Alternate Yule Ball Sequence.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter ain't mine. Nuff said.

A/N: This is my first Harry Potter fan fiction. If you guys like it enough, I'll continue it with a couple more chapters where I'll need to up the rating a couple notches. But right now, this is a one-shot.

Summary: This is an alternate chain of events starting with a direct excerpt from Goblet of Fire when Harry spots Hermione. This is my first HP fan fic. I hope you enjoy. One shot.

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Cedric and Cho were close to Harry too; he looked away from them so he wouldn't have to talk to them. His eyes fell instead on the girl next to Krum. His jaw dropped.

It was Hermione.

But she didn't look like Hermione at all. She had done something with her hair; it was no longer bushy but sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing robes made of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material, and she was holding herself differently, somehow - or maybe it was merely the absence of the twenty or so books she usually had slung over her back. She was also smiling - rather nervously, it was true - but the reduction in the size of her front teeth as more noticeable than ever; Harry couldn't understand how he hadn't spotted it before.

“Hi, Harry!” she said. “Hi, Parvati!”

Harry merely shot her a weak smile, still in shock at how beautiful Hermione looked.

I never knew she had it in her. It's funny how friendship can blind you to things like that.

Harry never thought that Hermione was ugly, but this…she was absolutely breathtaking. It was a strange pair, her and Krum, seeing as Krum was not in the least bit good looking while Hermione easily overshadowed him. Meanwhile, Parvati decided that she was done gaping and tugged
Harry's arm as she pulled him away to dance. Over the course of the night, Harry tried to have as good of a time as possible, though he wasn't exactly interested in Parvati. To him, she wasn't really engaging. She was pretty, but she lacked the sharp wit and intellect that he liked in girls. He may be able to appreciate her good looks yes, but he'd never be able to talk to her for long without getting bored and finding himself snoring.

It was then that he realized that he'd rather be talking to Hermione. He could always talk to her. She possessed a seriousness about her that Ron lacked. Harry didn't talk to Ron about particularly deep things a whole lot, while Hermione filled that gap that he needed. He wanted to go and talk to her right now, ask her how her night was going, tell her how little he liked the music, and just spend a little time with her in general. He had spent so much time on the first task that he hadn't really spent time with Hermione as a friend rather than a pupil. It was then that he realized he hadn't even really thanked her for all the help she gave him with the Summoning Charm that got him this far. But how was he going to get to her? There was a star Quidditch player and a plethora of raving fan girls separating Harry from Hermione. She'd be almost impossible to get to.

Dance with her.

Yes that was it! That's how he could talk to her, he could simply go and have her dance with him, then he'd be able to say what he wanted without worrying about Krum rushing her away from the desperate fans.

“Parvati, would you mind if I had a dance with Hermione?” asked Harry as the quick tempo song ended.

Parvati shot a reproachful look at Harry, as he was pretty much just ditching her in a polite manner.

“Fine, whatever. Maybe I can steal a dance with Cedric.” said Parvati, trying to make feel Harry feel bad; gritting her teeth when he didn't.

“Thanks!” said Harry as he ran off into the dense crowd of couples and dance partners.

“Excuse me...” said Harry over and over again as he pushed his way through people in order to reach the circle of fans that followed Krum and Hermione around wherever they went. En route to Hermione, Harry bumped into Malfoy, who had lost Pansy somewhere on the dance floor.

“Fetching your girlfriend Potter? Lost your dance partner already?” taunted Malfoy with a smug look on his face.

“Clear off Malfoy, I'm not in the mood.” said Harry in a slow and deep down.

“What's the matter Potter? Got to fancying that mudblood already?”

“I said clear off!”

And with that, Harry shoved Malfoy out of the way and continued on walking. Malfoy simply sniggered behind him. Harry simply ignored the filthy little git. Finally, Harry got to the crowd that was so enamored with Viktor Krum. Without saying a word, Harry grabbed Hermione's wrist and pulled her off with him. Harry heard Krum try to quickly spit out a word after her, but his voice was drowned out by the fan girls who started to swarm him now that their competition was now gone.

“What is it Harry?” asked Hermione.

“Dance with me.” said Harry as he started to take her hand and assume a dancing position with her.

“Eh-okay.” she replied, clearly a bit confused.

As a slower song started, Harry took the lead and began to dance as Hermione eyed him questioningly. After a few seconds well into the song, Harry started to speak.

“I just wanted to talk with you. We've not said much lately besides how to perform the Summoning Charm properly among other academically oriented subjects.” he said.

“Oh…well can't blame anything really, that Horntail would have had you and your Firebolt for supper if it weren't for that charm.”

“Perhaps,” replied Harry, “I just wanted to thank you for all your help. You helped me with the first task and believed in me even when Ron wouldn't. I really appreciate it. I just wanted you to know.”

Hermione blushed a bit, as she was not particularly adept at taking compliments from anybody, let alone her best friend. Harry looked up to see Krum making him way toward them through the crowd, before looking back at Hermione.

“I'd better let you go, Viktor might hang me from the top of the ceiling rafters for stealing you like that.” Harry pointed out.

Hermione simply nodded and backed off in order to go to Krum. But before he could get to her Harry called out to her once more, wanting to give her one last compliment that was probably overdue.

“Oh and Hermione?”

“Yes, Harry?”

“You look absolutely fabulous tonight.”

Hermione simply smiled and looked to Krum as he approached her. As Harry started to back off, he saw Hermione say a few words to Krum before a disappointed look was strewn across his features. With that, Hermione left Krum and walked back over to Harry.

“Harry?” she called.

“Yes?”

“Want to go for a walk? I'm getting a bit tired of dancing.”

“Sure.”

Within minutes, Harry and Hermione were slowly taking a stroll down the large stone halls, talking about the dance in general.

“I don't know what Krum is like, but Parvati is absolutely insufferable. It's like this scar of mine makes me some kind of trophy date or something.” said Harry as he rubbed his scar a slight bit.

