Four's a Crowd

Author's Note: None of the characters belong to me, but since JKR likes to share, it's okay.

Chapter One

Let's see…the Goblin Revolution took place in fifteen…sixty-three. Hmm, wasn't there a Goblin Revolution in fourteen thirty-nine? How many times did these goblins revolt? No, wait. That was a Manticore Uprising in fourteen thirty-nine. The other Goblin Revolution was in thirteen ninety-four, not fourteen thirty-nine.

Argh!

Well, if there's one thing that I've learned through six-years-and-some-odd-months here at Hogwarts (and apparently Goblin Revolutionary history isn't one of them), is that the Forbidden Forest is less `forbidden' and more `recommended against;' becoming Quidditch captain turns anyone into Oliver Wood; not all Slytherins are evil but they're almost all arses; and saving the wizarding world as we know it isn't enough to get me out of my History of Magic exams.

Yes, that's right. After six long years with Voldemort trying to kill me, I finally defeated him earlier this year.

Though, I suppose technically that's not true, him trying to kill me, that is. Early on, it's not like Voldemort was making a special effort to kill me. Rather, I more or less got in the way. First year, I just happen to be there; second and third years, he was actually off in some forest somewhere eating rats. Fourth and fifth year he did try and kill me, but those were more like afterthoughts, since he needed me for something (my blood or the prophecy). But I'm sure he was getting annoyed with my surprising ability to survive, not to mention that first meeting between us. I can just picture it now:

~*~

“Lucius!”

“Yes Master?”

“I have a plan to rid the world of that Muggle-loving old fool Dumbledore!”

“That's wonderful Master!”

“Crucio!”

“Argh!”

“Mwa-haha!”

“Have I displeased you in some way, Master? Why did you curse me?”

“Why not?”

“Fair enough.”

“Anyways, my plan is brilliant! It shall be like taking candy from a baby!”

“Erm…I hate to interrupt, but you know, last time that didn't work out so well. In fact, the baby kicked your-”

“Shut it! Crucio!”

“Argh!”

~*~

So, anyways, this last time, Voldemort decided to be sneaky about it. Rather than his usual `surprise' attacks that always occurred two to three weeks before the end of term like clockwork, Voldemort decided to do something completely different and attacked with a whole month before final exams. At the final Quidditch match of the season, to be exact.

It was a bloodbath - we kicked Ravenclaw's arse by 400 points and won the Cup! It was a grey, cloudy day, which makes spotting the Snitch really difficult since there's no reflection off of the sun. The match went on for hours until I finally grabbed the Snitch high up above the stadium. Good thing too, because that's when I saw Voldemort and his merry band of Death Eaters coming up the path from Hogsmeade. We had been expecting an attack through our spy, so although we weren't expecting one at that exact moment, we were somewhat prepared. I flew immediately to Dumbledore to warn him, he called the Order, and the battle was on.

And then I did something that would make no one happy except for me: I went off to face Voldemort alone. The Order would say I'm not ready yet; Dumbledore would say that I haven't harnessed the `power I know not' (though, of course, if he would just tell me what that power was, it would have been a lot easier); and Ron and Hermione would be highly upset that I left without them; but as for me, I just wanted the whole thing done and over with. I thought I was as ready as I was ever going to be, and no one, I repeat no one would die because of me again. The year-long intensive training I had gone through all of sixth year paid off, as I dispatched Death Eater after dark creature after Death Eater with relative ease, relying both on my skills and their underestimation of a teenage boy. And then finally, it was me and the big guy himself. I was a little worried that the other Death Eaters might interfere, but I was counting on Voldemort's ego to ensure that it would be mano a snake-o.

I'd like to say it was a duel for the ages, with wands slashing through the air and spells flying faster than the eye could follow. I'd like to say it was a matter of pure skill, that I finally bested him with a combination of ability, luck, agility, and moxie! But, of course, it wasn't like that at all. After the obligatory taunts, he struck me down the way he always does - through that damn scar. I thought Occlumency would protect me, but I was oh so wrong. The pain blinded me, and I fell to my knees with the only thing penetrating the haze of pain being Voldemort's laughter. I knew I was done for, that he would win. I thought about all the people I'd failed - my parents, Sirius, even Cedric. And then I thought about the people I cared about most who would suffer by living - Ron and Hermione.

