To Read a Secret Book

As Ron and Hermione walked down the hall toward the common room, they laughed to each other. "The old bat had no idea that we'd used magic!" said Ron between spurts of laughter.

"He didn't actually expect us to clean that bathroom with our hands did he? What a moron," said Hermione. Ron looked at her sideways.

"I thought I was the moron," he said with a smirk.

"You know I don't think that at all. I mean, how could I?" A puzzled look came onto Ron's face.

"But you always treat me like I am some kind of idiot when you help me with my homework."

"Well that's because you act like you're a moron when I know that you're perfectly capable of doing things on your own." Ron raised his eyebrows and smiled, slowing slightly to get a good look at her. She noted his stare and blushed, pondering what he was thinking. They reached the portrait hole, uttered the password, and entered. Harry was alone in a corner, as usual, reading his book. When Harry caught sight of them he smiled.

"I told you that if I gave Hermione a taste of her own medicine she'd come around," Harry said through a smirk as the two approached. Both Ron and Hermione looked surprised at what he'd said. She glanced up at Ron, noting his flushing ears, and decided not to mention anything. She loved being on speaking terms with him again and didn't want to compromise it. Harry chuckled to himself and went back to reading his book.

"What are you reading, anyways?" said Hermione.

"Oh nothing...," Harry said, shutting the book. Seeing that Harry was being brief for a reason, Hermione decided to head up to the dormitories.

"Night then," she said, standing on tiptoe and kissing Ron on the cheek. His eyes widened. She leaned down and ruffled Harry's hair before ascending the steps to the girl's dormitory.

Ron sat down on the floor next to Harry and watched him try to put his hair back into place, not that it was in place to begin with.

"I don't know what to do about her," Ron said as soon as he was sure she was out of earshot.

"Well, you like her, don't you?"

"I don't know. I mean, Harry, it's Hermione!"

"Yes, I had figured that part out." Harry saw the look on Ron's face and continued speaking. "Well she certainly isn't the little bush head with buck teeth anymore. That she most definitely isn't."

"Well, yes, but still."

"You won't ruin anything. Considering the stupid fights you two have and then make up, I'd say that's pretty much impossible." Ron nodded and looked down at the book in Harry's hands.

"So when are you gonna tell her what you're reading?"

"The day you tell her you like her."

~<*>~

The next morning at breakfast Ron sat next to Hermione and Harry sat across from them. They were discussing the trip to Hogsmeade that day with a certain sense of glee.

"I can't wait to hit the sweetshop," Ron said, licking his lips. Harry saw Hermione rolling her eyes and he chuckled to himself.

"Well, first let's go to the Three Broomsticks; then we can try to plan out the day." Ron and Hermione both nodded in agreement before returning to their breakfast. Hermione glanced at Ron through the corner of eye. She watched him shovel the food into his mouth and, for the first time, noticed the small look of satisfaction he produced after swallowing. She wondered what he was thinking. Was he thinking about her? No. Knowing him he's probably just pondering what food to eat next. But what if he was actually thinking about her? Did she want him to? She shook off the thought and focused her attention on her plate, though she was suddenly not hungry in the slightest.

Ron heard Hermione sigh and became worried that she was thinking about him. He speculated that he had done something wrong but couldn't figure out what. He suddenly became very aware of how close he was to her. He could see every thread of her hair, every eyelash. He snapped his thoughts back to his breakfast, as the words "just friends" flashed inside his head.

Harry watched the two of them with a smirk. How could they not realize that they liked each other? They must be blind. He would never be that inept. "Oh no," he thought. "What if someone likes me and I just don't see it?!" He glanced over at the Ravenclaw table to see Luna reading the newest issue of the Quibbler. She looked up at him and smiled, causing his concentration to jolt back to his plate and he suddenly became very interested in his fork. The three finished the rest of their breakfast in silence with worried looks on their faces.

When it came time to leave for Hogsmeade the three got in the line formation and waited anxiously.

"I could really use a butterbeer," said Harry, licking his lips. His attention turned to the tapping on his shoulder. He rotated to see Luna Lovegood smiling at him vacantly.

"Hi-ya Harry! Do you mind if I go to Hogsmeade with you guys? My friends just cancelled on me." He stuttered momentarily before answering her in a cracked voice.

"Sure, why not?" Why was he so nervous? I mean, it was only Loony Luna. At that moment the teachers beckoned the students to follow them outside, as it was time to leave. Harry watched Luna look around the room as if she was in some kind of a daze and he was suddenly very reminded of how she had heard the voice behind the curtain too. He could talk about a lot of things with Ron and Hermione, but he only felt comfortable talking about Sirius with her. After all, she had lost a parent too, right?

~<*>~