Everyday Teenage Insanity

Chapter Four – Blind and Stupid

Harry closed his eyes and took a long deep breath as he jotted down more notes into his parchment. Their Transfiguration homework for the day was unbelievably hard, and considering the fact that Hermione was not in a good mood to help him in any way, Harry had no choice but to work on his own.

“I’m never going to finish this by Monday,” Ron complained, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “And it’s Hogsmeade tomorrow! I want to spend it with Luna for God’s sake; not with Transfigurations work!”

Harry chuckled and massaged his wrists, tired from writing. “Well, at least you have someone to spend it with,” he muttered, giving Ron a pointed look.

“Ah, but you see,” Ron replied, smirking. “You could spend Hogsmeade with Hermione… if you apologize for being such a git last night.” Harry swallowed and breathed deeply. “I don’t think that such a good idea, Ron,” he replied, causing Ron to snort.

“Oh it is a good idea. You just too proud to admit you made a mistake!”

Harry knew he acted rudely earlier that evening to Hermione, and he felt sorry for it but at the same time, he felt he had every right to be angry. She was his best friend after all. Hermione should have told him that she was still writing Viktor Krum… he wouldn’t mind if he did anyway.

Oh come off it, Harry! You would mind if she still did, his conscience told him.

Shut up, she’s entitled to write to anyone that she chooses, Harry argued silently.

Please, you’re as blind as ever! Do you even have the slightest idea that you are actually jealous of Viktor Krum?

Harry was taken back by his own conscience response. What? Jealous?

You are jealous of the fact that Viktor still seems to have some kind of effect on your dear sweet, Hermione.

“I would not mind! I am not jealous! And Hermione is not mine!” Harry exclaimed, dimly aware that he had just said his thoughts aloud.

Ron choked back a laugh. “Well, of course Hermione’s not yours! She’s her own person!”—He gave Harry a mischievous smile—“unless of course, you want her to be yours… which I’m pretty sure now that you do.” Harry’s eyes widened, and he flushed slightly at the thought.

“I don’t think of Hermione that way!” he replied sounding like he wasn't all too convinced with himself at all.

“Uh-huh, sure you don’t…” Ron said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at him.

“I don’t!” Harry pressed on, his brow creasing in part-annoyance and part-confusion. He couldn’t comprehend his own emotions… they were all jumbled up and yet they were oddly focused on Hermione and how beautiful she looked earlier at dinner… how even though her hair was as bushy as ever, all it did was frame her face more, drawing his attention to…

STOP!

Harry tried to erase Hermione’s image from his mind, but it was difficult.

“I don’t think of her that way…” he trailed off, swallowing as he stared blankly down at his parchment.

“Fine, fine, Harry but… do me a favor,” Ron said, closing his book shut and gathering his papers, “apologize to Hermione and sort your emotions out. This is our final year at Hogwarts, and we should make it the best.”

Ron sighed, patted Harry on the shoulder and continued. “Don’t be blind by looking at just one side of the story, Harry… sometimes, you have read between the lines to actually understand what it all means.”

“You’ve been spending way too much time with Luna, Ron. You’re starting to sound just like her too!” Harry told him, looking up from his parchment and smiled cheekily.

“Oh, shut up, Harry. I’m being serious. Just think about it, will you?”

“Yes, Master Ronald Billius Weasley.”

“Don’t use my whole name!”

“Sorry, Ron.” Harry grinned.

Ron turned to head towards the boys’ dormitory. He stopped in mid step and turned towards Harry again, a thoughtful smile on his face. “And yeah… Luna’s rubbing too much of me, I suppose,” he said, chuckling.

“Well, that’s because you truly love her,” Harry pointed out, waving his quill at his direction… a manner that was distinctly Hermione’s; which she did whenever she wanted to point out something important to them. Ron smiled at his observation.

“Yeah, that I do…” he replied before leaving Harry to work on still.

