More Important Things

Twitch E. Littleferret

Rating: NC17
Genres: Romance, Action & Adventure
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 6
Published: 21/11/2005
Last Updated: 16/04/2007
Status: in_progress

NOTE: RATING HAS BEEN CHANGED! Harry begins his journey the summer before seventh year. But he faces unexpected challenges in coming to terms with Ron and Hermione's budding romance, his own relationship with Ginny and an unwanted return to Hogwarts. But most of all, the race to find the remaining horcruxes and destroy them before Voldemort can destroy him. CHAPTER EXCERPT: Since getting back with Hermione, their physical relationship was staying pretty safe. Not that he wasn’t complaining about their lovely little snogging sessions but the temptation to take things further, to be with her again the way he so longed to, was just getting more and more difficult to deal with. He couldn’t help the way his mind would think nothing of being intimate with her again and then the next moment have this guilt that he should be concentrating on other things. Like ridding the world of Lord Voldemort. It was like he was in a constant tug-of-war between what he wanted and what he was destined to do.

Chapters

1. Prologue

2. Reunion

3. Awkward is the Word

4. Cabin Fever

5. Harry Takes Charge

6. Foolish

7. My Best Friend

8. The Hunt Continues

9. The Wedding

10. Reflection

11. Losing Control

12. Escape

13. Delusional

14. Broken

15. A Return To Hogwarts

16. Making Friends

17. The Green-Eyed Monster

18. The Lies We Believe

19. Entrapment

20. A Hero's Return

21. Isn't This Day Over Yet?

22. The Bad Boyfriend

23. Trust

24. Rules Are Made To Be Broken

25. A Subtle Shift

26. No Consequences

27. Tension

28. Trust Issues

29. Holiday Cheer

30. The Unexpected Guest

31. The Reluctant Hero

32. Happy Christmas Harry Potter

33. To Start Anew

34. Martyrdom is a Bitch

35. Temptation

36. Shades of Grey

37. Pariah

38. From Bad to Worse

39. To Catch A Rat

40. The Rat, The Snake And The Castle

41. Surrender

42. Awakening

43. The Count of Monte Cristo

1. Prologue

A/N: Here we go with another story. Some of you have asked for non AU and I'll do my best. The world of Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, I'm only borrowing them to take extreme liberties with them! Okay, here's my take on Harry's seventh year! (Heaven help me…)

More Important Things

Prologue

Summer 1977

There was something in the air that night

The stars were bright, Fernando

They were shining there for you and me

For liberty, Fernando

Though I never thought that we could lose

There's no regret

If I had to do the same again

I would, my friend, Fernando

Petunia Evans hummed this song as she peered carefully into the mirror in front of her, expertly applying her blue shimmer eyeshadow. Her hair was in curlers and her make-up was scattered over the sink. She frowned at the reflection of the bright orange pantsuit behind her. She didn't want to wear it but her sister had somehow used that foul magic of hers to guard her closet and her clothes and therefore made them inaccessible for this emergency.

What emergency?

Glinda, her good friend, had called to inform her that Billy Conner would be at the roller rink tonight.

Billy.

She sighed dreamily at the thought of the object of her crush. His blond hair and baby blue eyes. And that smile!

Petunia tossed down the applicator in frustration. She always felt a bit clownish when she dolled herself up like this. She could never get her make up just right like her sister could. Again, probably that blasted magic. The gift that, through some cosmic joke, was bestowed upon her sister, not her.

Giving up on the make-up, she left the bathroom to return to her own room, passing the closed bedroom door of her sister's on the way. Suddenly, she stopped. Muffled voices could be heard from the other side of the door, dotted with the giggles of her sister. Petunia's eyes widened and she burst into the room.

“Petunia!!” Lily cried out as she and a dark-haired boy with glasses sprang away from each other. “What are you doing?”

Petunia smirked. “Taking advantage of the fact that Mum and Dad are away?”

“Get out of my room!” Lily ordered as she hastily buttoned her blouse.

Petunia leaned against the doorframe. “Forgot to lock the door,” she sighed. “Too bad you can't do magic for another week.”

The boy her sister was with suddenly spoke up. “But I can,” he said as he slowly drew out his wand.

“James, stop it!” Lily scolded as Petunia eyed him nervously. “Petunia, what do you want?”

“Are you bribing me to forget what I've seen here?” she asked.

“Come on, Lily, just let me Obliviate her,” James pleaded jokingly.

“What do you want?” Lily repeated.

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

Petunia's eyes fell on a poster on her sister's wall. Lily's beloved poster of David Cassidy. “That,” she stated.

“Done,” James answered.

“No, what?!” Lily asked bewildered.

“He's an ugly git anyway,” James shrugged. Lily gaped at him for a moment longer before shaking her head in defeat.

“Fine,” Lily said grudgingly.

Seeing an opportunity, Petunia pounced again. “And your Vanderbilts,” she added quickly.

“Why you little…” Lily stormed toward her sister but the boy held her back.

Petunia darted into her sister's room and grabbed the jeans off of the floor before quickly leaving the room, slamming the door behind her, leaving her fuming sister and her boyfriend that had to deal with her.

~*~

Johnny Angel, how I love him.

He's got something I can't resist,

but he doesn't even know that I exist.

Johnny Angel, how I want him.

How I tingle when he passes by.

Every time he says "Hello" my heart begins to fly.

“Oh, wow!” Glinda said as Petunia walked up to the rink. Glinda was wearing her drab jeans and a yellow halter. “Where did you get those?”

“Do they look alright on me?” Petunia asked as she modeled her “new” jeans and blouse.

“You look fabulous!”

Petunia beamed and stepped up to the rink, immediately spotting the blond head of Billy's. Hanging nearby him was the resident flake, Molly Bradley. Petunia and Glinda once again dove into the topic of how tacky it was to have a first and last name that ended in the same sound.

“She's so tacky,” Petunia sniffed.

“Utterly hopeless,” Glinda confirmed.

As if knowing the two girls were talking about her, Molly looked over at them. She muttered something to the group of girls around her and they burst into giggles. Billy, who had been privy to whatever Molly had said glanced at Petunia. The world suddenly seemed to stop as they locked eyes.

“Oh my God! He's coming this way!” Glinda said, grabbing her friend's arm.

Panic and alarm hit Petunia and she suddenly wished very much that she could sink into the floor.

“Petunia Evans, right?” he said in the most beautiful voice she had ever heard. But she suddenly seemed incapable of speech. Her friend, who was standing next to her, closed her mouth and gave her friend a sharp nudge.

“Y-yes,” she managed to spit out.

“Right,” Billy smiled sending butterflies into her stomach. “Well, I was wondering if you were free next Saturday.”

“She is,” Glinda answered right away and Billy smiled that smile again.

“Great. There's a new disco in town and I wanted to check it out. Pick you up at nine?”

“Y-yes,” Petunia stammered out again.

“Alright then, see you there!”

~*~

“Well, then? What did you say?” Lily asked eagerly as she sat on her sister's bed.

Petunia groaned and covered her head in her hands. “I said yes.”

“Well that's great then!”

“No. Yes was the only word I spoke to him to every question he gave me.”

“Oh. Well did you not want to go?”

“Of course I do!” Petunia bit her lower lip in uncertainty. “But he's picking me up at nine. How do I get past curfew?”

Lily smiled and waved her wand in front of her. “Leave that to me.”

So the longest week of Petunia's life passed so so slowly. At last, Saturday arrived and Lily let her borrow another one of her dresses.

“You look beautiful,” Lily said as she tried on a dress.

Petunia turned to look at her sister. “I know we don't always get along but…thank you.”

Lily looked at her for a long time. “You're welcome.”

And with her parents so distracted by whatever Lily had done, Petunia snuck out of the house.

Friday night and the lights are low

Looking out for the place to go

Where they play the right music, getting in the swing

You come in to look for a king

Anybody could be that guy

Night is young and the music's high

With a bit of rock music, everything is fine

You're in the mood for a dance

And when you get the chance

You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen

Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine ohh yaaa

You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life

Ooo.. see that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen

“Is this the place?” Petunia asked as Billy stopped the car by a park.

“No, we're making a little stop here,” Billy said as he opened his car door. He walked around to her side and opened her door.

Billy suddenly darted away from her as someone ran up to her and splashed an entire bucket of water over her, ruining her hair and dress. There was more laughter from all sides of her as horse dung was thrown at her.

“Did you really think he wanted to go out with you, Horseface?” Molly's voice rang out and everyone laughed. Including Billy.

It was Lily who found her outside their front porch, high heels broken, dress wet and clinging to her as she shivered and smelled horrible.

“What happened?” Lily asked softly.

Petunia collapsed into her sister's arms. “Don't tell mum,” she sobbed.

Lily sat and cried with her.

~*~

She left a week later for Hogwarts, a place where Petunia couldn't follow. A place where she didn't belong and couldn't be with her sister. She had to be brave for her own first day at school. No doubt, everyone by now had heard of what happened to her that night.

But from when she walked into the school doors until she came back home at the end of the day, not a word was said about the incident. In fact, Billy and Molly were nowhere to be seen. Glinda had informed her of their fates.

“Oh my God! Molly didn't show up for school today. Rumor has it that she has come down with a terrible case of acne. Her face is all spotty. Her parents have taken her to every doctor in town and no one can help her!”

Petunia was speechless.

“And Billy! Billy didn't come to school either because he has lost all his hair! Well almost all of it. There's a bunch of it growing out of his ears!”

“Oh gross,” Petunia wrinkled her nose.

“I know! He tried to trim it but it kept growing and growing!”

As soon as Petunia arrived home, she ran up to her room and shut the door. She went to her desk and began to write a letter to her sister. A week later, her reply came.

Of course I did it. You didn't think I would let them get away with what they had done? Anyway, let's just say I know some people who are really clever with this kind of stuff.

Love, Lily

***************************

Present Day: Summer Before Seventh Year

Petunia stood at her sink, lost in reverie as the dishes in front of her soaked untouched in the soapy water. She lifted her hand and clicked off the oldies station on the radio. A profound sense of loneliness had settled upon her ever since her nephew had delivered the news to her.

“Dumbledore is dead,” he had said.

Dumbledore, the powerful wizard that Lily had spoken so reverently about. The wizard who had made her swear the night her sister was murdered that she would care for her son.

Petunia despised Harry. He represented the world that had taken her sister from her, he held a power that she so coveted. But she always thought that a greater power, Dumbledore, would always look over him.

But he was gone now.

And now it became very clear to her that she was alone in this battle. A dangerous and powerful wizard who had murdered her sister would soon come to finish what he had started. And the burden of her task was suddenly illuminated. Harry was protected here because of the bond of blood, her sister's blood that ran inside her nephew and ran inside her own. But that protection would end at her nephew's seventeenth birthday, only a few weeks away. And Petunia was frightened, afraid suddenly that the boy would not make it on his own after that. Lily gave her own life for her son, it was Petunia's job to watch over him. At the time her sister needed her the most, Petunia had failed her in the worst way. And now the boy would die, taking the last of her sister with him.

Petunia gripped the edged of the sink and let out a loud sob. She cried for her sister and for her failure to protect her only son. She sank to the kitchen floor and let her body shake with her sobs. She didn't care, she was alone in the house. Vernon and Dudley were not at home and her nephew was holed up in his room upstairs. So she cried and cried and cried.

But she was not alone.

Harry wasn't in his room. He was sitting against the wall in the hallway, hidden from sight, listening.

**************************

Song credits to ABBA and Shelley Faberes. Please review!

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2. Reunion

Reunion

What do I do when my love is away

(Does it worry you to be alone?)

How do I feel by the end of the day,

(Are you sad because you're on your own?)

No, I get by with a little help from my friends

Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends

Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

(With a Little Help From My Friends—Joe Cocker)

Hermione and Ron stood on the porch of the Dursley household. She was fussing with her clothes as she spoke.

“Now Ron, please try and behave while we are here,” she said.

“I will if they do,” he grumbled, earning himself a hard look from her. “What?” he said defensively. “These are the people who locked Harry in a cupboard, abused him while he was here.”

“I know very well what they have done to him,” she retorted waspishly. “That's why we're here but we aren't helping Harry out if we do anything to anger his aunt and uncle.”

“You'd be surprised just how much it would help Harry out if we knocked his aunt and uncle around a bit with magic,” Ron muttered.

Hermione tutted impatiently and rang the doorbell. A moment later, footfalls could be heard from the other side and the door opened to reveal a large man who could've filled the entire doorway.

Vernon Dursley looked down at the two teenagers. The pretty girl with her brown hair in ponytail, pink t-shirt, jeans and carrying a small bag. The tall young man, long nose and a mop of red hair who wore a very worn red shirt and army green pants with patches on them. He recognized the young man immediately as one of…those people, therefore these two must be Harry's “friends”.

“Uh..hello, sir,” Hermione broke the uncomfortable silence. “My name is—“

“Get in here!” Vernon hissed, reaching out and yanking both kids into the home. “You cannot just stand out there outside of our door. People could've seen you two!”

Hermione was speechless at this greeting and at the briskness at which they were thrown into the house.

“HARRY POTTER!” the man bellowed and Hermione and Ron jumped back.

They heard a door close from somewhere upstairs and the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs before a tall figure with messy raven hair appeared.

Uncle Vernon was turning a shade of deep red and Harry braced himself for the verbal onslaught. “Harry, your friends have arrived. They were standing outside of the door where anyone could see them. I warned you…”

“You warned me that they shouldn't do any magic. They were only standing…”

“ANYONE could have seen them.”

“They only were standing there!” Harry shot back.

“But people will see your kind.”

“And what do we look like?” Harry crossed his arms over his chest.

Vernon blustered for a moment then ordered them all to go upstairs. Harry led his friends to his embarrassingly tiny room. He had done his best to clean it without magic but it still had the cleanliness standard of any typical teenage boy. He closed the door behind him and stuck his hands in the pockets of his faded denim jeans, his grey t-shirt fit nicely on him. Hermione turned her gaze from her fanciable friend and to the cluttered bedroom.

“Well…welcome to my room,” he said.

“Good to see you mate. I see your family is the same,” Ron grinned as he clapped his friend on the back.

“He was just downright rude,” Hermione said as she gave her friend a hug.

“I warned her,” Ron chimed in.

“But still! The nerve!” Hermione huffed.

“Sorry Hermione,” Harry said letting her go.

“Don't worry about it, Hermione,” Ron said as he made himself comfortable on Harry's bed and pulled out a couple of chocolate frogs from his front pocket. He tossed one to Harry.

“You get used to it,” Harry said grimly, catching the candy.

“No one should have to get used to that, Harry.”

“Whatever,” he shrugged. “I'm glad you guys are here.”

“We promised we'd be here,” Hermione replied.

“Thanks,” he said, looking at her.

The door opened behind them and Aunt Petunia stepped into the room. She was impeccably groomed and dressed in a black blouse with flower print and a long grey skirt. She looked directly at Hermione.

“I don't think it would be very proper for you to stay in here so I have arranged a room of your own,” she announced.

“Oh, okay,” Hermione picked up her bag and left the room with his aunt.

Harry stuck his head out of the door and into the hall to see that she was being quartered in the guest room down the hall. He turned back into his room.

“How's Ginny?” he asked, tentatively.

Ron, who had been thumbing through the latest Quidditch Supply catalogue, looked up at him. “She's alright, I guess. Asks about you a lot. She asked me to give you this.” He took out a bent envelope from his back pocket.

Harry took it from him, recognizing the neat cursive handwriting of his ex-girlfriend. He leaned against the wall nearest to his window and opened the letter. Her familiar flowery scent filled his nostrils.

Dear Harry,

How are you? I hope you are doing well. Things are busy here at the Burrow with the wedding and all. Fleur is an absolute tyrant of a bride, she's throwing the biggest fits over the smallest details. Anyway, I'm sending this letter with Ron since he will be staying with you until your birthday. I hope you will return to the Burrow sometime this summer and not just for the wedding. I miss you.

Love, Ginny

P.S. Tell Hermione I said hello.

“Shame about Hermione being put in another room,” Ron spoke up.

“Why's that?” Harry asked as he folded her letter and put it away in a drawer in his desk.

“No reason,” Ron said quietly as he turned a slight shade of pink that Harry was oblivious to.

“I should check on her,” Harry said, moving to the door, “to make sure my Aunt hasn't locked her in a closet or something.” Ron chuckled.

He walked down the hall and knocked gently on the door.

“Come in,” Hermione answered.

Harry walked in to see that his aunt had already left her presence and that Hermione's small bag was now enlarged to something the size of a hockey bag.

“How much stuff did you bring?” Harry asked as she unpacked her clothes as was putting them in the drawers.

“You can never be too prepared,” she answered.

“I guess,” Harry said, disbelieving as he snuck a peek in her bag. With a wave of her wand, a small stack of books came flying out of the bag and piled themselves neatly in Harry's arms. “Geez, Hermione, did you bring the library with you?”

She put her hands on her hips. “Very funny. I brought some books for us to read that I think will help us. Come on, let's go back to your room.”

Ron laughed at the sight of Harry already being put to work by Hermione when they returned to the room. Harry threw him a glare and set the books down on his cluttered desk. Hermione sighed and took out her wand again.

“It's a good thing we can do magic outside of school now,” she said as she enlarged the room.

“You can,” Harry said sulkily.

“Cheer up, mate. You only have a few weeks to go,” Ron chirped.

“You know, you could help,” Hermione said to him as she transfigured a bed for him.

“Transfiguration is your strength, not mine,” he replied and returned to the Quidditch magazine.

Hermione scowled and hexed Harry's blankets to start attacking Ron. Harry let out a laugh at his friend who was struggling against being smothered.

“Call it off!” his shout was muffled. “Hermione, undo this!”

She ignored him and pasted a large map on his now larger wall space. “What's this?” Harry asked.

“It's a map I bought at Flourish & Blotts,” she replied. “See? Here you are,” she pointed to a red dot on the map. “Here is my parent's house,” she pointed to another red dot. “And here is the Burrow.”

There was a loud thud behind them and they both turned to see that Ron's struggle with the blankets had now moved to the floor. They both turned back to the map.

“I'm going to need help plotting the Riddle house and where you were the night…” she couldn't finish the sentence and Harry shuffled awkwardly but she quickly continued. “But we can plot all the Death Eater activity we can.” She turned to face him. “I'm willing to bet that we will see a pattern emerge. Voldemort will be looking for those horcruxes as well, now we can track him and possibly stay one step ahead of him.”

Harry looked down at her and smiled. “Brilliant, Hermione.” She beamed. They both looked back down at Ron. “I think you'd better take the hex off,” Harry appealed.

Hermione shrugged. “Serves him right.” And with a flick of her wand, the spell was lifted.

~*~

Dinner was announced when Dudley finally came home late that evening from having “tea” with friends. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Dursley will still convinced that their son was the most popular boy in the neighborhood. When the trio arrived downstairs, Harry saw that his aunt had set up the larger dining room table to accommodate their “guests”.

“May I help you, Mrs. Dursley?” Hermione bounced into the kitchen.

There was a loud thump and Harry turned to see Dudley standing in front of the open door of the refrigerator, massaging the top of his head. He was staring open mouthed at Hermione. It suddenly occurred to Harry that this might be the closest his cousin had ever been to a girl.

“Uh…of course,” Harry could tell that Hermione had caught his aunt off-guard. “Take this.” She practically shoved a large salad bowl into Hermione's waiting arms. Hermione turned and noticed his cousin standing by the fridge.

“Oh, hello,” she said politely to him before continuing on her way.

Dudley turned a bright shade of red. Ron stepped forward and made himself visible to him. Dudley, remembering the last time he had seen this young man shrank and hid behind the refrigerator door. Which was an impossible task for the size that he was.

Harry took a seat next to Hermione at the dining table, Ron sat across from him and, much to Harry's dismay, Dudley sat across from Hermione. Dinner was an awkward affair, Hermione eventually gave up on the small talk after receiving short one-worded answers. And Ron wasn't going to speak to anyone but Harry and Hermione, and they had warned him to refrain from talking about magic or anything related to it so conversation from his end was dead. Harry looked over at his cousin and saw that he was staring at Hermione. He kicked him sharply under the table and when he got his attention, he slowly nodded a “no”. Harry was surprised and very thankful that Ron hadn't said anything about the meager meal that was served that night. He wasn't sure that Ron had ever eaten a salad before in his life but if Ron had any qualms he kept quiet.

Again, Harry noticed that Dudley was absent-mindedly stabbing his fork to the table, completely missing the plate as he stared at Hermione. Harry cleared his throat, ever so slightly, telling Dudley once again to back off.

“Would you like any help cleaning up?” Hermione asked his aunt.

“No thank you,” she replied, shortly.

“It really isn't a bother,” Hermione smiled. She moved her hand to her pants pocket where her wand lay. “It's just a simple incan…” There was a sharp intake of breath from the Dursley's and Harry's right arm crossed over Hermione and gently grabbed her hand to stop her from drawing out her wand.

“It's okay, Hermione,” Harry said softly to her. She looked up at him, suddenly remembering how much his relatives hated magic, and slid her wand back into her pocket.

Harry turned back to his aunt and uncle. “We'll just take our plates to the sink.”

“That will be fine,” Aunt Petunia answered in a strained voice.

~*~

“Harry, I'm so sorry,” Hermione said as he closed his bedroom door. He turned to look at her, her face flushed with embarrassment and concern.

“Don't worry about it,” he said softly to her, giving her a small grin.

“I just…I just don't want to do anything to get you in trouble,” she rambled on.

“Hey, hey,” he said as he reached out for her arms. “You aren't going to get me in trouble. You being here will make my aunt and uncle want to see even less of me,” he grinned as he rubbed her arms. Hermione looked up at him still unconvinced, her brown eyes filled with concern.

“Aha! Here they are!” Ron exclaimed, drawing Harry's attention from Hermione. Ron had been rummaging in his bag since they returned to the room and was now taking out some wrapped parcels.

“What is it?” Harry asked.

“Meat pies,” Ron grinned. “I had mum make a bunch just for this occasion. I knew the Dursley's wouldn't properly feed us.”

“Excellent,” Harry said as he took one and sat on his bed.

“Hermione?” Ron offered one to Hermione.

“No thank you. I actually didn't mind dinner tonight,” she replied.

“Oh yeah. Girls like salads,” Ron grinned.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sat on the chair from Harry's desk. The three of them talked until Hermione declared that they should all go to bed.

“Goodnight boys,” Hermione said as she left the room. Ron watched her leave.

“I'll be back, mate,” he said as he moved off of his bed. “I'm just…going to say goodnight to her.”

The click of the door left Harry alone in the room and alone with a strange feeling. He had the distraction of Ginny, Hogwarts and the eventful year to keep him from dealing with his two best friends' feelings for each other. Now, it was shoved down his throat again and still leaving a bad taste. He wasn't comfortable with the idea back then and he felt guilty that he still didn't like the idea. Even though his two best friends were now here to keep him company at the Dursley's, he'd never felt more alone.

He finished brushing his teeth in the bathroom, washed his face and took a good look at himself in the mirror, mentally willing himself to stop being a jerk about this. He opened the door and stepped out in the hall only to collide into Hermione.

“Sorry!”

“Oh! I'm so sorry!”

They whispered at the same time, then paused a moment to make sure they hadn't disturbed the Dursley's, they both grinned when all was silent. Her hair was down from her ponytail, her curls resting gently on her shoulders and falling down past them. She was wearing a pair of pink, plaid, flannel pajamas.

“Room alright?” he asked.

“Yes, it's fine,” she answered.

“Good. Well then,” he paused. “Good night, Hermione.”

“Good night, Harry.”

They moved past each other to go their separate ways but Harry's mind was screaming at him to say something.

“Hermione?” he turned around.

“Yes Harry?” she answered.

What the hell was he going to say? He knew what he wanted to ask, he wanted to know about her and Ron. Was she happy with him? Did she like being with him? Were they together? Did he kiss her goodnight? Did they ever kiss? Did she like it?

“Er…,” he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “You…you might want to put up some wards around your room,” he finally said. “I don't trust my cousin.”

Hermione smiled. “One step ahead of you, Harry.”

With nothing more to say, they parted ways for the night.

***********************************************

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3. Awkward is the Word

A/N: Interesting note. So, I'm in the theater watching GoF and the credits begin to roll and people start getting up to leave. There are two ladies behind me about my age and who very obviously hadn't read the books, I could tell by the various questions they kept asking each other throughout the movie. Anyway, one of the ladies says, “I can totally tell that Harry and Hermione are going to get together. They fit so well!” Hmmmmm. Part of me wanted to turn and say that, according to book 6, they don't. But it's Christmas time and I want to be on the Nice list for Santa, so I kept my mouth shut. But it gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling that we weren't the only delusional ones out there, that there are people who haven't read the books that are hoping for a Harry/Hermione ship just based on the movies.

Awkward is the Word

My cherie amour, lovely as a summer day

My cherie amour, distant as the milky way

My cherie amour, pretty little one that I adore

You're the only girl my heart beats for

How I wish that you were mine

In a cafe or sometimes on a crowded street

I've been near you, but you never noticed me

My cherie amour, won't you tell me how could you ignore

That behind that little smile I wore

How I wish that you were mine

(My Cherie Amour—Stevie Wonder)

“Yeah, I've got to get myself to the gym today,” Dudley said with emphasis, curling a bicep.

Hermione gave a polite smile and sipped her glass of orange juice.

“I'm a champion, you know,” Dudley puffed out his chest. “Boxing champion.”

Hermione nibbled on her bagel. Harry would've rescued her from this conversation if he didn't find it so damned entertaining. He and Ron shared an amused look.

“I could take out four-eyes here,” Dudley motioned to his cousin. “I used to practice on him all the time.”

Hermione stood up from her chair so quickly that it made a loud scraping sound. “I abhor violence,” she said briskly then picked up her dishes and carried them into the kitchen. “Thank you, Mrs. Dursley,” she said then took off upstairs.

Ron, who had been scowling at Dudley, looked at Harry. “I'll be back,” he muttered as he, too, left the table to comfort his upset girlfriend.

Harry shook his head at his cousin. “What?” Dudley asked, irritated.

“You're so pathetic,” Harry sneered, “Showing off in front of her like that. She's not interested, you know.”

“Yeah, well, she's not interested in you either,” Dudley shot back. “She's into that red-haired bloke. Saw him kiss her the other day.”

Breakfast was officially over for Harry and he pushed his plate away from him as his Aunt entered the room.

“Are you ready, Dudders?” she asked. “I'll drop you off and then go do my errands,” she said as she gathered her keys and coat. Dudley followed her. “When I get back,” she looked at Harry, “I expect all the dishes to be done. I'm not cleaning up after your guests.”

“Yes, Aunt Petunia,” Harry said resignedly. Dudley smirked as he followed his mother out of the door.

Harry let the water pour from the faucet, filling up the sink, adding soap to make the bubbles. Hermione and Ron were still upstairs doing who knows what. He slammed the faucet handle down, stopping the flow of water. He didn't want to go down that train of thought again, thinking that way made him think very unpleasant and hateful thoughts about his best friend, Ron. He gripped the edge of the sink and began to breath deeply to calm himself down before continuing on with his task. Wasn't it enough that he got to say goodnight to her every night at her bedroom door that Ron also had to corner her every moment they had alone together?

“Harry?”

He spun around at the sound of Hermione's voice, the plate he was holding slipped from his hands and fell to the floor.

“Reparo,” she said carelessly and the plate put itself back together and flipped back into Harry's hands. “I've been calling out to you, you seemed a bit lost in thought. Are you alright?” she asked.

Harry turned away from her and back to the sink. “Yeah, it's just as you said, lost in thought. Where's Ron?”

Hermione walked over and stood next to him, pushing up her sleeves. “He's rummaging through his bag looking for food.” Harry let out a soft laugh and moved over to make room for her. They did the dishes in silence, Hermione washed the plates then handed them over to Harry who rinsed and put them on the drying rack. It was a pleasant moment and reminded them both that magic wasn't needed all the time.

“Hey!” Hermione protested when a spray of water from Harry's rinsing splashed her. He looked down at her and laughed.

“Sorry,” he said, smiling and put the bowl he had been rinsing on the drying rack.

Hermione grinned mischievously and splashed Harry with the soapy water.

“Now that was on purpose,” he chuckled softly.

She nudged him. “Call it even.”

Harry reached over and scooped up some suds on his fingers and brushed them on Hermione's nose.

“Now, we're even,” he said smiling.

“Harry!” Hermione scolded lightly and brushed his hand away.

Their eyes locked, their souls making the familiar connection that their conscious mind hadn't yet. She was standing so close to him, he could see the playful light in her eyes and the light dusting of freckles on her nose. There were still some suds there and he made the movement to brush them away with the pad of his thumb but suddenly stopped his hand before it could even leave the water. He thought it suddenly desperately important to look away and continue rinsing the dishes. Hermione must of thought the same because she diligently continued on washing the remaining dishes.

“What are you guys DOING?”

Ron's voice was like a whip in the silence and Hermione and Harry jumped and sprang away from each other.

“We are wizards you know,” he shook his head and with a flick of his wand, the dishes were cleaned, dried and put away. “Got to know these spells in my house,” Ron explained at his friends' silence.

“Old habits,” Hermione explained and moved past Harry to dry her hands on a dish towel. They didn't dare make eye contact.

“Whatcha got there, Ron?” Harry asked, surprised at the calmness in his voice.

“Last of the food,” Ron said glumly. “I think I'll have to make a return to the Burrow to stock up on supplies.”

A sudden panic at being alone with his female best friend hit him.

“You wanna come, Hermione?” Ron asked.

A sudden panic at feeling jealous and angry at his other best friend hit him. But before Hermione could answer she looked over Harry's shoulder.

“What is that?” she asked.

Harry turned to see a tabby pacing on the window ledge of the kitchen. “Oh, that's one of Mrs. Figg's cats. Batty old neighbor,” Harry said under his breath.

He opened the door and the cat darted in and circled around Harry's legs, holding a note in its mouth. Crookshanks had come down from upstairs and peered at the tabby with curiosity. Harry bent down and took the note and the cat darted back outside.

“What does it say?” Hermione asked.

“She's invited me over for tea this afternoon,” Harry said, reading the note.

“Tea with your batty old neighbor who lives with a dozen cats? I dunno,” Ron shook his head.

“It could be important, Harry, we should go,” Hermione piped up.

“Maybe,” he said cautiously, flipping the note over in his hands. “She really is a little weird and her house smells a little funny.”

“Harry, that's not nice,” Hermione frowned. “Besides, this Mrs. Figg is the only magical contact you've had around here. We're going.”

“Uh-uh,” Ron nodded no. “I'm not going. I'm going home for a little bit and then I'm going over to Fred and George's.”

Harry felt a pang of longing, wishing he could get out of the house and do something. Hermione must have sensed this because she put a calming hand on his shoulder.

“Bring something back for us, Ron. I'll stay and keep Harry company.”

*************************

Harry knocked on the door of Mrs. Figg's house and the quirky old lady with tartan slippers answered, her cats circling her legs.

“Oh, hello, Harry! How lovely of you to come!” she said as she gestured for him to enter her home. “Oh and you've brought your friend!” she added when she saw Hermione.

“Hello, Mrs. Figg,” she said politely.

Harry stepped into her home and the smell of cat food and kitty litter hit his nostrils. Hermione knelt down and scratched one of the cats behind its ears.

“Hello, Harry…Hermione.”

The familiar voice of Remus Lupin filled the air and the two teens turned to see their old professor standing in the living room. A tea tray was set up on the coffee table surrounded by squashy old armchairs.

“Professor Lupin,” Harry and Hermione greeted him.

“How are you holding up, Harry?” he asked.

“Better,” he replied honestly.

“Ron and I are staying with him to make his stay with the Dursley's a bit more bearable,” Hermione explained.

“How very kind of you. Where is Ron?” Remus asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “He went home to get more food.”

“Can't blame him, Hermione,” Harry defended his friend. “My whale of a cousin is still on his diet.” Remus laughed at this and they all sat down to make themselves more comfortable.

“I'm here Harry to let you know that the Order of the Phoenix is still here for you,” Remus said sincerely.

“Have you heard anything about Voldemort?” Harry asked.

“Just a news snippet about a burglary in a muggle pawn shop,” he replied.

“But…I read the Daily Prophet this morning and I didn't see anything in it about a burglary,” Hermione protested.

Remus took his tea and looked at Hermione over the cup. “Have to read the muggle papers as well, Hermione.” She frowned.

Harry sat back in his chair, one of the cats jumped in his lap. “A pawn shop,” he said thoughtfully.

“Yes but they didn't take anything. It was like they were looking for something specific. Any ideas?” Remus took a sip of tea.

“No,” Harry lied. In truth, he had a very good idea of what they were looking for. Hermione seemed to be concentrating very hard on stirring her tea.

“Harry,” Remus leaned forward. “Where were you and Dumbledore the night he…passed on. What were you doing?” Harry opened his mouth to answer but Hermione cut him off.

“Which paper was this in?” she asked.

“Uh, what?” Remus asked, caught off guard.

“The paper that the article was in,” Hermione repeated.

“The, uh, Telegraph,” he answered.

“The Telegraph,” Hermione confirmed and stood up. “Come on, Harry, let's go find that paper.”

Harry stood. “Is there anything else?” he asked.

Remus stood as well. “No, I just wanted to check up on you and see how you are doing. I see that you are in good hands.” Hermione beamed. “Take care, Harry. I'll pop in once in awhile to check up on you.”

Harry nodded and he and Hermione said their polite goodbyes to their former professor and Harry's neighbor. Once outside, Hermione marched determinedly back to the house.

“Harry, did your aunt already throw out her trash?” she asked.

“From this morning? Yeah, I'm sure she did,” he answered.

She walked over to the rubbish bins and began to dig through them. A neighbor walked by with her dog on a leash and looked at the two teens curiously.

“She…uh…lost something,” Harry explained and the neighbor moved on.

“Here it is!” Hermione said triumphantly, brushing egg off of the paper. She opened it and the two of them began to scan the paper for the article.

“There!” Harry pointed to the small snippet on the third page.

Hermione very carefully tore out the article while Harry picked up any garbage that had fallen out and replaced the lid. They made their way back into the house and washed up.

“You know what they're looking for, don't you?” Hermione said as she pinned the article to her map in Harry's room.

“Yes, the locket but why muggle pawn shops?” he asked.

Hermione shrugged. “I guess they've already hit the wizard ones. It's a shame we threw it out, it could be anywhere.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Harry said ponderously.

Hermione turned to look at him. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Harry looked up at her. “Kreacher.”

Hermione sat down on his bed. “Do you think?”

“He was taking various items as we kept throwing them out.”

“And you think he might have taken it,” she said ponderously. Harry shrugged. Hermione gave him a long look. “That means we'll have to go back to Grimmauld Place,” she said softly. Harry sighed and leaned back against his headboard.

-->

4. Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever

Jessie is a friend,

yeah, I know he's been

a good friend of mine

But lately something's changed

that ain't hard to define

Jessie's got himself a girl

and I want to make her mine

(Jessie's Girl—Rick Springfield)

“Grimmauld Place, huh?” Ron said quietly.

“Yeah,” Harry grimly confirmed.

“We think Kreacher may have stolen the locket while we were cleaning the place a couple of years ago,” Hermione added.

The trio was in Harry's room, Harry sat on his bed, Ron sat on a backwards turned chair while Hermione sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. Ron had returned later in the day, armed and heavily loaded with food from the burrow. He had lain thick the story of how poorly the Dursley's were feeding Harry, knowing full well how to play on his mother's sympathies. Mrs. Weasley didn't disappoint and had cooked up a culinary first-aid kit in no time.

Harry and Ron were currently indulging themselves in one of her Shepard's pies as they told each other of the day's events. Hermione, to the utter disbelief of Harry and Ron, seemed to be quite satisfied with the leafy greens that Aunt Petunia kept feeding them and didn't join in the feast. Though she did have a couple of the cookies that Mrs. Weasley did bake.

Ron sighed wearily, acknowledging that the summer was over and the long adventure of hunting the horcruxes was about to begin. “When should we leave?” he asked.

“I don't think it would be wise to leave while Harry is still under the protection of his aunt,” Hermione piped up.

“We're losing time,” Harry said, frustrated. “Voldemort could already have the horcruxes in his hands by now.”

“You would know if he did, Harry,” Hermione leveled. “It's too dangerous right now. You aren't even allowed to do spells outside of school yet.”

“I think the ministry would overlook something like that at a time like this,” Ron spoke up.

“Do you really think so?” her eyes narrowed. “The Minister would love to have Harry under his thumb and force him to be a poster boy for the Ministry. Not to mention the fact that it would do us a fat lot of good trying to find those horcruxes while Harry is locked up.”

“I'm right here you know,” Harry said irritably. “You don't have to talk about me as if I'm invisible. And furthermore, Hermione, I know very well the reasons why I need to stay here until my birthday. I don't need it shoved in my face.” Hermione pursed her lips tightly as if biting back a response, reproach shown in her eyes and she looked away and gazed out of Harry's window into the night sky.

“She wasn't shoving it in your face, Harry,” Ron defended. “She was only concerned about you.”

Ron's words stung him. Harry knew that Hermione had only good intentions but it hurt to hear Ron defend her. He was usually the one to do that.

“I don't see how that is possible since every spare moment she has, she's too busy sucking your face,” he lashed out. He immediately regretted those words the moment they left his lips.

Hermione inhaled sharply as she looked at him. She scrambled to her feet and left the room in a huff, slamming the door behind her.

“Nice job, Harry,” Ron said sarcastically as he got up from the chair and went after her. He stopped at the door and looked at his friend. “Maybe this will put you in a better mood,” he said as he dropped something in Harry's lap before he, too, left the room with a slammed door.

Harry cursed softly as he hit the back of his head lightly and repeatedly on his headboard. The sound of heavy footfalls soon followed, as he expected, and he barely had time to stuff the left over food underneath his bed before his uncle burst into the room.

“What did I tell you about keeping it quiet?!” he spluttered at Harry.

“Sorry, I had the window open. It was a gust of wind,” Harry lamely explained.

“Not another peep,” Vernon warned before he closed the door.

Harry sighed heavily and looked down at what Ron had dropped in his lap. It was an envelope, his name written in the familiar curly handwriting of his ex-girlfriend Ginny. But he wasn't in the mood to read it at the moment and put it away in a drawer as he readied himself for bed. He hadn't meant to snap at Hermione like that, nor did he mean to say the things he did. The end result had been an unpleasant one. Hermione, pissed off at him in the other room with Ron doing his best to “comfort” her.

Ron did eventually return to his room after what seemed like forever. Harry did his best to keep his imagination from running wild wondering what they were doing all that time. But most of all, he felt absolutely horrible and guilty.

“I'm sorry,” Harry said to Ron as he climbed into the bed on the other side of the room.

Ron looked apologetically to his friend. “It's not me you have to apologize to. I rather took it as a compliment,” he grinned and turned over.

~*~

Harry met Hermione the next morning in the hall as they were going to breakfast. Ron made himself scarce, leaving the two of them alone together. She was wearing a white button down shirt with sleeves that ended just below her elbows. She looked casual and relaxed in her jeans, not at all angry like she was last night.

“Hermione,” Harry began awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck. “I'm so sorry about what I said last night. I didn't mean it. I know you have the best intentions it's just…maybe it's because we're trapped in this house and…”

“I understand, Harry,” she said smiling softly and Harry let out a breath he'd been holding. “Which is why I'm leaving,” she finished.

“Leaving?” Harry cocked his head forward, not sure if he heard her right.

“Yes,” she reaffirmed. “It's like you said, we've been trapped in this house and maybe the cabin fever is getting to us.” She shrugged and moved on her way.

“Cabin fe…what? What are you talking about?” Harry reached out for her arm and stopped her.

“I'll only be gone for a couple of days. I miss my parents and I want to check in on them and let them know I'm okay.”

“We have owls for that,” Harry countered, sounding like a pouty toddler. “Look, I said I was sorry. I didn't mean what I said.”

Hermione sighed. “Harry…I think it would be best if I left for a couple of days, anyway, before we say or do something that we can't take back.”

Harry looked at her, wondering at the meaning behind her words, looking into her eyes. But she turned away from him. He let go of her arm.

“Be careful,” he said softly.

“I will,” Hermione replied, looking back at him.

Harry watched her as she walked down the stairs to the front door where Ron was waiting for her, holding her bags. There were some whispered words between them before they leaned in toward each other for a quick kiss and she walked out of the door.

Yes, perhaps it was best if she went away for a little while, Harry thought as he fought down the jealousy that swelled within. He really needed to get a grip on himself.

But the day reflected his somber mood and by noon it began to rain. Although he still had Ron to keep him company, a part of him acknowledged the fact that he missed the third part of the trio. But the day did pass quickly when you were having some fun, he and Ron challenged each other to a game of chess, talked about Quidditch and went through the latest innovations of Fred and George's.

“It's unbelievable, really,” Ron said over breakfast the next morning. It was just the two of them at the table. Aunt Petunia had left to do her errands while Vernon was at work, Dudley was sequestered upstairs in his room. “I mean how much work can one wedding be?” Harry shrugged over his cereal. “I'll have to go back again in a couple of days,” Ron muttered. “How many fittings can my dress robes have? You're still coming right?”

“Of course I am,” Harry answered. “It will be nice to see that good things are happening amidst all this mess.” His gaze drifted out to the window to the grey sky, Hermione would be coming back tomorrow.

Hermione was gazing outside her bedroom window at the same sky, listening to the raindrops begin to tap on the glass. Her parents had been surprised but delighted at her appearance on their doorstep. She had told them she wanted to check in on them, which was a part truth but really she just needed to get away from Harry and Ron. Mostly Harry. Things had become awkward and strained between the two of them and she was beginning to feel this subtle tension bubbling underneath the surface. Feelings long thought lost were beginning to reemerge.

She remembered it vividly. She, terrified and frightened, hiding in the bathroom with a horrendous troll. The feeling of helplessness, of terror, her time as a witch and student at Hogwarts about to be brutally cut short. Until he arrived. Ron was with him of course but she remembered Harry. The look of shock on his face as seeing a large troll in front of him was brief before he bravely leapt on the hideous creature, brushing aside any fear he might have had so he could save her. A girl he really didn't know at the time.

That was when it happened. Her first girl crush on a boy who was brave and selfless. A girl crush that grew and blossomed with their friendship and culminated with the look on his face when he saw her at the Yule Ball. The ghost of a look that held the promise that they could, just possibly, be something more than friends.

But that was also the year that their childhood ended, the year that the most terrifying wizard, and Harry's nemesis was reborn. The seed that had been planted in her heart lay dormant and forgotten, replaced with feelings for her other best friend and the excitement that comes with a new and budding romance.

And now, being with Harry again sparked something within her again, making her remember those feelings long forgotten. Simple touches between them sent fire through her skin, a simple look would send her heart racing, words that were spoken stung more than they should have. When Ron had kissed her goodnight on her last night there, for just a moment, Harry flashed before her eyes. Harry leaning in toward her for a simple kiss and the guilt flooded over her. She knew what she had to do, she needed to get out of there and clear her head. She couldn't feel this way over Harry. Doing that would only result in her being hurt, ruining her friendship with Harry and destroying Ron. She couldn't do this now that Harry needed them the most.

“Morning darling!” her mother's cheerful voice greeted her when she finally made her way downstairs for breakfast. “Having a bit of a lie-in?”

“It must be this weather,” Hermione replied as she took a seat at the table.

She at her eggs and toast as she listened to her parent's chatter about work and what they should do this coming weekend. She had just taken a drink of her coffee when something caught her eye. An article in the Telegraph that her father was holding.

“Let me see that,” she said and swiped the paper from her father's bewildered hands.

“Hermione, darling!” her mother gasped.

Another break-in at a pawnshop. No suspects. Nothing taken.

“Hermione what is it?” her mother demanded.

“What?” Hermione looked up. “Oh! Er…,” she fumbled around her brain for something to say. “Just the…advert for Harrod's. I was thinking of buying myself some clothes. Sorry…I got a little excited there.” She handed the paper back to her father.

“Oh,” her mother seemed satisfied with her answer.

“Would you be wanting the car then?” her father asked.

Maybe Harry was right. Maybe they were wasting time waiting for him to come of age so they could set off on their own. Well, Harry was stuck at the Dursley's but that didn't mean she couldn't leave and do a little work on her own.

“Yes, I think I might. Thank you,” Hermione replied sweetly.

She pulled the grey sedan up to the curb and parked it the best way she could for a teen with limited driving experience. She pulled out the map of London she had bought at a convenience store and traced her finger down the listing of the phone book she took from home. The large red letters P-A-W-N were displayed atop the dodgiest looking storefront she had ever seen.

Bells above the doorjamb gave a tinkle as she made her entrance. There were glass displays filled with various valuables, most likely stolen and she had a brief thought to the safety of her parents' car outside.

“Can I help you, miss?” The man's voice made her jump.

“Oh! Um, yes. I was…looking…for a gift for my mother,” she began, tentatively. “Jewelry,” she said with more confidence. “A gold locket to be specific.” She smiled her sweetest smile.

~*~

Hermione didn't return when she said she would and it bothered Harry but he didn't worry about it too much. Maybe he had misjudged the amount of days and she would be actually returning the next day. But when that day passed without word from Hermione, he began to worry.

“I sent her an owl,” Ron said to him. “But she hasn't replied back. You don't think anything's happened to her, do you?”

“Can't you apparate there and find out?” Harry asked, irritably.

“I don't know where she lives!”

“Right here!” Harry dragged Ron over to the map and jabbed at her marking.

“But I've never been there before!” Ron protested and shrugged Harry off.

“Then go there on foot!” The feeling of helplessness at being trapped in this house and unable to do magic to help out his female best friend, who was probably in a world of trouble, was beginning to wear on him.

“Hsssst!”

The hiss from Crookshanks, who Hermione had left behind, caught the boys' attention.

“What?” Ron snapped irritably at the animal.

Crookshanks had a small envelope in his mouth and lay it down at the boy's feet before turning with a swish of his tail, looking back once at Ron with a reproachful look in his eyes.

“It's another invitation to Mrs. Figg's,,” Harry said.

“The Order? You don't think…” Ron didn't dare voice it.

“Hermione,” Harry breathed and the boys tore out of his room and raced down the stairs. Uncle Vernon bellowed at the racket they were making but Harry didn't care. Horrible thoughts filled his head and he had flashes of the time when Hermione was hit with an unheard curse in the Department of Mysteries. She had lain so still. But he put a block up, he couldn't think of her lying cold and still somewhere, he just couldn't.

“Well, hello boys!” Mrs. Figg greeted them when they banged on her door.

“Hermione? Is she safe?” Harry asked as he burst into the home, looking for Professor Lupin.

Professor Lupin looked at the boys with a surprised look on his face. “Of course she's safe. She has some of the Order watching over her.” He looked at the relieved looks on the boys' faces. “Has she not talked to you lately?” he asked.

“She wanted to go home for a few days,” Ron explained. Remus looked to Harry for an explanation but Harry avoided his gaze and looked determinedly at the tea tray set up on the small table.

“Harry,” Professor Lupin said with a serious voice as he placed one hand on his shoulder. “I need to know what you and Dumbledore were up to that night. It's important.”

Harry looked up at his father's friend but said nothing.

“There was another burglary,” he changed the topic, “two more of them in fact. Kingsley was able to obtain muggle surveillance video from both of them and a very familiar face popped up on one of them. Not the perpetrator, of course, but…there the day of.” He drew out a photograph from his robes and looked at the two of them sternly. “Harry, why is Hermione in this photo?”

“No way!” Ron said in disbelief as he took the photo from Professor Lupin.

“DAMN IT!” Harry cursed angrily as he kicked the coffee table.

-->

5. Harry Takes Charge

Harry Takes Charge

Why do you build me up (Build me up)

Buttercup baby just to

let me down (Let me down)

And mess me around

And then worst of all (Worst of all)

You never call baby

When you say you will (Say you will)

But I love you still

I need you (I need you)

More than anyone darlin'

You know that I have from the start

So build me up (Build me up)

Buttercup

Don't break my heart

(Build Me Up Buttercup—The Foundations)

~*~

I know what you are doing and I want you to stop it.

Hermione crumpled up the parchment that was scrawled with Harry's handwriting and tossed it over her shoulder. Hedwig gave an insulted hoot at her action.

“What?” she asked the owl innocently and Hedwig looked away.

Pig flew into her window just then, fluttering wildly above her head and dropping another parchment into her hands.

I mean it! Stop it NOW!

Harry could really be a nag when he wanted to.

She grabbed a light jacket, her pencil, map and car keys and headed downstairs. She had a new quadrant to explore today. The sun had broken through the clouds, holding a promise of a pleasant day. She fiddled with the dial of the radio, tuning in to a favorite station and began to hum along.

She parked the car and double checked the address in front of her with the address that she had written down. Taking the pencil from between her teeth she made a neat line through it. She had the routine down pat now, the inquisitive young lady looking for a locket for her mother.

“Didn't take you for the pawn shop type,” a voice called out to her and she jumped.

Tonks walked up to her, blond hair in a ponytail and a pert little nose. Hermione eyed her cautiously.

“Tonks,” she greeted her politely.

“How are you doing Hermione?” Tonks asked.

“I'm fine. How are you? Long time no see,” Hermione replied.

“Things are okay.” Tonks put her hands in the front pockets of her jeans. “A little far from home, aren't you?”

“I'm looking for a gift for my mother.”

“At a pawn shop?”

Hermione didn't answer.

“Hermione,” Tonks took a step forward. “What are—“

“What are you doing here, Tonks? Are you following me?”

Tonks looked at her. “Hermione, I'm going to level with you. We know that the break-ins and your little shopping expeditions are not a coincidence. You are looking for what the Death Eaters are looking for. We know you're the sensible one of the group. Tell us what it is that you are looking for, what they are looking for. We can help.” Tonks looked at her hopefully.

“Did Harry send you?” she asked.

“What?”

“Did. Harry. Send you?” Hermione repeated.

“No, he didn't but he's going spare with worry for you,” Tonks replied honestly. “He asked Remus to bring you back to him. It's your prerogative but we are concerned with your safety at what you are doing.”

Hermione held her head up high. “I can take care of myself.”

“And if you run into the group of Death Eaters that are doing the break-ins?” Tonks asked.

“I can just apparate away,” Hermione replied eyeing the deserted alley next to the shop.

Tonks tilted her head, trying to read Hermione. Suddenly, Hermione darted forward and past her into the alley and with a loud POP! She disapparated.

Hermione didn't go far. She only apparated to the opposite side of the street to the other alley and hid behind a group of rubbish bins. She heard Tonks swear quietly as she inspected the area Hermione had been. A few moments later, Tonks gave up and left.

~*~

“I'm sorry, Harry,” Tonks shrugged. “But I can't keep up with her. She parks her car near King's Cross then apparates away. I don't know where she goes.” She was in Mrs. Figg's living room with Remus and Harry.

“What? So now the Order can't watch over her?” Harry asked.

“Harry, I don't think she wants to be followed,” Remus explained. “And I want to strongly remind you that you shouldn't leave the protection of—“

“My aunt's house,” Harry finished for him. “I know, I know. I just feel so helpless. You can't expect me to just sit here while she's out there putting herself in danger.”

“We're doing all we can,” Remus put a comforting hand on his shoulder but Harry shrugged him off.

“No you're not!” he accused. “Bring her back to me—to us,” he corrected himself quickly and turned away.

“Harry, I can't drag her here against her will and neither can you,” Remus said firmly.

Harry turned and looked at him with determination. “Oh yeah?”

Harry brooded silently over dinner that night. Ron had been gone for two days after he had sent him to get Hermione. He came back hexed so badly that he had to go to Fred and George for help. He would be back tomorrow though.

Harry waited patiently for his aunt and uncle to leave the table so Dudley could start in on his evening taunts.

“So…your friends have gone off to snog each other leaving you behind,” Dudley sneered.

Harry sighed dramatically. “Actually, I'm worried about her,” Harry replied. “She leaves her car, a silver four door sedan, at King's Cross, at around ten in the morning, then goes off shopping in the dodgiest of neighborhoods. Ron tried to go with her but he didn't last one day in those rough areas.” Harry leaned forward and Dudley leaned toward him eagerly. “Got himself worked over real bad,” Harry whispered and leaned back. “And I'm too scrawny and weak to watch over her. A shame. She could really use a knight in shining armor to help her in case she was ever in trouble.” Dudley sat back thoughtfully as Harry grinned over his cup of water.

~*~

Hermione got out of the car and grabbed her bag.

“Hey Hermione!” a voice called out to her. She froze and slowly turned around to see Harry's horrid cousin walking over to her.

“D-Dudley? What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Was just in the area and I spotted you,” he answered and Hermione gazed around the parking lot.

“Right,” she said slowly and began to walk away. “Well, it was nice to see you. I must be off now.”

Dudley ran after her. “What are you up to today?” he asked.

“Oh, well, shopping,” she answered.

“Great! I'll go with you!” he said eagerly.

“Well, that's not really necessary,” she replied but he was already off and buying them tickets for the underground.

“So Stanley goes and rats on me, so I beat him up to. Have I told you that I'm a boxing champion? I am. And I'm the most popular boy at school.”

Hermione's ears were bleeding with the endless droning of Dudley.

“You shop here?” Dudley wrinkled his nose at the pawn shop in front of them.

“I'm looking for something specific,” she replied shortly.

Dudley shrugged and followed Hermione into the store.

“Can I help you miss?” the clerk asked.

“Yes, I was looking for a gift for my mother. A locket to be exact,” Hermione said sweetly.

“The locket? You still going on about that?” Dudley piped up.

Hermione turned sharply to him. “What are you talking about?”

“I overheard my cousin and your boyfriend,” Dudley shrugged. Hermione gave him a long look before turning back to the clerk.

“I have a silver one,” he offered, leading Hermione to the jewelry case.

Hermione looked at the trinkets in front of her but there was no gold locket. She looked up at the clerk and shook her head.

“Sorry but I was hoping to find a gold one,” she said.

“No problem,” the clerk shrugged as the door opened. “Can I help you, miss?”

“Perhaps,” the woman answered and Hermione's heart stopped beating. There was a mirror on top of the jewelry display that they used to model their wares and she chanced a quick glance in it. A tall pale woman with long dark hair walked in.

Bellatrix Lestrange.

Hermione moved down the case, keeping her back to her so she couldn't see her face.

“Let's go,” Hermione whispered to Dudley and grabbed his hand, leading him out the store.

“What?” Dudley asked aloud. He wasn't sure he heard her properly.

“I am looking for a gold locket,” Bellatrix said to the clerk.

The clerk raised an eyebrow. Hermione scuttled toward the door.

“Popular item,” the clerk said looking over Bellatrix's shoulder and Hermione and Dudley. Bellatrix turned to follow his line of sight.

Hermione yanked the bewildered Dudley toward the door. “Herm—“ he began to protest and she did the only thing she could think of grabbing the front of Dudley's shirt and pulled him toward her, crashing her lips against his, shutting him up, as she fumbled for the door behind her.

The clerk shrugged at their behavior. “Kids,” he shrugged as the two teens tumbled out of the store. Bellatrix's eyes narrowed and followed them out of the door.

Hermione and Dudley ran behind the building. There was a pile of cement blocks stacked against the fence and Hermione scrambled onto them and over the fence. Dudley clumsily followed her over, landing with a thud on the other side.

“Come on!” she whispered as she tugged at him while he staggered to his feet. Together they ran down this alley, turned and ran down yet another alley before they stopped and leaned against he back of a building, gasping for breath.

Hermione drew her wand out of her pocket and listened. Dudley eyed the wand uneasily. They stayed quiet for what seemed like forever until Hermione felt that they hadn't been followed.

“I want to go home,” Dudley said softly. Hermione looked over at him and saw that he was pale and trembling slightly.

“Okay, Dudley,” she said kindly. “I'll take you home.” She reached out to him and held his hand in a gesture of comfort.

He didn't let go of her through the train ride back to King's Cross and only let go when they reached her car. She opened the door for him to let him in, then crossed to the other side. She started the car and backed out when Dudley suddenly spoke up.

“Was she…one of you?” he asked.

Hermione looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Was she…a witch?”

“Yes,” Hermione answered.

“But one of the bad ones?”

“Yes, Dudley,” she said softly. Silence again during the car ride. Hermione pulled up to the front of her home and Dudley spoke up again.

“He's going to die, isn't he?”

Hermione blinked back tears. “He won't die.”

“He's just a kid, Hermione. Like me.”

Hermione looked pityingly at Dudley. “We all have to grow up sometime,” she whispered. “Listen,” she said a little louder, “I'm going inside to get a few things and leave a note for my parents. You wait here.”

Tears fell down her face as she darted about her room, gathering her belongings. Dudley's words cut deep into her fears and insecurities. What she was about to embark on with her friends was very dangerous indeed and she needed to face the reality that they might not come out of it unscathed. But she would allow the tears to fall just this time and would emerge from the home clear-eyed and fresh faced.

~*~

“Dudley!” Petunia exclaimed in surprise when her son walked through the door, accompanied by Harry's friend.

“Hullo, mum,” Dudley replied and hugged his mother tightly. Petunia was too flabbergasted for words.

“Hello, Mrs. Dursley,” Hermione said politely.

“You came together?” Petunia asked.

“Dudley—“ Hermione spoke up to explain but he cut her off.

“I saw her walking down the street and decided to escort her back here,” he finished for her.

“Oh! Well…that's my Dudders,” Dudley turned bright red at his mother's nickname. “Always the gentleman.”

Hermione left the room as Petunia fussed and coddled her only son. She tip-toed past Harry's room to her guest room but the door opened and Ron's head popped out.

“Hermione! You're back!” he said and went to her to scoop her in a hug. “You didn't have to hex me you know, all you…” Ron's voice faded in the background as her eyes settled on her raven haired friend. She shrugged out of Ron's embrace and stormed toward him. Harry had an equally angry look on his face.

Go ahead, Hermione, he thought to himself, bring it on.

“How dare you!” Hermione stormed toward him. She swung at Harry with her purse but Harry knocked it away and grabbed her upper arm, dragging her into the room.

“I could say the same of you,” he hissed at her as he slammed the door in Ron's face. His grip on her arm moved to her wrist.

“Hey!” Ron protested from the other side of the door.

“You sent your cousin after me? That was low, Harry!” she accused.

“Let me in guys!” Ron opened the door but Harry slammed it shut again.

“I told you to stop what you were doing!” Harry scolded.

“Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?” she asked as Harry once again slammed the door shut. “Oh, move over,” she huffed, shoving Harry slightly to the side and drawing her wand to cast a locking charm on the door.

“Guys? Hey open the door!” Ron muffled voice was ignored.

“Someone who cares very much for your safety, Hermione! That was stupid and dangerous!” Harry pointed a finger in her face.

“Someone had to do something!” Hermione defended, knocking his finger away. “Maybe you were right, Harry. Maybe we are wasting time just sitting here, twiddling our thumbs.”

“Since when have you agreed to anything stupid that I've said?”

“I was only trying to help!” she said angrily, stepping toward him.

“You aren't helping if you're found dead on the streets!” Harry moved closer to her.

“I can take care of myself,” she challenged.

Harry's gaze fell to her lips, slightly moistened and glittery with whatever lip balm she was wearing. His gaze slowly traveled up to her eyes, deep pools of brown, her lashes were dark. A sudden image popped into his mind from what seemed like nowhere. An image of him accosting Hermione in a way best friends shouldn't accost each other. He backed away still furious with her and she was still livid with him.

She huffed and moved past Harry to the door but he stopped her. “I mean it, Hermione. We do nothing until we can get out of here,” he said firmly. She moved out of his grasp and opened the door, Ron nearly tumbled into the room.

“What the hell was that all about?” he asked angrily.

“We've said all we've had to say,” Harry said bitterly and turned away from the two of them.

“Did you know we're taking orders from our fearless leader?” Hermione sneered and stormed back to the room she was staying in.

“Oh, get over it, Hermione!” Harry snapped back.

Hermione turned back around. “Don't you tell me…”

“Okay, Hermione,” Ron intercepted her and steered her back toward her room. “Take it easy, you two!” He nearly had to pick Hermione up off of her feet. Harry glowered at her, she had worked him up so bad, gotten under his skin and he had no release.

~*~*~*~*~

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6. Foolish

Foolish

No you don't know the one

Who dreams of you at night;

And longs to kiss your lips

And longs to hold you tight

Oh I'm just a friend.

That's all I've ever been.

Cause you don't know me.

(You Don't Know Me—Ray Charles)

~*~

JULY 30

Harry, Hermione and Ron all stared at the calendar. The Dursley's were busy downstairs packing for a vacation that they had won, conveniently beginning today. Petunia kept quiet but she kept glancing furtively at Harry all day. If Uncle Vernon and Dudley thought it odd that Petunia should pack all her fine crystal and china for this vacation, they didn't question her.

As the sun set, the Dursley's began to load the car and Dudley climbed into the backseat. Aunt Petunia paused at the front door, Harry stood in front of her. The car horn beeped and Uncle Vernon waved at his wife to hurry up. She looked from the car back to Harry. Harry looked up at his caretaker for the past sixteen years. “I'll be okay,” he said to her.

Aunt Petunia's lips tightened and she began to blink rapidly before nodding curtly and racing back to the car.

Harry stood on the doorstep and watched the only blood family he had left drive away. A warm hand slipped into his as Hermione joined him and Ron put a hand on his shoulder.

“It'll be okay, mate,” he said confidently. Harry wished he had his friend's confidence but now that his family was gone, what was about to happen to him began to settle on him.

“You don't want to stand there all day, boy,” a voice growled in the darkness and Mad-Eye Moody appeared. Tonks, Lupin and Shacklebolt shortly followed, giving the trio their greetings.

“Hello, Harry,” Lupin said. “We're here just to make sure you make it to the Burrow safely.” The trio exchange uneasy looks. “I take it you are not planning on staying with the Weasley's the rest of the summer,” Lupin looked at each of them.

“We, uh, we were heading to…”

“This conversation would be best inside where probing ears cannot hear,” Moody interrupted and everyone headed inside.

The kitchen seemed that much smaller with everyone crowded inside it. Tonks rolled her eyes when she saw that the kitchen was as spotless as she remembered it. Hermione made herself busy putting on a pot of tea. It made her uneasy that it was dark outside and she couldn't see out of the window.

“You alright?” Harry's soft voice next to her made her jump.

“Yes. No. I don't know,” she replied.

Harry frowned slightly and turned back to the group. His hands rested against the edge of the counter behind him.

“We're going back to Grimmauld Place,” he announced.

“Headquarters,” Shacklebolt nodded sagely. “That's a very wise choice. The place is still unplottable and you'll be around members of the Order.”

“Is there still an Order, then?” Ron asked quietly. He was sitting at the table. It was an odd question that Harry didn't even bother to think about asking.

Lupin looked down at him. “Of course there is,” he replied kindly. “There's always been a plan in place in case…such an event should happen.”

“Who's the new leader?” Harry asked.

“We'll all find out soon,” Lupin replied. “But it is a good idea that you are returning to Headquarters but, Harry, as a concerned party for you. Are you sure about this?” Lupin looked at him.

Harry knew what he meant. The loss of Sirius had been a blow not only to Harry but to his oldest and dearest friend, Remus Lupin. With a sudden sadness, Harry realized that Lupin was all alone, the last of the Marauders. Sure, he had Tonks at his side, but there's always something different about your best friends. No one could take away that bond.

“Yeah, we're sure,” Harry answered, sharing a small smile with his two friends.

The teapot whistled and Harry took out seven mugs for Hermione to pour water into. Tonks walked up to them and offered her help, taking Harry's place so he could be ambushed by Lupin.

“Are you sure about this?” Lupin asked quietly.

“I'm not saying it's going to be easy but we do what we have to do,” Harry replied.

“Does this have to do with what you three have been up to this summer?”

Harry sighed. “I don't want to lie to you so…yes.”

“Something tells me that what you are up to is quite dangerous,” Lupin narrowed his eyes.

“Everything we do from here on out is dangerous,” Harry frowned. Lupin gave a long look at him then put a hand on his shoulder.

“You are such your father's son,” he had the faint trace of a smile when he said this but Harry could see the sadness in his eyes.

The sound of glass breaking caught their attention and they turned to see Hermione and Tonks picking up the shards of a broken teacup.

“I'm sorry. I'm just so…” Hermione was flustered.

“Hermione, it's okay. Believe me,” Tonks was reassuring her but Hermione quickly stood and ran out of the room. Ron stood up to go after her and Harry moved forward but Tonks held up a hand.

“I'll go to her. It's okay,” she said before she left the room to follow Hermione.

She found her upstairs in the bathroom, the sound of water running preceded it. Carefully opening the door she found Hermione bent over the sink, running her hand under the water. She could see faint traces of pink splashes in the basin.

“Hermione, did you hurt yourself?” she asked.

“It's nothing, just a small cut,” Hermione replied.

Tonks leaned over her and turned off the faucet, opening the medicine cabinet and bringing out a bandage.

“Healing charms were never my thing,” she joked but Hermione didn't laugh. “There you go. It's not to tight is it?”

“This is it, isn't it? This is really it. Will he be okay? He will, won't he?”

Tonks put the box of bandages away, closed the cabinet door and looked at her. “Well, you see, Hermione, I'm not sure whom you're speaking about.”

Hermione put the lid down on the toilet and sat on it. She let out a heavy breath. “Lately, I'm not sure either.”

Tonks looked at her sympathetically and closed the door behind her. She walked forward and knelt in front of Hermione.

“If you need to talk, I'll be here for you.”

“Thank you, Tonks.”

~*~

11:50 pm

Lupin stayed with the teens while the others took their belongings to Grimmauld Place, the loud ticking of the clock filled the silence in the kitchen as they all sat around the table.

“Okay, let's go over this one more time,” Lupin announced, trying to fill the silence. “We cannot apparate from inside this house so we will step out into Mrs. Figg's yard. Ron, you'll be with Hermione. Harry you stay with me. Are we all agreed on the apparation point?”

“The street lamp in front of Grimmauld Place,” Hermione confirmed.

“Correct.”

The loud cracking of apparation could be heard, announcing the Order's return.

“Right then,” Lupin stood. “Here we go.”

But suddenly, shouts filled the air followed shortly by wand blasts. The four of them raced to the windows. There were shadows darting about, lots of shouting and the bright flashes of spells cast. Lupin drew his wand and looked at the three of them.

“Stay inside, Harry. The three of you, stay inside. You know how important that is.”

He left them to join the melee outside.

“We can't just stay here,” Harry turned to them. “It's almost midnight.”

“I think we should move away from the windows,” Hermione said and they ran into the hallway.

“We should go out there and help them,” Ron offered, drawing out his wand.

“Are you crazy?” Hermione hissed.

“We can't sit here, Hermione. We have to go!” Harry said as he got to his feet.

“Harry! Wait,” Hermione said as she and Ron followed him.

They stood, pressed against the wall by the door, wands drawn and hearts beating rapidly.

“Our only chance is to make a run for it. As soon as we set foot on Mrs. Figg's lawn we apparate,” Harry instructed.

Suddenly the grandfather clock in the living room chimed out midnight and someone burst through the back door. Hermione screamed.

“NOW!” Harry shouted as he opened the door and reached for Hermione's hand.

Adrenaline fueled them as they sprinted across the lawn. Someone shouted out Harry's name but he didn't slow down, holding Hermione's hand in a vice grip. Hermione yanked the two of them to the ground just as a wand blast sailed above their heads.

“Are you okay?” Hermione breathed.

“Yes,” Harry breathed.

“LOOKOUT!!” Ron shouted from somewhere behind them and the two of the rolled away from each other as a curse landed in between them, where they had been.

Harry felt hands wrap around him and he looked over to see Tonks yank Hermione to her feet.

“I told you to stay inside the house!” Lupin said angrily in his ear as he brought him to his feet and ran with him.

Up ahead, Harry could see Mad-Eye with Ron, waving at them madly and shouting words that Mrs. Weasley wouldn't be to fond of hearing. The nicer words were: stupid, foolish, half-brained, asses, half-witted.

“READY!!” Lupin shouted out and Moody apparated with Ron in his clutches.

Harry put a frantic hand to his chest then around his neck.

“Nymphadora, you're next!” Lupin ordered.

“Harry! Harry what is it?” Hermione shouted out to him.

The locket.

The locket that Harry and Dumbledore had retrieved the day he died. The locket that was a fake horcrux. The locket that Harry kept to remind him of what he had lost that day, how much was at stake in this war.

“Harry!” Lupin shouted as Harry shrugged himself free and ran back toward his aunt's house. “Nymphadora, go!”

“NO! HARRY!” Hermione shouted as she wriggled out of Tonks' grasp.

“There he is! There he is!” Harry heard the Death Eaters shout as he made his way back to the house, dodging spells along the way.

“Stupefy!” Hermione called out as she cleared the way for him, catching up with him.

The two of the burst through the front door, knocking a Death Eater in the face in the process. He howled in pain as he stumbled backward, knocking into another Death Eater, both of them crashing to the floor. Harry and Hermione quickly took them out and in the glint of the streetlamp from outside, Harry saw the gold locket on the floor in the kitchen.

“Harry! Stay down!” Hermione screamed at him as he scrambled into the kitchen. He ducked just in time as the windows in the kitchen were all blown out by the blast of a wand. Glass showered down around him.

“Hermione, wait!” Harry called out to her as she ran into the kitchen after him.

But Hermione halted too late and her footing was lost on broken shards and she fell forward. Hooded figures approached the back door.

“Hermione,” he whispered. “Don't move.”

“Harry,” Hermione whispered back fearfully. He could hear the tremble in her voice.

He scrambled over to her and carefully brought her to her feet as the door opened.

“They were just here,” one of them said.

“Still are,” said another. “Look, one of them is bleeding.”

Harry and Hermione tore out of the front door again, the Death Eaters hot on their heels, spells whizzed past their ears. They vaulted over the hedges that divided the lawns. Harry turned and reached for Hermione as she tumbled into his arms before he apparated them both away.

The momentum of her fall caused Harry to lose his footing when they arrived at Grimmauld Place and the two of them tumbled to the ground. Harry hit the ground first, falling on the dead grass of number 12 with Hermione on top of him.

“Oh, are you alright?” she asked.

“Yeah, are you?” he asked.

“Did we make it?”

Harry realized that she hadn't opened her eyes. He laughed softly and tangled his hands in her hair, bringing her head to rest on his chest. He kissed the top of her head.

“We made it, Hermione,” he said as he stroked her hair.

Hermione lifted her head and looked at him. She suddenly felt her breath leave her lungs. Harry's hands were still cradling her head. She was vaguely away of a pain in her left hand but as she sat up, Harry grabbed her wrist.

“You're bleeding,” he said.

Hermione looked down and saw that she had stained Harry's t-shirt.

“Harry! Hermione!” Tonks cried out as she and Lupin apparated near them.

“Harry, what were you thinking?” Lupin scolded but Harry brought Hermione to her feet.

“She's cut real bad,” he said lamely.

“Oh, Hermione, again?” Tonks sighed.

~*~

Ron ambushed the group as soon as they set foot inside. “What happened?”

“Not now, Ron,” Harry said moving his friend to the side to make way for Hermione and Tonks.

“What were you thinking going back to the house?” Ron scolded then rounded on Hermione. “And you! Why did you follow him?”

“I wanted to make sure he was safe,” Hermione explained.

“What happened to your hand?” he took it in his.

“Ron, it's fine, really,” Hermione said soothingly.

“It was an accident,” Harry spoke up.

Ron whirled on him. “An accident?!”

“It's just glass Ron,” Hermione shook her head.

Harry watched as Tonks led Hermione to the kitchen with Ron fussing over her. He moved to join them but Lupin held him back.

“What the hell was so important that you risked your life to retrieve it?”

“It was something Dumbledore gave me,” Harry answered quietly. Tonks was bandaging Hermione's hand.

“Oh, Harry,” Lupin sighed behind him. Tonks stepped out of the room and joined them.

“She's okay, it was a long cut but it was shallow.” Harry looked over her shoulder at Ron who was now holding Hermione in an embrace. The feeling of loneliness descended upon him, it felt as if the whole house was caving in upon him.

“Harry. Harry!”

Tonks' voice cracked through his thoughts. “Huh? What?”

“I said why don't you go and join your friends, I'll talk to Remus,” she repeated.

Harry looked back into the room. Hermione and Ron were no longer hugging but they were talking. She looked up at him and caught his gaze.

“No,” he said slowly, taking his eyes off of her. “I think I'll just go upstairs. It's been a long night.”

He went to the room that he and Ron usually shared but found that he really wasn't as tired as he thought he was. He just wanted to be alone. He gathered his bags and moved up to the next floor. Automatically, he led himself to his godfather's room. It was going to be the longest stay of his life in this house. The faster they found the locket the better.

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7. My Best Friend

My Best Friend

How stupid is it? I can't talk about it

I gotta sing about it and make a record of my heart

(How stupid is it? Won't you give me a minute

Just come up to me and say hello to my heart) How stupid is it?

For all I know you want me too and maybe you just don't know what to do or maybe you're scared to say: "I'm falling for you"

(El Scorcho—Weezer)

Ron traced a finger over the handle of the ceramic mug in front of him. He looked up at Hermione who was idly stirring her coffee. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and she wore a pale yellow t-shirt with her blue denim jeans. She had a leg tucked under her, an arm resting on the table as she gazed at nothing in the kitchen. She shifted slightly and tucked a few short strands of hair behind her ear.

“He's not going to like this,” she said as she took a sip of her coffee.

“You think?” he answered sarcastically.

“Couldn't you have said something?”

“What the hell was I supposed to tell my mum?” Ron defended.

Hermione sighed. “I don't know.”

The Weasley's were making a visit today to celebrate Harry's birthday but Ron knew better. His mom was just checking in on them, making sure that everything was intact after the eventful departure from the Dursley's. Ron had a feeling that Harry wouldn't be too thrilled with all the company. Although, Ginny would be there.

“You know, he didn't sleep in our usual room last night,” Ron said ponderously.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. “What, can't sleep without your teddy bear?”

“Ha, ha,” Ron said dryly. “You don't think he…took off and left, do you?”

Hermione shook her head. “He probably wanted to be alone. It's got to be rough coming back here.”

“Yeah,” Ron said quietly, scratching at a scorch mark on the table. But he straightened suddenly and changed the topic. “How's your hand?” he asked, motioning to her bandaged hand.

“It's alright. Your mum probably knows a potion to heal it faster,” she said, inspecting her bandage.

“Yeah, she does. I had an unfortunate accident when I was younger involving her china cabinet.” Hermione looked inquiringly at him but Ron shook his head. “Don't ask.”

He took Hermione's injured hand and inspected Tonk's work. He nodded approvingly.

“I'm surprised she did a nice job,” he said.

Hermione cracked a smile. “Ron! That's not nice!”

“Well, I'm sorry but it's true! Actually it shouldn't surprise me, the woman can't walk ten feet without knocking into something.” Hermione giggled. “She's probably an expert at bandaging,” he continued in a serious voice. “She can do it in her sleep.”

“Ron, stop!” Hermione grinned in spite of herself.

“Behind her back,” Ron continued.

Harry heard Hermione's laughter a minute too late before walking into the room, otherwise he would've turned back around to leave the two to…whatever it was that they were doing. But, he had the misfortune to walk into the kitchen.

“…do it blindfolded and tied up,” Ron was saying.

What the hell did he walk into?! He stood there awkwardly in front of them. Ron was holding her hand but Hermione pulled it away from him as she got up to greet him.

“Morning Harry,” she said cheerfully, there was still residual laughter in her tone.

“Morning,” Harry replied, mentally smacking himself to remind himself that he should really stop being an ass about his two best friends.

Hermione cleared her throat and looked pointedly at Ron who had a look of confusion on his face before he jolted to alertness.

“Oh! Right, yeah. Um, Harry…” he began tentatively and Harry knew immediately he wasn't going to like what he was going to hear. “Well, you know, mum heard about last night and she tends to worry a lot and…she cares about you and…”

“The Weasley's are on their way this morning,” Hermione finished, getting impatient.

Harry said nothing, he just stared at Hermione for the longest time.

“What?” he finally broke the silence. “Ah, man!” he whined.

“I'm sorry, Harry!” Ron said woefully. “You know how my mum gets. I couldn't say no to her!”

“It is your birthday,” Hermione reminded him.

“Well, it's going to be a little hard looking for the locket with everyone here,” Harry snapped.

Hermione shrugged. “Oh, come on Harry. It won't be so bad. You'll get to see Ginny again,” she said sweetly with a smile. A little too sweetly, Harry thought, before she took her leave of the room. His gaze followed her out of the room until she left his sight before he turned to the cabinets to retrieve himself a mug.

“Not to pry or anything,” Ron began hesitantly, “but uh…where were you last night? You didn't sleep in our usual room.”

Harry slowly sat down in a chair and took a long drink of his coffee before he answered. “I thought you two would want a little privacy.”

Ron looked at Harry and it suddenly occurred to him that they really hadn't talked about the changing dynamic in their friendships with Hermione. There hadn't really been any time to, so much had happened in so few months. But the opportunity was now here, the opportunity to ask Harry how he felt. Did he feel left out? Did he know that he and Hermione were still loyal to him? The opportunity was there for him to finally have someone to talk to about this new experience he was having with their best friend. To talk about his insecurities, doubts and hopes. Someone to talk to that could explain to him the feeling he would get every time he kissed her. The feeling that he had accomplished something by cheating, like your mom rewarding you with a chocolate chip cookie when you had already snuck three of them in on the side.

“Well, the thought was nice but Hermione and I haven't even gotten past first base yet,” Ron said cautiously as he tested the waters. He was immediately met with brick wall.

“I really don't want to hear that,” Harry said immediately before he could bite his own tongue. He would be too self-incriminating if he let Ron go on. First of all, acknowledging that he understood what first base was immediately implied that he knew what second base was and so on…And considering that his last girlfriend that he had been to second base with was Ron's sister put too much of a threat on his life and he had enough as it was. But what was more troubling is why this horrible feeling of extreme dislike at both of his friends simmered under the surface of his feelings at the thought of the two of them even engaging in those acts.

But at the moment, Ron was looking at him lost. He had reached out to him as a friend, a male to a male talking about a girl and was rebuked. Harry felt as if he should smooth this out somehow, but he valued his friendship with Ron and Hermione too much to even go down that road of holding conversation with Ron about the two of them.

“I…I just don't feel that comfortable talking about it, that's all,” Harry decided to go the honest route, praying that Ron didn't interpret it into something that even he didn't understand just yet.

The corner of Ron's mouth quirked up into a small grin. “Yeah, I guess I would be kind of awkward if you wanted to talk to me about you and Ginny,” he shrugged. “I keep forgetting that Hermione is like a sister to you.”

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat, taking another drink of his coffee. As of late, the sisterly thoughts that intruded into his mind about Hermione would be greatly frowned upon in most societies.

~*~

Although, the initial arrival of the Weasley's bothered Harry, because it would delay them a bit to carry on with their horcrux hunt, Ginny's arrival was a welcome distraction from the tension that seemed to settle upon him.

“Hello, Harry,” she said shyly as she greeted him.

“Hello,” he replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He had broken things off with her and left their future in the air. The helpless feelings of what-ifs hung heavy between them and he found it soooo easy to just slip back into her arms. The temptation was there.

“I'm glad to see you are doing well,” she said as she stepped toward him.

“You too,” he replied honestly. “How's the wedding going?”

She rolled her eyes and laughed, tossing a few strands of her hair back. The action sent a pang of longing through him.

“Oh, I'm sure Ron told you all about it. Believe me, he wasn't exaggerating.”

“Hello Ginny.”

Harry's grin was wiped off his face when he saw Hermione standing behind her, a smug look on her face.

“Hi, Hermione! What happened to your hand?” Ginny pointed to her injury.

“Oh, it's just a cut. I was hoping your mum could help me out with it.”

“Mum can fix anything, she's in the kitchen if you need her.”

“Thanks!” Hermione replied. “And despite this formal greeting, Harry really is delighted to see you,” she said as she walked away.

Ginny blushed and didn't meet Harry's eyes. Harry, however, was less than thrilled.

“Uh…we should…join the others,” Ginny said as she looked up with Harry but was stunned to see a sudden detachment in his eyes.

“Yeah, we should.”

They entered the kitchen to enter a room filled with activity. The twins greeted Harry enthusiastically, ribbing him about keeping an eye on him and Ginny in this big old house with many, many rooms. Arthur greeted Harry briefly before cornering Tonks and Lupin who were currently getting an earful from the beautiful Fleur. Bill and Charlie seemed to arguing over this season's Quidditch prospects for their favorite teams. His eyes settled on Hermione who was with Mrs. Weasley.

“Oh, Hermione, what happened?”

“It was just an accident, Mrs. Weasley. It's really nothing to worry about,” Hermione let the woman carefully examine her cut.

Mrs. Weasley clicked her tongue. “Really, it's nothing,” Hermione insisted.

“Maybe,” Mrs. Weasley sighed. “A shallow cut today, who knows what will befall you three before the summer ends. I do wish you would come back to the Burrow where it is safe and you can be watched over.”

Hermione wanted to argue that Grimmauld Place was just as safe but she knew that Molly wouldn't be persuaded that any place not under her watchful eye was safe enough for Ron and Harry. She looked across the room and caught Harry's eye before she turned her attentions back to Mrs. Weasley. She felt Ron come up behind her and placed his two hands on her shoulders, gently massaging her.

“We're alright, mum,” he said to his mother. “Really.”

~*~

Fred and Ginny did an excellent imitation of Fleur and Bill planning their wedding, with Ginny playing Bridezilla to Fred's lovestruck groom. George and Ron tumbled to the floor, clutching their abdomens in laughter with Harry joining in once in awhile when he took his attention off of the cabinet that held various trinkets. They had cleaned out this cabinet in the summer before his fifth year and Harry briefly wished he knew where all the rubbish went. Hermione was by the bookshelves, looking at the books that lined it and checking for anything out of the ordinary. She paused when she came to the large tapestry that held the Black Family lineage. She looked at all the names and the lines that crossed and tangled with each other. Pure-blood families like the Blacks had been notorious for keeping their bloodlines “clean”. Where Sirius had been there was now a scorch mark and she let the sadness of it creep into her. Her eyes drifted over the tapestry and rested on another familiar name. Draco Malfoy. Briefly, Hermione wondered what had become of him.

“You know who I have been missing around here is that batty elf of yours,” George said to Harry.

“Who, Dobby?” Harry asked, putting down a vase.

“No, that crinkly old one. Kreacher.”

Harry looked up sharply at George then to Hermione who had a look of realization on her face. In all this time here, they had yet to see the ornery old elf.

“He's dead.”

They all turned as Lupin entered the room. “What do you mean he's dead?” Harry asked.

“Nymphadora and I found him a couple of weeks ago.”

“Thank goodness,” Ron breathed.

“Ron!” Hermione chastised.

“I'm sorry but this place is just a little bit more enjoyable without him wandering around, muttering insults at your back.”

“Harry, will you come with me for a moment?” Lupin asked.

He led him back down to the kitchen where there was a familiar looking stranger standing in the middle of the room. He had silvery hair and beard and his thin figure was tall.

“Harry, I'd like you to meet a member of the Order you haven't met yet. This is Aberforth Dumbledore. Albus' brother,” Lupin said.

Immediately, Harry's heart plummeted into his stomach as he realized this man had a resemblance to his brother, Harry's mentor.

“We've met,” Aberfoth said roughly and Harry recalled that he had been with Mundungus when he caught him pilfering the Black silverware and that he was the bartender at the Hog's Head.

“Well then. When Dumbledore passed away he left behind some orders for us to follow and one of them was Dumbledore's wish to have you continue on in your Occlumency lessons.”

Harry visibly recoiled and backed away from the two men. He had such a bad experience before with the lessons. “No,” he shook his head.

“Harry, I understand your hesitancy…” Lupin began but Harry cut him off.

“No, you don't. I already had the pleasure of having Snape mess around with my head and I don't want it anymore.”

“Professor Snape,” Lupin corrected him.

“No…Snape,” Harry shot back. “No deal. Are we done now?” He moved to leave but Lupin held him back.

“Harry I understand your hesitancy but you must understand the urgency. You need to master this task. Without it, Voldemort will annihilate you before you even have a chance.”

Lupin's words painfully reminded Harry of Snape's words to him on the night he murdered Dumbledore.

“Harry, you know the consequences of what happens when you let Voldemort into your head. You must learn to block him, it's important. Dumbledore knew it was important so he left instructions for Aberforth to teach you.”

Harry regarded the man warily. He didn't look like someone who would know this sort of thing. What the hell could he teach him? Giving them one last look, he left the kitchen to seek the solace of being alone.

He wanted to be alone again in Sirius' room. He donned the invisibility cloak and sat in the darkness when Ron came looking for him, followed shortly by Ginny then Lupin. He remembered the last lessons of occlumency that he received from Snape. What had he seen? Had he given anything away? The traitor never finished his lessons resulting in Harry being deceived by Voldemort and lured to the Department of Mysteries. His heart dropped when he thought of the events that horrible night. And now the thought that he was to be taught by someone who had a slight resemblance to his mentor, whose death was still painfully raw, ate at him.

At some point in the night he had fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, he was lying on the floor. He sat up quickly and wondered what it was that had brought him out of his sleep, something had, he was sure of it.

The soft sound of scraping caught his attention and sent him on high alert. He quickly slipped out of the room and paused listening for the scraping sound to lead him. All the others were silent, the doors to Ron, Ginny's and Hermione's rooms were dark and quiet. There seemed to be no one stirring except for whatever was scraping above him.

Making his way into the attic, he heard voices, soft but clear and he immediately recognized Hermione's.

“I'm so sorry,” she whispered. “I'm so sorry.”

Quietly, Harry stepped forward to see Hermione sitting on the floor in the pale light of the streetlamp outside. She had her knees hugged to her chest and wand held loosely in one hand while the other wrapped around her wrist. She was still dressed in the clothes she wore today although a grey sweater was now covering her t-shirt. Her curls fell softly around her shoulders and she sniffled softly.

Harry was slightly alarmed to see the body lying in front of her. It was obviously a boggart since it was his own dead body that lay at her feet but how it got there and why she was up here had yet to be answered.

Her hand lifted to her face to wipe some tears off of her cheeks before she took a deep breath. The fact that she was still staring and crying at his dead body on the floor unnerved him.

He shrugged out of the invisibility cloak, letting it fall to the dusty floor as he knelt down next to her. She looked up at him in surprise and pain, her face wet with tears. Harry didn't know why he did it but he reached out an brushed away her tears with both of his hands, cradling her face.

“Hermione?” he whispered. Who knew how long she had been up here looking at his dead body.

Her eyes roamed over his face before she unfolded her arms and reached out to him. Harry brought her into an embrace and stroked her hair.

“Oh, Harry,” she said so sadly.

“Shh, it's okay. It's just a boggart, I'm real and I'm alive,” he said in a soothing whisper.

“I just came up here to look for the locket when it appeared,” she explained.

“Shh, Hermione,” he said softly, hugging her closer to him.

Her sobs quieted even more and as she grew calmer, her embrace began to loosen. Still kneeling, Harry pulled away from her but still had one hand in her hair, the other began to wipe away the rest of her tears. She looked up at him and he realized just how close they were.

“He's my best friend, Hermione,” he whispered.

“I know,” she answered pitifully. “He's mine, too.”

But yet, he didn't move away from her. He moved closer instead, moving the hand that wiped away her tears to cradle her head. Hermione's hands tightened on his shoulders and she licked her lips in anticipation, an action that inexplicably drove him insane. He could feel the hotness of her breath on his lips and her lips parted slightly in anticipation of his kiss.

“What happ—Oh!”

Harry and Hermione sprang away from each other at Lupin's words. The marauder looked at the two of them then at the boggart on the floor. Harry didn't even dare to chance a glance at Hermione and she, evidently, felt the same because she quickly made her way out of the room.

Harry stood there awkwardly under Lupin's scrutinizing gaze like a kid who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He almost did and he felt horrible for it.

“Riddikulus,” he said, banishing the boggart from sight.

As he walked past Lupin, he caught his arm. “He's your best friend. That's not something you can take lightly. Trust me.”

Harry shrugged his arm away. “Nothing happened,” he muttered.

~*~

“I still don't understand why mum won't let me stay. I mean, Hermione's here!” Ginny proclaimed over breakfast the next morning.

“Yeah and they're of age so mum has no say in the matter,” Fred answered.

“Besides, if Harry was going to do to you what Ron is doing to Hermione, she'd be right to say no,” George added.

“Shut it!” Ron scolded his brother's, blushing red.

Harry, who was sitting next to him, said nothing and continued to eat his cereal. Hermione was sitting on the other side of the twins, across from Ginny and she and Harry avoided looking at each other.

“Alright! Is everyone ready to go?” Mrs. Weasley announced as she entered the kitchen. The Weasley's grumbled and got up from the table taking their dishes and handing them to their mother who did a cleaning charm on them and sent them neatly back in the cabinets. Ginny walked over to Harry who stood to give her a hug.

“I'm sorry I can't stay,” she said to him.

“I'll see you at the wedding,” he replied back.

Ron was waiting for Ginny before he said goodbye to his friend. “Take care, Harry. And, uh, stay safe, okay.”

“Yeah, I will,” Harry replied.

Ron walked over to Hermione and said goodbye, giving her a hug and a kiss on the forehead. Harry didn't bother averting his eyes, he seemed obsessed with their actions toward each other. There was a bustle of activity as the Weasley's left the house and then with the closing of the door, silence fell upon them. Hermione turned to look at him, rubbing her arms because the kitchen was cool in the morning air.

“We should keep looking for that locket,” Hermione said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yeah,” Harry said quietly. “I suppose we should.” And with dread he followed her out of the kitchen.

-->

8. The Hunt Continues

The Hunt Continues

What'll you do when you get lonely
And nobody's waiting by your side?
You've been running and hiding much too long.
You know it's just your foolish pride.

Layla, you've got me on my knees.
Layla, I'm begging, darling please.
Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind.

I tried to give you consolation
When your old man had let you down.
Like a fool, I fell in love with you,
Turned my whole world upside down.

(Layla—Eric Clapton)

~*~*~

The boggart made its appearance twice more while they were both in the attic. Both times, Harry got rid of it before it manifested itself completely, there was no way in hell he'd put himself in the situation he had earlier with Hermione in this attic. For her part, Hermione stayed on the other side of the area, keeping the conversation strictly professional. Dobby popped in once in awhile to provide snacks for their short breaks before they quickly returned to rummaging through the lost items of the Black household.

With a sigh, Hermione closed the lid on the last trunk that she looked through. “I think we may have to face the growing probability that this locket is not in this house,” she said resignedly.

“Fuck!” Harry swore aloud, throwing an item he was carrying down and kicking a nearby trunk. Hermione would have admonished him for his language if she didn't have the urge, herself, to say the same. “Kreacher had to have taken it, we couldn't have thrown it out!” He felt despair at the thought of having to go through a wizard dump, who knows what he would find. “Maybe we should look in all of Kreacher's favorite hiding spots.”

Hermione gazed out of the grimy attic windows, lost in thought. “Mundungus,” she whispered.

“What?” Harry asked absently as he made a last ditch effort at searching.

“Mundungus,” she repeated more boldly, catching Harry's attention. “Last year he snuck off with some of the Black silverware, didn't he?”

Harry looked at her then slowly got to his feet, dusting off his knees. “Yeah?” he said warily.

She crossed her arms. “What if he took other items as well?”

“It's a possibility,” Harry replied.

“Only problem is,” Hermione sighed. “We don't know where to find him.”

Harry grinned wryly. “I have an idea where to look.”

~*~

The two of them apparated into Hogsmeade after taking some time to clean themselves of the dust and dirt that had accumulated on them. The sun was in the west, giving them only a couple of hours until it set. Harry looked on the horizon and an unease fell upon him at the distant lights of Hogwarts on the hill. He once thought the place to be his home, the place where he belonged. But now it seemed so foreign to him. Hermione must have sensed his unease because she laid a gentle hand on his arm.

“Come on, Harry,” she said softly as she urged him on.

He glanced one more time at the familiar turrets before continuing on his way. There were only a smattering of people in town and there was a warm glow coming from the Three Broomsticks along with the faint sound of laughter coming from inside. The two of them passed by and continued on their way to the darker and dirtier Hog's Head. As he opened the door, he was immediately reminded of the time Hermione had dragged him here for the first unofficial meeting of Dumbledore's Army.

The floor seemed to have accumulated more dirt since the last time he was here and behind the counter, Aberforth was washing a glass with a dirty rag. He noticed that the pub only had a few patrons inside it and they all looked a bit unsavory. Hermione moved closer to Harry as she took in their company. Summoning up some courage from inside him, Harry approached the bar.

“I need to find Mundungus. Do you know where I can find him?” Hermione was surprised by the calmness in Harry's voice. She would have only managed a squeak.

Aberforth nodded to a corner where a cloaked figure was huddled over his pint on the dusty table. Harry looked to Hermione for encouragement and was rewarded an equally determined face. Together, they approached the rogue member of the Order.

“Hullo, dung,” Harry said as he and Hermione took seats at his table. He smelled strongly of tobacco and firewhiskey. He looked up and blinked his bleary eyes at the young couple.

“Oh, Harry. Hermione,” he nodded to each of them. “I haven't taken anything since you last caught me so whatever you're looking for, I don't have it,” he said defensively.

“I believe you,” Harry said. “But I'm looking for something you might have taken…before.”

Mundungus didn't reply and Harry wondered if maybe the man wasn't too keen on helping him. Hermione spoke up then, her voice quiet and comforting.

“We were wondering if you came across a gold locket,” she said as she looked at him hopefully.

Mundungus looked at the young woman, grumbling under his breath at his soft side for the fairer sex. Harry and Hermione shared hopeful looks.

“I sold it,” he muttered.

“Where?” Hermione asked. “To whom?”

“Nick Knacks,” he replied and Harry closed his eyes, thinking of how he and Hermione were going to go into Knockturn Alley's infamous shop of various odds and ends.

“How long ago?” Hermione asked.

“When you all were cleaning Headquarters,” he answered. “Sirius let me take the junk he didn't want. The locket was in there.”

“Thanks, Dung,” Harry said, sliding out of the booth. Hermione thanked him as well before she followed Harry.

“See you tomorrow,” Aberforth muttered to Harry under his breath. Harry avoided Hermione's questioning gaze and left the pub.

He didn't get too far without Hermione stopping him. “What did he mean by `seeing you tomorrow'?” she asked.

Harry couldn't told her to drop it but she was going to find out eventually. “Dumbledore wanted me to continue my occlumency lessons,” Harry said slowly.

Hermione opened her mouth to say that it was a brilliant idea that she supported whole-heartedly and that he should have pursued it last year. But she thought better against it and merely said. “Oh.”

For his part, Harry was grateful she didn't say what was really on her mind. He knew what she would say when he told her about the lessons. Hermione decided to break the strained silence between them.

“So…what do we do now?” she asked as she stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jeans. Harry mimicked the action and deliberately avoided staring in the direction of Hogwarts.

“I honestly don't know. It's getting dark and there is no way in hell that we are going into Knockturn Alley at this time of the day,” he said as he and Hermione walked back to a safe apparition point. “But I don't think the locket is there, either. The Death Eaters went through all the wizarding pawn shops before they started on the muggle ones.”

“Which leaves us right where we started,” Hermione said disheartened. Harry looked down at her and reached out to turn her to him.

“Hey,” he said comfortingly, placing a hand on her arm. “We'll find it. It's out there somewhere and the good news is the Death Eaters haven't found it. That means we still have a chance.”

Hermione didn't know why she was so depressed. Harry was right, they still had a chance but finding that locket out who-knows-where was like searching for a needle in a haystack. It was just so frustrating that their horcrux hunt was getting off to a smashing start.

“Oy, Harry! Hermione!”

The two of them turned to see a twin trotting toward them. As he got closer they realized it was Fred.

“Hello Fred!” the two of them greeted.

“Hello yourselves,” Fred greeted them back, smiling. “Does my baby brother know that his best friend is trying to steal away his girlfriend?” Fred jested and Harry removed his hand immediately from Hermione's arm. Hermione's face turned scarlet and Harry found that he had no reply to this. But it wasn't needed as the two of them quickly realized that Fred was only joking.

“Very funny,” Harry said grumpily as Fred laughed.

“How's Ron?” Hermione felt obliged to ask.

“Missing him already?” Fred ribbed her. “Mum and Fleur will keep him busy this week until the wedding, don't you worry. You'll have him back after the wedding is over. Ginny is staying at the burrow though, Harry. George and I aren't letting her out of our sight, especially around you,” he said suggestively. Harry had no reply to that and Hermione just looked away awkwardly.

“Well…it was good to see you Fred,” Harry finally spoke up. “Say hello to Ron.”

“Alright. Take care you two,” Fred replied as he left the two of them and continued on their way. Harry and Hermione apparated back to Grimmauld Place in silence.

~*~*~

Tonks gave up on adequate conversation at the dinner table and the silence descended upon the room again. Harry and Hermione sat opposite each other but barely spoke two words to one another. Remus seemed to be keeping a keen eye on the two of them and Harry deliberately avoided his gaze. Tonks pursed her lips together then sighed in exasperation.

“Okay, what's going on here?” she asked and everyone stopped eating to look at her.

“What do you mean?” Remus asked her.

“I mean this table is about as lively as a slug convention!”

Nobody answered her but Hermione did get up from the table, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin.

“I'm just really tired,” she said as she took her plate to the sink. “I'm going to turn in. Goodnight,” she said and left the room.

Harry watched her leave the room before his sight fell on Lupin. He was looking at him with an unreadable expression on his face but the words he had spoken to him in the attic rang out loud and true.

“I'm going to bed. I need to get up early tomorrow,” Harry said as he cleaned off his plate and placed it in the sink before leaving the room.

As the door closed, Tonks turned to Lupin. “Remus, what's going on?” she asked.

Lupin sighed and pushed his plate away. “I found Harry and Hermione in the attic last night,” he said.

“In the attic?” Tonks wrinkled her brow in confusion. “What were they—oh!”

“No, no, no,” Lupin shook his head. “They weren't…doing anything but Harry did as much as admit to me that the opportunity was there.”

Tonks sat quietly, remembering her conversation with Hermione at Privet Drive. “It's just a very confusing time for them. All those hormones…,” Tonks shuddered, recalling that awkward period of her youth. “It's perfectly normal.”

“And that's how it should be,” Remus looked at her with a pained look in his face that disarmed her. “I want so badly for Harry to be a normal teenager with normal urges. I want him to be reckless and carefree like his father was. But he can't. Merlin knows that he isn't a normal teenager. That he can't live the reckless and carefree life.” He propped his elbows on the table and cradled his head in his hands. “Harry has nobody. Everyone he loves, every father figure he's had has been taken from him. He has only his friends left, he thrives off of their support. I don't…I…I just don't know what would happen if that support was somehow taken from him, either from outside forces or…” he looked up at Tonks, “…something within.”

Tonks reached out and hugged him. “Oh, Remus,” she sighed, kissing the side of his head. “I understand your need to protect him. But he doesn't have nobody, he has you, he has me, he has a whole group of people to love and support him and he doesn't even know it. And as for his friendship, it will survive whatever bumps and pitfalls that are in front of it. The Marauders are strong and live on in here,” she placed a hand on his chest, over his heart. “Even after the greatest betrayal of all befell you. You and Sirius made a pact to watch over James' son and you are watching over him. You are all watching over him, even in death. Harry is a Marauder's son and he knows the value of friendship as do the other two. They will weather this storm.” Lupin leaned into Nymphadora's comforting embrace, grateful to have her in his life.

Harry wasn't tired, he was restless and couldn't sleep. He lay on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. A door closed down the hall and he knew that Lupin and Tonks had retired to bed. Trying to clear the troubling thoughts of lockets, cups and various other possible horcruxes, he decided he had had enough and that he needed to take a walk.

A strange tension had seemed to settle over him from this morning and he had no way of shaking off this anxiety. It felt as if he was on the cusp of something, the strange and exciting knot in your stomach. Deep down he knew where he was going but he was still surprised to find himself at Hermione's bedroom door. There was no light coming from underneath indicating that she had probably gone to bed. He sighed and rested his hands on either side of the doorframe. He pushed back against it and hung his head.

What was he doing here?

He is your best friend.

She is your best friend.

They are together.

He is your best friend.

He is your best friend.

You are a shitty friend.

He raised one hand to knock knowing the consequences of what would happen if she answered. But part of him wanted it. Wanted to continue what was interrupted in the attic. And part of him knew that she would let him. He closed his eyes and imagined what it would be like to kiss those lips that beckoned him in the attic. What would she taste like? What would it feel like? When did he start thinking of his female best friend in this tortuous way? And why, oh why, did he have to think of her now when she was most unavailable?

His closed fist hung in the air, centimeters from the wood of her door.

He sighed and brought his hand back down to his side. He couldn't do this. He turned away and headed back to his room. As he readied himself for bed, he felt a small joy of triumph, like he had accomplished something wonderful. And he did. His resolve had been tested, he had passed and the trio's friendship was still intact. He lay his head on his pillow and looked at the picture he kept on the nightstand of the three of them, taken during the happier days at Hogwarts. He smiled softly and drifted off to sleep.

~*~

“I'm not sure how much you have been taught or how far you are along in this study,” Aberforth said to Harry. They were in the drawing room where the morning sun's rays filtered into the room, lighting bright patches in the rug beneath them. Harry shifted uncomfortably knowing exactly how far he had come in his occlumancy lessons.

“Ready?” Aberforth asked and before Harry could nod yes, his mind was assaulted and images of his last lesson with Snape swam forward. What he had seen in the pensieve popped up as well as Snape's furious face before he felt Aberforth leave him. The man looked at Harry as if he had grown a second head. “That was bloody terrible! Have you not had any lessons at all?” Harry grimaced and knew he had a long day in store for him.

*

Hermione sighed and stirred her coffee one more time. She didn't get much sleep last night, she kept getting up to walk to her door to leave only to lose her nerve and turn back around. She wasn't sure why she wanted to see Harry, it would only serve to further her confusion even more.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Ron's owl carrying a letter.

Dear Harry and Hermione,

Any luck yet with the you-know-whats? Things here are pretty busy, only a few days till the wedding. We've been working hard transforming the backyard into a place worthy of a part-Veela's wedding. I don't know why Bill is marrying her, any little thing seems to set her off right now. I avoid her anyway since I still feel like a complete idiot around her. See you in a few days!

Ron

Hermione folded the letter and left it for Harry to read. Part of her felt disappointment. The letter was so…friendly. Not that she was expecting proclamations of love or anything like that but it felt as if it was just a regular letter that she would have received over the summer. She glanced outside the window but didn't see any other owls headed their way. Summoning a quill and parchment from her room, she set out to write Ron back.

Dear Ron,

Nothing yet. Unfortunately we haven't found what we were looking for here. Harry's taking Remedial Potions again with a new teacher. We can't wait for the wedding and we'll see you there.

Hermione

She sat back and proof-read her work realizing suddenly that her letter had the same tone as Ron's. She sighed and sealed it, sending it on its way with Pig.

*

Harry's lesson left him drained so the two of them stayed inside Grimmauld Place for the entire day. But the next morning, as Remus left the table to say goodbye to Tonks as she left for work, Harry leaned forward and whispered to Hermione.

“Do you think your parent's will let you borrow their car?” he asked.

“What? Why?”

“We're taking a little trip as muggles today,” he grinned mischievously at her. She eyed him cautiously, she had had more than enough experience to know what that look meant.

But her parents let her borrow the car anyway in exchange for showing up to dinner tonight and bringing her friend along with her.

“Where are we going?” she asked as they got into the car, she behind the driver's wheel.

Harry hesitated when he clicked his seat belt in. “I'm not sure,” he said and then to Hermione's look, “What? I'll know it when I see it!” he defended. Hermione sighed and shook her head as she started the car.

The traffic was light that day and the sun was shining above them. Harry fiddled with the radio dials as they both searched for songs that they knew and could sing together very off key. Today was a great day in Harry's book. If only for a short time, he felt like an average and ordinary teenager having a good time with his friend. The two of them laughed, discussed muggle movies, argued about which radio station played the better songs and even fought a little when Harry would lead her in the wrong direction.

“You want to try it?” Hermione glanced sideways at him.

“What?” he asked.

“You've been staring at the steering wheel for quite some time and I'm surprised you haven't asked me.”

Harry's heart leapt at the chance to test drive her parent's car but he played it off non-chalantly. “Nah, that's okay.”

“Harry,” she laughed. “It's alright, I—“

“Okay, if you insist,” Harry cut her off and Hermione smiled as she pulled to the side of the road.

“Just be careful with it,” she said as she buckled herself in the passenger's seat. “This isn't the Anglia.” Harry gave her a dirty look but she merely winked back at him. “Okay, this pedal is the gas, this one the brake. Gently press on the gas, GENTLY!” she screeched as they lurched forward before Harry slammed on the brakes.

“It's not funny, Hermione!” Harry said in a shrill voice as she burst out in laughter. The pedal was a bit touchy in his opinion. But he was a fast learner and he basked in Hermione's praise even though he was still a bit rough on the brakes. He couldn't help it, he already had a bit of a speeding problem. It helped that traffic was light and he found he could be quite creative in his verbal communication with other drivers.

“You're doing really well, Harry,” Hermione beamed at him. Harry grinned back at her then looked up when something caught his eye. He immediately slammed on his brakes, jerking Hermione.

“Harry! What…”

“This is it,” he said softly as he peered up at an austere building with an iron gate in front of it.

“An orphanage?” Hermione asked, puzzled but moments later, comprehension dawned on her face. “Harry…” she said softly.

Harry parked the car then reached into the back seat for the bundle he had brought along.

“They aren't just going to let us in and wander about,” Hermione said. “Did you bring your invisibility cloak?”

“No, we're going in as muggles,” he said as he opened the bag and pulled out a cushion. “Here, put this under your shirt,” he ordered.

“Harry!” Hermione protested. “I am not doing this.” But she was already following his orders. “This is crazy. No one will fall for this.”

“You're a witch. Make it look real,” he said then left the car.

Hermione sighed and cast a charm on the pillow as Harry went around the other side to open her door.

“I hope this works,” she said as she took his hand to help her out of the car.

*

The woman who answered the door was young, probably in her early twenties as she looked down at the teenage couple, the girl's belly was round with child. Harry, who had thought of this brilliant plan suddenly realized that he had no idea what he was going to say. But, thankfully, Hermione was there to help.

“Hello,” she said quiet and unsure. “We…uh…”

“There's no need to be awkward or ashamed,” the woman said. “It's a difficult position you two are in and this is a very important decision.”

Hermione swallowed. “Could we take a tour of your facilities? We would like to…” she trailed off but Harry picked up.

“…make sure that we were making the right choice,” he finished.

“Of course,” the woman said kindly. “You have picked an excellent time. The director should be free to talk with you.” She opened the door wider to let the two of them in. Harry nodded for Hermione to go first, placing a hand on the small of her back to lead her into the building.

They had to endure an hour with the director, an elderly woman with an unfriendly disposition, giving vague answers about their “pillow” baby. Harry was itching to get out of there and start walking around the building. He wasn't sure which room was Tom Marvolo Riddle's, he had only seen it in Dumbledore's pensieve but he had a feeling he would know it when he saw it.

As they left the room to begin their tour, Hermione sought out Harry's hand. She wanted his comfort because every moment in the childhood home of the darkest wizard of their time was unsettling to her. She became very jittery and jumpy at every shout and loud noise. It seemed to be an endless maze of rooms and the walls seemed to close in on her.

Suddenly, Harry gave a sharp squeeze of her hand. She looked up and saw him give nod slightly to the left.

“Sweetheart,” Harry said with fake concern in his voice. “Are you feeling alright?” Hermione wondered if he could sense her unease. Harry looked up at the director. “She needs to lie down for a bit, can she use a bed to rest on?” Harry began to walk toward the room he had nodded to.

“Of course, go ahead,” the director obliged. “Does she need any water?”

Harry could feel Hermione's resistance to walking into the room.

“Yes, please,” Hermione answered. She felt apprehensive walking into Voldemort's bedroom. There was something too personal about it. But Harry applied a little more force and practically tugged her into the room. The director left them to fetch her some water. Hermione sat down on the bed then leaped up from it as if it were on fire.

“Hey, are you alright?” Harry asked, his face was full of concern.

“It's his bed, isn't it?” she asked and Harry understood her apprehension in being in this room.

“Keep an eye out,” he motioned to the door. He moved to the wardrobe and opened it, rummaging the inside of it looking for any loose panels.

“What made you decide to look here?” Hermione asked softly.

“Remedial potions yesterday. I had almost forgotten about it,” he answered her.

“Wouldn't Dumbledore have found something here already?”

Harry sat back on his heels and looked at her. “Not if he didn't know where to look.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Harry moved to the bed, dropping to his knees to look under it. “It takes an unwanted orphan to know an unwanted orphan.”

Hermione looked at him as if he had said the most blasphemous thing on earth. “Harry,” she said sharply. “You are nothing like that…vile creature.”

Harry looked up at her with a sarcastic smirk on his face. “I think you'll find that he and I have more in common than we would like,” he said softly as he reached under the bed to remove a loose floorboard. Inside was a small box that Harry carefully lifted out. Hermione eyed the box wearily as Harry shrunk it and stuffed it into his back pocket.

“Let's go,” he said as he walked past her.

~*~

The silence between the two of them was deafening as Hermione drove them back to her parent's house. Harry, for the first time, properly met Hermione's parents and liked them immediately. Once again he found himself slightly envious of his best friends to have such warm and loving families. But he felt lucky to be accepted so warmly into both of them. Dinner had been pleasant, Mrs. Granger didn't cook as much food as Mrs. Weasley, but it was delicious just the same. And if only for a few moments, he had forgotten about the hidden package.

But silence, again, descended on the two of them as they walked back into Grimmauld Place. They each went their own ways to their rooms, exchanging simple goodnights to each other. But Harry couldn't sleep and for some odd reason, he didn't have the heart or the emotional strength to open up the box of his nemesis' belongings. The fact that Voldemort had a secret hiding place for his things like Harry had at the Dursley's seemed to reiterate the fact that the two of them had very similar childhoods. It was unnerving. What had Dumbledore said? It was the choices that we make that defined who we are. Harry could've easily followed the same path as Tom Marvolo Riddle had he made different choices in his life. It made everything weigh down on him and he felt helpless in the tides of fate.

Choices.

He sighed and picked up his broom. He couldn't deal with this right now and he needed to clear his head. The night air was clear and cool as he stepped into the backyard gardens. But he wasn't alone. Hermione was also out there, looking up at the stars.

“Couldn't sleep?” she asked and he nodded. “Neither could I.”

He shifted slightly. He knew that she had been thinking the same things as he was. She had been silent since they left the orphanage but he had seen the look on her face when he opened the floorboard underneath the bed. It was a look of surprise with a hint of fear. He knew that she was looking at him differently now and it made something inside him ache painfully at that. Did she think of him as a monster? Did she still think of him as her friend?

He approached her, encouraged by the fact that she didn't recoil from him. “Do you want to go for a ride?” he whispered. She didn't answer him at first, she was looking into his face and he had to suppress to crazy urge to add `I won't hurt you' to the invitation.

“Okay,” she said at last.

She hated heights and resented the fact that she was never a good flier but something inside her willed herself to do this. She sensed that Harry needed her to do this for some reason, even if it was for the simple gesture that she was still his friend. She straddled the broom in front of Harry and held on tight as she felt her feet the leave the ground beneath her.

She had been both surprised and disappointed by Harry finding what he was looking for. She had a vague notion that he and Voldemort had a similar past but she had no idea just how similar and connected they were. That was what had frightened her. Their connection to each other, their lives somehow woven into each other's, their fates entangled. Yes, that was what frightened her. The boy that she had grown to care immensely about, care maybe too much than what was necessary for friendship, had his fate so closely tied to the darkest wizard in history. Her Harry. And it hammered home the thought that she could very well lose him in this battle, even if he managed to defeat Voldemort.

She tightened her grip on the broom to stave off the urge to turn around and throw her arms around him. To hold him and protect him. To cling to the part of Harry's soul that represented everything that he was to her and shout to Voldemort that he couldn't have him. That he wouldn't take him from her. That she wouldn't let go without a fight to the death and even in death she would come back and still claim him as hers.

Harry found a guilty comfort in her presence, in the warm of her body, in her scent that surrounded him and filled his nostrils. He didn't fly very high because he knew that she was scared of heights but they still had a magnificent view. They didn't talk and they didn't need to. Harry just needed the reassurance that she was still there for him.

He had been so lost in her presence that he didn't realize she was crying until he felt her body shaking slightly. Hermione didn't realize she had been crying until she felt a warm hand slide slowly around her waist and his warm breath in her ear.

“Shh, Hermione,” he whispered softly in her ear.

She quickly wiped her eyes. “I'm sorry.”

“No, don't apologize. Let me take us back down.”

“No! Don't!” she said as she placed a hand on his. She turned to look at him, their faces were so close but neither of them moved for what seemed like forever. Hermione slowly turned to face forward but she pressed her back against Harry's front as his arm tightened its hold ever so slightly on her waist. A pang of envy went through her as she thought of Ginny. Her friend. She was the lucky one who would feel this embrace that she was stealing for the moment. She was waiting for him now and he was waiting for her, both of them waiting for the end of this dark wizard. She would be the one to have him in the end. What she was doing was wrong and she knew it but the selfish part of her wanted him for this moment and she shivered slightly when she felt his lips brush ever so slightly on her neck.

Harry didn't know what compelled him to do that but it felt right, it felt like he needed to do that. Her skin was so soft under his lips and he braved himself to apply a bit more pressure and was pleasantly surprised when Hermione tilted her head slightly, exposing more of herself to him. He may be a horrible friend but he wasn't a fool and his light kisses became more bold.

“Harry,” Hermione whispered. Then she said his name a little more loud then shouted, “HARRY!”

“Oh, crap!”

He jerked the Firebolt sharply to the right and they narrowly missed the brick chimney in front of them. He hadn't been paying attention to where they were going and had nearly caused a bad accident. One that he didn't want the pleasure of explaining to Ron about. But the moment was broken, it felt like being splashed from a pleasant dream with cold water, and he set them back down gently in the back of Grimmauld Place. Hermione scrambled off of the broom and muttered a quick goodnight before scurrying into the house. Harry cursed quietly to himself and to his weak resolve. He kicked angrily at the base of the dried up old fountain before walking back inside.

-->

9. The Wedding

A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews for this story. I really appreciate them. I wanted to reiterate that this story is my first non AU but that I will sometimes take them out of character. Harry and Hermione are very out of character at the end of this chapter but I think it was long awaited. Hope you like!

Like a flower waiting to bloom

Like a lightbulb in a dark room

I'm just sitting here waiting for you

To come home and turn me on

Like the desert waiting for the rain

Like a school kid waiting for the spring

I'm just sitting here waiting for you

To come on home and turn me on

(Turn Me On—Norah Jones)

The Wedding

The noise of the Burrow filled the air and the sound of Harry and Hermione's apparition was lost in the melee. There were people going about their tasks carrying flowers, cakes, trays, food.

“Oh, wow!” Hermione breathed when she saw the product of months work on transforming the backyard into a beautiful English garden.

“Yeah,” Harry nodded in agreement. He too was taken in by its beauty. A garden perfect for the wedding that was taking place today.

“Hey guys!” Ron trotted out of the Burrow to greet his friends. “Place looks amazing doesn't it?”

“It looks incredible!” Hermione replied.

“Yeah, well, come inside and join the fun!”

They followed their friend inside and found that it was even more busy inside than out. Harry briefly wondered if the house had been magically expanded inside to accommodate so many people, all the wedding guests. Ginny came bounding down the stairs, curlers in her hair and Harry couldn't help but notice that she was wearing a slim-fitting robe.

“Hello, Harry,” she greeted him as she practically bounced in his arms and gave him a peck on the cheek. He breathed in her familiar flowery scent, his arms reluctantly letting her go. She and Hermione began to chatter excitedly at an incredible speed before Ginny had grabbed her hand and yanked her upstairs with her.

“Mental,” Ron shook his head. “Come on out back, we've got a game started.”

*

The smell of perfumes and potions assaulted Hermione as soon as Ginny opened the door to her parents' bedroom. The noise level was definitely louder as well. Fleur was in the center of the room being fussed on by an impossible amount of people.

“Hermione, you remember Fleur's little sister Gabrielle?” Ginny introduced a now taller and younger replica of her older sister. How many years had passed?

“'ello, `ermione,” she greeted her.

Hermione got ready in the room with the other girls, coveting Gabrielle's and Ginny's spectacular lavender gowns. Only those two could make those gowns look gorgeous on them. Their hair was piled on top of their heads revealing their slender and gracious necks.

“Lord Ginny,” Hermione breathed. “You're going to kill Harry.” Ginny blushed at her comment. Hermione felt the need to express just how lovely Ginny did look. The late night broom ride with Harry left her feeling guilty and remorseful and she felt that she had to redeem herself as a good friend.

Ginny and Gabrielle only used half the bottle of Sleekeasy's, leaving Hermione's hair in soft curls that fell just past her shoulders. She wore a pale blue sundress that had spaghetti straps and fell lightly over her curves to fall just below her knee. She wore a silver delicate necklace with a heart pendant that dangled from it. Her strappy sandals matched the dress, completing the outfit.

But as much as the three girls looked lovely in their dresses, they were nothing compared the half-Veela bride that Fleur made. Sighs and gasps filled the room when she stepped into her wedding dress, the finely spun white silk that encapsulated every little girls dream dress on her own special day. Matrons looked upon her, recalling the days when they had worn the dress of their dreams to marry the men of their dreams. The young woman gazed enviously at Fleur, hoping that one day they will get to be princesses for a day.

*

The guys came in from outside, chattering excitedly about the game of quidditch they had played as Molly came rushing in the room, demanding that they get ready. Arthur had to calm her down and send her on her way with assurances that she would get the men to the altar on time and clean.

Donning dress robes similar to the ones he had worn to the Yule Ball, Harry glanced over at Ron and was glad to see his friend in better dress robes than that eventful night. His thoughts strayed to how Hermione looked that night in her shimmery periwinkle dress, his reaction to seeing her as she walked by on…Viktor's arm.

“You nervous?” George clapped a hand on Bill's back, bringing Harry out of his reverie.

“Not at all,” Bill beamed.

“Lucky bastard,” Fred muttered slyly to his brother. “We got a gift for you to take on your honeymoon.”

“Oh no,” Bill's smile dropped and his face filled with anxiety. The twins laughed.

George pulled out a bottle of wine from behind his back.

“What is it?” Bill glanced warily at the bottle.

“Something to drink on your honeymoon tonight,” George said evasively.

“Trust us, you want to have this,” Fred added waggling his eyebrows.

Harry looked at Ron who was grinning and Ron whispered, “They were debating on whether to slip a little in his drink before the ceremony but Charlie talked them out of it. Imagine the world of trouble they would be in if Bill's…you know…was standing at attention through the whole ceremony.”

Harry suppressed a laugh as the men headed out into the garden. As they passed the stairs, the glimpse of a creamy leg with a strappy sandal caught Harry and Ron's eye and they followed it up to reveal Hermione walking down the stairs.

“Hello boys,” she said. “Don't you look handsome.”

Harry somehow lost all ability to talk, or think for that matter.

“Ooh, Hermione. I've got first dance,” Fred said from behind the two boys, bringing them out of their stupor. George ribbed his little brother and Harry was annoyed with Ron's bravery to step over to her and take her hand.

“Wow, Hermione,” he said. “As an usher for this wedding, it is my duty to make sure you are escorted to your seat,” he said importantly. Hermione laughed, the sound causing something to stir violently within Harry as he walked behind them.

Hermione turned back to look at him. “Harry, you should see Ginny. She looks absolutely beautiful. And you both won't believe how gorgeous Fleur looks.”

You look gorgeous, Harry wanted to say but his mind was caught between tackling Ron to the ground to take his place or to be a good friend and join in the conversation. It was a stalemate so he thought it best to just keep his trap shut and find a seat.

“See you guys later,” Ron said after he showed Hermione to her seat and left to escort the other guests.

Harry took a seat next to her. Say something, say something you idiot. “Uh you look really…nice, Hermione.” UGH!!!

“Oh, thank you!” she replied genuinely.

They made small talk, commenting on some of the guests that had arrived. A few people looked familiar, they saw Olympe and Hagrid. The latter waved to the two of them and Harry motioned that they would catch up later. At some point, he rested his arm on the back of her chair and he finally began to relax into their conversation. Their broom ride pushed to the back of their minds for now.

Until she crossed her legs.

It was a gesture so feminine and it revealed more of her leg to him that it sped up his heart rate considerably. Those damned traitorous thoughts began to creep into his mind and he tried his best to fight against them.

“Did you open it?” Hermione whispered.

That did it.

“For crying out loud, Hermione,” Harry muttered quietly, taking his arm off the back of her chair and leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees.

“Well, did you?” she whispered back.

Harry looked away. “No, not yet.”

Hermione looked at him, wondering why he hadn't while at the same time knowing why he didn't. She wanted to say something comforting to him but couldn't find the words. Instead she placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, gazing into her pretty brown eyes.

The processional music started up and their attentions were now on the wedding party walking down the aisle. Hermione heard a sharp inhale from behind her as Ginny walked down the aisle on the arm of Charlie. Hermione looked back and nearly laughed out loud at the dumbstruck expression on her friend's face. Harry looked down at her and frowned as he clucked impatiently. He reached over and playfully pinched her arm before resting it once again on the back of her chair, a breath away from where he touched her. Ron walked down next with lovely little Gabrielle on his arm. As he passed he gave his two friends a quick thumbs up. Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes at their friend and his good fortune of the beautiful bridesmaid on his arm. They stood when the Wedding March began to play, indicating the bride's arrival. Harry had never seen anything so beautiful in his life when he saw Fleur walk down the aisle. Every man present had to be envious of Bill. Harry was sure that her Veela-ness didn't help matters either as most of the men in attendance were blatantly ogling her.

As Bill and Fleur stood in front of everyone and recited their vows to one another, Harry couldn't help but feel lost. Would he ever get this chance? Would he stand up in front of everyone and proclaim his love to that one person who would complete him? Would he ever live that long to get that chance? It seemed horrible to him to be thinking such dark thoughts on such a lovely day.

He felt Hermione's hand slip into his and he looked over at her. Hermione saw the look on his face and knew what he had been thinking. What could she say to make him feel better? She squeezed his hand and whispered, “You will, Harry. You will. She'll wait for you.” She turned her attention back to the couple at the altar. Harry gazed at Hermione a moment longer before he, too, looked up front.

“May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Bill Weasley!” the ministry wizard proclaimed. “You may now kiss…” Fleur jumped the gun and yanked Bill to her in a passionate kiss. “…the groom?” the wizard finished. Fred and George whooped as everyone clapped for the happy couple. Harry heard sniffling next to him and looked at Hermione.

“Are you crying?” he asked with laughter in his voice. He offered her his handkerchief and she snatched it from his hands.

“Oh shut it,” she said as she dabbed her eyes with it. “It was a beautiful ceremony.” Harry laughed and hugged Hermione to him.

~*~

“Shall we?” Ginny asked, extending a hand out to Harry. He nervously eyed the dance floor where the wedding guests swayed to the slow melody that was playing.

“Of course,” he said, getting up from his seat. Please don't let me step on her toes.

Hermione and Ron were left alone at the table. Ron had been unusually quiet throughout the reception. He had yet to ask Hermione to dance. She turned to look at him as he played with his food in front of him.

“What is it?” she asked him with concern.

Ron let out a heavy sigh then looked at his female best friend sitting next to him. She would hate him, think him a prat.

“I've just been thinking,” he said quietly.

“About?”

“This. Us,” he gestured around him.

Hermione reached for the glass of cooled pumpkin juice and took a long drink. Ron turned to look at her.

“I mean, don't you feel it, Hermione?” he asked and continued forward at the blank look on her face. “This,” he gestured between the two of them, “us. It feels…borrowed or put on hold or something.”

Hermione smiled softly at him, understanding what he meant. “It feels as if we're stuck in mud and not going anywhere just yet.”

“Exactly,” Ron exhaled. “Do you hate me?” he asked softly, gazing up at her. “Doing this to you on such a happy day?”

“Of course I don't,” she placed a hand on his arm. “I've been feeling the same way.”

“Merlin knows I love you, Hermione and I always will.”

“I feel the same way, Ron.” She reached for him and brought him into a hug.

“Maybe it's this war, Harry's task or whatever but now I understand why Harry broke up with Ginny. It feels as if everything is on hold.”

The broom ride with Harry cut sharply into her mind and she held Ron a little closer to her.

“Maybe when this whole thing is over. Maybe then it will be the time,” Ron said but Hermione could tell by his tone that it wasn't going to happen.

She broke from the hug and squeezed his arms. “Maybe,” she replied. And as horrible as they felt about doing this to each other it felt as if a weight had been lifted from them.

Ron took her hand and stood up. “Come on, let's dance,” he said quietly.

He led her on the dance floor as another slow song started. Hermione placed her hand in his and wrapped her other arm around his shoulder. It was hard thing for her to admit defeat. She had prided herself in succeeding in life, she had been at the top of her class, the smartest witch of her age, model daughter for her parents. Her first failed relationship was a big blow to her self-image, the ideal she built herself up to be. She wiped away the single tear that fell down her cheek. Ron rested his cheek against the top of her head, turning slightly to apply a comforting kiss.

*

The guests clapped and cheered as Bill and Fleur cut the cake and fed a piece of it to each other. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had their pieces served to them.

“It's about time,” Ron said hungrily. “I've been waiting all day for this.”

“I think Fleur is trying to make the rest of us fat,” Ginny said, eyeing the large piece of cake she and Hermione received. It was no bigger than the guy's but Hermione looked just as thrilled as her to eat such a large piece.

“I'll split with you,” Hermione offered, handing her piece over to Ron.

“Hey guys, what's up?” Harry said as Fred and George sat down to join them.

“Unbelievable,” Fred said as he looked onto the dance floor. “Even Hagrid is going to hookup tonight.” Hagrid and Olympe revolved slowly on the dance floor, taking up so much space that the few guests on the dance floor were in danger of being trampled on.

“I think they look adorable,” Ginny defended.

“No luck?” Ron asked, amused with his brothers.

“Haven't even started yet,” George said. “We've been checking those bridesmaids out all this time, seeing our options.”

“You guys are disgusting,” Hermione tutted.

“What makes you think they are interested anyway?” Ginny said snarkily.

“Nothing gets a woman more worked up than seeing their friend get married,” Fred said.

“Hormones and emotions are all high,” George added.

“All you gotta do is be there at the right time.”

Harry and Ron looked over the twin's shoulders at the lovely friends of Fleur's from Beauxbatons. They were grouped together laughing, once in awhile they would look over in their direction. Harry made eye contact with one of them and she winked at him.

“Blimey,” Ron whispered.

“They've been eyeing the Boy-Who-Lived all day. If anyone has a chance with them it's you,” George said. Harry could feel the heat coming off of his face. The honorable part of him demanded that he be modest and dismiss the bridemaid's advances under the scrutinizing eyes of Hermione and Ginny. But the teenager in him rationalized that he was facing an evil wizard in his future and he didn't want to die a virgin, did he?

“Leave him alone, George,” Ginny said irritably.

“Let me make amends dear sis,” George said as he held out a hand to his sister. As the two of them left the dance floor, Fred turned to Hermione.

“I believe that I owe you a dance,” he said as he took her hand.

“Keep your hands above the waist,” Ron warned as they left the table. Harry watched Hermione laugh at something Fred said as they swayed to the music. His eyes fell on Fred's hand that was resting on her back and a pang of longing came over him suddenly. He should ask Hermione to dance but the moment he thought that he squashed that thought down. Holding Hermione in his arms would open himself to a world of temptation that he really couldn't handle right now. Especially right under her boyfriend's nose.

“Oh bloody hell,” Ron said, breaking Harry from his thoughts. He looked over at his friend and saw Ron trying to cower under the table but trying not to be too obvious about it. The reason he was doing this, Harry saw, was walking toward them at that moment.

Lovely Gabrielle and the stunning Fleur were walking toward them. Harry swallowed audibly.

“Ron,” Fleur said, “you `ave not asked me to dance yet.” She flashed him a smile that rendered Ron defenseless.

“Er…,” he stammered.

Harry smirked and nearly shoved Ron up and out of his seat to dance with the beautiful bride.

“'arry?” Gabrielle nodded to the dance floor. As they danced, Harry couldn't believe that the young woman in his arms was the same little girl that he had pulled out of the lake during his fourth year. My how time flies.

*

Fred and George tackled each other to catch Fleur's garter and rolled around a bit on the ground to the guests' entertainment until George finally wrestled it out of Fred's hands. Harry and Ron had avoided the thing like it was poison. The bridesmaid's were still staring at Harry like he was a prime cut of meat. But as entertaining as the twins' melee was, it was nothing compared to the carnage that erupted when Fleur threw her bouquet.

“Nice,” Fred said appreciatively at the tangle of arms and legs. Harry and Ron thought that Fred did have a point with the group of young hotties wrestling on the ground, catfighting. Harry was sure he heard the distinct sound of fabric ripping. Eventually, a familiar head of brown hair emerged victoriously with the bouquet held triumphantly over her head, blowing a strand of stray hairs out of her face.

“YES!” Harry shouted as the Weasley's around him groaned and began to dig into their robes.

“Damn it,” Charlie grumbled as he handed over his galleons to Harry. The twins and Charlie had bet on Ginny and Ron had bet on Gabrielle. Harry was the only one to pick the brown haired beauty and reaped the winnings from the other guests in the pool.

As George danced with Hermione, Fred whined that he was robbed, Harry realized that his opportunities to dance with Hermione were dwindling rapidly as some of the Beauxbaton guys began to take notice of the girl who took the bouquet.

Slowly the guests began to take their leave and Harry's anxiety grew. Any moment now the music would stop playing and he would've lost his chance. The bride and groom had long left the reception. The sun had set long ago and the light from the fairies that had been hired zoomed among the guests and the laterns that lit the dance floor. Harry worked up his nerve and began to approach Hermione but was intercepted by one of the bridesmaids. By the time Harry had fended her off, Hermione had been taken already but some tall brown haired git. The last note of the song had played and he once again sought Hermione out but some other bloke had gotten in ahead of him. Harry cursed inwardly, cursed his cowardice at not having asked her sooner.

“Hey,” Ginny said softly as she approached him. “Wanna dance?”

“Sure,” Harry replied kindly.

As they danced, Ginny rested her head on his chest and Harry licked his subconscious wounds in her comforting presence. He chanced a glance over at Hermione. She caught his eye eventually and gave him a small wink. Harry returned her gesture with a half-hearted smile.

“Oh man. What a day!” Ron flopped himself on the couch next to Harry. Harry loosened his tie and sighed in agreement.

“Whoever invented these bloody things,” Hermione said as she took off her sandals, “should be hexed…badly.”

Harry watched as she sat down on the rug before the fire and rubbed her feet. Her dress draped around her thigh, revealing more leg to him. He finished the champagne in the flute he had been holding and set it down on the stand next to him. Gabrielle and Ginny joined them, Gabrielle sitting next to Hermione, Ginny opted for the couch.

“Now the party can properly begin,” George announced as he and his twin walked into the room carrying a more bottles of champagne and a couple bottles of Firewhiskey.

“Oh, this stuff is soooo good,” Hermione cooed as she took a bottle from him much to Harry's surprise. George had opened it and Hermione took a drink from it.

“Only ze best from France,” Gabrielle chimed in as Hermione handed her the bottle to drink from.

There was something so…hot about the two of them sharing the bottle of champagne. Harry could tell he wasn't the only one who thought so as he spied Ron watching the lucky bottle with envy. Harry took the bottle of Firewhiskey and took a drink, the alcohol burning his throat as it went down.

It was halfway through Fred and George entertaining everyone with their stories that Harry surmised that he was buzzed. The lightheaded feeling in his head was accompanied by a sense of boldness. He allowed himself to gaze at Hermione just a little longer, following that creamy leg to as far as his imagination would allow. By the time Ginny fell asleep, her chest rising and falling rhythmically, and Ron began to snore loudly, Harry was sure he was drunk. And by the time the twins and Gabrielle fell asleep on the rug, Harry was flat out smashed.

Hermione got up slowly to retrieve a cushion from the couch but thought better of it when she began to sway dangerously as she got to her knees. She plopped back down and stared into the fire, the flames hypnotizing her. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her and brought her to her feet.

“Come on, Hermione,” Harry whispered.

“Harry,” she replied softly. The alcohol on each other's breaths were heavy and they swayed dangerously as they stood.

“Where are we going?” she asked through her muddled thoughts. Harry led them outside as they stumbled on the steps.

“I never got a chance to dance with you,” Harry said.

Hermione looked around and saw that she was on the dance floor. Everything was so fuzzy to her. “Oh, that's okay, Harry,” she said sincerely. She was glad that he didn't because it would be so awkward after their broom ride.

“That's why I didn't,” Harry said. Oh, she must have said that aloud.

Harry slid a hand around her waist to rest at the small of her back as Hermione wrapped her arms around him, stumbling flush against his body. They swayed to unheard music under the star filled sky.

Harry turned his head and buried his nose in her hair, surrounding himself in the light scent of her shampoo. A hand came up to wrap a finger around a curl of her hair. The alcohol filled his brain and he found himself kissing the top of her head. Hermione, once again, tilted her head slightly to give him access to her neck. Harry seized the opportunity and began to place kissing along that wonderful patch of skin.

Hermione let out an unbidden moan that sent blood rushing to Harry's loins, leaving Harry's alcohol-flooded brain. With each kiss, the coherent thoughts that she had been desperately grasping to began to leave and was replaced with a wonderful feeling that began in her belly and began to blossom throughout her. It felt sooooo good to have him like this in her arms. His kisses reached the bottom of her chin and Hermione tightened her grip on his shoulders as she tilted her head down to have her lips collide with his.

She immediately open herself to him as his lips touched hers and Harry plundered her mouth, exploring this new and forbidden land. Her mouth was hot and wet and it fueled Harry's desire further.

His hands boldly moved down her back to the round firmness as he cupped her, pressing her more against him. She vaguely processed that there was something hard pressing against her belly but his evident reaction to her urged her on as her hand slid down his shirt, unbuttoning a few buttons before coming to rest at his hips. She broke their kiss only to begin kissing his neck as she untucked his shirt from his pants, slipping her hands underneath to feel the warmth of his abdomen. Harry moaned in approval. He needed more of her.

“Where are we going?” Hermione slurred as she and Harry stumbled back towards the house.

“Shh,” Harry said as they made their way into the house and up the stairs, hitting nearly every loose floorboard.

