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Breath of Fire by Satashi
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Breath of Fire

Satashi

Professor Snape mumbled to himself as he walked down the corridor to his room. A few slips of 'Potter' were heard mixed with a few curse words. When he reached his dorm, he tapped the door knob and said his password. Stepping in, he took off his long robes and tossed them onto the back of a chair. Holding out his wand, he let out a monotone "Lumos", only to have his wand fall from his hand in shock.

Pink

It was pink.

Everything.

The stunned professor looked to his left. Pink. He looked to his right. Pink. Rage suddenly flared through him when he realized just what Harry and Ron must have been smirking about during class. With a deep breath, he let out his frustration in a yell " Pooottteeerrr! Weasleeeeyyyyy!"

~**~

Harry sat up straight in his chair, book falling down onto the table. "Did you feel that?" He asked Ron, who sat in front of him, doing his homework as well.

"What, the chilling feeling of certain death and dismemberment?"

"Yeah."

"No."

"Just checking."

And they smiled at each other.

Breath of Fire VI

By:

Satashi

Harry jerked up in bed when he heard the insistent pounding on his door. Reaching to pull the curtains back, he peeked out just in time to see Ron burst into the room. "Happy Christmas Harry! Now, Presents!"

Harry smirked and shook his head lightly. "Sure thing, Ron. Just let me get dressed and I'll be right down."

"Right." Ron nodded and retreated, closing the door.

Harry got out of his bed and slid his feet into the house slippers next to it. Grinning, he opened the dresser next to his bed and reached into it, pulling out a small box. He gave it a small toss into the air and caught it while making his way over to Hermione's bed. "Herms?" He asked, pulling back the curtains a little to see her still asleep. She was sprawled on her back with her hair all over the place. Her night shirt was raised up, revealing her stomach and pink lacy panties. Seeing this seductive, enticing sight, Harry did the first thing that came to his mind: He bent over and pressed his face against her stomach and blew, making a weird sound and causing the sleeping girl to sit straight up and scream bloody murder.

When she finally calmed down enough to start breathing again, Harry bid her a "Good morning." And held out the box while hopping to sit on her bed as well. "Happy Christmas!"

Hermione gave him a look, but soon turned her eyes to the small velvet box. Taking it from him, she grinned. "I wonder what it is?" She asked nobody in particular.

"Usually, one opens the present to find out." Harry joked, with his lopsided smile. "Go on. I wanted to give it to you now instead of down stairs"

Hermione ignored his remark and opened the box slowly, as if to savor the moment. When the box was completely open, she allowed herself to look into it and gasp. It was the prettiest ring she had ever seen before. It was a small golden band and in a design of two intertwining hearts. In one of the hearts it had her birthstone, while the other held Harry's. "It's beautiful." She approved with a smile. "I'll wear it always." To prove her point, she took it out of the box to put it on. Harry, having his own plans, took it first and slid it onto her finger for her and making Hermione blush. After a moment, she reached under her pillow. "I have something for you as well." She informed, holding out a box.

Harry smiled brightly. "Thanks." He took it and ripped open the wrapping. Hermione laughed at him, but then held her breath while he opened it. "Wow…" He took out a silver bracelet in shock. Its design was that of a dragon and it looped three times before the dragon's mouth bit its own tail.

"It goes on your arm." She explained, taking it from him and sliding his hand through it. The bracelet went past his elbow and came to rest on his bicep. "There, Perfect fit."

"I like it." Harry grinned, leaning forward and kissing her nose. "I'll wear it always."

"You better," She joked. "It cost enough." Hermione stuck out her tongue. "Besides, it supposed to have a magical power to it."

"Oh? What is it?"

"It's a type of dragon magic." She told him with a grin. "I'm sure you can figure it out later."

Harry's mouth took to that of his famous lopsided grin. "I'll try."

Hermione hopped off of her bed and pulled on her pajama pants. "Come on, let's go down stairs and see everyone else!"

"Yeah!"

~**~

"About time, Harry!" Ron greeted when he opened the door. "We didn't wait for you."

"Didn't think you would." Harry laughed, sliding down the rail of the stair way and running over to join his friend. The entire Gryffindor house was in their common room this Christmas morning. There was wrapping paper everywhere and people were all shouting and grinning at each other, thanking each person for their gifts.

Harry sat down in front of his pile and picked up the first present. It was Ron's of course. If he opened another present first, Ron would never let him live it down. 'Choosing another friend over me!' he would say with a smirk. Harry shook his head and grinned, ripping open the paper. When it was off, he looked at his gift with a puzzled face.

"It goes on your shoe." Ron explained, looking over at him. "Check it out." Ron took the gift and held it. It looked like it would attach to the underside of his shoe after all. "You put it on the bottom of your shoe, and when you need it, stomp your foot," Here Ron slammed it onto the ground and a small dagger formed at the tip of the shoe. "- and a dagger comes out the end. I know it's a weird thing for a present, but," Ron lowered his voice and whispered in Harry's ear. "If You-Know-Who decides to attack you again this year, I'd rather have you some protection."

"Thanks." Harry whispered back before talking aloud again. "It's sweet Ron! I love it, mate."

"Knew you would." Ron joked, slapping him on the back. "Thanks for the quidditch books too. The whole quidditch encyclopedia, how did you know!?"

"It was on sale." Harry grinned, getting a laugh. Harry then turned to another gift, with no name tag. Knowing who it was from, he opened it up and took out two pair of nice looking sunglasses that were connected all the way across the front instead of having two different viewing lenses. Also the sides of the glasses curved and looked like they would be inserted into the ear. Blinking, he took out the letter attached.

