Siriusly Drunk About Girls

Chapter 5

February 14, 1996, Hogwarts and Hogsmeade

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From the moment that Harry awoke, his mind was fixated on one thing: today was the day. Today was the day that he was going to tell Hermione everything that he'd been thinking and feeling for the past two months.

Was it the right thing to do? Would it change things? What would she think of him after hearing it all? He honestly had no answers for any of those questions or any of the myriad others that were racing around in his mind. All he knew was that his gut was telling him that it was time, that it was the right thing to do.

As always, he met Hermione in the common room before they headed down to breakfast.

"Good morning, Harry," she exclaimed, looking up at him from where she was curled up on a chair in front of the fireplace.

"Morning Hermione," he replied. "Ready for breakfast?"

"Of course," she smiled, closing the book that she'd been reading before placing it on the small table beside her chair. "Ron?"

In answer, Harry simply rolled his eyes and jerked his head back towards the stairs that he'd just come down. Her laughter not only told him that she'd understood but it was also another stark indicator that Neville and Ron had been right – they didn't always need words.

"Ready," she said moments later.

She was dressed in a simple pair of jeans with a cream-coloured top. A long Gryffindor-red scarf and mittens were currently held in her hand, along with her long black cloak – all of which Harry knew she'd need later when they ventured out of the castle and to Hogsmeade, after all, it'd snowed just the night before.

The walk from the tower to the Great Hall was light and completely normal, allying one fear that Harry had held all night long: that the two of them spending the day together had the potential to be awkward.

But really, what was there to be awkward about? She was his best friend, just as he thought that he filled that spot for her. They knew each other and had spent countless hours talking and being comfortable with each other.

"Are you expecting something?" Harry asked not long after they'd taken their seats, having noticed that Hermione kept glancing up at where the post owls entered in the ceiling.

"I was hoping ..." she replied, her eyes still focused upwards.

And then it hit him.

Valentine's Day.

Today was Valentine's Day. Hermione was probably hoping to get a card or a flower or a present or something today. His thoughts of who she was hoping to get something from were interrupted by the arrival of Ron.

"Why didn't you guys wait for me?" Ron all-but-accused.

Harry refrained from answering. Really, it wasn't as though this was the first time that Ron had overslept and they'd gone to breakfast without him. And, judging by the way that Ron's hands were moving, pulling every dish that he could reach to him before spooning some of their contents onto his plate with utmost concentration, Harry wasn't sure that Ron would have heard an answer anyway.

"Really, Ron?" Hermione frowned a couple of minutes later. "You've got enough there for six people!"

"I'm a growing boy," he mumbled around a forkful of sausage.

Harry turned away from the sight. It still amazed him how much Ron could eat. Not to mention how thin he stayed despite it. Maybe it was a magical thing? Definitely something that old Dudders could benefit from. Actually, when Harry thought about it, there really wasn't a great deal of difference between the amount of food that both Ron and Dudley could eat. Idly, Harry wondered which of the two would win in a food-eating contest. It was even money at best.