He opened the door to Ron's room and let Hermione inside. She sat on the bed and looked up at Harry as he closed the door behind them. He pounced on her again, kissing her sweet lips as he moved them further onto the bed and lowering her to rest on it. His hand fell on the leg farthest from him and she brought her knee up, the dress once again falling to expose her thigh. Harry followed the fabric as he kissed her, his fingers tracing the soft skin before touching a strap of fabric. It was her knickers. Reluctantly, his fingers moved away and he rested his hand on the bed beside her as he moved himself over her.

Her dress was bunched at her hips but all care for the delicate fabric left her when she felt Harry press against her. Even through the layers of clothing that separated them, she could feel him as he thrust himself gently against her. It was awkward feeling him between her thighs and his weight pressing gently down on her. But she welcomed it and lifted her feet from the bed to wrap her legs around him, her ankles hooking together. He continued to rock against her, the fabric rubbing against her began to stir something pleasurable within her.

His fingers traced a thin spaghetti strap of her dress, sliding it off her shoulder as she shrugged out of it. He did the same to the other one as well before exploring the undiscovered territory of her chest. His hand slid up the side of her body, over the gentle curve of her breast and hooked his fingers over the dress' neckline, gently tugging the fabric down. The soft flesh of her breast was exposed, the rose colored nipple demanded his attention and he complied. Hermione moaned as he sucked, licked and tugged at her, his hand kneading the soft flesh. He freed the other breast to lavish equal attention to it. He felt her buck slightly against him, bringing his attention to other parts of her body and he ground himself a little more roughly against her.

He brought one hand back to her side, tracing down the side of her body and to her thigh. He moved to lay at her side. His hands moved up the soft flesh, under the dress and touching the strap of her knickers at her hip. Harry had once seen a muggle cartoon in which the character had an angel and a devil sitting at his shoulder, debating as to what he should do. He thought of that as he hesitated his next move. He imagined his angel counterpart appearing on his shoulder.

“Don't do it,” it said, “you've done enough damage to your friendships as it is. Stop here and walk away. Just walk away Harry.”

His devil counterpart popped up. “Is she wearing a thong?”

“Don't listen to him!” the angel screeched. “Listen to me! Your best friend is passed out downstairs! You're snogging her on his bed, for crying out loud!”

The devil chimed in. “How hot is that? Besides, how good a friend was he anyway? Did he take Harry's feelings for Hermione into consideration before he asked Hermione out? Did he think of him then? Go for it, Harry.”

“No, no, no,” the angel shook his head. “Harry had no claim on her.”

The devil took his pitchfork and beat the angel over the head with it. “Listen to me, Harry. She was yours long before Ron took her. You had a claim over her and you didn't even know it. Take. Her.”

Harry kissed her lips as he moved the damp cloth aside and slid his finger into her. Hermione had been desperately fighting the sleep that threatened to overcome her and his entrance had startled her. She had never let Ron get this far but she couldn't stop, she didn't want to stop, she was helpless in his arms.

His kiss muffled his surprise as his finger entered her soft and wet heat. The action drove him made with desire. He was quickly approaching the point where he couldn't, no wouldn't turn back. He slid another finger inside her and Hermione clutched at his arms. He wasn't sure if what he was doing was right, as he moved his fingers but she hadn't stopped him. In fact, her hands were now wandering to his belt, fumbling in the darkness and in her drunkenness to undo it. He left her warmth to help her, gently brushing her hands aside as he undid his belt, unbuttoned himself and slid his zipper down. He inhaled sharply when Hermione's hand wrapped around him. She drove him mad with her strokes, each movement fueling his already raging desire for her. Her hand fell to her side and Harry looked up at her.

“Hermione?” he whispered softly.

“Hmm?” she opened her eyes at him.

Merlin, how he wanted her. Her body silhouetted in the moonlight, her hair fanned out beneath her head. His hand moved to her knickers again, hooking underneath the strap and began to tug down.

“Harry, stop.” The beaten down angel popped into his head again. “Look at her.”

Harry looked down at her and saw that she had passed out. He sighed and rested his head against her belly.

“What am I doing?” he whispered. “What are we doing?”

He moved off of her and zipped himself up, pulled her dress up to cover her and did his best to put her knickers back on her. He placed a blanket over her and stumbled out of the room. He was dizzy when he walked and knocked into the wall a couple of times before he made his way to the loo. He closed the door behind him and splashed water on his face. His reflection looked back at him, pityingly.

“Too much to drink?” it asked.

Harry shook his head. “You have no idea.”

The thought of what he was about to do with Hermione when her boyfriend, his best friend, was passed out downstairs made him sick to his stomach.

Really sick.

Harry fell to his knees and vomited into the toilet. He had no idea he could throw up so much. Just when he thought he was done, it kept going. He groaned as he shut the lid and flushed it. The room was still spinning and he didn't think he would make it back downstairs again. And there was no way in hell he was going back down the hall to Ron's room. He needed to stay as far away from that vixen as he could. He climbed into the tub and closed his eyes. The memory of a young boy with red hair, carrying a rat, entering his compartment and asking if the seat was taken was the last thing that went through his mind before he closed his eyes.

-->

10. Reflection

Reflection

You can't resist her.

She's in your bones.

She is your marrow

And your ride home.

You can't avoid her.

She's in the air... in the air

In between molecules of

Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide.

(Only In Dreams—Weezer)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Harry! Harry wake up!”

It felt like he had just closed his eyes to sleep when someone was shaking him vigorously. It didn't help his queasy stomach. He groaned and opened his bleary eyes, his vision blurred because his glasses were…somewhere. But he could still see that Fred, or was it George, was standing over him, shaking him awake. He couldn't tell them apart at this moment.

“Harry!”

“What?” Harry replied irritably. Waking up brought him conscious to the fact that he felt really, really crappy. Like he had been trampled by a herd of hippogriffs and something still wanted to creep out of his stomach the way it came in.

“Mum's going to murder us if she finds you guys like this,” Fred said as he held up a vial in front of him. “Here drink this quickly. She'll be up any moment.”

“Oh God!” Harry took a sniff of the stuff as he uncorked the vial and gagged.

“Drink it!” Fred hissed.

Harry complied, drinking the foul liquid and stifling his gag reflex as it went down. But almost instantaneously his nausea was tampered, his headache began to recede and the aches and pains began to subside. A sense of euphoria came with him as he became more awake and Harry briefly wondered if they put a Pepper Up potion in this. Feeling better he drank the rest of the stuff down.

“Where's Hermione?” Fred asked.

From the recesses of Harry's mind came a flash of a hand running up a leg, her head turned to the side to reveal her neck as he moved above her, her hand squeezing his arm, a surprised gasp as his fingers…

Oh fuck!

“Er…I think I saw her go to Ron's room,” he answered. Fred nodded, got up and left Harry sitting in the tub. What the hell was he thinking?!! It was the alcohol, it lowered his inhibitions and hers evidently. She was so wasted she probably didn't know what she was doing. Hell, she probably thought he was Ron. The possibility that that was the reason for their little tryst last night made him uneasy.

The bathroom door slammed open and Ginny ran into the bathroom to dry heave into the toilet in front of him.

“Oh, this is soo embarrassing,” Ginny groaned into the toilet. Harry wasn't offended or grossed out at seeing his ex-girlfriend in such a state. He had no right to considering he did the same thing last night and had passed out in the tub.

“George gave me the potion but I couldn't get past the smell,” Ginny gasped in between heaves.

“Neither could I,” Harry said consolingly. He felt so bad for her so he leaned forward to rub her back. “But you will feel better once you take it. Trust me.”

*

It wasn't everyday that Hermione woke up feeling absolutely lousy in her ex-boyfriend's bed, her dress very disheveled and her underwear on inside out. After taking Fred's potion and being left to her own devices, Hermione groaned and flopped back down on the bed. The memory of Harry's hands on her body, rough yet gentle, as he explored areas no other had, ran fuzzy in her mind. She remembered the feel of …him in her hand, hot yet velvety soft. A soft blush crept over her face at the memory of her boldness but after that, her mind drew a blank. How far had she gone with Harry? Did she pass out? A quick mental assessment noted that she didn't feel sore down there, nor was there any blood. She was probably still a virgin but she would have to ask Harry.

Oh God.

What a conversation that would be. Hi Harry! Nice day isn't it? By the way, did we do anything that would inhibit any unicorn handling? She remembered that Harry was extremely drunk but he had known who she was, he called her by name. But did he really know what he was doing?

It would be totally embarrassing if Ron stumbled upstairs and found her like this. She would never live it down. She quickly got up and adjusted her dress back on her, fixing all her clothing so she wouldn't look so rumpled. An object nearby caught her eye and she noticed that Harry's glasses were on Ron's nightstand.

With trembling fingers, she picked up the hard evidence that Harry was indeed with her last night on this bed. Fred poked his head in the door to see if she was alright. She closed her hand around them and headed downstairs with him to face everyone.

As they made their way down, Hermione heard voices coming from the bathroom to the right. Fred walked past but Hermione paused just outside the doorway, hidden from sight.

“But you will feel better once you take it,” she heard a familiar voice say. “Trust me.”

Hermione peered into the bathroom to see Harry kneeling in the tub and Ginny near the toilet. He was rubbing her back. A gesture that made something heavy fall to the bottom of Hermione's stomach. The concern on his face and the comforting way his hands were rubbing Ginny's back. Those same hands that were on her body last night.

Guilt ran through her.

Although they were broken up, they really weren't. Harry and Ginny were just on hold until the end of this hideous war then they would be reunited. Ginny was loyally waiting for him. And here she came along, taking Harry into bed so they could fool around and go who knows how far. Oh, what was she doing to her best friend?

She quickly and quietly passed the bathroom and continued on her way. Gabrielle was sitting on the couch looking as if she didn't at all have a rough night. Fred and George kept her company but where was Ron?

“He's outside hiding in the bushes,” Fred explained.

“We gave him a more diluted potion than we gave you,” George added. “Our little brother has to earn his stripes.”

“You two are horrible,” Hermione scolded lightly then went outside to find Ron.

It didn't take her long, she only had to follow the sound of vomiting to the side of the burrow.

“Those gits!” Ron heaved. “Those lousy gits. I'm their brother for crying out loud!”

Hermione rubbed his back patiently. “I guess we all had a little too much fun last night,” she said quietly.

“They could've given me the potion full strength,” Ron countered.

They stayed outside for awhile until Ron was completely sure that he wasn't going to vomit anymore but the queasiness was still there. As they walked back into the burrow, the smell of eggs and bacon filled the air. Molly was up and Ron had a look of panic on his face.

“I'm going to throw up,” he said as he smelled the food.

“No you won't,” Hermione assured him as they quietly made their way up the stairs. “I only drank half the potion. Maybe there is still some left over.”

She led him into his room where Ron sat down on the bed, not trusting his shaky legs. Hermione handed him the rest of the potion that she had and he gulped it down.

“Stuff smells horrible,” Ron whined.

“Every little bit helps,” Hermione insisted.

“I do feel a little better,” Ron said weakly a few moments later.

“Do you think you'll be able to make it downstairs for breakfast?” she asked.

Ron whimpered. “Please don't mention food.” He lay down and rested his head on Hermione's lap.

“Oh, Ron,” Hermione sighed. “I'm going to have a word or two with your brothers.”

“It's always nice to have someone else be on the other side of your wrath,” Ron said and Hermione smirked.

“Well, you have a little of your humor back. I'll say you are feeling considerably better.”

“Yeah, I am.” He sat up and got to his feet. “Come on, let's go downstairs before anyone finds you in here.”

He opened the door and exclaimed softly when he met face to face with his other best friend on the other side. His first instinct was that it could've been his mother so he quickly closed the door enough to only show him.

“Oh, it's you Harry,” Ron sighed with relief. “I thought you were my mum.” He opened the door once again to reveal Hermione in the room.

Hermione saw that it was indeed Harry on the other side of the door, with Ginny.

“Oh, you two are soooo busted!” Ginny whispered as she grinned from her brother to Hermione. Harry did not look amused. Ron pushed his way past his sister.

“It's not what you think,” he whispered irritably.

“Sure it wasn't,” Ginny replied. Harry and Hermione just stood there in their awkwardness until she spoke up.

She held out her hand, revealing Harry's glasses. “I found these…downstairs,” she said with a moment's pause.

Did she remember last night? Harry wondered. But he plucked the glasses from her hand avoiding any contact with her skin. “Thanks,” he mumbled. Just avoid her or something. This was Harry's new credo. He had to be a good friend to Ron and to Hermione. Hermione was his friend. The problem came when he was in close proximity to her, like he was now. He desperately fought against the urge to look over her shoulder to the bed where he had her writhing underneath him and making wonderful sounds.

NO!!

He mentally slammed a door to that thought. Merlin, he had to get away from her.

Hermione wondered if he was embarrassed by last night's…activities. She could see the conflict on his face. She wanted to say something to put him at ease. But they were not alone, she would have to talk to him when they were.

“You are so annoying,” Ron said and Hermione and Harry turned their attentions back to the bickering siblings.

The four of them made their way downstairs to the table where the twins and Gabrielle were already seated. Ron sat next to her and Hermione took the seat across from him. Harry quickly took the seat by George, the farthest one from Hermione. It bothered her that Harry seemed to be avoiding her at all costs. Above all else, they were still friends.

“Did you guys get any sleep at all?” Molly asked as she walked into the room carrying a large tray of pancakes, a plate of scrambled eggs and another of bacon were floating behind her. “Ron, are you alright?” Molly asked with concern, holding a hand to his forehead. “You look a little peaky.”

Fred and George sniggered and Ron threw them a dirty look. “I just think I ate too much last night,” Ron answered his mother.

Molly clucked her tongue then headed back into the kitchen as her husband made his way downstairs.

“You two are complete jerks!” Ron hissed to his brothers when his mom was out of earshot.

“What happened?” Harry asked.

“They gave me a dilute version of the potion they gave you all,” Ron said as he motioned to everyone sitting around the table.

“Guys, give him the potion,” Harry asked the twins.

“No way,” Fred replied. “Besides, I think he deserves it, the stupid git.”

“Huh? What did I do?” Ron asked bewildered.

“We found you passed out downstairs while all along you had a beautiful woman upstairs in your bed,” George waggled his eyebrows suggestively as he nodded to Hermione.

Hermione suddenly wanted to sink right through the floor as all eyes turned to her. Harry choked on his pumpkin juice.

“You were in Ron's room last night?” Gabrielle asked with a suggestive smile.

“Yeah, you were in my room last night?” Ron asked, turning to her.

“I think we should drop it,” Harry interrupted.

“Any guy is a complete idiot to pass that opportunity up,” Fred tousled his brother's hair.

“Fred!” Harry said sharply.

“Hermione,” Ron said softly with concern in his voice. “Why were you in my room?” Hermione instantly knew what he was thinking. That she was having a hard time with their break up.

“Why do you think, you idiot?” George snapped.

Hermione couldn't take anymore. She backed away from the table and ran from the room. Harry instinctively moved to follow her but thought better of it. His cowardice overpowered him and he didn't know if he could trust himself alone with her.

“You guys are a bunch of assholes,” Ginny said angrily as she got up from the table and followed Hermione.

“Very inconsiderate,” Gabrielle sniffed at them, throwing all the guys angry looks before she, too, left the room.

“Nice,” Harry said sharply to the twins. “Real nice you two.”

“Oh come on, Harry. We have to teach our little brother a lesson on dating the fairer sex,” George said.

“We have more faith in you, Harry,” Fred grinned. “We know you wouldn't pass up the opportunity that our dear little brother did.”

You have no idea.

“Although we did have some dilute potion in stock just in case you did pull anything like that with our dear little sister,” George added quickly.

Ron became sulky and began to poke around the food on his plate. He muttered something under his breath that Harry couldn't understand but both of them were in bad moods anyway to talk.

*

“Hermione?” Ginny and Gabrielle walked into the room. Hermione was lying on the spare bed in her room, hugging a pillow to her chest and sobbing. The two girls closed the door behind them and joined her on the bed.

“Don't listen to my brothers,” Ginny said.

“Zey are just a bunch of jerks,” Gabrielle added.

Hermione sniffed and looked up at them. “You don't understand,” she said. “Ron and I, we broke up yesterday.”

Ginny's eyes widened. “My brother broke up with you during the wedding?” she asked incredulously. Gabrielle huffed angrily.

“No, you guys, it was mutual. Really it was. But now Ron probably thinks that I'm taking this whole thing badly.”

“Oh `ermione,” Gabrielle said sadly.

“What were you doing in Ron's room?” Ginny asked softly.

Hermione looked up into her friend's concerned eyes. She felt horrible. Here Ginny was comforting her while last night her ex-boyfriend was snogging the hell out of her friend. Oh, she felt like a jerk.

“I was so tipsy last night,” Hermione sniffled. “I guess I thought I was in your room.”

“We were all a little drunk last night,” Ginny sighed.

It was decided that the girls would stay holed up in the room, bringing some food upstairs with them and changing into their pajamas as they talked about various things girls do talk about. Little by little the guilt that Hermione felt was tampered down and brushed to the side as the day went on in the company of her friends.

It was late afternoon when Ginny appeared outside to see what the boys were up to. They were in the back playing a game of quidditch when Harry spotted her on his broom. He immediately set down to talk to her.

“Hey,” he said as he trotted up to her. She was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, her hair pulled into a ponytail. Harry could smell the faint flowery scent of her perfume. “How is Hermione?” he asked.

Ginny was carrying a basket and began to pick through the food her mother had left for everyone, a table full of sandwiches, desserts and chips. “How do you think she is?” Her tone was sharp and it took Harry aback.

“What are you mad at me for?” he shot back. “I didn't do anything!”

Ginny turned to look at him. “No you didn't, did you? You just sat there while Fred and George embarrassed her. You and Ron are both her friends! You haven't even come by to ask how she is and you normally do that!”

Harry was taken aback. He didn't know what to say. How could he explain to Ginny that the reason Hermione was in this situation in the first place was because of him. And that, yes, he was a coward, he couldn't face Hermione right now because having her alone with him would zap him of any control he had. How could he tell Ginny these things, especially when Harry wasn't sure that he was completely over the red head in the first place.

Ginny huffed disgustedly at his silence and turned to march back into the house. “Ginny…wait,” Harry reached for her wrist and stopped her. She turned and looked up at him. He wanted to say something but he didn't know what, but he was saved by the other Weasleys.

“Hey, Gin. We're really sorry about this morning,” George said apologetically.

“It's not me you have to apologize to,” Ginny replied.

“But she hasn't come out of the room,” Fred complained. “We really are sorry for embarrassing her.”

“Is she okay?” Ron asked.

Ginny looked at each one of them then sighed and set the basket of food down. “Fine. The truth is that Hermione was so drunk that she thought she was sleeping in my room. That's all. You didn't need to carry on the way you did with your assumptions.”

“Well, it's not as if they weren't based on nothing,” Fred defended. “She looked a little roughed up when I found her.”

“We don't need to know the details,” Harry cut in at the same time Ginny replied, “Well, how well did you look this morning?” Fred looked at Harry.

“Look can we just apologize to her?” George asked.

“I'll tell her that you're sorry. It's up to her if she wants to come down and see you or not. She can just apparate to Grimmauld if she wants to.”

And with that Ginny turned and headed back into the house. Harry watched her go, building up the nerve to follow her to Hermione.

“Come on, mate,” Ron said to him. “We'll catch her at Headquarters.”

Reluctantly, he followed his best friend to continue their game of Quidditch.

“You coming?” George asked his twin who had his eyes peering at Harry with an unreadable expression on his face.

“Yeah,” he said as he got on his broom.

~*~

“Please take care,” Ginny said quietly as she gave Harry a hug. He could see that she was fighting off tears, doing her best to be brave. He accepted the warm and comforting embrace and the familiar fleeting thought of remorse at having broken things off with her quickly passed through him. There were bigger battles to fight now, he thought darkly at what was waiting for him at Grimmauld Place.

Ron had already apparate and soon Harry followed, appearing in the familiar dark and littered alley. As he opened the door to number thirteen, he could hear the soft voices of chatter from Tonks and Lupin. He poked his head in the kitchen to announce his arrival. Next, he made his way upstairs, he had to see Hermione and see if she was okay. But when he arrived at her bedroom door, it was closed and he could hear the murmur of voices on the other side. Ron had beat him to her. For a moment, he turned to walk away to leave them to their privacy but then that stupid devil popped onto his shoulder and Harry knocked loudly on the door.

“You really are alright then?” Ron asked as he sat on the edge of her bed. Hermione was sitting cross-legged on it, her back resting against the headboard.

“Really Ron, I'm fine. I just feel really, really stupid and embarrassed,” she replied.

“Look we were all pretty wasted last night and I'm sure we all made fools of ourselves. I'm just sorry that my stupid brothers had to go and make a big deal about it,” Ron frowned.

“They really are a set of prats, aren't they?” she smiled faintly.

Ron sighed. “I wouldn't argue with you there. And I wouldn't blame you if you never spoke to them ever again.”

There was a loud knock at the door and Harry walked into the room. The two of them looked over at him and greeted him by name.

“Listen,” Harry began awkwardly and stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Could I have a word with you?” he asked Hermione.

“Of course,” Hermione answered and Ron got off the bed.

“They're here! They're here!” Tonks voice rang out loud and clear as two sets of footsteps could be heard coming down the corridor. She and Lupin moved into Hermione's room waving thick envelopes in their hands.

“Your Hogwart's letters have arrived,” Lupin announced as he handed the envelopes to their respective recipients. Their smiles both faded at the lack of enthusiasm from the three teens.

“Well…aren't you at all happy that Hogwarts isn't closed,” Tonks said, trying to salvage something of happiness from them. “They've been debating it all summer but McGonagall, she's headmistress, insisted that the school stay open and receive the students.”

Lupin and Tonks looked from teen to teen, the solemn mood finally getting the best of them as Lupin led her out of the room. “We'll just…be downstairs. If you need us,” he added at the end then closed the door.

Hermione stared down at the familiar enveloped that she had so loved receiving. She could feel the lumpy shape of a badge inside. Part of her felt guilty at the desire to return to school but she was here for Harry. Harry needed her to defeat this vicious wizard and she would stick by his side.

“Hey, I made prefect,” Ron said softly as he stared down at the pin in the palm of his hand.

Hermione cautiously opened her envelope and tipped its contents into her hand. The shiny gold badge of the Head Girl stood proudly in her hand.

“You made Head Girl, didn't you?” Harry asked quietly.

Hermione looked up at him and saw the guilt in his face. “It doesn't really matter now, does it?” she said then scooted off the bed to toss her letter into her small rubbish bin. The pin made a resounding clang as it hit the metal.

“Never did like taking points from my own house but I will miss taking them from the Slytherins,” Ron said as he, too, pitched his letter and his badge. “You know that we're with you all the way, mate,” he said turning to his raven-haired friend.

Harry gave them both a small and reluctant smile before he moved over to Hermione's small fireplace in her room and with his wand, set a fire inside. He tossed the letter into the flames, using the poker to push the Head Boy badge deep into the fire.

“Harry,” Hermione said softly. “I think now would be a good time to show Ron what we've found.”

Harry turned around to face her. “Yeah, I guess I should.”

He summoned the box with his wand and it landed nicely in Harry's waiting hands. Hermione felt a brief moment of pride, recalling their fourth year when she had stayed up all night teaching him that spell.

“So,” Ron eyed the box with unease, “that's…his?”

“Unfortunately,” Harry sighed.

They all were silent for a moment to take in the fact that their quest had officially begun. The box seemed harmless, the size of a shoe box but made of cherry wood. It was very plain with no markings or writing on it. “Well, I guess we should open it,” Harry said. He slid his fingers over the top of the box and tugged.

It didn't budge.

Harry tugged harder but still it didn't budge.

“We should've known it wasn't going to be so easy,” Ron grumbled.

“This is good,” Hermione said.

“How is this good, Hermione?” Harry said with a hint of irritation. “I can't even open the damned thing.”

“That means that it really is a horcrux,” she replied pointedly with an eyebrow raised. Harry let go of the box as if it had burned him and it fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Hermione bent over to pick it up but Harry stopped her.

“Don't,” he said as he placed a hand on her arm.

“Harry, you've been holding it for awhile and nothing has happened,” she said.

“That was before I knew it could be a horcrux,” Harry countered.

Hermione sighed and picked up the box. She found that it was surprisingly light as if made of paper.

“Alohomora!” she proclaimed with a wave of her wand. The spell hit the box but it bounced of it and zoomed across the room, landing harmlessly against the wall. The three of them had ducked to the floor as soon as the spell rebounded and they slowly got to their feet.

“Okay, no more spells,” Harry said authoritatively. “They'll just bounce right off this thing.”

“Unless we know that right incantation,” Hermione insisted.

“Do you want to be ducking spells all day?” Harry turned to her. “A spell isn't going to open this thing.”

“Well how did you and Dumbledore get the locket?” Ron asked.

Harry looked over at him, the dark look on his face made Ron shut up immediately. Harry picked up the box and turned it over and over in his hands.

“A spell won't open this,” he said with a far off voice. He walked over to the fireplace and tossed the box inside. It rested for a moment before the flames spit it out onto the floor.

“Yeah, I didn't think that would work either,” Harry mumbled.

Hermione touched the box tentatively. “It's cool already,” she said with wonder.

*

When in doubt, go to the library was Hermione's motto, so the trio spent the rest of the evening in the library of the house taking advantage of some of the dark arts books, looking for some clue on how to open the stupid thing.

Eventually, Ron and Harry gave up and began to play football with it, kicking it around the room. Hermione tutted and shook her head. Go figure that she was the only one left looking through books. She took a drink of pumpkin juice and set the glass back on the table before she resumed her research.

“Heads up, Hermione!” Ron called.

Hermione looked up in time to see the box flying in her direction. It missed her and hit the jug of pumpkin juice, spilling it over the floor and on top of the box.

It quivered violently.

“Did you see that?” Harry said eagerly as the trio gathered around the box. Hermione picked up her cup and poured the contents on the box. Once again it shook violently.

“So we have to drown it in…pumpkin juice?” Ron said tentatively.

“What about water?” Hermione offered eagerly.

The three of them looked up at each other then out of the window where the large fountain stood in the middle of the garden.

“Just throw it in,” Hermione said as the three of them walked outside in the warm night air.

The fountain bubbled and splashed merrily and Harry couldn't help but remember that it was a night like this that he had taken Hermione for a ride on his broom. But he brushed that thought aside as he tossed the box into the bottom tier of the fountain.

It sank to the bottom with a thud, its lid opened slowly to reveal something shiny inside.

“It's a mirror!” Ron exclaimed as he kneeled in front of the fountain.

What happened next, happened so fast that Harry didn't have time to process it properly.

“No Ron! Don't touch it!” he shouted as he lunged forward for his best friend.

But it was too late, Ron had reached into the fountain and wrapped his fingers around the handle of it. It immediately pulled him into the water. He tried to back out of it but the mirror wouldn't let him go. It kept him underwater.

“RON!!” Hermione screamed as she and Harry tried to grab on to their friends flailing limbs.

Harry tugged and pulled but he couldn't get Ron out of the water.

Ron was quickly losing oxygen and he still couldn't pry his fingers from the mirror. Suddenly the mirror clouded over and Ron screamed in panic when he saw the reflection in the mirror.

“Pull Hermione!” Harry shouted.

“I AM!” Hermione shot back.

Suddenly their friend was released and the three of them flung themselves backwards onto the stone tiles beneath them. Hermione immediately scrambled over to her friend.

“Ron! Ron are you okay?” she cried.

Ron's body was pale and lifeless and very, very cold.

“Ron!” Harry scrambled to the other side of him. Hermione was gently shaking him. Harry grabbed his shoulders and shook him a little harder. Then Ron opened his eyes and he blinked rapidly as he came to.

“Ron,” Hermione sighed with relief. But a feeling of unease settled upon Harry. Ron turned his gaze to his friend and Harry was horrified to see a familiar pair of red eyes staring back at him.

“Hermione get away!” he pushed Hermione away from Ron as his hand suddenly shot up and wrapped around Harry's throat.

“Harry Potter,” a cold high-pitched voice said. “We meet at last.”

Harry was pinned to the floor by his friend's strength, Ron's fingers closing around his neck. Hermione stood there terrified for a moment, disbelieving that this was actually happening before she pounced on Ron, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and neck and pulling him away from him.

“Let him go!!” she screamed.

Ron let go of Harry to throw Hermione off of him. He then rounded on her as she scrambled backward on the tile. Harry rolled over and gasped for breath, his neck sore and aching.

“You stupid, filthy little mudblood!!” Ron spat at Hermione. “You can't stop a powerful wizard like me.”

Hermione fumbled for her wand in her back pocket and drew it out. He reached back with his hand and struck her hard across the face. Hermione tumbled to the floor and Ron stepped on her wrist that held the wand. Hermione cried out in pain. Harry slowly stumbled to his feet and saw Ron take Hermione's wand from her hand and point it to her.

“Avada—“

Harry tackled Ron to the ground, landing hard with Ron beneath him. Ron grimaced but Harry kept him pinned as he punched him across the face. Ron caught his fist on the third blow and threw Harry off of him. Once again, Ron pounced on Harry, grabbing the front of his shirt in his fists as he shoved him into the fountain.

Hermione rolled over and felt along the ground for her wand, Ron's wand, Harry's wand, anyone's wand. Harry reached out and tried to scratch at his friend, lifting himself out of the fountain only to be shoved back underwater.

A glint in the flower bed caught her eye and Hermione recognized the mirror. She scrambled to it and reached out for it but thinking better of it she quickly withdrew her hand. She tucked her hands deep into the sleeves of her shirt and used the material to pick up the horcrux. She slammed it down onto the stone but it bounced back as if made of rubber. She repeated the action again but got the same result.

Harry continued to struggle with Ron in the fountain as Hermione abandoned the mirror to help him. She once again threw herself against Ron, using the force of her momentum to pull him off of Harry and they tumbled to the ground. Ron, irritated at the distraction, focused on Hermione.

“You are a thoroughly irritating mudblood,” he spat at her as he pinned her underneath him.

“STUPEFY!!”

The spell landed directly on Ron's chest and he collapsed on Hermione in a lifeless thud. Harry looked up to see a bewildered Tonks and Lupin standing in the garden, wand in his old professor's hand. Hermione began to cry as she scooted out from under Ron.

“What in the world is going on here?” Lupin asked angrily.

-->

11. Losing Control

Losing Control

With your feet on the air and your head on the ground

Try this trick and spin it, (yeah!) yeah!

Your head will collapse but there's nothing in it

And you'll ask yourself:

Where is my mind?

Where is my mind?

Where is my mind?

Way out in the water

See it swimming?

(Where Is My Mind—The Pixies)

~*~

“Answer me!” Lupin's voice was rough and angry. “What is going on here?”

Harry looked over at Hermione, terrified and cowering in a corner of the garden. She pleaded with him silently.

Harry turned to look at his former professor. “It was an accident,” he began lamely in a shaky voice. He was still in shock about the whole thing. Ron lay stunned on the ground between them. “I told him not to touch it. It was just like Ginny. He didn't know what he was doing.”

Lupin turned to Tonks who was equally stunned by his side. “Summon the Order,” Lupin said quietly. Tonks nodded absently, her eyes on the three bloodied teens. “Nymphadora,” Lupin repeated.

“Yeah, okay,” she said softly then turned back into the house.

Harry suddenly realized that he was still in the fountain and he stepped out of it, shaky and cold to walk over to Hermione. Silent tears were falling down her cheeks as she hugged her knees to her and rocked her body. She had a bloodied lip and nose as well as a considerable bruise forming on her cheek where Ron had struck her. Her wrist looked the worst, the purple mass was beginning to swell and Harry wondered if she had broken it. She was very pale and cold.

“She's in shock,” Lupin said from behind him. He walked over to check on Ron's condition.

“Hermione?” Harry said again, gently. She was still staring blankly ahead. Lupin squatted next to Harry to look at her. With a wave of his wand she closed her eyes and swayed gently. Harry's hands darted out to catch her.

“What did you do?” he asked accusingly as he held Hermione to him.

“It's better to have her resting,” Lupin said as he got to his feet. “Let's bring them inside.”

Harry lifted her and carried her into the house following his former professor. He led him to the room that had double beds, the room that Ron and Harry used to share before they each found their own places in this house. Reluctantly, Harry set Hermione down on his former bed.

“I don't think we should leave them alone like this,” Harry said quietly. “Not unless we can find some way to control Ron.”

“We're only keeping her here until Madame Pomfrey examines her,” Lupin assured him.

“Madame Pomfrey's coming?” Harry asked.

“The Order always has a medic on board for situations like this.”

“Situations like this?” Harry looked dumbfounded at him. “Situations like this?” he repeated firmly, his voice rising a little. “Voldemort has decided to take residence inside my best friend. Ron nearly drowned me and almost AK'd Hermione!”

The Order responded quickly and Harry could already hear people walking into the front door, concerned chatter filled the halls.

“I'm not leaving them,” Harry said stubbornly, sitting on a chair between the two beds and folding his arms over his chest. Lupin opened his mouth to protest when Professor McGonagall entered the room, followed by Madame Pomfrey.

“What on earth happened here?” McGonagall asked. Madame Pomfrey tutted worriedly as she rushed to the three of them.

“It's always one of you, isn't it?” she muttered under her breath. “Ennerverate!” she cast over Ron.

“No!”

Harry and Lupin shouted at the same time, drawing their wands to immediately stupefy Ron again.

“What on earth did you do that for?” Madame Pomfrey asked bewildered.

“It would be best if he was left unconscious for now,” Lupin advised. “He's really not himself, so to speak.”

“Ron? Ron!?” Molly's voice rang out as she and Arthur burst into the room. “Oh what happened to him?” she exclaimed seeing the cuts and bruises on her son's face and arms.

“Molly please,” Lupin said calmly. “Harry was just about to explain everything,” he said pointedly to the teen.

Harry looked at the faces in front of him, demanding an explanation and he desperately wished that Hermione was here by his side. Well, she was…technically just not really there.

“It was the mirror,” Harry began tentatively. “We found it…in the fountain and I told Ron not to touch it but he didn't listen.” It killed Harry to be lying to everyone like this but if Dumbledore didn't risk telling the Order about the Horcruxes then he shouldn't either. “When we pulled Ron out of the fountain, he…wasn't himself. Voldemort is inside him.”

Molly gasped in horror at Harry's words and Arthur looked as if he would collapse at any moment. The reaction to Harry's explanation was what he expected and he honestly couldn't believe that he had pulled off such a half-assed lie as that.

“Well…,” Madame Pomfrey began tentatively. “Cuts and bruises can heal easily on their own. Miss Granger has a wrist fracture but I have something that will heal it overnight. She'll have to wear a bandage for a couple of days.”

“We can't leave her in here,” Harry looked at her, “We can't risk Ron waking up and attacking her again.”

“Ron did this?” Molly looked from her son to Hermione. “He did this?”

Harry turned to face her. “He didn't know what he was doing,” he defended. “You know Ron wouldn't harm a hair on Hermione's head.”

“Mr. Potter, I need you to sit down so I can examine you,” Madame Pomfrey turned to him.

“I'm fine,” Harry brushed her off.

“Mr. Potter! You have serious bruises on your neck not to mention the numerous other injuries that are swelling!”

“Harry, it will only take a moment,” Lupin rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. “We'll move Hermione in the meantime.”

Harry nodded reluctantly and as Madame Pomfrey began her familiar fussing over him, he watched as Lupin and Tonks carried Hermione out of the room and presumably to her own.

~*~

When Hermione opened her eyes she found a pair of familiar green ones staring back at her.

“Hey,” Harry said softly as he reached out and stroked her hair.

“Hey yourself,” she smiled back. She noticed his bandaged lower lip that was swollen and reached out to barely touch it. She looked up at him. “It wasn't a nightmare was it?” she asked.

Harry shook his head. “I wish it were.”

Hermione's face crumpled as a new set of tears sprang to her eyes. Harry, who had been sitting on the chair next to her bed, stood and bent over her, gathering her in his arms.

“I'm so sorry, Hermione. I'm so sorry.”

After a moment, she pulled away from him and wiped her eyes. “We knew, we both knew what the risks were when we agreed to be your friend. We aren't backing out now.”

“Hermione…”

“Harry, no. Please don't blame yourself for this. You tried to stop him, this isn't your fault.”

“But you don't need to be here,” Harry insisted.

She reached out and placed a hand on his cheek. “But we are. We chose to be by your side no matter what happened and I for one am not about to back out.”

She was so close to him and he reached out and brushed her hair away from his face. Hermione's gaze fell to his lips.

“You remember that night at the burrow, don't you?” Harry asked softly.

Hermione looked up at him. “We were very drunk, Harry,” she whispered.

“Hermione, I have to know. Did you think it was Ron?” he asked.

Hermione looked into his eyes, unsure of what answer he wanted to hear from her. Which one would cause him the least amount of pain? She could just lie and say she did if it would alleviate any guilt but she wasn't sure that was what he wanted to hear. So she decided that the truth would be the best way to go.

“I knew it was you, Harry,” she said so quietly. “I'm so sorry.”

A guilty sense of relief washed over him. “Don't be, Hermione.”

Hermione shook her head. “No, Harry. I know you still like Ginny and I feel like such a horrible person coming between you two.”

“Hermione,” Harry shook his head in protest but she cut him off.

“Harry don't lie to me and say you still don't have feelings for Ginny. I see the way you look at her.” Hermione sat up in the bed. “I'm not going to be the one who comes between you and your happiness.”

Harry licked his lips in frustration and reached out for her hand, holding it in his. “I'm not going to deny my feelings for Ginny, that's the truth. But I'm doing my damnedest to deny them for you.” Hermione was dumbstruck and Harry brought his hands up to cradle her face, resting his forehead against hers. “I don't know when that line was blurred between us Hermione but I feel like a man drowning here. I'm just as guilty as you are for coming between you and Ron.”

Hermione let out a half-sob, half-laugh as she wiped some fresh tears from her eyes. “Oh, Harry. Ron and I…we aren't together anymore. We broke up during the wedding.”

“What?” Harry said, dropping his hands from her face and sitting up straight. “Why didn't you say anything to me?” He got up off of her bed and started pacing.

“Well, I was a little wasted, Harry,” Hermione defended herself as she, too, got up and out of the bed.

“Oh, God. It wasn't because of me was it?” he asked.

Hermione sighed. “No, Harry. It wasn't because of you. It was mutual and I really don't want to talk about it. It's not something I'm particularly proud of and it really doesn't change anything.”

“It changes a lot more than you think,” Harry said bitterly as he rounded on her. “It makes it worse that fact that I want nothing more than to kiss you right now despite the fact the Ron is lying in another room with my biggest enemy inside his head.”

“I'm not going to come between you and Ginny, Harry. I'm not going to be the one to destroy whatever happiness you might find with her,” Hermione said defiantly. “For crying out loud, I stayed by her side as she pined away for you, I gave her hope with encouraging words when she cried over you. She's been a good friend to me and I'm not going to betray her again despite the fact that I would love to feel your hands on me again.”

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, defiantly, across the room. There it was, they had said it and now it was out in the open hanging heavily between them.

Harry stood there watching her, desperately clinging to his weakening resolve. He had to say something, anything to distract him and keep him from crossing this room and the already blurred and fuzzy line between them. Thankfully, Hermione took it out of his hands.

“What did you tell Lupin?” she asked.

“He summoned the Order,” he replied.

Hermione looked surprised. “So the Order knows about the…you-know-whats?”

Harry shook his head. “I only told him that we found the mirror in the fountain. You have to go along with the story.”

“You don't really think they bought that?”

“It's the only thing I could give them.”

Hermione nodded and looked away, gazing out of her bedroom window. “How do we fix it, Harry?”

Harry wasn't sure what she meant but he had a feeling she wasn't just talking about Ron and the Horcrux.

~*~

Hermione could tell that Mrs. Weasley was biting back whatever it was that was really on her mind. She seemed very short and a little too polite with her and Harry. Hermione couldn't really blame her. Her youngest son had left home to join the two of them on this crazy and dangerous task. Of course she didn't know that exactly but she probably felt that her son would be safest at home, not palling around with Voldemort's most hated target. And furthermore, Hermione hated the way that she would look at her with guilt.

“You know that he didn't mean it, Hermione,” she would say to her. “Ron wouldn't dare hurt you.”

“I know, Mrs. Weasley,” she replied for what seemed the hundredth time. Harry wouldn't say anything, he would just avert his attentions elsewhere.

At lunchtime, Harry and Hermione ate at Ron's bedside, it was their turn to keep watch over him. They sat together on the bed next to his.

“How are they feeding him?” Harry asked quietly.

“Madame Pomfrey is giving him special potions,” she replied. “See?” She pointed to a set of small thin tubes that were inserted into his friend's arm. “What happened this morning?”

Hermione refused to be in the room again when they awoke him. “The same,” Harry sighed wearily, rubbing his eyes. “Lots of shouting and cursing, calling everyone in the room every dirty name in the book.”

Hermione's shoulders slumped. “It's like out of a muggle horror movie,” she said softly.

“Tell me about it,” Harry replied.

She turned to look at him and saw the tiredness in his eyes. “Why don't you get some sleep. I'll stay awake.”

“Okay,” Harry said with a yawn and moved behind where she was sitting to lay down on the bed. Hermione surmised that not even ten seconds had passed before he was softly breathing rhythmically. She turned around and looked at him. Yes, he was asleep. She gently took his glasses off of his face and put them on the nightstand. Poor thing probably hadn't slept since two nights ago. She brushed aside his bands and her finger traced the lightning bolt shaped scar.

Sighing she turned her attention back to Ron. He was so still that he almost looked…dead. She carefully got off the bed and knelt down next to him. She got real close to him, her lips by his ear.

“Ron,” she whispered. “Ron, if you can hear me, hang in there. We're working on a way to get him out.”

She kissed his cheek and noticed immediately the ice cold feel of his skin. Hermione shuddered and got to her feet, rubbing her arms. Her gaze fell on a bundled object on the dresser. It was the mirror. She walked over and carefully brushed her hands over it, carefully unwrapping it, mindful to have the glass facing down.

It was silver and ornately decorated in a way that they didn't make them in this time. The intricate detail on it spoke that it was an antique. She didn't dare touch the metal but it had vines wrapping around the handle, the flowers bloomed on the back of the mirror, the middles of them were lovely blue sapphires.

“Something of Ravenclaw…” she whispered to no one.

She looked back over at Ron then set the mirror back down on the dresser, wrapping it up again. She quietly pulled open the drawers of the dresser but they were all empty. So was the wardrobe in the room. She moved to the nightstands on either side of the beds when she paused.

She and Harry had brought their food up on a silver tray. A tray that somehow escaped Mundugus' raid. She carefully emptied the tray and silently brushed the crumbs off of it. She paused once again to glance at Harry. She reached over and poked him in the arm. Harry made a small grunt and rolled over to his other side. Satisfied that he was fast asleep she took the tray and walked toward Ron.

~*~

“Harry! Harry wake up!”

He could feel Hermione shaking him and he abruptly sat up. “What is it? What's wrong?” He looked over and Ron and saw that he was still peacefully sleeping.

“Come here!” she whispered and grabbed him around the wrist, practically yanking him out of bed.

“Hermione what are you doing?” he asked, putting his hand on a silver platter she was holding.

“Look at the reflection,” she said.

“Are you crazy? I'm not looking at it, I think we've already learned our lesson on that one.”

“I already tried it, it's safe,” Hermione replied.

“What do you mean you've already tried it?” Harry shot back, mentally cursing himself for falling asleep.

“Just look,” she insisted and held the tray up in front of Ron.

Harry looked at her and sighed, slumping his shoulders. He knew he wasn't going to reason with her right now so the best thing to do was to just comply.

He put his glasses back on then knelt down next to Ron's bed and peered up at the tray.

“Holy shit!”

He scrambled away from him.

“Is it him?” Hermione asked eagerly. “Is that what he looks like?” She put the tray down on the other bed.

“Yes, that was Voldemort,” Harry replied, irritably. “Why can we see him on that tray?”

“It's his reflection, Harry. Just like a mirror reflects,” she said as she helped him to his feet.

“I think we need to use the mirror somehow to get Ron back. Ron,” she continued, pointing at her friend, “isn't in there. I think he's trapped in the mirror.”

Harry eyed the bundle on the dresser nervously.

“We have to find some way to get `Ron' to look into the mirror,” she continued.

Harry eyed her. “Something tells me that it isn't going to be as easy as it sounds.”

“We both hold the tray with one hand, that way we'll both have another hand free for our wands,” she said as she handed Harry his side of the tray. She raised her wand and pointed to Ron but Harry stopped her.

“Wait!” he said. “Silencio.” The room was sealed and Hermione couldn't believe she hadn't thought of that. “We don't want anyone else running in here in case things go bad,” he said as he pointed his wand at his friend. “Ennerverate.”

Ron's eyes blinked as he came out of his stupor and the two of them moved the tray over in front of his face. The red eyes blinked at stared at the reflection before a smirk grew on his face.

He looked up at the two of them. “That's the best you could come up with you moronic piece of f---.” Harry stupefied him again with a heavy sigh.

Hermione frowned and sat down on the other bed, tray on her lap. “I thought it would work,” she said softly.

Harry walked over and sat down next to her. “I think you're on the right track, Hermione,” he said comfortingly.

She would not cry. She would not start crying.

She repeated this over and over as she stared over at the lifeless form of her best friend. “I need to go to the library,” she said. She needed to busy her mind in the comfort of books and knowledge.

Harry didn't say anything at first, then nodded reluctantly before getting off the bed. Hermione followed him out of the room but he stopped suddenly and before she could ask him what was wrong, he held up a hand in a gesture of silence.

Voices drifted up to them from below, an argument in the foyer was taking place.

“No, no, Molly, I will not allow it!” Lupin was saying.

“You can't say no. You aren't his guardian!” Molly shot back. Harry was surprised that they were arguing, they usually got along so well.

“He's of age, Molly, he doesn't need a guardian. We can't treat him like a petulant child,” Tonks spoke up.

“I had entrusted you two with the care of these children and look what has happened!” Mrs. Weasley said in a shrill voice.

“Molly…,” Mr. Weasley's voice was calm and placating.

“How dare you imply that we aren't watching over them!” Tonks defended. “We care very much about them.”

“By having them running around unsupervised in a house filled with dangerous items!”

“We had no idea about the mirror or where they found it,” Lupin said calmly. “Sirius honestly believed he got rid of those items.” Harry heard Mrs. Weasley scoff but Lupin continued. “I won't deny that those three are indeed up to something but I trust Harry and I think he deserves our trust in return.”

“Remus,” Mrs. Weasley said sharply, “I am the mother of Fred and George. I can tell when someone is lying to me and Harry is lying!”

“You will not use Veritaserum on him,” Lupin said adamantly.

“Hermione, no!” Harry whispered as he reached out to grab Hermione but missed. She went storming down the stairs.

“Harry's telling the truth!” she declared to Mrs. Weasley. Harry was hot on her heels, grabbing her shoulders and trying to steer her away but she shrugged him off. “We told Ron not to touch it but he didn't listen! We tried to stop him…,” she choked on her words, recalling the horrible scene by the fountain. It was too much and she ran outside into the garden. Harry only hesitated a moment to stare at the four adults he respected most in this world. It was a horrible day when you discovered that the ones you so looked up to as parental figures, as heroes, as friends, were just as human as you.

He found Hermione in the fountain in the garden, the same fountain that provided the sultry background to his proposition to her to take a ride, the same fountain that his best friend tried to drown him in. She was in the bottom basin, splashing around and muttering “Where is it?” under her breath.

“Hermione, stop it,” Harry said calmly but she continued on. “Hermione,” Harry repeated more firmly.

“Where is it, Harry?” she asked frantically. “Where is that…stupid…bleeding…box?”

Harry walked over to her and touched her arm. “Hermione.”

“Hmm?” she said vaguely as she continued to search.

“Hermione.”

“What?” she shouted impatiently, finally stopping what she was doing.

“I got rid of it,” he answered.

Hermione's eyes widened. “You did what?”

“I got rid of it,” he repeated.

Hermione scrambled out of the fountain. “Harry! I can't believe you did that? Maybe we can still find it.” She headed toward the house but Harry grabbed her arm to stop her.

“I already checked it out, Hermione. There was nothing.”

“How do you know?” she demanded. “We don't even know what to look for!”

“I'm not an idiot, Hermione,” he hissed. “It was just a plain old stupid box that was holding a dangerous item!”

“But there could've been a clue, a hint,” she persisted.

“There was nothing!” Harry shouted as he slightly shook Hermione. “I checked that stupid fucking box for any sort of clue, anything that might help us. You don't think I want Ron back? My best friend? Believe me, Hermione, no one wishes Ron was here right now more than I do.”

Hermione's face crumpled into tears and she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him close to her. Harry welcomed her embrace, burying his nose in the crook of her neck, feeling the damp cool skin against his nose.

Oh Merlin. He couldn't do this now.

“You're shivering,” he whispered in her ear.

He barely stepped away from her as he drew out his wand and cast a drying charm at her feet. Hermione basked in the delicious warmth that blossomed around her feet and slowly made its way up her legs with his wand. Harry moved his wand up her legs, licking his lips slightly as he moved over her torso, past the swell of her breasts then over her shoulder and down her arms. As he moved around her, she gathered her hair and lifted it so he could dry her back.

With a tentative hand, Harry reached out and touched her hair, letting the silky strands flow through his hands as he dried it. When it came to the end, he reached out for another section, repeating the action until her hair was dry and fell into gentle waves down her back.

She turned to look at him, a look of pain and longing on her face. “Thank you,” she said softly. The sky was turning orangey-purple with the evening sun and the first of the crickets began to chirp. She was so close to him.

“You're welcome,” his voice was low and husky. Hermione had to get out of there before she did something really stupid. Like re-enact their night together. And oh, did she want that so badly. To feel his arms around her, his hands roaming over her body, his weight over hers.

Oh God, she wanted him.

Harry felt it. The line between being friends with Hermione to being…something else. It was frightening, scary and intimidating. But oh so tempting. It beckoned and called him and he stepped to the line.

-->

12. Escape

Escape

Hello

I've waited here for you

Everlong

Tonight

I throw myself into

And out of the red, out of her head she sang

Come down

And waste away with me

Down with me

Slow how

You wanted it to be

I'm over my head, out of her head she sang

And I wonder

When I sing along with you

If everything could ever feel this real forever

If anything could ever be this good again

The only thing I'll ever ask of you

You've got to promise not to stop when I say when

She sang

(Everlong-Foo Fighters)

~*~

She turned to look at him, a look of pain and longing on her face. “Thank you,” she said softly. The sky was turning orangey-purple with the evening sun and the first of the crickets began to chirp. She was so close to him.

“You're welcome,” his voice was low and husky. Hermione had to get out of there before she did something really stupid. Like re-enact their night together. And oh, did she want that so badly. To feel his arms around her, his hands roaming over her body, his weight over hers.

Oh God, she wanted him.

Harry felt it. The line between being friends with Hermione to being…something else. It was frightening, scary and intimidating. But oh so tempting. It beckoned and called him and he stepped to the line.

“Harry? Hermione?” Tonks called out.

Damn it!

Hermione looked up at him, the hint of a promise in her eyes as well as fear. She stepped away from him. Please don't he pleaded silently with her but his face mirrored his confusion inside him.

“Oh here you are,” she said. By now, Hermione was a safe distance away from him but the looks of anguish were plain on their faces. “Mundungus is here,” she said, oblivious to the teens, “he wants to have a look at Ron and that mirror.”

“I don't want to go if you're going to wake him up again,” Hermione rubbed her arms. “I can't stand it when he calls me names.”

“You don't have to,” Harry said softly. “I'll be with him.”

He finally broke the look between the two of them to leave her in the garden and Hermione released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She sank to the ground and quickly wiped away the tears that spilled down her cheeks. God, why did it hurt so bad to want someone so much?

Dinner wasn't that great either. Tonks kept her company while everyone else was upstairs with Ron. She couldn't eat, it felt as if something violent wanted to jump out of her stomach.

“He'll be okay,” Tonks said gently, placing a hand on hers. “We'll find a way to get Ron back.”

After dinner she sought solace in the library but she could hear shouting coming from Ron's room whenever they ennerverated him. She couldn't concentrate so she took some books and went to her room.

~*~

Nothing.

Moody couldn't figure out a way to get Voldemort out of Ron or to destroy the mirror. A well placed hex on the object bounced back and hit Moody and he swore violently as Voldemort-Ron laughed derisively.

Harry stunned Ron yet again. He was getting tired of this and to be honest, his mind was elsewhere, wandering over new-found and mildly distressing thoughts about his female best friend.

“We'll try again tomorrow,” Lupin said reassuringly as everyone filed out to leave. Madame Pomfrey fussed over Mundugus' injury while Molly sniffled sadly with her husband out of the door.

“Are you coming Harry?” Lupin asked.

“No, I'll just sit here a moment,” he replied.

Lupin nodded and left the room, leaving Harry alone with Ron. He rested his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward and rubbed his hands together. Sighing he got up and scooted his chair next to the bed.

“I could really use your help right now, mate,” Harry said to him. “You could beat some sense into me.” He sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “I don't know what she's doing to me. Well, you probably do but, merlin, she's really, really…something.”

Remus came back in after awhile and told him he would watch over Ron. Harry reluctantly left his friend's side and walked out into the hallway. He walked upstairs to the next landing, passing by Hermione's room. He paused a moment but forced himself to walk past. He couldn't face her right now and besides, there wasn't a light under the door.

Hermione lay on the bed awake and listening to Harry pause outside her door before he walked by. Don't get up. Don't go after him. Leave him alone! She sighed heavily and rolled on her back, staring up at the ceiling above her. Her heart pounded in her chest and she summoned up her courage to sit up and get out of bed.

The wood of the floor was cold underneath her bare feet and she shivered slightly as she opened the door and walked out into the hall. There was a faint light under the door, probably from Harry's bedside lamp. She knocked softly on his door and waited.

Harry knew who it was and he hesitated to answer it. Opening that door would open a can of worms that he wasn't sure he really wanted to open. But he was always a glutton for punishment and he turned the knob to reveal Hermione on the other side, still dressed in her purple shirt and jeans.

The first feeling that went through her was dread. Oh, what was she thinking coming here? She was probably disturbing him. Harry could see her hesitancy and knew that at any moment she was going to turn and run. Before she could, he reached out for her and took her hand as he led her into his room, closing the door behind her.

The kiss wasn't gentle or tentative.

It was raw and consuming as he reached out for her, bringing her flush against his body, his hands tangling in her hair as he cradled her head. He demanded entrance into her mouth and he was rewarded with the delicious taste of it. She was his lifeboat in this swirling sea of emotions of late. Any protests he had were shoved to the back of his mind as he relished in the feel of her pressed against him.

Hermione's hands tangled in his hair, pressing and holding his face close to hers. His hands radiated warmth through the fabric of her blouse. And, oh, he tasted wonderful! Her mouth left his to kiss his neck, feeling the slightly rough stubble beneath her lips. When did he grow from the scrawny insecure boy to the young man that was currently pressing her back against the wall with his hands on her waist? She let out a soft moan when Harry reciprocated her affection, placing soft kisses just below her jaw as his fingers deftly began to undo the lowest button on her shirt.

Slowly, he made his way up her shirt, feeling the warmth of her skin a breadth away from his fingers. After he undid the last one, Hermione reached up for him, placing a gentle hand behind his head to press his lips to hers. He let out a contented sigh as he slightly parted her shirt and slid his hands around the bare skin of her waist to her back. She purred contentedly as they moved from her back to her front, resting just beneath the fabric of her bra.

His thumbs brushed over the lacy fabric, over the nubs of her nipples eliciting a moan from her lips. He moved her from the wall and walked her backward, kissing her until the backs of her knees hit the edge of his bed. She broke the kiss to scoot backwards onto the mattress, pulling the shirt over her shoulders and off of her body. Harry climbed up after her, wrapping his arms around her to unhook her bra as she wrapped her arms around him.

His touch set fire wherever they fell on her and Hermione burned it into her memory. His lips left hers to trace the path of his fingers as he slid the strap of her bra off her shoulder, repeating the action on the other side until he took the front of the wonderful garment and slid it completely off her body. Hermione's hands immediately went to the hem of his grey t-shirt, lifting it over his head. It caught on his glasses and Hermione, seductively, bit her lower lip as she reached up and gently took them off his face. He groaned softly at her action, yanking the t-shirt over his head and tumbling with her onto the soft mattress.

The feel of his bare skin against hers sent more blood rushing to his loins and he kissed her neck feverishly as his knee parted her thighs. Once again, he maneuvered himself between them and pressed himself against her. Hermione sighed at the contact and Harry ran a hand from her waist up her side, his thumb brushing against the swell of her breast and continuing up to her arm then her hand where he found his glasses. He took them from her hand and she kissed his neck, running her hands up and down his back in slow repetitions. With his glasses in hand, he reached over and placed them on his nightstand. His eyes fell on the picture he kept there of the three of them taken at Hogwarts during their first year, so young and innocent then. Harry could hardly believe that the same bushy haired little girl in the picture was the same one that he had underneath him. He reached over and put the picture face down before returning to Hermione with renewed zest.

She moaned when his lips fell on her nipple, gently sucking and tugging on it. His hand reached for her other breast, caressing it gently before switching over to lavish attention on it. As she arched her chest into him, Harry slid his hands under her back, using the new leverage to grind harder against her. He needed to feel her again and his hands moved to the button of her jeans, undoing it and sliding the zipper down.

Hermione lifted her hips as Harry tugged her jeans over her hips and down her legs. The more she was revealed to him, the more his desire for her flared. The pink and white fabric triangle led to her smooth and creamy legs that ended in delicate feet with toenails painted red. It drove Harry mad. He shuffled back up to meet her lips, his hand that rested briefly on her hip for leverage once again made its way underneath her knickers to insert a finger inside her.

She moaned against his lips at this action as she ground herself against his hand. He slipped another finger inside her and once again she gripped her hands tighter around his biceps. She felt something pleasurable building within her, a tension that coiled and coiled with each movement of Harry's hand. Oh, what he was doing to her felt soooo good. She wanted to reciprocate and she let go of his arms to move to the button of his jeans.

Harry stifled his groan against her mouth as he felt her wrap her warm hand around him, stroking his already unbelievable hard length. With her free hand she did her best with Harry's help to pull his jeans down past his bum revealing to her a pair of black boxers. Suddenly she let go of him to once again to reach for his arms as she suddenly gasped out his name, arching her back slightly off the bed. He realized what he was doing to her and fought down the urge to let out a shout of triumph as she continued to gasp and writhe under him. She was so unbelievably hot and wet and it forced him to think of his own unfulfilled need as she once again began to tug down his jeans. He never shuffled out of them so quickly in his life and as Hermione took off her underwear he lifted the comforter to let her slide underneath.

Hermione did her best to keep her thighs from trembling as she let Harry settle between them, the warmth of his body covered hers as his forearms rested on either side of her. He slid a hand underneath his pillow and withdrew his wand. He hesitated above her. He could stop this now. It wasn't too late to stop and just go back to what they were, right? No. He wouldn't stop this, he wasn't sure if he could and he'd die if she suddenly changed her mind with all this lust running through him. He cast the contraception charm that he had been taught in a wizard health class at Hogwarts. The same charm that his dorm mates prayed they'd be lucky enough one day to use, the one the twins ribbed him and Ron about whenever they decided to embarrass them about the opposite sex.

And now he was actually using it on Hermione.

She couldn't stop shaking and her heart was beating so loudly in her chest that she was positive that Harry could hear it. He cast the charm and she felt a warm sensation in her abdomen as Harry put away the wand. He lifted himself off of her slightly to reach down between them, guiding himself to her. He kissed her once more as he brought his forearm back to rest at her side, breaking the kiss to concentrate on the task at hand.

We all have to grow up sometime, she thought as she looked over his shoulder, her hands coming to rest on his back. She instinctively fought his intrusion, tensing up as he pushed his way into her, the unfamiliar sensation of being invaded in that way. Harry felt her tense beneath him and he slowed down but it took all the strength he had to do that. She felt so hot and wet and he had to shove down the instinct to just thrust himself inside of her. She took comfort in the fact that she felt Harry trembling slightly as well. Maybe he was just afraid as she was and she took a deep breath to relax as Harry continued to push into her.

It wasn't pleasant and she felt herself being uncomfortably, yet pleasurably stretched. Harry stopped when he reached her barrier, his desire for her was overwhelming and the sensation of her warmth and wetness surrounding him was too much for him to take as he lifted himself off of his forearms to his hands and thrust himself inside of her. He immediately regretted this action when she cried out.

“Ow!” she whimpered, tears springing to her eyes, “Harry.”

He stopped immediately. “I'm so sorry, Hermione,” he whispered in her ear. “I'm so sorry.” He silently cursed his lust and his weakness to it.

“No, it's okay,” she whispered. “Don't stop.” Reluctantly, he complied but he couldn't help it. The more he pressed into her, the more he could feel her surrounding him and that was a very good thing.

She was clinging painfully to him, she knew she had to be as he resumed moving into her. The burning pain of her lost virginity still stung as he continued to stretch and fill her. He withdrew from her only to move into her again, repeating this action over and over. Images flickered through her mind as he moved above her; him taking on the troll their first year, watching him as he flew through the air to catch the snitch, the way he looked at her at the Yule Ball; the way his eyes would light up when he saw the benevolent halls of Hogwarts; his sleepy concentration as he pretended to study. All these things he was to her, things she kept up locked and private and now she would add this. The way it felt to have Harry so intimately.

Her moans were interspersed with gasps and whimpers as he continued to move in and out of her, his pace slowly picking up. She felt unbelievable wonderful and he never knew there could be a better feeling than flying. He felt a tension in his lower abdomen and his instinct told him to continue on, go a little faster. He knew he was hurting her still but he was unable to stop himself as he finally released himself into her, gasping her name out.

Hermione felt his warmth spill into her with each thrust he gave and she felt sad that it was over. He was sweating slightly and breathing heavy as he looked down at her. She brushed his bangs from his forehead and he dipped his head down to kiss her lips. His arms were burning and he reluctantly left her warmth with a small gush of fluid following him. She had a dull ache within her and she rolled over to face Harry, tucking his sheet around her. Whatever happened to the both of them in their future, she would always remember that he was her first, that he had taken her virginity. And surprisingly, she felt as if it was the way it should be. Harry smiled softly at her and moved forward to place a soft kiss on her lips. Where did they go from here? What was going on between the two of them? He wondered if she felt awkward right now and that she would leave. He felt a slight panic at that thought but she didn't look like she was going to move any time soon. How could he tell her that he wanted her to stay without sounding like a complete fool?

Sometimes the simplest gestures are the best and he got out of bed to put on his boxers, handing Hermione his grey t-shirt. She took it and put it on after she had found her knickers in the pile of clothing and they both climbed back into bed. He suddenly felt very sleepy as he rested beside her and he pulled the comforter over them, pulling her body close to his. She reached under his pillow and took his wand.

“Nox,” she said softly and the light went out.

~*~

“OW!!!”

“Concentrate, Potter! Concentrate!” Aberforth said sternly.

Harry rubbed his stinging wrist, the result of a hex thrown by his teacher. He couldn't help it, he was very jumpy this morning. Breakfast this morning was torture and he was sure that he had a sign on his forehead that read: VIRGIN circled with a giant slash through it. The simple question: scrambled or sunny-side up was interpreted as: Did you have sex with Hermione last night? Or: Toast or coffee was You on top or she?

Harry shook his head and cleared his mind, preparing for the next onslaught as he shuffled away the memories he absolutely did not want Aberforth seeing.

“Again!” he announced and Harry quickly cleared his thoughts of last night as he felt his mind being penetrated. Clear your thoughts. Clear your mind. For some reason he thought of flying, how it felt to be up in the air racing on his broom. He felt Aberforth thumb through this thought before he heard Ron shouting and cursing from inside his room and Aberforth was able to pierce through his memory of what happened that night.

“So you were telling the truth then?” he said as he withdrew from Harry's mind. Harry felt drained, he didn't mean for Aberforth to see the events that took place in the garden. “The boy did touch the mirror and somehow Voldemort had passed into him.”

Harry looked up at the man irritably, his head had a dull ache. “Of course I was telling the truth,” he snapped. He wondered if the Order had asked Aberforth to do this. Maybe learning Occlumency wasn't a bad idea after all, he could do without people trying to pry truths out of him.

“You had the right idea earlier,” Aberforth said. “Eventually, you will be able to filter your thoughts, let me see what you only want me to see. Flying, eh?” Harry was still in a sour mood and gave him a dark look. These lessons weren't the most pleasant of activities. “You know, you might want to think about learning legilimency.”

Harry looked up at him sharply at his words. “I think we're done for today,” he said coolly, “Don't you?”

Aberforth pursed his lips together in thought as he gazed at Harry. Harry looked away to avoid his eyes before he turned and left the room.

He found Hermione in the library…of course. She was sitting at a table, flipping through a large and heavy looking book. Harry took a moment to dwell in the comfort he found with this scene before stepping into the room and invading her privacy. She looked up at him and her brow furrowed.

“You alright?” she asked.

“You know how much I love these lessons,” he answered dryly as he flopped down on an armchair.

“Are you making any progress at all?” she asked with concern.

“He says so,” Harry sighed. “He, uh, actually suggested that I learn legilimency. You know, to help with the Occlumency. What?” he asked looking up at Hermione. She was looking at him with a guarded expression on her face. “You think it's a good idea?” he asked incredulously.

“I don't know,” she buried herself back into the book. “It's not a bad idea.”

Harry sat up straight. “Hermione,” he insisted, “forcing your way through a person's mind isn't my cup of tea. The whole idea just…weirds me out. I don't think its something I really need right now.”

“Harry, I think you of all people are justified to learn this,” she said looking up at him and shutting the book. “You, of all people, need to know if people are lying to you. We don't know who we can trust nowadays.”

Harry was forcibly reminded of Snape's betrayal to Dumbledore and he winced. Snape was a very successful occlumens, he fooled Dumbledore and Voldemort. Maybe Hermione had a point after all.

“Hey, I thought of something during my lesson,” Harry said, changing the subject. “What if we try re-enacting how the switch happened in the first place?”

“What, the fountain?” Hermione looked alarmed. “There's no way we can get Ron out there without attracting all sorts of attention from inside the house.”

Harry scratched the back of his head. “It doesn't have to be the fountain. Any pool of water should do…” The look of mild alarm on her face didn't surprise Harry. The incident with the fountain was traumatic enough. “We have to try something, Hermione.”

She sighed. “I know.”

He walked over to her and knelt down by her chair, reaching out and rubbing her arm. “Hey, we can do this,” he said softly. She nodded reluctantly and leaned down to kiss him softly on the lips.

**

The opportunity for the two of them to be alone with Ron came that night when Hermione volunteered to watch over Ron while Harry went off to “sleep”. Waiting until two o'clock in the morning he walked over to the room where they were keeping his friend. Hermione stood as he entered and took the bundled mirror while Harry levitated Ron's body and they walked out of the room.

They snuck into one of the many bathrooms, sealed the door and silenced the room. Hermione stared uneasily at the porcelain claw-footed tub so prominently placed in the room. Harry set Ron down and began to fill up the tub.

“This will work,” Hermione said aloud, mostly to convince herself.

With the tub full of water, Harry picked up their friend and propped him on his knees in front of the tub. Hermione partially unwrapped the mirror, careful not to touch it or look into its reflection. They placed the handle of it in Ron's hand then dipped it under the cool water. She then positioned herself on the other side of Ron, taking a deep breath to still her nervousness.

“Are you ready?” Harry asked and Hermione barely nodded.

“Okay,” he breathed, a shadow of a doubt crossing his thoughts. “Here goes nothing. Ennerverate!”

As soon as Harry cast the incantation they dunked Ron headfirst into the water, holding him down. Nothing happened at first, Ron still held the mirror but soon he let go of it and began to struggle violently against the two of them.

“Hold him down, Hermione!” Harry said encouragingly.

Oh God, oh God, oh God. Her panicked voice swam through her head. Ron continued to struggle against them and Hermione couldn't take it any longer.

“Harry stop! We have to stop! It didn't work, we're only drowning him!”

“No!” Harry replied not letting go.

“Harry!” she pleaded and she let go, forcing Harry to do the same.

Ron was flung backward by the force of his own momentum and he fell sprawled on his back, coughing and spluttering. Harry and Hermione waited with baited breath.

“You moronic--,” came the high-pitched voice from Ron's mouth and Harry immediately stupefied him. Hermione began to shake with silent sobs while Harry swore violently. He swooped down on Ron, getting close to his ear.

“Get the fuck out of my best friend you sick bastard!” he shouted. He grabbed Ron by the front of his shirt. “GET OUT!!” he shouted as he shook his friend. “GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!”

“Harry! Stop! Please!” Hermione pleaded through her tears and she scrambled over to the two of them. She pried Harry off of Ron and he fell into her arms, tears sprang to his eyes.

“I thought it would work! It had to work!” he sobbed. Hermione cried at the sight of their soggy and lifeless friend.

A lifetime seemed to pass before they cleaned up the room and cast drying charms over everything, including Ron. In silence they carried him back to the room and Hermione once again resumed her watch with Harry keeping her company. She climbed on top of Ron's bed, over the covers and settling herself next to his cold body. She wrapped her arms around him and cradled his head to her.

“Come back to us, Ron,” she whispered as she stroked his hair. Harry pulled up a chair next to the bed and rested his arms on the mattress. He set his head against his arms and looked up at the two people who meant the most in the world to him.

~*~

A gentle shaking of his shoulder woke Harry from his shallow sleep and he looked up to see Molly smiling down on him with a hint of concern.

“I can take over,” she said. “You should get some sleep.”

She moved over to Hermione and did the same, Hermione groggily opening her eyes and upon seeing who it was promptly scrambled off of the bed.

“I, uh…” she floundered for something to say but Molly smiled kindly at her.

“Go to bed, dear. Try and get some rest.”

Hermione nodded then quickly left the room.

“Harry,” Molly called to him as he moved to leave. “Please stay for a moment.”

Harry obliged her. “I wanted to apologize to you,” she said. “I feel horrible about what I had said and what I--,”

“Mrs. Weasley,” Harry interrupted her. “You don't have to apologize. I understand that you are only concerned with your son.”

“And you,” she said. “Harry, you're like a son to me as well. I worry for each of you and I know that you would never do anything to harm Ron. I was just very upset.”

Harry looked at her, seeing her in a different light. He had once thought of her as an infallible maternal figure. And a little part of him always will but seeing her standing here in front of him, he realized she was just like everyone else. Just trying to get by and survive this war, desperate to keep her family intact.

“Thank you,” Harry said softly then turned and left the room.

He walked to his room and opened the door. The sight of the empty and lonely bed filled him with a strange sadness in his emotional turmoil. He didn't want to be alone tonight. He walked down to Hermione's room and knocked softly on her door. She answered, already changed into her pajamas, a white tank and flannel plaid pants that rested on her hips. She let him into her room, closing the door softly behind him. She stood on tiptoe to place the lightest of kisses on his lips. Harry responded immediately, deepening it as Hermione led him back to her bed.

It didn't hurt as much this time and Hermione was grateful for that as Harry entered her. He was still so new to her but she welcomed the escape it gave her from the awful events of the day. Harry kissed her lips, drowning himself in her presence. His hips rocked against hers as he buried himself within her, feeling her warmth all around him. He began to hit a spot that sparked something pleasurable within her and she gasped out in delight.

“Oh,” she moaned as he pushed her closer and closer to something…wonderful. He was getting lost in the frenzy of her sighs, her hot heat and the random clasping of her fingers on his arms. He picked up his pace and began to thrust himself a little harder into her. He never thought anything could feel so good.

He was wrong.

Her already hot and wet walls suddenly clenched all around him.

Oh…WOW!!

In a wonderful motion, her hands tightened around his shoulders as her back arched off the bed as a sudden wave of pleasure she had never experience before broke against her. A feeling so good radiated over her body from the place that she and Harry were so intimately joined.

“Harry!” she gasped aloud.

That was his breaking point. She was already so hot and tight, pulsing around him and his name on her lips like that just made him lose his mind as he came to completion inside of her.

He gently moved out of her after catching his breath and collapsed as a useless lump of flesh next to her, a ridiculous grin on his face. She, too, had an odd smile on her face and she looked a little flushed. She gathered the sheets around her and snuggled against him as he brought his arm around her, burying his face in her hair as they both drifted off to sleep.

-->

13. Delusional

Delusional

Wouldn't it be nice if we were older

Then we wouldn't have to wait so long

And wouldn't it be nice to live together

In the kind of world where we belong

You know its gonna make it that much better

When we can say goodnight and stay together

Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up

In the morning when the day is new

And after having spent the day together

Hold each other close the whole night through

Happy times together we've been spending

I wish that every kiss was never ending

Wouldn't it be nice

(Wouldn't It Be Nice—The Beach Boys)

It was the dull stinging of his scar that woke him up. Voldemort was furious about something and someone had been on the nasty end of a well-placed Crucio but Harry had somehow been able to block this from his mind before his presence could be noticed. He lay there in the darkened room, the thick curtains only let in the outline of the sunlight from outside. Particles of dust danced within them and for a moment, Harry focused on those to calm his racing heart. A glimmer of hope blossomed within him that he was able to cut out Voldemort, maybe the Occlumency was working after all.

But the dark thoughts of his nemesis still intruded into his mind when he began to think of his best friend Ron lying in the other room with Voldemort still stuck in his head. Was Ron still in there? Had Voldemort destroyed him? Dumbledore had so much damage to his hand when he destroyed the ring horcrux and had sacrificed himself in a way to find the fake locket. Was Ron just another sacrifice for this dangerous quest?

He sighed heavily and rolled to his side facing Hermione. She had her back to him, her brown curls fanned out from behind her and spread out on the pillow, a bare shoulder peeked out from underneath her covers. He raised a hand to finger a curl of her hair, the strands soft and silky. Would she be the next sacrifice? The thought filled him with such a feeling of despair that mentally shut down against it for fear that he would completely lose his mind.

Ron and Hermione were his best and most dear friends. They were the ones he cared most about in this world. They were both his pillars that he gathered his strength from and they were both his Achilles Heel. He would be lying if he said that Ron's possession hadn't rattled him. It was shaking him to the core and every passing moment that that bastard was still inside his friend was a moment that Harry was afraid would be one of Ron's last. The mirror had only been the first of the horcruxes they were looking for and the reality suddenly hit him that there was a very real chance that one or both of his friends would not survive this.

Oh God.

He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and quietly slid out of the bed. He dressed as silently as he could, careful not to disturb Hermione's sleep. He carried his trainers and slowly walked toward the door. Her small rubbish bin was by it and Harry caught a glance of something shiny inside of it. It was the Head Girl badge. Ron and Hermione's letters from Hogwarts were in there, along with the badges they had worked so hard to achieve. Harry retrieved them out of the bin and stuffed them in his back pocket. He opened the door to step out into the hallway.

He was so busted.

Lupin was on the other side, coming to ask Hermione where Harry was. He had a look of mild surprise on his face followed by the faintest trace of disappointment.

“Don't look at me like that,” Harry grumbled. “It's not what you think.” He brushed past his old professor and continued on his way to his room.

“Harry, I think it's exactly what I think,” he said as he followed the teen.

“Goes to show what you know,” Harry said nastily as he continued to walk.

“And what about Ron?”

Harry stopped and whirled around. “What about Ron?” he shouted. The past two days' emotions just exploded to the surface of his thoughts and he felt as if he were losing control. Lupin was caught off guard and just stared at Harry.

“What is going on here?”

Tonks' voice carried up from below as she stepped out of Ron's room. Moody was with her, his magical eye falling upon the werewolf and the teenager with an extremely guilty look on his face.

“Nothing, Nymphadora,” Lupin answered and Harry turned to continue on his way.

He didn't care if he was followed into his room. Lupin stepped in and quietly closed the door behind him.

“They broke up,” Harry said quietly as he plopped himself down on his bed.

“Was it because of you?” he asked.

“Hermione said it wasn't. She said it was mutual,” there was a trace of doubt in Harry's voice but Lupin didn't pursue it.

“It must be hard to feel so happy being with someone when your other friend is in such a state,” he said sympathetically. Harry shifted his eyes away and Lupin raised an eyebrow. “You are happy with her, aren't you?”

“I'm always happy with her,” he replied briskly.

“But?” Lupin asked. Harry didn't answer him so he changed direction. “Harry, I don't mean to be blunt but…are you…have you two…had sex?” Harry would've given anything not to be having this conversation. “I take that as a yes. Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's only natural for you and your girlfriend—“

“She's not my girlfriend,” Harry cut in. Oh, jeez, that sounded so lame. He considered that he had two girlfriends in the past, Cho and Ginny. Hermione was like neither one of them she was…she was…

Oh crap. Ginny.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. What a mess he had gotten himself into.

“She's not your girlfriend,” Lupin repeated. “Harry, what are you doing?”

Harry couldn't explain it. He couldn't explain his attraction to his female best friend. He couldn't explain the intense desire he felt for her. He could chalk it up to his hormones but he'd had heavy snogging sessions with Ginny and it was nothing compared to this. The instinctual attraction that Hermione invoked in him, the carnal need to have her in the most intimate way two people can be. How could he explain that he wanted to deny his attraction to her but couldn't? He couldn't stop it any more than an ant could stop a waterfall.

“I tried,” he croaked out. “I tried to stay away from her.”

“Harry, do you care for her?” Lupin asked.

“Of course I do. She and Ron are the two most important people in my life.”

Lupin walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder in a most fatherly gesture. “I know it is terribly difficult to deal with what has happened to Ron. Sometimes, a traumatic event will bring two people closer together than they ever had been before. I care for the three of you very much, therefore I have to advise you to talk this over with her. She deserves at least that. You both do.”

Harry looked up at him and nodded knowing that he wouldn't do such a thing. He had found such a comfort and escape in her arms that he selfishly didn't want to do anything that would bring that glass ceiling come crashing down on him. Lupin nodded approvingly and left Harry to his thoughts.

~*~

“I have an idea,” she said to him, her face beaming.

Harry, who was holding a cup of coffee, set it down and peered eagerly at her. He couldn't help the blossom of hope within him when her face brightened with the most brilliant of plans.

The idea came to Hermione when she was brushing her teeth after her shower. Attempting to get a good look at a zit that was threatening to surface, she took out her compact mirror, turned around and held it up to her face. Her endless reflection stared back at her, trapped in an endless echo of mirror images.

“That's it!” she said breathlessly as she closed the compact with a snap. She hustled out of the bathroom to find Harry.

And here she found him in the kitchen, his hair still slightly damp from his shower that morning and she took a moment to breathe him in.

“Hermione?” Harry interrupted her thoughts.

“What? Oh!” she snapped out of it. “We will use mirrors.”

“We've already tried that,” he said, his hope deflating.

“No, no, no. Mirrors, plural. More than one?”

“I know what plural means.”

“Sorry, anyway, we set the horcrux up against another mirror, prop Ron in the middle then cast Reducto into the mirror…then duck.”

“Then duck,” he repeated. He took a sip of his coffee to buy himself some time to think this plan over but his mind was so burdened with this problem that he knew he would agree to whatever she thought of.

Harry was willing to try anything and so when the afternoon came and the two of them were left to watch over Ron, they snuck him into the attic. They had found a large mirror there and Hermione pulled the dusty old cloth off of it, revealing a long dressing mirror set in mahogany wood.

“I hope this works,” Harry said as he propped Ron's levicorpused body in front of it.

“I'll hold the mirror, you cast the spell,” Hermione said as she unwrapped the bundle. “Be careful and do not look into the horcrux.” She held up a trembling hand and turned away from the mirror.

Harry looked at her. Deep down he had a feeling that this plan would work and he suddenly had the desperate desire to kiss her. He stepped forward and gently brought down her arm that was holding the mirror. She turned to look at him in question but he lifted a hand to cradle her jaw as he leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. He broke it before he could entertain the idea of deepening it and placed his forehead against hers, giving her upper arm a gentle squeeze before stepping away from her.

Hermione turned away again and he focused his attention on the reflection of Voldemort in front of him, careful not to look into the mirror just to the side. “Okay,” he whispered.

“Ennerverate,” Hermione said, pointing her wand at Ron.

Voldemort's eyes blinked open then widened in surprise.

“REDUCTO!” Harry shouted as he cast the spell.

To Harry's complete shock the spell hit the mirror…and went right through it, hitting Voldemort in the chest. Ron grabbed his chest and screamed. Hermione jumped in shock and Harry panicked at hearing the anguished cry coming from his best friend. He locked eyes with Hermione and saw that she was seriously rethinking this plan.

“Don't even think about it!” Harry scolded.

There was a loud boom and Harry's spell shot back out of the mirror, hitting the horcrux. A shockwave came out of the mirror that knocked Harry across the room. A gust of wind whipped violently around them and he heard Hermione scream in terror.

He scrambled to his feet and ran to her side. “Let go of it!” Harry shouted. Ron was still screaming.

“I can't, Harry!” she cried, clawing at the hand that held the horcrux. He reached over and tried to pry her fingers off of it but they wouldn't budge, it was like they were glued to it. Harry's spell beam was still bouncing back and forth between the two mirrors and Ron was still screaming.

“Harry?”

There was a shout from far off along with pounding on the door but the two of them had sealed it shut. There was a cry of surprise from Hermione as she suddenly began to rise off the floor along with Ron. Harry clung to Hermione, trying to tug her down. His spell beam continued to bounce between the mirrors until it slammed into the horcrux with a loud boom, sending Hermione flying across the room. There was the sound of breaking glass and Ron fell to the floor with a thud. There was an explosion and the attic door burst open with Lupin, Tonks, the Weasley's and Moody piling in.

“Hermione,” Harry said and scrambled over to her, falling to his knees at her side. She lay quietly with her eyes shut, mirror face down next to her. Harry was too frightened at the possibility that Voldemort had moved from Ron to her.

“Move over Harry,” Lupin said, kneeling next to him. “Hermione,” he said gently as he shook her and patted her cheek gently. Harry held his breath as her eyes fluttered open to reveal…

…the most beautiful familiar brown eyes in his life.

“Hermione,” he breathed as he gathered her in his arms. She groaned and looked up at him.

“Did it work?” she asked.

Lupin used the corner of his robes to pick up the mirror. Broken shards of glass fell to the floor and he turned it over to reveal the cracked mirror. Harry and Hermione scrambled over to Ron who was being carried out of the room.

“Is he okay?”

“What happened?”

“Did you wake him?”

They peppered questions at the others as they rushed him out of the attic and into the room they had been keeping him in.

“Wands at the ready,” Moody said nodding to the others in the room. Mr. Weasley set his son down on the bed then promptly backed away. “Ennerverate!” Moody said.

Ron sat up straight. “HARRY IT'S HIM! IT'S YOU-KNOW-WHO!” he screamed and everyone jumped.

Harry's heart burst with joy. “RON!” He shot out from everyone and tackled his friend in a hug. Hermione shortly followed, tears streaming down her face as she joined in the hug.

“Ron!” Mrs. Weasley cried as she and Arthur joined in the melee.

Ron looked absolutely bewildered and confused.

“Ron, Ron, you're back!” Hermione cried.

“What? What is everyone on about? You didn't touch it, did you Harry? The mirror, you didn't touch it?”

“No,” Harry shook his head. “You did.”

“Why aren't we by the fountain?” Ron asked. “Did you get me out?”

“Don't you remember anything?” Harry asked.

“Yeah, the fountain and the ho—mirror,” Ron corrected quickly. “I touched it but it wouldn't let me go and then You-Know-Who appeared and then…here I am.”

Madame Pomfrey had been summoned earlier and she bustled into the room, clearing everyone out except for the Weasley's. Harry and Hermione didn't want to leave but Lupin pointed to the drawing room. Giving each other uneasy looks the two of them reluctantly followed their old professor.

“Professor Lupin,” Hermione said immediately when he closed the door, hoping to get a jump in before he started whatever he was going to say. But he held up a hand.

“Don't you two even start with me,” he said in a very controlled voice. Hermione cowered away. “What you two did was very dangerous and extremely stupid.”

“It worked didn't it?” Harry shot back.

“It doesn't matter if it worked or it didn't, Harry. The point is that you two put yourselves in grave danger over a secret that you are both hiding. Now, once and for all, tell me what you are hiding.”

Harry stayed silent, his face emotionless. Lupin turned to Hermione who also was silent and had a defiant look on her face.

“This isn't some game you two. This isn't going into the depths of Hogwarts to retrieve the stone. This is serious and dangerous. Look at what happened to Ron and what could've happened to you two.”

“We would do nothing different if we had the chance,” Hermione said quietly.

Lupin pursed his lips together. “Harry, Hermione, you know that you can trust me. I would never, never, betray you,” he pleaded with them. “I care for you two so much and I only want to help you. So many people care about you Harry and would do anything to help you. You have to trust us.”

Harry sighed heavily. Of course he knew that Lupin would never betray him and if it were any other secret, he would've gladly shared it with him. He desperately wanted to tell him about the horcruxes, tell him that he needed help, that he knew he was in over his head. But Dumbledore didn't tell anyone about this, only Harry, not even the Order and Harry thought there must have been a good reason for that.

“I can't,” he answered quietly. “The Order isn't as trustworthy as we wish it to be. I'm living proof of that. I can't. Not about this, I can't.” It killed him to see the hurt in Lupin's eyes. His parent's hadn't chosen him to be their Secret Keeper, and Sirius hadn't persuaded them to use him either. Instead they chose Peter Pettigrew, for whatever reason, and that was the worst betrayal of all. Snape came second. Both trustworthy members of the Order. And now Harry, his best friend's son, wouldn't trust him with this secret. It hurt.

“I'm sorry,” Harry said softly.

Hermione stepped forward. “We do respect you and we do trust you. But this is too important and we just can't take the chance that it could fall into the wrong hands…even if accidentally.”

“But I still need you,” Harry added. “I need you to trust me on this, to support me, to believe in me.”

“Of course,” Lupin said immediately. “You don't even have to question that.”

Harry smiled slightly. Deep down he knew he had wounded this man who had shown him nothing but kindness and understanding. He knew that things would never be the same again but when this whole thing was over, maybe then Lupin would understand why he did what he did.

~*~

Mrs. Weasley cooked up a feast of Ron's favorite foods for her extremely ravenous son. He was still in bed, Madame Pomfrey ordered him to do so until tomorrow, and Harry and Hermione took dinner with him in the room.

“So, how long was I out?” Ron asked them.

“A few days,” Harry answered.

“Wow,” Ron softly sighed. “So what did you guys do?” He looked between his two friends. Harry looked up sharply then looked at Hermione.

“We tried to get you back,” Hermione answered. “We used a mirror and when that didn't work we tried reenacting what had happened…”

“It was Hermione's idea to use two mirrors that finally got you back,” Harry said softly.

“I don't remember any of it,” Ron shook his head. “I'm so sorry that I touched the damned thing in the first place.”

“We're just glad to have you back,” Harry smiled at his friend.

“So we did it then,” Ron beamed. “We destroyed one of the horcruxes.”

“Yeah, we did,” Hermione smiled back.

“You see, Harry?” he said. “We can do this together.” But Harry didn't return his enthusiasm.

When it came time for them to turn in, Harry decided to sleep on his old bed that was next to Ron's. Hermione, not wanting to leave her friends, conjured up an extra bed in the room.

“You guys really don't have to do this,” Ron said sheepishly, touched at their gestures.

“Just humor us, Ron,” Hermione smiled gently at him.

Harry stayed quiet and picked silently at some random lint on his comforter, chancing a glance once in awhile at Hermione. She was dressed again in the white tank and flannel plaid pants. The ones she wore this morning before he had slid them off of her. He quickly looked away from her.

Crookshanks padded into the room and hopped up onto her bed as she snuggled underneath her covers.

“Nox,” she said and the lights went out. She could hear her boys sinking into their beds.

“Goodnight, Harry. Night, Hermione,” Ron said sleepily.

“Goodnight Ron,” they both replied.

In the light of the streetlamp from outside, Hermione could see Harry's silhouette in the darkness. She looked longingly over at him, wishing that she could slide into the bed next to him. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. With a start, she realized that Harry was gazing at her.

He had been thinking the same thoughts, how wonderful it would be to feel her in his arms right now. He broke his gaze from her and turned over, away from her and closed his eyes to what would be a very long night.

~*~

Hermione opened the bathroom door to find Ron on the other side with his fist suspended in air in mid knock.

“I was just about to knock,” Ron said. “Breakfast is ready.”

“Good timing, I just finished getting ready.”

She moved past him but he caught her arm. “Are you okay?” he asked her.

Harry rounded the corner to tell Hermione about breakfast but stopped when he saw Ron holding her arm. He hid himself behind the corner and peeked out.

Hermione looked up at Ron, concern written all over his face. Was she that obvious? Was the conflict on her face so evident? The past few days she had become closer emotionally and physically to Harry than she had even been with Ron. And Ron had been possessed by Voldemort that whole time. How messed up was that?

“Oh Ron!” she threw her arms around him and began to cry. “You have no idea how much I've missed you.”

Ron was taken aback. “Hermione?” he asked with concern. He didn't want anyone to see her in such a state so he ushered her back inside the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Harry quietly turned and went back down the stairs.

There was nothing like the return of your best friend to redraw that line between Harry and Hermione. They sat across from each other during breakfast, not making much conversation. Thankfully, Tonks bounced into the kitchen.

“Guess what?!” she squealed at the teens. “Guess who is your new Transfiguration teacher?”

“You?” Ron said incredulously and Hermione shot him an annoyed look before turning back to her.

“That's great!” Hermione said.

“Congratulations,” Harry said, genuinely happy for her.

“Oh, I can't wait! Can you believe that they almost closed Hogwarts this year? There was so much debate over it this summer but the teachers are coming back and…”

“Not all of them?” Harry asked with a dark look.

Tonks' smile faded slightly. “No, not all of them. At least…I don't think so.”

“No one's heard from him, Harry,” Hermione said quietly. “I overheard Moody talking to Lupin about it.”

“Even if he did come back, McGonagall wouldn't be stupid enough to hire him back,” Ron added quickly.

“Hogwarts will be the safest place to be this year,” Lupin said as he walked into the kitchen. He gave Tonks a congratulatory kiss and Ron looked away, making a gagging gesture. Harry smirked. “The Order will be patrolling the school along with some aurors. Some of us are even becoming teachers,” he hugged Tonks proudly.

“Will you be teaching?” Harry asked.

Lupin shook his head. “No, Harry, I'm afraid not but I will be patrolling the grounds. Harry, Aberforth is upstairs waiting for you.”

Harry sighed and left the table.

The lesson wasn't that bad this time. Harry had enough memories of him and Hermione that he desperately didn't want anyone to see and that was motivation enough to keep Aberforth out of them. But he still needed to work on what Aberforth could get out of him, random but important memories. He even managed to get a peek of Ginny walking down the aisle in her brother's wedding. A pang of guilt went through Harry that Aberforth immediately picked up on.

“Well, it was better this time,” he said to Harry. “Still need a lot of work though. Are you clearing your thoughts when you go to bed each night.”

“Sort of,” Harry mumbled. Last night was terrible and he didn't sleep much anyway. He found it a lot easier to clear his mind after having sex with Hermione, he was absolutely useless after they were together like that.

“Work on it,” Aberforth said gruffly. “But for now, I think we should try something new. Now, clear your mind and look into my eyes. Invision yourself entering my head, seek out my thoughts.”

Harry took a deep breath and concentrated on his eyes. They were the same twinkling blue ones as his mentors and Harry broke the contact. It was just too painful to think about.

“I can't,” he said, turning away.

“Try again,” Aberforth encouraged.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He needed to do this.

The door suddenly flung open and an angry Ron stomped in with a bundle of books in his arms.

“What the fuck is this?” he said angrily, dropping the books at Harry's feet.

“Excuse me, young man,” Aberforth scolded but Harry interrupted him.

“It is what it is,” he said defiantly.

“You sent it in, didn't you?” Ron pointed an accusing finger in his face. “You returned our acceptance letters. You're sending me and Hermione away.”

“You'll be safer at Hogwarts.”

“How dare you!” Hermione said from the doorway. She had tears in her eyes and she looked ready to spit fire. Harry was momentarily afraid but he wouldn't budge. She stormed over to him and before he couldn't even blink, her fist collided with his cheek. Harry saw stars and his cheek throbbed. He had forgotten that Hermione could punch. She turned and fled the room.

“Hermione,” Harry moved to go after her but Ron stopped him by grabbing a fistful of the front of his shirt.

“Don't even think about it,” he threatened and shoved him away, turning and following Hermione.

“You're not going back to Hogwarts?” Aberforth asked.

“No, I'm not,” Harry replied irritably, rubbing his jaw. He walked over to the window and drew back the curtain slightly. As he predicted, Hermione ran out into the garden, her shoulders slumped and shaking as she cried. Ron quickly followed and embraced her, holding her to him. A roar of jealousy rose quickly but Harry stomped it down. Angrily he turned from the window.

“Let's continue with the lesson,” he said determinedly.

~*~

Word of his non-return to Hogwarts swept quickly through the house and by dinner time he received lectures from every adult in the house, including Fineas' portrait. He avoided the kitchen where everyone was sitting down to eat and instead went to his room where a howler was waiting for him from Professor McGonagall, now Headmistress of Hogwarts. He sighed wearily and opened it, might as well get it over with.

A half and hour later there was a knock at the door and Ron entered the room carrying a tray of food floating behind him. Harry had been brooding on his bed and was a little wary of his friend right now.

“Hey,” Ron said quietly.

“Hey,” he replied.

Ron set the tray down and stood in front of the bed. “Did you, uh, pay for the books yourself?”

“I told them to charge it to my vault.”

“I'll pay you back then.”

“You don't need to.”

“I don't want your charity,” he said fiercely.

“It's not charity,” Harry replied shortly.

Ron pursed his lips together and sighed. “Is this because I touched the mirror? I told you, I didn't mean to, I just couldn't help it.”

Harry shook his head. “This isn't because you touched the mirror. It's because of what happened to you when you touched it.”

“We were supposed to do this together,” Ron insisted.

“And we have. Look, you heard Tonks, Hogwarts will be a hell of a lot safer than any place else. Especially since I won't be there.”

“And what about us?” Ron crossed his arms.

“Is it such a crime to want my two best friends to be safe?” Harry asked.

“You can't do this alone,” Ron insisted. Harry didn't want to argue anymore. He decided to hit Ron below the belt.

“Do you want to put Hermione through what happened to you?” he asked. He knew it was low and that it would get some sort of reaction from him.

Ron glared at him.

“Do you know what its like to see your best friend suffer?” Harry demanded. “To see him struggle against such unspeakable evil?”

“Yeah, I do,” Ron replied. “I've seen it since our first year.”

“Imagine if it was Hermione instead of you lying in that bed.”

“That's not fair!” Ron shouted.

“It is fair!” Harry shouted back. “Because it could happen Ron! There's a very good chance that it could happen and I'm just trying to protect her as well. Can you even think what would happen if he somehow got a hold of her in any way? I can't even fathom it, I refuse to. I can't let it happen!”

Ron stared at him for the longest time. He opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it. He turned and left the room.

There was laughter coming from the drawing room and Ron walked in to see his parents talking with Lupin and Tonks. Hermione was sitting in an armchair by the fire, staring into the flames. The light of the fire cast a soft glow around her, highlighting her pretty curls. What if what happened to him, happened to Hermione? Harry was right, he couldn't bear the thought.

His sleep was restless that night and he was all alone back in his room. He heard a soft sound from outside his door and he quietly got up to investigate. When he opened the door, he saw the soft glow of firelight from the drawing room and Hermione still reading by the fire. But someone else was watching her.

Harry was standing quietly by the doorframe unbeknownst to her. He was gazing at her with a look that Ron recognized. He quietly closed the door and crept back into his bed, the image replaying in his mind. Yes, he knew that look on his friend's face all too well.

-->

14. Broken

Broken

You want the greatest thing

The greatest thing since bread came sliced.

You've got it all, you've got it sized.

Like a Friday fashion show teenager

Freezing in the corner

Trying to look like you don't try.

That's sugarcane that tasted good.

That's cinnamon, that's Hollywood.

C'mon, c'mon no one can see you try.

No one can see you cry.

That sugar cane that tasted good.

That freezing rain, that's what you could.

C'mon, c'mon on no one can see you cry.

(Imitation of Life-R.E.M.)

~*~

“Are you going to stand there all night or have you lost your ability to communicate with your friends altogether?” she asked, looking up from her book.

Harry had given himself away purposely by standing in the doorway in her peripheral. He knew he was on shaky ground with her and that her comment was at least an invitation for conversation. He walked toward the fireplace and stood in front of her.

“I forgot you could pack a punch,” he said quietly. Hermione narrowed her eyes and looked down at the fire.

“We've been your friends through thick and thin. For years we've stuck by your side, we deserve a lot better than you sneaking behind our backs,” she hissed through her teeth. “I'm not like your girlfriend, I'm not going to wait by the sidelines until this war is over.” She got up angrily from the chair.

Harry dropped his arms. “Oh come on, Hermione.”

“What?” she whirled on him.

“I'm not expecting you and Ron to wait for me. I need you guys, really I do. But I don't want to put anyone else in any danger!”

“How can you stand there and tell me this? How can it be okay for us to be safe while you are putting your life on the line?”

“My life has been on the line since that damned prophecy,” he shot back.

“I'm not going back,” she crossed her arms and plopped down onto a chair. Harry walked over to her and knelt down in front of her.

“Hermione, please,” he said softly. “You have worked so hard for that badge. Don't tell me that there wasn't a thought of remorse that went through your head when you held it in your hands.”

She looked down at him, her face softening. “There are more important things in this life than stupid badges and titles,” she said.

“I have to admit I have a bit of an ulterior motive for asking you to return to Hogwarts,” he said. “The library.”

“Oh, you've got to be joking,” Hermione said exasperatedly.

“No, Hermione, really,” he insisted and she saw that his face was completely serious. “Hogwarts has the best library on wizardry and no one knows it better than you.”

“Harry, if this is flattery, I'll pass on it.”

“You wanted to do the research, what better place to do it?”

“I can get into Hogwarts anyway,” she retorted.

“Not without being a student,” Harry insisted, although he wasn't entirely sure.

“McGonagall would surely let me visit--.”

“Not without raising some suspicion as to what we are up to,” Harry interrupted her. “Hermione, not everyone returning to Hogwarts is going to be on our side. You don't think Voldemort won't have his spies in there?”

A troubled look flickered over her face as she remembered Draco and Snape last year. “Why send me and Ron? There are others who are completely loyal. You heard Lupin, the Order will be there as well as the aurors.”

“But you two are the only ones I completely trust.”

“Then come back with us!” she insisted.

Harry looked away. “Hermione, I can't. That place…you have no idea how much that place meant to me. But I can't go back there. It's just too painful.”

“Oh, Harry.” She reached out and caressed his cheek and Harry closed his eyes to revel in her touch. He leaned toward her and opened his eyes, leveling his intense gaze filled with desire on her. He placed a hand on the armrests on either side of her, pinning her to the chair as he leaned in for a kiss.

But Hermione quickly stood. “I can't do this right now, Harry.”

Harry stayed where he was for a moment before getting to his feet and turning to face her. She was standing by the fireplace, one hand on the mantle. She looked up at him, a pained look on her face.

“Is it…is it because of Ron?” he asked, fearing her answer.

“Yes,” she said softly. “And because of Ginny.” Harry nodded solemnly. “I didn't say anything to Ron,” she continued. “You didn't either.”

Harry's eyes avoided her face. “I didn't know how he would react.”

“And Ginny?” she asked.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. “Things are just so confusing right now.”

“Believe me, I know,” she said softly.

Ron removed his extendable ear from underneath the door and gathered the string in his hands. He had heard enough and was already feeling bad about spying on his friends. Why was he always so damned curious? It was this same characteristic of his that landed him into trouble with the mirror. But he just had to know what he friends were talking about. What had happened between Harry and Hermione? His imagination could fill in a lot of blanks. He and Hermione had broken things off at the wedding mutually, were these stirrings of possessiveness over Hermione due to jealousy or something more platonic? And Ginny, pining away at the burrow over Harry? Ron couldn't help the anger that began to blossom within him toward Harry. After all, wasn't he supposed to be with Ginny in the end? How could he break his little sister's heart? And Hermione? What was he playing at with her?

He threw himself on his bed, willing his anger toward Harry to subside. There was the sound of a door closing followed shortly by another. He guessed Harry and Hermione finally turned in.

~*~

“Are you alright?” Harry asked, looking over at Ron he was pushing his eggs around his plate.

“Fine,” he answered simply.

Harry looked over at Hermione who shrugged then took a sip of her coffee.

“I'll send an owl later to check on you all,” Molly said as she put on her traveling cloak. It was her last day here at Grimmauld Place and she was returning to the Burrow. “Please take care of yourselves,” she hugged each of the three of them, giving her son a kiss on the top of his head.

When the three of them were finally left alone, Harry turned to his two friends. “I'm thinking of going to Godric's Hollow today. Lupin gave me directions and I was wondering if you two would come with.”

“Of course we will,” Hermione said immediately. Ron looked up at him and nodded as well.

“Excellent. We'll leave after breakfast then?” Harry asked.

It was a quiet neighborhood. The houses were quaint with large green grassy lawns and tall trees with full green canopies. White picket fences marked the perimeter of some lawns, green hedges others.

“So where is it?” Ron asked in a hushed voice.

“Right over…here,” Harry said, standing in front of a grassy green space filled with trees between two houses.

“It's unplottable,” Hermione gasped. “Of course.”

“Only until I claim it,” Harry said, taking out a scroll of parchment and reading the very first line of it. “The deed and the property of Godric's Hollow belong under the ownership of Harry James Potter.”

As soon as he finished the sentence, a beautiful two-storied home painted white with green shutters and a thatched roof appeared in front of them. The white picket fence needed repairing and the front lawn was in disrepair. The shutters were closed and faded as well as the white paint on the outside and the roof had spots missing from it. Nearly sixteen years of neglect shown on the property.

“Well,” Ron said after taking it in. “Welcome home, mate.” He slapped Harry on the shoulder.

Hermione loved it the instant she saw it. “We certainly have our work cut out for us.”

Harry grinned and walked forward toward his childhood home. He opened the gate (it fell off) and walked through.

As they walked through the front door, they walked into a large living room filled with furniture that had covers on them. A layer of sixteen years of dust covered everything as well as broken and dusty cobwebs. Ron recoiled slightly at the sight of these. Hermione went to the window and, struggling, managed to lift it and opened the shutters letting light penetrate the dusty darkness.

Harry walked around the living room then moved into what he assumed was the dining room because of the large table that seated ten people.

Ron Was Here

Ron wiped his dusty finger on his jeans after leaving a mark on the dust covered table. Dark mahogany wood shone through his writing. Hermione peered into the china cabinet, wiping away some dirt and grime from the glass window of the hutch.

Together they walked into the kitchen. A rectangular shaped room with horrible counter tops and appliances that were, Harry guessed, sixteen years old or older. Ron eyed them with interest. There was a window over the sink that looked into the backyard and Harry imagined his mother standing there doing the dishes while his father and him played in the yard. It was a painful daydream.

“Don't!” Harry said sharply to Hermione as she touched the handle of one of the cabinets. “We don't know what's in there,” he said more softly. “The last thing we need is a boggart to appear,” he said pointedly to her, remembering the form of her boggart. Hermione brought her hand back, rapidly, to her side.

There was a drawing room downstairs as well as, to Hermione's delight, a study/library room. Nervous anticipation filled Harry as he made his way upstairs with his friends. There were a couple more bathrooms up here as well as some rooms that could be used for bedrooms. As they opened the French doors at the end of the hall, they revealed a large room with a large four-poster bed in the middle of it.

“This must have been your parent's bedroom, Harry,” Hermione said softly as they stepped into it.

Harry's finger traced the intricate woodwork on the bedposts. He didn't know how old the bed was but he figured it must have been in his family for generations. His finger ran over the image of a lion's head carved into it. There was a large canvas cloth covering the mattress and a strange image suddenly came to his mind.

A beautiful young woman with green eyes like his own was looking down at him. The bright sunlight highlighted her long red hair. She was laying on her side, the comforting smell of her filled his nostrils and soothed him. She was singing to him. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…”

The image faded away and Harry blinked his moist eyes.

“Are you alright?” Ron asked. He was looking at him with concern in his eyes.

Harry nodded. It must have been a memory of his mother singing to him when he was a baby though why he could remember it was a mystery to him. Again, Hermione opened the windows, letting sunshine shine into the room.

They left it and walked down to the next room, Harry's hand paused at the handle.

“I think this was my room,” he said softly. The concept of it was too foreign to him, for as long as he could remember he never really had a room of his own. The room he had at the Dursley's wasn't really his in the way it was supposed to be.

Hermione's comforting touch on his shoulder gave him the strength he needed to turn the knob. The first thing he saw was his crib.

The hooded figure loomed above him over the crib rails. He was pointing something at him. Where was mummy?

“AVADA KEDAVRA!” came a cold, high-pitched voice.

Then there was a bright green light and pain, pain like he had never known seared through him.

“NO!” Harry cried out and slammed the door shut, one hand clutched to his scar on his forehead.

“Harry!” Hermione screamed as he sank to the floor.

“Harry, is it him? Is it You-Know-Who?” Ron asked.

Tears streamed down Harry's face. “I can't,” he gasped. “I can't go in there.”

“Okay, we're done here,” Hermione said, cradling Harry to her. “We're going back to Grimmauld Place.”

~*~

Ron set the tray of food down next to Harry's bed. He didn't know if he was going to eat it or not, he was just lying there staring into nothing. He sighed and turned away from his sad and depressed friend. Hermione was standing in the doorway looking worried. Ron stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. In silence, they made their way back downstairs to the kitchen.

“It was a stupid idea to let him go back there,” Hermione said as she sat down.

Ron took a seat across from her. “He would've gone. It was inevitable. He needed to see his childhood home.”

Hermione sighed as she rested her elbows on the table and sank her head into her hands.

When night fell and Ron and Hermione had long gone to bed, Harry waited ten minutes from when he heard Lupin and Tonk's bedroom door close before sliding out of his bed. He grabbed his broom and opened the door a crack.

All was silent.

He slipped out of bed and tiptoed down the hall, down the stairs and to the garden where he took off on his broom. He needed to return to Godric's Hollow.

Hermione watched him from her bedroom window and quickly put on her shoes and a warm sweater before she snuck out of her room to follow Harry.

Harry set down on a shadowy part of the street and walked to his home.

“Lumos,” he whispered when he entered the dark abode. The house was still unplottable to those that weren't shown the secret to get to it so Harry had no fear of intrusion. But he still didn't want anything lurking in the shadows to jump out at him.

Bravely, he made his way upstairs and down the hall, pausing once again outside of his room. He took a deep breath to summon his courage and opened the door.

His eyes, once again, fell on the crib. It was wooden and dusty, the mattress long gone. Under a canvas cloth was the shape of what he assumed was a dresser. Another had the silhouette of a rocker and there was a shorter dresser that he assumed might have been a changing table. A rectangular shaped box grabbed his attention and Harry carefully pulled the canvas drape off of it revealing a wooden toy chest, painted in primary colors. With his wand at the ready for anything that might come out of there, he flung open the lid.

Nothing happened. And he peered into to see a collection of toys. His toys. He sat down on his heels and took out a brown teddy bear. It looked worn with love and Harry held it up to his nose. It smelled faintly of something familiar and comforting in his past. Gingerly, he set the bear aside and reached in the chest again feeling a set of wooden blocks.

H A R R Y

He spelled out his name with them, arranging them on the floor in front of him.

“No! Not Harry! Please not Harry!” his mother pleaded. “Kill me instead!”

“Step aside, silly girl!” the high-pitched voice said.

“No, please!”

“Avada Kedavra!”

There was a jet of green light that hit his mother and she fell with a thud, lifeless on the floor. Harry was standing in his crib, holding on to the rails as he watched his mother on the floor. He then looked up at the robed figure that was still in the room. He let go of the rail and plopped onto his mattress, scooting to the far side of the crib as the figure approached him.

He cried out in anguish, letting the tears fall down his face. He picked up his old teddy bear and held it to him as he drew in his knees to his chest and rocked back in forth. A pair of arms wrapped around him and enveloped him into a hug. Harry settled himself into her comforting embrace, letting her scent and warmth soothe him as he cried. She wouldn't care if he cried, she wouldn't judge him.

“It's okay, Harry,” Hermione whispered and kissed the top of his head. She sat back on her heels and cradled him in her arms. “It's okay.”

Surrounded by the childhood that was stolen from him, Hermione began to comprehend the sorrow he must be feeling. Well, not fully comprehend it, because she couldn't imagine how horrible it must have been to have it taken away but she could now begin to understand the motives behind why Harry did many of the things he did. The boy, the young man, her best friend that she held in her arms, meant so much to her that she couldn't even begin to describe it. What lengths would she go to protect something so valuable to her in this life when everything she loved had been so easily taken away from her? Would she do the same thing Harry did and send him away where he would be safe?

“Okay, Harry,” she whispered into his hair on the top of his head. She kissed him there softly. “I'll go back to Hogwarts.”

*

Harry flew them back to Grimmauld Place in silence some time later. They touched down in the garden and Hermione got off his broom. She looked at him and smiled softly, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze before letting go.

But Harry, didn't let her. He still held on to her hand, still feeling a little lost. She led him quietly back into the house and back up the stairs to his room. She stopped outside his door and turned to look at him. He brushed a stray strand of hair away with his fingers and tucked it behind her ear. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, brushing his tongue against her lips, asking for entrance. She complied and brought her hand to the back of his neck, pressing them closer together, the Firebolt trapped between them.

Harry reached behind her and opened his door, bringing her into his room, spinning her around and pressing her against the door, closing it shut. Hermione took one foot to her other heel, giving her leverage to take the shoe off, repeating the other action on the other foot as Harry lifted her sweater over her head. She reached around and undid her bra, sliding the straps down her arms. Her skin was warm and soft beneath his fingers and he slid them over her, cupping the soft mounds of her breasts. She took the bottom of his shirt in her hands and tugged it over his head, his glasses catching in the action and getting lost in the garment as it fell to the floor. His arms wrapped around her, bringing her to him, holding her close against his skin.

She wrapped her thighs around his waist as he lifted her against the wall, holding her bottom as she fumbled with the front of his jeans. She unzipped him and reached to wrap her hands around his hard length, eliciting a low groan from him. She removed her hand and reached around him, sliding his wand from his back pocket. Harry set her down gently, taking the wand from her hand as she undid her jeans. He helped her tug them down as he waved the wand over her abdomen, casting the contraception charm. He dropped it to the floor and stepped out of his jeans, leading her back to his bed.

She slid underneath the covers, pulling him to follow her as he moved between her parted knees. He placed one hand beside her, the other on the sheet as he covered the two of them. She had one arm wrapped around his neck, the other on his arm as he lowered her on the bed. He entered her wet heat in one swift motion, bringing them together once again as one. Hermione lifted her hips to meet him in his gentle and rhythmic thrusts. Their dance was a sensual one filled with her soft sighs, a shared heated kiss, his moans of pleasure. A soft caress of her hands here, his gentle touch there, a tangle of limbs that slid over one another. He would press into her and she would lift to meet him, then he would pull away from her only to fall into her again, an action that mimicked the ebb and flow of waves crashing onto the shore.

She let out a soft cry as her pleasure exploded from within, bringing Harry with her as they both tumbled over the edge of the abyss. Both of them hot and breathing hard as he lay above her, his weight pressing onto her but not completely. He left her warmth, pulling himself out to lay by her side. She rolled to face him, tucking the sheet under her arms, the evidence of their lovemaking was sticky on her inner thighs. He reached for her, placing a hand on her hip. He moved closer to her and she snuggled against his chest, listening to his heartbeat slow itself down and his breathing became soft and rhythmic.

“I'm not going to wait for you,” she whispered softly, thinking he was asleep.

“I wouldn't ask you to,” he answered her quietly. And he reached down and tilted her chin up to him so he could kiss her lips. He rolled her on her back once again, moving the sheet aside as he settled himself between her parted thighs.

~*~

It was thirst that woke Ron up and bleary eyed he got out of bed and trudged downstairs to the kitchen. Letting the cool liquid slide down his throat, he set the empty glass down and turned out the light in the kitchen.

He froze suddenly when he heard a noise, his senses went on high alert. He quietly opened the door and peered out into the hall. There was nothing there but a soft shuffling coming from upstairs. He tiptoed up the stairs and froze when he saw two figures standing outside of Harry's door. Moving slowly up the stairs to get a better look, he saw that it was Harry and Hermione standing there.

Then to his complete and absolute shock, Harry leaned down and kissed her!

Ron was so stunned by this action that it seemed forever to process this action and when it finally did, the door to Harry's room closed, presumably with both of them on the other side.

He stood there fuming, unsure of what to do, how to act. He went to his room, closed the door and sat on his bed. How could they do this to him? Shouldn't they have said something to him? Is this what they were keeping from him? When did this happen? Did it happen while he was lying in bed…with Voldemort stuck in his fucking head?!

He angrily sprang to his feet and yanked open his door. He was going to have a few things to say to those two. He went up the stairs, past Hermione's room, straight to Harry's. He paused outside of his door to gather his thoughts turned the knob and slowly opened the door.

He closed it just as quickly.

His insides felt as if they were filled with lead and he found it suddenly hard to breathe. Numbly, he turned and walked back downstairs and into his room. He lay down on his bed and screwed his eyes shut. His hands turned into fists and he slammed them hard on either side of him.

“Dammit Harry!” he cursed, wishing he could sear the image from his mind. The image of Harry's bare back, sheets falling to his waist, the silhouette of Hermione's knees underneath and her hand splayed upon his back as he moved above her.

~*~

“I don't even have a complete lesson plan. What am I going to do? I've never spoken to a large crowd before! What if they all hate me?” Tonks was shooting her questions off rapidly.

“Love, I'm sure you'll do just splendidly,” Lupin reassured her.

Harry added a reassuring smile. “Just be wary of the Slytherins.”

“Harry that isn't appropriate. Not all Slytherins are bad people,” Lupin admonished.

“Can you name one?” Harry answered bitterly. “Draco isn't exactly a ray of sunshine and I believe you had Snape in your year?” Lupin scowled at him. “I rest my case,” Harry shrugged carelessly.

Ron had been quiet all morning, again his appetite wasn't what it usually was and Harry noticed this. He was worried about his friend, maybe he should ask Lupin to send for Madame Pomfrey to examine Ron again.

“Are you going to go back to Godric's Hollow today?” Lupin asked Harry.

“Yeah, probably after Hermione gets back from the Burrow. She left this morning to get Mrs. Weasley's housekeeping books and pick up some crates of doxycide,” Harry explained after taking a sip of orange juice.

“I'm surprised she got up so early this morning,” Ron said as he pushed the eggs around on his plate. Harry looked up sharply at his friend's comment, the fork in his hand suspended in air in its journey to his mouth.

“What do you mean?” Tonks asked

“I don't know. Ask Harry,” Ron replied. Harry set down his fork with a clatter and stared across the table at his friend.

“What's that supposed to mean?” he asked him.

“Hey guys, take it easy,” Tonks said, looking between the two of them.

“Nymphadora, I think we should leave,” Lupin said, getting the gist of the argument.

“Is there's something you want to say, Ron?” Harry asked angrily.

“Funny question coming from you,” Ron retorted.

Lupin and Tonks rose from the table. “We're just going to…” They quickly left the kitchen, leaving the two teens alone.

“When were you going to tell me you're fucking Hermione?” Ron spat out.

Harry was completely taken aback. He didn't think that was what he was talking about, he thought Ron had known that he and Hermione had snuck out and gone to Godric's Hollow.

“W-what?” Harry spluttered.

“When did this happen?” Ron demanded. “Was last night the first time? Was it before then? Did it happen when I was lying there with You-Know-Who stuck in my fucking head?!” Ron shot up out of his seat and kicked the chair.

“We didn't mean for it to happen,” Harry said quickly.

Ron just gaped at him. “What?! Are you telling me that this was an accident? That you just…tripped and fell into her?”

“No! Ron…,” Harry ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

“How long, Harry?” Ron accused. “How long did you wait after I was out before you jumped on my girlfriend?”

“If I can recall, you two broke up at the Burrow,” Harry said coldly.

Ron narrowed his eyes. “Well, that just makes it perfect for you then.”

“Oh, shut up, Ron!” Harry interrupted but Ron continued on.

“Hermione and I break up, I'm holed up with a psycho wizard stuck in my head, it's just the perfect time for you to step in and sweep her off her feet.”

“That's not what happened,” Harry said icily.

“Isn't it? Having me back has just put a little crimp in your happy little world with your girlfr--.”

“She's not my girlfriend,” Harry interrupted him.

Ron just stared at him. “Not your…Harry…this is Hermione…”

“You think I don't know that, Ron?” Harry said angrily. “You don't think I think about that all the time? No one cares about her more than I-we, we do,” he quickly corrected himself.

“And Ginny?”

Harry sighed.

“You can't have them both, Harry,” Ron said solemnly.

“I know that Ron.”

Ron looked at him and said nothing for a long time. Finally, he walked over to the table and placed both hands on the back of a chair. “I'm your best friend, Harry. I always will be.” His gaze moved from the scorch mark on the table to his friend's emerald green eyes. “But I can't stand by and watch you hurt the two girls whom I care about more than anything. I won't let you.” With that, he left the kitchen and Harry to his own thoughts.

~*~

The rest of the summer days were spent cleaning Godric's Hollow, battling doxies and boggarts. Hermione had noticed a certain distance between Ron and Harry but said nothing about it. They still joked around with each other but there was always an undercurrent of…something. At the end of the day, they returned to Grimmauld Place, keeping each other company by the fire in the drawing room. Hermione read while Harry and Ron played wizard's chess. She was usually the first to turn in, leaving Harry and Ron alone with each other in a silent battle of wills before Ron would finally give in and drag his sleepy self to bed.

Every night, Harry had to pass Hermione's room to get to his and it would take all the will he had not to stop and enter her room instead. His room and bed were cold and empty, she could've joined him, anyway, if she wanted. Sometimes, Harry would dream that she did, her warm body sliding next to his, parting her thighs as he rolled over above her. These dreams would only result in messy bedsheets and a hell of a next morning trying to block those images from Aberforth's probing mind.

The morning of September the First was a solemn one, the weather outside was dark and rainy, mirroring Harry's own demeanor. His door was open but Lupin still knocked before entering, clearing Harry's thoughts.

“Are you sure you're making the right decision?” he asked.

“Yeah, I am,” Harry replied.

Lupin frowned slightly but still nodded. “Molly found this in your trunk when she was cleaning your things. It was broken but I fixed it, it's twin belonged to Sirius.” He held out a mirror and Harry was brought back to Christmas during his fifth year when Sirius had given him this two-way mirror as a way to communicate. The same mirror that he had forgotten to use when he had that vision of Sirius in the Department of Mysteries. Harry winced slightly at the memory.

“Perhaps you could use it now,” Lupin said.

“Ahem,” Ron's sound drew their attention to the door where he and Hermione were standing. With a smile, Lupin left the room giving Ron and Hermione words of encouragement and good luck.

“We're about ready to go,” Ron said quietly.

Harry got of the bed and walked to his friends. “Here,” he said to Ron, holding out the mirror Lupin had given him. Hermione's eyes widened.

“Harry, is that…”

“You can use it to get a hold of me any time you need to,” he said to them.

“Thanks mate,” Ron said.

“Use different owls when you write,” he said to Hermione. “I won't send Hedwig, it's too dangerous.”

Hermione's face crumpled and she threw her arms around Harry. “I wish you were coming with us,” she said in a broken voice. He sighed and slid his arms around her, committing the warmth that she radiated to memory, breathing in the shampoo scent from her hair. Something inside him shattered as he held her.

“You know why I can't,” he whispered in her ear. He wanted to do so much more to her, hold her tighter, kiss her tears, taste her mouth but he was painfully aware of Ron's presence who was watching the two of them with an odd expression on his face.

Harry broke the hug and turned to Ron. Hermione, upset and crying turned and fled downstairs to wait by the front door.

“You're not going to hug me are you?” Ron asked wryly and Harry laughed.

“No just…take care, alright?” he said.

“You too, Harry. And…please be careful?” he said after an awkward pause. Harry nodded and Ron turned away. Suddenly, Harry stepped out onto the landing to stop his friend.

“Hey, Ron?” he paused, his red-haired best friend looked up at him. Harry glanced over his shoulder, just slightly in the direction that Hermione had went. He felt so awkward he didn't know how to say what he was feeling.

Ron nodded. “I will, Harry. I'll make sure she's safe.”

As Ron and Hermione hauled their trunks out of the front door into the drizzling rain, Harry watched them from a tall window of the drawing room. The house instantly felt so empty. He felt empty and hollow. His breath condensed on the cold glass, fogging it up, blurring the images of his two friends as they walked across the yard. His hand rose to the glass and Harry touched a finger to Hermione's image in the distance, tracing it in the glass until she disappeared with a soft pop.

-->

15. A Return To Hogwarts

A Return To Hogwarts

A long time ago

We used to be friends

But I haven't thought of you lately at all

If ever again

A greeting I send to you

Short and sweet to the soul I intend

We used to be friends

A long time ago

We used to be friends

A long time ago

We used to be friends

A long time ago

We used to be friends

(We Used To Be Friends—The Dandy Warhols)

~*~

The whistle of the Hogwart's Express shrieked loudly as students, parents and Aurors milled about on the platform. Hermione lugged her trunk behind her as she made her way toward the train. It just wasn't the same without Harry. She looked over at Ron and the look on his face mirrored her thoughts.

“This just feels wrong,” she said quietly, stamping down the tears that threatened to spill over.

Ron wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze. “I know,” he said softly.

The atmosphere was unusually tense, she noticed. Not at all like the exciting buzz that usually accompanied the start of a new term. As the two of them made their way onto the train, there were a few raised eyebrows from their fellow classmates that only increased in frequency as they boarded the train and began to look for a compartment. Harry's absence was conspicuous.

Hermione led the way, glancing side to side through the glass for an empty seat when a sight in front of her made her stop altogether. She felt as if all the air around her had suddenly vanished and her body had somehow forgotten how to breathe. But it didn't forget its beating heart, for it pounded loudly in her ears. Her stomach dropped and adrenaline pumped through her. Her flight-or-fight response kicked in, in response to her fear.

Draco Malfoy was on the other end of the train, also looking for an empty compartment.

Hermione had stopped so suddenly that Ron crashed into her from behind.

“Hermione, what…” His voice trailed off when he looked over her shoulder and ahead. “Come on,” he said in an irritated voice, shoving Hermione forward and entering the nearest compartment. As luck would have it, it was empty.

Hermione sat down for fear her shaky legs would give out on her as Ron slammed the door.

“What the hell is he doing here?” he ranted.

“I don't know,” she said softly, shaking her head. She looked up at him, eyes wide. “We have to tell Harry.” Ron nodded and reached for his truck but she stopped him. “Not now, tell him tonight.”

Ron shrunk both of their trunks and put them above them then sat down across from Hermione. It was very quiet in the compartment, each of them digesting what they had seen when the door opened and Ginny entered.

“Mum said to give you this,” she said, tossing Ron a sandwich. She put away her trunk and plopped down next to Hermione.

“Where's Harry?” she asked. Ron looked up at her then at Hermione.

“He's not coming,” Hermione said softly.

“What?! Why?”

Ron was concentrating hard on his sandwich while Hermione fingered a seam in the wallpaper. Both of them stayed silent and Ginny looked between the two of them. The compartment door opened and a dreamy-eyed blond walked in wearing mini rubber chickens for earrings.

“Hello Luna,” Ginny said.

“Hello Ginny, Hermione,” Luna nodded to each of them. Hermione gave her a small smile. Luna put her trunk away and sat down next to Ron who lost interest in his sandwich and tossed it aside. “Hello Ronald,” she said breathily.

Hermione fought down a wry smile that threatened to show on her face. Ron inched slightly away from her and Hermione crossed her legs, kicking Ron in the shins on purpose.

“Hello, Luna,” Ron muttered. “Have a good summer?”

“It was a bit of a disappointment,” she sighed dramatically. “The hunt for Snorkacks was unsuccessful but father and I will try again next summer.” Ron glared at Hermione for getting Luna started but her face remained impassive. “Where's Harry?”

“He's not coming,” Ginny said with a hint of bitterness in her face as she glared between her brother and Hermione.

“Not coming?” Luna repeated and reached in her robes to pull out a copy of the Quibbler. “But I didn't see that in the runes for today.”

Hermione eyed the paper with disdain. The compartment door opened again and this time a winded, tall boy with dark hair entered, arms loaded with potted plants, a toad in the pocket of his robe and lugging a trunk behind him.

“Whew! I thought I wasn't going to make it!” Neville said. “I lost Trevor on the platform.”

The train gave a lurch as it began to move causing one of the plants to tumble into Hermione's lap. Hermione stroked the leaves of Mimbletonia, soothing it so it wouldn't squirt its stinky sap on her. It quivered with delight.

“Need a hand?” Ginny asked, taking the other plant from him as he settled into the compartment. Once seated, Hermione handed the Mimbletonia back to him.

“Let's go, Ron,” she said as she stood. “Prefect's meeting.”

The two of them walked out into the train's corridor where there was only a spattering of students, mostly first years, who were still trying to find a place to sit.

“We were never that small,” Ron said as he watched them.

“Come on, let's go help a few,” she said, pulling Ron along.

They were rounding up the last few and helping them find seats when someone called Hermione's name. She turned to see a tall brown-haired boy approach her and she recognized him as Ernie MacMillan.

Geez, did all the guys just sprout up?

“Hey Hermione, Ron,” he greeted them. Ron eyed him warily. “Are you ready to start the meeting? I have only a few notes prepared, what have you got?”

Hermione stared at him for a moment, unsure of what he was speaking about until Ron spoke up.

“Head Boy, huh?” he said, pointing to the shiny badge Hermione somehow missed.

“Yeah, isn't it great?” Ernie said excitedly.

“Congratulations,” Hermione said earnestly. After all, he was a model prefect for Hufflepuff and a member of the DA.

“I only just found out about a few days ago. That's why I feel so unprepared,” he chattered excitedly.

“A few days ago?” Hermione asked puzzled. “Didn't you get your notice with your letter?”

Ernie shook his head. “No it came separately for some reason.”

Harry.

Hermione turned and began to walk to the large compartment where they would be having their meeting. Ernie stepped between her and Ron to follow her. Ron narrowed his eyes. Ernie kept rambling on and on about his ideas for the year but Hermione suddenly found herself disinterested, trying hard not to think of the title she could've shared with Harry.

*

The Sorting and Welcome Feast were bittersweet and so strange to have McGonagall address the students, rather than Dumbledore. It was a bitter pill to swallow for a lot of the student body. To make matters worse, Harry's absence seemed more marked and Hermione and Ron could hear the low buzz of whispers, hearing his name murmured among one another. Overall, it was the most depressing start of the year for the Gryffindors. Ron made the mistake of glancing over at the Slytherin table whose occupants were sitting triumphant and superior. Draco glanced over, and seeing only the two of them, raised an eyebrow to compliment his smug smile. Ron wanted to pound his face into the table.

“Don't,” Hermione whispered to him, “things are bad enough as it is.”

Soon the food on table began to disappear and Headmistress McGonagall announced it was time for everyone to retire to their dormitories.

“I can't wait for this day to end,” Ron muttered as he got up from the table to lead the first years to the common room.

Hermione nodded in agreement but just when they thought the tough part was over, Professor McGonagall made her way to them.

“I would like to see both of you in my office right away,” she said hastily, giving them the password.

“Great,” Ron grumbled, slumping back down on the bench. Hermione had remained seated and reached up to place a hand on his shoulder.

A few moments later, the two of them stood in the Headmistress' office, an angry witch in front of them.

“You two are his friends, his best friends and yet you couldn't convince him to return to school?” she ranted. Hermione and Ron stood together, taking it all in. “I don't know what you three are up to but after that little incident over the summer, Mr. Weasley, I would've thought that some common sense would've been knocked into you three. Does he have any idea how unsafe it is for him to alone?”

“He's not alone,” Ron spoke up. “He's with…” he eyed the portraits, “…others.”

“Others aside,” McGonagall said pointedly. “He's much safer here than--.”

“Why is Draco Malfoy here?” Hermione cut her off.

McGonagall stared at her, her lips grew thin. After a moment she spoke, “He was originally denied admission for this year but his mother petitioned the governors and they had voted to let him return. My hands were tied on that issue.”

“How could they let him?” Ron spoke up. “After what he did last year.”

“Like I said, that was out of my hands,” McGonagall repeated. “However, he was stripped of his Prefects badge and all its privileges, all Hogsmeade visits are denied him and he cannot join in any school extracurricular activities or teams.”

“That's it?” Ron said.

“Yes,” McGonagall answered. “And now I believe its time for you to begin your rounds. I've already had to take thirty points from your house because of your blatant disregard for manners by interrupting me several times and I don't want to take any more away.”

Hermione sighed and turned, taking Ron with her out of the room. “Good night, Professor,” she said wearily as they left the room.

*

It was late by the time Ron returned to his dorm from his rounds. His roommates were up and when he walked into the room, the buzz that he could hear before he entered suddenly stopped and became eerily silent. They had obviously been talking about Harry. He knew they wanted an explanation for his absence but he just couldn't give them one.

He readied himself for bed and tucked in, drawing the curtains around his bed. One by one, the lights by the beds went out and Ron cast a silencing charm around him then reached for his robes and the mirror inside.

The tip of his wand cast a soft glow on it and he spoke softly. “Harry?”

A moment later, the face of his best friend peered up at him. “Hey Ron. So how was it?”

“Everyone wants to know where you are.”

“What did you tell them?”

“Nothing of course. But, listen, Malfoy's here.”

There was stunned silence on Harry's part and Ron continued. “Hermione and I asked McGonagall about it and she said his mother had petitioned the governors about having him readmitted.”

“Unbelievable,” Harry muttered angrily. “So he just gets to waltz around the school now?”

“She said he's no longer Prefect and he can't go to Hogsmeade anymore. Oh, and he can't play Quidditch.”

“Not that he was any good anyway,” Harry grumbled.

“Hey, Harry?” Ron asked.

“Yeah?”

“Did…did you get the Head Boy badge?” Harry's silence gave him the answer. “Ernie MacMillan has it now.”

“He's a good guy,” Harry replied non-commitally.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Look in your Chudley Cannons book,” Harry said, suddenly eager.

“Hang on a minute,” Ron replied and climbed out of bed to take the book out of his trunk. He climbed back into his sanctuary and opened it to reveal the thick folded parchment of the Marauder's Map.

“Harry, I…” Ron was at a loss for words when he spoke into the mirror again.

“With Malfoy back, you're going to need it more than I will,” Harry replied.

“Thanks, mate. Really.”

Harry smiled then his face suddenly grew a little sad. “I guess I should let you go now.”

“Yeah, it's getting late.”

“Tell…” Harry began but suddenly stopped, a pained look flashing across his face for a moment.

“They're both fine,” Ron said. “I'll tell them you said hello.”

~*~

By now, Harry was getting used to terrible sleep patterns. He tossed and turned all night, missing his friends, missing Hogwarts until morning light peeked through the curtains in the windows. Ready to face the day alone, he entered the kitchen to see Mad-Eye-Moody sitting with Remus Lupin.

“Morning,” Harry greeted them as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Good morning, Harry.”

“Potter.”

The two men continued on with their conversation.

“I'll have to go to Knockturn Alley today, I'm running low on some ingredients,” Lupin said.

“Should clear that place out,” Mood said gruffly. “Full of dark wizards I say.”

“Yes, well it's also the only place where I can find many of the ingredients needed for this wolfsbane potion,” Lupin sighed wearily.

“Mind if I go with you?” Harry asked.

“Sure, I wouldn't mind the company,” he replied. “I'm going to swing by the Ministry after if you don't mind, as well.”

“You're going to bring the boy with you to Knocturn Alley?” Moody's eyebrow rose. “Might as well paint a giant target on him,” he mumbled.

“I can just go out in disguise, there's got to be a spell to change my hair color or something,” Harry said. Such a spell had to exist right? Hermione would've known. Damn it! He should've asked her before she left.

Moody and Lupin eyed each other then looked at Harry. “Of course there are spells that do that,” Moody said. “They teach them during Auror training.”

“Okay,” Harry shrugged. No problem.

“And you'd have to graduate from a wizarding school to be even considered for the program,” Moody added.

Jerk, Harry thought, a scowl on his face. No need to rub it in.

Lupin cleared his throat and got up from the table. He walked to Harry and drew out his wand, pointing it to Harry's head.

“Integumentum,” he said, tapping him softly on the head.

“Might as well change his eye color, no one can mistake those eyes,” Moody said and Lupin did the same to his eyes.

“We'll leave in fifteen minutes,” he said.

Harry left the kitchen to grab a cloak and to get a peek at himself. A brown haired brown-eyed young man stared back at him in the mirror. The scar was still there and he brushed his bangs down to cover it like he usually did.

*

The weather was still overcast and it smelled like rain when the two of them set out, apparating in the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron. Diagon Alley was mostly filled with witches going about their daily errands, accompanied by their small children, too young to go to Hogwarts. Harry eyed a young witch with long dark hair, carrying her baby in her arms and he briefly thought of his own mother.

“Stay close, Harry,” Lupin said, bringing him out of his reverie as they turned the corner into Knockturn Alley. Harry remembered the brief and unpleasant period of time he had spent in the particular part of the wizarding world. But with older and more experienced eyes, the place slightly piqued his curiosity.

Hags, witches, odd wizards and mysterious cloaked figures passed him as the two of them walked by. Not a friendly face turned to them, not a greeting, just a few choice words said rudely if he accidentally knocked into one of them. Harry tried to focus his attention on where he was going instead of all the odd and peculiar shops.

There was a magical creature shop that sold menacing looking beasts, spiders, roaches and things with fangs. A large black snake was coiled in the window, its head sliding against the glass in front of it.

“Today isss white moussse day. I hate the white onessss. The brown onesss are much more tassssty. They never feed me the brown onessss,” it hissed.

Harry frowned thoughtfully at it then shook his head. Sometimes he hated the fact that he was a parselmouth. He trotted after Lupin ahead of him who was walking into a potions shop. It smelled funny and Harry wrinkled his nose in response to the smell. There were jars lining the shelves filled with odd little ingredients, a jar of eyeballs here, some fangs there, something that eerily resembled severed human fingers there. Harry averted his eyes at that one.

The man behind the counter looked dismissively at Harry as Lupin set his ingredients in front of him. The man was elderly with a crooked back and hair sprouting out of his ears to match the bushy set of his eyebrows. A stark contrast to the lack of it on the top of his head. With shaky hands, the elderly man began to weigh out the ingredients and tallying them up on his register.

“That will be fifteen galleons seven sickles,” he said after awhile. Harry's eyes widened at the price and he hoped that the ingredients lasted for awhile. He would hate to think of the sum he spent if he had to buy these every month.

