Harry Potter & The Alliance of the Protector

Hey everyone! Well this is my new story, The Alliance of the Protector. It has a lot of action & adventure in it, as well as a strong love story going on in the mean time. So I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling & Warner Bros. I own no part of it whatsoever, except for the plot. That's totally mine.

Rating: PG-13

Pairings: H/Hr (of course), and some slight R/Hr. Also Neville & Ginny.

Word count for this chapter: 3,315. Pages: 7 on MS Word.

Author's Note: This story is written by ME, a HUGE H/Hr fan, so despite popular belief while reading this, I won't let my fellow shippers down!

Let the story begin!

Chapter 1

The Black Forest was dark and dismal. Somewhere within, people were in mortal danger, in pain. Screams could be heard from a great distance; those of fright, and of desperation. Branches crunched beneath his feet as he walked through the eerily familiar place with all the bravery and confidence he could find within himself.

Shadows raced all around him, going deeper in the trees as he walked on, carefully watching his back in hopes of keeping himself alive long enough so he can save the others. Within his pocket he clutched his wand, slowly bringing it out to prepare for use. The knuckles of his hands were ghostly white, and his black, unruly hair brushed over the sweaty skin of his forehead. He stretched out one strong arm, and smoothed it away from his dark eyes. He couldn't see; it was too dark, and the slightest amount of light, even from a simple spell could give his position away to the ones that hunted him. He had to succeed in his mission and save the ones dearest to him or all would be lost; the reign of terror would continue on and the one with the key to stopping it, the one in the prophecy, would be forever forgotten.

Determined, he picked up his pace, listening closely for any signs of danger in his vicinity as he did so. He stopped and noticed how deadly-silent it was. It was far too quiet for all that was just happening. The shrill screaming he had heard just moments earlier, had stopped abruptly, but faint voices could be heard a short distance away.

He clutched his wand tighter in his hand, preparing himself for the worst, and readying to strike. All his concentration went into taking gentle steps, hoping with his entire being that he could finally take the upper hand in this battle and no one would notice his presence. Ahead of him was an opening, leading somewhere, the destination unknown. Reluctantly he went through the dark tunnel, which was very shallow. It opened up into a clearing amidst the clusters of trees he had been hiding in. The moonlight was strong, casting itself down on its audience.

His stomach dropped. Nearly breaking his wand from a rock-hard grip, he watched as the ones under his careful protection had become captives to the one they all feared. Voldemort had them all surrounded by his Death Eaters, ready to strike and take the one thing from them they all craved: their lives. There was little room to imagine any hope for the situation, but he waited in the shadows for Voldemort to slip up and make yet another mistake. Fortunately, Voldemort was looking morbidly unhappy with what was before him. His loyal Death Eaters had disappointed him yet again.

Voldemort appeared to be hissing something dreadful to his Death Eaters, with his back turned to his hostages.

On the ground behind the large group of villains, the brunette Gryffindor prefect hung her head low beside the one person who had always given her comfort. All seemed lost to her. Having her two best friends right there next to her helped to numb the pain in her heart, as well as the physical pain inflicted on her throughout the night. To her left was her number one partner in crime, and Gryffindor prefect also, trying everything in his power to hold back the anger rising in his chest. His mussed up black hair stuck to his forehead, and his glasses finally gave in to gravity and tumbled to the ground he was kneeling on. His vision blurred.

The clink of the glasses hitting a rock caught Voldemort's attention and he turned around immediately. Glaring, he looked at the three prisoners presented on the ground before him. His slit eyes scanned them closely, finally locking onto the boy on his far left. His red hair shimmered in the moonlight and rustled in the breeze. The boy looked up at him with angry eyes, clenching his fists despite the fact that they were bound at his front. Voldemort let out a soft, unthreatened, breathy chuckle.

“What's the matter boy?” he hissed, then continued, “Angry at me for tying you up? That can be changed; I can kill you now if you wish.”

The other two then glared at Voldemort with the same degree of anger flashing in their eyes. Voldemort now had three different colors of eyes watching him. One set a bright green, belonging to the one person he hated most: Harry Potter. The other two sets were brown and blue, their owners Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

After a few moments, Voldeomort saw someone out the corner of his eye, coming out of the trees at a bolt, pointing their wand at the gathering of Death Eaters. Voldemort's attention turned to the growing commotion immediately, as did the trio, though they were bound and gagged, when a fresh group of cloaked individuals came rushing out of the trees behind this one man.

Harry's eyes hunted around the scene before them. Anger rose as he watched the Death Eaters swarm around the initial invader. None of them could believe it; someone had come to rescue them. An unrecognizable amount of time passed and they all recognized their rescuer. Shock settled in their minds, but none more than Harry. He panicked with uncontrolled anger and confusion for not understanding fully what was going on. Pushing all thoughts aside, he knew this was it. Their chances were slim, and if things went wrong in any way, this could end right here and now…in death. As if someone intended, Harry's ties came free from around his wrists with a rough snap. Not caring how this happened, he frantically pulled the rag from his mouth, and reached down to untie his bound feet. His cut and bruised hands worked quickly as he freed Ron and Hermione at lightning speed. A diversion had been created, just as planned, though it was quite a surprise to all of them.

The three of them fled the area and took off into the trees, running as fast as they could. A loud, pained voice filled the air and Harry stopped his running short. Fear came to his heart and for a slight moment, he forgot what it was that he was doing and turned back to run in the other direction. Ron and Hermione had finally stopped their mad dash to freedom and whipped around to get him. Harry was already running back the way they had just came, back to the danger. His heart had interfered once again in their great plan to bring Voldemort to his knees.

“Harry wait!” Hermione called from behind him. Harry didn't do anything to acknowledge her shouting, but kept charging to where they had just been. He weaved in and out of trees, jumped over rocks and logs, and burst through to the moonlight.

As soon as they reached the clearing again, Harry's voice, like a cannon, shot through the air and slowly faded into it in slow motion. He shouted into the night. Everything went eerily quiet as he fell to his knees, hitting the ground with clenched fists. Hermione rushed to his side and launched herself at him as magical sparks flew in their direction. The situation slowed in their minds and Hermione was knocked back into the tree behind her, taking the full energy of the spell meant only for Harry. He watched her as she slid down the tree and pooled on the ground, appearing lifeless. Harry's heart sped up and he felt everything else around him stop…

The nightmare finally came to an end and Harry shot to a sitting position in his bed, desperate to catch his breath, and kill anyone who came near him. He wanted to inflict pain into anyone he could get his hands on at the moment, but it took him a few minutes to calm down and realize it was just another dream. Reality soon floated back into him and he turned on his side to look out the window near his bed, trying to regain his senses. Harry sat up again but soon flopped back down to suck in refreshing breaths to calm his racing heartbeat. He pulled the thick comforter tight to his chest and continued to gaze out the window; the moonlight dancing across the empty room, giving him enough light to see the shadow of him in his bed on the wall. Willing himself not to be pulled into the emotions of the dream, he focused on something else instead.

After calming down and drying the sweat from his hot skin, he sauntered sleepily over to the window. Stars decorated the night sky, but off in the distance lightning flashed and thunder boomed. Harry sighed contently, enjoying the bright flashing of light streak across the sky above, taking his mind off the dream yet again; something he truly needed in this case. After a moment or two he looked down toward the lake. There, the moon was reflected almost perfectly, in the glassy waters. Closely observing the sight before him, he noticed someone was at the water's edge, pacing back and forth every few moments.

A gentle smile spread through him to his lips when he realized Hermione was out for another late-night sitting by the lake. Resting one elbow on the marble window sill, he leaned into the window and watched her silhouette change direction every now and then, making it quite obvious she had a lot on her mind. Harry's forehead felt numb against the frosty glass, and heat radiated from him, creating a slight amount of fog on the window.

Then another thought occurred to him. It was very dark outside right now, and it didn't look like she had anyone accompanying her. It was dangerous for her to be out alone at night, for anyone to, even if they were within the safety of Hogwarts. It just wasn't safe anymore. Harry turned hastily to put his slippers on and rushed back to the coolness of the window as he threw his robe on over his shoulders. Putting those frantic thoughts aside, he then saw that someone was indeed out there, appearing to be coaxing her into coming back inside. He felt frustrated again and took off out of his room, flew down the stair case and raced down the deserted corridor. Harry remembered he left his light on, but didn't bother worrying about it anymore until he knew Hermione was safe.

Hermione was in much need of comfort these days. Their sixth year at Hogwarts was about to end, and summer holiday would be starting immediately after. With only three days left until departure to who knows where, her mind was constantly reeling the bad things that could happen while away from the safety of Hogwarts. Voldemort was still out there; and an even greater threat to them now, more than ever. Since Sirius's death the previous year, things rapidly escalated into more dangerous situations. Hogwarts was always their safe haven, but during holidays, they remained cooped up in the castle, not allowed to step foot outside even once. The anxiety and terror of it all was starting to settle in Hermione again. She had such a hard time the previous summer, moving around all over the place and not getting time to herself to think or just have fun; and it would be starting all over again. The school year didn't prove to be a time for relaxation as there were many elements all around, working to destroy anyone's hopes and dreams. A whole summer filled with secrecy and not knowing where they would be from one day to the next wasn't much of a pleasant way to spend time away from school, yet Hermione craved it; so badly. She needed to get away from the confinement of the castle and to just breathe different air and be somewhere else.

Ron, however, was different these days. He seemed to have taken the position of the trio's support and somehow he had managed to suppress most of his anger for when he needed that negative energy most. Between the three of them, he became a mediator, as well as a messenger when things were rough. Still, he had his moments; times when he just couldn't take any more pressure, but felt every need to relay it back on everyone else around him. He finally took time to piece things together and fully realized that Harry and Hermione had been through much more together than he had been with them. It didn't make much sense to him at first, to always be the one to run for help, but he knew there must have been a reason for it, and that he needed to embrace it and be there for them when things were inevitably going to get worse.

