Unofficial Portkey Archive

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. And that's the truth. Pbbbbttttt.

A/N: Hello! I'm back! It would take too long to explain the delay, so I won't. Just know that I am SO happy to be able to post another chapter. Huge thanks go out to MapleMountain and Korval for the insights, comments, and constant friendly jabs to get me to hurry my butt up. As penance I offer the longest chapter yet.

The size of the student population at Hogwarts is an unresolved issue, as it has never been specified in canon. Many of the functional aspects of the school (staff size, class size, number of "known" students, amount of time required to sort the first years, etc.) suggest a population around 300. However most of the times when JKR throws around actual numbers in the books, it usually suggests a population around 1000 (hundreds of Slytherin Quidditch supporters, hundreds of carriages to transport students, Yule Ball seating for 1200). And I vaguely recall, but cannot find, an interview with JKR where she said there were about a thousand students.

For the purposes of this story, I will be using the more canonical figure of one thousand. At this point, the actual population has no real impact on the story other than that the Hogwarts Express, just like the Weasleys' magical tent and The Doctor's TARDIS, is bigger on the inside than on the outside. But even at three hundred, the train would have to be longer by my estimation.

The remaining members of my beta's family finally get their guest appearances in this chapter. Just a quick shout out hello to them.

And finally, there is an inside joke in here for South Park fans. If you recognize it, great. If not, no worries. Luna says enough strange things that it fits right in anyway, and you probably wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't mentioned it.

And of course, similarities to Book 6 are entirely intentional.

Chapter 37. Back To School.

Dan and Emma shared a significant look, not that either of the teens noticed. Emma spoke next.

"Harry, are you hungry?" she asked. Now that she had mentioned it, Harry realized that he was in fact starving. He nodded emphatically.

"Hermione?" Emma also asked, and received another nod.

"Why don't the two of you find a seat for the moment?" she said to Dan and Harry. "Hermione and I will head back over to the main station to find something to eat. There were a few restaurants by Platforms One and Eight."

As the two women started to walk back toward the main station building, Emma quickly put her arm around her daughter. The two of them walked side by side in a way they hadn't done in what really was far too long.

Hermione moved to put her opposite hand on her mother's and pulled slightly to tighten the embrace. It really had been too long. She also had the distinct impression this was merely a prelude to broaching the subject of Harry again. She was, of course, correct. And in no way did it make the gesture of affection any less welcome.

"So... Harry..." Emma said with a casualness that would be more fitting were they discussing the color of an orange than the young man who had captured the youngest Granger's heart.

Hermione couldn't help but smile. "I knew it!" she chuckled in amusement. The annoyance and irritation wouldn't come until Emma put her on the spot to defend her having wasted an entire month's worth of opportunities to say something to Harry.

Well, an entire month minus their impromptu visit to France, she conceded. Then again, there were all of those little chats via the mirrors.

Emma made the same arguments about having more faith in the strength of their friendship, the likelihood of a favorable answer to an unasked question, and the power of regret. And predictably, Hermione answered them with excuse after excuse.

For all of the similarities in the two conversations, there was one significant difference. Emma knew Hermione had a two-year head start on her feelings over Harry. She knew her daughter would be of age in the wizarding world in less than three weeks, and would no longer require parental permission for all sorts of things. And Emma knew how fast things could happen, and how very long it would be before she got another chance to speak with her daughter again. (And this sort of thing didn't work too well via letter)

So, while Harry was busy being horrified by a true story of opportunity lost, Hermione was being horrified by a very blunt description of what Emma unabashedly called "alternate intimate acts."

Oh, Hermione knew people did that, and, if she was honest, she'd even thought (and, yes, dreamt) about doing that to Harry herself. But, to hear those words coming out of her mother's mouth (she groaned internally at how even that sounded) was just a bit overwhelming. Sure, they'd discussed the birds and the bees and spoken freely of their feelings on the subject, but they'd never been this specific.

Hermione was tempted to run away, but she was too busy frantically looking around to see if anyone could hear all the suggestive things Emma was describing. Fortunately, as she learned to her detriment last year back at the Hog's Head Inn, it was often easier to not be noticed in amongst the hustle and bustle of a crowd.

She was very thankful that her mother at least paused while they were waiting in a queue to order their lunch. Of course, Hermione was certain that was only because there was a family with two small children directly next to them. Considering the train ride ahead of her, she ordered appropriately.

Once their lunch was purchased, the two of them headed for a vending machine to buy some bottled drinks. Paper cups didn't travel too well. Fortunately they were easy to find as it pretty much felt like they were stationed every twenty feet or so along the walkways.

While Emma was busy reaching into the landing bin to fetch the Dynamic Ribbon Device-emblazed bottles of an ice-cold, refreshing beverage, Hermione took this chance to finally speak her flabbergasted mind.

"Are you actually encouraging me to...?"

Cokes in hand, Emma turned around and interrupted in no-holds-barred, full mother mode.

"As hopeful as I am," she stressed, "that you will fall in love and live happily ever after, I am in no rush to become a grandmother any time soon. I already had that scare once from your little announcement about Metis and Hedwig, thank you very much.

"Those spells and potions of yours might be one hundred per cent reliable, but as much as you hate to hear it, my dear, beautiful, baby girl," Emma said fondly, "you are not. Things happen fast, and in the heat of the moment, you might swish when you should have flicked. Then a whole new form of magic begins.

"A seed can't grow if it's not planted in the earth," Emma finished.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the veiled, if obvious, analogy. Simply in irritation, she was tempted to point out how that wasn't entirely true, what with hydroponics and all, but she thought better of it and decided against it. After all, she really wanted to get away from this topic, analogies and all.

"Why are you telling me all of this now?" Hermione asked, feeling all at once pleased, hopeful, confused, worried, and annoyed at the numerous implications her mother's discussion (all of it, not just the last part) might suggest. But most of all...

"Do you know something about Harry? I just get the impression you just seem so certain he will say yes if I ask him."

It was Emma's turn to roll her eyes. Twice already she had deftly brushed away her daughter's attempts to overanalyze and make inferences from what had been said. If it wasn't for the fact that Emma was one of the few people in the world capable of outsmarting Hermione, the teen witch might have seen through her rather blatant attempts.

More than once, Emma had to remind herself why she was even bothering with all the misdirection and clever word trickery. A single, straightforward sentence... three simple words, "Harry fancies you," and all four of them would have been put out of their misery.

But Dan had been right: they needed to figure this out for themselves. Their deadline was just a little motivation.

"I'm certain," Emma emphasized, "that you are no longer a little girl anymore. You are a smart, beautiful, brilliant young woman, and in three weeks, you will be an adult on the other side of that wall. I'm certain that, if not Harry, you will meet someone sooner or later with whom you at some point will want to become intimate.

"Since it will be more than three months before I get another opportunity to really talk with you, if it is sooner than later, I just want to be sure you remember that it isn't necessary to, erm," Emma paused for a moment to consider another clever analogy to spare mercy upon her daughter, "well, that it isn't necessary to score a home run on your first at bat."

Emma decided the analogy was perfect for Hermione did blush heavily but did not complain. At least, not verbally. That was good enough for Emma.

"Work the bases," she said exactly like someone might suggest smelling the roses, "first base... second base... third base..."

"MUM!" Hermione hissed.

Emma just smiled and left it at that, confident she'd made her point. She truly was ready to call Harry a son (in-law), but she also really wasn't eager to become a grandmother.

Anything to keep her out of the delivery room before she's ready, Emma promised herself. The remainder of the journey back to Platform Nine was silent. Hermione would need that time to recompose herself... so that she wouldn't give Harry a look-see that was too inappropriate.

Were some hypothetical third-party observer to compare notes, it would have come as no surprise that the two conversations Dan and Emma had with their respective counterparts were amazingly similar. The two adults did, after all, decide to forego their nightly alternate intimate acts (the most they were willing to engage in after the "kiddies" overheard too much) in favor of planning these ambushes.

It was a good thing that third-party observer was hypothetical. Anyone who had to sit through two rounds of that would probably run from the train station, screaming and tearing out his or her hair.

* * *

As usual, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was little more than organized chaos as eleven o'clock rapidly approached. Harry allowed himself a brief moment to gaze upon the familiar scarlet steam locomotive. He turned to where he expected he would find Hermione waiting for him, but was surprised to see that she had already gone on ahead without him.

That felt strange. His own feelings for her aside, Harry had grown accustomed to Hermione being in closer proximity to him this summer. Sharing the same house, doing things together with the Grangers like one large family by definition meant a decrease in the physical distance between them.

He also supposed that having spent all this time together meant he wasn't quite as "new" this time of year. After all, he had already received his strangling welcoming hug and flurry of inquiries about his wellbeing a month and a half ago.

But it didn't stop him from missing it all the same.

Harry sighed a little and redoubled his grip on the handle of his trolley. Although Metis wasn't all that heavy, the larger cage filled with dirt was. He didn't at all feel slighted by having to take the heavy cage by himself. He'd graciously volunteered back in the carpark, after all.

Besides, it was a necessity anyway. It wasn't like they could share the weight across two trolleys. That would have looked just plain silly, to say nothing of being awkward and potentially dangerous. Looking back towards the carriages, Harry suddenly felt a little wind beneath his sails when he noticed Hermione was standing on the platform by the carriage steps. She was standing there smiling, looking back at him, waiting for him.

It was scary how much such an insignificant little thing like that could make him feel better. A good scary.

As he approached, deftly dodging about half a dozen primary school-aged children running around, screaming and chasing each other (obviously students' siblings), Hermione hoisted her trunk and Crookshanks' basket into the carriage. She then climbed aboard and stood at the top of the steps, waiting to assist him.

Turning back to grab the cage off the top of his trunk, Harry noted that once again, he appeared to be the center of attention. Sort of.

As usual, most everyone's attention was drawn immediately to The Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One. But this time, once on him their stares quickly gravitated down. Everyone who knew Harry Potter, that is to say had at least seen him in person at Hogwarts, knew he had a snowy owl.

One snowy owl.

But there were two in the cage....

Someone used to unwanted attention, Harry jokingly made a bet with himself to see how long it would take before someone actually said anything, and who it would be.

His money was on a fellow Gryffindor, and that it would be before he found a carriage.

With a secret smirk, Harry lifted the cage and handed it to Hermione. She took it and cast a levitation charm, making it easier to navigate it down the narrow carriage corridors.

Because it was so late (10:52), the carriages were quickly filling. They had yet to find an empty one. Unsure if Ron and Ginny were aboard yet, they continued to work their way down, looking in the windows for either an empty compartment or any of four preferred faces.

Hermione fought the urge to grumble (audibly, at least) when, in compartment after compartment, she saw teenaged witches point at Harry as he walked by, giggling and blushing.

Halfway down the second carriage, they finally found what they were looking for: Neville and Luna alone in a compartment. Now, Hermione was sure Ron and Ginny weren't here yet. Then again, what was new about that?

Upon their entry, Neville quickly got up to help the two newcomers load their trunks into the racks above. Luna briefly, but politely, greeted them and then returned to her Quibbler, which, this time, was turned sideways. If someone didn't know any better, he or she might wonder if there was a centerfold model in there.

"Thanks, mate," Harry said to Neville as he maneuvered the owl cage to the far side of the compartment, on the floor just beneath the window. It was as about out of the way as it possibly could be, considering its size.

"Thanks, Neville," Hermione added as she sat down on the same side of the compartment as Luna. "I certainly think Ginny's found a keeper with you."

Neville stammered for a few seconds as he turned a bit pink, as Harry sat down on his side. "Ginny and Ron didn't come with either of you?" he finally asked.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione caught the faintest trace of movement that was Luna's head coming up a fraction of an inch. It was almost as if she was listening, also wondering the location of at least one of the Weasleys. Almost.

"I haven't seen them yet," Hermione replied.

"Knowing them," Harry added, "they'll probably have to run and jump aboard right as the train is pulling out."

"Well, since the three of you are holding the compartment, I think I'll go take a quick look around... you know, just in case they're still looking for a place to sit."

"They, or Ginny, Neville?" Harry asked slyly. The embarrassed smile was response enough. Only moments after Neville left, Luna suddenly set down her magazine and stood up.

"If you two don't mind, I'll be back in a minute. I need to use the loo."

Well, I certainly wouldn't have been that forthcoming, Harry thought to himself. Both he and Hermione shook their heads to indicate they didn't mind her absence.

And that reminds me... Hermione said to herself as the door closed behind Luna. She then held up the bags containing their food and drinks.

"Lunch?" she politely asked Harry.

"Starved!" he replied eagerly. Hermione came over and sat down next to him. After distributing their orders between the two of them, and after participating in the ever-important tomato exchange, she then stood up and returned to the other side of the compartment.

Harry wrinkled his brow in confusion at this. Ever since leaving Platform Nine, Hermione had felt somehow more distant than recently. He couldn't exactly prove it... it was just a gut feeling.

She didn't wait for him to cross through the barrier. They didn't walk to the carriage together. She said hardly a word to him and barely even looked at him since they entered the compartment. In fact their only interaction so far had been out of necessity in helping with the larger owl cage. And now she'd gone back to the other side of the compartment when there was no need to; with Neville gone, there was plenty of room on the seat to set out their food and eat.

None of it really meant anything, Harry knew. In fact, if anything, in the grand scheme of the last five years, things were actually more like they were before this summer. But this summer had happened, and having spent the last six weeks living together, eating together, sitting on the sofa or loveseat together, and even walking together at the mall, she just did feel more distant.

It was just a gut feeling.

After taking a few bites to appease the rumbling of his stomach, Harry's curiosity got the better of him.

"Hermione?" he asked softly.

Having looked everywhere in the compartment except at him, Hermione finally turned her gaze upon him.

"Yes?" she replied after taking a drink.

"Is everything all right?"

"Of course, Harry," she said in a very soothing, gentle voice. "Why wouldn't you think so?"

Oh, this is going to sound so lame... Harry complained to himself. He knew she would ask that, and yet he'd made no attempt to think up a reasonable answer.

"Well, erm, it's just that ever since we got here, you've seemed quiet, withdrawn." He really hoped he wouldn't be forced to explain it any more than that. His "proof" might have made him seem a little needy, or worse, creepy.

Fortunately for him, Hermione knew exactly what he meant, as her change in demeanor had been intentional. She didn't really expect him to notice (but was honestly pleased that he did), so she originally had no plans to explain. But since he did notice, and since he did seem concerned about it, she decided to go ahead and tell him.

Hermione smiled. "I'm fine, Harry. I'm just getting settled back into the magical world, or, more correctly, life away from home. Actually, if anything, I would imagine that I'm more like I normally am at Hogwarts.

"Remember how I explained that the 'me' at home is a little more open than the one at school? You'd never seen the entire 'me' in years past, so you're only now noticing the difference."

For some reason, Harry found it horrible that she felt the need to change who she was upon going back to school. And he told her that.

Hermione seemed surprised by his assertion, but was certainly pleased as well.

"It's not all that surprising, is it, Harry? When it's just you and me and my parents, and maybe Ron and Ginny, of course I'm more open and outgoing. But back at school surrounded by students I don't know personally, yeah, I might seem a little withdrawn. Remember first year, before we were all friends?" she asked, smiling.

Harry nodded, conceding her point.

"And besides, not everyone would appreciate some of my more... endearing quirks," she added with a smirk that he hadn't seen since, well, since yesterday when she was still comfortably set on Broomhill Road. He quickly made sure they were still alone in the compartment.

"Well, for what it's worth," he said, hoping it might cause her to think of a certain conversation in the bookstore that started similarly, "you don't need to hide your Star Wars-loving, belching secret identity from me."

"Thanks," she said in mock seriousness, then returned to her lunch.

Only a few minutes later, the train suddenly lurched forward as the Hogwarts Express started to pull out of Kings Cross Station. Harry was about to start getting worried at his friends' absences when suddenly Ginny appeared in the corridor, Neville right behind her, lugging her trunk.