“I'll also be needing some of that,” Lupin pointed to a jar on the shelves behind the counter.

The man looked back. “Some wolf fang?” he asked raising an eyebrow. Harry didn't like the look he gave Lupin.

“Very well.” He took down the jar and emptied a single fang out of it. He put it into a paper envelope and went to the register. “Thirty galleons,” the man said with a smile.

Harry did some quick math in his head. “Thirty galleons!” he exclaimed. “But the price says the fangs are five galleons each!”

The man gave him a wide toothless smile. “There is a…creature tax,” he explained, shifting his eyes to Lupin.

Rage filled Harry but Lupin politely stepped on his toes. “Thirty galleons it is,” he said quietly, handing over the money. Harry stared disbelieving at this action.

When they had left, Harry turned angrily to him. “I can't believe you just let him do that!”

“I'm used to it,” Lupin replied.

Harry shook his head. “Used to it? How can you get used to being treated like that?”

Lupin looked at Harry pointedly then his gaze roamed to his scar on his forehead. Harry shifted uncomfortably and instinctively brushed his hair further forward to cover it.

“I needed that ingredient and unfortunately, that was the only place that carries it.”

Harry nodded silently and Lupin put a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, lets get out of here,” he said softly.

This time when they walked past the creature shop there were a group of children huddled around the window.

“Eat it!”

“Eat the mouse you stupid snake!”

They taunted and teased the snake, banging on its window. Harry was forcibly reminded of his cousin Dudley and his friend Pierce at the zoo.

“Oh, I hate it when the little bratssss bang on my window. Get out of my way you sssstupid mouse!”

“Hang on a moment,” Harry said, stopping Lupin and darting into the shop.

It was dark and dusty and a hag watched him interestedly as he approached her from behind the counter.

“Er, excuse me,” Harry began. “But I would like to buy that snake in the window.”

“That one?” the hag asked.

“Uh…yes?” Harry said, now a little unsure of himself.

The hag cackled with laughter which turned into a violent fit of coughing. “Suit yourself,” she said and bent down to pick up a small crate. She hobbled over to the snake's tank and lifted the lid. There was a loud hiss and the hag swore violently as she slammed the lid shut, there was a loud thump as the snake hit the top of the cage. Harry's eyes widened. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all.

“Stupefy!” the hag said as she used her wand to stun the poor snake. Again, she lifted the lid, reached in and brought out the limp long black snake and set it inside the crate.

“Anything else?” she grumbled.

“Some mice,” Harry replied. “Brown ones, please.”

With his packages under his arm, Harry walked out of the store seven galleons poorer than he went in. Lupin looked at the small wooden crate with interest, wondering what was inside. He could hear faint squeakings coming from the other box but he didn't ask questions.

They checked in at the front desk of the ministry, even under disguise, Harry could still be recognized with his wand as he registered it.

“Harry Potter?” the desk clerk said.

“Yes,” Harry answered tersely and snatched back his wand and his visitor's badge. They entered the elevator and a few paper airplanes zoomed in to hitch a ride. Harry strategically placed the badge on his cloak so that it remained hidden. He looked up and saw that Lupin was looking at him with a hint of a smile on his face.

The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened letting Harry and Lupin off. Harry saw that they were on the auror floor.

Wow.

Harry followed Lupin as they walked past desks with papers piled on them, Wanted posters hung on the walls as well as a giant map of London. He recognized some of the aurors as members of the Order, they greeted Lupin and just brushed over Harry. He didn't mind, he was just interested in the people who put their lives on the line to chase dark wizards. He remembered in fifth year when he told McGonagall that he would like to be an auror someday and she said she would put up great sacrifice to see that he made it through school to end up one no matter what it cost.

A twinge of guilt filled him and he brushed those thoughts aside.

“Ah, Remus, how are you today?” Kingsley strode forward and shook his hand.

“Kingsley,” Lupin said jovially then in a lowered voice said, “I hope you don't mind but I brought Harry along today?”

Kingsley looked at the brown haired boy. “Harry?” he asked with confusion.

“Yes sir,” Harry replied.

“Why aren't you at Hogwarts?”

“Uh, what do you say we get on with the meeting?” Lupin interrupted, saving Harry from giving an answer. “Harry you don't mind…”

“No, no I'll just…hang around here,” Harry said, thankful to be getting an out.

“We should only be a few moments,” Lupin assured him.

Harry nodded and backed down the hall. He found and empty desk in a corner and set the crates down upon it. There was no one else in the office, they all seemed to be holed up in that meeting. He took out his wand and ennerverated the snake.

“Oh,” it groaned. “Where am I?”

Harry looked around to be absolutely sure that no one was around.

“I bought you today,” he hissed back.

There was a loud thump and the crate shifted slightly away from Harry. He assumed that the snake recoiled. Regret at having bought the thing settled in and he sighed heavily. The snake wasn't talking and he really didn't feel like talking back. He sat back in his chair and looked around him. There was a picture of Bellatrix LeStrange on a wanted poster and he glared at it. Fat chance of the Ministry catching her.

“Harry.”

The hairs on the back of his neck rose when he heard the faint whisper of a voice.

“Harry.”

He looked around sharply. He'd recognize her voice anywhere but why was she here?

“Hermione?” Harry asked.

A door opened at the end of a corridor to his right. It was dark inside. Harry stood and walked toward it.

“Harry.”

He paused in the doorway, it was dark inside. He took out his wand and cast a light. He couldn't see anything. “Hello?” he called out. No one replied. He looked back behind him at the empty office. There was no one around. Should he get someone? There came a giggle from inside the darkness and Harry turned just in time to see a flash of brown curly hair run past.

“Hermione!” he called out to her and stepped inside the room.

The door behind him immediately slammed shut and molded into a brick wall that Harry didn't even see before. He placed his hands over it, frantically looking for a way back to the office. There was a dull blue light cast down all around him and an alley suddenly appeared before his eyes, more brick buildings and more alleys. Harry turned around slowly to take in his new surroundings. There was a half moon shining above him and a sky full of stars. Where was he? Was he still inside the ministry?

“Harry,” Hermione called him, giggling as she darted out of sight further down the alley.

Wand at the ready, Harry slowly followed her, stepping silently and crouching down below windows so he wouldn't be seen by the occupants inside, if there were any.

Suddenly, from the shadows a cloaked figure jumped out and sent a curse his way. By reflex, Harry put up a shielding spell, blocking the curse from hitting him. He immediately fired back with a stupefy and the cloaked figure fell to the ground in a slump. Harry walked toward him but the figure suddenly disappeared into the ground.

What the hell?

Harry continued further down the alley, senses on high alert, searching for Hermione for, who knows for what reason, she was doing here. Around the next corner, a black cat darted across his path. Harry stopped and eyed it and before his very eyes it suddenly grew into a panther. It hissed at him, baring it's sharp fangs and claws. Harry stumbled backwards and in his haste to get away from the cat, knocked over some garbage cans where some large centipede-like insects crawled out of them, pincers sharp and fangs dripping with venom.

“Reducto!” Harry shouted as he blasted each of the insects away before they could sink their poison into him. He scrambled to his feet as the cat yeowled and sprang forward for him.

“Wingardium leviosa!”

The levitated garbage cans hit the cat mid-flight, knocking it off course as it slammed into a building. Harry didn't even give it a chance to recover before he sprinted down another alley to get away from it. The cat shook its head as it got to its feet before sprinting after him.

Harry ran to a door and grabbed the handle only to find that it was locked. “Alohomora!” But it didn't give. He ran to another door and got the same result. There was a low growl and Harry saw the cat at the end of the alley. He cursed under his breath and stuck his wand between his two teeth, freeing his hands to climb the building. He climbed onto the narrow window ledge and reached up for the other one, lifting his leg up to find leverage on the narrow frame. The cat sprinted forward and swiped at Harry, catching the edge of his cloak and ripping the material. Harry reached up to grasp the metal pole where a sign would have hung down from but he was millimeters short. Taking a leap of faith, he jumped slightly and wrapped his hand around it just as the cat jumped up and caught his leg. Harry cried out in pain and his hand slipped but he brought his other hand over quickly to save him just as his hand let go.

He hung with one hand and took his wand from between his teeth with the other. “Stupefy!” The cat was stunned below him. He let go and fell to the ground but not before casting a cushioning charm below him. By the time, he hit the floor, the cat was gone. But three more cloaked figures took its place and Harry barely had enough time to protect himself from their onslaught of curses.

“Lumos maximus!” Harry cried out as a blinding light came from his wand, temporarily blinding his attackers as he got away. He turned a corner and found himself at another alley. He was completely lost and he had no idea how to get out of here, wherever here was.

There were footfalls behind him and Harry turned to face his attackers. “Reducto!” he cried out and the spell hit the brick wall of the building next to him, it was powerful enough to send a shower of bricks down onto two of his assailants, taking them out. The third person still came running for him. “Wingardium leviosa!” Harry said and a garbage can went flying with a flick of his wand toward the figure, hitting him on the head and knocking him out. All three of them disappeared.

Again, Harry turned the corner to find another alley…and Hermione at the end of it.

“Hermione!” he called out to her but she didn't respond to him. She was just staring blankly ahead.

The air became cold suddenly and Harry shivered. He stopped in front of her but she continued to stare blankly past him. Suddenly a smile grew on her face and Harry turned to find Ron behind him. Hermione darted past him and jumped into Ron's arms as he twirled her around. Harry began to feel a little sick and a cold sweat began to break out on him. It was so cold.

Ron set Hermione down and to Harry's complete surprise, and surprisingly horror, he leaned down and kissed Hermione, bringing her flush against him as he gathered her in his arms. Harry's heart beat loudly in his ears and he felt so weak. The two of them broke their kiss and smiled at each other.

In the back of his mind, Harry suddenly realized what was happening to him and he raised his wand. “Riddikulus!” he said and the two boggarts disappeared with pops as Harry spun around quickly. Four dementors swooped down upon him.

“Expecto patronum!” His stag burst forth and ran them down.

“Enough!” he heard Lupin say and the room was suddenly flooded with light. The dark alleys dissolved before his eyes into a large room with plain white walls. Lupin and Kingsley stood in the doorway, a crowd of aurors were gathered behind them, murmuring amongst each other.

“Well done, Harry!” Kingsley said with a broad smile as he entered the room, extending a hand to help the young wizard to his feet. “Most of my first years can't get past the centipedes!” Harry gave a faint smile.

“Is that what this room is? A training ground?” he asked, sweat plastered to his forehead as he got to his feet.

“What you went through was for my second years, their general obstacle course,” he said as they walked out of the room. Harry could feel the other auror's eyes on him. “You really surprise me young man. I didn't believe you would make it as far as you did.” He led him and Lupin to his office and closed the door.

“It shouldn't have gone on as far as it did,” Lupin said, his demeanor and voice exuded with anger. He opened the jar on Kingsley's desk and pulled out a miniature chocolate bar, handing it to Harry.

Harry unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth under Kingsley scrutinizing stare. “I want to train him,” he finally spoke up and Harry looked up sharply.

“No, absolutely not,” Lupin objected.

“Why not? He's not going back to Hogwarts and we're in the beginnings of a war, a war that he's a central figure in. He needs to know how to defend himself. More than what they would teach him at school anyway. He's too far advanced for that.”

“But…training with aurors?” Lupin asked.

Kingsley shrugged. “What better way to teach him how to defend himself against the darkest of wizards?” He turned to Harry. “But it won't be a walk in the park. It will be a demanding course, physically and mentally.”

Harry swallowed the chocolate in his mouth. “I'll do it.”

*

The snake hissed in its crate, protesting loudly about being jostled about as Harry picked it up as they left. He and Lupin were very quiet in the lift as it moved. They were alone again, no memos this time.

“Harry, I'm only trying to look out for you,” Lupin said quietly.

“I know,” he replied.

“I just want to make sure you really want to do this.”

“It's a dangerous world out there,” Harry sighed. “And I don't intend to get myself blown up.”

“Well then, I guess we'll stop by the confectioner's before we go home. You're going to need lots of chocolate.” Lupin said with a smile and Harry grinned.

“I persssssonlly think you're an idiot for going into that room,” the snake hissed from its crate.

“No one asked you,” Harry hissed back.

Lupin stared at Harry, the smile gone from his face.

-->

16. Making Friends

Making Friends

Fall is here, hear the yell

back to school, ring the bell

brand new shoes, walking blues

climb the fence, books and pens

I can tell that we're going to be friends

(We're Going To Be Friends—The White Stripes)

~*~

Hermione walked into the Gryffindor common room to find Ron with his hands full. He was standing between two second year girls who were arguing.

“She took it, I'm telling you!” one said.

“I did not. I already have a pink ribbon and I don't need yours!”

“I saw you eyeing it the other day!”

“I didn't take it! But I know you took my red sweater.”

“I'll give you back your sweater when you give me back my ribbon.”

Ron looked up at Hermione with a helpless look on his face. She just smirked back enjoying the scene as she rested against one of the pillars in the room.

“Uh, listen…why don't you both look for the ribbon?” he suggested, lamely.

“I'm not going to help her find anything!”

Parvati came down the stairs and Ron rushed the two girls over to her. “You take care of this,” he said quickly, giving the fighting second years to the other Gryffindor prefect. Hermione grinned at him as he joined her and together they walked to the Great Hall for breakfast.

“What's the matter Ron?” she teased him. “Scared of a couple of second years.”

“Those girls are mental!” he declared. Hermione remembered the fights she had been witness to between Parvati and Lavender and thought that Ron had a small point.

They sat down next to Seamus, Dean and Neville, who was currently fussing over another strange plant of his. This one appeared to have tentacles on it. Ron eyed it warily as he dug in to his breakfast.

“Morning everyone!” Tonks said cheerfully, her spiky hair was an electric blue color this morning. Seamus and Dean, who hadn't had the pleasure of meeting her, gaped at her as she approached them. “As Head of the House, I get the pleasure of delivering your schedules to you.”

“You're our Head of House?” Hermione asked.

“Uh-huh!” Tonks replied brightly as she handed Hermione her schedule. Of course, McGonagall couldn't be anymore since she was now Headmistress but still…Hermione would miss her greatly.

“Here you go Ron,” Tonks continued. “Oh…and this.” She handed him another envelope before moving down to the rest of the Gryffindors.

“Yes! I get Firenze this morning,” Ginny said as she plopped down next to Hermione.

“You know, I always thought divination was such a woolly discipline but with Firenze teaching it, it does give me a second thought about it,” Hermione said as she gazed at her own schedule.

“It's actually worse than you think,” Ginny said. “His looks are so mesmerizing that I can't concentrate on what he's actually saying.”

“Hmm, fair point. I can't afford to fail a class. Best to stay away from the subject altogether,” Hermione nodded.

“UGH!!” Neville said. “We're with the Slytherins in DADA…today,” his voice trailed off at the mention of the class that Harry shined in. A sudden gloom settled over the Gryffindors.

“Hey,” Ron said quietly, folding up the letter Tonks had given him. “I made Quidditch Captain.” He tucked the envelope in his robes then ran his hands through his hair. He was clearly agitated and finally got up from his seat, storming out of the Great Hall.

Hermione grabbed her bookbag and went after him.

“Ron…wait,” she found him in the courtyard and scurried up to him.

He turned around to face her. “It shouldn't have been mine. It was his position. He was Captain!”

“Oh, Ron,” she sighed and placed a hand on his arm.

Ron plopped down onto a stone bench nearby, elbows resting on his knees, hands in his hair. “Why is he making me hate him?” Hermione said nothing, she only sat by him to give him comfort. “Merlin, this sounds stupid but…I miss the stupid prat.”

“We both do,” Hermione said softly. “We all do.”

*

The morning wasn't too bad. The Gryffindors had Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs. Although Hermione missed McGonagall teaching the class, Professor Tonks was doing a fine job. And since the class was NEWT level, she would be teaching about morphing, disguise and, if the students were really lucky, Animagi.

“I want to be a lion,” Ron daydreamed as the students filed out of the classroom and made their way to their next class. Seamus, Dean, Neville and Hermione were with him.

“Knowing your luck, you'll turn into a spider,” Seamus said and Ron paled at the thought.

“Still it would be handy if you could change something about your appearance,” Neville said.

“Why would you change anything about you?” Hermione said sweetly. “You're wonderful as you are.” Neville blushed as the guys cat-called and teased him.

“I would change your meager little mind into something more useful. A quaffle, perhaps,” someone said from behind.

The Gryffindors turned to face a group of Slytherins, Draco Malfoy in their lead. Surprisingly, he wasn't the one who had made the comment, Blaise Zabini did.

“Why don't you just keep your little trap shut?” Neville shot back, surprising the Gryffindors.

“Ooh, what are you going to do about it?” Blaise said. “Cry to mummy?”

“His mum's in St. Mungo's,” Draco said in a quiet voice, looking disinterested as he examined the stained glass window to his left. Neville's face turned red with rage and Hermione wrapped a hand around his arm, to hold him back. Draco looked at everyone around him. “Oh, I'm sorry. I thought everyone knew she was crazy.”

Neville lunged forward but Ron and Seamus held him back. “Just what the hell is your problem, Malfoy?” Dean said angrily.

“Such brave little Gryffindors even though your leader turned coward and ran away from school,” he said.

“You're one to talk,” Hermione shot back. Draco stared at her, narrowing his eyes.

“I'd be careful, filthy little mudblood,” he said in a low voice.

“Is that a threat?” Ron stepped in front of Hermione.

“Ron, don't,” she said. “He isn't worth it. Ten points from Slytherin for use of such foul language.” Draco smirked and continued on his way, his group of Slytherins following close behind.

“Don't listen to him, Neville,” Hermione said, turning to her friend. “He's just a cowardly little ferret hiding behind his family name.”

Ron watched as the Slytherins turned the corner then he looked back at Hermione. A feeling of unease settled in his stomach. They continued on their way down the corridor, heading to their DADA class where they knew they would be sharing their class with their rivaled house.

“I wonder who they got to teach this year,” Parvati said as they joined her and Lavender.

“Dunno,” Seamus shrugged.

Hermione noticed that Ron was hiding slightly behind her, still trying to avoid his ex. She sighed softly and rolled her eyes at him.

“What?” he whispered defensively.

They filed into the familiar classroom, the only stable thing about this class since their first year. Naturally, the Gryffindors sat on one side, the Slytherins on the other. Hermione and Ron didn't sit in the front like they usually did with Harry, it was just too damn awkward, a gesture that seemed to delight the Slytherins as they passed knowing and superior looks amongst one another. It was absolutely humiliating for the Gryffindors.

At precisely the gong of the clock, the classroom door slammed open and a tall slim woman walked briskly down the center aisle of the classroom. She had dark hair that was severely pulled back into a bun. Narrow rectangular glasses were rimmed in black bringing attention to her very blue eyes. She had a delicate face with an olive complexion and her cupid lips were stained red. She wore a black leather blazer with a white blouse underneath with a black leather skirt that came to just above her knees. The clothing hugged her body, showing off her curves. Her long shapely legs ended in black stilettos that seemed impossible to walk in without spraining or breaking an ankle.

“Bloody hell,” Ron whispered and Hermione nudged him sharply. But as Hermione looked around, Ron wasn't the only one responding to their teacher. The males in the class were blatantly ogling her.

She approached the desk were there was a long pointer stick resting upon it. She picked it up and slammed it against the top with a loud WHACK that made everyone jump.

“I am Professor Smith,” she said in an authoritative yet sultry voice. She strutted down the aisle, holding the pointer in one hand and tapping it against her other palm. “I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I was an auror before I was called to other duties, now Professor McGonagall has called upon me to teach this class and I have accepted it.”

WHACK!

She slammed the pointer on Crabbe and Zabini's desk causing everyone to jump again in their seats. “This class will be a practical one, why bother with piddly little books about spells that talk about defense?” At this Ron looked at Hermione from the corner of his eye to see her reaction but Hermione sat patiently. Professor Smith walked up to her desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a drawstring bag. She held it open to Susan Bones in the front who reached in and pulled out a small square of parchment. “A dark wizard intent on harming you will not give you time to look up a spell in a book before throwing a hex at you.” Ron picked out a piece then handed it Hermione, he drew a seven she drew a four. Professor Smith picked up the bag when everyone drew a number. “Table one, table two…” she began to name off the desks in the classroom. “You will sit at the table number you have drawn. Hermione and Ron looked at each other then reluctantly left their desks. Ron moved to table number seven and with great relief saw that Seamus had drawn the same table.

Hermione was not so lucky.

“You've got to be kidding me!”

“No way, no way in hell!”

Professor Smith looked over at Hermione and Draco then hopped off her desk to stride over to them. “Is there a problem here?”

“I can't sit with him!” Hermione said, stepping away from the Slytherin.

“There are no house prejudices in this class,” Professor Smith said sternly. “Nor are there blood prejudices.” She looked directly at Draco.

The two of them stared back at her indignantly. “I will not sit with him,” Hermione said defiantly.

“I refuse to sit by…her,” Draco said nastily.

Professor Smith looked between the two of them. “You will do as I say or I will fail you for this course.”

Hermione's eyes flashed and her chin quivered. She abruptly sat down, willing the tears not to fall from her eyes. Draco sat down slowly, glaring at the teacher.

“Twenty-five points each from Gryffindor and Slytherin and a nights detention for the both of you,” she walked away from the table. Hermione's face was hot with humiliation and Draco's jaw clenched in anger.

*

Ginny sat down next to Hermione and reached forward for a dinner roll. “So, what do you think of the new DADA teacher?” she asked cheekily.

“Ginny…don't ask,” Ron said as Hermione muttered under her breath. Ginny looked at Hermione.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Malfoy is Granger's partner in class,” Dean explained and Ginny made a silent Oh! in understanding.

“We lost twenty five points in the class but Hermione made up some of it in charms,” Ron said.

“That woman is unbelievable,” Hermione said in an outraged voice.

“You're telling me,” Ron muttered, quickly stuffing his mouth with mashed potatoes.

“The guys in our class couldn't stop ogling her,” Ginny said, “you'd think they've never seen a woman before.”

Seamus opened his mouth to reply but thought better of it at the sharp looks from Ginny, Hermione, Parvati and Lavender.

“She's a bitch,” Lavender proclaimed and Parvati nodded in consent.

After dinner, Hermione and Ron made their way to the library, finding a table in the far corner of the room. Ron took out his quill and parchment to begin his Transfiguration essay. Hermione went straight to the Restricted Section after showing Madame Pince her permission slip. The tomes were large and dusty, arranged by subject. Feeling silly for looking around her to see if anyone was looking, she made her way to the Dark Arts section. Dark Arts for Dummies. How To Be A Villain. So, You Want To Be An Evil Overlord. Dark Magical Objects and Their Uses.

Hermione picked that one to start with as she brought the book back to the table with her. Ron had made a good start on his essay putting his name on it and a title.

“What did you find?” he asked and she showed him the book. “If it could be so easy,” he sighed.

They sat quietly, Hermione reading, Ron writing a word down once in awhile before staring off into space, mind lost to the upcoming Quidditch try-outs. Hermione was frustrated, horcruxes were mentioned only once in this large book and it was a short sentence about how incredibly complex and dark those objects were. She closed the book, sending a puffy cloud of dust Ron's way as he coughed and waved to clear it.

“No luck?” he asked.

“Well, this is just beginning,” she replied wearily. She looked up at the clock and saw that it was nearly time for her detention. “I'll see you later, I've got to get to detention.”

Ron watched her put away her book and walk out of the room. He took out the Marauder's Map and activated it. He followed Hermione's progress to the DADA classroom where Malfoy was already there with Professor Smith. Satisfied that she made it safely to the class he deactivated the map and put it away until she would be done.

~*~

Harry lifted the lid of the aquarium and dropped a brown mouse into it. The snake eagerly went after it and Harry turned away and continued packing his trunk. He was going to live in the auror compound with the rest of the trainees. He was allowed to take a few possessions from home and since Harry hadn't really had one all his life, his earthly possessions could all be packed away in his well-used trunk from Hogwarts.

“It's been a few days, do you have a name?” he asked after awhile.

“It iss really unssettling that you can undersstand me and I can undersstand you,” the snake answered.

“Believe me, its more unsettling to me than to you,” Harry replied softly.

“You turned away from me when you fed me. Does it disgusst you?” it asked.

“No.”

“Doess death frighten you?”

“I've seen enough death to last a lifetime and then some,” he answered quietly.

There was a brief moment of silence then, “Ississ,” the snake hissed. “My name is Ississ.”

“Isis,” Harry repeated. “Well then, Isis, my name is Harry Potter.” He took out his wand to lock his trunk when Isis recoiled violently, fangs drawn and skin flared around her head in typical cobra threatening posture. Hedwig, who was perched on top of the wardrobe, shrieked and unfurled her wings, talons sharp and threatening.

“Put it away!” Isis hissed and Harry quickly tucked the wand back in his robes. Hedwig was still shrieking and Harry called up to her.

“Hedwig, it's okay. It's okay,” he held up both hands to both animals. Isis withdrew her fangs and settled back down, Hedwig doing the same.

“Isis, I'm sorry you don't like wands but I'm a wizard, I'm going to have to use it,” Harry said gently.

“They hurt. They causse harm and pain,” Isis replied.

Harry approached her. “I'm sorry for whatever pain you had to endure in your past but I promise you, Isis that I will not use my wand on you to cause pain.”

“Why sshould I believe you?” she asked.

“Trust. That's what friends do. You can trust me that I will not hurt you just as I can trust you not to hurt me when I open this lid and reach in to hold you.”

Isis said nothing, her tongue flickering in and out of her mouth as she watched him open the lid. With smooth and gentle movement, Harry reached in and touched Isis, stroking her smooth scaly skin. She lifted herself and moved up Harry's arm, wrapping herself around it as he withdrew it from her confines.

“We ssnakess get a bad rap. We can be very loyal,” Isis hissed.

“Yeah, I know,” Harry replied, thinking of Nagini.

That night, Isis let him cast a warming charm on her home because it was a cool night. Harry even went to sleep without locking the lid and as Hedwig left to hunt, Isis watched over her new master, making sure nothing disturbed his sleep.

Meanwhile, Lupin sat with Moody, Arthur, Kingsley, Aberforth, McGonagall and Nymphadora, the two of them having apparated from Hogwarts. They sat around the kitchen table, talking in hushed voices.

“Dumbledore did warn us that he was a Parselmouth,” Kingsley whispered.

“I'm sure there is no harm in him keeping the snake,” McGonagall said.

“A powerful wizard with a snake as a pet. Ring any bells?” Lupin said.

“Not to mention that he is advancing nicely in Occlumency and Legilmency,” Aberforth added. “And you want to train him with the aurors,” he nodded to Kingsley.

“Harry needs to learn how to defend himself properly,” Kingsley defended. “Not that everyday rubbish they teach at Hogwarts.”

“Mr. Shacklebolt!” McGonagall whispered fiercely.

“Kingsley has a point,” Lupin defended. “Harry is too far advanced for what they teach in school.”

“And yet, training him like an auror could be like setting a flame to a powder keg,” Moody warned.

“How so?” Nymphadora asked.

“Look, no one knows the extent of what happened the night Voldemort tried to kill Harry when he was a baby. Dumbledore could only assume that when he cast the killing curse on him, he inadvertently transferred some of his powers to the boy,” Moody explained.

“Hence the Parseltongue,” McGonagall said.

“Right,” Moody nodded. “Who knows what other powers were transferred and what will be unlocked with all that we are teaching him.”

“You can't possible suggest that Harry would harm anyone,” Arthur said.

“I'm not suggesting anything,” Moody defended. “I'm just saying we need to be cautious. Constant vigilance!”

“Harry is the key to defeating Voldemort,” Luin declared. “Dumbledore believed it, we should believe it. We need to give Harry every chance possible to achieve that goal, to take a chance on him.”

“We're doing a fine job of it. We couldn't even get him to return to Hogwarts,” McGonagall said dryly.

“We failed on that. Yes. But we still have a chance, we can't fail him this,” Lupin said.

*

Harry's room inside the training complex was a simple one containing a single bed, a desk and a dresser with a lamp on it. He was awaken from his slumber this morning at some unholy hour by Shacklebolt and was taken to this complex. He had barely set up Isis' home and his trunk when a loud whistle blew and he heard people scrambling to get out of bed.

“TWO MINUTES! YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES TO GET YOUR LAZY, SLEEPY ASSES DOWN ON THE FIELD YOU LOWLY MAGGOTS!!!”

People began rushing out of the building and Harry quickly followed them to a field where they lined up. He immediately realized that he should've looked in his dresser when he found that he was the only one dressed in a jacket, jeans and trainers. Everyone else was wearing dark blue sweats with the ministry emblem on them. A large man stepped forward, a whistle between his lips and wearing the same sweats but with large block letters in white that spelled out C-A-P-T-A-I-N.

He immediately marched toward Harry. “WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?”

“I didn't--,” Harry began but he was cut off.

“DROP AND GIVE ME FORTY POTTER!” he yelled.

“Uh…forty what?” he was afraid to ask.

“FORTY WHAT? FORTY WHAT?!” He shoved Harry to the ground, Harry tasting the tasty grass beneath him. “FORTY PUSH-UPS YOU IDIOT! MAKE IT SIXTY FOR YOUR STUPIDITY! WE DON'T BEGIN TODAY'S TRAINING UNTIL HE IS DONE.”

Harry's brief experiences doing push-ups in Physical Education had been humiliating at best and this was no different. His arms began to burn at thirty and at forty-five they began to shake. Collapsing at sixty, he was forced to get up and stand. The smell of breakfast wafted through the air, enticing a hungry growl from his stomach.

“Ah looks like this company will be eating the crumbs today,” the Captain announced. There were several sideways glances at Harry for this. “WHAT ARE YOU USELESS PIECES OF FLESH DOING STANDING HERE?!” the Captain suddenly barked out. “GO! GO! GO!” And the group broke out into a jog with Harry following behind.

Breakfast wasn't great either. Harry was so sick after his run that his stomach threatened to vomit whatever he put down. He was so exhausted that his fork trembled violently in his hand. To make matters worse, he could hear the low hum of whispers in the hall.

“Harry Potter.”

“What's he doing here?”

“Cheeky show-off.”

“He's got to earn his stripes like we did.”

The whispers followed him all day, hanging over him like dark cloud to all of his training classes. Mercifully, the day ended and everyone was dismissed for the day. Harry dragged his weary body to his dormitory but was stopped by his Captain.

“Potter, you are to report to classroom 7B immediately.”

Groaning, internally of course, he opened the door to the classroom to reveal Aberforth on the other side.

“Are you ready for your lessons?” he asked.

He was so exhausted by the end of the day that he just collapsed fully dressed onto his bed and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

~*~

Hermione watched Ron, his brow furrowed as he looked at his book then scribbled down a few notes on parchment. She had her Transfiguration book open and was doing homework.

“You know, if you applied the same enthusiasm to your studies as you do on that playbook, you would be a top student,” she said to him.

He looked up at her. “Hermione, this is important,” he said.

“Only Quidditch would inspire you to crack open a book on a Sunday,” she said dryly.

The common room door burst open and Colin Creevey came sprinting through. “Ron, Hermione!” he gasped. “Downstairs!” The two of them jumped to their feet and tore out of the common room. Shouting could be heard coming from just outside the front doors of the castle and when they opened the large doors there was a large crowd of students in front of them, crowding around something.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” they were shouting.

“Move it! Get out of the way!” Ernie came from behind the two of them and began to make his way through the crowd. Ron and Hermione followed and found Seamus on the ground with a sixth year Slytherin, wrestling to get his wand out of his hand.

“Expelliarmus,” Ron said and the Slytherin's wand flew to his hand.

“Break it up!” Ernie ordered, pulling the Slytherin away from Seamus. Dean and Neville came forward to retrieve him. “Break it up! Break it up! What's this about?”

Seamus' cheek was red and swollen, the Slytherin had a black eye and a bloody nose and lip. He spat on the ground.

“Stupid Gryffindors,” he said. “Your bravery is all a show, hiding behind a showy lion. You're all cowards underneath.”

“What is this about?” Hermione demanded.

“Here you go, Granger,” Pansy Parkinson tossed a paper at her. “Face the truth.”

Hermione took the paper and straightened it out.

The Boy Who Fled

Harry Potter, who overblown legend has built him up to be some sort of hero, has disappeared from the wizarding world. Several students have written to their parents to report that the teen wizard did not show up to attend Hogwarts this year.

“I guess the death of Dumbledore was too much for him,” an unnamed Slytherin seventh year said. “He was always hiding behind our Headmaster, sorry, former Headmaster.”

There are rumors of his whereabouts and some unconfirmed sightings of him in the Auror department. But the head of the department, Kingsley Shacklebolt, has dismissed these claims. It is most likely that he has fled the country, running in fear at the rising power of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. It is a shame that we have misplaced such legendary reverence to a mere teenager who would turn and flee at the merest hint of danger.

Hermione crumpled up the newspaper and tossed it aside as she turned and stormed back into the castle. Ron followed her. Draco watched them both leave.

“Hermione,” Ron said, following her to the Head Boy and Girl Quarters.

“Wonky Feint,” Hermione said, opening the door.

“Hermione will you stop?” Ron said, following her inside.

“I hate this, Ron!” she said. “I hate that we haven't been able to get a hold of him for days. I hate that he won't talk to us. I hate that we're stuck here having to listen to everyone say such horrible things about him.” She began to sob, collapsing into Ron's awkward arms. He was never good with sobbing girls and Hermione was no exception. Harry was better at calming her down and comforting her but he wasn't here was he?

No, Harry wasn't here.

He really couldn't explain why he did it. Why he stepped away from her only to be separated slightly. Why he leaned into her and kissed her on the lips. Why he forcibly pushed all thoughts out of his head as he lowered her on the floor.

But when he stepped out of the door a few hours later, the portrait swinging shut behind him, he knew things would never be the same between him and Hermione. He cared for her, hell, he loved her but not like he thought love would be. She would always hover between sisterly-love and the love that he had yet to experience with someone. But he would never date her again, never be with her that way again, never feel more for her in a romantic way. The ideal relationship he had fantasized with Hermione was just that, a fantasy. They would never get married, have children, grow old together playing with their grandchildren.

And to his own surprise, he was okay with that. More than okay. He cared for her as a great friend, a best friend.

Lost in his thoughts, he turned a corner and ran smack into someone, her books tumbling to the ground.

“Loony!” he said in surprise when he saw who he had collided with.

She had knelt down to pick up her books and looked up at him with pure hurt in her eyes. “It's Luna,” she said.

Ron mentally smacked himself. “Luna, right, I'm sorry.” He knelt down to help her with her things.

“Don't bother Ronald,” she said in a tone she had never used with him before. She snatched a book out of his hands and stood up quickly.

“Well, are you alright?' he asked.

“I'm fine,” she snapped back at him.

Ron really did feel terrible and found himself grasping for conversation to keep her from hating him. “Er, what are you doing out here so late?” he asked.

“I just left the library,” she said and continued on her way. Ron trotted up to her.

“Well, at least let me walk you back to your common room.”

“Don't bother, Weasley.”

“Well, I'm going to anyway.”

“Whatever, Weasley,” she replied, continuing on her way.

~*~

Looking at the hourglass the next day, it was clear that the Gryffindors were not in the running for the house cup this year. It hadn't been this bad since Dolores Umbridge came to school.

“This year totally sucks,” Dean said. “And it had to be a NEWT year.” The seventh year Gryffindors waited outside of the DADA classroom, the door was locked.

“Number seven, what did you get for number seven?” Lavender asked Seamus.

“I wonder why Professor Smith locked the door,” Neville said. Hermione shrugged.

A group of sixth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws filed past them on the way to the dungeons for Potions. Hermione gave a friendly nod to Ginny and Luna. Neville dropped his notebook and Ginny stopped to retrieve it for him.

“There you go,” Ginny smiled softly at him.

“Thank you,” Neville muttered, turning pink as she walked away.

Ron watched as Luna walked away with his sister, not once acknowledging his presence like she usually did.

“Watch it Nev,” Seamus whispered. “That's Potter's girl.”

“Hello class,” the sultry voice of Professor Smith rang out as she walked down the corridor to approach them. The girls rolled their eyes as the boys in the class moved their notebooks to the front of their robes as if on cue.

“Hello Professor Smith,” came the chorus of male voices.

She opened the door to reveal an empty classroom, their desks and chairs had disappeared.

“Drop off your books and bags in the corner,” she instructed. “You'll need only your wands. Line up on opposite sides of the classroom, one partner on each side.

Ron looked up sharply at this, looking between Hermione and Malfoy. He purposely stood next to Hermione to keep an eye on the little ferret.

“You will duel with your partner. I wish to see how far you have come in this class, one group at a time.”

It became very clear who was a member of the DA and who wasn't. The Gryffindors that had Slytherins as partners quickly disarmed their counterparts. Ron disarmed Seamus after a few minutes and after he was done. Hermione and Malfoy stepped forward.

Draco struck first. “Reducto!”

“Protego!” Hermione countered. “Tarantallegra!”

“Protego! Stupefy!”

“Protego! Stupefy!” Hermione cast the same spells back but Draco dodged them.

“Serpensortia!” A snake flew out of his wand and at Hermione.

“Reducto!” she said, blowing the snake up giving Draco time to deliver a stinging hex. She cried out in pain as the hex hit her side.

“Petrificus totalis!” she hit his knees and he slammed to the ground.

“Finite!” he recovered. Hermione sent her canaries after him. “Immobulus!” he countered, freezing the canaries in the air. “Reducto! Reducto! Reducto!” he aimed at Hermione, each time she put up a shielding charm, stepping backwards as he advanced on her backing her up to a wall.

“Expecto patronum!” Her otter came out of her wand, swimming through the air to Malfoy who stumbled backward in surprise, losing his footing as he went down. The sound of his wand clattering to the floor filled the air and Hermione quickly advanced, taking advantage of the situation.

Malfoy, realizing he was unarmed, pointed with his left index and middle fingers. “Mobilis!” he called out and a heavy pile of book bags went flying at Hermione, knocking her to the floor. “Accio wand!” he called as he scrambled to his feet. It flew into his hand with ease and he quickly ran to Hermione, kicking the wand from her hand and pointing his in her face.

“Excellent! Well done Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy!” Professor Smith clapped. “It is clear that I won't be working with a bunch of idiots, well, some of you,” she looked over at the Slytherins. “But no mind, I have faith in this class.”

Draco stared down at Hermione and she glared back up at him. He tucked his wand back in his robes and walked away from her as the bell clang, signaling the end of class. Ron picked up Hermione's wand and helped her to her feet.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“I'm fine Ron,” she said. He cradled her head in his hands, looking at a large cut on her cheekbone. He looked over her shoulder at the Slytherins leaving the room.

“Ron, no!” Hermione reached out for him as he stormed after Malfoy.

“Ron, stop it!” Neville blocked his path, aided by Seamus and Dean as they successfully stopped their friend.

“He's not going to get away with this!” Ron said angrily.

“He won't,” Dean said. “He'll get what's coming to him.”

“Come on, Hermione,” Lavender said. “Parvati and I will take you to the hospital wing.”

Hermione touched a hand to her cheek and felt wetness there. She pulled it away to find blood on her fingertips.

-->

17. The Green-Eyed Monster

A/N: I had to put up this chapter quickly because the last chapter upset so many people. I want you all to remember that I am an H/Hr shipper through and through and that in this story they are meant to be together. Their relationship will not be packaged in pretty little paper and just handed over to them, they will have obstacles in the way. I have written H/R in the past but it was usually kept to a minimum (I have to be able to stomach what I write). As you will find out in this chapter, Hermione did not have sex with Ron, she will not have sex with Ron in this story. I'm sorry if I upset some readers but there were some of you who did trust in me. This is Portkey and Harry and Hermione will end up together in the end.

The Green-Eyed Monster

Are you gone and onto someone new?

I needed somewhere to hang my head

Without your noose

You gave me something that I didn't have

But had no use

I was too weak to give in

Too strong to lose

My heart is under arrest again

But I break loose

My head is giving me life or death

But I can't choose

I swear I'll never give in

I refuse

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?

Has someone taken your faith?

Its real, the pain you feel

You trust, you must

Confess

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?

(The Best of You—The Foo Fighters)

~*~

Hermione was restless, sleep lost to her in the anxiety over Harry. She and Ron had once again tried to get a hold of him through the mirror but had had no such luck. She had sent numerous owls but he hadn't responded. Professors McGongall and Tonks had reassured her that Harry was doing fine but she needed to hear for herself, needed to see that he was physically okay. Why was he ignoring them?

She had been so upset at that stupid article two days ago, running to her common room to cry so no one else would see her. But Ron had followed her, had kissed her, had lowered her to the floor.

“Ron, stop,” she said, pushing her friend off of her. Kissing him just felt…wrong. He obeyed, looking at her with a crestfallen look on his face.

“I guess I'm a poor substitute for Harry,” he said quietly.

“What did you say?” she asked. Ron looked at her for what seemed to be the longest time.

“I saw you. You and Harry at Grimmauld Place,” he said. At her look of confusion, he elaborated. “I knew you and Harry were…sleeping together.”

Hermione turned white. “Oh, Ron.”

“Why did you do it? I mean, why do you do this to yourself?

“What are you talking about?”

“I asked Harry. I confronted him about it, about Ginny, about you. And do you know what? He still has feelings for Ginny!”

“I know that,” she answered quietly.

“You knew that?! You knew that and you still went ahead and…did it?”

“I guess, I knew that when I was with him…like that…that if only for that time, he had no worries, he had nothing to worry about, some peace of mind.”

“And you?” he asked.

Tears began to well in her eyes, slowly dripping down her cheeks. “I was selfish,” she said quietly. “Some part of me wanted to be with him that way. A way no one else had had him.”

“Oh, Hermione,” Ron enveloped her in a hug.

“I'm sorry you had to find out the way you did,” she sniffled. “I thought you would be upset at us.”

“I was upset,” he said. “I was mad at Harry. I care for you so much that I was mad that he would do this to you.”

“Harry and I are both to blame.”

“I know that now.”

“Ron?” she asked quietly. “You still don't have feelings for me, do you?”

Ron looked at her and sighed. “After I woke up, I was so happy to see you both. So happy that you were happy to be with me that I thought maybe we could try again. Even after you were with Harry, I thought we could try again here at Hogwarts but when I kissed you…” he trailed off. How could he say this without hurting her feelings. “You shouldn't have to force a reaction.”

“Oh God,” Hermione walked to the sofa to sit down.

“Hermione, I'm so sorry,” Ron went quickly to her side. “I wanted so desperately to be attracted to you in that way. Don't get me wrong, you're very easy to love and believe me, you don't even know the reaction you get from the guys from what my roommates say. I fight down the urge to hex them, some of the things they say.”

“But you don't feel that way,” she said quietly.

“Believe me, I'm beginning to think there is something seriously wrong with me for not wanting you in that way.”

“There's nothing wrong with you. We're just meant to be friends, I guess.”

“That's not a bad thing, is it?” he grinned.

Hermione grinned back. “No, it's not.”

He kept her company the next couple of hours, playing a game of wizard's chess (which she lost horribly), then they moved to her room when Ernie came in to have a study session. He took a nap on her bed while she sat at her desk and wrote another letter to send to Harry.

She got out of bed, sleep was useless to her at this point. It was very early in the morning, so she dressed and put on a warm cloak before gathering her books and heading out to the Gryffindor common room to study.

She was making her way through the third floor landing when a soft scraping sound caught her attention. There was a swish of black cloak ahead of her and she quickly ducked into an alcove. She peered around the corner and saw a cloaked figure walking away from her. She darted out to silently follow the person. Down stairs, through long corridors she followed the figure until it stopped in front of a portrait.

“Pure blood.”

Hermione instantly recognized Draco Malfoy's voice as the portrait swung open and he stepped through. What was he up to now? She wanted to go to the Headmistress and tell her…tell her what. That she saw Draco Malfoy walking through the halls early in the morning like she was. There was no crime in that and she couldn't nail Draco with that. She needed more concrete evidence that he was up to something.

*

There was an excited buzz at the Gryffindor table when Hermione went to the Great Hall for breakfast.

“Quidditch tryouts today,” Ginny explained when Hermione sat next to her.

Ron was across from them. “Are you trying out for Seeker, Gin?”

“No, I'm trying out for Chaser,” she shook her head.

“What?!” he yelped and the two girls shushed him. “Have you seen the prospects for Seeker?” he said in a whisper.

Ginny stared at him. “Ron, you aren't going to find another Harry. A Seeker like him comes along once in a lifetime. You're just going to have to do the best with what you have.”

“We're doomed,” he said morosely. Hermione frowned sympathetically at him.

The only chance Hermione would have to get Ron alone this morning was just before tryouts. So as the Gryffindors headed back to their common room, Hermione pulled him aside.

“Ron,” she whispered, tugging on his arm. “I need to talk to you.”

“Now?” he whispered back. “I've got tryouts this morning.”

“It's important,” she said pointedly.

“Hey guys,” he said to Seamus, Dean and Neville. “I'll catch up with you later.”

“Don't be late,” Dean replied.

“Yeah, Hermione, don't keep him too long,” Seamus teased.

The guys entered the common room and made their way up to their room to get ready for try-outs, except Neville who would not be participating.

“Those two are sure spending a lot of time together,” Dean said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“Lucky git,” Seamus added.

“Shh!” Neville spoke up. “Did you guys hear that?”

Silence descended upon the room and after a moment there was a very distinct.

“Ron?”

“What the hell is that?” Dean said as Neville scrambled over to Ron's bed.

“Ron?” came the muffled voice.

Neville opened the drawer of the nightstand next to the bed and jumped when he saw a mirror in there with Harry Potter staring back at him.

“Harry?!” he yelped.

Seamus and Dean scrambled to his side. Harry looked equally surprised to see Neville.

“Uh, hi?” he said.

“Harry! Where have you been?” Dean said.

“Have you been trapped in the mirror all this time?” Neville asked.

“Where are you?” Seamus asked.

Harry shook his head. “I'm fine,” he said dismissively. “Listen, is Ron there?”

Neville frowned. “No, he's not. He's with Hermione.”

“Yeah he is, the git!” Seamus teased and he and Dean proceeded to make lewd gestures and comments.

“Sorry, Harry,” Neville said. “Do you want me to go and get him?”

“Oh Ron!” Dean said in a mock high voice. “Put your quaffle in my goal!”

“Oh Ron! Oh Ron!” Seamus wailed in a shrilly voice. “I love your broomstick.”

“No,” Harry said. “I'll just, uh…I'll just…try and get him later.”

“Okay,” Neville replied.

“Oh and Neville?” Harry said. “Don't tell anyone about this mirror, okay? And uh, tell the others the same?”

“I will. Take care Harry,” he said. “Hogwarts isn't the same without you.”

“Thanks, Nev. Goodbye.” Then Harry disappeared.

*

Hermione sat in the stands with Neville and some other Gryffindors who weren't trying out. She had to admit that the prospects for Seeker were not that great and from the comments around her, it was admitted that this years Quidditch season will be abysmally horrible.

Hermione found that she could laugh a little more and ease up when Neville told her that he spoke to Harry this morning. That meant that he was safe and okay and maybe they would get a chance to talk to him later today. That was her little ray of sunshine today.

“Well, well,” Neville said softly, nudging Hermione. She looked at him and he nodded to the left. Luna Lovegood walked up in the stands followed, very closely by Michael Corner.

“Hello Hermione, Neville,” she said cheerfully.

“Hello Luna,” they both replied back as she and Michael took seats next to them.

Hermione's attention turned back to the field where Ginny was next in try-outs.

“She'll make the team,” Neville said. “She has to, she's the best flyer out there.”

“She will,” Hermione assured him. “It's just a matter if Ron'll put as Seeker or Chaser.”

“She'd do well with either one,” Neville beamed and Hermione looked at him. Did he have a thing for Ginny?

After Ginny was done, Hermione and Neville got into a discussion in Herbology when movement in her peripheral caught her eye. She looked to her side and was surprised to see Luna and Michael making out in the stands. Neville noticed their little snogging session and turned a shade of pink. Both of them moved over uncomfortably to give the lovers a little more distance.

“RON!” Ginny shrieked and Hermione looked up in time to see Ron crashing to the ground.

Both Hermione and Neville rushed onto the field. “Ron! Ron are you okay?” Hermione asked as her friend staggered to his feet.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” he said irritably. “Tryouts are over. I'll make my decisions tonight.” And with a turn, he stormed back toward the castle, Hermione chasing him.

“Ron, Ron wait up!”

He stomped up to the dormitory and slammed the door shut. Hermione opened the door and stepped inside.

“Ron, what's the matter with you?” she demanded. He was pacing angrily in the room.

“What's the big idea, snogging in the stands during tryouts,” he muttered.

“Snogging in the…oh!” Comprehension suddenly dawned on her and she began to giggle.

“What's so funny?” Ron whirled on her.

“You're jealous!”

“I am most certainly not!!” he said as he took off his gloves, tossing them on his bed.

“Yes you are! You're jealous of Michael Corner!” she laughed. She was really trying not to but it was just too damn funny!

Ron took off his cloak and tossed it angrily across the room. “He's a git! I have no reason to be jealous of him. Ginny told me he was rotten and I was hoping that Luna would have better sense than to take up with him.”

“Well, he is kinda cute,” she said. She really didn't think so but she just wanted to egg Ron on.

Ron glared at her. “Get out,” he demanded, “I've got to change.”

“I'll just turn around, this conversation is not over.”

“Ron?” Harry's voice rang out and the two of them scrambled over to the mirror.

~*~

Harry lined up with the others that morning in typical routine. It had been two weeks since he started his training here and he was glad for the progress he had made. He wasn't wanting to throw up at the end of their morning run. He was still subject to push-ups and he was beginning to think that he had picked up his father's penchant for disregarding authority.

At the end of an exhaustful day of training, he had to drag himself to an empty classroom to meet Aberforth for Occlumency and Legilimency. By the time he got into bed he was so exhausted he just flopped on his bed and fell asleep. He hadn't had time to talk to Hermione and Ron, although they were in his thoughts a lot.

“Today is a free day,” the Captain announced. “Feel free to do with your time as you wish. Go into town, sleep with your girlfriends, wives or both but be back here by roll call tomorrow morning. Anyone absent will be subject to toilet cleaning, the muggle way, for an entire week. You are dismissed.”

There were cheers from the crowd as everyone headed back to the dorms. In the quiet of his room, he took out the mirror.

“Ron?” he said into it. “Ron?”

“Harry?”

Harry was shocked to see Neville on the other end. Where the hell was Ron?

“He's with Hermione,” he explained.

Oh. He could hear Dean and Seamus joking about the two of them in the background. He told Neville he would try and reach him later then put the mirror away. He lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

“Are you okay?” Isis hissed.

“Yeah,” he said unconvincingly. Why was he so bothered by this? I mean, it was bound to happen. The two of them, alone, at Hogwarts. He wasn't in their way. They had gone out previously and they probably got back together again. And that was a good thing.

Right?

An image of Ron being with Hermione in the intimate way he had been with her passed through his mind. “Argh!” he slammed his fists on the bed and sat up.

“I need to get out of here,” he muttered and left the room.

He decided to work out his anger as he ran, taking the same route as his group did every morning. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe nothing was going on between them. Of course, they would be spending a lot of time together. They were friends. He ran a little harder. He would just put it out of his mind and try and reach them later today.

The task was easier said than done and Harry cursed his vivid imagination. Sometime in the afternoon, he took out the mirror and tried again.

“Ron?” he called into it.

To his surprise and delight, Hermione appeared on the other side.

“Harry!” she beamed.

“Hermione!” her smile was contagious and Harry felt himself elated to be talking to her, seeing her face again.

But his bubble of happiness quickly popped when he saw Ron appear in the background, topless and putting on a clean t-shirt. “Harry!” he said and scrambled over to the mirror.

Hermione bounced slightly with his action and Harry quickly deduced that they were probably on his bed and something awful flared inside of him.

“Fine,” he answered, probably a little curtly but the two of them didn't take notice.

“Harry, where have you been? I've been worried sick about you!” Hermione said.

“Oh, have you?” he said snarkily and Hermione frowned.

“Harry, there's a story in the Prophet that said you were training with the Aurors, is that true?” Ron asked.

“Yeah, it's true,” he answered.

“Oh, Harry,” Hermione, put a hand to her mouth.

“What about the you-know-whats?” Ron said in a low voice.

“I reckon they'll have to be on hold for the time being. This is my only free day.”

“Harry, I've been doing some research in the library,” Hermione said. Yeah, I bet you have, Harry thought. “And the only thing I could find was that to break each one requires a sacrifice. A specific one to each object.”

“Dumbledore said it cost him something to break the ring,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“There was Ginny for the diary,” Ron said. “And me for the mirror. Both of us were nearly sacrificed for it.” Hermione frowned at the painful memory and put a hand on Ron's arm. It was a gesture that incensed Harry to no end.

“Yeah, well I'm glad to see that you guys are putting so much work into this,” he said bitterly.

“Harry?” Hermione's questioning voice and hurt look in her eyes stung him but he wanted to lash out at them.

“How's Ginny?” he asked her.

Ron's eyes narrowed at his friend. “She's fine,” he said in a dangerous tone.

“Good,” Harry said. “Tell her I said hello. I've got to go. Catch you guys later.” And he put the mirror away.

“You were very rude to your friendsss,” Isis hissed.

“Yeah, well I'm sure they'll get over it with their next snogging session,” Harry replied bitterly and left the room.

“What'ss ssnogging?” Isis wondered aloud.

Harry went to the locker room to change into some workout clothes. He would take his frustrations out on the training room. But his mind was plagued with images of Ron and Hermione…together. Was he hearing her sighs and giggles when he touched her in certain spots? Was he feeling her soft skin, smelling her comforting scent? Tangling his hands in her hair?

“Argh!”

Harry punched his locker and the windows in the training room shattered at the same time. This shouldn't hurt, he told himself. It shouldn't hurt this bad. But it did, he had never felt a pain like this before and he didn't understand why. His scar gave a tiny twinge and he touched it. He sank to the floor. What was happening to him? Why did he have such hateful thoughts toward his friends?

“Girl trouble?”

Harry looked up to see Brian O'Malley walk into the room. He was in the same training group as the American. Harry was surprised, no one from his group had spoken to him since he arrived except to glare at him and say nasty things about him behind his back.

“Only that kind of drama can cause this much damage. Reparo,” Brian said, fixing the broken windows. “Let me guess, your girl back home has taken up with someone else. Most likely your best friend?”

“Not exactly,” Harry replied.

“Yeah well, there's nothing a little Firewhiskey can't fix. A bunch of us are going to Long-legged Lass tonight, we're leaving at eight if you want to join us,” Brian turned to leave. “Oh, you might want to go to the mediwizard to have him look at your hand.”

Harry looked at his right hand and saw that his knuckles were bleeding.

*

Harry would soon find out that the guys in his group were a bunch of rambunctious randy fellows when he discovered that the Long-legged Lass was a wizarding strip club. A visual reminder of what Ron was getting that he wasn't was not exactly what Harry needed. But news of his plight had traveled quickly among his group and the alcohol quickly began to flow down his throat. The night was a blur of crude jokes, lots of galleons, beautiful women and a shitload of alcohol. Nathan would later tell him that he spent at least fifty galleons on a stripper with long curly brown hair named Pumpkin Pie.

They paid for it the next morning, standing in the rain for roll call. The run that morning was brutal. Jeff, a young man from Australia, vomited on the captain and they all had to pay for it in the obstacle course.

“Dammit Jeff, couldn't you have swallowed it?” Nathan said bitterly as they stood in line waiting for their turn in the course. Harry shivered in the cold and rain.

“I can't see a damn thing,” Lester took off his glasses.

“Here, give them to me,” Harry said, tapping them with his wand. “Impervius,” he said and handed him back the glasses.

“Thanks,” Lester said. Nathan frowned thoughtfully and did the same thing to his face, shielding it from the rain.

“Nice,” he said.

“POTTER! THORNTON! YOU'RE NEXT!” the captain bellowed.

“See you guys at the end,” Harry said.

His group watched as the teen made his way through the obstacle course, hoping fences, dodging spells, and crawl through the mud to the end of the course.

“I don't know if I'm glad or cursed to have him in the field with us,” Brian said thoughtfully.

~*~

Breakfast in the morning in the Great Hall was interrupted with the arrival of the owls delivering the mail to the students. By now, Hermione and Ron had gotten used to receiving nothing from Harry. Hermione received a letter from her parents and one from Remus Lupin. There were snickers and laughter coming from the Slytherin table.

“Oh geez, what now?” Ron muttered, sinking lower in his seat.

“Probably this,” Parvati handed him and Hermione the latest issue of Witch Weekly. There was a small article in the bottom corner of the page Parvati had folded with the title HARRY POTTER'S WILD NIGHT.

“Harry? At a strip club?” Hermione said as she read the article. “This is just a load of rubbish.”

“Yeah, the Slytherins will jump over any article that says anything bad about him,” Ron added as he tossed the magazine back to Parvati.

“Ooh, Ginny! What is that?” Lavender said, squealing and pointing to a package she received.

It was a long narrow box with a dozen roses inside and a bright red ribbon wrapped around them. She read the card and blushed.

“It's nothing,” Ginny said quietly.

Luna walked over. “Nothing, huh?” she said, snatching the tiny card from her hands that came with the flowers. She read it and raised an eyebrow. “Harry, eh?”

“Probably apologizing for the strip club,” Malfoy said wryly as he and his group of Slytherins walked past their table.

Ron looked over at Hermione in concern but she was looking at Neville who was gathering his books and leaving the table. Hermione quickly grabbed her bag and hustled after him.

“Neville, wait!” she called out to him on the castle steps. He stopped and turned, waiting for her to catch up.

“What do you want?” he asked wearily.

“I…I know you fancy Ginny,” she blurted out. Neville just stared at her.

“So?” he said finally and continued on his way down the steps. Hermione followed him.

“Well, I just…wanted to know if you were okay.”

He stopped and looked back at the castle before looking at her. “How do you expect me to feel?” he said with angst. “He's bloody Harry Potter! How can a bloke like me compete with that?” he shrugged and walked away. Hermione watched him go, empathy for him filling her mind.

Neville's heartbreak and how to help him occupied her thoughts as she sat next to Malfoy in DADA that day. They were learning about the Patronus charm so Hermione for the first time, let her mind wander.

“Neville Longbottom?” Professor Smith called on him. “Could you please come up here and demonstrate?”

Neville swallowed nervously and held his breath for a moment, closing his eyes and Hermione assumed he was calming himself down because he hated to be called on. Sympathetic looks came from the male Gryffindors as he removed the notebook from his lap and slowly got out of his seat.

“The incantation is Expecto Patronum,” Professor Smith said. “Try and think of your most happy thoughts as you cast it.”

There was nothing about today that Neville could find happy and he failed at his first attempt to cast it. Hermione wished for the whole thing to be over, Neville could cast a Patronus, she had seen him do it. But he just didn't have it in him today.

The Slytherins began to snicker rudely as he tried and tried again to cast it. Humiliation growing hot on his face.

“The brainless git should just save himself the embarrassment and sit down,” Malfoy muttered under his breath.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Hermione hissed.

“I'm just speaking the truth,” he hissed back.

“Oh, and you can cast a Patronus?” she whispered.

“Of course I can,” he whispered back.

“You'd have to have happy thoughts to cast it. Not evil, vile thoughts of murdering your Headmaster,” Hermione hissed back. She wished she could've taken it back immediately.

“What did you say?” Draco whirled on her, his voice dripping with malice. But she wasn't going to back down.

“You heard me,” she whispered defiantly.

“Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy!” Professor Smith stood in front of their table. Neville was no longer in the front of the class, he was now back in his chair, head hung low, face red with embarrassment. “Once again, you have disrupted my class, now pray tell what it was that was so important that you felt the need to discuss it between yourselves?”

Hermione was still staring back defiantly at Malfoy and he was glaring at her with pure malice. “Mr. Malfoy was just bragging to me how adept he is at casting a Patronus,” Hermione said evenly, not taking her eyes off the Slytherin.

“Is that so?” Professor Smith said. “Very well, up in front Mister Malfoy.”

Draco's jaw clenched as he rose from his seat and marched up to the front of the class. “Expecto Patronum!” he said.

Nothing happened.

Hermione let a smug smile grow on her face.

“Expecto Patronum,” he repeated. Again nothing happened. A ripple of snickers came from the Gryffindors. Even Neville, cracked a small smile.

“Expecto Patronum.”

“Okay, that's enough Mister Malfoy,” Professor Smith said. “Next time, have some tangible proof behind your claims before you start touting them to others. You may sit down.” The Gryffindors were beaming at this point but their smiles wiped away quickly at her next words. “Five points from Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy for disrupting my class.”

Draco sat down next to Hermione, anger and humiliation hot on his face as he stared straight ahead for the rest of the class.

-->

18. The Lies We Believe

The Lies We Believe

All along the watchtower

Princes kept the view

While all the women came and went

Bare-foot servants to, but huh

Outside in the cold distance

A wild cat did growl

Two riders were approachin'

And the wind began to howl

(All Along The Watchtower—Bob Dylan/Jimi Hendrix)

~*~

Dear Harry,

What the hell?! You are being a downright prat! You can't ignore us like this, you can't just ship us off to school and cut contact with us completely. This is more than just being in the Auror program because you find time to send flowers to Ginny, you insensitive cad! And you can't use the excuse that you don't want to put us in danger because we are already in the thick of it. I told you I wasn't going to sit around and wait for you to defeat Voldemort and neither is Ron. We're your best friends, Harry. You can't desert us like this.

“Anything you want to add?” Hermione asked as Ron read over the letter.

“Yeah, tell him thanks for the mirror, the git,” Ron grumbled.

Hermione signed the letter and tied it to a school owl that promptly flew away. Together they walked out of the owlery, the air was turning crisp as the leaves turned to a lovely rust color, signaling the start of Fall. As the two of them entered the Great Hall for breakfast, Ron's eyes fell on the Ravenclaw table where Michael had an arm around Luna's waist. He rolled his eyes and sat down next to Dean, his back to the couple, he didn't need to see the jerk groping her. Hermione, surprisingly, sat down on the other side of Lavender and Parvati.

After awhile, Parvati leaned toward Hermione. “Psst, Hermione you're staring at Neville,” she said.

Hermione picked at the cinnamon roll held up in front of her. “I just can't figure him out,” she said softly.

Lavender looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, can't you see it? He's cute in the quiet guy kind of way,” Hermione said in fake thoughtfulness.

Lavender and Parvati glanced at back over at him. He was quietly eating his cereal listening to his more rowdy roommates discuss the upcoming Quidditch match.

“I guess so,” Parvati said cautiously.

Hermione pressed further. “He's just got that…mysteriousness about him.” She grinned inwardly when the two girls looked back over at Neville, curious looks crossing their faces.

“I mean, he's shy and all,” she continued. “But what if underneath that shyness is a lion ready to pounce.” The three girls all tilted their heads to reappraise the quietest Gryffindor. “I'm going to ask him if he wants to be my study partner tonight. We can finish our Transfiguration together,” Hermione leaped up out of her seat and made her way to Neville.

Lavender and Parvati stared at her. “Who does she think she is?” Lavender pouted.

“Look at her, draping herself over him like a floozy,” Parvati added.

“Hey Neville,” Hermione said as she sat down next to him.

“Hey Hermione,” he greeted her.

“Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to do our Transfiguration homework together,” she said. “Ron's busy with Quidditch and it would be nice to study with someone who actually paid attention in class.”

“I guess so. I mean, it's not my strongest class,” he said tentatively.

“Don't be silly,” Hermione said, then added quickly. “I'll see you at seven.” Then she left the table before he could back out of it.

~*~

It was logical and it was reasonable.

Ginny = Safe; Uncomplicated; Lazy summers at the burrow; One big happy Weasley family.

Hermione = Chaos; A tangle of emotions; Un-fucking-believable sex; she's your best friend.

She's dating your other best friend.

The heating vent in his floor opened and Isis slithered through. “There'ss a girl in one of the roomss,” she hissed. Harry remembered that Nathan had smuggled in one of the women he had picked up in the pub last night.

“They'd better keep it down over there. I don't want to be running through that obstacle course over and over today,” he muttered as he read his defense manual.

Isis slithered up on to his bed. “You don't bring girlsss to your room.” Harry didn't reply, only turned a page in his book. “Do you have a girl?”

“What's with all the questions?” Harry asked irritably as he put his book down.

“Jusst curiousss,” she replied. “You ssseem awfully lonely.”

“I'm not lonely,” he defended. “I'm not. Really. I have a girl. Her name is…Ginny.” There. He said it. He admitted it and it became final. He had to push his betraying thoughts of Hermione out of his mind. He already had enough chaos and turmoil in his life, his love life should not be as complicated. Ginny would bring him peace, being with her had been the most problem-free weeks of his life. Why turn his back on that?

Isis raised herself to eye-level with him and a feeling of unease settled into him as she regarded him with her reptilian eyes. After awhile, she backed down.

“If you sssay ssso,” she said as she slithered off of the bed.

If I say so? What the hell did that mean? “Don't you have some mice to eat?”

*

Captain Fuller watched as Harry made his way through the training room, effortlessly dodging spells that the room threw at him. “He's the best one out there,” he said proudly to the two men in the room, his boss Kingsley Shacklebolt and a man he didn't know named Mr. Lupin. They, too, were watching the young man as he made his way to the finish, the lights going up to signal the end.

The Captain pushed the button, “Well done Potter. O'Malley you're up.” He turned and faced the men,” He didn't even get hit once.”

The looks on their faces, however, were unimpressed.

“Put him in the third year training program,” Kingsley said.

“What, now?”

“Send him in again.”

“But…there are darker creatures in there and spells we haven't covered in class yet,” the Captain protested.

“Send him in anyway,” Kingsley ordered.

Reluctantly, the Captain turned away and pushed a button, causing the lights in the training room to turn on, ending O'Malley's turn.

“O'Malley, take a rest. Send Potter back in.”

They watched as Harry, curious himself, cautiously stepped inside the room. As soon as the room sealed itself, a hex was sent his way and he barely dodged out of the way. The hex repeatedly fired at him until he found some protection behind a nearby wall. He was immediately attacked again when a sparring dummy appeared out of nowhere.

“Amazing,” Captain Fuller said as he watched his youngest trainee hold his own in the room. Harry wandlessly and wordlessly sent rubbish bins flying toward his next attacker, rendering it stupid long enough for Harry to get a good Stupefy in. Shacklebolt and Lupin stepped forward watching Harry as he dueled with another dummy with frenzy.

“Send in a boggart,” Lupin said, stepping forward.

“A boggart is nothing compared to the skill of the dummies in there,” Captain Fuller protested.

“Send it in,” Shacklebolt ordered and Captain Fuller pressed a button, releasing a boggart into the room. The men watched as the boggart approached Harry, turning into the form of a young woman with long brown curly hair. Harry was distracted only for a moment by its appearance but it was long enough for the sparring dummy to land a good hex on him, sending Harry flying across the room.

The lights on the room immediately turned on, everything disappearing because you were required to get through the room without taking a hit until you reached the end. If you did, your session was cut short. Harry staggered to hit feet, rubbing an area on his chest where the spell hit.

“Give us a moment,” Shacklebolt asked and the Captain left the two men in the room.

“His only weakness,” Kingsley sighed. “He excels in everything else but he can't handle his boggart.”

“I've had experience with the boy and his boggarts. He can handle them just fine but it's the form that the boggart takes that is distracting him,” Remus said softly. “When he first confronted them in his third year, it took the shape of a Dementor. Now it concerns me that the shape is now Miss Granger, sometimes with Mister Weasley.”

“I noticed that, too,” Kingsley said. “Why is his deepest fear suddenly his best friends?”

“I don't think he's necessarily afraid of them,” Remus explained. “With the two of them gone off to Hogwarts, I think his deepest fear is of…being alone.” There was a brief silence following this. “Is he ready, Kingsley?”

“There's only one way we can tell,” he replied. “Put him out in the field.”

~*~

Hermione could feel her eyes burning into her from two tables away. If Lavender could hex her with a look she would. Hermione and Neville sat quietly in the library doing their Transfiguration homework like she said they would with Neville once in awhile stopping her to ask a question or clarify a point.

Right about now, she figured that she worked Lavender into a big enough frenzy to swoop in like a vulture. “Neville,” Hermione said, “I'm going to go get a book. I'll be back.”

“Yeah, okay,” he said as he scribbled some notes on his piece of parchment.

She slipped out of her chair and headed into the stacks, hiding so she could see what was going on through the slats in the bookshelves. As predicted, Lavender made her move.

“Hello Neville,” she said in a flirtatious voice.

“Er…hello?” Neville said, taken aback by the way his classmate had spoken to him.

Lavender slid into Hermione's seat, scooting closer to him. Neville leaned slightly away from her, his face looking a little flushed.

“I'm having a little trouble in Herbology and I was wondering if you would be willing to help me out tomorrow night?”

“Um, sure,” Neville managed to stumble out.

“Great!” Lavender leaned in close to him. “I'll see you tomorrow then,” she said in a breathy voice, tracing her finger lightly across his cheek. Neville was bright red by the time she left his side.

Hermione was counting on the pettiness of her former roommates, so the next day, while Lavender was studying with Neville, Hermione let it slip to Parvati before she went on her rounds.

“That little tart!” Parvati breathed.

“I know,” Hermione sighed. “Did you see the way she was leaning toward him? That's an open sexual invitation.” Parvati stared at her. “I read about it,” Hermione finished. She did read about…somewhere, maybe in her mother's magazines.

At dinner the next night, Dean informed the Gryffindors that Neville and Parvati would not be joining them for dinner because they had detention to serve in the greenhouse.

“Neville got detention in Herbology?” Ginny said, disbelieving. Hermione gave a small smile when she saw Lavender sulking.

That night, Hermione stayed up late in the Gryffindor common room studying while Ron did some last minute changes in his Quidditch playbook. Their first game was tomorrow against Ravenclaw, which already irked Ron. Furthermore, she had heard from Seamus that Michael Corner was their new Keeper. She was sure Ron was just spitting fire at that news.

The portrait swung open and Parvati and a thoroughly roughed up Neville walked in. Hermione kicked Ron slightly under the table and he looked up at her then over at the couple.

“Night Neville,” Parvati said at the bottom of the stairs before leaving his side.

Hermione and Ron shared a look. Neville had some lipstick still on his face and his hair was messy, his clothes rumpled.

“Night guys,” he said in a daze to Ron and Hermione.

“Goodnight,” they responded back as he walked up the stairs.

“Hey Neville?” Hermione called out to him.

“Yeah?”

“You did really well in DADA today. Fifteen points for a Patronus. We really needed that,” she said sincerely.

“Thanks,” he grinned at her.

“Unbelievable,” Ron whispered when Neville was out of earshot. “Parvati, huh?” Hermione shrugged in innocence.

*

There was an excited buzz in the air with the first game of the season, a much anticipated match of Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor. Ernie and Hermione patrolled the rapidly emptying corridors, steering the first years in the direction of the pitch and making sure that the empty classrooms were indeed empty after all.

“I'll see you there?” he asked her.

“Yeah, I'll just head to the Gryffindor common room to make sure it's all cleared out,” she said and Ernie nodded, grinning as he left her. “Good luck to your house.”

She leaned against a pillar, staring out from the balcony at the crowd headed to the pitch. A wave of sadness and nostalgia washed over her at the memory of watching Harry play, standing with her fellow Gryffindors and screaming her voice hoarse cheering him on.

A group of students caught her eye and she noticed Blaise Zabini walking with Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy was not with them. Hermione immediately made her way to the Slytherin common room. At the front of their portrait, she inserted her badge into a little notch beside it, automatically it swung open and she stepped through.

“What are you doing here?” Pansy Parkinson greeted her.

“Where's Malfoy?” she asked.

“Upstairs. He's sick.”

“Show me.”

Pansy scoffed and got up off the sofa she was resting on, leading Hermione up the stairs to Draco's dormitory. She opened the door and Hermione peered in to see Draco curled up on his bed, snoring softly.

“You see?” Pansy whispered.

“What are you doing here, then?” Hermione asked as Pansy closed the door.

“I'm staying in case he needs anything,” she answered.

“I'd figure he'd use house elves,” Hermione said sardonically.

“He's not into house elves in that way, if you get my meaning,” Pansy smirked. “Although I doubt you do.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the girl then left the room, satisfied that Draco was occupied. However, as she approached the third floor landing, she saw Malfoy walking ahead of her and she quickly darted into an alcove.

What the hell?

She knew there was no way he passed her in the halls. What was going on? What was he up to?

She peeked around the corner and saw that he had walked into the alcove of the humped witch.

“Dissendium,” she heard him whisper, then a faint scraping sound.

How did he find out about that?

Her first instinct was to run to Ron and tell him what had happened. But then she realized that, duh of course, he was on the pitch. So she turned and ran to the Headmistress' office.

“Sorry lass, she's not in,” one of the gargoyles said to her.

“She may have gone to the Quidditch pitch,” said the other.

Unbelievable, maybe she could talk to a teacher or find an auror.

“Oh sod it,” she said and ran back to the third floor. She tapped the witch on the rump (Dissendium!) and made her way down the dark passage. She ran in the darkness, doing her best to catch up with Malfoy who had a big head start.

She paused when she caught sight of him up ahead of her, the tip of his wandlight shining in the darkness. She whispered Nox, snuffing hers out as she followed him.

He pushed up the trapdoor and raised himself up and out of the passage. Hermione waited a few moments before following him. Pushing the same door open, she lifted it only slightly to see if there was anyone around. The cellar was silent, not a word. Seeing that no one was around Hermione, lifted herself out of the passage.

As luck would have it, she didn't lose Malfoy's trail. She heard his voice faintly coming from somewhere.

She followed it to a door in the cellar that led to the alley, possibly where the owner's of Honeydukes received their merchandise. His muffled voice was heard outside of this door and Hermione pressed her ear to it.

“I left the manor,” she heard a woman's voice say. “Severus said it wasn't safe. Dammit Lucius!”

“Where will you go?” Draco asked.

“I don't know.”

“I want to go with you, mum.” Hermione's eyes widened when she heard this.

“Oh, sweetheart. It isn't safe.”

“I don't care!”

“I do. Draco, they'll hunt you down and find you. Being a Death Eater is a role you can't run away from, you serve the Dark Lord for…life,” her voice cracked at the end of this sentence and Hermione heard a muffled sob. “I curse your father everyday for putting you through this,” she said with bitter hate in her voice. “Why? Why are they doing this to me? Why has the Dark Lord turned against our family? Even my own sister…”

“I'm so sorry,” Draco said. “Dammit!” His fist hit the door and Hermione started, jumping back and knocking over a stack of crates.

“Shit!” she whispered, managing to save them from crashing to the floor but the door opened and Draco and Narcissa Malfoy stared at her.

*

“GO GO GRYFFINDOR! GO GO GRYFFINDOR!”

The cheers of the crowd energized Ron as he hovered, keeping guard on the goals as Ginny sent another quaffle flying past Corner.

“And Gryffindor has another goal making the game 40-0!”

Ron chanced a glance in the crowd and still couldn't find Hermione in the stands. He resisted the temptation to look on the Ravenclaw side. He already made that mistake earlier and a hot swoop of anger hit him unexpectedly when he saw Luna in the stands with a giant bird on her head cheering on their keeper.

He brought his attention back to the game as a Ravenclaw chaser came barreling at him, tossing the quaffle. Ron, mentally picturing it as Corner's head, quickly caught it and sent it flying into Ginny's waiting hands. A bludger was sent towards Corner but he quickly ducked out of the way.

“Shame,” Ron muttered.

Suddenly, there was a roar of cheers from the Ravenclaw side.

“THE SNITCH HAS BEEN CAUGHT! THE SNITCH HAS BEEN CAUGHT! RAVENCLAW WINS THE MATCH!”

There was a groan from the Gryffindor side as the Ravenclaw team hugged and cheered as they sank to the ground. The Gryffindors set down on the field and made the long slow walk to the locker room in defeat.

“Good game everyone,” Ron said to his team as they sat in the locker room. Words of inspiration failed to come to him. “We'll get them next time.”

The team slowly and silently filed out. Ginny passed by him and put a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder. When all was silent and he was left alone, he threw down his gloves and sat on the bench.

His first game as captain and they lost 150-40.

“You did really well out there,” came a soft voice. Ron looked up to see Luna standing in the doorway, ridiculous hat off of her head.

“We lost,” he said quietly.

Luna walked over to him and knelt down in front of him. “But you were an excellent Keeper. You didn't let a single quaffle through!”

“Yeah, whatever,” he muttered. “Shouldn't you be celebrating with your boyfriend?” he said bitterly.

Her hand reached out and softly, tentatively caressed his cheek and before he knew it, her lips brushed against his in the faintest of kisses before she pulled away, getting up and leaving the locker room.

Ron sat there stunned, the memory of the feel of her lips burned into his mind. In a daze, he left the locker room and headed toward the pitch. It was empty now and he was all alone. Not that it mattered.

“YES!” he shouted out and raised his hands in triumph before he fell backwards, spread eagle on the soft sand underneath him. He stared up at the blue sky, puffy white clouds floated by, a goofy grin on his face.

Quidditch was the best game…ever.

*

“Granger!” Draco hissed.

There was a clatter on the floor above them and the sound of someone coming down the stairs.

“Go! Mum, go!” Draco said as he closed the door and locked it. He grabbed Hermione by her forearm and opened the trapdoor, shoving her down into the passage before following her.

Hermione scrambled away from him, crawling on the floor but she felt a hand wrap around her ankle. She let out a scream but Draco covered her mouth with his hand, his body weight pressed against her back as they lay on the floor.

“Shut up,” he hissed in her ear.

They could hear footfalls above them, walking all around the cellar above them before disappearing as they headed up the stairs.

“Get off of me!” Hermione hissed as she elbowed him. He let out a grunt and rolled off of her, letting her go free as she scrambled to her feet. She hit her head sharply on the ceiling of the tunnel, disorienting her for a moment.

Once again, Draco grabbed her ankle, tripping her again. She landed with a thud and tasted blood in her mouth. She had cut her lip. She flipped on her back and raised her wand to him.

“Don't!” he snarled and straddled Hermione pinning her to the floor. He grabbed her wrist and slammed it repeatedly on the floor until she let go of it in reflex and he brushed it aside. Hermione kicked and scratched at him but Draco reached back and hit her across the face with the back of his hand.

“Nosy little mudblood!” he spat at her. “How much did you hear?”

“Enough,” she replied roughly. “Why are the Death Eaters after your mother?”

“Is Potter after the horcruxes?”

Hermione brought her hands together in a fist above her head and sent them down hard, hitting Draco in the groin. He cried out and rolled off Hermione and she flipped over, searching in the dark for her wand, hands feeling the damp dirt. Draco crawled over to her and grabbed the hair on her head, slamming her head on the ground. Hermione saw stars and the darkness of the tunnel began to get darker.

She would not pass out. She would not lose conscious in this tunnel alone with Malfoy.

“I knew it!” he said and scrambled off of her.

“No!” Hermione grabbed his leg and yanked with all her might. “I'm not letting you go running off to your little Death Eaters!”

He turned and pounced on her, fingers wrapping around her neck and pressing her against the wall behind her.

“Accio wand,” he said and her wand flew into his hand. To her surprise, he let go of her and handed it back to her. “You keep my secret, I'll keep yours. I don't need your little Order finding out about my mum.” He touched his wand to hers, wrapping his arm around hers. “Fidelius,” he said.

Hermione stared at him.

“Say it Granger!”

“Fidelius,” she whispered.

“I swear to keep everything that transpired here a secret,” he said.

“I…I swear to keep everything that transpired here a secret,” she repeated.

“I swear not to tell a single soul living or not that Harry Potter is searching for Lord Voldemort's horcruxes,” Draco said.

Tears fell down Hermione's face. “I swear not to tell a single soul living or not that Narcissa Malfoy is running and hiding from her Death Eaters and that Draco Malfoy will help her escape.”

He moved his wand away from her. “And just for good measure,” he made a slashing motion with his wand and Hermione felt a sharp sting across her chest, Draco winced at the same time. “Now we'll know if we break this promise. Got the idea from you,” he said and pointed to his forehead. “S-N-E-A-K.”

“I hate you,” she glared at him, wiping the tears from her face.

“Feeling's mutual Granger,” he replied. “But I love my mother and I would do anything, anything, to keep her safe.”

“Do they know? Your friends?”

Draco scoffed. “They're not my friends. They like me for my money and now that that is fading, they fear me because I'm a Death Eater. They think I'm still doing their bidding.”

“And you aren't?” she said sharply.

Draco glared at her. “We're done here.” And with that, he walked away from her.

Hermione sat for a while more, fighting the sobs that threatened to spill from her. What had just happened? Did it really happen? She staggered to her feet and a sharp pain shot up her leg. It was painful to stand on it so it took longer than usual to get out of the tunnel, and it took a lot more energy. She was tired and sweaty when she stepped out from behind the statue. The castle was filled with laughter and voices. The match must be over. She stepped out into the landing and immediately ran into Ernie.

“Hermione!” he said with concern, taking in her appearance.

“Ernie,” she said before exhaustion completely took her over and she collapsed. He caught her before she could fall.

She woke up some time later in the hospital wing, a familiar head of red hair was resting on her bed.

“Hey, you're awake,” he said softly.

“I missed the match, how did you do?” she asked.

Ron stared at her. “Hermione what the hell happened to you?”

“I…had a little accident on my way out to the pitch. I fell on the stairs and I guess I must have passed out.”

She could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't buying it. But he didn't press her about it. “I'm going to tell McGonagall you're up. She was concerned about you.”

She felt horrible about lying to him and she watched him as he left the hospital wing. She put the curtains all around her, giving her some privacy as she silently began to sob.

~*~

“When you arrive at Azkaban, you will obey Auror Freeman. You will not make contact with the Dementors, nor will you give them reason or cause to make contact with you,” the captain said as Harry and his group stood at attention. For the first time he was dressed in the requisite black Auror robes, still not official like those who had gone on past training, but it made him feel more like the part of the group that he was training with. “You will carry a bar of chocolate on you at all times. You will learn proper protocol and paperwork when admitting a prisoner into Azkaban. Do not talk to the prisoners. Do not answer them if they talk to you.”

The group huddled around a portkey, a faded fedora, waiting for it to be activated. Harry felt the familiar and queasy pull as he and his group were transported to Azkaban. A feeling of unease settled upon him as he gazed upon the wizard prison. There were more than a few unsavory characters within these walls that would love to wring his little neck, not to mention the effect the Dementors had on him.

A tall auror approached them. “My name is Freeman. I will be your instructor today on proper Azkaban protocol. Follow me if you will for a tour of the facilities.” Harry raised the hood of his cloak over his head as they proceeded into the building.

“This is the minimum security area. Wizards and witches held here have usually done petty crimes although we do have some murderers and those charged with assault here.” The group filed past large cells with long metals bars on them. A handful of Dementors hovered in the corners of the room and Harry did his best to avoid them, feeling their cold clamminess seep into his insides.

They moved through several gated doors with multiple locks and charms on them. “This is the maximum security area. We hold our most serious offenders in here. We are currently holding several Death Eaters here that we had captured during a failed ministry raid nearly two years ago.”

Harry stared straight ahead, from the corner of his eye he saw a head of pale blond hair and knew immediately that Lucius Malfoy was in the cell. The others were not so distinguishable and Harry just wanted to hurry and get the hell out of this room.

His scar gave a slight twinge and he rubbed it as they walked further into the building. “This is our booking area,” Freeman explained. “This is where the prisoners are first brought in to be processed and where we will begin our lesson.”

“Ah!” Harry gasped in pain as his scar throbbed violently.

“Harry! What is it?” Brian asked, coming to his side.

“We need to get out of here!” Harry gasped.

“What?”

BOOM!!!

A loud and large explosion sent dust, rock and debris flying at them as everyone hit the ground.

-->

19. Entrapment

Entrapment

Please allow me to introduce myself

I'm a man of wealth and taste

I've been around for a long, long year

Stole many a man's soul and fate

And I was 'round when Jesus Christ

Had his moment of doubt and pain

Made damn sure that Pilate

Washed his hands and sealed his fate

Pleased to meet you

Hope you guess my name

(Sympathy for the Devil—Rolling Stones)

~*~

The first thing Harry registered was pain. His scar only throbbed now but it was still a little painful. And he couldn't breathe. There was a pain in his side that stung every time he tried to take a breath. Not that there was any air to breathe, there was so much dust in the air that he couldn't help but cough and gasp, thereby irritating whatever injury he had in his side.

He could hear moaning in the room, all was dark but he could tell that others were injured. The emergency lights kicked on and the auror Freeman stood up, covered in dust that turned his robes grey.

“Is everyone alright?” he asked.

“Avada Kedavra!”

A green jet of light passed right through him and he fell to the floor with a thud. Harry couldn't see where the curse came from, it was still dark and dusty but he could hear movement coming forward. There was a surprised cry from someone in the room and another green jet of light hit him, silencing the room. Everyone grew silent, they couldn't see where the spell came from but they didn't want to get picked off one by one.

But suddenly, the room got very cold as a small swarm of Dementors floated into the room. Harry felt shaky, cold and clammy. Someone screamed as a Dementor swooped down on him, its mouth clamping firmly over his.

“Expecto Patronum,” he heard someone say and the smoky image of a tiger attacked a Dementor.

He heard Nathan cast his and a shark came out of his wand. “Expecto Patronum!” Harry offered, sending Prongs to chase down the Dementor that was nearly upon him. The Patronuses rounded up the Dementors and chased them out of the room through a hole in the wall caused by the explosion. Harry could hear shouting from that direction, some running and the sound of wand blasts.

Harry rolled over and slowly began to crawl in the direction he heard Brian, careful not to raise himself to high above the debris where he could easily be seen. He found him lying in the rubble, forehead wet with the clamminess that came with a close encounter with a Dementor.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“I've had better days,” Brian replied through clenched teeth. He had one hand covering a wound in his side.

“James!” came a wail from the direction where the fighting was. “He's alive! It's James!”

Harry recognized Wormtail's frightened cries and remembered that that was the direction he had sent his Patronus.

“Shit!” he muttered and pointed his wand at the rubble from the gaping hole in the wall. “Reparo,” he said and slowly the bricks began to put themselves back together. Brian added his own Reparo, speeding up the process.

“We have to move, get out of here,” Harry said as he helped Brian up to his feet. He then went over to Nathan who was kneeling next to Jeff.

“We've got to get him to a medic,” he said. Harry looked at Jeff and saw that right leg was bleeding badly with a severe injury. Harry helped him to his feet, swinging on of Jeff's arms around his shoulder while Nathan did the same with the other. Brian opened the door at the other end of the room, checking to see that it was all clear before he opened it wider and stepped through. Harry, Jeff and Nathan followed and Harry turned around.

“Colloportus!” Harry said, sealing the door.

“Where did you learn that?” Nathan asked, stopping to look at Harry's handiwork but Harry urged him forward.

“Little trick I learned,” he answered.

“POTTER!” the shout reverberated in the halls and Harry suddenly came to a stop when his scar gave a sharp sting. Block him out. Block him out.

“Harry what is it?” Nathan asked.

“It's him,” Harry gasped. “Keep moving.”

“Him who?” Jeff asked.

“Voldemort,” he answered. Brian came to halt and turned around to look at him. He then looked over at Nathan and shared a grave look.

There was a loud explosion behind them and Harry knew that the wall he and Brian had just repaired was blown to bits.

“Move!” Harry said, stepping his trio forward. “Go! Go!” He reached out and turned a stunned Brian around, shoving him forward. They did their best to run into another room, Harry sealing the door behind them then the next room doing the same as Harry could hear the first door being blasted open and another sting of his scar.

When they opened the door to the next room, they found that it had no other way out, it was a dead end.

“Shit,” Nathan cursed.

“We have to back-track,” Brian said and Harry could see the faint outline of blood on the hand that was held up against his side. There was another explosion as another door that Harry had sealed was blasted open.

“What are you doing?” Jeff asked as Harry ducked out from under his arm.

“Stay here. All of you. Don't leave the room until you hear them pass,” Harry said.

“Harry, where are you going?” Brian asked. But Harry didn't answer, he just darted out of the room, closing the door behind him. There was another door to his left and Harry opened it just as the door to this room burst open. A jet of red light flew at Harry and he darted into the other door, crying out as the spell grazed his arm, leaving a cut. He brought his hand to it and saw that his arm was bleeding.

“Colloportus,” he said. This door led to a long corridor and Harry sprinted down it as he heard the door shaking and groaning behind him. He darted into the first door on his right.

“DON'T YOU DARE RUN FROM ME POTTER!” he heard Voldemort shout from behind him.

Harry slammed the door shut only to have it swing open again magically. He had just enough time to cast a shielding charm just as a red blast shot out of Voldemort's wand. The impact of the spell hitting him sent Harry flying backwards, landing hard against the stone wall behind him. Stars momentarily filled his vision as he slumped to the ground.

Get up! Get up! Get up! He kept yelling to himself as he slowly got to his feet. Voldemrot stepped into the room and Harry sent a desk flying at him, catching the dark wizard off ground and sending him tumbling to the floor.

Without the horcruxes destroyed Harry knew he had no chance of defeating him right now. His only hope was to survive long enough to get out of this situation. He darted past Voldemort and ran back out into the corridor, running into the next room with his nemesis hot on his heels.

The door opened behind Harry and he turned around and cast a powerful Reducto on the door frame sending stone debris flying into Voldemort's face as he cried out in surprise. But he wasn't distracted for long. And with a spell Harry had no idea existed, a Dementor flew out of Voldemort's wand, then another and then another all of them coming after Harry.

“Expecto Patronum!” Harry said, sending Prongs out to charge them down. But the instant he appeared the Dementors suddenly evaporated, leaving Harry vulnerable to a well placed, “Crucio!”

Pain. Pain seared through his body as he fell to the floor, writing. He couldn't breathe, the pain was so great. Voldemort released him from the curse only to say “Accio wand!”

Harry's seeker instincts were able to snatch his wand back before it flew completely out of his hands. Voldemort tried again but with the same results as Harry staggered to his feet.

“Stupefy!”

“Avada Kedavra!”

Their wands joined together once again but they both immediately broke the connection.

“Crucio!”

“Expelliarmus!”

Once again they cast their incantations at the same time and they quickly broke the connection once more.

Frustrated, tired and extremely scared out of his wits, a crazy thought suddenly surfaced to Harry's mind and before his logical side of his brain could ration out what he was doing it was too late. Voldemort's eyes widened with shock and surprise, allowing Harry just enough time to tackle Voldemort to the ground as he charged at him, knocking both of them flat on the floor.

Voldemort's wand clattered loudly on the ground and Harry got in one good punch in his nemesis' face before Voldemort shoved him off of him.

“Reducto!” Harry said as he landed on his back and Voldemort went flying in the air.

Harry didn't even stay to see if he landed as he scrambled to his feet and down the corridor.

Voldemort summoned his wand and aimed it at the teen. Harry turned to shield himself but his aim was too high and the spell hit him in the shins followed by a loud Crack! And a blinding pain.

“Ah!” Harry fell to the ground, clutching his broken leg. Voldemort was upon him immediately, kicking his wand away from him.

“Does it hurt, Potter?” he sneered as he kicked at Harry's broken leg. Harry let out a wail of pain. He wanted to vomit, he was going to pass out but he forced himself to stay conscious.

Voldemort knelt down next to Harry. “Avada Kedavra is too good for you. I want to watch you die. I want to see the light leave your eyes.” Harry looked up and saw that Voldemort had transformed his wand into a long and sharp dagger.

Harry brought his hands up to stop Voldemort's downward motion, the blade so close to his chest. He grunted with exertion as he slowly, slowly pushed Voldemort's dagger away.

Voldemort had his lower lip between his teeth, an ugly sneer on his face as he brought his other hand over to help press down. The dagger began to wobble with the opposing forces. Harry's arms began to burn with the effort and there was still the terrible pain in his leg.

He let out a gasp when the blade reversed it's direction, heading back down toward his chest. Sweat plasted his bangs to his forehead as he struggled against Voldemort's strength and gravity, his arms trembling violently. Sweat from Voldemort's face from the exertion began to drip down on him. His tongue licked his lips in anticipation, his mouth forming a grin as the blade touched Harry's chest.

“Aaaahhhh!!” Harry screamed as the blade broke skin, giving little resistant at the breastbone before Voldemort used the rest of his strength to plunge the dagger through.

“Master!!”

The sound of Bellatrix's voice made both men look up as she stood with a group of Death Eaters, all of them wands drawn. Wand blasts flew above his and Voldemort's head and Harry could hear shouts from the opposite end of the hall. With a scream from Harry, Voldemort violently withdrew his dagger from his chest, transforming it back into a wand. Harry could see that it was dripping with blood, his blood and he suddenly found he couldn't breathe.

Voldemort jumped up from the ground and Harry began to fade. Blackness struggled to overcome his vision. The shouting around him became muffled and the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was Remus Lupin above him, shouting his name.

~*~

Hermione, Ron and Ginny made their way to the Great Hall after taking an afternoon walk around the lake. A light gust of wind sent the fallen leaves on the ground jump up and swirl around them. Hermione tucked a strand of hair that brushed across her face behind her ear, the rest of her hair up in a ponytail. There was only a slight crispness in the air that necessitated the two girls wearing long sleeved t-shirts to go with their jeans. Ron cast a glance at Luna and Micheal, sitting at the edge of the forest with Hagrid, feeding the bowtruckles.

“I'm telling you,” he said shaking his head. “The girls here are absolutely insane.”

“Ron that isn't nice to say,” Ginny scolded. “And it isn't true at all.”

“Oh yeah? Watch this,” he said, eyeing a sixth year Hufflepuff who was about to cross their path. He stopped her. “Hey, have you seen Neville?”

The pretty blond sixth year looked up at him. “Longbottom? Neville Longbottom?” she asked and Ron nodded. The girl's demeanor suddenly changed and she suddenly seemed a little shy. “No but if you see him. Tell him Melanie Lancaster said hello,” she said, tilting her head and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before going on her way.

“You see?” Ron said, motioning after the girl.

Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes. “Are you jealous of all the attention Neville is suddenly receiving?” Hermione asked.

“No, it's just bizarre. Suddenly all the birds around here are waiting in line to snog him, he's earning points in class, he's the top student in DADA and Herbology.”

“Neville's always been talented,” Ginny defended him. “He just needed a boost of confidence to show that he really can do this stuff. I think it's wonderful to see him shine like this.”

“Whatever,” Ron muttered. He turned back to Micheal and Luna. She, sensing his gaze turned back and looked at Ron, a faint blush coming over her face. Micheal looked at Luna then back at Ron, scowling before he stepped in front of his girlfriend, blocking Ron's view of her. Ron smirked and faced forward again, hands stuffed in the front pockets of his trousers.

“Hogsmeade weekend is coming up,” Hermione said. “We should get a group together to go.”

“Good idea. I'll ask Luna,” Ginny said.

The three of them approached three of their fellow Gryffindors at the steps of the castle. Neville was standing with Seamus and Dean.

“Hey guys,” Seamus greeted them.

“What's up?” Ron answered in reply with a nod of his head.

“Hey Nev,” Ginny said, “Hogsmeade weekend is coming up and I was wondering if you wanted to get together tonight and—“

“Don't you have a boyfriend?” he cut her off.

“What?” Ginny asked, a little bewildered.

“Harry Potter, remember him?” Neville said and Seamus and Dean nodded in agreement with their friend, egging him on. Hermione frowned. A group of seventh year Ravenclaw girls stopped to listen with interest.

Ginny scoffed. “Of course I do but I was just asking--.”

“I'm not your replacement boyfriend, Ginny,” Neville said with a smirk. Hermione stared at Neville in disbelief. More students began to stop and listen.

“Replacement what?!” Ginny shrieked. “I wasn't asking you out.”

“That's what it sounded like to me,” Neville crossed his arms.

“I heard it loud and clear,” Seamus added.

“You're an unbelievable git,” Ginny hissed at Neville before spinning on her heel to storm up the steps of the castle.

“Hey Hermione,” Neville smiled at her. “How are you?” he asked in a tone very different from the one he used on Ginny. Hermione just looked at him in disgust before following Ginny.

She had just caught up with her in the foyer when a drawling voice spoke out. “Never thought I'd see the day when Potter's little shag thing was rejected by the Mindless Git of Gryffindor,” Draco said lazily as he leaned against a pillar and surrounded by his usual group of Slytherins.

“Shut up, Malfoy,” Ginny spat.

“Just ignore him Ginny. The little ferret never has anything useful to say,” Hermione added as the girls continued on their way.

“What did you call me?” Draco asked, moving from his pillar toward the two girls.

Hermione turned around. “I'm sorry, do you prefer to be addressed as the Cowardly Little Ferret?” she asked. “Or as Useless Wanker of a Human Being?”

Draco opened his mouth to reply when the doors of the Great Hall suddenly swung open and Colin Creevey came stumbling out.

“Breakout at Azkaban!” he said to the two girls.

There was a sudden commotion behind them and Hermione and Ginny turned to see the aurors that patrolled the school grounds suddenly run and convene toward the gates at Hogwarts.

“It's all over the Prophet! Just received it!” Colin was shouting, waving the paper above his head.

Hermione ran forward and snatched the paper from Colin's hands, heading toward a table in the Great Hall. She spread the paper on the table as the rest of the Gryffindors crowded around her.

“Breakout this afternoon at Azkaban,” Hermione read breathlessly. “It is unsure how many casualties there were but there are reports that several aurors and Death Eaters were killed. The Dark Mark hovered above the prison when this reporter arrived. There will be more news to report, please stay alert readers.”

Professor McGonagall and Tonks ran down the aisles of the Hall and out into the foyer. There was a sharp tug on Hermione's arm and she turned to face a wide eyed and fearful Luna Lovegood. She was breathing heavy as if she'd been running.

“I…saw him…,” she panted. “He's here…Harry…they brought him in with some aurors.”

Ron stepped forward and grabbed Luna's shoulders. “Harry?” he demanded. “Are you sure?” he shook her slightly.

“Yes! They took him up to the hospital wing with the others. He didn't look so good,” she rushed out in one short breath.

“Oh, Merlin!” Ginny's hands went to her mouth.

Ron took off toward the hospital wing followed by a small group of Harry's closest friends. Hermione found that her feet wouldn't move right away and she got a late start, hustling after her friends. Terror seized her heart.

Harry was hurt. He must have been with the other Aurors. Please let him be okay. Please let him be okay.

She was suddenly yanked from the running crowd on the third floor and thrown down a dark passageway. Draco closed the secret passageway.

“What are you doing?” she shrieked and made her way back to the entrance.

Draco held her back. “You're coming with me,” he said.

“I'm not going anywhere with you!” she spat back. “I need to see him. I need to see if he's okay!” She struggled against Draco.

“He's got enough people there for him!”

“You don't understand! I have to see him and you can't stop me!!” she screamed as she pulled out her wand.

Draco shoved her against the wall and slammed her wrist up against it. “You swore you'd help me. If you don't, I'll have Death Eaters crawling over this school so quickly, Potter won't even have a chance to make it to the hospital wing.”

*

They had just closed the doors to the hospital wing when Ron made it up the stairs followed by a small group of students. He was surprised to see his father standing there along with Lupin. Tonks was by his side and Ron could see there was a lot of blood on his robes. He must have gone very pale because his father rushed over to him.

“Ron, are you alright?” he asked.

“Harry?” Ron asked, afraid of the answer, looking over his shoulder at Lupin who was pacing back and forth. Tonks was whispering words of comfort to him.

It occurred to Ron that it was unusually quiet in the hall and as Arthur, Tonks and Lupin looked up, they saw that the teens were staring at Lupin's blood covered robes. Tonks quickly muttered a cleaning charm, cleaning her lover's robes and hands.

The gravity of the situation took hold of Harry's friends when Professor McGonagall stepped out from the room asking for blood donations to test for compatibility with Harry's.

“Take mine,” Luna stepped forward. “My blood is universally compatible. I donate all the time at St. Mungo's.”

McGonagall let her into the hospital wing, Luna looked back at Ron who stepped forward, wanting to say something to the brave young woman. She smiled softly and walked into the room.

“Where's Hermione?” his father asked and Ron looked around him noticing that he best friend was missing.

“I saw her back at the Great Hall,” Ginny said.

Ron was torn between leaving Harry and searching for Hermione. His loyalty to Harry won out. Hermione would show up, she was probably in the library searching for some way to save Harry.

*

Hermione was heartsick. She longed to see how Harry was doing and her imagination was playing all sorts of scenarios in front of her. He can't die. He won't die. She closed her eyes momentarily.

Harry. Harry please be strong. Please pull through this.

Draco slid the trapdoor open and pulled himself into the cellar of Honeydukes. Hermione followed him. They quietly made their way to the door leading to the alley.

“What is she doing here?” Narcissa hissed at their extra companion.

“She's going to help us,” Draco said.

“You trust that little mudblood,” his mother stared at him.

“She has no choice but to help,” Draco replied. “He's out, isn't he?”

“The Dark Lord helped him escape this afternoon. I took only what I needed and what was of value.” She nodded to her luggage and Hermione eyed the expensive looking carriers. “I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go. The Ministry froze our vault weeks ago, I only have what I was able to withdraw.” Narcissa began to cry and Draco hugged his mom. Hermione was stunned to see such gentle affection from him.

“We'll be okay. We'll figure this out.”

“Take her to the Leaky Cauldron,” Hermione said softly. The two of them turned to stare at her.

“Take my mother to some filthy, second rate establishment?” Draco said incredulously.

“I'd never set foot inside of there,” Narcissa turned up her nose.

“Exactly. You'd never stay there so they wouldn't look for you there.”

Draco and Narcissa mulled the idea over.

“It would only be temporary until you think of something else,” Hermione added quickly.

“Come on,” Draco said roughly, grabbing her upper arm and she felt herself being apparated away.

They arrived a few blocks from the Leaky Cauldron and Draco cautiously appeared around the corner. All was clear so he motioned for his mother to lead. Draco and Hermione followed, Draco still held on tight to her arm.

“You're hurting me,” she whispered. Draco eased up his grip, only slightly.

They waited for a few minutes while Narcissa went in first. Draco let go of her arm and opened the door, letting Hermione go through first.

Narcissa was being led upstairs by the innkeeper to her room. Draco and Hermione took a seat at a nearby table.

“We wait here,” he whispered.

He ordered a butterbeer from a waiter and didn't bother asking Hermione if she wanted one. Not that she cared, she would hope that the bartender spit in his bottle.

“How long?” she asked.

“Long enough to know that my mother will be okay here.”

“I'm leaving,” Hermione said, getting up from the table but Draco yanked her back down.

“You're going nowhere,” he said.

“People will notice that the two of us are gone,” she whispered fiercely.

“I've got myself taken care of,” Draco said. “No one would notice if you were gone.”

*

It seemed as if forever had passed. Ron sat with his father who was holding Ginny. Tonks and Remus sat in a far corner huddling and whispering. Seamus, Dean and Neville sat in another area while Lavender and Parvati sat in another corner with their Tarot cards and shaking their heads.

Finally the doors opened and McGonagall stepped through. Her face showed relief.

“He's resting. He will be okay. Madame Pomfrey is going to give him a Sleeping Draught but I will allow only one visitor.” Her eyes naturally found Ron's but they searched to find Hermione, who was still missing.

“I want to see him,” Ron said.

“Of course,” she said and let him in the room.

Harry was pale, Ron thought. Deathly pale.

“Why do I always end up here?” Harry croaked when he saw his friend. Ron let out a soft laugh.

“I don't know. I'm beginning to think you have a thing for Madame Pomfrey,” he replied.

Harry gave a small smile. Ron sat down on a chair next to the bed.

“You gave us all quite a scare,” he said.

Harry frowned. “It was him. Voldemort who did this.”

Ron winced slightly at the name and Harry continued. “I knew I couldn't defeat him without the horcruxes. So I just fought like hell to get out of there alive.”

“They escaped,” Ron said softly. “The Death Eaters that we put away in fifth year.”

Harry sighed. “Yeah, I suppose we all knew that would happen one day.”

Ron changed the topic. “You know you have quite the crowd out there waiting for you. Ginny was going spare, I think she would've trampled over me to be by your side instead.”

Harry snorted softly. “I guess you could tell her I said hello,” he said with the faintest trace of a grin that soon faded. “Hermione?” he asked. Ron shook his head.

“I guess I deserve that after the prat I've been to you both,” Harry said heavily. “It's no wonder that she doesn't come in here and hex me herself. Finish me off.” He looked up and was disconcerted to see the look on Ron's face. He wasn't looking at him, he was just staring off into space, a troubled look on his face.

“What?” Harry asked with concern.

Ron looked down at him. “Just between friends?” he asked.

Harry went on full alert, Ron was rarely this serious. “Yeah, of course.” Ron opened his mouth to say something but then closed it as if unsure if he should proceed. This gesture hurt Harry slightly and he remembered a time when Ron wouldn't hold anything back.

“It's about Hermione,” Ron said, fingering the blanket on Harry's bed. He wasn't sure how to say this without freaking Harry out or causing him any more stress. Crap, he shouldn't have opened his big mouth in the first place.

“What about Hermione?” Harry asked slowly and calmly although inside he wanted to shake it out of his friend.

“I'm worried about her,” Ron said at last. “She…hasn't been herself lately. She was on her way up here to see you then she just…didn't arrive.”

“What do you mean she just didn't arrive,” Harry sat up a little straighter in his bed.

Ron scratched the side of his head. “Well, she's just acting…weird. Like she did in third year. Remember how secretive she was about the time turner?”

“You think she has a time turner?” Harry asked, confused.

“No no. She just…She missed the first Quidditch match of the season. And when Ernie found her, she was--.”

“Okay Mr. Potter,” Madame Pomfrey said as she walked over to him carrying the sleeping draught.

“Can it wait?” Harry asked, holding up a hand.

“We have to put you to sleep so we can safely move you and the others,” she explained.

“Yes, fine but can I have just a few more minutes?” Harry asked.

“No I'm afraid not,” she said giving Harry the potion and practically shoving it down his throat.

Harry fought against its quick acting ingredients. “Watch her,” Harry said about Hermione. At least, he think he said so but in his weakened state, the potion acted quickly and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

~*~

Narcissa gave Draco her room number and with a hug and kiss left her son. Draco made Hermione stay longer with him just to be sure that they weren't followed and that no one else would come into the inn and ask about his mother.

Under the cover of darkness they left the inn and apparated into the alley of Honeydukes. She ran through the passageway and out onto the third floor landing, sprinting to the Hospital wing. But when she opened the door the ward was filled with empty beds.

“May I help you Miss Granger?' Madame Pomfrey asked.

“Harry. Where's Harry?” she asked.

“He was taken away to St. Mungo's,” she said.

“Is he alive? Is he okay?”

“He'll be fine. He left about two hours ago,” Madame Pomfrey said gently.

Closing the doors behind her as she walked out of the ward, she sank to the floor and let the tears spill from her eyes. Tears of relief and sadness spilled down her cheeks. Harry had been here. He had been so close to her and she missed the chance to see him.

Someone walked up to her and stood in front of her.

“I'm sorry.”

Hermione looked up to see Draco standing in front of her. She scrambled to her feet and stared at him. It was his fault that she didn't get to see Harry.

SLAP!

His cheek turned red where she had slapped him but she didn't give him a chance to strike back at her as she stormed off to her room.

Ernie knocked at her door some time in the evening, as did Ron and Ginny. Luna stopped by as well but Hermione didn't answer the door. She slept. The emotionally exhausting events of the day catching up with her. Her homework lay forgotten on her desk.

She didn't show up for breakfast the next morning but Ernie had left a plate of food for her by her door. She grabbed a muffin and made her way to the first class of the day.

“Are you alright?” he asked her when she walked into the classroom.

“Of course I am. I was just a little tired,” she said. “Thanks for the food.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

She sat down next to Ron and the lecture promptly began. Ron scribbled on a piece of paper and passed it to her.

What happened to you yesterday?

I'm fine Ron. I needed to get away from there. I'm glad Harry's okay.

You-Know-Who attacked him.

So the Death Eaters are free?

Yeah, big surprise huh?

Wonder why he did it now and not earlier.

Ron shrugged and brought his attention back to the front of the class.

Word of Harry's little visit to the hospital ward spread like wildfire through the school, each time Hermione heard it, it became more and more out of control. The last she heard, Harry's head had been severed along with his arms and legs and that he really died and it was all one big conspiracy that they were saying he survived.

Hermione threw off questions about her conspicuous absence from the hospital wing from her fellow Gryffindors. She felt horrible enough about missing Harry. She sat down to write to him again but didn't send the letter.

One night as Hermione and Ginny sat at a table in the library, giggling disturbed their studies and they both looked up to see Neville and Parvati exiting the room holding hands.

“He's really turned into a complete git,” Ginny muttered.

Hermione sighed. “Ginny, I have to confess something to you.”

Ginny looked up at her.

“It's my fault that Neville is acting the way he is,” she said.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“You were right about what you said earlier about Neville just needing a bit of self-confidence so I…I pretended to show interest in him. I knew that if I could convince Lavender and Parvati to do the same…maybe it would boost his self-confidence a little.”

“Hermione!” Ginny whispered scandalously.

“Well I didn't think it would take off like it did. I didn't think he would turn into some…some…”

“Thick-headed prat?” Ginny asked.

“Exactly,” she said.

Ginny grinned wryly. “Clever Hermione. Who knew you were so tricky.”

“Are you ready?” Colin Creevey walked over to Ginny and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Oh crap! I nearly forgot about our Astronomy exam!” she leaped up from the table and followed the rest of the sixth years up to the tower.

Hermione closed the book she was taking notes from and got up from the table to put it back. She slid the book into its proper place on the dusty bookshelf.

“Very crafty indeed!”

She jumped and whirled to face Draco. He was leaning against a bookshelf and carelessly took out a book.

“What do you want?” she hissed at him.

“I was just listening to your little conversation with the Weaslette about Neville's new popularity and I have a new theory behind your motives.”

“Oh this should be entertaining,” Hermione rolled her eyes.

“I think you're trying to get the Weaslette out of the way,” he said smugly.

“What on earth are you talking about?” Hermione asked.

“Everyone can see that the big oaf was just wild about that red head. Problem is, she's sort of starry eyed for old Scar Head. How convenient of you to try and draw the Weaslette's attention away toward the Witless Wonder. Especially since Scar Head isn't here to defend what's his. Never thought you'd betray your friend like this.”

“You really are an idiot aren't you?” Hermione tilted her head and smiled. “Does it hurt your brain to think of things like this?”

Draco closed the book with a snap. “What puzzles me is why you want to help Witless and Weaslette out?”

“Malfoy, stop thinking before you hurt yourself. You just can't grasp the concept of someone doing something good for another person without wanting anything in return. After the way you humiliated Neville in DADA I wasn't going to stand there and do nothing.”

“First things first, Witless humiliated himself. And second, I don't think your little `favor' to Witless did anyone here any favors with the way his ego has inflated, even Weaslette can't stand him. Though I commend you on your effort.”

“I would never betray Harry like that. Harry and Ginny belong together.”

“Hurts you to say that doesn't it?” Draco smirked.

“You're unbelievable, you know that?” she said, crossing her arms and walking past him, hitting him roughly on the shoulder as she did so.

She sat down at the table and began to pack up her things.

“Um, Hermione?” Ernie asked as he approached her table.

“What?” she asked irritably and immediately closed her eyes. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that.”

“Bad night?” he asked.

“Yes, no. How about we start over, okay?” she asked.

“Sure,” he replied. “Hermione?”

“Yes?” she smiled.

“Er…you know that Hogsmeade weekend is coming up in a couple of days and I was…well I was wondering…,” he began to sweat slightly and his face was becoming flush.

“Ernie, are you okay?” Hermione asked with concern.

“What? Oh, yes…I er, I think so. But I was wondering if you were going with me?”

“Of course, we're Head Boy and Girl. We have to go,” Hermione said patiently.

“No, no. What I meant was…well, I was wondering…if you wouldn't mind…”

“Ernie just say it,” Hermione smiled.

“Iwaswonderingifyouwouldliketogowithme.”

Hermione stared at him in confusion. What the hell did he just say? Then it suddenly came to her.

“Oh!” she said in understanding. “Oh, okay. Yeah, I would like that.”

Ernie grinned at her. “Great. We'll share a carriage?”

“Yeah, I'll meet you out front and we'll head out after the head count.”

“Brilliant,” Ernie said before walking away from her table.

“That was, by far, the most painful thing I have ever seen,” Draco said from behind her.

Hermione turned around and looked at him. “I thought I told you to stop thinking.”

~*~

Harry had just arrived back to the training compound when he was summoned to Shacklebolt's office.

“You wanted to see me?” he asked, poking his head in the office and seeing Lupin sitting there as well.

“Yes, come in Harry.”

He did as he was told and closed the door behind him, taking a seat in front of the desk.

“Harry, we found something in one of the cells of Azkaban, records show it was Antonin Dolohov's.”

Shacklebolt handed Harry a thick envelope which Harry dumped the contents in his hand. It was mostly wizard photographs of the destroyed cell with newspaper clippings hanging on the wall and writing. Harry flipped through them carelessly.

“What is all this?” he asked the two men.

“Harry, look closely at the photos,” Lupin said patiently.

Harry looked again at the photos. Newspaper clippings flapped in an unseen breeze on the cell wall but Harry could faintly make out a photograph of Hermione in one of them. They were photos of an article in the Daily Prophet from his fourth year when Rita Skeeter was smearing his best friend's name.

Harry flipped to another photo that had the writing on the wall and saw that it was Hermione's name written over and over again.

“Where did he get the article, that's an old paper,” Harry said.

“Security, as you know, has not been it's greatest at Azkaban,” Shacklebolt said. “Prisoners can get all sorts of things if they know the right people.”

“There's more,” Remus said. “A few days ago, the muggle police reported a burglary at the residence of Edward and Jane Granger.”

“What?” Harry asked.

“Nothing of value was taken but according to their police report, several photos were taken.”

“Hermione's?”

“Yes, and along with that. Some items from her room.” Harry felt sick. He was going to be sick.

“We cannot afford to send aurors to the Granger's to guard them day and night but we have the ability to send an auror to be among the student body at Hogwarts,” Shacklebolt said.

Harry looked between the two men, getting the implication of his words.

“No,” Harry shook his head. “I'm not going back.”

“I have spoken with our Department of Magical Defense and Remus has consulted with the Order. Considering that there are unconfirmed reports of Death Eaters among the study body that contributed to the death of Albus Dumbledore—“

“If you're talking about Draco Malfoy, I can assure you that those reports are very confirmed,” Harry interrupted him but Shacklebolt continued on.

“We have all decided that it is best if we have someone on the inside to gauge what is going on at Hogwarts.”

“I thought you already had aurors there, some of them actually teaching the students.”

“Harry, what students do you know of will willingly talk to an auror about their activities and lives?” Remus asked.

“You can't make me do this,” Harry said. “You can't make me go back.”

“You have no choice,” Shacklebolt said. “Although, unofficially an Auror, I am still your superior. We've already sent your papers in and Headmistress McGonagall has accepted them. You start immediately. And that's an order,” he said, cutting off Harry's objection.

-->

20. A Hero's Return

A Hero's Return

Don't the best of them bleed it out

While the rest of them peter out

Truth or consequence, say it aloud

Use that evidence, race it around

There goes my hero

Watch him as he goes

There goes my hero

He's ordinary

(My Hero—Foo Fighters)

~*~

Ron's reaction to Hermione's date was not what Ginny expected.

“Would you stop laughing?” she hissed at him as they stood in the Gryffindor common room. “What's so funny about her going with Ernie anyway?”

“What's so funny?” Ron held his abdomen as he began to laugh again. “Ginny those two are probably the most boring people in the world to date each other.”

“Ron! This is Hermione you're talking about and it isn't very nice!” she scolded.

“I can imagine their date now,” he said. “Hermione would you like to go to the bookstore? Maybe we can find books that will make us even smarter than we already are. Oh Ernie,” his voice raised an octave. “That sounds just divine! Maybe we can pick up some more quills and parchment while we're at it.” His voice dropped down again. “Great idea, Hermione. While we're at it we can head over to the Three Broomsticks and do our homework together”

Ginny shoved her brother through the portrait door. “Stop it and behave! I told her that we would share a carriage with her so please try and act like a civilized adult.”

“Yeah, sure,” he said, shrugging.

The students milled about in the front of the castle as the carriages arrived. Ginny looked over to her side and saw Neville about to board his carriage with three other girls. He looked over at her but Ginny rolled her eyes and turned away from him to get into the carriage. Shortly after, Hermione and Ernie joined them. Ginny gave her brother one more pointed look before the carriage jolted slightly to begin its journey.

It was a quiet one.

Hermione and Ernie sat next to each other but were staring out the windows not talking. Ginny could see that Ernie was desperately trying to think of something to say.

“It should be nice weather today, no?” he asked.

“Yes it should be lovely,” Hermione replied.

A small silence descended upon them and Ginny looked over at Ron who appeared to be staring intensely at the passing landscape but she could see his jaw tensing as he was probably desperately trying to keep from laughing.

“So…you two,” Ginny piped up, trying to fill the silence, “what are you going to do today?”

“Uh, I'm not sure,” Ernie began tentatively. “I was thinking we could head over to the bookstore and--.” Ron broke into a coughing fit at this point and Ginny slapped him hard on the back.

“I'm sorry, go on,” Ginny said with a smile. She was going to kill Ron.

“That sounds fine Ernie,” Hermione said brightly. “There was this new book out that I've been wanting to get my hands on.”

“Alright then, it's a plan,” Ernie grinned.

Ginny smiled at them both but deep down she was hoping, for Hermione's sake at least, that this date would be more than academic. After all, even Head Girls deserved a little romance.

*

When the carriage stopped, Ron and Ginny hopped out and promptly headed for the WWW to see their brothers. The shop, of course, was packed with those intent on making this year a miserable one for Filch and Mrs. Norris.

“Hello family,” George said from behind the counter to his two siblings.

“Wow, busy today?” Ginny said as she examined the new wares behind the counter.

“Yeah, a little,” George scoffed. “Didn't think so many students would be returning this year, let alone be going to Hogsmeade.”

“I think everyone wants a little normalcy,” Ron said.

“Yeah, that and the fact that we have a lot of aurors watching over you lot,” George said.

They chatted for a little while longer until Ron scanned the crowd and spotted Luna over by the Not-Exactly-But-Close-Enough Quoting Quills. He made his way over to her.

“We just developed those over the summer,” he said softly as he stood behind her.

She turned and found that he was standing very close to her. She didn't move as he reached around her and picked one up, placing it in her hand.

“Try it out,” he said.

“You demonstrate first,” she smiled.

Ron picked up a quill and a scrap parchment that had been provided. He cleared his throat.

“Quill,” he said and the object stood at attention, waiting for Ron to start. “How are you today, Luna?” The quill scribbled away.

Luna, care to find a dark corner and snog?

Ron snatched the parchment from the quill and crumpled it in his fist. “The things are absolutely useless,” he said, placing the quill back with the others. “So, uh, where's Michael?” he asked in what he hoped was a casual tone as they moved on to the next item in the store.

“He's at Zonko's,” Luna said in a hushed tone.

“So why are you here?” Ron asked.

Luna leaned in close to him and in a conspiratorial whisper said, “I think the products here are way more clever.”

“See, now, you seem like a woman of taste and yet you are dating the biggest git in the school,” Ron smirked. “How is that possible?”

“Oh, he's not that bad. He has his…finer points but mostly because he noticed me, he asked me out.” She wandered to the next aisle and Ron followed her.

“But maybe you were too hasty in agreeing to go out with him. I'm sure there are other guys who are interested in you but are a little intimidated by the fact that you already have a boyfriend.”

“See, now that's one of the reasons I like Michael. He's not afraid to go after what he wants.”

“Yeah, he's a real golden boy that one. Too bad he's the biggest crybaby ever,” Ron muttered.

“You're not much better,” Luna shot back.

“I don't cry!” Ron protested and a little too loudly at that because it suddenly got very quiet inside the shop. Luna looked around and saw that everyone was staring at them so she grabbed the quill and went to the counter.

“I'll take this please,” she said. Fred raised his eyebrows at his youngest brother who had accompanied the pretty blond to the register. “No you don't cry,” she whispered, “but you do whine.”

“I do not whine!” Ron protested.

“Uh, yeah you do,” Fred said as he handed Luna back her change.

“Thanks,” Ron said plainly to his brother. “Thanks a lot.” He turned and went after Luna who had left the shop.

“Look, I just don't know why you're going out with him,” Ron said as he reached Luna in the street.

“Why does it even matter to you?” she asked, exasperatedly.

“It matters!” Ron replied even though deep down he knew it was a great question that he didn't exactly have the answer to.

“Why?” Luna demanded. “Why now?” He saw that her blue eyes began to fill with tears. Oh for crying out loud, what did he do that always resulted in girls crying in front of him. “Do you even know how long I've liked you Ron?” This declaration had taken him aback. Luna had liked him? When did this happen? “I've liked you for so long, since fourth year! But you never paid any attention to me, never thought of me as more than your little sister's friend. Loony Lovegood, that's what you called me.”

“Luna, I didn't mean that,” Ron said gently. “I swear I didn't, I just said it…” He floundered on this one.

“Because of habit, right?” Luna finished for him. “Don't worry, I'm used to everyone calling me that, it just hurt hearing you call me that.” Ron felt like the biggest idiot in the world. “Don't worry about it Ron,” she said. “I'm over it now and I'm finally over you. I've moved on and Michael's made me realize that there are other people out there who are interested in me. Who won't make fun of me behind their backs.”

“Luna!”

As if on cue, Michael called out to her from across the street at Zonko's.

“I'll see you around, Ronald,” Luna said, quickly wiping her eyes then turned and ran to Michael. Ron watched as he put his arm around her and kissed her gently on the lips before they turned and headed in the direction of Madame Puddifoot's. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked in the opposite direction toward the Three Broomsticks.

Hermione noticed that Ron was unusually quiet as he sat at the table she shared with Ginny and Ernie. She and Ernie had had a pleasant day, going to the bookstore where they spent forever browsing through the titles. Ernie ended buying a couple on Ministry policy and regulations, he had interned in the Ministry during the summer in the Magical Regulations and Restrictions department. Hermione was disappointed not to find anything on the topic of Horcruxes but she did find an interesting read in Odd Magical Objects That You Thought Never Existed.

After a few butterbeers, the group headed out to Honeydukes, a place Hermione privately thought she had seen enough of but went anyway. She bought a few Cheery Cherry Chews that she gave to Ron in the carriage ride back and his mood considerably improved. Hermione decided that she could make it better by reminding Ron that tonight was the Halloween Feast. His eyes glazed over with the thought of food at that and seemed content the rest of the ride.

She knew that Ginny was holding her tongue and that at any moment she was going to explode with curiosity. She knew she desperately wanted details about her little date with Ernie but that she would have to wait until they were alone and could talk. As they walked back inside the castle among the excited chatter, Ginny gave Hermione a meaningful look before she took off in the direction of the Gryffindor common room.

“Well, thank goodness today was uneventful,” Ernie sighed as he and Hermione walked into the Head Boy and Girl suite. “Everyone has been on edge since the breakout at Azkaban.”

“Yeah, I know,” Hermione said softly as she put down her book.

“Hey,” he said softly taking her hand in his. “I had a great time today.”

“Yeah me too,” Hermione replied.

Then he moved close to her, leaned down and placed a small peck on her cheek. “I'll see you at the feast,” he said and left the rooms.

“Bugger,” Hermione sighed. She was hoping to feel something all day, even when he leaned over her shoulder to read what she was reading and vice versa. And even with the kiss, polite and proper as it was, she was desperately hoping to feel a twinge of excitement.

A quiet growling of her stomach reminded her to go downstairs and the fact that she was human and could still feel something. She stepped out of the portrait and began to make her way downstairs. She had just passed some overly-excited first years on the second floor when something outside caught her eye. She moved toward the balcony and watched as a single carriage rolled its way up to the castle. Oh my God, did we forget a student?

The door opened and Dobby ran out to grab the trunk and cage. Was there a new student coming? Then her heart stopped when she saw the familiar head of messy raven hair step out of the carriage, fully dressed in Hogwarts attire.

“HARRY!”

“It's Harry!”

She heard people shouting and a flock of seventh year Gryffindors flew down the stairs and swarmed the awkward teen. So many emotions flooded Hermione as she watched him. Was he really here? Was she dreaming? What was he doing here? Why was he here? She suddenly felt overwhelmed as she watched him greet their peers, the smile on his face that seemed more than a little forced.

“Harry!” she heard Ron yell and saw him make his way to his friend, clapping him on the shoulder. A genuine but small smile spread across Harry's face. Hermione was glued to where she was standing, finding herself unable to move because her mind was on overdrive.

“Let me through!” came another voice and Hermione watched as Ginny forced her way through the crowd before wrapping her arms around Harry. The Gryffindors beamed as their golden couple was reunited and Hermione found she couldn't take her eyes off of them.

She suddenly started when she realized that she wasn't alone. Draco Malfoy was standing next to her, one hand resting on a pillar. He, too, had been watching Harry's return and he turned to Hermione. His face was masked and completely free of any opinion and she wondered if her face was as blank as his. She turned and walked away.

*

As Harry sat in the carriage, he looked up at the imposing towers of the only place he had ever considered home. He really didn't want to be here and he cursed Shacklebolt and the Order for going behind his back on this. The wounds suffered in this place were still so very raw and coming back here was just ripping them open. How different would this place be without Dumbledore? Death Eater's children and a Death Eater himself were among the student body, aurors were patrolling the grounds and teaching some of the students, now an unofficial auror was disguising himself among them.

“You're making me nervousss,” Isis hissed.

“I can't help it,” Harry answered.

“At leassst your friendsss will be here.”

“Don't even get me started on that,” Harry replied. He wondered what sort of reception he would receive. He imagined it would be as warm and welcome as it was in the beginning of his fifth year. And this time without Ron and Hermione at his side. He doubted they would even give him the time of day, considering how wonderful their friendship status was right now.

The carriage came to a stop and Harry recognized the little house elf that came out to collect his things.

“Harry Potter!” the elf squeaked with adoration. Isis stared at him in fascination.

“Hello Dobby,” Harry said quietly. He really was here at Hogwarts wasn't he? A nightmare come true.

“Good luck,” Isis hissed as Dobby took her crate. “You're going to need it.”

“Thanks,” he muttered back.

“HARRY!”

It wasn't long before he was suddenly surrounded by his classmates that seemed actually happy that he was back. It was all so painful to see their faces and remember better times at this school. But their support did make it a bit easier. And as Ron made his way over to him and enthusiastically greeted him, he did feel his spirits lift some. Maybe his friends didn't hate him after all, maybe there were those out there that did still care.

And Ginny.

She came flying at him and he was overcome with her familiar comfort, it was like a lighthouse in this stormy sea. Questions came flying at him from his classmates, excited chatter, gossip and grumblings as they led him into the castle. Other classmates greeted him, whispers started buzzing as people stared at him.

And then there she was.

It had been hard enough coming back here and now seeing her standing there looking wonderful was enough to send him running away. Her hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders and past, she had on soft light blue sweater that fitted her nicely as did the jeans she wore. The can of raw emotions that he put away when he swore that he belonged to Ginny was ripped open. He was afraid to talk to her for some reason, afraid to touch her for fear that he might lose himself. And he was barely holding it together to even walk into the damn place.

Ginny still had an arm wrapped around him and he squeezed her to him, trying to find some sort of strength to say something to her.

“And so the prodigal son returns,” came a familiar voice. Harry turned to see Draco Malfoy approach the doors of the Great Hall where they were standing. He was accompanied by his usual group of worshippers. “We all knew you would come back some day. This place holds so many…memories for you.”

“I'm surprised to see you here,” Harry said evenly.

“Really? You shouldn't be,” Draco said lazily. “Although I'm sure your house is eternally grateful to have you back. They've been having a hell of a time taking a beating without their little Messiah.”

“That's enough,” Hermione spoke up.

Pansy stepped forward. “How dare you talk to Draco that way, filthy mu--.”

“I dare you to finish that sentence,” Ron stepped forward.

“Do you all need another ass kicking?” Blaise spoke up.

Dean stepped forward. “Is that what you call what we do to you all the time?”

Draco swung an arm out to stop Blaise. A Cheshire grin, so like his father's grew on his face. “Now, now. This is Saint Potter's Big Day, let's not have us go and ruin it with bloodshed.”

Harry was very disconcerted to see that he was not even looking at him and the other Gryffindors, his eyes were on Hermione who stared back at him defiantly. A feeling of unease settled upon him. Don't bait him. Don't bait him, Hermione.

“Ten points from Slytherin for Pansy's use of colorful language,” Hermione said and Harry winced. He removed his arm from Ginny and moved to step forward to defend her but she spoke up again.

“Now, if we're all done here with pleasantries. I'm hungry and I'm going inside,” she then turned on her heel and opened the doors to the Great Hall.

As the Gryffindor's settled into their usual spots, Harry had to undergo more whispers and stares but surprisingly enough the greeting was generally warm. Ernie had even come up to him and said it was good to see him. Hermione and Ron sat opposite Harry and Ginny and Harry rediscovered one of his favorite things about Hogwarts as he dug into the food.

“Ugh, here comes Neville,” Lavender nudged Hermione who was sitting next to her.

“And his flavor of the week,” Parvati added.

Harry turned to see Neville walk in the room with Hannah Abbott, leaning down to kiss her before they parted ways. Harry raised an eyebrow at the brazenness of his usually shy friend.

“Oh, hey, Harry, you're back!” Neville said to Harry who couldn't help but notice the hint of falseness behind it.

“You were too busy sucking Hannah's face to notice,” Ginny said dryly.

“Whatever,” Neville shrugged then proceeded to plop down in front of Seamus and Dean who leaned forward.

“So, Hannah, huh?” Dean asked.

“Whew,” Neville shook his head. “That girl is something.”

“Ow! What?” Ron hissed as he rounded on Hermione, rubbing his arm as he did so.

“Are you going to listen to him?” Hermione demanded in a whisper.

“What? I never snogged Hannah, I'm just curious,” Ron defended.

Harry was floored. He couldn't believe that his friend could be such a prat to his girlfriend. “Ron!” he scolded, wishing he could kick him under the table without accidentally kicking Hermione.

“What?” Ron shrugged. “My conquesting lives vicariously through Neville.” He leaned back in.

Ginny tutted angrily at her brother's behavior, he was only encouraging Neville and his disgusting behavior. Hermione was so sickened at what the formerly sweet Neville had turned into because of her very own scheming that she couldn't even finish her meal.

“I'm done here,” Hermione threw down her napkin and scooted out of her seat.

“Hermione,” Ginny said compassionately, understanding why she was so upset.

“Harry, I'm so glad your back,” Hermione said then hastily left the Hall.

Now Harry kicked out at Ron.

“Ow! Now what?” he asked.

“Nice going Ron,” Harry said angrily as he got out of his seat to chase after Hermione but Ginny tugged him back down.

“Trust me on this, Harry,” she said. “You don't want to go near her right now.”

Later that night, Harry settled into his dormitory. Ron sat on his bed thumbing through his Quidditch magazine. “So you're under orders, huh?”

“Yeah,” Harry muttered as he began to unpack his trunk.

“So you're just supposed to spy on us? Make sure we aren't plotting anything sinister?”

“Just about.” Harry still wasn't too happy with the way Ron had treated Hermione earlier and he had half a mind to go off on Ron about it if he knew he wouldn't just turn it around and give it right back to him.

“That's easy, just hang around the Slytherins, I'm sure they're up to their ears in plots to rule the world,” Ron grumbled. The door opened and Seamus and Dean walked in.

Isis raised her head in curiosity at the two new people. She had already voiced her approval of Ron.

“So when did Neville turn into the Casanova he is now?” Harry chided.

“Crazy isn't it?” Seamus grinned.

“Not only that but he's the top student in DADA,” Ron added.

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Really? Well, good for him, I guess. I bet Hermione blew a gasket on that one.”

“Hermione has her own issues to deal with in that class,” Dean muttered. “But, man, Harry, wait until you see our teacher.”

There was a collective moment of silence at this declaration and goofy looks were plastered on the guy's faces.

“Oh geez are you guys on about the DADA teacher?” Hermione walked into the room. “Hello Harry, I came to see how you were doing.” She tried her best not to stare at him, how wonderful he looked with his crisp white shirt untucked and slightly unbuttoned with the tie hanging loosely around his neck.

“I'm doing okay,” he managed to stumble out, averting his gaze from her.

“Hey Hermione,” Dean said casually, a little too casually Harry thought, like he was really comfortable having her in this room, like she'd been here many times before. He began to put away his clothes with more force.

“Oh, ssso that'sss Hermione,” Isis hissed, raising herself to get a good look at the young woman who walked into the room. Harry gave her a sharp look. “What?” Isis hissed innocently. “I jussst want to put a face to the name I hear you sssay in your sssleep sssometimesss.”

“Leave her alone,” Harry replied sharply then looked up when he realized his own literal slip of the tongue.

Everyone was staring at him except for Ron who had a smug look on his face. He walked over to Hermione and slung an arm around her. “Hermione, allow me to introduce you to Harry's snake Isis,” Ron said, looking like a cat who ate the canary. With the look that she was giving him, Harry was going to throttle Ron.

“You have a snake, Harry?” she asked.

“Blimey, you gave us all a good scare there, I forgot that you could speak snake,” Dean said, then continued getting ready for bed. Seamus was very quiet but eyed Harry warily.

“Do you think that's such a good idea?” Hermione asked.

“Ooh, I like her,” Isis hissed.

Harry ignored her. “Her name is Isis. She's okay. Trust me.” He picked up the snake and held her out to Hermione.

Hermione did not like the idea of Harry having a snake at all. The coincidence was more than a little creepy and furthermore, he was probably speaking more Parseltongue than should be properly allowed by him. Magic was like a muscle, it needed exercise to get stronger and she wondered if this particular talent should be honed at all in a person like Harry.

But she did reach out and touch Isis, surprised at the smooth warmness of the reptile as she glided over her fingers and curled around her arm then retreated back to Harry.

“I think she likes you,” Harry said softly to her. This was the closest he'd been to Hermione in so long and he could smell her familiar warm vanilla and cinnamon smell that he had become so acquainted with. It reverberated through him, threatening to unleash something if he didn't get control of it.

“Harry's snake likes Hermione, imagine that,” Ron said dryly, watching the two of them. He was thoroughly basking in the awkwardness of it all. Harry flushed red with embarrassment but Hermione just smirked at him and stepped away.

“I suppose Ginny would frown upon me fondling your snake, Harry,” she sighed and Harry nearly lost his footing and stumbled backward.

“Nice one, Granger,” Seamus said.

“I do my best,” she sighed and opened the door. “Goodnight boys,” she chirped.

