The Matchmakers

"What do you think they're planning then?" asked Harry, strumming his fingers on the arm of his seat.

Hermione thought for a while, her chin cupped in her hands. "I don't know," she said frowning. "But," she elaborated, "we can be sure that it's got something to do with us."

"It always has something to do with us!" exclaimed Harry. "You know, I wish they wouldn't do that. They're not even thankful for us getting them together."

Hermione smiled and punched Harry lightly on the shoulder. "That's because they broke up with us, you idiot! Hey, do you remember how mad at us they got? They thought we were cheating on them just because I was tutoring you in Charms!"

"I had a bruise for a week after Lavender punched me," said Harry ruefully and Hermione burst into a bout of giggles.

"You're really funny when you try to be serious," she said and Harry scowled. She stopped laughing and tried to put on a serious expression. Of course, this sent them both into fits of laughter.

"Christmas Ball next week!" said Ron.

"Have you got a date yet, Harry?" asked Lavender, slyly.

"Even if I had, I wouldn't tell you!" said Harry, and he quickly escaped from Ron and Lavender as he came out of the Charms classroom.

He could see Hermione in the corridor he pushed through the throng of students to get to her. She was easy to spot, her brown hair falling gently across her shoulders, reaching almost to her waist. It wasn't as bushy as it had been when she was younger, but the weight of her hair probably had something to do with that. She was talking to someone and didn't look too pleased.

"Hermione, please go to the Ball with me," the boy she was talking to asked. It was Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Hufflepuff from their year. He ran a hand through his blonde hair, which was immaculately cut. That haircut probably cost a couple hundred pounds Harry realised.

"Look, I'm sorry, Justin," said Hermione, pity in her voice. "But I, um... I'm already going with someone!" With this she walked quickly away from Justin and Harry had to run to catch up with her.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire!" he hissed in her ear. "You don't have a date for the Ball and you know it!"

Hermione stopped walking and placed her hands on her hips. She wore a scowl on her face and looked seriously annoyed.

"Look, Harry, you know as well as I do that I do not want to go to the Ball with Justin. He has been stalking me for the past eight months! In the summer, he even found my muggle telephone number and left hundreds of messages for me!"

Harry winced. "Yikes, sounds likes he's obsessed."

"Obsessed doesn't cover it," said Hermione, and she hurried off to her Arithmancy class at top speed, as to avoid another rendezvous with the love-struck Hufflepuff, her Head Girl and Prefect badges glinting in the sunlight.

The night of the Christmas Ball quickly approached, but Harry didn't even bother finding a date, even though he had been asked by several dozen girls, all of which were too giggly for his taste. There was someone who he would have asked if Ron and Lavender hadn't been trying to set him up with her; Hermione. Of course, it would have only been as a friend, wouldn't it? Harry wasn't entirely sure.

After about an hour of standing around watching couples dance while wearing uncomfortable dress robes, Harry finally got fed up and left the Great Hall. Through some subconscious decision, he made his way up to the Astronomy Tower. From there he could still hear the faint hum of the music from the Great Hall.

"Harry? What are you doing up here?" It was Hermione. She had been looking through one of the telescopes that stood on the balcony that jutted off the tower.

"I could ask you the same thing," said Harry, noticing that she was wearing her dark red dress robes, obviously having been to and left the Ball.

She just raised her eyebrows, but didn't answer. She looked up at the stars and said, "Mars is bright tonight."

"Is that supposed to be funny?" asked Harry, remembering back to their first year when they had had detention in the Forbidden Forest.

"Are you laughing?" asked Hermione.

"Why aren't you at the dance?" asked Harry, changing the subject. He sat on one of the plush chairs that were in the tower. "I'd have thought a pretty girl like you would have had hundreds of boys lining up to take her out!" It wasn't until after he had said it that he realised what he had said.

It was too dark to see if Hermione blushed, but Harry saw that she smiled. "Thanks," she said quietly. "Actually about five people asked me, but I didn't want to go with any of them. There was someone I wouldn't have minded going with, but he didn't ask me. After about half an hour of watching happy couples dancing I finally had enough and came up here."

"You only lasted half an hour?" asked Harry.