Harry had managed to creep quietly out the doors of the castle and onto the grass. He leaned up against a tree to observe Hermione, and saw that Ron was standing behind her, wondering if he should get any closer. After watching them for a few minutes, Harry figured the two of them would be coming in soon so he contently walked back across the cold grass, back up the steps into the castle, down the dark corridor, and back up to his room. He proceeded to his bed and plopped down, thinking a bit, before concentrating on going back to sleep. He knew Hermione would most likely come to his room to talk once she came back, but it wasn't always such a good idea when she was so tired, and she knew that as well. Her mannerisms had been quite different lately, which is what brought Harry to the conclusion that she would just go to bed, and save the long talk for first thing in the morning. Harry worked on clearing his mind completely, as Snape and Dumbledore had instructed, breathing deeply, counting back from a high number, and imagining something other than Hermione or Voldemort until he was convinced he had accomplished the task.

Outside, the gentle night breeze danced across the waters of the calm, dark lake, and swirled through branches of trees, even rustling up the Whomping Willow a bit as it went on its way. The moon was full and seemed to be more discolored in the sky than usual. These were strange times, and the thought of the moon looking different didn't turn out to be something requiring a large amount of anyone's attention. With the things that had been happening recently, it wouldn't be a surprise if the sky appeared to be changing drastically, though no one would really care for it much.

Hermione's deep, frustrated, thinking was soon interrupted by the ominous feeling of someone creeping up behind her, watching her. Her movements died down. She slowly reached down into her warm pocket, plucked out her wand, snapped around to face the other direction, and pointed it at her intruder. It was Ron.

“Ron! Don't do that!” she said exasperated, and returned her wand to its place in her robe.

His hands, having been up to show his surrender, slowly came down as she took the wand away from his face. “Bloody wizards, Hermione! Watch where you point that thing,” he teased with a heavy tone.

Hermione smiled gently at him and wrapped her robe tighter around her body. Knowing perfectly well why Ron had come to find her, she looked up at the castle windows and saw Harry's light shining through the window of his room. Her gaze returned to Ron again. “I'm glad you came,” she smiled. “Have you heard from Tonks yet?”

Ron folded his arms across his body and smiled. “Of course I did. She did say she would get back to me, didn't she?”

Hermione grinned from one ear to the other, scrunching up her nose a bit as she did so. “So how is our summer looking so far,” she asked warily. Ron sighed.

Apprehensively he took her small, gentle, hands in his and led her to sit beside him on the stone bench.

“What is it?” She pried softly.

“Tonks doesn't know much on what our summer will be like,” he paused, watching Hermione slouch in her spot with a pout-y face. “But she promised the first day for us to do whatever we want.”

Hermione's forehead crumpled, and she felt confused. “Then what is it you're worried about,” she asked.

Ron sighed yet again, taking in a refreshing breath. “We're going straight to Sirius's place when summer holiday starts.”

“Oh.” She paused to think a bit. “Well maybe we can keep him occupied. You know, take his mind off Sirius for a bit and play Quidditch or something.”

“Yeah right.” Ron shook his head. “The only person or thing that will be able to distract him is you.”

Hermione pinked up a bit in her face.

“You're the only one that can lift his spirits these days. Quidditch has been the furthest thing from his mind lately.”

It was quiet between them for a few moments.

“I suppose even though we don't know what this summer is going to bring, it will be very good for Harry to get away from school. Too much pressure, you know?”

Ron nodded. All was quiet again. He leaned back gently on his palms, tipped his head back, and let the cool breeze run through his hair. Hermione just sat thinking about the next few days that were left of school.

Tomorrow night would be the farewell ball, a new tradition at Hogwarts, of course, for the fourth year students and up.

“Ron?” Hermione inquired, breaking him of his relaxed state.

“Hmm?” He asked softly. It was obvious he was tired.

“What are we doing tomorrow? During the day, I mean. Are we meeting Harry and the others to go into Hogsmeade?”

Ron slowly lifted his head and looked at her. “That's what Harry told me, so I guess that's the plan. We're supposed to meet in the Great Hall before breakfast and then decide for sure what we're doing.”

“Alright then. We should go back inside.”

Ron nodded, and stood up, then sleepily helped Hermione to her feet so they could go inside. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, keeping her warm, until they were safely inside the castle. Being that Hermione was a prefect, and Ron with other duties, neither of them would get in trouble for being out of bed far after hours. The two of them had reached Ron's dropping off point, Gryffindor Tower, and they stopped. Ron gave her a gentle hug, then turned and disappeared through the Gryffindor portrait hole.

Now alone in the cold corridors of Hogwarts, Hermione wrapped her robe even tighter around her and made her way to the prefect's dorms. She merely whispered the password to the guardian of the dorms, yet she was loud enough he could hear her. The portrait swung open and she stepped inside. It was noticeably warmer than when she left, and she noticed a fire was still going, but it was dying down. Shaking her head, she walked across the dark common room to the set of stairs that would take her to the girl's side of the dorms. She was quite tired now, but chanced to gaze toward the other set of stairs, where Harry's room was up at the top. An idea floated around in her mind, but she shoved it aside and thought it best to save her ranting for in the morning. `Harry needs his sleep anyway', she said silently to herself, started up the stairs to her room, and walked in to hopefully get a peaceful night's sleep.

Here's the next part!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling & Warner Bros. I own no part of it whatsoever, except for the plot. That's totally mine.

Rating: PG-13

Pairings: H/Hr (of course), and some slight R/Hr. Also Neville & Ginny.

Word count for this chapter: 6,448. Pages: 14 on MS Word.

Author's Note: This story is written by ME, a HUGE H/Hr fan, so despite popular belief while reading this, I won't let my fellow shippers down!

I didn't intend for this chapter to be so long, but I doubt any of you will be complaining once you've read this. I added in some fun details at the end, and that's what caused this to be so long. I'm very happy with how it turned out, and I hope you are too. Comments will always be appreciated, and I hope you'll leave a few nice ones for me! Hehe enjoy!

Chapter 2

The following morning, the whole of Hogwarts was washed in bright, warm, sunlight. The inhabitants of the castle were awake and bustling from within, already getting a jump-start on the day. It was Thursday morning, the beginning of a long, tiring, day for those attending the Farewell Ball that evening. Most of the boys and girls had their dress robes, while others, had some last minute borrowing, or shopping to do in Hogsmeade. With only two days left of school, classes were now over, and the students were free to do as they pleased, within the Hogwarts bounds. The only exception to the rule, were the students that had been invited to the ball, and were allowed to leave the grounds and have some fun in Hogsmeade with the other students.

Hermione was in front of one of the prefect bathroom mirrors, fussing over her hair. Occasionally, her russet strands would constantly tangle around her fingers as she frantically ran them through her long locks. It was menacing. Something just had to go wrong first thing in the morning, and unfortunately, it was her hair. She let out a harsh grumble, causing some of the other prefects to startle and look at her strangely. Out of continuing frustration, she shot them a fake smile, and waited for them to go about their business again, before she continued with her own.

The bathroom grew quiet after a little time had passed, and Hermione had finally managed tying her hair up in a loose pony-tail. Now her issue would be with that stubborn lock of hair that kept falling into her face. Countless times she pushed it back behind her ear, but it would always fall out. She huffed, making the lock of hair rise in the air a bit, and fall back lightly onto her smooth skin.

The main bathroom door slammed hard, signaling the entrance of another prefect. This made Hermione jump significantly in her spot. Alternatively, she grumbled to herself some more, cursing her own hair under her breath. She stopped and gazed around through the mirror to see the area reflecting in it, wondering who had just come in and frightened her. No one was there, and it was an eerie silence again. The awkwardness was beginning to get to her, so, she turned around and leaned against the counter, looking in all directions for a familiar face, or just anything to tell her who had come in. Again, she turned back around to fix her hair, and just complain to the already insulting mirror. She jumped when she saw someone else's face, next to her own, reflecting back at her. It was Harry, and he had a wise-acre smirk on his face.

Hermione's heart jumped up to her throat, giving her a hard time of breathing. “Harry! How do you keep doing that?!” she squeaked, bracing herself on the counter. A few days before, Harry had appeared to have come out of nowhere while they were outside, scaring her just as bad.

Harry rolled his eyes and moved closer to her, hesitantly of course, fearing she would lash out at him as she did to everyone else lately. She relaxed and calmed when she felt his hands on her shoulders.

“Having a bad morning, are we?” he joked, and paused for a moment when she smiled at him through the shiny mirror. “I don't know why you fuss with your hair so much. It's perfectly fine all messy and tangled,” he chuckled. Hermione rolled her eyes but beamed at him.

“Well that's just the mood I'm in today. I don't feel like having my hair in my face. Would you mind?” she asked with a pleading but pout-y look on her face.

Harry nodded with a gentle smile, and slowly, he took her hair out of the band it was tied up in, pulled her long hair back in with his fingers, and tied it securely up in the back of her head.

Hermione sighed in excitement. “I owe you one, Potter,” she said lightly, and with a broad smile on her sweet face.

He just smiled at her in the large mirror and put his hands back on her shoulders. “Just don't tell any other girls I know how to tie-up your hair, or they'll be knocking down my door.” He teased, allowing the two of them a brief moment of light-heartedness and all went quiet again. For a few moments they just stayed like that, watching each other in silence. The bathroom door slammed again and two prefects entered. Instinctively, Harry moved away from behind Hermione and took his place beside her, to falsely rustle up his own hair. Hermione stole sideways glances at him when she was sure no one was watching. Harry did the same, though a bit more secretive as so there wasn't a chance anyone would see; not even Hermione. Again, the door slammed and Ron entered.

“There you are!” Ron said from across the way, looking directly at Hermione.

She startled a bit and looked around at all the pairs of eyes settling on her. The prefects were all in the bathroom now, bustling back and forth from one point to the other, but stopped when they anticipated the exchange between Ron and Hermione. She faked yet another smile and glanced once at Harry, who gave her a subtle, but longing, look. Right then, Ron moved in and wrapped his arms gently around her for a hug. “Missed you,” he said brightly, adding a friendly kiss to her forehead.

Hermione wrapped her arms around him in return and nuzzled his neck, all the while keeping her eyes away from anyone else. Ron was obviously having a good morning if he was happy this early. He smelled of cinnamon and something else Hermione couldn't quite place, but didn't focus too much on it in the first place; possibly cedar, if he was just outside.