“Hey, I'll walk you out,” Ron said, following her.

Once again, jealousy flared to the surface and Harry filled his head with horrible thoughts of hexing Ron and Hermione. Fueled by the masochistic desire to punish himself some more, he followed them out the door and watched as they walked across the common room and out the door. Ron let Hermione step through first and Harry zoomed in on Ron's hand that rested briefly on her lower back as she stepped through the door.

“Hey Harry,” Ginny's voice broke through his thoughts as she came up the stairs. “You alright?”

“Yeah!” his voice cracked. “Ahem, yes, yes I'm fine.”

“What's that?” she asked pointing to Isis who was currently wrapped around Harry's arm.

“Oh, this is Isis. My pet snake,” Harry explained, then in Parseltongue. “Isis, this is Ginny.”

“Ah yesss. Your girlfriend,” Isis hissed, allowing Ginny to touch her.

“Cool,” Ginny said, although she started when she heard Harry hissing at the snake. “Don't let them fool you, Harry. They've missed you like crazy,” she said. “We all have.” Harry didn't have anything to say to that. “Well, good night,” she smiled. “And, uh, welcome back.” She turned to walk away but Harry stopped her. Maybe it was time he showed her that he was serious about them, he needed to start being a good boyfriend he thought as he leaned down to kiss her.

*

Hermione watched Ron as he closed the portrait behind him. “Oh my God, he has a snake!” she whispered as they both walked down the hall.

“I know,” Ron replied. “Believe me, I'm just as wierded out by this whole thing as you are.”

“Where did he find her?”
“He says he got her in Knockturn Alley.”

“What?!” she shrieked.

“Ssh!” Ron whispered. “Look, if Harry trusts in this snake then we have to trust in it. Of all people, Harry would be most wary of the creatures and he seems okay with it.”
“I don't know Ron. It just worries me that Harry is speaking Parseltongue.”

“He can't help it Hermione. It's because You-Know-Who gave him that talent.”

“Exactly, Ron. Which is why it worries me.” They walked some more in silence until she reached the portrait to the Head Boy and Girl suites.

“How are you holding up?” he asked her.

“Fine,” she said unsure of what he was talking about.

“I'm talking about having Harry back with Ginny after all the two of you—“

She held up a hand, stopping him. “Ron, we talked about this. Harry made his decision. He wants to be with Ginny and I'm okay with that. Really.” Ron wasn't completely convinced but he nodded at her anyway.

It was late when he made his way back to the dormitory, everyone was in their beds and the curtains were drawn. As Ron settled in, he found himself feeling a little content that the bed next to his was finally occupied by his best friend just as it had been since their first year here. He yawned and turned out his lamp.

Harry was wide awake in the next bed convincing himself that he wasn't upset that Ron had been gone this long and that he half-expected him not to return that night. After all, he wouldn't if he were in Ron's shoes.

“Mossst of the people you have introduced me to are very loyal and trussstworthy to you,” Isis said as she curled up on his pillow.

“Mm, most you say?” he whispered softly even though he had a silencing charm around his bed. “Yeah, I suppose Seamus is a little frightened of you.”

“I never sssaid it was Ssseamusss.”

Harry frowned at this.

“Your companionsss in thisss room are not threat to you, Harry.” There were only two people outside of this room that Harry had introduced Isis to. “Hermione,” Isis hissed.

“What? No way,” Harry said. “I thought you liked her?”

“I do like her. Very much. Sssh has a kind heart and a wonderful ssspirit.”

“But?”

“Ssshe'sss hiding sssomething. A sssecret, a very dangerousss sssecret.”

Harry frowned and a thought suddenly came forward. Ron had tried to tell him something the day he came to Hogwarts when there was a breakout in Azkaban. He had been worried about Hermione because of…something. He would have to ask him about it tomorrow.

~*~

Harry was a little late getting ready for breakfast the next morning but as he ran downstairs he ran into Ron and Hermione who promptly sprang apart and had very guilty looks on their faces. He was really getting sick of this, if they were a couple here they shouldn't hide it from him. He could handle it, really he could. If only they could be honest with him and just admit that they're freaking shagging each other he could move on and stop thinking about grabbing Hermione and dragging her into the nearest broom closet so he could fuck her until she was no longer coherent.

“Ready for breakfast?” Hermione said cheerfully to him. He shrugged his bookbag on his shoulder.

“Yeah, sure,” he said, following them out of the door.

He could already tell that it was going to be a very long day. Did they make the Hogwart's uniform skirts a little shorter and the sweaters a little tigher? The hem of her skirt seemed to only fall mid-thigh, showing off more leg than he remembered. And the sweater was hugging her curves in all the right places. Oh heaven help him.

They all sat together for breakfast, Hermione eating a bagel and Harry trying his best not to stare enviously at her mouth.

“So are you ready for today?” Ron asked.

“As ready as I'll ever be,” Harry sighed heavily. He was hoping to corner Ron and ask him about Hermione but the two of them so far had been inseperable, granted they had only walked from the common room to the breakfast table but did he have to sit by her?

“Good luck,” Ginny said as everyone began to leave for their classes. She leaned down to give him a quick peck on the cheek before bouncing off with the other sixth years.

“Come on, mate,” Ron said. “Time to face the day.”

Harry trailed behind his two friends listening to them bicker. It was really getting on his nerves.

“I'm telling you, I can't stand that woman!” Hermione was saying.

“You're just jealous,” Ron chided, nudging her playfully in the ribs.

“I'm not jealous! I have nothing to be jealous about that cold-hearted wench!”

“But a hot good-looking cold-hearted wench.”

“Ron, you're impossible and you can't even have a difference of opinion because you can't contain your erection when you're around her.”

“Like that's a bad thing?”

“She's a teacher!”

Harry had had enough. “Would you two just stop? You're giving me a headache! Ron, just shag her and get it over with, I already know you're sleeping with her.”

Ron and Hermione just stared at him. The looks on their faces suddenly gave Harry the thought that he had been wrong all along. Ron took his eyes off of him and looked just behind him, his face suddenly went pale.

“Oh shit,” Ron muttered and ran past Harry. “Luna, wait!”

Harry turned to see Ginny standing behind him and Ron chasing Luna down the hallway.

“Nice Harry,” Hermione said. “Real clever.” She turned and continued on the way she was going.

Harry wanted to sink through the ground or just disappear. Ginny walked up to him.

“What was that all about?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Harry turned and shrugged his bookbag on his shoulder as he started walking.

“Nothing?” Ginny ran and caught up to him. “Harry you just accused Hermione and Ron of sleeping with each other.”

“I really don't want to get into this right now,” Harry said and quickly walked away from her.

He caught up with Hermione on the fourth floor. “Hermione, wait!”

“Harry, I'm so not in the mood to talk to you right now,” she said, not even stopping for him. “You really aren't my favorite person at the moment.”

“I know and I want to apologize--.”

“For what?” she stopped and turned to face him. “For embarrassing me and Ron? Or for being a complete prat to the both of us since we left Grimmauld?”

Harry sighed. “For both.”

Hermione stepped forward and peered at him. “How long have you thought about this?” Harry turned away from her. “That's why you've been horrible to us? Why you never answered the mirror or our letters? You thought I was…,” she looked around her and lowered her voice, “…sleeping with Ron? Oh my God, Harry!” She threw her hands in the air and continued on her way. Harry went after her.

“Well are you?” he asked.

Hermione shook her head. “I'm not even going to answer that question.”

“I think I have a right to know,” he said. Hermione whirled on him.

“No, you don't!” she said. “You gave up that right when you finally decided to be with Ginny.”

Okay, he deserved that but he desperately wanted to know. She turned the corner and walked into the Transfiguration classroom. Harry wanted to sit by her but she took a seat next to Ernie and faced forward, quill and parchment out and ready for her to take notes. Ron came hurtling through the door next, face red with exertion from running to reach the start of class in time. He plopped down next to Harry.

“Ron,” Harry whispered softly. “About Luna, I'm so sorry I--.”

Ron held up a hand to stop him.

“But if there's anything I can do to take back what I said…”

“You did enough Harry,”

Silence overcame the two of them but Ron could tell that Harry was about ready to burst. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

“For the record,” he whispered. “We aren't.”

Harry turned to look at him. “You aren't what?” he asked.

“I'm not sleeping with Hermione. Never have.”

“Oh,” Harry whispered.

“Fucking Hermione is your department,” Ron quickly added. “Although, I'd highly advise you not to pursue that avenue while you're dating my sister.”

Harry stared at Ron. Okay, maybe he deserved that, too. Today was shaping up to be real winner. And he hadn't even had DADA with the Slytherins yet.

-->

21. Isn't This Day Over Yet?

Isn't This Day Over Yet?

I'm head of the class

I'm popular

I'm a quarterback

I'm popular

My mom says I'm a catch

I'm popular

I'm never last picked

I got a cheerleader chick

Being attractive is the most important thing there is

If you wanna catch the biggest fish in your pond

You have to be as attractive as possible

Make sure to keep your hair spotless and clean

Wash it at least every two weeks

Once every two weeks

And if you see Jonny football hero in the hall

Tell him he played a great game

Tell him you like his article in the newspaper

I'm the party star

I'm popular

I've got my own car

I'm popular

I'll never get caught

I'm popular

I make football bets

I'm a teacher's pet.

(Popular—Nada Surf)

~*~

At long last, Transfiguration was over and Harry rejoiced in the chance to talk to Hermione again but he was held up by Tonks, er Professor Tonks and given a list of what they had learned so far and a date was set up so Harry could show her that he was caught up with the rest of the class.

Harry was extra determined to make nice with Hermione so she could help him out. Both of his friends were not outside of the class waiting for him, not that he expected them to but he was having desperately high hopes.

He caught up with them in Charms where once again he sat next to Ron, who still gave off the impression that he was thoroughly irritated with him. Harry felt like a complete ass. He embarrassed both of his friends and probably destroyed whatever connection Ron had or was trying to establish with Luna Lovegood.

“Is she talking to you yet?” Harry whispered, trying to start conversation.

Ron didn't answer for the longest time and Harry had nearly given up before he finally spoke. “Haven't had a chance.”

“Would it help if I talked to her?” Harry offered.

“Harry, you're like a Hungarian Horntail in a crystal shop right now. Please don't do me any favors.”

At lunch, Harry realized that he had managed to piss another person off. His girlfriend.

“Look, I'm trying to apologize to Ron and Hermione. I'm trying to make things right,” he explained to Ginny.

“That's not the point, Harry,” she replied. “It's where you got that idea.”

“Are you going to tell me that no one else had thought of it?” he replied.

“If you're referring to the group of boneheads you call your roommates, they think any boy and girl who are even remotely alone together for five minutes are shagging. And besides, who cares if Ron and Hermione have slept with each other?”

“I didn't say I cared,” Harry muttered, lying blatantly.

“Right, Harry. That's why you flew off the handle and embarrassed the both of them.”

*

Hermione was sitting quietly at her desk in DADA going over her homework, double checking her work for mistakes, when Harry sat down next to her.

“Harry!” Hermione whispered, searching the classroom. “You can't sit here! It's assigned seating.”

“It is?” he asked, then waved her statement off. “No matter, I'll be quick. I know you really hate me right now but I really need your help to get caught up with my classes.”

“Hey, Hermione,” Neville said smoothly, standing in front of her desk and Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes.

“Neville,” she replied flatly.

“Hey Neville,” Harry replied but Neville ignored him.

“I was wondering what you were doing tonight?” Neville asked Hermione.

“Um, well, I'm not sure,” Hermione replied slowly.

“Well, we both have a lot of Astronomy homework and I was wondering if you want to get together with me in the Tower.”

Harry wondered if his face mirrored the shock he was experiencing. Was Neville blatantly hitting on Hermione…in front of him?

“Oh! Um, well, you see, I was going to help Harry, here,” she gestured to him, “catch up in his classes.”

Neville shrugged. “Well, it shouldn't take too long. After all, I'm sure Potter has better things to do with his time like….snog Ginny in a broomcloset or something.”

“What?” Harry did not like the tone Neville was using with him at all.

“You're sitting in my seat,” came the unmistakable sound of Malfoy's voice. Harry turned to see him standing by him.

“I'm sorry?” Harry asked.

“Harry,” Hermione whispered. “I told you it was assigned seating. You really are sitting in his seat.”

“Excuse us for a moment,” Harry said to the Slytherin then yanked Hermione out of her chair.

“Harry, calm down,” Hermione whispered when he took them only a little ways away.

“Calm down? Calm down, Hermione?” Harry whispered frantically. “He's a Death Eater!”

“I know that! It's not like I had a choice in the matter.”

“I cannot allow you to sit next to him.”

“Harry, it's only for this class that I have to endure his presence.”

“I don't like it. I'm going to speak to the Professor about this.”

“You will do no such thing. Harry,” her whisper softened, “he's not going to try anything in a room full of students and certainly not in front of the teacher. Besides, what does a Death Eater want with me anyway?” she shrugged.

Harry looked at her, taking in the full meaning of her words. She had no idea how ironic that sounded but he trusted in her. And besides, if Malfoy tried anything, Harry would hex him so badly that any future Malfoy lines would definitely end with him.

Hermione returned to her seat only to find that Neville was still there.

“So, what do you say Hermione?” he asked.

“I'm sorry Neville, I can't tonight,” she said.

“What about tomorrow night?”

“Witless, just because you discovered that you actually had something between your legs called testicles doesn't mean you know how to use them,” Draco snapped. “Now get lost.”

“You can't talk to me that way,” Neville said indignantly.

Draco rose from his seat and placed both hands on the table. “Oh yeah?”

“Neville, please,” Hermione pleaded. “I'll talk to you later okay?” Neville nodded and with a final glare to Draco he walked away.

“Honestly, Granger,” Draco huffed as he sat down, “the riff-raff you bring to this table.”

Harry still stood close by Hermione's table, keeping a sharp eye on Malfoy. Ron walked into the classroom and took his seat next to Seamus. He caught Harry's eye who nodded toward her table. Ron shrugged as if to say, Hey man, I don't like it either.

The DADA professor swayed down the aisle, immediately catching Harry's attention and he nearly dropped his bookbag on his feet. Geez, the guys weren't kidding, she was hot and briefly Harry wondered what exactly the rules were on student-teacher relations.

“Mr. Potter,” she said in a sweet voice, “how fortunate we are to have you here. As you can see, I have placed everyone into pairs and since one of my groups is made of three, I can finally break that up.”

Two Slytherins that were sitting next to Neville jumped up and moved to another table. “Oh and look at that!” she said, “a space has popped up immediately.”

Harry took his seat next to Neville. At least he had a good look at the table where Hermione and Malfoy were sitting, diagonal from them.

“Okay, pass your homework forward. Mr. Potter I will have a list of what you need to catch up on,” she said. “You should have read and written about the advantages of casting spells without vocalizing them. I need a couple of volunteers to demonstrate.” Neville's hand shot into the air. No one else did, not even Hermione. The DADA professor sighed. “Mister Longbottom, of course,” and Neville scrambled up to the front of the class.

“Do I have another volunteer?” she asked the class hopefully. Harry heard quiet chanting next to him and he turned to see Ron with his eyes closed muttering something over and over, his DADA book in his lap. Harry remembered his and Hermione's conversation this morning about this professor and he had to stifle a laugh.

“Mister Weasley,” she called on him. “Would you like to come up here?”

Ron's eyes widened and Harry's empathy went out to his friend as he got to his feet, his robes buttoned up loosely around him. Harry coughed out loud something that sounded eerily like Snapeinadress and a grin broke out on Ron's face as he walked a little more confidently to the front of the class.

“The ability to cast your spell without vocalizing it gives you the advantage that your opponent will be caught off guard,” the professor lectured as Ron and Neville dueled. “Your opponent will not know what you are casting and therefore will not cast a counter-curse. Furthermore, in stealth, silently casting your spell will not give your location away, giving yourself up. Your opponent will be caught off guard.”

Ron's wand flew across the room and clattered on the floor as Neville raised a fist in the air. “Yes!”

“Very good, Mister Longbottom,” Professor Smith said lazily. “Anyone else wish to challenge Neville?”

Surprisingly, or maybe not, another hand shot in the air.

“Mister Malfoy!” Professor Smith brightened at the prospect of actually finding a willing volunteer.

Draco slid out of his chair and walked to the front of the classroom. Neville was looking smug and nearly bored. She didn't even say “begin” before Draco took a cheap shot and slashed his wand toward the caught-off-guard Gryffindor. In a flash, Neville's clothes disappeared. Neville dropped his wand to cover himself, turning bright red. Hermione gasped as the Slytherin's burst out laughing.

“Mister Malfoy!” Professor Smith scolded.

“What?” Draco shrugged. “He should've blocked it.”

“Be that as it may, please do not do that again in my classroom. I'll only take three points away from you for this little…stunt.” She sighed and summoned Neville's clothes. “Go into my office and dress please.”

Neville, who was now the nice shade of lobster, hastily made his exit from the classroom.

“Now, who wishes to go against Mister Malfoy?”

Harry stood up from his seat. “Harry, no!” Ron whispered.

“Very well, Mister Potter,” she said.

Harry didn't even make it to the front of the class when Malfoy struck out at him. But Harry was too quick and he protected himself and sent a stinging hex to Malfoy that landed directly on his chest. Draco gasped out loud and sent another curse to Harry who volleyed it back to the Slytherin who ducked. The hex sliced through the edge of the shoulder of his robes. Harry stepped forward, repeatedly casting hexes as Malfoy stumbled backwards and as a last resort he sent an empty chair flying at Harry so he could distract him long enough to get a good hex in. But Harry sent the chair flying away from him while at the same sending a stunning spell to Malfoy who fell backward on the floor with a thud.

“Enough! Expelliarmus!” Professor Smith said to Harry. Harry felt his wand want to leave his hand but he instinctively held on to it, not allowing the teacher to disarm him. She narrowed her eyes and him and he hastily put his wand away and sat down at his desk.

Hermione finally breathed and pried her fingers out of the desk in front of her. Professor Smith ennerverated Malfoy who sulked to his desk glaring at Harry who didn't back down in return.

Professor Smith continued on with her lecture for the day and when the class was dismissed she called out for Harry. He walked up to her desk and she waited until the last student left before speaking.

“Mister Potter, I'm going to be frank with you. I know what Shacklebolt has been having you do in your time away from here so I know that you needn't even be in this class.” Harry opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off. “Have you ever heard of the muggle game called poker?”

“Um, I think so,” Harry replied unsurely.

“Basically, it's a game of bluffing,” she said. “You want to get your opponent to show his hand before you can show yours. Do you get my meaning Mister Potter?” Harry nodded. “Good. Until next class then,” she said, dismissing him.

When he walked out of the classroom, Ron and Hermione were waiting for him.

“What did she say?” Ron asked.

“Basically, she wanted me to tone down my DADA skills,” Harry sighed.

“I agree with her,” Hermione said.

“What?” Ron protested. “Harry can't help it if he's good in that class. He always has been.”

Hermione tutted. “Ron, Harry's not just good, he's exceptional otherwise he wouldn't have been able to train with the Aurors.” Harry couldn't help but preen at Hermione's words. “She's telling him to tone it down because who exactly is in that classroom with us.”

“Exactly,” Harry agreed.

“Oh, I never thought about it that way,” Ron scratched his head. “But, Harry, just don't let a Slytherin kick your ass.”

“Hell, no!” Harry grinned.

Hermione playfully nudged her shoulder with his. “The idea is absolutely preposterous,” she said, grinning slyly at him. Oh Merlin, Harry thought, she's going to drive me crazy. “I'll see you guys later,” she said as she took off for her Arithmancy class and Harry allowed himself a small glimpse of her backside as she bounced up the stairs.

~*~

That evening, as the Gryffindor's sat for dinner, Harry was determined to help Ron out. He couldn't help but notice that Ron kept glancing at the Ravenclaw table at Luna. At some point during the dinner, Harry noticed, to his great surprise, that Michael who was sitting next to Luna, looked back at Ron, smirked then put his arms around the girl. Ron sullenly turned back to his pudding.

Ah, so Luna had a boyfriend, Harry thought, pinpointing the cause of his friend's angst. Michael Corner of all people. Didn't Ginny go out with Michael?

“Didn't you go out with Michael Corner?” he asked his girlfriend that night in the library. Hermione looked up at Harry and Ginny.

“Is this really the best time for you to bring up past boyfriends?” Ginny said sharply. She was still a little pissed at him.

“Harry, Ginny's right,” Hermione said, trying to keep the peace. “Finish your Charms homework.”

“Well, I was just curious as to what made you want to go out with him, of all people,” Harry asked, ignoring Hermione.

“Merlin, Harry,” Ginny huffed. “Are you jealous? I haven't spoken to Michael in ages.”

“I'm not jealous. I just want to know.” He really did. He wanted to know why Luna was more attracted to Michael than to Ron.

Ginny took it wrong, however, as a sly grin grew on her face. She put down her quill and scooted next to Harry, practically climbing into his lap.

“Aren't you cute when you're jealous,” she cooed at him.

Hermione didn't want to be witness to this so she gathered up her homework. “I'll catch you guys later,” she said, hastily leaving the table.

Normally, Harry wouldn't have minded if Ginny climbed into his lap but he didn't want Hermione to leave.

“Would you two please tone it down a bit?” Neville said sharply from the next table. “This is a library after all.”

“Oh, that is sooo ironic coming from you!” Ginny shot back.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Neville asked.

“You use the library as your own personal snogging ground!”

Ginny seemed to be a little distracted by Neville so Harry quickly gathered his quill and parchment and stuffed them in his bag before he went after Hermione.

“Hey, you didn't have to leave,” he said.

“Harry, I wasn't going to sit and watch you snog Ginny in front of me,” she said.

“I wasn't going to…snog Ginny in front of you. That would be just waaay too awkward.”

“She's your girlfriend, Harry. I'm sure it's socially acceptable to do that.”

Harry reached out and put his hand on her arm, stopping her. “That's not what I meant and you know it.”

Hermione sighed. This conversation was inevitable. “Have you told her?” she asked.

Harry shook his head. “No.”

“Are you going to?”

Harry paused. “I don't think so.”

“Ron knows.”

Harry swallowed and looked down. “Yeah, I know,” he said softly.

“Harry, look at me,” she said softly. He looked up at her. “I'm okay with you and Ginny. Really I am.”

“Hermione,” Harry said but a commotion from down the hall caught their attention.

“How dare you blame this all on me!” Ginny was shouting. Harry and Hermione made their way over to her and saw that she was shouting at Neville in front of the library and that a small crowd had formed around them.

“Yeah, I do blame you!” Neville shouted. “You are so freakin' blindly in love with Harry freakin' Potter that you couldn't see anyone else! How is a guy supposed to compete with that!”

“Honestly!!” Ginny squeaked. “That is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard!”

“Oh yeah? Here you are shouting at me because you are jealous!”

“Jealous? Jealous of a swaggering prat like you?”

“Nobody paid attention to me all these years, not even you. And only when someone gorgeous comes along and starts to pay attention to me you start acting like a complete bitch!”

Ginny's jaw dropped open.

“Neville!” Hermione scolded. Ginny eyed her brown haired friend.

“Oh, yeah Neville? Well I have a little newsflash for you! The only reason Lavender gave you the time of day was because of Hermione!”

Everyone's eyes turned to her and Hermione hid partially behind Harry.

“Ginny what's going on?” Harry demanded, pushing Hermione further behind him.

“Tell him!” Ginny shrieked. “Tell him, Hermione, how you set Lavender and Parvati up.” Ginny turned to the two girls who were in the crowd. “She knew, she totally played you two. She knew that she could coerce you guys into thinking Neville was cute if she pretended to show interest in him.”

Neville stared at her in disbelief. “Hermione?” he asked her.

“Neville,” Hermione said softly and apologetically, “I…”

He didn't wait for her answer, he just brushed past her and ran to the Gryffindor common room.

“Oh, Harry!” Ginny sobbed and ran into his arms. Hermione stepped away from them as Parvati and Lavender approached her.

“I can't believe you would manipulate us like that!” Lavender said.

“Yes, we were best friends!” Parvati added and the two of them sauntered off.

“Okay guys,” Harry said. “Get out of here, show's over.” The students began to disperse.

“I'm sorry, Hermione,” Ginny sniffled.

“That's okay,” Hermione said tiredly. “Harry, why don't you take her back to the common room.”

Harry wanted to stay with Hermione and his body language showed that but Hermione looked at him pleadingly and he silently relented. She just wanted to be alone and when the hallway was clear, she sank to the floor.

At least, she thought she was alone.

Draco squatted down in front of her, his wand held loosely in his hand.

“Go ahead, whatever you say I can take it,” she sighed.

“Get up,” he said, grabbing her arm and helping her to her feet. “A mudblood feeling sorry for herself is just sickening. Let's go.”

He led her to the third floor passageway and sat down in the dirt tunnel, Hermione did the same.

“Well, Granger, I have to say that I didn't think you had it in you,” he said.

“What?” Hermione asked warily.

“Scheming, plotting, manipulating. If you weren't so bloody noble, you'd make an excellent candidate for Slytherin.”

“Yeah, thanks,” she said, dryly.

“I also know that you don't feel as bad as you should about this whole thing.”

“Is that so?”

“Come on, you had no idea he would turn out to be the prat he is. I think it's great that Weaslette knocked him down a few pegs.”

Hermione didn't answer him.

“You know I'm right.”

“Okay fine. I agree with you what do you want? A medal?”

Draco laughed softly. “How about a celebratory drink?” He reached in his robes and pulled out two miniature bottles of Firewhiskey.

“If you think I'm drinking anything you're offering me, you're as stupid as you look.”

“Fair point,” Draco said and opened one of the bottles, taking a drink from it.

“You know, I could take points from your house,” she said.

Draco shrugged. “Go ahead, we'd still be way ahead of you guys.” Hermione sighed and began to pick the lint off her skirt.

“Must be difficult,” Draco said.

“What?” she asked.

“Being a perfect goody two-shoes,” he replied.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Hermione narrowed her eyes.

“I've got you figured out. Let me guess, model daughter to muggle parents, always in the top of your class, never been grounded or punished, irritatingly responsible, little to no friends….”

“Are you finished?” she cut him off.

“I'm willing to bet you color coordinate your knickers in their drawer.”

“Please don't talk about my knickers. It really creeps me out to hear it from you.”

Draco laughed softly. “Believe me, it freaks me out more than it does you.” Hermione rolled her eyes, fighting a laugh.

“So how does it feel?” he asked her.

“How does what feel?”

“Taking a walk on the wild and immoral side?”

“I'm not as innocent as you think,” she said.

“Of course not,” Draco said unconvincingly. “News flash for you Granger, it is okay to unleash your inner bad girl once in awhile.”

Hermione didn't say anything. She thought this train of conversation was too ironic coming from him.

“Well, I've had enough of your disgusting mudblood presence,” Draco announced as he got to his feet. Hermione tutted. “Catch you around Granger.”

*

Harry saw his opportunity to talk to Ron after Ginny finally calmed down and went upstairs to bed. Ron was hunched over his playbook, strategizing the next practice.

“Hey mate,” Harry said, taking a seat next to him. “How's the team this year?”

“Don't even ask,” Ron muttered in reply. “Hey, you interested in the Seeker position?”

“I'll think about it,” Harry replied. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said in a low and serious voice. “Remember when I was in the hospital wing earlier and you had said you were worried about Hermione because she missed your match?”

Ron had still been reading the book but Harry could see that he suddenly became very still. “Yeah?” he asked, slowly.

“Well, you never finished telling me what was wrong.”

Ron turned a page in the book. “I'm sure it was nothing,” he said casually.

Harry reached out and slowly closed the book in his friend's hand, looking straight at him. “Nothing is usually important,” he said.

Ron sighed. “Okay…so she missed the match. I was a little pissed about it but when I came looking for her, Ernie found her first.”

“Found her?” Harry repeated. “Where?”

“He said that he was looking for her as well. She told him she would be there but she never showed, so he went looking for her and found her on the third floor.”

“Go on,” Harry urged.

“Well, he said all her clothes were dirty and she looked pretty beaten up. He had to take her to the hospital wing to get her ankle fixed.”

“Did she talk to you or him about what happened?”

“Yeah, she said she was on her way to the match when she tripped on the steps in front of the castle, tumbled down and hurt her ankle. Ernie asked her why she was on the third floor and she said that she was walking to the hospital wing.”

“And that's all?”

“Yeah, that's all. I mean, what else was I supposed to think, Harry? It sounded plausible and it's not as if Hermione would lie about something like that.”

Harry was forcibly reminded of their third year and how she had kept the secret of the time turner for the entire year.

“But?” Harry pressed.

“Well, I believe her, I do. But…,” Ron looked around and lowered his voice, “ever since then she's been acting very jumpy and secretive. Nothing big but it's subtle. I mean, she didn't even bother to stop by and see you that day you were here. I couldn't find her anywhere in the castle.”

“Did you use the Map?” Harry asked.

“Here's the thing. She had it on her. We've been using it back and forth for when we do rounds.”

“Does she have the Map now?” he asked.

“No, I have it. She doesn't have rounds tonight. It's upstairs in my trunk.”

“Thanks,” Harry said, getting up from the table. “I'll be back.”

*

Hermione walked down the corridor back to the Head Boy and Girl suites. As she turned a corner she saw a group of giggling fourth year Hufflepuffs huddled around something.

“It is nearly five minutes until curfew,” she said softly and friendly to the girls.

The jumped and one of them hastily hid something behind her back.

“What do you have behind your back, Miss Spencer?” she asked.

“N-nothing, Hermione…er, Miss Granger,” the girl replied.

Hermione looked directly at her and held out her hand. Blushing scarlet, the girl handed over a piece of parchment. She took it and stuffed it in her pocket.

“Now hurry along before I'm forced to take points from your house,” Hermione said as the girls turned and made their way down the corridor.

Hermione held a hand to her mouth, stifling a yawn. It had been a long day and she just wanted to crawl into bed and sleeeeeep. Tomorrow, word of Neville's source of popularity will be spreading through the castle, if it hadn't already and she had to ready herself for the fallout. As much as she wasn't looking forward to it, she had to make nice with Lavender and Parvati.

“Hello, Hermione.”

She looked up to see her fanciable, raven-haired friend leaning against the wall next to the portrait door to the Head Boy and Girl suite.

“Or should I call you the Masterminding Meddler?” he grinned.

“Ha, ha,” she said. “Aren't you cute?”

“So they tell me,” he shrugged. Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Fiddle-dee-dee Twinkle-toes,” she said.

“Right you are, dearie!” said the lovely lady in the portrait. She had her blond hair pulled up and wore a pretty white empire dress, typical of the Edwardian period. She winked at Harry as he walked by and he winked back.

“Quit flirting with the portrait,” Hermione scolded lightly.

“Can't help it,” he said as he stepped into the room. “Nice password by the way.”

Hermione kicked off her shoes. “It pretty much ensures that most males in this school will not be willing to try and bother me while I'm studying.” She yawned. “Or sleeping.” She plopped down on one of the sofas in the cozy common room.

“Fiddle-dee-dee Twinkle-toes,” Harry said softly with a smile as he walked over and stood in front of her.

Hermione smiled as she looked up at him. “Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” she asked.

“I wanted to ask you a question.”

“About?”

“The day you missed Ron's Quidditch match.”

“Oh geez. Is he still on about that? I told him I was sorry. Did he ask you to come down here?”

“No, I was just curious. He told me that you had hurt yourself.”

Hermione's heart began to pound and she covered her face. “Ugh! The whole thing is so stupid and embarrassing,” she said.

“He said you fell down the castle steps.”

“I know, I know and I hurt my ankle in the process.”

“So, if you hurt yourself down there, why did Ernie find you on the third floor?”

“Are you interrogating me, Mr. Potter?” The faintest trace of a smirk grew on her face and Harry suddenly began to feel a little uncomfortable…in a good way.

“Just curious,” he replied.

“I was on my way to the hospital wing,” she replied.

“By yourself?”

“Everyone was at the match.”

“Ron said that Ernie said that you looked a little beaten up.”

“Do you want to take a fall down those steps and see what you'd look like?”

Harry wanted to believe her. He had no reason to except that the story was way too simple. Way too convenient. He wanted to use Legilimens on her but thought better of it, it was way too intrusive.

She stood up. “No offense, Harry, but it's been a really long day and I'm not looking forward to tomorrow either. I just want to go to bed.”

The little devil popped up on his shoulder. Woo-hoo! In bed with Hermione!

His angel counterpart popped up. Hello???? Ginny Weasley????

“Good night then. I'll see you tomorrow, Hermione.”

She walked him to the door but he suddenly stopped and turned around. She wasn't expecting that so she nearly ran into him. They stood there for a moment, so close and she was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to touch him.

“Why didn't you see me in the hospital wing?” he asked softly. She could hear the faintest trace of hurt in his voice. How could she tell him that she so desperately wanted to see him but Draco had forced her to keep her promise?

“I…I needed time to think things through,” she lied. “They told me you had been hurt badly and I…” She was at a loss for words. “I did come by. But it was too late. You had already left.”

He looked down at her, lost in the sensation of being near her. “I'm so sorry that I treated you and Ron so badly. I'm sorry—“

“Shh,” she whispered. “It's done and it's past. I want to move on and put that behind us. We have more important things we need to concentrate on.”

“He was there,” Harry said, lowering his voice. “Voldemort. I knew I couldn't kill him so I just wanted to get out of there alive.”

“And you did.”

“Barely. He nearly got me, Hermione. He st…he stabbed me right in the chest.”

“Oh, Harry.” Unthinking she reached out for him and placed her hand on his chest. His warmth radiated through his shirt and to her fingertips and she felt that he felt a little different. She suddenly took in the appearance of her friend, that he seemed to fill out his uniform just a bit more. It shouldn't have surprised her since he had been training and that, of course, it probably did wonders to his physique.

She looked up into his green eyes and a sudden unbidden image came to her. A tangle of limbs, her sighing as he lifted her thigh over his naked hip as he rolled her onto her back, pinned to the bed by the delicious weight and warmth of his body.

She suddenly stepped away from him, her cheeks flushed and warm. “Good night, Harry,” she said softly.

“Yeah, good night,” Harry said hastily and left the room in a hurry.

Just outside in the hall, he grabbed his hair gently with both fists and exhaled sharply. What the hell had he done? Why of all images did he have to project that one to her? He couldn't help it, she looked at him, their eyes connected, her mind so open and willing to accept the thought that ran through his mind the moment she placed her hand on his chest. Oh, what the hell was he doing? He cursed to himself softly as he walked toward a window, placing his hands on the sill and hanging his head down.

“Are you alright?”

Harry looked up to see Luna Lovegood approaching him.

“Oh, hullo, Luna,” Harry said softly.

“Some first day, huh?”

Harry let out a small laugh. “I guess you could say that.” He thought about Ron. “Listen, Luna about what you heard me say to Ron and Hermione…I was wrong. It was stupid of me to say and I was just being…”

“Jealous?”

“A thick-headed prat,” he corrected her, or so he hoped.

She peered at him critically with her large grey eyes in a way that made Harry feel as if he was caught in a lie with his Aunt Petunia.

“So,” he floundered for conversation, “what brings you up here?”

“I need to talk to Hermione. You haven't happened to find my cork necklace anywhere around here, have you?” she asked.

“No,” Harry replied. “Did someone take your things again?”

“I guess they're off to a late start this year,” she shrugged. Empathy for her poured out of him. He considered Luna a friend of his and those that messed with his friends messed with him.

“I'll help you find it,” he offered.

“Thanks Harry. I was going to see Hermione about posting up signs in the common rooms asking for its return.”

“She's going to bed but I'm sure she'd do it. Here, give me one and I'll post in the common room.”

She smiled and handed him a sheet of parchment. “I guess I'll catch her tomorrow,” she said. “See you around, Harry. I'm glad you're back here at Hogwarts.”

That makes one of us, Harry thought dryly.

“Hey Luna?” Harry called out and she stopped and turned. “Take it easy on Ron will you? I think the guy might have a bit of a crush on you.” She didn't reply to this and only turned and continued on her way. Harry, figuring he'd done enough damage for one day, made his way back to his dormitory for some much desired sleep.

Back in the Head Boy and Girl suite, Hermione had just watched Harry leave the room and she fought down the urge to stop him. She let out the breath she had been holding when the door closed. Where had that come from? She shivered slightly and rubbed her arms as she made her way to her room. She was taking off her cloak when she realized there was something in the pocket. Remembering that she had taken it from the girls earlier, she took it out.

It was a folded up square that was slightly wrinkled from being passed around so many times. Inside were a list of names and her eyes widened when she realized what it was she was reading.

Ernie MacMillan: Way too uptight. Kisses like a girl. Is he gay?

Hermione looked up and thought, Was he? She shrugged and continued down the list.

Justin Finch-Fletchley: Great kisser. Actually is pretty decent in bed.

Dean Thomas: Wonderful to snog with. Crafty hands if you catch my drift.

Seamus Finnegan: Okay to snog with. I guess.

Harry Potter:

Ron Weasley: Great kisser!

Hermione felt oddly relieved to see nothing had been put down for Harry.

Neville Longbottom: Wonderful kisser! Who knew?

Colin Creevey:

Micheal Corner: Is this guy an octopus? His hands are everywhere. Jerk.

Ew, poor Luna.

Draco Malfoy: Amazing sex. Too bad he kicks you out right away and doesn't speak to you until he needs you again. Asshole!

Figures. Like that was a big surprise.

Blaise Zabini: Sex with him is over in thirty seconds. So not worth it.

Vincent Crabbe:

Gregory Goyle:

The list went on and on.

She giggled slightly with this entertaining new discovery. There were only two other people who would appreciate this list that she actually wouldn't mind sharing with: Ginny and Luna. And since there was a good comment next to Ron's name, it wouldn't hurt his plight, would it?

She folded up the parchment and put it back in her pocket. Suddenly, an image of Harry popped into her mind. The subtle grin he had on his face when he was waiting for her outside of her door, the way he looked at her when he arrived at Hogwarts, the concern on his face when he discovered Malfoy was sitting next to her in DADA.

The way he hugged Ginny.

Oh sod it! She was going to admit it to herself. She was jealous. She was crazy jealous of her friend Ginny. And she was pissed. Pissed because after all they had been through the past summer, Harry had chosen to stay by Ginny's side. That hurt. That really, really hurt.

“So how does it feel?” Draco had asked her.

“How does what feel?”

“Taking a walk on the wild and immoral side?”

“I'm not as innocent as you think,” she had said.

“Of course not,” Draco had said unconvincingly. “News flash for you Granger, it is okay to unleash your inner bad girl once in awhile.”

Hermione took out the list and unfolded it. Then she picked up her quill.

Harry Potter: Great kisser. Amazing sex.

-->

22. The Bad Boyfriend

The Bad Boyfriend

I really used to be a bad girl

I got busted for possession of my wizard-shaped bong

I used love to do the things they tell me not to do

But now I'm different, now I sing a new song

I really used to be a bad girl

I got gangbanged in the bathroom at my high school prom

Yes, I used to be a real wild child

But now I am a Volvo-driving soccer mom

(Volvo Driving Soccer Mom—Everclear)

~*~

Harry woke up to snow falling outside and a bright morning. Although it was warm in the room, the atmosphere warranted that it was okay to stay in bed a little longer.

“What isss that?” Isis hissed, snaking up the window.

“Snow,” Harry answered from underneath the covers.

“It'sss cold,” she said.

Three weeks had passed since Harry arrived at Hogwarts and it had been, thankfully, relatively uneventful. He spent his days going about class, studying, keeping up on his training and sleeping. He had to admit to himself that his favorite times of the day were when he was quietly studying with Hermione, either in the library or the common room. It brought a sense of peace to him and normalcy. Not coming here with his friends had been a mistake and tested his friendship with Ron and her but now things were slowly coming back together. Studying late with Hermione was just the icing on the cake, a sign that everything would be okay between them.

His roommates started to stir and Harry decided that maybe he should start the day after all. He sat up and rubbed his face to wake himself up a little more. Putting on his glasses, he saw that Neville was up as well as Dean, who was yawning widely.

“Morning guys,” Harry said to the two of them.

“Morning,” Dean replied sleepily.

“Good morning, Dean,” Neville said then made his way to the bathroom.

Okay, well, not everything was at it was.

Neville was still not on speaking terms with Harry. In fact, he was being a downright prat to him and he had no idea why. Hermione had somehow won Neville over and they were okay with each other and he wasn't even the one that got the guy into the mess in the first place.

Ron's stomach grumbled loudly, indicating that he should get up and start eating as he rose groggily from his bed. They eventually made their way downstairs to the common room where Romilda Vane was surrounded by her usual group of friends, talking and giggling. They immediately stopped as Harry and Ron descended from the stairs and as they passed, she called out.

“Hello Harry!” Harry was taken aback by the sultry tone in her voice and the way the girls were looking at him, like he was covered in pudding and they wanted to lick it off of him. He said nothing in return and decided that he and Ron should make a hasty exit.

“What was that all about?” Ron asked.

“I don't know,” Harry said, looking back at the portrait from whence they came.

As they made their way down to the Great Hall, the two of them noticed the girls seemed extra giggly today.

“Hello Harry,” a group of fifth year Hufflepuff girls said to him as they looked over him appraisingly.

Harry and Ron scrambled into the Great Hall, seeking solace among familiar faces at the Gryffindor table.

“Hi Harry,” came the chorus of Lavender and Parvati as they suddenly sat up straight from gossiping with Ginny and Hermione.

“Down girls,” Ginny said to them, flatly, as Harry sat down next to her.

“What is with all of them, today?” Harry muttered to her.

“Nothing,” Ginny said flatly. “They're just a bunch of harpies.”

Hermione smirked. “It's really nobody's business,” she said as she picked up a muffin. “Although, it could be a good guideline,” she winked.

Ginny's jaw dropped. “Hermione!” she giggled.

“Hmeffmmrr,” Ron said with a mouth full of eggs. Ginny tutted at her brother.

“What are you talking about?” Harry asked.

“Nothing,” Ginny and Hermione answered together.

“I'll catch you guys later,” Hermione sighed as she gathered her bookbag. “I'm headed to the library to finish up our Transfiguration homework before class starts.”

Ron choked on his eggs and Harry looked over at her disbelievingly. Hermione didn't do her homework???? Hermione turned on the bench, straddling it to leave before she paused and looked over at Ginny, giving her a small wink.

“Excuse me, Harry,” Hermione said in an overly sweet voice. And before he could process what was happening, she scooted right up to him and draped one leg over his under the table where Ginny couldn't see. He was assaulted by her inviting scent of cinnamon and vanilla and felt an immediate reaction to her. She placed one hand high on his thigh, fingers brushing his hardening cock as she reached over him to grab an apple from the platter by him, her breasts so close to his face.

Oh. My. God.

And then, just as quickly she pulled away. What the hell was she doing, Harry thought. His freaking girlfriend was sitting right across from him. Laughing at him actually. Harry knew he was blushing furiously from the naughty thoughts that seeped past his mental barrier.

Hermione got up from the table and ruffled Harry's hair playfully. “Catch you boys later,” she cooed then left for the library. Harry forced his eyes to stay on his plate and not longingly follow Hermione's backside out of the Great Hall.

Ginny shook her head at him. “Boys are so pathetic,” she said with amusement.

Harry thought there was nothing funny in his adulterous thoughts of going to the library, finding that little minx and shagging her as he pressed her against the bookshelves. Great, now he had a full-blown erection. He stabbed angrily at his eggs on his plate.

~*~

Ron had to actually use his Prefect status to break up a minor scuffle on their way to Potions between Heather Stanfield and Rebecca Manning, two Hufflepuff sixth years that were always seen together.

“Did you think I wouldn't recognize your writing you traitorous little bitch!” Heather had hissed at her.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Ron said, bravely stepping in to break up the little catfight. He ended up taking only a few points from them and then he and Harry continued on their way.

“I don't understand it,” he said. “The girls are nuttier than normal.” Harry nodded in consent. He was still reeling from Hermione's blatant advances on him. Oh, he couldn't start thinking of that again.

The two of them plopped down at their tables as the student's began filing in. Harry rested his arms on the table and his chin as Ron chattered away about the newest player added to his beloved Canons teams. Suddenly, Harry saw grey then wonderful smooth legs as Hermione moved between the two of them and sat on the table, scooting backwards slightly.

Oh bloody hell, Harry thought grumpily as Hermione dangled her legs from the table, swinging them back and forth.

“I just heard that the Slytherin Keeper has Saturday detention and won't be participating in this weekend's game against Ravenclaw,” she said casually to Ron.

Ron sat back in his chair. “Excellent!” he said then dove into his bookbag to rummage for his precious playbook. Hermione crossed her legs (Harry swallowed hard) and turned to her other friend.

“Harry, I won't be able to help you study tonight in the library,” she said. This caught Harry's attention.

“What?”

“That's okay,” she shrugged. “You're all caught up now. Just be sure to keep up on your studies now.”

The professor walked in and Hermione bounced off the table and returned to her own. Harry stared forward. No studying in the library with Hermione tonight? What the hell was she doing that was much more important, he thought sulkily.

His bad mood stayed with him until the evening as he, Ginny and Ron sat in the library. Hermione wasn't in there and he was very distracted. The three of them eventually gave up and decided to head back to the common room. Ginny was unusually silent.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked her, gently nudging her shoulder with his as they walked through the halls.

“Yeah, I think I'm just tired,” Ginny said. “We didn't get much homework done, did we?”

“Not without the Head Girl breathing down our necks,” Harry said, not bothering to hide the bitterness in his voice.

“Yeah, well, I'm sure she's a little busy with Neville,” Ginny said with snark.

Harry looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“Luna told me that Padma told her that Parvati told her that she saw Hermione and Neville in the greenhouse every night for the past week and a half.”

“The greenhouse? What is she doing in the greenhouse? Pasty pastilles,” he gave the password to the Pink Lady who swung her portrait open.

“Given Neville's reputation in greenhouses, I doubt they're potting plants,” Ginny said bitterly as Harry let her go through the portrait first.

“Huh,” Harry said thoughtfully as he followed Ginny in.

He went up to his dorm and took out the Marauder's Map and found that Hermione and Neville were indeed in the greenhouse. Taking his invisibility cloak, he left the common room again.

There was a soft glow of lighting coming from the glass paned building as Harry put on the cloak and padded over. At first glance he didn't see anyone inside but as he moved around the building he spotted Neville on the floor of the greenhouse, leaning back propped on his elbows. Harry could only see him from mid stomach up and he couldn't see Hermione anywhere.

Quietly, oh so quietly he opened the door. The warm air, permeated with the smell of dirt and dragon manure immediately hit his nostrils.

“Like this?” he heard Hermione ask.

“Yeah,” Neville answered. “Now, just stroke it, move your hand up and down.”

“Okay,” Hermione breathed.

“Very good,” Neville coached. “Slow down a bit, you want smooth gentle caresses or else it will explode all over you. And believe me the stuff is sticky.”

What the FUCK??!!!

“You know, you're very good at this Hermione,” Neville said smiling. “I should ask you to do this for me more often.”

Oh hell no!!!

Harry slipped into the greenhouse, wand at the ready to protect Hermione's virtue. Well, what was left of it, he had pretty much shot it out of the water this summer but that was beside the point. Who knew what sort of thing Neville was making Hermione do.

Bastard.

“There!” Hermione proclaimed proudly.

Harry just rounded the corner, ready to hex Neville when he saw Hermione sitting on the ground surrounded by pots filled with the tiny buds of Mimbletonias.

Neville sat up. “Congratulations, you have successfully repotted all of these plants,” he said as he helped Hermione to her feet.

She brushed her hands on her skirt to rid them of the remainders of the soil. “So…are we even?”

“Yeah we're even,” he grinned. She gathered up the gardening tools and put them away.

“I really am sorry about what I did, Neville,” she said sincerely.

Oh, so she was making up for her little scheme, Harry understood.

“Really I am,” she said as she leaned back against a table.

“Hermione, I already accepted your apology,” he said softly. “Besides, popularity isn't what it's cracked up to be. You end up losing sight of what you wanted most.”

“Oh Neville,” she said sympathetically, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I'm sure Ginny…”

Ginny?!

“What? Will break up with Harry Potter?” Neville scoffed. Hermione sighed.

“You're a truly wonderful guy, sensitive and caring.” Harry rolled his eyes. “I did what I did because I wanted others to see what I see, I wanted you to see how wonderful you are. It backfired just a bit, though.”

Neville grinned. “Yeah, just a bit. But enough about me, what about you?”

Hermione straightened up. “What about me?”

“How was your little date with Ernie?” Neville asked.

Hermione sighed. “News travels fast doesn't it?”

Ernie?! Ernie MacMillan and Hermione? ARGH!

“Saw you two getting cozy in the bookstore in Hogsmeade,” Neville nudged her.

“Oh, ha ha. Very funny. No it's not going to happen.”

“Really?”

“Trust me,” Hermione said firmly and Neville laughed.

“Well, I think we're done here.” Neville announced and let Hermione (and Harry) out of the greenhouse and back up to the castle.

They split up on the third floor and Harry kept following Hermione unsure as to how and when he should uncover himself. To his curiosity, she didn't go to her room, she went directly to the Prefect's bath. Harry hesitated at the door.

Hermione was achy and tired and she smelled of dragon dung. She had paid off her debt to Neville after humiliating him the way she did and she couldn't wait to take a long hot bath. But first things first.

She slipped through the door, then waited until it closed and locked “Occupied” did she reach out and grip the invisibility cloak, revealing her friend.

“You need to work on your stealth,” she said lazily.

Harry pouted and folded his cloak. “I'll have you know that I was at the top of my training group in stealth,” he said.

Hermione shrugged off her cloak and grinned. “Compared to a classroom full of Grawps?” She tugged her sweater over her head.

“I have stealth,” Harry muttered, looking down at his shoes. Hermione sat down on a bench and took off her shoes and stockings.

“What were you doing in the greenhouse?” she asked.

“I was worried about you and wanted to know where you were.”

“So why did you take your invisibility cloak?” She unbuttoned her blouse.

Harry eyed her. “Habit,” he replied. “What are you doing?” he asked.

She shrugged out of the garment, revealing a lacy black bra underneath. Harry felt it get suddenly very hot in the room.

“Taking a bath. This is the Prefect bath you know.”

“Oh, I know,” Harry replied as he watched her skirt fall and pool to the floor, following the leg up to see her in a matching lacy black hipster.

He should leave.

“Besides, you've seen me in much less. It doesn't bother me that you're here,” she shrugged. Her arms came behind her and unhooked her bra and Harry watched the straps glide down her arms. His mouth went dry and he could feel the blood leaving his head and going south. Her perky breasts were exposed to him and he ached to reach out and touch them again. Caress them, tease them, suck on them. She turned away from him and removed her hipsters revealing her bottom to him, the firm roundness of them that he wanted to reach out and cup. He silently begged her not to turn around for fear that she would give him a glimpse of her triangle patch of hair that would have him reach his breaking point. He was already hard as it was.

Mercifully she walked into the bubbly tub and went underwater. When she surfaced, Harry was still in the room but now standing at the edge of the bath. She swam over to him and he knelt down.

“Care to join me?” she asked playfully.

A wry grin grew on his face. “You know I won't.”

“Ever the perfect boyfriend to Ginny aren't you?” Her disdain was not lost on him. He stood and smiled.

“Have a nice bath, Hermione,” he said and walked away from her. A wicked grin grew across his face and he turned around to see that Hermione had gone back underwater. With a wave of his hand, her clothes and wand flew into his hands. He wasn't a Marauder's son for nothing.

Hermione let the warm water wash over her, cleaning her as she tried to block out her hate for Harry. Well, not exactly hate for him but for that damned honorable streak in him that she so admired. She envied Ginny. She cursed herself for still having feelings for him. Why didn't he choose her? She sighed and rubbed her face before stepping out of the bath…

…and finding that all her clothes were missing.

“Harry!” she cursed.

She grabbed the towel and wrapped it around her. She could transfigure the towel into some clothes. She looked around for her wand and found that it too was gone.

“Oh, I'm going to kill him!” she said through gritted teeth.

She opened the door to the bath and looked both ways, seeing if it was indeed clear before she hustled out of the bathroom and padded down the hall in her bare feet.

“I say!” said one of the portraits.

“The scandal!” said another.

Peering around the next corner to see if it was clear, she sprinted down the hall only to repeat it again wherever she made and turn and went up the stairs.

“Fiddle dee dee, Twinkle toes,” Hermione said.

“Forget something my dear?” the portrait asked as she swung open.

“Hermione?” Ernie said in a startled voice as she darted past him. “Wait!”

“Not now Ernie,” she said and ran into her room, slamming the door behind her.

“You know. You're awfully cute when you're angry.”

Harry was sitting in an armchair, grinning, with his feet propped on her bed and his hands behind his head.

“Harry James Potter!” she scolded. “You are a dead man!”

Harry shrugged. “Tell me something I don't know.”

“Get out!” she pointed to her bedroom door.

“From the messages you're sending me, I would think this was exactly where you wanted me.”

“Oh really? Well, you made it perfectly clear that this is the last place you'd want to be.” The grin faded from Harry's face and Hermione leaned against the stone wall, one hand on her hip the other still holding her towel together. “What's the matter, Harry?” she asked. “Regretting your decision? Too bad, I've moved on.”

Harry scoffed. “Yeah, I heard, with Ernie, Mr. Head Boy.”

“Gave up that, too, didn't you?” She sighed dramatically. “Maybe that was a good thing. It would've been awkward with you sleeping in the next room. I wouldn't want to hear you fucking Ginny as much as you'd want to hear me call Ernie's name out.”

Harry got up from the chair and walked over to her, eyes narrowed, but she didn't budge. She only turned to face him, her back against the wall as he placed his two hands on either side of her and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“You can be such a bitch sometimes. Do you know that?”

His breath was hot on her ear and it raised goosebumps on her skin. His lips moved away from her ear and brushed lightly across her cheek and stopping at her lips, hovering there for a just a moment before he moved away from her and left the room. Hermione waited until the door closed before letting the hot tears spill down her cheeks as she sank to the floor.

~*~

Harry and Ron stepped out of the common room the next morning to find a commotion in the hallway as students blocked the walkways and paper was everywhere. There was a light buzz in the air as the girls gasped and giggled.

“I kiss like a fish! I kiss like a fish! Did you write this?” he heard Dennis Creevey exclaim.

“What the hell?” Ron muttered as he surveyed the scene.

Seamus and Dean came up to the two of them and Dean clapped Harry on the back. “Way to go mate! You and Ginny, eh?”

“What are you talking about?” Harry asked.

“The List man!” Seamus exclaimed. “It's all over the school. We think Heather Stanfield did it as revenge against Justin and Rebecca but at least you got better reviews than I did.” He turned to the crowd. “For the record ladies, I am a pretty good snog.”

Harry went to a wall and tore down a piece of paper. It was a list of nearly every male at Hogwarts with a little blurb next to their names. Justin's name was circled and someone, Heather he assumed, had written ASSHOLE!! The little blurb next to his name had an arrow pointing to it with the words underneath: DON'T LET HER FOOL YOU, THIS IS REBECCA MANNING'S WRITING, THE SLUT!!! Harry searched for his name and immediately found it.

Harry Potter: Great kisser. Amazing sex.

FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!

Someone brushed past him quickly, knocking him hard on the shoulder as he walked past. Harry looked up to see that it was Neville, a piece of paper crumpled up in his hand as he tossed it aside. Ron moved to Harry's side, also holding a piece of paper.

Seamus came up to the two of them. “Ginny,” he said shaking his head. “Lucky bastard.”

Harry turned to Ron to see that he was glaring at him. He crumpled up the paper and shoved it against Harry's chest.

“Ron, wait,” Harry said.

“Ooh, forgot that was his sister you banged,” Seamus frowned. “Sorry about that mate.”

Harry grabbed another piece of paper off of the wall and saw that it was the exact same as the one he held, he grabbed another then another. He looked down the hall and saw that the walls were covered with them.

He took off down the hall after Ron and instead turned the corner and ran into Ginny.

“Ginny!” he said, breathless. “the papers on the wall…”

“Oh please,” she rolled her eyes. “I've known about it for ages. It was found in the Gryffindor girls' lavatory. Do you honestly think I'd believe that crap?”

Harry couldn't even process this right now. “Have you seen Ron?”

“Yeah, he went that way,” she pointed behind her. “Tell me he doesn't believe this crap.”

Harry didn't answer her and ran down the hall. He found Ron sitting at the table in the Great Hall which was buzzing with chatter. Harry did his best to ignore the few heads that turned in his direction as he sat down next to his friend.

“Don't talk to me right now,” Ron warned him.

“Ron, listen to me. I swear to you that I didn't sleep with Ginny!” he whispered pleadingly.

“Harry, it doesn't matter if you did or if you didn't! It's what other people think of my sister, what other people say about her.”

“I don't care about that,” Ginny said as she sat down in front of her brother. “People say all sorts of things. Remember when everyone thought Harry was the Slytherin heir? This whole thing will die down soon enough. Like I said, the girls have known about it, this List has been going around for some time.”

Harry looked down at the List in his hand. He wondered if no one else saw what he did. After reading her letters, copying her homework and notes for six years, there was no way he couldn't recognize her writing. Even if she tried to disguise her writing, which she did, he could still pick out her certain nuances. Furthermore, who else would write what she wrote. She had first hand experience.

“Where's Hermione?” he asked softly. Ron became very still next to him.

“Where do you think?” Ginny asked. She's in the Headmistress's office with Ernie trying diffuse this situation between Heather, Justin and Rebecca.”

“Oh my God you guys,” Lavender came bustling toward them. “Loony and Michael Corner are totally fighting in front of the castle!” The three of them looked at each other then scrambled out of their seats.

“Don't lie to me!” Luna screamed at her boyfriend. “I found it in your room!” Harry let out a low whistle when he saw she was holding her cork necklace in her hand.

Michael looked around and saw that they had attracted a crowd. “Well so what?” he exclaimed. “Can you blame me for taking it? I mean, honestly, who wears that kind of shit anyway?”

“Who cares if I wear it? You shouldn't” she pointed a finger at him.

“I do care. I had to be seen with you! How you dress is a reflection of me. People call you Loony behind your back!”

“WHO CARES???”
“You wear ridiculous clothes, and stupid earrings…you're a joke Luna!”

Ron threw his books down and flew at Michael.

“Ron, no!!” Ginny exclaimed and tried to go after him but Harry held her back.

“You take that back!” Ron said as he tackled Michael to the ground. Luna yelped in surprise.

“What the hell, Weasley,” Michael exclaimed.

“Take back what you said!” he demanded.

“NO!”

Ron pointed his wand at him. “I said take it back!”

Luna stepped forward. “Please don't Ronald. I don't want you to get in trouble.”

“Yeah, so get off of me,” Michael sneered.

Ron glared at him then put his wand away.

“Knew you couldn't do it,” Michael grinned but Ron's left fist struck out so fast and hit Michael in the jaw.

“Ow! Fuck that hurt!” Ron said as he jumped off of the knocked out piece of filth, shaking his hand out.

Harry picked up his books and walked over to his friend. “Come on, let's take you to the hospital wing,” he said.

“Stupid piece of rubbish,” Ron muttered angrily.

“Ron, that was so awesome,” Ginny beamed at him.

*

Harry looked up hopefully when the hospital wing doors opened and Professor McGonagall walked through…alone. She had lectured Ron on his abysmal behavior as a Prefect and that muggle fighting was NOT the answer to a disagreement. She assigned him detention to be served with Filch then left him to be fussed over by Madame Pomfrey.

“Ron, that was really great of you to stick up for Luna the way you did,” Ginny said, beaming proudly at her brother.

“Yeah, who knew her own boyfriend stole the necklace,” Harry added.

“I always told her he was such a loser. I guess you have to find out that stuff on your own,” Ginny sighed.

The small sound of a throat clearing caught their attention and the three of them looked up to see Luna standing in front of them.

“Uh,” Harry looked over at his hopeful friend then at Ginny. “We're just going to…”

“Do our homework?” she shrugged and she and Harry walked away.

Ron looked up at the pretty blonde. “I suppose you're here to tell me what a horrible thing I had done punching the git.”

“No,” she replied. She sat down on his bed and tenderly picked up his bandaged hand. “Are you going to be okay?”

“She said it was going to be sore for a couple of days. How about you? Are you going to be alright?”

“Now that I dumped the stupid git, I'm thinking that there are definitely brighter days ahead,” she smiled. Ron looked down to see that her hand was entwined in his. “I'll see you around Ronald.” She gave his hand a final squeeze then moved off of the bed to walk away.

Ron scrambled off of it and went after her. “Hey,” he said, reaching out to grab her arm, turning her to him. “I like your radish earrings the best,” he said shyly, scratching the back of his head.

“You don't think they're ridiculous?” she asked.

He grinned. “Well, of course I do, but I like them all the same. It's what makes you…you.”

Luna peered up at him. “Are you saying that you…like me?” she asked.

“Oh, well…I, uh…,” Ron floundered before Luna leaned up and kissed him. Ron wasn't going to let her get away from him this time as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

Out in the hall, Harry and Ginny closed the door to the hospital wing quietly and tiptoed away.

“I thought it was going to take him forever to admit it,” Ginny sighed.

“You're telling me. I was about to go in there and knock him upside the head,” Harry agreed. “So…Ron and Luna.”

“She's liked him for ages,” Ginny said softly.

The two of them walked together in silence, both working up the nerve to say what was on their minds. Finally, Harry stepped up to the plate.

“I'm not making you happy, am I?” he asked.

“Harry,” she sighed.

“No, it's okay. I know it. Believe me Ginny, I'm a real crappy boyfriend, I've got a death wish hanging over my head and anyone close to me, I've broken up and made up with you only to neglect you.”

“Harry,” Ginny stopped him. “You're a really great guy, really you are. Any girl would be lucky to call you theirs but…”

“…We're just not that into each other that way anymore, are we?”

Ginny's face crumpled. “God, I feel like such a jerk.”

Harry hugged her to him. “We're both jerks. You know I still care so much about you but, only as…”

“A sister?” she asked.

“Yeah, kinda. That's sick isn't it?” he said, breaking the hug.

“Considering that lately, snogging with you has been like snogging my brother…”

“Oh, please don't say that,” Harry winced. “I've been described as a great kisser or so I read.”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “You guys have such sensitive egos.”

“Speaking of egos,” Harry rocked on his heels. “When are you going to quit sniping about Neville and do something about it?”

“Oh, please, don't bring up that over-inflated prat,” she sighed.

“What if I told you that the reason why he fell so easily into Hermione's little scheme was that he thought it would get you to like him?”

“I liked him the way he was, before,” Ginny frowned.

Harry shrugged. “Maybe he needs to hear that.”

~*~

It had been a long day, Hermione thought as she and Ernie dragged themselves to their rooms. Mediation between Heather, Justin and Rebecca was a long tedious process. They were bickering constantly and finally, their parent's were summoned to help difuse this situation. The three of them had substantial house points taken away as well as a month's worth of detention which included retrieving every single copy of the List the muggle way, no magic allowed.

“I'm beat,” Ernie said, looking out the balcony they were walking by into the dark sky filled with stars.

“I'm starving,” she replied, they had missed lunch and dinner in the Great Hall.

Standing by the portrait was a very irate looking Harry. Hermione heaved a heavy sigh.

“Now what?” she muttered.

“Could I talk to you for a moment?” he asked wearing the fakest smile ever as he walked over to her.

“Actually, I'm a little hungry and we were just about to find something to eat so if you don't mind, it's just going to have to wait,” she said irritably.

Harry's fake smile didn't waver as he marched forward and grabbed her upper arm, dragging her away from Ernie.

“Harry!” she protested, “what are you doing?”

“Hey, Harry! You can't do that to a Head Girl!” Ernie called out, following the two of them. Harry stopped and turned to face the Head Boy.

“Believe me, MacMillan, there are many things I've already done with this Head Girl so BACK OFF!”

“Ernie, it's okay,” Hermione reassured the nervous young man. “Really, I'm sure Harry has something important to talk to me about.” Harry narrowed his eyes at him, driving the point home that he should stay away.

The young man nodded and walked back toward the portrait. “I'll save some food for you,” he said to Hermione before he stepped into the room.

Harry turned to Hermione. “You haven't eaten yet?”

“Are you done with the Alpha male act?” she asked testily as she yanked her arm out of his grip.

Harry pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and practically shoved it in front of her face. “Do you want to explain this to me?” he demanded.

Hermione took it from his hand and saw that it was the List. She had seen and talked about it all day and quite frankly was sick of it already. “Well, you see this is called paper and all these little markings on it are called letters, a bunch of them together make up things call words…”

Harry lowered his hand slightly. “Funny, Hermione. Real cute. I'm talking about your little stunt putting that little sentence next to my name.” Hermione opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. “Hermione, don't insult me, I've been copying your notes for years, I know your writing when I see it, even if you tried to disguise it.”

Hermione smiled sweetly. “Oh, I thought you'd be pleased that I gave you such a great review.”

“You knew Ginny would read it!” he accused.

“So? I'm sure she was happy to know that you aren't a total flop in bed,” she shrugged.

“A total….Hermione, did you leave the list in the girls' lavatory?”

“Why, Mr. Potter, that would be a totally devious thing to do,” she smirked, “especially since your girlfriend would read that her boyfriend has already been test driven by his best female friend.”

Harry straightened up. “Test driven. That's what you want to call it?”

“Isn't that how you treated it?” she asked.

Harry relaxed a little as he regarded her. “FYI, your little scheme didn't work. She didn't recognize the writing and she thought the whole thing was rubbish.”

“Well, then, you have nothing to worry about.”

Harry smirked and reached out to place both hands on her shoulders. “You have a dark gift, my friend. This is the second little scheme you pulled and it hasn't worked. I think your days as an evil mastermind are over.” Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled. “Come on, let's go down to the kitchen and get you something to eat.”

“Harry! Hermione!”

The two of them turned to see Ron sprinting down the hallway toward them.

“Ron, what's the matter?” she asked then looked at his bandaged hand. “What happened to your hand?”

Ron was doubled over, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. “What? Never mind, listen. I think I found something you need to see.”

They followed Ron as he led them through the castle. “I had to serve detention tonight with Filch, right? So, he makes me polish all the trophies in the trophy case and that's when I saw…”

They stopped in front of it.

“…this.”

He pointed in the case at a silver cup that blended in well with the other trophy cups but was noticeably smaller.

“No way!” Harry said incredulously.

“Unbelievable!” Hermione exclaimed.

Ron reached out to retrieve it but both Harry and Hermione stopped him. He looked at the two of them. “Relax, I've already touched it.”

“Ron!” Hermione scolded.

“You should know better than to touch those things!” Harry reminded him.

“I didn't notice it until I had it in my hands,” he explained. “But do you think it could be it?”

“Yeah, that's it,” Harry said softly. “I recognize it from what Dumbledore showed me.”

“So what do we do now?” Ron asked.

Hermione reached out and took the cup from the case. “First, we steal it,” she said, stuffing it into her robes. Harry and Ron looked at her incredulously.

“Hermione, Filch will notice it's gone,” Harry said.

“Yeah,” Ron agreed. “I'm pretty sure Filch counts these things everyday to make sure they're all there.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “We are wizards you know,” she said. “We'll just go down to the kitchens and transfigure a cup to look like this one. Now, I can't riddle this cup out on an empty stomach so who's coming with me to the kitchens?” she asked and walked away. Harry and Ron picked their jaws up from off the floor and followed their fairer friend.

-->

23. Trust

Trust

Now you're standing there tongue tied

You'd better learn your lesson well

Hide what you have to hide

And tell what you have to tell

You'll see your problems multiplied

If you continually decide

To faithfully pursue

The policy of truth

(The Policy of Truth—Depeche Mode)

~*~

Hermione was standing, leaning against a table, one leg crossed over the other as she lightly tossed the cup from one hand to the other as she muttered to herself. She was making Harry nervous, the way she was handling the horcrux and he had to fight the urge down to just snatch it from her hands. The thee of them had sought solace in the Room of Requirement after Hermione had at long last eaten her dinner and had already transfigured a cup to replace the one they had taken from the case.

“Well,” Hermione sighed, “we have to find someway for the piece of Voldemort's soul to manifest itself to destroy it. That seems to be the common denominator here.” To Harry's relief, she set the horcrux down to rest on the table. “At least I think that's what we have to do.”

“Sometimes the simplest solution usually works,” Ron said as he took out his wand.

Harry looked at him. “Ron, what are you—“

“Reducto!”

Harry grabbed Hermione and practically yanked her down to the floor face down before he moved on top of her, shielding her from Ron's spell that rebounded off the cup and bounced crazily around the room. Ron hid under the table until the spell finally landed on a chair and destroyed it. The room immediately replaced it with another one.

Hermione removed her hands from her head and chanced a look around the room.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked her and she nodded. Harry moved off of her and helped her to her feet. “Well, we won't do that again, will we?” he said pointedly to Ron.

“How the hell was I to know it was going to do that?” he asked innocently.

“Look, it's late,” Harry said, “Let's just sleep on this and figure it out some more tomorrow, alright?” He took the cup and stuffed it into a pocket in his robes. Hermione nodded reluctantly and Harry took the lead in leaving the room. It was late and they knew that Mrs. Norris and Filch would be patrolling the halls. They hurriedly made their way to the Gryffindor common room where Hermione separated from her friends.

“I'll see you two tomorrow,” she said sleepily as she turned to walk away.

“Just a moment,” Harry said, letting the portrait close behind him as the two of them stood alone in the hall. Hermione turned to look at him as he approached her.

“I need you to promise me something,” he said softly to her.

“Of course, anything,” Hermione replied, a little concerned about the agitated look on her friend's face.

Harry scratched the back of his head. “I need you to promise me that…you won't do anything…dangerous with this horcrux.”

Hermione's features softened and she took his hand in hers. It felt warm, slightly rough and calloused in spots. “I can't do that, Harry,” she said softly. Harry frowned. “I can't do that because it conflicts with a bigger promise,” she explained. “A promise I made to you before when I said I would do anything to help you defeat Voldemort.”

“And I would do anything to keep you safe…and Ron…safe, too,” he added quickly.

Hermione smiled. “Goodnight, Harry,” she whispered softly and stood on tip-toe to kiss him gently on the cheek before turning to walk away.

She was feeling tired and sleepy but the memory of the way Harry's hand felt in hers, the slight roughness of his stubble on his cheek when she kissed him and his very presence made a little grin grow on her face as she floated to her room.

The grin dropped when she saw who was waiting for her.

“What do you want?” she asked, irritated that he burst her little bubble of contentment.

Draco was leaning against the wall next to the portrait and slightly pushed himself off of it to greet her. “I could just brush off your despicable manners and attribute it to you being a mudblood and all but you really should work on your greetings.”

Hermione smiled brightly. “Okay,” she said in an overly cheerful voice. “Malfoy, get the fuck out of my way.”

“Ooh, Weasel has your knickers in a twist because he hasn't fucked you yet? I know. I looked at the list. Don't worry, I'm sure it's not entirely your fault that he isn't attracted to you in that way. You can't help who your parents are.”

“Is there something you want or are you just standing here taking up space?” she asked.

He grinned. “Time for another field trip, Granger,” he said and walked away.

Hermione hung her head. She was sooo tired but she found herself willingly following the Slytherin jerk.

*

The Leaky Cauldron was busy tonight, the pub filled with witches and wizards welcoming the weekend and celebrating the end of another work week. Hermione and Draco easily were able to slip in unrecognized in the crowd and made their way up to the rooms on the upper floors. Draco stopped at one of the doors on the fourth floor and knocked.

“Fizzing whizbee,” he said to the door. Hermione looked at him and saw that he was blushing slightly and not meeting her gaze. The door unlocked and his mother opened the door.

“Do you have everything ready to go?” he asked as he walked into the room.

Narcissa eyed Hermione uneasily. “Mother?” Draco asked, getting her attention. She turned to her son.

“Yes, did you talk to…him?” she asked, glancing again at Hermione.

“We've got to get you out of here tonight,” Draco said, looking out of the window in the room.

“Where will I go now?” Narcissa asked quietly.

“Someplace where I'm sure he would never look to find you.”

Narcissa looked at Hermione who shrugged. She turned back to her son. “The Four Seasons,” she said softly. Hermione's eyes widened.

Draco looked at his mother. “I've never heard of it.”

Narcissa opened her mouth to say something but then closed it and looked away, ashamed.

Hermione looked at her. “It's, uh, a muggle hotel,” she said softly. Draco looked up at his mother sharply then looked away, cursing loudly.

“Look what we've been reduced to. My mother staying in some filthy muggle…”

“It's actually quite nice,” Hermione spoke up.

Draco said nothing for awhile before he finally said a quiet, “Fine.”

“There's only one problem,” Hermione said. “You don't have any muggle money.”

“And we can't access the vault,” Narcissa added.

Draco pursed his lips together as if he were holding back a tirade he so badly wanted to launch into.

Hermione sighed and looked at an armchair in the room with detachment. “Well, two of us don't have access to muggle money,” she said lazily. Draco swooped down on her in an instant, his arms rested on either arm of the chair, trapping Hermione into it. But she wasn't afraid. She had the upper hand.

“How much?” he demanded.

“Not enough to take her to the Four Seasons but enough to put her up in a nice place with room service,” she answered.

“Take us there.”

“I'm not taking you anywhere,” Hermione protested.

Draco pointed a finger in her face. “You swore to help me.”

“I know what I did,” she snapped back. “But I want something from you this time.” Draco stared at her. “Carte blanche. Blank check.”

“I know what it means,” Draco snapped at her. He regarded her for a moment before answering. “Where are you taking us?” his tone was slightly resigned.

“It's in town, follow me.”

Hermione was in a seriously agitated mood, she was tired and cranky. Her moment of happiness with Harry had been rudely interrupted by the presence of this blond haired git and now she was obligated to smuggle his mother into a muggle hotel. From what, from who, she didn't exactly know.

The lobby of the hotel was carpeted and outfitted with plush furniture in a cream color that was just asking to have coffee spilled upon it. Hermione and Draco walked up to the marble countered front desk where a man was standing behind it, looking like he had better things to do than deal with these two young people.

“Can I help you?” he asked, lazily.

Hermione, in the mood for some serious payback, linked her arm around Draco's and pulled him close. “My fiancé and I need a room for the night and we were wondering what you had available.”

Draco stared at Hermione, his lips pursed together in a fine line.

“Single or double?” the man asked.

“Single of course,” she replied then leaned forward and in a conspiratorial whisper said, “All this wedding planning is driving us crazy. We need some alone time, if you get my drift. Isn't that right, sweetheart?” she beamed up at Draco who now looked as if he was torn between throttling her right now and risk the muggle police or just behaving and playing along.

“That's right…sunshine,” he said in a false cheery voice, unhooking his arm from hers and moving it to her shoulder where he squeezed it tightly.

Narcissa followed behind the two of them as the room was paid for by cash Hermione had taken from a credit card and the bellhop took “their” luggage to the room. Seeing that his mother was set up nicely, he ordered her not to leave the room.

“The money Granger used will be enough for two days. We'll be back to find some way to get more money and get you out of here.”

Hermione looked away as Draco hugged his mom and examined the Fire Escape routes on a laminated square piece of paper by the door. There was a small tug at her sleeve and she looked up to see Draco opening the door for them to leave. The lighting in the hall was soft on the eyes and their footfalls were quieted by the soft rug underneath their feet. She pressed the button to call the lift and waited for the gilded doors to open. The two of them walked inside and Hermione leaned against the side panel after pressing the button for the lobby. Draco stood on the opposite side, leaning against the back of the lift, hands resting on the railing as he crossed his legs. Hermione reached out and pulled the Stop button then turned to him.

“Are you loyal to Voldemort?” she asked him.

Draco looked at her. “You don't seriously think I'm going to answer that question.”

“I want to know what side you are playing on.”

“Who said I'm taking sides?”

“Don't toy with me, Malfoy,” Hermione said quietly. “I know what happened last year. I know you were ordered to kill Dumbledore and that you chickened ou--.”

“You don't know anything,” he said disinterestedly, gazing blankly at the door in front of him.

“You didn't answer my question,” Hermione repeated.

Draco looked over at her and walked over, stopping just in front of her. “You really want to know, huh?” She looked up at him, determined. He grinned softly. “Too bad.” He reached out and pushed in the Stop button, letting the lift resume its journey. The silence continued all the way to Hogwarts.

~*~

“Harry! Harry wake up!”

Harry rolled over to see that Tonks was shaking him.

“What is it? What's the matter?” he asked, shaking his head, clearing it of sleep.

“Meeting in McGonagall's office, quicky,” she said before moving onto Ron to wake him.

Harry sat up and put on his glasses. Isis hissed softly in her cage next to his bed, muttering about Ron's snores. He scooted out of bed and put on some dark grey sweats and a white t-shirt.

“Ron! Get up!” Tonks whispered fiercely.

“What?” Ron whined.

“Meeting in the Headmistress' office…now Ron!”

“I'll get him there,” Harry offered as he put on a pair of trainers.

“I'm going to find Hermione,” Tonks said as she walked out of the door.

“She's in her room,” Harry muttered.

“No, she isn't,” Tonks said dismissively. “She's probably out on rounds.”

Harry stared at her as she left the room. Hermione wasn't in her room. He knelt down and opened his trunk, pulling out the familiar folded piece of parchment that was the Marauder's Map.

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” he said, tapping it. Lines grew from the area his wand had touch, vining over the paper as it drew the halls of Hogwart's. He looked to the Head Boy and Girl suites and found that she was, indeed, not there. He looked at the library, the Great Hall, the Headmistress' office. Hermione was not at Hogwarts.

Harry erased the map and pursed his lips together in annoyance. Where the hell was Hermione?

“Did you find her?” Ron asked as he pulled a sweater over his head.

“Come on,” Harry muttered, “let's go.”

Wand in hand, Harry marched down the hall. “Hey man, what's the hurry?” Ron said, agitated, as he scrambled to keep up with his friend. Harry didn't answer him, he wanted some answers from the Head Girl.

“Hey you two,” Tonks joined them as they went down a set of stairs. “Can't find her anywhere. Can you think of—oh!”

Hermione and Draco parted ways at the statue of the witch on the third floor, the journey held in silence. She was glad to be rid of the company anyway, it had been a long night and she just wanted to get some sleep. She rubbed at her eyes and yawned as she turned the corner…

…and ran smack into Nymphadora Tonks, er Professor Tonks, accompanied by her two best friends.

“Hermione! Thank goodness we ran into you,” Professor Tonks said.

Hermione was more than a bit startled, “Er…okay,” she said unsurely.

“Professor McGonagall has called an urgent meeting in her office, I've been looking for you everywhere.”

“Oh, um, I was just in the…Great…Hall,” she said, floundering terribly.

“Really? I could've sworn it was empty when I looked,” Tonks said, wrinkling her brow.

“You must have just missed her,” Harry spoke up and Hermione looked at him. “I saw her in the Map,” he crossed his arms and Hermione's eyes widened slightly.

“The Map?” Professor Tonks asked, turning to Harry.

“Nothing,” Harry said dismissively and stepped forward. “Let's get going, we don't want to keep McGonagall waiting.”

Harry reached out and took Hermione's upper arm as the group continued on its way. Tonk's was ahead of them as the trio walked side-by-side in palpable silence. There was an odd tension in the group and Ron opened his mouth to say something to lighten this strange mood but thought better and kept it shut. From the corner of his eye he saw Hermione attempt to yank her arm from Harry's grasp but was unsuccessful.

“Fidelius,” Tonks said to the gargoyle, allowing them access to the rotating stairs up to the Headmistress' office. The four of them walked into the room to find that the rest of the Order was already there. Harry hesitated at the threshold of the doorway, having already been in this place so many times that it brought a wave of memories that were still raw and painful to him.

Hermione sensed his hesitation and looked up at him with sympathy in her eyes. But Harry didn't look at her, his gaze became steely again and he tugged her into the room.

“Good, we're all here,” Lupin said as he gazed around the room.

“Are you sure this is the best place to meet?” Arthur said, hesitantly, as he gazed around at the portraits.

“They have been frozen,” McGonagall said. “No one is privy to this conversation. Go ahead Mr. Shacklebolt.”

Kingsley stepped forward. “We have just learned of an attack just half an hour ago at the Leaky Cauldron.”

Hermione inhaled sharply.

“Several guests were injured but no one was killed,” Kingsley finished.

“Oh thank goodness,” McGonagall said, a shaky hand on her throat.

“The Dark Mark was hovering above the place so there was no question as to who was behind this whole thing.”

“But no one was killed?” Harry asked.

“Yes.”

“So they just attacked the place for the heck of it?”

“We think that they were looking for something or someone,” Kingsley said.

“They attacked the place in the middle of the night. The only people there would be Tom and his guests,” Lupin said.

“We're in the process of getting that list and account for all of them. If someone doesn't show, then we'll know who they were after.”

“And when we do, we then have to find out why,” Harry sighed.

*

There was more silence among the trio as they walked back to the common room. Hermione left them to go to her rooms but Harry didn't follow Ron. He went after Hermione.

“You want to tell me where you were tonight?” he asked her.

“Harry,” Hermione sighed.

“Don' even think about lying to me, Hermione. We both know that you weren't in the castle tonight.”

“Are you spying on me?” Hermione asked.

“Tonks couldn't find you so I checked on the Map. You weren't anywhere on it.”

Hermione remained silent. She couldn't think of anything to say in her defense. Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“I'm going to ask you this only once and believe me when I say that I hate the fact that I have to even ask this.” He looked closely at her. “Did you know about the attack on the Leaky Cauldron?”

Hermione's eyes widened. “Of course not!”

Harry looked into her eyes but Hermione looked away from him. She very well knew what Harry was capable of.

“What are you hiding from me, Hermione?” he asked softly, reaching out to touch her hair.

But Hermione stepped away from him. “Don't be silly, Harry,” she said and moved past him. Harry reached out and grabbed her.

“Hermione…”

“It's late Harry,” she said and hustled away.

Harry stood alone in the corridor. Isis' words floated to his memory. Ssshe'sss hiding sssomething. A sssecret, a very dangerousss sssecret. The low sound of Lupin and Shacklebolt talking down the hall caught his attention and Harry went to the banister to see the two of them walking down the stairs to the front doors of the castle. He hustled after them.

“Harry?” Lupin asked as he approached the two men.

“Hey,” he nodded to his father's friend. “Could I have a quick word?”

“Sure,” Kingsley replied.

“I need to ask a favor of you,” Harry began. “I was wondering if I could use some sort of…” he looked away from Lupin. “…tracking device.”

“Tracking device?” Shacklebolt asked. Harry could feel Lupin's gaze burning into him. “Is this for a student, Harry?”

“Er…yes,” he said.

“Do you have a lead?” Shacklebolt asked.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“I would if I could but the tracking devices we have go haywire here at Hogwarts. Too much magic.”

“I don't need it for inside the castle,” Harry explained.

“You need it for a student going outside of the castle?”

“Yeah,” Harry replied.

Draco watched the three of them from the shadows of the corridor to the dungeon before slipping silently away, undetected.

~*~

Ron and Luna sat together at the Gryffindor table even though her house was playing against Slytherin today. Ginny stared at her brother's horrible eating habits but Luna seemed unfazed. Harry was, as usual, brooding silently across from them.

“Hey Hermione,” Ginny said brightly, greeting her friend. Harry stabbed angrily at his plate and Ginny and Ron looked at each other questioningly.

“Hey guys,” Hermione said, taking a seat next to Ginny, diagonal from Harry. Ron felt the tension once again settle upon them and he shifted uneasily in his seat.

“So, uh, what do think of today's match-up?” Ron asked, trying to start conversation.

“Should be an exciting game,” Ginny offered.

“With Ravenclaw winning, of course,” Hermione winked as she buttered some toast. She suddenly felt as if she were being watched and she chanced a glance over her shoulder at the Slytherin table where Malfoy was surrounded by a small huddle of his friends no doubt discussing the latest move by the Death Eaters.

“Did you see the paper this morning?” Luna said. “The Leaky Cauldron was attacked late last night…or very early this morning, however you want to look at it,” Luna drew out a copy of the Quibbler and gave to Harry's outstretched hand. He unfolded it and munched on a scone as he read it.

Ginny turned to Hermione. “So are you going to make it to this match?” she asked, nudging her.

Hermione grinned wryly. “Yeah. Ernie is going to take care of the stragglers today.”

“Good, I was hoping to walk you out,” Harry said from behind the paper then lowered it slightly to look at her. “Wouldn't want you tripping down the stairs again, you know.” Hermione rolled her eyes at his comment.

“Heads up, Harry,” Ron said as an owl came zooming into the Great Hall. Harry's seeker reflexes caught the package that sailed toward him as the owl just as quickly left the room. It was a small package that was wrapped in brown paper and tied with a simple string. He opened it and saw a small grey box and a small folded piece of parchment with it. Harry opened the paper and immediately recognized the werewolf's handwriting.

Trust is essential in any relationship, be it with a loved one or a friend. It is the very glue that holds that bond together. But it is a fragile thing. It takes only suspicion, not proof to take it all away.

Think carefully before acting, Harry.

“Who's it from?” Hermione asked.

Harry looked at her, the bushy brown haired girl who he had first met when she bustled into his and Ron's compartment on the train so long ago. “It was from Lupin, he just wanted to say hi.”

“That was nice,” she smiled back at him, breaking his heart a little. During his fourth year, his friendship with Ron had been sorely tested when his name was spit out of the Goblet of Fire. And now he felt as if he were losing Hermione, losing her to something that he had no control over. It was at that moment that Harry realized that he wouldn't get back that special friendship he shared with her. So much had happened and changed between them that they could no longer go back to what they used to be and now it was a fight to salvage whatever tenuous bond of friendship that he had with her that was rapidly fraying.

Ginny turned away from her conversation with Hermione to see the saddest expression on Harry's face. It was only there for a moment but she caught it all the same, following his gaze to Hermione and she wondered what in the world could cause him to react that way. Especially since the three of them were now engaged in conversation about what to do this chilly November morning.

-->

24. Rules Are Made To Be Broken

A/N: Thanks so much for all the great reviews and recommendations. I'm seeing this fic pop up in some of the H/Hr communities and I just want to say thanks to the readers. I'm currently working on another story, those freakin' plot bunnies just won't leave me alone!! Hope you enjoy this chapter, I put some H/Hr moments in there to give us all a break.

Rules Are Made To Be Broken

Oh can't you see, you belong to me

How my poor heart aches, with every step you take

With every move you make

With every vow you break

Every smile you fake, every claim you stake

I'll be watching you

(Every Breath You Take—The Police)

~*~

The light layer of snow crunched softly under their feet as the group of Gryffindors and Luna made their way around the lake. There was a slight buzz of excitement in the air due to the upcoming quidditch match. Hermione tugged at her scarf, unwrapping it to expose her neck to the cool air. It was that awkward in between weather where it wasn't cold enough to wear a heavy jacket but still required some sort of warmth.

“What about drinking from it?” she tossed the idea out to Harry who was walking next to her. She looked over at him and saw him gazing out over the lake in thought. He wore a light jacket, dark blue in color with a knit shirt underneath. She couldn't help but admire her fanciable friend.

“Yeah, I thought about that, too,” he replied then looked at her. “BUT, I don't want either you or Ron to do it.”

“Somebody has to Harry,” she replied. “How else will we know if it works?”

“This is so fucked up,” he said softly.

“None of this is going to be easy,” she said and placed a hand on his arm in a gesture of comfort. Harry looked down at her and smiled softly. Hermione blushed slightly and brushed a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear as she randomly glanced at their friends who were walking ahead of them. Her eyes fell on Ginny and she promptly took her hand off of him.

Her reaction to Ginny did not go unnoticed by Harry. He opened his mouth to tell her that he and Ginny had broken up but then stopped. Honestly, what would it accomplish? What would it matter if he told her? He was desperately trying to salvage their friendship not start something…else with her.

“I asked Shacklebolt for a…,” he scratched the back of his head, “…a tracking device.”

Hermione looked up at him. “Why? It wouldn't work here at Hogwarts.” She grinned to herself. “If you bothered to read Hogwarts: A History you would know--.”

“It's to use outside of the castle,” Harry cut her off.

“Who are you trying to track outside of the castle?” she asked.

Harry stared ahead at everyone. Ron had reached out to Luna and entangled her hand in his. Ginny left Luna's side and trotted up to Neville, Seamus and Dean.

“I…don't think that would be a good idea, Harry,” Hermione said slowly.

“I hate that this person is sneaking off and not telling me why,” Harry replied.

“Maybe this person has a good reason.”

“I have a feeling that this person is in a lot of danger. I'm only trying to protect her…or him.”

“And she's trying to protect you,” she stopped and looked up at him.

Harry gazed at her. “Hermione,” he said softly, “you--.”

“Hermione! Hey Hermione!”

Ernie called out to her as he walked across the lawn to them. Harry was thoroughly irritated with the Head Boy at this interruption of their conversation.

“Ernie, what is it?” she asked as he reached her.

“I need your help with a little dispute between a couple of prefects back at the castle,” he explained.

Harry narrowed his eyes at him. What, he couldn't solve it on his own that he has to have Hermione come help him?

“Sure,” Hermione said and turned to Harry. “I'll catch up with you guys later,” she said before she hurried off with Ernie.

The others had stopped when they saw Ernie approaching and Harry turned to rejoin them.

“What's up?” Ron asked, nodding in the direction of the Head Boy and Girl.

“Some little prefects squabble that Ernie couldn't solve on his own,” Harry said irritatingly. Ron and Ginny raised their eyebrows at Harry's tone. “She said she'll catch up with us later.”

Hermione hustled back toward the castle next to Ernie.

“It took me forever to fucking find you,” Ernie said exasperatedly.

Hermione stopped in her tracks and stared at him for a moment before resuming her hasty walk.

“Polyjuice again, Draco?” she hissed at him. “What did you do with Ernie?”

“He's sleeping soundly inside his room,” Draco answered. “Hurry, we don't have a lot of time, I already wasted a bunch of it looking for your sorry arse.”

“Flattered,” Hermione muttered.

They hurried into the castle and to the third floor. There was a group of fifth year Slytherins heading in their direction and Draco grabbed Hermione into the alcove behind the humped witch, pressing her against the wall.

“What are you doing?” she hissed in his ear when she felt him place his hands on her, moving over her body. The group of students snickered as they walked by.

“Don't flatter yourself Granger,” he whispered in her ear. “Potter put a tracking device on you and I'm looking for it.”

“You were eavesdropping on him?” Hermione whispered furiously, shoving Malfoy away from her.

“I'm not risking Potter sniffing around and finding out what we're up to. He could ruin the whole thing,” Draco said before he opened the passage. Hermione followed him inside. “And you would do well to keep his nose out of this. It would be most fortunate for the Light side if their boy hero was crushed by the Dark Lord.”

*

Harry looked both ways to see if the coast was clear. The students were making their way out of the castle and to the pitch for the start of the game. “Fiddle dee-dee, Twinkletoes,” he muttered quickly to the lady in the portrait. She giggled as she looked down at him.

“I never get tired of hearing you young men say that,” she said as she opened the portrait.

“That's the password?!” Ron exclaimed as they walked into the Head Boy and Girl suites.

Harry ignored him. “Hermione!” he called out in the empty sitting room. He walked over to her bedroom door and knocked on it. “Hermione, are you in there?”

There was no answer from the other side and he opened the door.

“Harry!” Ron protested. “What are you doing? You can't just walk into her room. She could be…indecent.” Harry just looked at Ron. He'd seen Hermione in less.

A lot less.

But his present concern was the fact that she wasn't in her room.

“Harry…” Ron questioned as his friend stormed over to Ernie's door, knocking on it.

“Ernie? Are you in there? Open the door,” Harry's stomach twisted violently at the thought that there was a possibility that Hermione was in there with him doing who knew what. Harry pounded on the door. “Open Up!”

Ron walked over and turned the knob. It was unlocked. Harry cautiously pushed the door open and a foreboding feeling washed over him when he saw Ernie lying very still on his bed. Ron moved to step into the room but Harry held him back, slowly drawing out his wand from his jacket. Mimicking Harry, Ron did the same as the two of them stepped into the room.

“What happened to him?” Ron asked as Harry leaned over the Head Boy.

“Stunned,” he replied and pointed his wand to him. “Ennervate.”

Ernie blinked then stared at Harry and Ron's faces hovering above them. He quickly sat up. “What happened?” he asked.

“I was just about to ask you the same,” Harry said coolly.

Ernie looked around him. “How did I get here?”

“You were stunned,” Ron said.

“Stunned?! How did that happen?”

“I was hoping you could tell us,” Harry said, crossing his arms. “Can you tell me what the last thing you remember is?”

“Yeah, I was in the sitting room studying when the portrait announced that there was a student waiting outside to see me. I opened the door…and then…you woke me up.”

“You don't remember seeing anyone?” Ron asked and Ernie shook his head.

“You might not but your portrait will,” Harry said and the three of them stepped out into the hall.

“Edwina,” Ernie spoke to the lovely lady in the portrait. Ron and Harry shared a look between themselves. Edwina? Ron mouthed and Harry shrugged. “Do you remember the last student that came to you?”

“Yes, those two standing behind you,” she answered sweetly.

“Other than them, the one who came to see me before them.”

“Quite a few came by but you didn't answer me when I called you,” she said.

“Er…I was sleeping but the one I did answer, who was that?”

“Hmm,” the portrait said thoughtfully then slowly shook her head. “I honestly don't remember. Let's see there was a girl with something sticky and green in her hair. A spotty young man with brown hair. A set of twin Indian girls…”

“What about the Prefects who came to you?” Harry asked.

Ernie looked at him. “What prefects?” he asked.

“You came up to me and Hermione at the lake and asked her to help you out…with…” Harry trailed off when he saw the blank look on Ernie's face. “You have no idea what I'm talking about do you?”

“Harry, I've been in the suite studying since breakfast.”

Oh, how could he be so stupid. Harry took off at a run toward the Gryffindor common room.

“Are you guys headed out?” Ginny asked as they ran into her and Neville just outside the door.

“Later, Ginny,” Ron said as he and Harry brushed past her and ran to their dorm. “I saw him come up to her Harry. I swear I did.”

“We both did,” Harry said irritably as he took out the Marauder's Map. She wasn't on it and he swore violently, kicking at his trunk.

“What'sss your problem?” Isis hissed irritably.

“Dammit Hermione! We have to go to McGonagall,” Harry said.

“Maybe she's at the pitch, waiting for us?” Ron suggested weakly, clinging on to fragile hope.

“No, we alert the Order that she's missing. I don't understand it!” Harry said irritably.

“No one can get into the castle without the aurors knowing,” Ron retorted.

Harry looked down at the map. “That's not…entirely true,” he said, thinking of the secret passageways in and out of the castle. But only a handful of people knew about them, one of them being Hermione. Suddenly, it was as if a light switch had suddenly turned on in his head.

“Ron, where did Ernie say he found Hermione the day of your game?” he asked.

“The third floor,” Ron said, then looked at him in comprehension.

*

Narcissa placed the last of her precious jewelry into the black briefcase that Draco had swiped from a hotel guest in the lobby. Draco locked it and looked up at his mother. “We'll be back as soon as we can.”

“Be safe,” she said to her son, giving him a hug.

Hermione and Draco took the lift down to the lobby, walking past the muggle police officers in the lobby talking to a stately looking man in an expensive looking suit who was reporting the theft of his briefcase.

Draco had never been on muggle public transportation before so the Underground was a bit of an experience for him. Feeling a little lost in the sea of people that crowded on the platform, he was startled by a loud rumbling sound followed by an odd looking train that came to a stop. The crowd began to move forward, pushing him along, separating him from Hermione but she reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him along with her as they crowded into the car.

The two of them stood in the alley of a stately marble-faced building.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” he asked as Hermione transfigured her clothing. Draco had opted to copy the suit of the man he had stolen the briefcase from.

“Just remember what I told you. Do you have the letter your mother wrote?” she asked and he nodded.

“Good,” she swallowed nervously, forcing her heart to stop racing. She reached out to Draco and adjusted his tie. “Ready?”

The door chimed as they walked into the mahogany wood paneled room. There was a polished round table in matching wood in the middle of the room with a large display of fresh flowers in a porcelain vase resting on it. There was soft music playing and everyone was speaking in hushed voices. There were rows of glass cases displaying glittery and shiny jewelry, several couples were gazing into the display.

Hermione checked in with one of the associates who nodded and went to one of the offices in the back.

“What?” Draco whispered irritably when he saw Hermione stifling a laugh.

“I just find it ironic that you clean up real well in a muggle business suit,” she whispered.

“Very funny Granger,” Draco said wishing this whole thing would end quickly.

“Mr. and Mrs. Kensington,” a polished gentleman with graying hair walked up to them, extending a hand. The two of them polite shook it back and he led them to his office.

“Thank you for seeing us on such a short notice,” Hermione said to the gentleman as he held open the door for her. Draco placed a hand on the small of her back as she walked past.

“Well I understand the urgency of the situation,” the man said.

“We only came to London to pick up the last of my grandmother's belongings, we must return to Scotland immediately,” Draco said.

“Of course, of course. Do you have the documentation?” he asked.

Hermione handed the man some papers as Draco opened the briefcase and showed them to the gentleman whose eyes widened in greed at what was inside.

“Merlin, I can't believe that worked,” Draco said when they were well away from the jeweler.

“We're not done yet,” Hermione said as she hailed a cab. “We need to get to a bank and change that into Traveler's Checks.”

Draco reached into his jacket and pulled out a small stack that was wrapped and handed Hermione a few of the bills. “For the hotel,” he said. “I hate feeling indebted to a mudblood,” he said as they climbed into the taxi.

They returned to the hotel via the Underground again. The car was a little packed and he and Hermione ended up in very close proximity to one another. The car jerked to a start and Draco caught his balance by reaching up and holding on to the handle above him. Hermione was shorter and couldn't reach that high comfortably and instead opted for the silver pole next to Draco. It was awkward enough as it was, so Draco said nothing when her arm brushed his side. He looked out into the darkened windows at the lights whizzing by as the two of them swayed to the motion of the train. She smelled nice, he thought as he looked down at her. She had been looking up at him but quickly looked away. He never realized how soft her hair looked, he remembered it being a bushy tangled mess on her head but now it had suddenly grown out nicely. Hermione once again turned her head to look up at him but he hadn't moved and they found that their faces were so close together that they could feel each others breaths on their skin. His grey eyes met her brown ones before they both looked away.

*

Ron began snoring softly and his head fell on Harry's shoulder. He shrugged him off in annoyance waking his friend up.

“Sorry,” Ron apologized.

“Shh!” Harry said sharply when he heard the soft scraping sound of stone. He and Ron scrambled to their feet and quickly threw the invisibility cloak around them, hunching horribly because it no longer fit two people. Their eyes widened when they saw Hermione step out from behind the witch. Ron made a move to confront her but froze when he saw, of all people, Draco Malfoy follow. He followed her to the portrait door of her suite with Ron and Harry following close behind.
“Fiddle dee-dee, Twinkletoes,” Hermione said softly and the door opened. She looked back at Draco then moved forward.

“Hermione,” Draco called out, stopping the door from closing on him. Hermione turned around and stared at him with wide eyes. Harry and Ron's jaws dropped.

Draco realizing his faux pas at calling her by her first name found himself floundering for something to say to save this situation. Hermione wasn't going to wait however.

“I'll see you around, Draco,” she said softly and slammed the door closed.

“Fuck!” Draco swore softly, running both hands through his hair as he walked in circles for a moment. There was some chatter coming down the hall and he quickly straightened his posture and strode down the hall.

“I think I'm going to be sick,” Ron said as he uncovered himself and strode down the corridor in the opposite direction.

“Ron wait!” Harry trotted after him. “We need to talk to Hermione and find out what…”

“She's been up to?” Ron finished for him. “I think it's pretty obvious what's going on here.”

Harry made a sound of annoyance. Ron did have a tendency to fly off the handle.

“How could she do that?” Ron muttered. “The Ferret of all people!”

“Ron, you don't know—“

“Were you not there, Harry?” Ron whirled on him. “Did you not see that? He called her by her fucking first name!” Ron shoved the invisibility cloak into Harry's chest before storming away.

Yes. Harry could admit that he was a bit annoyed at what Ferret Face had called Hermione. And that whole…exchange…between them was a bit disturbing as well.

Okay, it annoyed the hell out of him. But he wasn't going to get all hot-headed like his friend.

“Fiddle dee-dee, Twinkletoes,” he told the portrait.

“Harry,” Hermione said when he walked into the room. “I am soooo sorry I forgot about the match. I was so busy, I didn't realize how much time had passed…”

Harry held up a hand. “Stop,” he said quietly.

“Was it a good game?” Hermione continued, speaking over him.

“Just stop.”

“Did Ravenclaw win?”

“STOP IT, HERMIONE!” A porcelain figurine trembled and exploded. Harry rubbed his temples in agitation as she finally fell silent. “I saw you,” he said. “Walking out of the passageway with…Malfoy.”

Hermione stared at him. “Harry, listen to me. I need you to drop this.”

“Drop it?” he asked incredulously. “Drop it?!!” he moved threateningly toward her. “You're sneaking out of this castle with…Ferret Face of all people!”

“It isn't what you think,” Hermione said frantically.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn't march to McGonagall and tell her what you are doing!”

“Because I'm only trying to help him!”

Harry's eyes narrowed. “Help him? Hermione have you lost your mind? HE'S. A. DEATHEATER.”

“I don't think so, Harry. Draco—“

“Draco?!” he screeched. For some reason, hearing his name on her lips like that was just making him angrier. “You're on a first name basis with each other?”

“Harry, listen to me.”

“Are you two involved?” he blurted out, letting jealousy get the best of him.

“WHAT?! No!!”

Harry sighed heavily and Hermione walked over to him.

“Harry, listen very carefully to me,” she said in a calm voice. “I…can't…tell you what I'm doing with him. But I need you to trust me in this. Believe in me that I know what I'm doing and can take care of myself.”

“You're asking me to gamble on your safety,” he said quietly.

“I'm asking you to trust in me, trust in us,” she said, taking his hand. “Trust in our friendship.”

“Is that what we have?” he asked, softly. “A friendship?”

Hermione smiled. “Above any and everything.”

Harry should've been happy to hear that. It's what he wanted wasn't it? But for some reason, it suddenly wasn't enough. He still felt a little empty inside. Hermione smiled up at him, seeing that his small smile didn't reach his eyes. He put a hand inside the pocket of his jacket and drew out a small grey box, handing it to Hermione.

“What's this?” she asked.

“It's the tracking device I asked Shacklebolt for,” he said softly.

~*~

Arthur Weasley sipped his coffee as he stepped out of the lift, paper airplane memos zoomed over his head as he walked down the hallway to his office. Mrs. Wells, the secretary, was walking toward him with a pile of new assignments in her arms.

“Here you go Arthur,” she said handing him a pile before moving on to her next victim.

Arthur walked into his office and set his coffee down and thumbed through the files: A phone booth that trapped a poor muggle man; an odd set of fireworks (he wondered if his sons were involved in that one); a diamond choker that nearly strangled a muggle jeweler; and a dog bowl that keeps evading the chihuahua that eats from it.

“Don't forget the meeting in five minutes!” Mrs. Wells poked her head into his office.

Arthur set the files down on his desk and picked up his coffee before he left to go to the conference room.

*

If there was one thing constant in this crazy world, it was that Draco Malfoy loved to raise Harry and Ron's hackles. Consider it a hobby of his. What could he do to possibly piss off Potty and Weasel today?

The seventh year DADA class was in the library today doing research on the dark wizard attacks of 1943. Hermione and Draco sat down at the table together since they needed to work in groups when who should sit across from them but Harry and Neville. The latter looked a little hesitant to be in this position. Ron and Seamus sat next to Harry.

The atmosphere at the table was tense but quiet as the sound of scratching quills filled the silence. While Hermione and Draco were making excellent progress on their assignment, Harry and Neville were miserably behind. Mostly because Harry kept a close eye on the Slytherin.

He wasn't the only one. Ron looked as if he were literally biting his tongue.

Draco looked up and saw Potty and Weasel quickly look down at their papers. A wicked grin grew on his face and he leaned forward.

“Psst, Witless,” he whispered and Neville looked up at him.

“What?” he whispered back.

“Saw you and Weaslette getting cozy yesterday,” Draco hissed. “Aren't you the little backstabber.”

Hermione heard him and kicked Draco under the table. Harry shifted slightly, exhaling in annoyance.

Neville looked a little panicked. “I'm not a backstabber! Ginny said she and Harry broke up a few days ago.”

Harry jerked his head up. “Shut up Malfoy and just do the assignment,” he hissed. He chanced a glance at Hermione who now had her lips pursed together. Crap. He tried to get her attention by gently nudging her foot with his but she kicked him sharply in reply and he went into a coughing fit to hide his yelp of pain. Draco was as relentless as a pit bull.

“You don't feel weird getting Potty's leftovers?” he asked Neville.

“Malfoy, stop it,” Hermione whispered fiercely.

“What does that mean?” Neville hissed, ignoring her.

“Don't be so naïve,” Draco smirked. “We all saw the list the girls had passing around. It's no secret what Weaslette and Potty have been up to.”

“That's enough!” Hermione hissed at him.

Draco turned at looked at her. “Don't get in such a tizzy Granger. I'm sure half the male population in this school has whacked off to the thought of you.”

Ron moved to get up from his chair but Harry stopped him.

“I sincerely hope you weren't one of them,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

“Wouldn't you like to know,” Draco said coyly and Harry cleared his throat loudly, catching the Slytherin's attention.

“How noble of Potty to defend the Weasel. Especially since you were the one fucking his sister.”

“Hey!”

“Malfoy!”

“Listen here you…”

“Shhh!!”

The table quieted down as Professor Smith passed their table to check on their progress. Satisfied with their work she moved on.

“End of discussion, Malfoy,” Hermione whispered.

“No need to get defensive, Granger. If you weren't a mudblood, I would've had you on your back with your legs in air so fast it would make your head spin.”

Harry slammed the heavy tome he was reading shut as he desperately fought down the urge to strangle Malfoy.

“I highly doubt I would be interested,” Hermione said sweetly as she scribbled away.

Malfoy leaned in close to her. “Oh, I think you would be very willing to give up that virginity to me.”

Hermione smiled and looked at him as she got up from her chair. “Who said I was a virgin?” she whispered in his ear as she left the table. Harry smirked.

Draco leaned back in his chair as he watched Hermione sway to the teacher and hand in her paper. Harry couldn't resist the cheap shot and kicked the chair leg under the table, sending Malfoy flailing backward, landing with a clatter.

~*~

Harry walked with Hermione as she patrolled the halls for students still out after curfew. It had been a long day for the both of them and they agreed that the weekend couldn't come soon enough. Hermione opened a broom closet and discovered a pair of Hufflepuffs discovering the joys of the human body. She kicked them out with a nod of her head, taking five points from them for breaking curfew before she and Harry continued on their way.

“I still can't believe he said that,” Harry grumbled and Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Believe me, Harry,” she said, “It surprised me even more. Draco Malfoy of all people wants to relieve me of my virginal burden.”

“If you weren't a muggle-born,” Harry added quickly with a smile.

“Thank goodness for small blessings,” she laughed, feeling lighthearted that she got an honest grin growing on her best friend's face. Another opened door of an abandoned classroom revealed two Slytherins and Hermione repeated her action from the last time.

She and Harry continued on their way and knowing she could ruffle Harry's feathers a little more added. “But on the other hand, good girls do love those bad boys,” she sighed.

Harry glanced sideways at her, raising his eyebrows. “Well I guess we should be thankful for small blessings because, as of late, you Miss Hermione Granger have been a very…bad…girl.”

Hermione feigned indignation. “I don't believe it.”

Harry began to count off on his fingers. “Let's see there's faking interest in Neville, brainwashing two helpless young women into liking him as well, not confiscating a most abominable List, adding comments to said List and nearly getting her best friend into serious trouble with his girlfriend, sneaking out of the castle with a known Death Eater to do who knows what…”

“Okay, alright, I get it,” Hermione conceded.

“Oh and did I mention that little stunt you pulled in the Prefect's bath?” he grinned.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I said I got your point. Besides,” she tutted, “you weren't exactly an angel in that `incident'.”

Harry shrugged. “What can I say? I'm a seventeen-year-old male who wouldn't pass up the chance to see you in a bedroom with nothing but a towel,” he grinned.

Hermione let her jaw drop in mock shock. “Harry, that's not a very angelic thing for a guy with a girlfriend to do,” she lightly scolded him.

Harry smirked and stepped closer to her, tapping a finger on her nose lightly. “I never said I was angelic.”

“Careful, Harry, one would thing you're flirting with me,” she said, not moving from their close proximity.

“I'm not,” he said with a grin. “You would know it if I was,” he said with a wink as he reached around her and opened the door to another broom closet.

A Gryffindor and Ravenclaw jumped apart. “For crying out loud Harry, Hermione, you guys scared the crap out of me,” Ron said, quickly removing his hand from underneath Luna's shirt.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry, Ron.”

They shut the door and continued on their way to the Astronomy Tower.

“Well,” Hermione sighed as she grabbed the handle on the door, “shall we continue our quest to defend the virtues of the students of Hogwarts?” she asked Harry.

“Ironic isn't it?” he said with a raised eyebrow. “Considering that virtues and I don't mix well.”

Hermione opened the door. “Are you flirting with me, again?”

Harry smiled. “No,” he said as he brushed past her.

*

After cleaning out the tower, the two of them headed back to the Gryffindor common room and waited until midnight before slipping out again, this time with Harry under his invisibility cloak. The two of them walked through the corridors and down stairs until they reached the doors of the library. Hermione looked around to see if it was clear before she pushed open the doors and slipped inside. Harry uncovered himself once inside the safety of the library. Right away the two of them headed toward the restricted section.

“What is it exactly we're looking for,” Harry whispered.

“A book on some sort of potion that is a mild poison or a paralyzer,” she replied. Harry stared at her. “What?” she said defensively. “Look, maybe we can fill the cup with some sort of poison then drink it, maybe it will expel Voldemort's soul on its own.”

“Any volunteers for that?” Harry said wryly.

Hermione smiled. “We could ask Dra—Malfoy,” she quickly corrected.

“Yeah, that's a brilliant idea,” Harry muttered as he removed a book from the shelf. “That'll be like sticking Dudley in Honeydukes.”

As time ticked by, Harry began to fight to keep his eyes open but even then the words on the page of the book began to get blurry and he really couldn't comprehend what he was reading. He could hear Hermione next to him flipping through the pages and he admired her will to make her way through the pages.

There was a slight click of the lock and the creaking of the door that sent Harry on full alert. Hermione stilled and she looked over at Harry to confirm what she thought she had heard. The door creaked open some more and Harry swiftly got out of his chair and threw his invisibility cloak over the two of them just as footsteps could be heard walking into the library.

“Filch,” Hermione whispered quietly in Harry's ear and he nodded in consent.

“We've got to get out of here,” he whispered back, pressing her closer to him.

Together they moved down the aisle and peered around the corner where Filch was walking in their direction, holding up a latern to check each aisle for trouble-causing students. But their biggest problem that they could see was getting past the restricted section barrier without drawing attention to themselves.

Harry turned to look at Hermione, seeing that she too saw the problem they had. He only realized just how close they were when he saw her chew her bottom lip in contemplation. Her eyes left the restricted section gate and turned to Harry and she saw with a start that he was looking at her. Her heart began to race when she realized that they were so close together, one of Harry's hands was splayed on her lower back, pressing her closer to him so they would both fit under the cloak.

Reluctantly, Harry turned away from her deciding that this was NOT the time to be thinking of taking any action with Hermione. Besides, they were just reestablishing their friendship, there was no need to blow it to pieces by giving in to what he really, really wanted to do with her right now.

He nodded to the gate, indicating they might as well just try it and get it over with. Hermione reached out and slowly and silently lifted the latch of the gate. Careful not to snag the cloak on anything, Harry and Hermione wrapped the cloak tighter around them, watched Filch and Mrs. Norris then quickly slipped past the gate. Harry reached out just in time to keep the gate from crashing back into the latch. He felt Hermione tug on him frantically and he saw Mrs. Norris prancing her way over to them to investigate.

The two of them shuffled away from her as Filch called out to her. “What is it, Mrs. Norris? Have you found someone?”

Filch held up a lantern to the gate inspecting it as Mrs. Norris' attentions were brought to the slight shuffling sound to her right. She turned to investigate, tail swishing back and forth. Harry and Hermione shuffled backward, careful not to knock into anything that would really draw more attention to themselves. Filch looked over at the cat and saw that she was slowly stalking down an aisle and he turned to follow her. Harry and Hermione picked up the pace and Harry nudged Hermione into another aisle of books. Mrs. Norris followed and she was followed by Filch. Harry turned them into another aisle, zig-zagging through the library until they reached the doors. Filch was still lost in the bookshelves so the two of them took a chance and sprinted out of the library doors.

Hermione laughed softly as she and Harry skidded to a halt a little ways down the corridor, still under the cloak. Harry let go of the fabric, letting it drape around him as he put one hand on the small of her back and the other on her hip, pulling her close as they celebrated their close call.

“Oh shit,” he said when he looked over her shoulder.

Hermione turned to see Mrs. Norris peering at them curiously. “Unbelievable,” Hermione said as she and Harry hustled down the corridor, Mrs. Norris trotting behind them as the library doors opened announcing the arrival of Filch in the pursuit. The two of them hustled up the stairs, down a corridor and up another set of stairs until Hermione skidded to a halt around a corner and spotted Crookshanks investigating a hole in the base of the wall, waiting for an unsuspecting mouse. Hermione slipped out of the cloak.

“Hermione!” Harry whispered frantically, his fingers brushing over her arm, just missing her as Filch and Mrs. Norris rounded the corner.

“Miss Granger,” Filch said greedily. “How unfortunate of you to be caught out and about at this hour.” Harry didn't dare breathe.

“I was out searching…for my cat,” she said, gesturing toward the half-Kneazle who peered up at her and Harry in curiousity.

“I was after someone who was sneaking around in the library after-hours,” Filch said, scrutinizing the teen.

“What would Crookshanks be doing in a library?” she asked. “He can't read.”

Harry stifled his laughter. Crookshanks sauntered over to Hermione and circled around her legs. Mrs. Norris was still peering up at Harry, making him nervous.

“Are you sure you aren't hiding anyone?” Filch narrowed his eyes at her.

Mrs. Norris padded forward in Harry's direction and he, seeing this, shuffled backward, hitting the wall behind him. Crookshanks darted in front of the cat and lay belly up at Harry's feet and swiped at the nosy cat. Mrs. Norris hissed and Crookshanks yeowled, catching the attentions of their owners.

“Crookshanks!”

“Mrs. Norris!”

Hermione scooped up her cat and whirled on Filch who cradled Mrs. Norris in his arms. “Your cat attacked mine!”

“Nonsense, Mrs. Norris wouldn't harm another creature!” Filch retorted.

“We both just saw them there!” Hermione shrieked. “You just wait until I report this to the Headmistress. You should control that…that…monster!”

Filch grumbled at Hermione and turned to hustle in the other direction. Hermione stroked and cooed at Crookshanks, whispering words of comfort to the half-Kneazle as she walked to Edwina's portrait. She gave the password, waking the lady who lazily swung the door open to let her inside. Hermione set Crookshanks down on a squashy cushion, turned around and startled violently when she saw Harry standing in the doorway.

“Harry! I thought you had continued on your way!”

Harry stepped forward to Crookshanks and scratched him behind his ears bending over to look him in the eyes. “You are one clever little half-Kneazle, do you know that?” He straightened up to face Hermione. “Mrs. Norris didn't hurt Crookshanks, he set the whole thing up trying to protect me.”

“Oh, Crookshanks,” Hermione cooed and picked up the cat who purred.

“So that's what it takes to get your affection,” Harry said wryly and Hermione rolled her eyes. “Well, I think I've had enough adventure for one night. I'll see you tomorrow, Hermione.”

“Good night, Harry.”

There was an awkward pause where both Harry and Hermione both stood there, both of them suppressing the urge to step forward toward each other before Harry finally turned.

“Good night.”

“Yeah, good night.”

-->

25. A Subtle Shift

A Subtle Shift

All of the things that I want to say

Just aren't coming out right

I'm tripping on words you got my head spinning

I don't know where to go from here

'Cause it's you and me and all of the people

with nothing to do nothing to prove

and its you and me and all of the people and

I don't why I can't keep my eyes off you

(You and Me—Lifehouse)

~*~

Ginny finished the last line of her transfiguration essay and looked up at her brother and Harry sitting a few tables down. Luna had already completed her homework and was now working on the rune puzzle in the Quibbler. Hermione was sitting next to Ginny reading a book.

“So, when were you going to talk to us?” Ginny whispered to Hermione. Luna looked up at the two of them and set down her puzzle.

“Talk to you about what?” Hermione asked as she turned a page in the book.

“About you and Malfoy.”

Hermione became very still for the briefest moment before she continued reading. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“I ran into Ron, literally, in the common room a few nights ago and let me tell you he was angrier than a nest of doxies. He was ranting about something going on between you and the Slytherin.”

“He's overreacting. There's nothing going on there,” Hermione said.

Luna leaned forward. “He said that Malfoy called you by your first name.”

Hermione sighed. “It really wasn't a big deal,” she protested. “Ask Harry. He was there.”

“I did,” Ginny said, “and something explodes in the common room every time Ron brings it up. I can't even tell you how many ink jars we've gone through.”

“Are you trying to drive Harry insane?” Luna asked.

Hermione blinked at them. “Drive Harry insane? What on earth are you two on about?”

Ginny and Luna exchanged long looks before Ginny glanced quickly over at Harry then back to Hermione. “Hermione, you know that Harry and I broke up, right?”

“In a round about way, yes I heard about it,” Hermione said vaguely.

“And you do know that I'm over him,” she prodded further.

Hermione closed the book she was reading and massaged her forehead. “Ginny, what exactly is your point?”

Luna leaned forward. “Hermione…are you using Malfoy to make Harry jealous?”

“What?!”

Harry looked over his shoulder at Hermione, Ginny and Luna huddled together in conversation. Hermione was wearing a purple cardigan and his favorite pair of low-cut denim jeans. God he loved those jeans.

“Would you stop undressing our best friend with your eyes?” Ron whispered. Harry whipped his head back around.

“I wasn't undressing her with my eyes,” Harry whispered defensively.

“Riiiight,” Ron said.

They fell back into silence, writing away at their homework. Harry finished on his first essay, rolled it and stuffed it into his bookbag. Looking back up, he noticed Ron gazing across the room at Luna.

“Now look who's undressing who,” Harry jested.

Ron leaned forward and whispered to Harry, “Hey, you've had sex, right?”

Harry looked up at him from his paper. “I'm so not going to go down that road with you.”

“Harry, I'm not asking what Hermione's like in the sack (Harry threw his quill down in frustration), I just want to know what it's like.”

Harry ran his hands through his hair. “You want to know what it's like? It's a friendship killer, that's what it is. It fucks everything up and makes it more complicated so it's just as well that you stay away from it.”

Ron stared at him then narrowed his eyes. “Do you regret sleeping with Hermione?”

Harry picked up his quill and resumed his homework. Did he regret sleeping with Hermione? That was a loaded question. He guessed the answer would have to be both yes and no. Yes, he hated the fact that they had crossed that line of friendship and they haven't been the same since and they never would be the same. And no, because well…frankly, it was pretty mindblowing sex with her and a part of him wouldn't mind a repeat. Oh God, what kind of horrible friend did that make him?

Ron continued. “'Cos it looked like you were enjoying it at the time.”

“Ron!” Harry hissed. “Look, just drop it about me and Hermione okay and just get on with what you want to know?”

“Geez,” Ron muttered. Touchy subject. “I just wanted to know…how you know when a girl is ready…you know.”

“Wow,” Harry said, putting his quill back down. “You and Luna, huh?”

“Yeah, our snog sessions are getting a bit heavy and,” Ron lowered his voice some more. “Quite frankly, I'm leaving them a bit frustrated if you know what I mean.” Harry tried to keep a blank look on his face to keep from incriminating himself.

“Well, uh, has she…mentioned anything along those lines?” he asked.

“No, not really,” Ron whispered then quickly added, “but she hasn't said no either.”

“Well, I guess you could try testing the waters, see how far you'll go and still be okay with it,” Harry offered his best advice. Personally, he thought he was the wrong person to go about giving his best friend advice on this considering that when he and Hermione got together, it was more of a powder keg waiting to explode rather than a dreamy courtship.

“Yeah, I guess we should do that,” Ron chewed on his lower lip. “But if you get to that point where she…you know, how do you know what to do?”

Harry shrugged. He wasn't even sure he knew what he was doing when he was with Hermione. He was just acting on instinct and adrenaline alone. “I guess it just comes naturally. You just know what to do.”

Ron looked at him. “You just know,” he repeated plainly.

“For crying out loud Ron. Humans have been having sex for about a million years, you'd think there was something in our DNA that came with instructions. It's just instinct, I guess.”

“I guess,” Ron said morosely. “But everyone knows I choke under pressure. Look at my Quidditch skills.”

“Ron, you're Quidditch skills are just fine and I'm sure that goes with…everything else,” Harry said patiently. “I'm sure you'll have Luna singing `Weasley Is My King' from the bedroom in no time.”

Ron grinned. “Thanks Harry.”

The two of them went back to their homework but after awhile Ron looked up to see Harry looking over at Hermione for what had to be the hundredth time since they sat here.

~*~

It was in Potions class that Harry got a message to go to the Headmistress' office. Going up the spiral staircase and knocking on the wooden doors, he was surprised to see Mr. Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt in the room waiting for him.

“What is it?” he asked. “What's happened?”

“Harry,” Mr. Weasley stepped forward. “Some disturbing information has come across my desk earlier this week. There was an incident where a diamond choker had nearly strangled a muggle jeweler in London. The man is fine but during the investigation he revealed that a Mr. and Mrs. Kensington sold him this piece of jewelry along with others, which I might add, were perfectly normal.”

Kingsley spoke up at this time. “An investigation in our department revealed a Mr. Abraham and Winifred Kensington are the only registered wizards in Scotland but they have never owned such a piece of jewelry and have an alibi to their whereabouts the day this piece was sold to the muggle.”

“An alias?” Harry asked, still unsure of why this concerned him.

“I did some research on the necklace,” Mr. Weasley said, “and found that it belonged to the Black Family.”

This caught Harry's attention. “Sirius'? But I thought we got rid of all the dangerous objects in the house.” As soon as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. The locket went missing now this necklace. “Mundungus,” he whispered.

“I thought so too,” Kingsley said. “Until I looked at the muggle jeweler's security tape the day of the transaction.”

Shacklebolt and Mr. Weasley shared an uneasy look then handed Harry an envelope. Harry took it and opened it, tipping its contents into his hand. Black and white photos of Hermione and Draco Malfoy together.

Harry looked up sharply at them. “Who else has seen these?” he asked.

“Just us two,” Kingsley said. “Why?”

“Harry, is that really Miss Granger in that photograph?”

“Is she who you wanted to track, Harry?” Kingsley asked. “Did you know about this?”
Harry sighed. “She says she's trying to help him.”

“And you believe her?”

“I have no reason not to. She's my best friend. It's Malfoy I don't trust.”

“What is she helping Mr. Malfoy with?” Arthur asked.

“That's what I'm trying to figure out.”

“And you're hoping that she'll lead you to exactly what's going on?” Kingsley said.

Harry shifted. “Something Hermione said to me really sticks out in my mind. She said that she couldn't tell me what they were up to. She wouldn't willingly hide something like this from me. I know she wouldn't.”

“And?” Mr. Weasley prodded further.

“And…how can you tell if someone is under a Fidelius or Unbreakable Vow?” he asked them.

Kingsley and Arthur looked at each other uneasily.

“Harry,” Arthur said, “if Hermione is indeed Draco's Secret Keeper of some sort. This investigation will go around in circles until she willingly gives it up.”

“And if she's not willing to do that. That must mean he has something big over her head, some sort of leverage that he's using against her,” Kingsley added.

“Have you heard anything more on Dolohov?” Harry asked.

Kingsley shook his head, “He might have been involved in the Death Eater attack on the Leaky Cauldron but other than that. Nothing. The same goes for Malfoy Sr. However, we have gone through the list of guests that had checked in and out that day and only one is unaccounted for, a Miss Jane Austen?”

“That's a fake,” Harry said. “That's the name of the author of those muggle books that Hermione…likes to read,” he trailed off. “I'll see you guys later,” he said and took off out of the office and down the stairs.

He opened his school trunk and pulled out the Marauder's Map and his invisibility cloak. Seeing that Malfoy was still in potions and would be for another fifteen minutes, he raced out of his room and down the hall to the dungeons where he vaguely remembered where the Slytherin common room was. He put on the invisibility cloak at this time as he got nearer to the portrait and he didn't have to wait too long before a student stepped out of there and he darted past them.

Assuming that these dorms were similar to Gryffindors, the seventh year boy's dorm would be on the top floor and would be on the staircase that didn't turn into a slide when you stepped on it. But luck was not with him when he saw several doors in front of him. He didn't have a lot of time but he was invisible so he began to open them one by one and found that some rooms had bunk beds, two or three singles and some of them had rooms with only one bed. A room of their own. Draco's would be one of these. And he knew which one it was when he opened the door and saw one filled with expensive robes, an obscene amount of beauty products that no guy should normally have and a dartboard with his own picture on it. Disturbing.

But, right away Harry began opening desk drawers and thumbing through their contents to see if he could find anything that the Ferret had on Hermione. He opened the drawers of his bureau (ew!) and used the tip of his wand to go through those items. He moved to the bookshelf and fanned through every book, then moved to under the bed which oddly enough was clean.

He heard the chime of the clock and took out the Map, seeing that his classmates and Malfoy were leaving the Potions classroom. Dissatisfied with finding nothing, he gave up the search and left the Slytherin dorm to rejoin everyone in the Great Hall. Once in the corridor, he stuffed the map in the pocket of his cloak and the invisibility cloak in his bookbag as he moved to blend in with the students coming out of the classrooms. But right away, there was a commotion in the hall as he saw Dean shove Blaise up against the wall.

“What's the big idea?” Dean was saying. “You could've seriously hurt someone in there!”

“It was just an accident,” Blaise shot back. “Take a joke, you insolent little mudblood.”

Dean made a move for Blaise again but was held back by Seamus. Ron stepped forward.

“Don't call him that! Fifteen points from Slytherin for using that word and another fifteen for your little stunt.”

“Why you little…” Blaise hissed but Draco stepped in front.

“He said it was an accident. You can't take points for that Weasel!”

“I've got a badge here that says I can,” Ron shot back.

“Oh, do you have a Weasley is a Loser badge, too?”

“No, it says Malfoy Sucks Cock,” Ron replied.

Draco was furious and he quickly drew his wand and before Ron could defend himself, a jet of red light was headed for him only to be deflected to the ceiling by a jet of blue light. Harry always was a faster draw and he held his wand out as he marched toward the crowd.

“Oh, does Potty want to play?” Draco snarled. “Good, I've been waiting to have another go at you!”

Harry took off his bookbag and shrugged off his cloak, tossing it to the ground as Malfoy did the same, his cloak landing on top of his.

“Harry, NO!”

Hermione came bursting out of the crowd and ran for Harry, standing in front of him and turning to face Malfoy.

“Hermione, move out of the way,” Harry said.

“Stop it now. The both of you!” she demanded from both of them.

“Granger stay out of this!” Draco hissed.

Hermione turned to face Harry. “Harry don't do this. Put your wand down. You're better than this.” She glanced back at Malfoy then back up at him.

Harry looked down into her pleading face then back up at Malfoy who was watching them with an unreadable expression on his face.

“Harry,” Hermione persisted.

“Well, I guess one of us has to be a gentleman here,” Draco said as he lowered his wand.

Harry did the same and picked up his cloak as Ron handed him his book bag. Still keeping an eye on Draco as the crowd began to break up, he put his arm around Hermione's shoulders, sending a smirk to the Slytherin as he turned and walked away.

*

After dinner that night in the common room, Ron pulled out the chessboard as Harry prepared himself for another crushing defeat by his best friend.

“That was just bloody brilliant, Harry,” Ron grinned. “I wonder what he was going to hex me with.”

Harry shrugged. “Dunno, but I hardly think it was a tickling charm,” he said with a grin.

“This isn't funny,” Hermione said as she and Ginny walked into the room. “You remember what Professor Smith said about showing them what you can do.”

Harry grimaced. “Last time I checked, you were getting pretty chummy with `Them'”.

Hermione put her hand on her hip. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Don't be such a jerk because Hermione's right, Harry,” Ginny said. “Come on, let's go,” she said as the two of them walked upstairs.

Harry grumpily pushed his pawn forward.

“Hey I've been thinking,” he said. “Maybe there's something in Voldemort's memories that hold some sort of clue as to how to break the cup.”

Ron pushed forward his pawn. “You-Know-Who's memories? What do you mean?”

“Well, like, as he was creating these things. He had to remember how he created the others, where he hid them, how to destroy them.”

“Yeah, I get that. But, how do you get those memories? Don't you need a pensieve or something?”

“Usually,” he answered, “but I have to wonder if his mind leaves imprints.”

Ron looked up slowly at him. “What do you mean, Harry?”

“Well, I have to wonder if he left some sort of imprint on those whom he's…taken over.”

“Like me and Ginny,” Ron stated.

Harry exhaled. “Perhaps.”

“Are you telling me that I could be walking around with,” he looked around then lowered his voice, “You-Know-Who still in my fucking head?!”

“No, no,” Harry shook his head. “I'm saying it may have left an imprint. A memory of a memory.”

“How in the world could you access them?” Ron asked.

Harry stared hard at the chessboard. “There are…ways.”

Ron captured Harry's pawn and set it to the side. “Are you talking about using Legilimency?” Harry looked up at him, seeing the look of hesitance on his friend's face.

“Ron, I'm not going to go in there like raging hippogriff,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Ron said evasively, looking away from his friend.

“And I'm not going to go through anything you don't want me to see. Things that are private.” Harry had no interest in seeing any snogging sessions between Ron and Luna.

“I dunno,” Ron said, wiping the palms of his hands on his jeans.

“You trust me, don't you?” Harry said.

“Of course I trust you!”

“So you know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you?”

“You promise you'll just look for…You-Know-Who?”

“Of course,” Harry said.

“Okay, what do I do?” Ron breathed.

“Just relax and look into my eyes,” Harry said. “Try to think of the moment when you touched the mirror.”

“Okay,” Ron nodded and exhaled. He thought of the moment by the fountain and looked into his friend's eyes. “Hey, Harry?” he said, looking away.

“What? Yeah?”

“You know you're my best friend, right?” he asked. “And that I wouldn't do anything to hurt you either?”

“I know that, Ron,” Harry said. “Now just relax and think of the mirror.”

Harry had practiced only on a few people. Aberforth was the first, Lupin was second and Harry got a kick out of all the memories of his father that he had projected to him. Tonks let him have a go with much threatening not to hold what he saw against her. (“I was a bit of a rebellious teen.”) Each mind was different but it pretty much was the same model. Some sort of long dark corridor or hallway with doors on each side that led to a room that held a memory in `real-life' so to speak, like a scene out of a pensieve. The doors you ran into first in the hallway were mostly always open, replaying scenes that the person had most recently remembered. If they had no problem with you seeing it, the door was open, if it was private it was closed (although if you were a jerk, you could still open it) and the person would know what memory you were seeing. The further down the corridor you went, the doors became more and more decayed and unused, memories locked away and long forgotten until you opened the door and brought them to the forefront. There were even dark corners of this hallway that had doors that looked like they should never be opened.

Most of the time when you were using Legilimency, it was to see if someone was lying or hiding something from you, it generally wasn't used to take a leisure stroll through someone's mind. That just violated a moral code. Unless you were Snape or Voldemort who used the skill as some sort of entertainment but whatever. The point was, that unless someone used Occlumency against you, it was fairly easy to pick out what someone was trying to hide from you. They were the doors that had locks on them. You just had to go and bust through them. If it was something that they really, really didn't want you to see. That door usually stuck out like a sore thumb.

Because Harry hadn't really mastered the art, he couldn't control how to ease into someone's mind. It was like if you took a running start from one end of the house and skidded to a halt in the corridor, you missed some doors that just blurred past you, wide open until the person realized you were even in there then quickly slammed some doors in your face.

This is what happened in Ron's mind and as Harry skidded to a halt he could've sworn, sworn, that he saw an image of Ron brushing a tear away from Hermione's face then leaning closer to her before the door slammed, turning red with warning tape all over it and a large blinking light over it. Reluctantly, Harry turned away from it and continued down the hall.

He walked past the door that showed him walking on the Hogwart's Express with Hermione and seeing Draco Malfoy at the end of the aisle. He walked past the memory of himself saying goodbye to the two of them. He walked past Ron waking up from his possession and then he walked by him reaching in the fountain and picking up the mirror. Harry stopped and stared at these two doors, there was nothing in between them. He placed his hands against the flat wall, desperate to find something, anything that would suggest there was a hint of a door. Harry ran down the corridor, looking for anything that looked suspicious and got as far as Ron's seventh birthday before he stopped. There was nothing here, no clue as to what Voldemort did, how he created the horcrux, how to destroy it.

Frustrated, he walked back down the corridor, back to where he came. The red door with the tape and the light caught his attention again. He stood in front of it. He could just walk away and not open it, he should do that. But the memory behind that door was haunting him already, coaxing something unfamiliar and unpleasant inside of him to come to the surface roaring. Harry reached out and yanked the tape from the door and kicked it open.

“I hate this, Ron!” Hermione said. “I hate that we haven't been able to get a hold of him for days. I hate that he won't talk to us. I hate that we're stuck here having to listen to everyone say such horrible things about him.” She began to sob, collapsing into Ron's arms.

Ron held her, patting her awkwardly until it became a natural real embrace. He moved away from her, his hands moving to cradle her jaw as he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her.

And she kissed back!

The embrace became more heated and hands became more bold until Ron lowered Hermione to the floor, settling himself on top of her.

Harry felt himself being forcibly yanked out of the room and out of Ron's mind.

“You swore you wouldn't look where I didn't want you to!” Ron said in a panicked voice as Harry stood abruptly. He rubbed his eyes, wishing he could erase what he had seen from his memory. Ron lowering Hermione to the floor. “Harry, listen to me,” Ron said quickly. “What you saw—“

“Oh. My. God, Ron!” Harry backed away from him, running his hands through his hair. Why oh why did that image keep playing over and over in his head? Ron lowering Hermione to the floor. Ron lowering Hermione to the floor. He turned away from his friend.

“Harry, I swear--.”

“You and Hermione,” Harry muttered as he stumbled away from his…friend. The walls seemed to be closing in on him and he couldn't breathe. He was going to be sick. Ron lowering Hermione to the floor. Ron lowering Hermione to the floor.

