Chess destroying, O.W.L.s Results and cheek kissing. That's all there is to say.
Disclaimer: as much as I would like to be queen Rowling, I am not, I am king Miles and do not own any of her characters nor this amazing story they call Harry Potter. I am merely a long time crazy Harry Potter fan, who has very persuasive friends and too much free time.
"Oh, for fucks sake." Harry cursed for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening as he sat back in his chair and folded his arms, ignoring the bark of laughter that erupted from Ron.
"Language, Harry." Hermione huffed half-heartedly, too busy staring out of the window; the victim of her scolding had quickly informed his two friends that their Hogwarts letters were due to arrive today, she had nearly bit his head off for not telling her sooner.
"Sorry." He mumbled, all the while receiving a rather nasty glare from his king piece. "Are you ever going to let me win?" He asked the redhead in front of him who was holding his sides.
"Nope!" He answered through his laughter, popping the 'p'. "Gotta get my ego boost from somewhere, haven't I?"
"What, by destroying me in chess?" He countered, raising an eyebrow. The youngest son responded simply with an enthusiastic nod.
"They're here! They're here!" Hermione squealed, making the two wizards jump. "The letters, they're here!" She scrambled to her feet in order to open the window before spinning back around, "Ron, go get Ginny!" The brunette instructed, bouncing on her toes.
"Bloody mental." Ron mumbled under his breath as he exited the room, Hermione too anxious to hear.
"Hermione we get these letters every year; calm down." Harry grinned, biting back a chuckle as he came to stand beside her, watching the owl draw nearer.
"I am calm; thank you very much." The young witch insisted, "I'll have you know; the source of my excitement is merely because of our results." She informed in her matter-of-fact tone. "They are crucial to our future success in getting a job once we leave, so forgive me if I'm a little bouncy." She pouted, folding her arms over her chest.
Harry let out a light snort and shook his head, "As if you need to worry, you're bri- AH!" He all but dived out of the owl, flying directly towards him, Hermione following seconds later. "Sweet Merlin," The raven-haired wizard gasped, sharply turning towards the bird and giving it an accusing glare. The feathery bullet simply stuck out its leg, somewhat challenging Harry with its own stare while Hermione brushed past him to collect its delivery.
"Are they here?" Voiced Ginny, who had jumped the last three stairs and landed right in front of them.
"Yeah," Hermione squeaked, passing along both Ron's and Ginny's letters. "Oh… You open your's first Ginny; you don't have the same as us." She bit her lip in worry; Ginny simply chuckled.
"Oh please tell me that I won't be this worried next year." The youngest Weasley grinned as she tore into her letter. "Oh, thank Merlin" She sighed in relief, her smile widening. "I'm not prefect!" She fisted the air. Hermione gawked at her exclamation. "I would never be able to handle that much responsibility," The redhead added to her confused expression.
"You go, Ron." Harry nudged his best mate, breaking the silence, also presuming Hermione needed a little bit longer.
Ron slowly opened his letter, palms sweating as he pulled out the piece of parchment, the room silenced.
"Ron, mate, you alright?" Harry poked his shoulder that was currently blocking his view of the redhead's results.
"Bloody hell…" He breathed, offering the letter to Harry, who took it eagerly. Hermione appeared at his side; her hair tickling his neck as she leant forward
Astronomy: A
Care of Magical Creatures: E
Charms: E
Defence Against the Dark Arts: E
Divination: P
Herbology: E
History of Magic: P
Potions: E
Transfiguration: E
"Seven O.W.L.s…" Hermione whispered, her eyes going over the numbers again in slight surprise, a grin growing on her face, "Seven O.W.L.s! Ron, well done!" She pulled him into a swift hug before departing to find Mrs Weasley.
"Well done, mate!" Harry congratulated his friend, clapping him on the shoulder as he handed the shocked ginger his letter back.
"Merlin... Exceeds expectations in potions… Potions!" He said in disbelief, causing a bark of laughter to escape the boy beside him.
"Seven OWLs!" Mrs Weasley grinned as she thundered through the kitchen door, Hermione hot on her heels. "That's more than Fred and George combined!" She pulled her youngest son into a tight hug as he blushed to the roots of his hair from all of the attention.
"You next, Potter." Ginny smirked, nudging the Raven haired wizard with her elbow. His grip tightened on the forgotten letter in his hands.
"Yeah, let's see how well the great Harry James has performed." His best mate wheezed as his mother released him.
Harry slowly tore open the envelope, biting back his laughter at the feeling of Hermione practically buzzing with anticipation. As he lifted the flap, his brow furrowed in confusion.
There were two letters.
