regret, harry potter (rewriting)

nineteen

The night after Harry's realization, he told Hermione about it and the conversation ended up with Harry being scolded by Hermione so many times.

"You're. So. Stupid. Harry. So so stupid! You made me lose my best friend just for you to now realize you've liked her all along!" She lightly punches Harry between her sentences.

"Alright alright, Hermione! I'm sorry!" Harry shielded himself with his arms, "Ron, help please!"

"It's all you mate," said Ron, not wanting to get involved.

"How could you be so stupid and oblivious. You are worse than Ron!" Hermione argued.

"Hey! don't drag my name in!"

"Well, what should I do now?" Harry mumbled.

"Nothing," Hermione replied coldly.

"What?" said both of the boys at the same time.

"Knowing Aurelia, she will probably be pissed at you a lot. Her knowing you like her now is bad enough let alone her knowing you've liked her this whole time," Hermione explained, rolling her eyes as she did so. "When did you start liking her anyway?"

"I don't know — I think our first year and second year, then Cho came around and I stopped liking her-ish?" Harry answered with uncertainty, "Then things fell apart with Cho and I think I like Aurelia again? I don't know."

"So you've never liked Ginny this whole time?" Hermione frowned.

"No, I like her but I don't think I ever properly got over Aurelia? I don't know! I never think I fancy her but I kept smelling her stupid perfume!"

"Honestly, you're setting yourself up for failure," Hermione sighed.

"Why?" asked Ron.

"Don't you get it, Ron? From what I see and probably her too if she knows, Harry made her the second choice two times!" Hermione elaborated her argument.

"What? How am I making her the second choice?" Harry frowned at Hermione, feeling quite offended by Hermione's statement.

"First you chose Cho, second you chose Ginny. Now that you're not with the two girls anymore, suddenly you want to be with her. It seems like you're making her the backup plan," Hermione lectured the bespectacled boy.

"WHAT? Of course not. I would never do that. She's not my backup plan or my second choice. I-"

"But unintentionally, you are making her a backup plan," Hermione objected, cutting him off. "I'm off to my dorm now. Harry, my advice, just get close to her as friends first then see how it goes. Don't force anything."

Once Hermione entered her dorm she saw Aurelia braiding Parvati's hair.

"Oh hey Jean Bean, want to join?" Aurelia asked Hermione excitedly.

"Sure, can I braid your hair, Rellie?"

"Sure."

"Trains of braids," Parvati hummed.

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In today's DADA class they got to learn the Patronus charm. It wasn't supposed to be hard for Aurelia since she learned it in her fifth year with Dumbledore's Army, but it's been a while since she cast the Patronus charm.

She remembered her Patronus, it was a bloodhound; the excitement after knowing her Patronus until Umbridge broke the fun.

"Professor Sparks is very attractive don't you think?" Aurelia whispered to Hermione.

"I suppose," Hermione giggled.

"Honestly," Ron scoffed to Harry, "What do these girls see in the bloke?"

"He's not so bad and he's not that old compared to us isn't he?" Harry answered.

"You're supposed to be on my side! That bloke has taken over your crush's heart!" Ron hissed at Harry.

"Right, perspective," Harry nodded, "We hate him."

"Good."

"Expecto Patronum!" Aurelia muttered the spell though nothing came out of her wand, not even sprinkles of lights.

She tried many many times yet it seems like she's ill-fated with the spell.

"This is stupid, I give up," Aurelia huffed after failing so many times while the trios have succeeded in producing one.

"Hey, you need to calm down. You can think of someone as well, it doesn't necessarily have to be a memory," said Harry softly to her, "C'mon, let's try it again, I'll help you.

Harry put his hand over her hand, helping her to move the wand correctly. Aurelia could feel his breath on her neck giving her unnecessary butterflies all over her stomach.

Damn you teenage hormones.

Harry tried his best not to blush when he smelled the familiar scent of vanilla.

"Expecto Patronum!" said Aurelia however all that came out were sparks of lights.

"See, you're getting there," Harry encouraged her.

"No this is stupid! That's it, I'm done. I did a better job in the fifth year!" Aurelia got her hand out of his grasp aggressively and sat at the nearest chair not wanting to do the class anymore.

She could see some people cast their full-body Patronus already which made her envious. One thing she knows about herself is how impatient and temperamental she is.

Harry approached her and sat next to her. "Hey, it's alright. It took me days when I first did it, and it wasn't even a corporeal Patronus," he tried to lighten up her mood.

"Yeah, but it was your first time, this isn't my first time," she snapped. "Whatever, I don't care about a stupid Patronus anyway. It's not like I'll be facing a dementor anytime soon and I can use an owl to send messages."

Her bad mood lasted for almost the whole day. She doesn't talk to anyone unless it's important.

She hated failing.

"Hey, we'll have quidditch practice this afternoon, do you want to come and watch? Hermione will be there," Harry asked her during lunch.

"No," Aurelia answered bluntly before she took a bite of her potato.

"I promise it'll be fun," Harry gave her the biggest grin.

"t's just a stupid practice, not the game," she said harshly.

Harry's smile fell and he just said, "Okay."

Aurelia noticed Harry became very quiet after that. She felt guilty for snapping at him without any reason.

"Hey Harry," Aurelia nudged his arm.

"Yeah?"

"I'll come to your practice," she smiled at him.

"You don't have to. It's probably boring anyway. You're right it's just the practice, not the game," he mumbled sheepishly.

"No, no, I want to come. We'll be there, right Hermione?"

"Oh yeah, we will!" Hermione beamed.

Harry felt his heart fluttering as his stomach was filled with butterflies suppressing his smile not wanting her to know how happy he is that she'll be there.

"Brilliant," he replied, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Brilliant!" Aurelia copied the way he said it, smiling as she did so, turning his cheeks crimson red.