Chapter 615: I Like You
Ron moaned and put his face in his hands. He kept talking, though the words were barely distinguishable.
"She looked at me like I was a sea slug or something. She didn't even bother to answer. And then … I don’t know … I just sort of came to my senses and ran for it."
"It wasn’t your fault, Ron!" Harry comforted him. "We all know Fleur is part Veela. Her grandmother was one. I bet you just walked past when she was turning on the old charm for Diggory and got a blast of it!"
"Yes, that's it!" said Ginny. "It must be magic."
Although everyone knew that this was ridiculous; it was impossible for Fleur to use this kind of magic; but to say this would make Ron feel better.
Evan was very glad he didn’t bring Gabrielle, or else he didn’t know how to end it.
"In short, Fleur was wasting her time. Diggory is going with Cho Chang," continued Harry.
His voice just fell, and Evan, Ron, and Ginny turned their heads to look at him.
"I asked her to go with me just now," Harry explained dully. "And she told me."
Ginny had suddenly stopped smiling, staring at Harry in dismay.
"This is mad," said Ron, looking up, "Evan, have you found a partner?"
Evan shook his head. He hadn't met Hermione yet.
"We’re the only ones left who haven’t got any partners!" said Ron. "Well, except Neville. Hey … guess who he asked? Hermione!"
"what?!"
"Yeah, I know!" said Ron, some of the color coming back to his face as he started to laugh. "He said she’s always been really nice, helping him out with work and stuff … but Hermione told him she was already going with someone. Ha! As if! She just didn’t want to go with Neville. I mean, who would ask her except Evan?”
Evan couldn't believe his ears; Hermione was actually going with someone else!
How was that possible? Could it be Krum?!
There was a mess in his head, and he didn’t hear what Ron was saying next.
"Enough, Ron, don't!" said Ginny, annoyed. "Don’t laugh!"
Just then, Hermione entered the Great Hall with some books in her arms.
"Why are people pointing at you?" she said, coming over to join them.
Hermione looked at Evan strangely and felt that the atmosphere was a little bit wrong.
"Shut up and stop laughing, Ron!" said Ginny. "They’ve both just been turned down by girls they asked to the ball!"
That shut Harry and Ron up.
"Thanks a bunch, Ginny," said Ron sourly.
"All the good-looking girls taken, Ron?" said Hermione loftily. "Eloise Midgen starting to look quite pretty now, is she? It doesn't matter. I’m sure you’ll find someone somewhere who’ll have you."
"Hermione, Neville just said you’re going with someone?" Evan asked directly, his heart beating hard.
He and Hermione looked at each other, and Hermione’s brown eyes shined brightly.
Hermione froze for a moment, avoiding Evan's gaze, as though hesitating to answer.
"Yes, that's true!" Hermione finally said.
"Impossible, you didn't!" said Ron. "You just said that to get rid of Neville!"
"Oh, did I?!" said Hermione, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Why can't I agree to an invitation? None of you has asked me. Just because you haven’t noticed doesn’t mean no one else has spotted I’m a girl!”
"Come on, Hermione, we know that you are a good girl, but no one could invite you!" said Ron. "You’ll go with Evan; we need partners. We’re going to look really stupid if we haven’t got any, everyone else has!"
Ron was not helping, and Hermione suddenly became angrier.
"Is that what you think?!" said Hermione angrily, raising her voice. “You look for partners just to save face.”
"Obvious!" Ron nodded.
"I don't!" said Evan. "You know, Hermione, I want you to be my partner, not to save face."
"What is that for?" Hermione said, "You boys just want to find a beautiful girl."
"I like you, Hermione, that’s why I want you to be my partner," said Evan.
It was obvious that in the past two years, whenever Evan was ready to say this to Hermione, she had chosen to run away.
There was a moment of silence, Hermione bit her lip gently and looked at Evan incredulously.
There was a glimmer of light in her eyes, and the pink on her face became more and more obvious.
Harry, Ron, and Ginny also stared at them both, not knowing what to say.
"I can't go with you, Evan. I’m going with someone else!" Hermione took a deep breath and said stubbornly, "If you want to be your partner next time, ask me earlier then; don't hide and wait until it’s so late."
When she finished, she stood up directly to leave the Great Hall.
"Hermione, I’m asking you now to be my partner!" said Evan loudly, grabbing her arm.
"I…"
"You can only go to the ball with me, no one else, no matter who it is!" said Evan domineeringly.
This wasn’t his usual at all, but Evan couldn’t lose Hermione.
He didn’t care whether Hermione had really agreed to someone else's invitation or not, he only knew that he couldn't back down at this moment.
There was only one thought in Evan's head, and no matter who Hermione agreed to, he would snatch her over.
The two of them spoke very loudly, and everyone in the Great Hall looked at them.
Hearing Evan’s words, many people gave a shriek and everyone looked at Evan and Hermione.
Maybe because of the public’s attention or because of Evan’s gaze, Hermione’s face was blushing more and more.
She was going to say something else, but now she couldn’t say a word, just looking at Evan stupefied.
The two were so close that they could feel one another's breath.
Evan’s heart was beating fast; he looked at Hermione and…. kissed her without thinking!
There was another scream in the Great Hall, and the students all looked at Evan and Hermione in disbelief.
The two of them were so bold; actually kissing in the Great Hall!
Evan’s sudden action caught Hermione off guard. She was so frightened that her heart stopped beating.
She pushed Evan with her hands, but she was too soft and had no strength. After shock… she the sweetness of the kiss took over…
Feeling their lips open, their tongues touching, twisting… Hermione’s mind went blank, just obediently closing her eyes, as if nothing else existed in the world.
She forgot to think, she didn’t want to think, just instinctively wanted to embrace Evan, tighter, and tighter.