Hermione giggled a bit before responding, “Krum's nice, but he's a bit of a troglodyte to be honest. He may be quite good at Quidditch but he doesn't say much, and when he does he can't manage to get my name right. He keeps calling me Hermy-own-ninny.”

Harry laughed at this, not being able to understand how anyone could find such a relatively simple name that difficult.

“Must be a Bulgarian thing.” Harry joked.

Hermione snickered a bit, flashing that wonderful smile of hers in amusement.

Wonderful? Did I just think her smile was wonderful? Well I suppose it is, she is very pretty after all, even if she is my best friend.

“All his fans seem to think he's the best thing since Chocolate Frogs. I couldn't understand why they seemed to loathe me though.”

“Well it's because they didn't like the competition, Hermione.”

“Competition? Krum could have had his pick of any of those prissy little fangirls, I'm not even really pretty.”

“T-that's not true Hermione. I think you're very pretty.”

“Oh Harry, you're as bad as Ron sometimes.”

It was at that point that Harry realized something that was wonderful and scary all the same, he felt slightly drawn to Hermione.

Where did THAT come from? This is Hermione we're talking about. Genius bookworm of the century! Why do I suddenly feel a little…attracted to her? Oh boy…what a mess. I don't…LIKE her do I? Of course I don't! It's Hermione! But how do I know? I've only noticed these weird reactions for the last five minutes. It must be Cho. I've got so much worked up tension that I'm taking it out on Hermione. That must be it; all these feelings I've harbored for Cho are trying to find an outlet. I guess I need to release all the tension somehow. But how do I know? I guess there's only one way to know…

“Harry? Is something wrong?” asked Hermione.

“Er-sorta-not really. Oh forget it. Hermione, did you feel angry when you saw that article that Rita Skeeter wrote?”

“Ugh, don't remind me of that woman. She's the foulest witch I've ever had the displeasure of meeting.”

“I know-but did you feel offended when she wrote that article about us?”

Hermione's demeanor changed a bit, turning from disgusted to slightly suspicious.

“You're not letting her get to you are you Harry? That woman likes to fabricate things. Even Krum thinks there's something going on between us; not even he understands that we're just friends. Skeeter's article was completely unsubstantiated. I don't harbor those kinds of feelings for anyone and you certainly don't harbor them for me.”

“Well you don't know that…”

What did I just say?

“Know what?” said Hermione somewhat tentatively.

Oh hell, just get it out of your system so you don't feel so icky anymore.

“If I harbor those kinds of feelings…”

Great, there's no turning back now so I better get this resolved quickly.

Hermione eyed him with a somewhat concerned look, now fearing what to say. Thus, she said the only thing she could.

“Well….d-do you?”

“I don't know really. I never really thought about it. You and I are best friends and that's how my world has always worked. I never even bothered to question it or ponder it any other way.”

“…well now that you think about it-“

“What do I think? I can't be sure. I can't say I feel anything, what about you?”

“E-eh..I suppose it's the same. I'm pretty indifferent myself. I suppose there's one way to find out…”

Where is this going?

“What are you suggesting Hermione?”

“Oh blast it all Harry, look at what that Skeeter woman's done to you! Well…I-I suppose you could…you know…kiss me.”

Suddenly Harry's eyes widened at what he'd just heard.

What?! Kiss HERMIONE! That's absolutely preposterous! This is HERMIONE we're talking about! She's my friend!

Hermione continued,

“I-if we kissed, we'd know if something was there. If not, then you've let that Skeeter woman get to your head.”

“Are…are you serious?”

“Well if you want to stop wondering and get some closure I suggest you pucker up!” said Hermione in her usual bossy tone.

“O-okay…” Harry managed to get out.

Harry couldn't believe what he was about to do. He was about to kiss HERMIONE GRANGER! He DEFINITELY wasn't going to be reading any more Rita Skeeter articles after this. Turning to her as she turned to him, Harry gulped as he took a slow step forward and looked her in the eyes, absolutely terrified to let this go on any further than it already had. There wasn't any turning back now, and he had to know for sure if he wasn't just exaggerating all of this. Hermione was ready, closing her eyes and preparing for a kiss, though she clearly was just as frightened as he was. Her lips trembled as Harry advanced at an almost sloth-like pace.

Just do it. I HAVE to do it. I got myself into this mess; I'd better just get it over with. It's only Hermione…damn that's just the problem. It's HERMIONE. I don't know if I can do this.

All of these thoughts flashed through Harry's mind quickly as his lips were a mere hair away from hers. Harry had no choice but to go through with it now, and he finally closed the final gap between their faces and their lips touched. For a second or two, neither of them moved. They were like two statues standing in the middle of the hall. But then, just four seconds into the kiss, Harry started to feel a wave of something. He didn't know what it was, but something powerful started to come over him, and he gave into its awesome push.

SNAP!

There it was. Harry felt sparks, and apparently, so did Hermione.

Before he even knew what he was doing, Harry started to move his lips, slightly opening his mouth before kissing her again oh so very slightly. She followed suit, opening her own mouth as she kissed him back….she kissed him back. At that point, Harry felt himself kissing her again and again. It was only a few short seconds before their tongues got involved a bit. Harry's tongue gently darted into Hermione's mouth just a short distance as hers did the same to him. As he took in her scent, he couldn't help but notice how soft and tender her lips were. As his senses sent him into an emotional whirlwind, his mind slowly started to wrap itself around what was happening at that moment as he gently and oh so very slowly made out with her. He couldn't believe what was happening.

Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. I'm making out with Hermione Granger. I'm KISSING Hermione! And I'm liking it! And she's kissing me back! Oh my God, I'm kissing Hermione and I'm LIKING IT.

Harry no longer had any control over himself, and he just kept on kissing her for what seemed like hours but was really only a minute or two. Before the kiss could deepen any more than it already had, Harry and Hermione quickly jerked their heads back away from each other as Hermione let out a loud gasp in shock at what was happening. Hermione's eyes were wide with surprise as were Harry's. Just then, Hermione started to back away somewhat clumsily.

