A/N: I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews, it's appreciated. Anyway, on with the chapter!
"He'll be fine," Madame Pomfrey said.
Hermione's eyes fluttered open. She saw Harry lying across from her, and she was lying in a bed beside him in the infirmary.
"What about Miss. Granger?" McGonagall asked.
"She's fine, just a bit of a shock to see your friend being eaten by a plant. Is it true Minerva, was You-Know-Who behind this?"
"I'm afraid so. I-"
"Where is he?" Lupin burst into the room.
"He's right over there. I was just telling Minerva here just a few days and he'll be as good as new. He could even make it to the Hogsmeade weekend."
"He's not stepping a foot outside this castle. Not with..."
"Really Remus. You're a bit hard on the boy. It's not as if it were his fault," McGonagall said.
"It's my fault." Hermione got out of bed. "I should have known something like this could have happened. I should have prepared for it. I should have-"
"Child let me tell you something I had to come to terms with a long time ago," McGonagall said, "You can't know everything."
* * *
"Didja hear? Harry Potter almost got himself eaten by one of those gigantic man-eating plants Madame Sprout hides in her own secret collection. It took a swipe at his friend, Hermione Granger. Apparently she's missing half her guts now..." a Hufflepuff said. He was surrounded by what must have been twenty students.
"Hey, the Library is for studying!" Ron yelled.
Three pairs of eyes stared at him.
"What?"
"I don't know if we should try to convince them of what really happened or let them at it." Ron sat down.
"People don't want to hear about Voldemort, especially not now. Just let them think what they want," Ginny said flipping through her book.
"How much longer will they be in the infirmary?" Luna asked.
"A couple of days. Hermione hit her head on a pot when she fainted," Ron said.
"Ronald, I was wondering, could you show me the Quidditch pitch?"
Ron and Luna hurried out of the library leaving Ginny and Neville alone.
"What was that all about?"
"They're going to snog. No broom closet's been safe since the ball," Ginny said closing her book.
"I can't study. Hermione's not here to make me. What do you want to do?" Ginny asked.
Neville swallowed hard and shook his head.
* * *
"Were there any common factors between this incident and the dream with Voldemort?" Dumbledore was sitting in a chair next to Harry's bed munching on one of Harry's chocolate frogs.
"No Professor," Harry said.
"If anything should come to mind..."
"I'll tell you."
"I should leave now, before Madame Pomfrey chases me out with a large stick."
Harry and Hermione both said goodbye to Dumbledore.
"Well it wouldn't be a proper year at Hogwarts if I didn't get stuck in this place at least twice," Harry and continued his game of Exploding Snap.
"Harry..."
"I just don't like being locked up in here. Do you think we can escape?"
Harry turned to Hermione just in time to see the cards blow up.
"Where would we escape to?" Hermione smiled in spite of herself.
"How about Fiji? Could you imagine all the teachers looking for us there? Flitwick?"
"Harry..."
"I know, I know. Voldemort, classes, and everything else in the world are counting on me."
"Harry..."
* * *
"Harry?" Hermione got up from their bed and started to walk towards the light.
Hermione walked lightly around the four-poster until she hit something hard.
"Harry?"
"Hermione, just get back to bed." Harry said in a strained voice.
"What's wrong? What are you doing?"
"N- Nothing, just... go away."
"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione tried to put her hand on his shoulder but was pushed away.
"I... just had a... a dream."
Hermione gasped, "About Voldemort?"
"Not even close," he laughed breathlessly.
"What?"
"Nothing. I just need to use the loo. And you don't need to follow me," Harry snapped.
Hermione stood in shock. She was unsure what caused Harry to be so harsh to her and at that moment she didn't care.
* * *
"What's going on?" Harry eyed Ron suspiciously.
The Great Hall was packed with students trying to yell over the other voices and eat their breakfast. Ron sat very close to Luna who looked up at him with a dreamier look than usual.
"What do you mean?"
"Luna's almost sitting on you. Doesn't this strike you as... weird?"
"Harry, I've learned; weird doesn't bother me anymore."
"That's one of us," Harry said under his breath.
Hermione sat down next to Ron. Harry thought it was a bad idea since Luna looked as if she would fall into her lap.
"What's going on with you two?" she asked the pair next to her.
"Just-"
"Miss Lovegood, while the Great Hall is crowded I hardly think that you could find no other seat than on top of Mr. Weasley. Ten points from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor," Snape sneered.
Dr. Sam walked up to the table and senior Professor.
"It's good to see students showing unity between houses, Dumbledore himself said that this year above all it is very important. Ten points to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, each." She smiled to both the professor and the students.