“Harry…”

Harry stumbled toward the door, he could feel energy pulsing through him. The same kind of sensation he would get when leaping to the roofs of building when being chased by bullies, before blowing his Aunt Marge up. He had to get out of there.

He hustled down the hall, the memory replaying over and over, fueling his anger and he felt like a boiler with too much pressure, waiting for some kind of release. He made it to the Astonomy Tower and yanked open the door, eliciting protests from the amorous students there.

“Hey what's the big idea!”

“Close the damn door!”

Already irritated and angry, Harry snapped at them. “GET OUT!” he shouted to them causing some of the couples to hastily make an exit. He climbed the stairs to the balcony that was lined with telescopes. More frightened couples left, scrambling down the stairs until finally he was all alone. He stood alone and sank to the ground laying spread eagle facing up to the twinkling stars above. He imagined that somewhere up there his mother and father were looking down upon him. Maybe even Sirius and Dumbledore.

“I know you're thinking that I have no right to be angry,” he said aloud. “I didn't come back with them. I practically shoved her into his arms.” Harry swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. “I know I had it coming. I just…I just didn't think it would hurt so bad.”

The stars twinkled above him in response and he slowly began to feel a little better. He suddenly felt so small and alone in this world looking up at the never-ending universe above him. Maybe it was his destiny to be alone. His parents were murdered, leaving him to fend for himself in this world. Growing up he was alone. Shunted to the side and locked in the cupboard under the stairs, invisible to the family who raised him. The curse that Voldemort made of his scar isolated him from his peers, from the wizarding world, he alone had survived the Killing Curse. And ultimately it would be him, again alone, that was destined to destroy Voldemort.

“Nothing happened, Harry.”

At the sound of Hermione's voice, Harry scrambled to his feet, a little embarrassed that she caught him out here by himself. She stepped out onto the balcony, her hair in a loose plait and looking breathtaking. A pang of longing shot through him.

“Hermione, I really don't--.”

“I wanted you to know, Harry. Nothing happened between me and Ron. We stopped before it went any further.”

Harry didn't know what to say to that. A part of him felt guilty at feeling relieved at her words. “Why are you telling me this?” he asked.

“Why are you so bothered by it?” He didn't answer her, he didn't know how to.

She walked over to one of the telescopes closest to Harry and peered into the lens. “It always amazes me how beautiful the sky is.” She looked up and offered the telescope to Harry who took his turn peering up at the brightly glowing stars.

“Sometimes, I feel like I'm losing you Harry,” she said quietly, catching his attention. He looked over at her and saw her looking in the direction of the lake. The moonlight refracted on its surface, breaking the light so it looked as if the lake were sparkling.

“I feel like I'm losing us,” she continued.

Harry looked at her. “I feel like I already lost us.”

Hermione looked at him, her eyes moist with tears. Harry reached out and pulled her into an embrace.

“Oh, what are we going to do? How can we fix us?”

“I don't know if we can,” he said into the top of her head, stealing a small kiss there. “But your friendship means the world to me.”

“It means the world to me too,” she sniffled as she stepped away to look up at him.

He grinned softly. “Well, we have that and that's always a start.”

Hermione felt it then. The shift within her, the ray of light that pierced the darkness within her, illuminating the obvious. It was at that moment, that she realized she was in love with her best friend. She had always loved him, will always love him. She shivered at the thought.

“Are you cold?” Harry asked, feeling like a complete idiot for not offering his cloak sooner as he shrugged the garment off.

“No, Harry, it's okay…what is it?” she asked suddenly as Harry stopped and stared at the cloak. Embroidered on the inside tag were the initials: D.M.

“Harry?” Hermione's voice was full of alarming concern.

“Oh no,” Harry breathed. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck. This can't be happening!”

*

Ron looked at the cloak. “So you're saying that this is the Ferret's?” he asked and Hermione nodded. Ron dropped the cloak immediately and wiped his hand on his shirt. Harry was pacing back in forth in the common room, his hair sticking out at odd ends from the endless running of his hands through it.

“How can I be so stupid?!!” Harry ranted and threw himself face down on the sofa.

“So, let's see if I get this right,” Ron said. “You put your invisibility cloak in your bookbag and the Map in your cloak.” Harry made a sound in the cushions that resembled a yes. “Then somehow your cloaks got switched so now the Ferret has your cloak and the Map?” Harry groaned. “Harry, how can you be so thick?!”

“Ron, you're not helping,” Hermione snapped at him and knelt down next to Harry, patting his back soothingly. “Harry, we'll get it back. Maybe Malfoy doesn't know he has your cloak. You didn't realize the mistake until recently. Let's just go down there and get it back.”

Harry looked up sharply at her and got off the couch. “No! Not you,” he said pointing at her. “I don't want you anywhere near that Ferret Face.”

“Oh, don't be ridiculous Harry!” Hermione scoffed. “I'm Head Girl and have access to all the common rooms. What were you and Ron going to do? Sneak in there with your invisibility cloak?”

“Maybe,” Harry defended his budding plan that Hermione was threatening to squash.

Hermione tutted and rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Harry. Don't make things so complicated. I'll be back in a moment,” she said.

“Whoa, whoa whoa!” Harry said, trotting to her side.

“You honestly don't think we're letting you go there alone?” Ron said.

“Whatever,” Hermione sighed, “let's just get this over with quickly.”

*

Inserting her Head Girl badge into the appropriate slot next to the portrait, the door swung open and Hermione stepped inside. The common room was silent and no one was up because of the late hour. But it was a mess as if they had a party here and Hermione frowned at the sight of some of the House Elves cleaning up.

“Guess they had a party here,” Ron said, surveying the mess.

“And I know who the guest of honor was,” Harry said, pointing up.

There, hanging from the ceiling was an effigy of Harry, a straw dummy complete with glasses and scar drawn on its face. He guessed that was where the straw mess came from in the room.

“Oh, Harry,” Hermione frowned. “They made a piñata out of you.”

“A what?” Ron asked but Hermione ignored him as she released the dummy, sending it crashing to the floor.

“You couldn't give me a better landing?” he said grumpily to Hermione as he moved forward to pick up his cloak, dusting the straw off of it. Harry checked the pockets and it came as no surprise to him that they were empty.

“Nothing?” Ron asked and Harry shook his head no. “Well then…accio Map,” Ron said with a flick of his wand and papers around the room came flying at him, along with a large globe and he shielded himself from the attack. The house elves frowned at the new mess. “Sorry.”

The three of them searched through the papers but came up empty handed. “You don't think he has it, do you?” Ron asked.

Harry nodded. “Yeah, I know he does.”

Breakfast the next morning consisted of Hermione listening to Harry and Ron plot a way to get into Draco's room and search it. She rolled her eyes at them. Her repeated requests to just ask Draco for the folded piece of parchment back was met with a resounding and repeated No from Harry. So she opted to sit back and just watch this fiasco unfold in front of her.

“I'm surprised you didn't keep the cloak, Potter,” Draco sneered. He stopped at the Gryffindor table surrounded by his usual entourage. “I figured you'd want to keep something that was infinitely more nice than anything you've ever owned.”

“Is there something you wanted, Malfoy?” Harry asked, irritated.

“Did you lose something Potter?” he asked with a smirk. Harry didn't answer him, only narrowed his eyes. “Try searching my room…again,” he said and left with his groupies following him.

“What did he mean by `again', Harry?” Hermione asked.

“Nothing,” Harry muttered. He was not about to give away the fact that he was searching for something that Malfoy was holding against Hermione.

“You searched his room before?” her eyes widened. “What were you looking for?”

“Just drop it, Hermione,” Harry said.

“You said you were going to trust me on this, Harry,” she said and got up to leave the table in a huff. It was always one step forward, two steps back with their friendship lately.

*

Harry and Ron's search that afternoon in Draco's room yielded nothing. And in the evening they walked through the portrait door after coming back from searching Crabbe and Goyle's room and looking a little disturbed by it. Hermione sat with Ginny and Neville, sighing and rolling her eyes at them. The next day they tried searching Pansy's and Blaise's room but again they couldn't find it.

“Maybe he threw it out,” Ron suggested.

“No, he didn't,” Harry sighed. “He'd be curious to wonder why I would be carrying a thick folded blank piece of parchment. He may be a wanker but he's not stupid.”

Hermione couldn't stand it anymore and she left the common room. She knew Harry was right and that Draco had to have kept it, probably trying to figure out how he could make it reveal it's secret. She made her way to the Slytherin common room. She had a way to get Draco to give up the Map to her.

-->

26. No Consequences

No Consequences

You, you got what I need but you say he's just a friend

And you say he's just a friend, oh baby

You, you got what I need but you say he's just a friend

But you say he's just a friend, oh baby

You, you got what I need but you say he's just a friend

But you say he's just a friend

(Just A Friend—Bizmarkie)

“I'm looking for something that you might have,” Hermione said, standing in Draco's room. Draco was leaning back in his chair, feet propped on his desk, hands woven behind his head.

“Wow. I didn't think you took my comment in the library seriously.”

“Don't be disgusting,” she rolled her eyes. “The chances of us in bed together are extremely thin.”

“Have I told you I'm a gambling man? We don't have to use the bed,” he shrugged, “I can shove you up against that wall if you prefer--.” Hermione cut him off.

“Where is it Malfoy?” she demanded.

“Where is what?” he asked innocently.

“You know what I'm talking about.”

“Folded up piece of old parchment?” he feigned guessing. “Blank?” he added with emphasis. “What is so special about it that has Potty and Weasel scouring the Slytherin dorms for before he sends you here.” Hermione shifted her weight and Draco rose an eyebrow. “Oh, Potty doesn't know you're here,” he said as he stood up and walked over to her.

“Where is it Draco?”

He stopped in front of her. “If this thing is so important to you guys, why would I give it up to you?”

“Carte blanche, remember?”

“Ah yes, Carte Blanche,” he said quietly. “And you're cashing it in for this? I was hoping you would save it for something else.”

Hermione sighed and moved past him to his desk, opening the drawer and sifting through it. Draco turned around and watched her.

“You're cold,” he said plainly.

Hermione looked up at him. She felt fine. “What?”

“It's not near the desk, you're cold,” he said impatiently as if he were speaking to a child.

Hermione closed the drawer and walked to his bookshelf (“Cold”), then his bureau (“Cold”), then his, ugh, bed (“Unfortunately like ice”). Hermione marched over to him, eyes narrowed.

“Where is it Draco?” she demanded.

“Definitely warmer,” he smirked.

Hermione stared at him. Okay, she could play this game. Draco opened his arms to either side of him and she reached out, her hand hovering above his left arm and moved closer to his chest.

“Warmer.”

Her hand hovered over his chest as she looked into his grey eyes. Her hand moved lower (“Getting warmer”) past his pectorals to his lower ribs and stopping at his navel.

“Much warmer,” he whispered, stepping closer to her.

Hermione sighed impatiently. “Is it in your trousers?”

Draco let a small smile grow on his face. “Now look who's being disgusting.” She tilted her head. “Fine, it's in my pocket.”

“Then get it,” she said.

“No, you get it. You wanted Carte Blanche, for me to give you the parchment but you didn't say how.”

Hermione stared at him. “Fine,” she said, calling his bluff. Her fingers reached out and rested against the fabric rim of his pocket. Just do it, wash your hands thoroughly after this and give Harry a stern lecture on protecting his belongings. She slipped her hand in and fished for the parchment, feeling instead, through the fabric….something else.

She yanked her hand free.

“Damn it Draco!” she cursed. “You're such a sick bastard!”

Draco laughed and moved past her. “You walked right into that one Granger.” He stopped in front of the bookshelf and selected one book, opening it. “Didn't think you were that naïve.” He thumbed through it and stopped at a page where the parchment stuck out. He waved his wand over it and the parchment came free.

“A sticking charm?” Hermione asked, taking the parchment from him.

“A powerful one,” he answered. “Don't be so trusting in people. Everyone has their own motivations behind many of the things they do, their own agenda. You'd be surprised what people do in the name of good. Including Potty.”

“How dare you!” Hermione whirled on him.

“Come on Granger, let's stop turning a blind eye when it concerns him. You and I both know what he's capable of, whom he bears an eerie resemblance to magically speaking, hell I even heard he has his own pet snake.”

“Harry is nothing like him!”

“Is that what Potty says?” he asked and a memory came to Hermione about something Harry had said when they had visited Tom Riddle's orphanage. Draco continued. “And then there's the matter of placing a tracking charm on your best friend…very honorable and moral indeed.”

Hermione didn't even bother correcting him. “Everyone has their darker side, Draco.”

Draco stepped up closer, standing directly in front of her. “Yes but Potter's is a bit more darker than others.”

“Harry would never—“

“Of all people, I know exactly what Potter is capable of,” he said quietly, remembering what Potter had done to him in the girl's lavatory last year.

Hermione stuffed the parchment in her robes and left the room.

It was very late when she entered the Gryffindor common room and snuck into the seventh year boy's dormitory. Neville and Ron were making a racket with their snoring, Dean was solving the problem by placing his headphones over his ears, blocking out the sound. Seamus and Harry had the curtains drawn around their beds, probably with charms up to keep the sound out. She tiptoed across the room and knelt in front of Harry's trunk. Isis slid out from under the bed, giving her a start.

“Isis!” she whispered, holding a hand to her chest. “Believe me, it's best he doesn't know who got it back,” she said as she opened his trunk and slipped the Map back inside. Closing it, she looked up…and froze.

Harry's glasses were not on the nightstand.

Almost as soon as she thought this, a hand reached out and yanked her past the bed coverings. She landed on the bed as she cried out in surprise.

“Shh!” Harry said, covering her mouth and listening to see if she had disturbed any of his roommates. They were both standing on their knees on his bed.

“What were you doing sneaking into my trunk?” he asked her when all was well. He spoke in a normal voice level because of the silencing charms.

“I wasn't sneaking into your trunk,” she said.

“Oh really?” Harry raised an eyebrow. “What do you call skulking about when everyone's asleep getting into my trunk?”

“What were you looking for in his room earlier?” she replied.

“The Map.”

“Before that Harry.”

“I asked you first.”

She moved the Map behind her back. She could give it to him later. “It's late,” she said, “I'm going to bed.”

With quick Seeker movements, he reached behind Hermione's back, grabbing her wrist, the momentum causing them both to tumble onto the bed. Harry had Hermione pinned below him, one hand on her wrist, the other at her side for balance. Hermione's heart raced in her chest, feeling his familiar weight above her. Harry's eyes wandered over her face, landing finally on her lips that were slightly parted. Desire coursed through him and he felt his body reacting to hers instinctively as she shifted slightly underneath him. His thumb brushed the bottom of her shirt and he could feel the heat of her body so close to his fingers. It would be so easy to just give in, kiss her, touch her, make love to her again.

But whatever blood left over that didn't completely go south reminded him that there was something in his hand and he looked above her to see the Marauder's Map.

“You got it back?” he asked and she nodded. “How?”

Hermione smiled, deciding she would have a little fun with him. “I have my ways.”

In a possessive instinctual reaction he pressed himself a little closer to her, delighting her and giving her a small victory before Harry realized what he had done and scrambled off of her. She missed him immediately but it was too painful to stay in such close proximity to him. She smoothed her skirt back down and began to scoot of his bed. Harry reached out for her, stopping her by holding her forearm.

“Please Hermione. I'm asking you to stay away from Malfoy. He's dangerous.”

Hermione smirked. “Funny, he said the same about you,” she said and slid out of his bed.

“Ooh, you had a girl in your bed,” Isis hissed as she slithered up his night stand.

“Nothing happened,” Harry sighed.

“Aren't you disssapointed,” she teased.

“Not going there with her again,” Harry replied, his voice muffled on his pillow. “We're working on our friendship and we're not crossing those lines any time soon…if ever.”

“Excussse the disssgusssting phrassse but I think you are beating a dead horssse, Harry,” she hissed. “I think you two have already crosssssed that line long ago.”

~*~

Harry would run into Draco the next day on his way to DADA. He was walking down the corridor, surrounded by his entourage when Harry and Ron made their way up to him.

“How did she do it?” Harry asked him, unafraid of the disapproving looks the other Slytherins were giving him. “How did she get you to give up the parchment?”

Draco smirked. “Wouldn't you like to know?”

Harry grabbed the front of his shirt with his two fists. “You don't do anything for nothing so what did you ask for in exchange?”

“Nothing she wasn't already willing to do,” Draco grinned.

Harry shoved him up against the wall as several students cried out in shock. “I'm not playing Malfoy. Do not piss me off and just answer the fucking question.”

“Get your hands off me Snake Boy,” Draco hissed. Okay that was it. Harry drew back his fist and struck Malfoy across the face. Draco cried out in pain as she slumped to the floor.

Hermione came running over with Lavender. “Harry! What happened?” Just as Professor Smith opened the door to witness the hit.

“Mr. Potter!” she scolded. “Detention for three nights! Miss Granger, take Mr. Malfoy to the hospital wing.”

Hermione mercilessly yanked Draco to his feet as the other students began to file into the classroom. Harry gave one more warning look to Malfoy before following Ron into the room.

“You know that I have half a mind to agree that you deserved that,” she said to the Slytherin.

“Whad are you dalking aboud? He addacked me!”

“You provoked him!”

“I didn'd dink he'd be so jealous!” Draco still had his hand covering his nose.

“He's not jealous, he's just protective of his friends. You didn't help matters by goading him,” she lectured.

“Did you wand me do dell him aboud our liddle game of hod and cowd?” he asked. “I dot you radder enjoyed id.”

“Oh yeah, it was a real fun time. So much so that I was in such a hurry to leave.”

“Whadeber.”

Hermione had to listen to the Ferret cry and moan to Madame Pomfrey about how Harry broke his nose and how it would never be perfect again. Madame Pomfrey assured him that she would fix him up good as new but upon inspection of her handiwork, Draco swore that his nose was a little off center.

“Well, I think you'll just have to find a new job other than Voldemort's boy toy,” Hermione sighed.

“Very funny Granger. I take great pride in my looks, unlike some people I know.”

*

Harry didn't see Hermione until after DADA and even then she seemed to be avoiding him.

“I think she's mad at me,” he said to Ron.

“Really?” Ron said wryly. “What was your first clue?”

“I'm going to go and talk to her.”

“Good luck with that.”

He cornered her just as everyone was headed to their common rooms to study. “Not the person I want to see right now,” she said.

“Okay,” Harry said holding his hands up. “But can you really be mad at me for what I did to the Ferret? The things he was insinuating…”

“Harry, I'm pissed because I had to endure over an hour of his moaning and whining.”

“Sorry,” he said apologetically.

“Just do me a favor, the next person you put in the hospital wing, make sure that it's someone companionable, someone I can stand?”

“Note taken,” he replied and grinned at her, making her insides turn to goo. She looked away from him.

“Yeah well, just for the record, I had Carte Blanche over him. I had done him a favor earlier and he owed me one. That's all, that's how I got it back.”

“Really?” he asked, relieved.

“Really.” She wasn't even going to tell him about the little stunt Draco had pulled with her. Harry would probably blow a gasket or something.

“Listen, how about I come by after detention and give you the notes for today's DADA class?” Harry offered.

“You took notes?” Hermione crossed her arms and gave him a small smile.

“Just for you,” he said. “And then maybe after, you could help me with my Transfiguration paper?” he asked hopefully.

“Ah-ha! I knew there was an ulterior motive to your note-taking,” she teased.

“Thanks Hermione,” he grinned like a schoolboy and took off down the corridor.

Ron had been watching this exchange with some interest. Yes, he admitted that he was a bit jealous when he found out that he and Hermione had fooled around during the summer. And yes, a part of him was glad that Harry decided to try and start things up again with Ginny when he came back to Hogwarts.

But there were only two times that he had seen his best friend be genuinely happy. 1.) When he was playing quidditch and 2.) When he was spending time with Hermione. Maybe it should've always been Hermione and maybe deep down he already knew that. Hermione was Harry's number one and most loyal supporter and Harry…Harry would've risked his friendship with him for her. Ron believed that he and Harry had a solid friendship, he was practically a brother to him and yet there was something stronger than their bond of brotherhood that drew him to Hermione. And he couldn't exactly chalk it up to hormones, their friendship was stronger than that. Harry wouldn't risk that for some snog time with any bird.

~*~

Hermione stared at herself in the mirror. “He's just a friend. He's just a friend. He's just a friend. He's your best friend.” That's right. Just repeating that. It would justify why your hair is tamed into gentle curls, why you're wearing lacy underwear and bra, why you're wearing the jeans that make your ass look good, why you are wearing the tight fitting cardigan with the top two buttons undone and why you painted your toenails.

Oh and why you shaved your legs.

She wiped her hands on her legs and paced the room yet again until her heart stopped when she heard the portrait door swing open and he walked through looking so very wonderful and delectable.

Harry forcibly reminded himself to close his mouth when he saw her standing in front of him. “Er…” he swallowed audibly, “hullo, Hermione.”

“Hi Harry! Are you ready to get busy?”

Down boy, that's not what she meant. “Yeah sure.” He suddenly felt very warm in this room and it became awkward to sit next to her. Not awkward like he didn't want to, awkward as in he was going to have to physically restrain himself from kissing the hell out of her and obliterating any chance they had at repairing their friendship.

Hermione had placed her books on the coffee table so they could sit down on the plushy rug. Harry sat down first and she, to his surprise, sat down right next to him. So very close to him.

“Yeah, okay,” Harry had to gain composure. “So, here are my notes,” he said, handing them over to her.

“Oh thanks Harry!” she said, taking the notes from him. She rolled out a fresh piece of parchment and reached over to get her quill and ink. She purposely brushed against him with her arm as she did so and Harry jumped in response.

Snape in a dress. Snape in a dress. Snape in a dress. He really needed to pull himself together. His resolve was quickly falling apart and he was clinging to every shred of moral fiber he could hold onto. Thankfully, she began scratching away and he had time to get rid of the evidence of his reaction to her. Until she looked up from her writing and turned toward him.

“Does this say `…persistence and planning?” she asked.

Oh Merlin's beard. He could see her cleavage and his thoughts immediately headed south. “Patience and planning,” he said hastily and jumped to his feet, grabbing his bookbag and holding it in front of him. Hermione was surprised at Harry's action.

“Harry, what's the matter?” she asked.

“Look, I've got to get going. I'm really tired. Just keep those notes and I'll get them back from you tomorrow, okay?” he quickly fired off as he stumbled backward out of the room.

Hermione stared at the empty spot that her friend only moments ago had occupied. “What on earth just happened?” she wondered aloud. Were her advances too obvious? Was he awkward about the whole thing? She groaned and held her head in her hands. Maybe that was it. He had caught on early about what she was doing and quickly made his retreat. Of course.

Oh, what was she thinking? He had just recently broke up with Ginny, maybe he wasn't ready for something else, maybe he still had feelings for the fiery red head. Maybe what had happened at Grimmauld Place was some big mistake that he was desperately trying to forget.

She didn't even realize she was crying until she absently wiped her cheek and felt the wetness there.

*

Ron looked up as Harry walked into the common room. “Hey Harry. I thought you were studying with Hermione?”

“Yeah, I'm a bit tired so we cut it short,” he answered, still in an agitated state.

“Are you alright?” Ron asked.

“Yeah!” he squeaked then cleared his throat. “Yeah, I'm fine.”

“Okaaay. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Hermione.”

“Hermione? What about her? Listen can't this wait until tomorrow? I'm really tired.”

Ron ignored him. “What do you think about her?”

“What do you mean `what do I think about her'?” He just wanted to get away and hide.

“Well, I mean, after all that has happened between you two…don't you think of her differently?”

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ron, I'm not having this conversation. I'm going to go upstairs and get some much needed rest and forget that we ever talked about this, okay?”

“But Harry--.”

But Harry had already jogged up the stairs and slammed the door.

~*~

So it was with an odd tension between Harry and Hermione that Ron had to put up with the next day. The two of them would never be in the same place at the same time if they could pull it off.

“Hey, psst, Hermione,” Neville whispered from behind her in potions class. Hermione turned around.

“What?” she mouthed.

“Are you okay?” he mouthed back.

“I'm fine.”

“The Inhibitus potion,” Slughorn said, bringing her attention face forward. “It lowers a person's inhibitions by befuddling the senses with a sense of euphoria. A slight high if you will…”

A rolled up piece of parchment flew across the room and landed at Harry's table where he was desperately willing himself not to stare at Hermione. He picked it up and unfurled it, revealing Malfoy's familiar scrawl in a game of Hangman where a likeness of himself was drawn in stick figure, swaying back and forth in an unseen breeze, dangling from a noose. There appeared to be blood dripping from his scar. Harry rolled his eyes and crushed the piece of paper in his hand. He looked up to see Hermione looking at him with concern on her face. Harry shook his head, telling her that it was nothing.

“You're potion should be thick, the consistency of honey, it should look like honey. It tastes like honey as well. Bottle a sample of what you have and bring it to me,” the professor announced as everyone began to clean up. “Remember, I want a two parchment report on the various uses of the Inhibitus in foods and products we commonly use.”

Draco took out a small glass vial and ladled some of the potion into it, corked it then slipped it into his robes. He took another vial up to the professor. Harry gazed at his potion and saw that, although it looked like honey, it was a bit runny. Hermione's, of course was perfect and surprisingly too, was Neville's.

Harry caught Hermione and Neville just outside of class. “Hey, um, I was wondering if we could get together again tonight. I feel real bad about cutting our studying short last time and I could really use the help with the Transfiguration.”

“Oh, um, I sort of promised Neville I would help him with the essay,” she said.

“Oh, right,” Harry said softly. Neville stood between them like an awkward third wheel.

“You know, he could join us--.”

“No, that's okay Neville,” Hermione said. “I've got rounds tonight so…We should head to our next class,” she said, prodding Neville forward. The young man looked back at Harry and gave him an apologetic look.

Harry sighed and leaned back against the wall, banging his head slightly against it, repeatedly. Now what was he going to do? The essay was due tomorrow. And furthermore, it seemed as if Hermione wanted his company as much as she wanted the company of one of Hagrid's creatures.

*

The idea came to Ron that afternoon when he was “studying” with Luna. To his credit, there was some reading interspersed with some snogging and now he was just waiting in the library with her for Hermione so he could get to work on his essay. Neville and his sister were sitting at another table. Luna looked up at Ron watching the couple.

“Relax Ron, Neville is a good guy for your sister and she's crazy about him,” she said.

“I'm not worried. It's just a never thought that they would get together,” he said.

“Why not? Anyone could see that he really liked her and it took Hermione, although in a round about way, to get Ginny to notice him.”

It was light the clouds had parted in Ron's mind letting in a ray of sunshine. Maybe that's what Harry needed to notice Hermione. She had already confessed to him that she had more than friends feelings for their other best friend and he knew that Harry returned those feeling somewhat. He just needed to hit his friend with a proverbial bludger to get him to say something to her.

“Hogsmeade weekend is coming up, right?” he asked Luna.

“Yeah, last one before the holiday break,” she replied.

“How would you like to go to that new Italian place?” he asked.

She smiled. “Is that a date?”

“A group one. I was planning on inviting a couple of other people.”

“Sure, I'd love to go.”

Hermione walked into the room and waved to Ron as she sat down next to Ginny and Neville, exchanging a few pleasantries with his sister until Luna got up from the table. “I'll see you later Ronald,” Luna said then went to the other table to collect Ginny for their Astronomy class.

Seeing that Hermione and Neville were busy studying, Ron quickly packed his book bag and left the library. He made his way through the halls until he stood in front of Edwina's portrait.

“I'm here to see Ernie,” he announced to her. “Is he here?” She ducked away and a few moments later, the door opened and Ernie peered out.

“Hey Ron, what can I do for you?” he asked.

“Do you have any plans for Hogsmeade this weekend?” Ron asked.

*

Harry was counting down the minutes until his detention was over. Not that he wasn't enjoying the company but Professor Smith had a way of making him really want to check out the rules on student-teacher relations in Hogwarts: A History. Right now, she was making him go through an obstacle course similar to the ones he had through during his training as an auror. He finished the last Dark Wizard and the lights went up inside the Room of Reequirement, the place they had been using for his detentions.

“Much better,” Professor Smith said as she sauntered up to him in her tight leather skirt and bustier wearing black Fuck-Me stilettos. McGonagall really should monitor what teachers are allowed to wear, Harry thought miserably. His normal teenage hormonal reaction to her was tamped down by the fatigue of the obstacle course.

“I think we're done for tonight,” Professor Smith said lazily as if she had better things to do with her time. “You're still a little rusty on your wandless spell casting, one need to look at your face to see what sort of spell you will cast. Learn to mask your emotions.” She walked to the door. “See you tomorrow night.”

As soon as the door closed Harry collapsed on the cool floor. He was hot, tired and exhausted. He could feel the room transform into the bath that he needed, a bath that modeled the Prefect's one. He took off his trainers and socks, slid his sweatpants and his boxers down his legs. The water in the bath looked cool and inviting and he was greatly anticipating his first dive into it. He took off his sweaty t-shirt and his senses went on high alert when he realized he was not alone in the room.

“Hermione!” he exclaimed, grabbing a towel and holding it in front of him.

She was wearing a very short figure-hugging black skirt, black tank and boots then went up to just below her knee. She was standing by the door, her hand reached out and clicked the lock on the door.

“Not exactly,” she said with a coquettish smile. She approached him, swaying toward him with a predatory gleam in her eyes. Harry backed away from her.

“If not Hermione, then who?” he asked.

She shrugged. “You tell me, you're the one who manifested me.”

“M-manifested you?” Harry stuttered.

Psuedo-Hermione waved her hands around her. “This is the Room of Requirement,” she said. She propped a leg on the bench and slowly unzipped her boot. Harry gulped audibly.

“I-I created you?” he asked.

“And I must give you credit, not everyone can do that,” she said as she unzipped the other boot. “It's been at least eleven years since someone could conjure me up. Your subconscious must really want this badly.” She reached behind her and unzipped her skirt.

Harry held out his hand. “Wait, wait, wait! I summoned you in the form of…Hermione?”

Psuedo-Hermione smiled. “There were others in your mind,” she said as she morphed into Professor Smith then Ginny then Cho before morphing back into Hermione. “But this one was the strongest in your mind.” The skirt fell down her legs, pooling at her ankles as she stepped out of them. She was wearing that damned lacy black hipster that fueled his desire and resulted in many a frustrated night and messy sheets. She crossed her arms at the hem of her shirt and brought it over her head revealing the matching bra to complete the set. She tossed the shirt to Harry who caught it. It even smelled of Hermione. He dropped the garment quickly as if it had burned him. Psuedo-Hermione walked toward him and Harry felt frozen to this spot, mesmerized by her movements.

She placed a hand on his chest, sliding it over him and coming to rest on the back of his neck. Harry's heart rate rose to what had to be dangerous levels as she came closer to him, wrapping her other hand around his waist, tracing the edge of the towel and sliding her hand over his buttocks.

“Kiss me Harry,” she said in a sultry voice. “I know you want to.”

Oh how he wanted to. Oh how he wished it were the real Hermione.

“I can be as real as you want me to,” she said as she kissed his throat. Harry jumped back but lost his footing as he fell backwards into the bath. He coughed and spluttered as he surfaced. Psuedo-Hermione's laughter rang throughout the room, delightful and warming. She jumped into the bath as well and Harry scrambled to the edge to get himself out. He had just touched the tile when Psuedo-Hermione appeared directly in front of him, giggling and grinning. Harry backed away, treading water.

“Why are you running from me?” she asked.

“You're not Hermione,” Harry said in an angry and frustrated tone. He reached past her to hold onto the ledge again. “And even if you were, she's my friend and we wouldn't be doing this.”

“Then why am I here?” she asked.

“I don't know,” Harry shook his head.

She reached out and draped her hands around his neck. “Maybe you don't want to be just friends with her,” she whispered.

Harry removed her hands from him. “I have to be friends with her. I need her friendship. Without it I…I don't know what I'd do.”

“So this is just what? A fantasy?”

“I don't know,” he said softly. “But I do know that you're not real.”

She reached out and took his free hand and brought it to the valley of her breasts, sliding it down her torso. “I can be very real.”

Harry inhaled sharply, she felt so real, she looked so real. She felt and looked like Hermione, did she taste like her too?

“Why don't you find out?” she whispered.

“I can't ruin my friendship with her,” Harry whispered, setting his forehead against hers.

“I'm here because you wanted her here. Now you can have her, consequence free.” She slid a leg up one of his. “What would you do Harry? What would you do if you could have this moment with her?”

Harry sighed heavily and cursed the sick sense of humor the Room had then he pushed off of the wall and swam to the other side of the bath. Pseudo-Hermione sighed then disappeared. Harry stared at the spot where she had been. It could've been so easy and he so badly wanted it. He swam over to the steps and sat down on them, cradling his head in his hands. The only reason why he had stopped and made her go away is because she wasn't real. If Hermione truly was here doing the exact same thing as the Psuedo-Hermione was, he knew he would've caved so fast he wouldn't have time to think of the consequences. His resolve to keep Hermione as a friend was crumbling away with each passing moment. Maybe Isis was right, they had crossed that line long ago and there was no going back.

And to be honest, he wasn't sure if he even wanted to go back.

~*~

Draco tucked himself into his pants, zipping up as Pansy got up from her knees, wiping her mouth.

“You know, you could return the favor sometime,” she said irritably.

“And put my mouth where everyone else's has been?” Draco replied. “I think not.”

“You're such an asshole do you know that?” she shot back at him.

“You didn't seem to mind when I was fucking you from behind last night,” he shrugged. “In fact, I think you were begging me to have my way with you.”

He opened up the broom closet and peered into the corridor and seeing that all was clear, the two of them slipped out.

“People say stupid things when they are in such a vulnerable state,” she hissed.

“Yeah, like meet me tomorrow night in the broom closet,” he replied.

Pansy scoffed. “Why the--.”

“Shh!” Draco cut her off as they were nearing a corner. Voices could be heard and the two of them pressed themselves against the wall.

“Ernie are you asking me on a date again?” he heard Hermione ask in a cheerful voice.

“Er…yeah, I guess I am.” Draco rolled his eyes. Idiot, he thought. It was a wonder that he even managed to approach Granger without pissing all over himself.

“Sure, I'd love to go,” she replied. WHAT??!!! Draco's suspicions were correct, Granger really was an idiot deep down. That or desperate for a shag. And if that was the reason, Draco had a feeling she was barking up the wrong tree. Whatever, it wasn't his concern. If anything, he wanted to stick around and see Hermione fall flat on her face on this one. He wasn't jealous or anything.

He kept repeating this to himself as they sat together in DADA at the start of class.

“Rumor has it that Mr. Head Boy found the balls enough to ask you to Hogsmeade this weekend,” he said to Hermione. She was resting her elbow on the table, head resting on her hand as she scribbled down some last minute additions to her homework.

“Wow, I didn't think anyone knew,” she frowned.

He looked around then leaned closer to her. “I confess, I overheard you two in the hallway last night.”

“Are you spying on me Malfoy?” she grinned.

“Don't flatter yourself Granger. I was just coming out of the broomcloset from having Pansy do illicit things to me.”

“Ugh, too much information,” Hermione wrinkled her nose.

“Just being honest,” he shrugged.

“We're going to the new Italian place,” she said.

“Oh, I heard about it. I wonder if it's any good,” Draco mused.

Hermione looked at him. “Do you want me to bring you back something?” she asked.

Draco looked at her, momentarily stunned at her offer. “You would do that for me?”

“Sure,” she shrugged, “but you know that I'd probably pour poison over it.”

“Or a potion for violent diarrhea.”

“Severe vomiting.”

“You could turn me into a newt.”

“Or I could put something in it that would make your dick fall off.”

Draco feigned deep thought. “Well, if the food is that good, I might have to take that chance on some cheese ravioli and marinara sauce.”

Hermione smiled. “Ravioli it is,” she said, “but you do know that at the very least I'll spit in it.”

Saturday morning rolled around and he watched from the balcony above as Granger got into a carriage with Potty, Weasel and Lunatic. For the first time since he'd been here, he desperately wished he could enjoy this Hogsmeade visit. As the carriages disappeared past the gate, he moved away and went down the stairs to join his fellow castle bound Slytherins, mostly First and Second years in the common room. But to his surprise, the common room was bustling. He walked up to Crabbe and Goyle.

“What is everyone doing here?” he asked as he watched Blaise supervising a group of First year's game of gobstones. Millicent and Pansy were gossiping away in some corner.

“Don't you know about the bombing?” Crabbe asked. Draco stared at him.

“The bombing today in Hogsmeade?” Goyle added. A dark cloud settled over him.

“Of course I did,” he said impatiently. He had no idea what they were talking about. “I was just wondering why all of you are here. Wouldn't it be a bit obvious if none of the Slytherins are in Hogsmeade?” Crabbe and Goyle frowned thoughtfully at that.

“I suppose we could've gone and just stayed away from the Italian place around lunch time,” Crabbe said. The Italian place. Something in Draco's stomach dropped.

“Yeah well, don't think on it too hard. I don't want you combusting in front of me,” he said and walked upstairs to his room.

He flopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He shouldn't care. This wasn't his problem now. The Dark Lord wanted to strike some terror at Hogwarts, so be it. It didn't concern him. He was pretty sure that Potty and Weasel would be at that restaurant to so that would be a great thing. Granger would just happen to be there at the wrong time and if she was hurt…well, that would be of no consequence. They were at war and war had casualties, right?

“Right,” he said aloud.

-->

27. Tension

A/N: Okay, updates will be coming a little slower now because finals are coming up and I must study. I must!! But to tide everyone over, here is this chappie filled with H/Hr yumminess. Enjoy!

Tension

Isn't this the best part of breakin' up

Finding someone else you can't get enough of

Someone who wants to be with you too

It's an itch we know we are gonna scratch

Gonna take a while for this egg to hatch

But wouldn't it be beautiful

Here we go, we're at the beginning

We haven't fucked yet, but my heads spinning

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you

Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you

It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it

So tell me

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you

(Why Can't I—Liz Phair)

~*~

Harry walked down the street with Hermione by his side. Hogsmeade looked like a postcard again with its snow-covered buildings and warm inviting lights. The sky was overcast and snowflakes fell lightly, dancing in the air. Harry looked over at his friend, bundled in a wool pink trench, her Gryffindor scarf wrapped around her neck. He nudged her playfully with his elbow.

“You look nice today,” he said sincerely.

Hermione looked up at him in his dark jacket, his hands tucked in his jeans. “Thank you. You aren't half bad yourself.” He grinned at her.

“I have to confess that I'm a bit envious of Ernie today,” he said, testing the waters. To be honest when he had first heard about it from Ron, his first reaction was to rip Ernie's throat out.

“Did you know that Ernie asked Hermione to lunch in Hogmede?” Ron had said.

Harry looked up at him, suppressing the violent urge to hunt down the Head Boy. “Really,” he said.

There must have been something off in his tone because Ron peered at him. “You're okay with that, right?”

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Yeah, right.

Hermione smirked. “Don't be. Nothing's going to come out of this. I like him as a friend and I enjoy his company. I'm sure it's the same on his end, it's nice to have conversation with someone who has the same goals as you.”

“Are you sure that's all it is?” Harry asked. Urge to kill Head Boy, fading.

“We've been sharing the suite all this time and not once has he done anything to show interest other than genuine friendship. Even when he asked me to Hogsmeade, the waters were tested but…when we kissed there was just nothing there. Not to mention the fact that he kissed me on the cheek.”

“Ouch,” Harry winced.

“Yeah. I'm beginning to wonder about the validity of the List.”

Harry grinned, remembering what the list said about Ernie. “Well, I'm sure the List is very valid. After all, someone wrote that they had amazing sex with me,” he grinned.

Hermione frowned thoughtfully. “Like I said, I wonder about the validity of that List.”

“Hey!” Harry protested and reached out for her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and yanking her to him so he could tickle her sides.

Hermione laughed. “Harry stop it!”

“Take it back!” he said, letting her go.

“I don't know. It's been awhile,” she said breathlessly with a smile.

“Want me to refresh your memory?” he winked.

“Harry, are you flirting with me?” she asked.

“Is that such a bad thing?” he asked.

Hermione shrugged. “You tell me.”

Harry smiled at her and the two of them continued on their way. At one point their hands brushed against each other and Harry reached out to touch his fingers against hers. She responded by allowing him to weave his fingers lightly into hers as they walked on, loosely holding hands.

“Harry, hey Harry!”

Harry looked up to see a familiar person trotting over to him.

“Brian! Hi!” he said, greeting his fellow Auror trainee.

“How have you been?” Brian asked when he reached him.

“It's been…interesting,” Harry answered. “Are you done with training?” he asked.

“I'm on my first assignment. Patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade, searching for Dark activities.”

“Sounds like fun,” Harry replied then turned to Hermione. “This is Hermione Granger,” he said, removing his hand from hers and placing it on the small of her back, “and over there…Oy! Ron!” Harry waved him over. Ron left Luna, Ginny and Neville to join Harry. “This is my other best friend Ron Weasley.” Harry turned to his best friends. “Guys, this is Brian O'Malley. We were in Auror training together.” Hermione and Ron said their hellos.

“Nice to meet you finally,” Brian said, shaking their hands. “Harry's told us so much about you.” Brian's eyes flitted slightly over to Hermione and Harry suddenly remembered the context in which Brian knew the two of them. Harry had talked about them on that crazy drunken night. Ron Weasley, best friend and betrayer, taking up with Hermione Granger, his other best friend and the girl he had really strong feelings for. He suddenly wanted to get out of this conversation but just as he was about to say his goodbye another voice called out to them.

“Is this the long lost Mr. Potter?” Nathan said, walking over to them.

“Nathan, hi! Ron, Hermione, this is Nathan Fields, another trainee I was with.”

Nathan looked at the two of them and a lightbulb went off in his head. “Oh Ron and Hermione, riiiight.” Hermione and Ron looked at each other quizzically. “Ow, what?” Nathan hissed when Brian nudged him sharply. Harry suddenly wanted to disappear.

Nathan's eyes wandered over Hermione, checking her out. “Hey Harry, she looks a lot like that stripper you blew fifty galleons on.”

“WHAT??!!”

Harry closed his eyes and winced violently as Hermione shrieked.

“Are you serious?” Ron asked with a wide grin on his face. Oh, he was never going to let Harry live this one down. “That story was true?”

“Oh yeah,” Nathan said, oblivious to the reactions around him. “He was all over her like white on—what?!” Brian yanked Nathan as they walked away.

“We'll catch you later, Potter,” Brian said apologetically. “What the hell is wrong with you?” the trio heard him hiss to Nathan as they walked on.

The damage was already done and Harry slowly turned to face Hermione who was standing there with her arms crossed with a look on her face that demanded an explanation.

“Oh Ron, cut it out!” she hissed, looking at their friend who was bent over in silent laughter, holding his sides. “This isn't funny!” she said. “Harry, that article was in all the wizarding papers! The whole school was talking about it!” she lectured. Ron made a loud wheezing sound as he gasped for breath to continue on with his silent laughter, bending over once again.

“Hermione, I had no idea that would end up in the papers!” Harry replied.

“Harry, did you not learn anything from our Fourth year about the press? The whole lot of them are a bunch of Rita Skeeter's just waiting for you to do something scandalous like this! You have to be more careful! Who knows who could be reading!” Another loud wheeze came from Ron and Harry looked over at him.

“Cut it out, Ron,” he said, irritated.

Ron clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I'm sorry mate but that is just priceless. Fifty galleons on a stripper! Man I hope you got more than a lap dance out of it.”

“No kidding,” Hermione said under her breath. “What?” she said defensively at the scowl on Harry's face.

“Oh wait until Fred and George hear about this!” Ron laughed.

“NO!”

“NO!”

Harry and Hermione said it at the same time. “Ronald Weasley, this…indiscretion…stays between the three of us or I swear to all that is Holy I will tell your mother that I caught you having sex with three girls in a broom closet!” Hermione scolded.

“But I haven't,” Ron lowered his voice, “had sex.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow. “She doesn't know that.”

“Clever, Hermione,” Harry grinned.

“Don't even get me started on you, Harry,” she said, killing his grin. “Now if you two blithering idiots don't mind. I'm going to go to the bookstore. I'll catch up with you at the twin's shop.”

She turned around and walked up the stairs to the store's entrance but Harry stopped her. Ron had already run away with his tail between his legs.

“Hey Hermione,” Harry said. “I really am sorry about all that.”

Hermione looked at him. “To be honest Harry, I don't know whether to be freaked out or flattered about the whole thing. Freaked out because the stripper apparently looked a lot like me or flattered because you blew a whole lot of money on her.”

Harry had a puzzled frown on his face. “Both?” he guessed.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I'll see you at the joke shop, Harry.” She turned around and opened the door to the bookstore, a grin on her face. She was never going to let him live that one down.

~*~

The WWW was packed with students but Hermione easily found Harry standing off to the side checking out the nosebleed nougats. Hermione maneuvered her way over to him. “A little crowded huh?” she asked.

“Yeah, the place looks really busy,” he answered, his face brightening as she approached him.

“All is well then?” she asked.

“Yeah, their profits are going up and they're thinking of expanding to Diagon Alley,” he said.

“That's great!” she said with a smile.

“I've got to pick up their profit list for this month from their office downstairs. I'll be back.”

“I'll go with you,” she said and the two of them made their way to the back of the store to the door that led downstairs.

There was a small lightbulb lighting the cellar that was filled with crates. There was a large laboratory off to the side where various cauldrons were simmering and bubbling.

As Harry made his way to the office, Hermione stopped by the lab, peeking into the potions and the various ingredients on the table. Who knew what they were up to? It was a shame that this creative drive never transferred to their academic studies and she wondered if the twins would ever go back to Hogwarts to receive their graduation diplomas.

“You ready?” Harry asked, joining her.

“Sure,” she replied and Harry once again took her hand as he led her toward the stairs. But suddenly he stopped and turned around.

Hermione nearly collided into him. “Harry, what is it?” she asked, taking in the serious expression on his face. He held up a hand in silence and just then the cellar door opened and the sound of footfalls on the stairs could be heard. The two of them darted into one of the rows of shelves that had boxes stacked on them. There was barely enough room for the two of them and they were immediately aware of their close proximity to one another as they faced each other. The two of them looked at each other, then looked away feeling the awkward uncomfortableness of the underlying tension between the two of them.

Ron, Luna, Ginny and Neville clattered down the stairs, closing the door behind them. Ginny walked up to her brother and swatted him on the back of his head.

“Ow! What was that for?” he said.

“I can't believe what you're doing to Harry and Hermione,” she hissed.

Harry placed a finger on Hermione's lips in a gesture of silence. She grinned wryly up at him. He moved his hand and rested it on the shelf next to the top of her head.

“What? I'm doing him a favor,” Ron explained. “They'll both thank me in the end.”

Favor? Harry mouthed and Hermione shrugged. Mmm, she was wearing that perfume that he liked.

Luna huffed. “Ronald, I can't believe you.” She had been mad at him ever since she found out it would be Ernie joining them for lunch and not Harry. And since his girlfriend was close friends with his sister, it didn't take long until the news traveled quickly.

“Hey, it worked for me!” Ron defended. “I really didn't notice you until you started dating that Michael git.”

Harry and Hermione winced at Ron's words. Guess he wasn't getting snog time in the broom closet tonight. They laughed silently. As Harry looked over her head at what was going on behind her, she admired the strong jaw line of his profile.

Luna just stared at him. “So you think that bringing Ernie along will make Harry jealous?”

Jealous? Hermione mouthed.

Harry stared at her. Crazy jealous, he mouthed back. It was the truth.

Hermione felt her heart begin to pound in her chest as the air suddenly became electric. She was very aware of him, his very closeness. Harry moved even closer to her, his jacket touching the lapels of hers.

“Ron did you not learn anything about messing with people's love lives?” Ginny asked. “I mean look what happened to Neville and me?”

“Yeah! You guys are together!” Ron pointed out.

Harry reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Hermione's ear, leaving his hand to cradle that side of her face.

“That's not the point Ron!” Luna exclaimed.

“Besides, how do you know this whole thing won't blow up in your face? How do you know if they even like each other that way?”

Harry and Hermione grinned shyly.

“Hermione admitted to me that she was in love with him!” Ron said and Harry raised his eyebrows. Hermione flushed red. “And Harry is so hopelessly in love with her. It is so obvious it pathetic.”

He was going to kiss her. He knew he was. It was inevitable. Harry's grin faded as he lowered his head to hers, his lips gently touching hers in a soft and tentative kiss. His heart pounded loudly in his ears as he kissed her wonderful lips. He moved the hand that was resting on the shelf to cradle her head as his tongue reached out and asked permission to deepen it. She complied, opening herself to him as she brought her hands up to his waist, pressing him closer.

She tasted wonderful and Harry didn't realize how much he desperately missed her until this moment, how much he desperately needed her. Ron was right, he was totally, completely, truly, madly and deeply in love with Hermione Granger. Fireworks were exploding over Hermione's body and she wanted to weep with joy at the pure happiness that was pouring out of her, the love for Harry that was going into this wonderful kiss. They broke for air and they listened to their friends argue about them. This stop in the action gave Hermione the moment of clarity that she needed. What the hell was she doing?

“Ron this is the stupidest idea of the stupidest ideas you've ever had,” Ginny scolded. Harry's lips were on hers again, kissing her deeply, pushing back the voice of reason that had broken through her hazy lust induced stupor. She became helpless in his arms and he felt it, felt the change and something primitive inside him responded to that. He kissed her a little harder, pressed himself closer to her.

“I'm not going to this lunch without Harry,” Luna said stubbornly.

“But he'll be a third wheel. He won't like that!” Ron protested.

“Then uninvite Ernie,” Ginny replied.

“I can't do that! He already asked her to go with him!” Ron whined and Ginny tutted.

“Then we take a vote,” she said. “Who wants to invite Harry to lunch with us?” she asked as she raised her hand.

“I do!” Luna shot her hand exaggeratedly in the air. Ginny looked pointedly at Neville, who looked like he desperately wanted to stay out of this conversation.

“Ahem,” She cleared her throat and Neville slowly raised his hand in the air. “There, three to one Harry goes. Now let's go and find him so we can invite him.” The group scrambled up the stairs.

Hermione waited until she heard the door close before she broke his kiss. “Harry, what are we (he kissed her again but she pulled away) doing?”

“Stop thinking, Hermione,” he said, moving his lips to her neck. His hands moved to the hem of her shirt and he dipped them under to feel the hot skin of her waist underneath it. She was losing herself again in his kisses. They shouldn't be doing this.

“Harry,” she murmured against his lips, pushing herself away from him.

“No, Hermione, don't do this,” he pleaded.

“I can't,” she said, breaking free of him and darting out of their secluded spot and running up the stairs.

*

The memory of Harry's lips on hers, on her neck replayed over and over as she sought solace in the alleyway of Honeydukes. She had half a mind to sneak into the cellar and head back to the castle but some part of her wanted to see Harry again. To kiss him again like he had so eagerly kissed her, she wanted to pick up where they left off. But part of her wanted answers, why was he doing this to her, why now? Was he lonely? Was this just a rebound thing? She only had an hour to compose herself before she stepped out of the alley and made her way across the street to the Italian restaurant. The others were already there and waiting for her and Ernie stood smiling at her.

“Hello Hermione!” he greeted, holding out a chair for her.

“Oh thanks,” she said. He had pulled out the chair between him and Harry and she could feel Harry's intense emerald gaze on her. She flicked her eyes over at him once and could see them filled with concern. Oh, God he looked sexy when he did that. Harry didn't miss the quick look of desire and it sent his heart racing.

“I went over to your brother's joke shop,” Ernie said to Ron.

“Oh yeah? What did you think?” Ron asked with genuine curiosity.

“It was very busy,” he replied. “I think they're doing very well for themselves.”

Ron beamed at the compliment. At the mention of the joke shop, Hermione began to flush slightly, thinking again of Harry and his kisses. For his part, Harry seemed equally awkward.

The group ordered their food and then settled down into a nice conversation. Well sort of, Harry and Hermione were unusually quiet with each other even though they talked easily with everyone else. Hermione was terrified that if she said anything to Harry it would be something like “Shag me right now on this table” and Harry…well…Harry was having a hard time stringing two words together at the moment. Hermione's drink was condensing and she was wiping the water off with her finger, making up and down strokes on the glass. The suggestion of those motions was enough to keep his mouth shut. He stretched his legs out underneath the table and accidentally brushed against Hermione's foot. She started violently at the contact.

“Are you okay?” Ernie asked her.

“Erm, yes I'm fine,” she stood from her chair. “I'm just going to go to the loo. Does anyone know where it is?”

Harry stood up. “I'll show you. I've got to go as well.”

Harry didn't care if the move was blatantly obvious but his heart was pounding in his chest as Hermione followed him to the back of the restaurant. Hermione for her part wiped her palms against her jeans.

“Erm, well, here you are,” he said awkwardly.

“Thank you,” Hermione squeaked. She stood there staring at the door, staring at the word WITCHES in front of her. Funny, if you stare at a word long enough it looks like it's spelled wrong. Harry was still standing by her side, awkward as well. He reached up and scratched the back of his head.

`Oh this is stupid,' Hermione thought and she turned around and reached for Harry the same time he reached out for her, crashing his lips down on hers as they stumbled backward into the restroom. He turned them around so she was pressed up against the door, nearly slamming it shut as he reached behind her and fumbled with the lock.

His kisses were fierce and demanding and they were turning her mind to mush and her legs to jelly. Her senses were overwhelmed by him, his touch, his familiar smell that she never thought she'd experience again. Her hormones already on overdrive, she let out a hiss when she felt his hands slide under her shirt and come to rest on her waist.

Merlin, he loved the way she tasted and he couldn't get enough of her. She was so soft and warm. The feel of the contrast between the rough skin of his hands and the smooth skin of her waist nearly drove him mad with lust. His grip tightened on her and he lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her over to the sink and set her down. The height at which she was perched gave him perfect access to her neck and he didn't hesitate to place soft kisses there as he breathed in her wonderful perfume. Hermione tightened her grip on his shoulders, squeezed her thighs tighter around his waist.

Harry moved his hands from her waist to the buttons of her shirt, undoing them the best he could considering that the amount of hormones that were rushing through him at this point would send a bull into a steaming rampage through the streets of Spain in a frenzy.

She was wearing a red lacy bra this time.

His hands moved up the bare skin of her back, coming to rest between her shoulder blades as he pressed her closer to him. A primitive groan came from the depths of his throat as he claimed the tops of her breasts with his mouth. The sound sent a flash of desire to Hermione's center, the apex of her thighs became moist with anticipation.

“Oh, Harry,” she moaned softly.

He moved a hand to a breast, tugging at the lacy fabric, exposing a rosy nipple that beckoned to be nipped and suckled. He answered the call and Hermione dropped her head back in ecstasy. Her sex ached and she instinctively moved her hips forward, brining herself flush with his hardness. Harry groaned, instinctively grinding himself against her. His hand left her breast to wander down her torso, cupping her between her legs. He could feel her heat through the fabric and the promise of moisture.

Fucking Hermione in the restroom was a scenario he had fantasized about when he was by himself, the erection in his hand begging to relieved somehow. And now that fantasy had a very real chance of coming to fruition. If he did what he so desperately wanted to do, which was unbutton those jeans and slip his hand inside, he knew that the moment he felt her wetness, felt her heat, slipped his fingers inside her, there would be no way he would be able to stop. He wanted her so badly that if he got that far, he would yank those jeans down and fuck her right there on the sink. If she had tried to stop him, her protests would have gone unheard he wanted her that bad. He wished she would stop this somehow, slow this runaway train.

“Harry,” Hermione murmured, “we have to get back.”

“Okay,” he muttered back, his mouth all over her chest.

“Harry!” she insisted and he pressed himself against her. “Oh that feels so good.”

“Don't say that,” Harry said, breathless, “I'm trying to pull away from you.”

Hermione laughed shakily and gently pushed Harry away from her. He was grateful for that although now he had a massive case of blue balls. Hermione looked just as worse for the wear. He had to get out there quickly because the enticing way she looked right now would just drive him mad if he didn't…um, properly take care of himself.

Harry left the restroom in a hurry and Hermione sighed, missing him instantly. With shaky hands she buttoned up her shirt and turned to look in the mirror. Her reflection showed her flushed cheeks, her puffy red lips. She bent over the sink and splashed some cold water on her face. She began to recite Runes to calm herself down.

No one mentioned anything about her long absence from the restroom, or what she thought was a long absence, maybe it all happened quickly without suspicion. And by the time, Harry came back, the food was being served to them. Ron eyed his plate of pasta greedily and even eyed everyone else's plates to see what they had ordered.

Harry opened his mouth to say something when something caught his eye. He could've sworn that for just a split second. He saw the familiar blond head of Draco Malfoy across the street.

“Harry what is it?” Hermione asked him, her voice suddenly worried at the expression on Harry's face as he drew out his wand.

Suddenly the doors of the restaurant burst open and Aurors ran into the restaurant. “GET OUT! EVERYONE GET OUT! QUICKLY!”

There was only a slight pause before people jumped to their feet and scrambled to get out of the restaurant. There were sounds of chairs overturning and glass breaking as the crowd tried to weave their way through the tables of the restaurant.

“Harry?” Hermione asked as the group shot to their feet.

“I don't know,” he said, with a worried expression on his face. He grabbed Hermione's hand. “Come on.”

Hermione was pushed around violently and nearly trampled on twice as the stampede cleared out the restaurant. She tried to stick close to Harry as he fought his way to make a path for him and his friends. As they reached the doors of the building, someone shoved into Hermione and she let go of Harry.

“Hermione!” he cried out at the loss of contact. His hand blindly reached for hers and he tried to turn around but was carried off by the sea of people.

“Harry!”

Familiar hands wrapped and around him and yanked him out of the crowd. Harry looked up to see Tonks' heart-shaped face next to Lupin's concerned gaze.

“Hermione!” Harry cried out and turned to go back into the building but the two of them held him back.

“Harry, no you can't!”

BOOM!!!!!

There was a bright flash of light and an explosion that sent everyone to the ground. Dust, dirt, bricks and stone rained down upon everyone and Harry felt himself being shielded by Lupin. In the brief silence that followed that was punctuated with coughing, crying and mouning arose a startled cry as the Dark Mark hovered high above them.

Aurors darted about, scanning the area for Death Eaters as mediwitches and wizards apparated into town.

“Harry!” Ron called out as he rushed to his friend's side, Luna in tow. She had dust covering her and there was a scratch on her cheek. Ron had a bump on his forehead but other than being a little dirty, Harry was relieved that he was okay.

“Hermione,” said as Lupin helped him to his feet. “Where's Hermione?”

“I thought she was with you!” Ron said, getting panicked.

Hermione panicked when she lost Harry and she was getting lost and crushed in the crowd of people trying to push through the door. When she finally made it out of the building, she felt a sharp tug on her arm.

“Hermione!” She turned to see Draco standing before her.

“Draco, what are you—“

“MOVE IT!” he said, yanking her forward. “We have to get away!”

BOOM!!!!!

Draco tossed her to the ground and the two of them covered their heads as stone and dirt fell all around them. She had the wind knocked out of her and she tried to catch her breath and when she did, she got a lungful of dust. She coughed and spluttered as she sat up.

“Are you okay?” Draco asked. Hermione nodded, eyes watering as she finally got a decent breath.

“What happened?” she asked. Draco took off his cloak and wrapped it around Hermione as she looked up in the sky. She gasped when she saw the Dark Mark in the sky.

“Did you know about this?” she hissed and Draco shook his head.

“I only found out about it today. You have a small cut on your cheek,” he said, instinctively reaching out to tilt her head so he could see how deep it was.

“GET THE FUCK OFF OF HER!”

Suddenly, something collided with him and he went sprawling on the ground with Potter hovering over him, fist ready to punch him.

“Harry no!” Professor Tonks pulled him back with the help of the werewolf that Draco recognized as their DADA teacher from third year. He backed away fearfully from him.

“Harry!” Hermione was so happy to see him and he seemed equally grateful as he reached out for her and brought her to him.

“Let me take this filthy thing off of you,” he said, taking off Draco's cloak and flinging it on the ground at Malfoy's feet and putting his own jacket on her. Hermione felt a small comfort in his familiar scent that enveloped her.

Draco watched as Potter hugged Hermione to him. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest, forehead touching him as he saw a few tears fall from her eyes. Potter kissed the top of her head and tangled his hands in her hair, resting his chin on her.

He hated Potter.

“Come Mr. Malfoy, we are to take you back to the castle and to Professor McGonagall undetected,” Lupin said, but Malfoy recoiled from him.

“Don't touch me, werewolf!” he said.

Professor Tonks yanked him forward, her grip was painful on his arm as the two of the marched him back to the castle. He looked back once to check on Hermione one last time. She lifted her head to look at him but Potter moved the two of them, blocking her from his view. Potter glared at him.

Ron and Luna had joined them and Hermione was just about to ask about the others when Ginny and Neville walked up to them.

“Ernie?” she asked.

“He's checking on the students,” Ginny replied.

“Were there any serious injuries?” she asked.

“Just cuts and bruises from what we've seen,” Neville said. He looked at Hermione. “You should have that looked at,” he said, pointing to her cheek.

Harry tilted her head to the side and gently brushed his fingers over the cut. “It's shallow,” he said, “it just needs to be cleaned.”

Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry, relishing the comfort his arms offered her as the two of them looked to the sky to stare at the Dark Mark.

~*~

“Why did he do it?” Harry asked Shacklebolt as they walked through the castle halls.

“Probably to show everyone that he could still touch Hogwarts if he wanted, to scare the parents,” he replied.

“He probably succeeded,” Harry muttered.

“Maybe, maybe not. We were able to get everyone out of the building in time so that scores a point for us.”

“Malfoy's tip,” Harry mused, his mind drifting to the Slytherin git. “Have you thought that maybe that tip wasn't so unplanned? That you were supposed to go and get everyone out?”

“Maybe but his story seems plausible.”

“This is the same guy who set up the murder of Dumbledore,” Harry said darkly.

“Set up but didn't follow through.”

“There's a difference?” Harry shrugged.

“I think Mr. Malfoy has bitten off more than he could chew. He talked the talk but now that he has to walk it, life on the Dark Side is not as rosy as he thought it would be.”

“It doesn't mean a thing to me. I don't trust the guy.”

“And you shouldn't as far as you could throw him. But the fact remains that he did save the lives of a bunch of students today and even risked his own life to be at the restaurant.”

“Yeah, convenient,” Harry muttered darkly, replaying the scene of finding Hermione in his clutches.

He and Shacklebolt walked a little more before his mentor gave him an envelope containing the latest investigation from the Leaky Cauldron and said his good-byes. Harry didn't feel like reading it right now. Too much had happened today and he just wanted to lie down and rest. Hermione was still up with Ernie running around and checking on the students who were injured in the blast and directing owls bearing letters from concerned parents to their proper destinations since many of them were in the hospital wing.

Hermione walked through the portrait door of the Gryffindor common room to find Harry sitting in front of the fire. They were the only ones there.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“As well as I can be,” he replied. “How about you?”

“The same.” She walked over to him and slipped her hand into his.

“What did the Order say?” she asked, kneeling in front of him.

“I don't want to talk about this anymore,” he said quietly, brushing his other hand against the scratch that marred the perfect skin of her cheek. His lips gently brushed over hers as his hand moved from her cheek to the back of her head. He deepened the kiss, letting his tongue explore the familiarity of her wonderful mouth. Hermione brought her hands up to caress his cheeks, cradling his head in her hands. Harry moved his own hands to her blouse, slowly unbuttoning it then rewarded them with the feel of her skin. Hermione climbed into his lap straddling him as he massaged his hands over her waist and back.

She could feel him hardening beneath her so she moved herself against him, coaxing a soft moan from him. His hands moved down her back, across her waist and down the front of her stomach to rest on the button of her jeans. She ground against him again, urging him on as he unbuttoned her, unzipped and slipped his hand inside.

His other hand tightened its grip on her thigh when he felt her wet curls and his fingers sought out the nub that he gently stroked, eliciting a whimper from her. He slipped a finger inside her and nearly went insane at the feel of her warmth and wetness surrounding him. He slipped another finger inside her and began a slow and steady rhythm that had Hermione breaking their kiss and moaning softly.

“Oh, God, Harry!” she whispered in his ear. Her breath tickling his ear and stirring his desire even more. Her breathing became ragged and her grip on his shoulders began to tighten. It was so hot. But she stilled his hand and moved it away from her. “Not here,” she whispered.

No, not here.

He stood and kissed her deeply, his hands wrapped around her as he led her blindly to the stairs. He didn't want to break this kiss but he had to reluctantly as he opened up the door to his dorm.

Hermione giggled silently at the chorus of snores as she and Harry tiptoed across the room to his bed. She climbed on it as he closed the curtains around them. With a quick silencing charm, he dropped his wand and collided with Hermione. Shoes came off, jeans came off, underwear came off. Harry yanked his t-shirt over his head, losing his glasses once again but he didn't care. He needed and wanted Hermione so badly. She had just taken off those lovely lacey knickers when his hands were on her, his fingers dipping inside her again as she balanced herself on her knees.

“Harry,” she breathed, shakily as she shrugged her shirt off. She was having a little trouble concentrating. Harry muttered something and Hermione felt the familiar warm caress of the contraception charm within her. Harry removed his fingers and helped her with her shirt, tossing it to the side as he moved his hands to her thighs.

He was inside her before she even hit the pillow, crying out in pleasurable surprise. He made a strangled moan as he entered her hot and wet heat. Oh how he needed her, how he wanted her. He felt wonderful and familiar as he filled her, stretched her. He began to thrust himself in and out of her, losing himself in the smell and sounds of their love. Her hands tangled in his hair as his head lowered to suckle a breast, then the other. His lovemaking was different this time, more frenzied, more rough. He pinned her wrists above her head, kissing her deeply, finding a rhythm that began to draw Hermione into him. Hermione felt herself hurtling over the edge of the abyss, helplessly pinned underneath him as he pushed her over with his powerful thrusts. And as she cried out and clutched him, he buried himself deep within her, thrusting hard before he exploded within her, gasping out her name.

They lay there together, him resting on her. She could feel his heart pounding against her chest and she felt it slow. Her sex ached pleasurably and he still rested inside of her. She stared up at the covered canopy above her, relishing the feel of Harry still resting between her thighs. She wasn't sure how much time had passed in this drowsy state of post-coital bliss but she was brought out of it when he began slow lazy kisses against her neck.

She loved the taste of him, the way his hair felt when she ran it through her fingers. She loved the gentle caress of his hands as they brushed and fondled her breasts. He looked down at her and she saw the feral look of desire in his eyes as he slowly began to thrust in and out of her again. She smiled deliciously as she brought her thighs up to hook her ankles at the small of his back, losing herself once again in the rawness of Harry Potter.

-->

28. Trust Issues

Trust Issues

Want honey

I want cream

I want sugar

I want a dream

Said baby, supernatural

Honey, you're supernatural

Oh yeah, that's what I said

You're supernatural, (oh yeah) superdupernatural

I want kisses

I want steam

I want you missus

I want to scream

Oh oh yeah baby

Supernatural

Oh yeah

Supernatural

(Supernatural-By Divine Right)

~*~

Harry pushed himself further against Hermione, pressing her into the comfy sofa cushions. Merlin, he loved their “studying”. They did get some scholastic work done, he respected Hermione and her quest for knowledge so he studied by her side for as long as the two of them could hold out. Then they studied human sexuality. He was currently studying one of his favorite topics at the moment, her mouth and the reactions he could get from her from the different types of kisses he could deliver. She was running her hands through his hair, making it more unruly than ever before but he didn't care. Not that anyone would notice. He had just settled his hips comfortably between her lovely thighs when a clock sounded somewhere in the background.

“Mmm, Harry,” she murmured against his lips. “We've got…to go. We're…going to be…late.”

“I'm sure they'll understand,” he replied, kissing her deeply before moving to her neck. He felt her shiver underneath him.

“But I promised I would help them study for transfiguration,” she said softly, letting out a little gasp when he kissed the hollow of her throat.

Harry felt her instinctively press herself against him and he grinned to himself. He discovered that that was her weakness, he could get her to bend her resolve when he pressed his lips to that particular spot on her throat then pressed himself slightly against her when she lifted her hips to him.

In all fairness, he had to have something over her, any little thing she did sent him into a hormonal frenzy. He could swear that her skirts were just a little bit shorter than usual. And then, when she would talk to him and Ron in class, she would hop up onto the table between the two of them, scoot that perfect little bottom of hers back and let her legs dangle, once in awhile cross her legs. Man, he had to keep his eyes forward on not on her creamy thighs next to him or else he would be tempted to reach out, slide his hand underneath that skirt and find out if she was wearing a thong or a bikini today. She did this on purpose and he knew it. It was his own little game, he would guess what she was wearing then confirm it later on that night.

The last time they had sex was two nights ago when they had chocolate cake for dessert and Hermione spent the better part of the meal licking the blasted frosting off of her fingertips. They didn't even bother getting completely undressed when they crashed into her room and he had the lust induced hazy memory of shoving his pants to his knees, pressing Hermione up against a wall and shoving the strap of her thong to the side as he thrust himself into her. He might have been a tad rough with her that night but she didn't complain either time.

He was brought out of this lovely reverie by her hand brushing his away from its journey up her thigh.

“Harry,” she giggled and Harry groaned, moving himself off of her. Hermione sat up and straightened her skirt but not before he got a glimpse of the plain white cotton underwear she was wearing.

God, those were hot too.

Hermione opened her book bag and stuffed some books and parchment inside of them. As they stood, Harry was eternally grateful that the Hogwarts robes were loose-fitting. He took Hermione's bag and slung it on his shoulder as they left the Head Girl and Boy suite.

“I hope we aren't too late,” she said.

“I'm sure they already know what we were up to,” he replied with a grin. “And by the frustration evident on my face, they'll see how far it didn't go,” he sighed.

“Oh poor baby,” Hermione cooed. “I guess we'll just have to pick up where we left off when we're done in the library.”

Harry stepped in front of her, stopping her. “Promise?” he asked, pushing her into an alcove in the hallway.

“Well, that's if I'm not too tired,” Hermione smirked as Harry moved in close for a kiss, pressing her against the wall behind her. He shrugged the book bag off of his shoulder and let his hand rest on her hip, squeezing it slightly as he kissed her. He broke the kiss and moved to her neck again, feeling Hermione squeeze his shoulders.

“I hope I'm not interrupting anything.”

The familiar drawl of Malfoy's voice killed any happy wonderful feelings that Harry had building and he sighed as Hermione moved herself away from him.

“No, of course not.”

“Yeah as a matter of fact you are.”

He and Hermione spoke at the same time. Harry could've sworn that Malfoy had the slightest smirk on his face.

“I need the notes for the DADA homework due tomorrow. I seem to have misplaced mine,” Malfoy said and Harry scoffed softly.

“Yes, of course,” Hermione said, reaching for her book bag and rummaging through it. “Oh they're not in here,” she said after a moment. “I think they might be on my desk. I'll be back in a second.” She darted to the portrait. Harry and Draco stood there in tense silence. Harry could see Malfoy's jaw tensing as if he wished to say something so badly but was holding back. Harry was sure his face had no trace of friendship on it.

The Ferret had been uncharacteristically quiet since the bombing in Hogsmeade. The Aurors tried to get more information out of him but he had offered up nothing useful and it frustrated Harry that the interrogation was not documented since they were trying to protect Draco's identity. Personally, Harry would sell the Ferret's secret to Voldemort for a Chocolate Frog if it would get him out of the castle. Harry had been tempted to ask him what he and Hermione had been up to but thought better of it. Showing his hand too early may blow the whole thing out of the water. It surprised Harry that Malfoy hadn't touted his heroic act to every available ear, it was his silence that made him very nervous. That and the way he looked at his girlfriend.

Harry remembered to the look on Malfoy's face one day when Hermione had kissed him quickly on the lips before heading off to her Runes class. Malfoy looked as if he would spit fire. The look was only there for a split second and no one else saw except for Harry and he only saw because he was expecting it. There was some part of Harry that wanted to flaunt it in his face, hold Hermione proudly in his arms because he was in love, they were in love everyone else be damned. But there was something unsettling about the whole thing, about the possibility that Malfoy, of all people, could be jealous of him because of Hermione.

They stood there, alone and awkward before she returned to them, holding pages of parchment in her hand.

“Here you go,” she chirped.

“Thanks…Hermione,” Draco said, glancing briefly at Harry who flared at his girlfriend's name on his lips.

“No problem,” Hermione replied. Draco gave her a soft smile then tapped the parchment in his hands as he walked away. Harry's eyes were still on him. Why Hermione was still civil to him was beyond him. Although, Harry grudgingly noticed that she had grown a tad softer to the Slytherin since he yanked her out of the restaurant. Whatever. Harry had his suspicions that he had set the whole thing up.

“Come on,” Hermione nudged him forward.

Reluctantly, Harry turned away, putting an arm around Hermione hoping it would tamp down the unease that had welled up inside of him. But when they turned the corner to the library, Neville, Ron, Luna and Ginny were all huddled together talking softly until Ginny looked up at them.

Harry dropped his arm from Hermione at the look on Ginny's tear-filled eyes. “What happened?” he asked, his stomach dropping.

“Neville's grandmother passed away,” she said softly and Hermione gasped. His face must have betrayed his emotions because Ginny quickly shook her head. “No Harry. Not Death Eaters. She actually passed away of natural causes. It was just her time, I guess.”
Hermione left his side to join the group. “Oh Neville, I'm so sorry,” he heard her say.

Harry looked down at Ginny. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

“I'm feeling a little helpless right now,” she confessed.

“I'm sure that just being there for him is the best thing he needs right now,” Harry said.

Ginny sighed. “He's all alone now, Harry. He doesn't have anybody.”

Harry shook his head. “That's not true. He has us.”

*
The group sat in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, sitting around Neville in his time of need.

“It's just so hard to believe that her death was normal,” Neville said softly. “I mean with all the death and destruction around us, it's surreal to think that life goes on as it normally should.” Ginny frowned and wrapped her hand in his. “I think I'm in shock,” Neville continued, “I think I would take this normally if there was a Dark Mark floating above her house.”

“Don't say that,” Harry said in a low voice with just a hint of scorn in it.

“Sorry,” Neville said.

“Are you going to be alright, mate?” Ron asked.

“Yeah, I will be,” Neville replied. “They're letting me go home for the funeral.” He looked down at Ginny. “McGonagall said I could bring a couple of people with me if I wanted and I was wondering…”

“Of course,” Ginny answered him. Neville looked up at Harry.

“Harry, I was wondering if…well, if you would go as well.”

Harry straightened up on the sofa where he was sitting. Neville's request had taken him by surprise. He and Neville were never really that close. His best friends were Ron and Hermione. But Neville was loyal to a fault, he stuck by his side in fifth year in the Department of Mysteries, in the DA even after it became defunct. But Harry was suddenly startled to remember just how entangled his and Neville's fates were. Voldemort could've easily chosen Neville to mark as his equal. Where would that have left Harry? Would his parents still be alive or would they suffer the same fate as Neville's?

“Yeah, I'll go,” he answered softly and Neville grinned gratefully.

*

Harry stayed the night in Hermione's room and the love they made was slow and tender, reminding him of the last time he had spent the night intimately with her at Grimmauld Place. With a soft whimper and sigh, he felt her tighten around him and he held her close to him as he released himself inside of her, burying his face in the crook of her neck. After a moments rest, he removed himself from her soft warmth and lay on his side, bringing her close to him. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts of fate, Hermione and Neville that he didn't realize he had drifted off to sleep…without closing his mind.

He was flying through the air, the stars twinkled above him in the dark night as the landscape passed below him at a frightening speed. He looked up and saw a castle, dark except for a single light in the tallest tower. Where was this castle? He did not recognize it but as he flew through the narrow window he saw his nemesis pacing the room that had a handful of cloaked figures. One was kneeling on the floor, quivering with fear.

“I do not know what happened master! I swear no one but us knew about this!” the kneeling figure said.

“And yet, the plot in Hogsmeade still failed. You were in charge of carrying the operation out!” Voldemort hissed.

“I-I-,” the man quivered.

“I-I-I-I'm sick of excuses!” Voldemort drew his wand and cast a Cruciatus curse. The man on the floor wailed and writhed in pain.

Another Death Eater slipped into the room. “My Lord,” he said and Voldemort nodded.

“Have you discovered anything?” he asked the newcomers.

“Crabbe and Goyle told their children,” came a familiar voice and he started when he saw Snape. Voldemort's eyes narrowed. “It's possible that they may have bragged about it to their friends and it may have fallen on enemy ears.”

Another Death Eater stepped forward.

“There is more, My Lord,” he said. “Potter was in the restaurant at the time. He escaped unharmed as well.” Harry recognized the man as Antonin Dolohov and his anger flared even more.

“A chance to wipe out Potter and the opportunity was missed,” Voldemort drawled. “What a pity. Wouldn't you agree Harry?” Voldemort looked right at him.

With a gasp, Harry sat up in bed. He was sweating and he wasn't aware that he was trembling until he brushed up against Hermione's cool and steady arm. His scar twitched painfully and he rubbed it, somehow knowing that Voldemort had killed the Death Eater that was on the floor before him.

He ran his hands through his hair and sighed softly. Hermione stirred slightly next to him. He looked over at her, taking in her figure underneath her covers, the bare shoulder that peeked out from underneath. He didn't wake her as he slowly got out of bed and pulled on his boxers. He hadn't meant to fall asleep like that without closing his mind but it did give him interesting insight. Voldemort's plan had truly been to injure students in that blast. Draco knew about it but for whatever reason had decided to intervene. Why?

The nagging question would keep him up for awhile, he knew that and he silently got dressed, slipped on his invisibility cloak and left to return to his dormitory. But his curious and questioning mind prompted him to call attention to the envelope Kingsley had left him on the investigation on the Leaky Cauldron. So in the seclusion and privacy of his bed, he opened the envelope and read its contents by wand light.

~*~

Draco leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his fingers twirling his ring around and around as he watched the scene below him. He crossed his feet as he saw the carriage stop at the castle doors, the thestrals looked skeletal and ghostly. Word had come to him that Witless' grandmother had finally kicked the bucket and since his parents were drooling idiots in St. Mungo's, he was now an orphan in this world. The usual group of Gryffindors and Lunatic were gathered at the front of the steps as Witless climbed into the carriage. Weaslette, Potter's left-over scrap, climbed in after him naturally. Draco's eyes landed on a cinnamon brown head and they narrowed slightly when he saw Potty lean down and kiss her. It was amazing what Potty could get away with in front of the school. But to his surprise, Potty left Granger's side and got into the carriage as well.

“Ready?”

Draco turned away from the scene below him to Blaise and Pansy who were waiting for him.

“Yeah,” he said, glancing back one more time to see the carriage on it's way to the gates.

“Poor Nev,” Hermione sighed as they sat down at their table in the Great Hall.

“Neville was right. He knew this day would come,” Ron said. “At least she died of old age instead at the hands of some Death Eater. At least Neville was allowed that.”

“Hmm,” she sighed, her thoughts falling on Neville's company today. She leaned forward to whisper to Ron. “I think Harry is having nightmares again.”

Ron looked around to see if anyone had heard. “What do you mean?” he asked as he leaned forward as well.

“The other night, I heard him mumbling in his sleep. He mentioned something about Snape, then Dolohov and then he said his own name.”

Ron wrinkled his brow in thought. “I thought Harry was doing alright shutting his mind against…You-Know-Who.”

Hermione chewed on her lip. “I guess he didn't do it that night.”

“Merlin, Hermione. If you're going to shag him useless like that, at least have the decency to save the world and remind him to clear his mind.” Hermione gave him a pointed look before concentrating on the berries in her muffin. “I think I should say something to Lupin about it.”

Ron had his fork halfway to his mouth before he stopped and slowly set it down. “You're going behind Harry's back on this?”

“Not really. You know how stubborn Harry is when it comes to his connection with Voldemort. He wasn't keen on the idea of legilimency and he hates the fact that he has to practice occlumency. Harry confided in Dumbledore about these dreams.”

“And us,” Ron cut in.

“But he didn't this time. He just got up and left in the middle of the night.”

“Can you blame him with the company you keep?” Ron muttered.

Hermione stared at him. “What did you say?” she asked.

Ron looked up at her, hesitating as if he wanted to choose his words carefully. “Well…your newfound chumminess with the ferret may give reason for Harry to hesitate when sharing certain…sensitive…topics with you.” Hermione looked at him like he had slapped her, well it was a verbal slap anyway. She got up to leave but Ron grabbed her hand. “Don't go behind Harry's back on this Hermione. Talk to him first before you do anything, let him decide for himself.”

Her unease and anxiousness followed her all day and she found herself unable to concentrate on her homework. Harry would be coming back tomorrow morning but that just meant he had another night to sleep through with Voldemort knocking at the door to his mind. Frustrated, she put her homework away and took out a potions book she had retrieved earlier from the restricted section. If she couldn't get her homework done, she could at least find a way to help Harry and his horcrux.

“That's some pretty heavy reading.”

Startled, Hermione slammed the book shut and looked up at Draco who was standing at the other side of the table.

“Are you doing some extra credit for Potions?” he asked.

Hermione shook her head. “No, I was just…reading.” She moved to shuffle the book into her bag but Draco snatched it out of her hands.

“Potent Potions: Not For the Faint of Heart or the Courage-Challenged.” He opened it and thumbed through it. “My, my, my, just what is the Head Girl up to?”

“I was just reading it, Draco,” she countered.

“Where's your boyfriend? The hero of the wizarding world?” he asked, non-chalantly.

“He left with Neville to go to his grandmother's funeral. Can I have the book back now?” she held out her hand.

“Of course,” Draco said softly and held out the book for her. Hermione took it but Draco didn't let it go. “I'm just curious as to why you're reading about potions they certainly won't teach us here at Hogwarts.”

“I told you, I was just reading so drop it.”

Draco shrugged. “Maybe I want to help.”

“I don't need your help, Draco,” Hermione replied.

“Is there a problem here?”

The two of them turned to see Ron enter the library, looking very displeased at Malfoy's presence.

“Oh, look, it's Potter's little watchdog,” Draco smirked.

Hermione picked up her book bag and let go of the potions book. “No, there's no problem here,” she said as she left with Ron in the library.

Draco tapped his foot as he watched the two of them leave then he opened up the book himself.

*

Harry looked down at the report he was reading. So, the unaccounted guest was described as a woman with blond hair and a lot of luggage. Two other people had accompanied her and had visited her at least twice. Both of them young, one of them was a young man with the same blond hair, the other a young woman with curly brown hair.

“Couldn't sleep?”

Harry jerked up at Ginny's voice. “Um, yeah,” he replied, stuffing the parchment back into the envelope. “I was just doing some homework.”

Ginny sighed and moved to the couch and plopped down on it. “I didn't even bring mine.” She stared into the flames of the fireplace in Neville's small and cozy living room. “Long day,” she said softly.

“Yeah,” he agreed. He was done putting the stuff away when he heard a soft sniffling sound. He looked up to see Ginny quickly wipe at her cheek. Harry got up and approached her, kneeling down in front of her.

“Ginny?” he asked with concern.

“I'm sorry,” she sniffled. “I was just thinking what it would be like if I lost someone I care about. I can't even imagine the pain of…” She swallowed hard and looked into the flames.

Harry reached out and put his hand on top of hers. “I hope you never ever have to feel that,” he said sincerely. The Weasley's meant too much to him as well.

“Thank you,” Ginny said softly, looking at him. “Well, I'm going to try and get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Ginny,” Harry said, getting to his feet.

“Night, Harry.”

He turned back to the desk he was reading at and began to put things away. The hairs on the back of his neck began to tingle and he realized that he wasn't in the room alone. He turned around to see Neville standing there.

“Neville,” he said. “Are you alright?”

Neville walked over to the back of the sofa and picked at some unseen dust on it. “We're friends, right Harry?” he asked.

“Of course,” he answered.

“I'm going to ask you to answer this truthfully then. Do you still like Ginny?” he asked. Harry was stunned at the question.

“Neville, I…”

“I saw the two of you, just now by the fireplace.”

“Neville nothing happened, I swear.”

“I know nothing happened. I saw but you didn't answer my question.”

Harry sighed. “Truthfully, I will always care about Ginny in some way but…I'm with Hermione now and…I think I love her, Neville.”

“I feel like such a jerk for asking,” Neville said, hanging his head.

“Don't be,” Harry grinned. “I would think the same thing. Honestly Neville, I'm glad you and Ginny are together.”

“No hard feelings then?” he asked.

“None.” Harry had hoped this was the end of this uncomfortable conversation but it wasn't. “Neville?” he asked.

“You know, I'm your friend, right?” he asked Harry. Alarm bells went off in his head. “And that I would never, ever betray you. That I would keep your deepest and darkest secrets.”

“Neville, where's this going?”

Neville looked around the room before approaching Harry, standing close enough for him to whisper, “I know about the cup Harry.”

Harry stared at him. “W-what are you talking about Neville?”

“I didn't mean to. I was coming back to get a book when I heard the three of you talking about it in the common room. I saw it in Ron's hands and you were calling it a horcrux so I went to the library the next day and looked up what that was. Whose soul is in there?”

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. This was not happening. “Neville, I'm going to ask you to please stay out of this—“

“You can't ask me to do that.”

“I can obliviate you!” Harry shot back in anger.

Neville looked at him with hurt. “You would, wouldn't you? Voldemort didn't destroy only your life, he didn't take away only your parents,” he said before turning away. “We're all in this war whether we like it or not.” Neville left Harry alone in the room.

*

Hermione opened the portrait door to see Draco on the other side. “Draco it's late,” she sighed.

“I've got a Hall Pass,” he said, holding up the book Hermione was reading earlier. “And to sweeten the deal…” He held up another book that she didn't recognize.

She pursed her lips together and moved out of the way to let him through. He handed her the books then made himself comfortable on a sofa. Hermione looked at the worn and well-used book. It was about the size of a writing journal with a black leather cover, the gold embossed letters on it were faded beyond ability to be read.

“What is this?” she asked.

“If you want to find a Dark potion, you need to go to the source. What are you looking for, anyway?”

Hermione looked up from the pages she was thumbing through. “You think I'd tell you?”

Draco smirked. “Smart girl.”

“They don't call me the Head Girl for nothing.” Draco raised an eyebrow. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Malfoy.”

“You think I'd earn some of your trust after Hogsmeade,” he said.

“Draco, our trust issues run as deep as the Grand Canyon,” she replied.

“Huh?”

She shook her head. “Never mind. The point is our trust issues will never be resolved.”

“Unlike you and Pothead.”

Hermione looked at him. “Potter. Why do you say that?”

“Well, I'm assuming since you two are a couple that you've worked out the whole `Why are you sneaking around with Malfoy' issue.”

Hermione shook her head. “Why are you doing this?”

Draco leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Hermione are you in some sort of trouble?”

“Other than the trouble with you? No, I'm not.”

Draco stared at her. “I only want to help you.”

Hermione sat down on the sofa across from him. “I want you to tell me the truth. For once, just do that for me.” She paused to give him room to object but when he didn't she continued. “Did you know about Hogsmeade?”

“No I didn't,” he replied. “I found out about it from Crabbe and Goyle. Believe me, I wrestled with the decision whether to say something or not but eventually I told an auror.”

“Why?” she asked.

Draco rubbed his hands against each other slowly back and forth. “I don't know if I can honestly answer that Hermione,” he replied. “I'm not sure if I know the answer myself.”

Hermione didn't know what to say to that so she let the silence between them hang in the air. She looked down at the books in her hand.

“It's late,” she said softly. Draco hesitated a moment before standing up. Hermione was still standing by the portrait door and Draco stood in front of her.

“Thanks for the books,” Hermione said looking up at him.

“I meant what I said earlier. If you're in some sort of trouble I want to help you,” he said softly.

“I don't need your help Draco,” she replied.

He looked down at her. “I guess there's room for only one hero in Hermione Granger's life.” She looked up at him, into his grey eyes then looked away. She heard the portrait door swing open then close. She let out a weary sigh then walked to her bedroom.

From the alcove above the portrait door inside the room, Isis slithered down the wall and through a small crack where the wall met the floor.

~*~

He had only been away from her for a day but it seemed like forever to him. She was standing with Ron and Luna and when she wrapped her arms around him, he buried his face in her brown hair, breathing in her comforting scent.

“Would I sound like a complete fool if I told you I missed you so much?” he asked her.

Hermione smiled. “Then I'm a fool as well.” He kissed her then and, Merlin, she tasted wonderful.

It was a free day so none of them had any classes and the group decided to spend their time in the common room. Luna was doing the puzzles in the Quibbler, while Ron and Ginny were playing a game of chess while Harry and Neville looked on giving a running commentary. Hermione was thumbing through the potions book Draco had let her borrow. He was right, there were spells in here that seemed too frightening to try: A rapid aging potion that would end in the death of the person who drank it, a potion that would eat the insides of a person, a potion similar to veritaserum except that the person would automatically spill their deepest and darkest secrets to you without you even asking and then the person would have no memory of what had happened or what they had said.

“What are you reading?”

Hermione jumped and slammed the book shut.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you,” Harry said, taking a seat next to Hermione.

“No you didn't, I was just lost in my thoughts,” she replied.

Harry reached over and took the book from her hands. “What's it about?” he asked.

Hermione took it back from him and stuffed it into her bag. “Potions,” she answered.

“Extra credit?”

“Not exactly,” she said slowly, giving him a pointed look.

“Oh,” Harry said, getting her meaning. The horcrux suddenly became a dark rain cloud hovering above him. “Any luck?” he asked.

“I don't know. This is the first time I actually got a look at the book,” she replied. Harry placed an arm around her shoulders and Hermione tucked herself next to him as they watched Ron check Ginny's queen.

“Here you guys,” Lavender said, handing Harry a piece of parchment.

“What's this?” he asked as he removed his arm from Hermione. She sat up to glance at the paper.

“It's the holiday list to see who is staying in the castle over the break,” she replied. “Pass it around when you're done.”

“Are you staying?” Hermione asked him when Lavender left.

“No, I think I'll go to Grimmauld,” he answered. “Actually, do you think you and Ron would join me?”

“Yeah, I'll go,” Ron piped up, hearing their conversation.

“I can't at first,” Hermione replied. “I promised my parents I would go home and spend some time with them but maybe later I can join you.” Harry stared at her.

“You're going home?” he asked. Dolohov.

“Yes but I promise that I'll join you guys later,” she said.

“Do you think that's safe?” Harry asked. “Maybe I'll go with you.” Dolohov.

“Harry don't worry about it,” she smiled. “You have more important things to deal with. I'll be fine.”

“I think maybe an auror should stay with you and your family.” Dolohov.

Hermione looked at him. “Harry, what's going on?” she asked.

Harry looked away. “Nothing. I just, want you and your family to be safe.”

“There are wards on the house. The Order placed them there themselves,” she replied.

“Yeah well those wards can be broken easily Hermione. Trust me,” he shot back.

Hermione looked at him. “Is there something you aren't telling me, Harry?” she demanded.

“That's ironic coming from you,” he muttered.

Hermione sat back on the couch and crossed her arms and legs. Neville, feeling awkward reached out for the parchment.

“Can I have that, Harry?” he asked. “I've got to put my name down.”

Harry looked over at him. “Why don't you stay with me Nev? It's a big house with plenty of room.”

“I don't want to be bother,” Neville said shyly.

“Don't be ridiculous. I would gladly have you there,” he said and handed the parchment off to a nearby third-year.

-->

29. Holiday Cheer

Holiday Cheer

It's Christmas time again

It's time to be nice to the people you can't stand all year

I'm growing tired of all this Christmas cheer

You people scare me

Please stay away from my home

If you don't wanna get beat down

Just leave the presents and then leave me alone.

(I Won't Be Home For Christmas—Blink 182)

~*~

“The boy you asssked me about, he did visssit Hermione,” Isis hissed. Harry tensed. The Fucker went to Hermione's room! The bed rattled violently until Harry took a deep breath then calmed down.

“Did they leave?” he asked.

“No, they were jussst talking.”

Harry looked up from the papers he was reading. He was sitting on his bed in his pajamas, once again secluded behind his bed hangings from the rest of the world. “About what?” he asked.

“Ssshe wasss asssking him about…Hogsssmeade, I believe.”

“Hmm, what did he say?”

“He sssaid he didn't do it but I'm not sssure what that meansss.” Isis was curled up on his bed.

Harry pulled out a piece of parchment then inked and blotted his quill. “I have a vague idea of what he's talking about. What else did they say?”

“He mentioned sssomething about helping her but ssshe refusssed him.”

Harry looked up. “Help her with what?”

“I don't know,” Isis replied. Harry chewed contemplatively on the end of his quill then continued writing. “Watch out for that one Harry. I think he likesss her.”

Harry smirked. “Believe me, Isis. Malfoy is the one person I know who would think twice before making any move on Hermione. Furthermore, the odds of that happening are very slim. I've known him longer than you and let's just say that it wouldn't benefit Malfoy to go after her.”

Isis uncoiled herself. “I think I ssshall go and explore. I don't want to be witnessss to the two of you again.”

Harry grinned. The Silencing charm he had put up around his bed only went as far as the hangings, once you went past them, you could hear everything within. Poor Isis had stumbled onto that knowledge when she slithered up Harry's bedpost one night and through the hangings to find the mattress furiously squeaking, him moaning and Hermione crying out his name. She never seemed the same since.

“I wouldn't worry about that tonight,” Harry said with a grin. “She tries to make herself available as Head Girl as much as possible and I had some things I needed to take care of.” Harry folded the parchment and addressed it to Brian O'Malley.

“Pity for you,” Isis said.

“You have no idea,” Harry sighed, getting out of bed to retrieve his invisibility cloak. He was going to head down to the Owlery tonight to send out his letter.

~*~

“Fa-La-La-La-La, La-La-La-La,” the pixies sang above them as they chased hapless students, trapping them underneath the mistletoe and releasing them only when they kissed.

There were twinkling lights in the garland that adorned the halls, the knights' armor held candy canes instead of staffs and the giant tree in the Great Hall was decorated splendidly with the help of Professor Flitwick. There was a festive mood in the atmosphere that made it hard to concentrate on studying. Even the teachers seemed a bit distracted, their lectures a little bit light.

Harry stood in front of his cauldron in Potions and wondered why they were making egg nog. Hermione seemed a bit miffed that this really wasn't a potions class at all. He stirred his cauldron and looked over at the Slytherins who seemed to be adding a bit more of the fermented beverage to their egg nog than what was called for. Harry briefly wondered what Firewhiskey would do to the flavor of this drink. But as alluring of the thought of having drunken sex with Hermione was, the last time they had come close to that, he ended up throwing up everything he had ever eaten in his life and passed out in a bathtub. Not a pretty picture but hey, maybe he could get her to try a couple of things he'd been wanting to do.

The daydream of Hermione's ankles resting on his shoulders was rudely interrupted by the announcement from the Professor that class was over and to bring their egg nog samples forward in their vials.

Draco covertly watched Hermione leave the classroom, accompanied by the two idiots usually at her side, as Pansy trotted up to him. She cornered and pressed him against the wall in the corridor, sliding her body close to his.

“So are you looking forward to this party tonight as much as I am?” she cooed. The Slytherins were having their usual after-hours Christmas party in their common room tonight. Her hand slipped underneath his robes. There was a burst of giggling and Draco looked over to see that those annoying pixies had trapped Hermione and Potty underneath the mistletoe and that Potty was now disgustingly exploring her tonsils.

He reached into his robes and brought out a small flask of Firewhiskey, taking a drink from it. “I'm starting early,” he said as he slunk an arm around Pansy's shoulders. The two of them led the Slytherins down the hall, giving scowling looks at the Gryffindors.

*

Knock, knock, knock.

Harry stood at the door to Tonks' office. “You wanted to see me?” he asked.

She looked as if she were busy packing some last minute things before the break. Her hair was red and green for the holidays and looked very bizarre to him.

“Hello Harry!” she said cheerfully. “Sit down for a minute,” she pointed to a chair. Harry obliged her and she walked over to the door and closed it.

“I spoke to Shacklebolt this morning,” she said, turning back to him. “He says you've asked that the Granger's be sent away on some cruise?”

Harry shifted uncomfortably in the chair. “I thought that sort of stuff was classified,” he said.

Tonks smirked. “You're not an Auror yet, Harry. You still need the little piece of paper that says you've graduated.” Harry looked away from her. “Besides, Shacklebolt thought the Order should be involved in this so he told Remus and Remus told me.”

“You guys are worse than a henhouse,” Harry muttered under his breath. “Is he going to do it?” he asked.

“Should accommodations be made for two or three?” Tonks asked. Harry really didn't know how to answer that.

“Did he tell you about…Dolohov?”

“The Death Eater who has a sick fascination with your girlfriend?” she replied.

“I have to keep her safe. You have to understand that,” he pressed.

“I do understand. Anyone who as ever cared for anyone understands that otherwise Shacklebolt wouldn't be doing this. But,” she added, “I really think you need to give Hermione the heads up. Let her make the decision where she wants to be.”

Harry sighed and looked out of the window. Tomorrow they would be back on the train, heading out to Grimmauld Place for the holidays.

“So I hear we're going to have a full house this Christmas,” Tonks said, changing topics.

“Yeah, I invited Ron, Hermione and Neville to stay with us,” Harry replied.

“Well that should be festive,” Tonks smiled. “It's good for Remus, I think, as well. Poor little wolf is feeling a little lonely in that big old house.” She had a small smile on her face. “And I've missed him terribly. I cannot wait to get back to that house, get back into his arms—“

“Okay, whoa,” Harry shot out of the chair. “I think I get the point and this conversation has definitely gone into the weird category.”

“Sorry Harry,” she said with a grin.

*

Ron kissed Luna gently on the lips as he rested by her side on his bed. The guys had given him and Luna some privacy, holding up the guys code not to disturb anyone in the dorm when they had their girlfriends up there with them.

“I'm going to miss you over the holidays,” Luna sighed.

Ron gave her a soft smile. “Yeah, me too.”

She tangled her hands into his copper hair, bringing his head back down to her. Ron obliged her with another kiss, deepening it as he moved his hand to her waist, pressing himself closer to her. She let out a soft moan against his lips when his hand traveled down her thigh to the hem of her skirt, then slid underneath. She lifted her thigh as he moved up, his fingers brushing against the fabric of her knickers. Luna parted her legs slightly, giving him better access as he brushed the fabric aside and slid a finger inside of her. He moaned against her mouth at the feel of her wet warmth and he became incredibly hard.

Luna brought her hand down his chest and began to undo the button on his pants. His concentration of what he was doing to her was nearly lost when he felt her fingers wrap around him and stroke him. He inserted another finger inside her and she broke the kiss to gasp and moan his name. Ron shut is eyes, holding back to urge to spill himself all over her hand.

“Don't stop,” she said breathily. Her hand left him and moved to hold on to his shirt. She bit her lower lip and arched her back off of the mattress as Ron felt her become even more hot and wet. She called out his name and he nearly lost it again. He removed his fingers and captured her lips again in a heated kiss, the sensitive head of his penis rubbed against the fabric of her skirt.

“I want you to come,” she whispered.

“I will,” he whispered back going in for another kiss but Luna stopped him. “What's the matter?” he asked.

“Ron,” she said quietly, “I…I'm ready for us to…have sex.”

Ron stared at her. “What?” he asked, not sure if he heard her correctly. She surely couldn't have said what he so wanted to hear from her.

“I'm ready,” she repeated. “And I want it to be with you.” Her hands moved up to his shirt and began to unbutton it.

*

Draco took another drink of the Firewhiskey as he watched the scene before him of drunken debauchery. Pansy was dancing on the table in the middle of the common room with two other girls as a group of sixth and seventh year boys cheered them on. He watched as Pansy gyrated against one girl as the other girl wrapped her hands around her waist from behind. Pansy was never a good drunk but these parties did have their perks. Draco could guarantee that Pansy was going to end up in his bed tonight. Being Draco Malfoy had its perks as well. Who knows, that sixth year dancing in front of her could be fun as well. She was eyeing him all night, anyway.

But at the moment, it was getting a bit stifling in this room and he needed to get out and clear his mind. That and talk to Granger, though why he needed to do that, he wasn't sure. Maybe it was the Firewhiskey.

He opened the door and welcomed the cool air on his heated face. The lights were dimmed in the halls and most of the portraits were still asleep. He reached out and traced his fingers against the wall, pressing against it lightly to gain a little balance. Was that footfalls he heard? He wasn't sure but when he turned the corner he saw…

“Draco are you okay?” Hermione asked.

His white shirt was untucked from his school trousers, the top buttons undone as well as his tie that draped around his neck. His sleeves were rolled to his forearms and he looked as if he was reaching out to the wall for balance. He looked up at her when she called his name.

“Hermione,” he said with a hint of surprise. “What are you doing here?” he asked as he approached her. Hermione could see that his gait was a little off and he seemed to…wobble.

“I'm doing rounds,” she answered. “Are you sure you're alright?”

“I'll get back to you on that,” Draco said. Hermione could smell Firewhiskey on him.

“Draco are you drunk?” she asked.

He squinted his eyes in thought. “I think I might be,” he said slowly. Hermione moved away from him as he moved into close proximity.

“You know that you always move away from me?” he pointed out, moving toward her.

“Old habits die hard,” she answered. “We aren't exactly friends.”

“We aren't?” he asked. “What are we then?” He moved closer to her. Hermione turned her head to the side.

“I could smell the Firewhiskey on you from around the corner. Let's get you back to your common room,” she turned him around and moved him forward. “I don't need you throwing up on me.”

Draco stopped and turned around. “I'm not going to throw up. I just needed to clear my head. I didn't know that was a crime.”

“Do it upstairs in your room then. There are no students allowed in the halls this late at night,” she sighed. “I feel bad enough having to take ten points from you for this.”

“Ten points? For wandering out in the hall?”

“And for drinking,” she added as she raised her eyebrow. Draco stared down at her.

“How many points get taken away for this?” he asked as he bent down towards her. Hermione's eyes widened and she was caught off guard when his lips touched hers. She backed away from him quickly. Why did he do that?

“Hermione, wait,” Draco reached out for her but she turned and ran down the hall. “Hermione!” he called out to her. “Damn it!” he cursed silently, grabbing his hair in frustration.

She ran down the corridor and up the moving staircases, through more corridors that made the castle the maze that it was until she literally ran into someone.

“Whoa slow down there,” Harry said when he was nearly bowled over by a cinnamon colored blur.

“Oh, Harry!” Hermione said, eternally grateful to see his face. The memory of Draco kissing her was replaying over and over in her head.

“Hey, are you alright?” he asked with concern.

“No…yes. Now I am that you're here,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I just…ran into an unsavory character during my rounds,” she sighed. Oh, why did he kiss her?

Harry rubbed her back. “Let me guess. Is this character in Slytherin?”

“Draco is just being Draco,” she replied. “Whatever. I just want to drop it. What are you doing out here?”

Hermione saw Harry's face darken. “Did he do something to you?” he demanded.

She shook her head. “No, he was just being…intolerable.” She wouldn't dare tell him what Draco had just tried to pull on her. Harry could be scary when he was angry and Malfoy had a way of just pushing him to the edge. She wasn't concerned for Draco and what Harry would do to him but for Harry because she didn't want to get him into any trouble. She had just gotten him back into Hogwarts and back into her life, she didn't want to lose him again.

“Harry, really, it was nothing,” she said and his face softened. “But, what are you doing here?”

“Looking for you as a matter of fact,” Harry grinned.

“Really? Whatever for?” she asked flirtatiously, tugging at his loosened tie, bringing his lips to hers. She wanted to erase Draco's kiss from her mind, his taste from her lips. Harry gladly complied, taking it a step further by running his tongue along the seam of her lips. She opened her mouth to him, letting him explore her with his tongue. She caught it lightly between her teeth and gently sucked on it. Harry's eyes widened.

Whoa. What the hell was that?!

Wherever she learned that it was well worth it, other parts of him were eternally grateful as well as the blood rushed south.

“Wow,” he breathed when they broke the kiss.

“I'm sorry,” she grinned. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
“Uh, at the moment I seem to have forgotten what it was,” he grinned against her lips.

“Well, how about we go to my room,” she kissed his lips, “and make the most of our time together until we leave tomorrow.”

“Mm, that's what it was that I wanted to talk to you about,” he placed his hands on her arms. Hermione looked up at him and saw the uneasiness on his face.

“Harry what is it?” she asked.

Harry looked around the corridor. “Let's go in here,” he said, leading her to an empty classroom.

“Harry, what is it? You're scaring me,” Hermione said.

Harry closed the door behind him and put a silencing charm up. “I asked Shacklebolt to arrange for you and your family to spend the holidays on a cruise.”

Hermione stared at him. “Harry, what happened?”

Harry ran a hand through his hair. “Hermione…your parents' house was broken into awhile ago.”

“Broken into?” Hermione interrupted.

“Nothing valuable was taken and your parents believe it was done by some muggles but…,” he nervously trailed off. Hermione looked at him then her eyes widened.

“Death Eaters?” she gasped, her hands went to her mouth.

“My first unofficial assignment as an auror is to protect you,” Harry said quietly. “That's why I came back. I'm under orders as an undercover student.”

“An assignment?” she backed up and sat down on a chair by a desk. Harry walked over and knelt down in front of her.

“Not everything was about the assignment,” he said, placing his hand on hers.

Hermione looked down at him. “Harry, why did you agree to this?”

“I had no choice. I didn't want to come back here. I thought you and Ron had moved on without me and I knew that it would just kill me to see you two…As you can see,” he changed his tone, “you can see why I'm extra unhappy about you taking off into the middle of the night with the Ferret.”

Hermione closed her eyes. “Harry…”

“He has something big on you doesn't he?” he asked. “And something tells me that it has something to do with me.”

Hermione reached out and touched his face. “You know that I would do anything to help you, to protect you.”

“Even make a deal with the devil's spawn?” he whispered.

“Wouldn't you do the same?” she asked.

Harry looked into her face. “Don't answer me if I'm right but…does he have you under some sort of Fidelius or Unbreakable Vow?” She didn't answer him.

He closed his eyes and sighed. “I want to be the one to protect you. I'm supposed to be the one who is protecting you.”

“And I made a promise to be by your side no matter what,” she whispered.

Harry brought her to her feet then lifted her to place her on a desk. “I swear that I'll find a way to get you out of it,” he whispered as he kissed her. Hermione wrapped her fingers around his tie and brought him to lie down on top of her.

~*~

Call him paranoid. Call him…whatever. But an unmarked black sedan with dark tinted windows borrowed from the ministry was what was waiting for Hermione when she crossed the barrier from Platform nine and three-quarters. Harry was by her side, his eyes not on her but on the people in the crowd, looking for anyone who would be deemed a threat to her. Harry's nervousness was making her more nervous. Death Eaters had come after her parents and she was frightened about that. The threat of the wizarding world was coming close to home but would she waver at his side? Of course not. She was by his side no matter what. He didn't bother hiding his relationship with her. She was already a target for being his best friend. Did being his girlfriend make her an even bigger one? Maybe. But she liked to think of herself as a more formidable foe to Voldemort. It was one thing to get past his best friends to get to Harry. It was quite another to go past a woman who loved him. The last time Voldemort had crossed a woman who had loved Harry, he found his soul badly damaged in a curse gone horribly wrong.

A familiar looking young man that Hermione had met before in Hogsmeade stepped forward. “Harry,” he said as they approached him.

“Hey, Nate,” Harry said. The driver's door opened and Brian O'Malley stepped out.

“Hey guys,” he said to them.

They were dressed as regular muggles, wands hidden from sight as Nate opened the door and she and Harry climbed in. The two aurors sat up front, leaving the two of them alone in the back. Hermione looked over at Harry who was staring straight ahead. She reached over and clasped his hand in a gesture of comfort. He looked down at the contact then up at her, giving her a soft but troubled smile.

Hermione felt torn. Part of her wanted to stay with her parents, to help protect them while they were in danger. Protect them from the danger of the wizarding world, the Death Eaters who had now targeted her family. And part of her wanted to stay with Harry, to be by his side over this break. To help him work out the horcrux, to share the holidays with him, to make him happy.

The car stopped and she got out to see they were at a harbor where muggles were arriving, waiting to board one of the large luxury cruise ships that would provide an escape from this cold and wintery weather. She buttoned her pink trench, keeping out the cold as Nate and Brian took her luggage from the boot of the car. Harry approached her and put his hand on the small of her back, nudging her gently forward.

“Let's go find your parents,” he said.

Hermione wanted to talk to Harry, to voice her sudden concern that she should stay with him. But he was lost on conversation, his eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of trouble. But it seemed peaceful enough on the docks as people began to board their ships.

“Hermione! Harry!”

Mrs. Granger's voice caught their attention and Hermione's heart swelled at the sight of her parents. It seemed as if forever had gone by since she had last seen them and she felt filled with the warmth that only her happy childhood memories with her parents could bring about.

“Mum! Dad!” she said as she threw her arms around her parents.

“Mr. Granger,” Harry held out his hand for Edward to shake.

“Hello Harry,” he replied kindly and Harry wondered if her parents knew that he was, um, dating their daughter. “Mrs. Granger,” he offered his hand to her as well.

“Please, Harry, call me Jane,” she said, embracing him. Harry had received hugs from few people, motherly ones from Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Granger, er…Jane, was slender woman with her brown hair pulled back and a radiant smile. He realized the likeness between Hermione and her mother and Harry briefly got a glance of what Hermione may look like when she was her mother's age.

It was nice.

Very nice. Maybe a little too nice since he started to blush furiously since she enveloped him in her arms. Harry stuttered a little and slinked shyly away from her.

“Are you looking forward to this trip?” Hermione asked her parents.

“It was a bit of surprise actually,” her father replied. “I was passing the Travel Agency by my office when I suddenly had the impulse to take your mom on this trip. That and I got a killer deal out of it.”

“Really?” Hermione looked to Harry.

“I wasn't going to complain,” her mother chimed in. “Who would say no to a little sunshine? I hope you had time to get a bathing suit. Did you have time to pack some clothes for the warm weather?”

“I'll be fine mum. I had time to pack and I'm sure I'll be able to buy a bathing suit on board,” she reassured her mother.

“Well, here's your ticket,” her father handed her an envelope with the image of the ship they were boarding emblazoned on it. “Your mother and I will get in line.”

Her parents left, leaving her and Harry with some privacy. She reached out and hugged him, closing her eyes to commit the feel of him to memory for the next few weeks.

“Oh I'm going to miss you,” she said.

“Me too,” Harry said softly, pressing her closer and kissing the side of her head. “You have no idea how hard this is to leave you with Brian and Nate.”

“I'll be fine Harry,” she said.

“But just in case,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Chocolate Frog card of Dumbledore. “It will activate as soon as the boat leaves the harbor. If anything should go wrong just touch it and it will take you directly to Headquarters.”

Hermione took it from him and stuffed it into her small purse. “Thank you Harry.” She looked up into his emerald eyes, realizing with a pang just how much she was going to miss him. A memory suddenly came forward of the two of them in the garden at Grimmauld Place standing in front of the fountain when Harry propositioned her to take a ride on his broom. She looked up at Harry who had a small grin on his face.

“I think that's one of my favorite moments with you,” he said softly.

“Mine too,” she smiled back. Harry leaned down and pressed his lips softly against hers. Hermione really had no idea how hard it was for him to put her safety in the hands of Nate and Brian who would be watching over the Granger's during their vacation. He touched his forehead to hers, his tongue reached out to taste the moisture of her kiss still on his lips. He was to have no contact with her, no owls, no flooing, no phone calls for fear that someone would intercept it. How was he going to survive without her?

He watched as she boarded the Siren of the Sea with her parents, waving goodbye to him as the ship sounded out its departure as if left the docks. He silently prayed, begged, that this would not be the last time he set eyes on her.

~*~

“Here we are!” Tonks said chirpily as she set down her morning's hard work in front of the stove in front of the four men seated at the table. The eggs looked a bit runny but it could still be edible.

“Looks delicious,” Lupin said loyally. Harry, Ron and Neville brooded into their plates.

“What's wrong with you three?” Tonks asked as she plopped down at the table. “You've been as fun as Professor Binns' lectures.”

“Nothing,” Harry said, grabbing some toast and putting down his coffee, “I've got to get to training.” He'd been going to the Auror department to receive more training since he had left Hogwarts for the holiday break.

“I'm going to go check out the garden…again,” Neville said quietly as he too got up from the table.

Ron stood as well. “I'm just going to…yeah,” he turned and walked away with the others.

Tonks stared at the door that the just walked through. “Was it the eggs?” she asked.

“No,” Lupin said, gathering her in his arms. “I think they are just fools in love. Trust me, I know the symptoms of being away from your long lost loved one.”

Tonks grinned evilly. “Oh but I'm here now.”

“Yes you are,” Lupin grinned back. “So why are we wasting time talking?”

“Mmm, good point.”

“Lupin! Tonks!” Moody's voice barked out loud and Tonks toppled off of Lupin's lap as he sprinted in the room.

“What? What is it?” Lupin stood.

“Attack at Ottery St. Catchpole,” he announced. Harry, Ron and Neville, who were in hall, froze. Harry's heart pounded in his chest. What if the burrow had been attacked?

“The Weasleys?” Lupin asked, helping Tonks to her feet, her eyes wide with fear.

Moody shook his head. “The Lovegoods.” Ron grabbed his jacket and headed out the door with Neville and Harry hot on his heels.

“Harry,” Lupin called out to the teen, “wait.” But Harry didn't heed him, he just looked back once then closed the door behind him.

St. Mungo's was never a place of happy memories for Harry. The memories of Mr. Weasley's near-death experience were a little to raw and painful for him. Now, he was briskly walking down the gleaming halls with his two friends with horrible thoughts of what could've happened to the Lovegood's in his mind. Luna was a good friend, innocent, unwavering in her loyalty to him and the Light side. Oh God, was Voldemort going to start coming after his friends for sure now?

All around him, in the Emergency room, were various wizards and witches with various maladies ranging from a single doxy bite to severe injuries from a broom collision. Harry was quietly grateful that he had no aptitude to be a healer.

“Ronald!” a voice cried out and the guys looked up to see a head of blond hair making its way toward them. “Oh, Ronald, you're here!” Luna jumped into Ron's arms.

“Luna!” Ron cried out. “Thank Merlind you're okay.” He set her down and brushed her hair away from her face. “You have no idea…” he trailed off.

Luna's face crumpled as she placed her hands on top of Ron's that were resting on either side of her face. “My father,” she said in a tiny voice.

“Luna, is he okay?” Neville asked.

“They're working on him now,” she sniffled. “Oh Ron, I can't lose him! I can't! I'll be all alone. He's all I have left.” She began to sob and Ron held her a little tighter. Ron looked back at Harry and Neville, giving a Harry a pleading look.

Harry became a little angry. What the hell was he supposed to do? He wasn't a miracle worker, what the hell did Ron want him to do?

“Miss Lovegood?” a mediwizard approached them and Harry swallowed nervously.

“Yes?” Luna asked in a quiet voice, Harry could see her fingers digging into Ron's arms, clinging to him as if he were her last hope in the world.

“It was a long session and took a great deal of spellwork and potions. Your father had extensive injuries that were sustained in the blast. But he will recover,” the mediwizard said in a businesslike tone. Harry wondered if he had to train himself to be unfeeling when delivering such news. How many times a day did this man have to come to families waiting in the waiting rooms to give them a thumbs up or a thumbs down on a loved ones condition.

“We'll take him upstairs to recover,” the mediwizard said, “although, I would suggest that he receive only a few visitors at a time.”

He gave them the room number where he would be resting and Luna finally broke down and cried, as if the news was only now just sinking in. Harry watched her quietly. The Lovegoods had been lucky. And as he looked around at the wan and hopeful faces that filled the waiting room, waiting for word on their loved ones. He wondered who would win this lucky lottery next…and who would lose. His eyes fell on a pretty young woman with brown hair tied back sitting in the room, clinging to her robes on her lap. She seemed to be staring ahead while at the same time not seeing anything. She would once in awhile look down at the shiny gold bands on her left hand, her quiet façade breaking just a little before she stared straight ahead again. She didn't seem that much older than they were and Harry felt an immediate connection to her because she reminded him of Hermione. Harry looked at the rings on her left hand and thought, was she waiting for news on her Harry?

“Harry?” Neville's voice broke his thoughts and Harry turned his attention from the young woman to his friends. They were leaving to go upstairs and Harry followed, looking back once at the young woman and silently wishing her good luck.

The recovery rooms had a more different atmosphere. These were the lucky ones and there was a feeling of hope in the air. Families and friends gathered by their loved ones to rejoice in the renewal of life and second chances.

“Oh Daddy,” Luna cried out when she saw her father. Neville and Harry hung back in the hallway, while Ron went in with his girlfriend.

“Why do you suppose they did it?” Neville asked Harry, who sat down on a bench just outside of the room.

He shrugged. “I dunno.”

Neville leaned against the wall and stuck his hands in his pockets. “I wonder how many times we are going to end up in this hospital before this war is over.”

“That's a morbid thought,” Harry said, annoyed.

“Sorry,” Neville said abashedly. “It's just…it's times like this that you hope and pray that the ones near and dear to you are safe and protected. I hope Ginny is okay.”

“Ginny's fine. The Burrow is very protected,” he replied.

“And I'm sure Hermione--.”

“Is so far away from me on some boat that I have no idea if she is safe or not because I left her safety in the hands of Aurors fresh out of training who have no idea what it's like to battle Death Eaters!” Harry snapped, getting to his feet. “So don't tell me that Hermione's okay because I have no idea if she is! For all I know the boat is crawling with Death Eaters and I've just sent her away to her death!”

Neville looked stricken. “Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't…”

Harry ran a hand through his hair. “Don't,” he said. “Just…I can't sit here anymore. I've gotta go to training.” He walked past Neville then stopped. “Luna can't go back home so offer her a place to stay with us…or with the Weasley's.”

Harry continued on his way. He needed to get out of here. He didn't mean to snap at Neville but not having any contact with Hermione was taking its toll on him. He made his way downstairs and crossed the waiting room. His eyes once again fell on the Hermione-look-alike. The mediwizard was kneeling in front of her and she was hunched over crying. Harry caught the words of her Harry's fate when the mediwizard frowned and said, “I'm sorry. There was nothing more we could do.”

*

There was no news from the group on the ship with Hermione and her family. Harry supposed that was a good thing. No news was good news. He had to resort to the muggle news to see if there were any stories about attacks on ships, murders on ships, sinking ships. It was all very morbid and Harry left his training that day feeling emotionally drained.

There was the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen and the wonderful scent of food. The Weasley's were at the table, the twins, Ron and his parents, Ginny was sitting next to Neville and Luna was sitting next to Ron. Lupin and Tonks were there as well. He had gone undetected and he didn't feel like joining them so he silently crept upstairs.

He flopped onto his bed, belly down and facing the foot of it. He didn't feel sleepy just…drained. His attention was drawn to a spider that was scuttling across the floor. It was a good sized one. He shouldn't tell Ron or else the poor guy wouldn't get any sleep but he should find a way to flush out any others. Although, if Luna was indeed staying here, Ron's attention may be elsewhere. A conversation between the two of them a few days ago had revealed that Ron and Luna had taken their relationship a step further in the…er, bedroom.

“So…Weasley really is her king then?”

“Shut up Harry.”

“Make it danccce,” Isis hissed, calling Harry's attention.

“What?” he asked the snake who slithered on the floor to him.

“I sssaid, make it danccce.”

Harry looked to where her attention was drawn and saw that the spider was doing somersaults across the floor and that his hand was doing lazy circles in the air. Harry immediately dropped his hand and sat up in the bed. The spider quickly scuttled across the floor, continuing its journey in haste. What the…? Did he do that?

“Aw, make it do it again,” Isis hissed. Harry stared at the spider and held out his hand. The spider got up on two legs and did a can-can while Isis hissed in delight.

There was a knock at the door and he jumped. “Harry?” Luna said from the other side of the door. “Are you okay?” she asked. His concentration broken, Harry scrambled to the door and opened it.

“Yeah!” he said quickly. “Yeah, I'm…fine,” he swallowed.

Luna stared at him.

“Did I…uh, receive any messages from the Ministry?” he asked.

“I don't think so,” she said slowly.

“Oh…okay.” He began to feel awkward under Luna's stare.

“I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to stay here,” she said.

“No bother,” Harry said with a genuine smile.

“Are you sure you're alright?” she asked. “Do you want to come down and join us for dinner?”

“Nah, I'm not hungry,” he said as his stomach gave a loud growl.

“Okaaay,” she replied.

*

He stayed holed up in his room until he heard everyone go to sleep then he crept downstairs into the kitchen for some leftovers. He was still expecting a letter from the Ministry telling him he was expelled from Hogwarts and that Aurors were coming to arrest him for casting an Unforgiveable but he really didn't know what the regulations were. That was for the Regulations department, Aurors just had to evade them. Besides, maybe it was a fluke. Maybe he was just messing around and came across some sort of charm somehow.

He took a page out of Hermione's book and went to the books the next morning. Hermione had convinced him and Lupin that the books here should not be thrown out no matter how dark the subject material was. Although, she did eye them cautiously when they were researching a way to get Voldemort out of Ron's head. Right now, Harry was reading Unforgiveables and Other Misunderstood, but Clever, Spells disguised as a DADA book.

“Channeling Hermione?” Ron asked.

“Very funny,” Harry muttered. He was currently teaching Luna how to play Wizard's chess as they all sat in the drawing room. Neville and Ginny were huddling over an odd looking plant.

Luna looked up at him and the book he was reading. “Have you given any thought to starting up the DA again?” she asked and Neville looked up hopefully. They were the only two loyal and hopeful members.

“No, I haven't,” he replied and turned a page in his book.

“Well, it would make sense,” Ron added. “I mean, now that you have some Auror training, I'm sure there are new talents you have that you can share with us.”

Harry looked up at Ron. He wasn't sure what kind of look he gave him but it caught Ginny's attention.

“Harry?” she asked with concern. He blinked and forced his concentration back on his book and not on the fact that he could be prone to cast Unforgiveables.

“There are no ratsss in thisss houssse,” Isis hissed morosely as she slid over the back of Harry's chair.

“Believe me, that's a good thing,” Harry hissed back as he reached for a cup of water. It was just out of his reach but it slid into his hand. Ginny and Luna exchanged uneasy looks. Ron and Neville had made an uneasy peace with Harry's ability to speak Parseltongue but Ginny frowned upon it as did Hermione. Luna seemed ready to join their camp as well.

Ginny had convinced her mother to let her stay with Luna and keep her company over the holidays so the two girls shared a room. Harry was beginning to feel a little left out when they were all gathered in the Drawing Room, he sort of felt like a third wheel, the odd man out, not that he shouldn't be used to that by now. Luna told Lupin and Moody that the Death Eaters who had attacked them, did so on Voldemort's orders because of a contest that was to be held on how many words could be formed using the letters from Lord Voldemort.

“He has no sense of humor, I guess,” she sighed.

“It's the name,” Harry spoke up. “He takes pride in his name causing fear.”

“I've got Love,” Ginny spoke up, whipping out a quill and putting LORD VOLDEMORT at the top. Neville took the quill and wrote Mold underneath Love. Luna grinned.

“Troll,” Ron added helpfully.

Harry's brooding mood didn't mix well with the good spirits in the room so he left them at it and went into the garden. It was snowing and Harry cleared off the bench so he could sit and take in the silence. He lifted his head up to the sky and felt the soft icy touches of the snowflakes as they landed on his face. It was so peaceful out here and the silence let his feelings sink further into him. He felt so alone and he desperately missed Hermione.

But, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled, letting him now that his quiet sanctuary was being violated. Reluctantly he brought his head forward and opened his eyes.

“Hermione,” he said softly.

She was standing in the middle of the garden looking tan and with highlights in her hair. He wondered if he had somehow manifested an image of her there.

“I couldn't stay away,” she spoke at last. “I missed you so much. I hope you don't mind, I took the portkey you gave me and…”

He reached her in two strides, gathering her in his arms and bringing his lips to hers. She complied immediately, bringing her arms around him in a tight embrace.

“Are you really here?” he whispered when he broke the kiss, his forehead resting on hers. She brought a hand up to stroke his cheek.

“I couldn't stay away, Harry. I missed you terribly. I asked Brian and Nate to watch over my parents. They were a little disappointed but they understood. Oh, Harry, I missed you so,” she said, throwing her arms around him. Harry held her close, letting this ray of sunshine break through the dark mood he had been in since she had left.

-->

30. The Unexpected Guest

A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews! I'll try and update faster but I thank everyone for their patience with my crazy finals schedule then the vacation that I took right after. A shout out to those at Emmawatson.net, I'll try and check out your thread when I get some time. This story is way too long, isn't it? It's growing into a monster!

The Unexpected Guest

My dad he gave me a name

Then he walked away

Daddy gave me a name

Then he walked away

My dad gave me a name

Father of mine

Tell me where have you been

I just closed my eyes

And the world disappeared

Father of mine

Tell me how do you sleep

With the children you abandoned

And the wife I saw you beat

I will never be safe

I will never be sane

I will always be weird inside

I will always be lame

(Father of Mine—Everclear)

~*~

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

“Right, then.”

“Right.”

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville stood in a semi-circle around the silver cup with water inside. Hermione had gotten the idea, trying to break the horcrux by putting it with water again. Now they stood in the drawing room, alone, with Ginny and Luna out to Diagon Alley for some last minute holiday shopping. They stood there wondering who was brave enough to drink from the cup, their wands were drawn and at the ready in case something, and most likely, went horribly wrong.

“Wait,” Ron said, “how do we know this will work?”

Hermione shook her head. “I don't know if it will. This is just a stab in the dark. We have to start somewhere, why not with what worked last time?” Ron nodded his head slightly as if in agreement.

“Okay,” she let out a breath and reached out for the cup.

“No,” Harry said firmly as he reached out and snatched her wrist.

“Harry!” she protested. “What are you doing?”

“I don't want you to drink from it. What if it works?” he said.

“That's kind of how it's supposed to work,” she reminded him.

“Not you. I don't want you doing this.”

Hermione gaped at him. “Harry, you can't stop me from trying to help you.”

“Wanna bet?” he challenged her.

Neville looked between Hermione and Harry and Ron, whose attention was on his two best friends. Summoning his Gryffindor courage he reached out and grabbed the cup, touching his lips to the cool metal and drinking the water inside.

The trio, startled at what he had done, held their breaths.

Neville looked at them then shook his head. “Nothing, sorry.”

A collective sigh came from the group, happy that nothing had happened to Neville, frustrated that they had to come up with something new.

“I think Hermione may be onto something when she said that maybe a specific potion would be needed,” Harry said grimly.

“Can you think of anything in Voldemort's past or present, a potion that has some sort of significance?” Hermione asked him.

Automatically, Harry's hand went touched the crook of his other arm. “One but I seriously doubt that is it,” he said quietly. Hermione reached out and held his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I'm going to keep checking in the books. There must be something we can try,” she said determinedly.

They heard the front door open and Harry quickly took the cup and left to hide it, Ron and Neville sat down on opposite ends of the chessboard and Hermione plopped down onto a sofa to read.

“Hey guys,” Ginny said cheerfully as she and Luna entered the room. Their cheeks and noses were red and they still had snowflakes that were melting on their hair. “You should've come with us.”

Ron wrinkled his nose. “Shopping's not really my thing,” he replied.

“Whatever,” she sighed and plopped down next to Hermione. “So, anything exciting happen in this house while we were away?”

~*~

Harry came out of his bathroom after his shower, rubbing his damp hair with a towel. Hermione was on his bed, thumbing through a book.

“There's got to be something in here,” she said to him. She was wearing a dark violet slip with pink lace trimming. Her creamy smooth legs rested the length of the bed, crossed at the ankles, her hair fell in soft curls.

“No luck?” he asked.

“Not yet,” she muttered and turned the page.

Harry crawled up onto the bed and plucked the book from her. “Then try again tomorrow,” he whispered before capturing her lips in a kiss. She moaned softly and brought her hands up to his shoulders, feeling the damp skin beneath her fingertips. Harry dropped the book off the side of the bed then placed both his hands on her hips, sliding her down the bed to rest on her back. Conveniently, the action caused the slip to bunch at her hips and he became delirious with delight when he discovered she wasn't wearing anything underneath. Hermione breathed him in, smelling the fresh clean smell of his soap and running her hands through his damp hair. He moved one hand from her hip and lifted his own hips slightly to remove the towel that separated them. He placed his hand against her and murmured the charm.

He moaned softly in her ear as he slid into her warmth, one hand slid under her and curled to rest on her shoulder, the other moved from her hip, up her thigh, hooking it on his hip before sliding back down to rest on the mattress next to her for better leverage. She brought her other thigh up, arching her chest to him as he kissed her neck, moving from one side to the other.

“Harry,” she whimpered softly as he moved against her, filling her, moving back and forth within her.

He was losing himself in her oblivion. The friction of her inner thighs against his hips sent desire flushing through him. The coolness in the room soothed the heat that was coming from him from his exertion. The smooth satin of her slip against the skin of his chest felt wonderful and he brought his hand up to brush against her hardened nipple. Her mouth was hot and wet as he plundered it, mirroring the velvety softness that surrounded his cock as he moved in and out of her.

Her fingers tightened their grip on his arms, the telltale sign that she was very near coming and he broke their kiss to pick up his own pace. “Oh!” she cried out softly as he felt her walls around him become wetter and tighter, clasping him as he thrust into her a few more times before finally releasing himself.

He rested between her trembling thighs to catch his breath as she gently stroked his hair. He felt absolutely and blissfully spent, letting his eyes droop as he rested his head on her chest. He could hear her heart beating loudly and quickly.

“Harry?”

His eyes opened wide and met Hermione's. “Shit, that's Tonks!” he hissed as he unceremoniously pulled out of Hermione. She quickly scrambled off the bed and dove under it as Harry called out. “Just a mo, I just got out of the shower!” He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and opened the door. Thank Merlin his hair was still wet and he wrapped the towel around his neck.

“Yeah?” he asked, hoping that he didn't look too guilty. Hermione stayed quiet under the bed. She moved her hand that was resting on something when it caught her eye, a folder marked Case 2574991. Curiosity getting the best of her, she opened the file.

“Shacklebolt is downstairs. He said he wanted to talk to you about tomorrow's training or something,” Tonks said.

Harry closed his eyes. “Oh I forgot he was coming by tonight!” he said as he closed the door behind him.

Hermione scooted out from under the bed and placed the file on top of it. In front of her lay pictures, presumably taken from a muggle surveillance camera, of her and Draco in the muggle jewelry shop. Hermione stared at them a moment before brushing them aside to read a report underneath them.

“The victim claimed to be attacked by a diamond choker necklace received from a Mr. and Mrs. Kensington…,” she murmured. She looked up, “Draco!” she hissed angrily and closed the file, stuffing it back under the bed.

She went to the door and opened it. There were voices coming from downstairs, Harry and Shacklebolt were talking in the drawing room. Hermione tiptoed past, peeking inside to see the two of them huddled over a stack of papers. She slipped down the steps, careful not to step on the squeaky ones as she went by the coat rack and retrieved her pink trench and a pair of clogs. She quickly opened the door and slipped out.

*

She ran through the halls of Hogwarts, skidding to a stop outside of the Slytherin portrait door and retrieved her Head Girl badge to put it into the slot. There was no one in the common room, those that had stayed behind for the holidays must all be upstairs in bed. She went up the stairs to Draco's room and opened the door. She quickly found herself yanked inside then spun around, a wand pressed to her throat.

“For crying out loud, Granger!” Draco exclaimed as he lowered his wand, Hermione lowered hers as well. “What are you doing here?”

Hermione pushed him away from her. “Deal's off, Draco,” she hissed. “I want to be released from our binding spell.”

Draco took in her appearance, pink trench open to reveal a satin slip underneath that fell mid-thigh. “You came all this way to tell me this?” he asked.

“The muggle jeweler we went to was attacked by a diamond choker in your mother's collection,” she explained angrily.

“What?!” He had the nerve to look genuinely surprised.

“I'm under investigation by the aurors, so are you! Draco, that's a serious offense. We could go to a wizarding prison because of this!” she shrieked.

“My mum doesn't own jewelry such as that. They lower the value of them, she only likes genuine gems,” he replied.

“Why should I believe you?” she sneered. “You're a Malfoy!” she spat and he winced. “You pride yourselves on harming and degrading muggles and, and mudbloods!”

He grabbed her forearms and yanked her against him. “Never speak ill of me or my mother,” he said in a slow and threatening voice.

Hermione didn't back down as she gazed up at him fiercely. “I want out of this arrangement,” she said firmly.

“They're called Unbreakables for a reason,” he replied coolly. “Believe me, if I knew how to release you from it, I would. I'm getting sick of associating myself with a mudblood as yourself.”

“I could tell when you kissed me the other night,” she narrowed her eyes as she said this.

Draco looked at her for a long time before releasing a quiet snort. “Believe me, that will never happen again.” He let her go, taking in her appearance one last time. “You'd better get going. I'm sure Potty's bed is getting cold.”

SLAP!!!

Her hand stung slightly where she had made contact with his cheek. His cheek was slowly turning pink as he stared at her with an unreadable look on his face. She stepped away from him and turned to flee.

Draco turned and placed both hands on his desk. “Fuck!” he swore and wiped everything off of it. He grabbed his cloak and a small package with a card on it, both tied together with red and green ribbon and he left his room.

Hermione was too far ahead of him, he heard her apparating as he reached the cellar of Honeydukes. He covered his tracks and made his way to the alley where he too apparated.

The alley in London that he usually apparated to was only a few blocks away from the hotel where his mother was staying. It was a quiet night, snow fell silently and Draco watched it for a brief moment before continuing on his way. But almost immediately, he sensed that he was not alone. From the shadows in front of him, stepped out a familiar figure.

“Hello, Draco,” said the cool voice of his father.

*

Harry and Shacklebolt were still in the drawing room when she tiptoed past. She was upset and tired and welcomed the comfort of her own bed, slipping under the comforter and wrapping herself within it. She slowly began to cry herself to sleep. But it was a fitful and restless sleep. She only settled down when she felt the mattress sink behind her as Harry slipped in and wrapped an arm around her waist. Only then did she become calm enough to fall into a deep sleep when she heard his rhythmic breathing of rest.

~*~

“CRUCIO!!!”

“Aaaah!” Harry exclaimed as he sat upright, grabbing his scar.

“Harry, what is it?” Hermione said, startled from her sleep. He could see the grey dawn of early morning in her window.

“Lucius,” he replied. “Voldemort was very angry with Lucius Malfoy,” he gasped.

“What?” she gasped. “Harry, I thought you cleared your mind last night.”

“I did but he can still punch through if he's really angry about something,” he said with slight irritation. “Sorry,” he muttered immediately.

“We should tell Lupin,” she advised but Harry shook his head.

“I don't think it was that important,” he said. “Whenever Voldemort is pissed at his own Death Eaters, that's good news for us.”

Hermione stared at him.

