A/N: hmmm if I somehow legally change my name to "J.K. Rowling" would I own Harry Potter then :D ...probably not ... drat.

Ch 3: Of Confusion and Blibbering Humdingers

----

For the next few days, Harry noticed that Hermione had been avoiding him. She wasn't just simply not talking to him and making excuses to get away, she also seemed afraid to even be under his gaze. It's almost as if she knows what I thought about her when I was down in the Great Hall. Thought Harry fearfully. After Harry had left the Great Hall, he had spent the whole rest of the day shunning all attempts at human contact. He needed to think without being disturbed. What did that thought mean? It wasn't an ordinary thought for him. Most of the time he didn't think about snogging his best girl friend. But, maybe that's what Harry wanted. Maybe he wanted Hermione as a girlfriend, with no spaces to be emphasized between the two words.

After battling back and forth for hours in his own mind to determine if his earlier thought was more than just a flippant notion, Harry had come to a decision. He would rather live a life with Hermione in, than have a life without her; Even if she was dating his other best friend Ron and she would basically be seemingly flaunted in front of his eyes each and every day. Harry would never intentionally jeopardize a friendship with Hermione or Ron. He needed them. They're my best friends, and in all friendships some sacrifices are always made. Harry thought. He could not bear the thought of losing either of them because he couldn't keep his feelings in check.

Although Harry thought this to be a great conclusion to his pondering, without realizing it, he had finally admitted to himself that he did in fact have feelings for Hermione; feelings that ran far deeper than just everyday friendship. He had opened the metaphoric floodgate.

--

Harry was never that good at hiding his emotions. Now though, he was just hoping that the people around him just got bad at reading him. Harry felt that lately he was doing a pretty good job of concealing what he felt for Hermione. He would only smile whenever she came into a room, start blushing, and wiggle out of Ginny's embrace when Hermione appeared. And Ginny, well, she would huff and stomp away while Harry worried about if he looked relaxed or not in front of Hermione. I'm so sly. Thought Harry triumphantly. No one will ever know.

Harry gazed into Hermione's eyes while she was speaking and… was that a blush forming on her cheeks? Harry brushed that thought away and spent the next several minutes noticing the different shades of brown in Hermione's frizzy curls. She had never been able to tame them completely, but Harry found this little attribute of her very endearing. Ron started somewhat snuggling into those curls as he caressed her arms. Well, "caress" to Ron was roughly rubbing her arms up and down. Harry realized that he was glaring at Ron a tad bit and composed himself.

For distraction he looked back into Hermione's eyes. Instead of seeing some comfort, he saw fear and confusion. What is going on? Just as Harry quickly finished his thought, he realized what she was shocked about.

Jinxes and hexes whizzed through the air. Harry and Ron leapt to the floor, but Hermione stood to attack. She finally realized that the spells were coming from a few third years having a brawl. Her apprehension washed away. She let her guard down and she smiled to Harry to let him know that it wasn't anything serious. Harry's breath hitched and he felt like he was melting under Hermione's smile and warm brown eyes. I feel like such a girl. Only women, 'melt'. Thought Harry.

Just as he went to return a smile, things turned into a sort of slow motion for him. His face slowly moved back into fear mode as he watched stray hexes bury themselves into Hermione. He pushed himself up from lying on the hard floor and tried to catch Hermione before she fell. Harry stretched his arms out toward her limp body, but Ron got there first. Ron was under Hermione with her head resting in his lap. Harry rushed to her side and the crowd formed a circle around the trio.

"Is she okay?" one of the third years from the fight asked sadly.

Many murmurs and whispers broke out and suddenly Ron was on his feet, his face as red as his hair and he was angry. Harry caught Hermione's head right before it would have clunked on the floor. Harry stared up at Ron with shock etched into his face. Harry then recovered helped Hermione's head into his lap.

He subconsciously stroked her hair while trying to calm Ron down to convince him not to hex the younger students. Harry looked down on Hermione's face. She must have been hit with furnunculus, thought Harry gazing at the boils on the bridge of her nose. She also seemed be stunned. Harry breathed a bit easier seeing that nothing too serious had happened to Hermione. Harry clearly spoke, "ennervate" to try to wake her.

