Author's Note: I really, really appreciate the comments guys! I love reading them, and I try to respond, sometimes I don't know what to say. I think the biggest 'problem' people have seen is the rushing of the romance. Well, if you think about it the way I do, I have both of these characters having feelings for each other since their first year. It's not 'rushing' it's just an impulsive kiss. Five years of knowing each other isn't rushing, is it:) If you have any suggestions, comments, problems, questions – any at all, please tell me.
DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Harry Potter, but I totally own you. So, like… Watch out. This chapter contains SusanxHarry, of course, and a dash of HannahxErnie (implied).
Susan returned to the Hufflepuff Common Room after her final class of the day. Hannah was sitting at a table, furiously scribbling at a parchment. She looked up only quickly enough to wave at Susan, and turned her attention back to her work. She noticed Ernie was sitting on the couch closest to the fire. A group of first years were giggling on the floor in front of him. Leaving Hannah to her work, Susan sat down on the couch next to Ernie.
"So, what was up with you and Harry in Herbology?" He asked, almost instantly. He was grinning uncontrollably.
Susan let out an uncomfortable laugh. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, don't play stupid with me, Su. I saw the way you two were talking." He responded, and Hannah hit him playfully on the leg.
"There's nothing going on between us." Susan confirmed, and pushed a fallen bang behind her ear.
Ernie rolled his eyes and slowly nodded, "Yet, the two of you kissed last night?" He started laughing quietly.
Susan was stunned by this news. How did he find out? "There is nothing going on between Harry and me." She snapped, not realizing she was speaking loud enough to be heard around the common room, "That kiss… It was just impulse." The room went into a sudden silence. Susan cautiously turned her head around the room. People were staring at her. The chirping first years in front of them were laughing uncontrollably. Susan flushed a bright red. "I'm going to bed…" She whispered to Ernie, and stood up to leave.
Ernie made no attempt to stop her. He watched her walk through the girl's dorm room. Hannah pulled her head up and shot a disgruntled glare at Ernie. She gathered up her parchment and chased after Susan.
"Su?" Hannah asked, entering the dorm. She saw Susan curled up on her bed. Nearing the sobbing girl, Hannah dropped her things on a nearby bed, and sat down next to her. "Su, what's wrong?" She asked soothingly, and stroked her hand against her sobbing friend's shoulder.
Susan flipped her head over and stared Hannah straight in the face, "Why do you think? By tomorrow, everybody will know… Everybody will know I kissed him." Tears streaming down her face, Susan sat up, and leaned her body against Hannah's. Both girls sat it silence for a few minutes.
Finally, Hannah spoke up. "It's alright… You'll be fine. Nobody will care that you kissed him."
Susan sobbed again. She wiped away a tear with her sleeve. "They will… Why would Harry kiss me? People are going to be harassing me for all the details."
Hannah wrapped an arm around her crying friend, and gently patted her back. Susan's face was nuzzled in Hannah's neck, the sobs still audible, but growing quieter. "So… How did it happen, anyway?" Hannah asked, with a laugh.
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"You kissed Susan Bones? That Susan Bones?" Ron said, choking on his bagel, "and you didn't tell us?" He finished, and pointed to Susan, who was glumly sitting at the Hufflepuff table. Her eyes were red, and she looked a mess.
"Of course he means her, Ron." Hermione said sharply, "Why? What's wrong with Susan?"
Ron let out a laugh, still choking on a piece of bagel lodged in his throat, "Well, she's not exactly good-looking." He said. Which was mostly true; she wasn't exactly 'ugly', but there were much more pretty girls, Paravati and Padma Patil, for example, to choose from.
Hermione glared at him, and put down the muffin she had been slowly eating, "Is that all that matters to you? Looks?" She argued, and Ron fought back with a brainless comment, but Harry didn't notice. He wasn't listening.
He kept staring at Susan. She hadn't looked up, or said a word, during the breakfast. Something was troubling her… She had seemed fine after Herbology. Harry finished off his glass of pumpkin juice, and excused himself from his two friend's argument.
"Going to talk to your Susan?" Ron said smugly. Hermione responded with 'Ron!' and a smack on the arm. Harry didn't respond. He walked down the aisle to the end of the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables (ignoring numerous shouts from Malfoy) and turned towards the Hufflepuff table.
As he walked down the Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw aisle, he noticed that many of the Hufflepuffs were whistling at him. Many younger kids were giggling, and whispering to each other as he pushed Zacharias Smith over, and sat next to Susan, straddling his legs over both sides of the bench.
"Susan? You alright?" He asked, and dropped his right hand onto Susan's, which was perched on her lap. He gently massaged it with his index finger.
She turned to him, and smiled meekly, "Hi, Harry…" She said, with a yawn. She sounded horrendously tired, "I'm fine."
Harry wasn't convinced. He gently wrapped his hand around hers, "Can I talk to you…" He said, and peered around and the gaping students (most notably, Hannah Abbott looked rather ecstatic for her friend), "in private?"
She wanted to say no, but reluctantly allowed herself to stand up, and lead Harry out of the Great Hall.
"Susan, are you alright?" Harry asked, staring at her. She definitely didn't look alright.
She nodded, though, "I'm fine, Harry." She told him.
He stared at her momentarily, caught in her gaze. He didn't believe her, but he knew he couldn't argue. Before he could speak, he heard the doors of the Great Hall swing open, and a group of 5th years came storming out, Ron and Hermione among them. Most of them went straight outside, but Hermione stayed behind, and neared the two.
"It's time for Herbology." She informed them, casting Susan an envious look. Harry smiled, and she left the Entrance Hall.
