"Darling, know that you are mistaken… But Harry is coming back, so we'll have to talk about this some other time."
And before Hermione could fully comprehend what Minerva meant, she did hear Harry's return so she pushed everything she was feeling into a compartment. Immediately she schooled her features into free and easy ones to escape Harry's sharpness.
Year 2000 | 3rd Seventh of May
Chapter 4
Still at the Luncheon | Other Quidditch Players
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to be so long. I was sidetracked by couple of people." Harry sat down at Minerva's other side and served them their replenishments.
"Thank you Harry."
"Thank you Harry."
Hermione and Minerva said at the same time.
Harry chuckled and told them, "You have no idea how sometimes I get confused to whom I am talking to when I'm with you separately because of your uncanny likeness."
For a moment Hermione did not know what to say back to Harry but she knew that a slightly out-of-place reaction and her best friend would pick on it.
"But Harry dear, Ms. Granger is no fan of Quidditch." Minerva interjected.
Hermione's words caught in her throat and she choked a little because the truth is, she was about to take a jab at one of Harry's favorite things in the world, which is in absolute contrast to what he just commented on her likeness with Minerva but the woman beat her into it.
Harry laughed and at the same time stood and went to Hermione's side. Softly he ran one hand at Hermione's back to aid her little choking and of course few seconds later, he teased her… "Why choke Mione, what were you about to say?"
"Nothing." Hermione denied, and both green eyes bore into her— the olive ones sparkled in amusement, while the emeralds carried a slight worry.
"Cough out Hermione before I voice out my own speculations on what your big brain just thought." Harry insisted with now unconcealed amusement.
Hermione smacked him lightly but knew that she better tell before her bloody best friend say something outrageous or worse compromising. So she murmured her supposed retort, which was— "But I can't play Quidditch to save my life!"
Even though Hermione unclearly said those words, both her companions clearly understood them. She caught Minerva's slight worry turned into a small smirk. And Harry's laughter rang as he returned to his seat at Minerva's side. And with almost smug tone he stated, "So uncanny alike even in— dissimilarities!" He air quoted the last word and laughed some more.
It was indeed funny and Hermione could not help but let out her own laughter, a genuine one. And then Minerva's deep chuckle accompanied it. Emeralds met chocolate ones and they amazingly communicated some sense of warmth, of which they've managed to hide from the wizard with them.
"Mione, guess who took me hostage at the refreshment table until I give proper answers or rather favorable answers?" Harry asked after his laughter died down.
"Answers to what questions by whom Harry?" Hermione countered and she caught Minerva's lips twitched in amusement.
Harry shook his head and rebutted, "So alike" before giving clarification to what he was referring. "Someone wanted me to confirm that Ron wasn't lying when he said that you are not his girlfriend but his best mate."
"Ahhh…" Not the topic Hermione would want to talk about right now.
"This someone told me that at first he thought we…" Harry gestured between the two of them, "…we were 'lovers' with our 'hugging' and 'kissing', but apparently someone told him that I am loyally married to Ginny. Geez, I thought the news featured my wedding a little too much. Apparently not enough." Laughingly, Harry added, "He was a Quidditch player for the Gryffindors, you know."
Hermione shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly but internally prayed for Merlin's intervention to make Harry drop it. Words like 'girlfriend', 'lovers' and 'kissing' are truly the worst things that they could discuss right now— with Minerva with them. But she knew Harry is expecting her to play this topic without seriousness, as they have done so previously.
When she made Department Head and seemingly became more popular; Harry told her a couple of times that so and so had asked if she would be inclined to go on a date with them? Both of them would actually laugh when she would answer him with her standard answer— 'Unless she is the fairest witch, please do discourage them!'
It had become an inside joke between the two of them. Ever since she came out to Harry, she felt more and more comfortable saying something to that effect to him, but only to him… So their jesting was never done with someone else with them, not even with Ron as she has yet to figure out how to tell him… more so with the particular 'fairest witch' Hermione has in her mind and heart; something she had been carefully secreting from Harry.
"A Gryffindor Quidditch player—" Minerva remarked with mock curiosity. And then to exclude Harry, emerald eyes silently repeated, 'ANOTHER Quidditch player'.
"A supposed Quidditch player, but I am afraid one who cannot save a goal to save his life." Harry poked humorously.
