I'm lookin' forward to more stalking
Anyways, I'm updating now. Last chapter with real dialogue, so yeah...
I got a totally random idea for a fantasy story (book-kind. It's not my first time attempting one), thanks to a friend, so that will be another add-on to how often I really do work on the HSM ff (I'm thinking of calling it Hogwarts School Musical That way it's still HSM!) and the sequel, Let Me Go. I dunno tho, I'll do my best.
Anyways, maybe after this you'll think differently of Jaimie too...
Enjoy!

Chapter 25
A Chat with Jaimie

Days passed as Hermione was stuck in the hospital wing. Three days into her stay, someone came to visit her.

“So... how are you, Hermione?”

Hermione looked up from her book and saw Jaimie standing a few feet from the edge of her bed.

“Been better,” she responded curtly.

“Look... I just wanted to talk to you about something,” Jaimie said, her voice quieter.

Hermione sighed and marked her book. Closing it and putting it onto the side table in front of a bouquet of fresh flowers, she sat up and waited expectantly. Jaimie finally sat down in the chair placed next to the bed after a few moments’ hesitation.

“I’m only assuming you’d know, so I’m just wondering if you have any idea what’s happened to Harry,” she stated after a few moments.

Hermione looked at Jaimie curiously for a second, and then asked, “Why do you ask?”

“He’s been asking me, that’s why,” Jaimie responded. Hermione took the response as defensive.

“No need to get snippy about it,” Hermione snapped. “But... you know how Harry’s been a jerk for the entire school year?”

“Duh.”

“Well... he was under the control of the Death Eaters. He went out a fair bit during the summer, and when he came back for the final time, he was all... weird. He was demanding, controlling, short-tempered... he was never like that. Sometimes he can blow a fuse at teachers, but that’s it, and when I mentioned it he just yelled at me and walked off."

“Huh... does he remember anything? I can only guess...”

“A bit as far as I know,” Hermione cut in. “When the Death Eaters took Draco, Harry, and me away, the spell was somehow released. I don’t know why or how honestly, it just is. But now that he’s back to normal, you can go chase him down like you did in September.”

Jaimie seemed to take a blow from that comment.

“Look, he was rightfully yours then...”

“He’s not now,” Hermione cut in. “Even when he was Imperiused, you two still... clicked. Much better than I did with him for that matter.”

“We didn’t, truthfully. I tried to make it seem that way, but it was almost the total opposite. I was just... mad. Practically all he did was talk about you, you and Malfoy... it just got to the point where I wanted to get you just as mad as I was, so I tried to give it an illusion that we were happy, that we ‘clicked’,” Jaimie explained, looking down at her folded hands in her lap.

Hermione bit the inside of her lip to resist laughing, but she couldn’t help but start chuckling.

“What?” Jaimie asked, taken aback.

“Did you honestly believe what was going on between Draco and me?” she asked.

“Uh... why do you ask?”

“Because I was doing the exact same thing you did, but only to make Harry mad. He got on my nerves, and when he met you and spent his spare time around you, I got mad and after a fight... well I saw you flirting with him and eventually kiss him in the library. I got so ****** that I just left the castle. I ran into Draco, and we came up with a plan to make Harry jealous – the two of us would act as if we’re a couple. Eventually, though, one thing led to another and... we’re not faking it anymore.”

“So you put Harry through that pain to prove a point?” Jaimie asked.

“Yeah,” Hermione responded simply, nodding.

“W... wow,” Jaimie breathed.

“I know it was pretty bad of me to do, but he wouldn’t listen any other way,” Hermione responded with a shrug. “But in the end, it didn’t really matter because I realized he didn’t really love me then, or care... he was just there.”

Jaimie looked at Hermione thoughtfully.

“And it’s too late to give Harry another chance, I suppose.”

Hermione nodded. “And I could say the same to you.”

“I could give him another change, but I don’t know...” Jaimie trailed off warily.