After Neville securely stowed her trunk, Ginny gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then sat down next to Hermione. He returned to his original seat next to the window, nearly stumbling over Harry's feet as he grinned widely.

"Isn't he just the perfect gentleman?" Ginny cooed in Hermione's direction, not really looking at her.

"Any gentlemen in there want to help me out?" Ron grumbled from out in the corridor. He was struggling to try to get both his own trunk and Pig's cage in through the door at the same time.

Both Harry and Hermione, who both still had their hands and mouths full with their lunch, couldn't respond or do anything. Neville was about to get up when Ginny held up her hand to stop him.

"I'm sure if you snogged him, Neville would be happy to carry your trunk too, Ron" Ginny said sweetly, and in a most helpful-sounding voice.

Ron muttered something darkly under his breath that indicated he wasn't that in need of assistance.

"How much of Honeyduke's shop do you have in there anyway?" Ginny asked pointedly. "He about wore out one of their delivery owls this weekend, stocking up for at least until the first Hogsmeade visit," she added to Hermione. When she finally saw what the older witch was eating, her eyes widened.

Ron didn't even have to look.

"Is that...?" he asked, sniffing the air loudly. Nearly dropping Pig's cage, he spun around and stared at Harry. His eyes too went wide. He didn't really, but one could imagine that Ron also started salivating immediately. It was too bad Pavlov wasn't there with a bell.

"Mate, I'll give you five Galleons if you give me the rest of that," Ron said urgently, indicating Harry's half-eaten hamburger.

"Sorry, mate, can't do that," Harry said with a smile, not looking at all apologetic. Before Ron could complain, Harry grabbed the paper bag that was next to him. He reached in and pulled out a very large hamburger. The paper wrapping almost couldn't hold it.

"Triple bacon cheeseburger, with extra everything," Harry announced. Ron just stared at it as if it were Fleur fresh out of the shower. At least his intentions were different, fortunately.

Ron started to lunge for it when Harry quickly pulled it back.

"Ah!" he cut off the redheaded glutton. "Put all your junk away first," Harry mock-scolded as he nodded towards the trunk lying in the middle of the floor, and Pig's cage on the seat where Ron should have sat.

Faster than was definitely safe, Ron stowed his stuff and then sat down on the seat, looking at Harry almost beggingly. Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head in amusement, then handed Ron the monster burger. He then reached into the bag and withdrew another one, this one much smaller.

"Ginny?" Hermione asked, nodding towards the hamburger in Harry's outstretched hand.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed eagerly, then took the proffered meal. Suddenly, everyone stopped and turned to look at Ron, who was trying to remember how to hold the enormous sandwich without it falling apart and making a big mess.

After a moment, he realized everyone was staring expectantly at him.

"What?" he asked.

Hem-HEM! Ginny cleared her throat loudly, glancing poignantly at Harry and Hermione.

"Wha-? Oh! Right. Thanks, you two," he said genuinely, albeit belated, then returned to the most important matter at hand... that which was in his hand. Everyone accepted his thanks, convinced that was the best anyone would get out of him while he was distracted by food.

"Sorry, Neville," Hermione apologized. "My mum and I didn't know what you'd like; assuming you even wanted any, assuming we even shared a compartment."

"That's okay," he assured her. "Gran fed me a big breakfast before we left home this morning, plus she packed a lunch for me too."

"We figured getting a lunch for these two was a safe bet," Hermione responded.

Harry was about to quip about how getting ten lunches for Ron was a safe bet when he was cut off by an almost sensual moan coming from the male redhead. Everyone turned to look at him, and found him with his eyes literally rolling back in his head as he thoroughly enjoyed his first bite.

Harry figured now was as good a time as any, so he produced the remaining contents from their takeaway bag: the drinks and boxes of chips. Again, Ron's eyes bulged in delight. He quickly snatched his share, wrestled off the lid, and immediately took a large drink.

After finally swallowing (thank Merlin he swallowed), Ron sat in his seat for a moment, looking very sated. He turned to Harry, very content.

"I love you, mate," he sighed happily. Everyone else in the compartment snickered.

Harry just smiled. "Ron, I suspect you would say that to anyone who gave you food or... did your homework for you."

Ron just embarrassedly bobbled his head as if to say, "Yeah, that's probably true," then eagerly resumed eating.

A few bites later, when he slowed long enough to take a safe breath, Ron turned to say something to Harry when he suddenly stopped and started to stare curiously. After a few seconds he began to smile.

"Going for a new look there, mate?" he asked. When Harry just stared in confusion, Ron used his rapidly disintegrating burger as a pointing implement and indicated Harry's face.

"You didn't shave," he explained. "Going for the more rugged look, eh? Oh natural?"

Hermione and Ginny both snorted (sounding very unlady-like) and began to laugh, trying not to choke on their food.

"That means naked, Ron!" Ginny said laughing, once she could speak safely. Ron nearly choked.

"Well, actually, it also means 'in a natural state,'" Hermione added. "So, technically, he could have been correct."

"See?" Ron needled his sister. "Technically, I'm correct!"

"However..." Hermione began.

"Oh, bloody hell, I knew there would be a 'however'!"

"You did say it incorrectly. It's au naturel," Hermione corrected. "Au naturel."

"For all the time he spent staring at Fleur, you'd think he'd've picked up a little French along the way," Ginny teased.

"OY!" Ron objected. Any further response was belayed by the compartment door opening.

"Hi, Luna!" Ginny greeted happily. Ron tensed immediately then glared darkly at his sister, almost as if warning-against what, Ginny did not know-before returning his full and undivided attention to his lunch. If it was possible, he almost appeared to be trying to hide behind what little remained of his hamburger.

"Hello, Ginny," the blonde replied airily.

"How was your trip to Sweden?" she inquired.

"Okay, I suppose. Daddy and I wandered all around the country. We weren't sure exactly where to look, so we looked in the forests, and along the coast, and in some lakes, under rocks, and even in the snowy mountains. We didn't find any Snorkacks, but we knew we were getting close."

Only a full mouth kept Hermione from suggesting it was hard to find that which did not exist.

"Well, I'm sure you'll have better luck next time. Isn't that right, dear brother?" Ginny asked.

"What? Oh, yeah."

"Hello, Ronald," Luna said quickly and quietly, returning to her seat without waiting for a response.

" 'Lo, Luna," Ron mumbled, not looking at her. Harry glanced at Hermione and Ginny and was relieved to see that they too were as confused as he was about the restrained greeting.

While he was staying at the Burrow, Harry remembered Ron mentioning at least half a dozen times that Luna would be back the day before they left for Hogwarts: yesterday. He had even said that her letter mentioned their Portkey returning at eleven o'clock. Harry also caught Ron rehearsing what he was going to say when he went over to her house that same morning. He began to get a sinking feeling that perhaps things had not gone too well.

For the next little while, the six occupants made small talk as everyone ate their lunches, whether fast food or homemade. The one thing that was clear was that it appeared Ron and Luna were avoiding speaking to each other. Of course, it might have only appeared obvious because three of the compartment occupants were specifically looking.

Neville was blissfully unaware however, as Ginny was currently sitting sideways on his lap, feeding him the remnants of her lunch. It was hard to tell what he was more interested in: the bubbling beverage, or the giggling girl sitting on his lap. Well, maybe it wasn't that, erm, difficult.

Ron was busy nursing the last of his Coke, scowling at his sister sitting on Neville's lap. And Luna seemed to be keeping herself thoroughly entertained by watching Hedwig sit on her eggs as she tried to nap.

* * *

About fifteen minutes out of the station, Harry had finished his lunch and was just getting ready to decide how he would spend the next few hours of their train ride. Hermione answered the question before he could even ask himself.

"Ready, Harry?"

"Huh? Ready?" he replied quizzically.

"We need to go up to the prefects' carriage, remember?" she explained, raising an eyebrow almost as if in lecture.

"Oh, yeah," he replied sheepishly, having clearly forgotten.

"It shouldn't take too long," Hermione said encouragingly. "We'll go meet with the Head Boy and Girl and the other prefects, and then patrol the corridors for a bit. Easy!" she finished with a smile.

At this moment, Ron seemed to break out of his sullen mood long enough to let out a poorly disguised snort of laughter.

"Yeah, right," he said. "We were in there for a bloody hour last year!" Ron complained. "That pompous git must be in love with the sound of his own voice. His first time as a prefect, it was, and he acted like he was redesigning it all over again!"

"Who?" Harry asked automatically, but was pretty certain of the answer already.

"Ernie Macmillan," Ron and Hermione replied simultaneously, earning a few snickers around the compartment.

"Glad I'm not doing that anymore," Ron professed as Harry nodded slightly towards his trunk, wordlessly asking Hermione if he needed his robes or prefect badge for the meeting; she shook her head no.

"Have fun!" Ron sang as the two sixth year prefects left the compartment, heading towards the engine.

As they approached the prefect carriage, Harry turned his head and glanced back at Hermione.

"I know you told me everything, plus a half, about being prefect while you were still in France, but are there any last minute words of wisdom for me?"

Hermione smiled bracingly. "You know that Malfoy is going to have something to say about you being prefect now, or about Ron not. Just remember that you are prefect now and you have an example to set."

Fully prepared for this lecture, Harry just smiled back. "Just remember the same goes for you too. I seem to recall," he said playfully, "you calling Pansy an utter cow, or something like that, when you came back from the meeting last year."

"Don't even get me started on that!" Hermione complained. "I can't believe... she's just a..." Hermione paused. "Yes, you're right, an example to set."

* * *

As the door slid open, Harry was surprised that this carriage was different than the rest. All of the other carriages on the train were passenger cars, each with multiple compartments. But this carriage was a wide-open car with just one long bench seat that ran around the entire perimeter of room, minus the the ends for the doors, of course. In fact, the prefects' carriage was an old lounge railcar that had been retrofitted into this meeting room.

"Guess we're the first ones here," Harry safely ventured, looking around the empty room. It did not last long, however, as within a minute other prefects began to trickle in.

Harry knew it was coming. Of course it had to happen while his back was turned. But at least the room was mostly filled by now.

"Granger! Knew they couldn't drag you and your hair away from here," Draco Malfoy drawled. (Honestly, was he even capable of speaking normally?) Hermione slowly turned around as he and Pansy Parkinson sauntered into the carriage. Harry decided to silently count to ten first before doing anything.

"I don't see your red rat around here. Did he finally develop a brain and...?" Draco trailed off as Harry now turned around.

"Potter!" he snapped, both in displeasure and surprise. "What the hell are you doing in the prefects' carriage?!"

"Displaying better manners to my fellow prefects than you are, obviously," Harry replied silkily. The other prefects knew better than to get between these two, but most allowed themselves a smile (if confused) at Harry's reply.

"'Fellow prefects'? What are you on about?" Draco asked as he and Pansy started to stalk around Harry and Hermione in a circle. "Weasley's the loser-excuse for a Gryffindor prefect, not you! And besides, what idiot would pick you prefect?" he added with a cruel smile. The pug-faced Slytherin witch sneered haughtily... not a flattering look for her.

"That would be me, Mister Malfoy, as you should well expect!" came from the doorway the unmistakable voice of Deputy Headmistress and Gryffindor Head of House, Minerva McGonagall.

Draco flinched (only for a fraction of a second) at being overheard, and then glared murderously at Harry for "getting" him caught.

"Professor!" Draco said cordially to this person who could, and would, land him in detention for the entirety of the school year. "I wasn't expecting to see you aboard."

"I don't doubt that, Mister Malfoy," McGonagall said sharply. "But as it was, my presence as Deputy Headmistress was required to assist a new professor through the barrier at the station. Overwhelmed by an extreme sense of nostalgia for the Express, I decided to take the train back to Hogsmeade, rather than Apparate."

There was the slightest hint of disappointment in her voice. It was almost as if the ride hadn't been living up to her fond memories. Then again, maybe it was just the present company.

Both Harry and Hermione's attentions perked up at the mention of the new professor. Harry was curious if this was their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. His assigned reading had been very productive; Confronting the Faceless appeared to be a very insightful book. He had high hopes for this year's class. Thinking back to the few minutes he'd spent with the man, Harry half-expected his Head of House's assistance was in the form of wheeling Slughorn's luggage through the Muggle train station.

Hermione's attention was drawn too, but more so to the mention of providing assistance at the barrier. A Muggle would need to be lead through the barrier.

She hadn't really expected that Dumbledore would follow her recommendation that it be a Muggle who taught Muggle Studies. But, what little data she had thus far did bolster her hopes that she might have actually played some active part in improving the education received at the venerable Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Professor," Hermione couldn't help but interject. "We have a new professor aboard?"

"Correct, Miss Granger," McGonagall replied, her face softening, but only because she was no longer addressing Draco. Said Malfoy rolled his eyes and started whispering to Pansy behind the professor. The Slytherin girl's visage suggested they'd found something else about which to deride Hermione.

"Evidently our newest professor has a certain affinity for trains, and as such requested to ride along with the driver." McGonagall saw that her favorite student was about to ask something else; she already knew what and decided to stem off any further distractions.

"Introductions will be made at tonight's Welcoming Feast, Miss Granger." The older witch's back straightened a little, then she turned to address the assembled students. Everyone took their seats around the perimeter of the room as she walked into the very center.

"Now, if we are all finished insulting one another and inquiring of the faculty roster, I think we can begin. But first, as Mister Malfoy so deftly noticed, there has been a change in Gryffindor." McGonagall slowly turned around as she spoke, ensuring she looked at everyone to see that all were present... and that they were actually paying attention.

She made sure she was looking what was clearly the Slytherin corner as she began the announcement about her own house.

"As all of our returning prefects may remember, last year, Mister Weasley was the Gryffindor fifth year prefect." The Slytherins were well behaved at this point, considering McGonagall was looking directly at them. Harry did note however a couple of eye-rolls come from the Ravenclaw corner on the opposite side, evidently testament that Fred and George weren't the only ones surprised by last year's appointment.

"This year, however, Mister Weasley has been offered the position of Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. He agreed, with great enthusiasm I am forced to admit, to step down as prefect and become team captain instead. Mister Potter here has been appointed House prefect in his place."

The look on Minerva's face was as if she was daring the Slytherins to make a smart comment. Getting none, she resumed her slow turn around the room, addressing the remaining prefects.

"Last term saw some... turmoil within the staffing at Hogwarts, and I understand that certain... liberties were granted that ordinarily would not. I would like to take a few moments to briefly remind everyone what is and is not acceptable behavior for a Hogwarts prefect."

Thirty minutes later, Professor McGonagall yielded the floor to the Head Boy and Girl. The first prefect meeting of the school year typically lasted anywhere from forty-five minutes to an hour followed by a brief patrol of the train, before everyone was allowed to return to their friends.

Last year's meeting lasted about fifty minutes; Ron and Hermione were back to their carriage within an hour. This year, after McGonagall's long "introduction," the Head Boy and Girl were eager to speed through the meeting as quickly as possible. Because of that, and partly because the six Slytherin prefects were silently sulking in their corner of the carriage, the meeting ended half an hour later.

As they left the prefects' carriage, Hermione decided that she wanted to change into her school robes first before she went on patrol. She felt it gave off a more official air.

* * *

Returning to their carriage nearly an hour and a quarter later, Harry and Hermione found Ron hunched over in one corner, furiously scribbling away on a sheet of parchment. Harry glanced at it and shook his head a bit. It might have been their least enjoyable class, but the fact that it was their least enjoyable professor should have been reason enough to not put Potions off until last.

He thought it best not to say anything, however. Ron looked harried enough as it was.

Neville and Ginny were on the other side of the compartment from Ron, sitting on the same side as Luna. They were passing the time engrossed in a little recreational reading (it was a long train ride, after all). Sitting closer together than was really necessary, Ginny seemed to be alternating back and forth between Teen Witch Weekly and Quidditch Illustrated. Wriggling around in her lap was the purple puffball that was her Pygmy Puff, Arnold.