And then it happened. The pain lessened. In fact, not only did the pain lessen, but it was reversed: Voldemort was now gripping his head in agony. We both looked at each other in astonishment, but I wasn't waiting for Dumbledore to come by and explain everything. Instead, I focused my thoughts on the last thing I was thinking about when the pain stopped. And the harder I thought, the more Voldemort felt the pain. I didn't rise from my knees or even grab my wand; instead, I focused everything I had onto that single thought. I think the Death Eaters tried to interfere at that point, but they were prevented by the Order. All I knew was that I had to concentrate on that single thought until Voldemort was nothing but a pile of goo. And I mean that literally, because for whatever reason, maybe a result of the magics that kept him alive, eventually Voldemort dissolved into a puddle of goop.

I learned a lot that day. That life is precious. That my overconfidence almost got me killed. That I could count on the Order to stand by me. That cleaning up Voldemort was a messy job and took a lot of rags. But most of all, I learned one important thing: I was in love with Hermione.

Hermione was that single thought, the lifeline that kept me alive, that kept the pain away, that defeated Voldemort. Hermione's always been there for me, the first to be at my side. More than just my best friend, she's always supportive, always caring, but not afraid to give me a good telling off. She's been such an integral part of my life that I couldn't imagine living without her.

And don't ask me how I beat Voldemort, but no doubt through my shared connection with him, Voldemort couldn't survive the onslaught of love - apparently that was `power that I know not.' Would have been nice to know beforehand, but whatever.

So now that I had saved the world, it was time for my just rewards, right? You would think so, but then again I am, after all, Harry Potter. My life just isn't that good. As I knelt there, feeling all weak and wonky, I was suddenly enveloped in a hug, and my face was filled with bushy hair. Unfortunately though, it was the bushy hair that could be found in Hagrid's beard. No offense to Hagrid, but given the choice between soft, sweet Hermione and big, sweaty Hagrid, it's not much of a contest.

By then, the moment was gone. I think if Hermione had gotten to me first, I would have proclaimed my love for her right then and there, and we would have ridden off into the sunset, making babies left and right. But instead, Hagrid reached me and took me straight to the Hospital Wing. By the time I did see Hermione my courage had fled. Plus, we never got a moment alone together. The summer months that followed were filled with publicity tours, and when I wasn't in the public spotlight, I was busy moving out of the Dursleys. And since school started, I've been surrounded by well-wishers and fans. In fact, sitting here in the library is the first time since the final battle that I've had a moment to myself.

But, such is life. In the grand scheme of things, I couldn't complain since Voldemort was out of the picture, and I didn't have to dread the end of the school year. My biggest challenge wasn't trying to stay alive, but the History of Magic test tomorrow.

“Hello Harry, may I join you?”

I looked up from my book and smiled. “Of course Luna.” Luna smiled in her distinctly-Luna way and sat down across from me.

Ah, Luna. Luna's definitely a…unique individual. I'm ashamed to admit that before, I was somewhat comforted by the fact that there's at least one person who was thought to be crazier than I. But by the end of fifth year, what with the Ministry and our talk about Sirius afterwards, I had grown to respect Luna. And we spent a lot of time together all during sixth year.

Learning Occlumency had never been easy for me. Even accounting for the intense animosity I had with my teacher, it was still difficult to clear my mind and form the mental barriers. That's where Luna came into the picture. She has the uncanny ability to achieve an almost perpetual serene-like state of being; very little seems to ever faze her. At Dumbledore's `suggestion,' Luna joined my remedial Potions lessons with Snape. She was a great help, and without her I would never have mastered Occlumency. In fact, Snape only called me arrogant and selfish once or twice after Luna joined.

And another thing about Luna: I know she's not impressed with the whole Boy-Who-Lived thing. In fact, I doubt Luna's impressed with much, but fame is definitely not one of them. With Luna, like with Ron and Hermione, I know she's my friend because of me, not my fame, and it's only natural that I gravitate towards people who aren't into my fame, like Ginny, Neville, and Luna.

But Occlumency wasn't the only reason we spent more time together. Ron and Hermione were often off doing their various duties first as prefects, and then Hermione as Head Girl, Ron as prefect. And in case you were wondering, I wasn't Head Boy. Ernie Macmillan got the badge. Nothing against Ernie, but I really thought I'd get Head Boy. I suppose Dumbledore didn't want to set a precedence; I'm sure he was afraid that people would think all you had to do to become Head Boy was to kill a Dark Lord, and then all these fifth and sixth years would be out there hunting down Dark Wizards.

