A/N: Here is the next chapter as promised. We're both very happy that you are reading our story, but do you know what would make us ecstatic? If you would just take a moment at the end of the chapter here and let us know what you thought...good, bad, or indifferent.
Cho sat contentedly on the sofa, nearly purring as Neville rubbed the bottoms of her feet. "That feels so bloody good," she moaned.
"Like that do you?" Neville asked huskily.
"I do..." Cho replied, looking at him with lidded eyes. "I'm counting down the days until you officially get to do this every day for the rest of your life, you know." she teased.
"I heard you were trying to make that part of our vows," he said.
"Did someone already spill the beans? That was supposed to be a surprise," Cho joked, rubbing her belly. "Little one has been quite active lately... must be all the excitement around here."
"Maybe the little one is as excited to meet Megan as Harry is," Neville said with a grin.
Cho started laughing. "And we can tell how excited Harry is about that."
"You know he told me I had to be here this afternoon," Neville said conversationally. "But, I wouldn't have passed up this opportunity for all the money in the world. Wait until you see this girl, Cho. She's relentless. She's like Ginny Weasley without the evilness."
"Goodness," Cho said. "That's awfully scary for our friend isn't it?" she hid a smile with her hand as Harry charged into the room.
"You know, I'll bet that rotting bugger keeps Hermione late just to spite me!" Harry snapped.
"Who are you talking about?" Neville asked. "And why are you so upset...It's not even four yet."
"He's talking about Gordon, again..." Cho replied in a bored tone.
"Oh, him," Neville said nodding. Deciding to change the subject to something he knew would lighten Harry's mood. "When I dropped Cho off last night, we saw you and Hermione fast asleep on the sofa, wrapped up in each other's arms," Neville said exchanging a look with Cho. "We were glad that you were fully dressed, weren't we, Cho? You never do know with the rabbits, though."
It seemed to have worked, for Harry suddenly grinned. "Don't worry- we know how to spare your virgin eyes Longbottom."
"Hilarious, Potter," Neville retorted. "Ever think of giving up the life saving trade for a career as a comic?"
"I hear I should," Harry said with a straight face. "Probably make a mint or two at it."
"Let's see how many jokes you have when your Number One Fan arrives," Neville said with a sly grin.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Once Hermione gets here I'll be just fine... maybe Megan will finally realise she has no chance with me whatsoever. I don't know how else to tell her but to show her...."
"Please tell me you're not going to shag Hermione in front of her!" Neville interjected.
Harry raised his eyebrows. "That's not a bad idea..." he began but was thankfully interrupted by the doorbell.
"Go get her, lover boy," Neville said as Harry slowly made his way for the door. Cho dissolved into giggles alongside Neville.
Harry opened the door and saw instead of the overly cheery face of Megan, his girlfriend with a rather dour looking Gordon behind her. "You made it!" he said in relief.
"Yeah," Hermione said giving him a hug. "I wouldn't have rung the bell, but I misplaced my keys and my wand is at the bottom of my bag."
"That's fine," Harry kissed her quickly. "Hello Gordon," he said cordially. "What brings you over?"
Hermione didn't give Gordon a chance to answer as she pulled him inside the house. "I promised him some leftover lasagne. Um, Harry? Might I have a quick word in the kitchen?"
"Of course," Harry let her lead him in while Gordon went into the living room. "What is it?"
"I think I have the answer to all of our problems," Hermione said smugly.
Harry had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. "What problems?"
"What if Megan had someone else to occupy her time?" Hermione asked hypothetically. "And say that someone turned out to be...oh; I don't know...Gordon..."
Harry laughed. "Meddler..." he leaned in for another kiss. "If you could get her out of my hair I'd be your slave forever..." he grinned wickedly.
Hermione kissed him again. "I'm going to hold you to that."
The doorbell rang and Harry groaned audibly. "Come on..." He took Hermione's hand firmly in his.
"I think I'll just wait in here," Hermione said, trying to pull away from him. She bit her bottom lip so she wouldn't laugh at the look on his face.
"No," Harry pulled on her arm. "Hermione you don't understand... if I don't answer the door with you she might do something you'll regret!"
"Okay, okay," Hermione said giggling. "I wouldn't want that to happen. Let's go greet the woman who's after my man."
Harry gripped her hand as he reluctantly pulled open the door. An ear piercing shriek filled the air.
