Be Careful What You Wish For

Be Careful What You Wish For

“So that's your final word?” Harry looked up at Hermione hopefully. She stood by the fire, biting her lip.

“I'm afraid so, Harry. I--I can't go out with you,” she looked sad. “I’m afraid--I--I like both you and Ron. I just can’t choose. Too much would change….” She sighed. “This isn't easy on me, either. Don't you think I'd like a boyfriend? That is, one who lives here, can pronounce my name, and isn't too old. Let's just--forget about this for now, please?”

He nodded and she kissed him on the forehead. When she turned to the girls’ stairs, she found Neville standing at the foot of the boys’ stairs in his pyjamas and dressing gown. She smiled gently at him.

“Goodnight, Neville.”

“’Night, Hermione,” he replied, looking at her wistfully as she left, then heaved a great sigh and sat.

“So. Is Hermione your girlfriend now?”

“What?”

“She kissed you.”

"Oh. That. No. Actually she was just telling me the opposite.”

Neville’s eyes opened wide. “Really? You?”

Harry's mouth twisted. “Don't be so surprised.”

Neville sighed again. “Hermione's wonderful. I can't blame you.”

Harry looked up suddenly. “That's right--you asked her to the Yule Ball.”

Neville shrugged. “Too late. I can’t believe he asked her first. I’ve liked her since first year!” he said indignantly. Then he looked horrified. “I can't believe I said that….”

Harry laughed. “I won’t tell, Neville. I know how you feel.” Neville looked into the fire, dark circles under his eyes, and took his toad, Trevor out of his dressing gown pocket. “How’s Trevor?” Harry asked. The toad had been at death’s door for weeks.

“Not good.” Neville put his pet in his pocket. “At least I can keep him warm.”

Harry watched Neville, thinking about his asking Hermione out. It was too bad she’d accepted Krum. It might have been Neville’s one chance. The odds against Neville having another opportunity like that were astronomical. It made Harry sad suddenly.

“Neville?”

He looked up. “What?”

“I wish you could be Hermione’s boyfriend, even if I can’t. I mean--one of us should be happy, right?”

Neville grinned. “Just saying it won’t make it happen. Thanks anyway, Harry.”

They went up to their dorm. Neither saw the house-elf emerge from behind one of the armchairs, his green eyes very round. He’d been waiting for the students to leave before tending to the fire and cleaning the room. However, thinking about the conversations he’d overheard, he had an inspiration.

Dobby thought about Harry saying to his friend, “I wish you could be Hermione’s boyfriend, even if I can’t.”

“Harry Potter,” he said smugly, feeling very powerful and magnanimous. “You shall have your wish!”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next morning, Harry didn’t notice anything strange until they were going to Potions. Hermione ran forward, saying breathlessly, “Neville! Can I walk with you?” Neville had been moping along the passage, having found poor old Trevor dead that morning.

Neville looked baffled. “Erm, sure,” he said at last. Hermione took his arm, walking very close to him. He glanced at Harry and Ron, who were equally baffled.

Hermione and Neville usually worked together, but today, Hermione seemed intent on working very close to Neville.

When Snape went into his office to fetch some notes, Draco Malfoy turned smugly to Harry and Ron. “Watch out, Potty. Looks like your girlfriend has decided to go slumming with Longbottom.”

Ron looked furious and Harry opened his mouth to retort, but Hermione strode across the room and put her face very close to Draco Malfoy’s.

“So what if I like Neville?”

Harry and Ron dropped their jaws, as did Draco Malfoy. “What? You’re not serious. You--and—and--” Malfoy said, pointing at Neville, who looked mystified by Hermione’s behaviour.

“Yes!” she countered, her hands on her hips. She then shocked them all by reciting a litany of What Was Absolutely Wonderful About Neville Longbottom.

When Snape returned, he merely barked, “Back to work!” Hermione turned back to Neville and they bent over their cauldrons again.

Then Harry saw a vial of blue liquid float out of Draco Malfoy’s potion supplies and pour itself into his cauldron. He glanced across the room; Hermione was pointing her wand at it discreetly. Her revenge.

Near the end of class, Snape had them test their Auricular Potions. Harry took a sip; suddenly every noise around him was amplified. He covered his ears with his hands, glad he’d had very little. Pansy Parkinson hadn’t been so prudent.