She didn't stir.

Everyone was too focused on Ron screaming at the third years to notice Harry frantically waving his wand in the air yelling ennervate. Harry stupefied Ron so that the third year would stop crying. This also proved to be a good way to get attention back to forgotten Hermione lying on the floor. As everyone looked to see where the stunner came from, some gasped at Hermione still 'asleep' on the ground.

"So why haven't you gotten her up yet Harry?" asked Seamus while laughing at a stunned Ron.

"She won't wake up," Harry yelled.

"You must be doing it wrong then," Seamus stated. "Ennervate!" spoke Seamus clearly. He wore a proud smirk on his face and turned his attention back to Harry before he realized that Hermione still did not wake.

"Ennervate! Ennervate! Ennervate! Ennervate!" screamed Seamus while waving his wand wildly.

"You're going to poke my eye out!" yelped Lavender as she whacked his wand out of his hand.

Seamus glared at her and went to retrieve his wand.

Harry put a cushioning charm on the floor, carefully placed Hermione's head down and ran from the common room. The portrait hole closed with a thud and he couldn't stop himself from hearing the blood beating loudly through his ears.

I need to get to the hospital wing.

--

Harry's trainers sounded through the halls almost as loudly as his heart banging up against his ribcage. He started down a flight of stairs right before he became blinded by a headache splitting down from his scar to the rest of his being. He screamed in agony as he tightly held his hands to his scar, willing it to cease the pain. The throbbing only intensified as he started to hear a high pitched, cold cackling, echoing through his skull. The amplified ache caused Harry to lose his balance and tumble down the steps.

His feet made frequent trips above his head as his arms scraped and bruised on the way down. Harry finally reached the bottom of the stairs when his head smacked on the linoleum. He wanted to stop the damn laughter, he wanted to cease the throbbing pain, but most of all he wanted and needed to keep going to help Hermione.

Hermione was his last thought mingled in with high laughter before he was submerged in darkness with blood pooling around his head.

Hermione…

--

Harry's eyes shot open and he frantically wiped the sweat from his brow. "Her-" he started to yell, before he recognized that he was safely in his own bed and Hermione must be fine in hers. He shook slightly and kept repeating in his mind: It was just a dream, over and over until he could pretend that it had finally sunk in.

He softly touched his fingers to his scar and hissed as it stung a bit. It was going to be another sleepless night for Harry James Potter.

For Hermione, the next few days went on without any strange dreams occurring. Hermione would still go into a state of trepidation whenever Harry was near though. And boy, was he around a lot. She wasn't sure whether she was trembling under his startling emerald gaze for emotional reasons, or afraid that seeing him would provoke a reoccurrence of her nightmare. All that she did know was: that she truly didn't know. She didn't know why she blushed and her pulse quickened when he flashed his practically trademarked smile. She didn't know why whenever they made eye contact she felt…happy; giddy even. And she would never even try to begin to explain how her heart seemed to be floating, fluttering, and heavy, all at the same time. The somewhat hidden face of apprehension, along with Hermione's shuddering was not lost on Harry, but it obviously was on Ron. He just assumed that she was cold. He turned to Hermione, snaked his arm around her waist, and pressed his body up against her. He rubbed her arms lightly to make friction to warm her.

Yes Ron, that's what the dread on my face means: that I'm cold, thought Hermione sarcastically before pulling roughly away from his embrace.

Harry's face betrayed him as a flicker a shock, yet joy washed down his face. Hermione eyed Harry suspiciously, thinking that maybe it was a trick of the lights. The many lights…Wait what! This laid back day of hanging out in the common room was proving itself to be anything but that.

Jinxes and hexes whizzed through the air. What is going.. Hermione couldn't finish her train of thought before Harry pulled her to the floor and crouched above her as a shield. He smells so good. Thought Hermione as she subconsciously leaned back into her 'shield'. Harry's breath hitched, but she didn't notice because of the climbing levels of euphoria that coursed through her.

