Haha. Thanks for all the reviews, guys. PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING! Oh, and… What's a beta? And yes. My chapters are VERY length-challenged. Argh. I can't help it. Sorry. But keep reviewing, anyway. Thanks.

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Romeo && Juliet: A Harry Potter Love Story Chapter IV

Harry made his way back to the Gryffindor house. His audition was nothing short of disastrous. First, Padma got so nervous she couldn't speak, and when they had finally coaxed her into speaking, Harry had forgotten his lines, so they both had to spend another ten minutes rereading it. And then Padma tripped on her robe, grabbed his sleeve for support only it brought Harry down as well so they both fell with a loud thump on the stage floor. Embarrassing, but it would probably have been worse if he had to tell Hermione his secret. She probably wouldn't take it well if she knew that one of her best guy friends of six years fancied her.

"Carpe diem," said Harry as the Fat Lady swung the portrait door open. There weren't many students in the Gryffindor Common Room as most of them were still at the auditions. Harry found Hermione sitting by the fire in a big plushy armchair.

"Hi, Harry," said Hermione as if in a trance. "Hey. Oh God, I messed up big time at the auditions. You won't believe what happened, 'cause see, first Padma…" Hermione knew Harry was talking to her but right now, she couldn't be bothered listening to him so she continued staring at the fire. "…And then I ended up falling—Hermione? Hermione. OI, WAKE UP, YOU!" Hermione looked up at Harry and sighed. "Harry… Look, I'm sorry, but I'd really like to be alone right now." Harry gazed sympathetically at his friend. "Okay. That's fine. Look Hermione, I… just want you to know that if you wanna talk, I'm here for you. Okay?" Hermione looked up at him gratefully. "Yeah. Thanks, Harry," as he left her to sit by the fire.

'Oh god… Why the hell does this have to be so difficult? This is so unfair. Why can't I just ignore that stupid Malfoy and get on with my own life?' She cupped her head in her hands. Why couldn't she fall for someone else? Anyone would do, just so long as it wasn't Malfoy. Hermione had gone through a brief period in fifth year when she had a crush on Harry, but he was too preoccupied with Ginny, so she backed off and ended up falling for Malfoy again. Most of the time she wished she could just… store all her unwanted feelings somewhere she couldn't ever find them. That would make life so much easier. She let out a twisted chuckle. 'Welcome to the real world, baby.'

She had no one to talk to. The Weasleys were skipping six months of school to study in Romania, although she didn't know what for. And although Harry's offer was nice and all, he would pretty much blow up if he knew that she had feelings for the enemy. God. This. Was. Hard. There was just so much about him that she found irresistible. His wit, charm, intelligence, good looks, and so much more. But strangely, it was the little things that made it clear that they could never be. He hated her for her blood. He hated the people she mixed with. And he was cruel to others. Was it worth sacrificing these small, yet significant things just for one guy, who, if they did get together, might probably dump her for someone better looking, or just leave her out in the cold just for the fun of it?

This sucked. Hermione grabbed one of the satin crimson cushions and just screamed into it. 'I'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND BOYS!' she thought miserably.