Choices

“OI! Harry wait up!” Ron called after Harry, who was running towards Quality Quidditch Supplies, where members of England’s National Team were making an appearance.  Ron, Harry and Hermione were in Diagon Alley picking up their supplies for their fifth year at Hogwarts.

“Boys,” muttered Hermione watching the retreating backs of Ron and Harry, “always caught up in sports.”  Ginny, who was standing next to her, nodded sagely; they turned around and headed the other direction, off to get some food.

“When do you think will see them again?” Ginny asked Hermione, as the two made their way up the cobblestone street towards the Leaky Cauldron.

“With the English National Team there, we probably won’t see them for awhile, which is a good thing, because I need to talk to you.” Hermione then blushed a little when Ginny asked what she needed to talk about. “Well…um…Let’s just get some food first, then we can talk.”

“Okay,” said Ginny, the arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and she went to the bar to order for them.  She came back five minutes later with two orders of fish and chips.  Ginny dug right in, eating rather quickly stuffing fish and fries all into her mouth at once, then washing it down with a quick swig of butterbeer that dribbled down her shirt.  She didn’t seem to notice.

“Hungry are we?” Hermione commented.

“Gods yes,” Ginny was able to say between bites, finally swallowing she continued: “I didn’t have any breakfast, not that there wasn’t any to be had, it’s just the Percy made it and his cooking is well…” She screwed up her face in a look of disgust that made Hermione laugh.  “Why aren’t you eating?” asked Ginny.  All Hermione had been doing was pushing the fries around her plate.

“Well it’s just I more wanted to talk then anything else,” Hermione admitted, starting to blush again.

“Ooooo!” Ginny squealed, “Is it Krum? You haven’t said a word about him since you got from Bulgaria! What happened? Where? When?”

“Huh?” said Hermione confused, “O! Him. Well turns out he was just trying to get a good fuck out of me. I left him in that ugly little castle of his all by himself. Not before getting him to give me many expensive gifts, of course.”

“Oooh, you are evil,” said Ginny admiringly, “So if it’s not Krum, what did you want to talk to me about? Is it someone else?”

“Um…yeah,” Hermione managed to get out, “It’s—”

Hermione was cut off by Harry and Ron jamming themselves into the booth, dumping Quidditch memorabilia all over the table.  “Look at all the free stuff we g—”  Ron stopped as he noticed the look of death he was getting from Ginny.  “What’s the matter, Ginny?”

“Nothing,” Ginny muttered as she stormed away from the table, smashing the wall of the Leaky Cauldron with her wand and going through the archway that appeared.

“Did we do something wrong?” asked Harry.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Hermione “But look what I found at Flourish and Blotts.”  She shoved a rather large book entitled O.W.L.s: The Key To Success towards Harry and Ron.

“God Hermione! We don’t even take our O.W.L.s ‘till the end of the year, what are you doing with this book now?”

“Well, it’s never too early to get a head start on things.”

“Hermione you are so predictable,” Ron said sliding the book back towards her.  Ron couldn’t help, though, to notice that no one could have predicted the change Hermione had made since they left her at King’s cross three months ago.  She had grown about three inches, her body went from straight and flat to curvy and full, her hair from frizzy and dull to shiny and sleek.  Even Ron had to admit that she was pretty, maybe even beautiful.

“Well, anyway, we have to go meet our parents at Flourish and Blotts to get our books,” Harry said to Ron, “Meet us there when you’re done, Hermione?”

“Hm? Yeah, sure.”

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“The Burrow!” Hermione screeched, appearing in the Weasley’s fireplace, Ginny followed immediately behind her.  They stepped out into the Weasley’s living room trailed by the rest of the Weasley family and Harry.

“What were you thinking!?” yelled Mrs. Weasley at Fred and George, her face turning very red, and not because she was blushing.

“Oh c’mon, Mom! We would have been fine, I mean nothing happened to Harry when he was there!” George said innocently, while Fred put on his best puppy dog face (which had stopped working at the age of six.)