Professor Snape's sneer was no longer there, instead there was a look that was somewhat disappointment, but still quite unreadable.
"Good day to you." She winked at the students and left.
Snape turned and walked away in the opposite direction.
"You better cool off Ron. Don't want to get detention with Snape the day of the Quidditch match," Hermione said when she saw Ron getting up from his seat.
"Hermione, are you going to the match?" Harry asked.
He did not get an answer.
"Hermione?" Ron asked.
"What?" She looked up from her plate.
"Didn't you hear what Harry asked you?"
"Harry who?"
Luna put her arm around Hermione's shoulders and patted, "Harry Potter."
"Don't know anyone by that name."
"Yeah you do. Harry Potter, our best friend since first year.... Is something wrong with her?"
"Hermione Granger, I thought better of you, really something so childish." Harry shook his head.
"Pretending you don't exist is the only thing keeping me from hexing you right now."
"That and the fact you can't." Harry paused. "What did I do now?"
"You know what you did."
"Then why would I ask?"
Hermione fell silent for a moment, " You should know what you've done."
"Hermione, that book would be good right about now," Harry said exasperated.
Hermione rolled her eyes and motioned for Harry to follow her. He did as he was told and they made their way out of the castle.
"I know it's my fault you know. You don't have to shove it in my face."
"This is not helping."
"The nightmares! I know it's my fault they keep happening, that I haven't found a way to get rid of Voldemort, and-"
"What on earth are you talking about?" Harry asked with a mixture of confusion and anger.
"Last night! You had another nightmare and you got angry with me!"
Harry looked at her for a moment to see if she was actually serious, but the unflinching Hermione proved she meant what she said. Hermione was now flushed with anger. Harry started to feel himself blush, but for an entirely different reason. He leaned close to Hermione hoping no one else could hear him.
"Hermione, I did not have a nightmare... I had a different kind of dream."
Harry's breath on her ear made a shiver go all the way through her spine, turning it to the consistency of J-ello.
More relaxed, she asked without thinking, "What kind of dream?"
Once it was out of her mouth she figured out what he was alluding to, she did not stop him from trying to explain though.
"It's the kind of dream you don't want one of your best mates, who happens to be a girl, to know about. That's why I was... angry."
"Oh," she said not moving away from him. She still wasn't looking at him. She didn't think she could right now. Hermione just stood there feeling the heat radiate off of his body and onto her skin. She noted that he wasn't moving either, but, she rationalized, that may be because he was perplexed why she wasn't moving.
"Hermione?" Harry asked in an almost panicked voice.
"Yeah?" She still stood unmoving.
A few moments passed, Harry's question apparently forgotten.
"Norbert, NO!"
Harry pushed them both to the ground seconds before the flames engulfed the space they were occupying.
"Hello Hagrid." Harry was still lying on his back.
"Sorry `bout tha' Harry. I saw yeh up there and I wanted ter warn yeh: Norbert's go' some bad gas today. I think i' may be summat `e ate. Oh, `lo there Hermione, di'n't see yeh."
Hermione got up from where she had fallen and tried to clean the grass stain from her skirt.
"That's alright Hagrid," she smiled.
Harry finally got up off the ground and hap-hazardously wiped the grass off his pants.
"Harry, could I ask yeh a favor? I know yeh're busy wi' yer studies an' all, but today wi' Norbert's... gas I don't got much time."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Could yeh go up ter the Owlery an' feed Buckbeak?"
"Why is Buckbeak at the Owlery?" Harry asked.
"Well, since las' summer he's been tryin' ter prove hi'self or summat, when we brough' `im here he deci'ed he'd protec' the owls, make sure all the mail comes. He's usually in a room on the top of Slytherin Tower, since they don't use it, but fer fee'ing time he goes up ter the Owlery. If yeh could tell `im I'm sorry and feed 'im tha' would help me."
"Sure. Hermione, want to help?"
She nodded.
* * *
"Why does Hermione keep getting mad a' you? You think she'd be fightin' with Ginny every other day. They are rooming together," Ron said.
Ron and Neville were helping him set up for his next Defense Against the Dark Arts class. A wide-eyed Neville looked over to Harry.
"Dunno," Harry said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"You have to know," Ron said forcefully.
"She could... er... be.... er... jealous. Yeah, Harry's teaching and she isn't," Neville said.
"Ha! Leave it to our Hermione to get jealous over a thing like that!" Ron said.
He seemed to be buying what Neville said and Harry was eternally grateful to the 'Grandma's boy.' He said as much when Ron left to go do 'some Quidditch captain stuff.'
"It's nothing. I don't even want to think what he'd do to me if he found out I'm sleeping in the same room as his sister."