“Aaah! I can hear that spider chewing!” She pointed to a web. “Stop it!”

“I don’t hear any difference,” Draco Malfoy said; to Harry it was like he was shouting in his ear. Malfoy was bright blue, from his hair to his collar. Everyone stared; he frowned. “What’s the matter?” Malfoy took off his Potions gloves. “All I said was--” With his gloves off, he could see that his hands were blue; he screamed. Everyone groaned.

“Enough!” Snape cried out, although he was probably speaking in a normal voice. He sent Malfoy to the hospital wing and dismissed the class.

Double Potions had lasted all morning and it was time for lunch. Unfortunately, having amplified hearing in the Great Hall was painful, so the fifth-year Slytherins and Gryffindors grabbed food from the tables and bolted outside, looking for quiet. Ron and Harry sat eating and whispering to each other on the castle’s front steps.

“What’s up with Hermione?” Ron asked. “Blue’s not really Malfoy’s colour,” he laughed.

“Don’t know. Where is she, anyway?”

As if in answer, they heard a familiar voice saying, “Where are we going, Hermione?”

“In here. I just need to--” And then there were no more words, just noises that sounded like amplified kissing sounds.

Harry looked at Ron. “No,” Ron said. “They can’t be--”

They followed the sounds round the corner of the castle; some shrubbery was moving and they peered into it, creating a hole that framed Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom, standing with their arms around each other, kissing deeply.

Ron looked murderous. Harry knew he had to do something. “Erm, let’s go down to the kitchens for pie. Come on.” He dragged on Ron’s arm. Harry felt a bit shaken himself, but he couldn’t admit how he felt about Hermione.

The moment they entered the kitchens, Dobby ran up and greeted them. “Good day, Harry Potter! And Harry Potter’s Weezy! Did you see?”

Harry held his hands over his ears, grimacing; the kitchens were very noisy. “See what, Dobby?”

“I granted your wish!”

Harry frowned. “Wish?”

“You wished for the boy with the toad to be Miss Granger’s boyfriend. And now he is!”

“You what?” Harry said to Dobby at the same moment Ron said this to Harry.

“It’s a spell?” Harry cried, picking Dobby up by the shoulders.

“Of course. Are you not pleased?”

He answered by carrying Dobby out of the kitchens; soon they were next to the still-shaking shrubbery. Ron followed, red with rage.

“Hermione! Neville! Get out here! Dobby has something to tell you!” Harry winced at his own voice.

They slowly emerged, Hermione leading Neville by the hand, Neville with a silly grin on his face and swollen lips. Harry saw with horror that a red mark was blossoming on his neck.

“Tell them,” he said to Dobby. With much twisting of hands, Dobby explained that he had made Hermione want to be Neville’s girlfriend.

“But--but why?” Hermione wanted to know.

“Because Harry Potter wished--” Harry grabbed Dobby and put his hand on his mouth.

“No reason,” Harry said quickly. They all frowned at him. Harry released Dobby and made him undo the spell. Dobby waved his hand. Hermione looked a little faint. Ron rushed to support her.

“If you want to grant me a wish, Dobby, then--I wish Neville had a new toad.”

Dobby nodded, with a careless gesture toward Neville. “All right, Harry Potter.”

Neville frowned, then reached into his robe pocket; his hand emerged holding a small pale-green toad. “Oh, wow!”

Harry nodded. “That’ll last you a while, Neville.”

Dobby disappeared suddenly with a crack! Neville lifted shining eyes to Harry. “Thanks!”

Hermione looked awkwardly at her best friends. “Could you please excuse Neville and me? We need to talk.”

Harry and Ron hurriedly returned to the castle’s front steps. However, they could still hear very clearly everything the other two were saying. Hermione had forgotten about the potion.

“Neville,” Hermione said gently. “I don’t know what to say--”

“It’s all right, Hermione. I should’ve known you’d never--”

“Marry me?” she said hurriedly.

“Wha--what?”

“I mean--well, if we’re both still single when we’re--oh, seventy-five--”

“Are you proposing?” Neville sounded awestruck. Hermione laughed.

“If you like. Oh, Neville. Are you sure you’ll be all right?” she whispered.

“Yeah. I reckon I will be. After all--I might have something pretty great to look forward to in sixty years!”

THE END

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