Foreword: Sorry it took me so freakin' long to get this chapter out. I got blasted with homework, and I've finally gotten back into the gym for boxing, so my writing time is at a minimum at the moment. I did, however, get nailed with one hell of a virus, so I'm at home, away from all that junk, doing the writing I should be doing.
IMPORTANT: So basically, I finished this chapter as of last Friday, but my internet has been down all weekend, and just recently came back. I'm incredibly sorry but I didn't have any way to get it uploaded, since my internet had crashed last week, and most of this week.h
Even MORE Important: Now, before I forget, I'd like to thank all of you, especially those of you who've been with me from the very beginning. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Disclaimer: Ah yes, the legal debate… Well, currently, I'm driving a hard bargain to J.K. Rowling, so… Hopefully she'll take it, and sell the rights of Harry Potter to me. Then I'll be able to do things MY way. Heheh… Yeah, I'm a bit delusional. I don't own, and never will own Harry Potter.
When It Hits...
"This is quite odd…" Hermione murmured, as she shoved a few books into her bag. Glancing around, she noticed that the library was deathly silent, and there were no other students in sight. "It is a Thursday, so there should be at least a few people here, finishing their work." The girl shook her head and picked up her things. She had promised to spend some time with Harry, and she intended to keep it. The girl couldn't be bothered by the lack of inhabitation of the library at this point.
"Hey, hey, hey! Wait up!" Hermione sighed with relief. At least this person could speak coherent English, so apparently it wasn't Krum. However, she did get the feeling that she knew the voice of the speaker.
Cedric Diggory poked his head out from between two book shelves and waved to Hermione. "Evening, Hermione," Cedric said, as he smiled genially to her. Motioning towards her back, he said, "Do you mind if I take one of those books from you? Uh… Normally, I'd let you have it, but it's kind of a matter of life and death here…"
"Um, of course." She placed her bag back down on the table, and eyed him, "Which book, exactly?"
"Advanced Charms, Volume V, if I'm not mistaken. I figured that you'd be the only one who would conceivably have it." Cedric folded his arms and leaned against the book shelf. "Sorry to do this to you, but yeah… I think I might need it just a bit more at the moment."
"Oh, not a problem at all. I can certainly understand, Cedric." She handed him a book and slung her bag over her shoulder. "If you don't mind me asking… Why exactly are you here alone? It just strikes me as odd. If I remember correctly, you don't cram for anything. At least, that's what Harry says."
"Yeah, pretty much, he's right. More than anything, I'm hiding." Cedric shrugged, and began to leaf through the book airily. "I did want to look up a few spells, just to brush up though."
Raising an eyebrow, Hermione said, "Hiding? From what?"
"Oh, you know… This and that… Nosey people, nagging girlfriends, homework… and did I mention nagging girlfriends?" Chuckling, Cedric said, "Cho's been extremely uptight lately… Bit of a nuisance really." He waved his hand, as if to brush the subject aside, and said, "The task's on Saturday, as you know… Have you… you know, spoken to Harry?"
"Actually, I was just on my way to meeting with him…"
"Right. Is he prepared for the next task?" The Hufflepuff's eyes narrowed, and he focused on a few lines of text, reading intently. Apparently, he had found what he was looking for, as he quickly scribbled a few lines onto a piece of parchment.
Hermione tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear and bit her lip nervously, "I hope so… He's… He's got a sharp mind and is a good magician, but I'm not sure… I'm doing as much as I can to support him. I've run him through hundreds of scenarios, and given him dozens of spells, but… It's a bit of a sore subject for Harry. We usually only talk about it very briefly."
"I see… Well, I don't want to keep you any longer than necessary. I got what I need." Cedric tucked the thick tome under his arm, and began to recede back between the bookshelves. Calling from the crevice, he said, "Take care of him, will you? He needs you."
"I will… I'm always there for him." She felt as though Cedric had put emphasis on the 'you' at the end of his sentence, but the bookworm simply ignored it. It wouldn't be the first time that people tried to implicate that they should get together. But still… Hermione's gut was telling her that things had begun to change between the two of them. For better or for worse, she wasn't sure just yet. "I'm always there, no matter what." Hermione shrugged, and simply walked away.
-
It was just one of those moments. One of those sparkling gems that should be framed, and treasured for an eternity. It was a single star, daring to shine in an otherwise starless night.
Hermione felt a genuine smile grace her face, as she entered the Gryffindor Common Room silently. She quickly spied Harry, who was sitting on his favorite couch, with his hands folded in his lap. She could easily tell that he was doing his best to appear normal, but she could see the eagerness in his eyes, and the enthusiasm in his demeanor. It was all wrapped in a package of innocence. The kind of naivety that made Harry an endearing person to so many people.
'Especially me… Scratch that,' she thought, shaking her head. 'That sounds too cliché… and much too star-crossed lover-ish for my tastes. Harry and I are friends. Nothing more.' Deciding to savor the moment, the girl leaned against the wall, mainly hidden from sight, watching her friend fidget ceaselessly, as he waited for her.
"Ah! Look out!" Hermione felt a body bump into her, and turned around in time to see Neville trying his best to balance a cumbersome, potted plant in his arms. "No! Ah, no!" he cried, as he felt his grip slipping.
Hermione quickly placed her own hands on the pot, steadying it. "You know, you really should be more careful with something so fragile, Neville," she said, chiding him as she usually did.
