NB: Just because it fits better with this story, Harry isn't Headboy, Draco Malfoy is… sorry! But I totally think that Harry will be headboy, its just this storyline is better with him not.
***And for some reason, the italics are all screwed up when I uploaded the chapter, so the thoughts are in BOLD!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to Harry Potter. Everything belongs to the magnificent genius J. K. Rowling
~*~
Chapter Eight:
Ron watched Harry pack up his books with mild interest. He decided to let him go - he obviously had a lot on his mind… Ron paused and laughed slightly at his pun.
He lazily pulled the open potions book that Harry had left towards him and reread what Harry had already read aloud. It still didn't make sense to him. Ron stared at a picture of a man obviously being driven mad by the effects of the potion he had given Harry.
Ron shuddered and looked at the next page. After a brief moment of reading the first few lines, he was greatly startled. He hurriedly looked to see if Harry was still in the library. When he didn't see him, he thought it was for the better - no way Harry would drink something else he gave him… Ron paused… with knowledge of it.
***
Harry sighed quietly under his invisibility cloak and checked the Marauder's Map again. Mrs. Norris and Filch had already been pass - neither of whom a student out of bed after hours wanted to meet.
Hermione was nowhere to be found that day. No one had seen her and no matter where he looked, Harry couldn't find her. He knew she had her Headgirl duties that night, which was why he was sitting at the base of the stairs leading up to the astronomy tower waiting on her.
Harry watched the small dot labeled 'Hermione' slowly make it's way towards his. When she was just around the corner down the corridor, Harry stood up, hugging the cloak to him so it wouldn't fly open. Harry got out his wand to clear the map, but he fumbled with the cloak and dropped it. It rolled loudly in the silent corridor towards Hermione's growing wand-provided light. Harry's wand rolled to a stop right in front of Hermione.
"Just my luck," Hermione grumbled, picking up the wand. "Someone thought they'd come to the astronomy tower tonight to fool around. It's a wonder Draco wasn't assigned this job - he'd have to give himself a detention every time he did rounds."
Hermione, now at the bottom of the stairs, was just to the left of Harry. She peered up the dark staircase and looked reluctant to continue, Harry thought, but she slowly ascended the stairs. Harry followed her and pulled of his cloak when they were both inside the round room of the tower.
"Hermione?"
She jumped and spun round, dropping Harry's wand. Harry picked it up as it rolled towards him.
"Thanks," he said, gesturing his wand before he pocketed it.
"Harry! That was your wand?" Hermione exasperated. "What are you doing out of bed!" "And in the astronomy tower…"
"I - er - wanted… needed to talk to you. I couldn't find you anywhere today."
Hermione looked slightly upset. She glanced around the tower, as if she was expecting someone else to be waiting in the shadows for her to leave.
"Harry… Hmm, great cover up… wonder who he came up here with."
"What? No! I didn't…" Harry protested. Hermione's eyes widened. Harry mentally kicked himself and thought quickly.
"No, I… er… didn't… want to talk to you today." Harry nodded. Hermione eyes relaxed but her eyebrows remained raised. "No, I wanted to wait until tonight. I knew I'd meet you here on your rounds."
"Oh Lord… he planned this! He planned this! After he said we could wait, he meets me in the bloody astronomy tower!"
"Oh really? You did?" said Hermione in a high voice. She totally didn't look convinced. She crossed her arms. "So… who'd you come up here with, Harry?"
Harry laughed dryly. "No, it's not like that! I came up here to talk to you. I couldn't find you today and I - "
"Harry, no one comes up to the astronomy tower past hours alone," she retorted, putting particular emphasis on 'alone'. "Especially not someone with a body like that…"
Harry stared at her, forcing himself not to react to her last comment. He closed his eyes momentarily and breathed deeply. He walked towards her and lowered her wand to get the light out of his face.
"I'm not alone now," he whispered and bent forward to capture her in a kiss. Hermione gave in and kissed him back.
Hermione's shirt was halfway unbuttoned and Harry's was halfway off when Hermione abruptly pushed him away. Harry stuttered his protest; until he saw her petrified face was looking at the bottom of the stairs. A long cat's tail was visibly swishing in the air climbing the stairs. Harry hurriedly pulled on the invisibility cloak just as Filch appeared to an out-of-breath Hermione, who was trying to compose herself.
"Miss Granger?" said Filch, actually surprised. He looked around the tower. "I thought I heard… voices up here."
Hermione cleared her throat. "No, it's just me. I was just doing my rounds. No one is up here, I've already checked."
Filch eyed her suspiciously before he gave a grunt and a nod of acknowledgement to Hermione and called to Mrs. Norris, whom Harry hadn't noticed was sitting just beside him. She looked in his direction and reluctantly followed her master down the steps.
Harry waited a few minutes after they had left to be positive they were both gone before he pulled of the cloak, slightly ruffled and very agitated.
"Harry, you need to go back to Gryffindor Tower." Hermione tried her best to sound professional, but she wasn't looking at him. She hadn't moved since Filch had left; her eyes remained fixed as if still replaying the disappearing images of Filch and Mrs. Norris down the dark stairwell over in her mind, contemplating what could have happened if they had been caught. "It's past hours and you'll get detention if someone finds you." "And I could lose my badge if someone finds us…"
"No, I still need to talk to you about - "
Hermione turned to face him, her professional facade gone. "No, it can wait until tommorrow, Harry. I'm sorry. I really need to finish my rounds and you really need to go back to bed."
