Looking over her list yet again, Hermione had to wonder how things had gotten this way. What had happened to her? What had made her break the things she set down?
And not only that, but the results too, were painful.
Breaking rule number one had been something else. She hadn’t even known what she was being ignorant of. And she still didn’t. It was beyond strange.
Rule two had led to the death of Lucius Malfoy, killed by his own son. And Hermione, just because she didn’t want to believe it, turned away from the truth of the matter; Draco had turned.
5 Simple Rules
Rule #1: Never be ignorant to something obvious
Rule #2: Never turn away from the truth
Rule #3: Never stab a friend in the back
Rule #4: Never let the family know
Rule #5: Never fall for one of them
Looking over the list again, she took in the next rule rule three. Never stab a friend in the back. Hermione would have originally thought that she would never do that. But then again, she had thought she would never be ignorant or turn away form the truth.
Hermione folded the parchment again and put it away. For now.
--
“Listen, Harry… I just… I don’t know how to say this,” Ginny started nervously, her eyes glowing. Harry stared at her, slightly concerned.
“What is it?” he asked gently. He and Ginny were walking comfortably outside, on the huge grounds of Hogwarts. Harry had originally gone out alone, taken time to think. But then he met Ginny sitting under a tree and she had hopped up, joining his wanderings.
“Would you… uh- like to… go out some time?” Ginny stuttered out. Harry was silent. Ginny stole a quick look at him, shock in his eyes.
“Ginny… I thought this was over?” he asked finally. I thought your girly crush was over, from fifth year? Harry didn’t know what to say. Well, he did. But he didn’t know how to say it; Harry didn’t love Ginny. He didn’t want to give her false hope and go out with her.
“Harry, I never stopped. I never stopped loving you, Harry. It’s not some juvenile crush… I love you, Harry Potter,” Ginny replied determinedly. Harry groaned inwardly. That was precisely what he hadn’t wanted to hear. Why did Ginny have to make this so hard?
Harry had been silent for a long time. Then he said it. “Gin… I don’t love you. I’m sorry. I love someone else,”
Harry saw Ginny’s brown eyes widen. Clearly, this wasn’t something she had expected. He saw a glint of anger flash through them, but it was gone as quickly as it came.
“I-I understand,” Ginny said hastily, rushing out her words as she backed away from Harry.
“Ginny, wait!” Harry called. But Ginny shook her head and sprinted off. Harry sighed. Great… I’ve upset my best friend’s sister, because I don’t love her like she loves me, Harry thought to himself. Things just keep getting better and better.
--
Ginny was furious. How dare Harry Potter refuse her? After everything she had done, after all she had put up! Ginny’s mind was swarming with emotion, just like her heart. She had loved him even before she met him. She had been in love with Harry Potter, the world’s hero, since the second she heard of him. How’s that for dedication?
And what did Hermione know? Nothing! She had been completely blind, only knowing who Harry is when she read it in a book before first year. And then they met… and didn’t hit it off. But Harry and Ginny’s stupid brother, Ron, just had to go and save her from that troll! They couldn’t have left her there, or let someone know. And after saving her, they had formed such a tight bond that no one could penetrate it.
No matter how hard Ginny tried. All those years Ginny had watched Hermione, met her and befriended her, Ginny knew one thing. It should have been me!
It should have been Ginny all along, being part of the trio. She was Ron’s sister after all; she should have seniority. She deserved acknowledgement, after the things she had put up with. Having all those brothers, being so horribly overshadowed. Being the youngest. Being there for Harry even before she knew him. Being dragged into that horrid Chamber by You-Know-Who. Putting up with his mood swings and depression in fifth year. Didn’t those things count at all to Harry?
Harry didn’t have to say a word. Ginny knew it was Hermione he loved. It was just something she knew, instinctively. Something that had always been nagging at the back of her head, but never brought out to the front to think about. It had to be Hermione… it always had been. She was always the one they wanted, Harry and Ron alike.
Ginny had spent quite some time putting reasons to their feelings; Hermione was smart. Very smart, the smartest student in Hogwarts easily. She was a true Gryffindor brave, loyal, determined and all that. She was a Prefect and first in line for Head Girl-ship in her seventh year.
Hermione had quite grown into her looks; she had a natural tan, and her wild brown hair had been cut over the summer holidays after fifth year. In general, her hair had calmed down a bit and fell in thick curls a few inches below her shoulders, framing her big, brown eyes and pretty features.
Yep. Hermione had it all going for her. But Ginny wouldn’t give up. Getting up, she had made her mind up. She was going to let it all out. And Ron seemed like a good option… after talking with him, she might even go see the devils themselves; Harry and Hermione.
--
Ron was not happy. Not happy with Harry, that is.
He had just gotten Ginny, crying her heart out on his shirt and blabbering madly about barely coherent things off him. It had taken a while… hours to be precise. Hours to calm his sister down, and in the end, Ron still didn’t really know what had happened. So he asked Ginny calmly, told her to stop crying, it would be all right. Then he asked what the actually problem was.
