Chương 427: 11
How Exactly Does One Party Down
The new Minister of Magic paced back and forth behind his desk looking remarkably like a caged lion. Rufus Scrimgeour had been the Minister for roughly four months after being voted in immediately after Cornelius Fudge had been shown the door. It appeared that the government, and the public didn't seem to appreciate being lied to about something as important as the most feared wizard in all of history returning from the dead.
Currently the new Minister was glaring at the three people sitting in front of him at the moment, all of whom looked hardly bothered by his growing anger. The Minister could not understand how they could refuse him this one simple request. Their country needed their help, and they were adamantly refusing.
"Why can't you see how this will benefit us?' Rufus Scrimgeour asked, failing to keep the contempt from his tone. "Why do you insist on keeping the boy hidden away from me? From the public?"
"Because he is a person, not some trophy to be paraded about." Dumbledore said. "He is a sixteen year old boy."
"A sixteen year old boy who fought fully qualified Death Eaters in this very building almost six months ago. A sixteen year old boy who is the savior of our world, Albus. My god you just got finished telling me that he is better trained than most hit-wizards, and you have him in school? He should be out there! Helping us hunt down and capture Death Eaters!" Scrimgeour bellowed.
"Capturing them does little good." Amelia Bones said, crossing her legs, and smoothing her robes. "You know as well as I do Rufus that none of them will reveal anything to us. And we don't have the manpower to protect and guard the Azkaban now that the Dementors have sided with You-Know-Who. The Aurors need the ability to put the Death Eaters down permanently."
"Harry deserves the chance to be a kid." Sirius said firmly, staring at the Minister. "We swore to protect him, and do what's in his best interest. Right now, that means having him attend Hogwarts, not be the Ministry's poster boy. We've talked about this before, and while you're wasting time trying to get a chance to brainwash my godson, innocent people are being slaughtered and..."
"Sirius, that's enough." Albus said warningly. Sirius merely continued to glare at the Minister.
"I should have you all arrested for treason." Scrimgeour muttered. "Forming your own private army… Forgive me if I wonder about your true intentions. How do I know you aren't panning to overthrow the government for yourselves?"
"Because I have been offered the post of Minister no less than five times, Rufus. Five times, and I have turned it down each and every time." Dumbledore reminded the irritated man. "I am very happy as Headmaster of Hogwarts. Sirius here has no interest in governing a country…"
"If I had my way, I'd be on a beach with a bottle in one hand and a buxom blonde in the other." Sirius muttered. Amelia coughed something that sounded like Majorca, and Sirius smirked.
"Does she have to be blonde?' Amelia asked with a bit of a lurid glance, making Sirius and Dumbledore snicker.
"All we wish is to help end this conflict.' Dumbledore continued. "Had our government proved as effective as we all wished it to be, there would be no need for The Order to exist."
"Why not let me at least speak to the boy. Allow him to hear me out and make up his own mind?" Scrimgeour tried.
"Minister, I can tell you right now what he would say." Sirius remarked as he got to his feet. "He would ask you what the strategic benefit of his being seen walking in and out of the Ministry would be. When you told him that it would be to lift morale… He would shake his head and tell you that war isn't won based on the public's morale, but by the soldiers fighting it. So I will give you this bit of advice…"
Sirius turned to Amelia who was standing up as well. "Focus on your soldiers, and give them what they need to fight this war. You do that, then the Auror can do what they need to do, and then, the public's morale will take care of itself."
"Do not tell me how to do my job, Black." Scrimgeour snarled. "I don't trust you Dumbledore. You're much too secretive. Keeping the boy hidden away all this time. Training him to be your soldier. Building your 'militia'. It stinks of conspiracy. I swear you're conspiring to appear to help me to put yourself in place to topple this administration!"
"You're starting to sound as paranoid as Fudge." Sirius smirked. "You remember what happened to him?"
"We're not against you, Rufus." Amelia stated. "And we are working within the law. We just gave you six months worth of intelligence to prove to you that we're on your side. And all you can think about is getting a boy in your pocket? What happened to you Rufus?"
The minister glared hard at his former boss and punched his desk in anger.
"How do I even know this rubbish is real?" Scrimgeour motioned with his head to the large folder Dumbledore had presented at the start of their meeting. "How do I know this is not a load of claptrap to keep me distracted so you lot can swoop in and play the heroes?"
"Oh for the love of Merlin's Balls." Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Have it checked out for yourself." Dumbledore smiled politely.
"Be careful Rufus.' Amelia warned. "If you start make enemies of your allies, you may find yourself alone when you truly need help. In all the years we've known each other, have I ever given you reason to doubt me?"
"Minister," Dumbledore said respectfully as he got to his feet. "We are on your side in this war. We all want the same thing. Lord Voldemort's growing power at an end. Do not fall into the same traps as your predecessor. Do not allow those with their own agendas to influence your administration."