'Bloody Harry.' Hermione mentally cursed her best friend.
'And Bloody Minerva.' Hermione mentally cursed the love of her life.
Hermione finally took the bait but only to shut it down completely, shut down both Harry and Minerva…
"Truly, I don't want to be subjected to 'A Hundred Great Saves Made by Cormack McLaggen' as I rather subject myself to reading all published Quidditch books or even play the bloody game and die of it."
Harry laughed again and Hermione also heard Minerva's suppressed chuckle.
"So please Harry, I hope you told him I am unavailable to him… UNAVAILABLE like— forever."
Hermione knew that her best friend would gather her 'unavailability' in reference to her being gay. And she could only hope that the older witch would gather her 'unavailability' for anyone else, but Minerva.
"And speaking of Gryffindor Quidditch player… here comes another…"
Hermione heard Harry and directed her gaze to where he was looking and saw Oliver Wood apparently coming towards them.
"Good afternoon Harry, Hermione, and especially to my most favorite head of house." Oliver Wood charmingly greeted them.
"Oh, silence Wood," Minerva satirically replied and both Oliver and Harry laughed heartily. There is no need for anyone to explain to Hermione how an inside joke went through her three companions as her golden brain told her so. But Harry being Harry gave a brief background of the joke in order to 'include' her.
Hermione gave an obliging smile. Then half listening to Oliver as he talks to Harry and Minerva, her mind started bringing her into another path.
At today's luncheon, while older wizards and witches made up the number who braved and talked to Minerva McGonagall, the slightly younger ones who did so are observably from the Gryffindor house— a sort of duplication of last year's commemoration… Although now, Hermione had remarked an additional difference…
Of course, excluding Harry, and somehow even Ginny, George, and for sure Ron (as the Weasleys have managed to penetrate one or two walls of Minerva), Hermione had observed that young wizards and witches who at some point played Quidditch for the house team, have had less reserved exchanges with Minerva McGonagall, despite the woman now donning the Headmistress title. These Gryffindors Quidditch players seem to share a particular rapport with the woman because of the bloody wizarding sport.
The realization resulted Hermione to go down a very outlandish musing… For the very first time, Hermione found herself seriously wishing that her so-called brilliance had included the talent of flying… particularly of playing brilliant Quidditch.
'Do I now ask Harry to teach me to play Quiddtich?'
Bloody moronic thought had Hermione almost smack herself. Dear Merlin, when it comes to Minerva McGonagall, she had developed a knack of finding reasons to equally feel insecure and challenged to just push herself. Never mind that some of them are so outrageous…
Then somehow, Hermione heard her name from Oliver. "Sorry, what?" She asked Oliver and she felt more than she saw emeralds bore on her face.
"I asked, if you personally know Krum, Victor Krum? I bumped into him about two weeks ago at a Quidditch press release. I think my Hogwarts' jumper made him call-out to me. He asked if I know you… Know you...? The fellow is a bit slow eh, who does not know Golden Brain Hermione Granger?"
"Oliver—" Hermione tried to intersect because this is another topic she does not want to talk about. 'What the hell these Quidditch players are suddenly putting about…?'
But Oliver didn't hear her, or ignored her and said,"I told him that of course I know you. And I asked what does he want with you? Then he asked if it is true that you had gotten married."
"What?" Harry reacted before Hermione could.
"Yes, he asked if Hermione got married last December—" turning fully to Harry, Oliver continued, "—married to you mate!"
Harry snorted and Hermione lightly punched her olive-eyed best friend. And then she denied emerald eyes of whatever would be in them by not looking at them. And she wanted to hex Oliver for bringing up such chat.
"That fellow is a very popular and talented Quidditch player but something's must be missing in his head…"
"Mr. Wood, that is not a nice thing to say about Ms. Granger's— friend." The way the older witch said 'friend' is irritating the hell out of Hermione. She could just hear the unspoken challenge of, 'bloody green monster huh?' and she gritted her teeth, because really, she still has not gotten past the thought of Minerva with Katie or Minerva with other witches…
"I'm sorry Headmistress for the negative talk. But, well, it's true… Anyway, he asked if I know where you live because he wants to visit you. I said I don't know as I don't actually know. But do you want me to tell him in case I see him again?" Oliver asked Hermione with unconcealed disbelief in his voice.
