Which Witch?

"Lavender or Parvati?"

"Parvati."

"Parvati or Padma?"

"They're twins!" Harry Potter exclaimed.

"So?" his best friend, Ron Weasley, asked indifferently, tossing a Quaffle from one hand to the other. "Their personalities are entirely different."

The two boys were playing 'Which Witch?' It was a game that basically consisted of naming two girls and asking which the other boy would rather kiss, date, marry, sleep with, and so on. It was the newest boredom buster the fifth year boys had invented, when they had far too much time on their hands.

Harry thought for a second.

"Padma," he answered finally. "Less giggly."

"Not as easy," was Ron's remark, twirling the Quaffle on his index finger.

He sniggered. It was quite easy to see why their hormones and newfound perverseness so frequently irritated Hermione. "But Padma's nicer. And smarter."

"Who cares about her grades? Parvati's idea of fun is ditching class and snogging in the rose garden," Ron countered.

"Padma plays Quidditch."

He paused. To them, that was an extremely rare quality with pretty witches. But he figured out something to beat it, like he always did.

"Parvati's got bigger br--"

"Bigger what, exactly, Ron Weasley?" Parvati asked in a stern voice, approaching the table they were sitting at. She eyed the two boys with mistrust.

"Braids," he finished weakly. "Bracelets. Broomsticks?"

Lavender scoffed. "Do quit staring at her chest, Ron. We know precisely what you were going to say."

And, giggling, the two ditzy girls sauntered off.

"Nice save," Harry congratulated him sarcastically.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Anyway. New choice. Padma or Cho Chang?" His brown eyes glinted mischievously, not unlike his two twin brothers, Fred and George, when they were scheming.

"Cho," he said instantly.

He snickered. "That was an easy one. Okay. Now, who would you rather snog...Cho, or...hmm..." His eyes scanned the Gryffindor common room, trying to find someone that would present a difficult decision. "Hermione?" he said suddenly.

Harry frowned. "Why would I want to snog Hermione?"

"Because you prefer personality," Ron reminded him. "Supposedly."

Of course, he immediately became defensive, as he always did when Ron or Hermione called him shallow for fancying Cho Chang. "Cho has a fantastic personality!" he said hotly.

"Right," he said skeptically. "And when you say 'personality,' you mean her arse, right?"

"Ron," he growled in a warning tone.

"Oh, fine, I'll stop. She wins for physical attraction, though, no doubt about that. But who would you rather spend an evening with, watching the sunset, sitting by the lake, just talking, absolutely no kissing in the least?" He was sure to overly emphasize the fact that there would be zero lip-action.

"Well..." he said slowly, contemplating, "I've never had an actual conversation with Cho," he said awkwardly. "It would be grand to actually get to know her. But I always feel so nervous and uncomfortable around Cho, like I might vomit any second. With Hermione, it's relaxed, natural. She's my best friend. And our conversations are usually rather profound..." he trailed away.

Ron grinned. "Hermione?"

He nodded reluctantly.

"And that brings it to two for Cho, one for Hermione."

"Since when were you keeping score?" Harry asked curiously.

"Since I realized this wouldn't be a unanimous competition," was his wily reply. "So. Better looks?"

"Cho," he said quickly, before the image of Hermione at the Yule Ball came to his head, when he had actually admitted to himself that Hermione was pretty; so startlingly attractive that she had at first been beyond recognition.

But Ron, through their best friend telepathic connection, knew just what he was thinking. "And at the Yule Ball?"

"Hermione," he confessed guiltily. "But Cho was with Cedric! Of course I didn't want to stare at her all night, or it would have been pretty hard to fight the temptation of tossing my butterbeer in his face."

"And Hermione is beautiful, mainly when she takes the effort to fix her hair, use cosmetics, and wear something other than basic black work robes," Ron pointed out. He knew there was more to Harry's answer than his lame excuse.

"Of course you know, you couldn't tear your eyes away from her the whole night!" Harry cried triumphantly.

Ron's face reddened to about the shade of the Quaffle that dropped from his hands once Harry made his accusation. He changed the subject rapidly. "Who would you rather take to Hogsmeade?"

"Hermione would insist upon spending countless hours scanning the numerous shelves at the bookstore..."

"While Cho would demand on wasting away an eternity browsing through the endless racks of clothing at Gladrag's," Ron added.

