Unofficial Portkey Archive

Thanks for all the reviews!! Due to the responses regarding the length of this piece I have decided to expand it from one-shot to a chaptered fic, although the chapters will be fairly short. So without further adios, I give you;

Chapter 2

Harry and Hermione made their way up to Gryffindor tower to wash and change before going to breakfast. As they rounded the corridor that led to the Fat Lady's portrait, Ron Weasley their mutual best friend bound up towards them in a hurry.

"Where in the world have you two been? I've been worried sick!"

"It's a long story." They said in unison continuing to walk past there friend, leaving him stood with his back to them.

"Are you gonna tell me?" he asked turning around and moving back after them.

"No." They answered jointly once again, causing them to turn and grin at one another.

"You two spend way too much time together." Ron said scratching his head as they entered the portrait hole.

As they entered into the tower the boys and Hermione pealed off to their respective staircases. Ron who was already up and dressed followed Harry like Colin Creevy's nose to a camera. Once Harry had got washed and changed he began to tell Ron about what had unfolded the previous night.

"So you're telling me you were stuck in a little room with Hermione all night without a wand?"

"Nothing gets past you Ron, no wonder they made you keeper." Harry smirked quietly.

"The point I was actually making was; you were stuck in their all night and you just talked?" he smiled intrigued.

"Yeah, what else would we do?" he asked rather naively as he fished through his trunk for the appropriate books for the day's lessons. When he turned around he was greeted by Ron stood with a thoughtful and mischievous grin on his face, his eyebrows raised suggestively. "Oh come off it Ron, it was Hermione!"

"All the more reason for…" he gestured once again with his eyebrows.

"Ahh Ron, that's just wrong!" Harry laughed covering his eyes.

"Whatever Harry, If you can look me in the eyes and tell me you have never ever once thought about Hermione in that way, well you'd be a low down liar." he spoke knowingly.

Unable to find any defensive words Harry ducked out of the room past Ron unable to stop the coy smile appearing across his lips.

"Ha told you!" Ron bellowed triumphantly as he followed behind Harry.

***

Hermione entered the Gryffindor girls' bathroom, finding Ginny stood up against one of the sinks brushing her teeth.

"Hey Gin." Hermione smiled graciously.

"What's that all about?" Ginny asked rinsing her mouth.

"What?"

"That rather bright goofy smile?" she replied turning and leaning back against the sink.

"I was just greeting you." Hermione said defensively occupying the sink next to her friend. Ginny gave a perceptive nod and waited for Hermione to start talking. If she knew anything about her friend it was that she liked to control the conversation. "Well it was nothing really," she continued her account much to Ginny's amusement.

"Wait wait wait, why were you in a cupboard?" Ginny asked when she had finished.

"I don't know we just got locked in."

"Right, you're telling me you were in a confined, dark and small space all night with Harry bleeding Potter and he didn't lay a finger on you?" she said hitching the corner of her mouth up into a grin.

"Ginny!" she scoffed. "Hardly!"

"So he did?"

"Of course he did!" Hermione gleamed "Just not in the way you're thinking about Missy!" Hermione laughed as she grabbed her toiletries bag and headed to her room.

"Chuffing tease."

Ginny and Hermione laughed about the whole situation before changing the subject to the younger Gryffindor's developments with Dean Thomas. When they were fully dressed and ready they headed down to the common room to meet Ron and Harry, they found the boys sat sniggering quietly in the corner of the room waiting to go.

"May I ask what is so funny?" said Ginny as they approached them.

"No you may not." Ron answered simply as they left the common room. Hermione and Ginny led as they walked down to the Great Hall. Harry and Ron had pulled back as Ron had decided it would be a fun time to tease Harry about the productivity he could have advanced on in the situation he had been presented with the previous night.

"What are they sniggering about?" Ginny asked Hermione as she became increasingly aware of the boys behaviour.

"I've found its best just to let them get on with it." Hermione replied purely as they reached the entrance hall.

As the girls entered the Great Hall, Harry pulled back dragging Ron's robes with him, pulling him effectively into the passageway to the Hufflepuff cellars. He pushed him up against the wall trying hard not to smile as Ron was still chuckling quite erratically.

"Right Weasley that's enough!" he grinned. "Firstly, it was Hermione by best friend who I respect more than any other girl I know. Secondly, even if it wasn't Hermione and it was somebody else, I still wouldn't have `made a move' because I, unlike you, am a gentleman." Ron couldn't contain his composure much longer, practically doubling over with laughter.

"Gen...tle…man!!" he croaked out between laughs. Harry turned on his heal and left him giggling against the wall, muttering something about him being immature under his breath.