“It-it’s Harry!” Ginny had wailed. “He-he… I a-asked him o-out… and he s-said no!”
His best friend had broken his little sister’s heart. So what the hell was Ron meant to do now? But then Ginny said it. She said the words that sealed Harry’s fate.
“H-he said h-he loves s-someone else…”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out whom that someone else was. The look on Ginny’s face said it all. What the hell was Harry playing at? He should know, he should know that things weren’t meant to go that way! Why did he have to screw it all up, undo all of Ron and Ginny’s hard work?
Ginny had started sobbing again, and Ron patted her on the back awkwardly, never being a real ‘touch and feel’ person himself. But he let his sister cry on him, knowing how she felt.
She loved Harry. Ron loved Hermione. Harry loved Hermione. And it would only be a matter of time before Hermione realized that and started loving him back.
“Look, I’ll tell her, Gin,” Ron, whispered. Ginny stopped crying immediately and looked up at Ron with awe and respect in her eyes.
“Really? You’d do that, for me?” she asked amazedly.
“For you and me. I’ll tell her everything. Then we’ll see if it will be so easy for her and Harry,” Ron replied. Ginny beamed at her brother and hugged him tightly, as tightly as she could without suffocating him.
“Oh, Ron… thank you,” she mumbled into his chest.
Ginny briefly heard Ron chuckle before answering, “Thank you too… because you know you’re welcome.”
Ginny stood there, hugging Ron for a long time. Then, quite abruptly, she released him and looked him straight in the eye. There was a glint of dangerous determination in her eyes that Ron had never seen before, and quite frankly, he was a bit frightened.
“We have to plan this out, brother,” she said in a steely voice.
--
Hermione had been aimlessly walking around. Now seated against the wall out of boredom [but not wanting to move… it was a nice spot], she had ended up in a hallway not too far from the Gryffindor Common Room when she saw a familiar face. Harry.
“Hermione? What are you doing here?” he asked, walking closer to her.
“Nothing just walking,” Hermione answered casually. “Well, actually, sitting.”
Harry smiled and sat down next to her. Hermione automatically leaned her head on his shoulder, like a practiced move.
“You ok?” he asked softly. He worried about Hermione a lot… she had way too much on her hands for a normal sixteen year old. But then again, so did Harry himself. So they both worried about each other, for the same reasons.
“I don’t know… but I will be,” Hermione replied just as softly. Then she shifted her body upwards and twisted around, so that she was facing Harry.
Hardly controlling her own actions, Hermione stared deeply into Harry’s emerald eyes. There she saw so much caring for the world, so much love. Love… for her? Without thinking, she leaned forward and kissing him ever so lightly on the lips. Hermione didn’t know what made her do it. But she knew this; Harry was responding.
Their kiss was long and sweet. Hermione could feel the electricity between them, the chemistry. It was so obvious. And it just felt so good.
Then someone had to come and rain on their parade. Someone had to come and burst their bubble. Crash their party. However you wanted to put it, a single person snapped Harry and Hermione back to reality. And that person happened to be Ginny.
“Hermione! How could you! I thought you were my friend…” Ginny shrieked. She had walked into the corridor at the exact wrong time. Hermione and Harry immediately pulled apart and got to their feet. Both made a start towards Ginny, but she shook her head and rushed off, tears already streaming down her face.
Hermione heard Harry curse under his breath as he watched Ginny’s retreating back. He turned back to Hermione and their gaze locked. For a second, neither moved.
“I’m sorry, Harry… I don’t know why I-I” Hermione began, but then she stopped, shook her head. Breaking whatever had been there, Hermione ran off herself, leaving a very dumbstruck Harry.
Hermione just couldn’t take it. And she could feel what was happening at this very second. Her parchment, her rules; the way she lived her life. Or hoped to have lived her life, but it was becoming quite clear that Hermione was doing exactly what she said she wouldn’t do, instead of would. Taking out the square that had Hermione’s life promises recorded on it, she observed as it happened. As the very thing Hermione wished would never happen, happened.
5 Simple Rules
Rule #1: Never be ignorant to something obvious
Rule #2: Never turn away from the truth
Rule #3: Never stab a friend in the back
Rule #4: Never let the family know
Rule #5: Never fall for one of them
A neat, horizontal line had appeared through Rule #3: Never stab a friend in the back. So, another rule had been broken. Even more people had been hurt, namely Ginny.
And this one had left Hermione more confused than she had ever been. Because that kiss…
It meant something.
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A/N: These rules are all are clearly connected. So you will all find out everything in chapter 5. Shout-out to Kris-tina4 for being such an awesome beta =)
Also, thanks to all my lovely reviewers and readers. Please don’t stop giving me feedback!
xo anniePADFOOT