Neville was in the middle of Magical Water Plants of the American Lakes. Evidently this book was part of a series, and having been given one in fourth year, he decided to read the rest of them.

And Luna... well, Luna apparently had kept herself thoroughly entertained by watching Hedwig sit on her eggs, for she was still doing so now.

All too happily, Ron looked up from his still-six inch short essay.

"Finally back, mate?" he asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied as he slumped into the seat next to his friend. "Good thing the meeting got out quickly."

"Quickly?" Ron asked, bemused. "You were gone over an hour!"

"Well, quickly, once McGonagall finished," Harry clarified.

"McGonagall's on the train?!" Ron asked in a bit of a panic, sudden putting his hands over his unfinished homework as if trying to hide it.

"Yeah, helping a new professor on board."

It had been gnawing at Hermione as soon as she entered the compartment. She tried to resist the temptation, but the urge finally became too strong.

"You know, Ron. If you'd done your holiday homework sometime during the holiday, you wouldn't need to be hiding it now," Hermione admonished.

"And if I'd done it during the holiday, I wouldn't have had time to reorganize my Chocolate Frog card collection," Ron shot back, clearly trying to make a point about which was more important.

Hermione was about to retort back when Harry turned to her and gave her a look. Let it go.

"Don't expect me to review it for you at midnight tonight," she finally said after a moment's debate. She didn't like it when either of her two best friends did poorly, but there was only so much she could do. And literally losing sleep the night before classes began wasn't amongst the top one thousand things she'd like to do.

"I wish!" Ron lamented. "Be lucky if I finish this before midnight, at this rate."

Satisfied that a row before classes even started was averted, Harry shot Hermione a small smile of gratitude. As answer, she replied with a weak smile and a look that conveyed she knew that some things, such as Ron's study habits, were beyond even her power.

As Harry turned back away from Hermione, he was unsettled to discover Luna looking squarely at him. He felt his face being to heat up. Why was she doing that? How did she do that, catch him right at that moment when he felt as if he had his guard down, that his act to hide his feelings was at its weakest?

Fortunately, a distraction was provided with the compartment door sliding open.

Unfortunately, the identities of the interlopers were all too predictable.

"Weeelllll, if it isn't Saint Potter and his ragtag group of worshipers," Malfoy half-sang, half-sneered. Crabbe and Goyle just nodded dumbly and smiled in agreement.

"Well, it is. So I hope whatever clever follow-up you had planned if it wasn't us, doesn't go to waste," Harry suggested as the six of them stood up to face the intruders. "Maybe you can use it the next time you see us, Malfoy." Because Ginny had to tuck Arnold away into a safe corner of the seat cushions, she was the last to stand and therefore drew extra attention.

But there were more important wizards to annoy, so attention returned to Harry.

"Don't get comfortable, Potter!" Draco warned. "A prefect's badge won't protect you from what you're due!"

Harry let out a long slow sigh. Year in, year out, this was starting to get old.

"You know, Draco," he said conversationally (one of the rare times he'd ever called him 'Draco' to his face); "I'm never comfortable when you're around. You're like one of those little thistles that get stuck in my hand when I'm pulling weeds. With your lord and master after me, with all of his Death Eaters after me, with half of the female population of this school after me..."

"More than half," Ron interrupted with a snicker.

"More like two-thirds," Ginny added, grinning.

"Three-quarters," Luna interjected, her voice sounding very unimportant. She might have been 'loony,' but she was very astute at observation, and this pattern of behavior was easy enough to discern.

"Eighty-two percent, I'd wager," Hermione finished. The growing look of rage on Malfoy's face made it worth it.

Harry nodded at Hermione in thanks as if he had been looking for that exact statistic. He then looked back at Malfoy and smirked.

"With all of that, and eighty-two percent of the girls after my skin, or certain other parts," he added under his breath, remembering the girls from the bookstore, "forgive me if I don't exactly cower in fear at your blathering. All I do feel is the need for a pair of tweezers."

Before he realized it, Malfoy was now staring down the business end of Harry's wand. The other five had theirs drawn as well, though they were not pointed at the Slytherins.

"Please, go darken your own housemates' doorstep."

Since she had drawn his attention earlier, Draco turned his attention back to Ginny. After Harry's almost nonchalant rebuke, for some reason he was having a harder time than normal finding a cutting insult. So he seized upon what was convenient.

"Building yourself a little harem here, Potter?" Draco sneered as he nodded towards the three girls on the compartment. "Of course, if I was forced to be around hags like these, I'd need attentions too."

"So that's why you're always hanging around with Parkinson and Bulstrode too, eh?" Neville asked, surprising everyone in the compartment. Everyone that is, except Ginny. She'd witnessed his transformation as he gained confidence from their time together. (Snogging and getting his backside pinched once or twice tended to bolster a bloke's aplomb.)

Draco seemed to enjoy this new development. He'd noticed that Neville had taken a step towards Ginny in what was clearly a defensive posture. Malfoy had high hopes this would be an opportunity to make something, anything happen.

"Well, well, well. It appears the Witless Wonder has finally grown a pair. Did the Weaslette here have anything to do with that?" Draco said mockingly.

"You shut your mouth, Malfoy," Neville warned, "or I'll do it for you!"

"Oh?" Draco crowed, pretending to be impressed. He turned to smirk at Crabbe and Goyle behind him. "I wonder if Red here had to use her mouth to extract Longbottom's courage."

Draco Malfoy wanted to start something. And he did.

He turned back just in time to see Neville's fist flying at his face. Malfoy was so surprised by this that if he hadn't used the bathroom after leaving the prefects' carriage, he probably would have sullied himself. By now, the only thing more surprising was the fact that he wasn't in pain yet. He opened his eyes.

At the last second, Ginny had pulled back on Neville's other arm, causing the punch to fall short.

"It's not worth it, Nev," Ginny said soothingly as she rubbed the shoulder she was pulling back on. "He's a prefect. You'll get in trouble."

Truly shaken by the near miss, Draco faked a calm exterior.

"Well, I guess we all know who wears the pants between those two," Malfoy laughed, although his heart was racing from the adrenaline surge.

"Neville likes my pants, thank you very much," Ginny said to Malfoy with her own sneer. To accentuate her statement, she lightly slapped her hip. And if that wasn't enough, she then grabbed Neville roughly by his shirt and pulled him to her. The searing kiss she gave him left everyone in the room with an awkward twist in their knickers.

"Damn, if my girlfriend snogged me like that, I'd volunteer to be the skirt too," Goyle whispered to Crabbe, who vigorously nodded.

"You two thundering oafs don't even have girlfriends, so shut the hell up!" Malfoy snapped. His two goons looked a bit affronted, but did as they were told.

And with that comment, Ginny thought this was the perfect opportunity for a very specific verbal attack. Honestly, she knew there had been rumors floating around regarding which side of the broom Neville flew. They were mostly likely started by the Slytherins, but some people gave them weight because he was quiet and shy and was certainly not considered a man's man.

But there were just as many rumors about Draco Malfoy out there (definitely started by the Gryffindors). He certainly wasn't shy, or quiet. But he didn't have an imposing build, and he was always impeccably dressed, and was inordinately obsessed with his appearance.

"You know, Malfoy," Ginny said, her voice turning cool. "I'd be careful about making inquiries about other bloke's bits. People might start to wonder if the rumors are true... about why you have such meticulous grooming habits, that pretty hair of yours... about why you're so primly and elegantly dressed. They might start wondering just how close the three of you are," Ginny said, nodding towards Crabbe and Goyle.

For someone like Draco Malfoy, the only thing worse than insulting him via his bigotry was to insult him by questioning his standards.

"These two?" Malfoy asked incredulously. "Please. If I were... that way... do you honestly think I'd be interested in the likes of them?!" he asked as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

For people like Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, the only thing worse than insulting their prejudices was to hurt their shockingly small... egos.

"What? You think we're not good enough for the likes of you?" the smarter of Malfoy's 'companions' asked.

"YEAH!" added the dumber.

Draco was certainly caught off guard by this turn of events. Ginny decided to take advantage of his momentary distraction and leave.

"Come on, Neville," she said saucily. "Let's go find the sweets trolley. You can buy me a Sugar Quill." She then grabbed hold of his hand and started to lead him out of the compartment.

"Pathetic," Draco muttered as Neville passed by.

With his free hand, Neville just pointed at Ginny and smiled vacantly. He clearly was not complaining about his place in the order of things.

Crabbe and Goyle, for their parts, decided they didn't have to stand around and be told they weren't desirable... not that they wanted to be desirable to Draco. It was just a male-pride thing. So they took advantage of Ginny and Neville's departure and left themselves. It was probably the most impressive feat of strategy they had ever employed. Or ever would.

Though unnerved by the sudden shift in odds against him, Draco was foolishly undaunted nonetheless. Unsatisfied that his first attempt to provoke Harry had failed, he just could not leave without giving it another go.

"You know, Potter, the merging of two pureblood families has to be one of the most important events in the whole world, as it ensures a future pureblooded generation. But I have to admit that the thought of the Weaslette and the Witless Wonder together has got to be one of the most sick-en-ing..." Draco slowed and trailed off as he noticed something at the back of the compartment.

"Oh? What have we here?" he asked whimsically. "Are you so boring that your pet chicken had to go out and find company on her own?" Hedwig was sitting protectively on her eggs, and Metis by now was hopping back and forth across the cage restlessly, keeping a sharp eye on Draco.

"Get out!" Hermione said dangerously. Crookshanks-who had been lying low in hopes of enacting a sneak attack upon the kitty-Bon Bon that was Ginny's Pygmy Puff-decided to make his presence (and support) known at this point. He darted out from his secluded corner and stood in front of the cage, his fur in full fluff. There were now four witches and wizards and an angry cat/Kneazle between Malfoy the two otherwise helpless owls locked in their cage.

He would never admit it to anyone, except to complain about it, but Draco never forgot the time Hermione had hit him. He was therefore careful to stay out of arm's reach from her whenever possible.

While Potter and all of his friends (even the loony girl) looked quite ready to hex him into next term, from his safer, distanced vantage point, Draco did notice that it was Granger (and her mangy animal) who appeared the most threatening at the moment. It was they who appeared the most defensive.

He was loath to admit it, but Draco had resigned himself that she would be top of the class. Again. He knew she would lord it over him. If she had the highest O.W.L. score....

He looked a little harder at the cage. The smaller one was highly agitated. But why was Potter's owl just sitting there?

"I should have known you'd win the O.W.L. owl, Granger," Draco said, trying to sound bored. "You know those W.E.A. owls aren't even worth stuffing as trophies... just a bunch of inbred, flea-bitten feather bags."

"Well, you'd know all about inbreeding, Malfoy, wouldn't you? It's getting harder and harder these days to find pureblood families, isn't it?" Hermione asked sweetly. "Do your parents have a cousin all lined up for you to marry yet? I guess you should be lucky you don't have a sister."

Draco looked back down at the owls in the cage. He was sorely tempted to try a depluming curse he'd once read about. In times of war, just like with their human opponents, wizards devised creative, and cruel, ways to "take care of" an enemy's owl messengers. When used on a bird in flight, the end result was usually the same as a Killing Curse, except it didn't require anywhere near as much energy to cast.

Plus it did have the benefit of making retrieval of communiqués a lot easier. Hitting a bird in flight with the Killing Curse required perfect aim. Other spells that weren't so finicky tended to violently obliterate small organisms... and their valuable messages.

As he considered what Granger might turn him into, or exactly how hard she might hit him, Draco noticed Potter's owl move. She was just a small shuffle, but it was enough. Two owls... one cage... now it all made sense.

Draco began to laugh riotously. He could only point for a few moments, until he was able to get his laughter under control.

"Potter! Your owl got knocked up by Granger's!"

There were now four wands pointed directly at Draco's face, but for once he really didn't care. Even if he chose to do nothing else, this fact alone made it all worth it. He knew he and his housemates could easily get at least a month's worth of torment out of this.

"GET OUT!" Harry shouted.

For once, Draco voluntarily did as Harry ordered.

"Two little lovebirds sitting in a tree, F-U..." Draco sang as he turned and started to leave the compartment. Just as he slid the door open, he thought of the funniest joke. He quickly spun around.

"I had an early breakfast and am feeling a bit famished. Who fancies an omelet?" he asked as he faked a long, loud laugh and pretended to reach for his wand.

Because he was too busy laughing, Draco never heard the spell cast at him. But he certainly felt its effects.

Or didn't.

His eyes widened in shock as his lower jaw started to fall open, useless.

"WHA IH YOU OO??!!" Draco tried to shout as he found his tongue non-functional as well.

"What did I do?" Hermione asked as she took a step forward. "Oh, nothing dangerous, nothing permanent. Nothing painful," she added, sounding almost regretful. "Just a simple, ordinary numbing charm, quite useful for healers... and dentists."

"I CANN THAH!!"

"And we will be so wanting without your words of wisdom," Hermione said. Having spent more time in a dental office than most kids could be paid to go, she'd gotten quite adept at understanding people trying to talk with a mouth full of Novocain. The daughter of dentists, perhaps that was how she'd thought of that spell. Or perhaps it was because she didn't want to do anything too drastic on the train ride to school.

Or perhaps it was the memory of when (and where) that charm had been used on Harry previously.

"Run along, Malfoy. And do be careful. It would be a shame if you accidentally bit your tongue." By now, his limp oral appendage was starting to hang humorously out of his mouth like some overheated canine; he was even starting to drool.

Unwilling (and unable) to say anything more, Draco turned and stormed out of the compartment, closing the sliding door so hard the glass rattled. His other hand was holding his jaw shut.

Harry and Ron turned and looked at Hermione, clearly impressed. She had been on such a roll that neither felt it necessary to add anything. (And it kinda would have looked a bit like a childish, "Yeah!" sort of add-on.) Luna just tucked her wand behind her ear and sat down, returning to her not-a-centerfold Quibbler article.

"That was brilliant!" Ron exclaimed breathlessly as he and Harry sat down. "How long is he going to be like that?"

"How long did that charm last when Dumbledore did it on you?" Hermione asked Harry.

Trying not to blush, he managed, "Dunno, until sometime in the middle of the night?"

As in 3:26 in the morning? a certain voice in the back of Harry's mind asked.

"Sometime in the middle of the night?" Hermione answered Ron, shrugging her shoulders.

"Brilliant!" Ron sighed, smiling. "When did Dumbledore do that to you?" he asked Harry, curious.

"I'll tell you later," Harry replied vaguely. He had no intention of telling Ron later.

Confident that Draco would not be eager to show his face again for the remainder of the ride to school, Hermione sat down for a few seconds, allowing her anger and irritation with the ferret wash away. As it faded, she looked again at Ron and Harry.

Ron was dutifully inspecting one of his empty Chocolate Frog boxes; again it almost appeared he was trying to avoid looking somewhere else in the room. Harry was sitting next to him, leaning back against the seat, his eyes closed. Every few seconds, he would smile as if he was replaying the entire scene again.

Once Hermione felt sufficiently calm and collected, she let out a small cleansing breath and sighed.

"Well, Harry," she said encouragingly as she stood up. "We should probably do our patrol now so we can have some free time before we need to do it again later this afternoon."

"Mm-hmm," Harry agreed lazily without opening his eyes.

"I'm going to grab my uniform and robes, and will be back here in five minutes. Will you be ready by then?"

"Mm-hmm," he said again, this time thinking back to the other day when he saw her in her uniform again for the first time... for the sixth time.

Looking at him, Hermione decided that Harry must have really been enjoying replaying Draco's retreat. She smiled and shook her head, then turned around and reached up to take her trunk down from the rack.

Because she had lifted it over her head and twisted around as put it in the overhead rack, when Hermione took it back down and set it on the seat, it was now upside down. But since standard trunks like those that Hogwarts students used opened just as easily upside down as right side up, she decided to open it as it was rather than fuss with trying to turn it over and risk hitting Luna.