"I was so nervous when no one answered the door that I'd gotten the wrong house!" a breathless Megan rushed inside. "And it's so cold outside."
"Right... er... sorry about that." Harry pulled Hermione to his side. "Megan I want you to meet my girlfriend, Hermione."
"It's nice to meet you, Megan," Hermione said, holding out her hand to the young woman, who didn't even see to register Hermione's presence.
Harry stifled a sigh. "Are you ready to practise cloaking charms?" he asked heavily, shooting a look at Hermione.
"Oh yes of course," Megan seemed to shake herself out of some sort of trance. "Hi, I'm Megan Reilly!"
"Hermione Granger," Hermione said, again extending her hand to Megan, who shook it enthusiastically. "Pleasure to meet you."
"You too!" Megan bubbled. "I've heard a lot about you from Harry..." she cast an adoring glance at him. "When he starts talking I can't help but listen to everything he says."
Hermione stifled a laugh. "I know what you mean, Megan. Can I get you something to drink?"
"Oh no thank you, I'm just here for some practising." Megan looked at Harry again.
"Neville's also here to help out," Harry said. "Hermione, you, Cho and Gordon don't mind waiting in the kitchen or something do you?"
"Of course not," Hermione said winking at her boyfriend. "I'll leave you two to it then."
"Three of us, you mean." Harry cast her a panicked glance.
"I forgot about Neville," Hermione said apologetically. One look at Megan and Hermione knew she had too.
Gordon pressed his lips together in amusement as he saw a quite miserable looking Harry lead Hermione and this other girl Megan into the living room. After introductions were passed around Hermione beckoned to him and Cho and they went into the kitchen.
"You sure do have a nice home," Megan said, looking around the living room. "Do you live here alone?"
Harry blinked. "No." he answered shortly. "Look, let's get to practising. I've a busy night ahead of me with all the reading we have to get done with for tomorrow." he had no idea how Megan had made it into the Auror training program, much less how she would be graduating from it.
"Of course," Megan said quickly. "I really appreciate you offering to help."
In the kitchen, Hermione and Cho were laughing as Harry rather patiently instructed Megan over and over how to do a cloaking charm. Neville was obviously in there only to keep the girl from jumping on Harry, as he was staying silent.
"Goodness, they weren't kidding about her," Cho said.
"She's got it bad alright," Hermione agreed.
"That doesn't bother you, Hermione?" Gordon asked carefully.
"No," Hermione answered truthfully. "She's pretty harmless and I can't fault her for her good taste in men. Besides, I trust Harry just as he trusts me."
Cho sat herself down at the table. "So what brought you back here to London Gordon?" she asked pleasantly. "Hermione tells me you've been abroad these past few years."
"That's true," Gordon replied. "I thought it was time to put roots down in one place and London's always been home."
"Has it?" Cho smiled. "How did you end up at Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts?"
"My father worked for the Ministry in France," Gordon explained. "It made much more sense for me to go to school there instead of going to Hogwarts."
Hermione set her lasagne down in front of Gordon. "Be honest now. Harry absolutely loved it last night, and I know you had some too Cho," she grinned at her friend who smiled back innocently.
"I may have had some for breakfast," Cho admitted. "And I brought a little plate with me for lunch today at the shop."
"See and I thought we had a mouse," Hermione teased.
"This is really delicious, Hermione," Gordon said before taking another bite. "I really appreciate you asking me home with you today. Living by myself, I don't get to eat a lot of food that doesn't come out of a paper sack."
"That's really a shame," Hermione replied. "You ought to drop by for dinner more often then."
Cho looked out the window, knowing Harry certainly wasn't going to like that one bit.
Gordon smiled warmly back at Hermione. He was about to say something else to Hermione when the sound of high-pitched laughter came from the living room.
Hermione raised her eyebrow but didn't comment. She could see why Harry was so annoyed with this Megan Reilly, and she certainly didn't think to match her up with Gordon now that she'd met her. "One of them must have done something funny," she finally said.
Cho laughed. "Megan tripped over Neville's shoe and Harry was able to catch her right before she hit the floor."
Hermione bit her lower lip to keep from laughing as well. "My hero saves the day again," she murmured fondly.
Gordon felt sick just listening to Hermione carry on about Potter. Couldn't she see that he was probably in his element playing the hero to some fawning girl? He felt Cho's eyes on him and he quickly gave her a grin hoping she hadn't seen the look of disgust on his face when Hermione talked about Harry.
