A/N: I'm back guys! Miss me? *silence* Umm..... that's the part where
y'all are supposed to go "Why yes! We missed you tons!" (I'm just teasing
y'all.....but seriously, you know you love me! =])
A/N: I know I say this every time, but I really am working on incorporating the burning roses.....it's not easy to juggle three stories plus one I'm beta-ing, and school.....especially not when I really should be studying for mid-terms.....but I love you guys so much I couldn't let y'all down now.....so enjoy!
"Whaddya mean he's at it again?" asked Harry angrily.
"Harry, you know exactly what I mean," said Hermione quietly.
"I know 'Mione, I just.....I can't believe he's at it again....." said Harry, still angry. He sat up, back rigid, hands idle in her hair. She could practically see the wheels turning in his head, and she knew what he was thinking. She had a weird habit of knowing almost exactly what he was thinking, although she'd never thought much of it, until now, when she was blessing it, because she knew what he was thinking wasn't pretty.
"Harry, don't," she said, not feeling it necessary to say more than that.
"Don't what?" he asked.
"Please don't go after him and create some huge confrontation before you beat him to a bloody pulp. Let me handle this. Please," she added, seeing his hesitant face.
"But 'Mione," he protested. "You already tried to handle this, and look where we are now. He won't leave you alone, and your boyfriend is on the verge of beating his bloody brains out."
"I know Harry, I know. But let me try one more time.......please?" she asked, using her little puppy-dog eyes she knew would always be his downfall. He sighed at her expression before growling and scooping her into his lap as he said,
"You witch! (No pun intended.) You know that look is my mortal weakness!" She grinned at him before pulling him in for a light kiss that quickly became more passionate. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip and when she giggled from the tickling sensation his feathery touches created, he took full advantage of it and thrust his tongue into her mouth to continue his exploration. Soon enough, their tongues were dueling once more and both were gasping with pleasure. Pulling back a fraction of an inch (Hermione wouldn't let him go further than that), he planted little butterfly kisses on her mouth as he said, "That, and your kisses."
"Good to know," she said, mentally tucking away the information for later use and she leaned into his waiting lips once more. He grinned against her lips and pulled her even closer against him, until their bodies were molded together, and he could feel every gasp and moan.
It was amazing to her. Harry seemed to know exactly what she wanted and exactly how to please her, and yet she never had to say a word. Take now for instance. She yearned to be closer to him, to feel his body flush against hers, and low and behold, he pulled her to him until their bodies were touching in every possible manner. She sighed contentedly into his mouth, and with a final kiss, pulled back. He groaned; looking at her with a look filled with enough hear to melt an iceberg, he said in a raspy, slightly out-of-breath voice, "You are such a tease!"
"And like you mind?" she asked, a smirk playing her lips.
"I didn't say that," he said, trying to desperately to reclaim her lips with his, but she was apparently intent on eluding his for every time he sought them out, she leaned away, out of his touch.
"I should go Harry, before someone finds us here and decides that there isn't already enough talk of us out there." With a last peck, she rose and walked up the stairs to her dorm room, giving him a final look over her shoulder before she disappeared from view.
Once she was gone, Harry sank back into the couch, her words ringing in his ears. "He's at it again." The words seemed to repeat over and over in his head, becoming a mantra that haunted him. His hands balled into fists; he had to do something. He wasn't about to sit here and wait for Hermione to get hurt again. Not this time. Rising, he returned to his own room to shower and dress.
Hermione had the feeling Harry was going to do something rash, despite what she had said. No, scratch that. She knew Harry was going to do something rash. It wasn't like him at all to sit around and do nothing. Although it flattered her in a sense that Harry cared about her enough to want to protect her like that, it also irked her because she knew if she didn't stop him, he would do something completely unreasonable, like try to beat Krum in the middle of the Great Hall. And not that she actually cared about the scum bucket, but she had to stop Harry so he wouldn't receive detention, or worse, lose Quidditch privileges. If he was forced to stop playing Quidditch for any amount of time because he did something that he felt necessary to protect her, she wouldn't be able to forgive him, or herself for that matter.
Which is why she now sat impatiently, waiting for whoever was in the loo to hurry up and let the rest of them have a turn. Of course, knowing her dormmates, it would be at least another ten minutes before they were even close to being finished. Unlike Hermione, all they cared about were their looks, which meant they could spend hours on end in that room, perfecting their make-up and what not. It really irritated her at times, especially liken now, when time itself was short at hand.
Banging on the door, she said, "Come on! Hurry up!" But unfortunately, it appeared as though they were still in the shower, as there was no response. Fidgeting nervously, she finally decided to skip showering altogether. Dressing quickly, she performed a simple charm to brush out her hair (it even made it less bushy), another to brush her teeth, and a last one to rid her of any smell she may have gained during the night. After she was as clean as she was going to get, she set off anxiously, praying to Merlin she wasn't too late.
*~*
Harry, on the other hand, was slightly luckier with the shower, seeing as guys tended to take about five minutes in the loo altogether. They could care less what their hair looked like, and what else was there to do besides shower? He was waiting for whoever was in there to finish up, trying to figure out what to do about Krum, when the door swung open and out stepped none other than Ron. They were both shocked to see one another for a minute, and then they both started talking at once.