Happy Christmas Harry,

You are now the proud owner of the Marauder Sun Shades. Put on one pair and give the other to your friend. On the right side of the glasses, you will see what your friend is seeing, and he what you are seeing. You can set the transparency of the view by turning a dial on the side of the glasses. This restricts the magical flow and will make it easier to see what you are really seeing. Also, you can hear what is going on with your friend via the ear piece. The middle part of the glasses will show you a compass that will guide you to your set destination. All you need to say is "Point Me," and add whatever it is you want to find. The left side of the lens will show you what you would normally see, but has a tweak of the Marauder's map. All you need to say is "Display status," and it will show you the map. If you want to narrow it down, say "Simplify status." And it will show you only your immediate area, as well as paths not normally seen. Seeing through walls and ect. will be at your disposal only if there is a path behind that wall. Sorry, Harry, You can't spy on the girl's changing room. Moony has those glasses, ask him if you want them!

~S.B.

"Sweetness," Was the only word that Harry could think of at the moment. Putting them aside in a safe place, he turned to view his other presents. He received a new watch from Ginny, and a katana from Seamus ("Because they are cool!"). Neville and Dean had teamed up and got Harry a subscription to both Quidditch weekly and the Daily prophet. ("Hey now you won't have to Steal Hermione's!")

Harry grinned at his friends and then picked up his last package, this one from "Moony". Opening the package, Harry took a look at the cloths inside it. Picking up the note, he read the simple message.

Harry,

These were your Father's.

~Moony.

Harry picked up an ash grey/black shirt and held it up. It was a short sleeve shirt that looked like it would be a nice fit on him. He then took out a jacket with sleeves rolled up all the way to the top and were frayed for looks. Also there was a pair of fingerless gloves with a stainless steel plate on them. Finally there was a pair of black jeans and a long red head band. Harry, wasting no time, put on the bandana and tied it to the back of his head. The two strands went well to the middle of his back, but he grinned anyway and put on the jacket and sun glasses.

"Looking sharp Harry." Ron commented to him, giving the thumbs up sign.

"If you ditch your blue pajama pants." Hermione laughed out at the poorly mismatched boy.

~**~

Harry looked over himself in the mirror and ran his hand threw his hair. "Think I should do something with my hair?"

"It looks fine, sweetie."

"No, really, maybe I should." Harry made it flat. "I could pull it back. It's the dance, I should do something."

"My, my, it has gotten quite long. How would you like it?"

"Just pull it back, let me see if I can put it in a pony tail or something." Harry's hair instantly fell limp and went to its former messy stage. Slowly it started to pull back and hang loose. "Cecilia, dear, I don't know what I would do without you." Harry tied his hair back with a black band he stole from Hermione's dresser.

"I'll never understand you humans, no matter how much I try." She told him with a mental laugh. "Harry, you look like a girl."

"I look snazzy." He countered, pulling on his dark green robes. "Bond, eat your heart out." Picking up his shoes, he walked to the door and opened it. Ron stood there, hand rose to knock with a weird look on his face.

"Harry, nice timing." He said with a smirk. "You ready?" He looked over his friend. "Mate, you look like a girl."

"I look snazzy." Harry remarked, with a scoff. "And yeah, I'm ready."

The pair went to the common room together and sat on the couch. Ginny sat between the two a few moments later and gave each a look. "Hey guys."

"Hey, Ginny." Ron muttered, looking across the room while waiting for his date.

"You look nice." Harry greeted, looking over her dress. "Gin is actually in a dress, what do we owe the honours?"

"It's a ball, you idiot." She laughed at him. "Of course I'll wear one." Ginny looked over Harry. "Harry, you look like a girl with your hair like that."

Ron snorted and Harry just shook his head. "You still haven't told us who your date is yet."

"You'll see him when we get there." She told him. "I'm meeting him at the dance."

"Which starts in ten minutes." Ron added in, looking at his watch. "Where are they?"

"Don't have any patience?" A voice sprang up, getting their attention. The guys instantly stood and turned around to meet their dates. It was Hermione who had spoken, walking down the stairs slowly (as if not to loose her balance in her heels). "Lavender will be down in a tic."

Harry was in awe. His date had her hair perfectly straight and flowing down past her shoulders. She wore a small silver necklace with a little heart on the end of it. Matching earrings were clad on her ears and she had the most elegant white dress on he had ever seen. It was form fitting and hugged her body down to her waist, where it loosened and flowed the rest of the way to her ankles. The girl tilted her head to the side, grabbing Harry's attention and making him realize that he had his mouth open and still didn't comment just yet. "You," He began, frantically searching for words. "Look….great….." He let out his lopsided smile that made girls swoon.

Hermione grinned. "Great huh? Just great?" She added with a cute tone to her voice. "Or gorgeous?"

"Gorgeous!" Harry quickly agreed, nodding like an idiot. "Very gorgeous."

Hermione laughed at him and took his hand. "You look very nice yourself, although a little girly with your hair like that."

"Okay, okay! I'll take it out of the ponytail!" Harry groaned and ripped the band from his hair, making the spikes stick up instantly.

"Much better." She cooed at him, ruffling his hair and making it its usual style. "You're just not Harry without the messy spikes."

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered before looking at Ron. "We're gonna go ahead and go. Cool?"

"Cool." Ron nodded and watched the pair walk out of the room laughing a little. He shook his head lightly at the pair and then watched his sister leave as well; off to meet her mystery date. A few minutes later a noise called his attention to the upstairs. Looking up, he saw his date starting to walk nervously down the stairs. "Oh wow."

~**~

"Hey, look, there they are!" Harry pointed at the pair walking to their table. Ron was wearing maroon dress robes and black slacks with a matching shirt. His date, Lavender, was wearing a matching dress that showed modest cleavage and fitted her form perfectly. The two met up with Harry and Hermione at their table and all smiled at each other. Ginny greeted her brother with a smile. He was about to ask about her date, but Dumbledore stood up to give his speech.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," He started, getting everyone's attention. "Welcome to the Sorcerer's Ball. We are here to wish the contesters the best of luck and all relax before the big show. I ask that all of you are backing your dormitories by midnight, and all seventh years by one. Now, please everyone raise your goblets and let us have a toast to the Sorcerers."