"Isn't that exactly what you're doing right now?' Scrimgeour asked sarcastically.
"Hardly." Dumbledore replied. "Were that the case, we would not have shared our knowledge with you." Dumbledore smiled as he bid the Minister a good day and led his compatriots out of the Minister's office.
None of them spoke until they were in the lift, heading back to the atrium of the Ministry.
"He's not going to drop it.' Amelia warned. "The Wizengamot is pressuring him to do more, while those same pure blood bigots are keeping his hands tied."
"He needs to step up and just give sign the orders and let the Aurors off their leashes." Sirius growled.
"We have other more important things on which to worry. We will deal with the Minister if and when the time comes. I still agree with you Amelia, we cannot fight this war alone." Dumbledore sighed.
"I'm still not convinced giving him all of our intelligence was wise.' Sirius said flatly. "We know Voldemort has spies within the Ministry. When he finds out what we know, he'll change his tactics, and we'll be completely in the dark again."
"You are likely correct on this. However, while he is changing his plans, his attention will be distracted, which will give us an advantage to carry out our own plans." Dumbledore reminded the younger man.
"Classic distraction." Amelia nodded. "What do we do next?"
"May I suggest convincing young Sirius of the benefits of older brunettes over younger blondes?" Dumbledore said with laughter in his voice. Both Amelia and Sirius laughed along with him as the exited the lift.
"Seriously Albus," Amelia asked when she regained control of herself. "What is it you're waiting for? Why not take the fight to the Death Eaters?"
"Amelia, we are not yet ready. We still have loose ends to tie up before we go on the offensive. And more importantly, Harry is not yet ready for the final confrontation. But… he is progressing."
Sirius smiled softly to himself as he thought of his godson who was likely preparing to watch his first Quidditch match, hopefully with the fetching Miss Granger at his side. If the victory celebrations were anything like what they were when he was in school, perhaps Harry would finally be learning all about how rewarding dating could be.
The excitement throughout the Great Hall was palpable. Today, was the first match of the Quidditch season with last year's champions, Slytherin, facing off against Gryffindor. The week leading up to today's match had been chalk full of it's usual taunts and attempts of sabotage. This year it seemed as thought the rivalry had reached a new level all together.
Katie Bell, Captain of the Gryffindor team had been escorted nearly everywhere she went by her fellow Seventh years, while Ron Weasley, the team's keeper, was constantly flanked by Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan.
Harry was actually surprised to find so many people feasting in the Great Hall so early on a Saturday morning. He, Neville and Hermione had only just sat down, when the Slytherin Quidditch team entered the Great Hall. Soon after, there started a trickle of anxious and excited students hurrying to eat, so that they could get a good seat for the match.
Harry sat across from Hermione as he normally did, but was terribly distracted as he observed his housemates offering their well wishes to the Gryffindor team. The night before, Harry had found it strange that Katie Bell, the team's captain had order the team to bed so early. Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas, Ginny Weasley, Ritchie Coote, Jack Sloper, and Dennis Creevey had packed away whatever it was they had been doing, and gone to bed without complaint, and all of them had been at the Gryffindor table when Harry, Hermione and Neville had arrived for breakfast.
Harry could see that the team appeared to be psyching themselves up in preparation for the match. Dennis Creevey was easily the most excited. The younger of the Creevey brothers was sitting between his brother, and a fellow third year girl who was laughing at the two. Harry could see hints of nervousness on the faces of the Gryffindor team with the exception of Dennis who looked ready to take on the world.
"You would think he'd be throwing up or something." Neville said as he watched Dennis. "It's his first match after all. You remember Ron's first match?"
Hermione smiled as she nodded in response to Neville. "I didn't think anyone could vomit that much."
"Well, look at how much he eats." Neville chuckled.
"I think it's cute how excited Dennis is." Hermione shrugged. "I heard Dean telling Seamus that he's a really instinctual flyer. Katie is really happy with how well he's done in practice."
"It probably helps that he's on a Nimbus two-thousand five." Neville shrugged. "It's the second best broom on the market behind the Firebolt. Colin said their parents were really happy that Dennis made the team, and got him everything he needed, even a really good broom."
Harry watched Dennis a bit longer before turning to Hermione, who was watching Dennis with a soft smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"You don't appear to be as excited for today's game as everyone else." Harry noted.
"Hermione's not really a Quidditch fan." Neville said. Hermione gave him a slight glare, and then nodded in agreement.
"I think Quidditch promotes the already out of hand House rivalry." She said, shoving her empty breakfast plate away. "I support my house when they play, but I usually go study or something during the other matches. I saw every game in my first year, but lost interest after that."
