Chapter 3: Getting to know ME!

 Hermione stood in front of the door to her dorm room, nervously rocking back and forth. Oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear…. Then the door swung open in her face, and Emily was standing there…wrapped in a towel and carrying her bathing things. She stared at Hermione inquisitively for a moment before speaking.

 “Yer nervous?”

 Hermione shook her head quickly…the nodded. Emily beckoned Hermione to follow her as she started off towards the girl’s bathrooms.

 “Care ta say why?”

 Hermione blushed bright red. “The dance.”

 Emily nodded, “yeah, da dance. What ‘bout it? Gotta date ‘r somethin’?”

 “Well…not yet.”

 “But…?” That heavily accented voice was highly curious as the reached the bathroom and Emily stripped the towel to step into a stall and turn on the hot water.
Hermione sat on the edge of one of the sinks.

 “But I think that…” Hermione trailed off, startled as her cheeks flushed. She could see Emily through the thin curtain as she talked. The girl’s willowy body arched into the steaming water, all sleek curves and long hair.

 “Ya t’ink dat wha’?”

 Hermione blinked quickly. “Ah…Harry…”

 There was a deep chuckle from the shower stall. “Harry gon’ ask ya, ya t’ink.”

 “Well, Ginny thought he would…and it does seem like he might.”

 “He mos’ certainly might.” Emily had turned to rinse off her hair, arching back into the water, lifting firm breasts off a slightly muscular body. Hermione’s blush deepened. “D’ya wan’ him ta?”

 Hermione hadn’t really thought about it before. She knew she’d say yes if asked by him, it was just a given. He was Harry Potter; she was Hermione Granger, smartest girl in Gryffindor, if not Hogwart’s. It was just how it was done. “Of course I do.”

 “Ya sure?”

 “Of…course.”

 “ ‘Tay den, why ya nervous? Haven’t ya been asked ta a dance b’fore?”

 “Yes. It’s just…I don’t know.”

 “Ah well…ye’ll figure it out.” Emily stepped out of the stall, reaching for her towel to dry her hair. Watching those long arms moving to dissipate the wetness Hermione started.

 “You wear your watch into the shower?”

 Emily shrugged, “i’ doesn’t damage i’. I don’ see why not.”

 “Just curious.” Hermione hopped off the sink. “Thanks, Emily.”

 Emily pulled the towel off her head to smile at Hermione. “Sure, I didn’t do anythin’.”

 “Thanks anyway though.” Hermione slipped out the door, heading down to the commons room, unable to hear Emily’s chuckles.

 Down in the commons room Ron and Seamus were attempting to play muggle chess under Dean’s instructions and were not doing all too well. Neville was perched on a chair behind Ron watching the three of them with a soft smile of his face and Trevor the second in his hands.

 “Anyone seen Harry?”

 Ron looked up from his game. “He said he was stopping at the library for a project,” he grimaced, “and then heading here.” Ron frowned, “he should be here by now.” He started to get up, but Hermione pushed him back down.

 “I’ll go look for him.”

 “Thanks,” Ron turned back to his game.

Dean looked briefly up at the girl. “Good luck.”

 Hermione snorted. “Thanks, he’s probably out in the forest by now.”

 Ron shuddered, the jumped as Seamus prodded him with his wand. “What!”

 Seamus giggled. “’S yer turn.”

 “Oh…ok.”

 Neville giggled too, and Hermione smiled at him before leaving the room. Dean and Seamus were still all over each other and all of six months ago that would have had Neville near tears. Now, however he was watching the game with the others, smiling…at Ron Hermione realized. She giggled; Emily would love to hear about that. The two girls had become rather invested in the small boy’s love life. Though, she grimaced, if he had become infatuated with Ron Ron himself could cause problems…

 “You slimy piece of dragon fodder!”

 “Boot licking git!”

 “Son of a maggot rotten wh…”

 “HARRY!” Hermione clapped her hand over Harry’s mouth and glared at the pale boy who was sneering at her friend.

 “Do you have to be saved by your mudblood slave, Potter. Though I admit, she’s smarter than I gave her credit for, you might have been severely damaged for that comment.”

 Harry tore Hermione’s hand off his mouth, “yeah? By you and what army?”

 “Harry!” Hermione grabbed Harry by his arm and dragged him off. Down the hallway and two flights of stares they sat together on a ledge.

 “Ummm…” Harry began.

 “Maybe a ‘thanks’ is in order?” Hermione suggested.

 “Yeah…thanks,” Harry sighed.

 “Hmmm, if you had been damaged you’d never finish that project on time.”

 Harry laughed, sputtering slightly, “I was thinking more along the lines of missing the dance.”

 “Oh…I suppose.” Hermione brushed her hair out of her face nervously.

 “Speaking of the dance…” it was Harry’s turn to blush. “Um…’Mione…”

 “Yes?”  Not like I don’t know.

 “Willyougotothedancewithme?”

 “What?” Ok, she knew he was bound to be nervous, but she hadn’t expected it to come out that garbled.

