Chapter 4: The Sphinx's Information
Harry and Hermione ran down the corridors of Hogwarts towards the Great Hall. Harry leading the way holding Hermione's hand as she trailed behind him.
"Oh my God he is holding our hand! Brainy can you believe it? Harry Potter is holding our hand!"
"Calm down, he is just leading us down the corridor; it doesn't mean any thing, does it?"
"I don't know you have the rational part of out brain; I am just hear for the emotional moments of life."
"Ok maybe it does, DO SOMETHING!"
"Alright, alright, I'll make the first move!"
They both rounded the corner of the second floor corridor and towards the stairs.
"We're nearly there Hermione!" shouted Harry behind him.
"Okay Harry I need to talk to you it is important!"
"Can it wait?" he asked trying to save time and not stop for conversation.
"Yeah I suppose."
"We do need to talk. I have something to say to you as well." Said Harry as they ran down the entrance stares taking two at a time. They finally skidded to a stop in front of the large doors of the Great Hall.
By the look of the hall they were the last to arrive. Professor Dumbledore, who happened to be in mid sentence as the pair entered, paused.
"Thank you for joining us Mr. Potter and Miss Granger. I assume you got caught up with other activities."
"No Professor, we were in the Owlery sending a letter." Came Hermione's response to the old man's proposition.
"I see." Said Dumbledore quietly. "Now as I was saying, The Ministry of Magic will be conducting a search of the entire school. I was given no other information on this except to tell you; while these searches are going on they ask that you pay no attention to the officials conducting the investigations of the school. If there are no further announcements, you may all start dinner now or wait until the food is properly set."
"Potter, So what were you and Miss Mudblood really up to?" asked the sinister voice of Draco Malfoy.
"Never you mind Malfoy." Said Harry not even glancing at the slicked back bleached blonde that had shouted at him from across the hall.
"No really Potter I want to know if the rumor is true that you and this filth…" He said gesturing to Hermione that stood next to Harry ready to hold him back.
"Shove off Malfoy! Come on Hermione we don't need to listen to this git." Said Harry grabbing Hermione's hand as leading her out of the Great Hall.
Harry lead Hermione up the stairs till the could no longer hear the clamor of most of the students making their way back to where ever they were before Dumbledore's announcement. They found an empty passage behind a tapestry and took it till it led them to the flight of stairs that lead to the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"We need to talk." Said Harry turning to Hermione in the middle of the corridor.
"Yes I suppose we do but not now it is late and I am tiered. Right now I just want to go to bed."
"Alright, I guess your right; we do have a Transfiguration test tomorrow. Good night Hermione."
"Good night Harry." She said as she pecked him on the cheek as she walked past him to go to the dorms. He just stood there for awhile thinking about what had just happened.
"DID YOU SEE THAT? I think he has noticed and we just didn't know!" said emotional Hermione, who, if she could have smiled it would have been form ear to ear.
Soon after Harry fallowed Hermione's path through portrait hole and went to bed. Hermione who sat hidden behind a book grinned as she watched him go up to bed smiling. She sat there thinking till she knew he wouldn't be coming down, and then she too went up to bed.
"I think he just might like us."
"Don't get your hopes up, we don't know for sure yet."
"Well you might not be sure, but I am."
"You can believe whatever you want, but I still say we shouldn't make a move until…"
Hermione Granger looked down and her eye's widened and then she screamed. She screamed as loud as it was possible for any human to scream.
"Hermione, what is it?" asked Pavati.
"Someone…someone…" stuttered Hermione not able to let the words come out of her mouth.
"What?" said Pavati still trying hard to get the information out of the shocked young woman that stood in front of her.
"Someone read my diary!" screamed Hermione not able to keep herself calm.
"Oh. There is nothing I can do about that."
Hermione stood in the same spot in her dorm for quite some time. Unable to move from shock.
"Why would anyone want to read our diary!" Shrieked emotional Hermione.
"I don't know, it doesn't add up! Why would any of the girls want to read our diary? Unless…" stammered Brainy.
"Unless what?"
"Unless a boy put one of the girls up to it!" said brainy stumbling on to her apparent solution.
"…are you telling me that both of my best friends like each other but neither of them know!" Said Ron, who was shocked at the news Lavender had just given to him.
"Yes Ron they like one another. You need to say something to Harry that is the best solution, I would say."
"That would be interesting having both of my best friends date. Geez who came up with this whole dating thing? Whoever it was NUTS!"
"You still need to say something to Harry, he needs to know if he likes her." Protested Lavender trying to get Ron through the awkwardness of Harry and Hermione dating. "You never know Ron it might not be as weird as you perceived it to be."
"Lavender, we are talking about Harry and Hermione here. Those to are not your normal run of the mill people. They are unique, in a way." Said Ron
"If you don't say something to Harry I will be forced to say something to Hermione and if you think trying to get through to Harry is going to be hard, you have no idea how much proof I will have to have." Stated Lavender plainly but firm, hoping it would get Ron to tell Harry about Hermione secret.
"Fine I will say something, but not tonight Harry is probably already asleep by now."
Oh how wrong Ronald Weasley was. For Harry Potter was far from asleep. He was alone in the dormitory working hard on a plan to get Hermione to realize his true feelings for her, without suffering the mental horror that was an actual confrontation of the subject.
"Hermione isn't going to fall for this lightly." Said Harry's emotional side.
"Well we will just have to wait and see."
"I do hope this works." Said Harry aloud staring at the sheet of parchment in front of him.
"Hopsissha," said Hermione, talking to her diary.
"Yes Miss Hermione." Said the voice of the Sphinx that appeared when Lavender read the diary. With a flash of light the image of the Sphinx, Hopsissha, appeared in front of Hermione.
"Hopsissha who was the last to open your diary?" asked Hermione firmly.
"A girl, I have seen her in this dormitory before. I am not sure of her name, she sleeps over in that bed." Said the Sphinx motioning toward Lavender's bed.
"Lavender." Said Hermione under her breath. "What entry did she read?"
"This one."
The pages of the dairy ruffled and then began to turn themselves until the entry of January 3 was the header that could be seen.
"Oh no, she knows!" said Hermione her eyes widening as she realized the information, privet information, that Lavender Brown now concealed.