fourth year!

- - -

"So you two are friends again?" asked Hermione as she sat down at the Gryffindor table for breakfast.

It was the morning after the Yule Ball; the morning after Harry'd kissed (Y/N) and they decided to end all the confusion and just start dating. They hadn't told anyone in hopes that their friends would still treat them normally, and (Y/N) was just about to give some vague answer when Seamus Finnigan leaned over with a stupid grin.

"More than friends, from what I've heard,"

Dean choked on his drink and snorted with laughter. Harry tried to pretend like he hadn't heard anything, but the tips of his ears had gone pink and he accidentally dropped his spoon. (Y/N) reached across the table to swat at Seamus' arm, but he dove out of the way, looking far too proud of himself.

"Shut up, Seamus!" (Y/N) hissed.

But Hermione had already figured it out, and she did not look impressed. "Please," she shook her head, smiling. "It's no surprise. All I've heard you talk about since first year is Harry,"

(Y/N) was mortified.

Dean and Seamus had practically collapsed with laughter. Harry was in on it too, grinning at (Y/N) all too brightly with an amused gleam in his eye.

"You're no better, Harry!" Hermione said at once. "Worse, even – thought you'd drive me mad with all that talk about her after she said no to the ball,"

(Y/N) just barely caught a glimpse of his stunned expression before she hid her face in her hands.

"Well, that's–" Harry stuttered. "I–"

"It's about time, is all I'm saying," she smiled to herself as she served some porridge into her bowl. "Saved us all the trouble,"

"Can we, please, talk about something else?" (Y/N) tried.

She could have sworn she heard Hermione laugh before she said, "Alright, fine. I suppose you've given Harry his chocolate frog, then? Who'd you get this time?"

Of all the things! (Y/N) wished she could vanish.

The same night (Y/N) and Harry fought, she freed the chocolate frog she'd gotten from Honeydukes, simply out of spite. The last thing she wanted to admit to her friends – never mind her brand new boyfriend! – was that she let Harry's Christmas present wander off in the snow.

She could feel Harry look at her as she busied herself with spreading a generous amount of strawberry jam on her toast. She could not afford to look anyone in the eye. She was almost positive that she would have to fess up when–

"It was just another Dumbledore," Harry said easily.

(Y/N) could not believe what she was hearing. She looked over at Harry, absolutely dumbfounded.

"Oh," Hermione scooped up a spoonful of her breakfast. "That's too bad,"

He sent (Y/N) a subtle glance, eyes sparkling with mischief. (Y/N) felt herself smile as she cut her toast in half. "Yeah," she agreed. Harry tried to hide his laugh with a cough. He reached for his chalice, still grinning, and nodded as she said, "Really too bad,"