The young wizard carefully pulled the first letter out in curiosity, but his actions were stopped short at the sight of red and the sound of something clattering to the floor.
The moment the 15-year-old bent down to pick the pin up, he heard both Ron and Ginny gasp simultaneously. Turning it over, he was greeted with a picture of the Gryffindor badge and two words curving above and below that caused a sharp intake of breath.
'QUIDDITCH CAPTAIN'
"Yes!" The two youngest Weasleys shrieked at the same time, "Ohhhh, this year's team is going to be amazing!" Ginny declared, rubbing her hands together.
"That gives you equal status with prefects! You can use our special bathroom now and everything!" Hermione beamed, an easy smile on her face.
"Isn't that convenient." Ron mumbled under his breath. The couple went beat red as Mrs Weasley slapped his shoulder, whispering for him to be appropriate.
"Congratulations, Harry, dear." She smiled.
"Thank you." He squeaked.
"Your results, Harry." Hermione reminded him after the slight awkwardness had passed, he once again remembered the letter in his hand and pulled out the wanted information.
Astronomy: A
Care of Magical Creatures: E
Charms: E
Defence Against the Dark Arts: O
Divination: P
Herbology: E
History of Magic: D
Potions: E
Transfiguration: E
"An O in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry!" He heard Hermione squeal before he was pulled into a bone-crushing hug. She pulled back and swiftly kissed him on the cheek, noting her sharp intake of breath, presuming she was just as shocked as he was. A goofy grin had found its way onto his face when Mrs Weasley pulled him into a hug, and Ron clapped him on the back.
"Congratulations!" She squeezed him tighter before letting go, a knowing look in her eyes that made his all too present blush deepen.
"All knew that was going to happen." Ron rolled his eyes in mock dis-interest.
"I'm so proud of my boys," Hermione pulled them both into a side hug. "Look where actually listening gets you."
"Well go on then 'your highness'," Ron chuckled. "Let us see what you have achieved." He grinned as Harry felt her stiffen at his words.
"Oh come on, Hermione, you always show Harry and me up, never mind everyone else in our year." He continued.
"In the school." Harry corrected, his tone light.
"Oh, come off it, you two." The bushy-haired witch grumbles, crossing her arms.
"Well, we could just not ope-"
"No!" Hermione cried, tearing open her letter as if it held the secret of the universe. Both Harry and Ron shook their heads in amusement.
The young witch stood stock still, her eyes spreading across the parchment. Harry walked up behind her to get a better look, "So…?" he promoted; his eyes were drawn to the goosebumps that rose on her neck as she noticed his proximity. When he could drag his gaze away, he looked over the paper held tightly in Hermione's grasp. "Blimey…"
Arithmancy: O
Astronomy: O
Care of Magical Creatures: O
Charms: O
Defence Against the Dark Arts: E
Herbology: O
History of Magic: O
Potions: O
Study of Ancient Runes: O
Transfiguration: O
"Oi! Let me see," said Ron, striding over and whipping her results out of her hand. "Yep – nine "Outstandings" and one "Exceeds Expectations" in Defence Against the Dark Arts." He looked down at her, half-amused, half-exasperated. "You're actually disappointed, aren't you?"
"Hermione," Harry huffed in bewilderment, bringing a hand to rub her shoulder. "You're not seriously upset about one mark, are you? You did fantastically!" He pulled her into a hug before releasing her, only for her to be drawn into another 3 Weasley hugs.
"Oh, this is wonderful, we must celebrate, I'll get dinner started." Mrs Weasley announced, clapping her hands. "Ron, Ginny." You can help cut the vegetables." She instructed, ignoring the groans from her two children as they disappeared into the kitchen.
"You're not mad that I got a better mark in Defense, are you?" The skinny wizard cringed, wiping his hands on his pants. Hermione simply smiled and shook her head.
"Of course not, I'm proud of you," The brunette ensured softly, tilting her head to the side. "I was just worried about your ego getting too big." She shrugged, giggling at the gasp of mock offence that followed. In two quick strides, she crossed the small distance between them. "The truth hurts," Hermione said barely above a whisper before raising herself on her toes and kissing his cheek once more, lingering slightly longer. "Come on; we better go help them before they get all grumpy." She commanded lightly as she pulled away, turning in her heal and following the group.
Harry raised a hand to the spot she had kissed, the area that was now tinged pink.
These feelings he was experiencing; feelings that erupted at the slightest glimpse, the slightest touch; feelings that if he were able to bottle them up to sell, he'd make millions. They made his heart race despite feeling the most calm he had in his entire life. He wasn't sure how much longer he could last without doing something.
But what was that something?
Whatever it was, he had to do it soon.
Because he was falling, hard.