Making Sense
Title: Making Sense (lousy title)
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Harry & Hermione
Ratings: G
Summary: Harry thinks girls don't make much sense. Hermione proves the point.
Length: 931, which strikes me as a very odd number.
"Harry, can we go someplace and talk?"
Harry looked up from his homework. Hermione stood next to him, clutching her books to her chest. She looked nervous and uncomfortable, and he wasn’t sure if whatever she wanted to talk about was something he’d want to talk about. But he nodded anyway, putting away his books. Sometimes you just do things you don’t want to do for friends.
She led him into one of the disused classrooms. She sat on top of one of the desks, still looking uncomfortable, and Harry sat down next to her.
"It’s... There’s just something I need to tell you."
For a moment his insides froze. He looked at her, his best mate next to Ron, dreading what he was certain would come next. Oh Harry, I’m in love with you. Or Oh Harry, I want to kiss you. Or even, Oh Harry, I just can’t go on without you. He had no idea how he would respond to that, so he tried deflecting her attention instead.
"Look, Hermione, Ron really likes you...."
She blinked at him. "Ron? But... He’s Ron."
It was going to be worse than he feared. Now he was going to end up with something that Ron wanted, again, and the jealousy would tear the three of them apart. Again.
"He’s nice and he really seems to like you and all--"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "This isn’t about Ron," she snapped. "It’s about me and how I feel."
He tried not to sigh or wince, but looked down at his feet instead. "Whatever you have to tell me, Hermione, I’m your friend."
"I know, and that’s why...." her voice suddenly choked off in a sob, and he looked back up at her, suddenly reminded uncomfortably of Cho. He reached out one hand and put it on her shoulder in what he hoped was a friendly-but-not-too-friendly way.
"Hermione, my point is, I just don’t like you that way...." His voice trailed off as she looked at him incredulously.
"You?" She stopped sobbing and stared at him. "You thought I brought you in here because I like you?"
"I-- It’s not that crazy," he snapped. "Quite a few girls like me."
"Yes, but they don’t know you the way I do," she snapped back.
"Then what did you drag me in here for?"
She took a deep breath, and seemed to screw up her courage. "I like girls."
Harry blinked. "Of course you like girls. Ginny and Luna and..."
"Not like girls," she snapped. "I like girls. Not boys. Not Ron, certainly."
"Oh." This was not the revelation he was expecting at all.
She was watching him, and he didn’t know what to say. The silence stretched out, and her face crumpled. "I... you think I’m strange, don’t you? I know this is weird and... maybe we should stop being friends or you could just forget it or maybe I’m wrong or--"
He put up a hand to try and stop the torrent of words, but she kept talking, the words coming faster the longer she spoke.
"But you’re uncomfortable, and I thought I’d tell you before I told Ron, and now I don’t know what to do, and I don’t know if I should tell her that I like her, or if it’s weird, no one talks about it at all, and maybe it’s illegal or wrong or they’ll throw me in Saint Mungo’s, or they’ll...." Her words were stumbling on top of one another. "Am I strange? Is there something wrong with me?"
He closed his eyes and said the only thing he could think of.
"Hermione, Sirius was gay."
"What?"
"Sirius was gay. He and Remus were lovers." He gave her a moment, but she didn’t say anything. "I knew. I-- I’m okay with that sort of thing."
"Oh."
"I don’t know if it’s okay with everyone, maybe it’s not. But do you really care what’s okay with everyone? You’re the smartest witch of our school, you’re clever and people like you. Ron and I like you. And there’s no way I can get through the next year without you, Hermione. So does it matter who you... you like? Does it matter what they say?"
"I... I guess not." She still looked shaken, but some of the familiar self-confidence was back. "What about Ron?"
Harry sighed. "I think it would be worse to have him find out because he asks. I think you should tell him and let him get over it. He will, you know. You can tell him you have a crush on... who do you have a crush on?
Hermione blushed. "Tonks," she whispered.
He’d been half afraid she was going to say Ginny, and he didn’t want to think of Ron’s reaction to that. This was at least understandable. "Tonks. That’s great. We can tell Ron together, if you’d rather."
"That might be easier." She started wiping her face with the corner of her robe. "I... thank you, Harry."
"You’ve been my friend through things stranger than this. Ron might get hurt a bit, but he’ll get over this faster than he would if you...."
"If I liked you instead of him?" She smiled suddenly, and he knew things would be okay.
"Yeah." They both headed towards the door.
"Do you think I should tell Tonks I like her?"
"I wouldn’t ask me for advice about girls, Hermione. They just don’t make much sense to me."