“He was lucky, you are never ever to even think of thinking of trying to go to that horrid place again!” Mrs. Weasley screamed.

“Molly, dear, let’s do try to calm down,” Mr. Weasley said soothingly.

“What did they do this time?” Harry asked Ron, who replied with a shrug.

He, Harry, Hermione and Ginny edged around Mrs. Weasley and made their way upstairs.  From behind them the heard Mrs. Weasley’s voice ring out again.

“KNOCKTURN ALLEY IS NO PLACE FOR YOUNG MEN LIKE YOU!”

“Oh,” said Harry, getting a response to his own question. Harry and Ron went into Ron’s room.  Hermione started to follow, but was stopped by Ginny.

“You had someone you wanted to talk to me about?” Ginny asked Hermione.

Hermione just sort of shifted uncomfortably. “Well, that was nothing.”  She then dashed off towards Ron’s room.

Ginny went into her room and sat down on her bed.  It was covered with sheets of royal blue, a birthday present to replace her old, pink ones with fairies all over them. She likes someone, Ginny thought to herself, and doesn’t want to talk about it.  She pulled out a piece of parchment and decided to make a list of everyone that Hermione might like

        Ron.

        Seamus.

        Justin.

        Cho.

Wait a minute! Ginny thought, what if it’s me?  She remembered they way that Hermione had shifted uncomfortably a minute ago, and how she tried to avoid the subject at lunch. It could be me, Ginny thought again.  It’s not as if she was against that type of relationship in theory, it’s just that she had never thought of herself as that type of person.  She would have to tell Hermione that she can’t be in a relationship with her, that she wasn’t ready.  She decided to do it after dinner, when they were about to go bed. It was a lucky thing that Hermione was sleeping in Ginny’s room; she couldn’t run away and sleep somewhere else so she would have to talk to Ginny.  Then Ginny had a different thought about Hermione sleeping in her room, one that made her shudder.  No, Ginny thought, I will tell her no and she will respect that.  This is Hermione, it’s not like she’s going to try and rape me or anything.  This last part Ginny hoped she could be entirely sure of.

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“So when are we gonna get fucked?” Ron asked Harry, who was sitting at Ron’s desk.  Hermione had left to go help Mrs. Weasley prepare dinner.

“What?” Harry sputtered.

“You heard me, when are we gonna get fucked?” Ron repeated.

“Well I don’t know about you,” said Harry, putting on a smug voice, “but I’ve already been fucked.”

“WHAT!?”

“Well what I mean is that I could get fucked anytime I want, being the fine specimen of manhood I am; I just choose not to.”

“Fine specimen of manhood?” Ron said, laughing uncontrollably. “You?” Ron promptly fell of his bed and continued rolling along the floor laughing.  “You couldn’t get fucked in a million years with an attitude like that, it just turns girls off.”

“Oh, yes, I forgot that you would know what turns girls off and on, seeing as you’ve had tremendous success with them.” Harry said to Ron playfully.  “Well Ron, if you were to fuck someone who would it be?”

“Hmm, I don’t know, probably Cho.”

There was a slight pause.

“That wasn’t funny.”

“Yes, it was, that look on your face when you thought I was serious was priceless.” Ron said smugly.

“Ron,” Harry said seriously, “Cho just lost her boyfriend, whom, after talking with her a bit, I found out that she loved very much, and to take advantage of her in her state of mourning would be as bad as killing Cedric himself.”

“Sorry,” Ron managed to say meekly.        

“It’s okay, but seriously, if you were to fuck someone, who would it be?”

“I dunno, probably Hermione.”

“We finally get him to reveal his crush! WOO-HOO! I’ll go tell Fred and George.” Harry said enthusiastically.

“NO!” Ron practically screamed.

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“Hermione?” Ginny said, directing her voice at the lump on her floor.  “You awake? We need to talk.”