“Oh my. Oh my. Oh my-what was that?” she said frantically.

“I don't know,” said Harry, sounding as if he were out of breath, “but I did like it.”

“Y-yeah. M-me t-too-oh my God. I-I have to go. I-I'm sorry I have to go!” said Hermione as she turned around and walked away hastily toward who knows where.

Harry himself couldn't quite understand what had just happened. All he knew is that somewhere between having an innocent conversation with Hermione and Hermione storming off, he had been kissing Hermione passionately. And the scary part was…he meant it. Suddenly, Harry was having a true moment of clarity. Everything made sense all of a sudden. Suddenly the Triwizard Tournament, homework, and all the daily dramas of life at Hogwarts seemed so trivial. The universe had order to it. Harry's crush on Cho Chang melted as the snow on a furnace before evaporating into nothingness. What did this mean? Was Harry harboring secret feelings for Hermione all this time and didn't know about them until they came out in full force just moments ago? Wow, this was a lot to think about. Just as quickly as that moment of clarity came, it disappeared as if it had never existed. Things were in disarray again, and he was more confused than ever. There was only one thing to do.

Write to Sirius…

Harry hadn't seen Hermione for the rest of the night. He didn't know where she went, but he was glad she wasn't here. He wasn't sure he'd be able to face her after that kiss. Going down to the Owlery, Harry took out a piece of parchment and set his quill down upon it.

“Dear Sirius,

I'm really in for a loop right now. I've got so many things to be dealing with that I can't seem to figure out what to do first. There's the second task I have to be worrying about, there's whoever's trying to do me in by putting my name in the goblet, and then there's someone else. There's a girl I know that I think I might have feelings for. I didn't think about it before, but now I don't know where we stand on our friendship. I don't know what to do. Of all the things I'm worried about, THIS has me the most concerned. Please tell me what to do.

Harry”

And with a quick gesture for Hedwig to come down, he tied the note to her leg and sent her off.

If that night was bad, the next day wasn't any better. Hermione refused to acknowledge his existence the very next day. She carried a perpetual blush the entire day whenever they were in class together, and she didn't appear at breakfast, lunch or supper. She must have been hiding in the library. Ron was very dubious the entire day, questioning what was going on and what had Hermione so upset. Harry had insisted that it was nothing, and so Ron's only response was to call her “mental”. Harry wanted so much to talk to Hermione and get this sorted out, but he knew that at least he wasn't ready for that yet. Not until he had heard from Sirius. That night, Harry was sitting in the common room, waiting for Hedwig to return. Hermione had long since hidden herself away in the girls' dorm, and so he didn't have to worry about her passing him by and being forced to confront her about what had happened. Suddenly, to Harry's dismay, Hedwig returned hooting quite loudly. However, she did not have a letter tied to her leg.

“Where is it? No letter?” asked Harry.

Hedwig simply jerked her head up and down while hooting, indicating that the answer was yes. Midnight soon approached, Harry had dozed off in the common room waiting for word from Sirius. Had he been caught or attacked? Harry hoped not. Just then, his slumber was interrupted as the common room fire flared up with a loud whoosh and Sirius' head appeared in the fire. Leaping from his chair and sitting in front of the fireplace, Harry quickly became excited to see him.

“Sirius!” he exclaimed.

“Listen Harry, I'm taking a risk talking to you like this, but I want this sorted out. What's this business about a girl you're worried about?”

“I-err.”

“Speak up.”

“This girl was a good friend of mine one second, and now she won't even talk to me.”

“So what exactly did you do to Hermione?”

Harry's jaw dropped at this. How had Sirius known? Was it that obvious who he was talking about?

“I'm not a fool Harry. Believe me, I'm well versed in the ways of talking in code in order to avoid spilling the goods on a girl. I was a boy once myself you know.” Sirius said with a slight look of satisfaction on his face.

“Well, this girl-I mean…Hermione…we…”

Harry just couldn't say it. That would make it too real. But of course he had to if Sirius was going to take the time to talk to him about it. After all, he was the one who contacted Sirius first.

“You and Hermione what?” inquired Sirius.

“We…eh…had an encounter.”

Sirius raised his eyebrow at this, clearly curious as to find out more though slightly surprised that this had happened with Hermione of all people.

“Go on.”

“Last night, at the Yule Ball…I don't even know how it happened myself. It was like the most perfect moment, and then all day today she-“

“Wanted to pretend that it never happened?” said Sirius with a smirk.

Harry didn't know how to respond, Sirius just seemed to understand all too well. In that moment, he was glad to have him for a godfather.

“Harry…look, none of us will ever truly understand the fairer sex. I can't pretend I have all the answers. But I can tell you this: Hermione has been one of your best friends for years, but more than that she's a girl. It's not going to be the same with her as it is with Ron,” Sirius sighed, “If there is one thing I do know about Hermione it's that she's an intelligent and well spoken young lady. Go talk to her about what it is that you're feeling. She's a smart girl, she'll understand that if anything. That's really the best I can tell you Harry.”

Harry didn't know what to say, and he just looked down at the floor taking all of this in.

“Talk to her Harry. Better yet, write her a letter. Hermione's not in control of her emotions the same way that she is with her studies. I don't think either of you could bear to face each other just yet. Write her a letter and tell her everything. You may not like the result, but it'll sort things out. I know you'll do good Harry. I've got to be going now; I've been using the Floo Network too long. Goodnight Harry.”

Before Harry had a chance to respond, the fire flared up and engulfed Sirius' head. When the flame died down, Sirius was gone. Unable to do anything else, Harry stood up and walked over to one of the tables in the common room. The best thing to do right now was to sleep, and so he did. Sleeping didn't seem to be much better than being awake though, as he dreamed of the kiss he had with Hermione over and over again. By the next morning, Harry knew what he had to do. After getting dressed and going down to the Great Hall, Harry was not at all surprised that he didn't find Hermione there. She had obviously snuck in to get to food to take with her to the library.

