The Gryffindors in the Common Room slowly cleared out as the night grew deeper and the sky became darker. Ron and Hermione were still there, doing their homework for History of Magic. They were supposed to write an essay. Well, that seems to be what they always do for the teachers.
"Hermione," Ron said, yawning widely, "I really can't get this." He scratched his head and dropped his quill. He really wanted to give up. Hermione gave him a stern look.
"Oh come on, Ronald!" Hermione said impatiently, "You have to finish that. I'm sure you don't want to rush that tomorrow morning…or do you?"
"If I can't help it," Ron replied. Hermione merely shook her head. After all, she was done doing her essay. She was already reading about their next topic for Herbology. Feeling hopeless that Hermione really wouldn't do his essay for him, Ron dipped his quill in the bottle of ink and began writing again. When he was done, he handed it to Hermione for checking.
"Not bad," she told him, grinning. "I think you have a knack for doing essays for Professor Binns." She laughed heartily as she handed back Ron's essay. Ron hastily took the parchment from Hermione and shot her a furious glance.
"Don't say that," he said crossly. "I never liked History of Magic. It's so boring. All I can do is stare into space when that ghost is teaching. I mean…he's not at all bad, but he's just so–"
"Dull?" Hermione said, chuckling.
"Yeah, I guess that's the right word…"
"Well, who could be worse than Umbridge?" Hermione asked him, rolling her eyes. Ron smirked. Clearly, in his opinion, there was no other teacher that's worse than Dolores Jane Umbridge.
"What about Snape?" a familiar voice said. Ron and Hermione looked in the direction of the voice. Harry has just arrived. He stood in front of the two, and Hermione didn't notice him approach them. She suddenly felt so embarrassed, that's why she immediately hid herself in her Herbology book.
"I guess that's a really good answer," Ron said laughing. "It's brilliant."
Harry grinned as he sat beside Ron and started to get his things from his bag. He didn't seem to care that Hermione was there. In fact, he wanted to talk about what happened down there by the lake in Hermione's presence.
When Hermione chucked her things inside her bag and started to move, it was only then that Ron remembered. Harry and Hermione weren't okay. It seemed unreal, but it was. Ron was usually the one who get into fights with Hermione, not Harry. It felt odd for him, like it was some miracle.
"What's up with her?" Harry asked Ron when Hermione was out of sight. It's a stupid question, he told himself. I know what's wrong.He hastily dipped his quill in the ink bottle and continued his unfinished essay.
"I think she's just…jealous," Ron said, nodding to himself. "Yeah, I think so…"
"Jealous?" Harry raised his eyebrows in bewilderment. Apparently, for Harry, this wasn't the right word to describe how Hermione felt. "She can't be. I mean…she doesn't care about me, does she?" Harry was really starting to get annoyed now.
"Erm…she certainly does, Harry. You're her friend, you know."
"I know that. But it doesn't seem like it now. She doesn't even want to look at me, like I'm some kind of monster!" This time, Harry felt really furious. Ron looked at him, somehow feeling frightened. Harry had never been that angry with Hermione before. And Ron just didn't know what to do. Maybe he can consult Hagrid for this.
The next few days didn't make any change at all. Ron was having a really hard time. He had to divide his time with Harry and with Hermione. Neither of them liked the presence of the other. Ron wanted to leave the two of them and find someone else to hang out with, but he didn't know who. One Friday afternoon, Ron decided to go down and visit Hagrid.
"Hagrid!" Ron said delightfully. "I'm so glad you're here!" Hagrid smiled at him and patted his shoulder.
"Hi Ron!" he replied, grinning. "Wha' can I do fer yeh?"
"It's Harry and Hermione," Ron said, sitting on Hagrid's large armchair.
"Wha' abou' them?" Hagrid asked him as he started to prepare tea. "Did they have row or somethin' like tha'?"
"I don't know exactly what happened but…I think they did have a row, coz that's what Harry told me."
"Ah. I see…Hermione came 'ere righ' after the holidays started. I think she also had a problem with Harry at tha' time…"
"Really?"