Anyways, Luna and I studied in silence, me working on History and her on what looked like Arithmancy. After a few minutes, the sound of a throat clearing caught my attention.

“Hey, I hope we're not interrupting anything,” Ron said. Hermione was standing next to him, both them probably just finished with their duties for the night.

I looked up and smiled at my two best friends. “Not at all. Hi Ron. H-hi H-H-Hermione.” Oh, did I mention I get nervous and forget how to talk when I'm near Hermione? It's a rather worrisome development, and I fear it may interfere with my ability to sweep her off her feet.

I frowned slightly as they sat down; both of them had an odd look about them that I couldn't quite decipher, and not only that, but they sat on the other end of the table, rather then beside Luna and I; I would have thought that Hermione at least would offer some help, like usual. Something was up. Granted, the three of us haven't been able to spend much time together since the Battle, but I got the distinct impression that there was something wrong. However, since I was pretty sure, with Voldemort dead, that whatever was wrong wasn't a life-or-death situation, I wasn't in a panic about it. Ron looked a little put-out, but otherwise normal. It could be because of the test he had to study for. Hermione looked a little tense, but again, that could be because of the test. She quickly and efficiently arrayed her supplies around her, like a queen reigning over her books and parchments. Her hair was tied back loosely, and she got right to work. I love that look of intense concentration she gets when she studies, and I felt like I could stare at her for hours.

And probably would have if not for a sharp kick to my shin. “Ouch! What was that for?” I hissed at Luna.

“You were staring again,” she whispered.

“I was not!” I whispered indignantly, but of course, I was. I'm not sure how Luna found out I had a thing for Hermione, but she's a lot more observant then people give her credit for. Over the next ten minutes or so, I tried to study while occasionally rubbing my sore shin, but it was hard to focus with Ron and Hermione talking in low whispers. And not only were they talking, but they were so rude as to speak softly so I couldn't hear what they were saying. I was irritated, not only at the talking and feeling left out, but especially that Hermione was talking to Ron and not to me. I mean, there's nothing wrong with her talking to Ron, but I admit I was growing rather jealous. Finally, when I could stand it no longer, I shut my book with a thump and stood, putting my stuff away into my bag.

“Leaving?” Luna asked in a mildly interested voice.

“Yes. It's suddenly too loud to study here,” I said, throwing a look as pointed as Malfoy's face in Ron and Hermione's direction. And with that, I left the library.

A/N: So, I hope the first chapter sounds interesting. Updates maybe slow, because except for the general plot in the summary, I have no idea where I'm going with this.

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Author's Note: I'm not JKR, because if I were, HPB would be a different book. I decided to whip up a chapter on this story since I need to write something happy about H/Hr.

I have some HBP thoughts at the end of the chapter, so if you haven't read the book (or spoilers about the book), don't read the end notes.

Chapter Two

The next month went by rather slowly. Even though some of the media hype had died down, I seemed to spend less and less time with Ron and Hermione, when it should have been the opposite now that I had more free time. In fact, it seemed as if the two of them were excluding me - I would always catch them whispering to each other, or shooting each other looks when they thought I wasn't looking. If not for my well-developed sense of denial, I would swear that they were dating and, for some reason, felt the need to keep it from me.

The thought of them dating obviously made me sad; I had, after all, only recently come to the conclusion that I was in love with Hermione, only to find out that she was possibly with Ron. But I was also supremely annoyed. Why did they feel the need to keep it from me? Why were they excluding me? Did they not think that I could handle it? I was hurt, angry, and resentful, and though I tried to keep those emotions in check, it was only a matter of time before they erupted.

One day after lunch, I was on my way to Transfiguration when I heard Luna call my name. I turned to see her trotting up to me.

“Harry, do you have a minute?” she asked.

I checked my watch. “Actually, I have to get to class. Can we talk after?”

She handed me a parchment. “This is from Dumbledore, excusing you from your next class. My father would like to interview you-”

I groaned. “Not another interview!”

“Please Harry? It won't be so bad; just an update on how you've been since the Battle. It'll be quick.”

How I've been since the Battle? The words `miserable' and `depressed' were on the tip of my tongue, but I doubt the general wizarding population wanted to hear about that. I sighed in resignation. “All right, but you owe me.”