Harry gave in, but he fixed his eyes on her with a hard stare. "Fine," he said as he disappeared under the cloak. It wasn't as if he was actually going back to bed. He didn't move, in fact. He was going to catch Hermione again. He really needed to talk to her! Harry waited, but Hermione didn't move either.
She crossed her arms and looked around nervously. She shivered slightly in the cold breeze. "I hate it when he does that. Now how do I know if he's gone back to bed? … Yea, like you really wanted him to! … Oh shut up, Hermione, you did what you had to do!"
She sighed and slowly descended the stairs. Harry watched from a dark corner and waited for her to disappear before he got out the Marauder's Map again. Hermione had left the tower and was now making her way through the corridors. Harry folded the map and followed her.
***
At about the same time in a different part of the castle, Ron had taken advantage of Harry's disappearance. Checking that has bed curtains were securely closed, he pulled out the still stolen potions book from under his sheets. He scanned the ingredients list… nothing too difficult. Nodding, he noted the amount of time he had from now till the Halloween Ball… just enough time…
***
Harry had taken a few short cuts around the castle, so that he was now ahead of Hermione on her rounds. He was concealed around a corner, waiting for her to pass him. He could hear her footsteps; his eyes unfocussed as he concentrated on counting them, calculating when she'd pass him.
At just the last second, Harry hesitated on stepping out. He sighed and turned to face the corridor, to face Draco Malfoy strutting haughtily past him. Harry blinked, utterly shocked. Looking down at the map, Hermione was still behind him, though she was catching up to Malfoy.
Harry shook his head and, after clearing it, put the map away. He leaned back against the cold, stone wall and looked up. He watched Hermione pass him and advance on Malfoy.
Hermione paused. "Malfoy? Your rounds are downstairs."
Malfoy stopped walking and slowly pivoted on his heels, hands in his pockets.
"Yes," he drawled. "But I felt you might like some… company tonight, Granger."
"You thought wrong…"
"After all, it is rather chilly tonight."
"Oh with you here, it is…"
"Besides… there's no one here, so there's no reason to do rounds. No one…". Malfoy slowly walked towards her, but Hermione retained her dignity and remained fixed.
"You perverted prat…" "If you don't want to lose your badge, you aught to do your rounds. Downstairs." "How you ever became Headboy is beside me…"
"Yes… deny it if you will…"
"Mmm, I do…"
Malfoy threw her his trademark smirk before he turned and glided down the corridor and disappeared in the darkness. Harry turned to look at Hermione. Her arms were folded again. She looked around the corridor before she slowly started again. Harry followed her.
"He is such a prat! Is it just sex with, like, every guy in this school?"
Harry frowned.
"Well, of course Malfoy is like that…Draco Malfoy…whatever, but Harry?"
The said Harry stopped dead in his tracks, dumbfounded. Hermione stopped walking as well.
"It's not like him to go to the Astronomy Tower at night… it's also not like him to pull girls into broom closets either…what if he only wants sex as well?"
Harry had to consciously will himself from shouting out. Why was it that all girls thought that of all guys like that? Harry fumed, but at the same time felt a strong desire to prove her wrong. She was wrong!
Hermione started walking and Harry fell into step with her. Hermione stopped abruptly, her mind strangely blank. Her arm casually fell to her side and she whipped around.
"Alright," she said loudly, pulling out her wand. "Show yourself. I'm Headgirl and if you're a ghost, you know the rules about being invisible at night, and if you're a student, you should know the rules about being out of your dormitory after hours."
Harry smiled. She had that speech down pat. He shrugged, letting the invisibility cloak drop.
"Harry!" Hermione gasped. "WHAT are you doing?"
"Now's the time, Harry", he thought. "Prove her wrong…"
"I - er -" Harry scratched his head. "I… uh… I wanted to, um…" "Good going, mate… you showed her…" "I still need to talk to you."
Hermione looked exasperated. "Fine, Harry, what is it?"
He smiled and walked nearer and walked nearer. "You know… the Halloween Ball is coming up…"
Hermione grinned, but tried to hide it. "Oh my gosh…he's so cute!"
Harry's confidence went up - this was so much easier than having to try and catch her on her own during the day, surrounded by flocks of giggling girls.
"Wait a minute Hermione!" "Harry, this can't wait until tomorrow?" Hermione said and checked her watch.
"Well, no… See, we're alone now, and, er, alone is easier for me…" Harry said sheepishly.
Hermione snorted. "Oh, bravo, great line, Harry…" "What's easier?"
"To ask you to the ball." He grinned hopefully at her.
Hermione was squealing inside and it was all Harry had to do not to laugh. Squealing turned to screaming, and Harry starred over her shoulder at a picture of an ugly hag hovering over a smoking cauldron to compose himself.
"Um… sure. I'd love to." "See, Hermione, Harry's not like that…"
They smiled at each other, nodding slightly.
"Great," Harry said. "Awkward pause…"
Hermione looked at her watch again. "Oh, Harry, you really need to go," she pleaded.
"Alright…" he said, reaching for the invisibility cloak.
"And really go this time," she laughed, pushing him playfully.
"Alight, alright! I'm gone!"
And he was gone. He turned to see Hermione walk off around a corner. He grinned. He had proven her wrong! He stopped in his tracks… the realization of the Halloween Ball and the fact that he was still hearing her thoughts rushed into his head. What the hell had he just gotten himself into? Better yet, how the hell was he going to get out of it?