The students raised their goblets in the air and nodded at the few people around them that were going to participate in the tournament. When the toast was done, a person stepped up on the band stand and picked up the mike. "Welcome," He said, getting attention. "My name is Lars and I'm the lead singer of the band. I want to see some dancing out there, you hear me?" A few students whooped at him, making him smile. "Good, good, but first we're going to play a slow number to get into the swing of things. Will the leaders of the teams come up at this time now?"

Hermione smiled at Harry and patted his hand before he stood. On the way to the stage, he started walking next to Dean and then Cho. The three gave each other nervous smiles and soon joined Vincent, Ashley, and Recca at the front of the Great Hall. Of course the house tables were moved out of the room completely and several small circular tables were scattered around the room, leaving the middle and front open for dancing.

"Hey guys." Lars greeted, kneeling down and looking at them. "Don't be nervous now, the limelight feels good once you're used to it." He winked at them, making all six visibly lighten up. "Now!" He stood. "When we start playing, I want each of you to walk over there and take your date's hand."

Harry turned to look over his shoulder and grinned when he saw Hermione waving discreetly at him. A Ravenclaw by the name of Fuuko was next to her as well as a few other people he couldn't quite make out. The music started to play and Harry shook his head lightly to bring himself out of his little trance. He had completely missed the rest of the band coming up onto the stage.

Taking Dean's lead, Harry started walking over to the line of people and took his respective date's hand. Hermione smiled at him and gave him a reassuring look when he brought her close. "Relax." She whispered to him. "We've danced a few times before, remember?"

"Not with the entire school watching." Harry whispered back. "It was bad enough last time."

"Shush." She scolded him. "And don't step on my toes either."

Harry actually found himself smirking. "When have I ever?"

Hermione grinned and laid her head on his shoulder and letting him embrace her fully. The pair moved slowly to the music and was completely unaware of other people starting to dance as well.

Ron smiled at his date and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?" He asked in a smooth voice, making her laugh.

"Why yes, you may." She returned. Each grinned at each other before walking out on the dance floor and starting to slow dance to the song as well. They danced close to Harry and Hermione, making quiet comments to each other about how close the two were dancing. As it seemed, Professor McGonagall was holding herself back. She clearly looked like she wanted to separate the pair. And they were prefects too! Honestly! Kids now a days…

Ginny looked around the room, scanning the people in her field of vision. So far she had seen neither heads nor tails of her date as of yet. Although her answer to his proposal had been nothing more than a smile and a nod the next day when they walked past each other, she was sure that he knew how to take it. The song was already half over now and she had started searching the moment it had begun playing and people stood up. Did he stand her up? Was she fooled by him? The red head suddenly felt very alone, and let her shoulders sag a little. 'I was stupid to think he would actually want to.' She thought to herself/ 'He's probably laughing with Pansy right now…'

"There you are." A voice said, followed by a soft touch on her shoulder. "I went to your table after they started dancing but you weren't there." Ginny turned around slowly and looked up slightly. Malfoy was standing in front of her, looking a just a little more than slightly embarrassed. "Um, you did mean that nod as a yes, didn't you?"

Ginny allowed herself a blush. "Yeah." She said meekly, clearly embarrassed. "I went looking for you, I didn't think you would…I mean…"

Malfoy sighed. "Look, I know I've been a complete prat to you all these years. I just didn't know any other way to live."

"And now?" She looked into his eyes, almost getting lost in their soft glow.

"Now," He said softly, holding out his hand, palm upwards. "I have someone who teaches me how to live… and a girl who is willing to help." Ginny blushed and placed her hand in his, gasping lightly when she swept into a bow and kissed it. "My lady," He started. "Might you dance with me?"

'Who would have thought…?'

~**~

Harry grinned to him self when the first song faded into the next without as much as a pause from the band. Hermione lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him with a small inquisitive smile. "What are you thinking about?" She asked up at him.

"Just how I'm not really nervous anymore." He replied, looking down. "I mean, we have the tournament soon and everything… but now that I'm here at the dance, with you, it's like I don't care."

"You're such a sweet talker." She was obviously impressed. When he blinked and gave her a confused look, she only laughed to herself. "Don't worry, it's a good thing."

Harry pondered on what he said to get that type of reaction, but shrugged it off. Looking over Hermione's head, he scanned the room for his friends to see who they were dating this particular night. It seemed that Dean was with a Ravenclaw again and Seamus was with a girl that Harry thought was in Hufflepuff. A moment later he saw Ron and Lavender dancing together. Ron was facing him and the pair gave each other the thumbs up behind their date's backs.

Harry was about to turn his attention back to Hermione, but the next sight made him freeze completely. He heard Hermione ask what was wrong and felt her try to steady herself from his sudden lack of movement. "Malfoy…?" He asked aloud in a whisper without realizing it.

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked, looking up.

"Malfoy?" Ron mouthed out, obviously reading Harry's lips. The red headed boy turned around then, just in time to see Ginny and Malfoy move into his line of vision. Ron's reaction was clear. He didn't like it.

"Oh no." Harry groaned, quickly moving to stop it. "Hermione, I'll be back in a tic. Be a good girl and get me some punch, would you, love? Thanks." He walked briskly and made it to Ron just as he edscused himself from his date. "Yo Ron!" He said happily, draping an arm over his shoulders. "Want something to snack on? Me too, let's go!"

Ron struggled against his hold, but Harry held tight, leading him away from the dance floor and over to their table. "Harry!" Ron kept his voice low, but clearly wanted to yell. "You saw that too!? I'm gonna kill him!"

"Look!" Harry said, grabbing his shoulders while he turned to leave. "Ron, listen!" His friend glared, but stayed out of respect for his best friend. "Ron," Harry repeated in a softer tone. "I don't really like it either, but look at it from Ginny's view. In the circle, Hermione, you, and I have basically been working together, leaving them alone for an hour and a half two times a week. That's not counting the time we all meet to practice. Also think about how he's been acting. Not once has he done anything against us, and has even helped Neville out."