Harry watched them awkwardly as they exchanged a loving embrace. Soon all the other prefects' eyes were on him instead of Hermione and it was making him uncomfortable. “What,” he finally challenged. They seemed a bit timid at his forwardness and went back to what they were doing, which was cleaning up and getting ready to leave for Hogsmeade. Harry rolled his eyes and turned back to the mirror, waiting for Ron and Hermione to stop this madness of being all touchy-feely.

“Are you two done?” He said in a low, growling, whispering moan, as to not draw much attention.

They finally broke apart a few moments later, after the room had emptied out. Hermione had a quick look around the now-empty bathroom. “So are we ready to go then or not,” she broke in anxiously.

Ron could tell she was getting antsy, and knew perfectly well she was craving some space away from the confinement of the Hogwarts castle. Harry also yearned for that freedom, but didn't show it as vividly as Hermione was just now.

“McGonagall wants to see us before we go,” Harry finally chimed in. “So I guess we should head down to her office right now.” Harry cleared his throat in awkwardness toward Hermione and Ron, and watched as they crossed in front of him to exit the spacious bathroom.

`She must have given Ron the password,' he whispered to himself with a roll of the eyes, and a bit of marked frustration.

Together they quickly walked down the sun-lit corridors to McGonagall's office. All the other students were walking past them, to get in line for the carriages. Draco Malfoy was walking their direction, and exchanged piercing glares with the three of them before he finally passed and went on his way with Crabbe and Goyle loyally at his side. It seemed almost impossible, like a perfect dream, that Draco Malfoy would ever be civil toward anyone outside Slytherin house, or more particular, nice to the trio. He despised them, and they him. It was always this way; they didn't question this anymore, but embraced it and learned to go on with life as it was.

“Just ignore him,” Hermione said in a low drawl to Harry and Ron who were still scowling about the near encounter with the snottiest boy at Hogwarts as they forced themselves in a forward direction. They both grumbled their dissatisfaction with her comment, finding so much wrong with it, but kept on walking in a brisk speed.

At last, they had reached the door to Professor McGonagall's office. Knowing she didn't have a class, or a particularly important meeting, they all walked inside. Harry came in last and closed the door behind them. McGonagall was leaning over her desk reading a scroll of some sort, and didn't notice them in the room until Ron cleared his throat. She looked up, rolled her scroll back to the way it was, and stood up quickly.

“You wanted to see us?” said Hermione happily.

McGonagall brought her nose down to peer at them over the rims of her eyeglasses with a concerned look on her face. “Yes, now I want you three to take in every word I say; no objections. Understood?”

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked at each other timidly, then nodded their heads to her request.

“Is something wrong, Professor?” Ron asked apprehensively.

McGonagall stepped a bit closer to them, clasping her thin, aged, hands together, and looking uncomfortable as she always did. “Nothing is wrong, mister Weasley. Although, with the circumstances, you all should know what I'm about to say to you.” She paused for a moment, observing their anticipation. “I know you were all counting on today as a way of escaping the pressure you have all been under, but something has come up.”

That was all they needed to hear before understanding what McGonagall was trying to say to them. She was going to tell them they couldn't go to Hogsmeade. The three of them acted as if she already told them no, and just sucked it up. McGonagall continued, “You three are not going to Hogsmeade today.”

Immediately, the three of them began to voice their opinions, with random mumblings in their throats and gestures of their arms, but she cut them off.

“This is a very serious matter. Don't give me reason to assume I can't trust any of you.” She stopped for a moment and saw their sullen faces soften a bit. “As much as I want you to enjoy yourselves and be as relaxed as possible this summer, you won't be of much fun to one another if something were to happen either of you, now would you?” She stopped to look at them, and let them think for a minute about what this all meant. Again, they were being denied a few hours in Hogsmeade to enjoy themselves; something they hadn't been able to do for quite some time and Professor McGonagall felt horrible about it. “You three are excused.”

That was the bitter end of the discussion, and neither of the three dared contest their thoughts about the matter. Harry was the first one to turn frustratingly on his heel and head for the door. Ron and Hermione stared at McGonagall for a few moments, observing how she was letting herself get absorbed in her paperwork again. Her eyes were focused rather harshly downward, showing her firm stand on not letting the trio into Hogsmeade. Ron was the next one to turn and walk out the door, and right as Hermione was going to follow after him, McGonagall looked up with a very stern, yet concerned look on her face. Hermione let her get back to her business and left her classroom to go catch up with the boys.

Once out in the corridor, she saw Harry and Ron quite a distance ahead of her, walking more briskly than expected. She hot-footed to a jog and slowed once at Ron's side, finally having caught up with them. The three of them stopped momentarily and looked at the long line of students lined up for the carriages. Filch, the caretaker, was standing at the front angrily checking names off his list. The line slowly moved along, and the situation became quite amusing after a few minutes.

“I see he's in his usual rotten spirits today,” Ron joked. Hermione looked at him and smacked him hard on the arm, playfully of course. They were too close to Filch not to be heard. Although the bitter caretaker didn't really like anybody, he particularly liked to pick on Harry, Ron, Hermione, and anyone else associated with them. They were just simply on his `bad' list.

After Ron got over how funny it was that Filch was being his usual self today, he remembered they wouldn't be going through that line or leaving the castle at all. Harry was particularly quiet, and the three of them moved from their spots closer to the line to go talk with Ginny, Neville, and Seamus. Unfortunately, Filch spotted them and didn't hesitate to give them a hard time.

“I see you're off to start trouble again, Potter! You and your nosy little friends! Best be getting on the carriages and out of my sight before I change my mind about letting you out of this castle. But then, you're not really allowed off the grounds now are you?” Ron shivered at the tone in Filch's voice. “He's never growled so many words at us, and in that combination before,” He commented with a breathy tone.

Filch was rather amused with himself at the little humiliation he caused the small group. Harry glared at Filch for a few short seconds and turned to walk off. Ron and Hermione followed after him and tried to not say anything with students around to pick up on what they might say.

“Harry, are you alright?” Hermione asked.

Harry, who had his hands in his pockets and eyes glued to the floor, looked up at Hermione to answer her question, and stuttered upon getting the words out. “I-I'm fine.”

Hermione bit her bottom lip and side stepped to stand in front of him. He wouldn't look at her for the longest time, but Hermione remained constant in her staring and eventually made eye contact with him. She didn't say anything at first, but glanced over at Ron who was standing next to Harry. “It's for the best you know. We all know how dangerous it is for us to leave the castle without the right people to protect us.”

Harry's expression softened slightly and he just looked at her.

Without giving much thought to it, Ron was already giving her death glares. His eyes were dark enough to make one think of the nightmares they had the night before, and every night before that. “Hermione, don't even start with what you think is best! We were counting on this weekend to relax and sort some things out, so don't give me any of that garbage. I don't want to hear it!”

Harry glanced between Ron and Hermione, knowing something big was about to happen. It always got bad when they looked at each other like that.

Hermione let out a low breath, trying to hold herself back from doing something she would regret later. Holding up a hand to shut Ron up and keep the conversation from going any further, she slowly backed away and walked back in the direction they just came. She was hurt by what Ron had just said, but tried her best to hide it until she was away from everyone to safely let it all out.

Harry and Ron watched her walk off for a few seconds, but Harry turned his head sharply at Ron and stared. “Why couldn't you save your comments for another time? We're not the only ones that need a break you know. And you're supposed to be working on controlling your anger.” Harry looked at him seriously in the eyes for a very short time, then took off disappointedly down the corridor to find Hermione.

Ron stood by himself for a few moments, wondering why Harry was so frustrated with him. He thought about it for a minute and came to the conclusion he was just tired and in a bad mood, because he seemed more distracted than normal. Ron finally gave up his pointless thinking and decided to go into the Great Hall to grab something quick for breakfast, even though he knew he would be alone for the time being.

About an hour passed after the near fight between Ron and Hermione before Ron found his way to the prefect dorms. He was planning on talking to Harry about Hermione, and what he could do to calm things down. What he found there didn't surprise him, hardly at all. Harry and Hermione were sitting in the middle of the floor talking about something that appeared to be amusing to them.

Harry watched Hermione beginning to relax, and actually enjoy herself.
She was talking about how nice it was to have the prefect dorm separate from the rest of the school, and about the time Dumbledore told them it was for safety reasons. A section of hair fell down in her face, and automatically, Harry reached out and tucked it behind her ear. He let his fingers linger a big longer and trailed them softly down the side of her face, to finally rest his hand back on his leg.

The thoughts in Ron's head quickly left and he suddenly felt sick about the situation in front of him. Ron growled under his breath at remembering the comments Hermione contributed earlier about them being better off not going to Hogsmeade. Naturally, this angered him even more. Sure he had worked on calming his temper, but in his own mind, Hermione clearly crossed the boundary separating wisdom and insanity.

Ron made a noise as he stepped lightly through the empty common room, causing Hermione to sharply bring her head up. When she saw it was him, her smile disappeared from her face. Harry's back was to Ron, but he turned around to see what Hermione was frowning about. Another awkward moment crept between the three of them. `Just make up already,' Harry pleaded with them in his mind—looking from one unhappy face to the other, but still the angry looks were on their faces.

The two of them got up off the floor and Harry stood there glancing between them, feeling quite out of place for even being in the same room. Quickly, he thought up an excuse to get away from the battlefield. “I need to go get something in my room.” He paused and saw the sharp expression in their eyes. “What,” he asked when he saw them looking at him with almost no expression.

Both Ron and Hermione rolled their eyes at him and stared. Harry's senses returned to him and he then realized he didn't really have to leave the room. “Oh, right.” He had been so used to the routine for so long, that it was beginning to make him react almost instantly. Their looks made him realize there was no one else around, and that he had nothing to worry about. Well, they hoped no one else was around anyway.

Hermione glanced around their common room, looking in every shaded corner and hiding place for any sign that someone else was in there. Her suspicions were put at ease when she concluded that the three of them were indeed the only ones there. She looked at Harry, then rested her eyes back on Ron. Again, Harry felt a little strange with the situation, but decided to just go along with it. “Ron, I believe you were going to apologize.”

There was no delayed reaction from Ron with Hermione's little comment. She stood there in front of him with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face. “Apologize? What, have you gone bonkers? I'm not apologizing.” Ron cut his ranting a bit short when he looked her over, from head to toe. With her arms still crossed, and that stern look still on her face, Ron unintentionally lightened his mood and pictured Hermione with glasses and aged skin. He smiled uncontrollably at the image flying through his mind.