Luna smiled and took my arm, dragging me in the opposite direction. “You won't regret this, Harry. Father is even pushing back an expose on the mating habits of Gimblesnolids for this…”

*********

Apparently, Luna has a different definition of “quick” than the rest of us - I didn't get out of the interview until after dinner, causing me to miss both Transfiguration and Herbology. I went to the kitchens in the hopes of getting a bite to eat, but for some reason they only had a few leftovers. My stomach was grumbling as I entered the Common Room, and I was both tired and irritable from the interview, plus I had to find out what happened in the classes that I had missed.

The Common Room was full as usual, with students talking, playing games, or studying. I saw Ron and Hermione heading towards the portrait hole, which put me in their path.

“Hey guys,” I said. They stopped, and Hermione gave me a piercing look.

“Where were you today?” she practically demanded. “You missed Transfiguration and Herbology.”

I was a little taken aback by her harsh tones. “I was with Luna,” I said defensively, though not sure why. “Her fath-”

“Oh! You were with Luna, were you?” Ron asked, a certain biting quality in his voice that I couldn't place.

“Yeah,” I continued, “and I was wondering if I could borrow your notes on-”

“What?!” Hermione shrieked. “You expect us to give you our notes after you skive off classes to go gallivanting off with Luna Lovegood?!”

“I wasn't galliv-”

“Just because you're Mr. “I-saved-the-world” doesn't mean you get to skip class whenever you feel like it and use us for our notes!” she continued unabated.

“I didn't-”

“That's right, you didn't think, did you!”

“That's not what I-”

“You know, Harry,” she said, sticking a finger in my face. “I've just about had enough of you right now. C'mon Ron, let's go!” And with that, she left the room in a huff.

I turned to Ron. “Whoa, what was-”

“Don't talk to me, Harry!” he said angrily, and tromped after Hermione.

I was stunned. Speechless. Bewildered. Upset. Angry. What the hell just happened? What did I do to deserve that? I turned around, only to find that the entire room was silent, every eye focused on me.

So I snapped.

“What!?” I yelled at the room in general. “What is everyone looking at? Never seen a bloke get yelled at by his two best friends for no reason?! All I wanted were notes from class…what the hell is going on here?!” No one answered, and most of the room pretended to be busy. “Well, now that I have everyone's attention, does anyone have notes from seventh year Transfiguration and Herbology?” I demanded.

The room was still silent, until a soft cough caught my attention. I turned towards the noise and saw Lavender and Pavarti at one of the tables. “Erm, I have them,” Lavender said in a small voice.

“Great!” I barked. “And the rest of you can go back to your business now! Nothing more to see here! Move along, move along.” I stomped over to their table and sat across from the two girls. I didn't say a word, still too upset, while Lavender searched through her bag and pulled out her notes.

Upon seeing how uneasy the two girls were, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming myself down. “Thanks,” I said, and then took out my own notebook. I spent the next few minutes reading over Lavender's notes and making copies.

“Um, Harry?” I heard Lavender say.

“Yeah?” I responded absently as I continued to scribble away. There was no immediate response, and instead I heard some furious whispering. I looked up to see Pavarti making fierce shushing noises while Lavender gestured towards me. My eyes narrowed. “What's going on?”

They froze and slowly turned to face me. “It's nothing Harry,” Pavarti said. “Lavender was just going to say her notes aren't that good, but you can see mine if you want to.”

It didn't take Legilimency to figure out that she wasn't telling the whole truth. “Really?” I asked dubiously.

“Really.”

“Lavender?” I asked.

“Well…”

“Lavender.”

“I was just going to say…well, we think we know why Ron and Hermione are mad at you.”

“What?” I asked, surprised. “Why?”

Lavender traded one last look with Pavarti before sighing. “You see, when you told Ron that you were off gallivanting with Luna-”

“I was not `gallivanting' with anyone! I was giving an interview!”

Pavarti shushed me, looking around nervously. “Okay Harry, okay,” she said in a gentle tone, “it's just that, well, Ron's mad because he fancies Luna. He's mad at you because he's jealous.”

It took me a moment to process her words. “You're saying…that Ron is mad at me because he fancies Luna?” When they both nodded, I shook my head. “But…but he's always making fun of her, calling her names.”

“That's just Ron,” Pavarti said.

When it was obvious that I was still confused, Lavender jumped in. “You see, Ron's no Gilderoy Lockehart. He's not going to sweep a girl off her feet. Instead, he fights with them and calls them names. That's just how he is.”