Who is doing that? We could maybe stop the hexes being thrown, but we might get hit with a few. We shouldn't head into a battle without a proper strategy. Besides I'm definitely fine right here…I mean because Harry is such a good friend and all I'm glad to be spending time with him...underneath him…I mean..I don't know what I mean... She was abruptly ripped from her daze. Ron suddenly realized who was throwing the curses. He stood up from the comfy couch, which was now sprouting holes, to yell at the third years. He was tired of hiding from their sporadic squabble.

"Bloody hell guys! What do you think you'r—," said Ron before he was cut short by many stray hexes.

The third years froze. The tension was weighing heavily in the room.

What has Ron been hit with?

Everyone crept out of their hiding places to crowd around Ron's still form. He was covered in boils, his teeth were enlarging, his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth, and on top of all of that; he was stunned. Hermione knelt down next to him, with his head resting in her lap. She ushered the others to move back.

She couldn't help with all of the hexes, but she could at least alleviate him of one. "Ennervate," spoke Hermione clearly, with her wand pointed at Ron.

Ron's eyes fluttered open and he tried to take in why there was a crowd standing around him. His eyes were a little glassed over as he thought; then realization sparked and his eyes flamed. Ron took in the fact that he was laying in Hermione's lap. That ebbed the anger a bit for him, but he decided that it would be much more enjoyable to yell at the third years. He jumped up in a flash and Hermione toppled over a bit on her knees before regaining balance again. Ron opened his mouth and yelled to give the kiddies a piece of his mind, but only incoherent screams issued forth. He went bug eyed. His anger flamed up even higher as he started to get in the third years faces. One of them looked as if she was about to cry.

I have to do something about this. Hermione did the first thing she could think of, "Stupefy!" She expected Ron to be stunned; and he most definitely was. The only thing Hermione was confused about was the fact that one other stunner was shot through the air, simultaneous to hers. Everyone in the room giggled a little at this way to shut Ron up. Hermione's eyes searched the room for the culprit; they landed on Harry. Once Harry saw her looking, he averted his gaze and gave a little cough; feigning innocence. She couldn't help but just smile at him giddily.

He returned a smirk with as much enthusiasm. Harry strolled over to her. His chuckling about the situation was like a sweet melody and it put Hermione at ease.

"Well, I'll go get Madame Pomfrey. We'd probably get someone in trouble if Snape saw us dragging or levitating Ron through the hallways," Harry said through everyone's fits of giggles.

--

Most of the crowd slowly returned to their days and many couldn't leave before giving Hermione a nod of approval for her stunning action. No one had ever seen Hermione act even the least bit capricious and seeing it today showed her in a whole new light to them. Many of them still mingled around the common room though, either waiting for more action or doing some homework.

Hermione just closed her eyes and leaned up against the back of the partially tattered couch with Ron's head in her lap. She was beginning to feel content and even smiled truly for the second time that day. She normally wouldn't find humor in this kind of situation; Well the "normal" Hermione that doesn't have weird dreams and doesn't think 24/7 about Harry Potter wouldn't. H

er happiness suddenly subsided. Fear and emptiness sunk into her very being. What is wrong with me?

It only took one more second of thought before she somehow was positive about what exactly it was. Harry.

A loud thud resounded around the common room, hushing all of the inhabitants. Ron's head smacking the floor after being dropped from Hermione's lap caused a lot of puzzled stares. At first Hermione felt that the people around her deserved an explanation because she had interrupted some of their studies, but a new feeling of urgency spread through her.

She gazed around the room wide-eyed. No one else was experiencing these phantom feelings. She fled the common room and rushed through the portrait hole, with the last, "Hermione, what's wrong?" echoing in her ears as the portrait closed.

I have to find him.

--

Hermione took the same route that she thought that Harry would take to get to the hospital wing.

The hallways were desolate. Hermione felt that the silence was booming in her eardrums.

This only caused her to run faster. The sooner I find Harry, the sooner I can be at ease, back in the common room studying. There probably isn't even anything wrong. I'm probably just paranoid.

Hermione ran down the stairs and skipped the last few. She was expecting to just land on level ground, but her feet hit something.. squashy. Whaaa..

She tumbled over and smacked her head on the floor; the floor where her feet were supposed to land. Ow. Hermione tenderly rubbed the spot of her head that she slammed on the linoleum.