Ron grit his teeth and took a breath. "But…" He looked at him. "She's my sister!"

"I know that Ron." Harry said, looking him in the eyes. "Its common knowledge me and Malfoy hate each other… but I sense something. Something has changed. I don't know what, but it's there. Also, I found out he ran away from home."

Shock.

"Malfoy did?"

"I think he's in hot water with Voldemort."

"Harry!"

"Forget the dumb name for now!" Harry spat before calming. "Look, something's up with him and as of now he's a neutral unit. He's changing into a good person, Ron. You already agreed on giving him a second chance, did you not?" Ron opened his mouth to reply, but closed it. Harry repeated himself to him softer. "Did you not Ron? Has he betrayed you?"

Ron shook his head. "He hasn't… Not yet. I don't trust him, but Ginny's a big girl. I can stomach it for her, I guess. Balls are important to girls, right?"

Harry smirked. "That they are, my friend, that they are. Now, let's get back to our girls, okay?"

"Yeah."

"And Ron?"

"Yeah Harry?"

"It's real cool how you're taking it. Ginny will be proud."

"Yeah."

~**~

"Harry, you came back!" Hermione greeted him with a cup of punch. "I thought I'd have to find you!"

"Why do you say that?" He took said drink and drank a sip. "Hey, this is good."

"Last ball, you danced once and then ran off with Ron." She pointed out, giving him a look.

"Ah, yeah, I did do that, didn't I?"

"You did."

"I just had to, er; take care of something, that's all."

"With Malfoy?"

"How did you know?"

"You said his name before you ran off."

"Ah."

Hermione stomped her foot lightly. "Harry! Out with it!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, sorry." He took another drink of his punch and explained to her about how he saw Malfoy and Ginny dancing together and how Ron took it. He then went on to explain how he got him to calm down before trying to find her again.

"Well, I'm impressed," Hermione praised him. "You did a good job keeping your feelings down like that. As for me, if Ginny sees something in him we can't see, I'll just have to take her word on it."

"You're mature."

"I know." She took his arm after setting her cup down on their table. "Come on; let's dance again before the fast songs come!"

And so they danced together a few more times before the band broke out into faster songs, getting whoops from the guys as they quickly started dancing to the beat. Ron and Harry went to the buffet line and picked out a few random things while talking to each other about nothing in general. Their dates had gone to the bathroom, leaving them alone. Ron then asked the universal question: "Why do girls always go to the loo in groups?"

"Beats me." Harry shrugged. "It's kind of freaky."

"I think they encourage each other." Malfoy added in, walking next to them. "My date left me for girl." He pointed out on the dance floor to Ginny and a girl who went by the name of Jessica dancing together to a complicated looking number.

"Ginny likes to dance." Ron said airily, biting into a peeled orange. "You'll be lucky to have her alone for three minutes. And if you do, she'll talk you ear off. Just nod and smile"

Malfoy picked up a pear and bit into it. "Thanks for the advice. For a moment there I thought we'd have a little scuffle."

Ron snorted. "Please, I'm more mature than that. I may not like you, but I know my little sister can take care of herself without me watching her back." He shrugged. "Besides, even you aren't dumb enough to try anything. What, with Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and I all watching you."

Malfoy looked impressed. "I underestimated you, Weasley."

Ron gave Harry a look, which made his best friend bite back a laugh.

"Hey, Malfoy!" The three turned to see a small group of Slytherns standing together. "What are you doing with the Gryffindors?"

Malfoy shrugged. "The rest of my years don't care too much for me."

"I heard that, but I didn't know it was true."

Harry gave Malfoy a look, to which he rolled his eyes. "Guys," Malfoy moved his hand to Harry. "Harry Potter, Ron Weasley. Potter, Weasley, guys."

"Nice introduction." Ron said sarcastically.

The small group laughed and one of the girls spoke up. "Save me a dance, Draco."

Malfoy waved lightly and the people departed. The three boys turned back to the table. Malfoy answered the question before it was asked. "Seventh years are mainly following Voldemort." Here both Harry and Ron looked shocked that he said his real name. "From what I can tell, only a few others are in with the dark lord."

"I'll make a mental note." Harry mused. "We need to talk about this later. Now's not the time."

"Agreed."

Ron sighed. "I'll be in too, guys. I'm not letting Harry fight on his own."

"What is love? Baby don't hurt me… don't hurt me… no more!"

All three boys instantly started nodding their heads to the side as the song played, repeating the line. When a music break came in a few seconds later, all three started to turn around at the same time, still nodding their heads. Each held a cup of punch and took a slow drink all at the same time while somehow still managing the sideways nodding of their heads. Across the room a girl pointed at them and moved her finger in a beckoning motion.

"Me?" Harry asked pointing to himself.

"Him?" Ron asked, pointing to Malfoy.

"Me?" Malfoy asked, pointing to himself.

"Him?" Harry pointed at Ron

"Me?" Ron pointed at himself.

"Him?" Malfoy pointed at Harry.

"Him?" Ron asked, pointing also at Harry.

"It's me!" Malfoy suddenly declared, walking out from the group and to the girl

"It's you!" the two remaining guys chorused.

Malfoy danced nicely at first, keeping the head movement, but the girl soon got annoyed and left.

"What's her problem?"

"Beats me."

"Our dates are back anyway."

~**~

Harry jumped onto the dance floor as a song he knew quite well started playing. Soon Ron was by his side and to both their amazements; Malfoy took the other side of Harry. All three took a step to the right, crosses over their left legs, and spun around. They then slid to the right, to the left, backwards, and then hopped once. When they landed on the beat and took another step, they found Dean to Ron's right and Seamus to Malfoy's left. All five stepped forward with their left leg and turned, once more dancing.