"Thank you! Oh thank you so much! I would fail my Herbology final without this plant…" Neville looked incredibly relieved, as he thanked Hermione profusely. "Gran would be so mad at me…" He shuddered at the thought of his grandmother becoming angry with him, remembering when she had last sent him a Howler. "Hey… How come you were so close to the doorway, Hermione? I almost ran over you… sorry about that, by the way."
"Oh, er… I was just coming back from the library, and had only been in the room for a moment when you came in." Hermione felt awful. Deep within her stomach, she felt like there was an immeasurable weight sinking to the floor. Since coming to Hogwarts, and becoming friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, she had been increasingly more comfortable with lying.
And much more reliant on it.
"Oh… Right." Neville seemed satisfied with the explanation, but then again, he would never have expected somebody as righteous as Hermione to lie to him. "Ah! Oh no!" He cried, glancing into the pot. "It's drying out! Sorry, Hermione, but I really have to go. Professor Moody will kill me if I let his plant die!" With that said, he bolted up the stairs as quickly as his body would take him.
Rolling her eyes, Hermione muttered, "He really needs to work on that memory of his…" She turned back around, hoping to continue spying on Harry for a few moments.
Instead, she turned, and was greeted by the smiling face of Harry, his sparkling green eyes glistening with glee. "Hermione! I thought you might have forgotten about me," he said sheepishly.
"O-Of course not, Harry. I – er…" She was caught in a bit of a scrape, and quite off guard.
"It feels like it's been ages since we've gotten together like this," Harry mused, as his friend followed him to the ever familiar couch. He was absolutely beaming by the time he had sprawled across his favorite piece of furniture.
Hermione seated herself on the edge of the couch, which was about the only place she could be seated without literally using Harry as a couch. "Yes, it has been quite a while… I suppose we're both to blame though. There's so much going on all at once. There's hardly any time to breathe, more or less spend time with your friends."
"At least we haven't heard a peep from Rita Skeeter after that apology."
Though shocked, Hermione decided to amplify the theatrics, and dramatically said, "Harry Potter, Boy Storm-Cloud just saw the… the bright side of a situation?!"
"H-Hey…" Harry said gently, uncomfortably fidgeting in his seat. "I'm not that bad… am I?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow and chuckled a bit, "Harry, if you were the sky, the world would be drowned by now."
The Champion sat up and smiled dolefully at his feet. "I'm… not doing it on purpose… I'm really trying to be happy. Sometimes I just get a little distracted." He felt a band of warmth press against his back, and felt five fingers grip his shoulder lightly.
"I know, Harry… I know." She scooted closer to him and stared into the glowing fire in the hearth. "We'll get through this, Harry… Just one more task, and you'll be free. You'll finally be safe." She felt it most inappropriate to mention that he would also be going back to the Dursley's house. It seemed like too much of a mood killer.
Harry inadvertently leaned ever closer, until finally his head sagged, resting it upon Hermione's shoulder. "I can't wait for that… One of these years, I'm going to have a normal school term."
"Perhaps… but then again, you'd have to actually find out what normal is, Harry. One could argue that this is normal… for us at least." She held on tighter, and stroked his hair with the other hand. "It's not all bad though…"
The young man smiled fondly, as his increasingly attractive (though he still adamantly refused to allow himself to fully recognize it) friend displayed her friendly (which he also adamantly refused to perceive as anything more) affections. "I've got friends with me… And I have you to help me out of any situation I somehow manage to get myself into."
"So I'm not considered a friend now?" Amused, Hermione's lips turned into a droll smile. If there was one thing she had begun to indulge upon, it was teasing Harry. Unfortunately for him, he had a habit of setting himself up for it.
"Hm… Well, you're sorta in your own category." Harry yawned deeply and shivered a bit. It was getting quite late, and time was beginning to take its effect upon the young man.
"And that means exactly what?"
Harry disentangled himself from her, and stood up, stretching his tired, aching body. He let out a yawn and shrugged. "Man, it's getting late…" Glancing at the clock he blinked sleepily, and took a few steps towards the Boy's Dormitory.
"Wait a moment, Harry. You didn't answer my question!" Hermione stood up as well and went to his side. She felt something tugging at her, from the deepest, darkest corners of her brain. Unfortunately, the bookish girl couldn't clearly identify that something, as it was too vague.
He turned and shrugged. "I don't know right yet, Hermione." With that, Harry reached his arms out and hugged the girl tightly, whispering to her, "But it's bound to be something positive…" The fourteen year old boy let go, and stepped back. "Goodnight, Hermione."
Watching the infamous Harry Potter, but more importantly, the boy that she was proud to call a close friend, retreat to his bedroom, Hermione felt her mouth once again form into a smile. There are times in your life when you suddenly realize some things, and when you do it makes you feel as though you'd been solving a puzzle while missing half the pieces. You know that when it hits, it hits hard.
And it was just then that it hit her.
Harry was no longer "just a friend".
Author's Notes: Basically, I'm a waste of a person, haha. I should've had this out WEEKS ago. I wouldn't have had to worry about my internet kicking out if I had finished this chapter back when I should have. I really want to apologize, all of you readers. Really, sorry… Now, we're winding down towards the end of the story, folks. Hope to hear from a few of you, if you have time. Go ahead and leave me a little review, if you feel the need. I'd certainly like to hear from you all… Even if you just want to yell at me for taking so long, haha.