Chapter 615: I Like You
Ron moaned and put his face in his hands. He kept talking, though the words were barely distinguishable.
"She looked at me like I was a sea slug or something. She didn't even bother to answer. And then … I don’t know … I just sort of came to my senses and ran for it."
"It wasn’t your fault, Ron!" Harry comforted him. "We all know Fleur is part Veela. Her grandmother was one. I bet you just walked past when she was turning on the old charm for Diggory and got a blast of it!"
"Yes, that's it!" said Ginny. "It must be magic."
Although everyone knew that this was ridiculous; it was impossible for Fleur to use this kind of magic; but to say this would make Ron feel better.
Evan was very glad he didn’t bring Gabrielle, or else he didn’t know how to end it.
"In short, Fleur was wasting her time. Diggory is going with Cho Chang," continued Harry.
His voice just fell, and Evan, Ron, and Ginny turned their heads to look at him.
"I asked her to go with me just now," Harry explained dully. "And she told me."
Ginny had suddenly stopped smiling, staring at Harry in dismay.
"This is mad," said Ron, looking up, "Evan, have you found a partner?"
Evan shook his head. He hadn't met Hermione yet.
"We’re the only ones left who haven’t got any partners!" said Ron. "Well, except Neville. Hey … guess who he asked? Hermione!"
"what?!"
"Yeah, I know!" said Ron, some of the color coming back to his face as he started to laugh. "He said she’s always been really nice, helping him out with work and stuff … but Hermione told him she was already going with someone. Ha! As if! She just didn’t want to go with Neville. I mean, who would ask her except Evan?”
Evan couldn't believe his ears; Hermione was actually going with someone else!
How was that possible? Could it be Krum?!
There was a mess in his head, and he didn’t hear what Ron was saying next.
"Enough, Ron, don't!" said Ginny, annoyed. "Don’t laugh!"
Just then, Hermione entered the Great Hall with some books in her arms.
"Why are people pointing at you?" she said, coming over to join them.
Hermione looked at Evan strangely and felt that the atmosphere was a little bit wrong.
"Shut up and stop laughing, Ron!" said Ginny. "They’ve both just been turned down by girls they asked to the ball!"
That shut Harry and Ron up.
"Thanks a bunch, Ginny," said Ron sourly.
"All the good-looking girls taken, Ron?" said Hermione loftily. "Eloise Midgen starting to look quite pretty now, is she? It doesn't matter. I’m sure you’ll find someone somewhere who’ll have you."
"Hermione, Neville just said you’re going with someone?" Evan asked directly, his heart beating hard.
He and Hermione looked at each other, and Hermione’s brown eyes shined brightly.
Hermione froze for a moment, avoiding Evan's gaze, as though hesitating to answer.
"Yes, that's true!" Hermione finally said.
"Impossible, you didn't!" said Ron. "You just said that to get rid of Neville!"
"Oh, did I?!" said Hermione, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Why can't I agree to an invitation? None of you has asked me. Just because you haven’t noticed doesn’t mean no one else has spotted I’m a girl!”
"Come on, Hermione, we know that you are a good girl, but no one could invite you!" said Ron. "You’ll go with Evan; we need partners. We’re going to look really stupid if we haven’t got any, everyone else has!"
Ron was not helping, and Hermione suddenly became angrier.
"Is that what you think?!" said Hermione angrily, raising her voice. “You look for partners just to save face.”
"Obvious!" Ron nodded.
"I don't!" said Evan. "You know, Hermione, I want you to be my partner, not to save face."
"What is that for?" Hermione said, "You boys just want to find a beautiful girl."
"I like you, Hermione, that’s why I want you to be my partner," said Evan.
It was obvious that in the past two years, whenever Evan was ready to say this to Hermione, she had chosen to run away.
There was a moment of silence, Hermione bit her lip gently and looked at Evan incredulously.
There was a glimmer of light in her eyes, and the pink on her face became more and more obvious.
Harry, Ron, and Ginny also stared at them both, not knowing what to say.
"I can't go with you, Evan. I’m going with someone else!" Hermione took a deep breath and said stubbornly, "If you want to be your partner next time, ask me earlier then; don't hide and wait until it’s so late."
When she finished, she stood up directly to leave the Great Hall.
"Hermione, I’m asking you now to be my partner!" said Evan loudly, grabbing her arm.
"I…"
"You can only go to the ball with me, no one else, no matter who it is!" said Evan domineeringly.
This wasn’t his usual at all, but Evan couldn’t lose Hermione.
He didn’t care whether Hermione had really agreed to someone else's invitation or not, he only knew that he couldn't back down at this moment.
There was only one thought in Evan's head, and no matter who Hermione agreed to, he would snatch her over.
The two of them spoke very loudly, and everyone in the Great Hall looked at them.
Hearing Evan’s words, many people gave a shriek and everyone looked at Evan and Hermione.
Maybe because of the public’s attention or because of Evan’s gaze, Hermione’s face was blushing more and more.
She was going to say something else, but now she couldn’t say a word, just looking at Evan stupefied.
The two were so close that they could feel one another's breath.
Evan’s heart was beating fast; he looked at Hermione and…. kissed her without thinking!
There was another scream in the Great Hall, and the students all looked at Evan and Hermione in disbelief.
The two of them were so bold; actually kissing in the Great Hall!
Evan’s sudden action caught Hermione off guard. She was so frightened that her heart stopped beating.
She pushed Evan with her hands, but she was too soft and had no strength. After shock… she the sweetness of the kiss took over…
Feeling their lips open, their tongues touching, twisting… Hermione’s mind went blank, just obediently closing her eyes, as if nothing else existed in the world.
She forgot to think, she didn’t want to think, just instinctively wanted to embrace Evan, tighter, and tighter.
