1 Confusion

The morning after the Yule Ball, Harry woke up thinking about what had happened during the ball, or – more specifically – what hadn't. It didn't take much thought to arrive at the conclusion that he had been a disappointing date for Parvati, even more than Ron had been disappointing for Padma. It wasn't just the fact that he hadn't danced much. It was that he had practically ignored her. Well, he had ignored both of them. Padma had only come because her sister had been Harry's date, and being with Ron hadn't worked very well now. Had it?

Harry felt he needed to apologize to the twin girls. Easier said than done. He had never been too close to Parvati. Just talking to her in the common room didn't seem the right way to apologize, since anything she would say, except accepting the apology, would put him in a delicate situation. Talking to Padma was even a tougher problem. He only saw her at meals or when he had lessons with the Ravenclaws. None of these presented a good place for such a conversation. Harry couldn't find a solution. As usual in such situations, he asked Hermione.

"I feel like I need to apologize to Parvati and Padma for not giving them the attention they deserved at the ball. Can you help me?"

Hermione looked amused. "What do you need my help for?"

He felt embarrassed at needing to explain his feelings. "Well, Parvati clearly wanted to dance, but once Ron started ranting about you associating with the enemy, I tried to calm him down, none of us paying any attention to our dates. I feel that it was wrong, that they may have been offended, even though they found some other dance partners eventually."

"Ron behaved really childishly. You should have left him alone and paid attention to your date, though."

"I really should have, and I feel like it was my fault that..."

"Harry! You could have acted wiser with Parvati, but Padma was not your responsibility!"

He didn't accept that. "Parvati told me that Padma agreed only so she could have a chance to dance with me, and then I didn't give her any. Now I don't even know how to apologize."

Hermione gave it a thought. "I can ask Parvati to meet you somewhere, although she didn't seem upset to me after the ball. She was only talking about the nice boys from Beauxbatons and how well they danced."

"Thanks. Can you help me with Padma?"

Hermione hesitated. "We do have some lessons with them, and I also take ancient runes with her, but we've never been close, and lessons will resume only after the new year. I can try to talk to her, but I can't guarantee anything."

Harry smiled with relief. "Thank you, Hermione. You're the best!"

He managed to apologize to Parvati that same day. "I'm sorry I've been a disappointing date at the ball..."

Parvati stopped him. "I knew that you don't know how to dance. In a way, I only used you as an excuse to go to the ball, without committing to any other boy. I hope you don't mind too much."

He smiled hesitantly. "So, we're even now?"

She smiled back at him. "We are. You should speak with my sister as well, though. She really hoped to have a dance or two with you."

"Can you help me? I want to talk with her privately, just as we're talking now."

She smiled teasingly at him. "Are you sure you only want to talk with me, or with her?"

Harry blushed at the implication. "I really must apologize before even contemplating anything else."

Parvati's smile turned warmer. "You really are a treasure, you know?"

This only made him blush harder, yet she didn't mind. "Wait here," she told him. "I'll send Padma to talk here with you."

Harry didn't really know what to expect. He knew Parvati liked to tease boys, although she had not yet gone any further, as far as he could tell. He hoped her sister would be at least as nice with him, since he wasn't sure if he could handle anything else.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the passage of time. He didn't even hear the opening and closing of the door.

"I thought you wanted to talk with me." The words brought him out of his musing and he jumped in surprise, making Padma laugh.

"You are funny, you know?" she said.

He felt some embarrassment at her laughter, but then – it could also be a sign that she wasn't too mad at him. That was somewhat reassuring.

"Why do you think I'm funny?"

She smiled at him, making him feel much better. "You barely flinch at the sight of a dragon, yet a girl makes you jump," she explained.

Looking at it this way, Harry could see it was really funny.

"What did you want to talk with me?" she asked.

"I thought your sister would tell you," he noted. She just shrugged, making it clear that she had no idea what he wanted to talk about.

Harry summoned his Gryffindor courage. "Well, I feel that I disappointed you at the ball although I didn't want to. I want to apologize for my behaviour and ask for your forgiveness."

Padma looked at him, noticing how serious he was. She gave it a thought for a short moment and then smiled mischievously. "You'll have to make up for disappointing me, if you really want me to forgive you."

Harry wasn't sure what she had in mind. Having no experience with girls – and he didn't even think of Hermione as a girl until the ball – he knew nothing about what a girl might want. It was a frightening prospect all by itself. "How can I make up for that?" he asked.

"Well… How about you take me out as your date on the next Hogsmeade weekend?"