"Where's Ron?" Hermione asked as Harry took his usual seat next to her at the house table.

"Being immature and childish."

"No change there then." Hermione said as she returned attention back to her copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry grinned slightly before tucking in to some well earned breakfast.

"Calmed down?" Harry asked when Ron finally took his set opposite him. He nodded his head sheepishly grabbing a plate of bacon.

"Where's Ginny gone?" he asked looking around to trying to find his sister.

"She erm went to get some air." Hermione said from behind her paper, not technically telling him the whole truth.

***

As the day went on Harry became more and more drowsy, he hadn't been able to sleep much the previous night and had spent the majority of which, watching his best friend breathing heavily in and out as she slept. Although after a while he had been uncomfortable on the hard floor he hadn't wanted to disturb the peaceful Hermione who was crawled up silently in his arms.

It was the last lesson of the day, History of Magic when Harry finally succumbed to his fatigue and let sleep wash over his body, lowering his head down to his desk unconsciously.

"Wake up darling. Come on sleepy, wake up." Harry was roused by a gentle, calm voice. He could feel a hand upon his neck lightly swaying him. His eyes fluttered open and he was met by the soft face of Hermione, kneeling slightly at his side. "You fell asleep," She smiled "The class has just finished."

"Why didn't you wake me?" he asked groggily lifting his head from the desk.

"I don't know why. You just looked peaceful." she answered brushing away a quill feather that had stuck to his cheek.

"You let me sleep rather than pay attention?" he asked astonished.

"Oh trust me Potter, you'll be catching up on what you missed along with the homework." She said ruthlessly as she stood taking hold of her bag. Harry groaned as he followed suit, heading out of the classroom behind Hermione.

"Where'd everyone go?" he asked as the corridor outside the classroom was fairly empty.

"Out into the courtyard for some air."

"I think I'll join them, I'll be sleeping like a baby before dinner otherwise." Harry said.

"I've got to go and see Cho about swapping a prefect duty." said Hermione reluctantly. Harry put an arm around her shoulder giving her a gentle squeeze for good luck before they parted; he knew that Cho and Hermione never quite saw eye to eye.

He walked through the corridor, down the Grand staircase and made his way around to the back of the castle. The courtyards had become the new haunt for the older Gryffindor's and he knew a large gathering of his friends would be there. As he entered the courtyard he automatically picked out Ron's red hair from the crowd, he was leaning over a wall talking to Dean, both were laughing profusely, when they noticed him approaching they quickly cut off from their conversation and gave forced effort to stop laughing.

"Ron???" Harry chuckled as he realised what they were talking about. "Let it go."

"Oh come on Harry you're supposed to be a man!" Dean bellowed resulting in all three of them cracking up.

"Why isn't Harry a man?" asked Seamus approaching.

"Coz he didn't feel up Hermione!!" Dean answered, making Harry's jaw drop in shock. Seamus looked between the two of them noticing Harry's expression.

"You mean like the way you've been doing to Ginny?" he asked smugly in his thick Irish accent. Both Dean and Ron stopped laughing abruptly snapping their heads towards one another. Dean looked like a dear caught in the head lights as Ron narrowed his eyes dangerously. Without another word Dean turned and jolted off into a quick run closely followed by the long-limbed redhead. This time it was Harry's turn to laugh at somebody else's expense.

"Thanks Seamus" Harry said as he walked over to the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. He pulled himself up and sat on the edge.

"Well you looked like you were about to lamp him." he replied chuckling. "So what's going on anyways?"

"They're just trying to wind me up that's all. I got locked in a storeroom or something with Hermione last night and had to stay there until this morning, they think it's funny that I didn't try anything." explained Harry.

"Well why would you? She's your best friend."

"Exactly!" he smiled.

"And plus it wouldn't be the best way to tell Hermione that you have feelings for her by groping her at every opportunity that presented itself!" he grinned.

"What? I don't have feelings for her." Harry said bewildered.

"Oh really?"

"Yes really!" Harry answered definitely.

"So tell me this, what exactly did you two do in there Harry?"

"We just talked."

"About?"

"I dunno, we were asking each other questions; things that other people didn't know and stuff." Harry said reluctantly.

"And I bet she told you all sorts too! Things she's never told anybody else. And I bet you didn't just sit there with your hands by your side neither, I bet you had one of your infamous Harry and Hermione embraces or something." Seamus laughed as Harry started to pale. "Just think about it," He added with a wink "I'm going to go and find what's left of Dean. Seeya later Harry."

Harry sat on the edge of the fountain with wide eyes, watching as Seamus left the courtyard.

"Oh shit!" he mumbled lowering his forehead against the palm of his hands.

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