Cho in fact had caught the momentary look and made a mental note to bring it up to Harry when he was finished in the living room. She could see why he didn't trust this Gordon fellow- his eyes followed Hermione around the room constantly and Cho suddenly knew Lavender was right. Gordon still fancied Hermione. "If you'll excuse me, I need to use the loo a moment," she staggered out of her chair.
Gordon could barely contain the smile on his face when Cho left the room. He was finally going to be alone with Hermione. Unfortunately, Hermione took Cho's spot by the doorway to the kitchen and seemed intent on watching Harry.
"You see," Hermione said softly after a few minutes as not to disturb the lesson. "Megan was only thanking him for agreeing to help her today." she looked at Gordon and smiled. "Harry's wonderfully patient with people who need help on this sort of thing. They weren't hugging and kissing at all."
"I guess I stand corrected," Gordon said with a fixed smile. "From my vantage point, it looked much worse than it actually was, I guess."
Hermione shrugged, not offended. "You're completely right," she said. "She's just an avid fan I suppose."
From outside the kitchen, Cho listened with her jaw agape. Gordon had actually told Hermione that he had seen Harry and Megan kissing and hugging? She made another mental note and re-entered the kitchen. "Anything else go wrong yet?"
"Not yet," Hermione smiled. "Looks as if they're doing well enough for now."
From the living room, Neville looked at his friend as he again showed Megan the proper technique. She didn't seem to be getting it, but she did seem to be at least putting in an effort. Harry kept shooting him looks over Megan's shoulder that basically were asking for Neville to do something to wrap this up. Part of him liked seeing his friend suffer, but he knew when enough was enough.
"Hey, Harry?" Neville asked, interrupting. "Didn't you say you had to do something with Hermione?"
"I do," Harry replied, following along. "Celebration of sorts, you could say."
"Oooh!" Megan said excitedly. "I love celebrations! What are you celebrating?"
Harry looked to Neville for help again. "Um... Cho and Neville's engagement... sort of ongoing you know? And then... it's back to the books for me."
Megan nodded. "Yeah, me too. I do need to stop by the Ministry on my way home to see my uncle though."
"Who's your uncle?" Harry couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Cornelius Fudge," Megan said simply as she put on her cloak.
"You're Fudge's niece?" Neville asked.
"Yeah," Megan said. "But don't tell anyone else in our class. They'd probably think Uncle Corny was showing me favouritism or something and he could get into quite a bit of trouble."
"Right," Harry's lips were twitching furiously at Megan's name for her uncle. "Well..." he said walking behind her in the hallway. "Guess we'll see you tomorrow in class."
"Sure," Megan said. "I really appreciate you taking the time to help me, Harry."
She hesitated for just a moment before standing on her tiptoes and giving Harry a peck on the cheek. "Thanks again!"
"Bye," Harry rubbed at his cheek as he shut the door behind her. He went back into the living room where Neville was standing.
"Don't say it Harry!" Neville held up his hand, his teeth biting down hard on his lower lip.
"I can't help it. Uncle Corny!" Harry fell back on the sofa, laughing hard.
"What on earth are you two going on about?" Hermione asked coming out of the kitchen followed closely by Gordon and Cho.
Harry stopped for a breath but one look at Neville had him doubled over again. "Ask him..." he managed to wheeze.
Neville guffawed as Cho and Hermione exchanged confused glances. He finally managed to choke out the words, "Megan...Fudge's niece...Uncle Corny!" before he doubled over in laughter again.
Cho immediately realised what they were laughing about. "Well there's why she's in the Auror training program," her lips curved up in a smile.
Gordon looked perplexed as Harry and Neville finally settled down. "Obviously he's pulled some strings for her, which really isn't right." he said.
"Would you expect any less of Fudge?" Neville asked.
"I suppose not," Hermione said her arms folded. "Things will go much better when I take over the Ministry someday."
Harry walked over to Hermione and put an arm around her. "Don't forget us little people when you're in power, love."
"Never," Hermione grinned back and pecked him on the lips. "Are you hungry?"
"Depends on what you have in mind?" Harry asked mischievously.
Neville cleared his throat. "Don't forget, other people in the room." he looked at Gordon. "We've been trying to get them to work on that."
Gordon didn't crack a smile. He couldn't believe Hermione would let Potter paw at her like that.
"I wasn't kidding about tons of reading, unfortunately," Harry said with a groan. "I should get on that. Neville?"