"Erm, I just wanted to say....." started Harry just as Ron said,
"Look mate, I'm sorry for what I said....." They broke off and looked at each other, and then Harry said quickly before Ron could open his mouth again,
"I'm sorry mate, we should have told you before anyone else, and we were going to, but after Lavender saw us, I was so preoccupied with trying to calm down Hermione it just slipped my mind. We weren't trying to keep it from you. Honest."
"I know mate, and I'm sorry too, for yelling last night. I wasn't thinking straight, and I know you guys would never try to keep anything from me (at his part, Harry inwardly cringed, his mind immediately going to the Krum thing), and I was just really surprised."
"So we're cool then?"
"Like always.....Potty and the Weasel as Malfoy so kindly puts it," said Ron before they both burst into laughter.
*~*
She dashed into the Great Hall, gasping for breath and scanning the room for Harry. Not seeing him, she sighed in relief that she beaten him before plopping into a chair at the Gryffindor table. A short while later, in walked Harry, and, to her great surprise, Ron. They were the last two people she expected to see together after yesterday's events. But they looked as though nothing had ever happened, laughing and joking just like old times. Harry sat down next to her, Ron across from her, just as they always sat. It was funny how she never noticed just how much time she and Harry spend together.....they always say next to each other at meals, and in classes, and they were constantly together.
Harry smiled at her, and laced his hand with hers loosely.
"I talked to Ron," he whispered to her. "Everything's cool." She smiled at him and kissed him lightly on the lips, much to the disgust of Ron, who wrinkled his nose and turned away.
"Hey!" he said, "The mail's here! Maybe the latest issue of 'Chudley Cannons Digest' is out!" Harry and Hermione just shook their heads. They watched as the owls swooped in and flew over to whomever they were delivering to.
Harry felt Hermione go rigid, and when he looked over at her, her face had gone ashen. She knew that owl. How many letters had it delivered over the summer? As it flew in, she thought that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't for her. Then she saw what was clamped in its beak, and her heart fell. Clutched tightly in its beak was yet another red rose, to add to her growing collection of the dreaded things. It looked as though Krum wasn't going down without a fight. A fight he was determined to win.
A/N: And now ladies and gentlemen, the million-dollar question is.....who will win? Stay tuned to find out.
A/N: Also, I was gonna do this whole "dude" "dude" thing for Harry and Ron, but then I decided they actually had to talk, so.....yeah.
A/N: On a final note, I wanted to thank everyone for reviewing my story.....they really do mean a lot to me.....so keep 'em coming!
A/N: I know I say this every time, but I really am working on incorporating the burning roses.....it's not easy to juggle three stories plus one I'm beta-ing, and school.....especially not when I really should be studying for mid-terms.....but I love you guys so much I couldn't let y'all down now.....so enjoy!
"Whaddya mean he's at it again?" asked Harry angrily.
"Harry, you know exactly what I mean," said Hermione quietly.
"I know 'Mione, I just.....I can't believe he's at it again....." said Harry, still angry. He sat up, back rigid, hands idle in her hair. She could practically see the wheels turning in his head, and she knew what he was thinking. She had a weird habit of knowing almost exactly what he was thinking, although she'd never thought much of it, until now, when she was blessing it, because she knew what he was thinking wasn't pretty.
"Harry, don't," she said, not feeling it necessary to say more than that.
"Don't what?" he asked.
"Please don't go after him and create some huge confrontation before you beat him to a bloody pulp. Let me handle this. Please," she added, seeing his hesitant face.
"But 'Mione," he protested. "You already tried to handle this, and look where we are now. He won't leave you alone, and your boyfriend is on the verge of beating his bloody brains out."
"I know Harry, I know. But let me try one more time.......please?" she asked, using her little puppy-dog eyes she knew would always be his downfall. He sighed at her expression before growling and scooping her into his lap as he said,
"You witch! (No pun intended.) You know that look is my mortal weakness!" She grinned at him before pulling him in for a light kiss that quickly became more passionate. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip and when she giggled from the tickling sensation his feathery touches created, he took full advantage of it and thrust his tongue into her mouth to continue his exploration. Soon enough, their tongues were dueling once more and both were gasping with pleasure. Pulling back a fraction of an inch (Hermione wouldn't let him go further than that), he planted little butterfly kisses on her mouth as he said, "That, and your kisses."
"Good to know," she said, mentally tucking away the information for later use and she leaned into his waiting lips once more. He grinned against her lips and pulled her even closer against him, until their bodies were molded together, and he could feel every gasp and moan.
It was amazing to her. Harry seemed to know exactly what she wanted and exactly how to please her, and yet she never had to say a word. Take now for instance. She yearned to be closer to him, to feel his body flush against hers, and low and behold, he pulled her to him until their bodies were touching in every possible manner. She sighed contentedly into his mouth, and with a final kiss, pulled back. He groaned; looking at her with a look filled with enough hear to melt an iceberg, he said in a raspy, slightly out-of-breath voice, "You are such a tease!"