“What?” he asked. “Look, I'll tell him later. I'm not going to over and knock on his door this early in the morning for this.” Hermione continued to look at him. “I swear I'll tell him!”

Satisfied, Hermione lay back down with him, nestling her head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her. Soon, she could tell he was asleep and if he could fall asleep that easy, maybe it really wasn't a big deal. Okay, well, it was a big deal but just not that big of a deal.

Harry snuck out of Hermione's room a few hours later and tiptoed down the hall. He had just about reached Ron's room when the door opened and Luna snuck out. She jumped when she saw him and Harry quickly covered her mouth as she let out a yelp of surprise.

“Shh!” he whispered and they both stayed silent for a moment until Harry removed his hand.

“Hi,” she whispered awkwardly, both of them soooo busted.

“Hi,” he whispered back, fidgeting slightly.

“So, I hear we're having French toast for breakfast,” she said, breaking the silence.

“Oh, I like toast,” he replied.

“Okay.”

“Yeah.”

They both moved past each other and on their way. Although, Harry could swear that she was faintly humming `Weasley is Our King'. He gave a silent thumbs up to Ron's door.

It was a crowded table that morning for breakfast as the Weasley twins and their parents flooed in to join them as Molly brought the food. But everyone was in good spirits and as Harry looked around the table at his friends, the Weasleys, Tonks and Lupin laughing and smiling and Hermione, beautiful at his side, he wanted to capture this moment forever, keep it forever locked in his memory and in his heart.

“Check out the newest decorations!” George said proudly, as he presented a small box at the table.

“We've nearly sold out of them and we put them out yesterday!”

Hermione took out one of the ornaments, a miniature Santa elf that stuck its tongue out at her then turned around and mooned her. Harry nearly sprayed his drink all over the table.

“You can't put these on the tree!” she exclaimed.

“Oh, they're brilliant!” Harry said cheerfully, taking another one out that made a rude gesture at him with its tiny middle finger.

“Lupin! Tonks! Potter!” Kingsley's voice rang out in the kitchen, bringing everything to a standstill.

“What is it?” Tonks replied, not hiding her dread.

“We have an incident at Hogwarts,” he replied and gasps came from the students at the table as they all stood.

“What?!”

“What happened?!”

Kingsley held up a hand, gesturing for silence. “Draco Malfoy is missing from the castle.”

“Oh…is that all?” Ron replied uncaringly as the faces around the table relaxed. Except one. Hermione slowly sat down as Harry watched her.

“I need you three up there,” Kingsley ordered them and they reluctantly left the jovial atmosphere at the table.

Out in the foyer, Harry put on his jacket. His eyes fell on Hermione's coat. Looking around him, he slipped a hand inside one pocket and then the other, pulling out her shiny Head Girl badge. He dropped it back inside then followed the others out of the door.

“The students say that they saw him at dinner last night and then again in the common room where he retired to his room. One student says she heard a commotion in his room around ten o'clock that night, shouting. His voice and a young lady's voice before she heard a door slam. There was a loud clatter after that and then nothing.” Kingsley explained to them as they made their way.

“Fight with a girlfriend?” Lupin asked.

“Maybe but none of the young women have stepped forward as the other voice in the argument,” Kingsley shook his head.

“The portrait door?” Tonks asked.

“Vaguely remembers opening the door several times but to let people out, not in.”

“Has anyone verified Ernie MacMillan's whereabouts?” Lupin asked. “When you use the Head Boy or Girl badges, the doors automatically open, no password needed.”

“I'll check in with his family. I believe he said they were in Switzerland, skiing,” Tonks offered.

“And Hermione?” Kingsley asked as Lupin and Tonks both scoffed at the notion.

“She was at Grimmauld,” Harry answered.

“Yes but all night?” he asked.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He hated lying, he wasn't sure, really. “Yeah, um, all night.” Thankfully, his lie was masked as awkwardness at having to admit that he was with Hermione all night.

~*~

Hermione hung up the delicate glass ornament on the enormous tree in the drawing room. She looked up at the clock in the room. Harry and the others had been gone half the day already. To pass the time, she made herself busy by decorating the tree, the others joined her soon after. They were laughing and joking but she just couldn't bring herself to join in. Guilt ate at her. Was she the last to speak to Draco? Did she say something that made him go out and do something stupid?

The distant sound of the front door opening brought her out of her misery and she shook her head and picked up another ornament.

“MUNDUNGUS!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?” they heard Molly shriek.

There was a loud moan of pain after that and the group scrambled out of the drawing room.

“Oh my God!” Luna gasped.

Molly and Mundungus were hovering over a pale young man covered in blood and moaning. Hermione grabbed on to the railing to steady herself. It was Draco.

“Have you gone mad?!” Ron said as he thundered down the steps.

“Why did you bring…him here?!” George said, hot on his heels.

“I couldn't just leave him to die in the alley,” Mundungus defended himself.

“But you're not supposed to apparate someone in this condition! You've made his injuries worse!” Molly scolded.

Hermione found her strength and bustled down the stairs. She knelt down next to Draco who was still moaning. His eyes fell on her.

“Hermione,” he cried in a soft whisper. She looked up at everyone standing there.

“Somebody go and find Harry!” she ordered. “And bring Madame Pomfrey right away. We can't take him to St. Mungo's in this condition.” Draco reached out for her, coughing up blood as he did so. “Draco,” she said to him in a stern but gentle voice. “It's very important that you do not move, okay?” She looked back up at everyone. “GO!” Everyone scattered.

She was left alone with him. Her knee was by his side and she looked down to see an odd shape in his pocket. She gingerly reached in and pulled out a wrapped package with an envelope wrapped in red and green ribbon. There was only one word on the card: Mum. Hermione bit her lip. He left to give his mother her Christmas present. She took the package and stuffed it underneath her sweater as she heard people coming back.

“Can we give him anything?” Ginny asked, looking down at him as he winced in pain.

Draco raised his head and coughed, spraying out blood as Ginny, Luna, Neville and Ron jumped back. He moaned loudly. With trembling hands, Hermione ripped open his shirt and the girls gasped.

His chest was black and blue, and as she peeled back the shirt, blood poured out of a cut on his lower left side. Instinctively, she placed her hand on it, putting pressure on it and ignoring the sticky warmth that flowed beneath her hand.

“Somebody give me something!” she called out to her friends. “A clean rag or something.”

Neville quickly took off his sweater then tugged the t-shirt underneath off, handing that to Ginny who snatched it and did a quick cleaning charm on it before giving it to Hermione.

“I've never seen someone die,” Ron said softly when he saw Hermione's blood covered hand when she put the t-shirt over Draco's deep wound. Draco hissed in pain.

“Shut up, Ron,” Hermione said softly. “He's not going to die,” she whispered.

The front door opened and the rest of the morning's company came running in accompanied by Madame Pomfrey. Harry stared down at Draco bleeding in the foyer and he was forcibly reminded of the time that he cast the Sectumsempra curse on him.

“Oh my goodness!” Madame Pomfrey shrieked. “What happened?”

“I found him like this in the alley,” Mundungus explained. “I couldn't leave him there bleeding to death so I brought him here.”

“You shouldn't have apparated him,” Molly hissed.

“You apparated?” Madame Pomfrey looked at him. “His injuries could be worse. Let's move him to a bed, gently,” she emphasized.

Hermione moved over as Arthur, Mundungus, Kingsley and Lupin stepped forward. “On three,” Lupin said. “One…two…three.”

Draco groaned loudly as they moved him carefully up the stairs to an empty bedroom that Madame Pomfrey could work in. The others followed behind and watched as they rested him on the bed.

Hermione looked over at her friends standing in the doorway, watching what was going on. Draco reached out and grabbed her wrist. “Don't leave…Hermione,” he coughed. “I don't want to die.” Hermione looked back to Harry, seeing his face for only a moment before Molly shut the door.

~*~

It was quiet in the drawing room as the Gryffindors and Luna sat, doing their best to keep their minds off the dying teen in the room across the hall. The door would open once in awhile when Molly would go and get hot water and clean towels. In that small moment when the door was opened, they could hear Draco crying out.

“Who do you think did that to him?” Luna asked softly.

“Who cares?” Ron shrugged, although it was said without conviction.

Harry was sitting behind a desk, quiet and pensive, with his feet propped up on it. He wasn't sure how long he had left Hermione last night to talk to Shacklebolt but was it enough time for Hermione to sneak out of the house and up to Hogwarts?

The door across the hall opened and Lupin, Mr. Weasley, Shacklebolt and Mundungus filed out. The teens stood, except for Harry as Lupin walked in.

“Is he…,” Neville asked, unable to finish the sentence.

“No,” Lupin replied. “He'll recover although it will take some time. Madame Pomfrey has given him a powerful sleeping draught. He'll not wake up until sometime tomorrow.”

“He's staying here until then?” Harry asked. Lupin shifted uneasily. “Do you think that's wise?”

“Harry we can't move him to St. Mungo's just yet.”

Harry frowned and got to his feet. “Where's Hermione?”

“She's down the hall in the loo cleaning up.” Harry nodded and set out to find her.

He could hear the water running from the other side of the door and he slowly opened it. Hermione was standing in front of the sink, vigorously washing her hands. The white porcelain was stained with splashes of pink. Harry stepped in and closed the door behind him.

“Are you okay?” he asked, leaning against the wall next to her.

“I'm fine,” she answered automatically. Harry looked down and saw that her hands were red and raw from the hot water and the repeated washing with the soap.

“Hermione,” he said. She seemed to ignore him. “Hermione,” he repeated. She still ignored him. He reached over and turned off the faucet and grabbed her hands. “They're clean, Hermione,” he said, turning her to face him.

Her lower lip trembled and her face crumpled as she collapsed on the floor in tears. Harry sat down on the floor with her.

“They, uh,” he began slowly, “they said that he had a visitor last night. A Slytherin third year heard him arguing with a girl in his room.” He paused a moment and Hermione sniffled, filling the silence. “Was that you?” he asked.

She didn't say anything for the longest time and Harry considered go about another way but she finally spoke up. “I asked him to…negate, to go back on, what we,” she gestured between the two of them, “talked about awhile ago.”

Harry sighed. “You asked him to release you from your Fidelius or Unbreakable? Oh, Hermione…” He reached out to her, bringing her into his arms. He had asked some of the best aurors about those charms and vows and so far, no one had given him any hope on how to break her free from him.

“Sometimes when we feel cornered and trapped we do things that…we regret later on,” he said to her. “We lash out and--.”

“I didn't do this to him,” she looked up at him fiercely. “I swear I didn't. You know I couldn't do something like this.”

Harry looked at her. It was so easy to think that she would do something like that because Harry had daydreamed about pummeling the shit out of the ferret since he had learned that he had Hermione in a bind.

“Did he say who did this to him?” he asked.

Hermione shook her head. “He couldn't say much but…I think I have an idea who,” she looked up at him. “His father,” she finished. Harry let Hermione's guess sink into him.

“The things I said to him when I left,” she sniffled softly.

Harry cradled her face in his hands. “Hermione, look at me,” he said. “You always want to see the best in people, to believe that there is some good in them.” Hermione closed her eyes and let a tear fall as her lip trembled. “It's one of the things about you that's…you. A part of you that I admire.” He smiled softly at her before his face became serious again. “But there are some people in this world who are what they are and you cannot change them. There are people out there that do not have any good inside them. Trust me, I know,” he said grimly. “And I don't want to see you destroy yourself by wasting the goodness in you on them. It's a waste of a precious gift.”

That night, Hermione couldn't sleep. Images of Draco bleeding his life out before her eyes were permanently etched in her mind. Many times she had visited Harry in the hospital wing, his body bruised and battered and it ate at her, tugged at her heartstrings. But never before could she think it was possible for a father to do that to his own son. She was sure it was Lucius, the way he and his mother spoke about him, the hardness in Draco's grey eyes when he spoke about him. Lucius was searching for Narcissa for whatever reason and would use her Achilles heel, their son, to smoke her out. How any parent could do that to their own child was beyond her. She thought of her own happy childhood filled with warm and pleasant memories of her parents. She thought of what Ron's must have been like with parents that loved him like the Weasleys. She thought of the stolen one that should have been Harry's with his parents, the happy one filled with love instead of the cold and abusive one with the Dursleys. She thought of Draco's and wondered if that was how his childhood had been.

She gave up on sleep and tossed off the covers, the cool air causing her skin to goosebump. She put on a robe and some slippers and left her room, tiptoeing down the stairs. She opened the door to the room where Draco was staying and found Madame Pomfrey was awake and quietly reading a book.

“Hello Miss Granger,” she said in a quiet voice. Hermione smiled slightly then her eyes shifted to the bed. “The first twenty-four hours are critical,” Madame Pomfrey explained. “I want to be sure all the potions and charms are indeed working.”

“How is he?” she asked.

“He's doing much better than I assumed he would,” she replied.

Hermione nodded. “Would it be okay if I stayed and visited?” she asked.

“There's a chair over there,” Madame Pomfrey said, nodding to a chair in the corner. Hermione walked over to it and sat down, curling her legs under her as she stared at the still young man lying on the bed.

She must have fallen asleep at some point.

“Hermione. Hermione, wake up,” Tonks said, gently shaking her. Hermione looked up at her, blinking rapidly. She sat up straight in the chair and looked around her. Madame Pomfrey was gone but Mrs. Weasley was in her place. Draco was still lying silent and still in the bed.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“Almost eight,” Tonks replied. “Breakfast is ready, are you hungry? Everyone is downstairs.”

She got out of the chair and stretched. “Yeah, I'll go down.”

Everyone was indeed up and chatting away at the kitchen table. She went to the cabinet, got a plate and served herself some breakfast. She plopped herself down at an empty spot across from Harry who slid a hot cup of coffee in front of her.

“Thank you,” she said to him.

He gave her a small smile. “You weren't in your room this morning,” he said in a low voice. “Rough night?”

“I couldn't get back to sleep,” she replied. “Images of Draco bleeding to death are forever etched in my mind.”

Harry frowned sympathetically. “I'm sorry you had to witness that. Images of death never really go away and I'm not sure they get any easier over time,” he said in a far off voice. “I guess you just sort of expect the painful memory so it doesn't seem as shocking anymore.”

Hermione knew he was speaking of his godfather and Dumbledore, both murders he had witnessed. She reached out for him and he met her hand halfway across the table, giving it a gentle squeeze.

~*~

He felt as if he were underwater. He could hear muffled voices and he felt as if he were swimming in darkness, swimming toward the light above. Then he surfaced and his eyes fluttered open.

He didn't recognize this room. It was softly lit, there was wallpaper in the room decorated in soft pink vertical stripes with little flowers on it. How tacky. His tongue felt thick and dry, there was a bitter taste in his mouth and when he swallowed, his throat burned painful. But he was very thirsty.

“Where am I?” he said in a soft and raspy whisper. Two faces suddenly hovered over him, Madame Pomfrey and…Weasley's mum?! His eyes widened with the realization that he was no longer in Hogwarts. Images came at him in a rush and he remembered his father's sneering face, the Crucios delivered, the boot that collided with his body, hitting his head, his ribs, his stomach, his legs. He knew he was going to die alone out there. Then he remembered someone picking him up, he smelled strongly of tobacco. He felt himself apparating and then pain, pain like his insides were being ripped out. He wanted to pass out from the pain but he was afraid that he would never wake up.

Then he saw her face. Hermione Granger's face hovering above him and he clung to her like a buoy in a turbulent sea. She had blood on her and he knew it was his, how much had he lost? He remembered feeling very cold and the pain, the pain. Then…darkness.

Now he felt as if he had awoken in some weird parallel universe.

“Hermione?” he croaked.

Madame Pomfrey nodded to Mrs. Weasley who left the room.

“He's awake,” Molly announced to those that were sitting in the drawing room, carrying on in their usual evening activity. Harry and Hermione were sitting at a table.

“Has he said anything?” Harry asked. “Does he know where he's at?”

Molly shook her head as she walked to them and placed a gentle hand on Hermione's arm. “He's asked for you dear,” she said softly.

“Oh,” she replied and looked at Harry who shook his head. “Um, okay,” she said uneasily as she got to her feet and crossed the room, feeling all eyes on her. Harry stopped her just outside of the room.

“What do you think you're doing?” he hissed at her.

“What am I supposed to do, Harry?” she replied harshly, yanking her arm from him.

She opened the door to the room, feeling Harry's eyes burning into her. Draco was sitting up as Madame Pomfrey was giving him a cup of cool water.

“Easy…small sips,” she was saying to him.

Hermione stepped forward into view when he was done. He looked up at her then at Madame Pomfrey. “Could we?” She nodded and left the room.

“I'll be just outside,” she said and closed the door.

“Where am I?” Draco asked her as Hermione took a seat on a chair by his bed.

“I can't tell you,” she replied. “But you are safe here.” Although I would stay away from Harry at the moment.

“I have to get out of here,” Draco said. “You have to get me out of here.”

“Draco I can't move you. Your injuries…you're still healing. You could do some serious damage,” she replied.

Draco shook his head. “You don't understand…I have to leave. My father. He'll find my mother.” He shook his head again and blinked his eyes. “What's the matter with me?”

“There's a sleeping draught in the water,” she answered him. “You need it to help you heal.”

“I have to get out of here. My father found me only a few blocks away from my mother. He'll find her. I know it.” He was feeling very tired and his eyelids began to close involuntarily.

“I'll go,” Hermion said. “I'll move her.”

Draco's eyes shot open. “NO! Hermione don't! My father!” He felt as if he were being pushed underwater again, the darkness overcoming him as he flailed wildly in his dream state, screaming Hermione's name, fighting to get to the surface.

-->

31. The Reluctant Hero

The Reluctant Hero

Someone told me love will all save us.

But how can that be, look what love gave us.

A world full of killing, and blood-spilling

That world never came.

And they say that a hero can save us.

I'm not gonna stand here and wait.

I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles.

Watch as we all fly away.

(Hero—by Nickelback)

~*~

Hermione threw on a pair of jeans and a cream colored jumper before tying her hair back in a ponytail. She had to work quickly. She opened up her nightstand and pulled out the gift that Draco was on his way to deliver to his mother. She fumbled around the cluttered drawer some more until she found the small tracking device that Harry had given her.

She wasn't completely stupid.

Lucius Malfoy, Death Eater extraordinaire, was on the prowl and very close to finding Narcissa Malfoy. Though why was still a mystery. One she would never find the answer to if she didn't find her and move her quickly. She quickly made her way downstairs, darting past the drawing room and grabbing her coat before she opened the front door.

Harry looked up from the chessboard and looked at Ron. “Did you hear that?” he asked.

Ron looked up at him. “Hear what?”
“HERMIONE!!!!”

Draco's scream startled everyone and Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. “What in the world?” Ron said.

Harry ran into the room where Draco was healing and saw Lupin and Tonks holding Malfoy down while Madame Pomfrey held a vial of potion in her hands.

“Okay, he's back under,” she announced and the two of them backed away.

No, I'm not under you stupid idiots. Wake me up! I have to go after her!

“Where's Hermione,” Harry asked, seeing that she was not in the room.

“She left a moment ago,” Madame Pomfrey answered.

What?! No! Potty, you have to go and find her. Bring her back.

“She left the room?” he asked again and Madame Pomfrey nodded. He looked to Draco's sleeping form. You asshole, what did you tell her to do?

He ran up to her room calling out her name. “Hermione?” Ron came out to meet him.

“Harry, what's going on?” he asked.

Harry turned to his best friend. “Find Hermione.” He ran past him and down the steps to the foyer where their coats were all hung up. Hermione's, of course, was missing. Harry cursed under his breath and ran back up the stairs to her room.

The nightstand drawer had been pulled out and rummaged through. His eyes fell on the small grey box he had given her that contained the tracking device. It was empty. He dashed up to his room to retrieve the Locator.

“Harry what is going on?” Lupin demanded, meeting him on the stairs as he headed down.

“Hermione left. I think Draco sent her out to do something for him,” he replied.

“Harry, wait,” Lupin said but Harry shook his head.

“I have to find her,” he said.

Tonks popped up behind Lupin. “Then we'll go with you.”

“Me too,” Ron stepped forward.

Harry shook his head. “No, I need someone I can trust here to keep an eye on the Ferret.” Ron reluctantly nodded his head and Harry continued on his way. “Hey Harry?” he called out.

“Yeah?”

“Be careful.”

Harry turned and walked out of the Grimmauld Place. Luna Lovegood stepped out of the shadows and opened up the door just a sliver, just wide enough to overhear the conversation being held on the front steps as Harry put on his jacket.

“Where do you suppose she went?” Tonks asked.

“We'll start at the alley where Draco was caught. Something tells me she started there as well. She took the tracking device with her so I will be able to locate her.” Harry was explaining. There was the sound of apparation, three cracks then silence. She looked up once in the direction of the drawing room, then grabbed her coat and stepped outside.

~*~

“What are you doing here?”

Narcissa stared at Hermione when she opened the door, clearly surprised to see her standing in front of her. She looked down the hall to see if Draco had come with her but Hermione pushed her back into the room.

“We don't have a lot of time,” she explained, grabbing a suitcase and throwing things inside. Narcissa stared at her a moment.

“Where's Draco?” she asked softly.

Hermione looked up at her and paused slightly before reaching into her coat for the package he was trying to bring to his mother. Narcissa looked at the package then collapsed into a chair.

“Lucius found him only a few blocks from this hotel,” Hermione explained. Narcissa's hand began to tremble violently as she raised it to her forehead. Hermione stuffed the gift back into her jacket pocket. “He's okay. He's safe but he isn't able to come right now.”

“What did he do to him? What did he do to my baby?” Narcissa asked in a hissed whisper.

“Mrs. Malfoy—“

“Don't call me that!” she said waspishly to Hermione.

“Narcissa,” Hermione said instead, “we need to get going. Lucius is so close to finding you—“

“Make that…found.”

Hermione whirled around and Narcissa shot up out of her chair as Lucius and two other Death Eaters walked into the room. Hermione raised her wand but they struck first, the second one disarming her while she blocked the first one's strike. Hermione stepped back as Draco's father stepped forward.

“Hello darling,” Lucius said with a sneer. “Did you miss me?” Narcissa backed away from him, terrified and shaking, taking Hermione with her. “Search the room,” he ordered.

Hermione watched as the two Death Eaters emptied all of Narcissa's luggage, emptied all the drawers, overturned furniture. Someone had to be hearing all this and soon the muggle hotel staff will come inspecting. Then what? The Death Eater's would take them out without a moment's thought.

“Apparition not working?” Lucius asked and Hermione realized he was talking to Narcissa. “This room has anti-apparition wards on it as well as a silencing charm. Do not worry. No one will find you.”

Hermione didn't know why she said it, maybe to give herself some comfort but she couldn't help the words that came out of her mouth. “Harry will,” she said defiantly. “Harry will find me.”

Lucius raised an eyebrow. “Potter?!” he said disbelieving. “Do you honestly believe that bumbling teenager will come and save you?” He laughed and the other Death Eaters joined in. “Dumbledore was an idiot that believed the same thing and look what happened to him. You are all idiots if you believe that that half-blood teenager has the power to defeat the greatest wizard of all.” Hermione narrowed her eyes.

“It's not here,” one of the Death Eaters said.

Lucius turned to Narcissa. “Where is it?” he asked.

“What are you talking about?” she replied impatiently.

He slowly walked toward the two of them and to Hermione's surprise, Narcissa took a hold of her wrist and stepped in front of her.

“If it's not in this room,” Lucius said slowly, “then maybe it's on one of them.” Narcissa backed the two of them up and Hermione hit the fire extinguisher sharply. “We'll search them. I'll take the mudblood, you two can search my wife.”

Lucius reached out for the two of them but Narcissa grabbed a glass tumbler from the table next to her and smashed it against the side of her husband's head. He fell to the floor and cried out in pain as the other two Death Eaters came for them. Hermione quickly turned around and grabbed the fire extinguisher, spraying its contents on the two surprised wizards.

Narcissa and Hermione dashed out of the room and sprinted down the hall to the elevator at the end. The fates were good to them. Hermione jabbed the down button and the doors opened immediately.

“NARCISSA!!” Lucius roared as he stumbled out of the room, face bloodied.

Hermione and Narcissa scrambled into the elevator as a spell flew over their heads and hit the wall of the elevator. Narcissa cried out in terror as Hermione hit the “L” button for the lobby then the “Close Doors” button repeatedly as they heard Lucius coming closer. With a frustrated yell the doors closed then there was a thump as Lucius hit them angrily.

“Calling all aurors on call,” came a crackly voice from somewhere inside Tonks' robes and she came to a halt as she pulled out her Auror badge. “There is a disturbance at the Four Season's hotel, code 5389, unauthorized use of magic in a muggle place of business.”

“That's it!” Harry exclaimed. “That's where Hermione went. I know it.”

“It's only down the block and around the corner,” Lupin added and the three of them ran.

When they turned the corner, they saw muggle police cars and Shacklebolt disguised as one of the captains.

“What happened?” Tonks asked, immediately approaching him. He looked at them in surprise, especially Harry.

“What are you three doing here?” he asked.

“Hermione,” Harry explained. “She's in there. What did she do? She knows better than to cast spells in front of muggles.”

“I'm not sure that it is Hermione,” Shacklebolt said uneasily. “We have reports of at least three different spells that were cast at the same time in an incident on the thirty-fifth floor. But don't worry, we cast an anti-apparation spell over the entire hotel.”

“You did what?” Harry stepped forward. “If Hermione is trying to get away from whoever cast these spells, you've trapped her in this building!”

“Harry, we believe that there may be Death Eater's in there. Now what Hermione is doing in this hotel, I don't know but we have a chance to capture some Death Eaters and that takes priority here,” Shacklebolt lectured at Harry's incensed face that became angrier with every word spoken.

“Sir,” another auror disguised as a muggle policeman stepped forward, “we are entering the stairs.” Without a word to the three of them, Shacklebolt turned and left them.

“Come on,” Tonks said quietly as they walked into the hotel unseen by the other aurors.

Harry led them to the elevators where a small crowd stood to use them. It seemed as if no one had any idea what was going on inside this hotel, they just went about as business as usual. Harry assumed that that was the idea. After all, the wizarding world had gone on and thrived right underneath their noses.

“This will take forever,” Tonks sighed, staring up at the grid that had the floors lit up with the elevators' progress.

“We can't take the stairs,” Lupin said patiently. A muggle woman stared disapprovingly at Tonk's red and green hair, Harry's own wild hair and Lupin's tattered clothes.

Suddenly, there were gasps in the crowd and people crying out, “What happened?” and “Good heavens, are there people inside?”

Harry looked up at the light boards above the elevators, all of them looked normal except for one. While all the others where gradually making their descent, one was falling. Thirty-three, thirty-two, thirty-one, all of those buttons lit rapidly. The air seemed to leave Harry's lungs and he knew, just knew, that Hermione was on that elevator.

The doors to the lift next to the wonky one opened and Harry dashed in with Tonks and Lupin hot on his heels. No one seemed to care, their attentions were horrifiedly fixed on the elevator that was free-falling.

Hermione and Narcissa sighed in relief when the doors closed before Lucius could reach them. Hermione let out a breath she'd been holding and concentrated on the front of the hotel. But she found that she couldn't apparate.

“I can't apparate!” Narcissa said, breathless.

“Neither can I,” Hermione replied. “I think they put an anti-apparition ward over the entire hotel.”

There was an odd scraping sound heard far over them then a metallic ping. The elevator came to a jarring stop. “What was that?” Narcissa asked in a whisper. Hermione shook her head.

There was another metallic ping and Hermione felt as if her stomach had jumped into her throat as the elevator suddenly moved. With horror, Hermione realized that they were falling. Narcissa screamed. Hermione looked at the elevator panel and saw that none of the buttons were lit up. There was a red plastic sign that read EMERGENCY BRAKE. She ripped open the panel and pushed the bright red button.

There was a spine-irritating sound of metal scraping on metal and the distinct odor of burning oil of some sort as the elevator slowed and came to a stop. For a moment, neither woman moved as if afraid that any slight movement would send the elevator back into a freefall.

“We have to get out of here,” Hermione whispered and bravely stepped to the lift's doors. Narcissa followed her and the two women tried to pry open the elevator doors.

“Wait!” Narcissa said, stopping Hermione. “Did you hear that?”

There was a muffled whooshing sound then a loud bang as the carriage shook and Narcissa screamed. “Oh my God, they're attacking us!” Hermione said as she felt the lift fall a little. “He's taking out the brakes!”

“Lift me up!” Harry said as he blasted away the roof panel of the lift. Lupin stepped forward and gave him a leg up.

“Be careful!” Lupin called up to him.

The shaft was poorly lit and he was careful not to touch the cables that were moving feverishly as the ascended in the hotel. He could see sparks above him and the sound of metal scraping as the rogue elevator came to a slow stop.

“Harry!” Tonks called his attention and he reached down and pulled Tonks up then together they both pulled Lupin up.

“She's in there,” Harry said, pointing to the smoking lift above them as they approached it.

“How do you know it's Hermione in there?” he asked.

“REDUCTO!!” came a rough male voice above them and Harry saw the spell hit the lift. There was a woman's scream and the lift fell a little. Tonks clutched onto Harry's arm painfully. Harry drew his wand.

“Expelliarmus!” he said and he heard somewhere swear loudly moments before a wand and two more wand blasts from another Reducto hit the carriage.

Hermione screamed as she felt momentarily weightless before the elevator finally gave way and began to fall again. Harry heard her scream as the elevator whooshed past them.

“HARRY!!” Lupin shouted as Harry leapt off his lift and hurtled down after the one Hermione was on.

“Impedimenta!” Harry said, pointing his wand to the lift below him that slowed then stopped. He landed with a thud on top of it and rolled off of the side, catching himself as he dangled in the air with one hand. His wand fell away from him into the dark well below. He got his grip with both hands and pulled himself back up.

He heard wand blasts above him as Lupin and Tonks dueled with the Death Eaters above them. “Heads up, Harry!” Tonks yelled and a moment later a Death Eater fell to his death, landing on the suspended carriage. His momentum from the fall broke the spell Harry had put on it and it began to fall again.

Hermione didn't know much more she could take with the lift falling, stopping, falling, stopping. She and Narcissa fell back to the floor and huddled together.

Harry pushed the dead man off of the lift, flattening himself against the roof and holding on for dear life. “Accio wand!” he said aloud.

Hermione looked up sharply. She thought she heard someone shouting, a familiar voice.

It seemed as if forever until his wand flew into his hand but as soon as his fingers made contact Harry stood and cast the Impedimenta on the lift again, brining it to stop.

Narcissa whimpered and Hermione didn't dare breathe. Both women cried out in fear when the panel above them opened, expecting the Avada Kedavra. But instead they heard…

“Hermione!”

She opened her eyes to see Harry's face looming in the space where the panel was. She got to her feet.

“Harry! Harry get us out of here!”

He reached down and pulled a terrified Narcissa out. Lupin and Tonks must have sent their lift back down because they pulled up next to Harry. He quickly handed Narcissa over to them. He went back and reached for Hermione, pulling her out. She was just about to get on the other elevator when someone screamed out, “Watch out!”

A wand blast came out of nowhere and deflected a final Reducto that was sent their way. Harry yanked Hermione back just in time, causing them both to fall and the carriage to wobble violently and drop two floors before stopping again. Harry knew the Impedimenta wasn't going to hold for very long and he pointed his wand up as rope shot out of it. He wrapped an arm around Hermione just as the lift fell away.

“Narcissa!” Harry heard Lupin yell. “Lower the lift!”

Harry and Hermione dangled in the air, her arms wrapped around his neck while he held on to her waist with his available arm.

“I knew you would come,” she whispered to him, her face looking up at his. Harry looked at her, elation and relief in his eyes as he bent his head and kissed her.

Luna took the picture then lowered the camera from her face, her Quick Quotes quill scribbled furiously at her side. She had remained hidden in the shaft, watching the action take place before her as she perched herself precariously on a ledge. She had nearly given herself up when she called out to them and drew her wand to deflect the spell that nearly hit Hermione.

But now as she looked at Harry with an arm around Hermione as they dangled in the air, hope swelled within her. Hope that good truly did triumph over evil. Hope that there really was still good in this world. Hope that the wizarding world did stand a chance against Lord Voldemort. Hope that a hero had been born in Harry Potter.

~*~

Harry waited in the lobby of a different muggle hotel as Hermione checked Narcissa in. Tonks had gone back to her old hotel room in the chaos of everything to steal her bag that had all of her muggle money in it. As soon as she was checked in, they apparated back to Grimmauld Place.

“Hermione!” Ron exclaimed when he saw her. “Oh Hermione, where have you been? Everyone's out looking for you!” He enveloped her in a hug as her other friends joined in.

The euphoria that Hermione was alive faded in Harry and now he was downright pissed.

“Harry, wait!” Hermione called out to him as he walked away. She reached for him and turned him around. He was so angry and she saw that on his face. He didn't trust himself to say something that he couldn't later take back. He yanked his arm from her and walked away.

“Let him go,” Lupin said behind her. Hermione turned to see everyone looking at her, demanding an explanation. Her face crumpled into tears and she fled to her room.

Harry burst into the room Draco was staying in, startling the now awake Draco who was stumbling over his words to explain something to Molly.

“Harry!” she said at his appearance. “Maybe you can understand what he's talking about?”

Harry turned to Malfoy who looked back at him. “Potty, I've been trying to explain to this dim-witted woman that she has to let me go. I have to get out of here and…”

“Get out,” Harry said in a quiet voice.

“Harry?” Molly asked him.

“Mrs. Weasley, please.”

She glanced between the two young men then reluctantly left the room.

“Potter, listen to me you stupid…”

“Shut up,” Harry said in a deadly calm voice. Draco stared at him as he slowly approached his bed.

“Potter, I don't have time for this. We have to find Hermione…”

“I said, Shut Up.”

“She could be in danger and—“

He didn't have time to finish before Harry reached out with both hands and yanked Malfoy out of the bed, slamming him against the hard wood floor. He winced in pain as he head made contact. He let out a whimper of pain as Harry knelt next to him, shoving his knee into his already tender and healing chest. Harry's wand was at his throat.

“She was in danger, you stupid fuck!” he hissed at the ferret. His eyes were wild with anger and hate. “She and your mother were nearly killed tonight and your father got away.”

“What?” Malfoy stammered.

“I want you to stay the fuck away from Hermione,” Harry said, pressing his wand against the ferret's throat. “Don't speak to her, don't touch her, don't even look in her direction, do you understand me?”

Malfoy smirked. “That's going to be a little difficult considering she promised to help me.”

Harry pressed his knee harder on his chest and Draco cried out. “Then release her from that promise.”

“Sorry, can't do that,” Draco gasped in pain. Harry stared at him, wishing he could make him suffer, wishing he could force him into it. “Go ahead,” Draco teased. “You want into my mind? Go ahead, do it.” Harry looked away from him. “Afraid of what you'll find Potty? Or was Dumbledore so incompetent as to not teach you how to do it?”

Harry looked back at him sharply.

He stumbled into his mind and immediately came upon an image of Draco standing in front of Hermione in a hallway at Hogwarts. “How many points get taken away for this?” he asked and he bent over and kissed Hermione.

Harry staggered away from Malfoy who slowly sat up and rubbed his chest. “Oh, she didn't tell you?” he asked Harry with a sneer on his face.

Harry staggered out of the room, the image of Draco and Hermione kissing replayed over and over.

“Hermione? Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?” Ginny asked from the other side of Hermione's closed bedroom door. Harry hustled up there.

“Is she in there?” he asked opening the door.

Hermione was lying down on her bed crying but sat up immediately when she saw him enter her room. He slammed the door behind him in Ginny's face.

“Harry,” Hermione called out to him but he held up a hand. He looked even angrier than she last saw him. He began to pace back and forth in front of her bed, looking at her with hurt and rage on his face. He had never looked at her like that before.

“Harry, please talk to me,” she said in a small voice.

“When were you going to tell me?” he finally spat out.

“Harry, I had to get her out of there quickly,” she explained.

He swooped down on her and grabbed her shoulders. “I'm not talking about Narcissa!” he yelled at her. “I'm talking about your little make-out session with the Ferret!”

“W-what?” Hermione stammered.

He shoved a finger in her face. “Don't even think about lying to me Hermione. I went into his mind. I saw it, he showed it to me. You two…KISSING…in the halls!” He let go of her and she plopped back onto the bed.

“We weren't kissing!” she shot back, jumping to her feet.

“Don't lie to me, Hermione!”

“He kissed me! I didn't kiss him back! Didn't he show you how I ran away from him?”

“Why didn't you tell me about this?” he demanded.

“Because I knew you would react like this Harry. I didn't want you to get into trouble because of what you would do to him.”

“Like rip out his throat like I so badly want to right now?” he yelled. “Why are you protecting him?”

“I'm protecting you! I had just got you back Harry. I didn't want something to happen that would take you away from me again.” Tears began to fall down her face.

Harry stomped over to her and she cowered away on the bed again. “You are going to show me everything, EVERYTHING!” he shouted into her face. She nodded meekly and fearfully.

His emotions were running high as he stumbled into Hermione's mind. He saw an image of himself rescuing Hermione earlier in the door closest to him. “Harry,” he heard her voice, “something's wrong. I don't feel well.”

“You're supposed to feel dizzy. Just relax, Hermione,” he said with no emotion as he continued on his way, seeing her relaxing with her mother on what he assumed was the deck of the boat he had sent her away on. He saw the image of Draco kissing Hermione and Hermione backing away. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and he looked behind him in the darkened corridor he had just walked past. There was nothing there.

Harry wasn't sure how far back he should go, he didn't know exactly when Hermione became bound to Draco. He trotted forward, careful not to pass the door up. Passing images of Hermione and him making love, their first kiss, she and Draco in an elevator. He must be getting closer. There was an image of Ginny receiving the flowers he sent by owl and a pang of guilt went through him.

He suddenly stopped.

In front of him were two closed doors. He stepped in front of one and opened it. It was the same image he had seen in Ron's mind. He couldn't help the small flare of jealousy that coursed through him at seeing his best friend snogging the hell out of his girlfriend. But he had made his peace with it and he stepped out of the room and closed the door. Again, the prickly sensation came over him but there was no one around him. He stepped to the other door and turned the knob.

It didn't budge.

Harry turned the knob and tried to push the door open again, getting the same result. This had to be the door then. He shoved his shoulder against the door over and over again but he didn't get any result.

“Need help?” came a cold voice as Harry tried again. He tried to stop his momentum but the moment his shoulder collided with the door, it gave.

He heard Hermione scream and the room and corridor began to shake violently. Harry looked back to see Voldemort standing in the corridor, clinging to the wall for balance. The expression on his face showed that he was equally stunned and surprised by what was going on around him.

“What the hell are you doing in her mind?” Harry screamed at him, clinging to the doorway.

“I followed you, Harry,” Voldemort explained with a sick grin on his face. “Learn to rid yourself of emotions before going into anyone's mind, Harry. You leave other doors open. Prying are we?”

“Get out of here!” Harry shouted, reaching for his wand and finding that he didn't have it with him. Voldemort laughed at him.

“It's just our minds in here, Harry. You want me out, you have to get out as well.”

The corridor of Hermione's mind gave another violent tremble and he and Voldemort grasped the wall to stay upright. “HARRY!” Hermione screamed.

Harry looked over at his struggling nemesis then sprinted down the corridor past him. Voldemort reached out and grabbed his ankle, tripping him up.

“Every second you're in her head, you're killing the mudblood for me. Do you think I'm going to let you go that easy?” he said with a maniacal grin. Harry kicked out violently at him. He couldn't be killing Hermione. He just couldn't be.

There was a sound of wood splintering and Harry looked back at the corridor he hadn't explored yet and saw doors flying out of their hinges as a wall of water came rushing down the hall. Voldemort let go of him as Harry's foot made contact with his head. Again, Harry got to his feet and sprinted down the corridor as the wall of water lapped at his heels. He could feel it swell around his ankles, then his calves and he finally looked down.

He screamed when he realized that it was not water that was flooding around him but blood. Hermione's blood. He really was killing her.

“You're not going anywhere!” Voldemort hissed as he grabbed Harry again. He fought him off only to be punched in the face and knocked to the ground. He was drenched in blood and staggered to his feet in horror. Voldemort rammed into him with his shoulder and shoved him against the wall. “You aren't going anywhere until she dies, Potter!”

Harry's fist collided with Voldemort's nose. He howled painfully and backed away. Harry lunged for him, wrapping his hands around his throat and shoving him under the river of blood. “We're getting the fuck out of here!” he screamed. Voldemort's hands flailed wildly, hitting at his hands, face, arms, anything. But Harry didn't waver. He was determined to drown the Dark Lord.

Suddenly, there was a searing pain in his right hand and he cried out. His injured hand let go of Voldemort's neck on reflex and he looked to his right to see Isis hovering next to him, fangs out.

“Isis?” Harry breathed out. How did she get here? Was she really on Voldemort's side all this time?

“HARRY!!!!” Isis hissed angrily. “LET HER GO!!”

Harry looked down and saw that Voldemort was no longer under him, it was Hermione. He was back in her room. Her hands were on his chest, pushing him away, terror in her eyes before they rolled into the back of her head. Her hands fell away from his chest as he let go of her neck.

Her bedroom door burst open and Lupin, Tonks and Ron spilled into the room. There was chaos in the house. He heard Draco screaming from the room below and the sound of footfalls as people scrambled about. The three of them stared at Harry.

“GET THE FUCK OFF OF HER!!” Ron screamed as he darted forward and flung Harry off of Hermione with a force he didn't know his friend had.

“I didn't mean it!” Harry wailed. “I swear I didn't mean to hurt her!” he said as Ron pummeled him with his fists. Harry didn't fight back. He didn't want to. He was in shock. Lupin pulled Ron off of him and he heard Ginny scream as she ran into the room. Harry rolled over and looked over at Hermione.

“No!” he gasped. There was blood. Lots of it.

“No!” Tonks moaned as she gently shook her. “Hermione wake up! Wake up!!” Hermione was turning pale. Neville and the twins ran into the room and helped restrain Ron as Lupin went to Hermione's side. He moved his hands over sweater and ripped it with his bare hands, revealing the telltale injuries of the Sectumsempra on her torso.

“Get Madame Pomfrey in here. NOW!”

“Ginny!” Tonks pleaded with her. Ginny stared at Hermione then up at Harry before running out of the room.

“I swear,” Harry began to cry. “I swear I didn't mean to hurt her.”

Lupin made no motion of acknowledgement to this statement. Harry sat up slowly.

“Harry do not move,” Lupin growled at him. “George,” he said and George stood in front of Harry, wand drawn.

“Give me your wand, Harry,” he said reluctantly. Harry looked up at George in disbelief but gave over his wand anyway. This couldn't be happening. Hermione hadn't moved.

“What happened here?” Madame Pomfrey gasped when she walked into the room.

“I think she's been hit with a Sectumsempra,” Lupin said.

“The same as Mr. Malfoy?” she asked. “I just came from his room! He had the same injuries.”

“She's not breathing!” Tonks cried out.

The mediwitch bustled to the girl's side and with a wave of her wand, conjured up some device that began to pump air rhythmically into Hermione's mouth.

“Breathe child, breathe.”

“This isn't working,” Madame Pomfrey said in frustration.

“She's still bleeding,” Lupin shouted in a panicked voice.

“Hermione!” Ron wailed.

“Was she strangled?” Madame Pomfrey asked. “Her neck has bruises on it.” Lupin and Tonks looked up at Harry who had silent tears falling down his cheeks. “Her trachea could have damage. I have to find another way for her to breathe. Neville,” he stood attention at her words. “I used the last of the dittany on Mr. Malfoy's injuries. You must hurry to the Hogwart's greenhouse and get some.”

“Take my Firebolt,” Harry spoke up. “It's fast. You can use it to fly into Hogwarts when you apparate into Hogsmeade.”

“I'll go too, then,” Ron said. “I'm a better flyer than you, Neville.”

“Just go!” Madame Pomfrey said. “Quickly! We're losing her.” The boys scrambled out of the room.

“Miss Weasley, I need hot water, clean towels and my bag,” she ordered. Ginny nodded and ran out of the room. Fred followed her to help.

“Take Harry down to his room,” Lupin said to George. “Lock him in.”

“Come on, Harry,” George said as Harry got to his feet. He stared at Hermione. Her face lifeless.

He didn't even remember how he got to his room. He only realized he was standing in his own bathroom, staring at the mirror. He looked down and saw that his hands were covered in Hermione's dried blood, his clothes were soaked in her blood. Blood wetting his black t-shirt and staining his jeans. He scrambled out of the clothes as they left faint traces of the blood on his skin. He turned on the faucet and began to wash her blood off of his hands. He watched as the red streams swirled in the basin before going down the drain as easily as it left her body.

The image of his own hands wrapped around her neck flashed in his mind.

He should've researched this. That's what Hermione would've done. He should've hesitated before opening that door, he should've known that Malfoy had booby-trapped it somehow.

“She's dead,” Voldemort whispered in his head. “I felt her life slip away before we left her mind.”

“Shut up!” Harry muttered.

“Thank you for taking care of that bothersome little mudblood.”

“I'm going to hunt you down. I'll never rest until I find you and kill you with my bare hands! I swear it!” Harry threatened.

“You may have let me in her mind,” Voldemort whispered in his head, “but you were the one who opened the door.”

Harry cut off their connection and cleared his mind. He looked up at his reflection in the mirror. A swell of emotion overcame him and he punched the mirror, shattering it. He watched as his own blood from his cuts mixed with Hermione's, flowing together briefly before going down the drain together.

An anguished cry ripped from his throat as he sank to the floor. He killed Hermione. He killed her with his bare hands. Had strangled her to death as she lay bleeding underneath him. Tears blinded him and fell down his face.

Forever seemed to pass and he had no more tears left at the moment. A movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to see Isis slithering across the floor.

“Thank you,” he said softly, his throat was raw. “If you hadn't bit me…”

“Don't talk to me right now,” Isis replied in a tight voice and continued on her way.

~*~

Harry hadn't moved from the bathroom. He drifted in and out of sleep, his dreams fitful and filled with memories of Hermione. The first time he saw her on the train, her terror at seeing the troll, the heartbreak on her face when he sent her back to Hogwarts alone, the way it felt to make love to her for the first time, her cry when he broke through her barrier, the way she chewed at the end of her quill, the way it felt to bury his face in her hair as he snuggled with her in bed.

His scar stung sharply and he sat up with a jolt, his hand rubbing his forehead. “Are you okay, Harry?”

He looked up to see Neville sitting in a chair. The sun was shining into the room and he wondered how long he had been out. The gravity of the situation settled on him and he wished he had never woken up.

“She's okay, Harry,” Neville said. “She's alive.”

Relief filled Harry and his body began to shake with the sobs of gratefulness. She was alive! She was alive!

“You should get yourself looked at,” Neville said, pointing to his bloodied hand.

“I don't want to go downstairs just yet,” Harry replied somberly.

“Harry, no one believes that you would willingly do this. They just want to know what happened.”

Harry didn't answer him.

“She's resting in her room although I wouldn't go there right now. Ron's in there with her and I don't think he wants to see you at the moment.”

“I'm not ready to see her.” Harry didn't know what to say to her. Sorry for nearly killing you with my bare hands. No hard feelings.

Neville nodded then stood and left the room. Harry noticed that he didn't lock the door so Harry did it for him with a wave of his hand.

More time passed that Harry drifted in and out of sleep. Was it a dream that Neville had come to visit him?

There was a knock at the door that brought him into focus.

“Harry? It's me, Luna. Can I come in?”

He sighed and unlocked the door. She walked in with a tray of food and a folded newspaper. She set the tray down on the floor next to him and sat down with her legs tucked under her.

“You'll hear about it eventually but I wanted to be the first to tell you,” she said nervously. She moved the paper from under her arm and handed it to Harry.

It was the Quibbler, the front page had a large picture of him and Hermione dangling from a rope in the elevator shaft. There was a large headline at the top of the paper, a single word in bold lettering: HERO!!

Harry looked at the byline. “You wrote this?!” he said to her.

“I gave it to my father and he sent everyone scrambling to the presses from the hospital bed. We barely made it. Harry,” she leaned forward, “the paper sold out in half an hour and we had to scramble to put out a second batch. That one already sold out and we're still getting calls from our vendors for more.”

Harry scanned the article. “How did you…?”

“I followed you,” she replied and he looked up sharply at her. “Don't you understand, Harry? I needed to show Voldemort that he didn't destroy me or my father that the Quibbler lives on. The wizarding world needs to know that we can all move on because there truly are brighter days ahead. That there is someone who is willing to stand up to him and that person is you.”

“I'm not the only one,” he argued. “What about the Order?”

“Dumbledore represented the Order and the hope of goodness in this wizarding world. We all mourned his loss but there is nothing more we can do. We must move on and you have to move into the role that he had you groomed for, the role that was to be yours the day Voldemort killed your parents and failed to kill you. The Order needs a leader, Harry, and the wizarding world needs a hope. It's time for you to answer the call.”

Harry put the paper down and moved it away from him. “I'm not a hero, Luna. I don't know what silly delusions are in your head but if you haven't noticed, I nearly murdered my best friend and the girl I care about most in this pathetic world.”

“Every hero has his dark past, skeletons that shape his character,” Luna said patiently. “Every hero has his weakness, his Achilles' heel. Don't let this be it. You have to move past it because Hermione will not be the last. Voldemort will use this weakness against you, to cripple you. We're your friends, Harry and we'll all put our lives on the line, NOT because of you,” she added quickly, “but because we believe that good will triumph in the end and Voldemort will be destroyed.”

Harry tapped the headline of the paper. “I don't want this.”

“That's why it has to be you,” she said as she stood.

Harry watched her leave then threw the newspaper across the room.

~*~

Luna walked into Hermione's room and saw that Ron was resting, asleep with his head on her bed as Hermione lay still, also asleep. He was drooling. She smiled endearingly at him then looked up at the ghostly figure of a young woman with long red hair who was standing over Hermione.

“I told him what you asked me to tell him,” Luna said to her. “I don't know if he'll believe me.”

The woman smiled at her and brushed Hermione's bangs from her forehead in a loving manner. “He will. In time,” she said as she placed a hand on Hermione's cheek in a motherly gesture.

-->

32. Happy Christmas Harry Potter

Happy Christmas Harry Potter

I'm not a perfect person

There're many things I wish I didn't do

But I continue learning

I never meant to do those things to you

And so I have to say before I go

That I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me

To change who I used to be

A reason to start over new

and the reason is you

I'm sorry that I hurt you

It's something I must live with everyday

And all the pain I put you through

I wish that I could take it all away

And be the one who catches all your tears

That's why I need you to hear

I've found a reason for me

To change who I used to be

A reason to start over new

and the reason is you

(The Reason—Hoobastank)

~*~

Her eyes fluttered open and she was immediately grateful for the dimly lit room she was staying in. Her head hurt badly and when she swallowed her throat felt raw and tender. Her torso ached as if she had done way too many sit-ups and was now paying for it. She was aware of someone in the room with her and was surprised to see him sitting in the chair next to the bed.

“You're awake,” he said softly. She opened her mouth to say something but he shook his head. “Don't say anything until Madame Pomfrey removes the charm from you. You're throat is healing.”

She struggled to sit up and he got up from the chair to help her, placing pillows behind her back. As he sat down she glared at him, shook her head and looked away.

“I know that I'm sorry is completely inadequate but that's really all I can say to you,” he said. She still didn't look in his direction but she winced slightly and touched her head.

“Madame Pomfrey said you could take this for your head,” he lifted up the vial for her. She eyed it then eyed him before looking away again.

“I don't blame you for not taking anything from me. I just wanted to let you know.” He gave a weary sigh. “Hermione,” he began, “when I cast that spell, I was…a different person then. I didn't think too much of you, I disliked you and it didn't really matter if I added something extra that would hurt you…and Potty er, Potter.” She looked up at him and he shifted uncomfortably.

“I knew that if you would try and tell anyone it would be him. I knew that if he ever became suspicious about you, that he would be the one to try and discover what it was you were up to.” His eyes fell to her bruised throat. “I never thought it would go this far. To be honest, I had forgotten about the Sectumsempra until he broke the vow.” Hermione blinked the tears that were forming in her eyes away.

“I'm really sorry,” he said, his voice breaking a little. “If I could take it all back, I would. Well, most of it anyway. I would never have put the Sectumsempra attached to it but I wouldn't take back the vow itself because then I wouldn't have…” he paused a moment then cleared his throat and took her hand. “You saved my mum. You didn't have to go back but you did. Thank you.” She slid her hand out of his and looked away as a tear slid down her cheek. He was at a loss of what to do or say. He wasn't ever in this position before.

“You shouldn't be in here Malfoy,” came a voice from the door and the two of them turned to see Ginny and Luna standing there, Luna was carrying a tray.

“I didn't realize I was being held prisoner,” he replied back.

“No, just an unwanted guest,” Ginny replied.

He scoffed and slowly got up from the chair. Hermione watched as he slowly limped across the room. “Don't offer me any help,” he said roughly as he winced in pain.

“We weren't going to,” Luna replied.

Mrs. Weasley came bustling up the stairs. “There you are!” Hermione heard her say from outside of the room. “I only left you for a moment. You are not to be going freely about this house, young man.”

“You can't tell me what I can and cannot do. I'm—“

Ginny shut the door to block out the noise as Luna came forward and set the tray down. “You're awake!” she said as she sat on the bed. Ginny came around and sat on the other side of the bed.

“Sorry about that. We're trying to keep the git in his room. He'll be leaving soon, thankfully.” Hermione shrugged. “Oh! This is for you so you don't have to speak.” She handed Hermione a quill and parchment who eagerly took it and began scratching on it.

Harry?

Ginny and Luna exchanged uneasy looks. “He's in his room,” Luna replied but Hermione gestured urgently to his name again.

“He's not coming out of there,” Ginny said softly. Hermione frowned and scribbled some more.

Need to speak w/him. IMPORTANT!

She looked pleadingly at her friends and ripped that particular piece of parchment and handed it to them.

“I'll go,” Luna said.

“I'll tell Ron you're awake,” Ginny said but Hermione reached out for her and pointed to the note. “Okay, first Harry, then Ron.” Hermione nodded.

*

Knock. Knock. Knock.

No answer.

Knock. Knock. Knock. “Harry I know you are in there and I know you can hear me,” Luna said through the door. “Please let me in. It's just me.”

Silence.

“It's about Hermione. It's important.”

Click.

Luna opened the door to a room cloaked in darkness. The remains of the food she had left him over the past few days remained untouched and she nudged the trays out of the way with her foot. He was still in the bathroom, sitting propped up against his tub, knees bent with hands clasped and resting over them. His wand dangled from one of his hands. He was still wearing the same clothes, his hair was even more unruly and he was looking a little scruffy in the face. There was a silver cup on the floor in front of him that he was staring at.

“She asked me to give you this,” she handed him the parchment that Hermione had written.

Harry looked at it then handed it back to her, his eyes back on the cup. “I can't see her,” he said.

“Harry,” Luna began exasperatedly but Harry cut her off.

“Get out,” he said softly.

“You have to see her—“

“If you don't mind,” he said impatiently. “I'm a little busy here,” he said, gesturing to the cup. Luna tutted disgustingly at him then walked away.

“I'm sorry, Hermione,” Luna said in a quiet voice when she returned to the room. Hermione sighed frustratingly and slammed her fists on the bed. He would blame himself for this, she knew it but she had to tell him it wasn't his fault. Yes, at first she was shocked and frightened when Harry reached out and wrapped his hands around her throat but the moment he touched her skin, she felt it, she knew it wasn't him. Those hands were cold and unfeeling and when she felt his cold grip in her mind and saw Harry's beautiful green eyes turn red, she knew who had come through with Harry. She felt the battle of wills in her mind, could feel Harry being held back from leaving her mind and taking Voldemort with him. She tried to fight back, scratching, hitting and thrashing, anything to break Voldemort's concentration but then things went black.

The door opened and Ron stepped inside, his eyes lighting up when he saw Hermione on the bed. “You're awake!” he said eagerly.

Hermione gave him a half smile. She saw that he was wearing one of his mother's knitted sweaters, burgundy with a yellow R in the middle of his chest.

“Malfoy was in here earlier,” Ginny said and Hermione sighed impatiently and rolled her eyes.

“He what?” Ron asked and moved to Hermione's side. “What did that git say to you?” Hermione crossed her arms and looked to the side.

“She wants to see Harry,” Luna said patiently.

“Huh? Why?” Hermione huffed and stared at him. “Hermione, he nearly strangled you to death!”

Hermione shook her head and scribbled furiously on the parchment and held it out to Ron.

Voldemort

Ron read it in silence then looked up at her.

~*~

“Voldemort?” Lupin asked, reading the note that Hermione had written.

“She believes that Voldemort had entered his mind when Harry was inside hers,” Ron explained.

“What was Harry doing there in the first place?” Lupin asked.

“Is that possible?” Tonks turned to Aberforth.

The man sighed thoughtfully. “Albus always said that Harry's connection to Voldemort was always on. He wanted to teach Harry how to turn that connection off. Harry knows how to do that but…if he didn't before he performed Legilimency on Miss Granger then, yes, it's possible.”

“If Vol…You-Know-Who was in Hermione's mind, does that mean he had access to her memories and thoughts as well?” Ron asked. Lupin peered at him curiously.

“Naturally, why do you ask?”

Ron shuffled nervously.

“Well, this explains it then,” Tonks said, slapping her hands on the table. “Harry would never attack Hermione like that. He would never attack anyone like that.” Ron snorted.

Don't discount Malfoy, he thought to himself.

“That's not what's bothering me,” Lupin said thoughtfully. “Harry needs to reign in his emotions, learn to control them.”

“Albus said that his feelings and emotions were what separted Harry from Voldemort,” Arthur butt in.

“Yes but Voldemort uses them to manipulate Harry. He played on Harry's feelings for Sirius to lure him to the Department of Mysteries,” Lupin said bitterly and with an edge to his voice. “The point is, if Harry can't control himself, he's opening the door to the Voldemort step in.”

“It works like a muscle,” Moody spoke up. “It gets easier to break through the mind the more times you do it.”

“Look,” Lupin place both his hands on the table, “we all know Harry is no ordinary wizard, he has extraordinary skills. And frankly, having a young and powerful wizard like him around with Voldemort behind the wheel is a frightening thought.”

“Where did Ron go?” Tonks spoke up.

Moody frowned, his magical eye peering above him. “He slipped out a moment ago. He's upstairs with the Longbottom boy…talking.” He looked down at them. “Those kids are up to something. I can tell when others are hiding something and this is big, Remus.”

*

Ron closed the door behind him and cast a silencing and imperturbable charm over it. “We've got a problem,” he said to Neville who just sat down. They had only been here for a week and already so much stuff had happened.

He steeled himself mentally. “Okay,” he sighed.

“Hermione claims that it was You-Know-Who in Harry's head when he…attacked her,” Ron explained.

Neville looked at him. “Ron, we knew that Harry wasn't capable of doing this in his right mind and…”

Ron shook his head. “What I'm about to tell you only a handful of people know about. You can't tell Ginny, Luna…anybody, do you understand me.”

Ron became a bit imposing but Neville nodded. “I swear I won't tell anyone.”

“Harry can do Legilimency,” Ron said and Neville gaped at him. “He was in Hermione's mind when You-Know-Who came through.” Neville gave him a blank look. “Which means he saw Hermione's memories and thoughts.”

Neville chewed on this a moment then his eyes grew wide. “The horcrux!” he whispered and Ron nodded. “Ron, we have to tell Harry this.”

“I think Harry has already figured it out.”

“Well, we have to tell him anyway. And that Hermione knew it wasn't really him.” Ron looked uneasily at the door. “Ron, it wasn't Harry who did that to Hermione.”

Ron looked at Neville. “Actually Nev, it was Harry that did it even if it was Voldemort inside his head. I just can't get the image out of my mind of Harry doing that to Hermione.”

“He didn't mean it,” Neville said firmly.

“I know that Neville,” Ron snapped. “He's my best friend, he's like a brother to me. It doesn't make it any less painful.”

Knock, knock, knock.

What the fuck did she want now? Harry thought irritably. “Luna, I told you to leave me alone! I don't want to see her right now!”

“Harry? It's me and Nev. We really need to talk to you,” Ron said.

“I'm really not in the mood to talk,” Harry replied.

“Harry, unlock the door,” Ron persisted.

Harry tutted and unlocked it. The two young men walked into the dark room. Neville eyed the trays of food but Ron marched purposely forward.

“Seal the room and silence it,” he said to Neville. He eyed Harry. “Going for the scruffy look?” he asked him.

“I didn't think my grooming habits were such an urgent concern,” Harry muttered.

“Or lack thereof,” Ron frowned. “You could've at least changed your clothes,” he said, eyeing the dried blood on his friend's shirt and jean. Harry had the decency to look a little ashamed. Neville walked into the bathroom and shut the door casting another silencing charm.

Harry raised an eyebrow. “What's going on?”

Ron looked at the horcrux at Harry's feet then back at Harry. “Hermione says she felt You-Know-Who in her mind at the same time you were in there.” Harry turned his head and stared at the tacky wallpaper.

“Harry, if You-Know-Who was in her mind…he may have seen the horcrux,” Ron said. Harry picked up the cup and looked at it. “Yeah, I've thought of that.”

“You need to talk to her,” Neville piped up. “She knows it wasn't you who attacked her. She knows it was You-Know-Who!”

Harry let Neville's words sink in. He looked up at Ron who was staring intensely at the wallpaper. “I don't think I…”

“Oh for Merlin's sake Harry. Do you honestly think you'll be alone with her?” Ron snapped. “You could at least talk to her, it's the least you can do since you throttled her.”

“RON!” Neville said harshly.

Harry shot to his feet. “Do you even know what it's like? Do you even know how it feels to think that one minute you're fighting for Hermione's life against Voldemort to only realize that you nearly strangled the woman you love to death?”

“No, Harry, I don't!” Ron shot back. “I only know how it feels to sit back and feel helpless as the darkest wizard of our time mind-fucks my best friend into nearly killing my other best friend!”

Harry opened his mouth to say something but Neville stepped in. “Okay, you know what, we'll just wait for you outside Harry,” he said, pushing Ron outside of the bathroom. He took in his disheveled appearance. “You, um, might want to change your clothes though,” he said politely.

~*~

Hermione couldn't help her reaction when she saw Harry walk into her room after Ron and Neville. It was instinctual. A reaction to seeing someone who had nearly taken your life from you. She didn't mean it and instantly regretted the small gasp that left her as she recoiled slightly. Harry, of course, picked up on it immediately and looked torn between leaving the room again or just sticking it out. Hermione wanted to tell him that she didn't mean it, that it was just…some sort of stupid reaction. But Harry quickly shuffled himself to the corner of the room farthest from her, cloaked in shadow.

He stared at her. His eyes drawn to the bruises on her neck. Bruises, that if he wrapped his hand around her throat would match perfectly to his hand. He was going to be sick. He felt as if the walls were closing in around him, he didn't want to be here, it was too painful to look at her. But at the same time, all he wanted to do was hold her, make it real that she was indeed still alive, that he hadn't killed. He wanted her comfort, to tell him that she forgave him, to have her wrap her arms around him, he wanted to smell her familiar smell that chased away all the dark shadows and thoughts in his mind.

But he wouldn't dare approach her. He saw her reaction to him. He didn't blame her, he might react the same. He felt his heart being squeezed by just being in the same room as her.

Hermione picked up the parchment and quill. Amortentia?

Ron took the parchment and read it aloud. There was a flicker of recognition in Harry.

“That love potion we did last year in potions?” Neville asked and Hermione nodded as she scribbled. The cup.

“You think this will break the horcrux?” Ron asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Where did you get this idea?” Harry asked in a quiet voice, stepping from the shadows, a troubled look on his face. Hermione tapped a finger to the side of her head. Harry looked at her. “Voldemort is incapable of love, the very thought of it repulses him.”

Hermione scribbled something down and handed it to Harry but he didn't move to take it from her. Neville stepped forward instead.

“Obsessive love is very different from true love,” he read, “real love, natural love.”

Harry scratched the back of his head. “Voldemort's mother used…Amortentia to make Tom Riddle, Sr. fall in love with her, marry her but,” he turned to face her, “I don't think Voldemort of all people would let a love potion crack his horcrux.” Hermione scribbled.

Irony

“I dunno,” Ron spoke up. “It sort of makes sense in a twisted and demented sort of way. Who would think to use a love potion for the most hated wizard.”

“If that worked,” Neville said hesitantly, “how do we counter it?”

“A hate potion,” Harry answered, still quiet. Hermione looked at him proudly. He refused to look at her still. Hermione began to write away again.

It wasn't you. I felt HIS hands on me, saw HIS eyes, felt HIM in my mind.

She looked up at Harry, imploringly as she handed him the parchment but he let it fall to the floor. He turned away from her and walked out of the room. Ron eyes narrowed as they followed him and he shook his head and rolled his eyes.

“Give him some time, Hermione,” Neville said gently. “He'll come around.”

~*~

“Now when I remove this charm. I want you to whisper, not to raise your voice for at least 24 hours. You can go ahead and talk but don't overdo it, you still need to heal.”

Hermione nodded at Madame Pomfrey's instructions as the witch waved her wand over her. A simple concealment charm was performed at Hermione's request to cover the bruises on her neck. She couldn't stand to see them, looking in the mirror and she hated how everyone's eyes flickered to them. She wondered how Harry could put up with people staring at his scar.

“How are you feeling dear?” Mrs. Weasley asked.

“I've been better,” she replied, her voice hoarse and scratchy from disuse.

Madame Pomfrey was done examining her torso for the wounds of the Sectumsempra (she was going to kill Draco for that) and she carefully sat up, wincing a little from the dull ache. She pulled her shirt over her head, a simple long-sleeved white T-shirt.

“Everyone is in the drawing room,” Molly smiled at her before it faltered slightly, “well, almost everyone.” Hermione knew she was talking about Harry. He was still up in his room, although Ron and Neville said he was brewing the Amortentia and Hate potions.

“Hopefully, he doesn't get them switched,” Ron had muttered when he told her.

The two women had left Hermione to her own to get ready. She pulled on a pair of jeans, soft leather shoes and pulled her hair away from her face with a clip. There was only one place she could think of to go. But when she opened the door to leave, the entourage leaving Grimmauld Place caught her attention.

Tonks and Kingsley had Draco between them, they were going to escort him back to school for the rest of the holidays. As if sensing her gaze, he looked up at her. Hermione honestly didn't know what to say to him. Did she even need to?

He made a motion as if he were going to say something to her then at the last minute thought better of it. Her brown eyes met his grey ones before the two Aurors put a blindfold on him.

Hermione tapped her fingers lightly on the banister for a moment before turning and heading in the opposite direction. She stood in front of Harry's door and knocked on it. She had no answer so she knocked a little louder. There was a loud thump heard on the other side, some grumbling then the door opened to reveal a very disheveled Harry, shirtless, blue jeans and the faintest trace of stubble on his face. Hermione suddenly appreciated all the Auror training he had gone through.

Harry wasn't expecting Hermione at all to answer and he grabbed the nearest t-shirt, a white one from yesterday, and pulled it on. “Er, Hermione…,” he stammered, “w-what are you doing out of bed?”

“I'm feeling much better,” she replied. Harry grimaced slightly at the coarseness of her beautiful voice. “How are they coming along?” she asked, crossing the threshold into his room.

“Hermione, you shouldn't be in here,” Harry protested, stuffing his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. She made no movement as to having heard him, instead she went directly to the cauldrons that were simmering on the buffet. She peered into the contents of the hate potion, the dark liquid rolled and boiled, dark as midnight. She moved to the love potion and the smell of Harry filled her nostrils, the faint smell of his soap when he had just taken a shower mixed with his own distinct smell of sweat from when he made love to her. She closed her eyes for a moment and let herself get lost in it.

Harry knew. It was the most difficult potion he had to make. He wasn't sure he got it right until the smell of Hermione's hair from when he snuggled next to her in bed suddenly assaulted him. It filled the room. It tortured him.

“Hermione, you really should go,” Harry said aloud. “You're alone here and…”

Hermione turned slowly to face him. “I want you to know something,” she said as she slowly walked toward him. “I know it wasn't you.” Harry took a step away from her, his hands balled into fists in his pocket. “When you…touched me, I knew it in an instant that it wasn't you. It wasn't your touch. And when I looked into your eyes,” she persisted and Harry once again stepped away from her, “they weren't your eyes, they were his. I could feel him in my mind Harry, along with you, holding you back from leaving.”

“Hermione—“ She cut him off when she stood on tip-toe to place her lips against his in a kiss. Harry's hands dug into his thigh to keep them in place and not let them do what he really wanted them to do which was wrap his arms around her, feel her with his hands, reaffirm that she was truly alive and well in front of him.

Hermione could feel his response, or lack thereof, in the kiss. He stood still, unmoving and stoic. She pulled away and looked up at him, not seeing the happiness and light she used to illicit from him. She knew what was coming.

“We need to talk.”

There. He said it. Those four little words that signaled the end for them.

Hermione shook her head. “No, don't do this.”

He suddenly seemed to loom over her. “Hermione, in case you didn't notice. I nearly strangled you to death.” He enunciated each word carefully.

“I did notice,” she replied in a low and raspy voice. “I also noticed that it wasn't you, Harry!”

“I saw how you reacted when I walked into that room, Hermione,” he shot back and she lowered her head. “It killed me to see you look at me like that. I don't care if it was just a moment, it felt like a lifetime. And I'll never forget it.”

“I'm sorry!” she replied. “I didn't mean it.”

Harry sighed and looked away. “Things between us got a little intense and…”

Hermione shook her head. “Don't do this, Harry,” she whispered.

“I think we should just…back off.” Every fiber in his being, every instinct he had was screaming the opposite but he shoved those feelings down.

Hermione stared at him, her look growing more steely as the moments passed. “I'm not Ginny, Harry,” she hissed at him. “I'm not some girl you can tuck aside to protect and come back to when all of this craziness is gone. I'm Hermione! I'm your best friend! I'm in the trenches with you, wading through all the goodness and the bad. You can't brush me aside to protect me!”

“I'm not brushing you aside to protect you!” he defended himself. “I'm saying we need a break from this,” he said, taking a hand out of its pocket and gesturing between the two of them. Oh please don't cry, Hermione. Please, please don't cry.

“Need a break from…,” her voice trailed off and she could feel the moistness in her eyes. “Harry…I love you!”

Fuck.

He stuffed his hands back in the pockets of his jeans and looked away, hanging his head. “I'm sorry Hermione,” he whispered softly.

Hermione stared at him, blinking back the tears. She would not cry. She would not cry. “Look at me,” she said in a calm voice that came from somewhere inside her. “Look at me, Harry and tell me that you don't love me.”

Harry steeled himself inside. He was doing this to protect her…from him. He looked directly at her. “I don't love you.”

It was a lie.

The biggest lie he had ever told and he knew it the moment it left his lips. He knew that he truly did love her, that he would always love her, that he would never, ever, in his life love anyone as much as he did her.

Hermione took a deep breath, ignoring the dull ache in her chest and she wondered vaguely if it had anything to do with her injuries. Did Madame Pomfrey have anything for a broken heart? She turned and left the room, closing his door gently behind her. Harry followed her steps, leaning his forehead against the door, steadily breathing in and out to control the emotions that were fighting to be released, fighting the urge to open the door and go after Hermione and tell her that he did love her.

The love potions aroma filled his room, filling his nostrils with her scent. He was going to drive himself crazy if he didn't get rid of it soon. Isis slid over to him and he looked down at her and picked her up. She curled around his arm in a comforting gesture.

“Pride isss one of the greatessst sinsss of man,” she hissed.

~*~

Neville, Harry, Ron and Hermione stood around the cup once more as Harry carefully ladled the love potion into it. “Are you sure about this Neville?” he asked and Neville nodded nervously in response. He was sitting very still in his bed, Harry had cast very strong binding charms on him.

“Once you drink the love potion, you're not going to want to drink the hate potion,” Hermione said slowly and clearly.

“Just…force me to drink it or something,” he replied, nervously. Hermione smiled at him and sat on the bed next to him, reaching out for his hand and placing her hand in it.

“You're very brave,” she said, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Harry brought the cup over to him. The fumes wafted Hermione's scent under his nose and he couldn't help the strong pang of longing that overcame him as he glanced at her. Thankfully, no one had seen the look.

He handed the cup to Hermione, both of them taking great care not to touch one another. Hermione reached into a small envelope and pulled out a strand of long, ginger red hair. “It'll make it go down easier,” she said with a wink as she dropped it into the potion with a hiss.

She lifted the cup to Neville's lips, his lips parting to let the potion into his mouth and down his throat. When he finished she set the cup aside as everyone waited. Nothing seemed to happen for the longest time then Neville jerked violently, then jerked again as he cried out in pain. Ron looked at Harry, wondering if he made the potion correctly but Harry's eyes were on Neville as he slowly drew out his wand. Neville thrashed on the bed, tossing and turning violently against the binding charms that Harry and Ron had placed on him.

They weren't going to hold.

The moment Harry knew this he reached out for Hermione and yanked her away from Neville as his eyes fluttered open. They were the familiar red ones and Hermione gasped loudly. She was very acquainted with those eyes now.

Curses flew out of Neville's mouth in a high-pitched voice that protested against being restrained. “Hermione get the other potion ready,” Harry said as he cast a stronger binding charm on him.

“Get away from me!” Neville shouted, breaking the bind and sending Ron flying across the room.

“Hermione, hurry!” Harry shouted as he moved around the bed. Neville regarded him with narrowed eyes.

“You want to play too?” he asked and Harry could feel the wave of magic that threatened to send him flying but he was more determined. He concentrated hard and pushed the wave back onto Neville. His eyes widened slightly and Harry stepped forward, forcing Neville still as Neville eyed Harry's wand that was pointed in his face.

The cup slipped out of Hermione's hands and into the wash basin as she rinsed the cup of the love potion. She was trembling so badly. She took a deep breath to calm and steady herself before she ladled some of the hate potion into the cup.

Ron staggered to his feet and joined Harry at the same time as Hermione. Neville looked between Ron and Hermione before looking at Harry. “How much are you willing to sacrifice?” he asked him in a cold, high-pitched voice.

“Open his mouth,” Harry instructed to Ron. Neville made a mock-biting gesture as Ron's hands neared him and Ron hesitated and looked up at Harry who nodded encouragingly. Again Ron went for Neville's jaws that were shut tightly, fighting to get them open. Hermione stared at Neville's mouth, waiting for just the right moment.

“Neville, if you can hear me,” she whispered in his ear, “open your mouth. Open your mouth, Neville.”

“Argh!” Neville growled as Ron slowly pried his mouth open.

“Now, Hermione!” Harry shouted and Hermione lifted the cup to his lips, pouring the potion into his mouth. Neville thrashed and spit it out, spraying the three of them. Hermione scrambled to the cauldrons again and ladled some more hate potion into the cup.

Ron slowly pried Neville's mouth open again and Hermione once more tipped the cup to his lips, pouring the potion in. This time, Ron slammed Neville's jaw shut and held it closed. Hermione reached over pinched Neville's nose closed. Neville jerked violently.

“Is he choking?” Ron asked, looking up at Harry.

“Harry!” Hermione persisted, the same question in her eyes.

“Do not let go of him until I say,” Harry said in a clear and authoritative voice. Hermione and Ron looked uneasily at one another.

Suddenly the room seemed to tremble. “Let him go!” Harry said and Ron and Hermione removed their hands. Neville took a deep breath, coughing and gasping. “Do it again!” Harry ordered. Ron looked uneasily at Hermione before once again prying Neville's jaws open, shutting them when Hermione poured some more potion into his mouth and held his nose. This time, the room began to shake as a wind that came from nowhere whipped around them.

“It's working!” Hermione shouted as she and Ron let go.

“Again!” Harry shouted and the two of them once more poured the rest of the potion from the cup down his throat.

There was a loud explosion and the three of them were thrown to the floor, the sound of wind, wood cracking and the cauldron's breaking filled their ears.

Then silence.

Hermione cautiously peeked her head up from under her arms. The cup lay in front of her tarnished and dull with a crack in it. Relief filled her insides. She got to her feet and saw Harry and Ron do the same. Harry looked at her, the question in his eyes. She smiled and tossed him the cup. He looked down at it and sighed with relief.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” Neville got up from the bed. “WHAT WERE YOU GUYS TRYING TO DO TO ME? KILL ME BY CHOKING ME TO DEATH!” he shouted.

There were footfalls outside the door and it opened, letting Ginny, Luna, Lupin, Tonks and Moody into the room.

“What in the world happened in here?” Tonks asked, eyeing the distruction.

“Neville!” Ginny gasped, looking at her disheveled boyfriend.

“OH NOW YOU ACT ALL CONCERNED FOR ME!” he turned on her. “WHAT'S THE MATTER? POTTER IN TOO GOOD A SHAPE FOR YOU, ALTHOUGH THAT'S NEVER STOPPED YOU BEFORE!”

“Neville!” Ginny admonished.

“OH DON'T NEVILLE ME, GINNY! DON'T ACT LIKE YOU CARE BECAUSE I KNOW YOU DON'T. I KNOW I'M JUST A REBOUND, SOMETHING YOU CAME TO WHEN HARRY TOSSED YOU ASIDE TO FUCK YOUR FRIEND!”

“That's enough!” Hermione stepped in and Neville whirled around on her.

“DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON YOU, HERMIONE. RON TOLD ME THAT MALFOY WAS AT YOUR BEDSIDE WHEN YOU WOKE UP, KEEPING A BEDSIDE VIGIL!” Harry looked up at Ron who looked away. “SOMETHING GOING ON THERE THAT YOU'RE KEEPING FROM HARRY?”

“Stupefy!” Harry said and Neville collapsed to the floor in welcome silence.

“Someone had better explain all of this to me…NOW,” Lupin said firmly.

Hermione fiddled with the hem of her shirt. “We were practicing our…potions and Neville…may have taken a…hate potion.”

“A hate potion?” Lupin asked them. “A hate potion did all this?” he said gesturing to the destroyed room.

“Well, er…we were practicing potions. One may not have gone…quite as well as we would've hoped,” Ron said nervously. Harry could feel Moody's magical eye gaze on him and he did his best to look very sorry.

“Clean this up, the three of you,” Lupin said sternly and left the room. The others reluctantly following as Ginny and Luna tutted at the stunned Neville on the floor.

With a flick of his wand, Ron moved Neville to the bed. “I suppose we should keep him like this until the potion runs its course,” Hermione said softly.

*

Later that night, Harry walked into Neville's room to check in on him and found Hermione sitting by the bed. Her trunk was shrunken and resting by the door.

“Any change?” Harry asked softly.

Hermione turned and looked at him, she already had her jacket on. “Madame Pomfrey said he should be okay by the morning.”

“Just in time for Christmas.”

“Yeah,” she softly agreed and got off the chair.

“I see that your trunk's here,” Harry said, gesturing to it with a nod of his head.

“Yeah, I'm going back to my parents,” she said. “I think it would be best if I…left.”

Harry looked at her for a long time. “Yeah, I suppose so.”

Hermione nodded and walked over to him, reaching in to her coat pocket and pulling out a small gift-wrapped package. “Happy Christmas, Harry.”

He felt like a complete ass. In all the chaos of what had happened, he forgot to wrap the gift that he bought her.

“Open it,” Hermione said and Harry carefully unwrapped the gift. “I thought you could really use this gift.”

Underneath the wrapping paper was a small box. Harry lifted the lid to find a pin inside. He reached inside and took it out. It was a Head Boy badge but different from the one Ernie had.

“Lupin told me it was your father's. I found it at Godric's Hollow the night I went after you. I tested it and it still works at Hogwarts.”

Harry held his father's badge in his hand and swallowed the lump in his throat. “Thank you,” he managed to whisper. “Um, hang on a moment, I have yours upstairs.”

He left her and jotted back upstairs. He opened the top drawer in his bureau and rummaged through his clothes until he found the rectangle shaped box. He lifted the lid and examined the bracelet inside. He had gotten it in a jewelry shop in Diagon Alley when he was on his way to Auror training one day. It was silver and chained with little charms hanging from it. One of the charms was a miniature Remembrall, not that she ever forgot anything but, you know, just in case. Another charm was a miniature Sneak-o-scope, a charm he felt she definitely needed, especially since she decided to hang around the Ferret lately. The last charm was a snitch, to remind her of him. He was planning on adding more charms as time passed. He took off the price tag and repackaged the bracelet in the box before he took off downstairs.

Neville's room was empty. Her trunk, gone. She had already left.

Harry leaned against the wall and sighed as he slid down it to sit on the floor, her present still in his hands.

-->

33. To Start Anew

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out. I tried to make the chapter a bit longer so I hope you all still enjoy it. Thanks for the great reviews and for the awesome questions for the podcast interview!

To Start Anew

You took all there was to take,

And left me with an empty plate

And you don't care about it, yeah.

And I am givin' up this game

I'm leaving you with all the blame cause I don't care, yeah, yeah yeah,

Could you look me in the eye?

And tell me that you're happy now, oohh oohhh

Would you tell it to my face or have I been erased,

Are you happy now? Ohhh, ohhhh

Are you happy now?

Are you happy now? yeah, yeah, yeah.

Do you really have everything you want?

You can't ever give somethin' you ain't got

You can't run away from yourself

Could you look me in the eye?

and tell me that you're happy now, yeah, yeah

come on, tell it to my face or have i been replaced,

are you happy now? Ohhh, ohhhh

are you happy now?

(Are You Happy Now?—Michelle Branch)

~*~

Remus watched as Harry carefully and slowly peeled off the label from the bottle of butterbeer in front of him. They were the only two people awake in the house or at least upstairs in their rooms, or so he hoped. Christmas had come and gone at Grimmauld Place, Hermione's absence was notable by some of the packages that were left for her as well as the gifts she had left her friends. Harry had joined in the festivities, finally coming out of his room after his…attack on her but he was pensive and quiet. He was finally taking showers again on a regular basis and taking care of himself but some days, like today, his quieter days, there was a shadow that formed on his jaw line that made him seem older than his seventeen years. He supposed going through all Harry was going through had a tendency to age you faster than you should, he would know, being a werewolf was no walk in the park.

“The night Dumbledore died,” Harry spoke in a low and quiet voice, “we were attempting to destroy a horcrux.”

Lupin stared at him, taking in this startling revelation. The Order had always wondered what it was that Harry and Dumbledore were up to that night, where they had gone that they had missed the beginning of the attack on Hogwarts.

“Do you know what that is?” Harry asked, looking up at the last marauder.

Remus had only general knowledge of what a horcrux was. There was passing mention of them in the Dark Magic books that he, James and Sirius used to joke about. Dark Magic that was beyond their capabilities, Dark Magic that no one, not even the greasiest and vilest Snape, would attempt to do.

“Ripping a piece of your soul and transferring to another object or person,” Remus replied.

“Voldemort created six of them,” Harry continued. “Four of them have been destroyed. They all have to be destroyed in order to finally finish him off.”

Remus exhaled and put his hands on the table, leaning forward as he eyed the weary teen. “That's what you three have been up to?” Harry's eyes moved away from his gaze. “The mirror?” he asked and Harry nodded. “The potion accident in the room…,” Harry nodded again. “Hermione's—“

“No,” Harry cut him off, a troubled and pained look crossed his face. Remus didn't want to push him on that topic. He was lucky enough to have Harry open up to him with this.

“Thank you for trusting me with this,” Remus said.

“Sometimes I feel like you're the only adult I can trust,” Harry replied.

Remus frowned. “Harry, destroying the horcruxes is a very, very dangerous task.”

“It's the only way,” he replied softly.

“Must this war sacrifice our children's childhoods?” Remus sighed wearily.

Harry propped his upper arm on the table, bending his forearm up to cradle his head as he looked at him. “I never had a childhood,” he replied simply. “Voldemort made sure of that.” He reached out rolled the empty butterbeer bottle back in forth between his fingers. Lupin could tell that he wasn't really watching the bottle, Harry's gaze was far off. “But you're right. Sometimes, I wonder if the sacrifices we make are too much,” he said in a near whisper. The pained expression flickered briefly on his face before he masked it with a look of detachment.

“Thank you for trusting me with this,” Remus said softly. Harry looked over at him and gave him an odd look.

“I think thanks are a bit premature considering the graveness of what I've just told you. I've put your life in more danger just by letting you into this,” Harry sighed. “But I don't want to hide this burden from you anymore.”

“I'll not tell a soul,” Remus assured him.

“I know you won't,” Harry said before he gazed off into nothingness.

“So…two left?” he asked.

Harry nodded slowly. “I don't know what one of them is but the other is a…” he stopped suddenly and cleared his throat in an awkward manner, “…a gold locket.”

Lupin stared at Harry then rolled his eyes. “Like one that you could find in jewelry stores or pawn shops?” Harry reddened slightly. “Well, that explains Hermione's little jaunt during the summer.” Harry smirked and Lupin frowned as a thought came forward. “Harry,” he said, leaning forward, “does Draco Malfoy know about the horcruxes?”

Harry sat back and thought this over. “No, I don't think so,” he said.

“I'm only asking because of the video we have of Hermione and Draco in the jewelry store.”

“That was something different,” Harry shook his head.

“Do you remember asking me about Unbreakable Vows and the Fidelius?” Lupin asked and Harry nodded slowly.

“She's, um, well, the Fidelius is broken,” he replied awkwardly.

“Is that why you were in her head?” he asked and Harry looked away. “So, it's broken. You're sure of it?”

“Malfoy…jinxed it so that if she broke it, both of them would most definitely know,” Harry shifted awkwardly. He didn't really want to be talking about this, he wasn't at all comfortable with the topic. He looked up at his former professor. “What?” he asked at Remus' frown.

“It's just that,” he scratched the back of his head, “Hermione can't stand him but yet she's constantly taking risks for him.”

“That was the idea, wasn't it?” Harry said bitterly.

“Harry,” Remus said in a very serious tone, “Hermione wouldn't normally agree to even put herself in this situation unless Draco was holding something over her.” He sighed. “And considering how long this has been going on, it had to have been big.”

~*~

It happened at the most inconvenient time. He had been walking up the steps of Hogwarts with the two incompetent aurors when he felt the sting on his arm. He couldn't attend to it at the moment and it only grew more awkward when Headmistress McGonagall greeted him. The aurors had left him in her care and he had to endure an hour long lecture about leaving the safety of the school. He tuned out of it. The stinging on his arm becoming a bit uncomfortable. When he was finally allowed to leave her presence, he was escorted back to his common room. In the privacy of his room, then and only then did he finally roll up his sleeve and touched his wand to his skin. Dark ink swirled away from the point of contact, snaking around forming and joining lines until the Dark Mark was revealed and he felt its familiar tug.

Dolohov and McNair opened the doors in front of him as he stepped forward. The tall and dark wood was engraved with the Dark Mark as well. He walked into a round chamber where the Dark Lord sat on the far end, flanked by Bellatrix and Snape. Nagini hissed at him, coiled at the Dark Lord's feet.

“You insolent little fool,” Bellatrix sniped, “you do not keep the Dark Lord waiting when you are summoned, you—“

“I was in Headmistress McGonagall's office when the summons came,” Draco snarled back. “I can't exactly disappear in front of her.” He knelt down in front of Voldemort.

“There are certain exceptions in his position,” Snape said to Bellatrix. “The important thing is that he arrived as soon as he could.” Draco got back up to his feet.

“Unlike most of you,” Voldemort spoke up, “the Malfoy's have some sort of use in this society. Well, one of them at least, Lucius has become a sort of loose cannon lately.” Voldemort noticed Draco's uneasy movement at the mention of his father. “Lucius does not take well the fact that I hold you in higher favor. That is his own fault, he has failed me so many times but still…he is a Malfoy. I assume he's trying to make you look incompetent in my eyes.”

“That's an understatement,” Draco muttered.

Bellatrix spoke up again. “You do not speak—“ She was cut off when Voldemort held up a hand.

“The young Malfoy was only speaking the truth,” he said. A faint smirk grew on his face. “After all, I do know a thing or two about father-son dysfunction.”

Draco could feel the Dark Lord's penetrating gaze on him.

“I believe I may have underestimated you, Draco,” he said. “I had a most interesting discovery the other day. I was…wandering about when I discovered that Potter was most desperately trying to discover the connection you had with his mudblood friend. I applaud your little curse you attached to it. The mudblood nearly died, how clever of you.” Draco's insides turned to ice but he showed nothing on the outside. “Her blood was literally on his hands and from what I had seen, I doubt she's going to let him near her again. Even if she did, Potter is probably so wracked with guilt that he won't touch her. I was hoping he'd throw himself off a tall building but…”

“Potter's weakness has always been his friends,” Snape added.

“And this is where you come in again, Draco,” Voldemort looked at the young man.

Draco stared at him. “You want me to get chummy with his friends?” he asked, incredulously. “You must be joking!”

“Crucio!”

Draco fell to the floor in pain, screaming. His nerves felt as if they were on fire.

“You're going to do what I say,” Voldemort said, releasing Draco.

“Okay, okay,” he said, gasping for breath and staggering to his feet.

“Crucio!” Voldemort hit him again with the curse, making him fall back to the ground. “I want to know what those little brats are up to, what plans they are making, who they are making them with.” He released Draco from the curse.

“Yes Master,” he gasped only to be hit again with the Cruciatus.

“If you fail me,” Voldemort said in a deadly voice, “I will concentrate all my efforts into finding your mother. Her death will not be a slow one and you'll be the one to do it. Now get out of my sight!”

The doors to the chamber flew open and Draco felt himself slide across the ground until he smacked into the wall on the other side of the doors. They slammed shut and Draco once again attempted to get to his feet. He felt sick.

“So the little Malfoy thinks he can take his father's place in the Dark Lord's circle?” McNair asked as he stepped over to him. He kicked out is foot and made contact with Draco's abdomen. He curled up in pain, coughing and gasping. Dolohov leaned over him and grabbed a fistful of hair, yanking his head up and taking a deep breath.

“Hmm, I can smell the little mudblood on you,” he sneered at Draco then slammed his head back down on the ground. Draco felt a blinding pain and saw stars. “Steal me some of the mudblood's knickers and I'll keep your father at bay.”

“Get off me you sick fuck!” Draco replied, getting angry. Dolohov only laughed before releasing him.

~*~

Harry walked into the lobby of the Ministry at the peak of the start of the workday. It was a bit crowded with everyone bustling to get to their offices. “Hold the elevator,” he said, jogging to squeeze himself into the already crammed car.

The sound of paper rustling above everyone's heads from the airplane memos and the low chatter of fellow co-workers filled in the silence. Harry didn't know anyone in the car but his mind was on what Kingsley may want to talk to him about. He was the one who had sent the message that he needed to speak with him.

The ride was a long one, considering they stopped at every floor to let someone off. The doors opened letting the rest of the car's passengers off and Harry stepped back to lean against the far wall and close his eyes. He thought about Hermione and he wondered how she was doing, what she was doing, was she enjoying the rest of her holiday? What would happen when he saw her again at Hogwarts? His heart ached for that moment and dreaded it at the same time. Most of all, he missed her.

A faint and familiar scent suddenly filled his nostrils and his mind tossed around where he had smelt it before. He opened his eyes, and in his peripheral, he realized that he wasn't alone in the lift. It was if time had somehow slowed down to a crawl and he could feel the blood rushing in his ears, his heart was pounding in his chest. He was momentarily stunned. His hand felt a ghost of the pain she had inflicted on him.

She stood in the corner of the lift wearing a hideous hot pink cardigan, the ridiculous bow still perched on her head, her toad-like face was watching him. “Hello Harry Potter,” she said. Harry instinctively flexed his right hand, the one that still bore the faint scars on the back from very undeserved and painful detentions. He blinked at her then stared straight ahead.

“I saw the article about you the other day,” she said, disregarding Harry's blatant message that he had no desire at all to acknowledge her presence. “People still cater to the attention that you so desperately seek?” Harry kept his eyes forward. “I personally do not care for the rubbish that they print in the Quibbler. The article that everyone was talking about was pure fiction, I told them so.” The muscles in his jaw tensed and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he stared at the doors ahead of him.

“I tend to stick to more reputable papers like the Daily Prophet,” she continued on. “In fact, I'm in the latest article about you. I was the only former teacher of yours brave enough to come forward and expose this sham of a hero story they have printing at that other publication.” Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard and he could feel his temper rising as she baited him like she always did in fifth year. Except this time, there was no Hermione to tell him to back off. He began to think of the manual for his Broomstick Servicing Kit that Hermione had bought him.

“I mean, honestly, who would believe that you of all people could take on three alleged Death Eaters? I had to set the record straight as your former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, I, above all, know exactly what you're capable of. Readers can be so blind. Nobody thought it odd that the `young woman you saved' was none other than Hermione Granger. The same insolent little girl who nearly sent me, her teacher and Headmistress, to my death. People can be such silly and stupid romantics but from what read of that girl, she's no stranger to being linked to other famous young men—“

Harry jabbed at the Elevator Stop button and turned to Dolores Umbridge. The lights in the car became very dim and there was a low rumble. She pressed herself back against the wall, her eyes widening as he approached her. He placed both hands by her to pin her to where she was. “Say what you want about me, I don't care,” he said in a low and surprisingly calm voice, “but don't even dare think about going after my friends. I will make what those centaurs did to you look like a cheering charm placed on a caffeinated fairy.” He leaned even closer to her. “You have no idea what I'm capable of.”

He stepped away from her and released the stop button as the lights brightened back up. A moment later the doors opened to his floor and he stepped out of the lift, not even glancing at the trembling and pale Umbridge in the car.

There was only a moderate amount of activity in the office. The auror trainees bustled about with stacks of papers and files in their hands to deliver to the aurors that they were working with, several of them balancing cups of coffee in their hands.

He nodded to a few of those whom he recognized and gave a formal wave to the aurors whose desks he passed on the way to see Kingsley. He knocked politely on his office door.

“Morning Harry,” he said, lifting his head briefly from the file on his desk. “Come on in and close the door behind you before you take a seat.” Harry did as he was asked, sitting down in silence for only a moment as Kingsley signed off on a report and put it away.

“Harry, I'm just going to come right down to it,” he said, turning back to the teen. “You're off the Granger case.”

“What?!” Harry said, stunned.

“To be honest with you, I should've thought this through more clearly before assigning it to you.”

“But I—“

“Harry you were assigned to protect her and you, instead, nearly killed her,” Kingsley said patiently and Harry slumped back angrily in his chair. “You were way too emotionally involved in this case and I should've taken that into consideration.”

“She's my best friend,” he said quietly, not looking at Kingsley.

“Harry, she was more than that,” he replied firmly. “The smartest thing you did was send her away with her parents. I'm assigning someone more neutral to this case.”

“Fine,” Harry replied in a whisper. Not that he had a choice in this anyway.

“And as such,” Kingsley continued. “You are no longer forced to continue on at Hogwarts.” Harry looked up at this.

“I don't have to go back?” he asked.

“That's up to you. Like I said, you're off the case and therefore no longer forced to attend. If you wish to go back, that's your prerogative. However,” he stressed, “I should remind you that in order to complete your training and be a full-fledged Auror, you need to finish your education at Hogwarts. The choice is yours.”

*

“Wait, wait, wait!”

Harry was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly missed flinging his arm out to stop the doors from closing. A young witch clambered into the lift with him, spilling some of the stacks of files and papers in her arms.

“Shit,” she muttered as she knelt down to pick them up.

Harry couldn't help but notice the nice outfit she was wearing, the fitted white blouse and the short grey skirt that showed off her smooth long legs that ended in pretty little sandals and painted toenails. Her dark hair was wrapped up in a bun with some hairs falling out of place and falling into her face.

“Here, let me help,” he said, kneeling down and picking up some of the files.

“Harry?”

He looked up at her sharply. “Cho?”

“Wow! Uh, hi!” she said as she got to her feet. “What are you doing here?”

“I was in the Auror department. You?” He stood and straightened the files in his arms.

“Ministry Assistant,” she replied, struggling with the files she had in her arms and reaching for the pile that Harry had.

“That's okay, I've got this,” he said, offering to help her. A smile of relief formed over her face and she braced herself against the wall of the elevator.

“Could you press the lower button?” she asked. Harry looked at her curiously, she was heading down to the Magical Research Department. She bent one knee, bringing her foot back to take her sandal off, repeating the motion with her other foot.

“I knew I shouldn't have broken in these shoes today,” she grumbled. Harry really had no idea what she was talking about. “The git has me running all over the place every damn day.” She straightened and looked at him. “I know Percy Weasley is your best friend's brother and all but he really is a first class wanker.” Harry responded to her comment with a wry smile.

“Still, assistant to Percy Weasley in the Minister's office isn't a bad start,” he offered helpfully. It really was a good opportunity for someone fresh out of Hogwarts…if the Ministry didn't suck.

“If he doesn't kill me first,” she mumbled. “The guy has me running around non-stop. `Fetch me this…find me that…on your way in could you stop by the muggle Starbucks and get me a scone and a latte…'” She huffed and blew a strand of hair out of her face.

Harry held in a burst of laughter that threatened to seep out.

“Hey I read the article in the Quibbler the other day,” she said with a soft smile as Harry shifted uncomfortably. “Very brave Harry Potter,” she commended him softly. “Really it was a wonderful thing. You've given hope to so many people. Everyone in the office was reading it, well,” she added quickly, “all of us assistants. Scrimgour, Umbridge and Weasley banned it from the office. In fact, they banned the Quibbler altogether and are petitioning to make the Daily Prophet the only acceptable piece of reading material outside of Ministry documents.

“Umbridge, go figure,” he muttered.

Cho rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it. It's a little too familiar an action. Anyway, we still read it, it's just hidden in our purses and desks.”

“Rebelling are we?” he asked with a mischievous grin.

Cho blushed furiously. “We all do our little parts.”

Being as he was still technically an Unofficial Auror-in-Training, Harry didn't have access to the research labs, but he helped Cho just the same. He eyed her badge with interest as she waved it front of the magical sensor to Lab Level One. Cho noticed his gaze.

“I get unlimited access in the building,” she explained, half-bragging her importance of her position. “This job has gotta have some perks.”

“Unlimited access?” he asked, eyeing the plaque by the doorway listing all five levels of the Research Department. Level Five was very restricted, only a select few ministry workers were allowed access here. Kingsley had it but he still had to go through a lot of paperwork for it.

“Unlimited access,” she grinned. Harry watched her clip the badge back on the hem of her shirt so it rested against her hip.

She worked efficiently, quickly handing off the paperwork and files, picking up more as Harry followed behind, taking in all of the work going on around him. There were some whispers and stares as he made his way through the lab. On the second floor, he noticed that many of the females had clustered together and some had shyly smiled and waved at him. He politely smiled back at them. By the third floor, he noticed that most of the females had suddenly become a little more made up, their hair done, make-up applied. He was beginning to feel a bit more uncomfortable with some of the dreamy far-off looks the women were giving him. He wondered if maybe the Ministry was working them all a little bit too hard that they might need to get out of the lab for awhile and see the outside world.

“Sorry Harry,” Cho said, turning to him and taking the stack of papers and files from his arms. “But I can't let you past Level Three.” They were standing in the Department's foyer by their private elevators. “You'll have to take the lift back down to Level One to get out of here.”

“Yeah, it's no problem,” Harry smiled. “It was nice to catch up.”

Cho bit her lower lip and smiled. She tore a piece of parchment off one of the papers she was holding and reached back to remove what Harry thought was a clip holding her hair in a bun. It was a quill and as she removed it, her hair fell into a lovely cascade of dark silky hair. A couple of years ago, the action would've brought him to his knees but instead, he felt a sharp pang of longing for Hermione. She sometimes used a quill to knot up her hair and he loved it when she removed it and her hair would come tumbling down, the scent of her shampoo would fill his nostrils and stir strong desires within him. He wondered if he would ever get over her or if he even wanted to.

“Here's my owl address, the address to my flat, my floo access code and my communication charm code so you can get a hold of me whenever,” she said, handing him the parchment.

Harry took it as his eyes fell on her badge again. “Yeah, I'll give you a call sometime,” he replied.

“Good day Miss Chang!”

“Miles!” Cho replied with a smile.

The lift doors had opened and a strange and eccentric looking wizard was standing before them. He was short and portly man with white hair that stuck up in every direction, he even had some sprouting out of his ears. He wore faded brown leather shoes, plaid pants that were a little short for him since they showed off his argyle patterned socks. He had bright red suspenders that clashed with his baby blue and wrinkled button-down shirt. He wore a white cloak over the clothes that resembled a muggle lab coat and Harry could see his wand sticking out of one of the pockets. He was holding a large wire cage with mice inside divided by a wire mesh wall. There was a faint blue glow around the outside of the cage. The wizard looked up at Harry with large blue eyes that were magnified further by the very thick glasses he wore, his eyes widened.

“You're…you…but…Harry Potter!” he gaped at him.

Harry stood there being uncomfortably stared at. But Cho stepped forward.

“Um, Miles, this is…my old friend, Harry Potter. Harry, this is Dr. Miles Erlenmyer, top reseacher on Level Five.”

“Please to meet you,” Harry said with a smile. There was a small poof sound and Harry saw one mouse disappear then reappear on the other side of the wire wall.

The wizard struggled a little to shift the cage in his arms and extended one hand to eagerly shake Harry's.

“No, it's a pleasure to meet you! (poof!) Such an honor! Such an honor!!” He handed the cage off to Cho, who struggled to juggle her paperwork and this new added weight, just so he could shake Harry's hand with both of his. “(Poof!) If there's anything I can do for you Mr. Potter, just ask it. You should come up and see me sometime. We have some things we're working on that you may find of interest.”

Harry took his eyes away from the mice. “Really?” he asked with genuine curiosity.

The wizard noticed Harry watching the mice. “My apparating mice,” he explained.

“Apparating?” Harry asked, surely he misheard.

“Yes,” the wizard sighed wearily. “The little buggers got loose one day. Took me nearly a month to find all twelve. Hopefully they didn't breed.” His brow wrinkled in thought.

“Doctor?” Cho said with a pleading voice, struggling to hold the cage.

“Oh sorry,” he said absently as he took it back from her. “Have to keep anti-apparition wards on the cage at all times.”

“I imagine so,” Harry said as he watched the mice disappear then reappear.

“The offer is there Mr. Potter,” the wizard said sincerely, “anything you need. Anything at all.”

Cho stepped into the lift with the eccentric wizard. “Bye Harry,” she smiled shyly at him and he waved a small goodbye back.

~*~

Harry kept the news about his decision about whether to return to Hogwarts or not to himself for the rest of the holidays, although he had already made up his mind. He would go back. Dumbledore would've wanted it, so would his parents and Sirius and of course, he wanted to be an Auror, badly. Something inside him told him it was important that he stay at the school, that he was most useful there. But most of all, he wanted to be near her. He knew that being in close proximity to her again, seeing her everyday would be like pouring salt on a raw wound but he was a glutton for punishment. Especially when it came to her. It was almost frightening, the power over him that she possessed. She could make him feel like the most luckiest bloke in the universe or crush him like he was the tiniest ant with a single look, a single gesture.

The news of their breakup had traveled marvelously quickly in the house. One night he was sitting alone in Neville's room, her present undelivered in his hands, as he recovered from the emotional kick in the balls she had dealt him (not that he didn't deserve it). By Christmas dinner, no one spoke her name to him and whenever conversation about her came up, it was quickly hushed as soon as he walked into the room. He wished they didn't do that, it wasn't as if he was going to break down and bawl like a baby or throw a magically induced tantrum at her name. At least, he hoped not.

But it became very clear that even his friend's were deeply divided on this and that there were even sides.

“How can you stand there, Ginny, and justify her actions!” he heard Neville hiss to her one morning when they were in the kitchen. Harry was hidden behind the door. He knew that Ginny would defend Hermione, she was her friend. It was the same with Luna. The two girls were a bit frosty to him. Ron had decided to stay out of it. He didn't blame him, he was stuck in the middle of this whole thing. He already felt bad that Neville felt compelled to defend him since his and Ginny's fledgling relationship was floundering in the torrent sea that teenage romance was. Harry guessed that the Hate potion had brought to surface some issues that they had yet to resolve. It made for even more awkward moments with Ginny. Harry knew that Ginny would always hold a special place in his heart, he would always have some part of him that still cared for her wellbeing more than a friend would. Naturally, she felt the same way about him but she genuinely liked Neville and he was…miserably and hopelessly in love with Hermione. He and Ginny had both moved on and managed to stay good friends but he had some idea of the resentment Neville harbored for him, no matter how small it was. There was still a part of Harry that was a little jealous of Ron and Hermione's relationship.

Everyone had gathered in the kitchen for one last breakfast before they had to leave for the school year. The table was a bit crowded since they had the extra guests of Fred, George, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Moody. Their trunks were all lined up in the hallway, animals all packed away securely, ready to pick up and go after breakfast. Harry sat and listened to Ron talk to his twin brothers about their latest adventure as he pushed around his eggs. He was too nervous, he would be seeing Hermione in less than an hour. His stomach jumped violently at the thought. Luna looked up at him with a knowing smirk.

“…supposed to get us a whole load of muggle rubber chickens but he was detained a couple of days ago,” Fred was saying.

“Aurors caught him with some fraudulent chocolate frog cards that he was planning to put out on the street,” George cut in.

“They were actually very decent replicas. You couldn't really tell the difference. The only reason he was caught is because the manufacturer keeps close tabs on how many cards are made,” Fred explained.

“The bloke Dung was carrying for apparently is very good and very stealthy. Ministry hasn't caught him yet. He's been making a load of money off the muggles though, making fake IDs and stuff. Muggle police haven't caught up with him either,” George added.

“So he can replicate anything?” Harry cut in.

Fred shrugged. “I don't know about anything. He specializes in trading cards, muggle and wizard kinds, IDs…”

“Badges?” Harry asked.

Fred, George and Ron's gazes all turned to him. “Why do you ask?” George asked with an eyebrow raised.

Harry carefully kept his expression guarded as he pushed around his eggs on his plate. “Just curious,” he replied. He was saved a better explanation when Lupin looked at his watch and announced that it was time for everyone to get up and leave if they were going to make the train on time.

*

The platform was just as busy as it was at the beginning of the year. There were aurors on patrol and Ministry officials keeping watch. Families were gathered about their children wishing them all goodbye. The students wore some new robes and clothing that they had received over the holidays, joining their friends and fawning over each other. Ginny and Luna left the group to join another circle of girls to catch up on the gossip over the break as Seamus and Dean joined Ron, Harry and Neville.

“Hey mate,” Dean said as he approached them and looked at Harry. “Sorry to hear about you and Hermione.”

“Huh?” Harry looked at him.

“We heard about the break up,” Seamus explained.

“What?! Who told you?” he hissed in a whisper. He looked up and scanned the crowd. He swore he could literally see the news being passed along like a giant wave over the students as some of them looked over at him then turned to quickly whisper something to the person next to them. He groaned and wished he could disappear.

“Hey, what's up hero?” Terry Boot said, good-naturedly, as he clapped Harry on the back as he walked by.

“Bloody brilliant Harry!” Seamus said, shaking his head. “Play your Wounded-Hero card right and you could have any bird in the school dropping her knickers for you.”

Harry blushed slightly. “Don't be ridiculous,” he said irritably.

“Hello Harry,” came a chorus of female voices. The guys looked over to see two drop-dead gorgeous Ravenclaws pass by, both of them giving Harry extremely flirty looks.

“Bloody hell!” Neville whispered as Ron finally decided to pick up his jaw from the floor.

“See what I mean?” Seamus grinned. “Hey if we stick around you, maybe some of that will rub off on us?” he teased, elbowing Dean who grinned back.

Harry was getting thoroughly irritated about this. “I don't want—“

“Hey Harry,” Anthony Wellington stepped up to him. He was a chaser for Ravenclaw and was, according to all the girls in Gryffindor, absolutely dreamy with his dark hair and blue eyes. “I was wondering since you and Hermione crashed and burned if you wouldn't mind if I had a chance with her?”

Something violent wanted to leap out of Harry and wrap his fingers around Anthony's throat. Crash and burn??!! He and Hermione did NOT crash and burn!! He wasn't sure how he looked but he must have given something off because Neville and Ron jumped in front of him.

“Er, now's not a good time Anthony,” Neville said, placatingly. Anthony shrugged and walked away taking his stupid dark hair and ugly blue eyes with him.

“Oh, well isn't this admirable. The Wounded Hero's friends rally around him in his time of need.”

Harry closed his eyes and cringed.

“Oh bloody hell, not now, not now,” he heard Ron mutter.

“Harry, Harry, Harry,” Rita Skeeter smiled up at him. Her green quill stood at attention by her side, her hair in ringlets on her head, her stupid gaudy glasses sparkled in the light, her manicured nails represented talons that were blood tipped. “How is our little hero today, knowing he will have to come face to face with the muggleborn who shattered his heart into a million tiny pieces?” she asked.

Harry felt his anger threatening to explode. “She didn't—“

“But our young hero is so naïve and innocent in the ways of love,” Rita said as her quill scratched away. “He should've known better, especially the way she trampled over the Bulgarian Bon-Bon Viktor Krum.”

“Hermione and Viktor—“

“But you're not at all that innocent, are you Harry?” she winked at him. “Isn't it true that you stole her from your very own best friend here, Ronald Weasley.” Her gaze fell on Ron who squirmed uncomfortably. “Tell me, Ronnie, may I call you Ronnie? How did it feel to have your own best friend, the person who was almost a brother to you, steal away the woman you loved?” Ron opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off.

“We've known each other for quite a while,” Rita winked at Harry. “You can be honest with me. That whole stunt at the muggle hotel was just one big set up. How ironic was it that you `rescued' of all people, Hermione Granger?”

Harry stepped forward. “Listen here you—“ He didn't finish because his friends surrounded him and pushed him forward to board the train.

“No comment. He has no comment!” Dean said angrily to the reporter. “Go find some other person's blood to suck, you leech.”

Harry threw his trunk in the overhead bin in the empty compartment and slumped down into his seat. The guys filed in after him and Seamus drew the shades down, giving him some privacy. A tense silence filled the air as Harry peered out broodingly at the platform below him. His eyes briefly scanned the crowd but he had not seen Hermione, yet.

“So, uh, how `bout West Ham, huh?” Dean said, breaking the silence.

“Oh shut it about your stupid football,” Seamus replied. “Quidditch is the best game ever!”

Harry's tension eased as he listened to Dean defend himself against Seamus and Ron about wizard and muggle sports. It brought home a sense of normalcy that he desperately needed right now. At some point after the train gave a lurch, signaling its voyage from the platform, Ginny and Luna wandered into the compartment.

“What are you guys doing here?” Harry muttered, irritably.

“Wow, Harry. Do you think you could be more of a jerk?” Ginny gave a sarcastic smile.

“Were you guys the ones that told everyone?” Ron asked.

“I'm flattered Ronald that you would think people would believe anything I have to say,” Luna replied testily.

“For your information, people were already talking about it when we got here. But we thank you for your votes of confidence.” Ginny said as she and Luna sat down.

“Sorry,” Harry and Ron said softly. Both of them felt really bad about accusing their friends.

“Sod off!”

“Piss off!”

*

Ginny and Luna blatantly ignored Harry and Ron while they had polite conversation with the other guys in the compartment. Ron seemed a little too eager to leave for his Prefect's meeting, Harry thought when he stumbled over Seamus and Neville in his haste to leave. Coward, Harry thought. But Dean sat across from him and provided good conversation about football.

An hour later, Ron returned with an odd look on his face. “Ron?” Ginny asked.

“Um…Hermione's not on the train,” he announced.

“What?!” came the reply. Harry's hand instinctively went to his wand.

“What happened?” he asked.

“No, no, no!” Ron held up his hands. “It's nothing like that. She, uh, she's already at Hogwarts.”

“Did she miss the train?” Neville asked.

“Ooh, maybe her new tanned American boyfriend that she picked up on the cruise kept her delayed,” Ginny grinned a Cheshire cat grin.

Harry glared at her. “Why don't you just kick me while I'm down?”

Luna looked at him. “Oh Harry, kicking you would be if we said the new boyfriend looked like Draco Malfoy.”

The guys recoiled violently. “That's enough you two,” Ron ordered. Ginny opened her mouth to reply but no sound came out. Her eyes widened and she looked at Luna who also had no sound coming out of her mouth. They also found that they were, literally, stuck to their seats. The two of them glared at Harry who looked back at them with mock-innocence.

“So what happened?” he asked Ron.

“She, er, she's cleaning out her room,” Ron said slowly, meeting Harry's gaze. “She resigned as Head Girl.”

Silence.

Followed by a collective, “WHAT???” At least from the guys, Ginny and Luna said it in silence.

“Ernie is up there now with her and Susan Bones, who is taking her place. Helping her clean out her stuff, move her out and Susan in. Just us Prefects in charge on this train.”

Harry slumped back down in his seat and stared out of the window, stunned. How could Hermione do this? Why? Please, oh please, don't let it be because of him. Don't let her throw away her future just because he was a brainless prat.

*

“Finite incantatem,” Harry said as he rushed out of the compartment as soon as the train came to a stop, freeing Ginny and Luna from their enchantments. He scrambled into the nearest carriage, his foot tapping impatiently as he waited. Oh sod it, it was going to take forever for everyone to get on these blasted carriages. He leaped out and sprinted to the gates of Hogwarts. But he was held up there trying to convince the auror on duty that he really was Harry Potter before he continued on his way.

“Hermione?” he called out her name in the Gryffindor common room. The house elves looked up at him in curiosity, wondering what a student was doing here so early. He sprinted up the stairs to the girl's rooms but was thwarted when they turned into a slide. “Hermione?” he called out again.

She wasn't there. Harry ran out of the common room to the Head Boy and Girl suites. Ernie answered the knock.

“Harry what are you—“

“Have you seen Hermione?” Harry panted.

Ernie frowned. “She's somewhere around the castle with Susan, showing her the ropes.”

Crap. He didn't have his Map on him.

“I take it you've heard,” he said, eyeing Harry who nodded.

“I really hope you had nothing to do with this. I would hate to think that someone as brilliant as her with a promising future would throw that all away for you.”

“Hope you had a good holiday too, Ernie,” Harry replied before walking away.

“In a bit of a hurry?” Ron asked him when he met up with everyone else as they walked into the Great Hall. “Did you find her?”

Harry shook his head and took a seat across from Seamus and Dean. Neville sat down next to him as did Ron.

“Hey there boys,” came a very familiar voice that sent Harry's insides to goo.

Harry looked up and was momentarily stunned to see a very tan Hermione walk by and sit with Ginny, diagonally across the table. She had a light dusting of freckles on her cute little nose and her hair had blond highlights from being out in the sun. Neville, Dean and Seamus all had stupid smiles on their faces as the latter raised his hand to give a little wave. “Harry, Ron,” she smiled politely at the two of them, although Harry noted that his greeting wasn't as warm as Ron's.

He was the first to shake himself out of this stupor. “Hermione, could we talk for a moment?” he managed to ask.

Hermione poured herself a cup of pumpkin juice. “I don't think so, Harry.”

He was momentarily stunned followed immediately with a swoop of impatience. “What's this I hear about you giving up your Head Girl position?” he hissed at her.

Hermione stared at him and he suddenly became very aware that the table had become very quiet.

Lavender looked at Hermione. “You gave up the position?”

Parvati looked equally stunned. “What on Earth made you do such a thing?”

Evidently, the news about Hermione resigning her post did not spread as quickly as their break up did. Hermione's eyes moved from Harry to Ron who suddenly shrank away in his seat. Her gaze moved back up to Harry's.

“Well, Harry, you just get right down to it, don't you?”

Okay, so maybe just blurting that right out loud wasn't the best way to go about this, he'd concede that. But the news had stunned him so much that she had to expect that he'd be a little shocked by it, more than a little shocked.

“May I have your attention please?” McGonagall's voice sounded out loud. “Settle down, settle down. I am pleased to welcome you all back from your holiday break. I trust that you all received some much needed rest and relaxation and are now fresh and prepared to learn.” There was a flutter of snickers at that but it quickly died down with a severe look from the Headmistress. “Just a quick announcement before we begin our feast.” Harry heard Ron's stomach gurgle loudly next to him. Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes.

“What?” Ron whispered defensively.

Harry turned his attention back up front. “It is with a heavy heart and personal reasons that Miss Hermione Granger has decided to step down from her duties as Head Girl.” There was an instant rumble of murmurs and whispers.

Draco was snapped out of his bored stupor with this announcement and his gaze wandered over to the Gryffindor table. He didn't see her right away but he did notice the tanned girl next to the pale and sickly looking Weaslette.

“Personal reasons my ass,” Pansy muttered next to him. “McGonagall probably caught her and Potter violating some broom closet.”

“Not since they broke up,” Millicent chimed.

“What?” Pansy leaned forward eagerly.

Hermione could feel someone's gaze burning into the back of her head and she turned around to see Draco staring at her. She turned back around face forward to join in the students who were clapping and the Hufflepuff's who were cheering when Susan Bones was announced as the new Head Girl.

Harry was quiet for the rest of the meal, Hermione didn't know whether she was grateful or distraught over it. To be honest, she was so nervous about seeing him again. Would she burst into tears the moment she saw him or punch his lights out? Maybe both? From the way he was stabbing his potatoes, she could tell that he was desperately wanting to say something to her but at the last minute decided to stuff his mouth with food instead. Maybe it was for the best. She had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to say to her.

At long last, the food and dishes disappeared and everyone was leaving their seats to return with sleepy eyes to their common rooms.

“Mr. Potter,” Professor Sinistra stopped Harry as he got up from his seat. “Headmistress McGonagall wishes to speak with you.”

“Um, okay,” he said, hesitantly, looking over at Hermione. She looked back at him and gave him a shrug. He gave her a pointed look that said that this conversation was still going to happen.

She filed out of the Great Hall, following her fellow students instead of leading them. She didn't mind at all. As she listened to Lavender and Parvati banter back and forth, she actually enjoyed the company of her fellow housemates. She didn't have to worry about rounds tonight, she could head up to bed whenever she wanted, hell, maybe even read a book.

As they filed up the staircase and headed down the corridor, she felt a tug on her arm and was pulled quickly into an empty classroom.

“Who the hell—“ she started to yell but was cut off with a “Shh!”

The classroom was dark but there suddenly came a soft glow from the tip of a wand.

“I should've known it was you,” she said dryly, not bothering to hide her disappointment.

“You gave up your Head Girl position?” he asked.

“Oh don't give me any of your fake concern,” Hermione replied as she brushed past him to open the door.

He moved past her and shut it. “Why?” he asked.

Hermione looked at him. “None of your damn business!” she answered.

“Hermione—“

“Just stay the hell away from me, Malfoy,” she replied and yanked open the door.

Harry wasn't in the best of moods to begin with. The minutes in the Headmistresses office ticked away like hours. He desperately wanted to get out of here and just talk to Hermione. She was informing him that even though he had returned as a student, he still had open campus privileges that came with being an auror-in-training. But at long last, when he was dismissed, he hesitated at McGonagall's door.

“Did she say why she gave up the Head Girl position?” Harry asked her.

McGonagall looked up at him from her desk. “Mr. Potter, even if she told me, I could not divulge that information to you. That would be a violation of student-Headmistress privacy.” Harry nodded in defeat. “But I must say if I am very confused in my own judgments. Both of my first choices for the Head Girl and Boy offices have opted out. I have to wonder exactly what toll this is war is taking on my students that they neglect to forget that they are, in fact, still young men and women and in school.”

Harry thought a moment about her words. “Goodnight Professor,” he said quietly before closing the door.

Hermione was sitting on a sofa when Harry returned to the common room. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and she was wearing the same pink plaid flannel pajamas that she wore the first night she had stayed with him at the Dursleys. He couldn't honestly know why he remembered that little fact. Maybe that was the moment that he realized that perhaps he had more than friendly feelings toward her.

She was reading a book but looked up at him when he walked into the room. He walked toward the sofa and she bent her knees, clearing up the space next to her.

“Is everything okay?” she asked him as he sat down next to her. There were very few people left in the common room and the lights had been dimmed.

“Yeah, it wasn't anything major or important. Just some auror formalities,” he said dismissively.

Hermione closed her book to give him her full attention. “You look tired.”

Harry gave her a soft laugh. It seemed so absurd that she would say that to him considering he hadn't gotten more than a few hours sleep each night since she left. Since the look on her face when he told her that he didn't love her was burned into his eyelids that it replayed over and over again as he lay down.

“So why did you give it up?” he asked.

Hermione took a deep breath. “I did some thinking and I realized that there are more important things in this world than being Head Girl and all the wonderful perks that come with the position.”

Harry scoffed. “Such as?”

“Such as making more time to help a friend defeat the most terrible wizard of our time.”

“Hermione—“

She held up a hand to stop him. “And taking my nose out of my studies to take in all the beautiful life around me. Harry, one night, after I returned to that ship, I was working all evening on the Prefect Rounds Schedule when my parents came into the room and asked what I thought of…it. I had asked them what they were talking about and they said that they had just witnessed the most beautiful sunset, with the water turning the ocean gold as fireworks shot into the sky from the coast. The way they spoke about it, the way my parents were holding each other as they danced together in my doorway, how happy my parents looked…” she frowned. “Harry, I missed it. I missed the beautiful sunset, I missed the fireworks. I was stuck in my room doing…schoolwork. And then I realized, we were in the middle of a war. We have no idea how long we are going to be here in this world. Did I really want to spend my time taking house points away from the Slytherins, or having fun, making the most out of life while at the same time helping a friend of mine make it through this battle a winner so he could have a life?”

Harry looked at her. He could've kissed her right then and there. He wanted to.

“Hermione, I didn't want you or Ron to ruin your lives for me or—“

“But we haven't,” Hermione cut in with a gentle voice. “I should be thanking you, Harry. Remember what I said to you in our first year? About books and cleverness and friendship and bravery?” Harry hung his head and sighed. Of course he remembered.

“It's late,” she said after a moment of silence. “I, for once, do not have to worry about rounds tonight so I am going to take advantage of a long night's sleep,” she said as she stretched and got up off the couch. Harry got up as well and followed her.

He reached out and stopped her at the stairs. “Hermione?” He shifted awkwardly under her gaze. “What happens now?”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Us,” he gestured between the two of them. “What happens with us?”

She looked at him for what seemed the longest time. “We're friends, Harry. Above all else, we're friends and we'll always be friends. It's what you wanted, right?” She turned and continued on her way.

Harry watched her until he could no longer see her as she turned the corner. He made himself turn around and head up to his own dorm. Everyone was asleep and softly snoring when he got there. He quickly and silently got himself ready for bed.

“Good night, Isis,” he said as he took off his glasses and placed them on his nightstand.

“Good night, Harry,” she hissed back and he closed his eyes for another night of restless sleep.

-->

34. Martyrdom is a Bitch

Martyrdom is a Bitch

I'm sober now for 3 whole months, it's one accomplishment that you helped me with

The one thing that always tore us apart is the one thing that I won't touch again

In a sick way I want to thank you for holding my head up late at night

While I was busy waging wars on myself, you were trying to stop the fight

You never doubted my warped opinions on things like suicidal hate

You made me compliment myself when it was way too hard to take

So I'll drive so fucking far away that I'll never cross your mind

And do whatever it takes in your heart to leave me behind

Hate me today

Hate me tomorrow

Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you

Hate me in ways, yeah ways hard to swallow

Hate me so you can finally see whats good for you

(Hate Me—Blue October)

~*~

Harry let the stream of hot water hit his face before turning around to rinse the shampoo out of his hair. He could hear Ron and Seamus in a heated discussion about the latest Cannon loss.

“They need to get rid of Thompson,” Ron was saying. “He's the worst Chaser ever in the history of the league. Where did they get that guy?”

Suddenly there was a loud blaring alarm and the guys groaned. Neville rushed into the bathroom. “Fire alarm guys! That's the fire alarm!”

“Yeah we noticed Nev,” Seamus said grumpily.

Harry stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist and grabbed his glasses. Following proper protocol, they headed downstairs to the common room to wait for the Head Boy or Girl and Professor Tonks. They arrived promptly and began to search the tower.

“Do you know who did it? Is there a fire? Is the tower going to burn down?” Colin Creevey was flitting from person to person, bouncing up and down like a nervous squirrel.

“Nice boxers Ron,” Ginny said wryly. He turned bright red when he realized that he was wearing bright orange boxers with `Cannons' printed all over it. Hermione was standing next to her, not even bothering to hide the amused grin on her face as she looked over the states of the Gryffindor seventh year men in the morning. Harry did his usual routine of mentally undressing her, taking in the standard white shirt of her uniform, untucked, the skirt falling to the middle of her thigh. She hadn't put on her socks and shoes yet so he got the privilege of checking out her legs. He would've felt bad about it if he didn't know that she was doing the exact same thing to him. If there was any indication from the slight flushed look she had.

He met her gaze and she rolled her eyes at his knowing smirk. He walked over with Ron and stood next to her. “Hermione if you wanted to see me half-naked, you didn't have to start a fire.”

“Aren't you cute?” she replied. “I've already seen the goods. I think your fan club wanted to put the whole Hungarian Horntail tattoo issue to rest,” she said, nodding to a corner of the room.

Harry looked up and saw Romilda Vane amongst a group of other Gryffindor females checking him out blatantly. He suddenly realized that coming down directly from the shower, still wet with only a towel wrapped around his waist probably wasn't helping him any. He slinked behind Hermione who shook her head and giggled at him with Ginny.

“Oh hush up,” he said to the red head, “this is partially your fault for that rumor.”

“I thought I was doing you a favor at the time,” Ginny teased.

“How would you like it if we pulled the fire alarm just to see you guys out of the shower?” Ron asked, bravely stepping into the conversation.

“Like you haven't?” Hermione shot back. There were several false alarms during the year that were suspiciously around the time that the girls usually occupied the showers. Seamus and Dean shuffled away suspiciously.

“I just use my invisibility cloak,” Harry said with a grin.

“Ugh, you are such a perv,” Hermione scoffed.

“Maybe,” Harry shrugged. “What time were you going to take a shower tonight?”

“Will you guys cut out the verbal foreplay?” Ginny scolded them both.

“There was no verbal foreplay,” Hermione snapped back.

“Yeah, verbal foreplay would be if I said how much I missed that Prefect's bathroom,” Harry replied with an innocent smile.

“Oh, I just did NOT hear that,” Ron said, walking away from him and covering his ears.

“Harry, I will not stand for another word about Romilda Vane!” Hermione said in a loud voice. “Honestly!”

“Hermione!” Harry hissed at her. She only gave him a wicked smile and walked away from him with Ginny.

Harry bravely chanced a glance in Romilda's direction and saw that she had a grin on her face like Christmas had come again. He inwardly grimaced and scampered over to the other guys. Safety in numbers. And when Tonks announced that it was, indeed, a false alarm and that they were allowed to return to their dorms, Harry sprinted past Romilda and her banshees before any one of them could sink their talons into him.

~*~

Hermione and Ginny caught up with Luna just outside the Great Hall. “Careful Hermione,” the Ravenclaw said to her. “The weather is a bit frosty in there.”

The fire alarm had made the Gryffindors a little behind schedule so even though Hermione and Ginny were one of the firsts to arrive at the table, the Great Hall was already buzzing with activity.

“What are you talking about?” Ginny asked.

“This,” Luna said, handing them a copy of Witch Weekly. Hermione plopped down into her seat as she read the article.

A Hero's Heartbreak

By Rita Skeeter

“Oh that wretched little beetle,” Hermione said as she scanned the article. A picture of Harry surrounded by Neville, Ron, Seamus and Dean was plastered in the middle of it. “She's making me out to be a…a…”

“Cold hearted bitch?” Ginny finished.

“Exactly!”

“You don't think Harry had something to do with this?” Ginny asked.

Hermione shook her head. “No, he can't stand the woman. And something tells me that he's not going to be too happy about this article.”

“Hermione?”

Romilda Vane stood at the opposite end of the table from where Hermione sat. She was flanked by her usual group of twittering twits. “I just wanted to let you know that what you have done to Harry is absolutely despicable. If Harry knows what's best for him, he'll stay far away from you, you lecherous worm.” Ginny and Hermione raised their eyebrows as they looked at one another. Lecherous worm, eh? That was new and creative. “Don't even think about getting back together with him. Just leave the poor guy alone. There are others that are so much better for him.”

With a flick of her hair she marched down the table to her seat. “Wow, huh?” Hermione said as she poured herself some pumpkin juice.

“Geez, I'm beginning to feel a little sorry for Harry,” Ginny replied, taking a muffin from the basket on the table.

“Well, we'll find out real soon how interesting this is going to get,” Luna said, motioning to the door of the Hall.

Harry, Ron and Neville walked into the Great Hall, Harry still awkward and grumpy about the morning incident. He spotted Hermione, Ginny and Luna at the table and headed in their direction. Neville had just sat down next to him when he was rudely shoved out of his seat.

“What the--?”
“Hello, Harry,” Lavender said as she inserted herself next to him. Ron just stared at the crazy girl.

“Er…hello?” Harry replied, completely caught off guard by her. He scooted away from her, bumping into Ron who spilled pumpkin juice onto the table as he poured some into his cup. Lavender quickly closed the gap.

“I heard that you like muffins,” she cooed and Neville, who had regained his seat, nearly fell out of it again, “so I took the liberty of saving you your favorite kind. Blueberry?” she offered the bread to him.

“Er,” Harry looked around him and saw that the guys around him were doing a piss poor job of acting nonchalant about this new turn of events. But Harry was always a polite one. “Thank you,” he said quietly as he took the muffin from her. He looked at it suspiciously, remembering the chocolates that Romilda had given him that had a love potion in it. He was frantically coming up with some excuse to not eat the muffin when he was saved by all people…Romilda.

“Hi there Harry,” she said, inserting herself on the other side of him, shoving Ron out of the way. He protested loudly as he spilled eggs on his lap. “I knew you would be hungry so I made up this plate for you,” she said as she placed a dish of eggs, bacon, toast and potatoes before him. It really was a nice dish, something he would've made up himself. In fact, this is exactly what he would've made up himself and he wondered, briefly, just how close an eye Romilda was keeping on him.

“Um, thank you?” he said politely. There was no way in hell he'd ever accept any food or drink from her. He learned his lesson.

“He doesn't want your stupid food,” Lavender said next to him.

“Do you honestly think he wants your stupid muffin?” Romilda shot back.

Harry was caught between them as they spat nasty things back and forth between them. To be quite honest, he didn't want Lavender's muffin or Romilda's breakfast plate. What he really wanted had just left the table with her books.

Although it had been amusing to her at first, Hermione could stand the two girls quarreling over a very disinterested Harry but then it began to gnaw at her. Despite her friendly and playful demeanor to him, she was still hopelessly in love with the git and it didn't make it any less painful to watch these girls throw themselves at him. Oh, she knew that Harry wasn't interested but it still didn't mean that it didn't hurt on some level.

She sighed as she sat down in the library and pulled out her books to study.

“Potter's Merry Band of Simpering Ninnies run you out of the Great Hall?”

Hermione looked over at Draco who was sitting at a table across from hers. He was slowly turning the pages of a book.

“I was finished with breakfast,” she replied as she took out her books.

“Surprising considering every one of those girls looked like they wanted nothing better than to crucify you since reading that article. How is our broken-hearted hero this morning?”

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. “I didn't think you perused the tomes of Witch Weekly.”

Draco shrugged. “Had to read something on the loo this morning and Pansy keeps leaving her shit all over my room when she spends the night.” Hermione shifted uncomfortably. He leaned forward, “I can tell you this stuff now since I know you won't take points away from me.”

“I doubt I'm one of the privileged few who hears the sordid details of your love life,” she muttered.

“I guess that was a bit tactless of me to say that since yours is splashed all over the cover of Witch Weekly.”

“Whatever, Draco,” she sighed as she returned to her book. He watched her for a moment before speaking up again.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“What?” she asked irritably.

“It's a genuine question.”

“I'm fine,” she answered curtly.

Draco shrugged. “Sorry for asking but you did give up your Head Girl position. I just want to make sure you aren't going to stain Hogwart's grounds with your filthy blood when you jump from the Astronomy Tower.”

“I wouldn't do you that big of a favor of ridding myself from you that quickly,” Hermione sneered.

“Shame. Let me know if you need a push.”

“I'll do that.”

Pansy had walked into the room at this moment and Hermione returned to her books. Was she going to have to put up with this again all day long? She briefly wondered how Harry was faring and if anyone had yet told or showed him the article. She was curious to see his reaction to it since he was the one who had once again kicked her to the curb. Argh!!!! The very thought of him doing that made her angry all over again.

“Draco!” She heard Pansy giggle softly and she looked up to see that Pansy had slithered onto Draco's lap and was facing him as she kissed him on the lips. Hermione couldn't see where Draco's hands were and she didn't want to find out.

She slammed her book shut and stood up abruptly from the chair. “Could you two be a little more courteous to your fellow students who are trying to study by NOT snogging in the library?” she said to them before she left in a huff.

~*~

Harry's stomach grumbled loudly as he tickled the pear, letting the portrait door swing open so he could step into the kitchen. Luna and Ron followed him as they stepped into the middle of the clean up.

“Harry Potter!” Dobby squeaked when he saw him. The little elf scrambled over to him. Luna peered around curiously.

“Hey Dobby,” Harry said, kneeling to the elf's level. “Do you have any breakfast left over?” he asked.

Dobby's eyes grew huge. “Did Mr. Harry not eat?” he asked, horrified.

“It was a rough morning,” he replied awkwardly. The little elf scurried away among the other elves that were carrying pots and pans to be cleaned while others were sorting the clean dishes quickly into their proper places.

“I don't know what has gotten into people today,” Harry sighed as he took his first delicious bite of breakfast in peace and without threat of a love potion.

Luna looked guilty and sighed. “It's because of this,” she said as she pulled out Witch Weekly. Ron took it from her and blanched at the title of the article.

“Oh God, what?” Harry groaned as he ate his bacon and eggs.

“Well, let's just say it was written by Rita Skeeter,” Ron replied.

Harry winced. “Harry believe me when I say that Hermione knows you had nothing to do with this,” Luna added quickly and firmly.

Harry looked alarmed. “What does the article say, Ron?”

Ron skimmed over it. “Basically that you are the tragic broken-hearted hero and that Hermione is the cold-hearted bitch that did you in.”

“WHAT?!” Harry dropped his fork and snatched the magazine from his friend to read for himself.

Luna and Ron watched Harry's face progress from mild alarm to down right pale and sickly-looking. Luna wondered briefly if she should conjure up some sort of basin before Harry lost his breakfast all over the little house elves. Poor guy wasn't going to have a decent breakfast after all.

“I guess that's why the girls are all acting like a bunch of nifflers in heat,” Ron said.

“I have to find Hermione and explain…” Harry really did look like he was going to be sick.

“Harry,” Luna cut in quickly, “trust me when I say that Hermione did not believe one word of this rubbish and that she knows that you had nothing to do with this article. It didn't bother her…really!” she added for emphasis at Harry's disbelieving face.