The only problem with that (as she chastised herself now that it was too late) was that her uniform and robes, which had been on top, were now on bottom. Unwilling to publicize her mistake by now flipping over the trunk (at least her initials were on the side Ron couldn't see), Hermione decided to just dig through her clothes to get to the bottom.

Harry sat very comfortably in his seat for a few more moments. His mind alternated back and forth between recalling a month ago at 3:26AM, and trying to remember the look on Malfoy's numb face as best he could before it started to fade. Once both thoughts were sufficiently redeemed, he reluctantly turned his head towards Ron and opened his eyes.

His redheaded friend was reading and rereading several of the wizard's cards that came with the Chocolate Frogs. Considering his earlier behavior, and considering Ron had almost the entire complete set, Harry suspected Ron was again trying to ignore Luna.

I really wished I knew what happened between the two of them, Harry thought to himself as he started to turn back towards Hermione to see if she knew what was going on. Ron had been so...

All further conscious thought faded from his mind as he looked back and found Hermione standing directly in front of him, bending over as she dug around in her trunk.

Harry knew that some guys were breast men. He knew some were fans of a nice set of legs. But ever since he first started noticing girls, he knew that truly appreciated a nice posterior-hers especially. Granted, he was quite fond of all of her, but still....

And so with Hermione's backside not four feet away from his face, Harry just stared.

[...]

And stared. Two or three seconds passed by agonizingly slowly. And wonderfully, too.

[...]

He knew he shouldn't objectify the female form (or Hermione) by staring, but he just couldn't help it.

[...]

And she was wearing his favorite pair of jeans, too. He even unconsciously tilted his head a little to the left, as if seeing her from a slightly different angle would be even better.

[...]

It was.

[...]

He honestly didn't know how girls could be allowed to walk around like-

THOCK!

Harry was broken out of his hypnotic state when something hit the side of his head. He looked down into his lap (the folded fabric in his jeans from sitting hid everything, but he knew...) and found an empty Chocolate Frog box. He turned and looked at Ron.

Ron was staring at Harry with his eyes wide, wearing a look that shouted, "WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Because he'd been in something of a trance-like state, Harry wasn't entirely sure what Ron meant. He shook his head in confusion. Ron's eyes narrowed in irritation and he jerked his head towards Hermione, never taking his eyes off Harry.

Harry turned and looked, and only now was consciously aware of what he'd been staring at. Oh yeah! he remembered with a mental grin. All in all, it hadn't even been ten seconds that he was staring, but it was plenty of time for Ron to catch him.

Harry immediately turned bright red in embarrassment, and then looked down at the floor. Having taken a few extra seconds to ensure she not scatter her more personal items of clothing around the compartment as she dug through her trunk, Hermione finally pulled her robes out. As she turned around in triumph, the first thing she noticed was a red-faced Harry staring at the floor.

"What?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

Harry couldn't speak, so Ron did.

"Um, well, I just gave him a new candy I found, a Lava Gummy," Ron lied. "I don't think he likes it."

"He's all right?" Hermione asked Ron hesitantly, almost in accusation, as Harry had now closed his eyes in further embarrassment as Ron had now just lied for him.

"Oh, he'll be fine in a couple of minutes," Ron said in a tone that suggested to Harry they would be having a few words... in a couple of minutes.

"Okay," she finally agreed. "Harry?" she asked anyway. He just nodded. "I'm going to change. Will you be ready in five minutes?" she repeated herself from earlier. Again Harry nodded.

Evidently satisfied, Hermione reluctantly nodded and then opened the compartment door.

"Oh, wait!" Luna said suddenly as she put down her Quibbler she'd been reading behind. "Do you mind if I come with you? I might as well change too."

Considering what they'd all gone through together only two months earlier, Hermione had pledged herself to become more accepting of the blonde Ravenclaw, no matter what strange things she said or believed in. And if possible, maybe she could even become a friend.

And it was hard to resist the innate female urge to travel to the bathroom in groups.

So Hermione smiled and agreed to wait while Luna retrieved her robes as well. All the while, she noticed that Ron was watching Harry like a hawk; she assumed this was to observe for any further confectionary reactions. Actually, what Ron was really watching for was any more instances of wandering eye.

A minute later, Harry and Ron were alone in the compartment.

"Well?!" Ron asked impatiently.

"Well what?" Harry replied, hoping he could avoid this.

"'Well what?' Bloody hell, Harry, you were staring. At Hermione's BUM!"

"I was not! I was just thinking..." Harry started to lie.

"About Hermione's bum," Ron said matter-of-factly.

"Ron, you're taking it all out of context," Harry objected, somehow managing to sound less and less believable.

"What you might have thought was staring was just me..." he tried to think of something that might look like staring, "being lost in thought, remembering something."

"Yeah, Hermione's bum," Ron supplied, now looking amused.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You're imagining things, Ron," he said, trying to make it sound like he didn't believe anything his friend was saying.

"Maybe, but at least I know what you were imagining... Hermione's bum," Ron added, grinning. While he had originally been shocked that Harry was so blatantly staring at Hermione-of all people-by this point it was simply more fun to just take the mickey out of him.

"You know, Harry. If you want to stare at her bum, that's fine by me," Ron teased, holding up his hand in an appeasing gesture. "Just don't let her catch you doing it. You know she'd kill you for it. You remember how she reacted when she caught you and me staring at Fleur, right?"

Suddenly, Harry had a bad feeling about this.

"You're not going to tell her, are you?" he asked hesitantly.

"Tell her what?" Ron asked with well-practiced innocence. So worried, Harry actually fell for it.

"That I was staring at her-" Harry said; Ron smirked, "-that you imagined I was staring at her backside."

"Oh, of course I would never do anything like that," Ron said, this time too innocently. Deep down, Harry knew his best friend wouldn't... but it might require a trip to Honeyduke's as bribery to ensure him staying mum.

"Fine," Harry agreed. "Let's just get changed before they come back."

"Dunno... after that, I'm not sure if I want to be the same room as you with your clothes off," Ron ribbed. After pulling down his trunk, Harry just glared at Ron a little. He knew he had been caught, so he was willing to let Ron have a little fun at his expense, especially if it bought his silence. But Ron was quite capable of taking his jokes a little too far, and now was just one such occasion. The glare let the redhead know that.

Ron pulled down his trunk as Harry pulled down the blinds on the compartment, affording them enough privacy to change into their uniforms. As Ron pulled out his robes, he couldn't help but snicker a little. Harry had to admit, from Ron's point of view, getting caught probably was a little funny.

* * *

There were approximately one thousand students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Putting most of them onto one train at eleven in the morning and not letting them off until after sunset necessitated the need for more than just a single, cramped toilet compartment in each carriage.

Near the front, middle, and end of the train were specially designed lavatory cars. As spacious as any of the regular restrooms at school, they kept the school population happy and comfortable for the nearly nine-hour journey. They even had magically-maintained litter boxes for the dozens of cats (and half-Kneazles) aboard.

Hermione wasn't sure whether to be relieved or unnerved when she walked into the nearest girls' restroom: it was filled with mostly Gryffindor girls. She was relieved because they were almost all Gryffindors; they weren't Slytherins. She was also uneasy because they were almost all Gryffindors, since large groups of girls tended to indulge in gossip. Groups from the same house led to even more gossip.

And participating in gossip was one of the few areas in which Hermione Granger felt completely out of her league.

"Say what you want," Ginny said in something of a 'your loss' tone of voice as she brushed her hair, "but I think Neville's just about the perfect boyfriend." If she hadn't already been seen by the other girls standing in front of the sinks and mirrors, Hermione probably would have just turned around and walked right back out.

But she couldn't, so Hermione quickly and quietly walked into one of the curtained changing cubicles.

"This, coming from the girl who practically drooled over the dirt beneath Harry Potter's shoes?" Lavender Brown asked incredulously.

"Okay, first of all, that statement could probably be applied to eighty-two per cent of the female population here at Hogwarts," Ginny said in defense of herself. Hermione faked a cough as she stifled her unexpected laughter from Ginny's use of the fabricated statistic.

"And second of all, Harry may be brave and noble and totally shaggable in those jeans of his," Ginny continued (Hermione coughed again), "but there is one thing that Neville has in his favor that Harry doesn't."

"And what's that?" Parvati Patil asked disbelievingly.

"Neville fancies me," Ginny replied simply. Half undressed and behind her curtain, Hermione couldn't see Ginny's face. But she knew the redhead well enough to recognize that there was nothing disparaging in her tone about Harry. Rather, she was simply explaining what set the two of them apart, as far as she was concerned.

"Neville?" Katie Bell asked, in confirmation.

"Neville," Ginny verified. "He's kind, he's sweet, he's cute in his own quiet way... there's just a lot of things about him that impress me."

Yeah, something else too, Hermione thought sarcastically as she put her robes on.

"Well, speaking of impressive," came a voice that Hermione didn't immediately recognize. "Did anyone see Harry on the platform this morning?"

Hermione stepped out of her cubicle and went to join the other girls by the mirrors, still gossiping and primping themselves. She just wanted to make sure her hair was under control and her robes in place and her tie properly straight. As she approached the one remaining empty sink, she noticed the girl who had spoken last. She was a bold-looking girl with large dark eyes, a prominent chin, and long black hair.

Hermione was a bit embarrassed to admit that, what with all the life-or-death situations she, Harry, and Ron had been in over the last few years, getting to know all of her housemates-especially the years other than her own-had not been a top priority.

"Wasn't he just gorgeous?" Padma Patil asked, giggling.

"He usually has such dreadful clothes. It's those horrible relatives of his," Parvati observed.

"Oh, Merlin, but not this time!" the unfamiliar girl exclaimed. "I was half-tempted to run up to him and give him a pinch! They might have been ordinary jeans, but he could have been a Witch Weekly fashion model the way those clothes fit him!"

"That is to say, they actually fit him for once," Ginny clarified, and then noticed that Hermione had come in.

"Hello, Hermione," Ginny greeted warmly. "About to go on rounds?"

"Yeah," she confirmed. "Another year, another train-ride. Where did Neville go?"

"He went on further down the cars, looking for the sweets lady. I'll catch up with him in a minute."

Hermione nodded, then grabbed one of the train-provided brushes (always magically clean) and gave her hair a quick run-through just to put everything back into place after dressing.

The barely familiar dark-haired girl returned to the most important subject at hand.

"I wonder where Harry shops," she mused significantly.

"You should ask Hermione. Harry spent half the summer at her house," Ginny said a rather detached voice, as if she was speaking without thinking.

The very first thing to run through Hermione's mind was, Well, I guess the Fidelius has expired now that Harry's headed back to school.

As for the next thing to pop into her mind, well, there was about a twenty-way tie of choice remarks, most not suitable for mixed company.

Ginny's life was spared however because Hermione could see that the redhead was the most shocked of them all by her announcement.

For the other witches, Ginny's revelation unleashed a tidal wave of questioning. It all quickly snowballed; the questions came at her rapid-fire from all sides, almost as if shot out by a machine gun.

"Harry stayed at your house??!"

"For how long?"

"Did your parents know?"

"Were your parents there?"

"Did they leave you two alone?"

"What was it like having him sleep in your house?"

"Were there ever any awkward moments?"

"Did he ever see you in your knickers?"

"Did he ever walk in on you in the shower?"

"Did you ever see him in his underwear?!"

"Did you ever walk in on him in the shower?"

"Boxers or briefs?"

"Oh, my God! Did you ever see HIM naked?"

"Is it true he has a Hippogriff tattooed across his chest?"

"Does he have a smooth chest, or is he all manly hairy?"

"How big is he?"

"ENOUGH!!" Hermione shouted, finally overcoming the surprise at the instant inquisition... and glaring at the black-haired girl for her last question.

Part of her was relieved that no one ever insinuated or asking if there was anything "going on" between them. And part of her was disappointed that no one did.

But this could all still spiral rapidly out of control. The Hogwarts rumor mill would be ablaze, especially considering the current occupants of the room.

"All right. First of all, aside from Voldemort and his Death Eaters," Hermione began (she was actually pleased for once when everyone flinched), "Harry's relatives are probably the cruelest, most awful people on the earth.

"We all wanted to get him out of there as soon as was possible. He normally stays with Ron and his family-" (Ginny nodded) "-but because of complications he couldn't this time. So my parents and I offered to let him stay with us."

"Why couldn't he stay with you?" Parvati asked Ginny, curious and confused.

"We were having problems with my prat of a brother."

"Which one?" Katie asked with a chuckle.

"Percy."

All of the girls who had ever met Percy or had heard about him "Oh"ed in understanding.

Thankful for the momentary distraction, Hermione decided to address all of the other "inquiries" to stem off any further speculation.

"And as for all of your other questions..." she addressed all of the girls, then turned back to the youngest of the group. "What was your name again?"

"Romilda Vane."

"Of course, Miss Vane," Hermione said coolly, then again resumed addressing everyone. "Harry is my friend. He is also, for those who did not know, Gryffindor's prefect this year. Anyone who does not show him the proper courtesy and respect he deserves will land themselves in detention, shoveling manure for Hagrid or extracting beetle eyes for Professor Snape."

And with that, Hermione spun on her heel, her hair whipping around and nearly hitting Romilda, and marched out of the bathroom. If he wasn't such a slimy, greasy git, Severus Snape might have even complimented the ominous way her robes billowed behind her as she stormed back into the corridor. She had only gotten a few steps away when Ginny came out of the bathroom behind her.

"Hermione!" she said urgently, to which the brunette witch turned. "I'm sorry about that in there. I didn't mean to go blabbing about Harry's business. It was just, with the charm and all, it was all bottled up for weeks. First time it popped into my mind, it all burst out."

"Like a broken dam," Hermione agreed with a faint smile as she saw the apologetic look on her friend's face. "It's okay, don't worry about it." The truth was, Hermione was a little disappointed that the literal secret was now out.

She knew it was silly to even think such a thing, but somehow their summer together had seemed just that little bit more special when no one else knew about it. She had the freedom to remember it and interpret it any way she chose. Now, she had to describe it as merely a lodging arrangement, at least publicly. She might have thought otherwise, but even just saying the words felt like she was diminishing it.

Hermione's mind then wandered to something else.

"What's going on with your brother and Luna?"

"I don't know," Ginny frowned in confusion. "He went over to her house yesterday morning. He had the lamest excuse for visiting: he wanted to borrow a cup of tea!" she laughed.

"Anyway, he came back pretty quickly... he couldn't have been over there more than a couple minutes. He was in quite the sour mood, talking to himself under his breath. He just stormed past me and stomped up to his room. He was complaining about something... it was hard to understand him... something about... could have been 'waste of time' since I did hear him say something about getting his hopes up."

Ginny then shrugged her shoulders and shook her head in confusion, not knowing anything more. Hermione frowned in confirmation that she also didn't know anything and that they should probably just leave it be.

There was something however that Ginny knew shouldn't just be left be.

"We need to keep an eye on that one, Romilda Vane," she warned. "She's a lot like I used to be in her... adoration of Harry. Except, she's a little more creative... more passive-aggressive. If I were the type to wear sexy clothes to entice Harry, then she'd be the type to sneak into his dorm room, lie on his bed, and wait for him, naked."

"Well, as long as she keeps her sights off of Neville, you'll be fine then," Hermione teased. Despite the humor, she took the warning seriously. Ginny's comparison brought to the front of her Hermione's mind an observation she made earlier. "Though, I must confess I've noticed that those jeans you're wearing are awfully tight. They can't be comfortable."

"Truthfully, they're not. But Neville likes them so I don't mind them so much. One last little treat for him," Ginny said with a wink, "before it's back to uniforms and robes."

Hermione shook her head and chuckled. "Just promise I won't catch the two of you in a broom cupboard when I'm on duty, okay?"

Ginny smirked. "I promise... you won't catch us in a broom cupboard." She then turned and started to head further down the train in search of Neville. Hermione continued her way back towards their compartment to fetch Harry.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the bathroom, Romilda turned to the other girls as soon as Ginny ran after Hermione.