Harry noticed she kept glancing at the ceiling.
"You expecting a letter?" He asked. She nodded.
"It's been a week since I wrote to my parents, so I'm expecting a reply. They never take longer than a week, so it should be today hopefully."
"Do you not want to go to the game today?" Harry asked, returning to the original topic. Hermione turned back to him and shook her head.
"No, no. I do. You asked me to go watch it with you, and I said I would. I think it will be really interesting to watch it with you, seeing as you've never seen a game before." Hermione gave a bright smile and Neville laughed with her.
"I still think you're going to be a rabid fan by the end." Neville smirked.
Hermione smirked at Harry's indifference. She didn't think Harry would ever be as rabid a fan of Quidditch as Neville given that Harry had actually fought in life or death battles, and she was sure the adrenaline rush from that would be much more significant than from watching people chasing balls in the air. Hermione actually was certain Harry might end up falling asleep or something.
Her eyes drifted to the ceiling again as the post owls began swooping in and delivering letters, packages and paper subscriptions. Hermione began to smile hopefully as she noticed a tawny owl circling down towards her. When it landed in front of her and offered its leg, Hermione felt her stomach tighten. She removed the letter, and pushed her goblet of pumpkin juice towards the owl, who took a few drinks before taking to the air once again.
Hermione opened her letter and read, barely able to contain her smile of excitement when she reached the portion she'd been most anxious to hear back about. She read it through a second time, this time not bothering to hide her joy. When she was finished, she folded the letter and looked to Harry who was listening to Neville and Lavender, who had joined them within the last few minutes, explain about some of the traditions that he would likely be a part of during the match.
"Harry? Did you still want to come to my house for the Christmas holiday?" Hermione asked, feeling nervous that he might have changed his mind. She saw Lavender perk up out of the corner of her eye at this, but ignore it for now.
"I uh… I wrote to my parents to ask if it would be okay, and they actually said they'd be delighted if you came." Hermione shrugged. "So, if you still want to…"
Both Lavender and Neville went silent and looked between their two friends, each on the edge of their seats waiting for Harry's answer.
"I already informed Sirius that I would be accompanying you." Harry said flatly, finishing his toast.
"Great." Hermione smiled shyly. Lavender grabbed her arm and squeezed mouthing her astonishment. Hermione wanted to laugh, but refrained for now. She could go to the girl's lavatory later and scream and jump up and down for joy later.
"Oh my god, that reminds me!' Neville smacked his forehead and thankfully breaking the strange silence that had blanketed them all. "Would you two like to come to the Longbottom New year's party? My Gran hosts it every year, and it's usually a pretty good time. It'd be even better if I had some of my own friends there this year. You and Ron too, Lav."
"I can't speak for Ron, but I would love to come." Lavender smiled brightly.
"I'm sure my parents would let us go." Hermione nodded. "It sounds like it could be good."
"What is the procedure for such an event?" Harry asked. Hermione and Lavender smirked, and Neville shook his head.
"I'm sure Hermione will be able to walk you through it when the time comes, Harry." Lavender laughed. Harry simply stared at her with bewilderment as he so often did. It wasn't much later when the Great Hall began to empty as people began making their way towards the Pitch.
"We should get going." Lavender said eagerly as she got to her feet. "I want a really good seat for this one."
Hannah Abbott called out to Neville. She, and Susan Bones came running over to join their growing group as they walked out of the Great Hall.
It was an overcast day, but the snow on the ground did wonders in making it seem a lot brighter. Hermione walked in front of Harry, with Lavender at her side, clutching her arm.
"Did you really ask him to go to your house for Christmas?" She whispered frantically. Hermione nodded, still unable to believe that Harry was going to be meeting her parents. She hadn't dreamed of bringing a boy home since she was thirteen. She'd given up on such silly dreams a long time ago. People like Draco Malfoy, and Ronald Weasley made sure she believed she would be alone her whole life.
Seems they were wrong.
"I told you Hermione." Lavender gushed. "I told you there's something there."
"And I've told you that we are just friends." Hermione protested.
"Yeah, yeah." Lavender smiled, shaking her friend a bit. "But, this is a step in the right direction. Have you thought about what you might get him for Christmas?"
Hermione smiled, and nodded, glancing as covertly as she could back to Harry who was listening to Neville, Hannah and Susan. She had no doubt he was still getting an earful of Quidditch talk.
"Are you going to tell me?" Lavender asked.
Hermione shook her head as she turned back. Lavender rolled her eyes but kept on smiling.
The group, led by Hermione and Lavender climbed into the stands and found seats together that Parvati and her boyfriend Anthony Goldstein were saving for them. Neville, Hannah and Susan sat in the row below Harry, Hermione and Lavender.
