This was inspired by The Last Airbender fic, "Toph Called It Love," but pretty much nothing like it. Enjoy and Review!
Oh, my Potter, there are only a few days until the last movie! I'll be at the midnight previewing with my cousin and best friend. Where will you be when history is made?
oOo
Ron Called It Infuriating.
"I'm just saying," Ron Weasley continued as he and Harry walked down the stairs to the Great Hall for dinner. "It's just not right. It's… It's…"
"It's Hermione, Ron."
Ron continued as if he hadn't heard Harry speak. "I can't even begin to describe how it is. That pompous prat –"
"Hermione's our best friend. She chose who she wanted to be with and there's nothing we can do to stop her. Why can't you accept that?"
"Because of who she chose, mate. How can this not be bothering you?" He asked as the two of them pushed open the doors to the Great Hall. "Because I know it sure as hell is bothering me."
"I'm not saying it doesn't bother me. I'm saying that I'm learning to accept it. Hermione's not a child. She can take care of herself."
Ron rolled his eyes at Harry as they sat down next to Seamus and Dean.
"Hi Harry, Ron." Dean said, nodding at the two of them.
"What's wrong with him?" Seamus asked, staring at an obviously annoyed Ron who was stabbing the food in his plate angrily.
Harry answered, "He's just aggravated because of –"
"Hermione and Draco?" Dean asked knowingly.
"Yeah. He's just jealous because he wishes it was him."
"Am not! If it was anyone but Malfoy…" Ron shouted standing and suddenly throwing down his fork, causing a few people around them to turn and stare. "It's just… Infuriating!"
Harry shook his head at his best friend as he stormed out of the Great Hall.
"Hey Harry." Hermione said in an unusually cheery mood, taking Ron's seat in front of him. "What's the matter with Ron?" She asked, making a gesture toward the door where Ron had stormed out.
Dean, Seamus, and Harry exchanged knowing glances. "Nothing, Hermione. He'll get over it."
Pansy Called It Disgusting.
"How could he? It's positively disgusting!" Pansy screeched to Blaise later that evening in the Slytherin common room. "That filthy little –"
"C'mon Pans. Give Draco a break. If he's happy, be happy for him."
"If it was anyone but her!" She ranted. "You're his best friend, Blaise! Why don't you go talk him out of it? Talk some sense into him or something."
"Because of two reasons. One, I am his best friend and I'd be stupid if I ruined the one piece of happiness he's had in… well, ever. Plus, he would no doubt kill me if I ruined his relationship. Two, the war is over, Pans. There aren't a lot of people who really care about pure bloodlines anymore."
"But this is Draco. And… Granger." She said, trying to convince him of how important this was. "Things like this just don't happen."
"Well, obviously they do." Blaise sighed. "Look. You know as well as I do that Draco has absolutely no intention of destroying his relationship with Hermione –"
"Oh, so it's Hermione now, is it?"
Blaise wanted to hit her. "The point is that Draco finally has someone who doesn't put up with his bullshit, which is exactly what he needs."
"Like there aren't millions of other girls Draco could get." She started counting on her fingers, "he's rich, handsome, intelligent, funny, popular… Draco could get any girl he wants. Why her?"
Blaise raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought it'd be obvious. Hermione's the only person who's ever challenged Draco. She keeps him on his toes and isn't afraid to tell him off when he does something stupid. She comes from muggle parents, is cocky, has an attitude… The list could go on forever."
"That sounds like the exact opposite of what Draco would want."
"Exactly."
At that moment, the common room door opened and in stepped the object of their conversation. "Hey, you guys want to go get some lunch?" he asked innocently, his happy mood somewhat infectious.
Blaise gave Pansy a look that told her to keep her mouth shut, and nodded at Draco. "Sure, let's go."
Blaise Called It Understandable.
"And then I told her, 'let him do what he wants. He's almost 18 for God's sake.'" Blaise Zabini told Theodore Nott about his conversation with Pansy as the two of them headed down to the Quidditch field.
"And what did she say?"
"She slapped me."
Nott laughed. "Good 'ole Pansy, right mate?"
Blaise laughed with him. "But, seriously, I don't know why she keeps complaining. It's not like she can actually change something."
He shrugged. "Maybe she thinks she can. Draco and Hermione? I mean, come on Blaise. The poor girl's probably in shock."
"Yeah, her and almost every other person in England. No one expected it."
"Well, Pansy did like Draco." Nott pointed out. "She probably upset about that too. She probably thought she would end up with him."
"That's what we all thought, Theo." Blaise responded. "And we all thought that Hermione would end up with Weasley."
Blaise and Nott exchanged glances. "If the poor girl's only choices were between Draco and Weasley, it's no wonder she chose Draco."
"I highly doubt that was the reason she chose him, Blaise." Nott said, smirking.
"I know." Blaise responded, stretching.
"So what do you think of it?" Nott asked. "About Draco and Hermione."