Seamus was snoring in his sleep when Ron stepped into their room. He changed to his nightclothes and sat on his bed, glancing at the picture next to his bed. A picture of the three of them, the Golden Trio the other Gryffindors called them, in their first year.

“I do truly love Luna… just like you truly love Hermione, Harry.” Ron sighed and shook his head in exasperation.

“And bloody hell, you don’t even know it yet.”

---

“They’re clueless, Neville! Absolutely clueless!” Ginny exclaimed, shaking her head.

“I don’t even know how they can go on with that poorly scripted ‘we’re-just-friends’ story they keep telling us when obviously they’re crazy about each other!” The youngest Weasley waved her hands about to emphasize her point. Neville, who was standing beside her, laughed and gazed out at the skies above them.

They were at the Astronomy Tower talking about their two good friends’ relationship. Neville had invited Ginny to the Tower to spend time with her after dinner, which Ginny accepted happily.

At the moment, he was observing her. Watching (and enjoying) her every move… from the way her eyes sparkled as she spoke about the emotions brewing between her friends; to the way her words seemed to come out sweetly from her mouth with such ease. Neville smiled. He loved talking to her as much as he loved watching her.

Hell, he concluded, he loved her for everything that she was.

“I think they’re just afraid of their emotions, Gin,” he said slowly, thinking of a way to explain his point of view. “I mean, they’ve been through a lot and in a world where evil is always lurking about dark corners, it’s hard for either of them to trust, let alone let love from other people in.”

Ginny smiled at him, admiring his explanation and choice of words. She was amazed at how mature Neville had grown over the years. The first time she met him was when Hermione introduced them to each other over at her first year in Hogwarts. Then, Neville was a rather chubby, awkward boy who seem always nervous about something… but now, here he was, a man at the age of seventeen and finally confident enough to speak his mind. Though he was still awkward and nervous about some things… at least, she noted, he had grown out of his ‘adorable’ flaws.

“Maybe you’re right, Neville… but I worry for them,” she replied, looking at him. She sighed. “It’s one thing to be afraid… it’s another to act like there isn’t anything brewing between them.”

Ginny sighed once again and stared up at the night sky. It was beautiful out… and peaceful. It was like no evil wizard was lurking about in the dead of the night.

Oh, if only Harry would stop acting so blind and if Hermione would just stop acting so naïve about her feelings… then, maybe they’d end up together. Like they should have been for such a long time…

She sighed again and bit her lip. Harry and Hermione are being so stupid.

“You’re thinking about something very serious, aren’t you, Gin?” Neville suddenly asked, snapping Ginny back to reality. She blinked and remembered that she was still next to Neville at the Astronomy Tower… she blushed. “I’m sorry I was thinking,” she mumbled and Neville laughed.

“I could tell. It was written on that sign you have on your forehead. It says, ‘Bloody hell, Harry and Hermione’s being so stupid! And if that wasn’t what you were thinking then I don’t know what it is,” he replied, causing Ginny to burst out laughing.

“But seriously, Ginny, the only way they’ll ever warm up to each other is if Harry ever gets the courage to pull that blindfold off his eyes and snog Hermione senseless!” he added, shaking his head. “Or vice versa. But I don’t think that’s going to work out well."

“Or, we could just make them both drink Veritaserum and ask them how they feel about each other... but that’s a stupid suggestion. I don’t think we’ll be—“

Neville was cut off when Ginny shrieked and clapped her hands. Caught by surprise, Neville raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“That’s perfect! We have to get them to drink Veritaserum!” she exclaimed, her grin widening with glee.

“But—“

“Oh, Neville, you are brilliant!”

Ginny jumped up nd down and pulled Neville into a fierce hug. Neville, though still surprised, hugged back and breathed in her scent.

They pulled apart and Ginny found herself staring into his eyes. Her heart thumped. Odd, the only time my heart beat fast is when Harry’s around and that was when I was in love with him… her eyes widened. Heart beats fast? In love with him…?

Neville licked his lips and stared at her mouth. His face was a few inches from hers… Oh God, is he going to kiss me? Ginny held her breath.

