s e v e n t e e n

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Hermione snickered as she walked into her bedroom. “He thinks I’ll get jealous if he gets a girlfriend?” She asked herself with a scoff. “Definitely not! Why would I be jealous? There’s no reason to be jealous. Because I don’t like him!” She told herself as she fell backwards onto her bed. “I would only be jealous if I liked him . . . and I don’t like him. So, I can’t possibly get jealous if I see him flirting with another girl. I have no right to. We’re not dating, we’re just friends.” She rambled on and on to herself, slowly trying to convince herself. “We’re just friends . . .” She repeated to herself and felt disappointment overwhelm her. “Just friends . . .” She said quietly and looked up at the ceiling. “That’s what we are and nothing more than that.” She clarified and groaned as she closed her eyes. “No need to be jealous, then.”

But, once her eyes shut, an image of Draco with another girl, flirting and kissing popped up out of nowhere. She immediately opened her eyes and shot up from her bed. “I don’t care if he goes out on a date with another girl. He can snog and shag her for all I care!” She yelled as she crossed her arms across her chest. She frowned deeply and licked her dry lips. “What’s wrong with me?” She asked herself with wide eyes. “Am I . . . am I jealous?”

She shook her head in refusal immediately. “No. I’m not jealous. I’m simply . . . just worrying about him. Yeah . . . just worrying about him. Who knows? Maybe the girl might hurt him and he might get really devastated.” She knew that that was the lamest—no, dumbest excuse ever made but her pride got the best of her. She wasn’t jealous, she was simply overly worried about him, or so she thought. She nodded in approval now, agreeing with herself. “You are not jealous.” She said proudly with a smile. But then that pesky voice thought differently.

“Stop lying to yourself. You’re jealous just thinking about Malfoy being with someone else.”

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows as she bit her bottom lip.

“I am not jealous.” She retorted back to herself, trying to stay on the positive side.

“You so are, we both know it.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I refuse to believe in such . . . in such trivial words!”

“Stop denying it. You--no, I- we know it’s true”

“There’s nothing to deny.”

“Damn, I am too stubborn; I can’t even convince myself on something.”

“I’m not jealous of Draco Malfoy being with someone else other than me.”

“Sure.”

She snapped out of her thoughts and jumped off her bed, pacing back and forth in her room. She continued to bite her bottom lip and placed one hand on her hip while the other ran through her hair and rested on her forehead. “I’m now having fights with myself? Why am I so worked up about this?” She asked herself suddenly. “I’m the one, who pushed him to talk to other girls, I shouldn’t be jealous. That proves that I’m not capable of getting jealous because I’m helping him.” She explained to herself and slightly smiled. “Good.”

“Hey, Hermione—“

“I’M NOT JEALOUS!” She suddenly yelled as she turned around towards the door. She gasped and closed her mouth tightly when she saw Harry standing in front of her. “Harry,”

“This seems like a bad time to talk to you.” He said as he stared at her quizzically.

“Oh, no, it’s fine! I’m perfectly fine.” Hermione told him quickly and smiled. “What brings you here?”

“Well, I just wanted to talk. We haven’t hung out in a really long time and all but if you’re busy . . .”

“I’m not busy at all.” She told him with a nervous grin. “Did you hear everything?”

“Fortunately for us, no. I’m sure you wouldn’t have wanted me to hear and I definitely don’t want to know what you were talking about.” Harry responded with a crooked grin.

“Thank you.” She said with a small grin.

“Hermione, I was wondering if you were doing anything this week.”

“Not that I know of . . . why?”

“Well, I was hoping the four of us could hang out like old times.”

“Four?” She asked and immediately frowned. “You mean you, Ginny, me, and Ron?”

“Hermione, I know you two are—“

“Harry, I’m sorry but I can’t. We’re far too damaged for repair and . . . besides, we ended on bad terms.”

“I was just hoping I could spend Christmas with my two best friends together . . . not just one.” Harry said with a sad grin.

“Harry—“ She said as she felt a pang of guilt.

“No, it’s okay. I’m sorry for suggesting that. I’ll just leave you to whatever you were doing.”

“Harry—“

“It’s fine, Hermione.” Harry said with a small grin as he walked out of the room.

Hermione let out a deep sigh as she frowned deeper. “Great . . .” She breathed out and placed her hand on her forehead, sighing. She licked her dry lips and quickly ran out of the room, trying to reach Harry when she suddenly bumped into him. “Harry?” She asked with astonishment.

“Ten seconds, Hermione. Not too shabby, although it did worry me. I thought you weren’t coming out of there.” He said with a sly grin.

“You knew I was going to come out, didn’t you?” She asked as she slightly punched him in the arm.