I nodded slowly. That does make sense, and it would explain a lot about Ron's behavior in the past. The more I thought about it, the more plausible it became. My face lit up. “Well, that's great!” I said. “Luna fancies Ron too!”

From their delighted expressions, I immediately knew that I had made a mistake - this was Lavender and Pavarti I was talking with, and the news could easily be all over school by lunchtime. “Wait a second,” I said. “You can't tell anyone.”

They looked as if I told them it was proven that Divination was fake - a mixture of shock, anger, and sadness. “But…”

“Listen, it's private between the two of them. Don't get involved.” When they continued to argue, I said in my most threatening voice, “and don't make me memory charm the two of you.”

Fortunately for me, they didn't know that I'm horrible at memory charms and was bluffing completely. But they stopped protesting and took on petulant looks. After giving them a second to recover, I asked the question that was most important to me. “And Hermione? Why is Hermione mad at me?”

Pavarti still looked resentful. Lavender waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, she's mad at you for the same reason Ron is.”

My mouth dropped in shock. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't even begin to understand what that meant. I tried to speak, but only succeeded in making random gurgling noises, causing Lavender to look at me in interest. “I can't believe it,” I finally managed. “Hermione's mad at me because…because…because she fancies Luna too?”

Lavender and Pavarti stared at me for second before bursting into hysterics. As I couldn't understand what was so funny, I wasn't amused.

Finally, Pavarti caught her breath. “No, you dummy,” she said while still laughing. “Hermione doesn't fancy Luna, she fancies you!”

While this little bit of information would be shocking under normal circumstances, to go from Hermione liking Luna to Hermione liking me made rational thought impossible.

“What?”

Lavender took pity on me. “Hermione fancies you Harry,” she said simply.

“But…are you sure?”

“Harry, we've been roommates with her for seven years. Of course we're sure.”

“But…but…that's great!” I said, feeling giddy as the thought that Hermione fancies me finally set in, though a small part of me couldn't help but be intrigued by the idea of Hermione and Luna… “That's amazing, that's wonderful!” I said happily.

Lavender had an amused smile on her face. “Well, I thought you'd take it well, but I never imagined…”

“Well, of course I'm taking it well; I've been in love with Hermione for months!” And then, perhaps a split second after the words left my mouth, I knew I had made a grave error. The squeals that preceded my announcement were near-deafening. I tried to speak to them, but they were speaking so quickly to each other that I couldn't make myself heard. We were also starting to garner a lot of attention, so I finally had to resort to a silencing charm. It took a few seconds of wordless chatter until they noticed what happened. They both turned to me at the same time.

“All right, now listen you two, I'm going to take off the spell, but you have to calm down first, okay?” When they nodded, I removed the silencing spell.

“Harry, I can't believe…”

“This is so wonderful Harry…”

“I always knew that you two…”

“Oh, it's so romatic…”

“Silencio!” I glared at them. “Now, was that calming down?” I asked. They shook their heads sullenly. “Right. Let's try this again.” I took off the spell, and this time they were silent, though I could tell from their fidgeting and the huge grins on their faces that they were bursting to talk.

“Listen,” I said in a slow voice, “you can't tell anyone.”

“What?!”

“Harry, we live for things like this!”

“I know, but I'd rather tell her in my own way and not have her find out from you two, okay?” They still looked uncertain. “You can talk about Ron and Luna then, if you keep silent about me and Hermione,” I added, clearly throwing my best friend to the wolves to save my own skin.

“All right, fine,” Pavarti said. “But only if you tell Hermione as soon as you can, because I don't know if we have enough willpower to keep a secret like this for too long.”

I sighed. “I will.”

“Promise?” asked Lavender.

“I promise.”

“Good,” Pavarti said. Then she turned to Lavender, and they began plotting in great detail how to have Ron and Luna admit their feelings to each other. I knew I couldn't focus on class notes anymore, and instead I tried to plan how I was going to talk to Hermione. But then Lavender interrupted me.

“Um, Harry?”

“Yes?”

“You know how you promised to tell Hermione as soon as you could?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, here's your chance,” she said, pointing over my shoulder. I turned, and there was Hermione, walking through the portrait hole.

A/N: One more chapter to go. I'll work on my WIPs first, and then turn my attention to any plot bunnies that HBP will create.

A few HPB thoughts. First, let me say I'm the kind of guy who read all the spoilers and people's reactions before reading the book. You might think it “ruins the magic,” but I want to be prepared for the worst after devoting two years of my life on this ship.

