Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Harry Potter, any of the characters, spells, places etc. The only thing I own is the plot of this story!
Chapter Six
Harry climbed out of bed the next Monday morning, trying to keep himself awake. He could hear Hermione walking around in the next room and smiled to himself. She was always up earlier than him. Harry was freezing, standing in just his boxers with the window open, so he quickly walked over to shut it. The clock on his bed-side table said 7:00am, so he still had two hours until classes started. Just enough time to get ready and go down for breakfast.
"Oh, for goodness sake!" Hermione shouted from the next room. Harry was about to go and find out what was wrong when she burst into his room.
"Harry, you haven't seen my…" her voice trailed off as she realised that he was only wearing his boxers and she quickly pulled the door towards her, so it was only open slightly.
"Y-you err…you haven't seen my book for Transfiguration have you?" Hermione asked, turning bright red. Harry grabbed his trousers off the bed and slipped them on before walking to the door and pulling it open.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to barge in, I-I thought you would have been dressed by now…" Hermione apologised.
"It's alright," Harry replied, yawning. "Now, what have you lost?"
"My book for Transfiguration, it's not in my room-"
"No, it's in here," Harry said, pointing behind him. "I put it under the bed, so I'd know where it was, come in." Hermione slowly stepped into the room, trying not to stare at Harry.
"Nice sleep?" Harry asked, walking past his chest of drawers and grabbing his shirt, which he slipped on, but didn't do up.
"I err…yeah…" Hermione replied, still looking everywhere but at Harry. Harry pulled a Transfiguration book out from under his bed and look at it.
"This is your one," he said, handing it to her. "At least, I think it's your one." Hermione took the book from him and smiled. An awkward silence filled the room and Harry took it as an opportunity to button up his shirt. Hermione giggled and Harry looked up.
"What?" he asked.
"You've done your shirt up wrong," she replied. He looked down and noticed that the two buttons he had fastened, where in fact two holes above the place where they should be.
"Oh, right," he said, turning scarlet. Hermione put the book on Harry's bed and walked over to him. He didn't notice until her hands were undoing his shirt buttons. She unbuttoned both, smiling to herself. She leant up and kissed him on the cheek, while doing up the bottom button for him. Her kiss on the cheek lasted longer than it should have for only a friend and Harry felt his face heating up again. As she pulled away she smiled.
"There you go, genius," she said, grabbing her book. Harry swallowed.
"I err…t-thanks…" he mumbled.
"Well," Hermione added cheerfully. "Hurry up and get down to the Great Hall. We have to tell you something!" Harry looked up.
"Who's we?"
"Well, I was going to tell you, but Ron said he wanted to. So I'll let him say it."
"Oh, ok. I'll be down in a couple of minutes."
----------------
Harry walked towards the Great Hall, wondering what Hermione and Ron wanted to tell him.
"I see that Weasley has got himself a girlfriend," Malfoy's voice drawled. Harry spun round. Malfoy was on his own.
"You what?" Harry asked.
"Oh, haven't you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"About Weasel-bee. Got himself a nice new girlfriend he has."
"Who?"
"Now that would be telling, wouldn't it?" Malfoy sneered. Harry glared at him and then realised something.
"Well," Hermione added cheerfully. "Hurry up and get down to the Great Hall. We have to tell you something!"
"Who's we?"
"Well, I was going to tell you, but Ron said he wanted to. So I'll let him say it."
His blood went cold. "Ron's going out with……" Harry whispered.
"Well, good talking to you," Draco Malfoy said, walking off. Harry stood in silence.
Hermione…Ron was going out with Hermione…
And he had thought something was growing between them. A goodnight kiss, all the time…A good morning kiss, all the time…and all it had been was friendship.
And Ron! Ron knew he liked Hermione, he must have known that he liked Hermione. Harry considered going back to the Head's Dorm and skipping breakfast, but he didn't want to go back there, where she could easily come looking for him. Instead, he walked off to the Quidditch pitch, to have a go on his Firebolt, which he had missed flying. He laid his bag down on the grass and pulled out his wand.
"Accio Firebolt," he shouted. It only took a moment for his broom to appear in front of him and another few seconds for him to mount it and fly off. It was the one time he felt free of all his problems. When he was flying and the wind was rushing past his face. He would just have to make sure he kept track of time.
----------------
"There you are Harry. We were waiting for you at Breakfast and we haven't seen you all morning. Where have you been?" Hermione asked, as they all caught up with Harry at lunch time.