A circle came around the group, giving them room to dance. Ron and Harry stepped forward while the other three went backwards. They stepped, spun, and walked back between the other set, pulling a few more moves. Several girls started to cheer them on, but no other guys walked to the floor.

Slide to left. Take it back. Two hops, two hops. Left foot stomp, right foot stomp! Cha cha now! Criss cross. Criss cross.

Several more cheers erupted as all the moves went on beat and without a hitch. There was a short break in which a few girls joined their dates. Hermione stayed behind, but Ginny went to Malfoy and Heather to Dean. A girl that Harry didn't know stood in front of Seamus. Lavender joined Ron.

Taking to the new partners, they formed an almost triangle formation; Harry at the main tip. Being partner-less, he lead the dance, pulling the more complex moves while the group behind did the basic partner moves. A minute later the song finally ended and everyone burst into applause.

"That was great!" Hermione squeaked, hugging Harry when she was able to. "Where on earth did you learn that?"

"Dance dance revolution, seven mix." Harry smirked. "Dudley's new 'exercise method'. I played it when they left the house and I wasn't locked in my room. Also-"

"Also, Harry told me how to do it." Ron joined in, an arm around Dean and Seamus. "These guys know as well. As for the girls?"

"That… is a Secret." Ginny stated, walking over to them with a grin plastered on her face and Malfoy in tow behind her.

"Malfoy, you may have been a jerk off for six years, but even I will admit when someone can dance well." Ron smirked to himself.

"Coming from you, that's as close as a compliment I'll lever get." Malfoy joked, making his date laugh.

"Boys boys, not now. I'm having a great time!" She turned to Malfoy. "Dance with me, Draco?"

"Sure, sure."

Harry moved to wave, but Hermione grabbed his hand and lead him to the dance floor to join in the next slow song.

"It would be rude to leave them alone out there." Ron said, bowing and holding out his hand. "My lady?"

Lavender laughed, shaking her head lightly. "You're a goof ball."

~**~

Harry pulled Hermione close to him while the song played. It was almost time for the ball to end now, and more than a few students had already retreated to the dorms. There was only one more dance rave with the guys, and that was only a few minutes ago. Harry had deserted his robes a while ago, as had most guys. He was also down to just his white undershirt and pants. Looking around, one would notice not a single guy was still wearing their full formal attire. It had gotten below formal after the first rave of dances.

"I like this song." Hermione whispered against Harry's chest softly. She had her head rested against him, reaching his shoulder with her heels on.

"Me too, now." Harry replied in a whisper, using one hand to stroke her hair lovingly.

Hermione swallowed and looked up into his eyes. "Want to go back to the dorms?"

Harry nodded, before replying. "Yeah." The two looked at each other for a moment before blushing. Hermione took his hand and lead him away from the dance floor and over to get their things. A moment later, they were walking towards the door.

"Don't look now." Malfoy whispered to his date, which was leaning on him. "But Potter and Granger are going oooooffffffffffff."

Ginny looked over her shoulder and grinned. "Gee, I wonder what they are about to do?"

Malfoy was taken aback. "Hey, I was just kidding. Geeze, you know more about how the world works than you let off, don't you?" Ginny only smiled up at him innocently.

"Why, I have no idea what you mean, Draco." She winked and returned to his chest.

Ron had seen his best friend walk out of the ballroom without telling him goodbye and came to the same conclusion. He held a smile of knowing, but soon he turned back to his date and changed the smile to suit her. Lavender smiled back up at him while closing the small space between them and wrapping her arms around his neck. She laid her head on his chest and moved to the music without really trying to. Ron closes his eyes and rested his cheek on her head, getting a smell of her hair and grinning.

~**~

Harry felt the back of his legs hit bed and he stumbled back onto it, landing on his back with a playful Hermione on his front. She smiled down at him and pinned his hands to the bed. "I had fun tonight." She told him softly, speaking with her nose touching his.

"Me too." He replied, looking up at her with a small smile. "We should do it again."

"Yeah…"

"Hermione?"

"Shh," She shushed him softly. "Just kiss me…"

~**~

Malfoy looked down at Ginny with a small smirk. "Had fun tonight, Ginny. Maybe we could do something like this again?"

Ginny crossed her arms and smiled evily up at him. "You have to ask me out in person next time."

Malfoy brought up a hand and scratched the back of his head, managing out a small, nervous, laugh. "Yeah, I'll do that next time." To his surprise she gave him a true happy look. "Ginny…" He began, as if unsure. "Why…no, never mind. I don't need to know."

She patted his chest in appreciation. "Let people in, Draco. You'll find that not everyone will hurt you."

"… You know what, Ginny?" Malfoy spoke confidently, but also had an air of realization about him. "Maybe you're right."

"Of course."

He smirked again. "Well, see you tomorrow then." He gave a two fingered wave and turned around.

"Draco!"

"Hm?" He turned sideways to look at her, but suddenly found the girl hugging him. "Ginny? Why are you clinging to me like a spider-monkey?"

"You've never been on a date before have you?"

"w-what?" He stammered out, shocked. "Of course I have!"

"Really?" She looked up at him.

"Well, that is…"

"After a date, you're supposed to kiss the girl if you think she wants to."

"You want to kiss me?"

"You're supposed to find out by trying."

Malfoy stood up straight and looked down at her. Slowly he titled his head forward, surprised to see Ginny close her eyes and part her lips slightly. He moved closer, but veered past her lips and brought his close to her ear, whispering. "I don't kiss on the first date." And with that he pulled back and gave her a pat on the head before walking away.

"Party pooper!" She called after him, getting that damned careless two finger wave again. When he was out of sight, she crossed her arms and stared at the stop where he turned for a moment. Then, after a moment, she let herself smile. He passed that test with flying colours.

~**~

Harry opened his eyes slowly; bring to him a blurry image of someone sleeping next to him. He blinked his eyes twice slowly and tried to bring his mind from the blurry effects of the morning. The view came clearer to him and he noticed that it was Hermione who was lying against him, sheets all the way under her arms, which were lazily draped around him. He also noticed how much he liked the way her skin felt against his.