“Ron, do you think I could borrow a quill and some parchment?” Harry asked.

“Sure.” Ron said plainly as he reached into his robes and took out a large piece of parchment and a used quill.

After taking them, Harry set the parchment down and held the quill to the paper, a drop of ink falling onto it as he tried to think of how he was to put was he was feeling into words. At that moment, Ron moved his head up a bit and tried to look at the parchment to see if he had written anything. Harry instantly noticed Ron's nosiness, and was quick to respond.

“Do you mind?” Harry snapped.

Ron then held his hands up as if to say “Fine” but instead simply picked up his spoon and started on some cereal. Harry then heard Ron muttering something about writing to Sirius. Ron would have been right, only Harry had already spoken to Sirius the night before. After thinking for what must have been a good ten minutes, the words finally came to Harry like lightning and he started writing as the words came faster than he could jot them down. It was his second moment of clarity. Suddenly everything seemed so clear again. It started out as a little, but it wasn't long before Harry found himself writing more and more.

“Dear Hermione,

The other night was very important to me. You don't have to avoid me if you don't feel the same way, but I wanted you to know that when I kissed you, I did feel something. It wasn't Rita Skeeter that brought this out, I had already felt this way before all of this,
I just didn't realize it until that kiss. I'm sorry I scared you. You know I'd never do anything to hurt you, but I had to know for myself if these feelings were real or just the manifestation of a poorly written article. I'm more than willing to be friends if that's all you have to give. But I just want you to know no matter what, I'll always love you even if it's just as a friend if that's how you'll have me.

So this is all I can say: when I kissed you, I meant every second of it. If you felt something too, then please meet me in the common room tonight during supper when everyone else is in the Great Hall.

Love

Harry”

As soon as he was finished writing the letter, he tossed the quill to Ron with a quick “thanks” and ran off to the Owlery. He needed to get this sent before classes started. Calling Hedwig down and attaching the note to her leg, he quickly uttered special instructions.

“Give this to Hermione, but wait until supper. Give it to her as soon as she's in the Great Hall.”

Hedwig gave an approving hoot and flew back to the rafters to do whatever it is she wished to do in her free time. The rest of the day, Harry's stomach boiled in anxious nervousness. How was Hermione going to respond? Was she going to come at all? Did he just ruin their friendship forever? It was just one kiss, one very important kiss nevertheless, but he never expected things to happen this way. To think that he fancied Cho quite a bit and now she wasn't even an afterthought in his mind. When supper finally came that night, Harry waited in great fear and anticipation. If Hermione didn't show up, his heart would sink. If she did though, he had no idea what he was going to do or say. Getting her here was the first problem, what to do after that was anyone's guess. But for now, he'd just wait it out and see if she'd actually turn up.

Harry waited for the better part of a half an hour before his heart started to swell with disappointment, but before he got up from the couch to leave, he heard the Fat Lady picture swing open a girl come walking through the door just after.

It was Hermione.

Harry felt his heart do a somersault as he watched her enter with the letter in her hand. Harry then stood up from the couch and looked at her, not knowing what to say.

Okay…I got her here, now what?

Neither one of them spoke, as they both seemed to glance at the floor an awful lot before they both finally spoke at the same time.

“Hi…”

“Hi…”

“So…”

“I thought your letter was really beautiful.” said Hermione, looking sorrowful and bashful all the same.

“I had a lot of inspiration from a certain godfather of mine.” said Harry as he forced a smirk.

“I'm sorry that I've been so confused about the two of us. It's just that…I'm frightened about all this.”

“Me too…” Harry said truthfully.

“You've got so many burdens on you as it is without me avoiding you.” Hermione said looking both concerned and frightened.

“I know…” Harry paused. “I just don't want what I feel for you to be among them.”

“I don't either…” said Hermione, as a determined look formed in her eyes.

That was all that Harry needed to hear, and it was then that he slowly stepped toward her as she dropped the letter to the floor. Now finally right in front of her, Harry gazed into those eyes that he knew all too well. Only now they said something else, they now represented longing. No more words needed to be said, and without any more delay, Harry slowly and gently moved his lips onto hers as they kissed…for the second time. As their lips met, Harry felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off him. All those feelings he had been keeping bottled up inside him were now being let lose. Both Harry and Hermione opened their mouths and kissed once more, and then they did the same only deeper, and again even deeper, and soon they were in a full blown passionate kiss. It was by far the happiest Harry had ever felt in his life. If only he could conjure a Patronus now, it would have been the size of Hogwarts itself. Nothing else compared to the huge rush of happiness that he felt now. Riding his Firebolt for the first time, seeing his parents in the Mirror of Erised…none these things even approached this moment. He was expressing himself to the one he knew he was in love with, and that person was none other than Hermione. Harry had been looking for a girl that he could make happy and could make him happy, but that person had been right under his nose all along. And to think, it all happened because of one inaccurate article that could now be counted as fact.

After their kiss had ended, Harry looked at Hermione and smiled, and she smiled right back at him. Her face changed from a smile to a look of tender loving care as she slowly began to run her fingers through his hair. Harry did the same, slowly stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers. Stepping back a bit, while Hermione went with him, Harry sat on the couch and Hermione sat down right next to him. They both leaned back on the couch, turned toward one another as they slowly stroked one another's faces with their hands. Their eyes said everything that needed to be said, as they sat there in that tender moment, just appreciating everything about each other. Hermione would have never thought that the boy she had read about in books would become her best friend, let alone her boyfriend. And Harry just the same would have never thought that a girl that had been one of his best friends for four years would become his girlfriend. Girlfriend…that sounded so trivial that it couldn't begin to describe the relationship he had with her now. “Girlfriend” was just a mockery that was going to describe their relationship together for lack of a better term. The two were almost close to falling asleep, but they knew that any minute now, Gryffindor's from the Great Hall were going to be pouring into the common room en masse and would see them. Harry wasn't ashamed, but he didn't feel like explaining anything to anyone either. As if they knew what one another was thinking, both of them stood up and Harry followed Hermione to the bottom of the stairs that led them to the girls' dormitories. Hermione then began to walk up the steps very slowly, holding Harry's hand with one of her own while the two gazed into each other's eyes. Harry stayed put, and as Hermione got farther away their arms were soon outstretched as far as they could comfortably go. And with a smile, Hermione finally let go and walked up to the dorms to go to bed.