"I went for a fly around the school," he replied, coldly.
"Well, mate. I have some great news," Ron said, appearing on his other side.
"Do you really?"
"Yeah," Ron replied. They all stopped as Harry did and turned to face Ron.
"What's you good news, Ron?"
"Well, after Hogsmeade weekend and I saw how good she looked an' all I thought that maybe it would be alright if I asked her out, and she said yes!"
"Did she really?" Ron noticed that there was something wrong and eyed his friend suspiciously.
"Are you alright, Harry?"
"I'm fine, perfectly fine. Nothing wrong with me at all."
"Are you sure?"
"I said I was fine didn't I?" Harry shouted back. Ron backed off slightly and so did everyone else.
"I'll see you later, all right?" he said, calming down slightly. Ron nodded quickly and Harry walked off.
---------------
An hour and a half left to go, Harry thought, looking at the clock and waiting for his detention. He needed to get away, where Hermione wouldn't find him. Where he wouldn't want to strangle Ron. The portrait opened, but Harry paid it no attention.
An hour and twenty nine minutes left to go
The sofa beside him dipped ever-so slightly as Hermione sat next to him. He purposefully moved away. He heard her sigh.
"Harry, what's wrong. None of us have any idea-"
"So you've been talking about me know, have you?" Harry interrupted.
"Harry, that isn't fair-"
"No, you're right, it isn't. You of all people should know that talking about someone when they aren't there is wrong." Hermione jumped up.
"Don't you make out that this is my fault!" she shouted. Harry jumped up too.
"I don't need to make out that it is…it's already your fault!"
"I don't even know what I've done!"
"Of course you do, how can't you?"
"You can be such a prat, Harry Potter!"
"Me be a prat? What about you and Ron?"
"Me and Ron?"
"Well, you two, keeping something like that from me!"
"God Harry, you can be so selfish sometimes! If I thought you'd have cared that much I wouldn't have bloody mentioned it in the first place!"
"And how were you planning to keep that a secret?"
"Well, telling Ron not to do anything in front of you of course!"
"That's it, I've had enough. If you need me, I'll be wallowing in my own self pity in my room." He turned to walk away, then spun back round. "Oh, and I hope you two are very happy together," he added as an afterthought. Hermione looked confused now.
"What?" she asked.
"You and Ron, I hope you're very bloody happy together!"
"Me and…Harry, I-I'm not going out with Ron…" Harry stopped and looked round at her.
"What?" now it was his turn to be confused.
"He asked Cho Chang to go out with him…w-we all thought you were annoyed because you still liked her, b-but I'm not going out with Ron," Hermione replied. Harry swallowed.
Shit…he thought, trying to think of something to say.
"So that's what it was all about?" Hermione asked. "You thought I was going out with Ron?"
"I…I…yes…" Harry admitted, feeling stupid.
"Harry, I wouldn't have said yes to Ron, even if it had been me that he asked. There…err…there's someone else that I like…" Hermione added, turning red. She looked away from him and stared at the ground.
"Well, I consider that person very lucky," Harry said. He wanted to say sorry, but now she'd said that. Who did Hermione like?
"Now, if you don't mind. I'm going to apologise to Ron, I'll see you later," he announced. He heard Hermione call his name, but didn't turn back.
----------------
Harry walked into Gryffindor common room and located Ron sitting in the corner humming to himself. He walked over and threw himself in the chair in front of Ron.
"I'm sorry," Harry said, twiddling his thumbs.
"That's alright."
"I-I thought you were going out with Hermione…and I got annoyed because you knew I liked her…"
"Actually, I didn't…I thought it was a joke that was just meant to embarrass you…" Harry looked up and smiled.
"Well, now you know I like her."
"Look, Harry. You don't mind me going out with Cho, do you?"
"No, not at all. I'm over Cho…"
"Good. So, now all you have to do is hook up with Hermione!" Ron said. Harry laughed and stood up.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said to Ron.
"Oh, Harry!" Ron called, just as he was about to walk out of the portrait. "I just though I should let you know, double potions is cancelled tomorrow morning. Apparently Snape is on some business thing for Dumbledore."
"Oh, right, ok."
"So, you can come back to the Common Room with me tomorrow after breakfast?"
"Don't see why not."
"Cool."
Hermione was already in bed when Harry got back. He wanted to apologise, but her door was locked. Deciding it would be wrong to use magic to open it, Harry gave up and walked into his own room.