"So what's her problem?" Romilda asked the remaining girls. Her tone clearly indicated Hermione, rather than Ginny who had just left.

"Where have you been all these years?" Parvati laughed at the younger girl. Hogwarts was small enough that talk could spread like wildfire, but it was still big enough for students to not know all of their fellow housemates personally, especially if there was more than one year between them.

But still, anyone who had eyes should have known about Harry and Hermione (and Ron).

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hogwarts' Golden Trio. You cross one, you cross them all," Katie warned.

"Harry and... they're not going out, are they?" Romilda asked, remembering the Prophet articles from a few years ago.

All of the girls started laughing at that.

"Last I heard," Lavender interjected, "Hermione was still writing Viktor Krum. She must get rather lonely that way," she added with a smirk.

"VIKTOR KRUM?! What could he have possibly seen in her?" Romilda asked in shock. She was a bit too young to have to have gone to the Yule Ball or been aware of all that back then, other than what was in the newspaper and magazines. While she was momentarily distracted by this revelation, Parvati winked at the other girls.

"Dunno. Maybe the same thing Harry sees in her," she teased. "In any case, if you even want to have thoughts about him, I'd suggest you not get on Hermione's bad side. The last girl who did... well, everyone knows what happened between Harry and Cho Chang."

Cho Chang, Romilda knew about, as that had been only a few months ago. Hogwarts was small enough, after all.

While all the four girls returned to their preening, Luna Lovegood, who had followed Hermione into the bathroom, emerged from her own changing cubicle. For reasons that reached back into her early childhood, she had always been a slow dresser. So although she hadn't planned to eavesdrop on the other girls, it had happened.

One good thing about this accidental snooping was that Romilda Vane's "accusation" had given her something new to think about. And for Luna Lovegood, that was always a special occasion. It would explain a great number of curious observations she'd made during the last three times she'd seen Harry, namely in the carriage this morning, back at Ginny's birthday party, and at Harry's too.

And strictly on a practical note, Ginny's admission explained why they had always arrived together.

Still unseen by the still-self-beautifying girls, Luna slipped out of the bathroom and started skipping up the corridor, humming "Weasley is My King," as she considered the way of the world.

Now, if only this situation with Ronald could be solved this easily, Luna sighed.

* * *

After dressing down a couple of girls who were loudly laughing about various colors for some unknown reason, Hermione opened the door to the carriage with her compartment. A small part of her was disappointed to see that the blinds on their windows were open. She wouldn't have all minded accidentally walking in on Harry mid-dress. Then again, that might have also meant walking in on Ron too, and that would have been awkward.

"Ready for your first official patrol?" Hermione asked upon entering.

"Ready!" Harry replied, eager to prove himself.

"Just be sure to keep your eyes peeled for... trouble!" Ron sang before popping a piece of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum into his mouth. He just smirked at the glare Harry gave him.

Because she had left not all that much after Ginny and Hermione, and because Hermione had stopped on her way back to tell off those girls, Luna returned just as Harry started to stand up. Ron suddenly froze and then ducked behind his Quidditch Illustrated that he stole back from Ginny while she was gone. Luna quickly sat back down and returned to her Quibbler. She was reading it normally this time.

Which, for her, probably meant she was hiding behind it too.

Harry looked at Hermione, hoping she might have an answer. She just rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. Don't ask ME. I haven't a clue.

Right as Harry was about to leave the compartment, he looked back at the last moment. He caught Ron's eye and was about to say something when he got a look that clearly, and without a doubt meant, "Don't say another word!"

Harry nodded, then headed down the corridor to catch up with Hermione. As he reached her, he smiled guiltily. If he were having some sort of awkward moment with Hermione (such as getting caught staring at her bum), the absolute last thing he would want would be for Ron to say something stupid, in front of her.

Harry was about to ask Ron if he would be okay if he left him alone with Luna.

That would have gone over well! he chastised himself.

* * *

As the two best friends walked down the corridor of the next car, Hermione reminded Harry of the many things they needed to patrol for. Fortunately for her, the next compartment had its blinds closed.

The compartments' pull-down blinds were required to be left open. It was generally accepted that they might need to be closed briefly if someone was putting on his or her uniform, but they were to be reopened immediately. Private compartments on a train filled with coed teenagers were an invitation for mischief.

After she pointed out the potential rule violation, Harry was all set to rush in and break up whatever was going on inside. Anxious to show Hermione he was a proper prefect, he suddenly realized something: he didn't have his prefect badge.

While he had been waiting for Ron to finish changing, Harry was giving his prefect badge a quick, last minute shine. He breathed on it then polished, using a clean sock from his open trunk to remove his dulling fingerprints. Not paying attention, he hadn't noticed that Ron had finished and gone over to open the curtains again. He did notice a moment later, however, when there was a tapping noise at the corridor window.

Several girls, third of fourth years by the looks of them, were looking into the compartment, pointing and giggling. What had their attention was Harry's still open trunk. On the very top (because they were the smallest items and that was how he packed) were his socks... and several pairs of his underwear.

Dropping everything in his hands (his badge, into the trunk), he slammed the lid shut as he stood up in a sudden move. He promised himself he would have to have a little chat with Ron about waiting until everyone was ready before opening the curtains. Looking back, the girls now appeared quite disappointed that the show was over. They quickly left, giggling about navy, gray, black... colors that coincided with the new underwear he had purchased in the department store back on his first day in Wandsworth.

Just as she was about to knock on the offending compartment's door, Hermione too noticed Harry's uniform problem.

"Where's your badge, Harry?"

"Erm," was all Harry could say. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes at him, giving him quite a look of disappointment... but not so much that he needed to fear a lecture.

"Go on!" she scolded. "I can handle this one," she said, pointing at the blinds.

"Okay," he agreed. It wasn't like he could say no.

Mentally kicking himself for having screwed up his very first prefect duty (and for not living up to what he imagined were Hermione's high expectations of him), when he got back to their compartment, he didn't bother looking in through the windows. Not really thinking, he simply opened the door and walked in, looking straight ahead.

When he finally noticed, he first noticed that the seats where Ron and Luna had been earlier were now empty. Then, in his peripheral vision, he noticed motion on the floor.

"HOLY FU..." Harry almost swore and quickly turned around to escape the carnage. He didn't use profanity much (aloud, at least), so it was actually quite easy for him to not utter the curse word.

On the floor in front of him was a teeming, writhing mass of black robes; a few spots of red and blonde hair stuck out on one end. The room was filled with the horrifying sucking, slurping, and smooching sounds of a serious, furious make-out session.

Unfortunately, the door had closed behind Harry; his forehead ended up hitting the window as he as he tried to abandon ship. The old-fashioned pane glass cracked from the impact.

Stumbling to sit down, Harry clutched his forehead in pain. When the stars had cleared, he looked up and found Ron and Luna back in their seats as if nothing had happened. The only clues to the contrary were the fact that Ron was holding (hiding behind) The Quibbler and Luna was "reading" Quidditch Illustrated.

The fact that even their hands were red from a blush (or a flush) helped too.

"You all right mate?" Ron croaked from behind the magazine. He remained hidden.

"Luna, could I have a minute alone with Ron, please?"

"Okay," her normally airy voice replied shakily. She put the magazine down and stood up to leave. Harry noticed she was smiling broadly... smiling like he had never seen her smile before. Her cheeks were still rosy red.

She took a step then suddenly stopped and pulled a piece of gum out of her mouth. "Oh, here you go, Ronald," she said, handing it back to him.

"Great! Thanks, Luna!" Ron said happily. "Thought I had swallowed that," he added to himself as an afterthought as he popped it back into his mouth.

After Luna wandered away, Harry stared at Ron expectantly.

"WELL?!"

"Well what?" Ron asked innocently, trying to pretend nothing had happened. It was not intentional, but the irony of this conversation was not missed by either of them.

"Oh, I don't know," Harry said sarcastically. "How about the part where I walked in on the two of you rolling around on the floor, sucking each other's faces?!"

"Ohhh.... thaaaat," Ron suddenly 'remembered.' He couldn't hide his grin anymore. Harry knew that if his friend was going to play dumb or innocent, they would be here for a while. So he decided to make this as direct as possible.

"What happened?" he asked. "The two of you were avoiding each other like the Plague, and then I walk in on you sucking face."

"We weren't..."

"You were writhing, moaning, groaning... sucking face!" Harry insisted.

After the 'staring at Hermione's bum' thing, he was going to make sure he paid Ron back in kind. Unfortunately for Harry's 'all in good fun' payback, Ron actually grinned instead.

"You were rehearsing last week what you were going to say to her... you were going to meet her for her eleven o'clock Portkey yesterday... What happened?"

Ron's eyes widened in shock that Harry knew all of that.

"Everyone knew, Ron," Harry explained. "When you're whispering to yourself, your voice carries a lot louder than you think." Ron clearly didn't know that about himself; his look of embarrassment proved that much at least.

"So what was going on today? What happened yesterday when she got back?"

"Nothing," Ron replied simply. "Nothing happened. When I went over to her house that morning, she wasn't there. They weren't there. Her letter said their Portkey returned at eleven o'clock. I assumed in the morning. She returned at eleven at night. I came home annoyed that I'd walked over there for nothing.

"And as for this morning, well, I guess you could say I was rather anxious to see her again after all those letters we wrote. It was about all I could do to not snog her in front of all you guys. Once everyone left and it was just the two of us, well, erm, I suppose the feeling was mutual," Ron finished, grinning and blushing again.

Exactly sixty seconds after departing, Luna returned.

"Did you two finish all of your male bonding?" she asked as she sat back down.

"Um, yeah?" Ron asked, not sure how to answer. "Oh yeah, what did you come back for, anyway?" he asked Harry. "Not to check up on us, I hope," he said, winking at Luna.

"Erm, no," Harry replied, growing increasingly convinced he did not want to be present for whatever the two of them were doing. "I dropped my prefect badge in my trunk when I slammed it shut earlier. Hermione's on up ahead, dealing with a compartment with their blinds closed." And with that, he stared heavily at Ron, silently warning him to not close the blinds.

After pocketing his badge and putting the trunk back up (and repairing the glass he broke with his forehead), Harry decided it was time to leave... immediately. He couldn't see either Ron or Luna while he was stowing the trunk, but he got the distinct feeling that the two of them were giving each other suggestive looks. He definitely didn't want to be there for that.

"Keep the blinds open!" Harry warned as he started to leave.

No one acknowledged him, but he did hear Luna giggle (yes, giggle) as he opened the door.

"Can I have that gum back?" she asked.

"Come and get it," Ron dared.

* * *

By the time Harry had caught back up with Hermione, she had already dealt with the closed blinds and was slowly walking down the corridor of the next car.

"You'll never guess what just happened back in our compartment!"

"What? Ron and Luna awkwardly quiet, sitting reading their magazines and trying to ignore each other?"

"No," Harry replied, grinning. "Ron and Luna rolling around on the floor in the midst of a major snog-fest."

"WHAT?!" Hermione asked in shock. Harry briefly recapped what he'd seen and what Ron said.

"Oh yeah, some serious face-sucking I walked in on," Harry chuckled. "I suppose it's a good thing I did walk in on them when I did. Oh, and by the way, I warned them to not close their windows. Hopefully that'll keep them under control a bit."

"Yeah," Hermione replied, slightly distracted. She was starting to feel a slight pull on her heart. Neville and Ginny were doing brilliantly together. Ron and Luna seemed to have finally hit it off. So why hadn't she?

Why couldn't she just tell Harry how she felt? It obviously seemed to have worked for her friends. People say that hindsight is 20/20. Well, foresight always seems 20/20... when it doesn't involve you. But as soon as a person factors himself or herself into the equation, well, he or she might as well be as blind as a bat.

"I'd say Ron is quite moonstruck, wouldn't you?" Harry chuckled. "He's over the moon for Luna, eh?"

Despite her own introspection, and Harry's lame puns, it was hard for her to be downbeat seeing him smile as much as he was.

"I'm sure he is, Harry. I'm sure he is," she agreed, feeling a little better, as they continued their patrol.

They made their way up to the front of the train, turned around, and headed back. Most everyone was being quite well behaved today. Their patrol took them by Draco Malfoy's compartment twice (to, and back). They didn't stop either time but they did walk slowly enough in front of their windows to ensure their presence was felt.

Still holding his jaw shut with one hand, he used his other hand to greet them each time with a certain hand gesture.

A few minutes later, they had returned back to their compartment, but went past as they continued their rounds. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief loudly; the blinds were still open. Glancing in, the two prefects saw that Ron and Luna had evidently had their fill of face-sucking for the moment. Luna had returned to her Quibbler while Ron was furiously scribbling away at his Potions essay again. They were sitting on the same side, however, very close to each other.

* * *

A few cars down, Harry would finally come across his first real test as prefect: a small girl out in the corridor, looking as though she was only moments away from crying. She seemed to be lost, based on the way she was worriedly looking into the windows of the compartments as she walked by.

"She's all yours," Hermione whispered as she slowed to fall back. "Just don't call her a midget!" she playfully warned. Whether it had been her intention or not, Harry knew he was about to be compared to a previous male Gryffindor prefect. And no offense intended to Ron, but Harry wanted to make sure he came out the victor.

Oh, yeah, and there was a lost little girl near tears too.

Harry took a deep breath before approaching. He did not like crying girls... no matter how old they were.

"Hello? Are you all right?" Harry asked in the gentlest voice he could manage as he approached the frightened little girl with brownish-red hair.

The small girl turned at the sound of his voice. As soon as she saw him, her eyes widened about as big as they could possibly get.

"Hello," he said soothingly. "My name is Harry."

The little girl smiled and blushed.

"Harry Potter," she whispered in awe, her eyes still like saucers. At least she no longer appeared to be on the verge of a break down. For one of the few times in his life, Harry was glad his fame preceded him.

"Yes," he confirmed, trying (for her benefit) to sound impressed that she knew his name. "And what's your name?"

"Theresa," she replied, ducking her head a little in embarrassment.

"Well, Theresa, now that you know who I am, I want to introduce you to my very best friend, Hermione Granger," Harry said, indicating with great flourish the witch directly behind him. Never able to accept praise modestly, Hermione blushed herself a little at the attention Harry was bestowing upon her, but managed to survive the introduction.

"So, are we just out for a stroll today, or are we looking for our compartment?"

Her blush returning, Theresa nodded unhelpfully.

"I had to go to..." she started, then paused. "I wanted to look around the train a bit, but on my way back, I forgot which room was mine."

Harry smiled and nodded in comprehension. It was easy for a person to get disoriented aboard the Hogwarts Express their first time.

"Didn't realize the train was bigger on the inside than on the outside?" Harry asked in a friendly voice. Theresa shook her head no. On the outside, the Hogwarts express was a short train: four passenger cars plus the engine. It had to be, to fit the stations at Kings Cross and Hogsmeade.

But on the inside, the train was much longer. Again, it had to be, to fit aboard nearly a thousand students. Each compartment held six comfortably; each carriage had eight compartments. Allowing an additional carriage for prefects as well as three dedicated water closet cars near the front, middle, and end of the train, all together the Hogwarts Express-not including the engine-was a good twenty-five cars long... on the inside.

It was very easy for someone to get lost, especially for a first-time rider, as Harry suspected.

"Is this your first time aboard the Hogwarts Express?" he asked the little girl.

Theresa nodded. "I turned eleven at the end of June!" she said proudly. "I hope I get sorted into Gryffindor," she said, then looked down as she hid her face in embarrassment.

"You can't go wrong with Gryffindor," Harry beamed. "I'm in Gryffindor," Theresa smiled (she already knew), "and Hermione too is a fellow lion. Only the best wear red and gold."

"Well, I could end up being in any house, really," Theresa replied, not quite as confident anymore. "My brothers and my sister, they're in all different houses. I'd be the first Gryffindor, actually."

Harry backtracked a little, feeling a little guilty for trumping up his own house so much.

