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Right Under His Nose
Chapter Four: Advice From the Master (Master of Feelings, that is)
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A/N: There are mentions of R/Hr in the beginning. . . but seeing as this is filed under "H/G Romance," I don't think it will bother any of you. :)
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Harry walked into the common room and made his way toward his usual armchair. As usual, Hermione was immersed in work. Ron sat next to her with an essay in front of him, but his eyes weren’t on the parchment. Harry smiled to himself”this was a common routine. Ron was pretending to work but really staring at Hermione. She knew he did it, Harry knew he did it, the whole common room knew he did it.
Harry hoped that his stolen glances of Ginny had gone unnoticed so far.
He sat down across the table from Ron and Hermione and chuckled when Ron gave him a sheepish grin, his ears pink. Hermione looked up, blushing. Even though she knew Ron loved to stare at her, she would never acknowledge the fact. At least not in front of Harry.
“Hey, Harry. What did Ginny want to talk about?”
After glancing around to make sure no one else was listening, Harry leaned forward and said, in a low tone, “She gave me the cloak back.”
Comprehension dawned on Hermione’s face and Ron’s lit up with a smile. “Excellent,” he said. “I’ve been wondering when she would.”
“I know,” agreed Hermione. “Haven’t you missed it, Harry?”
Both of them looked straight at him. Embarrassed at the blush threatening to creep up his cheeks, Harry ducked his head. “Oh, you know,” he said while raising a hand to flatten his hair. “I guess I wasn’t really thinking about it.”
Hermione frowned. “But it’s so unlike you to forget about something as important as your cloak.”
Taking a deep breath, Harry forced himself to look straight into her eyes. “I guess I’ve been a little preoccupied thinking about. . . other things.” He stared at Hermione, willing her to understand what he wasn’t willing to say.
Her eyes widened. “You don’t say,” she said softly.
Ron looked from Harry to Hermione, confused. “What?”
“Nothing, Ron.”
“It’s no big deal.”
They spoke at the same time, which made Ron grin. “Barking mad, the lot of you,” he said with laughter in his voice, and he bent down to really work on his essay.
Harry went right on staring at Hermione. “Ginny?” she mouthed wordlessly. The blush rose straight to his cheeks and Harry nodded. Smiling widely, Hermione leaned forward and whispered “Leave it to me.”
Leave what to her?
Hermione’s grin suddenly disappeared. She closed her eyes halfway and wiggled down in her armchair so her legs stuck way out, giving a huge yawn. Ron looked up, concern in his eyes.
“Tired, love?”
Hermione nodded and gave another huge fake yawn. While stretching her arms, she checked her watch and gave a jolt. “Oh, no,” she moaned. “It’s already eight thirty. I completely forgot about rounds.”
Ron turned a little more to look at her head on. He raised his hand to her face and tucked a stray piece of hair away. “I can cover for you, if you want,” he said in a low, soft voice.
Hermione smiled broadly. “Would you really?” she said through yet another yawn. When he nodded, she whispered “Thank you,” and, with a glance at Harry, leaned forward to give him a quick kiss on the lips.
Ears flaming, Ron stood up and straightened his robes. “I’m off, then,” he announced. Then, more quietly, to Hermione, “Sleep well, love, all right?”
Grinning, Hermione nodded. She watched him proceed out of the common room, still half slumped over in her arm chair. When Ron finally exited, however, she sat straight up, folded her hands in her lap, and fixed Harry with a stare.
“So, Harry,” she said in a businesslike manner. “Just how long have you been thinking about Ginny?”
Harry opened his mouth, but no words would come. How could girls do that? Just up and talk about their feelings like they weren’t awkward in the least?
“Er”well, I mean. . .”
“Oh, come on, Harry. I’ve been dying to have this conversation with you ever since you and Ron caught Ginny and Dean.”
Harry’s head snapped up. “What?”
“Oh, Harry, you’ve been so obvious. . .well, at least to me.”
“That’s so reassuring, thanks, Hermione,” he snapped sarcastically.
Be nice, Potter. She’s going to help you. It’s not her fault if you’re ruddy awful at talking about feelings.
“Look.” She sat forward more and fixed him with another appraising glance. “It’s only obvious to me because I know you so well. What I can’t tell is how you feel. I can only guess. I can guess that you’re bothered by Ginny and Dean. I can guess that you’re nervous around her.” Harry blushed even more and Hermione smiled. “Harry, those are only guesses. Please, just tell me.”
Harry took a deep breath and nodded. “All right,” he said, shifting in his chair. Hermione grinned.
“Start from the beginning.”
“Well. . . it all began when we caught Ginny and Dean in the dormitory. . .”
***
“. . . and when she handed me the bag, my hand kind of””
“Touched hers.”
“Yeah, and. . .”
“You felt something.”
“Yeah.”
“Like a jolt of electricity.”
“Yeah!”
“Do you know if she felt it too?”
“Well, we both kind of jumped. And then we both looked at each other. I wanted. . . I wanted to kiss her.”
“Do you think she would have let you?”
“Well, yeah, I think she would’ve. I could just. . . tell.”
“Then what happened?”
“Well, I was trying to get up the. . . you know, the nerve to kiss her, and Dean walked through the portrait hole.”
“Oh, no!”
“Yeah. So he comes and asks Ginny for a walk, and she says yes. But just as they’re leaving, she””
“Gives you the look.”
“Yeah!”
“Oh, Harry.”
Harry and Hermione sat in the common room half an hour later, discussing Harry’s latest meeting with Ginny. Hermione had just sat back in her chair with a sigh.
“What? Hermione, you’ve got to help me. What is it supposed to mean? Doesn’t she know I’m rubbish with all this. . . this feeling stuff?”
Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. “Harry, it seems to me that you’re not exactly rubbish at all this. She’s given you the look and you’ve noticed. That means you’re miles ahead of most of the blokes here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let me put it this way. I gave Ron the look for months before he even saw it.”
“Well, that’s Ron.”
“No, Harry, it’s not just Ron. It’s most everyone.” Hermione straightened in her chair and glanced at her watch. “All right, Harry, we don’t have much time. If Ginny and Dean have gone on a walk they’ll probably be coming back pretty soon, and I have to get to bed before Ron comes back from rounds.”
Harry fixed Hermione with a desperate look. “What am I supposed to do?”
Hermione leaned forward and studied him. “Well, Harry, there’s not much you can do right now. If Ginny’s with Dean, she’s with Dean.”
“But I thought you said””
“Look, Harry. Ginny’s clearly expressed interest. And, to tell you the truth. . .” Hermione leaned forward and finished the rest in a whisper. “. . . I never really believed that she had gotten over you.”
“So what does that mean? I just have to sit here and wait?”
“Well. . . yeah.”
Harry raked a hand through his hair, completely frustrated. “So why in hell is she giving me these looks if I can’t do anything about it?”
Hermione’s eyes flashed. “Harry, Ginny’s been in love with you for a long time. It’s probably just as much of a shock to her as it is to you that you all of a sudden love her.”
“All right, all right. I’m sorry. It’s just. . .” Something clunked in Harry’s mind. “I never told you I loved her.”
Eyes widening, Hermione said, “I thought that was what this whole conversation was about.”
“It was”it is”but I never said. . .”
“So you’re not sure?”
“No, I am””
“Because if you’re not, Harry””
“I’m sure.”
Hermione nodded. “Good.”
They sat in silence for a minute before Harry spoke again. “So. . . I just have to wait?”
“Just give her time, Harry.”
“Time.”
“Yes.”
“So, how much time? Like, a day?”
Hermione shook her head and laughed softly. “And here I thought you weren’t any worse than Ron.”
“I was just kidding.”
“I know.” Hermione stood up and gathered her parchment. “I’ve got to get to bed. Good night, Harry.”
“’Night, Hermione.”
As she turned to leave, Harry shifted in his chair so he could stare into the fire. It had been a long night.
***
The rest of the week flew past in a blur of mountains of homework and stolen glances at Ginny. She hadn’t given him the look again, but Harry noticed that whenever he looked at her for long enough, she would start to blush. Unfortunately, Hermione almost always seemed to notice when Harry looked at Ginny and would give him such harrowing glares that he had to stop.
“Give her time, Harry.”
He was trying to take Hermione’s advice. But it was becoming more and more difficult not to completely snap, run up to Ginny, grab her, and snog her senseless.
Control yourself, Potter.
Harry pulled on his trainers with a grin, glad it was Saturday, even though he had a detention. He welcomed it. . . a detention would give him a nice break from thoughts of Ginny and Dean. And he would have the entire castle practically to himself when he finished, because it was a Hogsmeade weekend.
Part of Harry was still irritated that McGonagall was making him serve detention on one of the rare weekends when students could visit the village, but the more reasonable part of him told him that it was a good thing. The last thing he needed was to see Ginny and Dean walking hand in hand outside Zonko’s joke shop.
Unbidden, more images of Ginny and Dean raced through his mind. Ginny and Dean standing up near the Shrieking Shack, and Dean drawing Ginny close to “protect her from the cold.” Ginny and Dean munching on fudge from Honeydukes, Ginny and Dean testing out jokes at Zonko’s, Ginny and Dean sitting close together in the Three Broomsticks. . . . Harry nearly kicked his trunk when the image of Ginny and Dean sitting in Madame Puddifoot’s sodding tea shop came up.
Remember, Potter, you don’t need any broken toes.
Perhaps this detention would help clear his head.
“Ready, mate?” Ron asked from across the dormitory. They were the last two inside.
“Yeah,” Harry answered. He grabbed a sweatshirt, stuck his wand in his back pocket, and followed Ron out of the dormitory. They met Hermione in the common room and walked out of the portrait hole.
“Is there anything you want from Honeyduke’s, Harry? They’ll probably have some new fudge, or something, if you want it.”
Harry grinned at Ron’s offer. “Yeah, some fudge would be great.”
Ron and Hermione walked with him until they reached the outside of the Transfiguration classroom.
“See you, guys,” Harry said, placing a hand on the doorknob. A second later, he wheeled around. “Don’t feel like you have to come back early, or anything, all right? Have fun today.”
Ron gave him a broad smile and Hermione ducked her head, blushing.
“Thanks, mate,” Ron said. Harry nodded, also grinning, and watched them leave. He then turned to open the door.
Glancing down at his wrist, Harry realized it was already eight past ten. He was nearly ten minutes late! Quickly he yanked open the door and ran inside, apologizing.
“I’m sorry, Professor McGonagall, I really didn’t mean to””
“Mr. Potter. How nice of you to join us. And ten minutes late, I might add. Please, Mr. Potter, if you would kindly explain to me why you are unable to be on time, when other members of your detention were perfectly capable of doing so?”
“Other. . . other members?”
“Yes, Mr. Potter. Other members. Now, if you please, kindly explain. . .”
McGonagall’s words died in his head as Harry looked to see who he would be serving the detention with.
Oh, bleeding hell.
Ginny Weasley was going to be his partner in detention.
A/N: This chapter was mostly used for transitional purposes-- I'm sorry if some of you found it boring. Chapter Five is well underway, and I'll try to post it as soon as possible. (Maybe you'll even get a little H/G action! ;) )