STOP, LONGBOTTOM! This isn’t some date you two are on, his conscience warned him and he held back. He let her go and smiled at her. “Then it’s a plan then. Make that truth potion and make them confess their deepest darkest secret to each other. Great… that’s perfect!” he said enthusiastically. Ginny breathed a sigh of relief and, realizing that he had stopped himself in time, admiring his self-control. She laughed.

“Yeah, it’s the perfect plan!” she agreed, grinning.

They stared at each other in awkward silence.

“Well, I should go now… up early tomorrow for our Hogsmeade trip! And our… uh—“ Ginny blushed.

Neville smiled. “Our date…” he filled in for her and she smiled back.

“Yes, Neville, our date… I’ll see you tomorrow then?” She turned to the stairs and looked at him sweetly. She looks stunning, he thought.

He held his breath and grinned. “Yeah… tomorrow.”

They stared at each other for another minute before she turned to go down the stairs. Both of them unaware that their hearts were beating fast and that they could hardly wait for the next day to come faster.

---

“What am I doing? This is the girls’ dormitory! Why am I even here?” Harry asked himself frantically as he made his way up in his invisible cloak to Hermione’s dorm room.

He knocked on the door and instantly wished he had just turned back while there was still time to escape. He would never hear the end of it if Lavender or Parvati or worse, Ginny sees him coming up their dormitory to talk to their dorm mate, his best friend, Hermione.

By a stroke of luck it was Hermione who answered the door. Oh thank you, Lord, he said silently, as he shook off his invisible cloak. Hermione’s eyes widened and she stifled a gasp of surprise.

“What in the world are you doing here?” she hissed, pulling him inside just in case someone comes along. Once again, it was fortunate for Harry when he realized Hermione was alone in her dorm room, studying without Lavender or Parvati hanging around.

“I came to apologize,” he reasoned, holding up a chocolate as a peace offering.

Hermione stared at him then at the chocolate and suddenly she felt her temper cooled. She knew she couldn’t stay mad at Harry for long, but she wasn’t expecting him to show up at eleven o’clock in the evening wearing his invisibility cloak and holding up a piece of her favorite chocolate up at her face.

She smiled faintly and took the chocolate from his hand. “Thank you, Harry… and you are forgiven.”

Harry breathed in relief and grinned at her. “I’m glad you’re not mad at me anymore, ‘Mione,” he said, folding up his cloak in his arms.

She laughed softly. “Well, you know I can’t stay angry at you for long, Harry. That kind of pride I can conjure up when I’m in a fight with Ron, but never with you,” she said, rolling her eyes at him.

“So why torture my defenseless soul by ignoring me for last twenty-four hours when you could just forgive me easily?” he asked, brow creasing in mock anger. Hermione shrugged.

“I thought it would be good for you to wait for my forgiveness until you come up groveling to me,” she replied, smirking. Hermione smiled smugly.

“And here we are! You, Harry Potter, couldn’t sleep at the fact that I was angry and ignoring you so you decided to come up here at eleven o’clock in the girls’ dormitory with my favorite chocolate in an attempt to win me over and forgive you!”

Harry nodded. “Well, did it work, oh know-it-all one?” he asked eyeing her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. She raised an eyebrow.

“What do you think?” she replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Harry shrugged and Hermione hit him playfully before wrapping her arms around him, shocking the boy beyond belief.

He was warm, Hermione noticed. Oddly warm… the kind of warm that makes you want to inch a little closer than necessary. She wrapped him closer and he did the same. It was so comfortably warm… it was addictive.

Harry sighed and breathed deeply. She smelled like jasmines and leathery books. Harry’s mouth lifted at the corners and he smiled. The scent was distinctly Hermione’s and hers alone and it intoxicated him. He looked down at her and brushed her hair off her forehead; he kissed her softly there.

They held each other like that for what seemed like a lifetime for the two of them. And once they pulled apart, they stared at each other. Both of them studying each other’s face, their hearts beating at the same time.