Suddenly Harry felt like he had been spinning around in circles for days, as dizziness overtook him. He walked over to the couch and slumped down. He was so happy now at what had happened. This was going to change everything, but for the better. Maybe now things weren't going to be so bad.

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A/N: The people have spoken. I've gotten such positive reviews and people asking for a continuation that I will honor my promise to go on if the readers want it. Well, apparently you guys like it enough to ask for a continuation, so expect another chapter!

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A/N: Well, here it is: part 2. I really appreciate the great reviews and I wasn't expecting there to be a demand for me to continue the story. In an attempt to please you all, I started working on this chapter almost immediately after I agreed to continue the story. Well without further ado, here you go. I hope you enjoy it.

A/N 2: Oh yes I also raised the rating to PG-13, though it'll probably be raised again in the next chapter or later.

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All night, Harry could not help but dream about the kiss he shared with Hermione only hours earlier; his subconscious pleasantly forcing him to relive every moment just the way it had happened. This was one of the few nights where Harry had actually gotten a decent sleep. But then suddenly, his wonderful dreams were interrupted when a hand started to tug and shake him from his sleep. Harry groaned rather grumpily as he returned to the conscious world, only to see a dark figure looming above him. It was still night time, but Harry could see who it was clearly even without his glasses.

“Seamus? What time is it?” muttered Harry in a groggy voice.

“Dunno. Reckon it's about three or four in the morning.” Seamus said with excitement.

“Four in the morning?!” Harry exclaimed before Seamus promptly “shushed” him.

“What are you playing at?” Harry whispered aggressively.

Seamus just smiled mischievously. Fred and George had mastered that look, and if Seamus was making that face, then something was up. Just then, Seamus held up a familiar piece of parchment in front of Harry's. It was the letter he had written to Hermione.

Bugger! Hermione left it in the Common Room!

“Give me that!” Harry demanded as he tried to snatch it away.

Seamus of course simply held the parchment over his own head, his mouth contorted with a grin of utmost glee.

“So that article was right after all wasn't it? Why'd you tell everyone it wasn't true? No one would have minded if you were dating Hermione, though it's an unusual pick for you. I always thought you'd be smitten with one of the other girls. Then again you're always with her and Ron, so I reckon it makes sense. ” Seamus inquired rather smugly.

Harry figured there was no point in lying, since Seamus Finnigan had the proof in his hand, so he answered truthfully.

“I wasn't lying about the article. It wasn't true, at least then it wasn't. It kind of just happened during dinner. Seamus, you can't tell anyone about this! I don't want the whole school making a fuss over it. I'm not ready for everyone to know yet.” Harry implored.

“Well I think it's a bit late for that.” Seamus replied as Harry felt like a stone dropped down his throat as he gulped.

“Oh no…”

“No need to panic. Only Fred and George know. They were the ones that found it and showed it to me. But I don't think they'll be telling anyone, at least not at the moment. But just for the record Harry, I don't think it's a good idea to be leaving love letters lying around.” Seamus reassured him.

“Thank god…” Harry said breathlessly with relief. But just then he remembered the person he really didn't want to know: Ron.

“Does Ron know?”

“I already told you Harry, only Fred, George, and myself know about it. But enough about that, what happened?! Was it good? Did you snog? How was she? Is she a good kisser?” Seamus questioned at the speed of light.

“That's not your business Seamus!”

“Oh so I guess she was a bad kisser then?”

“No! Er - listen, she's not a bad kisser. But that doesn't matter right now. Seamus, promise me you won't tell anyone!”

“Hush up now before you wake up everyone you're trying to hide it from! Don't worry about it, I'm not going to tell anyone.” Seamus said dismissively.

At that, Seamus left Harry's bedside sniggering as he went to his own bed. Seamus left the letter with Harry, who quickly crumpled up the letter and tossed it under his bed. Harry spent the better part of an hour terrified that Fred and George might say something. They'd do just about anything for a good laugh he figured, but would they go and tell everyone his business? Fred and George were pranksters, but they never hassled their own friends. They played practical jokes; they did not spread around gossip. With that thought, Harry felt reassured and allowed himself to go back to sleep.

The next morning, Harry woke up with no recollection of the night before until he put his glasses on. It was then that he realized that everything had been real, that he and Hermione really were an item…and that three other people knew about it. His fear of people starting to find out not withstanding, Harry wanted to see Hermione. Suddenly, thinking of her started to put things into perspective. Harry then got dressed like a ten year old on Christmas morning, before hurrying down to the Common Room to see Hermione there waiting for him. Some other Gryffindors were still loitering around, while some had already gone down to the Great Hall. Harry could not help but smile when he saw Hermione, who was already beaming at him. Without a word, Harry walked down the steps as some boys hurried down past him from the dorms and walked straight up to Hermione. Without a word, Hermione took his hand, fingers interlaced, and walked with him down toward the Great Hall. Harry was a bit worried that others would notice, but they walked close enough so that their hands were somewhat concealed by their loose robes. They walked leisurely toward the Great Hall as everyone else sped ahead of them. But as they were just one hall away from it, Fred and George came out of nowhere eyeing Harry and Hermione with looks of glee. Hermione's eyes went wide and she quickly let go of Harry's hand and took a step away from him.

“Well now, you two wouldn't be hiding anything from us now would you?” said Fred.

Seeing it pointless to maintain the charade in front of these two, Harry leaned over and quietly spoke to Hermione,

“They know.”

