Title: Harry Potter and the OMG Hermione is not ugly.

Summary: Harry has a realisation. Can be read as a companion piece to Harry's Woeful Week but can also work as a standalone I hope.

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter franchise is owned by the lovely JKR.

Harry Potter had been acting weird, Hermione observed. Of course she had first attributed it to stress, after all the past couple weeks had been crazy. The death eaters had broken out of Azkaban and Sirius was being blamed. Harry had done an interview with Rita Skeeter of all people at Hermione's own request and then subsequently saw the Quibbler being banned by Umbitch because of it. So many things had been happening. Harry's Occlumency lessons were going terribly and he was moody with her for a bit because she scolded him for not trying hard enough when he saw through Voldemort's eyes once more. Then to top it off that hag Umbish had sacked Professor Trelawney and as much as Hermione disliked the woman she conceded that even she didn't deserve that treatment.

But Harry couldn't still be mad at her could he? He was avoiding her eyes lately. And sometimes she'd catch him looking away from her as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have. She was worried that either he really did do something he shouldn't have and didn't want her to find out, or that he was still peeved with her for scolding him. She'd ask him a question sometimes and he'd give a start and answer her stuttering or in a strange high pitched or squeaky voice. She had taken to observing him and noticed that he hadn't been doing that around anyone else. She was really starting to become quite concerned. But before she could think more about Harry, she really needed to finish her transfiguration essay. She'd have time to question Harry later. For now she'd just enjoy her dessert and then head to the library. She closed her eyes and savoured the warm treacle tart, giving a small mmm of contentment while coming up with points to research in her head. The house elves (who she'd make sure to visit and thank when she could spare a minute) were really quite wonderful chefs.

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Ronald Weasley was once described as having the emotional range of a teaspoon. He was also accused of being as observant as a dead dormouse. But even Ron, with his limited capacity for observation, had noticed that something was off with his best mate. Of course, it was thanks to his favourite thing in the world that drew his attention to it: food. Ron decided he really needed to speak to his friend after he noticed Harry slowly nibbling on his treacle tart at dinner the night before. Normally Harry would devour treacle tart the way Ron ate everything else. But that wasn't the only reason Ron thought something was up. No, the more concerning thing was that while basically ignoring his favourite dessert, he was staring at Hermione eating hers. How Hermione didn't feel the weight of his gaze Ron didn't know, but that stare was usually reserved for the treacle tart rather than the person eating it. Evidently though, Hermione's mind was on her schoolwork (as usual Ron thought) as she decided to pose a question to Harry about their latest transfiguration assignment. Except, between Hermione lifting her eyes off her own dessert and training them on Harry, a strange but wonderful thing happened (in his eyes at least). Ron's glee couldn't be contained and his mirthful laughter rang out, joined by the rest of his house (sans a wide-eyed Harry and a bewildered Hermione).

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Harry had been lost in his own thoughts during dinner. He had failed to realise that his male best friend had been looking at him with a bemused and slightly worried expression as his attention was solely occupied by his female best friend. Harry didn't know how to explain it but after his disastrous date with Cho he'd been realising certain things that he didn't know how to deal with. You'd think that he'd be more worried about Umbridge or the escaped death eaters, but Harry knew decisively how he felt on those fronts. No, it was this new awareness that was bothering him. You see, Harry Potter had done a lot of thinking after his first date had gone awry. For hours he would toss and turn in his bed, trying to figure out how it had gone so wrong and what he could have done to make it better and if there was a potion he could take to make him understand girls. Harry Potter after all, was still a teenager, despite being the Chosen One or the Boy Who Lies (thought they were so clever for that one they did) or whatever hogwash the Daily Prophet was calling him these days.

Cho Chang, his first crush, had initially been the cause of his distress. You see, Harry had been very confused when Cho, on their date, had shown such animosity when speaking of Hermione. As far as Harry knew, Hermione had never really interacted with Cho, so for her name to be said with such venom by the Ravenclaw had really perplexed and unsettled him. He hadn't felt right listening to Cho speak of Hermione that way. And it hadn't felt right when Hermione had tried to explain why the date went south and what he should have done instead. Because you see, Harry was never one to lie just for the heck of it. So when Hermione had said to him "And it might have been a good idea to mention how ugly you think I am" Harry honestly refuted it because he truly didn't think she was ugly. And why should he tell a blatant lie like that? What would it accomplish?

He had gone to bed to try and clear his thoughts after the date, but he hadn't gotten any answers until the next day, with some help from a friend. So here he was, at dinner several weeks later, with an entirely new problem.

*flashback Sunday 15th February 10:30pm*

Around and around the thoughts swirled in his head. Why did Cho seem to hate Hermione so? Why was Cho angry that he wanted to meet his best friend after their date even though she was invited along? Why did Cho agree to go out with him but then tell him that Davies asked her out? Why did she come with Harry then if she preferred to be making out in public with Davies? Why was she always crying whenever she was with him? Why did she always seem to bring up the last topic he wanted to discuss with her aka Cedric? Why were they so awkward together? Why did Hermione think he should lie to Cho? Why of all lies would she want him to say she was ugly? Why? Why? Why? All Harry succeeded in doing was giving himself a major headache. He imagined himself as Wile E. Coyote holding up a help sign while staring at the anvil that's inevitably going to drop on his head, leaving a bump and several chirping birds twirling around it.