And it's a good thing I did too, because otherwise I would be too angry to think. I read everyone's reactions, and I have good idea of what happens. I got my copy from Amazon on Saturday, and I only opened the box this morning. The book is sitting unread in my bag, and I'm still not sure I'm ready to read it on the train ride home. I'm almost there though, readying myself for what's to come.

Overall, I believe the plot will be good (I'm looking forward to that), the writing patchy in spots, and the characterization of Hermione absolutely criminal. But since more articulate and thoughtful people (who have actually read the book) have made their comments, I won't add mine.

I will say that I believe JKR has spent far too much time and effort on HBP to write a Hermione that's so OOC without a good reason. I have faith in her; five wonderful books shouldn't be discounted just because one book doesn't make much sense in terms of character development. I believe that book seven will bring it all together, that everything will make sense, and that H/Hr will prevail. I still believe, but it's going to be a long two years.

I'm also hopeful that JKR will give interviews where she'll say that something else is going on under the surface, and that not everything is as it appears.

But keep in mind that I've been a Cubs fan for over two decades, and that each year I believe that the Cubs will win the World Series - eternal optimism in the face of overwhelming odds is my specialty.

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Author's Note: If you've read the Leaky/Mugglenet interview with JKR, you know what happened. I've written my personal feelings on the matter in my author profile, so click over if you're interested.

Anyways, here's the last chapter. Sorry it's so short; had I known it would be this short, I would have just made Chapter Two longer. Ah well.

Chapter Three

As soon as I spotted Hermione, I felt my heart begin to race. It's one thing to say I'm going to talk to Hermione at some undetermined point in the future; it's a completely different thing when that time is now.

I'd like to say that I showed my courage by standing up and walking right up to her. And while I did stand up, it was less because I was brave, and more because Lavender (or Pavarti) had stuck her quill point into my leg. And so I stood, but it was accompanied by a rather unmanly yelp that caught Hermione's attention, along with every other person in the room. After glaring at the two obviously unrepentant girls with their silly, self-satisfied grins, I took a deep breath and approached Hermione as she was crossing the common room.

I opened my mouth to speak to her, but then something else caught my attention - a sudden flash of red hair. I turned, and then I saw her: Ginny. All of a sudden I realized that everything I've felt over the past few months, nay, years, had not in fact been directed at Hermione, but instead towards this beautiful girl that I've never really noticed before. I was in love, and-

And then I shook my head and returned to the world of reality. I swear, if Ginny uses that love potion one more time…

But by this time, Hermione had passed me. I ran to catch up with her. “Hermione,” I called out, but she ignored me. “Hermione, wait!” I grabbed at her arm when she was only a few paces from the stairs.

In hindsight, grabbing Hermione's arm was probably a mistake. She whirled around and fixed me with this really angry glare.

“Get your hands off of me,” she practically screamed. I dropped my hand from her arm immediately and furtively looked around, confirming that, yet again, all eyes were on us.

“I'm sorry Hermione…” I said in a low voice, hoping she'd get the hint to lower her own voice as well.

“What do you want, Harry?” she asked scathingly - and loudly. So much for hinting.

“I just want to talk to you for a minute.”

“What about?” she asked impatiently. “Still asking for notes? What to see my homework? That's all I'm good for, right? Well FINE! Here, take them all!” she shouted, shoving her entire book bag into my arms. I staggered a few steps (her bag is heavy!), and by the time I recovered, she was already up the stairs. Ron, who apparently had followed Hermione into the Common Room, smirked at me as he passed. I ignored him for now.

“Hermione, wait!” I called out, and bounded up the stairs after her. I didn't realize what was happening until I felt the ground shift beneath me, and I fell painfully onto Hermione's book bag, still clutched in arms, as the stairs became a slide and the alarms began to go off. I slide rather uncomfortably down the slide and landed in an undignified heap at the bottom. It was highly embarrassing, to say the least, and when you add that onto all the yelling and shouting that I've been subjected to, I got angry.

So I snapped.

“God damn it!” I yelled, slamming my fist into the ground. I stood up quickly, seething. “I did not spend ten years with the Dursleys and six years fighting Voldemort to be defeated by a god forsaken staircase!”

I whipped out my wand, and I heard a collective gasp from the nosy Gryffindors. Gritting my teeth, I cried out “Reducto!” and blasted at the staircase.