Harry stopped a moment to wonder why he felt her skin. Looking at her curiously, he pulled the covers up a little and realized that she was, in fact, naked beneath them. 'Did we…?" He thought a moment, and then shook his head to wake himself up fully. Memories came to his clear mind now. 'We did. Oh my god, I slept with Hermione!' Slowly his worried face became a small grin. 'And it was fun, too."

"Mmhhmmm…" Hermione moaned, stretching out a little and burying her head against his chest to let out a yawn. Her body molded against his, making his mind turn to that of a cold shower. When she lifted her head to look up at him inquisitively, Harry felt himself blush.

"Ah, you see, its morning and all, and…"

Hermione simply shook her head lightly, snuggling up against him. "Go back to sleep." She told him, resting her head against his chest. "It's too early, after last night."

Harry blushed. She was still as keen as ever it seemed. "Sure," He replied, draping an arm around her and realizing it was still quite dark in their room. Her breath was even against his chest, but the small movements she made told him that she was still awake. "… Hermione?" He asked softly, although there was nobody else in their room.

"Hmmm?" She was starting to drift off again, but still found enough consciousness to draw a lazy circle on his back.

"Last night was…"

"Amazing." She finished for him, planting a small kiss on his neck before pulling back enough to look up at him. "Or were you going to saw something else?"

He smiled fondly down at her and kisses her lips. "No, I was going to say that…" He kissed her again. "I never asked you out. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Hermione smiled. "He asks after he steals my virginity."

"Oh, I seem to recall it differently." Harry informed her. "You went down on me."

Hermione rolled him over and straddled his waist. "Did I?" She asked innocently, rocking her hips a little bit, making him groan. "I was going to go back to sleep, but since you asked me out, I guess I should give you my answer."

"And that is?" He asked hopefully up at her, trying to look in her eyes, as the sheet had fallen off of her.

"I think you can figure it out." She whispered huskily down at him, kissing him deeply. A few moments later, she let out a giggle and then a curt "Oh Harry..."

~**~

Ron opened the door to his dorm happily and closed it while he spun on his heels, singing loud: "La, da, da-da-da!" The seventeen year old red head took a step forward, then a step backwards, spun again, and danced his way over to Harry's room. It took the boy almost thirty seconds to reach the door that could have taken a person about four to reach normally. This was explained by his dancing and few breaks to sing a lyric here and there. A few girls were laughing at him, but he didn't mind it. Lavender kissed him last night and at the current moment all he wanted to do was rub it in his best friend's face that he got a girlfriend before him.

Ron lifted his hand to knock, not wanting to burst in on Hermione naked or anything, but his hand froze when he heard a very clear and defined 'Oh, right there'. The boy's face fell and he placed his ear against the door. It was quiet for a moment, but then he heard a feminine voice yelp out. "Oh. My. God." Ron whispered in shock.

"Yo, Ron, What's up?" Seamus asked, looking at him. "Why is your ear against their door?"

Ron shushed him harshly and waved his hand in a way asking him to come over. Seamus shrugged and placed his ear against the door. "What is it?" He asked in a whisper, looking at the people giving them odd looks.

"Wait for it." Ron whispered back with a grin.

Seamus pressed his ear harder against the door and gasped when he heard something very graphic. "Oh. My. God!"

Neville looked at the two and walked over, pressing his ear against the door when the two boys made room for him. His face went red and he grabbed the two boys by the collars of their robes, dragging them off. "Good grief, guys…"

"Neville, come on! It was getting good too!"

Seamus nodded. "I didn't take Hermione for a screamer…."

~**~

Hermione laid her head on Harry's chest and drew a circle lazily on his stomach. She kept her eyes closed, too embarrassed about what they just did to look at him directly. Harry lies on his back with a dreamy smile on his face and let his hand run through her hair. They hadn't said anything since, but neither felt like they had to. The silence lasted a few more moments and Hermione found herself starting to slip off into the bliss of sleep while listening to his heart beat.

"Hermione?" He asked softly all of a sudden. The girl on his chest breathed a little harder, showing that she was listening, but too lazy to actually answer him. "I like you… a lot, you know that, right?" She nodded against his chest, making him itch a little from her hair. "I… just thought I'd let you know that I love you as well."

Hermione smiled to herself and kissed his chest fondly. "Me too." She replied to him, making it a point to snuggle up closer to him. "Me too, Harry. I love you too." She felt his arms embrace her and hold her close. With a smile she closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep.

~**~

Hermione opened her eyes slowly and awoke from sleep the second time that day. With a yawn and a stretch, she looked around, noticing how strangely quiet it was. Also there was a serious lack of body heat. Pulling the sheet up to cover herself, she moved back the curtains surrounding the bed and peeked out, instantly getting a shock from a very off key note played by Harry. "That's strange," She heard him say, looking down at his guitar. "I could have sworn that was correct…" Suddenly he looked over at her. "Hiya, Herms." He greeted with a smile. "Didn't wake you up did I? I put a silencing charm on the curtains."

That would explain it. "No," She told him, looking him over. "I just woke up on my own."

"Ah." He played another note and sighed. Giving up, he stood and walked to the case and replaced the guitar into it. He was wearing some of his pajama pants. She then noticed that the top of the pajamas was laying on the night stand next to Harry's bed. Snatching it, she retreated back into the curtains and slid it on.

~**~

~**~

"All right guys, listen up." Professor Lupin said as he paced the front of the room. "As you all know, the tournament starts in thirteen days, right?" It was now January first and school was back in session from the winter break. "I know that you are all still used to sleeping in till noon and not doing any work, but now that school is back in swing and the tournament so close, I feel it is needed to work extra hard. Also, your N.E.W.T.s are coming up and you will have a hard time studying for your classes. Not to mention the ones of you that also play Quidditch and will be participating in the upcoming tournament…"

Harry was still in shock form the word N.E.W.T. Slowly he turned his head to Ron, who was looking quite the same as Harry. "That's… this year, isn't it?" The red head asked his friend, who only nodded his head lightly.

