Chapter Three:
Confrontation
Harry pulled off his shirt and placed his glasses on the marble counter in the Quidditch locker room as he stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash over his clammy body. He felt like he could fly right now as he pushed his hair back and let the water soak into him.
At last...at long last he and her Hermione were a couple.
Reaching for the soap, the thought about how long he'd wanted to do that this year came to him. How many times had he found himself and Hermione alone together?
Countless times, he thought to himself as he rubbed the sweet-scented soap between his palms and washed away the grime of the day, feeling clean again.
As he stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist, he jumped as he spotted Ron sitting on one of the benches beside his clothing.
"Ron –"he started as he squeezed the water from his hair and continued to dry off.
Ron just sat there with a stern expression on his face, though Harry couldn't tell without his glasses on. He picked them up off the counter and put them on, continuing to dry off.
"Too lonely in the dorms for you, huh –"he started, but stopped as he saw Ron's expression.
"You asked her, didn't you?" he said flatly.
Harry avoided Ron's eyes as he picked up his clothes and started to dress.
"Yeah," he replied as he pulled on his pants. He caught Ron's unchanged expression again and stopped, giving Ron his full attention. "So? What do you care? It's not like you –"
"Liked her?" Ron finished.
Harry felt a little uneasy as he finished dressing, turning to the mirror where he tried to flatten his hair, and not realizing the irony of it all.
"Well, yeah," he went on. "You didn't like Hermione...did you?"
Ron shrugged.
"Maybe I did. But, what chance do I have now?" He sighed as he handed Harry another towel and he continued drying his hair. "Harry – look. I'm sorry, okay. I shouldn't have come down here in the first place to fume at you."
"No – It's alright, Ron," Harry started as he lowered the towel from his face and looked at Ron. "I understand. Hermione's pretty..."
"Nice?" Ron finished.
Harry chuckled.
"How do you always finish my sentences?" he asked as he walked over to Ron. He took a seat beside him and started putting on his socks and shoes. Ron watched him, deep in thought.
"You know what, Harry?" he said after a while. Harry looked up and caught his eyes.
"What?"
"I'm glad you two are a couple finally."
Harry smiled and put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "You don't know how good that makes me feel," he said finally as he stood up. "We'd better get back to the dormitory," he started as he snatched up all his dirty clothing. "Don't want to be busted for being out too late. Besides – someone might make up rumors!" he teased.
"About us?" Ron chuckled. "Oh yeah. I sneak out at night to meet you in the Quidditch showers. As if I don't get enough chances during the day, right?"
They both shared a laugh as they ducked under the invisibility cloak and started off towards the portrait of the Fat Lady.
Hermione lay awake in her bed and smiled.
I thought he was never going to ask me, she thought to herself as she rolled over to lie on her back, staring at the canopy above her. Ever since their fourth year at Hogwarts when Harry had attempted to rescue her from the Great Lake when Viktor Krum wasn't showing up, she'd considered him her knight in shining armor.
He is really sweet, she admitted as she looked over at the window beside her bed and spotted the stars outside. She'd never look at the stars the same way.
She wondered what Harry was doing now.
Probably dreaming, she decided as she tried to close her eyes.
"Who am I kidding?" she whispered to herself as she sat up in her bed. She'd never get to sleep now. Leaning over the side of her four poster bed, she reached into her bag and pulled out a sheaf of parchment and a quill, lighting her bed with her wand.
She unrolled the parchment over her legs and put the tip of the quill in her mouth, pondering what to write.
For once in her life, she didn't know what to say.
Finally, she started to write.
Harry,
I can't sleep. I keep thinking about tonight. It's running
through my head like a never-ending film, though most of the
details are fading away like water through my fingers. I'm glad
we had that moment alone by the lake. I've never felt anything like
it before. For once, I felt perfect. Viktor, one of the most famous
Quidditch players in the world, couldn't make me feel as good as
you do.
I await eating lunch with you this afternoon.
That was good, she thought to herself, then quickly scrawled inside a giant heart in her feathery handwriting:
Love Always,
Hermione
Perfect, she thought to herself as she folded the parchment and put the quill away in her bag.
She couldn't wait to give it to Harry the next morning.