All day these thoughts had plagued him but at least he had had others around to keep him occupied. Now, laying in the dark there was just him and his mind. He knew sleep wouldn't claim him anytime soon, so he snuck out of the dorm as quietly as possible and found himself a cozy armchair near the fireplace. He leaned back and sighed forlornly. At times like this he found himself missing his parents terribly. He had never known them but he was sure that they would have been able to help him out. As it is, they were gone and he had to accept it. (He had of course, quite forgotten the mirror Sirius had gifted him, or he might have been able to at least talk to his godfather about his issues.) He stared into the fireplace, for once his mind not focused on his date, but with a new melancholic train of thought to replace it. So focused he was that he startled with an audible squeak when the portrait hole opened.

" W..Who's there?" came a voice in response to his squeal. Harry relaxed. He recognised the owner of the voice.

"It's just me Neville. Just getting in from detention with Filch I suppose?" Harry said.

He could hear the relief in Neville's voice as well when he answered yes. "What are you doing up Harry?" Neville asked.

Harry considered answering with a simple 'couldn't sleep' but for some reason in the dark stillness of the common room he felt more open than he normally would. He sighed and then said, "I had a lot on my mind, to be honest. Yesterday wasn't the greatest for me. I expected to have a pleasant day but instead it was really quite confusing. I have too many questions and no answers that I can understand."

"Why didn't you talk to Ron or Hermione about it? I'm sure they could help. Hermione is really good at figuring out stuff," Neville replied.

"I did speak to her but she really just left me feeling even more confused," confessed Harry, "And as for Ron, I really don't think he could help me here. He's probably going to be equally confused."

"Well, you can talk to me if you'd like," Neville said, hesitantly, "I'll do my best to help you if I can."

And so, Harry ended up telling him everything. He had to admit, saying everything out loud was kind of a relief. Letting it out of his head was half the battle.

He never thought that he'd be giving Harry Potter of all people advice. But he had found himself offering to listen at least and help if he could. He doubted it though, because if Hermione Granger couldn't help then how could he? But Harry was his friend and he'd do his best anyway. So when he heard what was troubling Harry, he was really quite surprised. Neville could probably actually have some answers for him. He really never expected it to be this simple. Though to Harry he was sure it wasn't. He just hoped Harry didn't get angry with him or anything if he didn't like or agree with what Neville thought. But he was a Gryffindor after all so Neville would answer anyway.

He looked at Harry whose eyes seemed to be pleading with him to give him some clarity. He certainly hoped that he would be able to help. Neville took a deep breath, "Well Harry, I'd say Cho was jealous."

"Jealous? What do you mean jealous?" Harry asked perplexed. It seemed unfathomable to him that Cho should be jealous of anything when Harry liked her so much.

"Um..well to answer your questions about why she'd be so angry about you talking to Hermione but not Ron, and why she was so annoyed when you said you would meet Hermione...it just seems that she's jealous and a bit angry of course. As Ron discovered at the Yule Ball, Hermione is a girl after all," Neville said, "To you she's your friend Hermione. To Cho she's the other girl you agreed to meet on Valentine's Day."

He didn't know why it took Neville quoting Ron for it to hit him, but it worked. Of course he always knew Hermione was a girl, even before the Yule Ball, but Hermione was in the category of friend. He'd never really thought much about it because it was him and Ron and Hermione. That was who they were. She was dear to him in the same way Ron was. But of course Cho saw it as Harry hanging out with another girl. Cho didn't see Hermione the way he did. She just saw Harry going to meet another girl.

"Wow. I don't know what to say but thanks Neville," said Harry, "I mean I really never would have thought about it like that."

"It's no problem mate. And I would hazard a guess that's why she brought up Davies asking her out. She probably wanted to see how you would react. I think...well...I think she wanted to see you be jealous too," he said.

Well that made sense to Harry now. Cho was probably trying to see if he was serious about her.

"But what about all the crying? I mean honestly Nev, I feel like every time she sees me just wants to talk about Cedric," Harry admitted, "Like sure we talked about Quidditch and stuff but it seemed...shallow really. It was really, really awkward. I mean I get we don't know each other very well yet but I don't know Luna or Ginny that well and it isn't awkward like that with either of them."

Neville had to be careful how to word his thoughts on that matter. "I think it's normal to feel somewhat awkward when you like someone," he started, "Luna and Ginny are your new friends so you aren't trying to impress them or anything so it's normal with them, but with Cho you have other feelings and so you feel more nervous around her."

Harry nodded, accepting what he was saying. But Neville wasn't finished. "The thing is mate...you and Cho aren't really a normal couple," he said.

"What do you mean by that?" Harry said, looking slightly offended.