"And like you mind?" she asked, a smirk playing her lips.
"I didn't say that," he said, trying to desperately to reclaim her lips with his, but she was apparently intent on eluding his for every time he sought them out, she leaned away, out of his touch.
"I should go Harry, before someone finds us here and decides that there isn't already enough talk of us out there." With a last peck, she rose and walked up the stairs to her dorm room, giving him a final look over her shoulder before she disappeared from view.
Once she was gone, Harry sank back into the couch, her words ringing in his ears. "He's at it again." The words seemed to repeat over and over in his head, becoming a mantra that haunted him. His hands balled into fists; he had to do something. He wasn't about to sit here and wait for Hermione to get hurt again. Not this time. Rising, he returned to his own room to shower and dress.
Hermione had the feeling Harry was going to do something rash, despite what she had said. No, scratch that. She knew Harry was going to do something rash. It wasn't like him at all to sit around and do nothing. Although it flattered her in a sense that Harry cared about her enough to want to protect her like that, it also irked her because she knew if she didn't stop him, he would do something completely unreasonable, like try to beat Krum in the middle of the Great Hall. And not that she actually cared about the scum bucket, but she had to stop Harry so he wouldn't receive detention, or worse, lose Quidditch privileges. If he was forced to stop playing Quidditch for any amount of time because he did something that he felt necessary to protect her, she wouldn't be able to forgive him, or herself for that matter.
Which is why she now sat impatiently, waiting for whoever was in the loo to hurry up and let the rest of them have a turn. Of course, knowing her dormmates, it would be at least another ten minutes before they were even close to being finished. Unlike Hermione, all they cared about were their looks, which meant they could spend hours on end in that room, perfecting their make-up and what not. It really irritated her at times, especially liken now, when time itself was short at hand.
Banging on the door, she said, "Come on! Hurry up!" But unfortunately, it appeared as though they were still in the shower, as there was no response. Fidgeting nervously, she finally decided to skip showering altogether. Dressing quickly, she performed a simple charm to brush out her hair (it even made it less bushy), another to brush her teeth, and a last one to rid her of any smell she may have gained during the night. After she was as clean as she was going to get, she set off anxiously, praying to Merlin she wasn't too late.
*~*
Harry, on the other hand, was slightly luckier with the shower, seeing as guys tended to take about five minutes in the loo altogether. They could care less what their hair looked like, and what else was there to do besides shower? He was waiting for whoever was in there to finish up, trying to figure out what to do about Krum, when the door swung open and out stepped none other than Ron. They were both shocked to see one another for a minute, and then they both started talking at once.
"Erm, I just wanted to say....." started Harry just as Ron said,
"Look mate, I'm sorry for what I said....." They broke off and looked at each other, and then Harry said quickly before Ron could open his mouth again,
"I'm sorry mate, we should have told you before anyone else, and we were going to, but after Lavender saw us, I was so preoccupied with trying to calm down Hermione it just slipped my mind. We weren't trying to keep it from you. Honest."
"I know mate, and I'm sorry too, for yelling last night. I wasn't thinking straight, and I know you guys would never try to keep anything from me (at his part, Harry inwardly cringed, his mind immediately going to the Krum thing), and I was just really surprised."
"So we're cool then?"
"Like always.....Potty and the Weasel as Malfoy so kindly puts it," said Ron before they both burst into laughter.
*~*
She dashed into the Great Hall, gasping for breath and scanning the room for Harry. Not seeing him, she sighed in relief that she beaten him before plopping into a chair at the Gryffindor table. A short while later, in walked Harry, and, to her great surprise, Ron. They were the last two people she expected to see together after yesterday's events. But they looked as though nothing had ever happened, laughing and joking just like old times. Harry sat down next to her, Ron across from her, just as they always sat. It was funny how she never noticed just how much time she and Harry spend together.....they always say next to each other at meals, and in classes, and they were constantly together.
Harry smiled at her, and laced his hand with hers loosely.
"I talked to Ron," he whispered to her. "Everything's cool." She smiled at him and kissed him lightly on the lips, much to the disgust of Ron, who wrinkled his nose and turned away.
"Hey!" he said, "The mail's here! Maybe the latest issue of 'Chudley Cannons Digest' is out!" Harry and Hermione just shook their heads. They watched as the owls swooped in and flew over to whomever they were delivering to.
Harry felt Hermione go rigid, and when he looked over at her, her face had gone ashen. She knew that owl. How many letters had it delivered over the summer? As it flew in, she thought that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't for her. Then she saw what was clamped in its beak, and her heart fell. Clutched tightly in its beak was yet another red rose, to add to her growing collection of the dreaded things. It looked as though Krum wasn't going down without a fight. A fight he was determined to win.
A/N: And now ladies and gentlemen, the million-dollar question is.....who will win? Stay tuned to find out.
A/N: Also, I was gonna do this whole "dude" "dude" thing for Harry and Ron, but then I decided they actually had to talk, so.....yeah.
A/N: On a final note, I wanted to thank everyone for reviewing my story.....they really do mean a lot to me.....so keep 'em coming!