Chapter 46: Swimming?!
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I remember Harry being particularly pitiful between his name coming out of the Goblet and the First Task, so it's encouraging to see him acting somewhat normally.
With some glances at how Neville is doing it, I pick up some tips and we finish the class as comfortably as we can with so many glares directed our way.
Hermione, of course, tries to slip away.
"Hey, Hermione, wait up!" I call, running after her, and I notice Harry doing the same. We came up alongside her.
"A little morning run might not be a bad idea for your training, Harry. Good thinking, Hermione!"
"Ugh, you're insufferable!" She says as we slow down.
I'm tempted to lead with another joke, but saying 'I think the word you're looking for is lovable' seems like a good way to catch another punch to the shoulder.
And that's only if I'm lucky. I'm going for the serious route. "Look, Hermione, I'm sorry about last night."
"What's to be sorry about?" She asks in a way that insinuates that everything is to be sorry about.
"I...didn't mean to make you mad. I don't like when you're mad at me."
The sincerity in my voice brings her up short. "Well you really must enjoy feeling lousy, then," she says tightly.
"Can we just...can we take a little walk and talk about it?"
She sighs. "Fine, what about it?"
Harry hesitates. "Do you guys want me to meet you later?"
"No, this is about what we spoke about last night, Harry."
Harry's eyes go wide.
Hermione clenches her jaw, but says nothing. We start toward the lake, perpendicular to the path back to the castle. We walk for a minute before I begin. "What did I say that made you so angry?"
She huffs. "You know what it was."
I nod. "I think I do, but I think it was a misunderstanding."
She says nothing, just clenches her jaw again.
I sigh and continue. "It was when I started talking about a particular facial expression of yours." I look up at the sky.
"I think maybe you thought I was making fun of you. I wasn't. I wasn't joking." She looks away from me and doesn't reply, so after a few seconds I keep going.
"You're pretty, Hermione, and I don't think you see it yet." She turns away from me even further, so I give Harry a questioning look.
"He's right, Hermione. I never thought about it until he said something, but it's true. I just can't believe I never noticed before."
A sniffle is her only reply. Harry sees it first and wraps his arms around her. Soon her shoulders are shaking and I have to look away as I realize she's sobbing silently again.
After some minutes she finally emerges from hiding. "You think I'm p-pretty?"
"Yes," Harry says, rubbing her back.
"I don't just think, I know," I say.
She rubs at her eyes and glances at both of us. "I...I need to confess something...I shrunk my front teeth at the beginning of this year." Tears started welling up again.
"I know looks don't mean much of anything and it won't stop the teasing, but I just...I just..."
That brings me up short. In canon she doesn't get her teeth shrunk until Malfoy hits her with a spell to make them grow.
So...she changed them because of me? I try to think back to the train, but I can't remember well enough to know if there was any difference.
"That's nothing to be ashamed of, as long as it makes you happy," Harry says softly, still rubbing.
After some more sniffling and rubbing, she turns away from Harry and wraps her arms around me. My concerns about why she did it melt away when she hugs me.
"You know, Harry and I figured out that this brings us to our next problem," I say. Harry's eyes go wide and I grin. I make sure to vanish it when Hermione loosens her grip and cranes her neck.
"Now that we've established that you have beauty, brains, and..." I work my shoulders exaggeratedly. "...brawn, I regret to inform you that there isn't a single guy in this school worthy of your attention."
"Prat," she says without conviction. She gives me another firm squeeze and lets go. "I'll be the judge of that."
We walk hand-in-hand toward the lake in a companionable silence. Well, Harry and Hermione are holding hands.
With our height difference Hermione's hand is too low, so I tuck her arm into mine.
The Durmstrang ship is moored some distance away, but I think I see somebody swimming.
"Since you brought it up, I think a nice run might be good for us. Whatever the Tasks are, being in good physical shape isn't going to hurt." I point toward the ship, specifically the water around it.
"I think that's Krum."
"Swimming in November?" Harry asks in shock. "Is he mental?"
Hermione glances at me, or rather my lack of cloak. "Speaking of mental, why don't you have a cloak on?"
"I enjoy the cold," I say with a shrug.
"Nonsense, William, we should go up and—"
"Hermione," Harry warns in a whisper.
"It's okay, Harry. I only have one cloak, Hermione, and it's too heavy for this weather." I give her a reassuring smile at her embarrassment.
"I was telling the truth, you know. I do enjoy the cold." I look back at the ship and give a chuckle and a nod toward it. "Not enough to do that, of course."
"Supposedly that's a good way to get your heart rate up," Hermione says quickly. I assume she's glad for the subject change.
"Do you want me to ask if he'd like some company?" I ask with a grin, recalling her and Krum's relationship.
She makes a face at that. "I think we should stick with running."
"Ah, so you're on board then? That's good, considering Harry and I caught you easily enough. We'll start slow for you." I take a couple leaping strides away from the whack I know is coming and spin to face her, grinning madly.
"Oh, that's it," she says, dropping her bag. It lands hard.
"Oh, bugger," I say, but my pathetic excuse for a British accent only makes her grin more evil.
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