Hermione watched Harry get acclimated to his situation. He gave his typical scan of the area, likely looking for the best defendable positions, as the best escape route was to jump, and they were a good hundred feet up in the air.
"You alright?" She asked, when he looked a bit troubled.
"I feel a bit cornered is all." Harry replied. Hermione knew she had been right in her thinking.
"Well, you're safe. I promise." Hermione smirked. Harry gave her a dubious look.
"Welcome to the first Quidditch match of the year!" came the amplified voice of Justin Finch-Fletchley. Hannah and Susan screamed for their Housemate. Harry looked at Hermione questioningly, wondering if he should be cheering as well. Hermione gave a small shake of her head and Harry turned back to watch the field.
"Today's match will pit last year's champions, Slytherin, against last year's runners up Gryffindor!" Finch-Fletchley continued. As he said this, seven boys dress in green and silver robes shot into the sky and did a high speed lap around the pitch, led by none other than Draco Malfoy.
A few minutes later The Gryffindor team shot around the Pitch led by Katie Bell. After both teams were introduced by Finch-Fletchley, the all landed and the two captains met in the middle of the field with Madam Hooch, who went over the rules, and made the captains shake hands before blowing her whistle to signal the start of the match. Both teams took to the air, with the keepers heading for their respective goals. A second whistle, and the Bludgeors and the Snitch were released. Madam hooch then threw the Quaffle into the air, and the match began.
Harry had been hearing about the game of Quidditch for months now. Well, longer really. Sirius was quite the fan, and always read the scores from the papers, usually upset when his Tornadoes lost.
Quidditch seemed to be one of two things on the minds of just about every boy in Hogwarts. At least in Gryffindor, anyway. It was all they talked about when they weren't talking about girls. Harry really hadn't understood why it was such a big deal.
Now, however, as he sat in the stands surrounded by hundreds of enthusiastic fans, it was easy to get sucked into it all. Now Harry felt as if he understood it a little better.
Harry decided very quickly that watching Quidditch wasn't that bad. He was actually surprised at the immense amounts of strategy involved. He admired the way the chasers on each team worked together not only in trying to score against their opponents, but also in preventing their opponents from scoring against them. It was also rather awe inspiring in the way the Beaters working almost as if their shared one consciousness. Working in tandem to direct the bludgeors at whomever appeared the biggest threat.
"I might have to tell Sirius to include some of these maneuvers in our broom fighting practices." Harry said to Hermione.
"You fight on brooms as well?" She looked a little startled.
"Of course." Harry said, turning to look at her. "You didn't really think wizards only fought with both feet on the ground, did you?"
Hermione shook her head slowly, turning back to the match. "I guess I never really imagined it until you said it. I would think it would be much more difficult to duel in the air."
Harry shrugged. "It's easier to avoid getting hit with a spell, that's for sure. It's also easier to die. If you get hit with something as simple as a stunner, you could fall off your broom and break every bone in your body. You could also try something as stupid as jumping onto an enemy's broom."
"Tell me you haven't done that." Hermione said, looking incredulous, and frightened. Harry shook his head with a soft smile, something he'd started doing a lot more these days, she'd noted.
"No." He said. "I've thought about it… but the risk was too high."
"How about you just stop thinking of things like that." Hermione suggested. Harry chuckled and turned back to the game just in time to see Slytherin score their first goal against Gryffindor.
"Don't worry, we'll get it back." Neville said to Hannah and the rest who'd groaned in defeat. "Katie's got the Quaffle."
Katie Bell soared towards the Slytherin Goal hoops with two Slytherin Chasers behind her. A Bludgeor nearly took off her head, but she saw it, and managed to roll, avoiding it altogether. She passed to Ginny Weasley, who wasn't being watched very well, and the redhead shot off, avoiding an oncoming chaser, and two bludgeors before feinting left, and shooting to the right, tying the score at ten points a piece.
With Ginny's score, every Gryffindor rose to their feet with joined hands raised in the air. They all chanted together "Well Done Gryffindor, Hear our Lion's Roar!"
Hermione had pulled Harry up by the hand, and held it aloft in hers as she chanted along with her housemates. Harry noted that Hannah Abbott had stood with Neville and cheered along as well, even though she was not a Gryffindor.
When the cheer was finished, they all sat down again, laughing, whistling and cheering. Hermione looked at Harry, her eyes bright, and her smile infectious. Harry had to smile in reply. He had actually rather enjoyed that though he had no idea why.
Lavender was giggling next to her best friend Parvati after the chant, hoping her team scored again, because it was just such good fun to get up and show support for the team. She turned to say something to Hermione when she noticed something that made her stop and grin like the cat who caught the mouse. There, resting on Harry's thigh was Harry's hand, still joined with Hermione's. She glanced slyly at her new friend, who was watching the game intently, and Lavender wondered if she was aware she was still holding hands with Harry. She decided not to say anything at the moment. Hermione deserved a little bit of innocent hand holding after all. At least… for now.