"Yeah. Tha' was when Harry knew Sirius was dead."
"Oh…"
"They sorta had a misunderstanding."
"Do you have any idea how I can make them talk to each other like the usual?"
"Sorry, Ron but…I dunno." With these words, Ron felt really hopeless. But while he was walking his way back to the castle, an idea occurred to him. He hurriedly went to the boys' dormitory and pulled out pieces of parchment and a quill from his bag. He felt pleased with himself as he thought of his plan that was going to work, eventually. Before going down to the Great Hall for dinner, he saw Ginny in the Common Room.
"Hi Ginny," he greeted her. He forced a smile off his face. Ginny looked up at him and knew that Ron needed something.
"What do you want?" Ginny asked him, trying not to sound too rude. She eyed him suspiciously, looking for signs of guilt from his face.
Ron took 2 small pieces of rolled parchment from his pocket and handed them to Ginny. "Will you please give those to Harry and Hermione?"
"What's this for?" she asked him.
"It's none of your business," Ron answered. "Just give it to them. One for Harry, one for Hermione. Okay?"
Although Ginny didn't seem convinced by this, she nodded and said, "Okay." She handed one to Harry when she reached the Great Hall.
"What's this?" Harry asked her.
"I don't know," Ginny answered him. "Ron just asked me to give it to you." She immediately left after that, as to avoid further questioning. Unfortunately, the same question was asked when she gave the parchment to Hermione. She answered the same answer that she gave Harry. Hermione unrolled the small parchment and read it carefully. It said:
Be in the Common Room at exactly 12:00 midnight. I want to tell you something.
Hermione scanned the paper for any more writings but there was nothing else. What did Ron want to tell me? She asked herself. It's for me to find out later.
12:00 midnight. The grandfather clock in the Gryffindor Common Room was chiming. Harry was sitting on the couch by the fire. He was waiting for Ron to show up. Like Hermione, he was wondering what Ron would be wanting to tell him. What the two of them – Harry and Hermione – didn't know was that Ron set them up. And so, Harry waited. Someone was walking towards him. He turned and saw Hermione. Harry was surprised. He can see in Hermione's eyes that she too, was surprised.
"It's you," Harry said, turning away from Hermione. "I thought you were Ron."
"I thought so too," Hermione said softly, almost in a whisper. She stood still and didn't dare move any closer. Harry turned to look at her once again, and this time he was already standing.
"What do you mean?" he asked, slightly frowning.
"Ron gave me a note," Hermione answered, avoiding Harry's eyes. "He said he'd be here."
"But…Ron gave me a note too…" Harry stared at Hermione in wonder. Then, it occurred to him. Ron set them up. He obviously wanted them to talk.
"I can't believe he'd do such thing…setting us up…"
Harry snorted. "It's a free country, isn't it?" he said mockingly, "Anyone can do whatever they want." He looked at Hermione. She still won't look at him. And he didn't like Hermione avoiding his stare. He felt more and more annoyed. He wanted to shout at her.
"I…I guess I'll go to bed," Hermione said, finally coming up with a decision. She started to walk away when Harry grabbed her arm. Hermione turned to him, and realized that she was now face to face with him. She sensed that Harry was angry with her. She can see it in his emerald-green eyes.
"You're not going anywhere!" Harry said furiously. He tried to calm himself, but he couldn't. His grip on Hermione's arm slowly tightened with every second that passed.
Hermione seemed to have made herself immune from feeling hurt, even if her arm was starting to get pink. She just stared into Harry's eyes. It has been a long time since she last got the chance to stare at him like that.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" Harry asked impatiently, still staring at Hermione. Is this the right time for him to know the truth? Hermione asked herself. She wanted to say something, but a voice inside her head was telling her to keep quiet.
Please say you can't stand not talking to me…These were the words that kept repeating inside Harry's mind. Even though he was furious with Hermione, he still missed her…a lot. He was waiting for Hermione to tell him those words but, she just stared back at him. A few more minutes passed and still, Hermione didn't dare say a word. You're getting on my nerves! He thought. Then, he sighed.
