When You're Strange. {Harry Potter}

Chapter 12.

                                                                       Alice's P.O.V

I squint to see, my head spinning. The last thing I remember is reflecting Hermione's spell. Faint sunlight from dusk settling in, has given the infirmary a tint of orange.

Heavy breathing beside me causes me to come back to complete reality. Slowly, I turn my head and I'm caught off guard.

Ron Weasley looks down at me, very concerned. When did he get here and why am I on the floor?

"Are you okay?" He asks, his voice a quiet rumble.

No.

"What happened?" I ingore his question, my voice sounding groggy.

"You were hit with 'stupefy'. I reversed it for you," He explains, sitting down beside me.

Did he, really? I shift, uncomfortably, on the floor. Why would he do that?

"What makes you think that I need any help?" I raise my voice, trying to replace my protective shield that he shattered once before.

"Uh... Because you were unconcious..." He answers, a small smile forming on his mouth.

I scowl at him, but turn away to let out a small smile. As I turn away, I lay eyes on the partly destroyed infirmary. Oh, Madam Pomfrey is going to be thrilled.

"So, you and Hermione, eh?" I comment, quietly.

I try my best to hide my distaste for their relationship. One, I hate knowing Hermione's got something that I don't, especially it being Ron. Two, I hate that I'm actually jealous of a mudblood. It puts me almost lower than her. Almost.

"Hermione and I?" He asks, a little confused, "We're not... you know.." He shakes his head and crinkles his nose. I let out a small laugh at his look of disgust. "We're just friends," He insists.

I piece together what she said earlier. She nearly killed me because she doesn't want me falling for her best friend? Well, not that I'm falling for him. Nope. Not at all.

"She's in love with you." I state matter-of-factly, "Jealousy brings out the worst in people," I joke with a sly smile on my face.

"Well, I do not share that feeling, if that's the case." He mumbles. I watch him pick at the bottom of his robes.

"And, why is that? You two are inseparable, it would be rather easy." I ask, "Surely, you two are compatible, since you are best friends." I add, so he can't give me excuse that they aren't each-others types.

"Because, I have feelings for another person," He says, even quieter.

His eyes flicker up to mine and I feel my face burning. My stomach becomes queasy and I think I'm going to be sick, but then I realize the feeling. Butterflies. I've never had this feeling before. It sounds so cliche that I might actually be sick.

I shy away from him; probably a first. My hair falls in front of my face, creating a light brown wall between us. I see him scoot closer, out of the corner of my eye and my heartbeat accelerates.

Delicately, he brings his hand up and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. My stomach does flips and my head feels as light as a feather. I look up at him from beneath my thick eyelashes. His face, so focused, is a mirror image of my own. I start to lean in, my hands practically shaking, when I see someone enter the room.

I let out a small gasp as I meet eyes with Jake Matthews; my brother's best friend. For a moment, we just stare at each other, completely speechless. But, he quickly leaves the room, almost in a sprint.