Hermione's eyes then got even wider with shock and she looked at Harry with a concerned look.

“You didn't - “

“No I didn't tell them. They found my letter in the Common Room.” Harry cut her off.

Hermione's cheeks then turned almost as red as a Weasely's hair when she realized that she had been the one who had left the letter there.

“Well now that that's settled, Fred and I have a proposition for you Hermione!” George started, as they began to finish each other's sentences.

“Me and George have decided that as dearest friends, we should dedicate some of our talents to helping out Hogwart's newest couple!”

“We think it's vital to the proper development of a mature and intimate relationship - “

“And could serve to provide you with many nights of friendly fun!”

“It'll take us a short time to make them, and we hear that Muggles use similar devices!”

“It'll be fun for you Hermione, and good for you too Harry!”

“Me and Fred reckon you're old enough to start using them anyway.”

“And what's that exactly?” Hermione asked the twins with a dubious expression.

“Chocolate Flavored Panties!” exclaimed the twins in unison.

Harry's eyes shot wide with surprise, and he felt his cheeks warm up as he felt extremely embarrassed.

“It's not like that!” Harry asserted, before noticing that Hermione looked somewhat disappointed.

Knowing that didn't come out right, Harry quickly corrected himself.

“Eh - not that I don't want it to be…” Harry added sheepishly.

Fred and George merely smirked, before heading off toward the Great Hall. But before they disappeared from sight, Fred turned around.

“You know how to find us when you change your mind!” Fred said before scrambling off with his twin.

Feeling a bit awkward, Hermione blushed even more before walking to breakfast with Harry. Ron was already there, wolfing down some Honey flavored gruel.

“Bout time you two turned up! I almost thought you were going to skip breakfast.”

“Um, everyone's favorite twins held us up.” Harry responded.

“Join the club.” Ron replied.

Trying to pretend that everything was normal, Hermione and Harry tried to remain focused on their food, though they couldn't help but look at each other every now and then. Apparently Ron was noticing, because he had a perplexed expression every they did it. Halfway into breakfast, owls came fluttering into deliver mail. As Hedwig dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet, Harry couldn't help but notice an article titled Dumbledore's Giant Mistake. Harry, Hermione, and Ron all read on with horror as Rita Skeeter had written an expose` discussing Hagrid being a half giant.

“This is terrible!” said Hermione.

“Great, now everyone's going to start making a fuss about Hagrid teaching their children and try to get him sacked!” Ron added.

“Dumbledore wouldn't sack Hagrid.” Harry asserted.

That day, they had found that Professor Grubby-Plank was standing in for Hagrid, who confined himself to his hut and wouldn't speak to anyone. Malfoy and his cronies were thrilled of course, but Harry was absolutely furious. Later that day at lunch, Harry approached Hermione right after Potions.

“Hermione…I need to talk to you.” Harry said.

“What about?” she asked, slightly smiling at him.

“It's about Ron. I think we need to tell him about us. We've been keeping it from him all day, and the more we hide it from him the worse it'll be when he finds out.”

Harry was a bit concerned, as he didn't talk to Harry for ages when he got into the Triwizard Tournaments, and this might be a tad bit too much. But either way, he had to tell him. Hermione's expression quickly went serious as she started to speak.

“Don't worry about it Harry. I know you're worried that he'll be angry, but he'll be fine. I'll tell him.”

With that, Hermione leaned forward and gave Harry his first kiss of the day before turning around to see Snape eyeing them dangerously.

“Ten points from Gryffindor Ms.Granger. You will not flaunt your sexual urges about Hogwarts, especially outside of my classroom.” Snape said coldly before walking off as his black cloak swayed behind him.

To make matters worse, Ron had been standing right behind Snape and had witnessed their kiss. Ron looked furious, and then quickly stormed off toward the library.

“Ron!” Harry called after him, but Ron did not answer or even stop walking.

“Harry, go to lunch. I'll go speak to him.” Hermione quickly said before clutching Harry's hand and then going after Ron.

While Harry waited in the Great Hall, his appetite had left him as he hoped Hermione could get through to Ron. After about ten minutes, Hermione came back and sat down next to Harry, clearly a bit upset.

“What happened?” Harry asked.

“Ron doesn't want to talk to me. He says what we do is our business and so he doesn't need to hear excuses.” Hermione replied sadly.

“I'll talk to him. I'm tired of this…” Harry said before quickly leaving the table and heading to the library.

When he got there, Ron was sitting up against one of the windows with his arms crossed.

“Ron, what's your problem? We just made up and now you're acting like this again!” Harry said aggressively.

“I don't care what you and Hermione do Harry. Go on and get married for all I care, I want to be left alone right now.” Ron replied lazily.

“No Ron, we're going to talk about this. Listen, me and Hermione got together just last night. We were about to tell you at lunch.”

“That went well didn't it? I guess you did tell me about it with that lovely little lip lock outside of Snape's class. Look, I don't wanna talk about this anymore.” Ron said before getting up and brushing past Harry without looking at him.

“Ron!” Harry yelled, causing Ron to stop dead in his tracks and give Harry a non-descript look.

“What is your problem with this? I thought you'd be happy! Why are you so against me and Hermione being together?” Harry exclaimed.

Ron simply sighed, taking a slight gulp of irritation as his eyes appeared somewhat bloodshot. His eyes even seemed a little glossed, as if he were about to weep or something.

“I like Hermione…I liked Hermione a lot Harry. But as always, you've beaten me to it. Whatever, I'm used to this. I don't care anymore. Just make Hermione happy, since I clearly won't be.” Ron said quietly before leaving the library.

“Great…” Harry said in exasperation.

