Harry couldn't concentrate on the Chinese Yelling Blossom or its danger sensing powers. He was wondering about what Ron had said - "Hermione's in love with you." This couldn't be possible would it? She had been acting strange towards him. She had ditched him a lot over the past couple days. Was this because she was too awkward around him? It's not possible. Ron's wrong, Harry thought to himself. All he knew was one thing - he didn't feel the same way. Or did he? He never did before. Hermione's always been a best friend and almost like a sister to him. But if this news was true, could this affect his feelings now?
Before he knew it, class was over and the students were filing off. It was lunch after this, but Harry didn't feel like eating. He decided to search for Ron instead.
To Harry's surprise, Ron wasn't at lunch. Ron never missed a meal - something must be devastatingly wrong. Without taking another look around the dining hall, Harry fled up the flights of stairs and spit out the password to the Gryffindor common room. Ron was the only one there. He was sitting at the fire place, angrily ripping pages from a notebook.
"Ron! Ron, what are you doing?!" Harry shouted over Ron's frusterated grunts. Ron spun around, eyes wide with surprise.
"Oh, Harry, you're here," Ron said, out of breath. Ron's eyewhites were tinted red and eyelids puffy. His face was red. Harry took a step towards Ron and looked more closely at him.
"Ron, have you been...crying?" he asked. Ron turned away and looked toward the ground. Then he motioned towards the burning pieces of paper.
"She stole everything I've thought," Ron said. Harry shook his head slowly to express his confusion. Ron continued, "I really liked, her, Harry! I always have. I've just been a childish jerk all these years. But over the summer...my family invited her, and we spent time together." Ron realized Harry seemed hurt that he hadn't been there. "We would've invited you, Harry, but you never returned our letters."
"What letters?" Ron ignored Harry's question to continue.
"Anyway, I felt changed. Everytime I was around her, I felt better. I felt smarter. She helped me be a better person.I knew that if I ever liked anyone as much as I liked her, she'd be impossible to find." Harry nodded.
"Then why haven't you done anything about it, Ron?" Harry asked. "Let's face it - you're not one to get feelings often. You'll lose her!" Ron stomped his foot.
"I already have, Harry!" Ron shouted, flopping onto a chair as he threw the rest of his notebook in the fire. Harry still didn't understand. Ron threw his hands up in the air. "To you!" Harry's jaw dropped with shock.
"You're insane, Ron!" Harry yelled, pulling up a chair to listen to Ron's explanation. Ron glared at him.
"Come on...she's obsessed with that note. She always asks me whyyou wrote it, if you wrote it, what you said..."
"What I said? It's your note!" Harry snapped.
"She doesn't know that. You dropped it, and now she loves you..you..you big..tree." Harry tried to surpress a laugh.
"A tree?" Harry couldn't help laughing, "You're calling me a tree?"
"It's the best I can think of right now! Look, look at this," Ron said, pulling out a piece of parchment from his pocket. It was rolled up and flashing yellow and pink. "She passed me this in herbology. About the 50th today. She can't focus on her studies. Hermione isn't paying attention in class!"
Harry read Hermione's short note to himself. It read,
Ron -
Please tell Harry I need to talk to him about the note. It's really urgent Ron!
Hermione
"So, what are you waiting for? Go get your girlfriend," Ron huffed, sliding back in his seat. He crossed his arms. Harry shook his head.
"Look, Ron, I'm going to go get her and we're going to straighten this out," Harry said, walking back out to find Hermione before lunch was over.
"Whatever," Ron mumbled after him.
Hermione was picking at her plate of food and swinging her legs back and forth when Harry reached her.
"Hermione?" he said cautiously. Hermione jerked her head up so she was facing him.
"Oh, Harry," she said quietly, "I need to talk to you." Harry nodded and sat down next to her. Hermione sighed and looked towards him. She swung one leg over the bench so that she was facing him sideways. Harry nodded uncomfortably. The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Many other students were getting ready for their next classes with just a few minutes left of lunch. "Hermione, I need to tell you something to." Hermione raised her hand up as if to tell him, shut up.
"No, Harry, I think I should go first."
"No, Hermione, I really should go first." Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and swung it slightly as if to comfort him. Hermione shook her head.
"I'm just going to come out and say it." Harry was ready to speak quickly before Hermione had a chance to confess anything.
"I don't like you in that way," they both ended up spitting out at the same time. They suddenly shared the expression of confused and surprise. "You don't?" they questioned each other. Hermione looked around the room as if Harry had been speaking to someone behind her.
"But Harry, I found out about the letter. You said you felt different about me, you said that you wish we could've spent more time together over the summer, and that you couldn't find the words to express how you felt more then friends?" Hermione demanded an answer. Harry held a hand out as he offered his explanation.
"Hermione, I didn't write that."
"Then who did?" Harry was now one to search the room frantically. This conversation was already making them two minutes late for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He didn't know if Ron wanted Hermione to know.
"I didn't write it," he repeated. Hermione looked down to the floor, realizing she was wrong.
"You didn't write it," she whispered as if talking to herself. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Spent more time over the summer? A friend, but its...wrong?" Hermione jumped off the bench and knocked her books and papers strewn across the floor. "It's Ron!" she shouted with the joy of discovery high in her voice. Harry looked everywhere but at Hermione. Hermione scrambled to the floor to grab everything she'd dropped. She stuffed them in her messenger bag hastily and swung the bag over her shoulder.
"You're going the wrong way!" Harry shouted after Hermione, racing after her. He'd forgotten his own books in the common room.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts is this way!" Hermione called back. She'd already ran out of sight. Harry stopped in his tracks.
"Then I've been taking the wrong class every day for the past two weeks," Harry mumbled to himself as he dashed up the staircase to get his own supplies.
"Damnit, I knew that the tea leaves would never protect me from dark magic," Ron mumbled as he and Harry traipsed into Defense Against the Dark Arts thirty minutes late. There was only fifteen minutes left of class. The new teacher glared angrily at them as they sat in the two seats up front.
"Mr. Weasly and Mr. Potter, we're on page 38. Due for the class, an essay on creating a Portkey. But in addition for our tardy students, you will create a Portkey of your own," said Professor Sophdice. Ron and Harry nodded and opened there books quickly.
When class was over, Hermione aproached Ron and Harry.
"I apologize for avoiding you Harry," she said honestly. Harry nodded and smiled. Then she turned to Ron, her smile more nervous then anything. Ron looked back at her, his face puzzled by the expression on hers. Harry took the cue ahead of time and walked off.
Hermione and Ron were left in the empty classroom. Ron tried to leave but Hermione put her hand on his shoulder.
"We need to talk," Hermione said. Ron turned around slowly.
"About...?" Ron inquired slowly. Hermione smiled and pulled him down to a chair. Then she sat down next to him.
"I know Harry didn't write the note," she explained.
"Then who did?" Ron lied, trying to sound surprised. Hermione shook her head.
"Ron."
"Okay, so I wrote the note. But I was tired when I wrote it, and then Harry stole it. And I meant nothing!" Ron was speaking quickly with excuses. Hermione looked hurt even though she knew he was lying. It was a good thing this was the last class of the day.
"I don't want to waste anymore time of my time thinking about this. This is our last year, Ron. So just answer me this - do you want to be more than friends or not?"