"I'm sure you'll do brilliantly wherever you're sorted. All of the houses have their good points really." Harry was loath to do it, but he felt compelled to say something positive about Slytherin. Maybe all of his time with Hermione had rubbed off on him a little more than he expected, but he realized that the little girl's statement about her siblings implied that at least one of them was in You-Know-Where.

"I know what people say about Slytherin," Harry continued, because I'm one of them, he added to himself, "but even they have really good students there too."

He paused for a moment to try to find an example of one such person. His own prejudice against the house of Salazar Slytherin getting the better of him, he was not at all surprised he could not think of one. However the noble Godric Gryffindor in him felt compelled to find something positive to say about the house that contained, he presumed, one of her siblings.

But he really couldn't think of any good examples. There had to be, he knew. Even Dumbledore had said...

OF COURSE!

"Did you know, the Minister of Magic's assistant was in Slytherin? Even Albus Dumbledore himself said that he was the best Head Boy the school has had in years."

The little girl smiled brightly. "He's my oldest brother!"

Harry looked up and saw Hermione, who had moved around behind the little girl, was looking at him expectantly. She was smiling, but she was definitely waiting. They needed to get back to their patrol.

"Well, Theresa. What do you say we find your brothers and sisters so you can enjoy the rest of your very first ride aboard the Hogwarts Express?"

The girl nodded vigorously, and in typical small child fashion, grabbed hold of Harry's hand as she resumed her search. She definitely was past tears now.

Knowing it would be rude to try to dislodge the girl, Harry allowed her to lead him down the corridor... especially since it was in the direction they needed to continue anyway. He glanced down at the small little hand that had such a tight grip on his.

"Were we really that small?" he whispered to Hermione as he and the girl passed her by. She just smiled and nodded, following a few steps behind the two. Finally, two cars down, and in the second to last compartment, the small girl finally found her siblings.

"Found them!" she sang. She then looked down at her hand in Harry's, and then fixed him with an intense stare.

"Can I tell them you're my boyfriend?" she asked unexpectedly. Surprised, Harry quickly glanced inside the compartment. The occupants seemed occupied with their books and games. At least it appeared they hadn't seen him yet.

Feeling helpless, Harry glanced at Hermione. How was he going to get out of this one? His creative solution back at the bookstore was not an option this time, if the hesitant look on her face was any indication. It was one thing to tell a complete stranger they were dating as an escape. But to do it at school, well, that was bound to have some "interesting" repercussions.

It worked pretty well last time. Maybe I can go halfway...

After another quick glance at Hermione that said, "What have I gotten myself into?" Harry put on a brave smile. How does one turn down an eleven year-old? What words were appropriate? The last time he had to deal with such a determined eleven year-old, he was twelve. And then, he pretty much just tried to ignore Ginny as best he could.

"Oh, you know, that's really nice of you, but I'm afraid you can't tell them I'm your boyfriend. You see, I already have a girlfriend." He braved a glance at Hermione; she was hiding a smirk and rolled her eyes.

The small girl stared at Harry for a few seconds, looking deep in thought as she processed his words.

"Oh, okay then!" she said suddenly, brightly. She looked as unconcerned as if he'd told her he didn't know what the time was.

Oh yeah, this one's definitely going to be a Gryffindor! Harry thought to himself.

"Do you want to come in and meet my brothers and sister?" Theresa asked excitedly.

'No' was NOT the first thing to pop into Harry's mind, but neither was 'Yes.' But again, he couldn't really think of any way out of the situation without being rude.

"That'd... be nice," Harry said. The sympathetic look on Hermione's face confirmed that she knew this wasn't his first choice either.

At the sound of the compartment door opening, everyone looked up from what they were doing. And then promptly dropped whatever was in their hands. Quickly scanning the room, it appeared that three of the five other people definitely appeared related to the small girl.

"Everyone!" Theresa announced. "This is my new friend, Harry Potter! I got lost on my way back, and he and his friend Hermione Granger helped me find my way back."

Everyone else was still staring at him in awe. The three other girls in the compartment, both older and one definitely related to the small girl, took on a slightly pink hue. Now, Harry wasn't so fond of his fame again.

Unaware of Harry's awkwardness, Theresa quickly went around the room and made introductions.

"This is my brother, Michael. He's second year, in Ravenclaw. This is Matthew, fourth year Hufflepuff. And this is my big sister, Carolyn. She's a Ravenclaw, sixth year." In his peripheral vision, Harry saw Hermione's head move slightly, obviously in recognition of a fellow sixth year... and since she was in Ravenclaw, presumably a studious one at that.

"And the other two are her friends, but I don't know their names. She won't tell me their names," Theresa added in a whisper. Carolyn was about to object to the accuracy of that statement when she saw Harry grinning at the humor of how much "simpler" things seemed from Theresa's point of view; Carolyn merely blushed instead.

If Harry was ever tempted to wonder why so many girls seemed to do that, he need only remember: he was The Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One. He then looked at the two mystery girls. They were vaguely familiar; he'd probably had them in class once, or seen them in the corridors or the Great Hall.

Still, no one had said anything, besides the little girl of course. Harry didn't think it had been the girl's intention, but he suddenly felt himself up on display again. He was trying to find a polite way of extracting himself from the position.

"Well, it was nice meeting all of you," Hermione said, causing Harry to breathe a sigh of relief internally. She suddenly set her hand on his shoulder, indicating him. "But Harry and I are prefects and we do need to return to our rounds."

As the two prefects turned to leave, Carolyn stood up.

"Miss Granger," she called formally, as was considered appropriate for inter-house students who didn't know each other personally. "If you have a moment, could I quickly ask you something about out Ancient Runes O.W.L.?"

Hermione's desire to stay and discuss academics was confronted by her desire to not subject Harry to the same. Fortunately, the two were not contradictory.

"Why don't you go on, Harry," she suggested, trying not to sound too eager. "I'll catch up with you in a minute."

"Okay," he agreed, also trying not to sound too eager.

Harry continued on down to the end of the carriage. At the end of the corridor, right where it turned to meet the connecting door in the center of the carriage, he suddenly froze as he saw the door from the next car open.

"Cho?" he asked, surprised.

"Oh, hi... Harry," Cho Chang said awkwardly, then looking away, evidently inspecting the walls, floors, and ceiling for defects. The two teens stood there silently for a couple seconds, neither knowing what to say.

Harry was surprised. Logically, he had known that sooner or later, he would see Cho again. He just hadn't actually given much thought to how this moment would play out. If he had thought about it, he might have decided that it would be uncomfortable. (It certainly was.)

But how would he react to actually seeing her? Would whatever intangible quality that had made her so pretty before now be gone? Would she just become another face in the crowd?

What he hadn't expected was to find that she was just as pretty as she had ever been. In fact, not having seen her for nearly two months, she was even a little prettier than he thought he remembered.

But that was it.

She was just another pretty face in the crowd... and there were plenty of pretty faces at Hogwarts. That swooping feeling he used to feel whenever he saw her, that lurch in the pit of his stomach that hit him every time she made eye contact with him, they were all gone now.

Well, actually, they were still there, but now they only happened when Hermione looked at him.

Whatever spark there had been for the girl in front of him was now totally and truly dead.

But, after what his five closest friends had done for him this summer, Harry knew the importance of having friends for support. Dean and Seamus were great mates, but they hadn't been there with him "That Night." Just like with the troll in first year, having gone through that together had begun to link the six in a way more profound than mere dormitory cohabitation ever could.

He had always suspected that Cho never fully came to terms with Cedric's death. (Harry might still not have been "over" Sirius's death, but he at least had found the closure he needed). Despite whatever difficulties they had had last term, he decided the least he could do was try to be a good friend for Cho.

So Harry decided to suck up his pride and extend the first olive branch.

"How have you been?" he asked in a genuinely caring voice.

Evidently Cho had been expecting a different reaction; she paused for a moment before finally answering.

"Okay, I guess," she replied. It was clear from her tone that things hadn't been great, but they hadn't been bad either. "How was your holiday?" she asked automatically, then flinched, remembering what had happened at the very end of the last school year. She looked extremely embarrassed, almost angry with herself.

"It was rough at first," he said honestly, "but my friends were there for me."

Cho nodded, not entirely sure what to say next. Her eyes landed on his robes.

"You're prefect this year," she observed, smiling slightly as she began to feel a little more comfortable now that they were talking about, well, nothing.

"Yeah, Ron's going to be Quidditch Captain this year, so he stepped down as prefect."

"That's good," Cho replied. "Team captain is a much better fit for him. I'm sure Her-" she paused for a moment. "He'll be a good captain," she finished, trying to say something nice but sounding stilted from the abrupt change. Harry knew how Cho felt about Hermione, so he was quite certain she was avoiding mentioning her.

"Yeah, he will," he agreed, just trying to avoid as much awkwardness as possible.

Finally, after a couple seconds of very awkward silence, Cho let out a sigh.

"Harry, I want to apologize for how things ended last year. I was a little... and I know... well... it... and... ARGH!" she cried. "Oh, I'm not making any sense at all, am I?"

Harry chuckled slightly. "It was a little hard to follow," he admitted. Cho began to smile slightly.

"What I'm trying to say is that I know I was a little out of sorts for much of last year, and I overreacted. I know Hermione is just your friend-" Harry bristled a little, trying to decide if that emphasis was real or imagined, "-and it would be a shame if we threw away everything we had over a little misunderstanding."

I'd hardly call everything that happened a 'little misunderstanding,' Harry sniped to himself, but immediately buried that thought in the hopes of salvaging something of their friendship.

"What I was really hoping is that... maybe we could start over? Everything water under the bridge, you know?"

Harry was surprised at how appealing that sounded. As far as he knew, she was still dating Michael Corner, and, well, of course, he truly did have eyes for only one. So, if Cho wanted to start over like she suggested, then that might actually be nice. (If it worked. But he was willing to give it a chance.)

He didn't want to hold a grudge against her. If she wanted to go back to being just friends, then he was all for it. (If it worked.) He suspected it would be easier this time, however, since she was dating someone else, and he no longer had any desire to take anything beyond friendship with her.

Harry smiled. "I'd like that. I really would," he replied genuinely.

Cho smiled brightly. "I'm so glad, Harry." She took a tiny step nearer, looked closely at his face then giggled.

"Did you forget to shave this morning?" she asked coyly. She then reached up and caressed her hand across his jaw line, against the grain of his stubble.

Harry was only sixteen so his growth of facial hair wasn't exactly what might be called 'burly.' That said, it had been over twenty-four hours since the last time he'd used his shaving kit, so there definitely was more than just a five-o'clock shadow.

He was certainly caught off guard by Cho's action; it seemed a little more personal than 'just friends' got. But, not wanting to break the mood since things had been going so well, he let it go without comment.

"Erm, yeah..." he stuttered, "I overslept this morning so I didn't really have time for anything more than a quick shower. Even had to skip breakfast," he continued, starting to feel more comfortable as he approached a neutral topic, like food.

* * *

Hermione stepped out of the compartment, waving goodbye to her fellow Ancient Runes classmate, Carolyn. Hermione wasn't exactly the sociable type, so she had made little effort to get to know her classmates outside of class as anything more than just people who attended the same classes together.

But having spent the last couple minutes discussing their Runes O.W.L. exam and what they felt they'd done right or wrong, she had to admit it was surprisingly refreshing to be able to have a purely academic discussion with someone in what could be considered a social context.

Reviewing Question #7 in the classroom or library was not the same as debating the value of runes in everyday life. If pressed, Hermione would have to admit that their conversation-which everyone else in the compartment had obviously tuned out-was quite enjoyable. She promised herself that if she saw the Ravenclaw again studying in the library, rather than going to find her own empty table, she would join her. And perhaps, if there was time after they finished their studying, they could debate theoretical versus practical spell strength analysis.

Out in the corridor, Hermione quickly looked left and right, trying to see in which direction Harry had headed. She saw him standing at the end of the corridor, just near the corner where it turned to meet up with the carriage-connecting door.

As she approached him, her mind wandered back to the little girl, Theresa. That girl's definitely going to be a Gryffindor, Hermione thought to herself. She looked behind her once more to make sure the two of them were alone in the corridor. After she passed the last compartment and was only a few feet away, she let out a laugh.

"Is it just me, or do the girls seem to be getting bolder and bolder?" Hermione asked as she remembered Sam from the bookstore, Romilda Vane from the girls' loo, and now the soon-to-be first-year.

Or are they just normal and you're the scared one? the voice that kept her safe-Harry's voice-asked.

"Oh well, at least you didn't have to snog me-" Hermione now saw Cho around the corner but it was too late to stop the words from leaving her mouth, "-this time."

If Harry thought things had been awkward earlier...

"Oh, hello, Cho," Hermione said quietly. Both she and Harry could see as those two words slid into place in Cho's mind: "this time."

'This time' also meant last time.

Cho looked back and forth between Harry and Hermione in a way he could only describe as accusatory.

"I can't do this, Harry," she complained, looking suddenly upset. "You can't keep stringing me along. I have to know where I stand with you... versus her."

Startled by this abrupt shift, Harry glanced briefly at Hermione; she appeared just as discombobulated... if the height of her pretty eyebrows was any indication.

"You can't have a girlfriend and a female friend like her at the same time. I'm sorry, Harry, but it just can't work like that."

"Wha- what're... girlfriend?" he stuttered.

"Yes, that's what you said!" Cho insisted. Beside him, Harry could hear Hermione breathe in sharply in surprise. It wasn't a gasp, but rather just that sudden inhalation when a person unexpectedly and unintentionally holds his or her breath.

"We talked about starting over again!" Cho reminded him.

Yeah, starting over again, as FRIENDS!! Harry didn't say aloud. Who said anything about dating?!

Not that he really cared for his own personal gain, but... "What about what's his name... Michael? I thought you were dating him!" Harry accused.

"Well... I was. But things didn't work out between us... and then I ran into you in the corridor," she said hopefully.

Harry was flabbergasted. Obviously her idea of starting over and his were on different planes. She'd spoken of thrown-away friendships, so 'starting over' meant friendship to him. Obviously she wanted to start over somewhere else. For a brief moment, he wondered how he was going to tell her he was no longer interested in that... at least, not without making things worse.

Cho made that decision for him.

"I hate to do this, Harry, but it can't work like this. If you really want there to be an 'us,' then you're going to have to decide where your priorities lie. You have to choose. It's either me or-"

"Her."

Harry would never hit a girl, but Cho blinked in shock as if she'd just been slapped. It quickly passed and then she looked as if she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.

"Her," Harry repeated, calmly and all-around ordinarily. Another person might have reiterated himself with greater fanfare and emphasis, just for spite. But it was such an easy decision for him to make, it was such an un-momentous moment to him that a plain, straightforward answer was all that was needed.

Cho still could not speak but the look on her face clearly indicated she demanded an explanation.

"Did you really think I would choose you over her?" Harry asked Cho incredulously. He wasn't trying to sound mean; he was just genuinely surprised. How could anyone not know that? Then again, everything he thought and felt made perfect sense to him.

Well, almost everything. Most of the time.

"Hermione's been my best friend since I was eleven. She's been with me every step of the way, and I can't imagine these last five years without her. She was there to get me through the fire to save the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort. Even when she was petrified, she helped me figure out that it was a basilisk that was in the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry was about to say something about rescuing Sirius in third year, but stopped himself at the last second since it involved use of a Time Turner. He didn't trust himself to not get carried away and say something to get either of them in trouble.

"And she was the only person who stood by me the whole time during the Triwizard Tournament." He decided not to mention fifth year at this point; Cho was well aware of what Hermione did last year... and he felt a bit bad about indirectly bringing up Cedric's death by means of the tournament mention.

"She's helped keep me alive, and," Harry emphasized as he cast a smirk at Hermione, "she's helped keep me from failing my classes. She's the perfect definition of a best friend."

His voice became a little firmer. "I would rather spend the rest of my life single and have her as a best friend, than go on a single date with all the Fleur Delacours of the world if I was told I couldn't have her as a friend anymore."