Ron didn't speak to Harry at all that day. He didn't seem angry, just disinterested. In Divination he simply laid back in general boredom without muttering a sound. Hermione's logic was that Ron just needed some time to come to terms with it, but that he'd come around. Harry was aware of this, but he didn't like not having his best friend around. Of all people, Harry wanted Ron to approve of this the most. Meanwhile, the rest of the school still didn't know about Harry and Hermione's relationship. Regardless of how long it took Ron to come around, Harry wasn't going to let anyone interfere with his relationship, and he found himself thinking about the fact that the most affection he had gotten from Hermione that day was one kiss and a lot of hand holding. Although day one of their relationship was somewhat spoiled, he was going to spend as much time as he could with her for the rest of the evening. During dinner that night, Harry and Hermione just so happened to not have an appetite…an appetite for food that is. The Harry was on top of Hermione on one of the Common Room couches kissing her passionately. He had worked up a lot of tension that day not being able to express his affection for Hermione, so they had taken this opportunity. As they kissed, Harry started to let his hands wander, cupping her face and running through her hair as Hermione rubbed his back and held the back of his head. Getting a little more bold, Harry decided to do something he'd never thought he'd ever do with anyone let alone Hermione: he slowly moved his right hand down to feel the outside of Hermione's thigh, having slipped his hand under her school skirt.

“Harry!” Hermione whispered in surprise.

“I- I'm sorry Hermione.” Harry said weakly.

“No, it's alright. I liked it. I've just…never had anyone do that to me before, especially you Harry. I still haven't gotten used to the fact that we're together. We've been friends for so long, and now…you're lying right on top of me…” Hermione said with a blush.

Harry couldn't help but smile, as Hermione ran her hand over his forehead, grazing his scar with the tips of her fingers as she gazed into his green emeralds.

“I've never told you this before Harry, but you've got beautiful eyes.”

“I don't know where to start about you Hermione.”

Hermione had nothing to say to this, and tilted her head up in order for her lips to meet Harry's again. As it was with Hermione, Harry hadn't gotten used to this either. Awkward as it was to be kissing his best friend for four years, it felt damn good. It felt right. After they broke the kiss, Harry spoke again.

“Come with me to Hogsmeade this weekend. Just the two of us.” he said.

“Haven't you gotten to be working on that egg riddle?” Hermione replied.

“Er - well…I've almost gotten it figured out.” Harry lied.

“Sorry Harry, but I won't to Hogsmeade with you until you finish with the golden egg. I can't have you failing the second task because of me.” Hermione said with authority.

Grinning almost mischievously, Harry quickly came up with what he thought was a genius idea.

“I'll finish the golden egg clue…but only if you'll help me...” Harry replied.

Hermione wasn't a supporter of cheating, but since Cedric had already helped Harry and vice versa, she decided to do it.

“Okay…” Hermione replied.

A huge smile forming on his lips, Harry went on to continue kissing Hermione. Little did Hermione know that Harry was going to need to use a bathtub to sort the riddle out…

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A/N: Bet you never thought you'd get part 3 so soon now did you? If you think I was teasing you with the last chapter, you might think the same thing with this offering. This is somewhat of a short chapter, as it is focused exclusively on Harry and Hermione, but the other characters will have their moment in the limelight soon enough. I hope you all enjoy.

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After one more sweet kiss, Harry had gotten off Hermione and sat next to her as she got up in turn. Working up the courage to go through his little scheme, Harry began slowly,

“Well er - the second task barely a week away. We should get started on the egg clue right now, while everyone's out.”

“Now? Um, I was planning on studying for a bit. How long will this take?” Hermione asked.

“You might have to skip studying tonight because we can't come back until everyone's asleep.” Harry responded tentatively.

“What do you mean? Are we going somewhere?”

“Well, Cedric gave me a bit of hint to use the Prefect's Bathroom.”

Hermione eyed him suspiciously; not knowing why they needed to go to a bathroom to do this. Sensing what Hermione was probably thinking, Harry quickly started again.

“The egg opens…and it's quite loud. We can't exactly do that with everyone sleeping just upstairs.” Harry added.

Silently agreeing, Hermione crossed her arms as Harry quickly ran to the boys' dorm to get both the golden egg and his Invisibility Cloak. Putting it over the two of them, Harry led them to the Prefect's bathroom and locked the door behind them with a satisfying click. The bathroom was rather gorgeous to say the least. Illuminated by a candle-filled chandelier, the entire bathroom was made out of white marble. In the middle of the bathroom, a large rectangular tub that was also made of white marble lay sunken into the floor. It was rather large for a tub, with nearly a hundred golden faucets standing around the tub's edges. Each one had a differently colored jewel embedded in the handle. The tub itself was so large that there was a small diving board on it. There were many other regal decorations of this bathroom, but Harry couldn't help but try to figure out what a bath had to do with this clue.

“So what now?” Hermione asked.

Harry almost went ice cold when he realized what he had to say. One of two things would happen: either Hermione would be furious with him, or she would go along with it. Regardless of how it would play out, he had to try.

“Erm, Cedric said that in order to figure out the egg…youhavetotakeabath.” Harry rushed.

Even though Harry had spoken quite quickly, Hermione knew exactly what he had said.

“Harry!” Hermione yelled fiercely.

It was time for damage control, and Harry didn't waste a moment.

“I promise I won't look at you…” said Harry.

Hermione eyed him for a moment, apparently having a dozen thoughts running through her mind at once, before she finally made up her mind.

“Fine…turn around.” Hermione ordered.

Harry was quick to oblige, turning around to see a picture of a mermaid sleeping on the wall. Hermione had obviously grabbed one of the fluffy white towels that were all sitting in a corner, and Harry couldn't help but gulp as he heard Hermione disrobing.

“Okay, I'm done.” Hermione said quietly.

When Harry turned around, he saw Hermione standing there wrapped in one of the white towels. She looked amazing. The towels was wrapped tightly enough that Harry could clearly notice the figure she had gained over the last summer. She went straight down before, but now her petite, womanly development could not be ignored.

“Harry, you're staring.” Hermione pointed out.

“Oh. Um, sorry.” Harry uttered sheepishly as he walked past her and took one of the towels.