With every scarlet and gold score, the Lions would get to their feet, stomp and scream their cheers, all with joined hands to show they were united. And every time they took their seats again, Lavender would check, and smile to herself as Hermione's and Harry's hands remain joined.
"Parvati, take a look." Lavender whispered after the fifth goal Gryffindor scored.
Parvati leaned forward a bit, and glanced over to where Lavender had indicated, and her eyes bulged as she sat back.
"I thought they weren't a couple." Parvati hissed. Lavender smiled giddily.
"They aren't. But I think we're are seeing that they clearly want to be together." Lavender smiled. "She's going to try and play it off like she wasn't aware of it and all that. But I can see on her face. She knows what she's doing." Lavender fought to keep herself from giggling like a mad woman.
""Are we going to say anything?" Parvati asked, looking a bit anxious.
"Not here, we're not." Lavender said warningly. "And not in front of anyone else. We'll wait until later, when it's just the three of us."
Parvati smiled and nodded. Though she hadn't spent as much time with Hermione as Lavender had been, Parvati had striven to be a better person to Hermione, and was hoping just as Lavender that Hermione and Harry would start dating as she was certain Hermione needed someone like Harry as a boyfriend.
Hermione was very aware that she was holding Harry's hand. In fact, one might say she was hyper aware of it. She hadn't meant to keep holding his hand after the first cheer. It had just sort of happened. Yet, she couldn't really find a good reason to take her hand back, and Harry didn't seem to mind holding it.
It felt really nice. His hand was callused, and a little rough, yet, gentle at the same time. He wasn't trying to crush her hand, and his palm wasn't sweaty or anything. He held her hand almost as if it was something fragile, which given how small Hermione's hands were, that wasn't to far off.
Hermione did her best to appear unaware, or at least indifferent to the fact she was holding hands with a boy. The last thing she wanted was for someone to point it out and embarrass her, or Harry. She kept glancing at him to see if he was uncomfortable, but his face was as unreadable as ever.
Hermione decided she wanted to commit this moment to memory, and while she appeared to watch the game as intently as everyone else, she slowly rubbed the pad of her thumb along Harry's hand, memorizing every detail.
She wanted to scoot a bit closer to him, and have him put an arm around her, like Hannah and Neville in front of them. She wanted to rest her head on his shoulder, like Parvati and Anthony. It was very strange for her to feel that way. Not that she shouldn't feel desire like that. She was after all, a teenage girl, and Harry was a very attractive boy, who treated her nicely, and respectfully.
She had tried to ignore the growing feelings she had when it came to the boy next to her. He was so incredibly good. Which was part of the reason Hermione had tried to keep her distance. She knew it was going to hurt, and hurt bad when he wised up. Yet, he was still at her side after nearly three months. He trusted her above all others.
On top of that, when they talked, they had real, meaningful, deep conversations. Granted, most of it revolved around the philosophy of war, and the morals in regards to combat, but still… Harry was someone with more than just snogging on his mind.
And then there was the way he looked at her. She had been able to brush it off as his trying to figure her out, as he did with anyone else he met, but Lavender had been right all along. He did look at her differently. It wasn't analytical or like he was sizing her up. No it was… like he was lost. He looked at her sometimes as if she was something precious, and beautiful. Something that inspired him, and crushed him at the same time. It was at those times that Hermione felt the most vulnerable, and the most afraid.
Hermione was taken out of her musings when Harry nudged her, and pointed to something near the Slytherin goal hoops. Hermione had to squint at first, but she realized quickly what it was, and she gripped his hand tighter in excitement. She turned to find the two Seekers, on the opposite side of the stadium, unaware of where the Golden snitch was. Or so she thought.
Dennis Creevey had been following Draco Malfoy closely throughout the match. Draco was enjoying putting the new Gryffindor Seeker through his paces, leading the third year on an extremely wild and somewhat dangerous chase all over the stadium. Dennis had proven quite adept on his broom, though he did have some close calls.
Suddenly, Dennis stopped chasing Draco, and shot off like a rocket, low to the ground and right for the Slytherin Goal Hoop. Draco pulled up short, clearly confused why his shadow had decided to stop playing their little game. That pause cost Draco, and the Slytherins severely.
The cheers in the stadium reached deafening levels as every single student and professor got to their feet as tiny little Dennis Creevey shot straight up in the air after the infitesimal golden ball. Dennis stopped suddenly, three hundred feet in the air. There was a ringing silence before Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and the crowd erupted in a deafening thunderclap of screams, boos and whistles as Dennis Creevey held his hand high, the Golden Snitch clutched in his hand.
