Granger Beloved

The Burrow

    A month had passed since I saw Elena and Hermione in the common room. Trying to move on seemed harder than I initially thought, and even though I still stole quick glances at her every now and then, I would tell myself not to. I was still the only person who knew about Hermione's sexual orientation, and I could tell she planned to keep it that way.

   The Christmas holidays were approaching fast. Harry, Hermione, and I were to stay at The Burrow for our upcoming break, and at first, this deeply excited me, as I knew Hermione and I would share a room with Ginny. However, I knew this would be vastly counterproductive to what I was trying so hard to do: move on. November had been a hard month. I was avoiding eye contact with Hermione and I could tell she noticed. We didn't talk like we used to, and I was trying desperately to get my friendship back to what it was. I'd hoped that over the holiday things would improve, as we would have more free time than at Hogwarts.

   I woke up right on time the day we were all supposed to leave. Hermione was already up, double-checking her trunk for any missing belongings. I got out of bed, and I went to brush my teeth and get ready. After getting dressed, I started throwing clothes and other miscellaneous items that had previously been on the floor, into my trunk. "You have your toothbrush this time, right?" Hermione asked me as I attempted to throw a pair of socks into my trunk, but missed. "Oh yeah, I'd better grab that. I'd hate to live off of mouthwash for another 2 weeks," I said, walking to the bathroom.

   Hermione laughed as I left the room, and my heart jumped. I still loved her laugh, even though I told myself to stop paying so much attention to it. Trying to move on from her was like trying to let go of something I'd been carrying for 3 years straight, it wasn't easy. I returned to our room and put my toiletries in my trunk, and Hermione said, "Ready to go down to breakfast?" I nodded in reply. We no longer linked our arms as we walked, but her hand would still brush against mine every now and then. 

   The Great Hall was decorated in its usual silvery lights and Christmas trees, and the enchanted ceiling showed the snow outside. We took our seats next to Ron and Harry, who looked excited to be spending the holiday with each other. "Now that I've got my broom, we could all play Quidditch in the yard. We won't have to switch off this year," Ron said, right before he shoveled scrambled eggs in his mouth. I was okay at Quidditch, but I really loved flying. "No thanks, I think I'll just be the referee again," Hermione said. "Oh come on, you've never even tried to play," Harry said in response to Hermione. "I couldn't even get my broom to lift up in 1st year, and you think I'd try Quidditch?" She said, looking at Harry like he was stupid.

   We finished breakfast, having talked about our plans for The Burrow. We all walked to get our trunks, then to the carriages. Once we got on the express, I fell asleep 10 minutes in. I hadn't been sleeping much, but something about the train always seemed to calm me.

   I awoke with a jolt, as Hermione shook my arm so I would wake. I grabbed my things and made my way onto the platform, where the twins and Ginny had already met up with Arthur and Molly. We took the Knight Bus to the Burrow, and it was unpleasant as ever. I had a small headache by the time I got off.

   I greeted Bill and Charlie when I walked in the door, glad to see everyone after such a long time. Hermione and I made our way up to our room, and upon arrival, we saw that there were only 2 beds, Ginny already occupying one.  "Looks like you two get the double," She said, grinning at us. My heart lept at this, but my brain told me this was bad. I really didn't have any other choice, as the house was packed already, and I knew Ginny wouldn't give up the bed she had to herself. "Well, as long as you don't kick me in your sleep," Hermione said as she set her stuff down. I forced a laugh, as I was too nervous to let out a real one.

   I put my trunk next to Hermione's on the bed, and I started unpacking with her. The day wasn't too exciting, as Harry, Ron, Hermione and I were tired from the journey. I spent most of the day thinking about sharing a bed with Hermione, and I couldn't help being excited. This was causing me to fall back into old habits. I was looking her in the eye again, fatal mistake. Her eyes were my favorite part about her. I had a feeling I would lose even more sleep, just the thought of her laying next to me made me nervous.

   At dinner, I sat in between Hermione and Charlie. Charlie was talking about the different breeds of dragons in Romania, and how things were going with him. I looked up, and Ron was staring at me. He quickly looked away as our eyes met, and I remembered what Hermione had told me just a month ago. Did he really have feelings for me? That would explain all of the staring, anyway.

   The rest of the night consisted of many games of wizards chess in Ron's room. Although Ron beat all of us more than once, we still enjoyed laughing and joking around. Ron and Harry were in an intense game, and Ron was about to order his queen to move. I threw a pillow at his head to mess him up. "Oi! You made her go to E6 instead of E7, I was about to check him!" Ron yelled. I shrugged my shoulders and said, "You don't know that was me, Ronald." He grabbed the pillow and threw it at my head, and as a result of this we ended up in a full-blown pillow fight.

   Even Hermione and Harry had joined in, seeing as stray pillows were flying at them. Eventually, Ron grabbed me and slammed me down onto his bed as hard as he could, and before I could react, Molly burst through the door. "What is all this noise?! Ron, your room is a mess! It's quite late for this!" She yelled. Ron looked down at his feet and said, "Sorry, Mum, it was wizards chess and-," Molly cut him off, "I suggest you all get to bed, Ron has some cleaning to do. "Of course, Mrs. Weasley," I said, turning to grin at Ron as Hermione and I left the room.

   I was suddenly reminded of my sleeping arrangements as we entered the room, where Ginny was already asleep. "I guess I'll take the spot next to the wall then," I said quietly. I climbed into bed and she followed right after. I was facing the wall, thinking it would be weird if I was facing her so close in proximity. I could tell she was facing me, I felt her breath on my exposed shoulder.

   I laid there for what seemed like hours, and I could finally tell Hermione had fallen asleep when she started to silently snore as she did every night in our dorm. I subtly flipped over to face her. She was directly in front of me now, looking peaceful as ever. It was weird to see someone as hardworking and uptight as Hermione so calm. I knew how weird this was, staring at her as she slept, but she just looked so at peace, her features so relaxed.

   Seeing as she was asleep, my nerves were calmed. Sleep finally overtook me, and it was the best I'd fallen asleep in months.