"Well for one...you were the last person with her boyfriend before he died. I'm not saying she doesn't like you, but I think...well I think a part of Cho wants to get close to you because it helps her to feel closer to Cedric. That's why she keeps asking all these questions about him like if he mentioned her before he died," he said, and Harry's face fell.

"So you think she's just using me then?" Harry said, voice trembling slightly.

"Yes and No," he said, and hastened to explain when he saw Harry start to look confused again, "I think I agree with what Hermione told you in December. Cho does like you but she feels guilty because it's like betraying Cedric's memory. I think she isn't fully over Cedric. When a person dies, our feelings for them don't just go away after all. At the same time you're the only one who can tell her about the last moments of his life. I think Cho is conflicted and doesn't truly know what she wants. That's why she's always crying around you. Her emotions are too much for her to handle because she's fighting with herself. She hasn't moved on from her feelings for Cedric and she isn't over his death. Liking you makes her feel incredibly guilty I imagine. Someone like Davies now, there's no complications there, but with you it's definitely complicated."

Harry ran his fingers through his hair, "How in Merlin's name did you get so knowledgeable about stuff like this? Ron would never be able to give me answers like that."

He smiled at that. "Well for one most of my friends are girls. I don't know if you've noticed but I don't really fit in that well with the guys, especially in Gryffindor," he said, his voice going quieter at the end.

And despite his urge to protest, Harry knew it was true. Neville did hang out more with Luna and Ginny, and even those Hufflepuff girls Susan and Hannah, than with Dean or Seamus or other guys in their house or otherwise. "And well, I did go to the Yule Ball with Ginny. She's a great friend. She helped me to get over Hermione at least," he said.

This came as a shock to Harry. "You liked Hermione?" he said incredulously.

Neville rubbed the back of his head, "Well, yeah. Don't you remember I went with Ginny after Hermione turned me down?"

"Well, yes but I thought you just asked her because you needed a date. I didn't realise you really liked her," Harry replied.

"Of course I liked her. I thought it was really obvious too. Hermione's kind and helpful. She never looked down on me like some of the others and she always helped me out if I didn't understand something. And despite the fact that Ron didn't notice she's a girl, I always have. She's really pretty too. Sure maybe not in the way Cho and Lavender is where they have all the guys falling all over them but Hermione is her own kind of beautiful. Even Krum noticed it. And that was before she attended the ball and blew everyone's minds. I can't lie that day I was really jealous he asked her before I gathered the courage to."

Harry didn't know why his stomach was suddenly squirming.

"And I know you think she is as well," Neville said to him.

"You know I think she's what?" Harry said, having lost himself in his mind for a minute.

"Pretty. I mean you said it yourself that you wouldn't lie to Cho to say Hermione's ugly when you don't think so," Neville said, "Hermione told you that you should have said she was ugly because she knew that Cho was jealous. But I think you wouldn't have ever insulted Hermione just to get Cho, or any other girl for that matter, to like you. Right?"

Harry felt his mouth go dry as his mind tried to come up with ways to reject the statement. Except...he couldn't. He truly wouldn't put down his best friend just to impress anyone. Besides, he really didn't think Hermione was ugly. But, he'd never labelled what he thought of her either. And now that Neville said it...if he denied it he'd be lying wouldn't he? Because the more he thought about it, the more he realised that Neville was right.

He had followed Neville up to bed then, but his dreams were full of bushy hair and clear, beautiful laughter.

*end flashback*

That's what brought on Harry's current dilemma. Since that night he'd been...noticing things. Things like how Hermione's hand felt when her fingers brushed his as she took his charms essay from him to check it over. How her hair smelled when it accidentally got in his face as she squeezed past him to get to another bookshelf in the library. How her laugh made her eyes light up when the twins played a prank on the Inquisitorial Squad. He noticed how she bit her lip when she was concentrating really hard and how she'd screw up her nose when she disapproved of something. He found himself staring a little too long and being unable to concentrate well in her presence. More than once she almost caught him and he would panic or flinch away, hastily looking in the other direction.

He attempted to be casual and nonchalant, but unbeknownst to him he was failing quite spectacularly. Hermione picked up on his strange behaviour right away but simply attributed it to him being angry with her. Today however, she was absorbed in her dessert and her own thoughts. She didn't notice Harry staring at the way she chewed the tart. She also didn't notice how little attention he was paying to his own. His eyes were trained on her; he gulped as she savoured her treacle with a contented little noise of enjoyment. His own tart was merely stuck halfway on the way to his mouth, as his focus was on hers. He hadn't expected her to break out of her dessert stupor to talk about homework.

So when Hermione looked up at him he panicked. He didn't want to be caught staring after all; she'd have questions he wasn't sure he was ready to answer. And Harry was a terrible liar, especially when it came to lying to Hermione, who could spot lies from a mile away. Needless to say brown eyes met green, and Harry's treacle tart met Malfoy's face.

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Reviews help Harry come to terms with his feelings.

A/N: This story is a sort of continuation of my other story Harry's Woeful Week, but because his date with Cho is canon you should be able to understand it without having read that.