A/N: Sorry for the late update, but I don't have internet access at home so I couldn't post this chapter until now. Hope you enjoy! REVIEW!
Chapter Fourteen
-
H.G + N.L
Hermione ran into Harry later that day. Instantly, Hermione's breathing became ragged. How could she talk to Harry now? She was too upset. She took several deep breaths before speaking. "Hi," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"I had to talk to you," Harry went on. "I have an idea for my Charms essay."
His calm, easy manner infuriated Hermione. How could he act as if nothing had happened?
"What d'ya think about calming spells?"
"Calming spells?"
"I figured I'd do a study on how it affects people. Like if they do the calming spell before a test they get a better grade? Or when they're mad – stuff like that. See if it really calms a person." He paused. "What d'ya think?"
Despite her anger, Hermione got caught up in the idea. "It sounds great!" she said. "And nobody else'll do it. How'd you ever think of it?"
"I was talking to Ginny after class, and I showed her the spell, and she said, 'That'd be great for the project.'"
"Ginny gave you the idea?" Hermione couldn't keep the surprise from her voice.
"Like I said, she's pretty smart. And I take back what I said about her not being able to spell. She even taught me how to spell violets."
Anger welled up inside Hermione. "Too bad you didn't know how to spell it before you wrote all those notes," she said, and walked away in a huff.
o-o-o-o-o
Harry wasn't waiting for her in the common room before class in the morning. Hermione waited a while hoping he'd show up. She needed to talk to him. She felt terrible about yesterday. Whenever they'd had a disagreement in the past – a rare occurrence – they had talked it out. This time was different. She should have come right out and asked him what was going on. She would do that this morning if he ever showed up. Maybe he had decided to skip class. She had been tempted to do that herself. And she had never missed class before. Ever.
Finally, she swung by the boy's dormitories – he wasn't there either.
She took her time walking to class. It wouldn't have mattered to her if she were late. It wouldn't matter if she got there at all. That's what all the boy-girl nonsense was doing to her.
Ginny came out of the girl's bathrooms and joined Hermione in walking to class. "Where's Harry?" she asked.
"I don't know," Hermione said. She cast a wary glance toward Ginny. "Why?"
"No reason," Ginny said. "He usually walks with you, that's all."
Except when he walks with you, Hermione thought, but she said, "He's getting as weird as everybody else."
Ginny nodded. "It's all this boy-girl stuff. It always changes everything."
Hermione shook her head. "I don't understand any of this," she said, more to herself than to Ginny.
Standing alone in front of the classroom door, Nevile waved as the girls approached.
Hermione assumed he was waiting for Ginny. Good, she thought. With Ginny occupied with him, she could slip away and find a quiet place to think.
"Hi," Nevile said as the girls approached. Looking directly at Hermione, he said, "Can I – uh – talk to you for a minute?"
Hermione didn't notice. She was too busy scanning the hallway. Harry and Parvati stood talking near the stairs. He must've left early so he could meet her. Maybe he had even walked Parvati to class while Hermione was standing alone in the common room, waiting for him.
She looked away. Third years were scattered all over the corridor – mostly in twos! Pansy and Malfoy leaning against wall; Padma and Ron kneeling next to the door; it looked as if only Lavender stood alone.
Ginny poked her. "Mary?"
Lavender moved to one side. She wasn't alone! Dean Thomas was there, looking up at her adoringly.
The shortest person in the class and the tallest person. It seemed absurd. In spite of herself, Hermione giggled.
"Hermione," Ginny said, "Nevile wants to know if…"
Watching Lavender and Dean, Hermione said, "It's okay. You can talk to him. I don't mind."
"But I - uh - "
Ginny came to his rescue with, "He doesn't want to talk to me, Hermione. He wants to talk to you."
Hermione's attention snapped back. She looked at Nevile. "Me? You want to talk to me?"
Nevile blushed. "I - uh - "
Saying, "See ya," Ginny darted away.
"What about?" Hermione asked Nevile.
Nevile took an audible breath. "I – uh – was – uh – wondering," he said and then stopped to shift from one foot to the other.
"You were wondering what?" Hermione urged him. If he didn't hurry and say whatever it was he had to say, Professor McGonagall would come.
Nevile cleared his throat. "Wouldyougowithme" – he spoke quickly, spitting out the words as if they were all strung together – "toHogsmeadethisweekend?"
Hermione stared at him. Up until a couple of days ago, Nevile had never seemed nervous about talking to her. And now all of a sudden – what was he talking about? Where could he possibly want her to go? It must have something to do with school, she thought. "Do you need help with homework or something?"
He ran his tongue along his thin lips. "For some candy or an ice cream," he managed at last.
Hermione cocked her head to one side. "Why?"
He shrugged. "I just thought," he shrugged again, "it'd be… fun. You and me." He edged away. "But you're probably busy this weekend."
As he spoke, realization dropped inside her word by word. He was asking her for a date! Panicked, she shrieked, "Are you asking me for a date!"
Nevile's face went white. He turned on his heel and dashed off.
o-o-o-o-o
Although she tried all morning, Hermione could not keep her mind off Nevile Longbottom. Nor her eyes. They kept sliding in his direction. And every time she looked at him, he cast a grinning sidelong glance at her.
When Professor McGonagall called on her to read a passage, she couldn't find the place. When she went to pass out the test papers, she dropped them all over the floor.
Lavender poked her during Potions.
Startled, Hermione swivelled around.
Lavender held up a notebook sheet on which she had drawn a big heart encircling the initials H.G + N.L.
"Give me that," Hermione hissed. She grabbed for the paper, but Professor Snape, who had come silently down the aisle, beat her to it.
Hermione slid down in her chair and squeezed her eyes closed. Holding her breath, she waited for her teacher to show that awful, lopsided heart to the entire class.
Slowly, rhythmically, Professor Snape's heavy footsteps sounded, along the floor toward the front of the room.
Hermione opened one eye.
Professor Snape turned to face the class, holding the sheet of paper in both hands as though he were about to read it.
Hermione shut her eye.
"I'd say this entire class has a touch of spring fever," their teacher said, "except it isn't even spring." There was a lilt in the last few words.
Hermione heard a ripping sound. Her eyes flew open. She scooched to the edge of her chair and leaned out slightly into the aisle. Professor Snape was tearing the paper to shreds and dropping it into the rubbish bin.
A/N: I think that was a pretty long chapter. Does it make up for the weekend of no updates::looks hopeful: I'll try to be supersupersuper good with updates for the rest of this week, cause there won't be any updates for… let's see… four weeks. I have holidays for the first three weeks and then school camp. I know, I know, it sucks. Well, until next time…