"Yeah, me too," Neville said, catching a sideways glance at Cho who was looking at Gordon.
"Hermione?" Gordon asked. "Didn't you want to go to that lecture Professor Woods was giving? It starts in about thirty minutes and if we leave now, we should make it."
"Right," Hermione replied. "It doesn't get out too late so I'll be back by dinner all right Harry?"
"Okay," Harry said, giving her a chaste kiss. "Thanks for being here for the whole Megan thing."
"Anytime," Hermione rubbed her thumb over his cheek for a split second before kissing him again. "I'll see you in a few hours."
Neville headed off into the kitchen for a drink and Cho glanced at Harry. "I really need to talk to you," she said in a low voice.
"Okay," Harry said nonplussed.
She sat down heavily. "Well, first things first- Lavender was right. Gordon fancies Hermione... very much."
"I knew that already," Harry said, sitting down beside her.
"Well I'm just telling you again," Cho warned. "And..." she leaned in even closer. "Apparently Gordon saw you and Megan at some cafe yesterday- he told Hermione he saw you two hugging and kissing."
Harry fumed. "And I bet he couldn't wait to run to Hermione to tell her what he thought he saw!"
"It certainly seems that way," Cho replied. "I'm not a nark Harry, but I know he's trying to horn in on Hermione."
"I appreciate you telling me," Harry said, getting up. He didn't see how he was going to be able to study with this going around in his head. "I can't believe that arse comes into our home and thinks he can..."
"Don't let him get to you," Cho put her hand on his arm. "Harry, you know Hermione loves you and she's not after Gordon at all. I just wanted you to know."
"I'm not worried about her," Harry said in a softer tone. "That's not true...I'm worried that she doesn't seem to see what he's really after."
"That's bugging me too," Cho sighed. "She was watching you from the kitchen and he was watching her... sort of creepy really."
Harry rubbed his forehead with his hand. Anger was rising in him again as he thought about this. "And I just let her walk out the door with him!"
"Hermione's a big girl though," Cho said. "I've no doubt in my mind she can take care of him."
Harry wished he shared Cho's confidence. It wasn't that he doubted Hermione's capability or intelligence. Nothing could be further from the truth. What worried him was that she seemed to be determined to believe the best about this guy and that scared Harry. "Well…" he finally said pensively. "I'll talk to Lavender about him and I'll use our resources with the Auror training program to look up things on him…"
"There you go," Cho was encouraging as Neville came back in the room. "And you," she looked at her fiancé. "I'm ready for you to finish my massage."
*** *** ***
Lavender reclined slightly on Seamus's sofa as he carried in some butterbeer and a bowl of popcorn. "Thank you," she accepted the bottle. "What are we watching?"
"Have you ever seen Toy Soldiers?" Seamus asked.
"Toy Soldiers?" Lavender wrinkled her nose. "Sounds like a kid's film to me," she grinned.
Seamus smiled as he explained the basic plot to her. "So basically this group of students have to help regain control of their school from the terrorists."
"Oh," Lavender replied. "That does sound good. Great pick," she snuggled herself under his arm as they leaned back together.
Seamus occasionally stole glances at the blonde beauty currently lying next to him. Since she had finally loosened up and stopped thinking he had ulterior motives, the time they spent together was getting better and better.
They hadn't yet slept together- they hadn't even yet talked about sleeping together. He had decided to let her bring it up in her own time. But they had a great deal of fun with snogging- she was a fantastic kisser.
Seamus knew he was falling in love with Lavender. She was sweet, sensitive… slightly superficial but he thought that only added to her personality. He reverted his eyes back to the screen as she shifted, letting her blonde hair fall over his fingers. Lifting the heavenly smelling strands, the intoxicating scent made him grin.
A particularly loud part in the movie made her gasp. "Did that guy just get killed?" she asked her hand over her mouth.
"Yeah," Seamus answered.
"That's so sad…" he saw her eyes fill with tears as the main characters reacted to the other character's death. Seamus rubbed her back soothingly while wrapping his other arm around her. "Why did they kill him?"
Seamus explained it to her the best he could without ruining the overall plot. "That's still so sad," Lavender wiped at her eyes. "You probably think I'm silly for crying like that."
"Nah," he grinned at her. "The first time I saw it I think I had a tear or two as well."
Lavender looked up at him. "You did not, liar."
"All right, it's a sad part but I never cried," Seamus laughed. "It must be a girl thing."