Cho laughed cruelly. "I don't believe that. The day will come, Harry Potter, when you will meet a girl. You will be so in love with her that you'll do anything she says. And she will tell you to dump your little bookworm friend. And you will," Cho promised, "because you can't have a girlfriend and a friend like her at the same time," she repeated.

"Well, if such a girl exists, I certainly haven't met her yet," Harry replied. "And with half the girls in this school chasing after me, I'd think I'd met most of them. So until this mystery woman of yours shows up, I'll stand by my original statement."

Harry and Cho were too busy staring each other down to notice the lustful look in Hermione's eyes as she stared at her best friend. If she didn't have such good control of her hormonal impulses, Harry might not have survived. She took in his words and twisted them around in all number of different ways to make them mean more. But they could just as easily be worth only their face value... that she was just a friend.

Fortunately Hermione had a fast mind and was quickly able to finish that daydream/debate just in time to see Cho turn and glare at her coolly for a moment. It took everything she had to not react in any way to the withering stare of which she was at the wrong end. Anything she did would likely provoke Cho, and if there was anything Cho Chang did not need at this moment, it was more provocation.

After one or two very long seconds, Harry's first crush turned back to him.

"I'll see you around, Harry," Cho said dismissively. It was clear from her tone that they only way they'd be seeing each other was if they happened to be in the Great Hall together at the same time, and each sitting facing each other, and they were forced to actually look at one another.

Cho then pushed past both of them to continue on in the direction she had originally been heading. As she passed, she "accidentally" bumped her shoulder into Hermione's, moving her out of the middle of the corridor.

"My apologies, Miss Granger."

As Cho Chang stomped down the corridor, Harry stared wistfully at her retreating form, regretting a bridge burned. Once she was down about three compartments, he sighed and turned back to Hermione.

"That went well," he said dejectedly. After another moment, he plastered on a fake smile and nodded towards the door. "On to the next car." He spoke of it no further.

Hermione however, could not follow his example. Halfway down the corridor of the next carriage, she began to feel guilty, of all things.

"Um, Harry," she began tentatively. "It was really nice what you said about me back there, but you really didn't have to..."

"Yes I did, Hermione," Harry insisted, "and I meant every word of it too." Having had to defend her against other girls twice now, he was starting to feel comfortable telling her how he felt about her... without actually telling her everything.

"If there was a girl who I wanted to date but she required me to drop you as a friend first, then I wouldn't date her. Period. What kind of friend would that make me? Now, if you want to go out and find me a girl who causes me to flip so head over heels that I abandon you, well, go right ahead," Harry said, grinning.

"Well, I, uh, that wasn't exactly..." Hermione stammered.

"I didn't think so," he replied smugly. He then smiled broadly. "Now, let's go find some misbehaving Slytherins."

* * *

The remainder of their patrol passed by with no further excitement. Word must have spread that McGonagall was aboard, so students seemed a little more well-mannered today. The two sixth year prefects continued on down for one more car until they ran into the fifth year Hufflepuff prefects, at which point they turned around and returned to their car.

Upon returning, both were slightly disappointed to discover that Neville and Ginny had returned. This was a problem because the two of them were obviously very content to be sitting next to each other. And Ron and Luna, on the other side of the compartment, seemed to be in quite the similar state.

Granted, Ron was still scribbling away at the last of his Potions essay. But with the blonde Ravenclaw sitting next to him, her arm casually against his, at the moment Professor Snape was probably the furthest thing from his mind.

Harry and Hermione sat down in the remaining seats opposite each other. Separately, each of them looked at the two happy couples and then stole a longing glance at the person across from them when the other wasn't looking. Both silently sighed.

It was hard sometimes to be alone amongst those who were not.

But that would be their fate for as long as could not confess their feelings. No one could tell them how to do this... they would have to do it their way.

Just like their patrol, the remainder of the train ride to school was quiet... meaning Malfoy didn't cause any further incidents. He and Pansy were spotted around four o'clock performing a very cursory patrol. Actually, the patrol consisted entirely of traveling down to Harry's compartment and glaring into the window.

It appeared that at least one of his fellow housemates was not entirely an idiot as someone had performed the easy-to-locate numbing counter-spell. Considered a medical spell, the numbing charm, Occaeco, could not be canceled by Finite. That spell was frequently used to treat other magical maladies; healing spells that could be canceled by it were pretty much worthless. Draco showed his recovery by silently mouthing a few choice words from behind the glass.

* * *

It was getting dark as the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade Station. Harry was getting ready to run out and find a nice cozy carriage when Hermione reminded him he was expected to help supervise the disembarking of the entire school population from the train.

"Don't worry, mate!" Ron said grinning. "We'll save you two a seat. I'll even carry Hedwig's cage for you!"

Ron's amusement faded when he took a second look at the cage. "Bloody hell, that's a big cage!" he complained to himself.

"You shouldn't swear, Ronald," Luna's serene voice followed. "Curse words are cursed. If you say one too many times, you will summon the dragon Geldon."

"Wha?" Ron asked. His bewilderment was not unique in the compartment.

"There was a wonderful article in last year's Quibbler. It told all about the eternal battle between Geldon and the Knights of Standards and Practices. Even Harry knows about it."

"I do?" Harry asked.

"Remember when he walked in on us on the floor and you had your hand on my-?"

Ron coughed loudly.

"I think we scared him. He almost said, 'Holy fuc-'"

"LUNA!" Ron shouted.

"Yes?" she asked.

"YOU almost said it!"

"Said what? Fu-?"

"YES!"

"Oh, well, yes. It's okay if you say it once in a while, if it's important. But you, Ronald, I'm sorry but you just swear too damn much."

* * *

As Harry directed a couple of lost-looking first years towards the end of the platform from where they'd be led to the boats, he heard something that made him grin. Above the din of a thousand students disembarking came a certain booming voice, growing nearer and nearer.

"Firs' years! Firs' years this way! Firs' years! Leave yer trunks on'a train!"

Harry just stood in his spot and grinned, waiting for his large friend to approach.

" 'Ello, Harry!" Hagrid greeted. " 'Ave a good ride, did yeh?"

"Great, Hagrid, great!" Harry replied. True, in some ways this ride to school was lonelier than all the others. But in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't that bad. After all, he was almost back at Hogwarts.

"Where's Ron and 'Ermione?"

"Ron's gone on to the carriages, and Hermione is..." Harry trailed off as he saw her kneeling down in front a small little boy who looked terrified and was crying.

"Oh, gotta go!" Harry said as he hurried off towards the two of them.

"See yeh later," Hagrid called after him. "Stop by fer some tea!" Harry heard Hagrid's voice get swallowed by the crowd as the two separated.

Once the first years were safely in Hagrid's care and a majority of the students were on their way to the carriages, the prefects were allowed to return to their friends. As they walked up the dirt road to where the school carriages were parked, Harry and Hermione chatted about the history of House passwords.

Or rather, Hermione lectured and Harry dutifully listened. In all honesty, he never would have ever sought out this sort of information. But Hermione seemed to be enjoying her telling of the tale, so he let her.

Nearing the carriages, Harry fell back a step or two, lost in the sound of her voice. His stop was abrupt when his shoulder collided into her back; she had stopped in the middle of the path, forcing the students following to walk around them.

He was about to ask her what was the matter when he looked up on ahead and saw them.

Thestrals. Hermione could see them now. She was silently staring at them. Harry put his arm around her in a show of moral support.

"You all right?" he asked.

Before Hermione could answer, the two of them heard a harrumph behind them. Looking back, they saw no one they recognized, but as they turned back around, they saw Cho Chang walk past. Evidently seeing Harry with his arm around Hermione didn't come as that big of a surprise to her. And her "Hmph!" let them know that.

Hermione glared at the retreating Ravenclaw for a moment, before her face softened and she looked back up at Harry.

"I'll be all right," she promised, smiling weakly.

"Come on. Let's go," Harry encouraged. "Let's go find the others before any of them get too comfortable and start another snogfest."

* * *

Ron waited for his dinner impatiently as he watched all of the new first years get sorted into their houses.

"Midgets! The whole lot of them!" Ron observed. "They get smaller and smaller each year!"

"Or it could just be that you get taller each year," Hermione replied dryly.

"Nope, it's them!" Ron shot back as he craned his neck to see how many more students remained.

He hadn't been watching for her, but Harry couldn't help but pay attention when he heard Professor McGonagall call the name of the small girl from the train, Theresa. He felt Hermione lightly kick him under the table. She was smirking. Harry just rolled his eyes at her.

It came as little surprise when after about two seconds, the Sorting Hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

* * *

Once the Sorting Hat had been put away and Professor McGonagall had returned to her seat, Professor Dumbledore stood up and the room quieted.

This was the part that both Harry and Hermione had been eagerly anticipating: announcement of new staff. Harry wanted to know who was taking over Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hermione wanted to know if they had hired a new Muggle Studies professor.

"We are pleased to welcome several new members of staff this year. First, Professor Slughorn-" who stood up, his bald head gleaming in the candlelight, his big, waist coated belly casting the table into shadow, "-is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

"Potions?"

"Potions?" The word echoed all over the Hall as people wondered whether they had heard right.

"Potions?" said Ron and Hermione together, turning to stare Harry.

"But you said -"

"Professor Snape, meanwhile," Dumbledore continued, raising his voice so that it carried over all the muttering, "will be taking the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"No!" Harry shouted, so loudly that many heads turned in his direction. He did not care; he was staring up at the staff table, incensed. How could Snape be given the Defense Against the Dark Arts job after all this time? Hadn't it been widely known for years that Dumbledore did not trust him to do it?

"But, Harry, you said that Slughorn was going to be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts!" Hermione said.

"I thought he was!" Harry replied, racking his brains to remember when Dumbledore had told him this, but now that he came to think of it, he was unable to recall Dumbledore ever telling him what Slughorn would be teaching.

Snape, who was sitting on Dumbledore's right, did not stand up his mention of his name; he merely raised a hand in lazy acknowledgment of the applause from the Slytherin table, yet Harry was sure he could detect a look of triumph on the features he loathed so much.

Harry was about to fondly suggest that Snape might not be in that job for long, considering the post's history, when Hermione elbowed him slightly. There was one more staff member to introduce. Still fuming inside, Harry was confused why she looked almost eager.

"And finally, it has come to my attention that there is one subject here at Hogwarts that has been lacking somewhat of late." When Hermione's eyes widened even further in anticipation, Harry turned to look back up at the staff table, curious to see what had her all worked up. He quickly scanned the table; there was no one there he didn't recognize.

"We do our best to teach all of you how to survive in the magical world. Charms, potions, magical history, even how to fly a broom are all valuable courses... all necessary in the wizarding world."

Everyone turned looking forward, Harry felt Hermione put her hand on his back just below his shoulder, her fingers digging into his flesh in excitement. What had gotten her so worked up?

"But the world is more than just the magical world," Dumbledore continued.

OWWW! Harry complained silently has be began to feel her fingernails, even through several layers of clothes. He flexed his shoulder blade; Hermione realized what she was doing and let go.

"The Muggle population of this world outnumbers the magical by more than a thousand times. While you may choose to not interact with it, the Muggle world exists. We cannot, in good conscience, allow you to face it unequipped anymore than we would send you out without knowing how to block a jinx or levitate a chair.

"Therefore, after much discussion with the staff and the Board of Governors, I am proud to announce a change in curriculum. Allow me to introduce our newest member of staff." Dumbledore waved his hand toward the door behind the staff table. "Please welcome Mister Brett Smith, our new Muggle Studies professor."

The door opened and out strode a new face at Hogwarts. A bit tall, he had short hair and rather prominent ears. But what drew the most attention was his completely Muggle attire. Sporting a black leather jacket, black trousers, and a purple undershirt, he was surprisingly stylish, so much so that Harry decided he had to be a Muggle. And a bit handsome too, if the scattered giggles and whispers from some of the females in the room were any indication.

"Our cherished Professor Charity Burbage had a long standing application for retirement, and with my fortuitous discovery of Mr. Smith here, I accepted it. We are sad to see her go, but let us welcome her replacement."

Polite applause went around the room, though some of the girls were a little more enthusiastic in their clapping.

"Mr. Smith brings to us an amazing a wealth of knowledge and experience in the Muggle world. And so, to best take advantage of that, I requested, and the Board agreed, that one year of Muggle Studies is now a mandatory at Hogwarts. All students will find his class added to their time tables."

A series of groans went around the Hall. Most were merely in complaint of an additional class-Ron was very unhappy-but a few of them, mostly from a certain table, were certainly in regards to the nature of the class, and of the professor.

Like an orchestra conductor, Dumbledore raised his hands to gain everyone's attention. The room was deathly silent. Though almost no one was happy about an extra class, everyone was eagerly waiting for this.

"Tuck in!" he said with a smile, and the tables groaned from the weight as the feast appeared.

* * *

A few minutes after the last of the desserts vanished and everyone was thoroughly stuffed to the gills, Dumbledore stood up one last time. His blue eyes swept over the students before he smiled once more to address the temporarily sated but soon to be sedated populace.

He gave the usual reminder of school rules, the reiteration that the 'forbidden' in Forbidden Forest did in fact mean forbidden, and of course a notice that anyone wishing to earn a detention was free to inspect the now-twice as long list hanging outside Caretaker Filch's office. It had tacked to it the entire Weasley's Wizard Wheezes catalog, explaining the extra length. Also mentioned were tryouts for the House Quidditch teams, and interestingly (but not surprising), solicitations for new Quidditch commentators.

"Now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

As the students rose and began to head for the large doors, Hermione pulled on Harry's arm to hurry him along so they could help shepherd the first years up to the tower. He passed by a couple of fifth year Ravenclaw girls giggling and pointing up at the staff table.

"What's with all the girls?" Harry whispered to Hermione. "You'd think they'd never seen a Muggle before. I mean, yeah, he is dressed pretty cool, but really..."

"Oh, I don't know, Harry," she replied back. "He is sort of handsome, in a rugged sort of way." Harry was relieved that at least she wasn't blushing... like she tended to do in the presence of another 'handsome' teacher back in second year.

"If you say so..." Harry replied, turning his head to take another look at the new Muggle Studies professor. He had to admit, he did like the jacket.

As they approached the door, Harry and Hermione noticed Luna standing by it, obviously waiting.

"Hello," she greeted.

"Hello," they replied in kind. Luna seemed to find their simultaneous replies very funny.

"Have you seen...?" she began.

"Don't wait up for me, guys!" Ron said teasingly as he came up behind them. He then put his arm around the blonde Ravenclaw.

"Don't be out after curfew then," Hermione replied seriously, but politely.

"Yeah, yeah," Ron called after them as the prefects went to meet up with the first years. Looking ahead, Harry noticed two newly-minted Gryffindor and Slytherin boys already in a stare down, so he ran on ahead to diffuse things.

Hermione continued to walk at her normal pace, so she managed to hear Luna as she and Ron walked in a completely different direction.

"Let's go somewhere quiet. There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Okay," Ron happily agreed.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Harry and Hermione were sitting alone in the Gryffindor Common Room. Everyone else had gone up to their dormitories to unpack and then get settled into bed. The two sixth year prefects however stayed down, partially to enjoy a few quiet minutes away from the busyness of settling in.

And yes, they were waiting up for Ron.

For a few minutes, Harry and Hermione sat side by side in the ancient but comfortable sofa. They both seemed hypnotized by the crackling fire in front of them (and of course, being the presence of the person next to them).

The tranquility was broken when the portrait door opened suddenly and Ron tumbled through. He seemed dazed and confused; he was so pale, he looked like he'd just seen a ghost.

Well, actually, at Hogwarts that was a bad analogy. Considering his past, Ron looked like he'd just tried to ask out Fleur Delacour.

Harry and Hermione jumped up and ran over to their friend, leading him over to the nearest chair.

"Ron! Are you all right?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"What is it, mate?" Harry asked, equally concerned.

"L- Llll.... Luu..."

"Luna?" Ron nodded then took a deep breath.