Harry felt relieved. That was something he could easily do, although it would be weird not going with Ron and Hermione, but it was a sacrifice he didn't mind, if it would make Padma forgive him. "Alright, I'll go with you next time."

He was surprised that Padma suddenly kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Harry. You won't regret this, I'm sure."

He felt overwhelmed by the kiss. Before he had time to recuperate, Padma had already left. He still noticed a certain spring in her step, something he had never seen before.

"How was it?" Hermione asked him as he came back to the common room.

"It went well, I think."

"Why do you sound so reluctant, then?"

"Before leaving, Padma kissed my cheek."

"Isn't that a good sign?"

"I suppose it is, but I don't really know what it means."

"You'll have to wait and see where that leads," she said.

Harry sat down at her side. "Why would a girl who barely knows me kiss my cheek?" he asked her, not really expecting an answer.

Hermione didn't need to think about it. "If I had some feelings to a boy who's oblivious to them, I might consider kissing him that way."

"But she hardly knows me!" he protested.

Hermione smiled. "Harry, almost everybody at school knows you to some extent, and Padma, having some lessons with us and having her sister in our house, knows you better than most girls at Hogwarts. She might have found something she likes in you. I know I found, or I wouldn't have become your friend."

"So, you think she has some feelings for me?"

"Probably. Do you have any feelings for her?"

"How would I know? She's quite pleasant to look at and she's probably about as smart as you are. I may like talking with her too, I think."

"Do you have any feelings for me?"

Harry had never expected such a question from Hermione. She was his best friend, after all. What did he really feel about her, though?

"You're my best friend! Of course I like you!"

"Only as a friend? I'm also a girl, you know."

Harry blushed crimson, recalling how she looked at the Yule Ball. "It was very evident at the ball."

"Did you like the way I looked?"

"Of course I liked it! You looked more beautiful than all the other girls. You were magnificent!"

"You could have asked me for a dance, you know."

Harry grimaced. "You wouldn't have liked it. I stepped on Parvati's feet quite a few times even during that single dance we had. It was really nice of her not to leave me in the middle of the dance."

Hermione smiled. "I made sure to use a reinforcing charm on her shoes. I doubt she even felt it when you stepped on them."

Harry smiled with relief. "That was really nice of you. Maybe I should have asked you to be my date for the ball from the start. I just didn't think."

"Why? Did you consider me too plain to invite?" He could feel her insecurity and some hurt in her voice.

"No, you're certainly the most beautiful girl in our year, at least. It was just kind of natural for me to assume you'd go with me. I felt quite lost once you said you already had a date. I was lucky that Parvati agreed."

She smiled again. "Why did you consider it natural for me to be your date?"

It took Harry a moment to find the answer, and he wasn't too sure about it either. "I think that I feel so close to you, being with you most of the time, that I thought it would be natural to act the same way during the ball. It didn't occur to me that I had to invite you until it was too late."

"I'm usually spending with Ron almost as much time as I'm spending with you, don't you think so?"

Harry frowned. "I don't think you're as close with him as you are with me. You two argue almost constantly. Besides, I feel like I always want you at my side."

"And that means..." she prompted him.

He was confused. "I don't know. Whatever it may mean, I'm still unable to find. Maybe I still need to grow up a little to understand it."

Hermione smiled at his words, although she didn't seem content with his answer. "Well, maybe... I'm almost a year older than you, and girls mature earlier than boys, as I've read. I probably shouldn't push you to find the answer already."

She paused for a moment, letting her mind refocus on the main subject of their discussion. "So, what have you talked with Padma?"

"I apologized for having disappointed her. She was willing to forgive me if I take her to the next Hogsmeade weekend, so I promised I'd take her as my date. She then kissed my cheek."

Hermione frowned for a moment and then brightened again. "Will you take me there as your date on the one after that date?"

Harry seemed confused. "Don't I always go there with you and Ron?"

She rolled her eyes, making him wonder what he said wrong. "Harry, if you take a girl for a date, then you stay mainly with her, not with other friends, unless she agrees in advance. Now, what about our date?"

Harry gulped. He wasn't sure where this was going to lead, but dating Padma and then Hermione was more than he could think of even a few days earlier. "Of course I'll take you on a date, if that's what you like. I'd be honoured to be your date."

Hermione smiled and kissed his cheek, just the way Padma had done a bit earlier, and left to her dorm, confusing Harry even more.

'She said she would consider kissing a boy if she had some feelings for him. She kissed me. Does it mean she has some feelings for me? She's my best friend. Of course she has some feelings for me. She said so herself. What does it mean, then? And what about Padma?' No matter how long he thought of it, he only came to one conclusion. 'Girls are really confusing.'