Chapter 3
Harry had thought that since Hermione's release from the Hospital Wing, he would start feeling less for her and more for Ginny. After all, he was not spending as much alone time with his best friend as he usually was during her stay in the Hospital Wing. However, seeing Hermione try to navigate her way around the enormous castle without an accident made him admire her even more. He was scaring himself when he thought of all the things he would do to just make sure she made it to the Great Hall in one piece. When he had that monster in him for Ginny, he could only imagine all the things he would do. But with Hermione, he found himself halfway accomplishing the torture he wanted to deal to the bloody students who thought it funny to put objects in Hermione's path.
Of course, he was smart enough a wizard not to tell or even hint his intentions to Hermione herself. She would be right angry if she thought Harry doubted her abilities to care for herself. It was true of course. By methods that were purely Hermione, she avoided all the 'misplaced' objects in her path and it was not uncommon for the culprit of the cruel prank to wake up with one ailment or the other. To everyone's surprise, except Harry's and Ron's, Hermione could be right scary when she was wronged.
"Harry, would you please tell Ron to quit torturing the first years out of their seats?" Hermione already had her hands full dealing with a first year girl who could not perform a correct levitation spell.
"Ron, leave the wee ickle firsties alone." Hermione shot Harry a glare when she heard Harry referring to the first years by such a name, but said nothing more since he had done, essentially, what she had requested.
Walking over to Ron, Harry leaned down to his mate's reclining position and whispered that he had seen a couple of second years in the corridor with Fanged Frisbees. If Ron was fast enough, he could catch the second years and by the end of the night, both boys would be the proud owners of new Fanged Frisbees (the one Hermione had confiscated earlier in the year had been rudely caught by the Giant Squid last term).
"Really Harry, do you have to encourage him. How did you feel first year when the upperclassmen bullied you?" Harry used to hate when Hermione's tone became exasperated and she started her sentences with 'really Harry'. However now, he did an inner Irish jig each time the words left her mouth…each time his name left her mouth.
"No one bothered to bully me, except for Malfoy of course. I am, after all, the bloody Boy-Who-Lived." Harry said.
"Well I'm sure you wouldn't have liked it much if Prefects like Ron made you get out of comfortable chairs or took away your treats!"
While the old Harry would have argued with Hermione on this, stating that if people had bullied him more often, he would have felt much more like a normal person. The old Harry would have reminded her that he had spent the first eleven years of his life and each summer there after being bullied by Dudley and his cronies of Evil. However, all Harry could do now was smile. It had been far too long since he'd seen that spark only Hermione could produce while giving him a lecture.
In seemed that Hermione had finally realized what she had said, her face crumbling and becoming softer, "Oh I'm terribly sorry Harry. I know those horrible relatives of yours did just those things when you were little."
Suddenly, Harry found himself with an armful of Hermione. She had launched herself in what she thought was his generally direction. What she did not calculate was that his chair was a bit lower than hers. Hermione blushed red when she found herself not only in Harry Potter's arms, but also in his lap.
"I swear; I leave you two alone for a few minuets and you can't keep your bleeding hands off each other. I'm quite angry Harry, you never seem to hug me like that, or with half the passion. I thought we had something special!" Both jumped apart when Ron's teasing voice was heard from behind. Of course, Hermione's surprise and blindness landed her harshly on the common room floor.
Both Ron and Harry scrambled to help her up, taking turns shooting glares at the other Gryffindors in the room snickering in the background.
"Really Ron, can't you keep yours and Harry's escapades private. You taunting me with proof of Harry's favoritism only makes me feel more left out." Hermione said while she situated herself back into her original chair.
After her accident, Ron had slowly realized that while he loved Hermione dearly, the love was more comparable to the sort he felt for his sister. He had mistaken it as romance only because she was not family. He had soon realized that while Hermione and Harry were not blood, they were still his family. After waking up from his disillusions, Ron had eagerly tucked into a large plate of chicken. Food, after all, would remain his first and most demanding love.
"Sorry Hermione, we meant to tell you, but Harry here wanted to protect me from Reta Skeeter. The romantic bloke said he couldn't stand it if my delicate reputation was tarnished by the media. I so do love a man who's willing to protect me." Ron playfully feinted into Harry's arms, making a swooning noise as Harry caught his heroically.
Hermione, and the rest of the common room, could not stop from laughing as Harry ceremoniously dropped Ron onto the common room floor.
Loudly calling out "Take this you bloody Wanker! Secret Lover indeed!" Harry trapped Ron into a rather uncomfortable looking headlock.
When Harry looked up at Hermione, ready to ask her to join him in punishing Ron, he was confronted with her heartbreaking face. It was then that Harry realized moments like these would make Hermione miss her sight even more. While others were laughing at the sight of Ron and Harry scrambling on the floor, Hermione could only conjure in her mind old tussles from before the Prince's book had cursed her. She could only rely on the sound of others' laughter to inform her that yes indeed, her two best friends were making fools of themselves.
Ron must have notice Hermione's heartbroken face as well, because he stopped wrestling with Harry and rushed to her side. As Harry watched Ron giving Hermione a rather awkward hug, he found himself halfway ready to slug his former best mate.
Luckily, logical Harry broke through in the nick of time and simply settled for rubbing Hermione's shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting way.
"I don't know why you two are making such a fuss. I always get teary eyed when confronted with displays of such passionate and true love. I do hope you'll remember little ol' me when you're both far away in your little love hut." Hermione said this as she wiped a few stray tears from the corner of her eyes.
With only a short confirming nod, both Ron and Harry tackled Hermione to the floor. Ron held her hands down as Harry ruthlessly tickled her torso. When Hermione screams of indignation soon followed with howls of laughter, Harry couldn't help but think that he would have given all the coins in his vault to hear her laugh like that for the rest of his life.