"Must be," Lavender laid her head back down on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat as his hands continued to stroke her hair. "Hey Seamus?" she asked softly.
"Hmm?" he asked his voice low.
"Would it be…" she trailed off. "Would it be stupid of me to tell you something really important right now?"
"No time like the present," Seamus replied.
"Well…" Lavender was nervous. "I've thought I felt this way about a guy before but now with you… it's completely different. I know we had a bit of a rocky start… but…" she drew in a deep breath. "I've fallen in love with you."
Seamus stared wide eyed at her for several long minutes. "You have?" he finally asked.
"Merlin I'm so stupid," she sat up and moved down the sofa. "I knew it was the wrong time!"
"No!" Seamus sat up as well. "Lavender… I'm in love with you as well."
Lavender stared at him now as her eyes filled with tears. "You wouldn't just be saying that to make me feel better right?" she asked in a tiny voice.
"I'd never say that unless I meant it," Seamus said. "And I've never meant it... never said it… until I met you."
Lavender let out a small sob as she flew at him, knocking him back onto the sofa. She pressed her mouth to his frantically, cupping his face between her hands.
Seamus returned her kiss, allowing his hands to run freely over her long shining locks. His fingers traced over her back and for the first time he let his hands wander up underneath her shirt.
"Okay?" he gasped for air as their mouths pulled apart.
"Yes," she muttered back, helping him pull her shirt over her head; his following suit.
They stared at each other, eyes roaming over bodies before they came back together, mouths fusing and hands touching every bare bit of skin they could find.
Lavender felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest as they pulled apart some time later, both panting. Her hair was sticking to her face, and he grinned and brushed it away before kissing the tip of her nose.
"You're amazing, you know that?" Seamus asked, running his hand up and down her arm.
"So are you," Lavender replied. "Now kiss me again Finnigan."
*** *** ***
Later that evening, Harry and Neville were sitting at the kitchen table poring over their different manuals and textbooks. They'd been at it for the past two hours. Cho had long since gone to bed. To Harry's dismay, Hermione had called earlier to tell him that she was going out to eat with Gordon and some other friends from school after the lecture. She wasn't home yet and Neville knew Harry wasn't too happy about this.
The doorbell chimed suddenly and Harry grinned. He hoped it was Hermione and that she'd forgotten her keys again. He quickly walked out of the kitchen and toward the front door. When he swung the door open, he didn't see Hermione, but a very upset Ron.
"Ron?" Harry asked.
"Hi," Ron muttered. "Can I come in?"
Harry didn't even have a chance to answer as Ron pushed past him.
"What's wrong with you then?" Harry asked as he shut the door.
"Luna and I broke up today," Ron said, clearly upset.
"What?" Harry asked in disbelief. "Why?"
Ron sighed as Harry led him into the kitchen. "What am I doing wrong?" he asked miserably. "All I wanted to do was find a place and have it be a surprise for her like you did with Hermione," he let his head fall onto the table. "Instead she gets mad at me because she says I don't pay enough attention to her." he turned his glare on Neville. "And then you... you have to go and propose to Cho and Luna gets all these crazy ideas about marriage."
"Hold on," Neville asked taken aback. "How on earth do you figure this is my fault?"
Ron knew he couldn't be angry at Neville. "It's not," he replied glumly. "But now Luna's talking about marriage and getting serious- I'm trying to! And of course I worded it all wrong by saying I didn't want to settle down- yet if she were pregnant I would stand by her and she had to have all these details..."
"And your big mouth got in the way," Harry interjected. "Hermione and I had the same sort of conversation, but it ended up a sight better than yours did obviously."
"Well that's not the worst of it," Ron said morosely. "She's going out with some other bloke from work this weekend."
"How'd you find out about that?" Neville asked.
"She told me," Ron stared at the table. "What the hell is her deal? I thought we WERE serious about one another, especially after all the shit we went through back at Hillsdale to be together."
"She probably just wanted to hear you say that you were as serious about her as she is about you," Harry said thoughtfully.
"How are you guys doing it?" Ron asked desperately. "How are you staying so busy and your girlfriends... excuse me, girlfriend and fiancée, staying... so happy?"
"Girls are different from us," Harry said simply. "It's not enough for them to be shown that you care about them, Ron. You have to tell them. And do a lot of reassuring."
"Yeah," Neville agreed. "And if you don't...look out!"