"Luna... asked me to marry her!"

WHEW! Longest single chapter to date! We're nearing the end of the story now. For those counting, I'd guess 3-4 more chapters remain.

In the writing process, there are invariably scenes that get rewritten, cut, or never written in the first place. As part of my "apology" for the delay, I decided this time to go back through some of my earlier drafts of this chapter and salvage some of the parts that got cut or changed. And, I decided to go ahead and write some of those ideas that never made it into the "final" draft.

In fan-fictions, these scenes are often called omake. The important thing to remember is that these extras are considered "non-canon" to the original story, in this case, Their Way. Just enjoy them as is, without worry about how or whether they fit into the "official" version of this story. Also, because they got cut early (or never written), they haven't been beta'd, so forgive me (and my beta) for any typos.

http://www.answers.com/topic/omake

Omake #1. A gaseous greeting. (Deleted.)

Mid way through his lunch, a familiar feeling began to build up inside of Harry. Neither Luna nor Neville had returned yet, and the train was about to leave, so Ron and Ginny were bound to show up any minute. This was probably the last chance he'd get for months. This would either work perfectly, or blow up in his face, no pun intended.

BURP.

"Oh, excuse me," Harry apologized, appearing quite innocent. Hermione stared at him dubiously for a moment, then rolled her eyes and returned to her lunch.

BURRRP!

This time it was a belch, and there was no question it was forced. Hermione set her hamburger down on the wrapper and glared at him. Ordinarily, Harry would be quite terrified of the look she was giving him, except he knew otherwise. Yes, if he didn't know she could out-belch Ron, he would be very scared right about now.

"Don't be gross, Harry," she admonished.

Harry smirked. There was still a chance. "You're just worried about me out-burping you," he taunted. He could tell she was scrutinizing him very carefully, giving away no indication of what she would do next. When she shook her head and rolled her eyes again, Harry decided that maybe she wouldn't take the bait. He turned his attention back his own hamburger when Hermione grabbed her drink.

Seeing that Harry appeared to be no longer paying attention to her, Hermione took a large drink of her Coke. She quickly glanced out the windows into the corridor. It was mostly empty, with almost everyone in compartments by now. She wondered....

It was unlikely she would get another chance for quite a long time. Only because Harry had already heard her was she even considering it. If anyone else were here, she certainly wouldn't do it. Finally, after an eternity, (for her, about three seconds) she made her decision. If it meant reminding Harry that "other" Hermione was still there, she would go out with a bang.

After first double-checking for an empty corridor, Hermione turned back to make sure Harry still wasn't paying attention to her. She waited for a moment, and then took another large drink of her carbonated beverage.

BAAAAAARRRRRRRP!!!!

In the middle of Hermione's belch, two things happened. First, Harry about knocked his entire lunch on the floor. And second, the compartment door opened. Unable to stop herself in time, Hermione could only turn and look at the now open door in terror, still belching.

She wasn't sure if she was relieved or not to see the back of Ron's head as he backed into the compartment, dragging his trunk behind him. For all of the times she chastised Ron about burping at the table in the Great Hall, Hermione knew Ron would never let her live this down.

For his part, Harry was both surprised and impressed by the power of her belch. And at the same time, he was happy because he knew the "real" Hermione was still there, even if hidden.

The one unintended consequence however was Ron's untimely arrival. In trying to goad her into this, he hadn't expected anyone else hearing it. He knew Hermione would be mortified if anyone else heard that. The look on her face right now clearly reflected that. So, Harry did what he did a few days before, and winked at her, letting her know he would take care of it... somehow.

Fortunately, Ron made it all too easy. Once his trunk was in through the door, he immediately turned around and started laughing. He'd heard the belch start right as he reached behind him to open the door. Only the weight of his trunk kept him from laughing sooner.

"Brilliant, mate!" Ron congratulated Harry. "I haven't heard a belch like that since Fred slipped me a faulty fizzy candy." With his back turned, Ron hadn't actually seen whether it was Harry who burped, but considering there were only Harry and Hermione in the compartment, he really couldn't have imagined it the other way around.

"Thanks, Ron," Harry said, sounding proud. "I try." He then shot a quick glance at Hermione and winked again. Looking incredibly relieved, Hermione winked back.

"That is so disgusting, Harry," Hermione 'admonished.' "I would have expected better from you."

"Yes, I know," Harry apologized. "It was so childish of me. But it was pretty impressive."

"Bloody hell it was!" Ron agreed enthusiastically. He was a little confused when the other two started laughing, but he didn't care and just joined in anyway.

Omake #2. Return of the Prince. (Rewritten.)

As the two best friends walked down the corridor of the next car, Hermione carried on a small internal argument whether she should go through with what she'd planned.

Her heart had come up with dozens of examples of what she considered hints and clues that Harry fancied her. And simultaneously her brain had efficiently and unmercifully explained each and every one of them away as being perfectly innocent. She either had all the proof in the world that Harry returned her feelings... or she had a big pile that meant absolutely nothing.

If Harry saw it, his reaction should give her the proof she needed, either way.

Fortunately, the next compartment gave her the opportunity she needed: the blinds were closed. Compartment's pull-down blinds were required to be left open. It was generally accepted that they might need to be closed briefly if someone was putting on his or her uniform, but they were to be reopened immediately. Private compartments on a train filled with coed teenagers were an invitation for mischief.

After she pointed out the potential rule violation, Hermione made a big act of patting her robes down to make sure she was ready.

"Oh no!" she complained with well-practiced sincerity. "I forgot my prefect badge in my trunk!" She looked longingly at the offending compartment's door.

"Harry, could you do me a huge favor and go get it for me?"

"Erm," was all Harry could say. She wanted him to look through her trunk? "Please?" she asked, giving him the best puppy-dog eyes she could manage.

"Okay," he agreed. It wasn't like he could say no.

"Thanks, Harry. I can handle this by myself," she said, pointing at the blinds.

Rather distracted by the thought of what he might do if he accidentally came across something lacy in her trunk, when he got back to their compartment, he didn't bother looking in through the windows. Not really thinking, he simply opened the door and walked in, looking straight ahead.

When he finally noticed, he first noticed that the seats where Ron and Luna had been earlier were now empty. Then, in his peripheral vision, he noticed motion on the floor.

"HOLY FU..." Harry almost swore and quickly turned around to escape the carnage. He didn't use profanity much (aloud, at least), so it was actually quite easy for him to not utter the curse word.

(unchanged section omitted)

"Oh yeah, what did you come back for, anyway?" Ron asked Harry. "Not to check up on us, I hope," he said, winking at Luna.

"Erm, no," Harry replied, growing increasingly convinced he did not want to be present for whatever the two of them were doing. "Hermione forgot her prefect badge in her trunk and she asked me to get it while she dealt with a compartment with closed blinds." And with that, Harry stared pointedly at Ron, silently warning him to not close the blinds.

"Really?" Luna asked, interested. "Forgetting her badge... that doesn't sound like your friend."

Truth be told, Harry did think it a bit odd she would forget her badge. But just like how he couldn't say no to her request, what was he going to do? Interrogate her for a tiny oversight?

"Everyone makes mistakes," Harry defended Hermione.

"If you say so," Luna replied, sounding skeptical. Remembering that Hermione was probably waiting for him by now, Harry quickly pulled Hermione's trunk down off the rack. Bracing himself for what might happen if he really did find something enticing in there (such as the see-thru negligee from his dream), he opened the lid.

He was therefore both relieved and disappointed to find Hermione's prefect badge sitting on the very top of her neatly folded clothes, exactly where she had said it would be. Knowing that she was planning this, Hermione made sure to put the trunk back up on the rack right side up after retrieving her robes earlier.

The only thing Harry hadn't been expecting was what else was in her trunk. He'd expected to find most of her Muggle clothes in there, of course. But he hadn't expected that. On the very top of the pile was a certain shirt... a T-shirt upon which her badge had been sitting.

Harry was definitely going to have to ask her why she brought her "Property of Prince Harry" shirt to school.

After pocketing Hermione's badge and putting the trunk back up (and repairing the glass he broke with his forehead), Harry decided it was time to leave... immediately. He couldn't see either of them while he was stowing the trunk, but he got the distinct feeling that the two of them were giving each other suggestive looks. He definitely didn't want to be there for that.

This section was rewritten because everything comes together on Hermione's birthday. I am willing to have Harry be oblivious to a certain degree (honestly, us guys can be dense sometimes), but having him ignore the 'Prince Harry' shirt for two weeks-a shirt she specifically said she didn't want anyone else to see-would require a level of cluelessness that even I wouldn't believe.

The following omake are scenes that never got written up in the first place, for obvious reasons. But they were little mini-plot bunnies that did pop up, primarily for the purpose of being awkward or funny. Writing them up now, as unofficial deleted scenes, I can take them further than I would have in the real story.

Omake #3. As bad as glue.

Alone in the compartment with Hermione as he ate his lunch, Harry started to feel a little uncomfortable, down there. He cautiously started shifting in his seat to relieve the annoyance.

Of course, he couldn't get that lucky.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing," he lied, obviously.

"Don't lie to me, Harry," she replied in a light tone as if this was some sort of game. "Something's the matter. You're fidgeting."

He sighed; he knew she would not let it go.

"Remember how you rushed me out of the shower this morning?" Hermione nodded.

"Well, you know how when your skin is wet, when it dries, it sticks to itself?"

"Yeah," she replied. She often read at night after taking a relaxing bath, and lying on her side, the inside of her arm often "stuck" to her torso as the water dried.

"Well, since I didn't have a chance to dry off properly this morning, erm, well, certain parts of my body that shouldn't be sticking together... are." He then glanced down into his lap.

"Oh," Hermione replied, looking both embarrassed and as if that was way more information than she needed.

"You asked," Harry reminded her.

"Need a minute to adjust yourself?" she asked, giving him a chance to relieve himself since she'd gone and embarrassed him.

Harry nodded, stood up, and then went over to close the blinds. His back to her, when she heard the sound of his zipper being lowered, Hermione smiled.

"Need a hand?" she asked impishly.

* * *

Ron's mind was on his stomach as he dragged his trunk behind him; Luna was following behind him several feet. All he wanted to do was find the compartment number Neville had told him that Harry and Hermione were in. There was food in his trunk and he was hungry; he didn't give the closed blinds a second thought. Or a first thought.

He was therefore quite surprised when he opened the door and found Hermione sitting in her seat with Harry standing in front of her. She was zipping his jeans up.

"Oh!" Ron teased as he set his trunk on the opposite side of the compartment. "Missed out on all the fun, did I?"

"Come on!" Luna said in a lecturing voice as she grabbed his arm. She started pulling him down the corridor, towards one of the small, cramped toilet compartments in each carriage.

"What! What are you doing?" Ron asked in a panic. "Wait! Can't we talk about this first? Or at least get to know each other better? Maybe go on date first?

"Luna! LUNA!" Ron's screams were cut off as Luna shoved him into the bathroom compartment and then stepped inside, locking the door.

Omake #4. Secrets Revealed.

"And as for all of your other questions..." Hermione addressed all of the girls, then turned back to the youngest of the group. "What was your name again?"

"Romilda Vane."

"Of course, Miss Vane," Hermione said coolly, then again resumed addressing everyone. "Harry is my friend. He is also, for those who did not know, Gryffindor's prefect this year. Anyone who does not show him the proper courtesy and respect he deserves will land themselves in detention, shoveling manure for Hagrid or extracting beetle eyes for Professor Snape."

And with that, Hermione spun on her heel, her hair whipping around and nearly hitting Romilda, and marched away. If he wasn't such a slimy, greasy git, Severus Snape might have even complimented the ominous way her robes billowed behind her as she stormed towards the door. Her hand was on the door handle when she suddenly stopped and turned around.

She gave Romilda Vane a withering stare.

Hermione didn't see him in his underwear (as Parvati was so keen to know), but she had seen him in his pajamas. Although he was suffering from a certain morning male malady, the fact that he was clothed prevented her from knowing exactly how he measured up.

But the amount of fabric displacement gave her a general idea.

"As far as you'll ever need to know, Miss Vane," Hermione said icily, "Harry is... above average." She then smiled graciously and took her leave of them.

Omake #5. As Yoda said, "Size matters not!"

When Ron had not returned after curfew, Harry and Hermione decided to go out looking for him. Having Snape catch him out of bounds before classes even began would not be a good start to the year for Gryffindor.

Wandering the halls, they saw an open door ahead and light streaming out. It was Firenze's forest classroom. When they were near enough, they could hear voices inside. Always a good idea to look before leaping, they crept up to the door and listened, trying to determine who was in there and what was going on, before just charging in.

"Can I see it?" they heard Luna's voice.

"You want to see it?" Ron asked, surprised.

"Oh, yes," Luna replied, excitedly. "I've never seen one before, and I know how important it is to all of you."

"Erm," Ron stuttered.

"Please," Luna begged.

"Oh, all right," Ron finally agreed.

Out in the corridor, Harry and Hermione looked at each other. They weren't hearing... what they thought they were hearing... were they?

Being teenagers, they felt they needed to hear more before deciding what to do.

"Oh, wow!" Luna said, sounding very impressed. "It's very pretty!"

"Pretty?" Ron asked in horror.

"Pretty?" Harry silently mouthed to Hermione, equally horrified.

"Oh, yes!" she agreed happily. "How else would you describe it?"

"Dunno," Ron replied.

"Hmm... interesting," Luna mused.

"What?"

"Well, I didn't really know what to expect, but somehow I thought it would be a little bigger."

"WHAT?!" Ron objected. "How big does it need to be?"

"I don't know," Luna replied honestly.

"But..." Ron hesitated, "it doesn't really matter how big it is, right?"

"Oh no, of course not, Ronald. Size doesn't matter," Luna reassured him.

Still out in the corridor, the two sixth-year Gryffindor prefects were staring at each other wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were hearing. Both were starting to blush a little.

But they still felt they needed to hear more before doing anything.

"May I..." Luna asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, of course," Ron agreed quickly. "Just, you know, don't break it or anything. I only have the one."

Luna laughed a little. "It's very nice, Ronald. Harry has one too, right?"

"Of course," Ron answered unabashedly. Harry turned bright red, smiling in embarrassment.

"Is his just like yours?"

"His is a little different. Of course they're not all identical," Ron laughed.

"Is his the same size as yours?"

"Well... no," Ron admitted hesitantly. "His is bigger than mine."

Hermione looked at Harry again. She was clearly shocked by what she heard... but there was something else in her face too. She almost looked... curious?

Blushing heavily, Harry nodded modestly, confirming that Ron's statement was true. Hermione then smiled in a way that Harry thought almost looked like... pride?? The two then returned their attentions to the open door... but not before he caught her glance ever so briefly down.

"But like you said, it doesn't matter how big it is, right?"

"Right," Luna confirmed. "This is yours, and that's all that matters.

"Hmm..." she said again after a few moments.

"What?"

"I don't know... it just looks a little dull, don't you think?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it... it is looking a little lifeless," Ron agreed. "Just needs a good polish job."

"Yes, I think it does!" Luna agreed happily.

"You know, I even heard that the Muggles call it a 'spit shine.'"

"That's so funny!" Luna laughed. "Could I do it?"

"Sure!" Ron replied all too quickly. "Just... start... yeah... rub it like... that!"

Harry and Hermione had heard enough. And they found themselves a bit hot under the collar as well. They quickly threw open the door the rest of the way and barged into the classroom.

"What's going on in here?!" Harry demanded. He hoped they attributed the flush of his arousal to anger.

"Luna wanted to see my Quidditch Captain badge," Ron explained, "so I was showing it to her."

"Badge?" Hermione asked, confused.

Luna held up the small metal badge. Shiny and freshly-polished, it gleamed in the torch light. She then handed it back to Ron.

"Yeah," Ron replied, confused. "Why? What did you think what going on?"

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other apprehensively.

"Nothing!" both exclaimed, and then quickly turned and left the classroom.