"Hermione refuses to visit the Shrieking Shack, as it gives her bad memories," he mentioned.

"Cho would be too terrified of the ghost stories to come within one hundred feet of it."

"She wouldn't oppose to entering Quality Quidditch Supplies," Harry argued.

"Yet she's too concerned about her precious figure to stray into Honeydukes."

"And neither of them have the sense of humor for Zonko's," the two boys realized in unison.

"It's a draw," Ron announced. "I declare that both girls would be a complete drag. Shame, since Hogsmeade is about the only place you can go on a date at Hogwarts." His eyes lit up. "Except... Who do you think would be more likely to sneak out of bed at night for an adventure--?"

"Hermione," he said, before Ron had completely finished his sentence. "Before, I might not have believed it, but after knowing her for four years, definitely Hermione."

"Now it's tied, three to three," he proclaimed, looking strangely smug. "Let's see...more athletic?"

"Cho, hands down." Since Hermione despised Quidditch as much as the two boys loathed schoolwork, and Cho played on the Ravenclaw House team, it was not exactly a brain-buster.

"Sympathetic?"

"They're both pretty caring..." He remembered when he had asked Cho to the Yule Ball, and she hadn't giggled or loftily informed him that she already had a date. She had seemed genuinely rueful. And Hermione...well, sometimes she was so bossy that she didn't take other people's feelings into consideration. "This may be because I don't know her well enough to have argued with her...but Cho."

"More intellige--"

"Hermione." Definitely the simplest question yet. Cho was in Ravenclaw, the most studious House by reputation, but Hermione was Hermione, and there was just no beating that.

"More fun?"

"I don't know," Harry said, feeling stupid. The only reason Cho was gaining points was because he didn't know the finer points of her attitude he could possibly dislike, while he knew every aspect of Hermione's behavior that he loved and couldn't stand.

"Preferred dance partner?"

He blushed. "I'm a terrible dancer. So... Hermione. She would have no trouble leading. Because she wouldn't mind if I trod on her feet a few times. And there wouldn't be a problem of sweaty palms and a racing heartbeat."

"More unpredictable?" Ron queried, already positive what the answer would be.

A slew of memories rushed to his brain at once, almost overwhelming him. Almost as if a pensieve full to the brim of thoughts from the past five years had just been dumped back into his mind. Hermione Granger's fast-spoken, rambling introduction about memorizing the course books by heart. Emerging from her hidden spot in the common room, intending to stop Harry and Ron from sneaking out at night. Bursting into tears at Ron's comment on her lack of friends after Charms. Setting flame to Snape's robes at the Quidditch match; hugging Harry after the Potion's challenge. In second year, developing a crush on Gilderoy Lockhart and brewing a Polyjuice Potion. Using a Time Turner to attend a million classes at once. Telling McGonagall about the Firebolt. Defending Crookshanks even when Scabbers appeared dead. Slapping Malfoy after her insulted Hagrid, walking out on Divination forever, and missing Charms, all in the same day. Forming S.P.E.W., though anyone familiar with the wizarding world knew house-elves enjoyed enslavement. Going to the Yule Ball with Krum and looking dazzling. Kissing him on the cheek at King's Cross. What could Hermione do without surprising him, although he had known her for so long?

Ron took the prolonged silence as a moment of nostalgia. "Hermione, of course?" he laughed.

"Every single day, she never ceases to amaze me," Harry affirmed. "She's incredible."

"Better sense of humor?" he went on.

"Hermione's lightened up loads since we first met her, but still... This is the girl who almost felt sorry for Malfoy when Moody turned him into the Incredible Bouncing Ferret. Everyone has a better sense of humor than she does," Harry stated.

"Who would win in a cat fight?" Ron said, appearing to picture it in his own head and looking extremely amused.

"Well, she can slap pretty hard, that's a fact... But Millicent Bulstrode once got her in a headlock. And we had confirmed that Cho was sportier... So Cho."

"But in a wizard's duel?"

Harry was beginning to get a little exasperated. "Hermione. Come on, Ron," he protested, "how many more questions do you have to ask?"

"Fine, fine. They're tied at seven each, I'm sure. So this one clinches it... Who can you picture yourself spending the rest of your life with?" Ron asked, looking fully serious for the first time. "Marrying, staying true to, having little sproglets with, growing old with, the whole soul mate deal?"

