Three Little Words

As Hermione strode into the Common Room, she spotted Harry waiting for her in one of the crimson chairs. He was dressed in his Quidditch uniform, because his practice started soon, and he looked deep in thought, his emerald eyes pensive. Hermione plopped into the chair next to him, and Harry looked up through his tousled bangs with a start.

"Oh hey!" he said with a smile, his eyes lighting up.

"Happy birthday!"

"Thanks," Hermione replied, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Sorry, I have to go soon because Quidditch starts in about five minutes." Harry looked apologetic.

"But here," he said quickly, reaching into his pocket, "I have something for you!"

"Oh, Harry, you didn't have to get me anything," Hermione said.

"Yes, I did," said Harry, smiling. "Now close your eyes and hold out your hands."

"Ooooh, aren't we mysterious?" said Hermione teasingly, closing her eyes, a small bubble of anticipation forming in her chest.

"No peeking." Harry said seriously.

"Alright," replied Hermione with a giggle, amused by the tone of his voice.

Harry placed something in her hands, and closed them together.

"Ok, now you can look," said Harry.

Hermione opened her eyes and saw the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen laying in her hands. The delicate links of the chain twinkled softly, setting off the shimmering opaque crystal charm.

"Harry," Hermione breathed, "it's gorgeous!!!!!!"

"Glad you like it," said Harry, obviously pleased with her reaction. He's eyes looked up and rested on the clock for a moment before turning back to her guiltily.

"Well, I had best be getting to Quidditch," he said regretfully. His eyes pleaded with her not to be angry.

"Right," said Hermione, glancing again at the necklace in her hand.

"Thank you so much, Harry. It's perfect." She smiled up at him.

"Just like the girl who is holding it!" replied Harry lightly, the tips of his ears pink with pleasure.

"I have to go now, but I'll see you in the Great Hall for dinner, alright?"

"Alright, Harry. Hope practice goes well," replied Hermione.

Harry leaned in, brushed her lips softly with his, and raced out the portrait hole towards the Quidditch pitch.

Hermione watched him go, and as she got up out of the soft chair, a piece of parchment with all too familiar handwriting fell out of her bag.

Hermione stared at it, the sick feeling returning to her stomach, when another urgent thought struck her:

"Merlin," she thought franticly, her eyes widening.

"I have to get this back before he notices that it's gone!"

Snatching the parchment off the floor, Hermione jumped up and raced up the stairs towards the dormitories, her toffee-colored hair flying out behind her. When she reached the top of the stairs she glanced around, making sure no one was around, and checking the common room for all the Gryffindor boys.

Ron and Harry were at the Quidditch pitch, and there was Dean playing chess with Neville... (Who was losing terribly, Hermione noticed sympathetically) that only left Seamus... Ah no, there he was, back in the corner chairs!

Feeling very much relieved, Hermione slowly pushed open the door to the boy's dorm.

"Merlin, it's messy in here!" she thought out loud, looking around. There were piles of clutter everywhere, everything from books, clothes, garbage, magazines (Oh god Seamus!!!), and food.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Typical boys," she thought." I'll be lucky to even find Ron's books under all this!"

The thought of Ron still made her feel rather queasy, and she searched harder, digging into the pile closest to his bed.

"I still can't believe it," she thought absentmindedly.

"He ought to go out for Broadway or something, for hiding that as well as he did."

Hermione dug through another pile of rubbish, and...

"Aha!" she said out loud, as she pulled the small black book from underneath Ron's bed. She quickly thumbed through the pages, hardly allowing herself to marvel at how many were filled and slipped the piece of parchment back into the book, placing it back in under the appropriate date.

"Whew," she thought, relieved." That was almost too easy." Hermione stood up and brushed a candy Chocolate Frog wrapper off her cloak.

"Pigs," she thought with a smile. She looked towards the door.

"I really should get out of here," she thought, looking around.

"But..."

Hermione glanced towards Harry's part of the room. Of course she had been in here before, during second year, and that one time with Seamus, when he decided that he fancied her and almost jumped her... ugh... But, no, she hadn't been here in quite awhile; perhaps it just didn't feel right now that they were older. But she was curious...

"Oh, what can it hurt?" she thought, as she walked over to Harry's dresser.

A couple of Harry's books were sitting in a crooked stack on it, as well as a half eaten chocolate bar, some deodorant, a letter from Sirius, and something that looked like cologne. Hermione took a sniff.

"So that's why he always smells so sexy!" she thought with a giggle.

She set the bottle down on the dresser, and looked into the mirror. Her thick brown hair needed some smoothing, and her round cinnamon eyes were twinkling with amusement at looking through Harry's things.

As she reached into her pocket for a comb, her finger brushed against the thin fine chain of Harry's birthday present.

"Oh! I had almost forgotten!" she thought, fishing the necklace carefully out of her pocket.

She put it around her neck and fastened the tiny clasp behind her neck. Once on her, the sparkling crystal pendant almost seemed to vibrate, making her tingle. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, a strange swooping sensation came over her, as though she was falling, leaving just as quickly as it had come.

"How odd," Hermione thought, blinking into the mirror. Perhaps she needed to eat something, it had been hours...But instead of heading for the Great Hall she looked back at her necklace. She touched lightly it with the tip of her finger.

"It really is quite beautiful," she thought." I-"

The sound of laughter and footsteps coming up the stairs broke her thought.

"I have to get out of here!!!"

Hermione tore her gaze away from the mirror and ran towards the door. She turned the handle, flung the door open, and quickly closed it behind her, and leaned against the railing, breathing hard. Whoever it was hadn't made it up the stairs yet.

"Thank god," Hermione exhaled. "I can't even imagine how embarrassing that would have been! I wonder who it was..."

Almost as if to answer her question, Ron Weasley suddenly bounced up the stairs, his short red hair sticking up a bit in the front. He stopped short at the sight of Hermione.

"Oh no..." Hermione thought miserably. "Of all the people... "

"Oh, um, hey Hermione!" said Ron quickly. He gave her an odd look.

"What happened to you? You look like you just ran all the way around the grounds!"

"Oh, thanks a lot," Hermione grumbled, pushing her messy hair out of her face. Ron laughed.

"Well, I didn't mean it that way! Anyway, what were you doing? You're all flushed."

Hermione racked her brain for an answer.

"Oh, I was just, um, working out a bit, yes! Got to keep in shape somehow you know!" Hermione exclaimed, trying to look believable.

Ron raised an eyebrow at her, looking as though in his opinion Hermione did not need to change her shape one bit, a look the Hermione would have tried to ignore in the past. But instead, she suddenly had an insane urge to giggle.

"He always looks so cute when he does that!" she thought wistfully. Then she mentally slapped herself.

"Wait, what?! Since when is Ron cute? Where did that come from?"

Hermione had felt a little woozy before, but now she was feeling downright strange. She forced herself to look back at Ron, who now was giving her a very odd look indeed.

"Um, I need to go meet Harry now, I'll, uh, see you at dinner!!!"

And with that, Hermione, forcing the little lights to stop twinkling in front of her eyes, scooted down the steps, leaving a very confused Ron behind.

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