AN: This fic came from a few sprints on the HMS Harmony Discord Server. This fic isn't technically H/Hr but it's implied and it's more about Harry realizing that their treatment of Hermione hasn't been all that great and he wants to fix it.
On with the show!
Hermione was walking through the Gryffindor common room with Ron close at her heels.
"Hermione, can you write my transfiguration essay for me?" Ron pleaded with a goofy smile on his face that could charm her into just about anything.
"Oh, alright. But I'm only doing the introduction, the rest you have to do yourself."
"Thanks, Hermione. You are the best." Hermione smiled and sat down on the couch next to Harry who was staring at Hermione like she had sprouted a second head.
"Harry? Why are you staring at me?" Hermione said when she noticed the baffled look on her friend's face.
"You just agreed to write Ron's essay," Harry said with an odd amount of panic in his voice.
"Yeah,"
"Hermione, that's not ok."
"Yeah, well." Hermione shrugged her shoulders and opened her book bag like this was no big deal. Harry looked around and surmised that he would not get a straight answer out of Hermione in the common room. Especially since Ron was sitting there completely unphased.
"Hermione, can you come with me to the library? I want to show you something." Hermione perked up at the mention of the library and smiled at him.
"What do you want to show me?" She said, getting excited at the idea of new information.
"A book I found on defensive magic that Umbridge missed. C'mon, I think you'll like it." Harry held out his hand for her and she happily took it and he led her out of the common room and down a few hallways.
"Harry!" Hermione chastised "This is not the way to the library!"
"I know, and we can go there later but I want to talk to you for a minute." Hermione harrumphed but she let him pull her through the mostly empty halls until they got to the Room of Requirement. Harry paced back in forth three times before a door appeared to reveal almost a replica of the common room they just left.
Hermione smiled at the room Harry conjured and immediately went to the bookshelf to see what was there. "Oh, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed when she pulled her head out of the book she had found. "This is amazing but what was it that you wanted to talk about?"
Harry smiled sadly at his friend, worried that he was close to uncovering something that he didn't want to know. "Why were you ok with doing Ron's homework for him? I remember a little girl who probably would've hexed us through the stratosphere for that, so why did you agree?"
Hermione sighed sadly and sat down next to Harry, still clutching the book that she had found. "That little girl who would've hexed also didn't have any friends Harry," Hermione said pointedly without looking at him.
Harry just looked at Hermione sadly, though he understood exactly what she meant. "When I first came to Hogwarts I thought that things would be different than at my primary school. But I quickly realized that kids don't like it when you can outperform them in school. Then I became friends with you and Ron and when he first asked me to help him with his homework I was glad to help, but he started asking me to do it for him and when I refused he stopped speaking to me for a few weeks."
Harry was gobsmacked at this revelation. "Where was I during all this?"
"Chasing Sirius and Remus around the castle. The incident with the firebolt was thrown in there so you didn't notice when Ron and I had this fight. I decided that doing Ron's homework was a small price to pay for keeping my friends so I did it."
Harry was fuming by this point, "I can't believe he would do that to you. I can't believe that I was involved in this! You are so much better than having to do other's homework to keep your friends, anyone would be lucky to have you. I'm sorry that I didn't stop it." Harry couldn't help but think that Hermione had been pimping out her brain for friendship and he was implicit in the whole mess.
"It's not your fault Harry, you didn't know."
"I should have. I've had you helping me more then I should because I followed Ron's example and became a lazy arse."
"Language, Harry," Hermione argued half-heartedly. No one had stuck up for her this much and she was hesitant to argue over something small in what was becoming a monumental moment in her school career. "You never had me write your papers, and you asked for some help then did your assignments. That's different, you aren't as bad as the others."
Harry was getting a headache as he realized just how badly he had failed his friend by allowing his best mate to take control. "I'm so sorry, and I am going to fix this," Harry said with a determination that concerned Hermione.
Before she could do anything Harry had left the room and was on the way to the common room. Hermione groaned and muttered something about Gryffindors charging into half baked situations as she ran after him.
"Harry!" She yelled once she caught up to him. "What are you doing?"
"I am going to give the red-headed menace a piece of my mind. I should've stopped it in first year but I didn't, and I hope that my extreme delay hasn't damaged our friendship."
"That's not necessary, Harry."
"No, it is. You've stood up for me and stood by me when even Ron thought I was a cheating bastard, so I'm standing up for you like I should've done ever since we first met."
Hermione was quiet for a minute as she trailed after Harry, who was clearly on a mission and forgot that she was shorter than him. "Thank you." Harry whipped around at the quiet admission and saw that Hermione was truly grateful. He pulled her in for a quick hug and impulsively dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
"Anytime, Hermione," Harry said with a sad smile then pulled her the rest of the way to the common room.
As they made their way back to the common room Harry swore that he would treat his best friend with the respect and kindness that she deserved to be treated with and should have been treated with all along.
AN: There you go. I have a hard time writing Harry Potter fics and I'm hoping that one day I'll knock whatever mental block I have loose and write a long fic for these two who deserve better!
Review if you please.