Hermione, who knew exactly what Ginny wanted to talk about, pretended to be asleep.  Ginny called to her a couple more times, then went to sleep.  Hermione sat there for a few minutes, asking herself why she talked to Ginny in the first place.  Unable to answer her own question, she went to sleep.

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Harry sat awake in Ron’s room, it was now well past midnight and Harry couldn’t sleep.  He was thinking of what had happened at the end of last school year, of Cedric, Voldemort’s return, meeting his parents, who Moody really was.  Then over the summer he found out why he hadn’t been attacked by Voldemort.  That was actually somewhat ironic, even funny.

  

“You’ll be staying with Mrs. Figg while we’re in Aruba,” Mrs. Dursley said nastily, knowing how Harry hated the woman and her damned cats.

“But—” Harry started.

“No buts, boy! Now take your stuff and leave for her house right now.”

Harry got all his Hogwarts stuff and went over to Mrs. Figg’s house.  He was greeted by about a dozen cats, who all tried to rub themselves on his legs at once, almost knocking him over.

“Come on in, Harry,” Mrs. Figg, “I have some photographs I’d like you to see.”

Oi, Harry thought, she always makes me look at photographs of her stupid cats.

“Oh, is that your stuff for that asylum school of yours?” Mrs. Figg asked, spying Harry’s trunk.  “Well, just put it in that room over there.”

As Harry lugged his trunk into the room a grey tabby jumped onto it.  “Get off!” Harry muttered at the tabby.

“MEOW!”

“Shut up! Stupid fucking cats,” Harry said, finally obliging the cat and scratching its head.  He then noticed some strange markings around the cat’s eyes and he gasped. “Professor McGonagall?”

“MEROW!”

“I didn’t mean to curse at you, it’s just—”

“MEROW-ROW!”

“Are you talking to one of my cats, boy?” Mrs. Figg asked, who was behind Harry.  “You must be crazy, cats don’t talk.”  She was about to continue, but froze when she saw McGonagall.  “Minerva! What? Do you think I can’t take care of him myself?”

“Huh?” asked Harry, as McGonagall transformed back into her human form. “I’m confused.”

“Harry,” Mrs. Figg started, “I’m a witch, I was sent to live here when you were, so I could watch over you and make sure that you didn’t get hurt.  Obviously Minerva thought I couldn’t do it myself.”  Mrs. Figg glowered at McGonagall.

“Well, it’s just that with You-Know-Who—”

“VOLDEMORT!” Harry practically screamed.

“Fine,” said McGonagall, “with Voldemort back I thought you might need some help.”

“Oh, okay then honey.” Mrs. Figg said as she enveloped McGonagall in a big hug and gave her a passionate kiss.

       

Harry Smiled at the memory of Mrs. Figg kissing McGonagall like that. He was still not sure why Mrs. Figg had made him look at all those pictures of her cats all those times. Harry’s thoughts then wandered to Ron’s question of earlier, “When are we gonna get fucked?”  The words rang in his mind for some unknown reason.  Who would Harry want to fuck?  Hermione was always a choice, but he didn’t want to hurt Ron, even though she was very pretty.  He thought of her, of her perfect face, her adorable little nose, the way she got all cute went she was mad.  Harry then had an epiphany; it hit him like the broad side of a barn to a wayward broomstick.  He was in love with Hermione.

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“Whasamatter?” Harry said as he was violently awakened by Fred.

“C’mon, we gotta go to King’s Cross.”

“What time is it?”

“9:00, you overslept.”

All the Weasleys and Hermione were downstairs finishing breakfast, and Harry couldn’t help but notice that Hermione was looking especially pretty today.

“What’s for breakfast?” he asked, trying not to stare at Hermione’s beautiful face as she conversed with Ginny, who didn’t look so bad herself.  Harry suddenly had a very dirty thought he shouldn’t have had and expelled it from his mind immediately.

“Waffles,” Mrs. Weasley replied to Harry’s question, shoving a plate of waffles across the table towards Harry.  “Hurry up and eat dear, we must leave soon.”