She nodded. "Why didn't you take anyone to the Ball? Wouldn't a handsome guy like yourself have girls clamouring to dance with him?" She grinned as she said this, her smiling illuminating her face.

"They're all too giggly for my liking," Harry said with a shrug. "Plus I don't really like dancing."

"Let me guess - there was someone you wanted to go with but you didn't ask them because..." she trailed off, inviting Harry to finish the sentence.

"Because I don't want to talk about it."

Hermione shrugged. "Fine by me," she said. She turned back to the telescope and peered through it. "What's the matter, Harry?" she asked.

"Well, I..." Harry paused, thinking about what to say. The music changed down in the Great Hall to a slow waltz and Harry stood up, holding out his hand. "Can I have this dance?"

Hermione turned around, looking a little surprised, but took his hand anyway. "I thought you didn't like dancing," she said shyly.

"I don't," admitted Harry, as they danced in slow circles, around and around to the music. "But I can make exceptions." He smiled at her and she smiled back looking quite embarrassed.

"So what's the matter?" Hermione asked, as they danced. "Uh, is it friendship problems?"

'Sort of,' Harry thought to himself and he took in the smell of Hermione's hair. 'It smells like the shampoo she use's,' he thought.

The music played on, the waltz beating peacefully through the air. The circles they danced in gradually became slower and slower, until they were almost stood still. "It's so peaceful up here," whispered Hermione, looking up at Harry who was a good few inches taller than her. Harry looked down and nodded.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Much better than the Great Hall." Hermione nodded slightly, still looking up at him. Their eyes locked, deep brown looking into emerald green. Slowly, Harry lowered his face towards hers, Hermione tilting hers upwards. Just as their lips were about to meet, there was a crash as the door to the Astronomy Tower was flung open. A red-faced Ron and Lavender stood there hand in hand.

Harry and Hermione jumped apart before Ron and Lavender saw anything. Hermione instantly turned back to the telescope, her face tinged with pink. Harry was pretty sure he was blushing as well.

Ron and Lavender looked just as embarrassed. In fact, they both looked rather disappointed when they realised that Harry and Hermione had been up in the Astronomy Tower alone and they had interrupted.

"Hi," said Harry lamely. "How are you?"

"Just fine," said Ron, looking first at Harry and then at Hermione who was paying rather a lot of attention on a star on the horizon.

"Uh, I was leaving," said Harry. Hermione looked up.

"Me too," said Hermione. "You can only look at stars for so long before they get boring."

"I'll walk you back to the Common Room," Harry offered quickly, and Hermione nodded rapidly. They left the Astronomy Tower as quickly as they possibly could.

Ron and Lavender stared at each other in disbelief. Ron groaned and sank into a chair. "Is it me or did we just ruin what could have been an amazingly romantic moment?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Uh-huh," said Lavender, sitting down next to him. The expression on her face was one of shock. "After all our planning and scheming to get the two of them together, we spoil the moment all for the sake of a snogging-session!"

"Sod's law," said Ron and Lavender nodded in agreement. "You know," Ron sighed, "We might have just ruined it all."

Harry and Hermione walked back to the Gryffindor common room in silence, not daring to speak in case they said anything they would regret, and not wishing to talk about what had almost happened.

Harry kept stealing glances at Hermione, dressed elegantly in her red robes, but every time he looked at her, she would glance over at him and their eyes would dart away from each other.

Hermione had to keep reminding herself to breathe. In her head she was having a rather interesting conversation with herself. 'That did not just happen, I did not almost kiss Harry. I wanted to kiss... no! I didn't want to kiss him. Nope. Didn't want to kiss him. Didn't want to feel his lips against mine, his soft amazing lips that I need to kiss. Nope, didn't want to kiss him at all, to hold him and never let go. Oh, who am I kidding? Certainly not me!'

When they reached the common room, Harry said the password sullenly and the Fat Lady swung open to let them enter. Once inside they stood facing each other in silence, looking at the floor. "Um, well, I guess we should go to bed," said Harry. He felt the colour rise in his cheeks. "I mean, I should go to my bed and you should go to your bed!" he gabbled.

Hermione nodded quickly before saying, "Goodnight, Harry." Without waiting for him to wish her goodnight, Hermione practically ran up the stairs to the dormitory she shared with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil.