Chapter Three
The first month of term flew by; they were all so busy with schoolwork, and extra responsibilities as Head Girl, Quidditch Captain, and extra defence training classes for Harry. Things at Hogwarts settled into a happy routine, and they were surprisingly relaxed, but then again, it probably had something to do with Voldemort lying low, and Lucius Malfoy's presence in Azkhaban. Ron had even finally managed to ask Lavender out, and was floating around happily for two weeks oblivious to Hermione and Harry's amused grins.
Yet by the time the second Hogsmeade weekend rolled around, the trio were bogged down with schoolwork that they had to forego the trip. They sat on Saturday afternoon flipping their way through vast Transfiguration textbooks, until Hermione sighed and closed her book loudly.
"I'm exhausted. I'm taking a book and going to have long bath." She announced, standing and stretching her arms above her head.
"Er, `Mione, don't you have your own bathroom?" Harry asked as she headed to the exit to the common room with a towel and book in hand.
"Don't get me started. First Myrtle took up residence in there, and now one of the pipes is broken from a tantrum of hers, and it's protected from students tampering with it, so I have to wait for a teacher to come and fix it, so I'm off to the prefects bathroom." She said quickly, her face getting red as she spoke.
"Ok Hermione, you go relax." Ron said ushering out the door, looking back at Harry with a grin.
"She definitely needs to relax!" He said. Harry smirked at him, and refocused on the book in front of him.
Harry and Ron both gave up on working soon after Hermione left the study, and they retreated to the Common Room for a game of Wizard Chess. Thirty minutes later, Harry realised that yet again Ron had whipped him, and would have won in another two moves. At time he wondered why he still played chess with Ron as he almost never won, but he was getting a lot better from practice.
^Uh, Harry?^
^What's up `Mione?^ Harry asked, sensing something odd in her voice.
^Can you grab the cloak and the map and come find me?^ She asked tentatively.
^What's wrong?^ He asked worriedly.
^You're going to laugh…Myrtle got pissed that I wasn't in my own bathroom, and, well, she locked me out of the bathroom…my clothes are still inside…^ Hermione said. Harry tried to keep from laughing, as Ron was giving him a confused look.
^So, I'd better grab some clothes too?^ Harry asked, trying to sound serious.
^Well, I've got a towel, but yes, that would be good…and Harry? Can you hurry?^ She asked.
Harry stood with a grin.
"Sorry Ron got to run. I'll be back in a few minutes." Harry said mysteriously, dashing up the stairs to his dormitory and grabbing the cloak and stuffing it under his shirt. He grabbed the map and quickly located the dot labelled Hermione Granger in a cupboard opposite the prefect's bathroom and chuckled to himself. He headed for the door, and then remembered to grab something else for Hermione to wear. His Sixth year Quidditch shirt was lying near the top of his trunk so he grabbed that and a pair of shorts and sprinted back down the stairs and out of the portrait hole before Ron could ask where he was going.
As Harry reached the corridor he was heading for, he quickly checked the map again to see if anyone was approaching. He knocked on the door to the cupboard.
^It's me^
The door opened a crack and Harry slid the clothes through.
^Thanks Harry^
Hermione appeared a moment later, her long hair falling in wet ringlets around her face, her body dwarfed by Harry's old Quidditch jersey, and the shorts exposing her long legs. Harry stared at her for a moment, fervently hoping she wasn't looking at his thoughts of how gorgeous she was.
He handed her the cloak, knowing she wouldn't want to be caught wandering around the school that way, especially as students began returning from Hogsmeade, it wasn't exactly Head Girl behaviour.
^You head back to the tower, I'll get your things from Myrtle^
Harry watched as his best friend disappeared from view, and then whispered a quick spell he'd learnt recently to open the door to the bathroom. He raised an eyebrow at Moaning Myrtle who sat grinning on the edge of the large bath-tub.
"Really Myrtle? Locking her out? She's only using this bathroom because hers isn't fixed yet." Harry said as he gathered up Hermione's clothes and book, trying not to acknowledge the fact that Hermione had been wearing extremely nice looking black underwear. He waved a silent goodbye to the ghost and walked back to the Gryffindor tower, wondering what kind of mood Hermione would be in by the time he got there, he was betting on a simmering temper.