"Look," Harry said sharply. "If you really have nothing to say, then I'm leaving." With that, he started to walk away.
Follow him! Hermione's thought told her. Don't just stand there, you idiot!
Before Harry could take another step, Hermione ran towards him and hugged him from his back. Harry stopped, astounded at Hermione's actions. No matter how he wanted to push her away, he couldn't. He just can't do it. He knew that he still loved her, no matter how much it hurts. It was then that he realized that love wasn't the feeling he had for Cho. He thought he loved her, because he wanted to forget about his feelings for Hermione. But he was definitely wrong.
Tears suddenly fell from Hermione's hazel eyes. She couldn't take it anymore. She missed Harry a lot. Not to mention that she really loved him, and she just didn't want to tell him. "I hate us not talking to each other, Harry…" she said softly, crying. Harry turned to face her. He took his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped Hermione's tears.
"Don't cry," he said. Hermione, indeed, stopped crying and sniffed. She looked at Harry. He looked serious. Before she knew it, Harry had already hugged her so tight that she can barely breathe. Hermione was shocked, but she returned his hug all the same.
"I'm sorry," Hermione whispered. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings…"
"It's okay…" Harry told her. What's more important to Harry now is that he was with the girl he truly loved. He was thankful that they're going to be okay from now on.
THE NEXT MORNING…
When Ron went down for breakfast, he was surprised to see that Harry and Hermione were already there, talking.
"Am I dreaming or not?" he asked as he sat beside Harry and started eating.
"I don't know," Harry replied, smiling. "Maybe you should pinch yourself to find out." He laughed, and Hermione laughed with him.
"Nothing's funny!" Ron said heatedly. When he saw his two best friends laughing together, he was sure that this was real. They have talked things over. He smiled.
"Honestly, Ron," Hermione said, laughing, "you surely aren't sleepwalking, are you?"
"Of course not," Ron replied. His smile became broader and wider. "I just can't believe that you two are okay."
"Well, now you must believe," Harry told him.
"So that means…we're three again?" he asked them.
"Sure!" Harry and Hermione answered in unison. With this, the three of them went laughing heartily. While they were having fun, Cho suddenly came walking towards them. Ron elbowed Harry on the ribs.
"Ow!" Harry said impatiently. He glared at Ron.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.
"It's nothing," Ron replied quickly. Eventually, Harry and Hermione didn't see Cho coming. So, Ron just kept quiet and waited until Cho was right in front the three of them.
"Good morning!" Cho greeted happily as she sat beside Harry. She gave him a peck on the cheek. Harry blinked several times.
"Er…Hi Cho," Ron said. He nervously looked at Hermione. She seemed to be okay. She was still smiling.
"Hello Ron!" Cho said cheerfully. It was only then that she noticed Hermione. "Hi Hermione! I didn't notice you were here too."
"Hello," Hermione replied, feeling a little but uneasy to see her and Harry sitting beside each other.
"Do you guys mind if I take Harry with me for a while?" Cho asked them.
"No," Hermione answered. "Of course not."
With that, she stood up and grabbed Harry's arm. While she was dragging Harry away from them, Harry looked at his best friends and gave them a look that said 'Why didn't you stop her?". Before Harry could even say something, they were already standing by the beech tree. Cho didn't say anything at first. She just stared at Harry.
"Harry…" Cho said quietly, throwing her arms around Harry. Bewildered, Harry looked at Cho. She was staring at him. Her eyes were gleaming, as if they wanted to tell him something.
"What do you want?" He asked, trying his best to be at least a foot away from Cho. Their noses were nearly touching each other. He expected Cho to say something to him, but all he got for an answer was a kiss. Harry kissed back, but when he felt that it was going to take too long, he pulled away from Cho.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Cho asked him, eyes full of woe. "You've been acting odd these past few days…You suddenly changed." She moved closer to Harry and looked at his eyes. "Tell me what's wrong. I can't understand you anymore, Harry…"
Harry sighed. "Cho," he said. "I need to tell you something. But…it won't be easy, you know…I…"
"Is this about Hermione?" Cho said firmly. She didn't need to ask, because she knew that this was definitely the reason why Harry has been acting strange.