Hermione felt a bit uncomfortable with how Ron was smirking at her, and Harry had to admit it was even making him uncomfortable. “What's so funny?” he finally asked. Hermione couldn't seem to string the words together to ask him herself, she was so confused. She looked to Harry for some understanding, but he didn't have any at this point.

Ron curled up one of his hands and rested it against his mouth, trying to choke back the urge to just laugh at her. “Well—“

“Yes?” Hermione asked impatiently, feeling even more insecure as the moments drifted on.

He looked her up and down again, and almost lost it. “With your arms crossed like that, and that look on your face, just picture yourself quite a few years older and with glasses. You could pass as a young McGonagall!”

Ron's laughter echoed through the room as he finally let loose, leaning on his knees to keep him upright but Hermione stood there in a mild state of surprise, and felt her face grow hot with embarrassment. She turned to Harry and saw him trying not to laugh like Ron was. He too found it quite funny, and very true. If only she was a few decades older…

Hermione couldn't take it anymore and just gave in to the fun. She started to giggle and soon, she could hear Harry's voice echoing from beside her. They had a few minutes to joke and laugh out all their frustration, and to compose themselves for proper conversation.

“I don't get it, Ron. You were mad as Snape one minute, then the next you're laughing at me!” Hermione's light tone eased Harry a bit. He was quite relieved Hermione and Ron didn't have another full, blown-out argument with one another. The last time it happened, they didn't talk to each other for three whole days. And then there was the time during third year…

“Well when I feel like not being mad at someone, I just look at them and try to find something amusing. How do you think I've been able to do it this past school year? Do you honestly think I could just suddenly control my anger?”

Hermione laughed at him and slapped him on the arm and he jumped back before she could do it again.

Harry soon found himself sitting on one of the sofas in the Gryffindor common room. “Well now that's settled, how about we think of something to do today. We can't leave the grounds, and if we go outside we have to go straight to Hagrid's. Any ideas?” Harry didn't even make eye contact with them, but casually started fiddling with his tie like it was something he had never taken any notice to.

As if it were the most preposterous question Hermione had ever heard, she spoke up a bit more sharply than intended, but fortunately she had a smile on her face now. “Well I don't know about you two, but I'm going to go down to the library and see if I come across something I haven't read yet.” Harry's head snapped up, Ron's head turned, and Hermione was already halfway out the portrait hole before they could stop her.

Ron's arms went up in the air, and a soft sigh followed. He watched as Harry jumped over the back of the sofa and started walking casually toward the portrait hole. “You coming?” He asked, turning around when he didn't hear Ron's footsteps behind him. “Go ahead, mate. I think I'm going to sit in here for a little bit and think.”

Harry wrinkled his forehead a bit. “Think? About what?” Ron shrugged. “We might need you, you know.”

He shrugged again. “You can handle things if anything happens. I just don't feel like being needled by Madame Pince if we're too loud. It's not like there's really anyone else in the school for her to bother.”

Harry felt tense all of a sudden, but used that energy to nod his approval to Ron, and turn around and walk out of the portrait hole. Once outside, he found himself thinking about what Ron had said. “Since when is he a philosopher?”

He walked on down the corridor and looked in front of him. Hermione had just turned the corner and disappeared from sight. She had to be in the library by now. Harry quickened his pace to a light jog, turned the corner momentarily, and saw the doors to the library wide open like they usually were on a Hogsmeade day. He walked through and had a look around the library. It took him a minute, but he finally spotted Hermione apparently claiming her own table with a few books already scattered on it. Harry sighed and made his way across the library with Madame Pince closely watching him the whole way. He tried to avert his gaze, but there was something in the way she was staring him down that made him a little uncomfortable. Those thoughts vanished when he arrived at Hermione's little table of books. “Need some help,” he asked softly so as to not get Madame Pince on his back for being too loud.

Hermione was sitting down with a book wide open, her head down, and her hand to her forehead like she was stressing about something. Hearing Harry's smooth voice, she brought her head up and looked at him. She was expressionless at first, but patted the table next to her for him to sit down.

Harry moved to the other side of the table, keeping an eye on her as he did so. She was indeed stressed about something, and Harry had a pretty good idea what it was. He sat down in the chair beside her, clasped his hands together, and rested them on the table. “What is it?”

Hermione leaned back in her chair, taking her eyes off the book she was reading, and moved them to the ceiling above her. “I'm tired, Harry.” She tried not to look at him, but instead glanced around the library at some of the lingering younger students that don't have the privilege of visiting Hogsmeade yet.

Harry let out a soft moan of understanding and turned in his chair to face her. Giving a quick glance around the library again at the few other students in there, she too turned in her chair. Harry leaned into the table and observed the look on her face for a few seconds. He immediately wanted to reach out and wrapped his arms around her, but knew better and kept them in his own personal space. “I don't know what to say to make you feel better,” he whispered sincerely, again fighting the urge to pull her to him.

Hermione's saddened tawny eyes met his and she stayed very quiet for a few moments until the stinging sensation in the corners of those eyes soothed and she could say something. “I know, Harry. It's just—this situation with Ron is about to drive me completely mad.” She reached up and coiled her fingers in her hair out of frustration. Despite the rules, Harry found himself covering her hand on the table in front of them, with his own. Hermione shivered and stared at his hand over hers. “I know Ron's thinking the same thing. He's probably already a candidate for St. Mungo's for everything I've put him through; that we've put him through.”

Harry's hand had already been covering hers for far too long, so he took it away and just stared at her, not knowing what it was he should say to her to help her feel better. “Look, things have been going a lot better than any of us could have hoped. There are only a couple days left of school, and when we're out, things will be much better.”

Hermione forced a small smile and looked up at him. `Since when is he the confident one' she asked herself with that smile still shaping her lips. “Thanks, Harry.” She turned back toward the table and pulled the book she had been reading, closer so she could see it better. Harry too turned back, and rested on his elbows, observing Hermione closely as she became very involved in her book again.

About ten minutes of silence ticked by, and Hermione was all ready to go scour the library shelves again for some more books to keep her occupied. She backed away from the table in her chair until she could get up. Harry looked up at her. “I'm going to have a quick run through the history section, then I'll be back,” she said.

Harry smiled at her and watched her until she disappeared into the many shelves of countless books. He sat in his spot, very bored at the moment, and looked around the library. Madame Pince had found a familiar third year to pick on, and currently had her attention turned away from him and Hermione. Although he didn't know the boy's name, he knew he'd seen the cowering third year around school from time to time.

The increasing boredom Harry was experiencing was starting to drive him mad. Deciding he didn't want to sit anymore, he got up from the table to go find Hermione and see if she needed any help. On his way, he observed the library was emptying out now, and only had about three other students at a table on the opposite side he was in. Harry walked past the bookshelves, keeping an eye out for Hermione's long brown hair. About six rows in, he found her sitting on the floor with her back to one of the shelves. She was currently engrossed in a book and didn't even notice Harry's shadow pass over the pages as he approached.

`Figures,' he whispered to himself, unable to break her of her light reading. After a few moments of just standing there, Hermione saw a pair of feet next to her and finally looked up.

“Harry, I didn't see you!” She closed her book and just looked at him with a smile on her face.

“So I noticed. What are you reading this time,” he asked, crouching down to sit next to her against the massive bookshelf.

She couldn't remember the entire title so she flipped her book over to the front and read it off to Harry. “101 Ways to Relax After a Long Day,” she said matter-of-factly.

Harry nodded, and looked around at all the books. “I thought you were going to be in the History section,” he commented.

Hermione shrugged and looked at her best friend sitting next to her—their shoulders touching. “I decided to try a new section; one I haven't been to before. I must say, this book is really helpful.” Her lazy tone indicated to Harry that she had been doing something to relax herself.

“Well then. Enlighten me,” he said slyly. Hermione turned and smiled at him again. This time their foreheads were only a few finger-widths apart. “Alright then,” she agreed.

Hermione stretched out her legs and crossed them at her ankles while she flipped through the book for something to demonstrate. In the ten minutes she had been off by herself, she came across a breathing exercise that involved concentrating on one solitary object, while massaging your temples and taking slow, deep breaths. She concluded this would be perfect for Harry since he was still working hard to clear his mind each night in order to prevent anyone from getting in.

“Here it is,” she said.

Harry raised his eyebrows and leaned into her a little bit to see what was on the two pages that were visible. Hermione playfully pulled the book back and looked at him, their noses almost touching now. “Just sit back and I'll tell you what to do, alright?”

Harry smiled and bumped her chin lightly with his finger as she backed up and leaned against the bookshelf. Hermione's eyes were skimming over the pages while she tried her best to remember everything in order to demonstrate to Harry how this worked. “Okay, Harry. I'm going to attempt to relax you,” she said with an amusing tone.

Once again, Harry turned to look at her with a smirk on his face. “Good luck then,” he said amusedly. Hermione shot a side-ways glance at him, as if to think he was challenging her. “Don't think I can do it?” His smirk widened. “You won't be so surprised when you're as limp as a noodle.”

Hermione turned in her spot to have a better view of him. She explained how he needed to relax his entire body for the first part of the exercise. Hermione made sure the palms of his hands were flat on the floor on each side of him, just as the book indicated, and positioned them to her liking. “Shut your eyes now,” she said softly. Harry looked at her and smiled, then slowly his eyes fluttered closed.

“Now what I want you to do is think of one thing, and that thing only.” She gave him a few silent moments to think about it. While he was doing that, Hermione looked all around her and took in the complete silence. `We're in the perfect place for this,' she thought to herself. Her attention turned back to Harry and he had one eye open, trying to peek. She laughed at him and tapped his leg that was touching hers. “Keep your eyes closed, Potter,” she said lightly. He clamped both eyes shut again, opened them once more, then shut them immediately when he saw she was watching him. He smiled and decided he better keep his eyes shut if he wanted this to work.

“Have you decided what you'll be putting all your focus into?”

Harry nodded, keeping his eyes closed this time.

Hermione stared at him with a smile on her face and picked up the book. He always looked so peaceful when he appeared to be relaxed or sleeping. “Now, take in a really deep breath through your nose, hold it for three seconds, then let it out slowly through your mouth.”

He nodded again and did as he was told. His chest rose a little bit as he collected the air in his lungs. Hermione tried not to laugh at how silly he looked all puffed up like some jock. Hermione whispered as she counted to three for him, and watched his lips pout a bit as he gently released the air. She had him do this a number of times until she was sure he was relaxed enough to go on to the next part. Without any warning, she lifted one of his hands from the floor next to him, and held it. She could tell how relaxed he was by how limp and lifeless his one arm was. He smiled at feeling her warm skin in his hand, and kept his breathing as Hermione had instructed.

“For the next part, Harry, I'm going to help you—only because you'll be even more relaxed if you don't do it yourself.”

He nodded his approval with a smile and waited for the next part. He could hear her gently put the book down on the floor and the next thing he knew, he could feel her light weight on top of him, on his legs. He was startled at first, but he couldn't deny it felt nice.

Hermione found a comfortable position straddling him, and waited for him to relax again before going any further. He was tense for a little bit, but it melted away as the seconds rolled by. She smiled to herself at how adorable he looked, and so vulnerable. Gently, she placed a hand on each side of his face, until they warmed up to his same temperature. He smiled as she did this and didn't indicate any type of complaint. Momentarily, she started softly massaging his temples and felt him melt beneath her. This was her own personal satisfaction—that she can have this big of an effect on him with such a small task. This went on for a couple minutes before Hermione could feel Harry shifting a bit. Then she felt his hands on her thighs. She smiled and rested her forehead against his. Not too long after, his eyes fluttered open a bit. “It's not going to work if you're moving and opening your eyes,” she whispered.

Harry smiled very slightly, feeling the effects of the exercise she was helping him through. “I'm more relaxed than you could imagine.”

His hands slid up her sides and around to her upper-back where he decided to let them remain. The two of them were staring into each other's eyes for the longest time while Harry gently rubbed Hermione's back. It didn't take long before Hermione was starting to feel immensely relaxed, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

The warm skin of his face was soothing to her, and now he was the one in control. Hermione was slipping further into a relaxed state, but didn't bother doing anything about it since it felt so good.

A few minutes passed and Hermione felt some pressure in her upper arms. Harry was pushing her back a little bit so he could see her better. The feeling of the moment was mutual as they looked into each other's eyes, and came into a gentle lip-lock.

Harry sat up straighter in his spot and put his hands on Hermione's hips as she ran her fingers slowly through his hair. They broke off the kiss and clung to each other tight. Harry nuzzled her neck and smelled her sweet, strawberry-scented skin. Hermione held him to her and continued her movements of massaging her hands through his black silky hair.

The moments rolled on, and Hermione bent down to whisper in his ear. “Feel better?”

Harry wrapped his arms tighter around her in reassurance. She took that as a yes and continued the conversation. “Well I don't know about you, but we should probably go find Ron before he finds us. I'm sure he's still very angry with me, and this is the last thing he needs to see on a day like this.”

Harry kissed her shoulder and nodded his head, smiling brightly. “Thanks, Hermione,” he whispered with a light kiss on her forehead.

Hey guys! It's me again! I know it looks like I forgot about yet ANOTHER story, but I haven't. I have dance auditions coming up on the 28^th of this month and I've been very busy getting the choreography down and all. I've had this chapter done for a while, but I'm only just now getting around to it so you all can read it. Sorry it took me so long. I'm working on part 2 of this chapter so hopefully that will be up within a couple of days. You guys are awesome and I luv ya! Enjoy the chapter, and review please.

http://s3.invisionfree.com/the_Phoenix_Prophecy

Chapter 3

Part 1

The day ticked on very slowly, with the students anxious for it to go quicker, and for the ball to start sooner.

Harry and Hermione eventually found Ron after their time in the library, and when asked where they had disappeared to, Hermione honestly stated “The library.” Things were smoothed over roughly, but quickly—after convincing Ron it was in fact in their best interest to stay behind.

Meanwhile, McGonagall was walking briskly through the corridors of Hogwarts, on her way to her office. Every pair of eyes belonging to the students she passed, were on her as she went on her way. She didn't acknowledge them, even being aware of the fact that they were skeptical of her rushing behavior.

Opening the door to her office, she sighed contently and made her way to her desk, only to find a note lying on top of her stack of books. She picked it up gently and opened it in the same fashion. The way the note was scribbled out indicated the author of it was in somewhat of a hurry. It read:

Minerva,

The situation in which we recently discussed at our meeting has been resolved, and we have a new one on our hands that is just as bad, if not worse. Please tell Sparky to contact us immediately as we were not able to owl him directly.

We're looking forward to the events tomorrow, and have everything arranged for safe transport.

Again, please get this information to the person previously mentioned soon, so we can discuss what needs to be done.

Waiting anxiously,

T.O.

Professor McGonagall folded up the letter and rushed back out of her office to go find Dumbledore, with a confused look on her face. Her robe swished behind her as she went, again drawing the attention of a batch of students that had their eyes glued to her.

Finally she had reached the hidden entrance to Dumbledore's office. She whispered the password and in return it granted her access up the spiraling steps. She stepped on, it carried her up, and she lightly tapped on the door. It creaked open and Dumbledore stood in the center of the room looking at her with raised eyebrows.

***

Harry felt the sudden urge to get up from the sofa he had been napping on. Earlier, Ron and Hermione left him to go take care of a few details down in the Great Hall. During this time, he changed into his dress robe, and settled some last minute details he overlooked, such as locating his tie, and sending a short letter to Lupin about the week's vague and minor events. Feeling tired after all this, he nestled himself down on the sofa and apparently fell asleep. For how long, he wasn't sure.

His eyes squinted around the room a bit as they adjusted to the significant change in light around him. When he had fallen asleep, he realized, the sun was still out. Now it was rapidly disappearing from the sky. His eyes stretched open wider, and he jumped to a standing position. Looking over himself quickly, he straightened out his robe and tie then made his way to the portrait hole. Just then, Ron and Hermione came through, looking distressed.

“Harry! There you are!” Ron said. “You were supposed to meet us in the Great Hall over twenty minutes ago. What happened to you?” Hermione, who had her arm wrapped around Ron's, looked Harry up and down.

“Did you—fall asleep, Harry?” She asked quietly. His hair was a bit messy, and he remembered that's the only thing he didn't fix just a moment ago.

“Well it's not like I meant to do it. I got bored.”

“As long as you're feeling all right.”

“I'm fine,” he said weakly. Ron and Hermione stared at him suggestively for a few moments. “I said I'm fine.” This time he was more convincing in his tone, and the two of them brushed it off.

“We better go.” Ron said. “My sister will be wondering why you haven't gone down to meet her yet.” Ron pulled Hermione's arm and turned them both around. In mid-step out of the portrait hole, Harry said, “Ginny and I aren't going to the ball together.”

Ron swiftly turned around and came back into the room, with Hermione dragging along behind him. “Can I have a word with you, Harry?” He glanced at Hermione. “In private?” he growled out to Harry.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Oh please! Like I don't know what you're going to talk about.” She walked off and had a seat on one of the sofas so Harry and Ron could have their privacy.

Ron took Harry by the arm and pulled him over to the staircase. “What do you mean you're not going with my sister?” He asked sternly. Harry tried not to chuckle at the furious look on his face. “Because, Ron. That's why. We decided a while ago that if either one of us found alternate dates for tonight, that we would just forget the whole deal. That is why we decided to go together in the first place—neither of us could find anyone else to go with.”

Ron's face softened up a bit, and he was very relieved his best friend had no intention of leaving his sister in the dust while he went with someone else. “Harry, you could have gone with any girl, you know.”

Harry clenched his jaw and looked at him with a surprised look on his face. “Have you totally lost it? I would have taken Hermione if I could, but with this little arrangement the Order has set up, I'm forbidden from it.” He stopped to look at him seriously. “I'm serious about this Ron. She better have a good time tonight or—“ His jaw clenched a bit when Ron put his hand on his shoulder.

“Come on, look at who you're talking to.”

Harry bit back the urge to say something, and instead glanced over at Hermione sitting on the sofa. Ron followed his eyes and thought for a minute before he said anything.

“She's been in a good mood ever since you two came back from the library. I don't think we have anything to worry about.” Thinking back to what happened in the library Harry bit his lip and innocently diverted his eyes somewhere else while Ron stared at him suspiciously.

Ron cupped his shoulder and walked off to give Harry a few minutes alone with Hermione, who was still on the sofa minding her own business by staring up at the ceiling and tapping her foot impatiently.

“You know, you never did thank me for picking out that dress you're wearing. You look great,” He said, looking down at the simple sky blue dress that clung to her body, stopping just below the knees. The straps were thin, and the dress had an empire waist—making her look quite a bit younger like they were back in first year again.

Hermione startled when she heard Harry's voice coming from behind her. She never heard him cross the room.

Harry's grin widened when Hermione twisted in her spot to look up at him as he stood behind her. “Harry, you're right. Thank you.” She rested her chin on the back of the sofa and just looked up at him. She brought her head up as he knelt down on the floor to be eye-level with her. “Where did Ron go?” Hermione asked, looking toward the entrance of the common room.

Harry briefly turned his head then looked back into her calm eyes. “I'm not sure exactly. I was in a daze and wasn't really paying attention.”

Her posture straightened significantly, and she gave him a questioning look. “A daze? What do you mean a daze? Is something wrong, Harry?” She brushed the hair away from his forehead and waited for an answer.

“It's nothing. I'm just tired.”

“Harry.” She scolded, and his eyes rolled a bit in defeat. He was never able to ignore that look she always gave him when she wanted to know something, especially when she knew it was something important.

“Well last night, I had another dream.”

“Another one? Harry, you've got to go to Dumbledore about this. It could be serious, or even very dangerous.”

Softly, he put a hand over hers and was quiet for a moment. “I know it could be dangerous. The last time I had dreams like these, Sirius ended up dead.” His tone was soft, and even a bit remorseful. Hermione's heart sank with hearing him saying things like this again.

She reached up and curled her hand around the back of his neck. “Harry, it wasn't your fault. You didn't know what those dreams meant—none of us did. You've got to stop doing this to yourself before it ruins you.”

His thoughts trailed on a bit, but he reminded himself how lucky he was to have someone as patient and caring as Hermione close to him all the time. “I know it wasn't my fault. I know now that I have to be careful with these dreams I have. I know I can't go jumping to conclusions every time.” Harry calmed greatly when he felt the warm skin of Hermione's forehead against his.

***

Professor McGonagall shut the door behind her as she stepped into Dumbledore's office. He seemed very quiet, and she somehow suspected he knew why she was there.

“Albus,” she spoke quietly. He held out a hand, as if asking for something. He knew. She plucked the letter from her robe and placed it in his gentle hand. His concerned eyes cast down upon the letter he was about to read.

Walking back to his desk, he gestured for McGonagall to sit down while they sorted things out. He began to read the letter once he was seated at his desk. His eyes skipped over each letter with great interest, but the look on his face was soft. It was almost as if he wasn't surprised with the news in the letter, and even possibly a bit relieved.

McGonagall waited anxiously for his thoughts on the matter. And then he finally spoke.

“How long have you had this?” he asked her, finally looking up from the small piece of parchment in his hand.

She scrunched up her face a bit. “Just a few short moments. How did you know about it?” Thoughts reeled through her mind intensely as he stared at her. Then it occurred to her. “Albus, is it safe to assume that Sparky is in fact the Headmaster that's looking at me right this moment?”

His eyes twinkled with pride and he stood up. “Well I wanted something original and fresh,” he said with a light, happy tone.

McGonagall nodded and tried to hold back the enormous grin that was challenging to come out. “Well it certainly is fresh, but the next time you decide to go poking around for a code name, would you mind telling me?” He nodded and plucked some Bertie Bott's jelly beans from the bowl on his desk. “When I read that letter I almost thought it had been sent to the wrong division—although, it was addressed to me.”

Dumbledore chuckled and popped some jelly beans into his mouth. “No worries Minerva. Everything is just fine.” The aftertaste of one of the beans lingered in his mouth an awfully long time. McGonagall watched him with amused behavior at trying to get rid of the taste. Snapping his fingers loudly, a glass of water appeared in one hand, and he took a few sips before it finally went away. “Must be the latest flavor,” he said cheerfully.

“And what flavor is that?”

“Dragon's Breath. It's now got to be the most repulsive flavor of them all.”

The conversation soon changed to more serious matters and both Professors glanced down at the letter at the same time, thinking the same thing.

“Minerva, despite what The Order thinks at this moment, our students are far from being safe. Something has to be done tonight.”

McGonagall clutched her hands together in deep thought for a moment. “Are you suggesting we not send them home in the morning?”

Dumbledore shook his head ever so slightly, keeping the serious look in his eyes. “It's not the entire student body I'm concerned about. True, these students need to get as far away from this castle as possible. I especially think Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Hermione need to get out of here tonight. If not, I'm afraid of what might happen if they stay.”

“Very well then. I'll contact The Order immediately and—“

Dumbledore cut her off mid-sentence. “No. We don't need a big scene, they'll have enough on their hands by morning. No, no. I think we should go with someone else to help with their departure.”

She nodded, and knew who he wanted to enlist for the job. “Are you sure, Albus? This could be dangerously risky.”

He nodded without a second thought in his mind. “At this point in time, I don't see any reason to get all up in a huff over getting them out. Just do it. Find Severus and bring him to me at once.”

***

Ron rushed back into the common room to get Harry and Hermione, but he didn't realize who was tagging along behind him: Neville, Ginny, and Seamus.

“Are you two ready to go?”

Ron saw Hermione's eyes widen and he turned around to see what she was fretting about. Ginny, Neville, and Seamus came strolling in, but luckily not paying enough attention to notice Harry and Hermione bolt apart. Hermione jumped over the back of the sofa and wrapped herself around Ron.

“Ginny, are you and Neville going together,” Hermione asked very forwardly. Ron stared down at Hermione awkwardly for a moment then looked back at Harry who was still sitting on the sofa minding his own business. His eyes turned back to his sister and he saw that she was blushing. Immediately, he gave poor, innocent Neville the death-glare.

“Longbottom! We need to have a little `chat',” he said flatly.

Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. “Don't worry about him Neville, he's just got his under things in a twist.”

Harry slid off the sofa and tried not to laugh at Ron's humiliated face. “She's right, you know. I wouldn't latch on to those words very tight.”

Neville startled at seeing Harry appear from behind the sofa, but grinned when he knew he had the support of Ron's closest friends. “Thanks Harry.”

Ginny was still standing next to Seamus and Neville, quiet as could be. She then turned to Neville and pat him on the back. “Don't worry about my brother. He's hardly ever serious when he threatens somebody—and besides, you're a close friend, so just take it as humor.”

Ron bit his bottom lip and held himself back from commenting. “Let's just go!” he said frustratingly, grabbed Hermione's hand, and rushed out through the portrait hole.

Harry and the others followed behind, trying to keep up with the pace Ron had set. Hermione didn't say anything to him as they walked hand-in-hand down to the great hall.

***

Tap! Tap!

McGonagall swished through the thick door of Snape's office after a few moments when he didn't answer and had a look around. Everything was dark and dusty, like no one had set foot in there for years. Something didn't quite feel right about the atmosphere, but she kept gazing around to see if Snape was in fact in his office.

The moonlight on his desk caught her attention and she saw there was a small note lying open there, with a quill and ink right beside it. She sensed he had possibly just left the room, and might be back soon. As she inched closer to see what was written on the parchment, a slight creaking noise was heard on the opposite side of the room. McGonagall jumped and caught her stomach in her throat as she wheeled around. Snape appeared from the deepest shadows in the room and stood under the streaming moonlight, staring.

“Severus—where have you been? We have an emergency—“

“I already know, Minerva,” he said flatly, with as little interest as possible.

She peered at him nervously for a moment, but he spoke and broke her thinking process.

“It seems that we're always rushing through one emergency after another. So tell me—what is it this time?”

McGonagall raised her eyebrows. “Dumbledore wants to get Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the others out of here tonight—and he doesn't see it in their best interest to wait until morning.”

Snape suddenly looked serious, and interested.

“Albus wants you up in his office immediately.” Before she could think of what to say next, Snape's robe swished as he turned around and slammed the door behind him.

Yay I'm back with another chapter for you! Sorry it took so long. This has been finished since Sunday but it had to go through the editing process by someone else because I've made this so complicated I can't do it myself. Too many details to pay attention to in my own brain. How sad. Anyway, I've also included the first steamy bit of this fic. It's nothing spectacular, but there will be more where it came from. I basically had a request from someone to write it since I have never written anything like it in my other fics. I hope you like it, and remember…that's just the beginning. Don't forget to review so I know that I need to update again soon.

The doors to the Great Hall swung open, and a nervous McGonagall led the line of Prefects, and Head Boy and Girl in toward the center of the hall. The doors creaked shut behind them as they moved along.

Hermione walked beside Harry, and turned to give him a quick glance of suspicion. Harry shrugged his shoulders, and decided they would end up talking about the whole matter once the ball began.

The line stopped as McGonagall did, and they watched as she turned around to face them. The nervousness in her behavior was still there, but it was only obvious to those looking for it. “Now,” she began. “Your only duty tonight as representatives of this school—is to be sure everyone, as well as yourselves, has fun tonight. You have a long summer ahead of you—“ When she mentioned the long summer ahead, she plastered her eyes on Harry and Hermione for a few moments, then continued—snapping her eyes away to glance at the other prefects, “So be sure you enjoy every moment of it. In precisely one minute, you'll open those doors to let in the rest of the student body. After everyone is in, you will all take a seat at that table,” she gestured toward a long table on one side of the hall… “The Head Master with initiate the ball, and then you're free to go about as you please.”

All the prefects nodded, and made their way toward the doors, with the girls lined up, facing the boys in front of them. Harry and Hermione looked at McGonagall, who nodded, and the Head Boy and Girl opened the doors. The students waiting outside the hall looked through the doors for a few long moments before actually flooding in. The Great Hall filled up in a very short time as everyone found seats at their chosen tables. As the last student strolled in, the prefects made their way to their designated table, and had a seat. Everyone waited for Dumbledore to get things underway, but he wasn't in the Great Hall just yet.

The sounds of the students chatting wildly amongst themselves, and the looks on their faces showed how long they have been waiting for this—wanting this. Hermione gazed around at everyone, and turned to Harry, who was sitting next to her, and pinched his leg under the table.

Harry jumped in his seat, and looked at Hermione with a surprised look on his face. “What was that for?” He asked, rubbing the spot where Hermione had pinched him.

She leaned in to him. “Have you noticed how nervous McGonagall looks right now?” She leaned back against her chair and watched as Harry scanned the room for her. Once he locked his eyes on her, he stared.

His gaze turned back to Hermione and he said, “What could she be nervous about?”

***

Professor Snape whisked himself throughout the corridors of the castle as quickly as he could, toward Dumbledore's office. With the entire student body now in the Great Hall for the ball, he didn't have to worry about seeing suspicious and interrogating looks being thrown his way.

Each second that passed was important. Soon, Snape had reached the hidden passage way to his destination. The next few seconds passed in a blur and he found himself standing before the Head Master himself, with the curtains pulled shut and very little light dancing through the room.

It was very gloomy and quiet in the Head Master's presence as he stood above his pensieve looking down on recent thoughts. Snape's own thoughts reeled in his dark, complicated mind, but he was halted from thinking any further when Dumbledore finally acknowledged his presence.

Without looking him in the eye, he spoke. “I assume Minerva has already informed you of what's going on?” Then he looked up.

Snape nodded, but at the same time, shook his head. “I only let her speak long enough to tell me you want a certain group of students out of here tonight. We discussed this just a few days ago. Everything is in order for their safe transport in the morning.”

Dumbledore felt insulted and challenged at his comment, but took it into consideration. “I received a letter from division two just a short while ago. Things have changed, and we have to get them out of here tonight, understand?”

Snape nodded coolly, and looked down at the letter Dumbledore had lying open on his desk behind him.

“They're leaving tonight, and you're going to be of great help.”

His eyes widened in curiosity at the thought of how he could help with this situation. “What exactly do you have in mind?” he asked slyly.

Dumbledore softened his pained expression for just a few moments and managed to give him his trademark smile and twinkling eyes. “You're going to get them out of here, and rush them off to camp three.”

Snape blinked, trying to comprehend what he was asking him to do.

Knowing what must be going through Snape's mind, Dumbledore said, “Oh no, Severus. I hate to say this to you, but this isn't a request. It's an order.”

Snape didn't break eye-contact with him, but thought about it for a minute. This was going to be hard. “I hope you're aware of how dangerous this might turn out to be. Not only are there Death Eaters out there, but this particular group of students don't trust me to bring them to safety. It's going to be quite the chore to convince them to do as I say.”

Dumbledore looked at him sternly for a moment before continuing. “Severus, I'm not worried about the Death Eaters. After all, you were one of them once. You know how to handle them. Am I right?”

He turned his eyes away and couldn't help feeling insulted at the remark, even though he knew that's not how his Head Master meant it.

“Now about Mr. Potter not trusting you. Swallow the happenings of the past and just get us through this obstacle, will you? It will turn out better for all of us in the end if we do this tonight.”

Snape nodded, and began to get irritated at the darkness of the room, which is something Dumbledore started doing recently to help him gather his thoughts and give him an even better sense of privacy.

“They should be down in the Great Hall right now, enjoying themselves.” He paused for a moment and stepped into the stream of moonlight that escaped through the separation in the curtains. “Get everything in order before you pull them away from the fun. They need some time to themselves right now.”

Snape nodded and on Dumbledore's request, left the office to prepare for the job he was about to do.

***

Hermione and Ron danced closely together on the dance floor, as slow song after slow song continued to echo through the Great Hall.

Harry sat at the Prefects' table with Neville and Ginny now accompanying him. “Are you sure you're alright Harry?” Neville asked, concerned with the blank look on his friend's face.

He was locking his eyes on Ron and Hermione from time to time as they danced, but mainly just looked around the Hall at all the happy couples twirling around on the dance floor. Harry turned to Neville and sighed. “I'm fine, really. Just bored is all.” His head turned back to the sight before him, and he started drowning himself in self-pity all over again.

Ginny looked at Neville and whispered something in his ear. Her next actions came as a surprise to Harry, for she stood up, took him by the hand and pulled him out from behind the table. He followed behind her as she led him away, glancing back at Neville for some answers. Harry found himself out on the dance floor with Harry Ginny, pressing herself to him so she could whisper in his ear.

“Harry, if I knew not having a date was going to bother you this much I would have turned Neville down if it meant keeping you distracted from other things.”

Just as she said this, Harry stepped back to spin Ginny around quickly before pulling her back into his arms. “Ginny, I said I'm fine. I just don't see the point of me being here right now.”

She looked at him square in the eye before moving closer to whisper again. “Is it that, or do you not fancy seeing my brother with Hermione?”

Harry went rigid and choked on the words he wanted to say. “Why would that bother me? They've been together for months now.”

Ginny looked at him again and smiled slightly as the two of them slowed with the rhythm of the music. “Because, Harry, I think you have feelings for her.”

Harry pulled her in close again, and briefly met eyes with Hermione on the other side of the room. He smiled a very small smile and answered Ginny's question, still making eye-contact. “If I had feelings for her, she would be the one in my arms right now—not you.”

“Alright then—have it your way. I still think there's something going on between the two of you.”

Harry turned her again and pulled her back into him, placing his hand on her back. “Why do you say that?”

She rested her cheek against his and felt his warm skin against hers. “Before this school year started, I always thought you two would end up together instead of her being with Ron. One way or another, I was wrong about that. But something tells me I'm missing a big piece to this story, and I'm determined to figure out what it is.”

Harry stopped, pulled back slightly, and stared at her. “Is that a threat?”

Ginny smiled while pulling him back in to her, and placed a small kiss on his cheek. “Of course not, Harry. What's going on with you lately? Why would I threaten someone I've been good friends with for a long time?” Harry shrugged. “I'm just saying that I don't completely understand why Hermione would date my brother before she would date you. You're incredible.” Harry smiled to himself, letting his ego kick in a bit at her honesty, and spotted Hermione across the room again.

The song ended, and Harry pulled back to give Ginny a friendly kiss on the forehead. “Well thanks for the dance, Gin. You might want to go keep Neville company now—he looks confused.” She laughed and gave him a hug. “Have fun tonight, Harry. Alright?” He nodded and she walked off to bring Neville onto the floor with her.

Feeling out of place in the whole situation, Harry walked back through the doors of the Great Hall to go for a brief walk to clear his head. If Ginny was thinking something wasn't right with Hermione being with Ron, then that wasn't good. On the other hand, she knew them all better than most of the other students in the school, so she saw things differently. It still bothered Harry a bit, but he had an idea how he could soothe Ginny's doubts.

He kept walking through the dimly lit corridors, and stopped to sit on a set of stairs where no one would notice him. He sat on the bottom, and just stared straight in front of him, sifting through random thoughts in his head. Looking down he saw his shoe was untied and while tying it back up, he spotted something out the corner of his eye. His head snapped up and he saw his reflection in the mirror on the wall across from him. “That's strange,” he whispered, not being able to help the thought that he saw something moving in it before seeing his own reflection.

A few minutes passed, and he still sat there, drowning in his own pool of thoughts. He didn't even hear footsteps coming in his direction.

The sounds stopped, and Harry saw a pair of feet in front of him as he stared down. Dragging his eyes up, he came to meet eyes with a smiling Hermione. “I saw you leave a few minutes ago and when you didn't come back I thought I would come and look for you.” He smiled and she had a seat next to him and waited for a word to escape his lips.

“We have to be careful, Hermione,” he finally said, looking right at her. She looked puzzled and slowly ran her fingers up and down the back of his neck, causing him to slip into a daze. “What do you mean?” She asked seriously. Harry took her hand away from his neck and held it in his while he stroked her shoulder. “I was just talking to Ginny—“

Hermione smiled. “Talking? All I saw was dancing.”

Harry smiled but didn't let the subject change. “She told me that she doesn't understand how you could be with Ron before ever being with me.”

Hermione looked at the floor for a moment then looked into his questioning eyes. “You know, Harry. Sometimes this arrangement gets to be so repetitive, that I forget the bigger picture.”

He wrinkled his forehead in confusion, wondering what she was talking about. “What?”

“Harry, Ginny definitely has a point. The reality of it is that I am with you and not Ron. But because we have to make everyone believe I'm with Ron, I have to convince myself that I'm with him.”

Harry nodded, although, he didn't know what he was agreeing to.

“I honestly don't think we have anything to worry about. If Ginny can't figure out why I would want to be with Ron, then we're doing our job exactly as we should. She or anyone else shouldn't have to understand everything fully. If it was that easy, we would have a situation on our hands. But because it doesn't make sense, it isn't perfect, and isn't obvious why we're doing it, then everything's okay.” She brushed his cheek and smoothed away the hair from his eyes. He smiled at her comments and felt a bit better about the situation, except for one thing.

“But Hermione, I do think we have to worry about Ginny.”

She was still smiling, but saw the look on his face and couldn't help wondering why it was there. “Why?”

Harry looked around to be sure no one was there or would be able to hear them. “She doesn't know I know this, but the other day when I was on my way back from the Quidditch locker rooms, I saw her getting very close with Malfoy.”

Her eyes widened. “What? What do you mean—close?”

Harry looked at her seriously, and that worried look returned to his eyes. “I mean—he had her backed up against a wall behind the locker rooms, and from what it looked like, there was some heavy flirting going on, and it seemed as if they were feeling each other up.”

Hermione, too, had a worried look in her eyes now. “Are you sure they didn't see you?”

He nodded. “But that's not what I'm worried about. I could care less if they saw me or not. What gets me is what might happen if Ginny finds out this secret between you, me, and Ron. Especially when I suspect Ginny and Malfoy might be going behind everyone else's backs doing their own thing. If she thinks she can trust him, she could blow this for all of us.”

“Wow, Harry. This could be serious. I think all Malfoy is trying to do is get information from her.”

Harry bit his bottom lip hard for a moment. “I'm almost sure of it. Since she's never said anything about even liking Malfoy, it could be very bad. Dumbledore told me once to be careful about showing any strong feelings toward a girl that held my interest. He said it could become dangerous and be used against me by Voldemort.”

“That must have been after we said how we felt about each other, right?” Harry nodded, and smiled at the little memory that crept back into his mind. “That's why we had to go in secret about us.”

“He and the rest of the order suspected something was going on between us shortly after that, so that's why we're in this situation right now. So if Malfoy were to go running to daddy about this, you would be in a lot of trouble, and I can't let that happen.”

Hermione moved closer to Harry and wrapped her arms around him tight. “Then we have to do something to make sure Ginny doesn't figure us out. Have you told Dumbledore what you saw?”

Harry shook his head lightly as he ran his hands up and down the soft material covering her back. “I didn't think it really meant anything until now. I had no idea Ginny suspected something was wrong with you being with Ron. I mean, I did think it was a little strange that she would even want to be around Malfoy.”

She kissed his cheek and pulled away. “Well then, I haven't kissed Ron yet, so that's what I'm going to do. And I'll make sure she sees it.”

Harry cringed at the vision in his mind of Hermione and Ron kissing.

“Don't worry, Harry. It will just be a simple kiss—nothing too dramatic. I know Ron will be surprised, but I'll explain it to him later.”

Harry nodded. “Well before I let you go back in there and kiss Ron all on your own free will, let's take a walk. I have something to show you.”

Hermione smiled, and leaned her head on Harry's shoulder before he helped her to her feet.

***

Quite a while had passed since Hermione went looking for Harry, and Ron was starting to wonder what was taking her so long to come back. He knew exactly where she was, but she said she wouldn't be gone long, and almost an hour passed in an instant. People were starting to ask questions. “She spilled something on her dress,” he had told Ginny, Neville, and about a handful of other people that had asked about her whereabouts.

Ron was now sitting at a table with Ginny, Neville, Seamus, Dean, and a few other random people in their year, with the exception of Ginny—who was a year behind them.

“So—Ron…” Ginny started, getting Ron to turn his head away from the entrance of the hall for a few moments. “What,” he asked obliviously. Ginny smirked. “Why didn't you go help Hermione change into another dress?”

Ron's head started spinning as he tried to come up with a reasonable excuse. “Because. That's why.” Ginny raised her eyebrows. Ron's face turned red at the anticipation of what he was about to say. “Because she told me that if I went with her to go change, she wouldn't be able to keep her hands off me.” His jaw clenched and he leaned back into his chair, hoping no one heard what he just said. Ginny rolled her eyes.