"No." Quickly Hermione answered, probably too quickly.
"He's a big name as a Quidditch player you know…?"
"Oliver—" She started to object but Oliver interrupted her.
"Okay, okay, okay… I'm just saying… But yea, Harry said you like someone like you… Someone brainy with multiple O's in NEWTs and multiple masteries… Anyway, I'm off to go. Harry, lets play Quidditch sometime for the heck of it… Headmistress, it is really great to see you Madame. I hope to visit you at the castle sometime."
Not long after Oliver left them, Harry started a conversation that made Hermione want to murder her best friend.
"You know Mione, I'm pretty sure that Ron would rather that you date Cormack than Krum."
"Yea, right." Hermione mockingly replied to Harry. Mentally, she screamed, 'What the hell Harry?' And her best friend continued on and ignored the look she just gave him.
"Ron said that Cormack is no longer that self-absorbed fellow after he lost his father during the war…. He had become responsible; working at the Department of Magical Games and Sports, you know that Hermione… Actually, Ron said that he would support you if you want to go out with him again."
"Yes, Ron told me so. But I reminded him that I really just went at that Slug party with Cormack because of you both— but mostly because of Ron who were irritating me so much that time. You know that too Harry." Hermione knew that she was stretching with details but she wanted to set the record straight and she wanted Minerva to get it.
"I'm just repeating Ron. I didn't say I agree." Harry raised both hands in surrender.
"Then don't repeat more of it! And Harry, stop telling people of what you told Oliver.. That sounds so… so egotistical."
"Ahhh, that. I only told Oliver to dissuade him."
"Huh?"
"Last January, I saw him at Diagon Alley holding a Daily Prophet where the front page was showing your photo with your Department Head promotion and all. He then asked me if you are dating anyone. I told him to turn his charm to other witches, as he would never get past your requirement on intelligence level. Told him that you are better suited with someone like you."
'ANOTHER Quidditch Player!' Emerald eyes expressed such with accusation and Hermione called out to Merlin to rescue her. Unfortunately, Merlin seemed so busy at the moment.
"You are not interested to date Oliver? Or are you?" Harry's piercing olive eyes interrogated her far more than the voiced questions.
'Bloody Harry! Why is he asking something he knows the answer to and why bloody right now? Minerva is with them for fuck's sake! But then again, Harry has no idea about her and Minerva, or has he? Just bloody, bloody Harry!
"Harry… I just meant to say that I don't want to sound that I think I am far better..." Hermione responded to Harry and mentally she added, 'I am not. Because if I am actually with such worth, how come I could not even afford to freely love Minerva?'
"I think you are far better than anyone Mione because—
"You have no choice but to say that because I am your best friend." Hermione interrupted in a jesting manner before Harry could say something else she does not want Minerva to hear. But then Harry insisted to say more.
"You are better than anyone Mione."
"Harry—"
Harry pushed for some more, "You can't blame Ron about 'censoring your suitors'. You're our sister and we don't want you with someone less, when we believe that you deserve to be with someone who—"
"Harry—"
"—WHO will love you like no other. One who would take care of you for every second, even if you don't need taking care of."
To cover up with the shudder that went through Hermione, she just laughed at Harry and mockingly responded, "Okay Dad."
"I am serious Mione." Harry responded with dead gravity. And to make things more blade cutting if that was possible, her best friend issued a solicitation from the emerald-eyed witch with them. "Minerva, tell her she deserves no less."
"Indeed." A veteran in artfulness like no other, Minerva's automatic response sounded off without missing a beat.
Hermione completely declined her impulse to gaze at emeralds, for her chocolate ones might ask the woman of an imploring question in her heart— 'Then what must I do to deserve your love Minerva?'
So to cover her true feelings once more, Hermione sent her questioning chocolate eyes mixed with exasperation at olive ones. Her bloody best friend merely grinned at her, and then made his final blow, "See love, Minerva agrees with me. And I remember you always adhering to what she says."
Hermione is now convinced that she has enough justification to kill Harry. But Merlin finally heard her and gave the rescue she had asked awhile ago; Ron arrived back and unknowingly interfered when he joined them.
End of Chapter 4 | Year 2000 | Other Quidditch Players
AN:
I hope you are still enjoying this fic.
...And what's up with Harry huh? :)
Still borrowing from JK Rowling.