"No," Harry lied. "It's not about Hermione. It's–"
"Don't lie to me!" Cho said loudly. Harry could sense that she felt angry, and tense at the same time. "I know it's about her!"
Harry took a deep breath. "Fine," he said. "It's about her. And you too."
"Me? What do you mean?"
"Cho, listen…The truth is, I love Hermione. The only reason why I asked you to become my girlfriend is because I wanted to forget about her."
Cho felt her heart break into pieces. "No…this isn't true…Tell me that you're lying, Harry!" Tears were now falling from her eyes.
"I'm not lying," Harry told her. "It's true, Cho…I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you or anything…"
"I can't believe you'd do this to me, Harry…" Cho replied, sobbing. Without saying another word, she quietly walked her way towards the castle. Harry watched her go, feeling guilty. But he somehow felt relieved because he told her about the truth…what he really felt.
"What happened?" Hermione asked. The three of them were heading to Hogsmeade. After all, it was a Hogsmeade weekend.
"We saw Cho crying," Ron said, looking at Harry. Then, Harry suddenly stopped walking. This made Ron and Hermione stop too. He turned to face them.
"I broke up with her," he told them.
"What?" Ron said, taken aback. "You broke up with Cho Chang?" Harry just nodded and continued walking. The two followed him. Then, Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and found himself face to face with Hermione.
"Why?" she asked him. "Why did you do that?" Harry stared at her hazel eyes. Hermione stared back. She had a hunch of what the reason might be, but she knew that Harry confessed his feelings to her a long time ago. It had been a month since then anyway.
Harry gently held Hermione's hand. "Because," he whispered in her ear, "I love you." Hermione felt a sudden wind that blew and made her feel cold. It wasn't the first time that Harry said those words to her, but this time was different. Hermione felt as if she really wanted to tell Harry how much she loved him. But still, there was something inside her that's telling her not to do it.
"We better get inside," Ron said suddenly.
It was only then that Hermione noticed that Harry wasn't beside her anymore. He was already standing by the door to the Three Broomsticks. Without another word, Hermione followed the two and went in. They quickly found a table that was near the counter, so they occupied it at once.
"I'll go get us some drinks," said Ron. While he walked away, Harry and Hermione sat down.
"Hermione?" Harry said, suddenly placing his hand on top of Hermione's.
"Hmm?" Hermione replied, blushing.
"Er…regarding Cho…I wasn't serious about that relationship, you know."
Hermione's eyes widened with shock and disbelief. "What do you mean?"
"I mean…It was merely snogging and stuff…."
"Harry, I can't believe you'd do that…" Harry looked at her but Hermione avoided his eyes.
"I know…and I feel a little guilty too…but I can't help it. She needed to know the truth."
"Yeah, she deserves to know the truth but…Harry, you did that because of me? I mean…I'm not worth it and I –" Before Hermione could even say another word, Harry placed a finger on her lips, making her shut up.
"Don't say that," he said gently. "You're the greatest witch I've ever known." He smiled as he removed his finger from Hermione's lips.
Hermione didn't know whether she should smile back or not, but she did smile. "Thanks," she said. A few minutes later, Ron joined them and placed 3 glasses of butterbeer on their table. He was the first one to grab a glass.
"Let's give a toast," he said as he raised his glass, "to our friendship."
Harry and Hermione grabbed their glasses and raised them too. "To our friendship," they said together. Then, they drank altogether.
Hermione pursed her lips and placed her glass back down on the table. She looked at Ron and Harry, who were now having a conversation. She was happy that she's with the two of them once again. She can't believe that her problem with Harry would easily be solved. But deep down inside her, she felt uneasy that she was the reason why Harry and Cho broke up. She was pretty sure that the whole school would be talking about the couple's break-up during the days to come. But, she was ready for it. She must face the truth, and she always will no matter what people say or think of her.
A/N: Well, that's about it. I'll really try to post the next chapter as soon as I can. Okay:P