“Figures. You two must have a really private relationship, because I've never even seen you kiss yet—and you've been dating for months now!”

Neville and the others looked at him with their eyebrows raised. “Oh sure they've kissed!” Seamus stopped and looked at his face. “Although, I've never seen it myself. Have you two kissed yet?”

Ron shook his head in disbelief. “Of course we have!”

Right then, Ron felt a shiver on the back of his neck. Turning around, he found Snape staring down at him. “Mr. Weasley.” He said icily, making Ron shiver, and wonder what he did wrong now.

“Can I have a word with you? You too Miss Weasley, and Mr. Longbottom.” All three of them looked at each other and swallowed hard. Seamus and Dean watched them get up from the table, and felt fear for them.

“I wonder what Snape wants now,” Seamus said when they were out of ear-shot. Dean shrugged. “They're all Gryffindors. That's plenty enough reason to be doing something wrong,” he said.

Once out of the Great Hall, Snape led them to a dark corridor in the school, near Gryffindor tower—and never spoke a word. The three Gryffindors following behind him felt quite nervous as to not hearing an explanation of why they were being taken away from the ball.

“Where are Mr. Potter and Miss Granger?” Snape suddenly spoke up.

Ginny and Neville both looked at Ron, hoping he would say something. Ron swallowed and tried not to choke on his words. “Hermione's up in her room changing, and I'm not sure where Harry is.”

Snape continued to walk, and sped up slightly. “Well then, we'll find him.”

“Professor?” Neville started.

He turned briefly to look at him. “What, Mr. Longbottom?”

“Can I ask what this is all about? Did we do something wrong?”

The four of them turned a corner and were now at the entrance to the Prefects' dorms. “One of you go in there and get Miss Granger. The rest of us will split up and search the school for Potter.” He paused and looked at Ron. “I'm assuming you know the password, so you go in there and get her.”

Ron stepped forward, being the only one that knew the Prefects' password, and disappeared into their common room. Snape turned around and began walking again, with Neville and Ginny following hesitantly behind him.

“But Professor! What's going on? Why won't you tell us?” Ginny said, trying to keep up at Snape's side. He looked at her with a blank expression.

“All of you will find out once we have everyone in the same room. You two go up to the second floor and have a look around. I'm going to stay down here and look. If you don't find him within the next ten minutes or so, go into the library and wait for me there.” He stopped and stared at them. “Get moving! We're in a hurry!” The two of them jumped.

Snape walked on, and left a confused Ginny and Neville behind at the bottom of a set of stairs.

“I guess we better start looking.” Neville said, and the two of them made their way up the stairs as fast as their legs could carry them.

***

Harry gently lifted Hermione off her feet and placed her on the short brick wall over-looking the lake on the roof of the Astronomy tower. He wrapped his arms around her as she turned and admired the view. The lake was reflecting the stars in the clear night sky above, which was what Harry was looking at. They stayed silent for a very long time, but enjoyed each other's company with no one else around to scold them.

Harry brought her up to the Astronomy tower to be alone, and look at the stars in the cloudless sky. For a few minutes they talked about how it felt to not be able to be with each other every second of every day, and how hard it was for Harry to see her in Ron's arms most of the time.

“Harry?” Hermione whispered softly. She turned in her spot to face Harry. If she leaned back, she could fall down onto the ground below, but she knew Harry wouldn't let that happen. He stood between her legs, and ran his hands lightly up and down her exposed skin.

He lifted his head up. “Hmm?”

Hermione looked down into his eyes and saw how relaxed and carefree he was at this moment. She hopped down from the wall and turned him so that he was now against it. Her arms circled around his neck, fingers entwining themselves in his hair while she looked at him. “You're so angelic when you're relaxed,” she whispered softly, closing the gap between them and kissing him softly on the lips.

He slowly and gently ran his hands up and down her back, relaxing her in his arms. Both of them were enjoying the peace they were experiencing, being away from the rest of the world—or so it seemed.

Hermione pulled back and had a different look in her eyes. Harry noticed it right away and recognized it as something mysterious. She was up to something. Keeping direct eye contact with him, she slowly slid her hands in his robe and brought it up and off his shoulders. Harry's heart beat faster with every second. With a genuine smile, Hermione proceeded to tugging his shirt out of his slacks. The cool air of the night mingled with his skin through his shirt. Hermione moved back into him and kissed him again.

Harry's arms wrapped around her tighter as the kiss intensified. Soon, both of them were lacking air, and pulled apart slowly. Harry slid his fingers in between the straps of her dress and the bare skin of her shoulders, stroking her, while Hermione clung to him and enjoyed the feel of them being this close without any interruptions.

He bent low and kissed the delicate skin on her neck. Within moments, he was pulling her down to the ground on top of him onto a blanket he conjured up while she was working on un-tucking his shirt. They continued their affectionate attacks on one another. Harry lifted himself up on his elbows and enjoyed himself while Hermione kissed just below his ear, and on down his neck.

She swiftly hiked up her dress and straddled him, creating various sensations all over his toned body. She stopped and looked at him with a seductive glint in her cinnamon eyes. The buttons of Harry's shirt were slowly being unbuttoned, and she knew the torture she was putting him through. As soon as the last button was undone, she planted kisses all over his skin, starting at his chest, and stopping above his slacks. Teasingly she arched up and kissed him passionately on the lips.

Harry took the opportunity to turn the tables on her, and flipped her onto her back so he was the one in control now. He braced himself up with his arms…one on each side of her head, and just stared down at her. She was simply stunning—with the dress still clung to every curve of her body, and the moonlight illuminating her face. For a moment he was breathless, but didn't let that get in the way of the issue at hand. He gently moved one leg out of his way so he could be closer to her, and stroked the outer side of her thigh as he held it firmly to him. He was beginning to feel like he was losing the harness on his self control, especially with her running her hands up and down his chest the way she was. The feeling was intense between them, and only grew stronger when Hermione played with the top edge of his slacks.

Harry smiled, gritted his teeth, and was about to do something of a questionable nature to her, when he heard a noise. Harry sprung to his feet and pulled out his wand—whirling around pointing it in all directions. Something came out of the shadows and Hermione choked on her own oxygen. It was Neville. Thankfully, he was alone, but that didn't help the situation much. Confusion was clearly etched on his face and he looked down at Hermione sprawled out on the blanket, then back up to Harry—furious.

“Neville, what are you doing here?” Hermione whispered, straightening out her dress as she stood up. Harry's shirt was unbuttoned, and his hair was all messed up.

Neville looked as if he was going to be sick. The situation before him was haunting his thoughts, and had him believing they were betraying their own friend—Ron. He cleared his throat and avoided eye-contact with either of them. “Snape, Ginny, and I have been looking everywhere for you. And Ron's been looking for you, Hermione.” He stared at the ground. “Something is going on. You have to come right away. Both of you.” He turned to leave, but Harry jumped in front of him and took him firmly by the shoulders.

“Did you come alone?” Harry asked softly, glancing behind Neville. He nodded, but still refused to make eye contact.

Harry pushed him further into their area and prepared to explain. Hermione looked like she was pleading with him. “Neville, you know us, right?” He looked at her and nodded. Hermione looked at Harry and held up a hand, not wanting him to say anything. “We know we can trust you with anything, but would you be willing to keep the biggest secret you'll ever know?” He nodded again. “Then Harry and I have something we better tell you, before this can go beyond the three of us.”

Harry wanted to protest, but remembered how smart Hermione was, and how her judgment was usually better than his own.

Neville didn't understand how they could be so relaxed and without guilt. He calmed a bit when he saw Hermione move to stand next to Harry.

“Okay Neville, this is very important. Listen to me very carefully and no interruptions.”

He glanced between the two of them, but nodded in agreement.

Hermione put her hand on Harry's cheek and readied herself for a quick explanation to Neville. “To make this short, I'm just going to cut to the point. A while back, Harry and I—oh just perfect.” Hermione stopped when she saw Professor Snape moving toward them very swiftly with Ron and Ginny coming up after him. Hermione looked directly in Neville's eyes. “You know we would never lie to you. This isn't what you're thinking. Just don't say anything about this to anyone and we'll both explain later.” He nodded. Harry heard Ginny's voice in the near distance and quickly made the blanket disappear, as well as any evidence that they nearly had a romp right here on the roof. Both his and Hermione's clothes were straightened, as well as their hair. Neville was still confused, but he didn't say a word.

Snape was glaring at Harry and Hermione, knowing perfectly well what they were up to. “Why are the both of you up here together?” He stopped and stared at Neville. “Mr. Longbottom—what are you doing here?” he hissed.

Neville was intimidated by Snape's behavior but managed to give a simple answer. “I came up here thinking Harry might be here, and Hermione came up a few minutes later.”

Hermione and Harry both looked at him, thanking him with their eyes. Snape, however, didn't fall for it. “I don't see any need to lie for them Longbottom. I know what they were doing. However, it may be best to stick to that story with Ginny and Ron right behind me.”

Neville didn't know why he did it, but he did. Right then, Ron and Ginny made their presence known. “There you are! Both of you! I've been looking everywhere for you Hermione,” Ron said, relieved they were both alright. Though, for Ginny's sake, he was much more concerned with Hermione being safe.

“Professor, what exactly is going on?” Hermione asked, startling when Ron came up behind her and wrapped his arms tight around her shoulders.

Snape's eyes were on them intensely for a few moments before he looked at the group of them.

“Due to some unnamed complications, all five of you are leaving as soon as possible.”

“But Professor, we're leaving tomorrow.” Snape stared at Harry for a moment. “We are leaving tomorrow morning. Aren't we?”

“No, Potter—I'm afraid not. If things go as planned, you're on your way out of this castle in the next hour. Now go pack your things, we have a lot of work to do.”

Snape turned sharply and left the roof before any of them could protest. The five of them stared dumbfounded at each other.

Thanks for your time everyone! Chapter 4 should be wrapped up by the end of the week. If you got confused by some things in here, read over it again. If that still doesn't help, you can ask questions in your review and I'll try to answer them. OR you can just wait until the next chapter to find out what's going on…if you can wait, that is. Thanks!

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