbed the stairs, and shut her eyes, feigning sleep. She heard them open the door, and then heard Parvarti squeal when she saw Hermione.
"Hermione! You're back!"
"What? Oh, hi Parvarti, Lavender," she said, faking a groggy voice.
"You're back! You're back!"
"Parvarti, don't make it sound like I've been away for ages. I was in the hospital wing for one night with a hurt ankle," said Hermione.
"Yeah, well there's something I want to ask you," she said, eyeing Lavender. "I was just wondering, if the rumors were true. You know, about you and Harry."
"Why don't you ask Lavender, she seems so unable to keep her mouth shut," said Hermione icily, glaring at her.
"Oh, I already did. She said I should ask you," said Parvarti, oblivious to Hermione's tone and stare.
"Oh, really, did she? Well now then, what a surprise that is. She doesn't seem to have a problem speaking for me, or anyone else for that matter," said Hermione, her eyes still coldly fixed on Lavender, who was sheepishly trying to avoid her glare.
"Yes, Parvarti. It's true that Harry and I are together, although I don't know how much else you've heard, or how this is any of your business. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go get a breath of fresh air." With that, she got up, walked through the door, and slammed it just a little louder than necessary.
The rest of the day dragged on, seemingly lasting forever. For the first time in her life, Hermione was actually dreading going to her classes, because then she was forced to sit there as everyone stared at her and whispered about her and Harry. Hermione refused to make eye contact with any of them. She sat rigidly, staring straight ahead, ignoring anyone brave enough to actually approach her. When dinner finally rolled around, she was utterly exhausted. Unfortunately, the gods didn't seem to think so, because dinner proved to be nearly as exhausting as her entire day had been.
She plopped down in the open chair next to Harry and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Rough day?" he asked.
"The worst. No one would stop talking about us. They didn't even seem to care that I was right there, and that I could hear every word they were saying."
"Well, hopefully tomorrow will be easier, now that everyone's gotten used to us," he said.
"So it's true. The rumors are true," came the deep voice of Ron behind them.
The next morning, Hermione was up bright and early, despite the fact that she had gotten almost no sleep. Her thoughts had been plagued with Krum, and when she did manage to fall asleep, her dreams (or should I say nightmares) were filled with him also. Harry arrived soon after she had showered and dressed.
"Knock knock," he said as he opened the door, rapping slightly on the frame. He smiled as he saw her sitting on the bed, face hidden under her long hair, which she was trying to brush. "I see my sleeping beauty has already awoken."
Hermione's only response was a grunt, as she had come across a particularly painful snarl, although she felt her cheeks grow warm when Harry called her his beauty. As she continued yanking on that same snarl, she felt a pair of hands gently grasp hers and remove the brush from her hands.
"Here 'Mione, let me," he said softly as he began to carefully brush her long locks. Hermione didn't protest; instead she relaxed into Harry as he methodically untangled her snarls. Harry's touch was so gentle and soothing that she almost fell asleep. She felt Harry stop and put the brush down on the nightstand beside the bed. Turning around, she opened her mouth to protest, but she never got the chance. Harry's lips captured hers in a breath-taking kiss. Hermione was so shocked, she didn't even close her eyes, which gave her the opportunity to study Harry. His eyes were closed, and he looked like he was enjoying himself. He pulled away after a few moments, and when his eyes opened she could see they had darkened with desire.
"I've been wanting to do that ever since last night," he whispered, his breath ragged.
Hermione's head was swimming. Harry had just kissed her! And what's more, Harry had just admitted that he had been thinking about her!
"Hermione? You there?"
Words could not form themselves in her head, so she just smiled and nodded.
"Okay, but did you hear anything I said?"
What was Harry asking? Oh, did she hear anything he said? She shook her head.
"I said, are you okay with this, with us?"
"You really have to ask?" she said incredulously, words finally finding a way out.
He smiled and said, "Just wanted to make sure," as he drew her in for another kiss.
Several minutes later, as they drew apart yet again, another thought dawned on Hermione.