“Look, he’s normally a great guy; you can ask Ginny as well if you doubt me. You just saw a part of him that doesn’t truly exist, you saw the darkness in him, and that part is there because of his scar, but it’s not there anymore; You-Know-Who never uses Harry out of fear. I can honestly say you’ll get more out of Harry than I ever will.”

The door to the hospital wing creaked open. Curious, Hermione looked beyond Jaimie and saw Harry close the door behind him.

“Perfect timing...” Hermione muttered. She saw Jaimie hang her head in a defeated way as Harry grabbed a chair and walked up to her bed and placed it a matter of feet from Jaimie.

“Who else hates me?” he asked flatly. Hermione and Jaimie looked at Harry, surprised at the sudden question.

“Why do you ask...?” Hermione asked cautiously.

“Well Ginny thinks I’m a ‘big, fat jerk’, Ron thinks I’m an idiot, and... well you too,” Harry looked at Jaimie when he said this.

“Gee, thanks,” Jaimie drawled. “I have a name.”

“See?” Harry exclaimed, looking at Hermione. “Was I that out of control?”

“Do you remember what happened to me and you in the summer?” Hermione asked. Harry appeared to be thinking hard.

“Uh... I turned to you after Ginny refused to get any closer than friends with me and... in that sense... I replaced her with you.”

“Close enough,” Hermione said flatly.

“What happened, though? I couldn’t have been that bad...”

“You tried to talk me out of a trip to France with my family, you gave me a load of bull about why I shouldn’t have gone after I got back, you tried to tell me what to do, what to say, and you had the guts to try and tell me what to wear. You were demanding and snappy, and you cheated on me with Jaimie here,” Hermione pointed to Jaimie. The two then looked at Harry - whose expression was blank as he took in what had been said - waiting for an answer.

“No way...” he finally said.

“Do you remember anything after that?”

“Well actually... I remember showing you,” Harry looked at Jaimie. “Some balcony in the castle and finding you,” Harry turned back to Hermione. “Ginny, and Ron there, and a fight started. You left... there was a big chase... you found Malfoy and hid behind him and Ron tackled me and Ginny was on top of Ron. Then... Malfoy did something and I was sent to here. Don’t remember why we fought though...”

“That’s a long story,” Hermione cut in quickly.

“We have time, it’s only Saturday,” Harry pointed out.

Hermione sighed. “Fine...” She started telling Harry about everything that’s happened and everything he did up to what went down at the Couple’s Dance days before. After what felt like hours, she was done.

“Are you ok?” she asked, seeing Harry’s gaping mouth.

“I did that?”

“Yes. And that’s why Draco has a black eye still,” Hermione snapped.

“You can’t blame me for that,” Harry cut in defensively. “Why did you stoop so low anyways?”

“I was trying to show you how hard it was for me to see you the way you were.”

“With me?” Jaimie injected.

“Basically,” Hermione said flatly. “It worked though, but then things started happening...”

“So does that mean you’re done with Malfoy now that I know?” Harry asked hopefully.

“No. Like I just said, things started happening. After awhile, things went from playing you to true.”

“You’re with the ferret?” Harry asked flatly.

“You sound like Ron,” Hermione responded indignantly.

“It’s Malfoy!”

“Again, you sound like Ron...”

“How do you want me to sound? Who wouldn’t say it like that for that matter! Merlin, Hermione, why him?”

“You don’t even know him!” Hermione snapped. “All you see is one side. You saw part of his other side, and that’s the side that cares. Do you honestly think he would’ve carried me before? Let alone help me when I couldn’t walk normally?”

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

“Exactly; he can be a great guy, you just have to get over your differences with him just enough to accept that I’m happy with Malfoy,” Hermione said in a hard tone.

“How long has it been ‘true’ anyways?” Jaimie asked curiously, jumping in to break the silence that was starting to form.

“A few months now,” Hermione responded, shrugging.

A series of babbling noises came from Harry’s gawking mouth.

“You have three seconds until I reserve the right to slap you,” Hermione said flatly. “One... two... two and a half... three!” she slapped Harry hard, and he stopped, now stunned.

“Oi!” Harry exclaimed as he put his hand on his reddening left cheek.