Harry wanted to believe her. He really did but some part of him still wanted to speak with Hermione. To let her know for sure that he absolutely had nothing to do with this. He didn't want her made out to be the bad guy in their break up. It had been him. All his fault. Maybe he could explain this to her, to someone, so they would stop harassing him and giving Hermione death glares.

“Hermione, believe me when I say I had no idea about this article or why we are even in it in the first place!” he whispered to her in Charms class.

“Harry, I know,” she said to him patiently although he could detect a hint of irritation in her voice.

“It's just that I—“

“It comes with the territory, Harry. Celebrity life is always in the spotlight. Every move you make from here on out will be front page on some gossip column.”

Harry hated that. Ever since he had come into the wizarding world, he had felt that everyone was watching his every move, putting his life under a microscope. He thought the culmination of it happened in his fourth year when he was duped into participating in the Tri-Wizard tournament.

But he tried to stay near Hermione even though she was doing a really good impression of ducking away from him, leaving his side whenever another female walked by. He was getting really tired of their withering looks that they were casting Hermione and began to return their simpering looks with glares of irritation. It wasn't that hard to do.

But his patience was wearing thin. Every moment he had alone, some female from whatever house had inserted herself next to him. He had to endure their starry-eyed dreamy looks whenever he walked into a room. He was beginning to think that returning back to Hogwarts was a bad idea indeed. This whole situation was getting out of control, these girls had driven Hermione into the sanctuary of her room where he could not go and see her. And he still desperately wanted her company. It was selfish of him but no matter how painful it was, he took secret delight in watching her from across the room. Every little idiosyncrasy she had, every little habit she had just tugged at him. He loved those moments when their eyes would lock, stilling everything around them before one of them finally had the courage to look away.

But now he didn't have a moment alone and he hadn't seen Hermione except in classes and the hurried exchanges between them in the halls when no other girls were in sight.

*

Hermione was currently seeking solace in the third floor girl's lavatory. The only place nobody would disturb her as she studied. She was sitting in one of the stalls, idly turning the pages of her book when she heard the door open slowly and the footsteps of someone coming in.

Surprised and curious, she stilled herself and didn't make a sound as she heard some rustling of cloth of what sounded as if someone slid to the ground.

“You're tired again,” came the ethereal voice of Moaning Myrtle. There was no reply for the longest time and for a moment Hermione wondered if she had heard right before a very familiar voice replied.

“What would you do if you had this secret? A task you were put to that you didn't want? A thing you may have gotten yourself into and now you have no idea of how to get yourself out of this mess?”

“Something tells me that that isn't pumpkin juice you're drinking,” she heard Myrtle say.

She heard Draco laugh softly. “No, it isn't. But you're not going to tell are you?” There was silence again. “I suppose I don't have a choice do I? He'll kill my mum. He's a bastard you know. Loves playing me against my father, using his death threats to control me. And you know what? I let him. I let him because I'm weak, I'm selfish, I'm cowardly, I'm arrogant, I'm—“ He cut off when he heard a soft shuffling sound followed by the brief creak of a lavatory door being opened.

Moaning Myrtle swooped down on Hermione. “HOW DARE YOU SNEAK IN HERE!” Hermione jumped back.

There was a low chuckle and Hermione could see through Myrtle at Draco sitting on the floor, his flask dangling from his hand between his bent knees. He didn't have his cloak on and his tie was undone, his sleeves rolled up his arms. She walked through the ghost since she couldn't really brush her aside, ignoring the chill of having to pass through her. Myrtle let out a sound of indignation at the action but Hermione ignored her, marching directly toward Draco, hands on her hips.

“Drunk again, Draco?” she asked.

“It really irks you that you can't take points away from me at this moment, doesn't it?” he replied, smirking up at her.

“I can always tell a Prefect.”

Myrtle swooped in again. “Get rid of her Draco. She's nothing but a no good tattle-tale. She's not so innocent. She and the red head and Harry Potter were in here years ago illegally brewing potions!”

Draco quirked an eyebrow up. “Reeeaaallly?”

“I don't have time for this,” Hermione said impatiently and turned to leave. Draco scrambled to his feet and went after her, just barely catching her before she left the lavatory.

“You know, the last time you eavesdropped on me, you landed yourself in quite the predicament,” he said.

“I wasn't eavesdropping. I was already in here when you came in.”

“How convenient.”

“What are you going to do, Draco? Cast the Sectumsempra on me again?”

His grip on her arm tightened and his face grew dark. “ I never meant to hurt you. I had honestly forgotten about it until Potter decided to take a little stroll in your mind.”

“How convenient,” she replied.

“I swear that when I cast it, I was a different person.”

“Yeah, I know. You told me before,” she interrupted him.

Draco opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when someone opened the door. Hermione shoved Malfoy under the sink, out of sight.

“Hermione?” Rebecca Manning poked her head into the door, Hermione blocked most of her view. “What are you doing in here talking to yourself?” she asked.

“Oh, um, I'm not talking to myself,” Hermione replied. “I was…talking to…” Draco bit his lip in anticipation. “…Myrtle.”

Rebecca looked at her. “Moaning Myrtle?”

Myrtle appeared above Hermione. “Yes, me. Do you have a problem with that?”

Rebecca recoiled slightly. “Finally resorted to talking to lonely ghosts in lavatories have we? Serves you right,” she said with a huff and walked away.

Draco moved out from under the sink as Hermione turned and looked at him. “Still the bad guy?” he asked.

“Sod off.”

~*~

Hermione stifled a yawn in DADA as she watched Seamus, Dean, Crabbe and Goyle duel. For his part, Draco looked as if he were suffering from a headache. He winced at normal levels of voices and shunned the sunlight. Hermione briefly entertained the thought of speaking with the Sonorus around him.

The amused grin on her face as she watched the Ferret stirred up some uncomfortable feelings inside of Harry. He wondered what could be so fucking fascinating about the ferret that had her glancing at him all during class.

“Potter, Longbottom!” Professor Smith called out to them when the other group was finished. Harry and Neville dutifully got out of their seats and marched to the front of the class. “And…” Professor Smith's eyes roamed around the class for their partners.

Please pick Malfoy. Please pick Malfoy. Harry was chanting in his head. He'd been itching for a legitimate reason to hex the git since they had returned for the rest of the term.

“Zabini and Bullstrode.”

Just his luck.

It was always awesome to see Harry at work. Hermione thought as she gazed at Harry. There was just something so sexy about the whole thing, the way his body moved, the grace at which he handled his wand, the look of concentration on his face. Oh she loved that most of all. The look was so similar to the one he had when he…

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

The point was, it was a thing of beauty to watch him. And she wasn't the only one who noticed this. All of her female classmates were staring with rapt attention to him. The hussies. Although, she was no better. She too was checking him out. But she had a more confident smirk on her face. Only she knew where else she had seen that look on Harry Potter's face.

Parvati couldn't stand the way Hermione was leering at Harry Potter. For crying out loud, leave the poor guy alone. It was if she was marking her territory, telling all the other girls to back off. Whatever. She had no claim on him. She had no right. Any one of them had a right to him.

The duel was over quickly with Harry and Neville declared as the winners. Harry chanced a glance at Hermione who was looking at him with a flushed face and her lips slightly parted. He whimpered inwardly. The look reminded him of this one time when they were practicing DADA in the Room of Requirement and he had pinned her to the floor and…well, he didn't want to go down that road right now in the middle of class.

“Granger. Malfoy. Parkinson and Patil!”

“Don't fuck up up there,” Draco whispered to Hermione. “There's a fourth year Hufflepuff's skirt I'm trying to get into. Word of my excellent dueling skills will help the cause along.”

Hermione tutted. “You're disgusting Malfoy. I will not contribute to a corruption of a minor by you.”

“Believe me, she's already been corrupted.”
“Well that explains why you're into her.”

Draco laughed. “Don't be so jealous, Granger. Sorry to say that virgins aren't my thing.”

Hermione smiled at him. “Then I shall sleep with the door most definitely locked,” she said as she got out of the chair.

Draco gaped at her.

Then he scrambled out of his chair to meet her at the front of the classroom. Hermione just couldn't resist it. He was looking at her with the most bewildered expression on his face. She couldn't explain why she said what she said next, or what purpose it would have served.

“Did you honestly think I would let the Boy-Who-Lived face death a virgin?”
Hermione didn't understand the looks that flickered quickly across Draco's face and she didn't have time to process it since Professor Smith called the duelers to attention. But whatever was on his face caught Pansy's attention and she looked from Draco to Hermione and back.

Draco looked quickly around the room as Professor Hotness counted them down. Wand at the ready.

3

2

1

Hermione cast the Protego against the hex that Pansy predictably sent her way. She assumed that Malfoy would go after Parvati but the hex he sent went way above her head and ricocheted off of the wall, giving Parvati's hex a chance to hit Hermione directly in the chest. Draco saw it at the last millisecond but it was too late, it hit Hermione and she flew backwards, slamming against the stone wall.

“Hermione!” Harry stood up in his seat but Neville tackled him to the floor.

“Watch out!” he said as the hex Malfoy sent that ricocheted off of the wall landed directly where Harry was sitting.

Draco swooped down on Hermione and pocketed her wand before scooping her up in his arms. “I'll take her to the hospital wing,” he said to the Professor who nodded.

Harry shoved Neville off of him but not fast enough to stop Malfoy from leaving.

“Mr. Weasley sit down!” Professor Smith said as Ron stood to go after Hermione.

“But…”

“You too, Mr. Potter!” she ordered.

Harry was so angry and frustrated. “WHAT THE HELL DID YOU ATTACK HER FOR?” he shouted at Parvati. “She's from your own house. You didn't even bother to strike at Malfoy!!”

“It's not as if she didn't deserve it Harry. And I don't understand why you, of all people, can defend her after what she did to you!”

“What she…That's it! Enough! Leave Hermione alone! I'm sick and tired of her getting picked on because of some stupid article in some stupid magazine. It wasn't even true! You want the truth? Fine! I WAS THE ONE WHO BROKE UP WITH HERMIONE! She didn't dump me, I dumped her!! I…I don't have to explain all this…” He grabbed his books and took off after Hermione and the ferret.

*

The doors to the hospital wing burst open. “Oh no. Not another dueling accident. I hate it when this topic is covered. Oh the injuries. This is just the start of a long, long day,” Madame Pomfrey muttered as she showed Draco where to lay Hermione down.

He had just set her on the bed when someone else ran into the wing.

“Get your hands off of her,” Harry hissed, pushing Malfoy to the side.

Draco didn't back down. “I was only bringing her here you git,” he said as he pushed him back.

“How bloody noble of you,” Harry sneered.

“She wouldn't be in here in the first place if you could control your little fan club,” Draco shot back, shoving Harry again.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Harry shoved him back.

“STOP IT YOU TWO AT ONCE!!” Madame Pomfrey shrieked at them. “Out of here you two. Out of my hospital wing, now!!”

Draco turned and stormed out. Harry took one last glance at Hermione before reluctantly leaving her side. He was thinking about all the things he was going to do to the ferret when he walked out of the doors that he didn't see the fist that came flying at him until it collided with his eye.

Harry stumbled backward and grabbed his injury. When he took his hand away. He noticed that there was blood on his fingertips. Harry glared at Malfoy then charged at him, shoving him against the wall, ramming his shoulder into his chest, knocking the wind out of the Slytherin. Draco kicked out at him, shoving him away only to have Potter reach back and punch him hard in the jaw. He tasted blood immediately.

Draco was just about to charge at him again when he felt himself be held back. “He's not worth it,” Blaise said. Crabbe and Goyle were also holding him back. Looking across the hall he saw Potter being held back by the Weasel and Witless. Finnegan and Thomas were also holding him back, saying the same words to him. Whatever house points Zabini would take away out of spite for this fight would only allow the Weasel to do the same. Nobody wanted their most popular house members to get in trouble so as the corridors filled with students on their way to their next class, the group separated and went their ways.

*

“Oh, Harry,” Ginny sighed as she gently dabbed a cloth at Harry's cut. “What on Earth possessed you to get into a fight with him? You know that he lives to do this to you.”

“He hit me first!” Harry replied.

His friends were sitting all around him in the quiet of the Gryffindor common room. Neville stirred the ointment that Ginny dipped the cloth into before she pressed it once again to Harry's cut. He hissed slightly.

“I'm not entirely sure that that hex the Ferret sent was an accident. I think he meant to hit you Harry,” Neville said.

“I wouldn't put it past the git,” Ron said, folding his arms across his chest.

The portrait door opened and Hermione walked in. “Hermione!” Harry said and jumped to his feet, knocking Ginny back on her bum. “Sorry,” he said, helping her to her feet before meeting Hermione as she made her way to her friends.

“Are you okay?” he asked, cradling her head in his hands when he reached her.

“I'm fine,” she smiled at him. “I just got knocked out when my head hit the wall. Someone should remind her to put cushioning charms up when dueling.”

Harry turned her around and tangled his hands in her hair to feel for her injury. “Death Eaters don't use cushioning charms,” he murmured softly. Satisfied that she was, indeed, okay he turned her back around.

Hermione could've gotten lost forever in his emerald eyes, filled with concern for her, and how wonderful it felt to back in his arms. His hands still rested on her waist. She wanted this moment to last forever but it was too painful for her and she stepped away from him, letting his fingers slide against her as she moved before dropping to his side. She saw the light in his eyes darken a little.

The cut above his eye suddenly caught her attention. “What happened to you?” she asked.

Harry backed away from her, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Nothing,” he murmured, hanging his head down.

“He got into a fight with the Ferret,” Ginny answered for him.

“What?” Hermione exclaimed. “Harry you know better. You know he does things to raise your hackles! What did he say to you this time?”

“Listen, I don't want to talk about it. It's over and done with and if I can guess correctly Ron's about ready to die from starvation.” Ron looked hopefully at Hermione. The truth that he didn't want to admit to Hermione was that it really, really bothered him that the Ferret was the one to take Hermione to the hospital wing. The way he fell to her side when she went down was just a little too disturbing. Pieces began to click together in his head, Ginny and Luna had said that Draco was in Hermione's room when she woke up after his…attack, the glances they shared, the first name basis they were on, the look on Draco's face when Hermione fell.

His mind clouded over and he refused to delve any further down that road. It was just too damn impossible. No way the Ferret could…no, he wasn't going to go there.

“I'll see you guys later this evening,” Harry sighed. “Shacklebolt wants me to drop off some things and I should leave now if I want to get back before curfew.”

“Do you want me to save you any of the food?” Hermione asked.

“Nah, I'm getting something along the way. Oh, by the way,” he said in a softer voice as he took Hermione to the side. “I talked to everyone about how you've been treated because of that article.”

“Harry.”

“I couldn't stand to see you go through that. Especially since I was the one who…” He cut himself off.

“Thanks Harry. It wasn't really necessary since these things tend to blow over eventually but I really appreciate the gesture all the same. Be safe,” she said, placing a hand on his arm.

~*~

Harry put on his invisibility cloak and headed off across the Hogwarts lawn, stopped briefly by Moody who wanted to verify that he truly was Harry Potter.

“What color is your aunt's breadmaker?”

“She doesn't have one.”

He picked up a couple of sandwiches, drinks and chips like he was instructed to do and headed into the ministry and to the Auror department.

“You're late,” Cho said to him. She was sitting at his cubicle, a small and plain one they gave all of the rookies. Her lovely long legs were capped with pointy black heels that rested on the table as she leaned back in his chair.

“There was a long line at the deli,” he replied. He was in no way going to acknowledge the fact that her skirt fell back to the middle of her thigh. No way at all.

“Well, let's not keep him waiting. He told me to give you this,” she held out a small medallion.

“What is it?” he asked taking the object from her. He felt this weird sort of energy around him as soon as he touched it.

“He said it was supposed to mask your presence where we are going. The Ministry keeps track of who is out and about in the building. Ever since the incident a few years ago when You-Know-Who was caught with his Death Eaters snooping about in the Ministry, security has been tightened. When you signed up for training, a magical fingerprint of you was taken that tracks wherever you go throughout this building. That's how we can tell if you are in an area that's restricted. This thing here,” she said gesturing to the medallion, “distorts your fingerprint thereby not letting the Powers That Be know that you have wandered into areas you have no business being in.” She gave him a wink.

“Brilliant,” Harry muttered, looking at the thing.

“Miles created it for you. He said you should keep it. Could come in handy or something like that, he said.”

Together they got on the lift that took them to the research department. From there they took another lift to the top floor of the restricted research areas. Although the medallion did distort his magic somewhat so that he could wander about in this area. He still had to get access to the floor in the first place. This is where Cho came in. Acting as a liason between Harry and Miles, it was the eccentric old wizard who had first contacted him for a casual lunch. After that Harry had owled him about seeing his research first hand. Cho was eager to help out, giving Harry the access he needed. It was her way of rebelling. She always felt bad about her friend Marietta and the fiasco that was the outing of Dumbledore's Army. This was her way of making it up to him. It also helped matters that, according to Witch Weekly, his annoying friend Hermione Granger was out of the picture.

“Here we are,” she said, announcing that they had arrived. The lift's doors opened revealing another foyer where there were goggles and labcoats lined up neatly along one wall.

Cho stepped forward and put one of the coats on her, stuffing the goggles into one of the pockets. Harry followed suit as he watched her use the badge to open yet another door.

Tables.

That's what Harry saw. Tables that lined the walls of this very big room, tables in the middle of it. Long rectangular tables with smooth black surfaces. The tables along the wall were laden with various cages, objects, machines, cauldrons and more cauldrons and more cauldrons. Odd looking creatures in the cages peered back at him curiously and Harry immediately spotting his old friends, the apparating mice, still jumping back and forth between cages.

“Harry! Harry, you came!”

Dr. Miles Erlenmyer hustled forward wearing ridiculous looking goggles that magnified his eyes to the size of a house elf's. He extended a hand for Harry to shake before his gaze fell on the food.

“Oh, you brought it. Thank you! I can't get enough of their sandwiches. It's a weakness. I'm currently studying their turkey and swiss to see what ingredient they put in it to make people crave it so.”

Harry grinned as he handed the bag over to him. Miles cleared off a table and set the table for the three of them. Harry and Cho joined him as he sat down. Harry was just about to dig into his sandwich when Miles stopped him.

“Wait!” he cried out, taking the sandwich out of Harry's hands and putting it back on the table. “I wanted to show you something I created when you told me about your little love potion issue.”

He hustled around the lab then placed a goblet on the table and filled it with water. Then, he took out a small vial and uncorked it. Harry recognized it immediately as a Love Potion because Hermione's scent once again assaulted his senses. He placed the goblet in front of his two guests then took out a small copper flask.

“You need only a drop,” he explained as a crystal clear drop fell from the flask into the goblet. It hissed, roiled and turned a red color. “This means that there's something in this drink that shouldn't be in there. I've calibrated it so it doesn't take into account any flavor enhancers or fat reducers. This will detect Love potions, Hate potions any sort of poison, you name it.” He placed a drop in each of their three drinks and got no reaction. He frowned. “That means that the drink is safe to consume. Shame really. I was hoping there was something the muggles put in it that makes you crave this soda as well. Hmm. Anyway, you can use it on food as will. Place a drop on it and it will hiss and steam if the food is unsafe.” He placed a drop on their sandwiches and got no reaction. “Hope this helps you out Harry.”

Harry took the flask from the wizard. “Thanks!” he said. Then the three of them tucked in for a nice dinner, both of them keeping company with the old wizard.

~*~

“Remind me to tell Harry to just keep his trap shut,” Hermione muttered.

“Oh, I doubt you'll need reminding,” Ginny sighed as she took a drink of pumpkin juice.

Hermione and Ginny had just learned that Harry's idea of fixing the little “stop harassing Hermione” problem was to proclaim out loud in the middle of class that, in fact, he was the one who had dumped Hermione. Or as some had so eloquently put it, kicked to the curb, put out to pasture, dropped like a bad habit or, as some of the pervs had said, test-driven.

“Hey, look on the bright side, at least no one wants to poison your food,” Ginny added helpfully.

“I guess,” Hermione sighed. It was true, no one seemed to want to cause her harm but now the looks she was receiving were unnerving, ranging from pity, to knowing smirks, to outright dismissal.

She found it completely unfair that when everyone thought that she had been the one to break up with Harry, she was regarded as a bitch, but now that everyone knew that Harry was the one to do the breaking up…

“He's such a heartbreaker,” she heard Romilda and her gaggle of goons sigh.

Double standards were so unfair.

Dinner ended and Hermione joined Ginny and Neville in the library. She had already completed her homework earlier and instead of reading ahead, she picked out a magazine from Ginny's bookbag and was idly thumbing through it.

“No, I don't want to.”

“Please?”

“No!”

“I swear I'll owe you one.”

“Why don't you just walk over and talk to her yourself?”

“I can't do that! Just introduce me!”

Hermione and Ginny looked up and shared an amused grin. Luna and Anthony's whispers were loud enough for everyone to hear. Luna approached the table with the other Ravenclaw in tow and cleared her throat.

“Ahem, hi Hermione!” she said, falsely cheerful. “How are you?”

“I'm fine,” Hermione replied.

“Good. This is Anthony Wellington,” Luna said, shoving the poor guy forward. He blushed. Hermione found it oddly endearing.

“Hello Anthony,” she replied.

“Hi,” he said shyly.

“Okay, well my work here is done,” Luna said and made a hasty exit.

Hermione felt Ginny kick her sharply under the table. She looked, irritated, at her friend. “What?” she mouthed.

“Ask him to sit down,” Ginny mouthed back.

“Oh! Um, would you like to sit down?” Hermione offered. Relief filled his face and with it came his trademark beaming smile. Ginny and Hermione melted instantly and Hermione wondered if her mental sigh had somehow escaped her lips. Neville shifted uncomfortably in his seat and buried his nose back in his homework.

“Homework?” Anthony asked, gesturing to the magazine. Hermione looked down and was horrified to see that the article in front of her was titled “Top Twenty Places to have Forbidden Sex”. She flushed scarlet and closed the magazine, stuffing it back into Ginny's bookbag.

“I was just…thumbing through it,” she stammered out. Honestly, she had just turned the page when he had approached her. She knew that she was blushing so badly and she wanted nothing more than to sink through the floor. To make matters worse, Ginny was studiously staring at her book, biting her lip, but Hermione could see that she was desperately trying not to laugh at her friend.

“Don't be so embarrassed,” Anthony said in a friendly voice. “I mean, I've been trying to work up the nerve to talk to you for days.”

“You have?” Hermione asked.

“Yeah, your, uh, ex-boyfriend is a bit intimidating,” he admitted shyly.

“Who? Harry?” she asked in disbelief. Harry was one of the nicest guys she knew.

“Well, he is the Boy-Who-Lived,” Anthony grinned. Neville scoffed.

“Hey, Hermione. Isn't Harry coming to join us any time now?” he asked.

“We're going to go,” Ginny said abruptly, gathering her things, leaving out the magazine. “We'll catch you later, Hermione.” She said, yanking Neville to his feet.

*

Harry had just arrived on the steps of the castle before the doors would be closed and locked. Filch was out and about, ready and anxious to hand out detentions for those who were wandering about past curfew. He sprinted up the stairs and around the corridor when he stopped suddenly.

Hermione was standing with Anthony in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. They were both laughing and smiling but he couldn't hear what they were talking about. Alarms went up in Harry's mind when he remembered what Anthony had asked him on the Platform before boarding the Hogwarts Express. Something about a chance with Hermione? To his horror, Harry watched as Anthony reached up and tucked a strand of Hermione's hair behind her ear then slowly he leaned down toward her.

“Oh, wow,” Harry said loudly as he made his presence known, acting as if he had just accidentally stumbled upon them. Anthony sprang away from Hermione. “Um, sorry about that,” Harry muttered apologetically. Actually, he wasn't sorry. He was ready to tear apart Anthony.

“Harry, hi,” Hermione said in a breathless voice.

“I'm just going to…yeah,” Anthony said, weakly gesturing in the direction he should be going. Harry was just about to tell him to get on with it when Filch suddenly spoke out.

“So, out after hours then?” he said with a malicious grin. Mrs. Norris peered at each of them with an accusing stare.

“Filch, it's just barely past curfew and you really can't fault Mr. Wellington for being a gentleman and walking me back to my common room after the library closed, can you?” Hermione said in a sweet voice.

Filch frowned and looked at Harry. “And you?” he asked.

“I…just came out to investigate because I heard voices in the hall,” he replied.

“Really, I was just walking her back to her room,” Anthony stated his case.

“There's no crime in that,” Susan Bones stepped forward from around the corner. “I wouldn't take away house points for that. Honestly Filch, lets go terrorize some other students.” Filch and Mrs. Norris reluctantly followed the new Head Girl.

Anthony and Hermione let out breaths they had been holding.

“I'll just…go inside,” Harry said to Hermione but he had a feeling she wasn't really listening.

“I'll see you tomorrow then?” Anthony asked her.

“Yeah. Good night,” she said.

“Good night.”

She followed Harry into the common room. “So did you get a chance to talk to Shacklebolt?” she asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” he replied, distractedly.

“I'm glad you came back safely. No problems then?”

“No, not really,” he replied. Except for the fact that that Anthony prick was hitting on you.

“Okay, well, I'm headed off to bed then. See you tomorrow Harry,” she said and bounced up the stairs.

Harry watched her go and, deciding that he was in no mood for studying, headed up to his own dorm.

“I'm telling you, that guy is trouble.”

“Nev, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I don't think that any guy would be that stupid to go after Hermione with Harry still hung up on her.”

“Thanks Ron,” Harry said aloud, startling the two Gryffindors. The two of them looked away guiltily.

“We were just talking about Anthony Wellington,” Neville said quietly.

“I know. I just ran into him and Hermione outside the portrait,” he replied. Ron and Neville looked at each other.

“You okay about that?” Neville asked Harry.

“About what?” Ron said impatiently, climbing into bed. “Nothing happened and nothing probably will happen. Believe me, Harry, this whole Anthony thing will blow over and be forgotten by tomorrow. Trust me.”

*

“Morning, Hermione!” Anthony said to her as she headed out to breakfast the next morning.

Harry glared at Ron who looked just as bewildered before he took Harry's arm and marched him forward to catch up to Ginny and Neville.

“Oh, hi Anthony,” Hermione blushed. “This is a surprise.”

He shrugged. “I just wanted to walk you down to breakfast.” He took Hermione's bookbag off of her shoulder and placed it on his.

Harry was ready to spit fire. Who the hell did Anthony think he was? Honestly!!

“Just keep walking,” Ron whispered to Harry. He didn't want his best friend starting yet another fight in the corridors.

“Hi Harry!”

“Harry.”

“Hello Harry.”

“Morning Harry.”

He ignored all of the usual batty female horde as he sat himself down at his usual spot at the table. Seamus and Dean noticed the cagey look on his face and Dean was about to remark on it when Hermione walked in with Anthony.

“Catch you later,” he said softly to her with a smile as he handed her back her bookbag. Harry moved to stand up to get out of his seat and confront Anthony but Ron yanked him back down and made him face forward. The trio was unusually quiet for breakfast and Harry took his frustration out by stabbing at his food. There was this odd, cackling electric feel coming off Harry and both Hermione and Ron were afraid that asking for something as simple as “Pumpkin juice?” would send all of the jugs flying around the room…or exploding. Probably exploding.

Harry was quickly approaching his tolerance limit for Anthony Wellington. He put up with the stupid looks he and Hermione would exchange when they passed each other in the halls. He put up with the conversation that they had in Charms when she laughed out loud. He wasn't that funny of a guy and besides, Hermione was too nice not to laugh. It only sounded convincing and genuine. He put up with the git walking Hermione to the library after dinner and “studying”, if that's what they were really doing. Ginny wouldn't let him use the Extendable Ears to listen in but from what he did hear, it didn't sound good.

“So, it's not ashwood root?” Anthony asked Hermione.

“No, it's Elmwood root,” she replied. “It was on page seventy-three.”

Anthony shook his head. “With your brains, it's a wonder that you're not in Ravenclaw.”

She wasn't in Ravenclaw, she was in Gryffindor. A much better house in Harry's opinion. Especially since he was in it…and Ron, too.

But he reached his limit when Anthony leaned over and kissed Hermione on the lips. Harry saw red and all the ink jars in the library exploded at once. The couple parted, and to his dismay, laughed at the mess that had splattered on them.

“I'll be back,” Hermione giggled, “I'm just going to clean up.”

Harry followed her out of the library but as he turned the corner, Hermione grabbed him and yanked him into the nearest empty classroom.

“Just what do you think you're doing?” she hissed at him as she used her wand to clean the ink off of her.

Harry just looked at her before he quickly closed the distance between the two of them and pressed his lips against hers in a heated and desperate kiss. For a moment, Hermione was stunned and lost herself in the moment as Harry's hands moved from her hair to cup her jawline.

“No, Harry, stop!” she said as she shoved him away from her. Harry could see her lips were moist and slightly swollen from their kiss. She looked at him, demanding an explanation.

“Hermione, I'm an idiot. I know it. I'll confess it,” he said, deciding to lay it all on the line. “I've been lying to you all this time. I love you,” he confessed. “I'm so fucking hopelessly and completely in love with you. When I told you I didn't…I lied. It was the biggest lie I've ever told. I didn't mean it. Any of it.” She was staring at him and he desperately tried to stop himself from speaking but it was as if a dam inside had broken and everything was spilling out.

“I told you that I didn't love you because I was trying to push you away from me. Make you hate me so you wouldn't love me. I was trying to protect you, not from Voldemort, but from me. I don't know what I would do if I hurt you again. You have no idea how it felt to come out of your mind and realize that I was hurting you instead of Voldemort. Oh God, you nearly died! At my hands! What if he did that again? Because he can, Hermione, if I slip up once and he gets inside…”

“Stop,” Hermione said so softly as she held up both of her hands, that he almost missed it.

A silence fell between the two of them.

“I know that you love me, Harry. I knew that you always loved me and I knew that you had stood there and lied to my face, hurting me when you said that you didn't. And I know that you did it because you were trying to protect me. You did the same thing to Ginny.”

“Don't compare yourself to Ginny. The way I feel about the two of you is completely different.”

“Is it, Harry? Didn't you break up with her for the same reasons? You tried to do this to me before and I told you that I wasn't going to sit by and let you get away with it like she did. I told you that I was in this with you no matter what happened, that I would stay by your side.”

“Hermione, I almost killed you!” he shouted.

“No. YOU DIDN'T!!” she shouted back. “How many times to I have to tell you that I knew it wasn't you from the moment it happened. I felt him, I saw him! You were just a vessel. He could've used anyone, Ron, Ginny again, me! The point is that I knew it wasn't you and you still pushed me away!”

“I was only trying to pro—“

“Protect me!” she finished, shaking her head. “I didn't need you to protect me! I didn't need Harry Potter the Boy-Who-Lived, I didn't need Harry Potter the Savior of the Wizarding World, I didn't need Harry Potter the Chosen One, I didn't need Harry Potter the Hero!” She began to cry. “I needed Harry Potter, my best friend and the man that I loved to trust in me. To trust in us. To trust in our love, to believe that our love was strong enough to overcome the greatest evil that we have ever faced.”

“Trust,” he said quietly. “That word is so funny coming from you considering it was you who got us into this mess in the first place when you decided to strike a BARGAIN WITH THE FERRET!!”

“I DID IT TO PROTECT YOU!” she shouted back.

“How?” Harry demanded, moving toward Hermione, making her shrink back. “What did he hold over your head?”

Hermione looked away. “He threatened to tell the Death Eaters about you searching for the horcruxes.”

“Shit!” Harry muttered. “FUCK!!” he threw a desk across the room and Hermione jumped. He took deep breaths to calm himself down. “What does he know?” he asked in an even voice.

“Nothing specific. He just knows that you are after them. He doesn't know that you have destroyed any of them.”

Harry shook his head. “Hermione.”

“Are you telling me that you wouldn't have done the same?”

“I wouldn't have said a word to the git. Of all people, Hermione! God!” he shook his head in frustration.

“I promised to keep his secret if he kept mine,” she said.

“Yeah, and now those promises are broken and he's free to tell anyone he wants.”

“And only I know where his mother is hiding,” she countered.

Harry glared at her, grudgingly conceding that point.

“I'm sorry,” she said. “I'm sorry about getting into the mess with Draco in the first place.”

“I'm sorry, too,” he replied.

“I guess we both failed each other,” she said softly then turned to leave the room. She had her hand on the knob when Harry stopped her.

“You didn't fail me, Hermione. And I will believe in our love. I will trust in it.”

She looked back at him. “Thank you, Harry” she replied, “but, I'm done.”

She opened the door and slipped out of the room.

-->

35. Temptation

A/N: YES!!! Got this chapter out before the weekend. Look out for the Harmony Podcast and I hope I answered all of your questions that you submitted. Thanks for all the positive reviews and for those who have faith in this story and me as a writer. Believe it or not, I am an H/Hr shipper. ;)

Temptation

What's the deal with my brain?

Why am I so obviously insane?

In a perfect situation

I let love down the drain.

There's the pitch, slow and straight.

All I have to do is swing

and I'm a hero, but I'm a zero.

Hungry nights, once again

Now it's getting unbelievable.

'Cause I could not have it better,

But I just can't get no play

From the girls, all around

As they search the night for someone to hold onto.

And I just pass through...

singing...

Ooohhhhh oh. Ooohhhhh oh. Ooohhhhhhhhhh.

Singing...

Ooohhhhh oh. Ooohhhhh oh. Ooohhhhhhhhhh.

Get your hands off the girl,

Can't you see that she belongs to me?

And I don't appreciate this excess company.

Though I can't satisfy all the needs she has

And so she starts to wander...

Can you blame her?

(Perfect Situation—Weezer)

~*~

“It's empty,” Hermione said quietly and Ron and Harry slipped in. The girls' lavatory was empty, the only sound was a slow drip, drip of a leaky faucet.

Harry walked over to one of the sinks. “Open up,” he hissed in Parseltongue. Ron and Hermione shifted uneasily, they always felt uneasy whenever Harry spoke in that language.

Hermione started when the sink dropped away revealing a pipe wide enough for a person to squeeze through. Harry looked up at her and saw that she suddenly looked very pale and frightened. She had never been down here before. The last time he had done this, he was with Ron because she was petrified and in the hospital wing.

“Are you—“ he started to ask if she really wanted to do this but she cut him off.

“I'm fine!” she squeaked.

Harry still seemed uneasy about this but he lowered himself into the pipe anyway. As he slid down the slimy slide, he remembered it being just a little more spacious and toward the end, he was beginning to get a little claustrophobic. He wondered if Hermione would make it out after all.

Ron came out next, covered in slime. Followed by Hermione. Harry caught her as she shot out of the pipe. She was still very pale and she shook slightly with fright.

“Ew,” she said quietly as she looked down at her clothes.

“You okay?” he asked and she nodded back. Harry lit the tip of his wand and moved forward.

“Haven't been down here in awhile,” Ron said as they walked, his wand light moving around the chamber. Hermione saw him shudder violently as he saw a spider scuttle away.

She let her light to the ground and saw that there were tiny skeletons of house elves that were littering the ground. She fought down the nausea that threatened to overcome her, she was nearly sick with fear. Something dull and large caught her eye and her wand roamed over the shed skin of a very large snake. She nearly screamed.

“Harry?” she asked in a shaky voice.

“Yes?” he replied.

“There was only one basilisk, right?”

Harry stopped and looked back at her, seeing that she was eyeing the snake's skin. “Yeah, I'm sure.”

He wasn't really. There was only mention of one basilisk but what if it was female? What if she laid eggs? Didn't Snape have a basilisk egg in his potions storage? Oh, crap, what if they hatched and they were walking into one giant basilisk nest?

Damn it, Hermione!

“And here we are,” Ron said as they came to a large rock pile. “This is where we were nearly caved in on.”

Harry could've killed Ron for saying that seeing that Hermione's eyes widened and she began to gnaw at her lower lip. A nervous habit of hers.

It was just the three of them going on this adventure alone. Isis refused to go into a chamber that previously contained a basilisk and Harry thought it best not to bring Neville down here, considering that Ginny would seriously flip her lid. Hell, she'd probably freak out anyway if she found out that the three of them came back down here.

He slowly began to climb up the rock wall, knocking a few more stones from the top to make more room for him. He apparently wasn't a scrawny twelve year old anymore. Hermione followed next, careful not to move another stone out of place for fear that she would knock one that would send this whole wall crashing down around them. Ron followed last.

They didn't have to walk too far until they came upon two stone doors with snakes on them. Hermione and Ron exchanged nervous glances. They both had never gone this far.

“Open,” Harry hissed and the snakes writhed, opening the doors, the sound of stone grinding on stone filled the cavern. Hermione didn't realize how tightly she was gripping her wand until she realized the dull pain in her hand was caused from her nails digging into her palm.

Into the chamber they moved. Hermione and Ron gazed up at the enormous pillars around them, all of them with stone snakes twined around them. Hermione thought they looked menacing, as if they knew that the three of them had no business being here, their mouths curled up in silent hisses.

Harry felt the familiar unease and fear of first being down here and he kept a close eye on the shadows as they proceeded forward. The basilisk was dead. He had killed it. But the dark shadows still made him uneasy. There was a light coming from somewhere that basked the chamber in a green glow and as they stepped in front of the giant statue of Salazar Slytherin, he heard Hermione gasp and stifle a scream.

There, lying in front of them, at the foot of the statue, was the skeleton of the dead basilisk.

Hermione and Ron stared at it.

“Blimey,” Ron muttered under his breath.

Harry looked down at Hermione who was staring at the skeletal remains. He put an arm around her and hugged her to him briefly before stepping forward. Ron followed but Hermione remained transfixed, she couldn't take her eyes off of how big it was. She didn't remember much about being petrified. She remembered being in the library with the girl from Ravenclaw when they heard it. A soft hiss, the sound of something sliding on the floor and Hermione knew, knew, that it was the basilisk. The Ravenclaw gave a startled cry and ran into the aisle where Hermione was.

“I saw…I saw…the body of a giant snake,” she said.

Hermione had just been doing research on them and was scribbling down the word “Pipes”. “Are you sure?” she asked and the Ravenclaw nodded.

Hermione then committed the unspeakable sin of ripping out a page in the book. “We have to get out of here,” the Ravenclaw whispered as she moved down the aisle.

“Wait!” Hermione whispered, stopping her. She reached into her bookbag and pulled out a small mirror.

The two girls moved to the end of the aisle, Hermione in the lead as she held out her mirror to peer around the corner. It was clear. The two of them darted down the aisle, stopping at the next corner where Hermione once again raised the mirror to see if the coast was clear. She lifted her hand and…

That was all she remembered.

She reached out to touch the skull of the snake when Harry caught her hand. “Don't,” he said in a soft voice. “The fangs are sharp and I'm not sure if they have poison still in them or not.”

Hermione recoiled and followed Harry and Ron as they explored the chamber. “He was standing over there,” Harry said, pointing to a shadowy corner. “Tom spent a lot of time down here. He had to have left something behind.”

The three of them split up, staying within shouting distance of each other. Hermione was having no luck. Having tamped down her fear, the only creatures she had encountered where the occasional spiders and beetles. The walls of the chamber were made of smooth stone blocks and she pressed on random ones to see if they had any secrets to reveal.

“Anything?” Harry asked as he came up behind her. Hermione jumped and whirled around. “Sorry,” Harry said, giving a small grin. “I guess I should have made some sort of noise.”

“Don't worry about it,” she shook her head. “This whole place is giving me the creeps.” Harry nodded in agreement. “How are you doing?”

“To be honest, it's like revisiting one of your worst nightmares,” he said softly as he rested his back against the wall.

“Oh, Harry,” Hermione frowned and placed a comforting hand on his arm.

He looked up at her and gave her a small smile. “I'm going to check out these pillars,” he said, moving away from the wall.

“So…how's Anthony?” he asked casually as he tapped his wand on the pillar. Hermione was still working on the wall.

“He's fine,” she answered.

The past few weeks with Anthony were fine. He was gentlemanly, polite and treated her well. He was safe. But deep down Hermione knew he was a bandage covering some leaky dam of feelings that were welling and churning.

“I'm surprised he was okay with you coming down here.”

“He, uh, doesn't know,” Hermione answered shyly. Harry's movements with his wand over the pillar stopped.

Hermione could feel his stare burning into the back of her head and she turned around. “I'm still your best friend, Harry. That doesn't change.”

Harry opened his mouth to reply but Ron's shout cut him off.

“Hey guys, I think I found something over here!”

~*~

Draco put back the book on the Goblin Wars of 534-780 in its proper place on the shelf. He had just finished the excruciatingly painful report on the topic for History of Magic class and was ready to take a much deserved break.

He walked out of the book aisle and saw that Anthony Wellington was now sitting alone at his table, his fellow classmates having left him to do what else. The Ravenclaw was studiously doing his Charms homework.

“Hello Anthony,” Draco said, taking a seat across from him. The Ravenclaw made no mention of hello, he just kept writing away.

“You and the mudblood not attached at the hip?” Anthony still gave him no reply, although Draco saw his jaw tense at the derogatory term.

“I figured the two of you would be huddled together in here doing your homework. You know, two mudblood brains might just equal one pure blood one.”

“What do you want?” Anthony asked with irritation. Draco smiled innocently.

“I was just having friendly conversation. So, how are you and the mudblood?”

“Her name is Hermione,” Anthony growled.

“I know what her name is,” Draco replied.

“Then use it properly.”

“I was just curious,” Draco shrugged.

“About what?” Anthony asked.

“Why someone like you is dating someone like her?”

Anthony put down is quill. “And just what is that supposed to mean?”

Draco smirked. “Trying to bask in the piece of the Harry Potter glory?”

“What?!”

“Oh come on, Wellington, be honest for once. You're already a well-liked guy, did your popularity skyrocket since you bagged Potty's ex?”

“I know this may be a hard concept for you to wrap your puny Slytherin mind around but I actually and genuine do care for Hermione very much.”

“I'm sure the popularity doesn't hurt either,” Draco sneered.

“You know, Hermione is actually a very nice and caring person,” Anthony retorted. “Unlike a lot of the girls here, whom I'm sure you're well acquainted with, who are fake and shallow she's real, and genuine and virtuous.”

“Oh I'm sure Potty got real acquainted with her virtuous side,” Draco muttered.

“You know what?” Anthony said as he picked up his homework and put it into his bag. “I don't have to sit here and listen to this crap.”

Draco reached out and slammed a hand over his bookbag. “Good, then I'll get straight to the point. Dump Granger.”

Anthony stared at him. “What?”

“Dump Granger,” Draco repeated firmly.

Anthony shook his head. “Sod off, Malfoy,” he said, yanking his bookbag out from under his hand.

Draco shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “Have it your way then.”

~*~

There was a smooth marble wall, flanked on either side by smaller pillars that mirrored the columns that filled the chamber, complete with the snakes that were wrapped around it. There was an archway above it with words inscribed on it in Latin.

“What does it say?” Ron asked and Harry shrugged.

“Don't know,” he said then he hissed in parseltongue, “open.”

Hermione was staring at the design above the archway, the snakes that made the border, the tree that was carved in the middle. Her eyes fell on the words in Latin.

Nothing happened when Harry hissed at it. “Great,” Ron sighed.

Ron tried to open it with a simple “Alohomora” but that didn't work either and the two of them explored the door.

“You know, we could use your help here,” Ron said with irritation to Hermione.

“I don't think we should open this door,” Hermione said quietly.

Harry looked over at her and saw that she was still staring above the doorway at the arch. He walked over to her. “Hermione?” he asked her. “Do you know what it says?” He followed her line of sight.

“It says something like `Only I opened your eyes to the true nature of God'.”

Harry looked at her for a moment then looked back up at the design in the archway. Only then did he notice the tree and in it was a single fruit.

“Ron,” he said, “I think I found the way in.”

Hermione grabbed his arm. “Harry, don't,” she pleaded. “I have a bad feeling about this. The last time a snake asked Man to do something, they were expelled from the Garden of Eden.”

Ron wrinkled his brow. “So you think we're going to be…expelled from Hogwarts?” Hermione gave an exasperated sigh.

Harry winked at her. “If I remember correctly, it was woman who took the apple, not man,” he said as he reached up.

“Harry this is no time for historical sexism! Just don't touch—“

Harry pressed the fruit in the tree and the door swung open. She groaned. “Not good. Not good.” She hung her head and buried them in her hands.

“Bloody brilliant, Harry!” Ron said admirably.

Harry grinned as he placed both of his hands on Hermione's shoulders, giving them a quick squeeze. “Couldn't have done it without you, Hermione.”

“I want no credit in this, Harry,” she replied, her voice muffled as she still hid her face.

Reluctantly, she followed them into the room.

Ron whimpered and turned around to run away as soon as he saw the spider webs that completely covered the furniture inside but Harry stopped him and made him march in anyway.

“Place hasn't been touched in years,” Harry said and with a flick of his wand, one of the chairs was cleared off of webs and dust. Ron teetered on his feet slightly when he saw a nest of spiders scuttle away when Harry cleaned off another chair.

Hermione went to work on the bookshelves in the room. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the web vanished and a snake's head, mouth open and fangs drawn, greeted her. “He needs to hire a new decorator,” she said wryly, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. Then as she looked at the books on the shelves she called out, “Harry, come here.”

He and Ron joined her, both of them wide eyed as they looked at what was in front of them.

“Oh Merlin,” Ron whispered.

Harry moved to the other bookshelf and cleaned it off, then the other. Ron went to work on the other side of the room. Hermione stepped forward and looked at the series of books in front of her, large dusty old tomes, whose spines were embossed in silver lettering, the covers old and faded.

Recordes of Salazar Slytherin

“Hermione. Ron.” Harry quiet voice brought his friends to him from across the room. He heard Hermione inhale sharply as they stared at the object Harry had uncovered.

A Pensieve.

“What do we do?” Ron whispered.

“Nothing,” Harry replied. “For now,” he turned away from the tempting object. “We've been down here long enough. We'll come back another day, I'm sure our absence has been noticed by now.”

Hermione turned and grabbed a couple of books from the shelf she had first uncovered. On the same track of mind, Harry shrank them down so they could stuff them in their pockets.

Retracing their steps back to the pipe, Harry reached for the rope that he had conjured up for this journey. “Hang on,” he said to his friends as he wrapped his hand around it. Hermione climbed into the pipe and wrapped her arms around his waist, Ron held on tight to her ankles. The rope quickly shortened, dragging them up the pipes briskly and they landed with a clatter on the lavatory floor.

“Ugh,” Ron said, flicking the slime off of him. “It's worse coming back up.”

“I guess we're all a little bit gamey,” Harry concurred. The three of them were coated in slime. He looked at each of them. “Tonight after curfew?” he asked.

“Room of Requirement,” Hermione agreed and they headed out to dinner.

~*~

The lake was still frozen, the ground still covered in snow but the usual path that Harry took to do his morning run was still marked. Nothing yet had turned up in the reading that he and Hermione and Ron were doing. Well, it mostly was Hermione. Ron usually began snoring thirty minutes into it and his own eyes began to glaze over after two hours and he found himself rereading the same sentence over and over. It seemed as if Hermione was the only one turning pages and even she had uncovered nothing spectacular.

But his mind was constantly on the room that they had discovered in the chamber. He could tell Hermione was thinking about it as well. Every once in awhile, while they were in class, they would catch each other staring off into space, their thoughts obviously elsewhere. He could tell they were thinking about the same thing. The Pensieve. But to be honest, Harry wasn't sure if he should go ahead and take a dive in it. Knowledge was power but ignorance was bliss sometimes.

Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to see the Slytherin quidditch team head out to the pitch for a last minute early practice before their match today against Ravenclaw. Malfoy was with them.

It gave Harry more pleasure than anyone could know, knowing that Malfoy had been kicked off the team. Not that he was any good but any little ray of sunshine and happiness that could be taken away from the Slytherin was a good thing in his book. Besides, the Slytherin team improved a bit now that they were forced to find a Seeker with some actual talent and not just a heavy pocketbook. Not that it helped them very much anyway, they would need all the help they could get against Ravenclaw, who was currently the top team at the school.

Harry jogged up the steps to the castle and up the stairs to his common room so he could get ready for the day but as he arrived on the second floor, he saw Anthony gazing out at the balcony. He turned and looked at Harry.

“Hey,” he said quietly.

“Morning,” Harry replied. Anthony turned to look back outside.

Harry wanted desperately to find some fault in Anthony, anything in his mind to rationalize why Hermione shouldn't be with him. So far the only thing Harry could find was that he made Hermione happy, and that made him feel like a complete shit. What was wrong with him to hate someone who was so well-liked, hell, he was even polite to Harry. He felt guilty every night for wishing that something bad would happen to him, random meteor collision that hit his bed and his bed only, that Hermione would walk in on him with another girl, or guy, he wasn't picky, or that he would just leave.

The night that he had his last big fight with Hermione, he stayed awake plotting and planning a way to win her back. He knew Ron would be on his side, he, too, wasn't too keen on the new bloke in Hermione's life. He woke up the next morning, determined, and he left the common room with a new mission in his mind.

Win Hermione back. Get Hermione back.

But he stopped in his tracks when he heard Anthony in the corridor. One sentence completely derailed him.

“Are you okay?” he had asked Hermione.

It was the way he had said it, just like he would've said it to her, with genuine concern for her well-being. Harry knew in that moment that any plots and plans he had to sabotage their relationship would only elevate Anthony to Sainthood in Hermione's mind and Harry would be sent to one of the Seven Levels of Hell.

So the plan was scratched and Harry had to flounder by himself in this stormy sea. He had other big problems to deal with but it didn't make it any easier. His feelings for Hermione were like a forgotten paper cut on his finger. It stung only when he hit it.

“They're going to need all the help they can get out there,” Harry said. He didn't like the guy but a truce could be called for Quidditch.

“Yeah,” Anthony muttered. Harry noticed that he was biting his fingernails and he wondered if the guy was nervous.

“Okay, well, good luck out there,” Harry said and Anthony nodded. Harry continued on his way. A weird sort of feeling settled over him, sort of like the anticipation he would feel the morning of his own matches. He shook the feeling off and continued on his way.

Looking back, Harry wondered if that chance encounter with Anthony and the feeling he got was some sort of coincidence. A shitty one for that matter but a coincidence all the same.

*

Harry and Ron decided that they were not cheering for Ravenclaw so much as cheering for a Slytherin loss. That's how they rationalized any cheer from the crowd whenever Wellington made an excellent goal. Harry was past complete annoyance with Hermione and Ginny and their stupid swooning every time Anthony even glanced in their direction. He should keep his mind on the game, Harry thought sourly. In his opinion, the Seekers for both teams were terrible. He had already spotted the snitch.

Deciding to squash his feelings of resentment, he decided to concentrate on the match which was, grudgingly, pretty intense. It was when the Snitch flew past the Slytherin goal post that Harry saw it. Or thought he saw it anyway. Goyle, a Beater, swung at the bludger…but missed. And the bludger changed directions, heading directly to Wellington who easily dodged it.

Harry shook his head. Maybe he had seen wrong.

Harry found his concentration had left watching the Snitch and was now watching the bludger. Again, Goyle hit it (or so Harry thought, he was at a bad angle and couldn't see) and it went straight for Wellington again who dodged it once again. On the surface, it didn't seem unusual. Wellington was a high scoring Chaser, if you wanted to distract any player, it would be him. But something nagged at Harry underneath the surface, a distant memory of his own first Quidditch game in which his broomstick became enchanted and very uncontrollable.

It was as if a light bulb went off in his head. That rogue bludger was really after Anthony and Crabbe and Goyle were doing a piss poor job of pretending to hit it. He began to wonder if anyone else had noticed it. He was just about to say something to Ron about it when the bludger finally hit its target.

Hermione gasped as it hit Anthony. He cried out and grabbed his arm, the sudden motion caused him to fall off of his broom, hitting a Slytherin Chaser below him before he hit the ground. Harry and Ron just stood there in shock with the other Gryffindors, Hermione and Ginny moved among them to get out of the stands and on to the pitch.

*

The crowd of the Ravenclaw quidditch team hovering around Anthony's bed cleared out leaving Hermione behind to stay with him.

“Are you sure you're alright?” she asked him with concern.

“Nothing a few potions and rest won't cure,” he replied. He was propped up on the bed, one arm in a sling and bandages wrapped around his ribs. He had already taken the Skele-Gro for the broken bones in his arm and ribs. He had a few cuts and bruises to compliment the injuries as well.

He moved his leg over to make room for Hermione who sat on the bed. “You guys still won,” she said with a smile.

“I take my victories where I can get them,” he smiled back at her and giving a small laugh, wincing slightly. He glanced across the ward where a few Slytherins were keeping company with their Chaser. Draco Malfoy was among them. Anthony locked eyes with him and, smirking, he reached toward Hermione and pulled her to him for a soft kiss.

“Thanks for being here with me,” he said to her when they pulled away.

“No problem,” she replied. She wanted to add that the Hospital Wing was like a second home to her with all of the trio's injuries but she gave it a second thought. “Did you want me to drop off your homework tonight?”

“Could you do that?” he asked and she smiled. Once again, Anthony pulled her down for a kiss and when they parted Malfoy had left the wing.

Hermione managed to drop off Anthony's homework and reunite with her friends by dinnertime in the Great Hall.

“How's Anthony?” Harry asked.

“He'll be out by tomorrow afternoon or evening,” she replied as she filled her plate with food.

“Damn,” Ron muttered, “I was hoping he'd be out for the rest of the season.”

“Ron!” Hermione and Ginny hissed at him. Harry stayed out of it but he silently admired his friend for having the guts to speak his mind. Or maybe the lack of restraint.

He wanted to voice his theory with Hermione but thought better of it. He wasn't entirely sure that the bludger was charmed somehow but he wouldn't put it past a Slytherin if that was the case. It was nearing the end of the season and Harry was sure that there were some desperate teams out there making their last minute runs for the championship.

~*~

Harry had to leave again after dinner for another meeting at the Ministry so Hermione read in the library with Ron. “Hey, look at this,” she said, turning the ancient book around for Ron to read.

He perused the page of the tome for a moment before he looked up at her. “Horcrux?”

Hermione let out a breath. “The first mention of such a thing. It doesn't go into detail on what it exactly is or how to exactly create one but, if you're Voldemort, you can get the gist of it here. Or at least the seed was somehow planted.”

“You have to remember to show that to Harry,” Ron said, returning the book to Hermione. He began to pack away his things.

“Rounds?” she asked and he nodded. “I think I'll be heading back to the common room as well,” she sighed, closing the book and putting it away. “I wanted to get started on some of my knitting.” Ron rolled his eyes.

“Spew still alive and kicking, huh?” he asked.

“S.P.E.W.,” she said exasperatedly, “and yes, it's still going strong. I've recruited Anthony as a member.”

“Yeah, I'm sure you did,” Ron muttered.

“Your mum would be proud of me, Ron. I have moved on from socks and hats to sweaters,” she said proudly.

“Make one for Dobby that says `I heart Harry Potter' on it and he'll think he'd died on gone to heaven.”

Hermione and Ron parted ways outside of the library and she walked the corridors alone. She wondered how Harry was doing, what he was doing. She couldn't wait for him to get back so she could tell him about Salazar's entry on horcrux's.

Her wanderings led her to the third floor girl's lavatory and she stepped inside. It was empty as usual and she reveled for a moment in the mind numbing rhythm of the water dripping from one of the leaky taps. She walked over to the tap that never worked, the one that led to the Chamber far below the school. She bent over and let her finger graze the etching of the snake.

“What are you doing here?”

Hermione jumped and started at Moaning Myrtle's voice and she whirled around. “I was just—“

“You aren't supposed to be here!” the ghost shrieked.

“Myrtle, I—“

A whooshing sound cut her off and right before her eyes, Draco Malfoy suddenly landed in the middle of the bathroom in a cloud of green smoke. Hermione let out a started gasp loud enough to catch his attention. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw her.

“Hermione!”

She looked at him, her eyes wandering to his arm where his sleeve was rolled up. Draco hastily tugged at the fabric but it was too late. Hermione had already seen the Dark Mark on his arm and she turned to flee the bathroom.

“Hermione, wait!” Draco called out as he ran after her.

~*~

Harry watched as Miles placed a single rat in one cage and placed it next to another cage that had another three rats in it. The lone rat had dark fur and was turning the pages of a tiny book, looking very bored and disinterested. “This is Artemus,” he explained to Harry. “Notice how the females ignore him and pay attention to Hercules.” Indeed Harry could see the two females with white fur and pink tails crowding around a larger and more healthy looking brown rat. They were feeding him pieces of cheese.

“Poor little fellow just can't catch a break. The females won't mate with him,” Miles sighed then grinned. “Until now.” Harry and Cho huddled around the cage as Miles took out a dropper from a vial and put one drop on the little brown rat.

At first it seemed that nothing was happening. Then, all of a sudden, the two female mice stopped feeding Hercules and began to lose interest in him as they moved to the other side of the cage.

“Amazing!” Cho said as they watched as the females squeaked and gestured suggestively to Artemus who looked just as confused as Hercules did over their female counterparts' behavior.

“What is that?” Harry asked, gesturing to the vial.

“Pheromones,” Miles replied. Cho raised her eyebrows.

“Pheromones,” Harry repeated in disbelief.

“Very powerful stuff, Harry. It is a complex form of communication in nature. There are all types but this one is a sex pheromone.” Harry and Cho stepped away from it. “It's what makes the animal world go `round.” Miles placed a drop of it on Harry's skeptical head. “Those females are finding Artemus to be quite the catch for a mate.”

“How?” Harry asked, Artemus didn't look any different.

“Smell,” Miles answered.

“Smell.”

“Harry, wizard or muggle, our bodies are hard-wired the same. Any reaction we have is a result of chemical signals sent from the brain. This stuff,” Miles held up the vial, “is the chemical signal that says `Hey there, aren't you a fine looking mate. Care to copulate?'”

“You expect me to believe that that stuff, that I can't even smell by the way, attracts females and makes them want to—“

“Oh Harry!” Cho said in a husky voice, cutting Harry off and planting a big kiss on his lips as she wrapped her arms around him.

“Ack! Mrmphr mmrackrm,” Harry mumbled as his arms flailed helplessly as Cho attacked him. Miles chuckled and picked up another bottle and sprayed it on Cho. She coughed and spluttered in Harry's arms then looked up at him.

“Oh. My. God,” she said as she quickly moved away from him. She was blushing furiously. Harry was equally awkward. Cho began to sniff the air. “I can't smell. Miles what did you do, I can't smell a thing!”

“It'll wear off by the morning,” Miles replied.

“Trust me, Cho. It's probably for the best,” Harry muttered. “Hey how do I get rid of this stuff?”

“It'll wash out with your next shower, no worries Harry.”

“What are you doing with that stuff anyway?” he asked.

“Perfume company contracted me to make it for them. They are planning to put very dilute amounts of it into their newest perfume.”

Harry's eyes widened slightly at the thought of the hundreds of Romilda's out there who might purchase this stuff. “Is that such a good idea?”

Miles smiled. “Harry, Harry, don't be so uptight about it,” he said, then frowned thoughtfully. “You don't need a vial of this stuff do you?”

“Um, no. I'm fine.”

Miles shrugged and put the vial away. “I'm still working on what you asked about. It's going to take a few more weeks,” he said. “But since I'm working on chemical reactions on the brain. I thought you might find this useful.” He handed Harry a bag of what looked like light green marbles. “Toss one of these at the foot of your Death Eaters in an attack and Poof! It releases a chemical that disorients them, rendering them helpless for about a minute.”

“Clever, Miles,” Harry said. “Say, have you ever heard of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes or the owners?”

Miles frowned. “No, I don't believe I have? Are they in research?”

“Sort of. I'll bring you something from them next time.”

~*~

“Hermione!”

“Let go of me! HEL—“ Draco clamped a hand over her mouth as he grabbed her and dragged her into a nearby broom closet.

He shoved her up against the wall and whispered fiercely to her. “I just want a chance to explain.”

“I will scream,” Hermione hissed back. “I swear to you I will scream and Ron will hear. He's on patrol and—“

“I'm not going to hurt you Hermione!” Draco said with exasperation. His hands were grabbing her shoulders.

“You're a…a…Death Eater!” Hermione whispered frantically with wide eyes. “Harry was right all along.”

Draco's eyes narrowed and he slightly shook her. “What do you mean Potty was right?”

“He told us you were last year. I didn't believe him but he was right. Are you going to lie right to my face? I saw the mark, Draco!”

Draco stared at her. “I'm a Death Eater,” he confessed and Hermione closed her eyes and let out a small whimper. “I was born to be a Death Eater, I was groomed for it.” He let go of her and she gently pushed him away from her.

“Stay away from me,” she whispered.

“Please, Hermione, you have to believe me. I need your help. I'm in a little over my head right now.”

“You let those people into Hogwarts last year. You allowed them to attack us. You killed Dumbledore.” Her accusations were cutting and painfully accurate.

“I swear to you, Hermione, I didn't mean for it to happen. The Dark Lord forced me to do it. He said he would kill me and my parents if I didn't. Please believe me, Hermione.” He reached out for her but she recoiled from him.

“Oh God, don't touch me!” she hissed.

“For crying out loud, I'm not even out of Hogwarts yet! What kind of man sends a kid to do a job he couldn't do himself? He set me up for failure. He really wanted to get his Death Eaters into the castle, he didn't care what happened to me.”

“You and Snape…” Hermione couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

“I don't know how he did it. Dumbledore was weak. I could tell. I didn't know Potty was with him. You have to believe me when I say that I wasn't going to do it. I couldn't do it. Dumbledore was the only one who saw more to me than just being a lemming in the Dark Lord's army.”

“And yet you still stand by Voldemort's side,” Hermione spat at him.

“I don't have a choice, Hermione. He'll kill my mother if I fail the mission he's given me.”

Hermione's eyes widened. “You told him about the horcruxes didn't you??

“I swear I didn't and I promise you that I won't.”

“Your promises don't mean a thing to me,” she sneered. For a moment, Draco looked crushed but the look was gone in the blink of an eye.

“He wants me to befriend you, Ron and Harry and report to him what you are doing,” Draco confessed.

Hermione stared at him.

“You bastard!” she said in a hysterical whisper as she slapped him across the face.

“Hermione wait!” he reached out and stopped her from leaving. She hit him on his arms and shoulders.

“Let me go, you bastard. You son of a bitch!!”

“Hermione, why do you think I'm telling you this?”

“I don't give a fuck what you say!”

“He's setting up an attack in London. He told me to tell you this to gain your trust. I'm being honest with you!”

Hermione jerked her knee upward making contact with Draco's groin and he crumpled to the floor, groaning in pain.

“I'm not going to let you near Harry!” she screamed at him. “I'm not going to give you chance to hurt him, do you hear me?!”

She turned around and yanked open the door of the broom closet only to run into Filch and Mrs. Norris.

“Well, well, well,” he said to her, looking with his greedy eyes over her shoulder at Malfoy who was still on the floor. “I'm full for detentions tonight. But I'll be expecting you and Mr. Malfoy tomorrow night instead.”

Hermione's chin was quivering and she just ran through the hall, hot tears spilling down her cheeks until she reached the safety of her common room. Thankfully, it was empty and she leaned back against a wall to slide down it. She didn't know why she was so upset with what Draco had told her. But she put her arms around herself and waited until she calmed down. She would wait for Harry. She had to tell him what Draco had told her. Again, tears began to spill down her cheeks.

~*~

Harry had almost made it to the common room undetected but he made the mistake of being over confident and taking off the invisibility cloak just as Filch and Mrs. Norris rounded the corner.

“Ah, Mr. Potter,” Filched grinned as if he had just received the best gift ever.

Harry sighed. “Where and when?” he asked.

“Tomorrow night in the dungeons,” Filch answered.

With a weary exhale, Harry opened the portrait door and stepped inside.

It was beyond late and he expected the common room to be empty but found Hermione, instead, sitting at a table, her head resting on it. There were books scattered around her and she appeared to be sleeping. Harry took a moment to capture this scene in his memory forever.

He approached quietly and squatted beside her. “Hey, Hermione,” he said softly. “Wake up, it's late.” He reached out and brushed her hair off of her face.

Hermione stirred and blinked her eyes. “Harry?” she asked. “What time is it?” she asked, sitting up and yawning.

“A little after midnight, what are you—“

“Oh, Harry! So much has happened tonight!” she grabbed his hand suddenly. “Sit down, I have something to show you first.”

Harry took a seat in the chair across the table from hers as she rummaged through the books they had taken from the Chamber. She picked one out and opened it, thumbing through the pages until she stopped at one and handed it to him.

“Read this,” she said as he took it from her.

Was it just her imagination or was Harry looking a little more fanciable than usual? There was just something, ahhh, about him. Delectable? Ravishing? She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Was it suddenly very warm in the room? Her sweater was already off but it was so hot in this room. Not as hot as Harry of course. Oh God, who knew that reading could be so, so…sexy. She unbuttoned the top few buttons of her blouse.

“Horcruxes?” Harry said aloud as he read. “Salazar mentioned them? I wonder if that's where Tom got the idea?”

“Why don't we put the silly book away for now?”

Harry froze and his heart stopped. He slowly looked up from his book and saw that Hermione was on the table and slowly approaching him in a most feline-like manner. She stopped in front of him and pulled the book out of his hands. Harry didn't stop her. He didn't think he could. At the moment, he had suddenly lost all ability to move.

He could see down the front of her blouse as she leaned in to press her lips against his. Mmm, was that the cotton candy lip gloss flavor? That was his favorite. When did she put it on? Then it suddenly clicked in his feeble little brain.

The pheromones.

That crap was still on his hair.

His old and familiar friends, the Angel and the Devil, popped up onto his shoulders.

“Harry, you know better,” the Angel lectured.

“Dude, go with it,” said the Devil.

“Um…Hermione…” he said between kisses. “You're not…acting…yourself…right now.”

“Yes I am,” she purred. “I've been wanting this for so long.”

Oh God, please don't say that.

“That was consent in my book!” the Devil piped up.

“Harry this is just like the time when she was inebriated,” the Angel said.

Oh, she was nibbling on his ear. Blood was rapidly leaving his brain and going south. “Pheromones,” Harry managed to croak out. “I've got…pheromones…”

“Why yes you do, Harry,” she cooed in his ear before she began to place kisses on his neck.

“No, I mean…” Harry summoned all the willpower he had left and gently pushed Hermione away from him. The Angel patted Harry on the shoulder approvingly as the Devil wailed into his hands. “We really have to stop now.”

Hermione grinned at him.

And, oh, was it a wicked grin.

Then, she reached out and gently removed Harry's glasses from his face, carefully folded them, then lay them to rest on top of the books.

“Hermione…”

She tucked her lovely, luscious legs close to her and rotated on her bum so she was sitting on the table facing him. Then…she slowly parted them, placing her bare feet daintily on his thighs. She was wearing pink colored knickers and Harry briefly wondered if they were the ones that had the lace trim at the top or the little pink bow. He silently prayed they were the ones with the little pink bow. She scooted herself forward and off of the table, her feet sliding off of his thighs to give way to her calves, then her knees, then her thighs as she slid onto his lap, straddling him.

The Angel and the Devil on his shoulder were speechless for once, their mouths wide open.

“You're on your own on this one,” the Angel said in a strangled voice.

It really didn't matter what the Angel said anyway. All self-control that Harry had was blown away by what Hermione had just done and his lips sought hers in a heated and passionate kiss.

Her hands were frantically pushing his cloak off of his shoulders before they went for his tie, ripping it loose. Harry wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing her closer to his hardened desire for her. His other hand tangled in her hair, pressing her further into his kiss. He tasted the faint metallic taste of blood, he was kissing her so hard. She was untucking his shirt, pulling it from his trousers, her hands quickly and expertly unbuttoning it as she had done so many times before.

Her fingernails grazed his chest and Harry let out a low hiss. His hands must have been digging painfully into her waist but he couldn't help it. She was nibbling on his earlobe, gently tugging it then moving her wonderful lips over his neck to his other earlobe to do the same. His hands moved to the hem of her blouse, already untucked and his fingers wandered over her hot and soft skin. He pressed Hermione further against him, eliciting a quiet moan from her lips. He moved one hand from her waist and down her front. He groaned when he discovered that her knickers were damp. He brushed the fabric aside and pressed two fingers into her warm heat.

“Oh God, Harry,” Hermione whimpered. She was driving him crazy. He needed her too badly. She let out a moan of protest when his fingers left her but he put his hands on her waist and lifted her back to sit on the table. He climbed up after her, lowering her to its flat surface as he knocked all the books to the floor with a wave of his hand. Hermione reached for his belt, fumbling with it before Harry took over to undo it.

“Make love to me, Harry,” she whispered.

“I will,” he whispered back. “Oh God I will.”

But it still felt wrong. No matter how much he wanted Hermione at this moment. He knew that when this stuff wore off, she would hate herself. And possibly hate him. He couldn't stomach the thought.

“Harry?” Hermione asked him when he stopped.

“You have no idea how much I want to do this with you,” he said, looking down at her and brushing her hair from her face. “But not like this.”

“What are you—“

“Stupefy,” Harry said softly, gently tapping his wand to her forehead.

She lay still underneath him. Harry exhaled. “You're going to be the death of me, Hermione, I swear it.”

He moved off of her and fixed her clothes, arranged her so she sat in the chair like he had first found her when he stepped into the common room. Then he went upstairs to shower and get that stuff out of his hair as well as take care of some…er, business. Lucid, clean and coherent, he went back downstairs to Hermione.

“Ennervate,” he said softly and she blinked her eyes open.

“Oh, Harry, you're back,” she said, her brow wrinkling in confusion. She had just had the most graphic dream.

“It's late, you should get back to bed,” Harry said.

“I had the most strange dream,” she absently before shaking her head. “Wait! There's something I have to tell you.”

She showed him the book and what she had found. Then she told him about Draco and what he had said to her.

“What are you going to do?” she asked him when she was done.

Harry exhaled. “Sleep. It's been a really long night and I don't have the strength to even puzzle out the Ferret right now.”

Hermione gathered her books and walked with him to the stairs.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he replied, smiling softly at her. “I'm just tired. Good night Hermione.”

“Night, Harry.”

She watched her friend as he slipped into his dorm, closing the door behind him. Her tongue tentatively touched her lips and she tasted her cotton candy flavored lip gloss. She looked up at Harry's door once more before going up the stairs to her own.

-->

36. Shades of Grey

A/N: So sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out. It's a long one so I hope you enjoy it. There is some D/Hr in this chapter (sorry) but I tried to tone it down a bit without completely washing it out. There's also some time jumping here but I tried to mark them out. Okay, so, read on and review.

Shades of Grey

Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies

So I don't know what's real and what's not

Always confusing the thoughts in my head

So I can't trust myself anymore

I'm dying again

I'm going under

Drowning in you

I'm falling forever

I've got to break through

(Going Under—Evanescence)

~*~

From the behind the pillar that he was hiding, he could see her walking across the courtyard, her long dark hair bounced with each step of hers. With a small flick of his wand, her book bag ripped at the bottom, spilling her books and parchments.

“Bugger,” she muttered as she bent down to collect her things.

“Here, let me help you,” he said, rushing to her side and helping her. She looked up at him and started.

“What are you doing?” she asked, looking at him with wide blue eyes.

“I'm helping you,” he replied simply.

“But…but you're Draco Malfoy,” she stammered. Draco looked up at her.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Well…you're a complete jerk and a snob,” she said immediately.

Draco frowned and handed her the last book. “Just because I'm a Malfoy doesn't mean I don't have feelings and that they can't be hurt.” He abruptly turned and walked away from her.

He secretly grinned and counted down the seconds. 3, 2, 1.

“Draco, wait!” she said and hurried to his side. Draco put on his frown. “I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. You were only trying to help it's just that…well, you're not known for helping people.”

Draco stopped and looked at her with a shy grin. “Can I tell you the truth?” he asked, piquing the young girl's curiosity. “You're right. I don't normally stop to help people but it was the only way I could talk to you.” She stared at him.

“You caused my bag to rip?” she asked, incredulously.

Draco shrugged sheepishly and shifted awkwardly. She looked at him like she would a lost puppy and he knew in that moment that he caught her, hook, line and sinker.

“Can I walk you to your next class?” he asked. The girl looked at him, not believing that the popular Slytherin had actually requested this.

“Um…okay,” she replied, starstruck. All she needed was to run into Harry Potter and have him smile at her and she could die happy, right there on the spot. “I can't believe that you even know me,” she breathed as they walked into the castle.

“Of course I do,” Draco said, grinning as he held open the doors for her. “You're Abby, Anthony Wellington's little sister.”

~*~

The dream had been so graphic, it had to have been real. I mean, I could taste the cotton candy lip gloss and for even a crazy moment, I could taste him on my lips. But I woke up and I was exactly how I was before he came in. I'm so confused. He seemed fine, calm and composed. Everything is just so hazy. And I feel so guilty. My boyfriend was in the hospital wing and I was in my common room having absurdly real dreams about getting it on with my ex-boyfriend. And it didn't help that the dream was sooooo hot.

“Hermione!”

Ginny's screech cut through her thoughts like a knife and she was abruptly yanked back into reality to find that she had overfilled her cup with pumpkin juice and it was spilling all over the table.

“Oh no!” Hermione started, losing her grip on the jug and it clattered to the table, emptying the rest of the pumpkin juice on its nearest occupants.

Ron looked at her exasperatedly as he cleaned up his robes, for the third time today, with a flick of his wand. Ginny and Neville were doing the same and Harry looked at Hermione with concern as he cleaned off his glasses on his robes. She had been like this all day. Distracted and a little bit disoriented, she didn't once raise her hand for answers that he knew that she knew, she merely gazed out of the window in all of her classes. He had even seen her walk into a couple of walls.

He was worried. Maybe his Stupefy was a little too strong and he was beginning to wonder how he was going to sneak her into St. Mungo's Spell Damage ward without her really knowing what was going on and, more importantly, without incriminating himself. Ugh, he could see the headline in the Prophet now:

Boy-Who-Lived Turns Best Friend Into Bumbling Idiot

“Hermione are you sure you're okay?” Ginny asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “I'm sorry! I don't…yeah…I'm okay,” Hermione muttered.

Ron looked at Harry and saw the concern etched on his face, and a little bit of something else. He felt a little bit of relief in this. There was something wrong with their best friend and if anyone could sniff it out and help her, it would be Harry.

Draco, meanwhile, had just suffered through a day of walking the stupid Ravenclaw to her classes and pretending to be an interested paramour. It was only a matter of time before the gossip reached her older brother's ears. Maybe then, the git would get the point. He glanced over at Hermione and saw that she was cleaning her robes off with her wand…again. She had been acting funny all day and he began to wonder if the time she was spending with the Wellington git was slowly draining her of any intelligence she had. Since she was still hanging around Potty and Weasel, he figured it wouldn't take very long until she was a complete imbecile.

Dinner had ended and everyone was getting up to leave. Draco made his way over to Abby and did his task of walking her to her common room. He politely and shyly said his goodnight. He even gave her a quick peck on the lips goodnight, just enough so she would be wanting more later on. He had left her in front of her portrait with a dazed and goofy grin on her face.

He had detention tonight with Hermione and he was hoping to use this opportunity alone with her to further convince her that he was indeed telling the truth. He needed her to believe him, to believe in him. He made his way down to the dungeons and opened up the designated classroom to find that Hermione was already there.

“Is it safe to come in here or should I wear some sort of groin protection?” he asked as he closed the door behind him. Hermione said nothing, she just turned to face forward again. He walked down the aisle and took the seat next to her.

“Are you going to ignore me?” he asked. She continued to stare ahead, giving no hint that she had heard him.

“Fine, just listen then. I am a Death Eater, I'll admit that to you Hermione. I was forced into it, seduced by the power that the Dark Lord could offer me. That's how he ensnares everyone. But I swear to you that I've changed. That pact we made…changed me and for once I actually care about someone other than my mother or myself.

“Hermione, I'm glad that you saw the Mark on my arm. I'm glad that the truth is out there because I'm tired of lying to you. When you were lying there, recovering, over Christmas I wanted so badly to tell you but I was afraid that I would lose your trust. Lose whatever fragile bit of friendship that we had built…”

“Built upon lies, Draco,” Hermione finally spoke up. “You forced me into that pact. You threatened to tell Voldemort about the horcruxes and for all I know you have by now.”

“I swear to you Hermione that I didn't.”

“Every word that comes out of your mouth is a lie,” Hermione blinked rapidly. She would not cry. She would not cry. “He asked you to befriend us so he could spy on us!” She got out of her chair, she couldn't stand to be near him.

“That was after Christmas, after things changed between us.”

“Draco…don't,” she whispered.

Draco moved to her side. “Hermione,” he said softly. “I need your help. I'm asking for it. I don't know what to do.” He put his hands on her shoulders but she shrugged them off.

“You have no idea what you've done, have you?” she turned around to face him and he was shocked to see the hurt and anger on her face. “You have no idea what our little pact did. You have no idea how much you have destroyed.”

“And you have no idea how much you've ruined my life,” Draco replied fiercely. She looked up at him. Looked into his newly familiar grey eyes and saw that they had darkened to the color of a stormy sky. She saw conflict in them, emotions stirring underneath them. With a strange jolt of excitement, she realized that they were standing very close together. She felt a coiling tension between them, building and building. To what, she didn't know. But before she could dwell on it any further the door opened and to her surprise, Harry walked in.

~~5 minutes earlier~~

Harry walked down the corridors to the dungeons where he would be serving his detention tonight. He was hoping to get up to the Ministry tonight to pick something up but he would have to find some way to get it tomorrow instead. Bummer.

“I really think he's gone too far.”

Harry paused when he heard Michael Corner's voice. It was coming from the landing below.

“I mean he's after your little sister!” Michael said fiercely.

“I know,” Anthony replied harshly. “But what am I supposed to do? She won't listen to me!”

“Just do what Malfoy says and break up with Granger!”

“I can't do that. It only means that he wins.”

Harry frowned and moved closer so he could their conversation a bit better.

“I'll think of something, Michael,” Anthony said, his voice fading because they were walking away. “I'm not going to let Malfoy win this battle.”

~~Present~~

Harry walked in the dungeon, surprised to see it was already occupied. Hermione and Draco were standing very close together, she looked very upset. Draco just looked annoyed at the intrusion.

“I hope I'm interrupting something,” Harry said dryly.

Hermione moved away from Draco and walked up to him. “Harry, what are you doing here?” she asked.

“Detention,” he replied. “You?”

“The same,” she sighed.

“We were caught by Filch in a broom closet,” Draco piped up.

Hermione sighed with annoyance and Harry smirked.

“Yeah, Hermione told me all about that,” he replied. “She may have had a blind spot concerning you but her eyes are wide open now. Real stupid of you to go through her to get to me.”

Draco visibly bristled and opened his mouth to say something when the door opened and Professor Grubblyplank walked in.

“All of you are here on time. Very good, you can get started right away.” She handed each of them a pair of gloves, a bucket and a flat spatula. “You are to remove the chewing gum from underneath the tables in this classroom and two others. There will be no talking and no use of your wands.”

Hermione dutifully took her items and began working right away. Draco just looked at the items disdainfully. “You honestly don't expect us to do this kind of work,” he said, wrinkling his nose at the gloves. Harry just smirked, took his things and settled down at the desk nearest to Hermione.

After fifteen minutes, Harry and Hermione deduced that Draco wasn't going to be much help since he was still working on the same desk, muttering and cursing angrily before slamming a wad of used gum into the pail.

Harry looked over at Professor Grubblyplank who was sitting at the front of the room thumbing through some sort of magazine. She had long ago given up on asking Draco to keep his inner monologue to himself but she still frowned disapprovingly at him whenever the Slytherin got too loud.

Harry scooted closer to Hermione. “You want to tell me what I walked in on?” he whispered to Hermione.

Hermione stopped scraping at the gum for just a moment. “Nothing,” she whispered back.

“Didn't look like nothing.” He dropped a piece of gum into the pail.

“Were you able to get up to the ministry?” she asked him. She didn't wait for his answer, she was done with this desk and moved to another. A few minutes later Harry joined her side again, working on a new desk.

“No. I'll have to get out tomorrow.”

“Should we postpone the plan, then?”

“I should be back before nightfall. Nice transition of topic by the way.”

She glared at him and he smiled back with a wink. “He was talking about what I told you last night.”

“That's what got you so upset?” She nodded. “Why? I knew all along. It shouldn't have been news to you.”

Hermione finished up here and moved to another desk. Draco moved in next to her.

“Potter finish interrogating you?”

Hermione sighed and pursed her lips together. Harry finished up his desk and joined the little group.

“Didn't miss anything important did I?” he whispered sarcastically.

“Granger was just asking me if it was polite to kiss Wellington after she swallowed his—“

“Draco!” Hermione hissed as Harry jabbed at the desk with the spatula, bending it.

“What the hell is your problem?” Harry hissed angrily.

“SHHHH!!” Professor Grubblyplank said aloud. “No talking.”

There was blissful silence for only about a minute until Draco broke it. “I told her that if the blow job was good enough, Wellington wouldn't give a damn.”

“Shut up, Draco,” Hermione whispered. Her face was hot with humiliation. Harry was studiously trying to straighten out the blade of the spatula. “Harry, I didn't ask him that.”

Harry didn't reply back. He was desperately trying to rid his mind of the possibility that Hermione may have actually been with Anthony in that way. Therefore, he really wasn't thinking clearly when he asked, “So did you kiss him after you swallowed?”

Hermione glared at Draco and Harry. “If you two want to have a pissing contest. Don't drag me into it.”

She left them and moved across the room. Some part of Draco did feel bad for humiliating Hermione like that but Potty's reaction was just too priceless. After all, one of his favorite hobbies was taunting Harry and exploiting his weaknesses and he had discovered a gold mine in Hermione. He could see that he was at the other desk, stabbing angrily at the gum with his jaw tense and tight.

“Notice how she didn't answer your question,” Draco whispered with an evil grin.

Harry didn't reply back.

“They've been going out for what…nearly a month now? It's only natural for her to explore her sexuality.”

“I didn't think you were into muggle-borns,” Harry spoke up.

“Only ones that wear some sort of vanilla scented perfume and cotton candy flavored lip gloss.” Draco smiled.

Harry looked over at him. “If you want to get yourself off on a one-sided drunken kiss, by all means…”

Draco's demeanor cracked a little but he quickly recovered. “So do you think he's fucked her yet?” he leaned forward and whispered.

“Why don't you charm a few bludgers and beat it out of him?” Harry asked. “Oh, wait. You've already done that.”

Draco ignored him. “I bet that little bookworm gets off being fucked in the library. You know, up against the bookshelves. Ooh, in the Restricted Section!”

“A little obsessed aren't you considering that you threatened Anthony unless he broke up with her. Even going as low as to dating his little sister.”

“Hey, I happen to care very much for Annie.”

“Abby.”

“Whatever. And I don't see why you give two shits about it. You're the one who dumped the mudblood.”

“I still care for her happiness.”

“Oh and I'm sure she's finding it with the guy whose shoving her skirt to her hips as he fucks her in the Dark Magic aisle.”

The desk Harry was at began to rattle violently but he reached out and stilled it, forcing himself to get a grip on his emotions. Malfoy was only baiting him and he wasn't going to fall for it.

“I'm sure their exploits in the library are purely academic,” Harry replied.

“Oh of course.” Draco mused as he lazily scraped away at a wad of gum. “He's popular, Captain of the Ravenclaw team, decent Quidditch player, and everyone knows Hermione's weakness for Quidditch players.” Harry glared at Malfoy who rattled on. “And according to ninety percent of the female, and some of the male, population Anthony is quote `one damn fine piece of male specimen' and he's supposedly intelligent…yeah, I can see why Hermione would be interested in only hitting the books with him. Don't be so naïve Potter. Hermione's not that innocent,” he looked up at the raven-haired geek. “As you should know.”

Harry looked up at him. “What the hell are you on about?”

Draco smirked. “According to Hermione, she didn't want to send the Boy-Who-Lived to his death, a virgin.”

Harry's desk rattled and skid across the floor but he caught it and moved it back. He shook his head. “You're pathetic Malfoy. I suddenly realized what you're all about. You do like Hermione, hell, you may have feelings for her in your own sick and twisted way.” Harry leaned in close. “But she doesn't care for you. She doesn't give two shits about you. Her interactions with you were cut off the moment I broke the vow. And now you come crawling to her, confessing to her that you're a Death Eater and that Voldemort set you up on some Grand Plan. Whether you are telling the truth or not, we'll see but that was, by far, the most pathetic attempt I've heard of to get into her pants.”

Harry left Draco to return to Hermione, the Ferret's face was red with outrage and silence descended upon the three of them for the rest of the detention.

~*~

“Hey Hermione, wait up!”

She rolled her eyes but slowed her pace just the same letting Harry catch up to her.

“Are you done being a complete prat?” she asked him.

Harry shifted uncomfortably before falling into step by her side. “Look, I'm sorry about what I said back there.”

“About your disgustingly rude question, which was none of your business by the way,” she added quickly. “Or the fact that Draco had baited you once again. After all these years, Harry.”

“You know, I don't think you are the correct person to give me a lecture on Malfoy's character,” Harry responded. Hermione scoffed. Harry reached out to stop her. “Look, at the risk of sounding like a jealous ex-boyfriend, I'm just going to say it. Before I came to detention, I overheard Anthony and Michael Corner talking. Apparently, Anthony believes that Malfoy is strong-arming him by dating his younger sister.”

“Abby?” Hermione asked with surprise. “What…why…I don't understand.”

“Malfoy asked Anthony to break up with you.”

Hermione stared at him. Her mind was suddenly running blank with shock. She had no idea what to think or to feel. She did the only thing she thought she was capable of doing at the moment which was put one foot in front of the other.

“Hermione.” Harry caught up with her. “There's more. From what was implied in the conversation this is not the first time Malfoy has done something about it. Do you remember when Anthony was hit with the bludger? I could swear that the thing was charmed and I asked Draco about it.”

Hermione was finding it hard to breathe suddenly. “What did he say?” she asked in a soft voice.

“He didn't confirm it but he didn't deny it either.” He reached out and took her hand. “Hermione?” he asked. She was looking very pale.

“I'm really tired. I think I want to lay down.”

“Hermione.” He paused. “Anthony said that he wasn't going to give in to Malfoy because then he would win.”

“Harry,” she said softly. Why was Draco doing this to her? What did he want from her? He sighed looking down at her. She looked so lost. He wanted to reach out and hold her and his hand left the pocket of his cloak to do so but she had already spoken the password to the portrait and walked through in a daze.

~*~

Hermione caught up with Anthony the next morning outside of the Great Hall. He leaned forward to kiss her like he usually did in the morning but Hermione backed away.

“Could we talk…for a moment?” she asked, scratching the side of her head.

“Sure, what's up?” he asked, smiling.

“Um…” She looked around at the busy morning student traffic and led Anthony to a quiet corner.

“Hermione.” Anthony smiled. “What—“

“Is it true?” she asked, cutting him off.

“Is what true?” he asked, puzzled.

“Did Draco Malfoy threaten you unless you broke things off with me?”

Anthony frowned. “Where did you hear that?”

“It's not important.” She looked up at him. “Is it true?”

Anthony looked out the window for what seemed the longest time. “He may have done that.”

“And now he's dating your younger sister.”

Anthony looked at her. “Hermione. I'm not going to let him get away with this. I'm not going to let him win.”

“Win?” She shook her head. “Win, what, Anthony?”

“This whole crazy idea!” He smiled. “If we just show him how close we are as a couple, I'm sure he'll back off.”

Hermione looked at him. “Anthony, I don't want this to be about PDA just so you can one up Draco.”

“Well, not all of us are Harry Potter. We have to fight our battles our own way. Now, here's what I—“

“Stop.” Hermione held up a hand. “I don't think…we should see each other anymore.”

Anthony stared at her. “You're just going to let him win?”

“This isn't about winning!” She shook her head.

“Yes, it is!” Anthony replied back. “Look, I know that you might be a little upset with me right now but this is no time to throw in the towel and walk away.”

“Actually, Anthony,” Hermione sighed. “It is.”

“Wait. Wait. Wait. What are you saying?” He shook his head at her.

“Anthony…” She trailed off, unable to find the words to make the situation better.

Comprehension finally dawned on his face. “Are you…are you breaking up with me?”

“I'm sorry,” Hermione said in a quiet voice.

He let out a heavy sigh and leaned back against the wall. “Why?” he asked.

“You are such a nice guy. You really are. And I've tried so hard to feel something for you other just wanting to snog you.” He gave a sheepish grin.

“Well…there's nothing wrong with snogging,” he said, making his case.

Hermione gave him a small smile. “With you, definitely not but…it's a bit…well…”

“Shallow?” He finished for her.

“I really like you Anthony. Just…”

“Not in the way you like Harry.”

She looked up at him. “What?”

Anthony stared at her. “Nothing.” He looked away. “So, uh…”

“Friends?” Hermione offered.

Anthony pulled her into a hug. “Friends.” There was a brief pang inside Hermione, a quick moment when she questioned what she was doing.

~*~

“You okay?” Ginny asked Hermione when she sat down at the table. Harry looked up at her. She seemed fine to him.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “I am.”

“Good,” Ginny replied.

Harry resumed his breakfast and listened to Neville chatter away in a whisper about what to do for Valentine's Day. There was another Hogsmeade weekend coming up at the end of the week and Neville was scrambling to find a table at the newly repaired Italian place.

“Are you sure you want to go there?” Harry asked him.

“Better than Puddifoot's,” Ron muttered. Harry had to agree with him there. The last time he had stepped foot in that place had not been a pleasant experience.

“Are you going to go with anyone?” Neville asked him.

“Um.” Harry scratched the back of his head. “Yeah. I think I may have something planned.”

He did. He was going to ask Cho today when he went up to the Ministry. Then he was going to go to the WWW to pull a favor from the twins. He was hoping to get out of the weekend unscathed somehow.

“So, we meet this evening?” Harry said, taking a muffin with him as he got up from the table.

“Yeah.” The guys replied. He gave a small wave to Hermione then headed out for the day.

*

It was her laughter that caught Hermione's attention to where they were. Abby laughing at something Draco had said. She marched directly up to their table.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” she asked, briskly.

Draco looked at her then at Abby. “I'm a little busy here as you can see.” He winked at Abby, who was looking annoyed at the intrusion.

Hermione yanked him out of his chair anyway and dragged him into a nearby book aisle. “Leave the poor girl alone. I broke up with Anthony.”

Draco smirked. “What on Earth do we have to do with your boy-toy?”

“Drop the act, Draco. Anthony told me that you had threatened him unless he broke up with me.”

Draco looked over at a book on his right, fingering the binding. “Really Granger,” he said softly. “The things you come up with.”

Hermione yanked his arm down. “Are you telling me that you are genuinely interested in the Fourth Year who just happens to be Anthony's younger sister?”

Draco looked down at her then moved in very close. “Jealous?” he whispered.

She looked at him. Conflicting emotions swirled within her. She was supposed to hate him. He was Harry's enemy. He was a Death Eater. He had hurt her in so many ways. And yet…And yet…

She smirked. “Really Malfoy, the things you come up with.” She brushed past him and hastily left the library.

She walked out into the corridor, following the sunlight that lit the floor in splotchy patterns from the windows. She needed to regroup, to let her heart rate slow down, to catch her breath.

Suddenly, she felt herself being caught from behind and dragged into the doors nearest to her that led to an empty classroom.

She protested. “Draco what are you—“ He closed the door behind them then his lips were on hers in a searing kiss. Her hands that were held up in protest moved over his shoulders to wrap around his neck. It was a rough and needy kiss and he flipped them around so he could pin her to a nearby wall. He broke the kiss momentarily and she barely had time to gasp for air before his lips were on hers again.

Oh, what am I doing?

She pulled herself out of his arms, breaking the kiss. Her hands covered her mouth and her eyes were wide with shock. “I can't do this,” she whispered.

“Hermione.” Draco took a step forward. She could see the moisture on his lips from their kiss.

Hermione shook her head. “No, I can't deal with this right now.” She fumbled for the door behind her. Draco didn't stop her and she fled the classroom.

“Hermione, wait!” Ginny called after her when she scrambled into the common room. Hermione ignored her and went straight upstairs. She knew Ginny would follow her so she went to the bathroom and hid in a stall.

“Hermione, are you alright?”

Hermione released her lower lip from between her lips from where it was clenched. “Yeah, I just…really had to go.” That was so pathetic.

“Oh. Alright. I'll just…be downstairs…if you need me.”

“Okay,” Hermione replied. She heard Ginny leave her and slowly her heart rate began to slow down only to be replaced with shaking shoulders as she began to cry.

*

Harry ran into Brian just outside of Kingsley's office. “Oh hey, what's up?” he said to him.

“Hey Harry, how are you?” Brian shuffled some files under his arm and Harry saw the one that had Hermione's name on it. Brian followed his line of sight. “Nothing yet,” he said. “No news is good news.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I've got the Granger's under constant surveillance,” Brian reassured him.

“Thanks,” Harry replied.

“I'm just going in to give Kingsley these reports and then I'm leaving.”

“Catch you around then.” With a wave Harry walked away.

The vial of Veritaserum that he swiped from their stocks felt heavy in his pocket only because guilt made it seem that way. This was a serious misuse of departmental property but considering that he was going to use it on the Ferret, the ends justified the means.

“Shouldn't you be working?” Harry asked when he saw that his little cubicle was occupied.

“Shouldn't you be in classes?” Cho replied.

“It's Sunday,” he replied back. “What's your excuse?”

“Percy Weasley.”

“Enough said.” Harry smiled. “Listen, I'm glad I caught you here. I was wondering what you were doing next weekend.”

“I have no idea. Why?” she asked in a teasing manner. It was such a far cry from the stuttering stammering boy who spit out, Wangoballwitme?

“Let me know if you're free Saturday,” Harry grinned and walked away. He turned back around, walking backwards as she grinned at him. “Oh and I hope you like Italian.”

~*~

Draco didn't see Hermione at lunch. Nor did he see her at dinner. In fact, Potty and Weasel where absent as well and considering that he was still alive and sitting at this table, he guessed that she didn't tell them about what had happened between them earlier. He figured she wouldn't say anything about it since she would be incriminating herself.

So, he exchanged pleasantries with his housemates. Blatantly ignored Abby who was distraught over his sudden distance from her. Ate his meal then left the table.

Hermione brushed past him in the hall, purposely bumping into him to pass him a note.

Tonight. 8:30. Third floor lav.

“Did you do it?” Harry asked her when she caught up with him.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Then all we have to do is hope he'll take the bait.”

“He'll take it,” she said distractedly and quietly. Harry looked at her. She'd been quiet since he got back.

“I suppose we should just wait there then?” Ron asked. Harry took his eyes off of his fairer friend.

“Yeah, I suppose.”

It was like their second year relived. The three of them huddled in the bathroom, speaking in whispers, waiting to ambush a fellow student instead of brewing a restricted potion.

“So, uh, what are you and Luna doing for Valentine's Day?” Harry asked his friend.

Ron shrugged. “I dunno. Probably Puddifoot's.” He wrinkled his nose thinking about just how pleasant that would be.

“Did you get her flowers?” Hermione asked. “I heard her dropping heavy hints.”

Ron's eyes widened. “Crap I thought I forgot something.”

“Better get on that, mate. You don't want the flower shop to run out or anything.” Harry grinned then looked at Hermione. “What about you and Anthony?” he asked. He really didn't want to know. He was just making conversation. In fact, he was hoping his little Cho-mission would be enough of a distraction to keep his mind off how the Ravenclaw git would be wooing his Hermione.

“Um…” Hermione fidgeted nervously. “Actually, we…broke up.”

Silence.

Ron looked at Harry who seemed to be doing his best not to stare at Hermione and instead was concentrating on a tile on the floor, tracing its grouted outline.

“Well…ahem.” Ron cleared his throat. “That's…that's a shame.”

Hermione shrugged. Harry spoke up. “Was it because of what I told you?” he asked.

“That was part of it.”

Harry bended his knees and rested his arms on top of them. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't worry about it. Like I said, it wasn't the only reason,” she replied.

Harry wanted to ask her more but he didn't.

“So what are you going to do next weekend? You'll be the only girl without a date!” Ron said without thinking.

Hermione blinked at him. “Thanks Ron.”

He shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe you should go with Harry,” he mumbled softly. Then looked up at his raven-haired friend. “Oh right, sorry. I forgot you already had a date.”

Harry's face flushed red. He could kill Ron right now. It wasn't a date. Not really. And furthermore, what was Hermione thinking? He didn't know of any girl that would break up with their boyfriend the weekend before Valentine's Day. And did she have to do it when he had just asked Cho? Maybe he could write her back and cancel. Urgh! He couldn't, he needed to get this done. Maybe he could get his thing with Cho done with quickly then join Hermione somewhere.

He looked up at Hermione, hoping to diffuse the situation. He hadn't told anyone who he was going with and he prayed she wasn't going to ask. He honestly didn't know how she was going to react to such news. But whatever face Hermione had on he missed it because in an instant it was gone and replaced with a silent and tense look.

Someone was coming.

Hermione stood up to greet him. Her heart pounded in her chest when she saw Draco walk in. He waited until the door closed behind him before he stepped toward her.

“Hermione,” he said, approaching her. Hermione held up a hand before he could say anything further.

“Draco…” she floundered but she was saved any conversation when Harry suddenly appeared.

“Stupefy!”

~*~

When he opened his eyes after being Ennervated, he didn't recognize where he was. It was a dark cave-like place that had an odd green glow about it. He could hear water dripping somewhere and it was cool in here. There were pillars in the cave, tall ones with…snakes carved into them.

He suddenly knew where he was but unsure of how he got here. He was in what had to be the Chamber of Secrets. A place he desperately wished to find when he was younger when mudbloods were being petrified by what was now known as a basilisk.

Wait a moment? Shit, was there a basilisk down here?

Oh yeah. Potty killed it.

Speaking of him, he had just stepped out of the shadows along with the Weasel. He could see Hermione in the shadows.

“Hello Hermione,” he said.

She didn't reply back. She just stayed where she was. Draco suddenly became away that he was sitting in a chair, his feet were tied to it as well as his hands behind his back. He looked up at Weasley.

“For being a Prefect, you're going to be in a shitload of trouble for this.” Then he looked at Hermione. “If you wanted to have your naughty way with me you didn't have to tie me up like this, love.”

“That's enough,” Harry stepped in front of him, blocking Hermione from his view.

“While you at it, why don't you get rid of these two blockheads,” Draco sneered at Harry, still talking to Hermione. “This isn't a group thing.”

Harry had enough of him and he nodded to Ron who promptly forced Malfoy's head back and jaws open so Harry could pour a few drops of Veritaserum down his throat. Draco coughed and spluttered, a hazy look settled on his face.

Harry spoke first. “Are you a Death Eater?”

“Yes.”

Ron exhaled. Harry was right all along. He should've stuck by his best friend's side last year instead of worrying about Quidditch and how to win Hermione.

“Is it true that Voldemort told you to befriend us?” Harry continued.

“Yes.”

“To spy on us?”

“Yes.”

“Is it true that he told you to tell us about an attack as an act of faith?”

“Yes.”

“Is there really going to be an attack?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”
“Picadilly Circus, sometime this weekend.”

“You don't know what time?”

“No.”

Harry rubbed his jaw as he paced back and forth in front of the Ferret. “Were you going to do what Voldemort asked you to do?”

Draco stared at him. “No.”

Harry stopped and peered at him. The temptation to enter his mind was so enticing to him. “Why?” he asked instead.

Draco's eyes flitted over to Hermione who stepped forward quickly before he could say anything.

“Was it because of your mother?” she spoke up quickly.

“Yes.”

“Voldemort threatened to kill your mother?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She looked over at Harry who had a guarded expression on his face. He turned away from Hermione and looked back at Malfoy.

“Does Voldemort know I know about the horcruxes?”

“Yes.”

The three of them held their breaths.

“What is he doing about them?” Hermione asked.

Draco looked at her. “He's trying to retrieve them all to keep Potty from destroying them.”

“He doesn't know where they are?” Ron asked.

“They were scattered all over the place after he was…” his gaze fell on Harry, “…destroyed years ago.”

Hermione stepped forward and knelt before Draco. “Draco, why did you tell me about what Voldemort asked you to do?”

“I needed help. I didn't know what to do. He's going to kill my mum, Hermione.”

Harry was reminded of the time he had accidentally walked in on Draco last year in the lavatory talking to Moaning Myrtle. The pitiful boy who had bitten off more than he could chew, the boy who made a deal with the devil and realized that it came with a price.

But he remembered that this was also the boy who brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore even if he didn't have the courage to do it himself. This was the boy who had forced Hermione into a pact that nearly ended her life. And yet, Hermione was kneeling in front of the git, looking at him with compassion!!

“Did you threaten Anthony if he didn't break up with Hermione?” Harry spit out.

“What?!” Ron asked, startled.

“Harry, really I don't think—“

“Yes,” Draco answered.

“Did you charm the bludger to go after him?”

“Yes.”

“Did you purposely go after Abby as well?”

“Yes.”

“Harry!” Hermione protested.

Harry and Ron smirked at each other.

“Have you ever had sex with a man?” Ron asked and Harry grinned.

“Ron!” Hermione stood and whirled on her friend.

“Fuck no!” Draco answered.

“Have you ever wanted to have sex with a man?” Harry asked.

“No.”

“Is it true you had sex with Millicent Bulstrode?” Ron asked.

“Yes.”

“And Pansy?” Harry added.

“Yes.”

“Both at the same time?”

“Yes.” His face was turning pink with embarrassment.

“Harry. Ron,” Hermione said sternly.

“Do you have an STD?” Harry asked.

“Harry!” Hermione shrieked.

“No.” Draco replied.

“Have you ever had one?”

Malfoy turned red. “Yes.”

“Okay, enough!” Hermiond said and dragged Harry to a corner.

Ron was left alone with him. Draco was trembling with anger as he watched Potty and Hermione talk. Ron eyed him.

“Are you jealous of Harry?” he asked.

“Yes,” Draco spat out.

“You should be.” Ron squatted next to Malfoy, speaking to him in a low tone. “I see the way you look at her. I see the way you watch her. Harry knows it, too. He may not say it but he knows it deep down.” Draco looked away but Ron continued.

“She'll never feel for you the way you want her to. She never look at you with nothing but pity for you. She just feels sorry for you. She's a compassionate person but don't take it personally. She's on a personal crusade to free house elves as well. She just sees you as another charity case.” Draco's jaw tensed.

“Do you want to know why? Because you're not Harry Potter. You'll never be him. You're Draco Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret, Death Eater and Betrayer. So yes, you should be jealous of him because he's the one she loves.”

Draco wanted to throttle the Weasel. He wanted to leap out of this chair and hex him until he was no longer recognizable, permanent hexes that would leave scars, emotional, mental, physical ones. He didn't care. But Potty and Hermione were already making their way back over.

*

Hermione dragged Harry off to the side out of earshot of Draco. “What are you doing?” she hissed at him.

“I figured we should know a little bit about his love life considering he knows so much about ours,” he whispered back, fiercely.

“Harry, what—“

“Do the words, `not wanting the Boy-Who-Lived to die a virgin' sound familiar, Hermione?”

Oh, that.

“Harry—“

“And you want to lecture me about baiting the Ferret?”

“That was not my intention.”

“You could've fooled me.”

“I didn't mean it like that. You know I didn't. I was only trying to…”

“To what, Hermione?”

I was only trying to hurt Draco.

“Look,” she sighed and rubbed her temples with her fingertips. “Let's just finish this up. We are going to be in serious enough trouble as it is if anyone finds out what we did. Let's just Obliviate him and get out of here so you can return the serum before anyone finds out it was missing. Then we need to get a hold of the Order.”

“Protecting the Ferret?” he said with a hint of resentment.

“No, I'm protecting you,” she replied. “Now let's go. The less we have to deal with this, the better.”

Harry nodded reluctantly and they returned to a livid looking Draco and an amused Ron.

~*~

The Order was at an impasse about what to do with the situation until Harry decided that they go along with it. It was what Dumbledore would've done. Let Voldemort think they took Draco's word and see where it would lead them. Voldemort was no idiot, he knew that there was no way that Potter would let Malfoy into his circle of friends. There must have been a reason why he was doing this.

Harry had a week to mull it over. In the meantime, he was putting the finishing touches on his own plan. And on an overcast Valentine's Day morning, he cornered Hermione just before she left for breakfast.

“Happy Valentine's Day, Hermione,” he said, handing her a card and the gift he didn't get to give her for Christmas.

She looked down at her gifts and her heart sank. She had been distancing herself from him all week so she could deal with the troubling feelings that were creeping to the surface that were for Draco. She didn't dare tell anyone about the kiss because she was so ashamed of herself, so angry at herself for letting it happen in the first place and worst of all for wanting it to happen again. She needed to rid her feelings of that first, cleanse herself of them so she could pull herself back together and be there for Harry when he needed her. This wasn't helping.

“Harry…I…”

Seeing the crestfallen look on her face, he shoved them into her hands before she could protest.

“Look, I know something's wrong with you. Something is bothering you. You can talk to me. I'm still your best friend aren't I?”

Hermione nodded in response. But I can't talk to about this, Harry.

“I'll give you all the time you need, Hermione,” he said in a whisper. “However much time we need until we can work things out between us.” Hermione nodded, stamping down the feeling of just throwing her arms around him.

He smiled. “I'll see you later,” he said and walked out of the common room.

The Great Hall had a feeling of anticipation in the air when he walked in. The girls were all dolled up, ready for their dates. Ginny looked very disarming and Harry had to laugh at the strained look on Neville's face. He figured it must be very hard not to ogle and compliment his girlfriend with her brother sitting right next to him.

And speaking of Ron, Luna was at her Ravenclaw table waving her wand over the dozen red roses Ron had given her.

“What's she doing?” Harry asked him as he sat down.

Ron shrugged. “Checking it for nargles maybe?” His attention was caught by Hermione who had walked in and sat down in between Harry and Ginny. He looked over at his sister who gave a slight nod of her head.

It was Ginny's job to convince Hermione to go to Hogsmeade today, regardless if she had a date. As soon as Harry saw that she was there, he would forget whatever bird he had decided to take to dinner. Then he and Hermione would get back together and all would be well in Harry Potter's life.

Well, as well as it could be excluding the psychotic wizard hell-bent on killing him.

He realized his plan was about to take a serious nose-dive when he saw who accompanied Harry to the Three Broomsticks.

“Oh. My. God,” Ginny said and all of Ron's hopes for a Harry/Hermione reunion where shot to the ground when he saw Harry walk in with Cho.

“There's Ron,” Harry said, leading her to the table.

Then, Ron moved his head revealing Hermione, also sitting at the table.

It was too late to stop Cho and turn them around to leave the place. She had already seen them.

“Hello everyone,” Cho said with an air of superiority. “Hermione,” she said, acknowledging her with less enthusiasm as she sat down.

Hermione made no effort to respond to her, she merely took a sip of her butterbeer. Why Harry would take up with that emotional train wreck was beyond her.

“It's so good to see…most of you, here,” she said, sweetly to them, yanking Harry down in his seat.

“Oh, I'm sure the feeling is mutual,” Hermione replied sarcastically.

Cho stared at her. If looks could kill. “Harry brought me here,” she said, rubbing it in Hermione's face. “After this we're going to eat at that Italian place, isn't that right?” she cooed at Harry.

“Erm…”

“The lavatories are really nice,” Hermione said, more to Harry than anyone who suddenly turned red and shifted uncomfortably.

“I was surprised you'd want to go there,” Ginny added. “I thought Puddifoots was more your thing.”

“Well, who would be crazy enough to pass up dinner with Harry,” she beamed.

“I'm sure it's better than sitting around and talking about dead ex-boyfriends,” Hermione sniped. Cho just stared at her. So did Harry. Even for Hermione, that was low.

“I'm going to leave,” Hermione said as she got up from the table.

“So soon?” Cho asked sarcastically.

Hermione ignored her. “Ron, Harry.” She nodded to them both and walked away.

“Give me a moment,” Harry said to Cho, not even waiting for a reply as he went after Hermione.

He caught up with her just outside of the pub. “Hermione, wait.”

She turned around and looked at him. “Harry, I'm so sorry,” she said. “I don't know what came over me to say such things. You have every right to see whoever you want to.”

“It's not what you think.” Harry hastily jumped in.

Cho burst out of the building, wrapping her cloak around her. “Harry, I'm leaving,” she announced before storming away in the opposite direction.

“I'm really sorry,” Hermione said, then she, too, walked away.

Harry was caught between them. “Fuck!” he muttered to himself then ran after Cho.

She heard him approaching her. “Harry, I really am getting sick of having to chase you while you chase after your friend. If you are going to defend her act—“

She was cut off when Harry turned her around and kissed her.

Ah, silence, Harry thought as his hand moved from her waist, to her hip, to her purse where he reached inside and pulled out her badge then slipped it into his pocket in his cloak.

“Let's just have dinner okay?” he said to her when he broke the kiss.

“Um, yeah, okay,” she said in a dazed voice.

The waiter seated them and no sooner than a minute had passed that George walked by his table.

“Hey Harry. Miss Cho Chang,” he said in greeting. He reached into Harry's cloak that was draped on the back of his chair and took out the badge, making small talk as he did so before he left.

*

Harry couldn't help but glance up at the clock in the restaurant every once in awhile as Cho prattled on. Not Yet, Dearie, it read. Stupid thing was probably broken. How long could it take for Fred and George to puzzle the thing out?

“So then the cat just dropped the mouse right there on the doorstep, isn't that cute?” Cho was saying.

“Yeah,” Harry nodded, distracted.

“So I picked up Mr. Whiskers and I said—“

“Hey Harry!” This time Fred stopped by. “Good to see you!” He reached out and shook Harry's hand, returning the badge.

“Didn't you just…” Cho looked at the twin.

“Oh this one's Fred,” Harry explained.

“Oh.”

“I didn't want to interrupt. I just wanted to say hi.” And with a wave, Fred left them.

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.

“Well, I guess I should get going,” Harry said as he stood up. Cho made a move to do the same but Harry stopped her. “Allow me,” he said. And he moved behind her to pull out her chair, dropping the badge back into her purse as he did so.

He said his quick goodbye to her and raced back up to the castle to mend things with Hermione. He thought he would have to search everywhere for her but as soon as he ran into the common room he found her with Ron in the middle of what looked like a very, very heated conversation. Ron's face was red with fury and Hermione looked distraught.

“Ron? Hermione?”

Ron grabbed his cloak. “I'm outta here,” he muttered angrily and stormed out of the room.

Harry turned back to Hermione. “What happened?” he asked.

~~One hour earlier~~

Hermione felt embarrassed and ashamed and so glad that Harry left her alone so she could mentally berate herself for being an absolute cow to him. She didn't feel like staying in her common room, she didn't feel like going to the library, Hagrid wasn't in his hut and the Great Hall was crowded.

So, she went to the Astronomy tower. It was still daylight so snoggers wouldn't be there. It was sprinkling lightly as she climbed the steps and when she reached the balcony she found she wasn't alone.

“Oh hell,” she muttered.

Draco turned around in surprise.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, sharply.

“Last I checked, this tower was free property,” she said defiantly. “However, I find the company not at all in my taste so I'll be leaving.”

“From what I remember last, you were enjoying my company.”

Hermione turned back to look at him. “That was a mistake.”

Draco slowly approached her. “Why? Because you liked it?” He reached out and touched her cheek.

“Don't,” she said, turning away from him.

“Hermione—“

“Why can't you leave me alone?” she asked him. “We're no longer bound. I broke the vow—“

“Potter broke the vow,” he corrected her.

“I let him,” she retorted. “You're a Death Eater.”

“You're a mudblood and believe me if anyone, anyone, found out about this, I'd be in serious trouble.”

“Wasn't this all part of your scheme? You're supposed to befriend us.”

“You know, just as well as I do, that this,” he motioned between the two of them, “was already there. Deny it all you want, we've gotten really good at that but maybe I'm tired of it already.”

He moved in very close to her, his lips close to hers, so close she could feel the hotness of his breath on hers.

“Draco,” she sighed.

“If there's nothing there, if there's nothing between us,” he whispered, “tell me now. Tell me now so we can walk away from this.”

Her heart was pounding and she couldn't catch her breath. She looked into his stormy grey eyes again. Walk away, just walk away.

She kissed him this time. His hands tangled in her hair before he pulled away and put his forehead against hers.

“What are we doing?” he whispered before kissing her again.

The door to the balcony flung open and Hermione and Draco separated…but not in time.

“Ron!” Hermione gasped.

-->

37. Pariah

Pariah

Everyday I fight a war against the mirror

I can't take the person staring back at me 'cause I'm a hazard to myself

Don't let me get me

I'm my own worst enemy

It's bad when you annoy yourself, so irritating

Don't wanna be my friend no more, I wanna be somebody else

I wanna be somebody else, yeah

(Don't Let Me Get Me—Pink)

~*~

Ron looked between Hermione and Draco. Hermione felt as if her heart stopped and that time had slowed down just to torture her for this moment.

“What the hell is going on here?” Ron asked. He didn't yell. He spoke in a deadly calm voice.

“Ron…” Her voice was shaky and she began to tremble. Tears began to form in her eyes.

Draco stepped in front of her in a protective gesture. “She doesn't have to explain anything to you.”

Ron shook his head in disgust then turned and left the tower. Hermione moved to go after him but Draco stopped her.

“Hermione,” he pleaded with her to stay but she yanked her arm free and ran out of the room. Draco swore softly under his breath and followed after her. Ron raced through the corridors with Hermione on his heels. Draco had been left behind, lost at a turn of a corner.

Ron stormed into the common room and Luna and Ginny stood up. “Oh good, did you find…”

Their voices trailed off when they saw the look of absolute rage on his face.

“Ron?” Neville asked with concern.

Hermione had just clambered in through the door and Ron didn't hesitate.

“WHAT THE FUCK, HERMIONE?!!”

Everyone in the room jumped.

“Ron…I…”

“DON'T EVEN TRY TO DENY IT HERMIONE! I SAW YOU! I SAW YOU WITH…WITH…HIM!!”

“I wasn't going to deny it,” she shook her head.

“Ron what is this about?” Ginny cut in.

“HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HARRY?!!”

“This has nothing to do with Harry!” Hermione shot back.

“IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH HARRY!! YOU WERE KISSING MALFOY!!”

Luna, Ginny and Neville's jaws dropped open and they all stared at Hermione. Ron realized what he had done turned away from his friends and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Hermione turned to her friends.

“Could you…leave us for a moment?”

Ginny shook her head in disbelief at her. “Hermione…how…”

“Please?” Hermione repeated.

“We'll go upstairs,” Neville said. His tone was harsh and cruel to her and the three of them followed Neville to the boys' dorm.

Ron's hands were resting on the back of a chair, his face was red with anger and fury. “I'm asking Harry to take you out of the Order.”

“What?! You can't do that!”

“I can when I think your loyalties should be questioned.”

“I AM LOYAL TO HARRY!” Hermione shouted.

“BULLSHIT!!” Ron threw the chair he was grasping across the room. “Your loyalty to Harry ended the moment you started feeling any sort of compassion for the Ferret. That's your downfall Hermione, it will be your downfall. You care too damn much about things that shouldn't be cared for! Your stupid SPEW, your dumb fling with Viktor during the tournament, this stupid idea that Malfoy, of all people, can be saved!”

“Shut up, Ron! SHUT UP!!” Hermione shouted, wiping the hot tears from her cheeks.

He jabbed a finger at her. “You have until tonight to tell him or I WILL!! Either way, if I see you trying to ferret your way back into his good graces, mark my words Hermione, I will put a stop to it. Harry needs at least one true friend.”

The portrait door opened and Harry walked in.

“Ron? Hermione?” he asked, seeing the looks on their faces. Hermione turned away and hastily wiped the tears from her face.

Ron grabbed his cloak. “I'm outta here,” he said and brushed past Harry.

Harry looked back at Hermione. “What happened?”

Hermione took one look at the concern on Harry's face and something cracked inside of her, letting the tears fall down and her shoulders shake with her sobs.

Alarmed Harry rushed to her side. “Hermione?”
She backed away from him, keeping him at arms length. “Stay…away…from me…Harry,” she said in between hiccups.

He stopped where he was. “Hermione, what's going on?”

She looked at him. Her best friend. The man she truly did love. “I'm…sorry,” she hiccupped. “I'm so…so sorry.”

“What did you do?” he asked in a whisper.

“Harry! Hermione!” Tonks yelled as she ran into the common room. Harry looked up at her.

“What is it?” he asked, slightly startled by her intrusion.

“It's happening,” she announced. “Let's go. I've got a portkey.”

They moved out into the corridor where Ron was holding a muggle soda can. He didn't even glance in Hermione's direction when he held it out. With an uncomfortable tugging sensation the felt themselves leave Hogwarts…

…and land in a street somewhere in London. Harry could hear screaming and there was the smell of smoke in the air. The Dark Mark hovered in the sky above them.

“Stay in pairs of two!” Kingsley announced when they had dropped in with the other members of the Order. “You're with me Potter!” Harry looked at Hermione then looked at Ron. “Watch her for me, okay?” he asked his friend before running off with Kingsley. Ron glared at Hermione, who ignored his steely gaze and drew her wand, stepping forward to join in whatever battle there may be.

Ron didn't follow her. He went after Harry.

Alone but not afraid. Hermione went in the direction the Remus and Tonks went. Her eye on the Dark Mark above her. Someone ran past her, a muggle, with his hands wrapped around a small television. There were sirens blaring and she jumped out of the road to let the police speed by. More people began running toward her, their faces black with ash and soot, coughing and swearing. There was a dull roaring and she could feel heat.

Fire.

Something was on fire.

Her vision became obscured by the thickening smoke and she coughed for a breath. She held her wand in front of her and did a little incantation to clear some air around her so she could breath.

Then she was tackled to the ground and she cried out in pain when her wrist of her wand arm made a sickening crunch when it hit the pavement. She was pinned and couldn't move very well but she struggled anyway. The man who pinned her grabbed her broken wrist and she screamed, instinctively dropping her wand. He flipped her over and with terror, Hermione saw Dolohov above her. The man who nearly killed her in the Department of Mysteries.

“Go ahead and struggle,” he said to her, licking his lips. He moved off of her and grabbed her by her hair and dragged her into a nearby building, kicking and screaming.

*

Harry and Kingsley just rounded a corner in time to see someone throw something large and heavy into a storefront before reaching in and helping himself to the wares now available. There were smoke and flames pouring out of the windows of the building. People were running in the streets, looting the stores that were nearby, also on fire. The muggle fire brigades were doing their best to contain the fires and keep them from spreading to even more buildings. Police sirens shrieked in protest of the looters.

“Have they all gone mad?” Harry asked.

Ministry officials showed up, one of the captains walked up to Kingsley. “Round up as many muggles as you can. We'll need to do some memory modifications here. Our fire brigade just arrived to help put these fires out.”

“Why aren't the Death Eaters attacking? This would be a prime time to take out as many muggles as they can in this confusion,” Kingsley said aloud.

Kingsley was right. As they wandered in the streets on guard, not a single hex or curse was sent their way. It was as if the Death Eaters set the fires then left.

“Something doesn't feel right about this,” Harry said, shaking his head.

“I'm with you on that one, Harry.”

There was someone approaching and Harry turned to see Ron trotting up to them.

“Where's Hermione?” Harry asked.

Ron dismissed the question. “Do you have any idea what's going on here?”

“Aside from the Dark Mark, there's nothing left of any Death Eaters,” Kingsley replied.

Remus and Tonks showed up as well as Moody and Aberforth.

“Nothing,” they had said.

“Have you seen Hermione?” Harry asked them.

“I thought she was with Ron,” Tonks replied.

Ron shrugged. “I went with Harry.”

Harry whirled on him. “I told you to stay with Hermione.”

“She's a big girl. She can take care of herself,” Ron said nonchalantly.

Harry shook his head. “What the hell has gotten into you?”

“You heard everyone, there aren't any Death Eaters. She's probably somewhere in this crowd.”

“Everyone split up again,” Remus said and they parted ways to find her.

*

Hermione elbowed Dolohov in the stomach and he bent over in pain. She quickly moved past him to get through the doorway and ran down the hall. She didn't get too far before the Death Eater grabbed her and shoved her up against the wall.

“No!” she protested as he pressed his body against hers. He wrapped a hand around her throat, pinning her head to the wall as he whispered in her ear.

“How long have I waited for this?” he said, kissing the side of her face, kissing her ear.

Hermione reached up and dug her nails into his cheek and scratching him deeply. He cried out in pain and let go of her. She scrambled down the hall and heard him hex her a moment before she turned a corner. A searing pain lashed at her shoulder and she slumped against the wall for only a moment.

She had grabbed her shoulder with her other hand and when she took it away, she could see blood. She sprinted down the hall and into a room, closing and locking the door behind her.

She had run into an office and as she heard Dolohov blast away the door, she grabbed a computer keyboard and swung it at him, hitting him directly in the face. He cried out in pain. She happened to look out the window and saw Lupin and Tonks across the street.

“LUPIN!!” she screamed.

“Shh!” Dolohov grabbed her and put a hand over her mouth. “Someone might hear you.”

He picked up a struggling Hermione who was kicking and thrashing. She opened her mouth a little wider and bit down hard on his hand. He yanked it away, yelling in pain. Hermione grabbed a paperweight on the desk and through it through the window.

“TONKS!!”

Nymphadora stopped Remus. “Did you hear that?” she asked.

Remus paused then…”Get down!” he shouted, bringing her to the floor as a hex flew at them.

“REMUS!!”

“Hermione!” he breathed and the two of them sprinted across the street.

“No! Let me go!”

Dolohov was having some difficulty holding on to Hermione and trying to fling a curse at the pair headed their way.

“Shut up you little mudblood!” he hissed in her ear.

She reached back and elbowed him in the face and went for his wand, repeatedly hitting his hand against the desk. He heard people approaching and turned his wand to the doorway. Hermione knocked it away as his hex landed harmlessly on the doorframe above. Dolohov grabbed Hermione and used her as a shield when the two of them entered the room.

“Let her go, Dolohov,” Remus ordered him, wand drawn.

Dolohov kissed the side of her head. “Until later, my sweet.”

He shoved her to them and she felt a few hairs depart from her head before the Death Eater disappeared.

Tonks was the one who had caught her. “Are you okay, Hermione?”

~*~

“Did she say who did this to her?” Harry whispered angrily to Kingsley. He was standing a distance away from Hermione who was being examined by Madame Pomfrey, a curtain was drawn around her bed to give her some privacy.

“Dolohov,” he answered.

“Dolohov?!” Harry whispered his shriek. “Where the hell was Brian? Sitting on his ass?”

Kingsley gave him a reprimanding look. “He's been on surveillance at the Grangers.”

Harry pursed his lips together. He wanted to lash out at someone. “And you?” he said to Ron.

He shrugged. “I was with you.”

“And I told you to stay with her,” Harry shot back.

“She's a big girl. She can take care of herself.”

Harry looked in Hermione's direction. “Evidently,” he said sarcastically.

Ron looked directly at him. “Yeah, Harry. Evidently.”

Harry stared at Ron, wondering what had gotten into his friend. The sound of the curtain being pulled back brought his attention back to Hermione.

“I'll see you later,” Ron said and left the hospital wing.

“Is everything okay?” Kingsley asked Harry.

He shook his head. “I have no idea what's going on.”

Kingsley left him alone and Harry approached Madame Pomfrey and Hermione. She had some cuts and bruises on her, a large gash on her right shoulder and her right wrist was wrapped an in a sling. She was currently gagging down some Skele-Gro.

“She should be ready to leave tomorrow morning,” Madame Pomfrey said. “But she'll rest here overnight.”

The mediwitch hustled away to her other wards leaving the two of them alone.

“You want to tell me why you separated from Ron?” he asked.

Hermione played with some stray strands on her sling. “We aren't getting along right now.”

“I can see that. Do you want to tell me why?” Hermione chewed her bottom lip. “Does this have something to do with what I walked in on earlier?”

“Earlier today,” she swallowed her fear, “Ron…walked in on…” She just couldn't get the words out.

“Walked in on what, Hermione?” he asked.

The doors to the hospital wing opened and Harry was surprised at who was standing there.

“Um…,” Draco said quietly as he stood there, awkward.

Hermione let out a soft groan and closed her eyes, wishing Draco away. Harry looked from Draco to Hermione and back. The glasses and vials on the table next to her began to rattle and there was a low rumble.

“Harry…wait,” Hermione called out to him as he backed away from her.

“Hermione…,” he shook his head, “…piss off.” He walked away from her and out of the hospital wing. He stopped once by the doors next to Draco. He was sooo angry he didn't know what to say first. He just scoffed and shook his head in disbelief before walking out of the door.

Draco slowly approached Hermione, taking in her injuries.

She wiped the tears away from her face and slumped down in the bed. “Go away, Draco,” she sniffed.

“Who did this to you?” he asked, reaching out and touching her arm in the sling. Hermione rolled away from him, not answering him.

“Hermione…”

“Please,” she sniffled. Reluctantly, Draco left her side.

~*~

Harry didn't get any sleep at all that night. He made Ron tell him about Hermione and Draco and what exactly he had walked in on. Neville was up as well and offered his own editorial about how he felt about Hermione. The Ferret and Hermione kissing. What the hell was she thinking? He wanted to scream at her, shake some sense into her but that would involve talking to her and he did NOT want to do that. And as he lay awake at night, he let his imagination take over as he played various scenarios in his head, each one worse than the one before.

But the good thing about Harry Potter was that he had friends. And he sat with them at their usual spot at the Gryffindor table. No one else had known what had transpired between Hermione and Draco so it was surreal for Harry to think that while his own little world was crashing down upon him, everyone else was going about business as usual.

“Good morning everyone,” Luna said, sitting down with them and handing Harry a copy of the Quibbler.

Another Death Eater Attack!

The headline was in bold letters above a large picture of him, Ron and Kingsley surveying the damage.

“Daily Prophet didn't even cover this,” Luna said.

“Really?” Ron said. “I bet the Beetle is spitting fire.”

“Probably,” Harry sighed, folding up the paper and passing it to Neville.

“Hello Harry,” came the chorus of voices from Lavender and Parvati. The article and his picture fueled their hero fantasies of him even more.

“Heads up Harry,” Neville muttered quietly and Harry looked up to see Hermione walking into the Hall. Her sling was gone but she still had her wrist wrapped and she still had a few cuts on her face. She sat down at her usual place at the table but the moment she settled herself, Ron picked up his cup and plate and moved further down the table. Harry followed suit with Luna, followed shortly by Neville and Ginny.

The buzz of conversation gradually lowered in volume as everyone in the school witnessed what had just happened. Hermione's face was hot with embarrassment. She hastily grabbed an orange and some toast then quickly got up to leave the Hall and have her breakfast someplace else. Conversation went back to its normal level although with much more enthusiasm.

Harry would've felt bad for Hermione if he didn't notice the Ferret watching her as she left. Fucker. Lavender and Parvati were desperate for gossip so they, too, moved to join Harry's group but where unsuccessful at extracting anything from anyone and were instead privy to a quidditch debate between Ron and his sister.

*

And that's how it went for two weeks. Harry and company avoided Hermione like the plague. If he and Ron were downstairs in the common room and she walked in to sit down and read they simply got up and left the room. She approached Neville, Ginny and Luna but was met with the same cold shoulder punctuated with a “How could you betray Harry like that.” He eventually no longer saw her at the Great Hall or if he did, it was briefly when she came in, grabbed something off of the table and then left. She knew where the kitchens were anyway.

Classes were a different issue. He was forced to sit in the same room with her. She seemed to be throwing herself back into her studies but she no longer raised her hand like the Know-It-All she used to be. DADA was the hardest class. Harry had to actually sit for an hour and a half and witness Ferret and Hermione sitting together. He had some mild satisfaction seeing that she wasn't making any effort to speak to the Slytherin.

But there was a part of him, a tiny part, that actually missed her believe it or not. A part of him that felt bad for cutting her out of his life. It happened mostly when he was stumped on a question on his homework but it was the little things that really stung. The easy conversations they had, her curled up in an armchair reading a book while he played chess with Ron and worst of all going through this horcrux hunt without her.

Hermione had been replaced with Neville and the three of them were now in the Chamber of Secrets picking up a few more books to peruse through, nothing so far had given them any clues and he was beginning to lose hope. Harry eyed the pensieve on the other side of the room. Maybe he should take a dive in it. Sometime.

“I can't believe this has been here all this time,” Neville said as he flipped the pages of a book.

“Let's just take what we need and get out of here,” Harry muttered, letting his frustration get the better of him and shoving a book into his bookbag. He had a long night ahead of him reading through all this crap.

Meanwhile in the library, Hermione was working on her Charms homework when Draco approached her table.

“Are you finished blaming me for making you the Pariah of Gryffindor?” he asked.

“I don't blame you,” she said blandly, still scribbling away.

“Then are you done feeling sorry for yourself?” She glared at him then returned to her homework. Draco sighed and snatched her homework away from her and shoved it into her bag. “Let's go,” he said.

“Draco, I'm not going to go anywhere with you,” she replied stubbornly.

“It's not like you have a busy social schedule,” he said, shrugging. “Your friends tend to scatter to the wind whenever you walk into a room.”

“Can you blame them?” Hermione said dryly.

Draco inhaled sharply and pursed his lips together in a gesture of impatience. He pulled out a chair and flipped it around backwards before sitting in it.

“And their shit doesn't stink?” he said. Hermione didn't answer him but she began to put away her quill and ink jar. “Do you think if Potty made some unpopular choices people would treat him like they did you?”

“They did when everyone thought he was the heir of Slytherin,” she muttered.

“Everyone but his two best friends who stuck by his side,” he retorted.

“And what about when everyone thought he put his name in the Goblet of Fire?”

“That's still up for debate in some circles but if I recall correctly, Weasley may have abandoned him but you stuck by his side.” Hermione sighed and put away her book. Draco reached out and ran his finger on some etched initials in the table. “Some way to repay your loyalty.”

“It's different,” Hermione shrugged.

“Why? Because he's Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived? The poor orphan boy who was abused as a child and now needs to be coddled and have everything perfect around him? That's the problem, Hermione,” Draco lectured, wagging a finger in her face. “You've been his most loyal friend, the one who has stuck by him through the years so he's held you up to higher standards. He doesn't hold Weasley to those standards because he doesn't expect his loyalties, they've had their disagreements. But you,” he pointed at her, “he expects more out of you. You have to be the super-friend, the flawless-friend, the most loyal of them all. So when you show your human side, your faults, you fall…and you fall hard.” Hermione fingered the straps of her bookbag. “Tiring isn't it? Trying to be the perfect friend.”

She grabbed her bag and stood up. “Yes well, it's quite obvious that I'm not the perfect friend. I'm sure any one of them would be glad to tell you that.”

Draco got up as well. “No you're not perfect. You're human. We all have flaws.” Hermione sighed. “What have you got to lose?” he shrugged.

“This had better be worth it,” she snapped.

“I think it might be,” he grinned.

“There's always a way out of this castle,” Draco said to her when the two of them walked behind the greenhouses. “Ready?” he asked, holding out an old muggle cassette player. Hermione sighed and reached out to touch it. Draco tapped it with his wand and they were transported away.

They landed in a grassy field and she followed Draco as they climbed it only to be greeted with a view of a rundown home overlooking a small village.

“Where are we?” she asked, stepping forward.

“I'll give you a clue,” he said, stopping some meters from the house. Hermione watched as he took out a small knife from his pocket and pricked his finger with it. He squeezed for a drop of blood and held out his hand to let it drop to the ground. Hermione felt a slight vibration in the air. “We can get past the perimeter charm now.”

Terror and panic suddenly seized Hermione and she reached out to grab Draco's arm. “Where are we?” she whispered.

Draco swept his arm out in front of him in a grand gesture. “The Riddle House, my dear.”

~*~

Ron was the first to give up. He was slumped over the table, his face resting on the book with a little bit of drool coming out of his mouth as he softly snored. Neville sat across from him, desperately trying to stay awake and make sense of what he was reading. Harry could see that once in awhile he seemed to get lost then start again a few pages back. At least he was trying.

“It's late,” Harry said, nudging Ron awake. “Why don't you guys get going?”

“I'm okay Harry, really,” Neville said, stifling a yawn.

“Go, I'll be fine,” he insisted. Reluctantly, Neville left with Ron who was still half-asleep as they trudged upstairs.

Harry closed the book that he was reading and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He was sitting on one of the couches and he let his head fall back to rest on the back of the couch. He didn't want to admit it but he could really use Hermione's help right now.

~*~

“Draco, I want to leave,” Hermione whispered, her voice in a tremble.

The two of them walked down a darkened hallway to a large room that she presumed to be a dining room.

“Would you relax,” Draco hissed back, “Nobody's here.”

“I don't care. I just don't want to be here in the first place.”

He looked back and grinned, pointing to something in the corner of the room. Hermione gasped and stumbled backward, hitting the wall behind her. There was the shed skin of a very large snake lying on the floor in the corner.

“I found this little portkey on Hogwarts grounds. Looks like someone was a little careless.” He waved the cassette player in the air. “Voldemort told me to tell Potty about the attack on London to `gain his trust'. He of all people knew that no such thing would happen. So why send me to do it? Why do the attack anyway? Especially since no one was hurt.” He paused and looked at her. “Well, no muggles were hurt anyway.”

Hermione stared at him with wide eyes. “Slight of hand,” she whispered and Draco grinned.

“While everyone is looking one way…” he made a gesture with his hands.

*

Hermione stepped through the portrait door into the dimly lit Gryffindor common room to find Harry resting on a couch. He lifted his head as soon as he heard someone enter and a dark look crossed his face when he saw who it was. Hermione brushed it off and approached him.

“Harry, I need to talk to you about something,” she said.

Harry got up from the couch, taking his books with him. “Hermione, there's nothing you have to say that I could possibly want to hear.”

“Would you wait a moment?” she said to him, stopping him at the stairs. “It's about the attack in London. Draco and I—“

“Oh, Draco and you. You know what, I don't want to hear it. I don't care. I don't care about anything that comes out of your mouth and anything you do.”

Hermione stood there, stunned and in shock. She shook her head. “Harry, I'm trying to help you—“

“You don't get it do you?” he said, his voice rising in anger. “I. Don't. Want. Your. Help. I don't need your help and I don't care for it. So do me a favor and just stay away from me.”

“Harry if you would just listen—“

He dropped his bag and swooped down on her, his eyes blazing in anger. “No, you listen to me,” he hissed in a dangerous tone. “You kissed Malfoy. After everything he did, after everything he's done, you kissed him. You made it very clear where your loyalties lie and you betrayed us and everything we stood for. You betrayed me! You hurt me and I will never, NEVER, forgive you for this. So go ahead and run around with your little pet ferret. Do whatever you want with your life but stay the hell out of mine!”