 “Will you go to the dance with me?”

 “Yes.”

 Harry grinned, then looked a little unsure. “Uh…” He caught Hermione’s eyes, and they just stared for a minute, neither quite sure of what to do.

 I should kiss her shouldn’t I? That’s what Ron would say, or Dean…I should kiss her…So thinking Harry reached out and tilted Hermione’s face towards his own, kissing her gently, then slightly longer. They both pulled back.

 “Was it just me, or was that really weird?”

 Hermione nodded. “Highly strange.”

 “Maybe…” Looking highly unsure Harry reached to kiss Hermione again, but she shook her head.

 “I really felt weird, Harry. Like…kissing ones brother strange.”

 “Yeah…Maybe this isn’t the most amazing idea then.” Harry looked slightly disappointed.

 “I think not.” Hermione sighed. It was supposed to work out wasn’t it? So why not?

 “But isn’t this supposed to happen…I mean, the Boy Who Lived and the soon to be head girl?”

 “Supposed to doesn’t always happen, Harry.”

 “Yeah I know,” Harry chuckled. “People aren’t perfect equations….and now I sound like you.”

 Hermione nodded. “Ginny?”

 “What?”

 “I’m trying to figure out if you like someone else…you try and figure out me, I’m curious.”

 Harry nodded this time. “Ok…no, not Ginny. She’s too much like a little sister to me. Ok…Krum?”

 “Long over. Cho?”

 “Same, long time ago. Ron?”

 Hermione laughed. “Neville, but not me.”

 “Neville?”

 “Neville likes Ron. Ron and Seamus were playing chess and Neville’s watching Ron with the cutest look on his face.”

 Harry blinked, “D’ya think Ron…”

 Hermione shrugged. “I don’t know. If yes, knowing Ron he won’t accept it. But it would be-“

 “Cute.”

 “We’re changing the subject.”

 “Ok…hmm Seamus or Dean?”

 “Too together. Lavender?”

 “No. Not Pavarti either. Justin Finch-Fletchly.”

 “To effete. Emily?”

 “She’s…hot…masculine hot almost though. Scares me too much.”

 “Masculine hot hmm…Harry have you ever looked at a guy, looked the way Neville does.”

 “You know I have.”

 “Hmmm,” Hermione smiled, remembering the ‘Wow, he’s hot.’ Comment that had come out of Harry’s mouth once on Diagon ally, causing Ron to squeak and Ginny and herself to giggle. “…Alright, all the guys you asked me now to you.”

 “Krum…ug, too neanderthal. Ron’s Ron. Dean is kinda hot, but he and Seamus are SO together, Seamus scares me…Neville’s adorable, but I couldn’t deal with
him. Happy?”

 “Ok.”

 “What about girls for you?”

 “You just wanna watch,” Hermione accused, deadpan. Harry started to giggle, and was soon nearly falling of his seat.

 “Seriously ‘Mione.”

 “I haven’t thought about it…ask away if ya want.”

 “You just say ‘ya’,” Harry laughed.

 Hermione sighed. “Emily.”

 “Yeah. Emily?”

 “Emily! Umm...hm, I can see how she’s beautiful and she is so smart and that accent…”

 Harry fell off the ledge again. “Hermione! You’re smitten!”

 “You watch a girl like Emmy in the shower and try not to be attracted to her!”

 Harry choked. “Peeping tom.”

 “I was talking to her, it’s not my fault the curtains are see-through.”

 Harry blushed, “but you admit you like her.”

 Hermione opened her mouth to deny it. But pause, thinking carefully…she had been noticing how gorgeous Emily was, how sexy her voice sounded, how much Hermione liked to hang around her… “Maybe I do…”

 “Ha!”

 “Fine…Draco Malfoy,” Hermione smirked. Harry blew up.

 “MALFOY! DRACO MALFOY! Just what are you thinking Hermione!?”

 Hermione laughed, she had said it to rile, but there actually was a point there. “Look, Harry, I know he’s a conceited ass, and I hate his guts too, but think about it. If he wasn’t opening his mouth all the time…well…he is a bit…beautiful.”

 Draco…Malfoy. The boy who had been plaguing him his whole time at Hogwart’s. Slimy and conceited, cold and nasty, icy and…highly attractive- if one found a way to shut his mouth… “NO!”

 “Harry, think about it merely physically.”

 Harry was silent, sulking. “Ok, he’s hot. But NEVER!” he shouted finally.

 Hermione shrugged. “It’s quite possible you don’t like anyone Harry.”

 “If my choices include Draco then I think not!” God…but he is hot though…wonder what he…NO! NOT gonna think about Draco like that!

  Hermione shrugged. “Ok…wanna go back and watch Ron and Seamus play chess? They’re doing horribly.”

 “At chess?” Harry was slightly startled at the change of subject.

 “Muggle chess, Seamus is more interested in feeling up Dean and Ron’s just confused.”

 “Ah…sure.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See, longer, next chapter is the actuall dance..it should be up really soon,
Chapter 4
Back to Misc. fics page