BTW, This story is mine, but obviously not the characters. We can, of course,
Thank JKR for them. Also, this story was inspired by, if not a total
continuation of Imogen's CARPE DIEM. So all things cute like Ginny's
wand in her hair and ANY mention of socks are all hers.
Hermione was alone at a table in the corner of the usually busy Gryffindor
common room. The fire threw shadows that danced and flickered at the pile of
books that almost hid her from view. The only sounds were crackling flames and
the scratching of a quill.
Harry glanced about for any stragglers, then sighed with relief. Most of the
students were still finishing dinner in the Great Hall and he took the opportunity to
seek out the one person in whom he felt he could confide. Maybe he could
position himself so that he could hide behind her mountain of textbooks. This
wasn't going to be easy. In fact, he could just sneak away now .
"Oh hi," mumbled Hermione, glancing up from her Arithmancy homework.
Actually, Harry wondered if it was homework. Knowing Hermione, it was probably
just her way of unwinding after a long day.
Too late, he was trapped.
"You bolted from dinner so quickly, I thought that maybe you were off to meet
with a secret lover or something." he remarked sitting opposite her and absently
poking the cushion with his wand.
Hermione snorted, but paused in her scribbling long enough to look quizzically at
him.
"What are you doing up here right now? Don't you have Quidditch practice
tonight?"
"What?" .Oh, no!. Practice! Harry groaned and let his head drop onto the table
and covered it with his arms. How was he going to explain to the team that he'd
forgotten practice? "Er, sorry to let you down, but my girlfriend is making me act
like a stupid git"?
"All right," Hermione put down her quill and turned her full attention to him.
"Something serious must be up if you've forgotten Quidditch. We take on
Ravenclaw in two days. Are you sick?" She wasn't entirely joking.
Harry squirmed. The chair seemed suddenly hard and uncomfortable. Did they
always keep the fire so hot in here? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
But who else could he turn to? He couldn't possibly ask Ron his opinion on the
proper way to.or rather, the idea of... At least, not when it involved his little
sister. The mere thought made his ears glow. Then the tell-tale flush spread to
the rest of his face. He got up quickly, upsetting the chair.
"Uh, sorry Hermione..I don't want to bother you. You're really busy and don't
want to be disturbed."
"Harry, you're obviously the only one disturbed around here at the
moment..Hermione studied him; slightly amused as he righted the chair and
promptly bumped into it in his haste to get away. "Is everything all right? I mean
- no one is in trouble or anything?"
"Uh, yeah. I mean, no --. Well." Harry slumped back down into his chair.
"Who? What?.Harry? "she half rose, worry appearing in her eyes. The terrible
things going on in the outside world had begun to effect all of the students at
Hogwarts. Since the return of their Master, the Death Eaters had stepped up their
campaign of terror to a scale not seen since the last days of his previous rule.
Many of their classmates were gone. A Ravenclaw boy disappeared one day and
rumor had it that his parents had gone into hiding, taking him with them. Some
were withdrawn out of fear for their safety at the school, though most generally
agreed that Hogwarts was still the safest place. Two Gryffindor Seventh Years
walked out of Divination the previous month saying that they were wasting their
time when they could be out fighting Death Eaters. One of them, Athena Sinclair,
was heard to be dead, though there was no way to confirm it. Everyone was
starting to feel the strain of never knowing, only surmising. It was getting harder
and harder to pretend that everything was all right when they knew that it wasn't.
"Oh, no - nothing like that!" Harry said hastily. He leaned across the table..
"Honest, Hermione, I haven't heard anything from the outside. You know I'd tell
you if anyone was.hurt." There were so many who could be now. No one knew.
Sitting back down, she let out a deep breath and slapped her book shut. She
smiled. "All right then. I'm listening."
Struggling to avoid her expectant gaze, Harry concentrated on the soft colors in
her quill. He stroked it lovingly. The rich browns reminded him of Ginny's
eyes...
"Harry?" Now she sounded slightly impatient.
"Umm.. alright.." He was stuck now. Might as well get it over with. "Yeah,
well..It's like ..this - umm."
He took a deep breath. How was he going to do this? His heart was actually
pounding.
". have you and. Ron.or anyone ..I mean, of course..Ron, but..uh,
you.well, you know.."
Hermione cocked her head slightly and looked puzzled. A burning twig snapped,
causing Harry to jump.
"Come again?"
".well, of course..it's .none of my. business - but then, I don't know..I
mean, it's .normal, right? Then it seems. like everyone...well, not everyone,
but you know.." Why was he acting like he was trying to talk to a boggart? He
had faced a dragon, a blast-ended skroot, Voldemort himself and even his
girlfriend when she thought she was being patronized. Why was this so difficult?
It's not like the topic was off limits. Some of his classmates talked about very little
else. In fact, they were exactly the reason Harry came to Hermione. He needed a
woman's perspective. Of course, this particular woman might very well send him
off to the library for his answers. She'd probably know at least a dozen books that
could tell him everything he needed to understand. At this point, that might
actually be preferable..
Hermione slapped her hand over Harry's. He was surprised at this show of
empathy until she pried her quill out of his fingers. It was shredded beyond
repair. She rolled her eyes resignedly and tossed it back to him. He resumed
torturing it as if there had been no interruption.
"So, you see..it's, er.sort of ..important. you know.to me-- I mean - to
both of us.. Well.not now..necessarily..but, you .know..
"Both of us? You and I?" Hermione's voice had taken on the quality of a
Kindergarten teacher with a not very bright student now. She had leaned back in
her seat and folded her arms and looked very much like Professor McGonagall.
Harry choked. "Oh, yeah -I mean.NO! ..er, not that I .that's funny.er.I
mean.I mean, that's not. funny. but - you know....well.anyhow.. have
you?" He could hear the sound of voices in the corridor as students made their
way back to the tower from dinner.
Hermione leaned over and gently took hold of both of his shoulders. She drew
him closer and very quiety said "Harry. What.Are..You...TALKING ABOUT?"
"Um..actually -- I feel, er. a lot. better now..yeah. You know - having
talked it. out and .all...well, yeah, I've really got to..yeah. go. Uh,
Quidditch you know."
Harry jumped from his seat and dived for the portrait hole, nearly colliding with a
slender girl crawling through. She had hair that was alive with every color in a
sunset. It was twisted up in a hasty knot with her wand stuck precariously
through. Her grin, which started at her large brown eyes and broke like a wave to
her lips, still made him weak-kneed, even after loving it for over a year now. He
had kissed every freckle on that face. No, best not think of that right now.
"Oh, hi?" It was more like a question.
Harry stared. Why did she have to be so pretty and so happy and confident and
so -- not going crazy with wanting him? It probably never occurred to her and he
would completely scare her off if she knew. He saw that she could tell that
something was weird. Ginny could practically read his mind..
Oh no...
"Huuh -hi.Gin.I, uh..gotta run. Bye!" He quickly kissed her, but missed her
face by several inches and made a loud smack in the air. He sprang through the
portrait hole, nearly colliding with several first years. They all grinned and
babbled excitedly, no doubt thinking that if Harry Potter was running somewhere,
there must be something dangerous and fascinating going on. It was probably
Ron's voice calling "Oi! Harry!" after him, but he didn't stop. His feet echoed
down the stairs and through the corridors. He bolted through the front doors and
took the steps in one leap. He stopped when the cold evening air hit his face. It
didn't help. To make matters worse, he had left his Firebolt back in his room. He
could borrow one. There was no way he was going back there right now. He
needed to fly. Badly.
Thank JKR for them. Also, this story was inspired by, if not a total
continuation of Imogen's CARPE DIEM. So all things cute like Ginny's
wand in her hair and ANY mention of socks are all hers.
Hermione was alone at a table in the corner of the usually busy Gryffindor
common room. The fire threw shadows that danced and flickered at the pile of
books that almost hid her from view. The only sounds were crackling flames and
the scratching of a quill.
Harry glanced about for any stragglers, then sighed with relief. Most of the
students were still finishing dinner in the Great Hall and he took the opportunity to
seek out the one person in whom he felt he could confide. Maybe he could
position himself so that he could hide behind her mountain of textbooks. This
wasn't going to be easy. In fact, he could just sneak away now .
"Oh hi," mumbled Hermione, glancing up from her Arithmancy homework.
Actually, Harry wondered if it was homework. Knowing Hermione, it was probably
just her way of unwinding after a long day.
Too late, he was trapped.
"You bolted from dinner so quickly, I thought that maybe you were off to meet
with a secret lover or something." he remarked sitting opposite her and absently
poking the cushion with his wand.
Hermione snorted, but paused in her scribbling long enough to look quizzically at
him.
"What are you doing up here right now? Don't you have Quidditch practice
tonight?"
"What?" .Oh, no!. Practice! Harry groaned and let his head drop onto the table
and covered it with his arms. How was he going to explain to the team that he'd
forgotten practice? "Er, sorry to let you down, but my girlfriend is making me act
like a stupid git"?
"All right," Hermione put down her quill and turned her full attention to him.
"Something serious must be up if you've forgotten Quidditch. We take on
Ravenclaw in two days. Are you sick?" She wasn't entirely joking.
Harry squirmed. The chair seemed suddenly hard and uncomfortable. Did they
always keep the fire so hot in here? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
But who else could he turn to? He couldn't possibly ask Ron his opinion on the
proper way to.or rather, the idea of... At least, not when it involved his little
sister. The mere thought made his ears glow. Then the tell-tale flush spread to
the rest of his face. He got up quickly, upsetting the chair.
"Uh, sorry Hermione..I don't want to bother you. You're really busy and don't
want to be disturbed."
"Harry, you're obviously the only one disturbed around here at the
moment..Hermione studied him; slightly amused as he righted the chair and
promptly bumped into it in his haste to get away. "Is everything all right? I mean
- no one is in trouble or anything?"
"Uh, yeah. I mean, no --. Well." Harry slumped back down into his chair.
