A bright streak of blue light pierced through the pitch black sky. Thunder clapped just seconds afterwards. Sheets of rain shot through the cool spring air and stop its course when it made contact with the lush green grass on the grounds of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. No one in their right mind would be out in a lightning and thunder storm as sever as this.
A lone figure sat in the Quidditch stands within the Quidditch Pitch, however, he wasn't exactly in his right mind. Running his hand through his coarse hair, he felt it dripping with cold water. He would've gone in moments ago when all the other students did when the storm began, however, he needed solitude. The only place where he could achieve this, was out in that storm.
Within the loud noise of thunder or the constant beats of rain on hard surfaces, he was able to block out his surroundings. One thing troubled him the most. That one thing, was his best friends. They had been friends for seven years now and as those seven years at Hogwarts passed, the more he cared for them and his want for them to be happy. He saw it every time they were all together. The love they shared for one another, but didn't dare to speak a word of.
He himself had found love in Hogwarts and wanted them to also feel love as he did. His frustration bore down at him throughout that year. He knew he had to do something, something to get them to realized the truth in front of them. To realize their love for one another. Feeling his solitude was not helping the process of his thoughts, he gingerly stood up and made his way out of the Quidditch Pitch and back up to the castle.
---
Upon entering walking through the Portrait hole, he saw the two people who flooded his thoughts sitting by the fire. They sat on a single couch, one at each end. Silently creeping through the shadows, he paced himself, hoping to catch a word of their conversation and was glad to see that no one else was in the common room of Gryffindor.
"I'm worried about him," he heard her say, "He never came back with the rest of us. I doubt he'd be wandering the castle on his own."
"I know, and I doubt he'd be outside in that storm," he heard his other best friend reply, "it's brutal out there."
They grew silent as their spoken thoughts engulfed them.
"It'd take a crazy person to be out there." His friend broke the silence and she nodded in silent agreement.
"I guess I'm crazy then," he stepped out of the shadows,
"Mate, there you are!" His friend greeted as he conjured a towel to help him dry off, "We were worried bout you!"
"You're soaked to the bone," she gasped, "You could've gotten sick!"
"Small price to pay for some time with ones thoughts," he offered a lop-sided grin,
"So what were you thinking about?" His friend inquired as he walked over to them, taking the towel his friend offered.
"The two of you, actually," he admitted as he wrapped the towel around his shoulders and sat down.
"The two of us? Why would you be thinking about us?" She asked, "I mean, why were you thinking about us?"
"I hate to be blunt," he said, "But I've been seeing you two play this stupid game for the past few years and frankly, I'm sick of it."
"What game?" his friend questioned,
"This game on acting that you don't like- no, [i]love[/i] each other!" he blurted out as he leaned his head back against the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling. The silence deepened as he observed the unidentified shadows being made by the dancing fire in the fireplace.
After a few more seconds of silence, he looked up at the both of them. She was gazing into the fire, the light illuminating her face. He saw the anxiousness in her expression and saw the pink hue on her cheeks. Smirking slightly, he faced his other friend. He was gazing straight at him with confusion written all over his face.
"Don't even try to deny what I'm saying!" He said suddenly as his eyes darted back and forth between his two friends, "I've seen it coming for ages and when it finally came I saw you two try to hide it!" He crossed his arms,
"Why are you doing this?" She questioned, keeping her gaze towards the fire,
"What do you mean why'?" he asked,
"Why are you even bringing this up?" She clarified herself as she finally turned to look at him, a pleading expression etched on her visage. It was obvious, she was avoiding eye contact with her other best friend.
"I've found someone here at Hogwarts who I love and loves me back," he began slowly, "after realizing how lucky I was to be with her, I began to realize what you two have been doing. I began to realize that you two love each other, yet you're both too stubborn - or perhaps even scared - to admit it to one another. It was time I made you two realize the truth."
"And when exactly did you have this great epiphany?" His friend asked him,
"Years ago," he said simply, "It just took me awhile to act on my realization. It seems it's taken the two of you quite some time to act on your own realizations." He stood up abruptly and stared at both of them. He then headed towards the stairs leading to the Boys' dormitories.
"Where are you going?" She questioned.
He turned back to see that both of them were facing him,
"I'm going to wash up and head to bed," he explained,
"Oh, so you're just going to bring up this subject and leave? Not knowing what happens afterwards!?" She shot,
"I'm not exactly in the mood to argue with you on this Hermione," he said, "But yes, that's exactly what I'm doing. If you want to continue this argument in the morning, after the both of you have talked, then we will. Until then, goodnight." Turning on his heal, he sprinted up the stairs and disappeared from view.
---
Hermione turned around quietly. She glanced at her friend who sat at the other end of the couch from her. She was a bit surprised to see he was already staring at her. Quickly, she gazed into the fire again.
It seemed the silence lasted for eternity before either one spoke. However it was the boy, no- the man who broke the silence.
Gingerly, Hermione turned to steal a glance at him, only to find he was still staring at her. Perhaps on chance they both turned to look at each other? Or perhaps he had never stopped looking at her? Whether it was one or the other, she did not know the answer.
"Hermione-" He trailed, not clearly sure of what to say next. All he knew was that he wanted to break the silence. Inside his head he cursed his best friend for starting this awkwardness. He was definitely going to get him back when he returned to his dorm later that night.
She remained silent. Why won't she respond? Oh Merlin, why won't she respond?
Finally she turned in her seat to look him directly. Her expression told him to continue,
"What he said-" He began awkwardly, "I have no clue how the subject came about but- well, is it true?"
"Is what true? That I like- I'm in l- love with you?" She replied hesitantly. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage, begging to escape.
"Y-" His mouth was failing him, so he nodded instead. He felt his mouth go dry, yet his pulse quicken. He was at a loss for words and felt this way constantly around her, however, he never would admit that to her.
"Honestly? The truth?" She asked,
He nodded slowly. He was scared of her answer, scared of rejection. When she asked him if he wanted the truth, he got ready for her to tell him his worst fears. He knew it was the inevitable.
"Yes. I'm in love with you," She never broke their gaze, but she was tempted to as she felt the heat creep onto her cheeks.
He felt like free falling now. Felt as if nothing could go wrong, as if everything was perfect. He felt his voice return and his pulse, somewhat slow down. He gazed into her eyes and realized how long he had been silent. She was now biting her lip nervously as she began to turn a few shades pink darker than before. He stood up and walked towards her, sitting down just a few inches away from her,
"If you're wondering how I feel Hermione," he said finally, "I don't even know why you're asking. I love you too."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and dug her face into his shoulder as relief washed over her. Hesitantly, he pulled away from her so he could look into her eyes,
"So what are we going to do from this point?" He asked, "Are we going to continue as we are, or are we going to try this thing called love?"
"Well, what do you want to do?" She inquired, "Because I mean, I want to be with you, but if you don't want to be with me, I'll completely understand." She looked down at the ground.
He held her chin up so she was facing him again, "Of course I want to be with you. I wouldn't love you if I didn't also want to be with you."
She gazed at him, mesmerized by his eyes. She was inches away from his face, anxious yet scared of what was going to happen next. Before she even realized it, his lips were on hers in a soft yet passionate kiss.
A few minutes after wards she pulled away hesitantly. She smiled up at him, "So what are we going to do from this point?" She repeated his question.
"I think from this point," He said in a sultry voice as he leaned into her, their forehead practically grazing one another, "We try this thing called love and thank Ron in the morning, Miss Granger."
"That's an excellent idea, Mr. Potter," She said in barely a whisper as they leaned into each other for another kiss.
End.
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