"Did you not study any?" Hermione asked, amazed. "I thought when I went to the library all the time, you would offer to join me, but I just assumed you were studying on your own!"

"I'm in trouble…" Harry whispered, scared. "Classes, N.E.W.T.s, Tournament, Quidditch…."

"Sucks to be us." Malfoy quipped with a humourless laugh. "I'm in the same boat."

"At least I won't drown alone." Harry snorted.

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry looked up. "Sir!"

"Your draw?" Lupin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um?"

"Draw a number to see which team you will be playing." Ginny whispered harshly to him.

"Right, I knew that." Harry insisted on his way up to the front of the room to stick his hand into the bowl.

"Our fearless leader in action." Malfoy said sarcastically, crossing his arms, only to be elbowed by Ginny.

Harry pulled out a small slip of paper and opened it. "Two." He declared with a smile. Professor Lupin nodded and wrote "Marauders" on the second line of the chart that was magically floating at the front of the room.

"All right, now that everyone has voted…" The teacher waved his wand, making the names randomly scatter around. Finally, after a few moments, they settled down in a chart like fashion. "Well, it looks like the first match will be between the Blitz team and the Marauders, followed by The N.W.O. and the Dragon's fang. Then the Angels vs. Hokage." He gave this time to sink in. "There will be one match every two weeks. That way we will have time for Quidditch one week and a round of the tournament the next."

"That means the last match will be like… two weeks before we leave." Harry calculated in his head. "Man, my schedule is like, packed."

"You'll be fine." Hermione comforted, taking his hand and giving it an affectionate squeeze. "Quidditch won't be bad, and you'll have a complete week free before the N.E.W.T.s, so it'll all work out fine. Besides, after our first match, we won't fight again until…" She quickly calculated it. "Four weeks, that's a month. Plenty of time."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I know I am." She replied, looking around and giving him a quick peck on his cheek by standing on her tip toes. "Now, don't complain anymore."

"Sure, sure."

"Harry!" Harry turned just in time to have a small paper back book smack him square between the eyes. Upon getting his senses back, a mad looking professor Lupin looked down at him. "Are you paying attention at all?"

"Yes sir!" She replied quickly.

"Then does it?"

"Err…" He so desperately wanted to ask 'does it what, sir?', but he held it to himself. "No sir, it doesn't." He quickly took in a sharp intake of air when Ginny stomped his foot. "It does sir, it does!"

Professor Lupin nodded. "Good. I thought you weren't paying attention. Well, I guess I owe you an apology then." Lupin turned and started pacing again. "Since Mr. Harry Potter agrees, how about the rest of you?" Several students nodded in agreement.

Harry looked over at Ginny and tentively moved his toes to see if they were still there. "What did I agree to?" He asked in a quiet whisper.

"Basically if it's okay for the teams to pick their own fighters instead of being randomly selected."

"Ah."

~**~

Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron all laughed lightly as they made their to the common room. "So then," Ron said, trying to catch his breath. "Me and Harry went into their room, and…and…" Ron started laughing too hard and Harry took it upon himself to finish it.

"We went into their room while they were asleep and magicked everything to be upside down but them. Even did a charm on the window to make it look inversed as well!"

Ginny continues it. "So when Fred and George woke up and say everything, they freaked for a bit before realizing it was revenge on the prank they played on Harry and Ron. That's when I let Harry cast a charm on me that makes my personal gravity inversed. I walked into their room, upside down and on the 'ceiling' and told them it was time for breakfast."

"You could hear the screams for miles!" Ron finished for Ginny, still trying to keep his laughter down.

Hermione shook her head and laughed herself. "Remind me never to make you boys mad at me."

Harry draped an arm lazily over her shoulders and smirked. "What could we possibly do to make you mad at us?"

"Well, if you try and make me kiss Ginny again, we'll be having a very unfriendly little chat."

Harry grinned, getting a glare from both girls. "Oh come on!" Harry snorted, indignant. "Like I would get anything out of seeing my two best female friends snogging!"

Ron made a face. "At least snog a girl that isn't my sister, 'Mione."

"Shove it, Ron." Ginny crossed her arms.

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione cut him off. "Harry, love, don't get any ideas." Harry closed his mouth and nodded lightly, clearly being caught in the act.

~**~

Harry opened his eyes slowly, already sharp and keen. The moonlight gave little view to him, but he scanned his room none the less. Slowly, very slowly, he pulled away from Hermione (who immediately started hugging a pillow). Sliding out of bed, he pulled on a shirt and grinned. Celestial was asleep, so she wouldn't be accusing him of anything either. His door opened slowly and Ron peeked in, giving a thumbs up. Harry nodded and grabbed the two pair of sunglasses next to his bed and walked softly to the door.

Ron nodded at him and made a few motions with his hands, to which Harry replied in kind. Both nodded and crept to the common room, standing in front of the fire place. Harry handed Ron a pair of shades and slid the other on himself. Both boys muttered 'Lumos' at the same time. Instantly the room was shaded a greenish colour. Night vision.

"Display status." They chorused again, making their left lens display a skin of the Marauder's Map. "Simplify status." They said, once again together, and the map shrank to a more clearly readable version. Harry turned his head and grinned when the map pivoted with him. "Let's go." He spoke softly, seeing Ron nod as he did so. Soon, they were both out the door and running down the hallways silently.

"What's the plan for tonight?" Ron asked as they ran, cloaks billowing out behind them.

Harry smirked when the voice went directly into his ear, via the ear piece. "Simple, my friend." He replied, turning down a hallway and then proceeding through an imaginary wall. "We're going to try and get to the quidditch pitch to see what they are doing. The tournament starts soon and I want an advantage on what to expect."

