Chapter 2

Hermione's P.O.V.

ERKETCHYOOOOO!!!!

I shot out of bed, and looked to where I'd heard the noise. Lavender was leaning over a sneezing, puffy-looking Parvati.

"Oh, Hermione! Come help us, we don't know what's the matter, but Parvati's head is all swollen, and she's broke out in a rash!" whined Lavender. I sighed, but, reluctantly, got out of bed, to see what was up. "Oh my goodness! Hermione! It looks like you've got a rash too!"

"What?!" I ran over to the mirror next to my bed. "I don't see anything!"

Lavender grumbled, and came over to me. "Look, right around this side of your face, and going around the side of your head, it's all red." I looked to where and I realized that she was right. And I also realized something even worse. It WASN'T a rash. It was- from...Harry, and unfortunately, Lavender was experienced in recognizing those sorts of things.

Before she could say anything, I quickly said, "I'm not really sure what the matter is with Parvati, you should take her to the nurse."

"Yes, I- I guess I should..." said Lavender, helping Parvati out of bed, but still looking at me strangely the whole time.

I tensely watched them leave, and when they were gone, I let out a sigh of relief. But I'm not sure why I was relieved, because I still had Harry to deal with.

I couldn't just sit on the bed all day, so I put on some cover-up and went down to the common room. Thankfully, I didn't see Harry, and there, plus the common room was being occupied by a few other students. I started walking toward the portrait, when, "Hermione!"

I turned around, and saw Ron there, and suddenly I felt guilty that he didn't know about this slight dispute between Harry and me. "Yes, Ron?" He looked around at everyone else, and he seemed uncomfortable. "Ron? What is the matter?"

"Could we, perhaps, go somewhere else?"

"Erm..." Ron grabbed my arm and took through the portrait.

"Look, Hermione, well, erm, I'm, er, sorry if I've seen obvious, but Harry somehow found out, and he said it would be great if I, erm, told you, and erm, I thought that maybe he was right, and-

"Ron!" I said softly, with a look meaning JUST GET OUT WITH IT ALREADY, WOULD YOU?

"Well- it's just..." he seemed as if he was going to talk, when suddenly, he leaned forward and kissed me...on the lips... and it wasn't fun...

I pushed him away from me. "Ron! What are you doing?! What is it with boys lately?!" Ron looked from side to side, as if not sure, but then leaned in to kiss me again! "Argh!" I moaned, my eyes filling with tears of embarrassment, as I ran away.

I wasn't quite sure where I was going, but I walked aimlessly, trying to get Ron off of my mind. Suddenly, I heard Draco and his crew coming, so I entered the first room I saw, and slid in.

I turned around to see where I was, and I noticed that it was an oversized janitorial office. "Wait a second...this isn't where the janitorial office is. This is where the DA meetings are...so this means..." I nodded to myself.

"Why on earth are you talking to yourself?" I turned around and saw Harry, leaning against the doorway, with the door shut.

"Harry?! What are you doing here?!" I said shortly.

"Ron told me about what had happened, and I figured you'd come here," said Harry softly, walking over to me.

"Oh, I see," I said very softly, sitting down. Then, I realized that the room had changed, and I was sitting on a large fluffy deep red couch, and I assumed that the surroundings had changed to fit what Harry wanted. I looked over at Harry, and he looked at me with sadness in his eyes.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

"I just..." tears welled up in my eyes, and I forced out, "I just can't believe that all these years he's liked me, and he never even TOLD me...and then he kissed me, and it could have been wonderful, but I wasn't expecting it, and plus he's a horrible kisser..." I rambled on and on about nothing, until my tears started to lessen. I realized that somewhere in between the mess of rambling and crying, I'd wrapped myself around Harry completely, and I pulled away from him. I moved over so that I wasn't practically sitting on him anymore and folded my hands in my lap. "I know that this is horrible, since Ron's my friend, and he likes me as more than that, but...I just wish that... my first -real- kiss had been with someone else. Someone that I felt truly in love with enough to let them have my first kiss."

"You mean you don't love Ron?" asked Harry, putting his arm securely around my waist, accidentally tickling me a little. I looked up at him.

"Oh, Harry, I love Ron dearly, but...I need him as a friend. He's only, and always will be, just a friend to me." I looked down at my hands again. "I don't know if I could bear to lose him or to make him unhappy...but I don't want to be to him what he wants me to be...but, if it would make him happy-

"Hermione!" said Harry sternly. His grip around me tightened, but I still wasn't looking at him. "You don't have to be anything you don't want to be. If Ron is a true friend, he'll understand...and he'll stay as a friend, and if he loved you how he says he does, he wouldn't want you to do something you wouldn't be comfortable doing." I leaned onto Harry's shoulder, overcome with emotion. After a few minutes of silence, Harry said, "And...what of me?" I finally looked at him, quizzically.

"What of you?" I suddenly seemed to be awoken to the previous incidents with Harry. "What of you...Harry..." I shook my head. "You followed me, didn't you?" I was talking in a soft, calm, but accusing voice. "You were taking advantage of the moment." My voice was building. "I can't believe it! You weren't trying to be a helping friend at all, were you?"

Author's P.O.V.

"Hermione! Don't be ridiculous! I would never-

"I can't believe you would do that to me Harry!" Hermione got up and started running toward the door, and Harry walked quickly after her.

"Hermione!" Harry said, grabbing her wrist, and pulling her towards himself. He felt her breathing hard, but then slowly go to a regular pace. Harry looked down into her face, and saw that she was looking up at him, her eyes not at all angry as he'd thought they were, but beautiful and glowing expectedly. Harry sighed, and pulled Hermione close to him. Hermione wrapped her arms around him leaned her head to his chest. After a few minutes, Harry pulled away very slightly. Harry placed his finger under Hermione's chin and brought it up slowly. "I'm sorry if I let that on to you," he said looking directly into her eyes. "But, I would NEVER do that to you." Hermione nodded, then turned her head and walked toward the door.

Harry's P.O.V.

'Hermione's eyes were not at all angry, but instead were beautiful, and were glowing expectedly...'

Oh no...this was NOT supposed to happen...why did she make me feel like that. I had no idea that I'd end up loving Hermione when Draco got me into this mess.

"Hermione, wait!" I yelled as she walked down the hall.

She turned and looked at me. "Yes?"

She's just had to deal with Ron...but, still, this is something I really want to do...of course, you might just end up being as bad of a kisser as Ron...

"Harry?"

I looked up and smiled. "Good night, Hermione."

She smiled shyly. "Good night, Harry."