Kiss Me Again

Bloody Krum.

He doesn't know what he's done to her. He's ruined Hermione. If he hadn't had to show up here last year, she wouldn't have gone to the Ball with him, and she wouldn't have gotten all dressed up - for him. I mean, it wouldn't have been so bad had it been Harry or me, she's known us for years. But how long has she known that bloody idiot? Not even a year! She wouldn't have even known who he was if I hadn't been practically wetting myself to shake his hand-

No. It wasn't my fault. I had nothing to do with that git asking her, and it's sure as hell not my fault she had to go and say yes.

Stupid Ball. Don't know what Dumbledore was thinking, making us have another one. Don't know what Hermione was thinking, getting all dressed up for this one. Vicky isn't here to see her, so what does it matter? It's not like she wants Harry to notice how that color brings out her eyes, or the way her hair frames her face when it falls that way. It's not as if Seamus is going to compliment the way her dress robes cling to her in all the right places, or he even realized the way they seem to give off some sort of light.

Not that I've noticed those things.

Oh no. She's spotted me looking at her. She'd better not get any ideas, I'm not drooling over her or anything. I'm just wondering what she's doing, sitting all by herself over there. Someone else has to realize how she looks. There's no reason for her not to be completely surrounded by sixth and seventh years - aw hell, if Lockhart were still here, he'd be put in a cold sweat by his competition. So why is she all alone?

OK, now she's coming over here. Well that makes sense, as we're best friends and all. Alright, she's sitting down. Deep breath, pretend this is totally natural. Of course, it probably is. She probably just wants to gripe about how she misses Vicky being here to hold her hand and get her drinks and hang on her every-

Do I want to...what, excuse me?

Oh, dance.

Er. Alright then.

Feet working? Check.

No, don't hold my hand, my palms are probably sweating like mad...well she doesn't seem to care. It's kind of nice, holding her hand like this. It's not too hot, like mine most likely is, and not really that cold, kind of light and feathery, her nails are all long and curvy-

OK, I'm mentally rambling about Hermione's hand.

Remind me to strangle myself when we get back to the common room.

This isn't so bad, this dancing. Not like it requires that much skill, just swaying back and forth, but she seems more advanced in it - kind of like everything we learn in classes. Wonder how she got to be this good at it-

Oh, right. Vicky probably gave her plenty of lessons during their cozy little library sessions.

Am I OK? I seem tense? Probably because you're uncomfortably close to me, and I can notice how your hair smells slightly like cinnamon, and I'm able to realize that your eyes are the exact color of honey...but that's probably not the answer she's looking for. What's something she'll accept...hey, exams are coming up, how about that?

Don't roll your eyes at me, I'm serious! Mum threatened to make me de-gnome the garden every day last summer when she found out I nearly failed Potions.

Well, yeah, I did fail, but she doesn't have to know that.

No, I didn't lie, I just didn't tell her the whole truth.

Those are completely different things, Hermione.

...Well?...Aren't you going to retaliate? Er - apparently not.

You're starting to scare me. Yell, scream, make your eyes flash like they usually do when we fight, this silence is just too creepy.

What's that look for?

What look?? Your head is about to droop off to the floor, your eyes have that glazed look Harry gets when Ginny's around lately, and it looks like someone deflated your face. You've obviously got something on your mind, and I think I deserve to know what it is, as we're dancing together and all-

Exams. I see.

Seriously Hermione, I think you'd better go to the Hospital Wing or something, you look awf...well, no, you don't look awful, technically, but you look sort of...well, different.

Oh, no - the look. Well, that was a nice dance while it lasted. That look can only lead to torture. Now she'll hit me, or start the verbal abuses, or run off crying or-

...or throw her arms around me.

Ahem.

Alright then.

I won't panic. Not like I have a reason to panic, I don't like her or anything. This is just like back in third year, after that whole Scabbers thing...just casually pat her on the head and be done with it.

OK, my arm isn't moving. Not a problem.

Well I can't just stand here without moving like a prat. Just take a deep breath, calm down, and hug her back, it's no big deal.

Wow, her hair reeks of cinnamon. Cinnamon and vanilla, really. And it's nice and soft, I wouldn't have expected that. It usually looks so bushy and wiry, I'll bet everyone thinks it feels that way as well. And they can go on thinking that, too.

Well that's odd...how did my arms get around her waist? Oh well, she doesn't seem to mind. Infact, she's looking up at me now. Oh, but her eyes still have that glazed look. They look like honey-dipped Cockroach Clusters...OK now that's not fair. She can't remind me of cinnamon, vanilla, and honey-dipped Cockroach Clusters. Pretty soon I'll get around to wondering what she tastes like, and you don't go around thinking things like that about your best friend.

She's still looking at me like that. I've never seen that look in her eyes before. It's not the look she gets before she's about to yell at me for whatever I've done wrong, or the sparkle they get when she raises her hand to answer a question in Transfiguration. That's not even how she looked at her precious Vicky when they danced together last year. It's more of a....hunger.

No. Wait. That can't be it. If it's hunger, that means she wants something, and if she's looking at me when she wants something, then...

