Complicated

Just when I think I'm under control

Think I finally got a grip

Another friend tells me that

My name is always on your lips

They say I'm more than just a friend

They say I must be blind

But I'll admit that I've seen you watch me

From the corner of your eye

Oh it's so confusing yea I wish you'd just confess

But think of what I'd be losing

If you answer wasn't yes

Oh it's so complicated

I hate it cause I've waited

So long for someone like you

What do I do

Oh should I say it

Should I tell you how I feel

I want you to know

But then again I don't

It's so complicated...

Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Complicated, A Room With A View

Later that night, Hermione sat in her dorm right before bed, trying her hardest to block out Parvati and Lavender's endless gossip. Suddenly the two girls grew eerily quiet, and she looked up to see what was wrong, finding herself facing two questioning looks.

"What?" she said irritably.

"Hermione, honestly, haven't you been listening? We asked who you like, and don't say 'no one' because I'll laugh until we force the obvious truth out of you."

"Well...no I haven't been listening, gossiping isn't my style, and as for who I like, I'm not telling, no one knows and I intend to keep I that way," she said while rolling her eyes and turning back to her homework.

Lavender turned to Parvati, ""Well so much for a confession. But I can still tell she likes Harry, it's so obvious, just look at her," she said.

The two girls turned back to Hermione, whose jaw had looked up in disbelief with a slack jaw.

"How can you tell?" she choked out barely above a whisper.

"Ah ha. Knew we could get it out of you," Parvati said, "And as for knowing, it's all over your face, how could we not know?"

Hermione suddenly felt like an open book, and let her face drop onto her hands propped up on the desk, avoiding letting her mixed emotions play across her face, since they seemed to do that unwillingly. The only coherent in her mind was: 'If two girls as clueless as her dorm mates could figure this out, what did the students with half a brain know?'

"But you know what I hear from Seamus," Parvati said, now turned back to Lavender, who was listening intently, "That Harry talks non-stop about her," and she nodded in Hermione's direction.

Although unnoticed by the gossiping girls, at this comment, Hermione's hands dropped out from under her head, and it banged against the desk in her shock.

"Sounds like someone else has a crush," Lavender said a grin in her voice.

Hermione sat up and faked a yawn a minute later as their gossip turned to their favourite features of the Gryffindor boys. She pushed up from the mini-desk she had been sitting at and trudged over to her bed. She turned to the girl and loudly proclaimed:

"I'm tired, so I'm going to turn in. Good night."

The girls barely acknowledged her with a good night as she drew the curtains closed around her four-poster, and laid down beaming.

She he talked about her? Well maybe he liked her too, and if so, there was another way to go about this. And she would take that way, starting in the morning.

************************

Breakfast had already begun, when Hermione snuck through the open doors hurried to her seat next to Harry, sinking down and resting her head in her hands briefly before putting some food on her plate.

Harry stared at her, absolutely bewildered at her tardiness. She was never late, and what was more incredible in this moment, is that her beauty radiated off of her. Her hair had a brushed appearance, and it fell in small waves around her face, which itself had a shimmering quality added to it. But Harry couldn't really judge this, because he wasn't exactly impartial.

"Hermione," he said, shaking her from her reverie, "Why are you so late?"

She looked at him, bareing a glossy smile, "I slept in, and it took me longer than I thought to get ready."

"Well, for all that you look incredible," Harry responded, then mentally kicked himself. This was not the time to start letting his emotions get control of him.

But unlike what he expected, Hermione had blushed adding to the touch of it that had been there previously and extended her smile with lit up eyes.

Harry smiled too, and reached past her as she turned back to her plate to retrieve the milk. Hermione used her bit of knowledge of cheesy Muggle movies, to reach for the jug at the same time, and their hands joined on the handle.

Hanging on for a bit longer than one might think, Harry looked at Hermione and laughed. She, although quite happy with the feeling of his hand on hers, pulled away and shyly smiled.

"Here you go," Harry said and poured the milk into her goblet, and then turned to fill his.

Hermione said a genuine 'Thank you,' flashing him a smile, and took a sip, quite satisfied with what just happened. This was going a lot better than she had thought.

***********************

Professor Flitwick waved his hand as a dismissal for the sixth year Gryffindor Charm's class. Hermione began to pack away her quill and parchment in her bag, deciding that it was time for step two of her 'Get-Harry's-Attention' Plan.

The students all stood up and filed out of the room, and Hermione grabbed up her bag and fell in step behind Ron. They walked out of class and then fell into a line which stretched the length of the hallway, Hermione between Harry and Ron.

Hermione grinned to herself as she shifted her bag to her left shoulder, closer to Harry. They continued down the hall, Hermione holding her breath anticipating her coming action.

As they rounded a corner, Harry walked too closely to her, and slammed into her shoulder. Hermione used this to her advantage stumbled sideways more than she should, and let her bag drop in the process.

Harry reached out and steadied her, and she let a small grin play about her lips. When he was sure she was all right, he bent down and scooped up her books, refusing her help.

As Hermione and Ron stood by watching Harry's cordial efforts, Ron slowly began to realise that Harry's liking Hermione might not be entirely one-sided. Harry stood up, books in hand, and before Hermione could try to take them back, he slipped them into her bag, and strung both over his shoulder before they continued down the hall. And Harry knew right then, that the time was coming soon.