“Harry…”

“Hermione…”

He moved his face closer, and instinctively, Hermione began to close her eyes… well, until Ginny opened the door and they hastily jumped away from each other.

“Oh, hey, Ginny. Harry was just here to apologize,” Hermione chirped, smiling at Ginny.

Ginny, who looked confused, smiled. “He brought you chocolate huh?” she asked in a teasing voice.

Harry blushed and cleared his throat. “Umm, yeah, Gin. Anyway, good night to the two of you. See you tomorrow,” he said, nodding at them once and shaking Hermione’s hand suddenly.

Hermione nodded and Ginny eyed them suspiciously. “G’night, Harry,” they replied in unison. He pulled on his cloak and he disappeared before their eyes as he crept down the stairs.

“So… what was he really doing here?” Ginny asked, raising a bemused eyebrow at Hermione. Hermione shrugged. “Like I said, he just came up to apologize,” she replied in a strangely high-pitched voice. She picked up her books from her desk and stacked them neatly next to her bed in a hurry.

“Why are you hurrying?” Ginny laughed slightly as Hermione started cleaning her work place a little to fast as usual. Hermione shot her a look and that made Ginny laugh a little louder.

“Well, whatever it was you two were doing, I’m pretty sure I ruined it by coming a tad bit early,” she told Hermione. She pulled on her nightclothes and sat on her bed. “Sorry if I wrecked your sweet moment with Harry, ‘Mione.”

“He just came to apologize!” Hermione reasoned, slapping her hand onto her desk impatiently as she blushed. Ginny laughed again. “Whatever you say, Hermione,” she teased, sticking her tongue out at the blushing girl.

Hermione threw a pillow over at Ginny’s direction and the redhead shrieked as it hit her squarely on the face. “Hey!” she exclaimed, throwing the pillow back at Hermione whom successfully caught it, laughing.

“I’m being serious, Gin. Harry just came to apologize!”

Ginny shook her head and lay back on her bed. “Fine, fine, Hermione. Harry came to apologize! Sure… I’ll accept that—I suppose it’s better to hear than, “Gin, he just came to snog me senseless!”—So I’ll go to sleep now!”

Hermione gasped. “GINEVRA WEASLEY!”

“Not listening! Lalala, good night, Hermione!” Ginny threw the covers onto her head before Hermione had time to come up with a decent response.

“Oh, honestly…” Hermione mumbled, taking a frustrated breath. “Harry would never snog me!” she told Ginny, even though the redhead had already gone to sleep.

He would never kiss me… never…

Would he?

Images of Harry’s intense gaze before they were rudely interrupted by Ginny came rushing back in her mind and she blushed. His face was only inches away from hers… she could still feel the warmth of his breath and embrace around her…

Hermione shivered. This has been such a long day.

Hermione sighed and changed into her pajamas before slipping into her bed, pulling her covers up ton her neck. She stared at the photograph in front of her on her desk and sighed as her attention landed on Harry’s face.

I do not know what this feeling is but…

Hermione smiled and her face turned red once more as she snuggled deeper into her covers. She bit her lip and sighed.

But… I like the fact that I’m feeling it for you, Harry.

---

“Shut up, Akhi! I’m studying!” Maria scolded; throwing her pillow at Akhi whom was making kissing noises on the bed opposite her.

Akhi had kept on teasing Maria for the incident the night before and Maria was sick of it. She had avoided Fred like the plague ever since they had kissed in front of the Fat Lady. Even the Fat Lady had taken in teasing Maria about her kiss with one of the notorious Weasley twins.

“It was just a kiss! Nothing special! Can we please move on with our lives now?” Maria exclaimed, throwing another pillow at her laughing friend.

“Oh yeah, just a kiss eh? Fred and you were snogging each other senseless from the way George and I saw it!” Akhi replied, earning another pillow thrown directly to her head.

“Shut up,” Maria muttered, blushing furiously.

