Last First Kiss {HP Next Generation}

Chapter Twenty Two

Henry returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, and found Hope curled up on one of the cushy sofa's reading by the fire, while humming loudly to herself. Upon hearing approaching footsteps, she looked up from her book and immediately smiled in his direction as he wandered over to her.

She didn't say anything though, waiting for him to say something first, in hopes that she wasn't in trouble with him.

"Hope...you and I need to talk." he sighed plopping down beside her as she moved her feet to let him sit.

"About what?" she asked curiously.

"About what's been going on between you and I this year." Henry said.

"Yeah...okay. I actually would like to know what's going on this year." Hope said turning her body to face him after dropping her book to the floor. "What's going on, Henry? Really, if there is something that I did, you can just tell me. I know I do all sorts of crazy things, don't be afraid to call me out on it."

"But it's not you, Hope." Henry told her. "It's fully me. I'm the one who should be called out on it. Not you."

"Why don't you tell me so I can help you!"

"It's not that simple, Hope. In fact, it's complicated."

"Try me." she said folding her arm. "I've grown up with crazy, complicated and chaos. The three C's of childhood."

Henry chuckled before leaning back on the sofa and blowing his hair out of his face. "I guess...it's because I'm jealous, Hope."

"Jealous? Jealous of what?" Hope asked confused.

"Jealous that you've been spending more time with McGregor."

"Oh." she responded quietly. "You don't like McGregor?"

"It's not that I don't like him...it's just..I guess I've gotten so used to it, just really being you and I all the time. Sure there's Elliot, Teddy, Stella and Eliza, but that's always been the group growing up. Now he comes out of nowhere this year...and he's always around. I guess it's just been really weird for me, that's all."

Hope grinned before scooting close to him.

"Henry, no one in this world could ever replace you.  There will always be only one Henry Black in my life, and no matter how many McGregors come along, they will never replace you or take your spot."

"Really?" Henry smiled.

"Of course. No one in this world can put up with me the way you do. You've been putting up with me since we were days old. The only other people who have lasted that long are family and that's because they pretty much have to deal with me. It's basically written in the family contract."

"You're ridiculous, Hope. You act like people wouldn't want to be around you. There's so many reasons as to why people would want to be around you all the time."

"Well, that doesn't mean they get to." she reminded him. "If you don't want me hanging out with McGregor as much-"

"No, no..that's not what I want. That's not fair...just because I get a little jealous doesn't mean you can't hang around who you want to."

"You know, I think if you spent more time hanging out with us, then maybe you would come to like him a bit more. You guys could be really good friends...if you wanted to be."

"You're right. I probably just...I let jealousy get the best of me."

"No need to be jealous, Guppypuppy, you're still my number one." Hope laughed before wrapping him in a hug.

Henry smiled as he returned the gesture, however, as he wrapped his arms around her, he found himself not wanting to let go.

To give McGregor a fair chance to be friends, Henry tried to hang out whenever Hope and the boy were spending time together in between classes.

But he couldn't do it.

He just couldn't do it.

Whenever Hope gave McGregor his full attention, all Henry wanted to do was grab the boy and drag him down to the bottom of the Black Lake.

"Henry?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked up to see Hope watching him with a concerned expression clear across her face.

"Yeah? What's wrong?" He saw that McGregor was gone from the table.

"Your eyes...and..your teeth...' she told him pointing to her own eyes and teeth. "You were going into your merform there for a minute. Are you upset?"

"Wh...no. I was just daydreaming...I didn't...I didn't realize. Sorry." he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Where's Mc-Benji?"

"He had quidditch practice. So it's just you and I, amigo!"

A bright smile presented itself on Henry's face as he looked up at her. 

"So what do you want to do? Cause some havoc? Destroy lives?"

"Hope!"

"You're right...that's all far too boring... We need to go big or go home."

"No, Hope that's not what I meant!" He laughed reaching across the table and grabbing the back of her robes dragging her back to the table. "Maybe we'll just go down to the lake...it's a full moon tonight, you know?"

"That sounds fun! So much better than the idea I had."

"Do I want to know what idea you had?"

"Umm...no, we'll just save it for another day."