"Have they gotten mad at you for things like this?" Ron questioned. He slumped over in the chair. "Maybe I'm meant for bachelorhood. I can't seem to do anything right around Luna lately."
"Yeah," Harry said walking over to the icebox and pulling out a butterbeer bottle and handing it to Ron. "Need I remind you of that major row Hermione and I had a few weeks back when she found out about Cho and she met Isabella?"
"Yeah," Ron took a long draw from the bottle. "And you're all right now- what did you say to her?"
"I just told her that no one else had ever meant to me what she did," Harry said simply. "That I loved her and only her. And now we're doing okay..." His voice trailed off as he glanced at the clock on the microwave. The digital display read 11:20. Hermione still wasn't home.
"What is it?" Ron asked.
"Hermione's not home yet," he said quietly.
Ron looked at Neville, who shrugged. "Want to go out and look for her?" he asked.
There was nothing Harry wanted to do more, but he knew he was probably overreacting. "No, it's okay. I'm sure everything's okay."
Ron nodded dejectedly. "I really love her," he said quietly. "I just don't know what else I can do to prove that to her."
"I take it you two didn't end things on the best of terms?" Neville asked.
"We both yelled... stormed away," Ron took another long sip of butterbeer. "I felt so stupid afterwards but I don't know what to say to her now."
"Give her time to cool off," Neville suggested. "She's probably just going out with this other bloke to make you jealous."
"Luna doesn't' strike me as the type to do that," Ron replied. "She wouldn't use another person that way."
"She probably felt like you were taking her for granted," Harry guessed. "Probably accepted because this bloke probably turned the charm on and she liked the attention...the attention she didn't think she was getting from you."
"Well how do I win her back?" Ron asked, frustrated.
"Grovelling?" Neville said, trying to lighten the mood.
"I know you probably don't want to hear this, Ron," Harry said, trying not to laugh at what Neville had just said. "But just give her some space to cool off. From what you've said, you're probably the last person she wants to see. Then, I suggest you be honest with her about how you feel. And don't do what you normally do which is keep talking long after you should have stopped. Don't look at me like that! You know it's the truth!"
"Right," Ron replied, running his hand through his hair. "I just wanted to surprise her like you two did with Hermione and Cho."
"Everything will work out," Harry said reassuringly. "Just give it time."
Ron nodded. "All right," he finally said. "Just... you guys promise to tell me if you hear anything about this bloke right?"
"Sure," Harry said, looking at the clock again. Where in the world was Hermione?
"Yeah," Neville said. "We'll keep you posted."
Harry was about to take Ron up on his offer to go look for Hermione when he heard the front door open. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his girlfriend drop her bag and come to the kitchen. "Evening," she smiled. "Are you guys still reading?"
"Where the hell have you been?" Harry asked before he could stop himself.
Hermione frowned at him. "After the lecture I got some dinner with friends, and then Gordon and I stayed and had coffee. We didn't notice how late it was getting."
"Yeah, I bet he didn't," Harry muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Hermione asked.
"Nothing," Harry answered, mustering a smile. "I'm just really glad you're home."
Hermione didn't look convinced as Neville began to pack away his books. "I should really get back to Seamus's," he said, giving Ron a look.
"Yeah, I have an early day tomorrow at the shop." Ron replied. "Thanks for the advice mate."
"No problem," Harry said. "Take care, Ron."
Ron nodded and followed Neville out the door.
Harry didn't look at Hermione as he walked back into the kitchen. He was tired and thanks to Gordon he was now angry.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked. "I'm sorry- we were talking about some things we studied about in class and I honestly didn't realise how late it was."
"Nothing's wrong," he answered curtly.
Hermione sighed. "You're angry because I didn't call. Harry, you're not my father- I don't have to report to you every hour on the hour."
Harry knew she was right. He wanted to tell her that he wasn't angry at her, but at Gordon. But, he also knew that if he told her this, she'd just get angrier than she was now. So, he decided to let it go...for now. "You're right," he said smiling at her. "You're right."
Hermione smiled back at him. "I'm going to bed," she said with a yawn. "Are you still staying up? And where's Cho?"
"Cho was exhausted so she went to sleep early," Harry explained. "And I am knackered as well, so if you don't mind, I'll join you."
"Sounds good to me," Hermione reached for him, giving him a tight hug.
He wrapped his arms around her and brought her close and made a vow that no one...not even Gordon Devereaux...would come between them.