“Knock, knock!” a voice from the other side of their dorm room said. Akhi rolled her eyes. “Who’s there?”

“Two gorgeous, sometimes mischievous red headed men waiting for you two lovely ladies to open the door,” the voice replied, laughing. Akhi laughed as well, and rose up to open the door.

“NO! DON’T LET THEM IN!” Maria shrieked cutting past Akhi and covering the door with her body. “I don’t want to face Fred!”

“Oh, honestly, Maria, get away from there. It’s rude to keep guests waiting.”

Maria didn’t budge from her place and frowned at Akhi. “But, Akhi, please… I cannot face Fred! Not with what just happened last night!”

Akhi sighed. “I’m sure, he’s probably forgotten it already!” She reached to turn the doorknob but was pushed away by Maria.

“Maria. Move. Now.”

Maria shook her head. “If you open this door, I am going to run out of this room and will sleep up in the Astronomy Tower.”

Akhi burst out laughing. “Are you serious?” she asked, gasping for air between laughs.

“Dead serious. I swear I will sleep up there if you open this door.” Maria looked serious, and pleading.

Akhi rolled her eyes and—“NO! AKHI!” Maria exclaimed”—pulled her friend away from the door.

“Hi, girls!” George greeted cheerfully. Fred gave them a small wave and blushed when his eyes landed on Maria who was blushing as well.

“Hey, Mar—“ Fred didn’t get a chance to finish his greeting when Maria—who moved faster than Akhi, George and Fred ever saw her move before—snatched her wand, a blanket and a small pillow before bolting out of the room.

“What just happened?” George asked, surprised.

Akhi shrugged. “I didn’t think she was serious about sleeping up in the Astronomy tower if I opened the door.”

Fred’s eyes widened. “She threatened to sleep up in the Astronomy Tower if she saw me?” he asked, shocked.

Akhi nodded and he sighed in frustration.

“Wait a second, I’ll get her back,” he told them and left to chase after Maria.

George and Akhi, at the same time, shook their heads in disbelief. “They’re crazy,” they agreed before sitting down on the beds opposite each other.

“So… what’s been up?” he asked, peering at Akhi’s History of Magic book.

Akhi shrugged and looked at him. “Nothing much, really. I was supposed to study for a test tomorrow but I found myself enjoying teasing Maria too much that I just forgot about History of Magic.”

George laughed and shook his head. “Well, it is fun to tease her. Fred enjoys it so much, that he would do anything to get her annoyed!” he said, laughing.

Akhi laughed as well. “Oh, yeah. Remember the time when Fred dared Maria to not curse for the whole day or else she’ll buy us all drinks on the next Hogsmeade trip. He levitated a water balloon above Maria’s head that would fall if she said a curse word—“

“—And then Fred would tease her so much, that Maria just snapped and cursed. The balloon fell; she got soaked and Fred ended up with a sore jaw for a three days!” George finished for her and they laughed at the memory.

“Maria’s in love with Fred and she won’t even admit to herself. It’s really funny,” Akhi said, tilting her head to the side and studying him.

George nodded. “Fred feels the same way too, but he’s too proud to say it out loud—so he teases her.”

“Their insane antics are their form of endearment I suppose. They seem to enjoy it too,” Akhi said, smiling thoughtfully. George smiled.

“What do you think our form of endearment is?” he asked, looking at her.

“Are even sweet to each other?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. George shrugged.

“Well, would you like me to be sweet to you?” he asked, smiling. Akhi laughed and shook her head. “Stop it, George, It doesn’t fit you.”

He laughed and then became serious again. “But honestly, Akhi, what do you think our form of endearment is? Aside from unsubtle flirting that is.”

Akhi scoffed and hit him playfully, “Unsubtle flirting? Me and you?” she exclaimed, laughing. George raised his eyebrow; a teasing smile on his face and Akhi sighed, shaking her head.