"Who? What?.Harry? "she half rose, worry appearing in her eyes. The terrible
things going on in the outside world had begun to effect all of the students at
Hogwarts. Since the return of their Master, the Death Eaters had stepped up their
campaign of terror to a scale not seen since the last days of his previous rule.
Many of their classmates were gone. A Ravenclaw boy disappeared one day and
rumor had it that his parents had gone into hiding, taking him with them. Some
were withdrawn out of fear for their safety at the school, though most generally
agreed that Hogwarts was still the safest place. Two Gryffindor Seventh Years
walked out of Divination the previous month saying that they were wasting their
time when they could be out fighting Death Eaters. One of them, Athena Sinclair,
was heard to be dead, though there was no way to confirm it. Everyone was
starting to feel the strain of never knowing, only surmising. It was getting harder
and harder to pretend that everything was all right when they knew that it wasn't.
"Oh, no - nothing like that!" Harry said hastily. He leaned across the table..
"Honest, Hermione, I haven't heard anything from the outside. You know I'd tell
you if anyone was.hurt." There were so many who could be now. No one knew.
Sitting back down, she let out a deep breath and slapped her book shut. She
smiled. "All right then. I'm listening."
Struggling to avoid her expectant gaze, Harry concentrated on the soft colors in
her quill. He stroked it lovingly. The rich browns reminded him of Ginny's
eyes...
"Harry?" Now she sounded slightly impatient.
"Umm.. alright.." He was stuck now. Might as well get it over with. "Yeah,
well..It's like ..this - umm."
He took a deep breath. How was he going to do this? His heart was actually
pounding.
". have you and. Ron.or anyone ..I mean, of course..Ron, but..uh,
you.well, you know.."
Hermione cocked her head slightly and looked puzzled. A burning twig snapped,
causing Harry to jump.
"Come again?"
".well, of course..it's .none of my. business - but then, I don't know..I
mean, it's .normal, right? Then it seems. like everyone...well, not everyone,
but you know.." Why was he acting like he was trying to talk to a boggart? He
had faced a dragon, a blast-ended skroot, Voldemort himself and even his
girlfriend when she thought she was being patronized. Why was this so difficult?
It's not like the topic was off limits. Some of his classmates talked about very little
else. In fact, they were exactly the reason Harry came to Hermione. He needed a
woman's perspective. Of course, this particular woman might very well send him
off to the library for his answers. She'd probably know at least a dozen books that
could tell him everything he needed to understand. At this point, that might
actually be preferable..
Hermione slapped her hand over Harry's. He was surprised at this show of
empathy until she pried her quill out of his fingers. It was shredded beyond
repair. She rolled her eyes resignedly and tossed it back to him. He resumed
torturing it as if there had been no interruption.
"So, you see..it's, er.sort of ..important. you know.to me-- I mean - to
both of us.. Well.not now..necessarily..but, you .know..
"Both of us? You and I?" Hermione's voice had taken on the quality of a
Kindergarten teacher with a not very bright student now. She had leaned back in
her seat and folded her arms and looked very much like Professor McGonagall.
Harry choked. "Oh, yeah -I mean.NO! ..er, not that I .that's funny.er.I
mean.I mean, that's not. funny. but - you know....well.anyhow.. have
you?" He could hear the sound of voices in the corridor as students made their
way back to the tower from dinner.
Hermione leaned over and gently took hold of both of his shoulders. She drew
him closer and very quiety said "Harry. What.Are..You...TALKING ABOUT?"
"Um..actually -- I feel, er. a lot. better now..yeah. You know - having
talked it. out and .all...well, yeah, I've really got to..yeah. go. Uh,
Quidditch you know."
Harry jumped from his seat and dived for the portrait hole, nearly colliding with a
slender girl crawling through. She had hair that was alive with every color in a
sunset. It was twisted up in a hasty knot with her wand stuck precariously
through. Her grin, which started at her large brown eyes and broke like a wave to
her lips, still made him weak-kneed, even after loving it for over a year now. He
had kissed every freckle on that face. No, best not think of that right now.
"Oh, hi?" It was more like a question.
Harry stared. Why did she have to be so pretty and so happy and confident and
so -- not going crazy with wanting him? It probably never occurred to her and he
would completely scare her off if she knew. He saw that she could tell that
something was weird. Ginny could practically read his mind..
Oh no...
"Huuh -hi.Gin.I, uh..gotta run. Bye!" He quickly kissed her, but missed her
face by several inches and made a loud smack in the air. He sprang through the
portrait hole, nearly colliding with several first years. They all grinned and
babbled excitedly, no doubt thinking that if Harry Potter was running somewhere,
there must be something dangerous and fascinating going on. It was probably
Ron's voice calling "Oi! Harry!" after him, but he didn't stop. His feet echoed
down the stairs and through the corridors. He bolted through the front doors and
took the steps in one leap. He stopped when the cold evening air hit his face. It
didn't help. To make matters worse, he had left his Firebolt back in his room. He
could borrow one. There was no way he was going back there right now. He
needed to fly. Badly.