She closed her eyes, willing them to go back into normal focus once she opened them again. While her eyes remained closed, she tried to take in what was going on around through the spinning of her brain.

The silence still remained booming, maybe even louder now since she smacked her head.

Her hand was resting in.. What! Hermione's eyes shot open. Blood? She followed the short trail of blood with her eyes and saw what it led to.

"Harry! Harry! Wake up!" Hermione gasped through sobs.

She shook him lightly and held his head in her lap. His scar was bleeding and the color contrasted greatly with the paling of his face.

Hermione reached inside of her robes, frantically searching for her wand. Her search was fruitless and she thought back to the common room.

Her wand was dropped to the floor right beside Ron's dropped head. Now she was starting to panic even more so.

Hermione's heart raced in her chest and she could hear it thudding loudly in her ears along with the booming silence and her sniffles and sobs.

Then she did the only thing that she could think of: run, yell, and scream until she found help.

"Help! Help, please, somebody!" Hermione shouted.

She felt so utterly helpless.

While running through the halls with her arms flailing she did not believe that she was the same strong witch that she had been back in the common room.

She felt like the little muggle girl that she once was. That little muggle girl was made fun of, pushed in the mud, teased, and couldn't protect herself; let alone save someone else.

Hermione felt weak.

She ran faster and faster through the hallways. Hermione's feet echoed loudly along her path. She built up more speed to grab onto a corner of wall to make a quick turn.

She wasn't sure where she was running. She wasn't sure when her voice had become so hoarse from all the screaming. She also wasn't sure about why people today stay cooped up in their rooms instead of going through the hallways to get to the outdoors.

She built up more speed and swung herself around another corner.

With all of the momentum that she could muster, she ended up swinging herself into an unknown person. Hermione quickly picked herself up off the floor, smoothed out her skirt, and looked to see whom her and Harry's rescuer was.

A veil of blonde hair covered her face, but Hermione could tell that the girl on the floor before her was none other than Luna Lovegood. She pulled herself up from the ground fairly gracefully.

Hermione looked into Luna's eyes that seemed to be staring straight through her, or even into her. Luna then shook her head as if trying to wake herself and her orange radish earrings flung about.

"Why, hello, Hermione! Why were you running so fast? Was a blibbering humdinger on your trail? I think that they've taken up residency in the walls. Gotta watch out for those ones, you do," said Luna speculatively, "There was this one time --," started Luna, but then she was cut off.

"Luna, you have to listen! Harry is a few corridors over, and he's hurt," yelled Hermione sadly, "You need to come with me so that I can use your wand to help him!"

Hermione tugged on Luna's hand urgently and tried to drag her down the hallway to Harry. Hermione didn't know where Luna's wand was and didn't think that it would be right just to do a full body search and then steal the wand to help Harry.

Hermione wasn't positive what exactly she would be able to do with the wand when she finally got it to Harry. The hospital wing was too far and she decided that she could at least see if 'ennervate' would wake him. She couldn't think clearly in this frazzled state.

Luna then answered back dazedly, "Hmmm, maybe."

"What do you mean maybe!" screamed Hermione.

"Well, it's just that it doesn't matter much," Luna replied.

"You're wasting time! Come on!" begged Hermione desperately.

"It's just that… you're going to wake up," answered Luna. Hermione breathed, "Whaaa.."

--

And then Hermione awoke, hair matted to her forehead, her eyes wide; searching her surroundings to make sure of its reality. But she could never be too sure. The dream itself seemed real also.

What's to say that Harry won't get hurt in some other way once I accept that this is "real." And that I am in fact awake? Great I can't even trust my own mind now.

Hermione pinched herself hard and quietly yelped. Only a dream. It was only a dream, only a dream. Her mind kept on continuing this mantra. She wiped the beads of perspiration off of her forehead.

I just can't stand to see him hurt.

It was going to be another sleepless night for Hermione Jane Granger.

------

A/N: sorry it took so long to get this up! now review, review,review. My motto: Review even if you think it's crap.
...I need a better motto I just thought of that one on the spur of the moment and that was obviously crap. hah. But yeah, review if you like it and if you didn't like it, make suggestions about what could make things better. ...that's all for now. :) farewell.
xox Annie

---