“I really don’t know, George. What do you think is our other form of endearment aside from ‘unsubtle flirting’ as you say?” she replied, throwing the question back at him. George cleared his throat, pulled up his sleeves and flexed his hands. Akhi looked at him confused.

“I think our form of endearment is in the form of”—He lunged for her and pinned her on the floor, “Oof!” she cried in surprise before laughing. —“Wrestling, my dear, Akhi,” George finished before tickling her sides.

Akhi laughed and kicked, managing to switch their positions so that it was she who was pinning him to the ground. “Tough chance, George. You can’t beat me,” she teased, looking down at him.

“Is that a threat?” he asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Maybe,” she replied and was caught surprised when she was flipped over onto her back.

“Ooh, look! I beat you!” George teased. Akhi stuck her tongue out at him and they continued to wrestle, unaware that Fred and Maria had returned and was gaping at them with shocked but very amused expressions on their faces.

“Ahem.” Fred cleared his throat to announce their presence while Maria tried hard not to laugh as she balanced her blanket, pillow and wand in one hand.

Akhi and George froze and slowly turned their heads to look at the pair standing at the doorway. Suddenly aware of their rather… compromising position, they leapt away from each other and started smiling sheepishly.

“You know, we just love fighting—“

“It was nothing like what you both are thinking—“

“Honestly, we were just playing a game---“

“And we—“

“Uh—“

“Er, we… umm… just… wrestled for fun?” Akhi supplied and George nodded his head in agreement. Fred and Maria burst out laughing.

“Right… wrestling for fun?” Maria exclaimed, shaking her head in hysterics.

Fred was laughing along with her. “Seriously, I was thinking—“

“Oh you were thinking?” George cried suddenly, teasing.

Akhi joined in. “Did it hurt?” she asked in mock concern. Maria couldn’t help but laugh.

Fred glared at them. “As I was saying… if you two were feeling a little frisky and needed some time alone, we should have a code word so that the other people around you would know when and when not to come barging into the room. Like ‘broomsticks’ or ‘pumpkin juice’ or something as equally pathetic as that.”

Akhi threw a pillow in Fred’s direction and he quickly dodged it.

“Ooh, that could work too! You could throw a pillow at whoever is interrupting the two of you in your snogging so that they’ll leave!” Fred clapped his hands in glee. “Subtle, yet effective!”

“Piss off, Fred,” George said, glaring at him.

Fred laughed and shook his head. “Oh come now, don’t worry. Maria and I get the point—you two need privacy—we’ll be at the common room making fun of you two if ever you need us!”

They left before Akhi and George thought up of a good reply aside from a pillow thrown in their direction. The two looked at each other and blushed, suddenly feeling as if the room was too small for the two of them.

“So, um… I guess, this is good night,” George said, looking at Akhi. She looked back at him and nodded. “I suppose so… um, good night.”

“Um, good night. I’ll see you tomorrow at Hogsmeade, I hope,” he said, standing up from his seat on the floor.

Akhi nodded and stood up as well to look at him in the eye. “Yeah. Hopefully… without Fred and Maria teasing us that is.”

George chuckled and licked his lips before placing a small kiss on top of her forehead. “Till tomorrow then, Akhi… good night,” he breathed. Akhi tensed slightly as George’s breath tickled her skin. Odd…

He nodded once and turned—“George?”

He looked back at her. “Yeah?”

Akhi stepped closer to him and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. Oh my God, I just kissed him on the cheek, her mind exclaimed and her face turned red.

“Um, good night,” she said softly and he nodded once again.

“Yeah… good night. See you… tomorrow…” he trailed off as their eyes locked and their breath became shallow.

Why is he staring at me? Akhi swallowed and looked away, uncomfortable with the emotions she was feeling at that moment.

He was thinking and feeling the same thing.

“So, um, yeah… tomorrow then,” she said again, and he nodded… again.

He turned and started walking down the stairs, his heart racing. George touched his cheek and smiled. She kissed him. On the cheek, yes, but a kiss nonetheless.

“Tomorrow, then.”