"Our fearless leader." Ron smirked, as both boys hopped through a fake window and slid on the invisible slide that took them to the ground. "Point me, Quidditch pitch." Ron said, making the compass on the visor he was wearing light up and spin once. HE heard Harry say the same thing. "Let's go right, that way we'll avoid Filch."

Harry nodded. "Good plan."

The two boys started to run again, ducking behind walls when they had to. When they were almost at the pitch, Harry suddenly found hands grabbing him and pulling him around a corner. When he looked he saw Ron giving him a nasty stare and tapping his glasses. Harry turned down the transparency of that lens and realized that there was a dot not far from them that said "S. Snape" above it.

"Snape?" Harry mouthed, getting a shrug. Shaking his head, Harry pointed to himself and motioned to the right and then pointed to Ron and to the left. Ron nodded and both boys tapped their wands (Harry having leaving his holder on his dresser) onto their glasses. Suddenly Harry saw himself in the right lens. Without helping it, he waved his hand, getting a large grin from Ron and was sure he had one two. It was fun seeing yourself.

The two boys split up and ran their own ways. When they were close to Snape, Harry picked up a rock that was lying on the ground and threw it. Snape's head turned at the noise, allowing Ron to run past. When in the clear, Ron made a noise that drew Snape's attention long enough for Harry to run by. When they were past, they met up either each other again and gave a silent high five.

Walking calmly now, the boys entered the quidditch pitch and gasped at the sight. There was a large stone slab In the middle of the field and several people walking around it. "Look at that." Harry said, amazed. Ron nodded in agreement and both tapped their sun glasses and the extra visions vanished, leaving them with an uninterrupted view of what was going on. Several wizards were walking around, talking and setting things up. "Looks like they are putting it all together. The stones must transform to set the stage.

"Wicked cool." Ron breathed, watching one large stone square turn into several trees and vines. "Look, the first stage must be a forest!"

Harry nodded, looking at another. "And the second has something to do with rocks."

"You boys aren't s'posed ta know that."

Both of the Gryffindors whipped around, but only looked at the stomach of someone. Slowly looking up, they saw the face of Hagrid. "Um, Hi Hagrid." Harry began slowly, unsure what to do.

"How's it going? We're kind of lost and…"

"Thought you'd spy on the tournament, did ye?" The boys looked down in shame as he continued. "And we went to so much trouble te be keepin' people from findin' out too, we did."

"Sorry." The boys said in unison.

Hagrid softened. Turning around, he then spoke gain. "If you leave before I turn around and don't get caught, I rekon I can forgit seein' ye." Ron and Harry looked at each other and nodded, scampering off. "Ah, those two…"

~**~

"Just take the glasses, you said." Ron scoffed as the portrait of the fat lady closed behind them. "We don't need the cloak this time, you said."

"Oh come on." Harry turned and gave an exasperated sigh. "I didn't think we needed it."

"Yeah, well, next time we need to take it just in case." Ron took off his shades and handed them to Harry. "Here you go. I'm gonna go to bed. We have classes tomorrow you know."

"Yeah, good idea." Harry took the glasses and folded the sides down. "We can plan our next task later."

A nod. "Sounds good. G'ngiht then, Harry."

"'Night Ron."

~**~

Harry closed the door to his room behind him slowly. The door let out a soft 'click' behind him to show that it was indeed shut. Tip toeing across the floor, Harry took off his shirt and pajama pants. He allowed them to fall on the floor while on his way to his bed. Pulling the curtains to the side, he crawled in bed and looked to his pillows, only to have Hermione looking back at him. The two looked at each other for a little bit. She was sitting at the head of the bed with one of her teddy bears in her lap, arms wrapped around it. He was now sitting in front of her, giving her a worried look.

"Um, hey." He greeted lamely. "What are you doing up?"

"Worrying my ass off about you!" She practically yelled at him.

'Oh CRAP!' Harry thought, worried. 'She cursed, NOT a good sign!'

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you?" She scolded him in a worried, scared, and angry voice. "I just woke up and you weren't here! I didn't know what happened to you! I was about to go to Dumbledore in the middle of the night!"

Harry looked down. "I guess I should have told you that Ron and I were going out, huh?"

Hermione softened. "Look, Harry, I was just worried. I know you like to sneak around and all, I don't mind it after all these years, but usually I can't tell when you do it or not. Now that we…I mean, that we're sharing a bed nightly now, it worries me when I wake up and you're gone…"

The young Potter let his gaze take on that of an apologetic look. "I'm sorry." He said softly, moving over to hug her. "You're right of course. Next time I swear I'll tell you first."

"Good." She told his chest, hugging him. "I'll forgive you then. Now, come back to bed."

"Yes 'mam."

Hermione slid under the covers again and turned to her side, letting Harry lay behind her and wrap an arm over her side. She took his hand and held it with both of hers, moving back so they touched fully. Bringing his hand up to her lips, she kissed it and bid him 'Good night.' to which he gave her a kiss to the back of her head and whispered 'Sweet dreams, love."

~~**~~

A/N: Man that felt good to get out. I was so worried I wouldn't reach my quota this week as well, but I did it! Friday I had to go to the doctor because of a stupid ear infection. After that I didn't think I would be able to sit at my computer and type all of this (I'm mad dizzy at times because of my equilibrium being thrown off) but at least it got done.

This is turning out to be a lot longer than I thought it would be. Wow, chapter 6… By my original plans, this would be the last chapter but I'm not half way through it yet… It's amazing how things work, you know? I still don't have many reviews yet compared to my short stories, but- hey- that's life for you. A handful of people review this story every chapter, and I would like to take this time and give a special thanks to you guys. You know who you are ^.~

Anime Sightings:

Ranma ½: Quote from Manga

Sorcerous Stabber Orphen

That's all really. I didn't get to the parts I was going to use Slayer, Chobits, and Onegai Teacher for. Well, I guess that's it. See you next week guys! Thanks for all the support ^.^