Hermione clapped, whistled and stomped her feet in joy. She hugged Lavender, and then hugged Harry tightly. She felt her face burn as she held her arms around his neck, and reluctantly let go. She saw something in his eye that made her stomach flip over twice though she would never be able to describe it with mere words.
"What happens now?" Harry asked her when they finally let go of each other.
Hermione made a show of making sure her coat was still done up, keeping her head down until she felt like her blush had subsided. She then stuffed her hands in her pocket to resist the temptation of snatching Harry's hand in hers again.
"Well, we go celebrate." Lavender said ecstatically, reaching over Hermione and grasping Harry's shoulder and shaking him slightly with excitement. "That was an amazing match. 210-60. That was really, really close."
"I thought Dennis was being stupid." Neville added. "I thought Draco was playing with him, but now I think it was Dennis playing with Draco. That little bugger let Draco feel overconfident, so when Dennis did see the Snitch, it made Draco stop. Did you see his face?"
"He was clearly stunned." Harry added as the group got ready to leave. They were holding back to let others leave a head of them so they wouldn't be crushed in the throng.
"Creevey was really smart by sticking close to Malfoy. If Malfoy had spotted the Snitch first, Dennis could attempt to steal it, but, as was proven, if Draco got cocky, Dennis could tail Malfoy while keeping his eye out for it as well, and give himself a bit of a head start to catching it. Draco's had no chance to catch Creevey once he realized what had happened."
"So, you a fan yet?" Neville asked with excitement in his eye. To his severe disappointment, Harry merely shrugged.
"Oh, well I think Hermione has a new appreciation for the game." Lavender said coyly.
"Especially the cheers." Parvati added.
Hermione eyed them both dangerously, fighting and failing to stop from blushing. Both Neville and Harry looked confused by this however. Hermione did her best to avoid Harry's eyes, preferring not having to answer any questions he might ask at the moment.
"Try not to party too late tonight." Hannah smiled, tugging on Neville's hand, and starting to lead the group towards the stairs out of the stadium. "You promised to spend the day with me tomorrow, and I don't want to have you all lifeless and tired."
"I promise." Neville rolled his eyes, though he was smiling.
"We'll make sure he goes to bed early." Lavender winked at Hannah. "I'd hate to have to curse him for being a bad boyfriend."
""You'd have to get in line behind me." Susan Bones smirked. Neville looked to Harry for support, who was wondering if the girls were truly threatening his friend, or if it was a joke.
"Oh come on, Don't I get a bit of a pass… I mean, how many times will I get the chance to see Harry party down?" Neville tried.
"Party down?" Lavender, Hermione, Hannah, Susan, Parvati and Anthony all said together.
"Who says that?" Lavender laughed hysterically. Neville could only shrug and Hannah tugged him along, shaking her head with shame at his terrible attempt to sound cool. At least, that' what she hoped it was.
"How exactly does someone party down?" Harry asked Hermione, making her snort.
Harry was way out of his comfort zone during the Gryffindor celebration. It was really loud, and he couldn't even hear himself think. It was as chaotic as the battle at the Ministry but with far less violence.
Loads of food had been smuggled from the kitchens, and more than a few people had procured alcoholic beverages. Harry had trouble refusing offers for a drink as a small part of his brain that sounded like his godfather kept asking what the worst that could happen would be? Harry had the answer as he had heard a few tales from Sirius and Remus of their younger days and experiments with Firewhiskey. Harry had no inclination to stand on a table, take off his pants, and sing songs in front of everyone.
The Gryffindor Quidditch team had been separated, and each team member was holding court so to speak, each recounting their experiences from the game. Ginny Weasley was the most popular, with over half of the boys around her, though Harry guessed it wasn't to listen to her account of the game.
Harry had come to learn that Ginny Weasley was thought by many boys to be quite attractive. As an observer, Harry could understand why. In fact, he was becoming more and more aware of the physical attractiveness of many of the girls around Hogwarts, especially the Gryffindor girls, though admittedly, it was likely due to the fact he was around them the most.
"Knut for your thoughts?" Hermione asked as she sat next to Harry in the corner, out of the way of the action. She handed him a bottle of butterbeer, which he accepted with a nod.
"I was just observing how boys act in front of girls they wish to kiss." Harry noted as he nodded in Ginny's direction. "The way they lean towards her, almost as if they are presenting themselves for inspection."
"In a way they are." Hermione said with a smirk. "You probably won't understand this at first, but both boys and girls do really stupid things in order to get someone they like to notice them."
"How do you mean?" Harry asked, sitting back in his seat and turning his attention to Hermione, who smiled rather mischievously.
