another love; harry potter

forty-one

"Ah!" they exclaimed as I was jolted to the right, slamming into the door of someone's compartment. "Sorry, I should've looked where I was-" I gripped my shoulder, shaking my head.

"No, no, it's all my-"

"Don't, please, I wasn't paying attention- got worried while I was looking for-" he paused abruptly, looking at me closely for a second. "Pheobe? Where're your glasses?"

"Theo broke them," I muttered irritably. "You know how to fix them, right?"

"'Course. Oculus reparo." he handed me my newly-mended glasses. "You look really pretty without glasses, you know," he commented, "but not any more than you do with them."

"Yeah? You look really fucking blurry when I don't have glasses," I rolled my eyes as we began walking back to the compartment together.

"I still don't get why you're buddy buddy with Malfoy now," Harry frowned. I raised my eyebrows.

"We both have issues with our dads, we're both heirs to a really fucked up family, and we both hate Pansy Puginson. What more's needed?" Harry scoffed, grinning.

"Yeah? And why're we friends, then?"

"We both..." I trailed, thinking as we walked. "We both...I don't know." Harry frowned.

"Try Hermione."

"Oh, that one's easy. We both love reading, we're literal sisters, and we can talk to each other about anything." Harry made a face at me.

"You can talk to me about anything!"

"Yeah?"

"Of course!"

"Okay, so you'd be comfortable talking to me about cramps and periods?" I raised an eyebrow. Harry scratched the back of his neck.

"...well, that's different-"

"Not really," I shrugged.

"Fine, try Ron, then."

"We both love our friends like they're family, we both love food, and we both bother each other but just enough so that it's funny." I paused, frowning at Harry, who was grinning. "What?"

"You couldn't name why we were friends. You never said anything about more than friends."

"Shut up," I muttered, knowing he was right but also knowing that I would never admit it.

"Whatever you say, darling," Harry said cheekily just as we stopped outside the compartment door. I felt my cheeks heat up promptly.

"I'm not your darling, Harry, and you'd do well to remember I never will be."

"What? What happened to just friends for now but not friends?"

"No, Harry...just friends for now, just friends for life."

"I'm not giving up."

"Don't even bother, I'm not one who gives up easily either, Harry Potter." I said. He cocked an eyebrow before wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me towards him so that our faces were inches apart.