Blaise thought for a second. "I'm not really sure, you know? I've been thinking about it, and I feel like a damn fool for not noticing it earlier. But I'm happy for Draco and I guess Hermione too."
"I get it."
"It's understandable though. As much as I hate to say it, they're perfect for each other. Draco's finally happy, so who are we to break apart the best relationship he ever had?"
Nott nodded. "Well said, Blaise. Well said."
Harry Called It Complicated.
Harry Potter walked into the Gryffindor common room looking for his best friend, but endeda up finding his girlfriend. "Hey Gin. Have you seen Ron?"
She looked up from the Transfiguration essay she was writing. "You mean my idiot brother? Nope, haven't seen him since breakfast. Why?"
Harry dropped down on the couch next to her and said, "He's been moping about Hermione."
Ginny sighed and let her work settle in her lap. "Again?"
"Yeah. You'd think he would've gotten over it by now."
"Well, it is Ron after all. He tends to overreact about things sometimes. It's just how he is."
Harry nodded, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "You know Gin, a few years ago I would have suspected that Hermione and Ron were going to be together when the war was over."
"You and everyone else at Hogwarts, Harry."
"But… Hermione and Malfoy? Honestly, who could've seen that coming?"
Ginny put her hand on top of her boyfriends. "No one. But you don't have to like it. All we can do is be happy for them."
"I am happy for them Gin. Well, I'm happy for Hermione at least. I…" Harry sighed, not sure how he felt about his friends choice in boyfriend. "It's complicated I guess. And it doesn't help that I have to deal with Ron. He really did love her, or he thought he did."
"I guess that –"
Slam!
"Damn Malfoy." A voice muttered accompanied by stomping through the portrait that led into the common room.
"Well, speak of the devil. It's Mr. Sunshine himself." Ginny said jovially.
"Oh, shut it Ginny." Ron nearly snarled, overhearing her .
Ginny seemed unperturbed by her brother's words. "Someone's angry," She said, smiling slightly. "He must have just seen Hermione and Draco."
Ron just stared at her. "Oh, so it's Draco now, is it?"
Ginny shrugged and picked up her quill, anger flashing in her eyes. "Hermione's my best friend. I was there with her when Victor Krum asked her to the Yule Ball. I was there when she was nearly heartbroken because of you. And now, I'll be there for her even though she's with Draco, because the poor girl needs a little happiness in her life." Ginny stood, gathering her work in her arms and standing to face her brother. "I never thought I'd be saying this, but Draco Malfoy is absolutely perfect for Hermione."
Ron's jaw dropped and he looked back and forth from his sister to his best friend. "You've got to be joking. You can't be serious."
She rolled her eyes at him and walked around the couch, pushing past her brother and out through the portrait door without another word.
Ron took Ginny's place on the sofa, and the two sat in an uncomfortable silence.
"Ginny's right, you know." Harry spoke after a few minutes.
Ron groaned. "Not you too, mate."
"You can dislike it all you want. She's right, and deep down, I think you know it."
When Ron didn't speak, Harry did.
"Sure, Malfoy can be… well, Malfoy, but he may be the best thing for Hermione right now. I don't like it either Ron, but it's Hermione's choice. And if she's happy, we'd be just as bad as Malfoy if we tried to take it away from her."
Ron didn't respond. Sighing, Harry stood, and patted Ron on the shoulder. "Give it time mate. Give it time."
Without another word spoken between the two, Harry left, leaving Ron alone with his thoughts.
Luna Called It Love
Luna Lovegood was not a stupid girl. She may have been a little off her rocker sometimes, but definitely not stupid. She just had a different way of looking at things and could see what no one else did; things that seemed completely obvious to her, but everyone else was apparently oblivious to.
It was in their eyes. It had been there for a while too. It was the way that they looked at each other. That longing, that emotion, that inevitable want that would soon overcome them both.
They acted different when the other was near. He got clumsy; whenever she was around, he went into the habit of knocking objects over or bumping into things. When he was around, she had the tendency to do stupid things and embarrass herself.
Luna saw the love blossom right before her very eyes, while everyone else attributed their change of attitude to the ending of the war. She wondered why it wasn't obvious to anyone else, because to her, the brightness around them was as obvious to her as the existence of Nargles. But then again, Luna sometimes forgot that some people don't open their eyes to the obvious.
When the two finally became a couple, Luna couldn't believe the nerve of their onlookers. Some glared out of jealousy, or rolled their eyes out of spite, or even laughed at the irony and hilarity of the situation. Some ignored them and insulted them; some went out of their way to make fun and tease. But most just stared in sheer and utter shock.
Luna tried, she really and truly did, but no one would believe her when she tried to explain. "It's love." She'd say to anyone who'd listen. But no one ever listened to her, of course. Because she was Luna.
But it was there, whether they liked it or not.
It was love.
Because, after all, it didn't get much simpler than that.
Yes, this is sort of non-canon, and it may or may not go along with the actual timeline of the book. Oh, well, the timeline isn't really important.
Reviews are loved!