"Harry? What about Ron?"
"What about him?"
"Well, I mean, we've always done everything together. And besides, he's our friend. Don't you think we should tell him?"
"Hermione, we will tell him; when the time is right. Don't worry." He went in for another kiss, but she pulled back again.
"Harry, I really think we should tell him. He's our friend. We owe it to him to tell him."
"Hermione, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Is there a reason you want to tell Ron about us?"
"He's our friend. And he deserves to know."
"Okay, one other question."
"Okay."
"Will you let me kiss you again?"
"Not until you promise to tell him," she replied with a devilish grin. Harry groaned and said,
"My girlfriend, the peace-keeper. Okay, I promise to tell Ron about us. Tonight," he added hastily after she glared at him. "Can I kiss you now?"
"Well..." she started. "Harry, I'm just joking. Yes, you can kiss me now." And he did just that.
Finally, when they were both breathless, Hermione pulled back and smiled.
"Harry, as much fun as I'm having, I really think we should go back to the common room. Anyone could walk in on us. Besides," she continued, after seeing his crestfallen look, "isn't it breakfast time? Which would mean that there would be no one in the common room....." she trailed off, letting the implication stand in the air.
They strolled through the halls, hands joined loosely at their sides, stopping every so often when the urge to kiss became too strong to control. As they rounded the last corner, they ran right into Lavender. After apologies were exchanged, Lavender eyed them suspiciously and asked, "What are you two doing here?" Then her eyes widened when she saw their hands joined. Harry and Hermione realized what she was looking at and quickly tried to separate them, but it was too late. The damage had been done.
"Were you two just.....Why are you.....Ooo," she finished, as understanding set in.
"Lavender, please, don't tell anyone," Hermione pleaded, knowing it was futile to deny anything.
"What? Oh, no, I won't tell anyone," she said. Her lips curved into a grin, and she said, "I always thought you guys would be good together!" With that, she bounded off, grin still in place.
"Great, so now what do we do?" groaned Hermione.
"What are you talking about Hermione? You heard Lavender. She said she wouldn't tell anyone," said Harry.
"Honestly Harry, you can be so bloody thick sometimes. Of course she's going to tell everyone. That's what she does. She gossips, and she has the latest 'tidbit' of information on who's with who---us!" Hermione's voice was tinged with hysteria.
"Hermione, why are you getting so worked up about this? So what if everyone knows we're together. Remember, it was you who wanted to tell everyone in the first place."
"Yes, but I don't want people to find out through Lavender. She tends to.....ahem.....distort the truth to make it sound more interesting."
"How much distortion are we talking?"
"Umm.....well, let's see. Remember when Fleur dumped Ron last year?"
"Yeah.....your point?"
"Well, according to Lavender, Ron was cheating on Fleur with her sister while at the same time Fleur was secretly dating Draco. Does that answer your question?"
"Oh boy," was all he said. She nodded.
"Yeah, it's that bad."
"Well, I sincerely doubt there's anything we can do to stop her. She ran off so fast that I thought she was seriously going to slam into the wall because she couldn't stop. Besides, anything we say will just add to Lavender's story, and make the whole thing worse," said Harry.
"So what should we do?"
"I guess we just have to live with it until the gossip dies down. I don't really see anything else we can do."
"Yeah, I guess so," said Hermione, but she didn't sound too convinced.
"C'mon 'Mione, we can do this. We can make it through some little gossip. Remember how we made it through Rita Skeeter?"
"But Harry, that was completely different. What she said about us was a complete lie. Now, it's actually true."
"I'm not entirely sure how inaccurate Rita may have been, but that's beside the point. Hermione, my point is, we made it through that, and we will make it through this. I promise," he said, and he gave her a little kiss.
"Mmm," she sighed. "Damn you and your perfect lips."
"Well, if you would prefer it, my perfect lips can find some other girl to kiss, one who won't curse them," he said jokingly.
