Disclaimer: Don't own it, you know it. Why do I have to put in a disclaimer anyway...
A/N: Right, second NEW-AND-IMPROVED, REPOSTED REVAMPED REJUVENATED chapter is up! I'm so proud of myself. Hehehe! Sorry it's so short, but I'm working on getting it all out quicklike. I promise to update again soon!
Please review, even the shortest are well received!
"Hey Hermione, want to come to Hogsmeade with us?"
Hermione looked up.
It was around nine in the morning. A few people were down in the common room already, playing games of wizard's chess, talking quietly, or in Hermione's case, were surrounded by piles of parchment and textbooks. She had her sleeves rolled up past her elbows, had ink stains on her fingers, and a few smudges on her face. Her bushy hair was tied back in a messy ponytail to keep it out of her eyes as she worked on her homework. Lavender and Parvati were standing over her, dressed for the cold outside.
"Well?"
"Uh..." Hermione frowned. Lately these two had been pressing her more and more often to join them in their activities, which included shopping, makeovers, and boys ... all of which things Hermione herself was not particularly interested in. She had always classified those types of goings-on to be silly, and she had never considered herself one to be silly, nor did she want to be. And that was perfectly fine with her.
Now she looked from Lavender to Parvati. "Look, I don't really have time to go today. I got distracted from this last night, and I really want to finish."
The other two girls shared a knowing look. "Distracted, hmm?" Lavender asked, a slight smile on her face.
Hermione frowned and raised an eyebrow. "What? I got distracted." The other two glanced at each other again, and Hermione rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you two are on about, but I can't go to Hogsmeade today, I've got to finish my homework," she said, picking up her quill again.
"G' morning, Hermione," came a tired male voice from the stairs. She looked over and smiled gratefully at a yawning Harry.
"Good morning! Sleep well?" she asked, eager to talk to someone other than the two girls before her. Harry nodded sleepily, and stretched as he walked over.
"Slept fine. You're doing homework?" he said incredulously, peering over her shoulder at what she was doing. She nodded briskly and straightened a pile of papers.
"Of course I am. There's nothing better to do."
Lavender and Parvati rolled their eyes at each other and flounced off out the portrait hole. They weren't about to sit and wait around for Hermione Granger to finish her homework, when they wanted to go to Hogsmeade. Hermione didn't notice their departure.
"Sure there is. You could be playing a game of wizard's chess with me, for instance," Harry suggested, not noticing the other girls' exit either.
"But I'm horrid at wizard's chess. You know that. And besides, if I get all this done early, I won't have to worry about it later. Like I know you will be, the last night before the holidays finish."
"Aw, come on."
"You know it's true."
"Fine. I'll do all my homework today and get it out of the way, on one condition."
"Why should I agree to any condition? It's not my fault if you—"
"That condition being, you help me if I do it all today. Please?"
"Fine. Get your books."
Harry did so.
Hours passed. The two friends spent them bent over essays, scrolls, and pieces of parchment, up to their ears in books and quills and ink. They took a break for lunch, another break for dinner, and a third one to take a trip down to the kitchens to get hot chocolate from the house-elves as sustainance (Harry's idea). Hermione tried to start talking the bowing elves into demanding pay and sick leave and holidays, but Harry (with Dobby's help) got her out of there before she stirred up trouble and even more resentment towards herself.
At sometime around midnight, Hermione threw down her quill triumphantly and stretched, yawning. "Well, I'm done. How much have you got left?"
"I'm just finishing up Snape's essay...one more half-inch...quick, what's a good concluding statement?"
"'And that concludes my essay on how to make a reviving potion.'"
"Not long enough!"
"'And that concludes my essay which discusses the properties of, and notifies on how to formulate, a reviving potion.'"
"How do you come up with this stuff? On how...to formulate...a reviving...potion. Done!" Harry grinned, putting down his own quill and grinning widely. "Wow. That is a good feeling."
"I told you it's better to get it all done early, I've been saying it for years. It's all Ron's fault that you haven't listened to me. Put the two of you together and suddenly I'm talking to a wall."
"Well, put the two of you together and suddenly I'm talking to an old married couple."
"We do not act like an old married couple. We just have many differences in opinion," Hermione sniffed while Harry guffawed. She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to bed. Tomorrow morning I'm going to sleep in, because I need the extra rest. I've been working too hard lately," she said, yawning again. Harry gaped at her.
"You're admitting that you've been working too much? With Ron gone, everything's turned upside down!"
"Oh, shut up," she replied, sticking her tongue out at him and gathering up her books. "Goodnight."
"'Night, old Mrs Weasley," Harry teased, earning him a whack upside the head and more laughter.
After he put away his completed homework and dumped his books into the bottom of his trunk, Harry changed into his pyjamas and climbed into bed. Seamus and Dean were still up, talking. When Dean fell asleep, Seamus looked over at Harry, who was still half awake.
"Oi, Harry!"
"Mmm."
"You fancy anyone?"
"No, why?" Harry said sleepily, his words slightly slurred. Seamus came over and sat on the edge of Harry's bed, grinning.
"I've been thinking—everybody fancies someone, and it's been awhile since you and Cho were going."
"Why do you care?" Harry groaned, his voice cracking with disuse. Seamus shrugged and resettled his position on Harry's bed.
"Just something someone said. Anyway, have you ever fancied anyone besides her?"
"No, not really."
"Then you wouldn't know it if you did?"
Harry rolled his eyes at his friend. "I think I'd know, thanks," he said, and laid his head back down on the pillow, pulling the covers up to his chin. "G'night."
Seamus was silent for a few seconds, then spoke up. "You spend a lot of time with Hermione Granger, you know."
"Mmm." Harry grunted into his pillow, only half hearing what the other boy was saying.
"Well...?"
"Well what?"
"I think you fancy her."
"Do not."
"Aha! Immediate denial. You do," Seamus exclaimed gleefully, slapping Harry's leg through the bedspread. "Admit it—you've never fought with her in five and a half years, and you flirt all the time."
"Bug off, Seamus, you've gone and had too much Butterbeer again," Harry grumbled, rolling over and burying his face in the pillow again. "I'm trying to sleep."
"No, honestly, it's my duty to inform you, as your fellow man, that you fancy Hermione Granger."
"But I don't."
"Of course you do. Do you not ever look at yourselves? Like last night in the common room, you two were all over each other. And you just spent the entire day with her."
"Yeah, because we're friends. Why does nobody get that? You, Cho, Rita Skeeter, and Malfoy, even Viktor Krum back in fourth year—will someone tell me why people keep saying I fancy her when I don't?"
"People keep saying it because you do."
"I don't."
"Well, believe what you want," Seamus said finally, getting up and crossing over to his own bed. "But just think to yourself—Christmas is coming. Mistletoe is hanging off just about everything that it's possible to hang mistletoe off of. You might want to take advantage of it one day, no?"
Harry shook his head and rolled his eyes, turning over. Seamus was mad, that was the problem here. Seamus and Cho and everybody else were all mad. And that was that. He didn't fancy Hermione. The very idea of it was silly. Honestly, who did they all think they were fooling? All this nonsense about mistletoe and taking advantage and him fancying her...buggers. Especially Seamus. Too much Butterbeer was going to his head. Nutters, the lot of them.
...Weren't they?