Harry Potter & The Heart Of Harmony

Chapter 1- Sweet Memories

"You'll be okay, Harry. You're a great wizard. You really are." Hermione Granger said, reassuringly, after throwing her arms around him in a sweet embrace, nearly in tears.
"Not as good as you..." Harry Potter replied, somber and sincere.
"Me?" Hermione chuckled in a sweet tone. "Books and cleverness... There are more important things - friendship and bravery, and... Oh, Harry! Be careful!"

That was the warm exchange Harry had with his best female friend of all time, Hermione Granger, just before he marched on to certain death, not even seeing how sad and somewhat disappointed she was...
Harry Potter was a contemplative introvert who liked to reminisce about his past - his memories - at times. Sometimes in a happy, healthy, nostalgic way - but sometimes to evaluate all the mistakes he had made, so that (hopefully) he would never make those mistakes again. Today was a combination of the two.
Pushing his spectacles up his nose to secure them, he raised his right hand past his lightning scar on his forehead and tossled his already messy black hair, and scratched his head.
Why didn't I kiss her!?? What the hell is wrong with me? Harry thought, almost painfully.
Harry was nowhere near as brilliant and intelligent as Hermione, he knew it. But, he wasn't stupid... Except with women, apparently. He also thought he wasn't as pretty as his formerly bushy-haired comrade, even when she had bushy hair and buck teeth. She had captivating brown eyes and a good heart - she was loyal, she had good intentions, she was often sweet and affectionate, or scolding him (& more often his ginger jerk of a friend, Ron Weasley) for their own good, for doing or saying something stupid, and she was always there for him! Even when nobody else was, when everyone else had abandoned or turned on him, even when he didn't appreciate her, and when Ronald had ditched them out of jealousy... Which was another thinking point.
He frowned as he pondered why he had not ignited the catalyst to what could have been the most amazing relationship of his life. They would have been so cute and sweet together. They always made a great team! Much better than his friend and her... Ron and her were always fighting, disagreeing, even insulting each other, and nearly never had "moments" together that weren't tarnished by jealousy, bickering, or something stupid. How did they get married!?? Harry wondered, perplexed as much as he would be if he had been told to build a flying car from scratch. When they were kids, Ron had crossed the line after she had tried to help him with a levitation charm, albeit a tiny bit condescending.
"It's LeviOOOsa! Not LeviosA!" Ron mocked her while walking to the next class, as some laughed. "She's a nightmare! Honestly. It's no wonder she hasn't got any friends!!"
As Hermione bumped past him, crying, Harry pointed out, "I think she heard you..."
She had run off to go cry her eyes out in the girl's bathroom for the rest of the day. Harry had found that out by asking where she had gone, where she was (not in class), out of concern for her. At night, a fully grown mountain troll had infiltrated the castle and was headed to the bathroom. It was Harry that had insisted that they go save her.

When they had first met, Harry was an abused little nobody that had suddenly been thrown into a magical world where he was a celebrity, yet had not really made a real friend yet. After having befriended Ron on the train chugging valiantly towards Hogwarts (school of witchcraft & wizardry), he remembered seeing an adorable girl his own age there, sliding their compartment door open to ask if they'd seen Neville's pet toad, Trevor. But then, she saw Harry, his frazzled look and his famous lightning scar. The one he had obtained as a baby when his mother sacrificed herself to save him from the killing curse of Voldemort, which rebounded to kill him, but a part of the evil Dark Lord had latched onto Harry to form a permanent scar and a Horcrux within him - a part of his spirit that needed to be destroyed if Voldemort was to be vanquished - unbeknownst to him.
"Holy cricket! You're Harry Potter!" she exclaimed in a cute, proper British accent, going to sit down in front of him. She fixed his broken glasses. Then, "I'm Hermione Granger," she introduced herself, then looked at Ron, disgusted. "And.... You are?"
"Um.. Ron Weasley."
"Pleasure..." she responded, indignantly, as Harry tried not to laugh. "You two better change into robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon."
He liked her. It felt like fate.