tied to him ✔

chapter fifteen

"Hermione, what's going on?"

Harry followed his best friend to the entrance to the girl's bathrooms. She didn't turn around, so Harry went after her.

"You can't get rid of me!" he said as she locked the door to her stall. "I will get answers!"

He heard a sigh from inside the stall and jumped with joy at his victory when Hermione unlocked the door. The joy was short-lived, however, as her face was anxious and her eyes were glistening suspiciously.

"You were bound to find out anyway," she said, huffing a deep breath as she went to go lean her side on the sink.

"That you like Draco?" Harry said confusedly. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because I don't like him," Hermione confessed, looking away.

"Then who do you like?"

"I like you, Harry! I tried flirting with Draco to make you jealous, but it never worked! Because you're oblivious!"

Harry's jaw dropped to the floor. Hermione burst into tears and quickly ran out of the bathroom. Harry tried to process what he had just heard, but his brain refused to believe it.

Hermione was his best friend! His sister! The thought of liking her that way made him internally gag. What did she even see in him? And what about Ron?

"Everything alright in here?"

It was Draco. His head peered through the door.

"Why are you in the girl's bathroom?" he asked, coming inside and wrapping his arms around Harry's waist. Harry just sighed.

"Hermione never fancied you, Draco."

His boyfriend cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Isn't that good news?"

"She fancied me."

At this, Draco went deathly silent for a moment.

"She does?" he says carefully

Harry nodded. "Everything's gone wrong, Draco! Hermione was supposed to be my friend! I don't want our friendship to fall apart."

"Hey, hey!" Draco said, pulling back to stroke Harry's face soothingly. "Calm down. You'll all work past this. I know you will. You guys can do anything!"

Harry sniffed "Thanks, love. But now I need to go find Hermione."

He made to exit the bathroom but was stopped when Draco's arm pulled him back. "Maybe you should wait a bit, Harry. She might need some space."

Frowning, Harry turned back but reluctantly agreed Malfoy was right. Hermione would come around in her own time.

DRARRY DRARRY DRARRY

Ron paced the boy's dormitories with tears glistening in his eyes. Harry looked at the floor with guilt prominent on his face.

"Ron, mate, I swear I would never have done anything with her," Harry said, unable to bear the broken look on his best friend's face.

Ron shook his head. "Was she ever going to tell me? What was I, her boy toy? All those months, did they really mean nothing to her?"

"You can like more than one person at one time, Ron," Harry said gently. Ron turned on him.

"That really isn't helping, Harry!"

Harry flinched. "I'm sorry."

Ron buried his hands in his hair and sat down on the bed next to Harry. "I'm so confused, Harry."

"Tell me about it," Harry responded sadly. The two boys sighed in unison, and Harry became alarmed when Ron started to sob. He began to pat the ginger's back awkwardly and gasped when he was pulled in for a hug.

"I'm sorry, mate, I just really want a hug." Ron's voice broke on the word hug, bringing unwanted tears to Harry's eyes as well.

"We'll get past this," Harry said soothingly, repeating Draco's previous words. "It's just a silly crush. She'll get over it."

"But what about me? What am I, Harry? If she liked you, what was she stringing me around for?"

I tried flirting with Draco to make you jealous, replayed in his mind, but he'd be damned before he told Ron about that.

DRARRY DRARRY DRARRY

The following day, Ron and Hermione were a mess.

Ron had heavy bags under his eyes, and his ginger hair resembled Harry's. Hermione wasn't looking better: her shirt was untucked, and she tried to spread butter on her toast using a fork. Harry frowned.

Draco caught his eye from across the room. He held up a thumbs up like it was a question, and Harry nodded. I'm fine.

The pair sat down on the top end of the table, far away from Hermione. She sent a sad glance their way.

"What's going on with you three?" Neville asked from beside Harry, startling him.

"Nothing," Harry lied. "She and Ron, uh, argued."

"And you're siding with Ron?" Neville asked, glancing between the two.

"I'm not siding with anyone!" Harry protested, which wasn't a lie.

"Then why are you sitting with him and not her?" Neville inquired, evidently confused.

"It's complicated, Neville!" Harry said exasperatedly. Neville clapped him on the back sympathetically.

"Whatever it is, you three will get through it."

"Will everyone stop saying that?" Harry and Ron groaned.

Neville chuckled before going back to his half-eaten breakfast with his mind whirring, trying to figure what the pair couldn've possibly argued over.

The possibilities were endless.

***
ewww hermione ): still love her though

vote and comment auayayaysydhdakdh