How Does It Feel?

Girl Talk

"Oh Ginny, I've thoroughly messed everything up," Hermione cried out from her position in Ginny's arms.

"And how have you done that?" The fiery redhead asked.

"I thought I liked Ron but seeing Harry with his skull cracked open made me realize how much I loved Harry," Hermione confessed tearfully.

It was true, while Ron's poisoning had worried her to no end, it didn't fill her with nearly as much fear as the sight of Harry unconscious with his head gushing blood did. She had sped onto the pitch unthinkingly and wept over the battered form of Harry, praying to anyone that would listen that he remained alive. The very thought of a life without Harry had reduced her to a crumbling mess, only helped by Ginny who held her in her arms and reassured her that everything would be okay.

Even as Harry was laid up in the Hospital Wing, Hermione couldn't find it in herself to leave his bedside, even at night. She needed to make sure Harry was still breathing. It was then that the witch realized just how deep her feelings for Harry ran.

"Yeah, you've told me this," Ginny joked before rubbing Hermione's back in an act of comfort.

"But Harry doesn't know," Hermione wailed helplessly.

Despite Hermione's distress, Ginny found humor in the situation. Her friends were a couple of idiots who didn't see what was right in front of them. The girl wanted nothing more than to interfere and tell Hermione just how Harry felt about her, but she knew that this was something they needed to figure out on their own. Besides, she was rather enjoying this little dance they were doing.

"He thinks I still like Ron, I'm sure of it," Hermione continued while sniffling into Ginny's shoulder.

"Why don't you just tell him how you feel?" Ginny asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Truly, the redhead didn't understand how the brightest witch of her age could be this dumb.

"What if he rejects me? What if he thinks I'm not being honest? I can't just go from liking Ron to liking him in a matter of days," Hermione tried to reason with Ginny.

"Well that depends," Ginny said before pulling Hermione back to face her, "did you ever truly like Ron?"

Hermione paused at that. Did she? She was most definitely hurt when Ron chose Lavender over her but her hurt was quickly forgotten after Harry held her in his arms and comforted her through the night. She had always told herself to be with Ron because she'd spent more time with him over the summer and as prefects. In her mind, the relationship would be easy and built upon familiarity. Even in third year, she spent more time with Ron at Hogsmeade without Harry. Yet, the times she spent with Ron were nothing compared to Harry.

She barely registered Ginny's laugh as she sighed frustratedly. Sure, she spent a lot of time with Ron but almost all of it was spent either bickering or being annoyed by each other. Still, Ron had moments when he showed his appreciation for her. It was because they were so rare that she came to cherish them but, if Hermione was honest, Harry had Ron beat by this metric by a landslide. She could scarcely remember a time when Harry didn't vocally or physically show his appreciation for her. She took him for granted, she knew. Just because Ron's moments were few and far between didn't mean they were more special than Harry's.

This all led to one moment of eureka for the confused witch. She mentally weighed the absence of Ron against the absence of Harry and it was a no contest. She could find it in herself to forget about Ron whenever he was gone and she had done it before, but Harry, oh Harry, she didn't know if she could bear his absence from her side. Even now, as they grew apart from each other because of her foolishness, the girl felt as if a part of herself was missing. No, she had to rectify this quickly. Ron was nothing more than a passing fancy that grew because of proximity, paling in comparison to the depth of her feelings for Harry that grew out of respect, friendship, bravery, and love.

"No," Hermione answered, finally answering Ginny's question.

Ginny only laughed at her before pulling her into another hug. "Gotta say 'Mione, watching you work things out in your head was hilarious," she said with a light chuckle before grunting as Hermione slapped her shoulder.

"So, you going to tell him?" Ginny asked after a long pause.

"Yes," Hermione replied with no absence of pure conviction. She was going to tell Harry Potter that she was completely, irrevocably, in love with him.

Just one problem however, she needed to find him.