"Well, ok… We do really goofy things. Like, girls will dress up more, or put extra time in doing our hair and makeup to get a boy to realize that we're interested in them. We will laugh a lot more around the boy we like, or we'll try and touch them a lot more. We sit closer to them, or walk closer, or things like that. We play with our hair more and we make eyes at them."
"Make eyes?" Harry looked confused. Hermione turned and looked around the room until she found a good example.
"See Romilda Vane over there?" Hermione said pointing across the common room to where a dark haired fourth year girl was standing very close to Seamus Finnegan. She was laughing a little and slapping his bicep.
"Yeah." Harry acknowledged.
"Ok, just watch her."
Harry did as he had been asked, and watched Romilda talking to Seamus. The Irishman seemed to be enjoying the attention that Romilda was paying him. They continued to talk for a bit and then Romilda leaned closer to Seamus and gave him a sort of doe eyed look.
"There!" Hermione hissed. See how she's leaning in, and her eyes are all wide, but soft at the same time?"
Harry nodded. He turned back to her when something she said earlier gave him pause. "When we went to Hogsmeade that first time… were you trying to tell me you were interested in me?"
"What?" Hermione looked scandalized, and embarrassed, her face flushing.
"You were wearing makeup that day, and wearing clothes you don't normally wear." Harry pointed out. "So, did that mean you were trying to let me know you are interested in me?" Harry asked, cocking his head a bit. Hermione felt her face get really hot and her eyes were bulging a bit.
"Harry…I… Lavender and Parvati talked me into that and I…"
"So, what do boys do to let a girl know they're interested in them?" Harry queried, taking a bit of pressure off of Hermione.
"All kinds of things. Though, if I'm being honest… they're a lot more idiotic." Hermione giggled lightly.
"Idiotic how?" Harry asked, leaning forward a bit.
"I suppose it isn't really their fault. Boys just aren't very subtle. They'll make overtly grand gestures. Colin Creevey did Alison Garrison's homework all last year, but she just ignored him. Last year, Ron tried to woo Lisa Turpin by writing poetry and reciting it to her. It was truly… it was really bad." Hermione said, laughing at the memory of some of Ron's poems.
"During the Tri-Wizard Tournament a lot of boys were boasting about the most bizarre things trying to impress Fleur Delacour. Ron claimed he'd invented a broom that could go to the moon. Seamus claimed he'd swam the ocean from here to America. And Draco Malfoy… oh, I wish you could have heard just one of his lines to her. He followed her around like a lost Niffler, it was so pathetic." Hermione claimed.
"So, you're saying that if I fancy a girl I should avoid telling her about anything I've done, and poetry." Harry smirked, making Hermione smile in return.
"I think if you like a girl, you could probably let her know with small gestures."
"Like finding out what she likes to do and taking her on a date to do that?" Harry asked, remembering Neville's advice on dating.
"Something like that." Hermione nodded.
"Perhaps if I get the urge to proclaim my desire for a girl, I might ask your advice first, so I don't make an idiot out of myself." Harry said, leaning back, and turning to observe the party some more.
"Yeah." Hermione said, a bit crestfallen as she also turned to watch the goings on. "Yeah, that might be a good idea."
It was near midnight when Parvati and Lavender headed to bed. Ron had insisted that Lavender remain at his side for most of the night. After his second play by play commentary of his saves during the match, the blonde had become very bored. She wouldn't have minded so much if he would at least kiss her, or feign amorous intent with her. But there was only one thing that could make Ron forget she was his girlfriend… and that was Quidditch.
Thankfully, Ron finally got tired, and had gone to bed, after a long snog, which had been really nice, considering how shaky things were becoming between them. Ron apparently was not really happy that Lavender had become friends with Hermione. He had accused her twice now of using Hermione to get with Harry Potter. Apparently, Ron was still seething that Harry had removed his clothes in the Great Hall after he had mocked Hermione. That, and according to Ron, Harry was really full of himself, and borderline dark.
Lavender already felt guilt over what had happened in Italy over the summer, she didn't need Ron's insane jealousy on top of it. She liked him, and most of the time wanted things to work out. Yet, deep down, she knew in her heart that she and Ron Weasley were destined to break up. She knew it was almost inevitable, and yet, she didn't want it to happen. Ron was a really good guy, one of the best really. He could be really sweet, and tender, and respectful… when they were alone. When other people were around, he was a different person. At first it hadn't bothered Lavender.
Now though… Lavender felt confused almost all the time when she thought about her boyfriend.
But thoughts of Ron could wait. Right now, she had another boy on her mind, and not because she wanted to date him, but because she wanted someone else to at least admit that she had stronger than friendly feelings for said boy.
Hermione was still awake, which was a bit surprising, as she'd disappeared from the Common Room around ten. About the same time Harry had gone to bed. Hermione was sitting on her bed, with her legs up and a book propped in her lap.