"Hey!" she swatted him playfully. "I didn't say I didn't like them," she whispered as she pulled him in for another, longer, kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as her hands wound into his unruly hair. As they kissed, Harry's tongue tentatively licked her lips, which opened to grant him further access. As their tongues dueled, Harry couldn't help but let out a groan.
Hermione pulled back, looking concerned. "Harry, are you okay?"
"I won't be if you don't get back here right now," he said as his lips sought out hers for another ravishing kiss. After a bit, he broke the kiss as his lips traveled down the length of her neck.
"Harry?" said Hermione breathlessly. "Don't you think we should hurry and get back to the common room? Breakfast is almost over." Harry gave her neck one last nibble, and then the two set off rather quickly for the Gryffindor common room. Once they arrived, they each went their separate ways to their rooms, so not to cause any suspicions when the rest of their house returned.
Upon entering her room, she inhaled deeply, glad to be away from the sterile smell of the hospital wing, even if it meant almost choking on the over-powering scent of her roommates various perfumes.
"It's so good to be back," she thought. She was just about to flop on her bed, when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was a red rose, with a little note attached to the stem. Impending dread filled her as she picked it up, careful not to prick her fingers. Once glance at the card brought back every heart-wrenching nightmare she had been trying so hard to forget. It said:
My Hermione,
I am willing to forgive your actions these past several months. That is how strong my love for you is. You know my love is pure, and together we can be eternally happy.
Love always and forever,
Viktor
Swallowing, she fought back the lump in her throat and the tears that threatened to cascade over and down her cheeks.
"What do I do? What do I do?" she thought to herself frantically. Her roommates would be back any second, and the last thing she needed was to breakdown in front of them. Her eyes fell on her trunk, and without hesitation she threw it open and thrust the rose and its card in. She shut it, and then, having a second thought, opened it again and covered it with several layers of clothing so she wouldn't have to see it every time she opened her trunk. Without a moment to spare, she flung herself on her bed, as her original intent had been, and tried to calm herself. She heard the voices of Lavender and Parvarti as they climbed the stairs, and shut her eyes, feigning sleep. She heard them open the door, and then heard Parvarti squeal when she saw Hermione.
"Hermione! You're back!"
"What? Oh, hi Parvarti, Lavender," she said, faking a groggy voice.
"You're back! You're back!"
"Parvarti, don't make it sound like I've been away for ages. I was in the hospital wing for one night with a hurt ankle," said Hermione.
"Yeah, well there's something I want to ask you," she said, eyeing Lavender. "I was just wondering, if the rumors were true. You know, about you and Harry."
"Why don't you ask Lavender, she seems so unable to keep her mouth shut," said Hermione icily, glaring at her.
"Oh, I already did. She said I should ask you," said Parvarti, oblivious to Hermione's tone and stare.
"Oh, really, did she? Well now then, what a surprise that is. She doesn't seem to have a problem speaking for me, or anyone else for that matter," said Hermione, her eyes still coldly fixed on Lavender, who was sheepishly trying to avoid her glare.
"Yes, Parvarti. It's true that Harry and I are together, although I don't know how much else you've heard, or how this is any of your business. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go get a breath of fresh air." With that, she got up, walked through the door, and slammed it just a little louder than necessary.
The rest of the day dragged on, seemingly lasting forever. For the first time in her life, Hermione was actually dreading going to her classes, because then she was forced to sit there as everyone stared at her and whispered about her and Harry. Hermione refused to make eye contact with any of them. She sat rigidly, staring straight ahead, ignoring anyone brave enough to actually approach her. When dinner finally rolled around, she was utterly exhausted. Unfortunately, the gods didn't seem to think so, because dinner proved to be nearly as exhausting as her entire day had been.
She plopped down in the open chair next to Harry and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Rough day?" he asked.
"The worst. No one would stop talking about us. They didn't even seem to care that I was right there, and that I could hear every word they were saying."
"Well, hopefully tomorrow will be easier, now that everyone's gotten used to us," he said.
"So it's true. The rumors are true," came the deep voice of Ron behind them.