To his astonishment, the choice was possibly even simpler than the matter of brains. When it all boiled down, Cho was a plain old crush that would soon fade. But Hermione was a permanent fixture in his life. And his love for her, though platonic and more familial, could never die.

"For some reason, that seems so easy. Hermione. Even if it wasn't between her and Cho, she'd still be the one. If Cho suddenly left, I'd grieve for a while, but in the end, I would get over it. If Hermione ever disappeared from my life, there would be a huge gap, my heart would be broken, and that void would be unable to be filled. My mourning would be everlasting. Because Hermione is irreplaceable.

"It's like...wands. The first wand I ever tried, a nine-inch beechwood and dragon-heartstring, was awkward and just felt wrong in my hands. When I waved it, I knocked a shelf over. Then the second my trusty, eleven-inch, holly and phoenix feather wand touched my fingertips, I felt this warmth. Once my fingers closed around it, I knew it belonged. It was just right, you know?"

"Nice metaphor," Ron said, resting his chin on his fist. He seemed both honest and yet mocking. "In fact, that whole speech was so deep it moved me. I wasn't sure if you were reciting poetry or forgetting I was here and soliloquizing. Does this mean you're in love with Hermione?"

"I--" Harry began. starting to say deny it, just like it was customary and automatic to do ever since Rita Skeeter had written her first article announcing that he and Hermione were a steady couple. Then he changed his mind. "To be honest, I don't know anymore. But after our little game, I realized three things: first, I sure as hell am not in love with Cho. Second, there is absolutely no contest between those two girls. And finally...it's that I can't be sure about my feelings for Hermione. All I can tell is that it's beyond friendship. And I don't think kissing her would be quite as strange as I used to imagine."

"Well, why don't you find out?"

Harry noted that Ron was looking past him. His heart began to hammer against his ribcage, like it did when the prospect of inviting Cho to the Yule Ball with him came about. But this wasn't Cho. He knew exactly who it was, but he still whipped around to spot Hermione peeking out from behind a wall.

"Hermione..." He said her name slowly, carefully, desperately trying not to panic. "How long have you been there?"

She just continued to stare at him with wide, glazed, syrupy brown eyes, almost looking lost. Like she was still asleep and dreaming everything that was happening.

"I'd say a while," Ron whispered, even though he didn't want to interrupt the moment.

"How much did you hear?" Harry inquired, crossing his fingers beneath the table and praying to god that she had only just come.

"Enough," she answered softly, sounding breathless. Then she approached their table, legs wobbling like she could barely support herself. Just as her knees gave out, Harry stood up and caught her in his arms. They gazed directly into one another's eyes, and somehow, they both knew what would come next.

A kiss.

They tilted their heads to opposite sides, moved gradually closer, inch by inch, until their lips touched... Initially, it was light, gentle, hesitant, but sweet. Then the shyness dissolved in a second, and the romantic sensations overtook them. Hermione cupped her hands around his face, drawing him closer. In response, his arms slid down from her back to snake around her waist, and he kissed her more fiercely. Perpetuity had passed, and time had stood still at exactly the same time. It was like they had been transported to their own world that wasn't bound by chronology. But they still had to draw apart to regain their breaths.

"Get a room," Ron teased in a false, whiny voice.

Hermione playfully swatted him. "Be quiet, Ron. You're the one always talking about how wonderful snogging is and that we ought to do it."

"Not with each other! Not in front of me!" he continued to complain. "It's just bizarre watching your two friends kiss. Especially that! I mean, I understand that was the first kiss for both of you, but what was that? That was pathetic! Not even tongue. Imagine, the famous Harry Potter is a bad kisser!" he taunted.

"I beg to differ," Hermione giggled, eyes sparkling like diamonds.

"Shut up, Weasley," Harry said, face still flushed. He pushed his bangs out of his eyes and peered at Hermione. "He wants tongue?"

She smiled back. "We'll show him tongue."

And they both leaned in and kissed again, more passionately this time. Ron leaned back in his armchair, arms crossed, looking pleased and content for his two best friends. And maybe for another reason...

Lips curling into a sly grin, he thought, 'And since Harry's with Hermione, that means he doesn't have any feelings for Cho...'