"Hey!" Lavender smiled as she and Parvati entered their dorm room.
"Party finally over?" Hermione asked, though she didn't look up. Lavender noted that her curly haired friend looked a bit sad, though she didn't look as if she'd been crying.
"No." Parvati yawned. "There's still a few people up. I think there's going to be a good game of spin the bottle happening any minute. If you're interested."
"Please." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, Hermione doesn't want to go down there and kiss any old boy." Lavender remarked. "She only wants to kiss one boy."
Parvati snickered and Hermione shut her book. She swung her legs off her bed and set the book on the bedside table before looking at Lavender.
"I know you saw us holding hands at the game." She said. "And I'm sure that you've been dying all night to squeal, or whatever. So just… say what you have to say and get it over with."
Hermione sounded irritated, and angry. Lavender shook her head, and after gathering her own night clothes sat on her own bed, facing Hermione.
"I'm not about to start making fun of you." She said solemnly. "I think I've proven to you that I'm not going to do that to you. Both of us have done our best to be real friends to you."
Hermione looked slightly ashamed, and Lavender pressed.
"All I want is for you to tell us what happened today." Lavender smiled warmly. Parvati sat next to the blonde looking hopeful.
"I don't know." Hermione said sadly. "I didn't notice right away. I mean, I've cheered with everyone else before, and it's fun and all. It wasn't until we sat down again that I realized I hadn't let go of his hand. At first I wanted to yank it back. I was so embarrassed, and scared. But.. He didn't… He… He just kept holding it. All soft, and sweet. I looked at him wondering what was happening, but… Well who can read him? I have no idea if he liked it, or was even aware of it. So… I just… I left my hand in his."
Hermione took a few breaths as she remembered how it had felt. It was strange how such a simple gesture could affect her so deeply.
"After the second cheer, we… we changed how we were holding hands. We interlaced our fingers, you know?" Hermione asked, and both her roommates nodded, looking on with eager expressions.
"I tried to get a look at him, to figure out what was happening, but… So, I just left it alone."
"You wanted more, didn't you?" Lavender noted. Hermione nodded.
"How could I not?' Hermione shrugged. "Neville and Hannah were cuddling in front of us, and I could see Parvati and Anthony next to you. I just… I've never had that, and today, it was like I did, but I was really afraid. I mean, we're not together, and I know Susan Bones wants to ask him out, and Cho Chang keeps staring at him like he's a juicy steak and she's starving, and Su Li's been flirting with him in Ancient Runes, and Ginny's practically throwing herself at him."
"And he's ignored it all." Parvati pointed out.
"Because he doesn't want any of them." Lavender added. "He wants you. And to be honest, I think you guys are going along at the right speed for the both of you."
"What do you mean?" Hermione looked confused.
"If the two of you jumped into a romantic relationship right now… I think you both would freak out and end up breaking up, scaring you both for life. You'd put way too much pressure on yourselves to catch up. You know, get all physical and what not. Right now, you two have established a really strong friendship."
"She's right." Parvati smiled. "You two are only beginning to learn about the joys of a physical relationship. It's obvious you both have stronger than friendly feelings for each other. And because you haven't started dating, other girls are trying to get him to notice them. If you two do start dating, everyone knows there's almost no chance with him then."
"You're wrong." Hermione said glumly. She was remembering her conversation with Harry during the party earlier.
"Oh come on Hermione." Lavender laughed. "You two are like star crossed lovers. You've both been isolated in a way. You're both somewhat stunted emotionally, and because of that, you two understand each other on a level most of us can never hope to achieve with out significant others."
"As you guys get more comfortable, those things you're both feeling are going to get stronger. Sure, today you held hands, but soon… you're going to start sitting closer together while you study, and you're going to start staring into each other's eyes all deeply…" Parvati said wistfully.
"There's going to be those touches." Lavender smiled dreamily. "The ones that seem insignificant, but you feel so much meaning."
"Like when he's looking at you and reaches up to tuck some of your hair behind your ear." Parvati grinned.
"Or he takes you hand while you're talking, and squeezes it ever so softly to show that he's there for you." Lavender nodded.
"Or that little nudge with his shoulder while you're walking together." Parvati snickered.
"No, we do that to them." Lavender pointed out.
"I know. I just like it." Parvati admitted.
"The point is that you two are exactly where you're supposed to be, and although people like us want you two to just grab each other and snog the living daylights out one another… you should just keep going as you are. Be friends for now, if that's what you want."
"But don't fight it if you want more. Hold his hand if that's what you want. Hug him when you feel the need." Parvati suggested.
"And don't worry about if he likes it or not. If he doesn't he'll let you know. Lavender smiled. "I think a bit of affection is just what that boy needs. And if it comes from anyone else, it'll likely do more harm than good."
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