Hey!
Before we kick off this chapter, I have a request.
I just started to work on a story that I am very passionate about- it tells the story of a girl who has been bullied all her life, but she meets three boys who make her life happier. It's a story that I'm making to try to put hope in people's lives- and I need your help to spread it around.
Please read it, share it, vote on it, anything. But please. I want this story to do some good for those people who feel like life doesn't get better. And it's a good read- I promise you. And if it's not, I give full refunds.
It's called The Trips by Magisky and it might be hard to find, or maybe not I wouldn't know. But please, you guys, I beg of you.
Now, on with Harmione!
"Walk faster."
"We're supposed to be having an enjoyable time!"
"Walk. Faster."
"Hermione, my legs are tired-"
"Ron Weasley, I dare you to finish that complaint. I dare you."
Ron snaps his mouth shut, and he speeds up along with Harry as they trail Hermione through the cold streets of Hogsmeade, until she makes a sharp turn into the Three Broomsticks.
All three of them stop in the doorway, the boys panting and Hermione looking refreshed.
"I don't understand. Why were you in such a hurry to get us here?" Ron demands, his hands on his knees and letting out large breaths of air.
Hermione smiles. "You know that date with Luna you've been wanting? I set it up for you- and we were almost late." She gives him a light shove to where Luna, his newfound crush, sits alone, waiting for him. "You're welcome."
Ron starts to walk towards Luna but halts, turning and giving Hermione a giant bear hug and making jealousy fill up in Harry's chest, though it shouldn't because he and Hermione had almost kissed numerous times, but she had merely hugged Ron. He thought back to Filch's words. I'd make a move before someone else does.
Hermione turns and smiles at Harry once Ron leaves. "I think those two will work out."
He nods, grinning. "Yeah... how about I treat you to a butterbeer?"
"Why thank you." She says happily.
"Go get us a table, Mione, I'll be right there."
He goes up to the counter and orders his butterbeers from Madam Rosmerta, the curvy which who Ron had had a crush on years before. Harry glances back at his best friend who is laughing with Luna, and smiles to himself. He would bet all of his money that the crush was gone now. And as he took the butterbeers, Harry thought of his own crush, waiting at a table for him, and made up his mind.
Today was the day he was going to kiss her.
And that thought got him all nervous, making his hands sweaty and making him all jittery. But he when he arrives at their table, he puts on a smile to cover his nerves. "One butterbeer for the lady."
She smiles and takes a drink, her eyes scanning the room. Suddenly she chokes, and Harry starts to pat her on the back until she regains her breath.
"What? What's wrong?"
"She's here."
"Who?"
Hermione scowls. "Rita Skeeter."
Harry follows her gaze and sees the witch with the bug eyed spectacles and green handbag, and his entire insides are filled with a burst of hatred. "I bet you she's trying to get some dirt on 'the boy who lived'." Harry hisses out of his teeth. He watches through a glare as she approaches Ron and Luna, who are a few tables away, and her loud, shrill voice can be heard from his seat.
"Ron Weasley. Do you remember me? Rita Skeeter?" She asks, plastering a fake smile upon her face.
Ron doesn't fall for her 'no hard feelings' trap and glares at her. "Yes, unfortunately I do remember you." Ron turns to Luna. "I don't know if the two of you have been introduced- this is Rita Skeeter, the reporter who spread lies about Hermione and Harry, not Harry as much, and made Hermione's life a living hell in our fourth year."
Luna scowls at Rita, and Harry glances to see her beaming at Hermione friends for sticking up for her. He grabs her hand under the table anyway- just for moral support. "Fourth year... hate mail. That was the year Hermione got hate mail, and some even got her put in the hospital wing." Luna states.
Rita straightens up, pretending to be shocked. "I didn't know that my article had caused her to get hate mail! All I said was that she was a young lady with a very interesting love life, or love triangle, so to speak."
Luna stands up, her face flushed. "Hermione has dealt with enough hate all of her life for being smart, and you just came and made it worse, you filthy scumbag." And then she sits back down. "You make me sick. I want to crush you like a bug- or should I say a beetle?"
Rita flinches backwards from Luna, who smiles. "Yes, I know about that. Now do us a favor and go away- we're trying to have a pleasant afternoon."
Ron nods. "And it's hard to have a pleasant afternoon with all of that-" Ron gestures to all of Rita. "-going on."
Rita huffs and turns on her heel, her quill following her, and is about to leave when she spots a black haired boy in the corner of her eye. She turns to see none other than Harry Potter and Hermione Granger- the exact little brats she had been looking for.
She strides over and takes a seat at their table, making Hermione and Harry back up.
"What do you want?" Hermione asks, and her voice was so hurtful that Harry was surprised that Rita didn't flinch.
"I was just checking up on my favorite celebrity." She says brightly, and then nod to her quill. "So Harry, how has it been after the war?"
"Harry will not be answering any questions today. He has better things to do. You can go now. Bye bye." Hermione says before Harry can answer, and he is more than relieved. He gives her hand a grateful squeeze from under the table.
"Oh look, it's Buck Teeth, the Big Headed- Bush." Rita says, referring to Hermione's old bushy hair and teeth. But now her teeth were fixed and her hair was much better than it used to be. "No one asked you to speak, Know-It-All."
"But you will not be speaking to Harry, and he will not be speaking to you. I will say again- Bye bye."
Rita shrugs. "Well, I'm not going to leave you alone until one of you answers my questions." She grins wickedly here. "So either he does- or you do. Which ever answers will be the star of my next article."