Susan smiled meekly at Harry, and rubbed her left arm uncomfortably. "I'll see you in Herbology, then, Harry? I've got to get my stuff… From the common room."
Harry nodded, and waved to the girl as she jogged down the stairs. He turned away, and left for the Greenhouses.
Susan entered the Hufflepuff Common Room, ignoring the boy's cat calling her on a couch on the other side of the room. She went instantly to the Girls Dorm, and sat down on her bed. Next to her was a night table, her Herbology equipment sitting on it. She could easily go straight to Herbology, but she decided not to. She had to think. She ran her hand through her deep red hair and let out a sigh.
It doesn't matter…
He likes you, doesn't he?
You like him.
I mean, he kissed you.
It's not like it's a secret… anymore.
I'd just like to know how everybody found out.
She scowled. For the first time that day, she actually realized she had no idea how Ernie had known. Coming to that sudden realization, she snatched her things from the night table and ran out of the Girls Dorm.
Once again, she ignored the boys in the common room, only muttering something to herself under her breath. She pushed open the door to the Cellar hallways and went as quickly as possible out the front door to avoid being late for Herbology.
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"Unfortunately, Miss Bones – I do not tolerate lateness: whether you are in my house or not," barked Professor Sprout, as Susan closed the door to the greenhouse, her face red, and sweaty. She had run all the way across the field to get there, yet she was still late. "Now, if you don't mind, you can partner up with Miss Abbott and Mr. MacMillan for this assignment; now, where was I, ah yes…"
Susan slowly walked over to where her two friends were standing. She caught a glimpse of Harry as she passed, but only smiled at him. Her attention quickly diverted from Sprout's lesson, to Ernie.
"Can I ask you something?" She whispered past Hannah, her head turned so she could see Ernie past Hannah's pigtails.
"Sure." He replied coolly, he seemed more focused than Susan on the assignment.
"How… How did you find out about Harry and me?" She asked, causing Hannah to give both Ernie and Susan questioning looks. Ernie let out an uncomfortable laugh.
"One of the perks of being a prefect?" He responded – both Hannah and he had been made prefects at the beginning of the year.
Her facial expression turned to an angry one, now. "Ernie… Tell me."
Hannah, who had kept quiet for the entire conversation,'s eyes flickered from Sprout to Ernie. She actually wanted to know, as well, but it would have been a little awkward and nosy (and being nosy was Ernie's job.)
Before Ernie had a chance to speak, Professor Sprout's tone of voice changed to a rather excited one. "Now, it's time for you to start. I want you to all be careful, though. These can be nasty little buggers."
This was the perfect excuse for Ernie to change the subject, "Hannah – were you listening? I was busy being distra--"
"Ernie MacMillan, if you don't tell me how you found out, I- I'll…" Hannah started, she saw Sprout give her a questioning look, so she calmed down slightly to avoid getting in trouble, "I'll tell Hannah who you like."
Ernie felt his face beginning to burn, mostly because it was Hannah whom he liked. His eyes flickered between the two girls, and finally he cracked. "There – There was something in the room. I don't know what it was. I was walking back from the meeting and saw a group of Ravenclaw's fighting, so I told Hannah to go ahead. After stopping it, I noticed a painting. It didn't have anybody in it… It had you and Harry. So, naturally, I decided to look at it. Then, one thing led to another and…"
"And he kissed me." Susan said, solemnly, finishing his rant, "Where is this painting?" She asked, and her eye caught Sprout's, who was looking rather angry at the lack of work going on in their trio.
"I'll show you after class." Ernie whispered, and grabbed onto one of the plants they were working with, "Assuming Sprout doesn't give us detentions…" He added with a laugh.
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The strenuous Herbology class ended on a sour note, when a disgruntled Zacharias Smith angrily threw one of the plants on the ground, causing its temper to rise and attack him. Sprout shooed them all out of the Greenhouse before moving his crying body to the Hospital Wing.
Ernie met Susan and Hannah at the front doors, and led the girls inside. They dodged passed some third years that were shooting hexes at each other. ("Keep it up, guys. When I'm done with this I'll get you all in trouble." Ernie had told them, jokingly, causing them to cease.) He led them up to the Third Floor, which was convenient, since all of their next class was Charms. He led them down a dimly lit hallway; they passed a solemn looking ghost along the way (who they presumed was the Grey Lady. They said hello, with no response), until finally, Ernie had stopped abruptly, and turned to a painting.
The hallway was so dark, they could barely see it. They could make out a figure, but none of them could identify it.
"Lumos." Ernie said cleverly, and his wand lit up the area.
To Susan's surprise, and possibly her horror, she figured out who was in the painting.
It was her.
She shakily took a step back, and noticed the picture did, as well. Hannah and Ernie's bodies barely fit into the painting, but they were visible, too.
"Susan?" Hannah asked in a confused tone.
Susan quickly shook her head, "I'm just as lost as you are." She responded, still staring in shock at the portrait. She felt violated.
"Shouldn't we… Report this to McGonagall?" Hannah asked.
"Yeah, right," Ernie replied, "I'm more likely to tell Umbridge." There was a quiet laughter from the girls, and Ernie added in a sarcastic tone, "How would we tell her, anyway? Oh, I was walking back to the Hufflepuff Common Room – past curfew, mind you – from a TOP SECRET MEETING, in a TOP SECRET ROOM THAT NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT, and I happened to see Harry Potter snog Susan Bones." There was another round of laughter.
"I see that going rather well." Hannah said.
Susan brought seriousness back to the conversation, "Does this mean somebody is – I don't know – stalking me?" There was a murmur of half-sentence replies from her two friends.
"Let's talk about it after charms, all right?" Hannah suggested, "I don't mind skipping lunch."