19. Her stubbornness (What? She looks cute when she is frustrated)
"Crookshanks! For the last time, come out, we are getting late!"
"Hermione?" Hermione raised her head upon hearing her name. She was hanging upside down from the foot of their bed. "What are you doing?" Harry asked. He was trying really hard to keep a straight face. Her hair was all messed up and her cheeks were red with all the blood that rushed to her head.
"Crookshanks doesn't want to get in his carrier. He is hiding under the bed and I can't get him out." It was obvious from her tone that she was very frustrated. Harry knew Hermione enough to not to laugh in this situation. He went to the bed and flopped down beside her.
"How long has this been going on?" he asked, his eyes scanning their messed up bedroom. Hermione looked around and sighed.
"He went crazy when I said he was going to stay with my mum for a week and started running from me. And he is under the bed for the past half an hour." She straightened her shoulders. "He should know better if he thinks he can deter me. If there is a challenge, I never back down." Hermione said with a determined voice, Harry could see the perseverance in her eyes. Unable to keep himself anymore, he chuckled. Hermione immediately turned her stare towards him. "You're having fun?" she asked, defying him to say yes. Harry took up the challenge and nodded as he leaned towards his girlfriend and kissed her cheek.
"Yes, I am." Hermione huffed, pushing him away from his chest. Harry grinned and kissed her again. God, he loved it when she was in a stubborn mood! Harry's grin widened when he saw Hermione smile despite herself.
"Don't be a git and get ready, Harry. We'll leave as soon as I get Crookshanks in his carrier." A hiss came from underneath the bed as soon as she finished her sentence as if saying "You wish." Harry lied down and put his hands under his head, it looked like it was going to take some time.
"I'm ready, love. We can leave if you can catch Crookshanks. You can take your time, we still have some time." Again that famous Hermione Granger death glare. Harry knew he was playing with fire but he loved teasing Hermione when she was in a competitive mood, even if she was competing with her cat. Hermione took a deep breath and lied down beside Harry.
"OK, Crookshanks," she said in a loud and clear voice. "I didn't want to go this far but…" she paused for a few seconds for effect. "If you don't come out right now, I'll ask Ron to feed you…"Another hiss was heard at the mention of Ron's name and Harry couldn't help but grin, Ron and Crookshanks were still cross with each other.
"And I'm really not sure that he is responsible enough to look after you, you know? He can just forget about you." Hermione continued in a casual voice as if she wasn't threatening her cat (for Merlin's sake!) with her best friend.
"Do you really prefer starving over staying with my parents?" When no movement was heard, Harry looked at Hermione and shook his head negatively. Hermione just looked at him and took his hand between her hands to play with his fingers as she continued offhandedly,
"Or worse, maybe he won't forget about you… and come here every day to look after you… Do you really want to see his ugly face every day, Crookshanks?" Crookshanks hissed again but this time it was louder than the previous ones. Hermione smirked at Harry triumphantly.
"I'm counting to five. If you don't come out, we're leaving without you." Hermione held up Harry's hand that she had been playing with,
"One…" and closed his little finger.
"Two…" She closed his ring finger, slightly tickling his palm as she was doing so.
"Three…" as she closed his middle finger, her own fingers caressed down his wrist, giving him goosebumps.
"Four…" Harry looked at Hermione's face as she was closing his index finger. She was enjoying her little demonstration of power, she was showing him what she could do to him with just touching his hand. She was driving him crazy and it was all because he had challenged her earlier about her control over her cat.
"Fi-" Right as she was finishing counting, Harry rolled over and kissed her on her lips, shutting her.
However, before things could get more interesting, Harry felt something poking his head and when he grudgingly looked up, he saw a pair of yellow eyes staring down at him from their headboard. Hermione moaned in protest as she looked up from beneath Harry to see why he stopped and when she saw Crookshanks, she immediately pushed Harry off of her to get her cat in her arms. But Crookshanks had other ideas. He refused Hermione and slowly, almost lazily, jumped on Harry's lap. He was acting like he had come out of his own will and not under threats. Harry chuckled as he got up to put Crookshanks in the carrier. The half-kneazle was still avoiding looking at Hermione.
"Guess he is as stubborn as his mistress." Harry said as he closed the door of the carrier.
"I'm not stubborn, I'm just determined." Hermione frowned. Harry just laughed in response and jumped on the bed beside Hermione to continue where he left of before they got interrupted. "Harry, I'm not stubborn." Harry raised his head and looked in her eyes. "What? Don't look at me like that. I am not stubborn." Harry shook his head while laughing at the irony of the situation.
"I love you," he said as he leaned down to kiss her and just before he touched her lips, he whispered "and your stubbornness." Hermione's response got muffled beneath his kiss but he suspected that it sounded a lot like "I'm not stubborn."