"I'll do it." Hermione says, scowling at her and magically sealing Harry's mouth shut wth a flick of her wand so he doesn't protest. "Make it quick, I could be doing much better things-"
"QUESTION ONE." Rita says over her. "Are you dating Harry Potter?"
"Presently? No."
"Are you dating Viktor Krum?"
"No."
"Do you deny that you've been flirting with both of them however?"
"No- I mean yes! Yes I do deny that. I have not been flirting with both of them." Hermione yells at the scribbling quill, and Harry pulls her back down in her seat.
"I hear there has been some trouble at school involving you and a love potion, or maybe more than one... is that correct?"
Hermione just glares at her.
"Hmm. Interesting. This should be enough for me to make a smash hit and a good read. Thank you," She says, flashing a set of pearly white teeth. "And make sure to check your mail tomorrow- I'll be sending you a copy."
~~~~~
"Hermione Granger's Love Triangle Returns- With A Twist. By: Rita Skeeter. Published November 1st, 1998.
Long back, in the year 1995, we had a lot of drama blooming up over the Triwizard Tournament being held at Hogwarts, as well as drama with Harry Potter, Viktor Krum and Hermione Granger.
Hermione Granger, a seventh year student, was a spectacular amount of help in the defeat of the Dark Lord. But that doesn't mean that she has changed in her romantic ways.
In 1995 we all believed that the reason Hermione had both Viktor Krum, a famous Seeker for Bulgaria and known as one of the most talented seekers to hit the Quidditch posts- especially for his age, and Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One, and our savior from the Dark Lord, was very simple. She was a brilliant young witch and could have easily cooked something up- maybe a love potion.
But this year we have information that there has in fact, been trouble involving Hermione Granger and a love potion, many times throughout the year in fact. And it was true that the love potion definitely concerned Harry Potter, but my source doesn't know about Viktor Krum and refuses to elaborate. But they did say that there was the Hospital Wing involved.
Yesterday evening I spotted Harry Potter and Hermione Granger in Hogsmeade in a popular bar known as The Three Broomsticks, where many students go as soon as they are aloud to visit Hogsmeade. They were sitting together, separate from the rest, and when I approached, Granger was very hostile to me. She refused to let Harry Potter answer any of my questions, though he looked like he wanted to, and answered them herself. She said that the two were not dating... yet.
Will Granger drug Potter into loving her? Will she somehow drag Viktor into this mess? Read next week to find out.
Harry sets the article down, which Hermione had already read with prominent distaste, and watched as Howler after Howler exploded because Hermione hadn't opened them.
"HOW DARE YOU, PLAY WITH THE CHOSEN ONE'S FEELING LIKE THAT AFTER ALL THAT HE DID FOR US-"
"-AND DO NOT FORGET THAT YOU YOURSELF ARE NOTHING BUT A LOW LIFE FREAK THAT DESERVES TO DIE ALONE WITH NO ONE TO LOVE THEM, FOR EVEN DARING TO HARM HARRY POTTER WITH A LOVE POTION-"
"-AND HONESTLY I HOPE ALL OF THESE HATE LETTERS TEAR YOU TO SHREDS-"
"-I WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN IF IT WASN'T FOR RITA SKEETER-"
"-EVERYONE HATES YOU-"
"-IF RITA HADN'T TOLD US-"
"-AND TO THINK I FELT BAD THAT YOUR PARENTS WERE KILLED-"
And then Hermione burst into tears. All of the hall turned to look at her, and they heard the last few words of the only Howler remaining, and their mouths were agape by the end of it.
"-GO DIE IN A HOLE AND NEVER BRING YOUR LOW LIFE SELF HERE AGAIN."
The hall was quiet with petrified silence, and the only sound was Hermione's soft crying as another envelope burst out, and it was the same pus that had made Hermione's hands swollen up before, but luckily she moved just in time and it missed her, landing on the floor.
A few people got up to make their way towards her- a lot, actually, but Harry looks at them and shakes his head, making them return back to their seats. He leans down and whispers in Hermione's ear. "C'mon Mione, let's get out of here."
He leads her out of the Great Hall and into an empty classroom, shutting the door behind them. Hermione stands in front of the door, still sniffling a bit, and once the noise resumes, he turns to her.
"Hermione, it's okay." He says. He was standing so close to her that their bodies were touching, and Harry was glad that he pulled her into a separate room- he wanted to be alone with her. And he never did get to kiss her yesterday.
"Rita made everyone hate me." She says, sadness lacing her voice.
Harry shakes his head. "Not me."
And before she can react, he presses his lips against hers, and she stiffens at first but then kisses him back. Her lips are soft and sweet like candy, and butterflies erupt in his stomach and he gets this feeling... a feeling he never had with Cho or Ginny. A feeling that makes him want more.
So he presses her back against the door to help him deepen the kiss. His arms are wrapped around her waist and pulling her closer with every second, and her hands lock around his neck, her fingers tangling themselves in his hair. He feels so in love- but he knows better than to use that word. Even though she was making him feel this way- Merlin, how was she making him feel this way? He didn't know how to react so he did what any guy in his place would do- he kept kissing the girl of his dreams. The girl he's been wanting for eleven chapters. (fourth wall).
All human beings need air, so they break apart, though Harry hadn't wanted to in the slightest, and she just looks at him for a moment, staring into his green eyes as he stared into her brown eyes.
"I'm sorry... I couldn't help myself." Harry says, his voice hoarse and his arms still around her.
"Don't you ever be sorry for an experience as great as that one, Harry Potter." She says, and she kisses him again, and he tries to deepen it just as he had tried before only to be interrupted by a flash- the flash of a camera.
"It's funny how easily beetles get into places, isn't it?"