Thank The Troll

"Uh…Hermione?" The crazy haired twelve-year-old stopped writing on her parchment patiently and looked up, recognizing the voice. She smiled.

"Yes, Harry?" The boy slowly reached into his book bag and stood, carrying something inconspicuously as he rounded the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Hermione watched his wandering in confusion.

He halted in front of her, hiding whatever it was he'd had in his bag behind his back. He watched her intently, while she continued to stare at him, her cheeks a bit red as he drew a deep breath and peered into her eyes.

"I know I'm a few months off…" He revealed the item he had been shielding from view, holding it out to her: a medium-sized, rectangular package wrapped delicately in paper the same color as her hair, with a deeper chocolate bow around it. She stood as she accepted it, gaping and speechless as he finished. "But I thought you'd still like a birthday present anyway."

Hermione remained unable to form words, looking continuously from the present to him, her face unwaveringly shocked.

She raised her face to him, her mouth parted slightly and her eyes difficult to read. Unexpectedly, her eyes altered so that the red at the bottom was more prominent, and looked as if enveloped in a glass film, at which point Harry became worried.

Just as the first few tears fell, she threw herself onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck forcefully, her gift still clenched in her hand.

Of course, as Harry was an eleven-year-old boy, he found this quite embarrassing, particularly as the Great Hall went nearly silent. After a moment, though, he began to relax and smiled, patting her back gently as she sniffled faintly, a small number of tears leaving her eyes before she pulled away.

She cleared her throat while wiping away the remaining tears, as well as the remnants of those already fallen, and then looked at him, beaming. He would never know how much that smile truly would save him in the upcoming years.

"Sorry, Harry. I, uh…guess I was a bit beside myself. It's just that I've never received a gift from someone other than my family, with the exception of a couple teachers at my muggle school. I haven't known you for very long at all, and because you are my first friend, well…I have to admit that I wasn't expecting anything. Thank you, Harry, for everything."

With that, she leaned over and tenderly kissed him on the cheek, causing a few first year boys in each house to groan, and the first year girls to either giggle or scoff at the fact that the bookworm was getting so much attention from the young embodiment of fame.

Harry's cheeks were lit up brightly, as if it was Christmas all over again, but soon recovered and smiled warmly at her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You're welcome, Hermione. Just because I don't know someone as well as another person, doesn't mean I should simply ignore what goes on in their life. It's just not done, and I promise you that I'll never leave you alone to think no one cares for you. I always will, and I know you won't doubt me. You never have."

Now, she hugged him, slowly this time, but with even more feeling than the one prior.

"Thank you, Harry." She smiled.

"Thank you for believing in me." He beamed gratefully, almost breathless as he thought of how much she had really done for him.

"Of course." Her smile grew wider.

As they stood there, seemingly connected by an invisible thread through their hearts, they simultaneously thought blissfully:

Thank the troll.

A/N: If you're wondering why Hermione's twelve instead of eleven, it's because she's nearly twelve when she goes to Hogwarts, as her birthday is September 19, 1979, a year earlier than Ron and Harry's. Now, if you could be so kidn as to leave a review, that would be very much appreciated!