Nope. Wrong. Completely off.

Is it just me, or is she leaning in closer? But why would she do that? She's not going to yell at me, she doesn't have that gleam in her eye. But yeah, she's definetly getting closer - her breath smells like that Winterfresh stuff that Ginny got her for Christmas. I've never been this close to her before. W-why exactly am I this close to her? She's not going to...no...she can't...

I got a funny feeling,

The moment that your lips touched mine.

Something shot right through me,

My heart skipped a beat in time.

There's a different feel about you tonight,

It's got me thinking lots of crazy things.

I even think I saw a flash of light,

Felt like electricity. [Or eckeltricity, you make the call.]

Well. That was strange. Hermione just kissed me.

Hermione. Just. Kissed. Me.

Hermione - the girl that cheated time to take twice as many classes, caught that cow Rita Skeeter at her own game, slapped Malfoy clear across the face in third year, turned back time to save Buckbeak and Sirius, stole potions from Snape's office, and could have a professional Quidditch player - just kissed me.

NO! What am I thinking? This is Hermione! Hermione! She yells at me constantly to try harder, bickers with me about every little thing, studies every waking moment, takes notes during History of Magic, has her own private table in the library, betrayed Harry to go to the Yule Ball with bloody Krum-

Krum. I just kissed his girlfriend. Not good. He's twice big as me, he could beat me to a pulp in two seconds flat. What's Hermione thinking, anyway - kissing me when she's got a boyfriend?

Or - does she?

She never really said it was official. But it has to be. He invited her to come to Bulgaria last summer, and to this day she hasn't told me what happened. That has to mean they...well...did something, right? Right? But then, why did she just kiss me? She didn't mean...well she couldn't have meant...that...could she?

"Ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort."

But she wasn't serious, right? She was just proving that she new that I liked her-

Hang on! I didn't like her! I was just furious that she went to the Ball with Krum, who happened to be the enemy. I wouldn't have cared one bit if she went with Seamus or Dean or Harry...right?

R-right?

Yeah. It was just the fact that she's unbelievably smart, and he'd be able to sucker her into helping him with the tournament, no problem. And he's from Durmstrang, and she's friends with Harry, and Krum could have been working for Karkaroff, the twit. I know, I know, I had his action figure, and asked for his autograph, but I never had any intention of talking to him about Harry-

Ah. OK, so maybe she didn't either. And maybe she isn't Krum's girlfriend. And she just kissed me. Okay...why? She can't...she doesn't...like me, does she?

No. That was just a friendly kiss. Like this is just a friendly dance. In which I'm thinking of nothing but her. Is she thinking about me? Does she like me? Why am I smiling?

You shouldn't kiss me like this,

Unless you mean it like that,

Cuz I'll just close my eyes,

And I won't know where I'm at.

We'll get lost on this dance floor

Spinning around

And 'round and 'round and 'round...

What's Harry smirking at us for? And Ginny, she's giggling over there with him. Hey, there's Seamus and Lavender. What are they staring at? Whoa, okay, everyone is looking at us. And smiling.

Oh, hi Parvati.

What do you mean, "It's about time?"

Hermione, your face is a very interesting shade of red.

She doesn't think it was that bad, does she?

Well apparently not - now she's smiling again.

It's weird how she fits right into my arms. My chin can rest right on top of her head, and her hands on my shoulders. She's feels so warm and content - was that a sigh I just felt? Yeah, it was - I can smell that Winterfresh smell again. Is that good? Was that a "That wasn't so bad," sigh, or a "I'd rather kiss a Blast-Ended Skrewt than be here," sigh? Give me some sort of sign - did you mean it like that?

They're all watching us now,

They think we're falling in love,

They'll never believe we're just friends.

When you kiss me like this,

I think you mean it like that,

If you do, baby, kiss me again.

Everybody swears,

We make a perfect pair.

But dancing is as far as it goes.

Girl you never moved me,

Quite the way you move me tonight...

I just wanted you to know.

I just wanted you to know.

How long has this song been playing? Is she just going to break away from me when it's over? Maybe if I close my eyes I'll be able to hold onto this moment forever...

You shouldn't kiss me like this,

Unless you mean in like that,

Cuz I'll just close my eyes,

And I won't know where I'm at.

We'll get lost on this dance floor,

Spinning around

And 'round and 'round and 'round...

They're all watching us now,

They think we're falling in love,

They'll never believe we're just friends.

When you kiss me like this,

I think you mean it like that,

If you do, baby, kiss me again.

OK, now I'm flying. That's odd, I thought I was at the Ball, dancing with Hermione. Why do my legs feel like black pudding? Who put me under the Cruciatus curse? My whole body seems like it's on fire...but the Cruciatus curse is supposed to hurt - this feels nice. What the hell is going on?

Oh. Maybe I should open my eyes. That could help.

Ah.

Did Krum teach her how to kiss like this? If he did this with her, I'm going to beat him to a bloody pulp. He wasn't worth this pleasure, however fast he can catch a Snitch. But...if he did teach her...

Then maybe he wasn't completely useless.

Kiss me again.