As he began to undress, Hermione had kept her back to him and began to fill the tub. Luckily enough, it was a bubble bath. A thick barricade of foam would hide what neither of them wanted seen at the moment.

“Alright Harry, turn around. I'm getting in.” said Hermione.

In a moment, Harry had turned around only to hear her towel drop and the water ripple in disturbance. Hermione then turned around herself, careful to keep herself well hidden under the foam covered water. Harry removed his towel and set it aside the tub before taking the egg and getting in. It was almost comical, as both Harry and Hermione blushed profusely when they finally turned to face each other. Hermione was almost completely submerged; with nothing visible save for everything above her collar bones. The same could be said of Harry, as he didn't want Hermione to see his bare chest. Harry knew he was skinny, regardless of the fact that he was toned for his frame and by no means scrawny. The two were careful to maintain a healthy distance from each other, not wanting anything funny coming into contact.

“So er, what do we do with the egg?” Hermione asked, excited and embarrassed at the same time to be sharing a bath with Harry.

“Um…” Harry muttered as he racked his brain trying to figure out what to do.

“I'd try putting in the water if I were you.” said a familiar voice.

Harry almost jumped out of the water in alarm, but restrained himself given who would have seen him. It was Moaning Myrtle, who was sitting atop one of the taps.

“Myrtle!” Harry croaked, “We're - we're not wearing anything!”

“I had my eyes closed when you two got in, though I couldn't help but wonder what the two of you would be doing in a bath together.” she replied.

Harry and Hermione said nothing, merely glancing at each other with a light blush.

“Myrtle, we appreciate you coming to visit us. But um, do you think you could excuse us until we're done?” Hermione asked as politely as she could.

“Have at it then. I wouldn't want anyone else to catch me bathing with a boy if I was in your place.” Myrtle said rather slyly. As she floated away, Myrtle turned her head to say one last thing, “You might want to put you your head under too when you open it.”

As Myrtle disappeared, Harry simply looked at Hermione apprehensively before submerging the egg and opening it. This time, it did not release that horrible wailing noise, but instead a song that neither of them could distinguish came from it. Without needing to say a word, Hermione nodded at Harry and shut her eyes tightly as he did the same before sliding under the water. Once underwater, they could hear the song clearly.

“Come and seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you're searching, ponder this:

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

And to recover what we took,

But past and hour - the prospect's black,

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.”

When Harry and Hermione came back up again, both of them had a bewildered look on their faces, and Hermione's hair was flattened against her skin, the bushiness of her hair unable to withstand the wetness.

“What did that mean?” Harry asked rhetorically.

“It's obvious isn't it?” Hermione stated, “you'll have to find an underwater creature. Probably from the lake since that's the only water around here.”

“Um, I suppose. What kind of creatures live in the lake besides the squid?” Harry asked.

“Well there's all sorts. They're all listed in Hogwarts: A History. But none of them actually speak, besides Merpeople. They sound rather horrid above water, but you can understand them underwater.” Hermione said triumphantly.

“So Merpeople are going to take something I'm going to miss, and I have an hour to find them?” Harry recapped.

Hermione simply nodded, before reaching for her towel. Harry did the same; careful not to look at her or be looked at as he put the egg on the side of the tub and took his towel. Harry was most surprised at what he saw when they both were out of the tub. Without asking Harry not to look, Hermione had turned around and let the towel move aside where she had the two ends wrapped. Harry gawked at her as she dried off slowly, her entire back and most of her legs exposed to him. She really did have a beautiful body in addition to her face, but one would not have thought that since she was always covered in school robes with half a dozen books in her arms. Hermione knew he was looking at her, but she didn't mind. There was something appealing about Harry seeing her nearly naked back. She had never thought of herself as attractive, so to have an effect like this on Harry was a boost to her own self esteem. She had always prided herself on her book smarts and head knowledge, but she never thought that anyone let alone her best friend could ever want her as a girl, and not just a personal search engine. As fun as it was to tease Harry like this, Hermione quickly got him back to his senses by slightly turning her head to him in order to see him through the corner of her peripheral vision. Harry then realized that he was staring, and quickly patted himself dry, hoping that he could stay calm enough as to not awaken any unnecessary appendages so to speak. Once they were dressed, albeit with wet and messy hair, Hermione looked at Harry and approached him.

It was then that Hermione decided to experiment a little, in order to quell her own curiosity and to realize part of her romantic potential as a young woman rather than just a bookworm. Never one to be romantically adept or aggressive, Harry was shocked as Hermione did something she had never done before. Stroking the side of his face with her hand, Hermione leaned into him to taste his lips with her own. As she opened her mouth, granting Harry access to her tongue, she started to kiss him rather differently. This was not just a passionate kiss of affection; this kiss was saying something else. This kiss expressed nothing other than pure unadulterated want. Harry gave into the feeling and sent the same message back to her with his own lips and tongue, before Hermione ended it with a gentle closed-mouth kiss. She then backed away from him and licked her lips as though she was assessing the reaction she got from Harry. Smiling in satisfaction, Hermione backed away and left the Prefect's bathroom. Harry stood there dumbfounded and at a loss for words. In his stupor, Harry could only say one thing:

“Wow…” his voice quivered with a small hint of excitement in it.

Harry never thought that Hermione ever had it in her to tease, let alone know how. But wherever she pulled that little performance from, it was brilliant. Harry's mind was just starting to wrap around the fact that Hermione was truly a warm blooded girl, even if it was often shrouded in books and cleverness as she would have put it. Grabbing his Invisibility Cloak where Hermione was waiting, Harry took the Marauder's Map from his robes and activated it so that he could navigate back to the Common Room, before he noticed a dot representing Bartemius Crouch ran around back and forth inside Snape's office.

“Harry what is it?” Hermione asked.

“Someone's here Hermione. I don't know how, but Barty Crouch is in Snape's office.” Harry answered as he pulled the Invisibility Cloak over the two of them.

Hermione knew before it happened what Harry was clearly going to do: he was going to want to see what Crouch was up to.

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