All of them then went out and piled into the ministry cars that had been provided to them.  Harry was in the back seat of one car, between Hermione and Ron. Harry was glad Ron was there, it gave him a reason not to flirt with Hermione, and he was glad to be able to blame something besides his own cowardice.

After a drive they got to the station and boarded the train, Harry got a compartment for him, Ron, Hermione and Ginny.  Ginny had matured over the summer and had finally been brought into the tight circle of Ron, Harry and Hermione.  This pleased Hermione, who finally had another girl to talk to, although right now she was doing all she could to avoid talking to Ginny, who she knew would just want to continue a line of questioning that Hermione really didn’t want to pursue anymore.

“Hey look!” Ron said, pointing out the window, “Malfoy’s snogging with some girl on the platform.  The four teens all looked out the window, and sure enough there was Malfoy, snogging with a girl with black hair and dark skin.  “I wonder who she is, and what she sees in him?” Ron asked of no one in particular.

“Are you kidding?” Ginny said, “If he wasn’t such an asshole I’d fuck him in an instant.  I mean he is just so damn hot!”

“Erm, sure Ginny,” said Ron uncomfortably; more uncomfortable with the idea of Ginny fucking someone than her thinking Malfoy was hot.

They four of them settled into their seats as the train left.  Ron was still laughing about Malfoy – he had almost missed the train because of his snog-fest.  When the snack cart came by, Harry bought candy for everyone.  The rest of the trip to Hogwarts was rather uneventful.

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Hermione and Ginny were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, working on homework.  They had been back to school for a week and a half, and this was the first time that Ginny was able to get Hermione away from Harry or Ron.

“Hermione?” Ginny said probingly, “About what you said at Diagon Alley, I know whose name you were going to say.”

Hermione blushed furiously and said, “Figured it out? Oh well then, and you’re not mad?”

“Well, no, it’s just—”

“Oh good, cause I knew you had a little crush on him—”

“HIM? Oh God! I’ve got this all wrong!” Ginny screeched.

“Of course him, unless Harry hasn’t told us something.  Who did you think I was talking about?” Hermione asked quizzically.

“Oh…well…it’s just with the way you were acting I thought…that…well…you liked me.”

“You?” Hermione said, laughing, “Well that’s rather odd.  Whatever gave you that idea?  I mean it’s not that I’m against that type of relationship per se, but I’m in love with Harry.”

“Okay then,” Ginny said, relieved,  “What can I do to help?”

“Well,” said Hermione, “I haven’t been able to talk to Harry alone, without Ron, and I was hoping you could think of a way to separate the two.”

Ginny thought for a minute and then her face lit up.  “I’ve got it! This weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend! I can get Ron to go off with me and do something and you and Harry can go and talk over some butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks.”

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Hermione was so excited that she would finally get to confess her love to Harry that she actually blew of her Charms homework.  When it was finally the weekend she had to work to conceal her happiness, so as Ron and Harry didn’t notice anything.

The four teens went into Hogsmeade and Ginny turned to Ron.  “Ron can you come with me to Zonko’s? I need your help in finding something really vile to stick in Colin Creevy’s bed, he’s hitting on me again.”  Ron, who hated the idea of anyone hitting on Ginny, quickly agreed and everyone planned to meet at the Shrieking Shack later.

Harry and Hermione went off to the Three Broomsticks, and while Hermione found a booth Harry went and got some butterbeer from the bar.  He came to the booth and sat down.  God he looks sexy, Hermione thought, his ruffled, unkempt hair and those deep green eyes, I could lose myself in those so easily.  Apparently Hermione had done just that because Harry had to wave her out of a trance.

“Sorry,” Hermione said quickly, “It’s just that there is something I need to tell you, and well I guess the best way is to just say it, isn’t it? I mean could just dance around it for awhile and not actually get to it, but I’ve done that so many times before and I just don’t want to do that again but—”

“Hermione, what is it?” Harry asked, looking very concerned.