"No, I suppose they don’t." She closed the door behind her, and they went to find Ron together.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Harry & Hermione
Ratings: G
Summary: Harry thinks girls don't make much sense. Hermione proves the point.
Length: 931, which strikes me as a very odd number.
"Harry, can we go someplace and talk?"
Harry looked up from his homework. Hermione stood next to him, clutching her books to her chest. She looked nervous and uncomfortable, and he wasn’t sure if whatever she wanted to talk about was something he’d want to talk about. But he nodded anyway, putting away his books. Sometimes you just do things you don’t want to do for friends.
She led him into one of the disused classrooms. She sat on top of one of the desks, still looking uncomfortable, and Harry sat down next to her.
"It’s... There’s just something I need to tell you."
For a moment his insides froze. He looked at her, his best mate next to Ron, dreading what he was certain would come next. Oh Harry, I’m in love with you. Or Oh Harry, I want to kiss you. Or even, Oh Harry, I just can’t go on without you. He had no idea how he would respond to that, so he tried deflecting her attention instead.
"Look, Hermione, Ron really likes you...."
She blinked at him. "Ron? But... He’s Ron."
It was going to be worse than he feared. Now he was going to end up with something that Ron wanted, again, and the jealousy would tear the three of them apart. Again.
"He’s nice and he really seems to like you and all--"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "This isn’t about Ron," she snapped. "It’s about me and how I feel."
He tried not to sigh or wince, but looked down at his feet instead. "Whatever you have to tell me, Hermione, I’m your friend."
"I know, and that’s why...." her voice suddenly choked off in a sob, and he looked back up at her, suddenly reminded uncomfortably of Cho. He reached out one hand and put it on her shoulder in what he hoped was a friendly-but-not-too-friendly way.
"Hermione, my point is, I just don’t like you that way...." His voice trailed off as she looked at him incredulously.
"You?" She stopped sobbing and stared at him. "You thought I brought you in here because I like you?"
"I-- It’s not that crazy," he snapped. "Quite a few girls like me."
"Yes, but they don’t know you the way I do," she snapped back.
"Then what did you drag me in here for?"
She took a deep breath, and seemed to screw up her courage. "I like girls."
Harry blinked. "Of course you like girls. Ginny and Luna and..."
"Not like girls," she snapped. "I like girls. Not boys. Not Ron, certainly."
"Oh." This was not the revelation he was expecting at all.
She was watching him, and he didn’t know what to say. The silence stretched out, and her face crumpled. "I... you think I’m strange, don’t you? I know this is weird and... maybe we should stop being friends or you could just forget it or maybe I’m wrong or--"
He put up a hand to try and stop the torrent of words, but she kept talking, the words coming faster the longer she spoke.
"But you’re uncomfortable, and I thought I’d tell you before I told Ron, and now I don’t know what to do, and I don’t know if I should tell her that I like her, or if it’s weird, no one talks about it at all, and maybe it’s illegal or wrong or they’ll throw me in Saint Mungo’s, or they’ll...." Her words were stumbling on top of one another. "Am I strange? Is there something wrong with me?"
He closed his eyes and said the only thing he could think of.
"Hermione, Sirius was gay."
"What?"
"Sirius was gay. He and Remus were lovers." He gave her a moment, but she didn’t say anything. "I knew. I-- I’m okay with that sort of thing."
"Oh."
"I don’t know if it’s okay with everyone, maybe it’s not. But do you really care what’s okay with everyone? You’re the smartest witch of our school, you’re clever and people like you. Ron and I like you. And there’s no way I can get through the next year without you, Hermione. So does it matter who you... you like? Does it matter what they say?"
"I... I guess not." She still looked shaken, but some of the familiar self-confidence was back. "What about Ron?"
Harry sighed. "I think it would be worse to have him find out because he asks. I think you should tell him and let him get over it. He will, you know. You can tell him you have a crush on... who do you have a crush on?
Hermione blushed. "Tonks," she whispered.
He’d been half afraid she was going to say Ginny, and he didn’t want to think of Ron’s reaction to that. This was at least understandable. "Tonks. That’s great. We can tell Ron together, if you’d rather."
"That might be easier." She started wiping her face with the corner of her robe. "I... thank you, Harry."
"You’ve been my friend through things stranger than this. Ron might get hurt a bit, but he’ll get over this faster than he would if you...."
"If I liked you instead of him?" She smiled suddenly, and he knew things would be okay.
"Yeah." They both headed towards the door.
"Do you think I should tell Tonks I like her?"
"I wouldn’t ask me for advice about girls, Hermione. They just don’t make much sense to me."
"No, I suppose they don’t." She closed the door behind her, and they went to find Ron together.