Small chunks of rock flew about, leaving behind a large indentation in the slide - a perfect foothold. “Reducto!” I cried again, and another indentation was created. Over and over I cast the Reductor Curse, creating footholds in the slide and making my way up to the girls' dormitory. Finally I got to the top, only to be faced with an outraged Hermione.

“Harry Potter! What do you think you're-”

“No!” I shouted, my wand waving around wildly, little sparks coming from the tip. “It's my turn to talk now!” Hermione was stunned by my outburst, but she did clam up. “For the past month you and Ron have treated me like a leper and excluding me, and I've had enough!”

“Me and Ron? Me and Ron?!” Hermione yelled back, obviously getting her bearing back and angry enough to use incorrect grammar. “We're not the ones who've been treating the other badly!”

Maybe it was because I was so fed-up, but that didn't make any sense to me. “What?”

“You're the one who's been ignoring us, not the other way around!” Hermione clarified in a loud way.

“That's so not true!”

“Oh yeah? And where were you today? Off with Luna again!”

“I was doing an interview with her father!” I yelled.

“Right,” she snorted in disbelief. “You're always off with Luna!”

“I'm only with Luna because my supposed best friends have dropped me! Besides, Luna doesn't even like me like that! She fancies Ron!”

There was a loud, confused “huh?” followed immediately a shocked and angry “Hey!” and “Harry!”

I turned around to look down the stairway at Ron, who looked dumbstruck, and Lavender and Pavarti, who looked betrayed, along with what was probably every other Gryffindor staring back at me.

I gave Lavender and Pavarti an apologetic look. “Sorry, it just sorta slipped out,” I said to them.

“Humph!” was the only reply.

I looked back at Hermione, who for once looked unsure of herself. After a second, she said, “Luna fancies Ron?” She said this in a much quieter voice than before.

I nodded.

“So you and her aren't going out?”

I shook my head.

“Oh. All right. Well, sorry then, and good night,” she said very quickly, and turned around. I was so surprised by this sudden change that I just watched her turn, but fortunately for me there were so many girls standing behind her, attracted by the slide-carnage and watching the scene we were making, that she couldn't bolt. I grabbed her arm again, but lightly this time.

“Hermione, wait.” She stopped, but she didn't turn around. “Why do you care if Luna and I date?” I was pretty sure what the answer was, not only based on what Lavender and Pavarti said, but also on her actions, but I still had to know for certain.

She turned around, but she stared at the ground. “Oh, this is so embarrassing,” she muttered.

I gently put my finger underneath her chin to raise her face so that we were looking at each other. “I think we're both well beyond the point of `embarrassing' right now.”

She smiled. “Listen Harry,” she said, “I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I was just upset, that's all.”

“Why were you so upset? Does the idea of Luna and I being together bother you that much?”

“I…I…I just think you can find someone more…suitable,” she stammered, blushing furiously and unable to meet my eyes.

She looked so adorable that I decided to let her off the hook. “You mean…someone like you?” I asked, my voice barely above that of a whisper.

She looked up in surprise, but before she could respond, I did something I've wanted to do for a long time. I lowered my head and kissed her.

She made a small squeak of surprise, but then sighed softly and leaned into me.

I have to say, that without a doubt, it was the best kiss of my life. True, I don't exactly have a wealth of experience, but it really was amazing. Initially I was focused solely on the feeling of kissing Hermione, but then a sound started intruding into my consciousness. I tried to bat it away, but it just couldn't be denied. Finally I broke away to investigate and was shocked when I realized what that sound was.

It was the sound of clapping and cheering.

Hermione and I looked around in amazement as everyone, and I do mean everyone, around was clapping and cheering at us. I looked down the stairs at Ron, and he was hooting and hollering just as loudly as the rest of them, even giving high-fives to everyone he could, while Lavender and Pavarti wept happily.

Hermione and I looked at each other, shrugged simultaneously, and resumed kissing. For once, I didn't care that everyone was watching.

A/N: And so ends another fic. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed.

On a non-shippy related note, anyone reading out there attend Spellbound2005 at Randhurst Mall near Chicago? If you did, maybe you saw me: I was the guy using his two-year old daughter as an excuse to attend a Harry Potter party. There were some great costumes, mostly kids dressed up as Hogwarts students, and there was even a Jedi or two. But there was this one woman in a very extravagant witch costume, purple with a long cape and a cool hat. My daughter was amazed by it. Unfortunately, I had to leave by 11ish, since it was time to put the kid to bed.

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