Hermione took a deep breath, “Harry, I love you.”

Harry just sat there for a minute.

“Harry? Say something, please!” Hermione looked like she was about to cry.

But Harry didn’t say anything.  Instead he leaned across the table and enveloped Hermione in a passionate kiss.  They finally broke it off after about a minute. “God, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” Harry said, looking at Hermione. Then he said, unwaveringly: 

“I love you too, Hermione.”

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They met up with Ron and Ginny, being extra careful not to let Ron know what had happened.  They had talked and decided that they would not tell him until they were ready, after they had time to think things over.

When they got back to the common room Ron went immediately up to the dormitory to go to sleep, and Harry whispered for Hermione to meet him in the common room at 11:00.  The three of them then went up to their respective dormitories, Ginny supremely happy that everything had worked out.

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At 10:50 Harry snuck out of the dorm, making sure that he didn’t wake anyone up and then made his way down to the common room, where Hermione was already waiting. Together they snuck out of the portrait hole and down the steps into the body of Hogwarts.

“Where are we going?” Hermione asked.

“I have no idea,” Harry replied.  The two continued down corridor after corridor in silence.  They turned around a corner and ran smack into Peeves. “Oh shit!” Harry said.

“STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS OUT OF BED IN THE TRANSFIGURATION HALL!” Peeves screamed, zooming off to find Filch.

“C’mon this way,” Harry said, “I know a trap door down to the Charms classroom.  They narrowly escaped being found by Filch, but finally ended up right where Harry said they would be – in the completely empty Charms classroom.

“That was so much fun,” said Hermione.

“Not as much fun as we’re going to have now,” Harry said, sweeping Hermione up in a big passionate kiss.  The two of them ended up on Flitwick’s desk, Harry on top of Hermione.

“You are so beautiful,” Harry said, staring deep into Hermione’s eyes.  She answered with a big passionate kiss.  Harry’s hands ran, up and down Hermione, stopping at the bottom of her t-shirt. He pulled it up and over her head and then started to put little kisses all over Hermione’s neck as she pulled his shirt off him.  Harry then proceeded to kiss back up to Hermione’s mouth and the started making out again.  His hand then slipped down to her pajama bottoms and undid the drawstring.

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Harry snuck back into the dorm room at about 2:00 thoroughly satisfied, but hoping that no one was awake. “Harry!” Alas, no such luck, it turned out that everyone was up and waiting for him to return.

“Where have you been?” asked Seamus who then noticed the marks all over Harry’s neck.  “OOO, You were out snogging! Ooo, Ooo!”

“Who was it, Harry?” Neville asked enviously.

“Yeah, who?” Ron and Dean demanded in unison.

“It was no one!” Harry said, trying to look innocent.

“You don’t come into a dorm room at 2AM with marks like that all over your neck and say that you weren’t out snogging!” Dean proclaimed.

“I wasn’t snogging!”

“Wait! I get it!” Seamus said suddenly, “You weren’t snogging! You got fucked!!!”

“SHUT UP!” Harry said, he then climbed into bed and went to sleep.

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“Okay so who’d you fuck last night, Harry?” asked Dean at breakfast.

“If you don’t tell us we’re going to have to start guessing!” said Seamus.  Harry said nothing so Seamus continued, “Hmm, Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson…” He continued to name every single ugly Slytherin girl until Harry finally spoke.

“Enough! I’ll tell you who I fucked God damn it!” Harry said, with a look at Hermione, who nodded.

“Okay then, who?” asked Neville.

Harry took a deep breath and said “Hermione.”

“NO!”

“YES!”

“HER?”

“YOU?”

“WOW!”

“COOL!”

After everything died down, everyone turned to look at Ron.  He looked at Harry, then Hermione and then Harry again. “No...” he whispered.  He ran out of the Great Hall and straight up to Gryffindor tower.

He ran straight into the dorm room, flung himself onto his bed, and started to cry.