Confrontation
Harry pulled off his shirt and placed his glasses on the marble counter in the Quidditch locker room as he stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash over his clammy body. He felt like he could fly right now as he pushed his hair back and let the water soak into him.
At last...at long last he and her Hermione were a couple.
Reaching for the soap, the thought about how long he'd wanted to do that this year came to him. How many times had he found himself and Hermione alone together?
Countless times, he thought to himself as he rubbed the sweet-scented soap between his palms and washed away the grime of the day, feeling clean again.
As he stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist, he jumped as he spotted Ron sitting on one of the benches beside his clothing.
"Ron –"he started as he squeezed the water from his hair and continued to dry off.
Ron just sat there with a stern expression on his face, though Harry couldn't tell without his glasses on. He picked them up off the counter and put them on, continuing to dry off.
"Too lonely in the dorms for you, huh –"he started, but stopped as he saw Ron's expression.
"You asked her, didn't you?" he said flatly.
Harry avoided Ron's eyes as he picked up his clothes and started to dress.
"Yeah," he replied as he pulled on his pants. He caught Ron's unchanged expression again and stopped, giving Ron his full attention. "So? What do you care? It's not like you –"
"Liked her?" Ron finished.
Harry felt a little uneasy as he finished dressing, turning to the mirror where he tried to flatten his hair, and not realizing the irony of it all.
"Well, yeah," he went on. "You didn't like Hermione...did you?"
Ron shrugged.
"Maybe I did. But, what chance do I have now?" He sighed as he handed Harry another towel and he continued drying his hair. "Harry – look. I'm sorry, okay. I shouldn't have come down here in the first place to fume at you."
"No – It's alright, Ron," Harry started as he lowered the towel from his face and looked at Ron. "I understand. Hermione's pretty..."
"Nice?" Ron finished.
Harry chuckled.
"How do you always finish my sentences?" he asked as he walked over to Ron. He took a seat beside him and started putting on his socks and shoes. Ron watched him, deep in thought.
"You know what, Harry?" he said after a while. Harry looked up and caught his eyes.
"What?"
"I'm glad you two are a couple finally."
Harry smiled and put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "You don't know how good that makes me feel," he said finally as he stood up. "We'd better get back to the dormitory," he started as he snatched up all his dirty clothing. "Don't want to be busted for being out too late. Besides – someone might make up rumors!" he teased.
"About us?" Ron chuckled. "Oh yeah. I sneak out at night to meet you in the Quidditch showers. As if I don't get enough chances during the day, right?"
They both shared a laugh as they ducked under the invisibility cloak and started off towards the portrait of the Fat Lady.
Hermione lay awake in her bed and smiled.
I thought he was never going to ask me, she thought to herself as she rolled over to lie on her back, staring at the canopy above her. Ever since their fourth year at Hogwarts when Harry had attempted to rescue her from the Great Lake when Viktor Krum wasn't showing up, she'd considered him her knight in shining armor.
He is really sweet, she admitted as she looked over at the window beside her bed and spotted the stars outside. She'd never look at the stars the same way.
She wondered what Harry was doing now.
Probably dreaming, she decided as she tried to close her eyes.
"Who am I kidding?" she whispered to herself as she sat up in her bed. She'd never get to sleep now. Leaning over the side of her four poster bed, she reached into her bag and pulled out a sheaf of parchment and a quill, lighting her bed with her wand.
She unrolled the parchment over her legs and put the tip of the quill in her mouth, pondering what to write.
For once in her life, she didn't know what to say.
Finally, she started to write.
Harry,
I can't sleep. I keep thinking about tonight. It's running
through my head like a never-ending film, though most of the
details are fading away like water through my fingers. I'm glad
we had that moment alone by the lake. I've never felt anything like
it before. For once, I felt perfect. Viktor, one of the most famous
Quidditch players in the world, couldn't make me feel as good as
you do.
I await eating lunch with you this afternoon.
That was good, she thought to herself, then quickly scrawled inside a giant heart in her feathery handwriting:
Love Always,
Hermione
Perfect, she thought to herself as she folded the parchment and put the quill away in her bag.
She couldn't wait to give it to Harry the next morning.