The fire's flames in the fireplace roared and leapt out, books that were stacked in neat piles around the room were tossed to the floor and all the little glass vases shattered. He turned around and picked up his bag before jogging upstairs. Hermione stood there stunned. Something inside of her shattered but she didn't cry, she wouldn't cry. Harry wouldn't listen to her but someone else would.

~*~

“You know, Harry,” Ron said as he, Harry and Neville made their way to the Headmistresses office, “it might not be a bad idea to start up the DA again.”

Neville's eyes lit up. “That's a great idea!”

“I think we have a lot on our plates right now,” Harry replied.

Ron shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe you should think about it.”

They opened the door to find the most trusted members of the Order patiently waiting for them.

“Shouldn't we wait for Her—“ Lupin started to say but Tonks shook her head no.

McGonagall just pursed her lips together in a disapproving frown. “I received some information from a source,” she announced. “It pertains to the day of the last attack.” She held out an old cassette player. “This was found on school grounds. It's a portkey, although we aren't sure if it was dropped on purpose or accident.”

“Where does it go?” Moody asked, eyeing the thing suspiciously.

McGonagall paused in answering. “The Riddle House.”

Harry stared at the object. “Who told you about this?” he asked in a quiet voice.

“Hermione Granger,” she answered. Ron cursed under his breath. Harry was livid. She went to the Riddle House??!!

“How did she know?” Tonks asked and McGonagall gave her a pointed look.

“Girl should know better than touching random objects on school grounds,” Moody muttered.

“It's not active right now,” McGonagall said, “but that wasn't the point. The point was, what was this thing doing here the day of the attack in London?”

“Someone dropped it?” Remus offered.

“What if the attack was just a distraction? Something to draw us out of the castle or, as Hermione put it, a specific someone?” McGonagall's eyes fell on Harry. “Someone who would detect something off within our walls?”

Harry looked at everyone in the room. “Forgive me for being blunt. But there's a reason why Hermione Granger isn't at this meeting nor any other future meeting of the Order. Her judgment and loyalties have been compromised.”

“You think she's a traitor?” Moody asked gruffly.

“Impossible,” Lupin scoffed.

Harry ignored them. “Therefore, you can't blame me if I take anything she says with a grain of salt.”

“It's not completely far-fetched,” Lupin spoke up. “What if someone somehow got into the castle, found whatever it was that they wanted and left in a hurry, dropping this on the way out.”

“How would they get back?” Kingsley asked.

“So you're saying they could still be stuck here?” Tonks asked.

“I think we should be extra cautious about anything odd that happens within these walls,” McGonagall said gravely.

~*~

“A Death Eater in Hogwarts?” Neville frowned. Harry, Ron and he were walking back to the common room after the meeting.

Harry shrugged. “Why not. There's already one here.”

They turned the corner and found that Hermione was walking down the hall, her nose buried in a book.

“Just keep walking Harry,” Ron muttered but Harry marched forward.

“Harry don't,” Neville whispered, trying to hold Harry back but he shrugged out of his grasp.

Hermione looked up from her book to see Harry approaching her. She narrowed her eyes at him.

“What was that all about?” he spat at her.

She smiled sweetly at him. “I take it you got my message.”

“Oh I got your message. What the hell where you thinking going to the Riddle House?”

“Aw, Harry. I didn't think you cared.”

“He doesn't,” Ron stepped up and shoved Harry forward so they could continue on their way.

Harry was so furious when he got to his common room. He went to his trunk and pulled out his invisibility cloak.

“Harry what are you doing?” Ron asked him.

Harry turned around. “That Ferret is up to something and there's just something, something in my gut that's telling me that Hermione is a pawn in all of this.”

Ron blocked his way. “Harry, Hermione is a big girl and her own person. I know you're a little distraught right now by these turn of events with her. I am too. But you didn't see them, I did. And you know that Draco has been after Hermione for some time, you know this Harry.”

“Harry we've got class in ten minutes,” Neville added.

“What better time than now?” he said, moving past them. “Look you're either with me or not,” he said, tossing Ron the Marauder's Map.

“This had better be worth it,” he grumbled as he went after Harry.

~*~

Harry used his father's Head Boy badge that she had given him for Christmas to open up the Slytherin portrait door. Having been to Draco's room before, Harry made his way directly for it. The Map had shown that Draco was already in his Potions class, so after they had slipped into his room, Ron locked it behind him.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Ron said in a grumpy tone.

“I don't know,” Harry replied irritably. “Anything.”

“Well that narrows it down,” Ron muttered.

Harry scoffed. “Why are you being so difficult?”

“Why are you doing this?” Ron gestured around the room.

“Because,” Harry said as he began to rifle through the books in Malfoy's bookshelf.

Ron stayed by the door. “Because why?” he demanded.

“Because I love her Ron!” Harry shot back. Ron just looked at him and shook his head in pity.

“I want nothing to do with your personal quest for Hermione redemption.”

“Just watch the door,” Harry muttered.

There was nothing in the bookshelf nor the desk. Harry got down on his knees and looked under the bed. There was a small box there and Harry pulled it out. He lifted the lid to find it filled with small vials filled with potions.

“Hey Ron look at this,” he said. Rows and rows of vials with labels on them, the names of which he recognized as having done in their class.

“He's been saving samples of the potions he's brewing?” Ron said, holding up a vial of polyjuice potion.

Harry sat back on his heels and sighed. Was this what he was looking for? From the peripheral vision of his eyes, something caught his eyes. Something that was not quite right. Something that just didn't…fit.

He stood up and walked over to the wall. Draco was sloppy and must have left in a hurry for there was a single stone block in the wall that jutted out just centimeters from the others. Harry reached up and pried it out.

Inside was a single vial with a golden colored potion inside. Harry couldn't remember where he had seen this. He knelt back down and compared it to the other potions that had labels on them but they didn't match.

“What do you suppose that is?” Ron asked.

“I don't know,” Harry said, putting the potion in his pocket and replacing the brick. Ron put the other potions back under the bed. “But I have an idea of where I can find out.”

Harry completely missed his Potions class but he didn't care. He send the vial in a package to Miles with a reply post haste. Now all he had to do was sit and wait.

~*~

“Hello, Hermione. Haven't seen you around lately,” Hagrid said, opening the door to his hut to allow in one of his favorite students.

“Hello Hagrid,” she replied, stepping inside.

“Ron an' Harry not wit yeh?”

She shifted awkwardly. “No, not today. Listen Hagrid. I have a bit of a rat problem in our dormitory and I was wondering if you had any traps?”

“Oh, of course,” Hagrid said, moving to a large cabinet on one side of the room. He reached in and handed Hermione some sort of contraption that looked like some sort of mangler.

“Oh! Um…perhaps something more humane? I would like to live trap it.”

“Well, in that case you'll need this.” This time he handed her a medium size cage and after a brief tutorial on how to use it she headed back to the castle to set it up.

It didn't take too long, she stopped by the kitchens to ask Dobby for a bit of cheese then she set the trap in a corner in the Gryffindor common room. Crookshanks eyed the trap with interest.

“I need this rat alive, Crookshanks,” she scolded him. The half-kneazle blinked up at her with disinterest.

The common room was empty because dinner had just started so she quickly made her way back to the Great Hall. This time, Hermione took her newly usual seat at the far end of the table and propped a heavy book in front of her to do some studying. Hedwig flew over her head and landed by Harry as she filled her cup with pumpkin juice and she took a long drink. Meat and potatoes tonight but she didn't really feel like eating, she was too anxious about her trap and what it would mean if she caught anything in it.

“Professor Tonks wants to speak with you.”

She looked up to see Harry standing in front of her. Hermione was mid drink and she hastily put it down. Harry's eyes flickered to her cup briefly before looking back at her.

“Did she say what it was about?”

“I don't know,” Harry snapped. “She just does, okay?”

“Fine,” Hermione said in a nasty tone and she got up from the table. She marched to the front of the Hall where the Professor's were sitting down and chatting away.

“Professor Tonks, you wanted to see me?” she asked as she approached her. Tonks looked at her with a puzzled look on her face.

“I did?”

“Harry said…,” Hermione stopped and sighed. “Never mind.” She turned around and marched back to her spot at the table, livid. Harry was still standing there, looking a little pale. He saw her approaching and he began to fidget.

“Why did you send me—“ She stopped abruptly when Harry knocked her cup into her plate, spilling pumpkin juice all over it then tipping the plate over. Hermione looked up at him.

“Er…,” he bit his lower lip nervously.

“Harry have you gone mad?” she grabbed her bookbag.

“Hermione wait,” Harry said.

“If you don't want me at this table anymore, there are more subtle ways of doing so as you very well know.” She turned around and left the Hall.

Harry sighed as he watched her go. Fuck, fuck, fuck and double fuck.

Minutes earlier, Hedwig had arrived with a package. Inside was the vial that Harry had sent Miles, along with a note.

Harry where did you get this? This could be a very dangerous potion if used improperly and I'm not sure what the intent was of the person who brewed it. It's a modified Inhibitus potion. Its purpose is to lower ones inhibitions. This one is a little different, this one is aimed at lowering inhibitions toward a particular person. I found traces of a person's essence in it. Give me some time identifying who exactly but preliminary results say that it is a male.

Harry folded the not and looked up across the table at the Slytherins.

You. Stupid. Cowardly. Fucker.

Things began to click in place in his mind.

“Oh no!” Hermione started, losing her grip on the jug and it clattered to the table, emptying the rest of the pumpkin juice on its nearest occupants.

Ron looked at her exasperatedly as he cleaned up his robes, for the third time today, with a flick of his wand. Ginny and Neville were doing the same and Harry looked at Hermione with concern as he cleaned off his glasses on his robes. She had been like this all day. Distracted and a little bit disoriented, she didn't once raise her hand for answers that he knew that she knew, she merely gazed out of the window in all of her classes. He had even seen her walk into a couple of walls.

All this time he thought it was because he had Stupefied her.

Hermione stepped forward and knelt before Draco. “Draco, why did you tell me about what Voldemort asked you to do?”

“I needed help. I didn't know what to do. He's going to kill my mum, Hermione.”

Harry was reminded of the time he had accidentally walked in on Draco last year in the lavatory talking to Moaning Myrtle. The pitiful boy who had bitten off more than he could chew, the boy who made a deal with the devil and realized that it came with a price.

But he remembered that this was also the boy who brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore even if he didn't have the courage to do it himself. This was the boy who had forced Hermione into a pact that nearly ended her life. And yet, Hermione was kneeling in front of the git, looking at him with compassion!!

He knew it. He knew it all along somewhere deep down that there was something wrong with Hermione. Especially when he talked to her on Valentine's Day.

Seeing the crestfallen look on her face, he shoved them into her hands before she could protest.

“Look, I know something's wrong with you. Something is bothering you. You can talk to me. I'm still your best friend aren't I?”

“Harry what is it?” Ron asked. He was holding the note so tightly in his hands and the plates around him began to rattle violently. “Harry calm down and hand me the letter.”

Harry handed it off to Ron then looked for Hermione. She was sitting at the end of the table tucking in for dinner. He had to do something so he got up out of his chair and approached her.

“Professor Tonks wants to speak with you.”

Oh geez that was so lame but whatever. To his horror she was already drinking from her cup.

“Did she say what it was about?”

“I don't know,” Harry snapped. “She just does, okay?” For crying out loud Hermione just leave the damn table.

“Fine,” Hermione said in a nasty tone and she got up and left.

Harry took out his vial of potion detection and sprinkled some of it on Hermione's food and drink.

It turned red.

Harry's heart dropped into his stomach. He was going to kill the Ferret. He looked up to see that she was returning and so not looking happy. He didn't want her to continue ingesting this crap so he did the lamest thing possible and ruined her food.

“Well that was some damn fine piece of investigative work,” Ron mused when Harry returned to the table.

“Oh hush up,” Harry muttered in reply.

~~~Weeks Earlier~~~

“Hermione wait!” he reached out and stopped her from leaving. She hit him on his arms and shoulders.

“Let me go, you bastard. You son of a bitch!!”

“Hermione, why do you think I'm telling you this?”

“I don't give a fuck what you say!”

“He's setting up an attack in London. He told me to tell you this to gain your trust. I'm being honest with you!”

Hermione jerked her knee upward making contact with Draco's groin and he crumpled to the floor, groaning in pain.

“I'm not going to let you near Harry!” she screamed at him. “I'm not going to give you chance to hurt him, do you hear me?!”

That was the last straw for him. He was sick and tired of playing second fiddle again to Potty. He had spilled his heart out to her, had asked her for help and she had rebuked him to defend Harry Potter. He hated Harry, he was so jealous of him and the undeserved loyalty he received from Hermione. Loyalty that he wanted for himself. She would look at him that way, he would find a way to separate her from Potty for good.

He slammed the door behind him in his room and went straight for his hiding place in the wall, removing a brick and revealing the Inhibitus potion inside. He had read about this in one of his potion books, the same one he had given Hermione in fact. Oh, the irony. He took a smaller empty vial and poured some of the potion off into it. Slipping it to her wouldn't be an issue either.

Hermione's crusade for Elf rights had turned off some of them to her. One in particular and Draco waited until the common room was empty in the middle of the night before confronting a squeaky, drunk, little elf named Winky who made it clear that she was no friend of Hermione's and her silly ideas.

What he would tell Hermione later was absolutely true and he knew it. Potter held Hermione on a pedestal so high that she was destined to fall, all he had to do was be the catalyst. And when Potter shattered her, he would be there to pick up the pieces.

Fuck Voldemort and his stupid little plan to earn Potter's trust. He was going to fail at that, he knew it. But if he was going to go down, he was going to do it in a way that would destroy Potter and keep Hermione at his side.

And that plan worked delightfully well. On Valentine's Day, Hermione had kissed him. And oh what a wonderful kiss it was. Draco had never felt that way before and he knew in that moment that he was a man lost. He was playing with fire and now he was getting burned. There was no way from here on out that he was going to let Hermione go.

And how perfect was it that Weasel had walked in on him? Before he knew it, Hermione was the pariah of Gryffindor. Nobody wanted to have anything to do with her, not even Potter. And he was there to pick up the pieces. Hermione was as good as his.

~~~Present~~~

Hermione and Potty had another fight and this time he had managed to chase her away from dinner. She was probably heading to the library, pissed off, hopping mad, emotions running high.

Perfect.

She would probably be hungry so he would have to make a stop off at the kitchens to pick some food up. Hmm, a seduction in the Astronomy Tower? Brilliant.

He got up from the table and headed to his room. He wanted to use some of the potion on the food, maybe in a stronger dose. Why not? It was a clear night, the stars were out, bring a little blanket and who knew how far Hermione would go?

He paused in front of the wall in his room to take a moment and close his eyes. He imagined what it would be like to kiss her again, to run his hands over her, to have her in the way Potty had her.

He sighed and removed the loose brick only to find that the potion was missing.

There was a soft shuffling sound and Draco turned around to see Potty step out from the shadows in his room. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt so he didn't see him when he first came in the room. He was holding the vial of potion in his hand.

“Looking for this?”

-->

38. From Bad to Worse

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. It's shorter than the others but I hope you enjoy all the same. Thanks for all the reviews. Take care and happy reading!

From Bad To Worse

I... I came here by day, but I left here in darkness

And found you, found you on the way

And now, it is silver and silent, it is silver and cold

You, in somber resplendence, I hold

Your sins into me

Oh, my beautiful one

Your sins into me

As a rapturous voice escapes, I will tremble a prayer

And I'll beg for forgiveness

(Your sins into me) Your sins into...

(Your sins into me) Your sins into me

Oh, my beautiful one

(Silver and Cold—AFI)

~*~

He paused in front of the wall in his room to take a moment and close his eyes. He imagined what it would be like to kiss her again, to run his hands over her, to have her in the way Potty had her.

He sighed and removed the loose brick only to find that the potion was missing.

There was a soft shuffling sound and Draco turned around to see Potty step out from the shadows in his room. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt so he didn't see him when he first came in the room. He was holding the vial of potion in his hand.

“Looking for this?”

Draco looked at the vial in his hand then up at his face. A smirk grew on the corners of his mouth a moment before he reached into his robes and drew his wand. Harry was quicker and with a flick of his wand Draco was thrown against the brick wall. Draco slumped to the floor, the wind knocked out of him as he gasped for breath. Harry reached him in two strides, grabbing him by the front of his robes and punching him across the jaw. He swiped at Draco's hand, knocking his wand away. He lifted him up slightly, again by the front of his robes before slamming his head back down on the floor. Draco's hand floundered at his side, searching for anything he could reach. He made contact with an empty glass vial and smashed it against the side of Harry's head.

Harry swore loudly as he clutched at his head and Draco knocked him away from him. He reached out for his wand and it flew into his hand as he scrambled out of the room.

“Fuck!” Harry said as he brought his hand away from his head and saw blood. He tore out of the room after Malfoy.

He quickly ducked his head just as another hex whizzed just above where it was previously, smashing into the doorframe and raining splintered pieces of wood down on him. Harry looked up to see Malfoy disappear around the curve of the stairs. He quickly followed him to the busy Slytherin common room.

Students looked up to see Draco rushing past them, shock and surprise quickly replaced their quizzical looks when they saw Harry Potter hot in pursuit. It was an outrage that a Gryffindor was befouling their space and they quickly closed in around Harry to hinder his chase. But Harry could see that Malfoy was almost to the door. With a wave of his hand a large table turned on its end and slid to block his way.

Draco skidded to a stop, falling on his bottom as he scrambled out of the way of the chunky piece of furniture. He swore under his breath and turned back to see that, although his housemates did slow Potty down a bit, he was quite effectively bulldozing his way through.

“Reducto!” he cried and the offending piece of furniture exploded, clearing the way somewhat and he scrambled out of the portrait.

“Colloportus!”

The woman in the portrait shook her head. “Sorry dearie, it won't work.”

“Damn it!” Draco cursed and sprinted up the stairs of the dungeon.

Harry burst through the portrait door and quickly followed after him. He saw Malfoy just ahead of him and he sent a strong hex his way. Draco turned the corner just in time for the hex to catch the fabric of his sleeve. He sprinted forward and hid in an alcove and sent a curse toward Harry as soon as he came into view.

Harry took a step back and let the curse fly by him. He then darted across the corridor into another alcove, sending a hex in Draco's direction to keep him in place. However, a pair of Hufflepuff fourth year girls rounded the corner and Malfoy grabbed one of them and used her as a shield as he shuffled backward. Her companion ducked into a corner when she turned around and saw Harry Potter on the other end of the corridor, his wand drawn.

“Let her go, Malfoy!” he demanded.

“Not a chance, Potty!” Draco replied.

“Harry!” the girl pleaded.

Draco sent a hex toward him and he ducked out of the way, covering his head as stone fell around him. He got back to his feet and sprinted toward Malfoy. Draco looked above him and saw a heavy iron chandelier.

“Petrificus totalis!” he petrified the girl he was holding then aimed his wand to where the chandelier was attached.

“Malfoy!” Harry shouted.

Draco grinned and with a wand blast the chandelier disconnected. He left the girl where she was while he turned and ran onto a set of stairs of the moving staircases just as it was leaving the landing.

Harry dove for the girl, pushing her out of the way just in time as the chandelier came crashing to the ground. The commotion drew the attention of more students and a small crowd began to form.

“Finite incantatem,” Harry said, bringing the girl out of her petrification. “Are you alright?” The girl looked up at him with wide eyes of disbelief as she soundlessly nodded she was fine. “Okay,” Harry replied then helped her to sit up before he took off after Malfoy.

The Hufflepuff's friend joined her and helped her to her feet as the crowd of students watched as Harry stepped onto the moving staircase. Malfoy was already on the stairs above him.

“Shit,” Draco muttered as he watched Harry step onto the stairs below him. He trotted up the end of the stairs, turned then went up another set. Harry didn't even wait, he perched himself on the banister, carefully balancing himself, timing it just right before he leapt from the banister to the other one as it passed above him and pulling himself up. Peeves suddenly showed up, sitting on the banister that Harry was holding on to.

“Need a hand?” he asked before he laughed in Harry's face.

*

The doors to the Gryffindor common room burst open and an excited first year came running in, yelling at the top of his lungs.

“HARRY POTTER AND DRACO MALFOY ARE DUELING ON THE STAIRCASES!”

“What?!” Ginny said, jumping up from her seat on the sofa.

Ron was playing chess with Neville and he shook his head. “Damn it!” he muttered and threw down a pawn as the two of them grabbed their wands and left the common room followed shortly by the other Gryffindors. Colin Creevey grabbed his camera before leaving in a rush with his brother.

Hermione was in the library studying with Anthony and Susan when Pansy Parkinson ran in and stopped in front of Blaise's table. “Potty attacked Draco and now they're fighting on the staircases.”

Books, bags and homework were forgotten as the library's occupants scrambled out of their seats. As they rushed through the corridors, they joined other students as they crowded around balconies watching the fight between the Gryffindor and the Slytherin.

“Harry!” Ron and Neville said as they made their way down the stairs, waiting for it to move and rotate so they could make their way down to their friend.

Harry pulled himself up and over the banister just as Malfoy sent a Reducto his way from above. He rolled to the side to avoid the blast. Draco cast it again then again, each time missing Harry until another blast caught his attention. It came from above, where Weasley had his wand drawn. Draco sneered and sent a hex his way as the two Gryffindors ducked out of the way. Harry took the opportunity of the distraction to leap onto the staircase Draco was on.

Draco turned around and saw Harry climbing over. “Reducto!” he said and the part of the banister that Harry was hanging onto crumbled. Some of the students gasped as Harry tumbled, just catching himself on a post next to him, stopping his fall but his wand clattered to the staircase two floors beneath him. Draco grinned.

Harry looked up at him and held out his hand. “Accio wand!” he said and to Draco's surprise his own wand flew out of his hand and into Potter's. It happened so quickly that he didn't have time to think about dodging the wand blast that came his way until it hit him squarely in the chest. The pain of a very strong stinging hex had him falling to his knees.

Harry wasted no time as he pulled himself up onto the stairs and marched toward Draco. “You sick…” Harry kicked out at him, “pathetic (another kick), psychotic (another kick), fucking traitorous…” Draco grabbed Harry's foot this time and jerked his ankle. Harry flailed and grabbed the railing to keep himself from tumbling down the stairs. Draco slowly got to his feet but not before Harry tackled him. McGonagall and the other teachers finally caught wind of the fight and joined the students, stopping the staircases from moving. The abrupt cessation of motion caused Harry's momentum to be greater than it was and the two of them went over the railing. Some of the students screamed as they fell.

CRACK!!!!

There was a sharp pain in Draco's shoulder and his right arm hurt badly but the most pain came from his right leg, which was bent at an unnatural angle. He groaned in pain. Harry rolled away from him. He couldn't catch his breath, he couldn't breathe it hurt too much. His left arm was broken, he knew it by the familiar pain he felt.

~*~

Harry choked down the Skele-Gro that Madame Pomfrey gave him. He really should have been used to the flavor by now but it still wanted to make him gag. Ron, Neville, Ginny and Luna all hovered around him anxiously. Madame Pomfrey had mended the shallow cuts he had and she stitched up the side of his head where the Ferret had used it to break a glass vial. There was a small bandage covering that up. She had wrapped a bandage around his ribs (he had broken two of them) and he winced every time he moved. Those hurt the most. His left arm was in a sling and he was currently trying to button up his pajama top with one hand before Ginny tutted impatiently.

“Here let me,” she said, brushing Harry's hands aside to button his top up. She looked up at Ron and Neville. “Honestly, you two,” she said waspishly, “he's your best friend.”

“I'm sorry Gin but it's just weird having to button up another bloke's top,” Ron said apologetically.

Luna glared at her boyfriend then moved to the other side of Harry to arrange his pillows so he could sit up more comfortably. Harry wasn't used to such doting, he'd never really had that in his life except for the few times Molly had taken care of him. But he was careful not to the look like he was enjoying it too much under the watchful eyes of Ginny and Luna's boyfriends.

“Ow! Watch what you're doing woman!” Harry heard Draco yell. He hated the fact that he had to spend the night in this room with that git across from him. Pansy had apparently tried to give him the same TLC that Harry was getting and somehow failed at it. It was awkward enough as it was in that room with the group of Gryffindors and Luna huddled on one side of the room around Harry and the group of Slytherin's on the other surrounding Draco. Ron snarled at Crabbe and Goyle.

The doors opened and Hermione stepped through and stood against them as they closed behind her. It was a very frosty reception. Harry watched as she held her head up high and walked over to him.

“I just wanted to see if you were okay,” she said as she approached.

“I've had better days,” he replied.

“Visiting hours are over, go back to your common rooms,” Madame Pomfrey announced and the groups began to disperse.

“See you, Harry.”

“I'll come back tomorrow.”

“Take care.”

“Hermione, wait,” he called out to her. She stopped and turned to look at him. “There's something you need to kn--.”

“That's enough visitors for one night Mr. Potter,” Madame Pomfrey fixed his bed so he could lie down.

“But, I just need to speak with her for a moment.”

“Tomorrow, Mr. Potter.”

But, Harry couldn't sleep.

A groan from Malfoy would pierce the air once in awhile as he tossed and turned in his bed. In addition to the month's worth of detention, near-expulsion of them both, their fates still as undecided in these halls, the headmistress thought a night without Dreamless Sleep potion or any pain-killing potion would add to the punishment.

He winced as a shot of pain went up his arm. He wanted to roll to his side but any movement like that made his ribs feel like they were on fire. The clock chimed and two gongs sounded. Two a.m. Still awake at bloody two a.m.

Maybe he was anxious. The need to throttle Malfoy had been temporarily tamped down until the next time the git opened his mouth. Now he was occupied with the thought of telling Hermione about what Draco had done to her. The possibility of salvaging their friendship was up in the air and could be decided by how he presented this to her. What happened left so many things in the air.

It was an Inhibitus potion. Not a love potion.

~*~

“You're awake,” Isis hissed. Harry blinked and reached out for his glasses, bringing the snake into focus. “I wasss ssso worried about you.”

“Wh-what time is it?” he asked.

“Near lunch. You misssssed the fight.”

“Huh?” he asked. He didn't miss any fight. He was quite involved in it if he remembered correctly.

“Your…um…Hermione and that boy acrossss from you.”

Harry tried to sit up but he winced at the dull pain in his ribs.

“You know, all your hissing is a bit distracting,” Draco snarled.

“I can bite him,” Isis offered.

Harry ignored her offer…for now. “I figured you'd be used to that with the company you keep.”

Draco scoffed and looked away.

“Hermione was here?” Harry asked.

Draco slowly turned back to him. “Yes.” A sneer grew on his face.

Harry slowly sat up. “I need to speak to her,” he said in a low voice to Isis.

“But I don't think she's in the mood to see anyone after I told her about the Inhibitus potion,” Draco said plainly with disinterest.

Harry stilled. “What did you tell her?” he asked slowly and softly. Scenarios played in Harry's mind of the conversation he had missed. Merlin only knew what sort of tale Malfoy spun to pawn this whole thing off one someone else, probably him.

Draco was looking at the plain white hangings around his bed as if they were the most interesting things in the room. “The truth,” he shrugged.

“Your version of it?” Harry cocked an eyebrow.

“The version about how I've been using Winky to slip her the potion during meals that lowered her inhibitions and led to the eventual…” he paused and leveled his gaze at Harry, “…kiss.”

Harry just stared at him.

“What's the matter Potter?” Malfoy tilted his head. “Someone steal your thunder?”

To say that Harry was pissed was an understatement. Maybe it was selfish of him to want to tell Hermione about this himself. He felt as if that would at least bring their friendship back to the starting point, but Malfoy fessing up what he had done just blew that idea out of the water. The git had now planted a seed of redemption in her mind.

“Stay away from Hermione. You've done enough to her,” Harry threatened.

Draco scoffed. “You have no idea how funny it is to hear you, of all people, say that especially since you were the one who tossed her friendship aside like a useless piece of rubbish.”

“Had I known what the circumstances were,” Harry interjected.

“You would've done different?” he asked with an eyebrow raised. “Careful how you answer that one, Potter.” Harry's fingers were itching for his wand. Draco knew it, his eyes slid to his nightstand before return back to his gaze.

“Oh good, you're awake,” Madame Pomfrey said, bustling over. Isis slid off the bed but still stayed near Harry. “The Headmistress would like a word with you. But you aren't cleared yet. I expect to see you back here when you are done meeting with her.”

The mediwitch made Harry sit up and he winced at the dull pain. She gave him a potion that tasted like burnt rubber but made the pain subside somewhat. At least he could put on a shirt with only mild amounts of hurt. Any sort of bending or twisting just made the little flame of pain flare. His arm was still in a sling, his ribs bandaged but at least he could walk. Draco still had his leg wrapped and elevated in the bed. Too bad Pomfrey was tending to Draco now or else a clever little severing charm would have sent the injured leg falling back to the bed with a thump. Bummer.

The halls were busy with students making their way to the Great Hall for lunch and even though McGonagall wanted to see him, he hadn't eaten in quite some time.

“Harry, you're out!” Ron exclaimed when Harry sat down across from him. “How are you feeling mate?”

“Hungry,” Harry replied as he grabbed a sandwich. “Listen, I hate to just grab and go but McGonagall wants to see me.”

“I'll catch you later then?” Ron asked and Harry nodded before walking away.

“Hey was that Harry?” Seamus asked as he and Lavender sat down.

“Yeah, he's on his way to see the Headmistress.”

“He isn't going to get expelled is he?” Lavender asked, wrinkling her brow in worry.

Ron frowned. “I don't think so,” he replied without much confidence. Was Harry going to get expelled? I mean it wasn't his fault what Malfoy had done, Harry was just…defending his friend. In a kick ass sort of way but still.

It was if the thought of Hermione had summoned her to the Great Hall. Ron watched her as she walked in and took a seat at the end of the table. Guilt ate at him. Maybe he shouldn't have been so harsh on her but…really she was kissing the ferret. Although she was being drugged and probably not completely in her senses but he really couldn't get the image out of his mind. It was hard enough to swallow losing her to Harry but, ARGH! He couldn't think about this anymore or else he'd ruin his own breakfast.

He walked over to her, not entirely sure what he should say. She was looking pretty pissed right now and he assumed that she had heard what the Ferret had done.

“Hey Hermione,” he said awkwardly as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his trousers.

She had been carefully examining the food in front of her and looked up at Ron. She wasn't saying anything but she still seemed really agitated. She picked up a muffin and peered at it before she threw it back down.

“I can't eat this,” she finally declared as she tossed it back on the plate and got up from the table. Ron went after her as she marched out of the Great Hall.

“Hey Hermione! Wait!”

She stopped with a huff and turned around. “What do you want, Ron?” she demanded.

“I just wanted to talk,” he replied softly, a little frightened of her mood.

“I'm really not in the mood for a heart to heart right now,” she replied and continued on her way. Ron frowned and followed her back to the common room.

*****

Harry's internal warning alarms went off when he saw a few members of the Order clustered in McGonagall's office, the headmistress herself had a scowl on her face.

“Sit down, Mr. Potter,” she said briskly. Harry looked at everyone cautiously before taking his seat. “Fighting or dueling of any kind is strictly forbidden within these halls,” she said, frowning. “As soon as you had discovered this issue with Mr. Malfoy, it should've been brought to my attention immediately so it could be dealt with properly.” Harry didn't say anything. If she was waiting for an apology from him for landing Malfoy in the hospital wing, she wasn't going to get it.

“Your punishment stands,” she declared. “You will not be expelled but you will have detention every night for a month and you have no permission to participate in the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend.” Harry said nothing to this. Detention was a pain in the ass but he'd been apparating off of school grounds to go into London at least once a week. Hogsmeade was no big deal.

“As for Mr. Malfoy,” McGonagall turned her attention to the other members of the Order. “My request for his expulsion from this school has been…denied by the governors.”

Harry flew out of his chair. “WHAT?!!”

Remus held out his arm to gently hold Harry back. “How did this happen?” he asked, calmly while Harry raged.

“I'm not entirely sure but it is clear that the Malfoy's still have some sort of control over the board considering that Lucius is officially a wanted criminal and his mother is nowhere to be found, it worries me where his support is coming from.”

“One guess,” Harry muttered angrily.

“I agree with the governors,” came a voice so painfully familiar that Harry felt a deep emotional wound in his chest rip open. He looked up and saw Dumbledore's portrait smiling down at him. “Hello Harry,” he said. Harry stepped back into the shadows until he hit the wall behind him.
“What do you mean, Albus?” McGonagall asked.

“Young Mr. Malfoy is at an important crossroads right now, hovering in a delicate balance. I would rather have him under our watchful eyes and protection than…under someone else's influence.”

“He's a Death Eater,” Moody growled.

“So was Regalus Black,” Dumbledore replied. Harry knew the comment was directed at him, he could feel Dumbledore watching him as well as the other members of the Order.

~*~

His mind was heavy with thoughts and he could feel the pain-killing potion beginning to wear off when he walked through the portrait door to the common room. He only stopped by to get a change of clothes but was immediately confronted by Ron.

“Maybe you can talk some sense into her!” he exclaimed. “She's gone mad!

“What are you talking about?” Harry asked, moving past him.

There she was kneeling in front of the fire on the floor of the common room tossing her knitting into the flames.

“Hermione, what are you doing?!” he asked, walking over and stopping next to her. He watched as she tossed away a handful of wooly bladders. She stopped and looked up at him.

“Are you out?” she asked.

Harry stared at her then at another handful of knitting in her hand. He knelt down next to her. “Not yet, what are you doing?”

“What does it look like I'm doing?” she answered, irritated. “S.P.E.W. is officially done with.”

“What are you talking about?”

“After all I've done for them!” she shook her head. “I only wanted to make their lives better, treat them with respect, give them the same rights as everyone else.” Harry could see the tears in her eyes. “But after all this time, they hate me. Hate me enough to—“ She grabbed a SPEW button and moved to toss it in the fire but Harry stopped her, holding on to her wrist gently but firmly.

“Everyday I think about the sacrifices I have made, the sacrifices my friends have made to fight evil in this world so we can all have a better life. A life free of Voldemort. I think of all we have been through and all that I've seen and I wonder how people like Death Eaters can still exist. How can they be on his side? I read the paper and I see what they write about me, I get howlers everyday that are filtered off, exploding who knows where from people who criticize me as well.

“But I don't give up. I'll never give up because I know in my heart that what I'm doing is right, that it's important. You shouldn't give up, either. I know how important S.P.E.W. is to you and I would hate to see you throw it all away over a disgruntled elf who doesn't agree with you. You can't win everyone over Hermione and you're going to be constantly disappointed if you keep thinking you can.”

Hermione stared at him, wondering when Harry had grown up, when he had become so wise. He let go of her wrist and she plopped the button back down with the others.

Harry stood up from the floor. “I'm going to change and get back to the hospital wing,” he announced.

“I'll walk with you,” Ron offered and joined his friend.

~*~

The fight between Harry and Draco remained a hot topic around the school for the next few days. The origins of the skirmish were shrouded in mystery and exaggerated in school lore. The Hufflepuff girl that Harry had saved kept blushing furiously whenever she came in proximity of him and her friend was happy to tell anyone who listened about how brave Harry had been. It made him uncomfortable, Romilda was looking a little too dreamily at him.

Harry looked down the table and saw that Hermione was, once again, absent. Dobby had informed him that he was personally delivering the meals to Hermione and Harry had given the elf some of the potion that Miles gave him to make sure that Hermione's food didn't have any extra ingredients in it.

Ron sighed and Harry turned back to look at him. He too was looking down the table at her absence. It was unsaid but it lingered between them. They were going to eventually have to talk to her. Ron said he tried but she wasn't willing to listen. There weren't a lot of opportunities to talk to her, in between classes seemed inappropriate, she wasn't in the library after school and she didn't come down for meals.

Where Harry found her that night was in the corridor next to the Room of Requirement setting traps.

“Peter's not in the castle.”

Hermione looked up at him. “Huh?” He was leaning against the wall, one leg crossed in front of the other, tie undone and hanging around his neck, his arms were crossed in front of his chest.

“How do you know?” she asked. Harry reached into his robes and pulled out the Map, tapping it lightly with a finger.

“I checked but it doesn't mean that he's not somewhere around here. The Map doesn't show the chamber, in between walls and secret passages.”

“Oh,” she nodded solemnly.

“Need help?” he asked, putting the map away.

Hermione carefully placed the cheese in the trap with a levitating charm and set it. “No, that was the last one. I just need to empty those.”

Harry looked over at the small pile of cages that had various vermin inside of them. “Well I'll help you with these then.”

Hermione eyed him as she got up and dusted herself off. “That's okay, I have it.” Her tone wasn't harsh but it wasn't open and inviting either.

“It's not a problem.” His voice was firm as he picked up some of the cages. Hermione didn't look too pleased. “We need to talk anyway.”

*

The air outside was still a little crisp but it was a clear and beautiful night. Hermione walked down the steps and turned right to a row of hedges where she set her traps down. Harry followed suit, watching how she opened the trap to release her captives so he could do the same.

“Not you again,” he heard her mutter. She held up one of the cages that had a little white mouse inside of it. “This one I've caught every night since I started. He's looking forward to another free meal tonight.” She tipped the cage. “Go on, you! Shoo!”

Harry looked at her.

“I'm sorry.”

Hermione's hand stilled for a moment as she folded the trap. “For what?”

“I shouldn't have judged you. I should've believed that there was something wrong with you to make you want—“

“Something wrong with me, Harry?” she turned to look at him. “It was an Inhibitus potion not an Imperius curse or a stupid love potion.”

“I know that, Hermione,” he replied quickly. “I know you wouldn't have done it if you really didn't want to. I was just,” he floundered on how to continue then decided that bluntness was probably the best way to go. “Why him? Of all people, why him?”

She sighed. “I don't know what to tell you. I messed up. I honestly thought that there was a part of him, a tiny part, that would change him. There was a side of him that was different than what we've seen. I thought he could be redeemable.”

“Hermione, he's a Death Eater, deep down you knew that. He's the one who tortured you all these years, he's a sick racist. He's the one who attempted to kill Dumbledore the one who let in all those Death Eaters to attack the school.”

She held up a hand. “I know all that, okay? And it makes me sick to my stomach that I even had those feelings in the first place. What can I say?” she demanded. “For a time, I honestly thought he was just as scared and lost in this whole war as we are. I made a stupid mistake, Harry. I'm only human.”
“I know that.”

“Do you? Because you seem to be more forgiving to Ron who left me alone when Dolohov attacked than you were of me.”

Harry looked guiltily away. Hermione emptied the last trap then piled them in her arms before standing up and walking away. Harry reached out and stopped her. “I messed up.”

“So did I,” she replied.

“Then how do we fix this?” he asked softly.

“Harry,” she sighed heavily.

“I need to fix this…us,” he interrupted. “Because I don't think I can do this without you. Not without your…friendship. And I honestly don't know how to get us back there.”

“I don't think we can go back,” she said slowly. “But…I think we can start something new.”

Harry could live with that. “I'm sorry,” he said. “For everything.”

“Me too, Harry. Honestly, I am.”

“Listen, I've got a game of chess that I have to get my ass kicked at but it would be nice if you would sit down and join the rest of us.”

“I'm going to set the rest of these traps tonight,” she replied.

“You know, I know someone who has a particular affinity for brown colored rats. She's probably a lot more effective because she can go through the pipes and cracks in the walls.”

“Isis?” Hermione guessed. “Well, we need all the help we can get.”

“Well, should we get started?” he asked, gesturing to the traps.

Hermione held them closer to her chest. “Thank you but I think I've got it from here.” He could take a hint.

“Okay then. I hope I'll see you tonight then?”

*

He did see her that night. She walked in then went straight up to her room. He exhaled long and slow. Ron moved his eyes from Hermione back to Harry.

“I really don't know what to do, mate,” he said, shaking his head.

Harry moved his knight to take out a pawn. “You shouldn't have left her alone that day.”

Ron narrowed his eyes. “You don't think I feel guilty about that? But I was pretty pissed off that day and for good reason.”

Harry sighed and rubbed his jaw as he watched Ron's queen swing her staff and knock his king flat on his back.

~*~

“Okay, remember to look for a brown rat,” Harry hissed.

“Oooh, I love brown ratssss,” Isis replied, itching to get on with the hunt but Harry still held on to her.

“Specifically one with a silver paw.”

“What kind of crazy rat hasss a sssilver paw?”

“And don't kill it.”

“Where'sss the fun in the hunt?”

“Bring it back alive.” Harry gently placed Isis down and she slithered toward a large crack in the baseboard.

“Not even a nibble?” she asked, looking back.

“Isis,” Harry said sternly.

Isis hissed and bared her fangs. “Fine,” she hissed and continued on her way.

“Good luck,” Hermione called out after her feeling kind of weird to be saying that to a snake.

Harry took out the Marauder's Map and began to scan it. “You know, Neville brought up the idea that I should start up the DA again.”

“It's not a bad idea, especially after what happened last year.”

“And since we've got a spy in our midst.”

“If Isis is as good as you say she is, you may want to use her to keep a watch out for Peter if in fact you do anything like that. Maybe even during Order meetings or when you go down into the Chamber,” Hermione advised.

“Hmm, that`s not a bad idea,” he said thoughtfully.

The two of them stood there facing each other, a million thoughts running through each other's heads. Hermione realized how much she had missed Harry, as a friend and as…much more. Harry was battling internally whether he should reach out and touch her or just cut his losses and walk away.

Walking away won.

“I've got detention,” he said, nodding his head to his left in the direction he was to go.

“I'm going to check on the traps,” Hermione gestured in the opposite direction.

“Be careful,” he said to her and she nodded. He watched her until she turned the corner before he made his way to the dungeons.

Draco was already there, sitting at a desk in the empty classroom. Professor Smith was in charge of detention today and she sat on top of the desk in the front of the room, legs crossed and swinging slightly.

“The Headmistress wishes to see you right away,” she said lazily as she filed her nails. “You're out of detention for tonight but you will make it up with one extra night at the end.”

Harry looked at Draco who was busy scribbling down `I will not duel in the halls' over and over again on a very, very, very long piece of parchment. They had to do that yesterday and Harry's writing hand involuntarily cramped up again at the thought. He massaged it as he nodded to his teacher and left the room to go upstairs.

Once again, the feeling of unease settled into his stomach when he walked in the room to find the Minister of Magic Scrimgeour and his assistant Percy Weasley waiting patiently for him along with McGonagall. His eyes flitted to the Dumbledore's portrait that didn't look at all happy. Anxiety made his nerves dance on end.

“Good evening, Mr. Potter,” McGonagall greeted him with a nod of her head that indicated that she wanted him to take a seat. Harry did so, but not comfortably.

“It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance again, Mr. Potter,” Scrimgeour said politely with a smile that only a politician could master. Percy immediately began to scribble down notes, not even giving Harry a greeting. Not that he cared. “I hope you are doing well?”
“Yes, sir.” Harry's answer was polite with no hint of a subtext.

“Very good, very good. Well we should just get right down to it, shall we? No need to waste any time, it's already so late.” He reached for the tartan tin on McGonagall's desk and helped himself to the biscuits inside. Percy stopped writing and looked eagerly at the minister.

“If I understand correctly, you have benefited greatly from some training received by the Auror department.” He looked over at Harry whose face was passive. “I've been reading in the papers all about your…heroic endeavors. Taking a bit of the spotlight away from the true and ministry authorized aurors, aren't you?” The sound of the quill scratching stopped and Percy frowned at Harry.

“I underwent the same training as the rest of my class and---“

“But you're not an auror are you? Shacklebolt seemed to have glossed over the fact that you have not finished your schooling at Hogwarts and are thereby…unqualified to be in the program.”

Harry stared hard at him. “What's your point?” he asked flatly, getting to the bottom of this discussion.

“My point is, Harry, the Ministry as of late has been suffering from some bad PR since You-Know-Who has sprung up again. And articles printed in the Quibbler of the last few attacks have portrayed you as some kind of hero to the people, taking away the spotlight from all the hard work me and my staff have been doing to prevent these attacks.”

“If you don't mind me saying, sir, but you and your staff are doing a horrible job of it,” Harry said coldly. Dumbledore's picture smirked.

Scrimgeour frowned. “I had asked you once before to speak on behalf of the Ministry to the people.”

“You wanted me to lie and tell them that you are doing a great job as Minister. Are you asking me to lie again?”

Percy cleared his throat and gave Harry a stern but pointed look. Harry ignored him.

“I came to you last year at a most difficult time. Time has passed and I'm hoping that you'll take my offer into consideration.”

“My answer is still the same,” he replied.

There was silence as Scrimgeour stared at him, even Percy had paused in his writing and looking at Harry with a scowl of disappointment on his face. Harry didn't back down from his defiant look. He was Dumbledore's man through and through.

“That is a shame, Mr. Potter. I was hoping we could work something out.” Scrimgeour turned and picked up his cloak from the armchair he had tossed it on and dusted some residual floo powder off of it before he put it on. “You are thereby terminated from the Auror program at the Ministry—“

“What?!” Harry jumped out of the chair and looked at Scrimgeour then McGonagall. “You can't do that!”

“All rights and privileges that go along with such a position are hereby terminated immediately.”

“Professor,” Harry turned to the Headmistress who shook her head.

“It's out of my jurisdiction,” she replied. Scrimgeour contined on.

“You are to turn in your uniforms, any books and equipment and your badge. You will have nothing to do with the Aurors. This shall go down in your permanent record and will be used in the decision should you try to apply for the Auror training program again.” He turned to McGonagall. “Professor McGonagall, I thank you for your time and use of your office although I'm afraid it was all in vain. Good night and good luck, Mr. Potter.”

With a swish of his cloak he left the office with Percy, nose up in the air with a sniff of disapproval went following after him. Harry just couldn't believe that he came from the same family as his best friend, he had even liked him, thought he was an okay bloke at one time.

“How could you let this happen?” he turned to McGonagall.

“It was out of my hands, Mr. Potter. I have no jurisdiction over the Minister.”

Dumbledore's portrait spoke out. “You did the right thing, Harry?”

Harry looked at the two of them in disbelief. “The right thing?” he scoffed. “I'm out of the Auror program. I wanted to be an auror. I liked being an auror.” He backed away and left the office in a huff.

He was mad. Pissed off. He had never felt so angry. Since fifth year he had wanted to be an auror, a dark wizard catcher. It was something he was almost born to do and now Scrimgeour had taken it all away because he didn't want to play his stupid political games.

“Move it!” he shouted to a group of third year Ravenclaws who had gathered in the middle of the corridor. He practically plowed right through them on his warpath back to the common room.

Hermione came around the corner, traps in her arms and nearly ran into him.

“Harry! What are you—“

He brushed past her, muttering colorful language under his breath. She went after him, trotting to keep up as he shouted the password to the Fat Lady (“There's no need to be rude!”)

Tonks was in the common room waiting for him, sitting and chatting with Ron. “Wotcher, Harry,” she said as she took in his demeanor. “We're all pretty pissed about it. Remus is furious and Shacklebolt is too.”

Harry stared at her. “I suppose you're here to collect my things,” he said harshly. He didn't mean to be so mean but he was so angry that he took it out on her. She didn't seem to be completely affected by his words. She gave him a patronizing look instead.

“A house elf had been notified and was sent to collect your things, already.”

“Well, isn't that convenient?” he snarled.

“Harry what's going on?” Ron asked.

“You aren't expelled, are you?” Hermione asked with worry and concern on her face.

He whirled to face her. “No I'm not expelled from Hogwarts. There are worse things than that, Hermione. But you wouldn't know because you're all books and cleverness and snogging Ferrets!” FUCK! He didn't mean that.

“Harry!” Tonks scolded.

“Hermione…fuck, I didn't mean that,” Harry said apologetically, not caring about his language in front of his Head of House. “I'm just so angry and I took it out on you and…oh fuck it all.” He threw his hands up in the air in a gesture of surrender before turning and dashing up to the boy's dormitory, slamming the door loudly in his wake.

Hermione and Ron turned to Tonks for an explanation. “Scrimgeour kicked Harry out of the Auror program.”

“He can't do that!” Ron blurted out.

“No!” Hermione gasped, dropping her traps. They clattered to the floor in chimes of clangs. “Why?”

“Harry didn't want to be his poster boy,” Tonks sighed.

“And for good reason!” Hermione said. “He's been after Harry since he had been elected Minister, asking him to tell people what a good job he's doing. What a joke!”

“This whole thing is so messed up,” Tonks sighed. “I just wanted to come by and see how Harry was faring to the news. I knew he wouldn't agree to Scrimgeour's offer.” She sighed wearily and left the room.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other. Usually Hermione was the one to go upstairs and try to talk to Harry, calm him down, make him feel better. Ron shifted from one foot to the other.

“I guess I should…” His voice trailed off as he jerked his head in the direction of the dormitory.

Hermione just stood there, awkward. “Yes, I suppose you should.”

Ron walked to the stairs and stopped to turn around and look back at Hermione. She was kneeling on the floor picking up her traps that she had dropped earlier. He looked back up at the closed door. The two of them should really be going up there, Harry needed them. He frowned. At least, he thought Harry did. Right now, Ron wasn't sure what exactly Harry needed.

Coming Up: What did Hermione and Draco say to each other? The return of the DA perhaps? And Harry and Hermione do a little investigating together.

-->

39. To Catch A Rat

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. Hope this chapter relieves some of the angst…or makes it worse, I don't know. Glad you guys like the one-shot Envy as well. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Read and Review, it's magically delicious.

To Catch A Rat

I pray you learn to trust

Have faith in both of us

And keep room in your hearts for two

Things get damaged

Things get broken

I thought we'd manage

But words left unspoken

Left us so brittle

There was so little left to give

(Precious—Depeche Mode)

~*~

Luna Lovegood was diligently scribbling down notes in her runes class when a burning sensation in her pocket caught her attention. Seeing that the Professor wasn't paying her any mind, anybody rarely did, she calmly put down her quill and reached into the pocket of her robes.

“EEEEEP!!”

The Professor stopped and stared at her along with all of her fellow classmates. She had fallen off of her chair in her excitement.

“I'm okay!” she chirped as she picked herself off of the floor. The Professor continued on with the lecture and the students returned to sitting face forward. But Luna couldn't pay attention now. She had finally received the long awaited message she had been waiting to get for so long.

A D.A. meeting tonight at nine.

Neville ran up to Ginny in the hall, a wide smile on his face. “Did you get it? Did you get it?”

She looked up at him with concern on her face. “Nev, what on earth are you talking about?”

He was grinning like a kid at Christmas when he pulled a gold coin from his pocket. “D.A. meeting.”

She stared at him. “What? Are you sure? We should talk to Harry.”

“No need to,” Ron said, coming up to them. “It's true. Spread the word for others to check their coins.”

Justin Finch-Fletchley was having a nice snooze in his history of magic class when something hit him on the side of his head, waking him up. He blinked rapidly to adjust to the light and wiped the drool off of his face before finding the culprit of his sleep disturbance resting on the parchment in front of him. He picked up the tightly folded piece of paper.

Check Your Coin—Terry

He looked back at his friend with a question on his face. “The D.A.,” Terry mouthed back to him. Justin's eyes widened in surprise and excitement.

The day was like that for the members of Dumbledore's Army, a secret club of students who were taught Defense Against the Dark Arts by Harry Potter during his fifth year at Hogwarts. The group had disbanded when they were ratted out by one of their very own and caught by the High Inquisitorial Squad. They had been inactive since with only a few using what they had learned when Death Eaters attacked the castle last year. Although they still had the coins, they were lost at the bottom of trunks and were dug out as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

“Is it true Harry?” the Patil twins said when they came up to him in the library. Harry had called the meeting after a long night's debate on whether he really wanted to do this or not. But with Ron and Hermione at his side, he could do this if there was enough interest. With new underclassmen there could be new talent and renewed interest. Especially after what happened last year.

Parvati stepped forward. “Is it true about the…”

“…you know, tonight?” Padma finished.

“See you there,” Harry whispered with a grin and walked past them to go into the library.

Hermione was putting her books away, getting ready to leave and check her traps.

“Hey,” he said softly as he walked up to her.

“Oh, hello Harry,” she replied.

“Did you uh…get my message? I wanted to tell you earlier today but I didn't see you at breakfast or lunch and I barely get to see you in between classes…”

Hermione slowly set a book into her bag. “I've been a little busy Harry. The traps have cut into my study time at night so I do it in between classes.”

“Oh.” He believed her but he wondered if it was an excuse to avoid him. “Well, I wanted to tell you…”

“…about tonight,” she finished for him. “I know. Justin told me.”

He moved around the table to stand next to her. “I'd really like you to be there,” he said softly. “I know that you're not too happy with our friends and that the two of us are still trying to figure things out but…please come?”

She looked up at him. Harry could see the familiar dusting of light freckles across her nose. A pang of longing washed over him. “I'll try and finish early,” she answered then shrugged her book bag on her shoulder. “But for now,” she said in a tone that was considerably lighter, “you have a detention to get to.”

He sighed. “That I do. That I do.”

~*~

Hermione sighed as she freed the little white mouse. “You again, huh?”

She was taking her time tonight, wasting it away so she could keep her mind occupied and not thinking about the D.A. meeting that was starting right about now. She didn't think she could handle being in the same room with people that she thought were her friends, people that had so quickly turned their backs on her. She felt so lost. This whole war screwed everything up. She screwed everything up. Draco screwed everything up.

She tilted the cage. “Out you go. See you tomorrow night.” The little white mouse skittered away into the bushes.

“You might want to try a different bait.” Hermione froze when she heard his voice. “You're not catching an ordinary rat.”

She quickly gathered her things and stood to walk away. He reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her.

“Let go of me, Draco,” she hissed, trying to shrug her arm out of his grasp. He tightened the hold slightly.

“Not until we talk,” he countered, moving them to a darker shadow where they couldn't easily be seen. Hermione made a sound of protest but Draco put a finger to his lips. “Would you settle down? I don't need to get into trouble just for trying to talk to you and I don't need Potty breathing down my back about it either.”

“I said all I've wanted to say to you,” she hissed at him.

“Fine. Then just listen!”

“You must be crazy if you think—“

“How many times do I have to apologize to you?”

She shook her head. “I don't know why you feel like apologizing to me in the first place. You never cared about me before and you don't care for me now.”

“That's not true.”

“I can't listen to this,” she shook her head and tried to walk away.

“I care about you,” he persisted.

“No you don't or else you wouldn't have done what you did! Draco you drugged me!”

“I lowered your inhibitions. Made you act on feelings that were already there, they didn't just come out of nowhere.”

She whirled around to face him. “Feelings that were obviously a mistake. It doesn't condone what you did to me!”

“I did what I did because I thought it was the only way I could get you to act on those feelings.”

“We've already had this same conversation,” Hermione turned and walked away but Draco jumped in front of her.

“I'm not noble like Potty is. I'm not popular like that Wellington git. I'm not famous like Krum. But I am rich and good looking (Hermione scoffed) and a bit spoiled. I'm not used to not getting what I want and—“

Hermione interrupted him. “Draco, you're a Death Eater and a first class wanker so piss off!”

“Hermione, wait!”

She spun around and slapped him hard across the cheek then she drew her wand. Taking a page out of Ron's book, she shouted, “Eat slugs!” She left him there and hurried back to the castle, sounds of him heaving filled the night air. The encounter had put her in a foul mood and she didn't bother setting the last of the traps, she just went straight to bed.

~*~

Harry stared at the door of the Room of Requirement. Everyone was chatting amicably and excitedly with each other as they sat in squashy armchairs and beanbags. It was already a quarter past nine.

She wasn't coming.

Something sank in his stomach and just sat there weighing him down. But he had to get this meeting started.

He moved to the front of the room where Ron was sitting on a table. “Right then. This meeting will be a short one just to get things started again. Welcome back to the D.A.” There were some cheers and whoops of excitement at this announcement. “We're going to try and figure out a schedule that meets everyone's needs and…yes, Ernie?” He nodded to the Head Boy whose hand shot in the air.

“What about recruiting new members?” he asked. “I think there are a few underclassmen who would like to join.” The other members nodded in agreement.

“We'll talk about that as well,” Harry replied. “But first, Quidditch practice schedules?”

“Gryffindor has the pitch Thursday,” Ron spoke first.

“Ravenclaw has tomorrow.”

“Hufflepuff has it on Tuesday.”

“What about Friday night?” Luna piped up.

Ernie shook his head. “Hufflepuff is playing Slytherin Saturday.”

“Should we try for Saturday night, then?” Harry suggested. “Pending of course that the game doesn't last that long?”

Everyone nodded and murmured in consent.

“As for new members…” Harry paused. “We have to be careful who we invite. We don't want what happened last time to happen again. This is far more dangerous than Umbridge finding out. Things have changed.”

“Can't Hermione make up a new list like last time?” Terry asked.

“I'll, uh, ask her but in the meantime, how about each of us is allowed to bring one and only one recruit? This will give you some time to really think about who you want to bring in this circle, what this new person could contribute.”

Ginny nodded in agreement. “I think that's a good idea.”

“I should have some sort of sign up sheet by then,” Harry said. At least he hoped he would. “Okay, that's it. Meeting adjourned.”

He brought out the Map and checked that the coast was clear before letting everyone out. While he was at it, he checked on Hermione who was currently in her room. Harry sighed let out a heavy sigh.

“Maybe she got caught up with something or isn't feeling well,” Ron said quietly from behind him.

“I don't think so Ron,” he replied, folding the piece of parchment up. The two of them were the last to leave and Harry nodded to Ron who was going to walk Luna back to her common room.

There were some students still left in the Gryffindor common room when Harry got there. Most of them were studying, especially the fifth and seventh year students. Seamus and Dean sat with Parvati and Lavender at a table. Harry walked up to them.

“Hey, could one of you go upstairs and get Hermione?” he asked the girls.

“The stairs are a bitch for the boys, huh?” Lavender winked. “I'll get her for you.”

“Thanks,” Harry muttered.

He only waited a few short minutes until Lavender reappeared…alone. “She's asleep Harry.”

“Well, wake her up. It's important.”

“She's taken a sleeping draught. I can't wake her up.”

“What?” Harry said, surprised.

“Yeah, she had been having nightmares so Pomfrey have her some to help her sleep. You'll have to catch her tomorrow Harry. Sorry.” She shrugged and went back to her study group.

Harry sighed and rubbed his face. The stupid, slimy, Slytherin Git. There was nothing more he could do tonight. He would have to try and corner her tomorrow.

~*~

The sun hadn't even peeked over the horizon when Harry dragged himself out of bed and got ready for the day. He went downstairs and parked himself in front of the fireplace, waiting for Hermione to come down. Surprisingly, he didn't have to wait long.

“Harry!” she exclaimed, coming to a stop on the stairs. He stood up and walked over to her.

“Look, I'm not going to ask you why you didn't come last night,” he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Hermione shifted awkwardly. “But I need your help anyway. I was wondering if you could make a sign up sheet for the D.A. again, like you did in fifth year.”

“Oh, okay. I can do that,” she answered. They stood there together in awkward silence before Hermione broke it. “Since we're being honest and we don't want anymore crap between us…Malfoy came up to me last night when I was releasing the mice.”

A darkened look passed over Harry's face and he stepped closer to Hermione. “What did he want?”

“He wanted to apologize…again. Told me that I was using the wrong kind of bait. I didn't listen to him though,” she added quickly. “I left him there vomiting up slugs.”

Harry relaxed a little and let out a soft laugh.

“I just thought you should know,” Hermione said, looking up at him.

“Hmm,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“What?” she asked.

“As much as this kills me to admit it, the ferret may be right about the traps.”

Hermione opened her mouth to reply but stopped when she saw the sight that walked in when the portrait door opened. “Crookshanks!” she gasped.

The half-kneazle walked into the common room with a black snake dangling from its jaws. Harry stared at it, stunned as it ran up to him and placed Isis at his feet.

“Harry,” she hissed weakly. She was bleeding badly.

“Oh Crookshanks, what did you do?” Hermione moaned as Harry knelt down to his pet.

“Crookshanks didn't do this Hermione,” he said.

“Brown rat,” Isis hissed. “Sssilver…paw.”

“Pettigrew,” Harry muttered angrily.

Hermione took off her jumper and wrapped it carefully around the snake. “We've got to take her to Hagrid,” she said, gently lifting the snake.

Together they ran through the halls and out of the castle to cross the lawn to Hagrid's hut. Harry pounded loudly on the door. “Hagrid, it's me, Harry!” he shouted.

He could hear fang barking inside along with the heavy footsteps of the gentle half-giant.

“Harry, Hermione? What're yeh two doing here so early?” he asked when he opened the door.

“Hagrid, Isis is hurt,” Harry explained as Hermione held out her bundle.

“Come in, come in,” he said, letting them pass. Hermione placed Isis gently on the table and Hagrid carefully unwrapped the sweater.

“She was hunting for Pettigrew in the castle,” Harry explained. “He attacked her.”

“Harry,” Isis hissed. “Harry, there'sss—“

“Shh,” Harry hissed back. “Relax and let Hagrid take care of you. He's a friend.”

“Tha's a bad wound there, Harry. But it's nothing I can't take of,” Hagrid said as he assessed the snake.

“Hermy?” came another scratchy and rough voice and Hermione gasped and backed up into the wall behind her.

It suddenly occurred to Harry that there had been some changes inside of Hagrid's hut since it had been repaired after it was destroyed last year. It was magically expanded inside to fit a half-giant…and his brother.

Grawp came into the room and had immediately spotted Hermione. Harry carefully placed himself in front of her as a shield. “Er…Grawp is here now?” he asked.

“Oh yeah,” Hagrid said as he walked to a cabinet that held various jars and vials. He picked one out that looked like an old perfume aspirator and sprayed it on Isis. “That'll get her to sleep,” Hagrid said. “He's been staying with me since the summer. McGonagall let me keep him here since it's not safe for him in the forest anymore.”

“Hermy pretty,” Grawp smiled at her. Hermione shrank further behind Harry.

Hagrid chuckled. “Still has a bit of a crush on you Hermione.” He turned back to his brother. “Yes, Hermy pretty.” Grawp nodded in agreement then looked at Harry.

Harry wasn't sure what to do. Grawp was looking expectantly at him. “Er, I think he wants yeh to agree, Harry,” Hagrid whispered.

“Oh! Um, yes. Hermy pretty. Hermy very pretty,” Harry said to Grawp.

Grawp frowned then roared. Hermione let out a startled cry and Harry eyed the exit.

“Oh!” Hagrid exclaimed. “Oh, I think he meant for you to say the opposite Harry.”

“What?” Harry exclaimed over the pouting giant who was near to throwing a tantrum.

“I think he thinks you're competition. Say the opposite. Say Hermione is ugly.”

“Are you crazy?” Harry shouted. “I'm not going to say that!”

“Harry, for goodness sake, just say it!” Hermione nudged him sharply in the back.

“Fine! Hermy ugly, Grawp! Hermy ugly!”

The tantrum abruptly stopped and Grawp grinned widely, showing is cracked and crooked teeth.

“Unbelievable,” Harry muttered under his breath.

Hagrid began to rub a foul smelling paste over Isis' wounds. “There, that should help some,” he declared as he let the snake rest.”

“Will she be okay?” Hermione asked from behind Harry.

“Just give her a few days and she'll be just fine,” Hagrid smiled. “Why don't you two stay for tea? It's been so long since yeh visited, Harry.”

Guilt washed over Harry. It had been awhile since he saw his friend. He looked back at Hermione who looked equally torn.

“Er, I'm sure a few moments wouldn't hurt,” he said nervously, praying Hermione wouldn't skin him alive later.

“Good. I wanna show yeh two what I've been working on with Grawp, here.” Hagrid smiled proudly. “Grawp, our guests would like some tea.”

Grawp stomped over to the table and delicately pulled out a chair. “Hermy.”

Harry looked at Hagrid nervously but the he didn't seem to be too nervous about his half-brother. But Harry moved his hand near his wand just in case as Hermione bravely stepped forward and climbed into the chair, her feet dangling as the giant slid the chair to the table with surprising gentleness. Even Hermione seemed surprised and she relaxed a little bit. Harry and Hagrid then took their seats as Grawp set down a tray of saucers and a kettle. The cup that Grawp set before Hermione was the size of a large soup pan while Hagrid's and Grawps were the size of buckets. Hagrid cleared his throat to catch Grawp's attention as he nodded toward Harry. Grawp frowned and hastily set down a cup and saucer in front of him.

Next, Grawp took out a lace napkin and handed it to Hermione who politely said “Thank You” and the giant beamed. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Very carefully, Grawp poured tea into Hermione's cup, not even spilling a drop. He did the same to Hagrid's cup and to his own but when it came to filling Harry's cup, it was roughly poured and some of it splashed onto his robes. Next, Grawp held out a tray to Hermione that had a selection of either some delicious looking scones or things that looked like rocks. Hermione picked out the scone while Hagrid picked out a rock. “I baked `em myself,” he said proudly. Grawp took a scone and when Harry reached for the same Grawp handed Harry a rock. Harry tapped the delicacy lightly on the table and it thumped loudly. Maybe if he soaked it in his tea it would soften up a bit?

“Oh, Hagrid, these are absolutely delicious,” Hermione said after she bit into the scone. “Wherever did you get these?”

Hagrid beamed and looked at Grawp. “Grawp made them. Seems to have a hidden talent in the kitchen.”

Hermione turned to the giant. “Grawp you made these?”

Grawp looked at her with hopeful eyes. “Hermy like?”

“Hermy like very much,” she replied taking a big bite out of the pastry.

It seemed like forever to Harry until they finished their tea. Grawp monopolized Hermione's time by showing her his new talent of spelling out three letter words: D-O-G; C-A-T. Harry did his best to be supportive considering that the only look he got from Grawp was a scowl. But soon they had to join the other students in the start of their classes, so with one final check on Isis, Harry and Hermione left the hut.

“I do hope Isis will be okay,” Hermione worried.

“Me too,” Harry replied as he cleaned his robes with a flick of his wand. “I think I broke a tooth.” Hermione giggled and the sound filled Harry with lightness in his step. “I'm serious, check my teeth, are they alright?” He said as he stopped her and grinned widely.

“Hmm,” Hermione said with mock-seriousness as she stepped toward him, her eyes narrowing in speculative thought. Harry's hand automatically reached out and touched her waist, resting on her hip. She shook her head, slowly. “No. Still ugly as usual,” she laughed and moved away from him, losing the contact.

“I'm surprised,” he said. “Those rock cakes are brutal.”

“You should've tried the scone,” Hermione joked.

“Very funny. Your boyfriend would've smashed me into the ground if I took one.”

“Oh stop it, Harry,” she grinned.

“I dunno Hermione, I think this one is a real keeper.”

“Well, he does make a great scone,” she said as she playfully bumped his shoulder. They both trotted up the steps to the castle and Harry opened the door for Hermione.

“Just invite me to the wedding,” he said as she passed.

“I'll think about it,” she said, walking backwards. “See you later, Harry.” Then she turned and made her way back to the common room while Harry made his way to the Great Hall.

“Hey,” Ron greeted him when he sat down with the other Gryffindors. “Where were you this morning?”

“Isis got injured by a certain rat so I had to take her down to Hagrid's. I sat with him for awhile.”

“She must be okay then?”

“Yeah, he said she'll be fine with a few days rest,” Harry said as he filled his plate with bacon and eggs.

“No wonder you're grinning like a madman,” Ron said before he stuffed his mouth with eggs.

“Am I?” Harry asked. “Yeah, I suppose this day is turning out to be alright after all.”

~*~

“So we need to change the bait,” Harry said aloud.

The silence in the Room of Requirement was very…very uncomfortable.

Hermione sat on one side of the table, Ron and Neville sat on the opposite side. Neville looked like he wanted to get out of the room while Ron hung his head like he was a child in trouble. Hermione sat back with her arms and legs crossed looking like she would rather be anywhere else than here. Harry was stuck playing referee.

“So says the Ferret,” Ron grumbled.

And there went the peace.

“You got the idea from Malfoy?” Neville asked Harry in disbelief.

“I can't believe you told them that, Harry,” Hermione scolded.

“I can't believe you're still talking to that git!” Ron shouted back.

“Hey, Ron, that's not what happened,” Harry said, holding up a hand to keep his friend at bay.

“I'm out of here, Harry,” Hermione declared and stood up abruptly to march out of the room.

“Wait, wait, wait, Hermione, don't go,” Harry said as he went after her.

“Harry let her go,” Ron spoke up. “If she's still chummy with the ferret we don't want her to be part of this.”

“Well, I do!” Harry shot back. “And what I say goes.” The door Hermione was marching to disappeared and she turned around to face Harry. “And that means that Hermione stays,” he said firmly to the group. “Now, Pettigrew snuck in here for a reason, either to spy on us, which we have no way of finding out; or to retrieve the horcrux, which Voldemort knows we have.”

“Maybe both, Harry,” Hermione said softly.

Ron exhaled sharply. “So what do you suggest we do?”

“I say we give him the horcrux.”

There was a collective silence then a unanimous “WHAT??!!”

“Have you lost your mind?”

“That is the most stupid idea in the history of stupid ideas.”

“What on Earth are you thinking?”

Harry held up a hand to silence his friends. “We give him the cup. Transfigure one to look like the horcrux but when he touches it…WHAM! He's trapped. Better bait, guys.”

“But how do we give him the cup. We can't just put it back where it came from,” Hermione said. “Voldemort knows we already took it.”

“But he doesn't know we destroyed it.”

There was another silence. “So what do we do?” Ron asked, finally.

“We'll hide it somewhere in the castle. Hermione will set the trap and—“

“How will we get Peter to the bait?” Hermione interrupted him.

“We tell him,” Harry chirped.

“We…tell him,” Neville repeated, crossing his arms.

“Yeah,” Harry shrugged. “The four of us, whispering amongst ourselves, talking about it.”

“But, Harry,” Ron cut in. “Wouldn't someone else overhear us?”

“They'll hear us talking about a stupid cup,” he replied.

“And if Malfoy overhears?” Hermione cut in.

Harry looked at her. “Then we have to be careful where we speak. We'll talk amongst ourselves, whispering in dark corners where no one else could hear. That kind of thing. It'll get to Pettigrew eventually.”

“And then?” Ron asked.

“And then we catch him,” Harry answered. “We'll work in pairs watching over the trap using my invisibility cloak. Hermione, you're the best at transfiguration. Can you work on the cup?”

She looked at him for a long time, weighing his plan. “Of course,” she finally replied in a sort and reluctant voice.

“Good,” he nodded. “I'll work on the trap. We'll let you guys know as soon as everything is set and ready.”

~*~

It didn't take Hermione too long to figure out how to transfigure an ordinary cup into one that resembled Hufflepuff's cup. She came up to Harry the next evening in the library.

“Hey,” she said quietly when she approached him.

Harry looked up from the book he was reading on collecting magical creatures. “Hey Hermione,” he replied, clearing a place for her at the table next to him. She didn't sit down though.

“I just wanted to let you know that I figured out the homework question you asked me about yesterday.”

“Oh, okay.” He was impressed. “Thanks. Um, would you like to sit down?” He offered, eyeing her usually heavy book bag.

“Actually, I promised Ernie and Susan that I would study with them,” she said, gesturing over her shoulder at a table off to the side where the Head Boy and Girl were settling into their seats. “I just wanted to let you know about…you know.”

“Yeah,” he acknowledged. “Thanks again.”

She gave him a small and quick smile before turning around to join the two others at their table. He watched as she settled in and took out her books and parchment, ready to delve into academic splendor.

He realized that he was staring and he shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He continued on with his book, flipping through the pages, looking for something that would help him catch Pettigrew, a trap that would remain invisible and undetected until the moment said creature in question would touch the bait. And when he began to force himself to pay attention to what he was reading, he packed up his things and left the library to crawl into bed.

*

He checked in on Isis the next morning. She was still asleep but Hagrid said she was healing wonderfully. He made a quick exit though when Grawp appeared. Classes were uneventful and once again, after dinner, Harry went to the library to do some more research. He wanted to ask Hagrid about it but his home was so full of odd creatures that it would've been easy for Pettigrew to hide there undetected.

He was sitting on his bed, testing one out when Ron came in and sat on the bed. “What?” he asked at the look on his friend's face.

“How are you doing on the trap?” he asked.

“I think this one will work. If it does we can set it right away and start our lookout tomorrow night,” Harry answered.

Ron tugged at a stray string on Harry's comforter. “Do you think I could pair up with Hermione for the first night?”

The question stunned Harry. Then it stunned him that he was even stunned in the first place. He had planned on pairing himself with Hermione and Ron with Neville. It didn't even occur to him that Ron wanted to be with Hermione, or that maybe Hermione didn't want to be with him.

“Did, um, Hermione ask you?” he asked, fishing for information.

“Just an idea,” Ron shrugged. “Maybe we can talk you know.”

Considering Ron's personal trust issues with Hermione and that feelings were very raw between them he had his doubts. “Are you sure that's a good idea?” he asked.

Ron looked at him. “Are sure it's a good idea that you want to be paired up with Hermione?” Harry stopped what he was doing and looked up at Ron who matched his gaze. “I'm just looking out for you mate. I know you're still in love with her Harry.”

Harry returned his attentions to the trap. “If I get this ready by tomorrow, you and Hermione have first watch.”

*

To say that she was pissed was an understatement. He could see the fury in her eyes when he set the schedule for watching the trap. To her credit she didn't say anything but he wondered if she was swallowing blood from probably biting her tongue off in an effort to keep quiet. Maybe Ron was right, maybe he should back away from Hermione for a bit. Now that the trap was set, all they had to do was fulfill the second half of their plan, whispering the location of the cup to each other in dark corners and Harry immediately caught up with Hermione in the library, cornering her in the end of an aisle.

“Hello Hermione,” he whispered to her. She was putting a book away and jumped when he spoke.

“Harry!” she whispered back. “You startled me.” He didn't realize how close he had been standing to her. Old habits did die hard he guessed.

“Sorry. I just wanted to let you know that I checked the cup,” he said.

“The one in the passageway?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

This should've been the end of the conversation but he didn't feel any pressure to turn away from her and she wasn't walking away either.

“How's Isis?” she asked him.

“She's fine. Hagrid says she's healing nicely.”

“That's good.”

Both of them were torn between wanting to stay in each other's company and the awkwardness, the hurt and pain of their history.

“I'll see you later, Harry,” Hermione finally spoke and she walked away, her familiar and comforting vanilla and cinnamon scent lingered. Harry let himself bask in it for a moment, letting it fill him with angst as he leaned forward to rest his forehead against the bookshelf.

Hermione left the library to for the common room to drop off her books. When she came back downstairs, Ron was waiting for her. “Ready?” he asked and she nodded curtly.

*

They settled themselves across from the humped witch, sitting down on the floor as Ron covered them both with the invisibility cloak.

“Silencio,” he said so they would not be heard outside of the fabric. Hermione opened up the Map and activated it. The two of them took a minute to peruse the parchment.

“Nothing,” Ron declared after checking twice.

“We'll check again in a half hour,” Hermione said as she folded the map and put it away. It was getting hot under the cloak so she cast a quick cooling charm. Conversation was tense and strained.

“I hope this works.” Ron exhaled.

“Me too,” she said softly.

More minutes ticked by and Hermione wished she brought along a book or something. She took out the map again and watched it to pass the time away. Harry wasn't on the Map, probably in the Room of Requirement since that's where she saw him last heading.

“Is Harry still doing his auror training?” she asked.

“Yeah. I can't believe they did that to him,” Ron shook his head.

“I don't know who's worse, Fudge or Scrimgeour. They're probably cut from the same cloth. But Harry will be an auror when he graduates. I know he will.”

Ron frowned when he saw Neville and Ginny were in the Astronomy tower. The corner of Hermione's mouth twitched in an effort to keep a laugh from bursting out. It was quickly doused though when she inadvertently found Draco's dot in the library with his usual group. She quickly lost interest in the map.

“I asked Harry to put us together so we could talk,” Ron confessed.

“We're supposed to be on lookout,” Hermione said coolly.

“Look, I'm sorry, okay?” he said with exasperation.

“I really don't want to talk about his,” she shook her head.

“Hermione, I'm sorry about leaving you alone in London. I was just so mad at you and—“

“Dolohov attacked me Ron,” she said bitterly.

“I'm so sorry. I'll never forgive myself for that. I didn't think anything would happen to you and I was so angry.” Hermione didn't answer him. She just scoffed and looked away. “Harry was so angry with me and I was so angry with him for being mad and me and not at you. I don't think he'll ever forgive me either but Hermione…you kissed Malfoy! Course now we know that he had been giving you a potion…”

“An Inhibitus potion,” she said softly, still not looking at him.

“Yeah, I know. Harry told me what it does.”

Silence fell over them again. An hour had passed with no sign of the rat. Students passed them on the way back to their common rooms. Prefects began their rounds. Harry had passed them, pausing briefly by them before continuing on his way not saying a word to give them away.

Another hour passed. There was a tense moment when Mrs. Norris passed, stopping in front of them and sniffing the air before continuing on her way with Filch following close behind. The floor was pressing into her and she put a cushioning charm underneath her and drew her legs up closer to her as she rested her head on the wall and yawned.

Dawn came and Hermione nudged Ron awake who was snoring loudly and drooling. She had placed a silencing charm on him to quiet his snores and removed it when he realized he was silent when he spoke. They checked the map and saw that all was clear so they uncovered themselves and checked the cup. It was still there.

“Hermione,” Ron stopped her just before they walked into the common room. “I really am sorry.” Hermione didn't say anything, she just moved forward.

Harry was waiting for them when they walked in. Her breath was momentarily taken away by the sight of him standing in front of the fireplace. He seemed taller, broader, more handsome. His face seemed to have matured, growing into a young man with handsome features, the strong jaw line, the lips that she had been so familiar with. He had an aura of mystery, of brooding darkness. She cursed herself for still allowing Harry to have this effect on her.

“Anything?” he asked the two of them. Hermione had momentarily lost her ability to speak but Ron spoke up instead.

“Nothing tonight.”

He sighed. “Right. Well, Nev and I have the next watch, maybe we'll have better luck. Keep talking though.”

The two of them nodded and Hermione made her way up to the rooms. Ron stood there in front of Harry, toeing a snag in the rug with the tip of his shoe. He could sense Harry's gaze on him and before he could allow Harry to ask about Hermione he spoke up.

“I told her I was sorry.”

~*~

Nothing happened the next night with Harry and Neville's watch. And a sense of anticipation and dread filled Harry when he realized that the next watch was his and Hermione's. He couldn't really concentrate on anything and as soon as the evening meal ended he went to the dungeons to meet Professor Smith.

The room was cleared except for a pile of boxes on one side of the room. “Tonight you will move those boxes to the other side of the room. No magic, the muggle way please.”

Harry and Draco grumbled as they walked over to the boxes and each picked on up. Or at least attempted to pick them up. They were very heavy. They pushed at them, tugged, tried to lift. The two of them looked at each other.

“Oh, I should mention that you're not allowed to leave until all the boxes are done. And that maybe you should work together to make it easier.”

“Fuck that!” Draco protested.

“You get to stay later for that comment Mr. Malfoy,” the Professor smiled at him. “Have it your way you two.”

The two of them looked at each other grudgingly. “Let's just get this over with,” Harry muttered as the two of them lifted a box.

*

Arms sore, legs sore, body sore, Harry made his way to the Room of Requirement to take a long soak in the tub. He sighed in relief when his body sank into the warm tub, the water easing out all his aches and pains. He washed himself then just sat there floating in the water, letting his mind carefully wander as he thought about tonight's watch.

“Hermione, Hermione, Hermione,” he sighed.

“You called?”

Harry's eyes shot open to find Hermione sitting on the other side of the tub. He groaned. “Oh no, not you again.” He silently cursed the Room.

“You asked for me,” Pseudo-Hermione said as she moved closer to him. Harry moved away from her but this Hermione that he conjured was a lot more aggressive. Her hands tangled in his hair as she lowered her lips to his in a kiss. Merlin, she even tasted like Hermione.

“Because that's how you remember her,” Pseudo-Hermione whispered when she broke this kiss.

“Um, Hermione,” it felt so weird to call her that. “What are you…”

“Just relax, Harry and give in.” She moved over him, straddling him. Harry's hands were fisted and deliberately floating at a safe distance at his side to keep the temptation of touching her at bay.

“But…” She kissed him again, silencing him. His body betrayed him and began to respond to her. He felt his hardness brush against the curls at the apex of her thighs. Oh, I'm so pathetic, he thought, I'm going to have sex with some sort of manifestation of my ex-girlfriend. His fists loosened and he let his hands rest on her waist.

“Hello?” A voice called out. “Harry?”

Shit!

Pseudo-Hermione vanished as the steam lifted in the room. Harry turned around and grabbed his glasses as Hermione stepped forward.

“Oh!” she exclaimed when she found him in the tub. The water glistened and beaded on his chest. She watched as some of them dripped down, down to….She shook her head. Harry looked just as startled as she did. She knew she was blushing and she hastily turned around, the image of a wet Harry burned in her mind.

“Erm, I was…looking for you because…we were supposed to…”

“I'm running a little late and I…um…” He was just as awkward as she was.

“I'll just,” she gestured to the door.

“Yeah,” he nodded, “I'll be…I'm done.”

Clean, dressed and thoroughly embarrassed, Harry emerged from the Room a few minutes later. Hermione was deep in though, leaning against the wall as he approached her.

“Do you—“

“Yeah, I have everything,” she answered.

“Okay,” he nodded. She took out the invisibility cloak and threw it over the two of them. They had to scoot in close to each other, they weren't eleven year olds anymore.

“Um,” Harry said Hermione brushed up against him. He was hyper aware of her every touch as was Hermione. She was blushing furiously. He smelled so wonderful and clean and the image of him in the tub just wouldn't stay buried.

They hurried together, awkward at first because every movement gave them contact with each other. They soon had to resign to that fact as they continued on their way. As they moved down to the third floor, a large group of Ravenclaw third year girls came their way, taking up nearly the entire corridor. Harry steered them to a corner out of their way, pressing Hermione against the wall. Hermione kept her hands at her side as Harry placed his against the wall on either side of her. Touching was inevitable, he could feel her familiar curves pressed against him. Hermione didn't dare move her head, she just stared straight ahead at his Adam's apple. The hair on the top of her head tickled his chin and he willed himself not to look down at her.

The girls took forever to pass it seemed. Harry moved away from her and the two of them continued on their way in silence. They sat down in the lookout spot, squatting on the floor. Their hands brushed as they made themselves as comfortable as thy could be and they instantly jerked away their hands as if they had been burned. Harry and Hermione squeezed themselves into opposite corners.

It was going to be a very, very long night.

*

Hermione stirred and snuggled further into his warm embrace. She felt so safe and warm. His arms were wrapped around her and he stirred as well when she had moved. She felt so good in his arms and he breathed in her familiar scent. She nuzzled him in the crook of his neck.

“Mmm, Harry,” she murmured. He smiled.

Their eyes shot open.

Hermione and Harry sprang apart, flinging the Inivisibility cloak off of them and darting out of their hiding spot. At some point during the night, they had ended up in each other's arms. Hermione was bright red and he could feel the heat coming off of his own face. They couldn't speak, the ability somehow had escaped them until he shook his head, clearing his startled thoughts.

There was a sound of surprise next to them. Harry and Hermione whirled around to see Peter Pettigrew staring back at them.

“Stupefy!” he cried out, aiming his wand at them.

Harry grabbed Hermione and yanked her to the floor, covering her with his own body as he drew his wand at Pettigrew. “Stupefy!!” Peter had no time to transform himself back into the rat and he fell to the floor with a brutal thud.

Hermione released the breath she had been holding as she stared at Peter's fallen form. She looked up at Harry who was looking at Peter then down at her.

“Are you alright?” he asked her. She nodded. He moved himself so he sat back on his heels, allowing Hermione to sit up. She had been straddling him, her thighs brushed against his as she bent her knees and scooted herself backward, away from him. A look flickered across his eyes, a familiar one that sent Hermione's heart racing.

But it had to be put aside.

Harry offered his hand to help her up. “We'll tie him up and take him to the Room of Requirement. Stay with him, I'll get the Order.”

~*~

Coming Up:

Peter spills

Lucius kills

The Order rushes to save lives as

Draco takes sides

Isis will hiss

Harry and Hermione…

-->

40. The Rat, The Snake And The Castle

A/N: … … … Fuck it. I don't know what to say. Here's the next chapter.

The Rat, the Snake and the Castle

What if this whole crusade's

A charade

And behind it all there's a price to be paid

For the blood

On which we dine

Justified in the name of the holy and the divine

Just how deep do you believe?

Will you bite the hand that feeds?

Will you chew until it bleeds?

Can you get up off your knees?

Are you brave enough to see?

Do you want to change it?

(The Hand That Feeds—Nine Inch Nails)

~*~

Harry had conjured ropes from his wand and tied Pettigrew so he couldn't move, only lay there helplessly as he left him alone with Hermione. He gagged him so he would keep quiet on Hermione's watch.

“There, that should do it,” Harry said when he was done. He knelt down on one knee and lifted Wormtail's head by his hair. “Nice to see you again,” he said before he let go of his head, letting it drop and bang on the floor. Pettigrew let out a moan of pain.

He stood up and Hermione walked up to him. “I'll be back with the Order,” he said. “Stay here and watch him.”

*

Draco dropped his book and gasped at the stinging pain on his forearm. He was in the Slytherin common room and nobody paid him any attention when he discreetly rolled up his sleeve and saw his scar glowing. He got up from the table and made his way to his room. He was being summoned by the Dark Lord. For what reason, he didn't know. Maybe he had heard about how he failed to earn the trust of Potter and his friends, succeeding only in earning himself a month's worth of detention.

He closed the door behind him and touched the Mark, feeling the familiar tug of portkey-like effects. But when he landed, it wasn't Lord Voldemort who had greeted him, it was Snape.

“You have been summoned by Lord Voldemort for a most important task,” he said to him. “You will return quickly. Our spy has been compromised and is currently being held in the Room of Requirement. You are to go there and assist Nagini in his escape.”

Draco's eyes widened. “Nagini is in the castle?”

“Of course she is,” Snape spat. “She can sense the horcrux unlike Pettigrew who is running around blindly.”

Draco swallowed nervously. “Pettigrew is searching for the horcrux?”

“Important information has been shared with the rat and he will most likely spill it. Let him. Nagini will take care of him before they haul him away. Your job is to get them out of the castle, hide any evidence that Nagini was there.” Snape looked down at him in disgust. “Now, go!”

He landed hard on his feet when he was sent back to his room. It took him a moment to regain his bearings before he shook his head and opened the door to head out for his task. He didn't get very far when he ran into Potty and Professor Tonks.

“May we have a moment of your time?” she said firmly to him, her wand aimed at him. “Accio wand,” she said, catching it deftly and tucking it away in her robes. Potty had a smirk on his face.

“Let's go,” he announced and Professor Tonks moved behind him, poking him hard in the back so he would move forward.

*

Hermione was very aware that Pettigrew was watching her with his beady eyes. He was going to plead with her, beg her to have mercy on him and let him go. “Not a chance,” she said aloud to him. “Not after what you've done to Harry and his parents.” Pettigrew closed his eyes and whimpered.

The door for the Room of Requirement opened and Neville and Ron stepped through. “Bloody hell!” Ron said when he saw Pettigrew. “Good job you two!” Hermione's cheeks turned pink at the memory of how, exactly, Peter was caught. She wasn't going to take credit for accidentally ambushing him after finding herself in Harry's arms when she woke up.

Professor McGonagall came in next, followed shortly by Fred and George who both whistled lowly when they saw him. Their father came next with Shacklebolt and Remus. Pettigrew whimpered when he saw his old friend. Remus couldn't look at him without giving him a look of disgust. A tension had settled into the room as Remus approached the bound man. He knelt down and took out the gag.

“Remus, I'm so sorry. Don't let them hurt me. We were friends! I'm still your friend.”

Remus reached back and punched the man in the jaw. Everyone in the room jumped. “That was for James,” he sneered. “You're death will be for Lily and Harry.”

“Remus,” Arthur and Kingsley moved forward and pulled Remus away from the pitiful man.

Hermione realized she had been covering her mouth with her hands in shock and surprise when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She looked over and saw that it belonged to Ron. She turned back to Peter who spat blood on the floor.

The door opened and Moody walked in, then Tonks then…she gasped sharply.

“Harry!” Ron exclaimed.

Draco's eyes immediately found Hermione's as he was forcefully shoved into the room by Harry. Everyone could feel the tension in the room increase considerably with the Slytherin's presence. Hermione backed away.

“What a lovely little reunion for you two,” Harry smirked as he shoved Draco in front of Pettigrew.

“Are we all here?” Kingsley asked.

“Aberforth will be here shortly,” Moody replied gruffly.

Harry's eyes fell on Hermione who suddenly looked as if she was struggling to breathe. She could feel the boys' gazes on her. She wasn't a member of the Order anymore, out of Harry's circle of trust so she made her way to the door. Tonks and McGonagall stared determinedly at Harry who looked like he wanted to stop her.

Draco made a motion as if he wanted to speak to Hermione as she passed but Harry drew his wand on Malfoy, jabbing the tip of it in his cheek, forcing him too look away from her.

“Eyes forward, Malfoy,” he hissed to him in a menacing whisper. Draco smirked and complied.

Harry darted to Hermione as Ron took his place to stand sentinel over the Ferret. He reached out and gently took her arm. “Stay,” he whispered to her.

“Harry, I don't—“

“Please.”

Draco turned his head to get a peek but Ron shook his head, blocking his view. Draco turned back to Peter. He was blinking up at him, a pleading gesture on his face. Merlin, he really was pathetic.

The door opened and Aberforth walked in, completing those in attendance that Harry had invited. Assured that Hermione wouldn't leave, Harry walked up to Shacklebolt.

“Do you have the Veritaserum?” he asked.

Kingsley reached into his robes and handed Harry a glass vial with clear liquid in it. Draco smirked and opened his mouth to say something but a quick and threatening look from Harry returned him back to his sulky mood.

McGonagall conjured up a chair and Fred and George placed Pettigrew on it, adjusting his binds so he was now tied to the piece of furniture. George took out the gag as Harry approached him.

“Don't hurt me! Please! I'll tell you whatever you want to hear!” Peter squealed.

“I'm counting on that,” Harry said as the twins forced his mouth open. Harry let a few drops land on the man's tongue.

It felt as if long moments had passed in anticipation, no one dared to breathe. “Did Voldemort send you?” Harry asked.

Peter had a glassy-eyed expression on his face. His body lay limp on the chair, Fred and George at his side, their wands at the ready. “Yes,” he replied.

“Why?” Harry asked.

“To spy on Harry Potter.”

“Is that all?”

“And to retrieve the horcrux.”

There were sharp gasps from the members that did not know about the horcruxes. The secret was out now, it didn't matter but Harry still did have two more to destroy, no one needed to know that.

“Harry,” Hermione called to him softly, gesturing him toward her. Harry walked over, still keeping his attentions on Wormtail. She reached out and grabbed his arm lightly for balance as she stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. “Be careful what you say in front of everyone. If Voldemort sent Peter here to retrieve the horcrux, he doesn't know that you have already destroyed it.”

Harry looked at her then nodded in thought. He then walked back to their prisoner. He didn't say anything for a long moment then, “What horcrux?”

A crooked grin grew on Pettigrew's face. “The one you stole from the trophy cabinet. Hufflepuff's cup.” Ron nervously eyed Draco whose face was remarkably, or suspiciously, blank. Neville glanced at Ron.

“Do you know how to destroy it?” Harry asked the rat.

“No, I'm only supposed to retrieve it.”

Harry looked at Draco with narrowed eyes.

“And what is Draco Malfoy's role in this?”

Draco shifted uncomfortably as Peter answered. “He was a distraction. Used to give you false information so I could slip into the castle. He was told to befriend you to do this.” Draco's eyes flitted to Hermione but she was staring at Pettigrew and Potty.

“What's Voldemort planning next?” Harry asked.

“An attack on St. Mungo's.” Neville visibly stiffened as he stood next to Ron. Harry eyed everyone in the room.

“When?” he asked.

“I do not know,” the rat replied.

“Does Malfoy know?” Harry asked.

“Which one?” Peter asked.

“Both.”

“Lucius yes. The boy…no. The Dark Lord likes to play the two against each other.” Draco rolled his eyes at this.

“What will he do?” Harry asked.

“I do not know.”

Harry looked at Neville. “Are there specific targets?”

“I do not know.”

Harry took a deep breath of frustration, letting another long pause fill the room. “Is Snape alive?” he asked in a soft whisper.

Peter looked at Harry. “Yes.”

Harry took a step forward and for a moment everyone saw power, real and controlled power. “Where?” he asked.

“By the Dark Lord's side.”

“And where is Voldemort?”

“I don't know. We are summoned by the mark like a portkey. I see nothing but the room the Dark Lord is in.”

“How did he know I had the cup?”

“He saw it in the mudblood's mind. He knows you've been searching for them since the summer.”

Harry peered at him. “How?”

“The locket was missing. So he sent us to search for it. Bellatrix saw your mudblood friend looking for it as well in a shop this summer.”

Harry looked sharply over to Hermione whose eyes were wide. “And where are all the horcruxes?” he asked, turning back to Wormtail.

“I don't know. He only sent me after the locket and the cup. Lucius has the diary…or so he says.” Harry looked at Hermione.

“What do you mean by that?” Harry asked.

“Lucius hasn't been able to turn it up. He thinks Narcissa has it.” Hermione looked at Draco. Peter began to chuckle to himself as he stared at Draco.

“What?” Harry asked him.

“Like I said, the Dark Lord likes to play the Malfoy's against each other.”

Blood roared in Draco's ears and he shoved Ron away from him at the same as he swiped his wand. Harry blocked the curse that was headed in Peter's direction as Kingsley disarmed the boy. Ron and Neville were only too happy to tackle Draco to the ground.

“WHAT'S HE DONE TO MY MOTHER?!!!” Draco screamed. “WHAT'S HE DONE TO MY MOTHER?!!”

Chaos broke out in the room. Hermione backed up to the wall as she heard Draco's screams, Peter's laughter, everyone was shouting.

Harry walked up to her. “Hermione.” He called her name but she couldn't take her eyes off of Draco and Peter. Did something happen to his mother? “Hermione!” Oh God, she didn't really know Narcissa but…why was all this happening? Narcissa was safe, wasn't she? “Hermione!”

Harry was holding her firmly by her upper arms and calling to her. She looked over at him as if coming out of a fog. “What?” she asked him, softly.

“Where is Mrs. Malfoy?” he asked. “What room is she in?”

“Huh?” she asked, a little dazed. There was so much noise in the room.

“Her room, Hermione.”

“3514,” she replied. She didn't realize that Kingsley Shacklebolt was standing behind Harry.

“Let's go,” he said to the raven-haired teen.

Harry turned to McGonagall and Remus. “Keep him here.”

“Where?” McGonagall blurted out.

“This is a castle!” he said impatiently, holding his arms out. “I'm sure we can find a nice cell in the dungeon somewhere! Ask Filch!”

“Let's go,” Remus said as he and Harry picked up Draco, who was still angry and upset. Tonks and Kingsley followed behind them as they left the Room of Requirement.

*

Draco had calmed down considerably when they apparated him off of school grounds. The aurors immediately put an anti-apparation charm on him but Draco didn't seem to be questioning it. He was just as eager to reach his mother as they were.

“Where's the diary?” Harry asked him as they walked into the hotel lobby, catching stares from some of the guests.

“Not a chance Potter,” Draco mumbled back.

“You want us to help your mum, you give me the diary,” Harry said firmly.

Draco looked at him, weighing his options. “I want to see my mother first.”

It was a quiet group in the lift. Harry watched the numbers light up as they passed each floor. So many things were going through his mind. He was anxious about Peter, dreading contact with Narcissa, curious as to why Lucius would lie to Voldemort about the diary. And Hermione…

Oh, Hermione.

He couldn't think about her right now so he pushed her to the back of his mind as the lift slowed and came to a stop, There was a small ping to announce the arrival of their intended destination and the doors opened.

Immediately, Harry felt the tingle. The hairs on the back of his neck rose in a strange anticipation and a feeling of dread and foreboding overcame him. It felt too quiet and still on this floor. The group kept walking but he wondered if they felt it. If they did, they were doing a wonderful job of hiding it.

“She might not be there,” Tonks said. “She may have left to go out.”

“She wouldn't go out,” Draco replied and knocked on the door in some strange sort of pattern. A signal, probably, to let his mother know it was him.

Everyone waited.

Draco knocked again.

“Are you sure she isn't in the lobby or anything?” Harry asked, getting more and more nervous as time passed. The look on Draco's face confused Harry until he realized he had never seen it before. It was a look of concern.

“Kingsley,” Harry said softly and the auror motioned for everyone to move aside, Tonks and Harry drew out their wands while Remus looked out for any muggles.

A quick unlocking charm did the trick and Kingsley swung the door open. The room was dark inside, the curtains shut to block out the morning sun. An odd and detached thought of missed breakfast passed through Harry's mind.

Draco moved forward but Harry held him back, shaking his head no. Draco shrugged Harry's hand off and moved forward into the room with Shacklebolt.

“All clear guys,” he said to the others and Harry knew, just knew by his tone that something was wrong.

He followed behind Draco, feeling as if he were moving in slow motion, watching as the Slytherin moved forward to the body on the bed. The sheets were stained red and for a moment Harry wondered if it was all fake. He felt like he wasn't really there, that he was watching a muggle horror movie that he had once sneaked a peek at when Dudley had his friends over.

He must have stopped walking at some point and just stood there as a cry ripped from his nemesis' throat. It was surreal to watch Draco Malfoy sob as he tried to reach for his mother. Remus and Kingsley were holding him back. There was a muffled sob next to him and he looked up to see Tonks covering her mouth. Oh, yeah, that was her aunt or something.

Narcissa was pretty, even in death. She seemed peaceful and still if only the angry red slit on her throat wasn't there, and if she wasn't surrounded by her own blood. Harry noticed that there was a note folded in half and resting between the fingers of Narcissa's stiff hand. Harry reached over and plucked it out of her post-mortem grasp.

Draco

That was who it was addressed to. He slowly opened it, not recognizing the script.

You were always your mother's son. Even to the end. Give me what I want.

L.

He didn't even sign it: Your Father or anything like that. Just L for Lucius.

“I have to bring others in here,” Kingsley said in a low voice. “I have to take everyone in for questioning and…” Harry tuned him out. He was watching Draco's face. He saw the tears subside and give way to something else. Anger, rage or maybe both mixed with grief. Harry knew how he felt. Or at least he thought so.

It was only two years ago that he had lost his godfather, the closest thing he had to a parent. Last year he had lost his grandfather figure, his mentor. He couldn't remember losing his mother really. He was too young to feel the pain, it was just a dull ache, a feeling of incompleteness. No one had seen him take the note so he discreetly slipped it into the pocket of his robe.

*

He recognized some of the Aurors that had showed up eventually. There was a white cloth draped over Narcissa. Draco was sitting in a chair, leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees as he stared at his mother's body. Harry wanted to get out of here. Some familiar faces from other departments were here, flashes of a camera went off once in awhile. They were going to have to go down to the Ministry eventually. Harry wondered how long Narcissa had been dead. Honestly his mind was still trying to wrap around the thought that there was a very strong possibility that Lucius had done this.

And over a stupid diary that he knew had been destroyed.

Was Lucius just covering his own ass by the reckless way he had handled the horcrux? Peter had said that the horcruxes were scattered about and that Voldemort was racing around trying to recover them before he, Harry, could get his hands on them.

“Come on you two,” Kingsley said.

Harry sat with Malfoy after they were done being interrogated. Malfoy was not a favorite name amongst the Department and was treated as such. The two of them sat in an empty room, waiting to be escorted back to Hogwarts. Draco was sitting at the only table in the room, a sad little square wooden one with matching chairs. He was slumped forward, his chin resting on one forearm while his other hand traced the scratches on the table. His eyes were red rimmed and a little puffy but his expression was hard to read. Harry assumed that the Malfoy's were not ones to be openly emotional.

“It's in my bookshelf,” he said. His voice was rough and scratchy.

“How did you get it?” Harry asked softly.

“My mother stole it from my father. She was using it as leverage to protect me from him and the Dark Lord. I guess my father was afraid that I would be the one to deliver it to him since he was unable.”

“Your father had no intention of giving Voldemort the diary,” Harry said softly.

Draco's eyes looked up at him. “How would you know?” His tone was nasty but Harry shrugged it off. It's not everyday your mother dies and then you have to spend the rest of the day with the person you can't stand most in the world. But he wasn't going to answer the question either.

Instead, he walked over and stood next to Malfoy and took out the note from his robes. He placed it on the table and slid it over to him.

“What is this?” Draco asked.

“I got it from your mother's hand. Nobody saw it,” Harry replied.

“Why didn't you give it to them?” Draco nodded toward the door that led to the Auror offices. Harry didn't answer that either.

Draco looked at the note for a moment, taking in his name written in his father's writing. Then he opened it and read the contents.

“I'm sorry about your mother,” Harry said softly. Draco folded the note and slipped it into his robes.

~*~

Trying to concentrate in class under the current circumstances was proving to be very difficult. Even Neville was fidgety. Ron looked back at him in DADA where he was noisily tapping his foot underneath the table. He was paired up with Hermione since both of their partners were gone for the moment. Hermione was looking very lost and distracted as well.

Some of their housemates had asked questions earlier about Harry's absence but Ron just shrugged the questions off. Now that Malfoy and Potter were both conspicuously absent from the classes they shared, the gossip was heightened just a bit.

Ron challenged Neville to a game of chess after dinner to whittle away the hours and keep his mind off of the time. Both of them were distracted, Ron's bishop shook his head in disbelief at the move he had just made. Neville's pawn was gesturing wildly to the space next to him to overtake the bishop but he instead moved his knight. The pawn sat down and pouted.

Hermione was sitting on the sofa reading a book…or at least pretending to. She hadn't turned a page since she had sat down. Ron couldn't help but wonder who she was more concerned for, Harry or, ugh, Malfoy. He liked to think it was Harry but even that thought made him uneasy. Not that he didn't want his two best friends together, they did seem better together when they were ripping each other's hearts out. He just wondered how much the two of them could take before they did severe irreparable damage to their friendship. They were toeing the line nicely.

The portrait door opened and Tonks walked in. The three of them immediately stood. “They're back,” she said. Her expression was very somber. The three of them scrambled out of the door and into the corridors.

Hermione saw them on the second floor landing and skidded to a halt. Ron and Neville nearly collided into her. Harry was walking with Draco, Remus and Shacklebolt. Her heart leapt when she saw that Harry was alive and unharmed but her joy quickly evaporated when she saw the look on his face. Remus and Shacklebolt hung back as the teens approached each other. Draco seemed to be looking everywhere but at them and Harry looked…sad.

Then it suddenly hit her.

Maybe they were too late.

Her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh no,” she whispered. Harry nodded, confirming her conclusion. There was a soft sniffling sound and she was stunned to see that it came from Draco. Suddenly, he broke and his shoulders started to shake as he reached for her in his sorrow. Hermione was stunned. Her wide eyes turned to Harry for an explanation. His expression was guarded but he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder before he walked forward to Ron and Neville.

“Come on,” she heard him say to them. “Let him alone.”

“What happened?” Ron asked quietly. Harry looked back and saw that Malfoy, Hermione and Shacklebolt were moving to an empty classroom. Malfoy was still distraught and holding onto Hermione.

“His father killed his mother,” Harry answered, turning away and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“Merlin,” Neville said under his breath as the three of them made their way back to the common room.

*

“Even though he's a first class git, I wouldn't wish that upon anyone…except You-Know-Who,” Ron said quietly. The three of them were sitting in their beds talking. Seamus and Dean were already asleep, curtains closed and softly snoring. “I dunno what I'd do if I lost my mum.”

Neville and Harry caught each other's lost glances. Harry looked away to the Map on his bed. McGonagall had joined the group after Remus had left. Shacklebolt, Hermione and Malfoy were still in the classroom. Harry didn't know what he was feeling. He just witnessed his most hated classmate grieving over his dead mother's body only to come back to Hogwarts and have him break down in his best friend's arms. What the fuck was he supposed to do? Fuck off Malfoy, I don't care if your mother IS dead, get your grubby paws off of Hermione. It seemed a little shallow and heartless but it gave him some consolation that Hermione looked just as bewildered. Then again, she was still with him in that room wasn't she?

Fuck it all. He couldn't sit here and dwell on this.

“Hey, where are you going?” Ron asked when he got out of the bed.

Harry threw on his cloak and grabbed his Firebolt from his trunk. “I'm just going to fly for a little bit. Clear my head.”

“Do you want company?” Ron queried but Harry shook his head.

“I just want to be alone right now. I'll be back.”

The astronomy tower was empty, probably recently cleared of its romantic occupants by the Prefects and Head Boy and Girl. It was a clear night and Harry took a moment to stare up at the starts that dusted the black velvety darkness of the night sky. There was a gentle breeze that caressed his bangs away from his forehead, his cloak caught in the breeze lifted slightly away from him.

Hermione didn't know why she felt compelled to come up here but when she passed the door, she felt as if something was pulling her toward it. She silently and cautiously crept up the stairs only to be greeted with the breathtaking sight that Harry Potter was under the starlight.

Harry realized that he wasn't alone anymore and he turned to see Hermione standing in the doorway. She still had on her school uniform but she didn't have her jumper and her shirt was untucked, her tie gone. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, the lovely curls moved with the gentle breeze.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

For a moment, he didn't know how to answer her. Was he okay? No, he had just seen a dead body, another murder. No, he had seen Draco Malfoy scream and cry for his mother. No, he had been questioned all day in the Ministry and he had not eaten very much. No, he watched as Draco reached out to seek comfort from the same person that Harry used to get comfort from.

But she was here now. Here with him in the Astronomy Tower.

“I think I will be,” he replied softly. “Are you just coming back?” He looked down at his feet, shuffling them on the stone floor.

Hermione scratched the back of her head. “Yes. Kingsley wanted to know exactly what we were doing all this time with his mother. McGonagall was there as well.”

Harry nodded solemnly. “And Malfoy?” he asked.

Hermione sighed. “He is doing as well as can be expected knowing his father did this. Harry, I didn't know about the diary. I swear I didn't.”

“I believe you,” he replied. “He and his mother wouldn't have told anyone about that.”

“Did you tell him that you destroyed it?”

Harry shook his head. “No. He doesn't need to know that right now. Too risky. Did you say anything?”

“It was mentioned but I didn't say a word.” She stepped forward and as she did she saw that he had his broom with him.

“I was going for a ride,” he explained.

Hermione nodded. “Be careful,” she said softly. “And, uh, don't stay out too late.” She turned and began to walk away but Harry calling out her name stopped her and she turned around.

“Did you, uh, want to come with me?” he asked.

He stood there in the night, broom in hand, reminding her so much of that fateful night in the garden at Grimmauld Place where he gave her the same exact proposition. The night that shifted things between the two of them.

Maybe it would shift things between them again.

Or at least she hoped as she smiled and walked back to him. “Ready?” he asked in a low voice by her ear. She stood in front of him, her back to his front as she felt him gently tap his wand on her head. A coolness rippled down her body then suddenly she was weightless, flying in the air.

She never felt safe flying unless she was with Harry. She knew that nothing bad would happen to her, he wouldn't allow it. His presence surrounded her, invading her senses and filling her with warmth.

“Do you want to steer?” he asked her.

“What?” she laughed. “Are you joking?”

“Why not? You taught me how to drive a car. The least I could do is teach you how to fly a broom.”

“Harry…I could mess up and do some serious injury to us.”

Harry laughed. “And my driving was the best? Everyone makes mistakes, Hermione. It's part of learning. It was a bumpy and probably not the most comfortable drive but…we got where we needed to be in the end didn't we?”

His hands slowly let go of the broom and rested on Hermione's hips. Hermione swallowed nervously, willing herself not to look down. “Lean a little to the left,” he instructed. She did and the broom ever so slightly began to veer left. “Now try the right.” The broom veered right. She went left then right again, gaining just a little more confidence. “Okay, now go right a little harder and hold it.” She complied and she held her breath as they tilted, the broom going right in a wide circle. “Good, now straighten it out.” She did and they righted themselves. “Do the same with the left”. Hermione laughed as she successfully brought them out of another circle. “Lean forward and press down.” She did slowly and they began to descend. “Now pull to bring us back up.” She did and they flew back to the tops of the castle's turrets.

She gained more confidence in herself and she flew them over Hagrid's hut (“Wanna stop and say hello to your boyfriend?” Harry had teased). She flew them over the gatehouse and over to the lake, flying over it's glossy surface. Harry took over and they flew faster and lower, the tips of her shoes skimmed the lakes surface. She gasped in delight when Harry moved them higher, stopping a moment so they could take in the view. The lights in the castle twinkled, mirroring the stars in the sky. The mountains were dark in the background and there was a small stream of smoke coming from Hagrid's hut. She could hear the breeze rush through the trees in the forest and the occasional hoot of an owl. It was so beautiful that she closed her eyes for a moment, willing herself to remember this for the rest of her life. What if felt like to be here with Harry at this moment in time.

“We should be getting back,” Harry said, breaking through her thoughts.

It was with great reluctance that Hermione set her feet back down on the stone floor of the Astronomy tower. She dismounted and turned to face Harry as he tapped her on the head again, lifting the disillusionment charm off of her. They were still standing close together and with a pounding heart Hermione stepped forward. She put her hands on his shoulders and stood on tiptoe to bring her lips to his.

She opened her eyes when she realized that Harry wasn't returning the gesture. She saw him swallow nervously. She closed her eyes and sighed, retreating from him just as he leaned down to return her kiss. “Right,” she breathed.

Harry mentally kicked himself. He wanted to kiss Hermione. Oh Merlin how he wanted to but he couldn't keep the stupid thought out that this place, this tower, was where Ron had walked in on her kissing Malfoy. He stifled the jealous thought and moved to return her kiss but she had already pulled away. The moment was lost.

“Hermione,” he sighed.

She stepped away from him and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It's okay, Harry. Really. I'm sorry.” She turned and left him alone in the tower.

Harry rested his forehead against the Firebolt. “Fuck,” he whispered softly.

~*~

News of Narcissa Malfoy's death made the front page of the Daily Prophet and was top topic of conversation in the halls of Hogwarts. “It's strangely poetic justice,” Ginny said as she passed the paper to Neville.

“That's a real fucked up thing to say Ginny,” Harry scolded her. “Nobody deserves that.”

“After all that he's done,” she retorted. Ron stayed out of it as did Neville. Harry let the topic go, not wanting to cause a fight.

The door to the Room of Requirement opened and this time Terry Boot walked through with Anthony Wellington. Ginny raised her eyebrows and looked at Harry, gauging his reaction.

“What?” he said to her.

“Nothing,” she shrugged.

“I said you could bring one other person. I like Wellington, really I do.” Harry defended himself.

It was Friday night, the night of a meeting with the D.A. The room was beginning to fill up with members, some old some new. It was five till the hour and a few people still needed to show. The door opened and Harry's heart leapt into his throat when he saw Hermione walk in.

“Hey,” she said to him, giving him a soft smile.

“Hi,” he replied nervously.

She reached into her bookbag and pulled out a sheet of parchment. “I have what you were asking for earlier.”

“Oh thanks!”

She took a look around the room. “Wow, new faces, huh?”

“Yeah, I said they could each invite only one other person, that way they would give some more thought into who they would like to join.”

“Hmm, very clever, Harry,” she mused.

“But the extra insurance of the list wouldn't hurt either,” he added.

“Can't be too careful,” she said, scanning the crowd. “Oh there's Susan.” She left his side to talk to her.

Harry waited until ten after to start the meeting. He cleared his throat loudly as he stood in the middle of the room commanding everyone's attention. The chatter slowly died.

“Welcome back,” he said. “For those of you who are new, welcome to the D.A. I trust that your sponsors have filled you in on the gist of this club and that you're still willing to come shows how dedicated you are.” He held up the Daily Prophet, the picture of Narcissa's cloth draped body was held up for all to see. “None of us are immune in this war. Even those who are…rumored to be in his circle. It's an important lesson. This castle won't protect you completely as well. This morning…one of Voldemort's spies was captured in this castle.” The room exploded into chatter and Ron whistled loudly to bring back order.

“Secrecy is of the D.A. is imperative. We cannot risk someone finding out about us. This is more than punishment by Umbridge, which was bad enough as it was. Therefore, I ask you to think this over carefully. We aren't children anymore, this world isn't safe and it's up to us to defend this school, defend our homes and families, defend our way of life.

The new D.A. is tougher, more vigorous and more demanding of its members. Therefore, I want each of you to think carefully when putting your name down on this list. There is a greater consequence than just SNEAK appearing on your forehead. Those of you who have changed their minds…will have a simple memory alteration so that you don't remember the meeting. So with that in mind.” Harry picked up a quill and signed his name on the parchment. This time, his name disappeared into the paper. Ron, Ginny and Neville signed next. Then Hermione stepped to the front to do the same. “Welcome back to the D.A.,” Harry said softly to her. She smiled and handed the quill over to Dean and sat back down next to Susan.

*

Pettigrew looked up to see young Draco Malfoy approach his cell escorted by a couple of aurors. He didn't know how long he was going to be down here or why he was being held instead of turned into the Ministry. He supposed they were just waiting for the attack on St. Mungo's to verify his information. It was true, he had overhead it from the Dark Lord himself.

“What are you doing here?” he asked the blond-haired young man.

Draco just stared at the pitiful man for a long time. He was supposed to help him and Nagini escape? Fuck it all. He didn't care anymore, this man could rot in the dungeon for all eternity.

“Who ordered it?” Draco asked him.

Peter sneered. “Oh, I guess you found out about your mother. Don't look so surprised boy. Her death was a long time coming. Lucius had been talking about it some time now. How long was she lying there dead in that filthy muggle hotel?”

“Fuck you.”

Peter just laughed. “You did it yourself boy. Reducing your mother to stay in those muggle infested areas.”

“You knew this would happen and no one warned me?”

Peter blinked at him. “Warn you? WARN you?” he threw his head back and howled with laughter. “Why would anyone lift a finger to help a brat like you?”

Draco rushed at the cell but was dragged away by the aurors, spitting profanities at the vile man.

He was tossed out into the corridor. “You've had your five minutes you filthy scum,” the auror said to him. Draco smirked and raised his middle finger. The aurors grumbled and returned into the dungeons to their posts.

Peeves came zooming down the hall and bounced up and down in delight in front of him. “Heard about your dear sweet mum,” the poltergeist said then held a finger to his throat and made a slashing noise as he swiped across it. The ghost zoomed away with glee, laughing hysterically.

“Yeah and fuck you too,” Draco grumbled. “Useless vapor of mist.” He reached into his robes and retrieved his flask of Firewhiskey and made his way to the third floor lavatory.

*

Everyone present had signed his or her name on the list. They were in it for better or worse, most likely the latter. The lesson went by quickly. Harry had them pair up to assess how they were in their DADA skills. It was mostly review for the former D.A. members but it provided a nice catch-up for those who were new. As much as he wanted to pair up with Hermione, she had paired up with Susan Bones. Maybe it was for the best, being without a partner allowed him to observe Hermione….er, others, observe the others. And when the time came for the lesson to end, he checked the Map and let everyone leave in small groups.

Hermione was chatting with Susan, Ernie and Anthony as they approached the door. “I would rather you left with another Gryffindor, just so you reached the common room safely,” he said to Hermione.

She looked around and was about to call for Seamus when Anthony Wellington spoke up. “I know the way to your portrait, Harry. I'll walk her there.” Harry looked at him then opened his mouth to say something but Hermione cut him off. “Harry, it's okay.”

“Is it safe to go?” Susan asked him.

Harry looked down at the Map. “Yeah, you're all clear,” he muttered and watched as Hermione left.

“He's got the right idea with the club, you know,” Anthony said to Hermione when they reached the Fat Lady's portrait. “Especially after what happened last year.”

“Well, that was the idea,” she smiled back.

They paused outside. “He really likes you, you know. I can tell. I was a little afraid for a moment when we were leaving that he was going to hex me into a million pieces.”

Hermione let out a small laugh. “He's just protective over his friends.” She was too embarrassed to tell him that she was pretty sure that he didn't want to have anything to do with her in that way anymore. The attempted kiss the other night proved that.

“Trust me Hermione,” Anthony smirked. “That was Universal Guy Speak for `Fuck off'. That and the fact that he couldn't keep his eyes off of you all through the meeting.”

Hermione shrugged and gave him a small smile. “Good night Anthony,” she said and the two of them shared a small hug before she walked into the common room. Never the less, Anthony's words haunted her that night as she restless tossed and turned in her bed.

~*~

It happened sometime in the middle of the night. She heard the portrait slam and someone scramble up the stairs. Two people maybe? Then there was nothing for a moment then another door opened and more people scrambling on the stairs. Hermione got out of bed to investigate.

There, below in the Gryffindor common room, McGonagall stood in her robes in front of Tonks, Harry, Ron and Neville. “The message came five minutes ago. I came here straight away,” she was saying.

Hermione raced down the stairs when she saw that the three boys were getting ready, putting on their trainers. Tonks was already in her Auror garb.

“It's happening isn't it?” Hermione breathed. Everyone turned to look at her. “St. Mungo's.”

“It's under attack,” Tonks said, then she turned to the young men. “We have to leave now, Harry.”

“I'm going with him,” Neville said determinedly. “My parents are there.” Harry nodded.

“I'm going too,” Ron declared.

“I want to go as well,” Hermione added.

“No!” Harry said firmly. Ron looked at him.

“Harry, we could use her—“
“No,” Harry cut him off. “I want one of you out of harm's way.” His two friends looked at him exasperatedly. “Please,” he said. Hermione and Ron looked at each other. Hermione conceded and looked away.

“Let's go,” Tonks said as everyone filed away. Hermione stepped up to her three classmates. “Be careful,” she said, looking at each one and placing a hand on Ron's arm.

“We will,” Neville replied.

A feeling of foreboding overcame her as she watched them file out. Harry was the last to leave. He waved goodbye to her and Hermione took this moment to look at him, take him in as if it was the last she should see of him.

The door closed and she let out a small sob, bringing her hands to her mouth as she walked over and stood in front of the fireplace. She heard the door open again and she quickly wiped away her tears.

“Harry,” she said when she turned to see who had entered. He stood there a moment, looking at her.

He reached her in two strides, reaching out and cradling her head in his hands as he kissed her on the lips. He could taste the salt of her tears on his tongue as he traced the line of her lips, asking for permission to deepen the kiss. Hermione's arms wrapped around him as she complied, letting her tongue taste and explore his familiar warmth. Something powerful radiated through Harry as he kissed her sweet lips and he was reluctant to break it.

“I'll be back,” he whispered, touching his forehead to hers. His hands moved from the curls of her hair to her waist, pressing her closer to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They kissed again. Hermione put all of her love into it, let my love protect him, please, please bring him back to me. Harry was reluctant to pull away from her but he had to go. He missed her contact immediately but vowed to himself that he would come back. His eyes conveyed the message to her that they weren't over, that they would never be over. He looked back one last time before he stepped out of the room.

~*~

Of course she couldn't sleep after that. She ran upstairs to grab a heavy cloak and transfigured her pajamas into jeans and a light jumper, her slippers into trainers and she ran out after them. But by the time she opened the doors to Hogwarts and ran down the steps, the sounds of apparition filled the air.

Harry was gone.

“Hermione? What are yeh doin' out here this time of night?” Hagrid came walking up to her holding a large lantern in his hand.

Hermione threw her arms around the half-giant. “Oh Hagrid!” she cried.

He patted her roughly on the back. “They'll be okay Hermione. Harry and Ron will watch each other's backs. They'll come back soon.”

He asked her if she wanted tea to calm herself down and she agreed, following him to his hut where Fang happily greeted her. There was a deep rumble that sounded like thunder and she realized that it was Grawp, snoring.

“Here you go Hermione.” Hagrid set down a saucer and cup in front of her. He had a warm fire going but she shivered anyway. She was so worried about Harry. She wanted to be by his side, fighting and protecting him. Not that Ron and Neville weren't capable, she just…needed to be by his side.

There was a soft hissing sound and she looked up to see Isis writhing in a makeshift cage Hagrid put her in. “Hagrid? Is she better?”

“Oh yeah,” he replied. “I was going to give her to Harry today.” Fang began to whine and scratch at the door. “If yeh don't mind, Hermione. I have to walk Fang, I'll be back.”

Hermione nodded and sat back in her chair, sipping the tea.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Hermione looked over at Isis who was trying to lift the lid of her cage.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Hermione got out of the chair and approached the snake. “Isis, stop. You're going to hurt yourself again.”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Hermione reached out and unlocked the cage, stepping back as Isis slithered out of her cage, coiled and raised her head at Hermione, hissing. It took a few moments before Hermione realized she was trying to tell her something.

Of all the times Harry had to leave.

“Isis, I'm sorry. I can't understand you.” Isis hissed and slithered over the counter, knocking over jars and saucers. Hermione was about to protest when Isis knocked over the stack of flashcards that Hagrid used on Grawp. A card with D-O-G with a picture of a dog fluttered to her feet and she picked it up. Isis was slithering through the cards, knocking them down one by one. Getting the idea of what she was trying to do, she picked up the cards and flashed them one-by-one to the snake.

Rat. Bird. Mouse. Cup. Chair. Table. Frog. Snake.

Isis hissed.

Hermione looked at the card. “Snake?” Hermione sat back down in the chair and sighed. “Yes, Isis. You are a snake.” Isis hissed and slithered to the floor where Hermione had dropped the cards she had already flipped through. She hissed when she stopped at Rat. Hermione picked it up. “Rat? Yes, Isis a rat attacked you.” Isis hissed again and nodded with her head to the other flashcards. Hermione set the Rat and Snake cards aside and began to flip through the cards once more.

Broom. Snitch. Tree. Castle.

Isis hissed again.

Hermione looked at the card and set it with the rest. “Snake. Rat. Castle.” Isis slithered up to the table and hissed again. “Snake. Rat. Castle. Snake. Rat. Castle.”

Then suddenly it came to her. A horrible and frightening thought.

“Nagini,” she whispered. She stood up so abruptly she knocked the chair over and sprinted for the door. Isis slithered after her, barely making it through the door as it swung shut.

She ran back to the castle and headed straight for the dungeons. The two aurors that stood on guard supervised their visit. “Where's Nagini?” she demanded of Peter.

He was lying on his mattress in the cell. He rolled over and looked at her with his beady eyes.

“Why would I tell you?”

“Where is Nagini?” she repeated.

Peter rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling. “It's happened hasn't it? I heard the Aurors talking about an attack on St. Mungo's. Potter went with the rest of the Order didn't he?”

“Don't change the subject,” she said.

“I've been thinking. It's funny that I overheard that piece of information from the Dark Lord. Maybe I was meant to overhear it. And if Nagini is here at Hogwarts, like you are accusing, then why send the both of us? Maybe I was meant to be captured and tell you about the attack.”

Hermione's heartbeat slowed dangerously to a near stop. “What are you saying?” she whispered.

“I'm just rambling,” he said dismissively. “Pay no attention to little old me. But then again…the Dark Lord was working on a special spell that could be cast over a space, or a room…or a building. A spell that would activate once Harry Potter stepped across its barrier. A spell that would keep anyone else from entering or leaving the enchanted area, trapping its occupants inside, slowly killing them and letting up once Harry Potter willingly turns himself over to a Death Eater.” Hermione stopped breathing. “Imagine using such a spell on St. Mungo's, an entire building full of helpless witches and wizards? Oh, it's a good thing young Harry doesn't have a Hero Complex or anything.”

Hermione stepped up to the cell. “You foul and disgusting excuse for a wizard!” she screamed at him.

Peter shot up out of the bed and moved to the other side of the cell. Hermione moved back quickly enough to avoid his grasp as he reached for her. The Aurors drew their wands, one of them spoke into his magical transmitter.

“Shacklebolt,” he said into it. “Keep Potter out of the building. Repeat, keep Potter out of the building!”

A tinny voice replied. “He's already in. Listen, we've got a situation here and have requested back up. Over.”

Hermione was horrified. Peter grinned. “Give me the cup and I'll get Potter out of that building and return him to you safely.”

“No deal,” another voice spoke out.

Hermione and the Aurors spun around to see Draco Malfoy step out from the shadows. As he approached the cell, Pettigrew backed away. He stopped in front of Hermione and looked at her face. The torchlight in the dungeons flickered and cast a soft glow over her as she looked back at him, her eyes filled with despair and hope at the same time. “Pettigrew isn't the only Death Eater in the castle,” he whispered softly to her.

Coming Up: Draco learns that the hero always gets the girl.

-->

41. Surrender

A/N: Whew! It's finally here! A brand spanking new chapter. I apologize for the long wait. I have just started a new job and I'm trying to adjust to this new schedule as well as juggle a million other things. Hope you all like it, read and enjoy. Ah, Draco, Draco, Draco….

Surrender

And when there's nowhere else to run

Is there room for one more son

These changes ain't changing me

The cold-hearted boy I used to be

Yeah, you know you got to help me out

Yeah, oh don't you put me on the blackburner

You know you got to help me out

You're gonna bring yourself down

Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down

Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down

I got soul, but I'm not a soldier

I got soul, but I'm not a soldier

...

Over and out, last call for sin

While everyone's lost, the battle is won

With all these things that I've done

All these things that I've done

(All These Things That I've Done—The Killers)

~*~

As soon as Harry apparated, he noticed the flurry of aurors and ministry officials that surrounded St. Mungo's. The night air was cold and he could see his breath coming from him in little puffs. He quickly put up the hood of his robe to disguise himself as Tonks moved by his side. “Kinglsey's over there,” she said softly, leading the small group from Hogwarts forward through the crowd that seemed to be growing. Harry could hear people begging the aurors to let them in, asking the condition of loved ones inside the hospital. Once in awhile there was a loud explosion and screams erupted from the crowd.

“There you are,” Kingsley said when they approached. “The rest of the Order is over here.” He led them to a small group of people where Moody and Remus stood together, eyeing the structure in front of them.

“How many are there?” Harry asked.

Kingsley shook his head. “I don't know. A few people managed to escape in the beginning but since we've arrived they've sealed off all entrances and exits from the second floor up. We've managed to slip a few aurors in and they've cleared a path for the rest of us.”

Harry looked at the building; the dark mark shimmered in the night sky. A shiver ran through him suddenly. Something just…didn't feel right. “Are we sure this isn't like last time?” he asked. “You know, like London?”

“There's no way of knowing but I've put extra aurors around Hogwarts.” A feeling of fear swept through Harry when he realized that he had asked Hermione to stay behind. Memories of the castle being attacked last year, the infiltration this year, oh God, maybe leaving her behind was a bad idea. Maybe he put her directly in harms way. Oh shit, Peter was still in the castle!!

A loud explosion from somewhere inside the hospital yanked his attention back to the situation at present. Screams erupted from the crowds. “We've got to go in,” Harry said, marching forward.

Kingsley led the way, taking them to the doors of the deserted first floor. Once bustling with activity, the floor was oddly quiet. No patients in various states of malady, no mediwitches and wizards bustling about. It was eerily quiet and abandoned. Papers were scattered all over the floor, desks were vacant. The hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood on end. There was a feeling of unease that settled in the pit of his stomach, something was wrong, something was off.

“I don't have a good feeling about this,” Tonks whispered.

“I agree,” Remus piped up.

“Everyone is on the upper floors,” Kingsley instructed, nodding his head above him. “We'll go in pairs. Potter and Tonks, you're up first.”

Wands drawn and at the ready, Harry and Tonks approached the door. Tonks indicated that she would step through first and when it was all clear, Harry would follow. Moody and Lupin lined up behind him.

The door was unlocked and opened as Tonks stepped through. A short moment later, Harry heard her whisper that it was okay and he stepped through the door.

It promptly shut behind him.

“What the hell was that?” Moody asked as he jumped back, startled.

“I don't know,” Kingsley said as Lupin stepped forward and touched the door. He was promptly rewarded with a terrible shock and he withdrew his hand quickly.

“Kingsley, I thought you said you scanned this place,” Remus said.

Kingsley's communicator crackled to life as an auror's voice pierced the silence. “Sir, we can't get through the doors, it's delivering a shock every time one of us has come in contact with it.”

“Did you hear that?” Remus exclaimed. He was doing his best from becoming frantic with worry.

Once again, the communicator crackled. “Sir, we have a situation on the South side of the building.”

“Let me guess. You can't get into the building,” Kingsley sighed. He was watching as Moody inspected the door.

“Sir, how did you know?”

Kingsley ignored him and turned to an auror at his side. “See if you can come in contact with Potter and Tonks,” he said then looked at Moody. “What is it?”

“It's some sort of barrier, it was set off somehow like a trap,” he answered.

“Trap?” Lupin spoke out. “What kind of trap? Kingsley and his team swept the area and they didn't find anything.”

“It could be something that wasn't present until something set it off,” Moody explained.

Lupin turned slightly pale. “It happened when Harry walked past the door.” Kingsley sighed and rubbed his bald head. “Get our curse breaker team in here. We've got to find a way to get past this. Harry is trapped in there without any help and no one knows what's waiting for him on the other side.”

Lupin frowned and looked back at the door. Tonks, his beloved, was in there with him.

~*~

Harry felt it as soon as he walked past the barrier, a shiver that ran down his spine. Tonks must have sensed it too because she paused in mid-stride and looked back at him. “I don't know,” Harry mouthed back in silence, shaking his head. He could hear shouting coming from somewhere above him and people screaming. He didn't like this. He felt alone and vulnerable. He had no idea what he was up against, how many Death Eaters were up there, how many innocent people were up here.

Tonks turned back and tried the door and received a nasty shock in response. Harry stared at it and tried it himself, receiving the same result. This couldn't be happening.

“We aren't trapped in here, are we?” Tonks asked in a whisper. Harry didn't know. He moved down the corridor to try a door, than another and then another, all of the time getting a shock. He heard Tonks using every charm she could think of in the book to get the door open. She reached for her communicator and called out to the team on the other side.

“Can you hear me?” she asked. “Hello?”

Harry checked his own and found only static to be his reply. Whatever had happened, had jammed their transmissions and if the tingling of his scar was any indication of things, it was that it was not good. Not good at all.

He didn't realize that Tonks was watching him when he removed his fingers from his forehead. “It's him isn't it?” she asked. “Is he here?” He hated it when people asked him that. It was a painful reminder of his connection to this fucked-up wizard. He closed his eyes and tried to apparate but literally felt the sensation of being held down.

“I can't apparate,” he replied, instead. A scream caught his attention, it came from one of the floors above. The hospital was so large, he had no idea where he was going. He stepped forward to one of the columns that had a map of the place on a plaque. He was on the second floor, Magical Bugs.

“Shit,” he muttered and moved the collar of his t-shirt over his mouth and nose as he moved behind the large counter in the center of the reception area.

“What is it?” Tonks asked.

“We're on the Magical Bugs floor,” he replied as he rummaged through the items under the counters.

Tonks did the same as Harry and opened a door labeled “Supply”. “Here we go, Harry,” she said, tossing him a mask. Harry took it and put it over his mouth praying that he didn't catch some sort of wizard flu or a weird strain of dragon pox. Although it was the least of his worries right now.

“I suppose we should check the floors for any people,” she sighed and placed her hands on her hips as if she were preparing herself for a tedious chore. In a way, he supposed that they were.

*

The floor was empty, he and Tonks had checked every room and found that all occupants were gone. It left him with an uneasy feeling, not knowing whether they left of their own accord or forcefully. Maybe both? He couldn't help but wonder their fates. Staying close to Tonks, he kept a watchful eye out as she unlocked a door and opened it.

“Wand where I can see it!” came a rough order as Tonks immediately came to halt. Harry's senses came on alert, wand arm raised and ready, itching to cast a hex to anything that moved.

“Reveal yourself!” she demanded. Harry could see that Tonks was just as tense and caught off guard as the other voice had sounded.

“Nosebleed Nougat!” the voice shouted.

“Puking Pastille!” Tonks replied, lowering her wand. Apparantly, whoever made up the code words where fans of Fred and George.

Harry stepped past the doorway and entered what looked like a stairwell with, and his heart leapt at this sight, approximately twenty other aurors. The captain of the squad stepped forward and Harry recognized him as Mitchell McBride. He didn't see much of him when he was in training, he was in charge of some of their drills. He was an okay kind of guy, treated him the same as any other auror that was training.

“What the hell is going on?” he asked Tonks. “We've been trying to get out of this forsaken place and every door out seems locked.”

“It's locked down here too. Have you been on the other floors?” she asked as the aurors filed into the room. McBride moved out of the way so he could better speak with Tonks.

“Death Eaters,” he said grimly. About twelve of them.” Harry's eyes widened as did Tonks'. “I've got Theta team mixed in with my guys,” his voice lowered. “They got Lester up on the third floor. The team had to fall back into the stairwell just as we were going in. They've been sealing off the doors to the different floors. We went to the roof to get out but they've sealed that one as well, we were just about to try this one when you opened it.” McBride stopped and looked at him and Tonks, scrutinizing them. “Hey, what floor are we on?”

“Magical Bugs,” Tonks replied.

“MASKS!!” McBride barked out his order as his teams rapidly complied. An auror walked up to them.

“Sir,” he said, “the doors here are locked as well.”

“Any civilians on this floor?” he asked.

“None,” Tonks replied.

“Were there any upstairs?” Harry spoke out for the first time. McBride turned and looked at him. His eyes narrowed in thought as he approached. The mask covered most of Harry's face but the auror slowly raised his wand and moved Harry's bangs off of his forehead. Harry jerked away, feeling every auror's pair of eyes on him.

“Hmmm,” McBride said, stepping away from the young man. “You two come alone?” he asked.

“There were others behind us,” Tonks answered. “But—“ she stopped herself from saying more. They both cast pathetically furtive glances his way. He shot back with a look of defiance and annoyance and left to join the other aurors.

This was not his fault. In no way was this, his fault.

As he walked across the room he could feel everyone's eyes on him. Eyebrows were raised, there were whispers. He could still feel his scar tingling and he fought down the impulse to move his fingers to it to massage the ache away. He looked up to see a familiar face among the crowd. Jeff, from his training class, was seated with a small cluster of aurors. He looked up at Harry as he approached. Harry knelt down in front of him.

“Jeff,” Harry said his name in greeting. The rookie auror looked up at Harry with a blank look on his face.

“He's dead,” he said softly. Harry's brows furrowed in question. “Nathan. He's dead.”

“There were too many of them,” another auror said softly.

“Fucking rookie,” said another.

Sorrow mixed with anger filled Harry as he thought of his friend. One that he joked around with in training, the one who teased him mercilessly about that crazy night at the Long Legged Lass. Just like so many others he knew and cared about, Nathan was gone.

A sudden memory of Nathan blurting out the stripper story to Hermione came to mind and he laughed. Jeff looked at him quizzically. “I was just thinking of that night,” Harry said, chuckling to himself. There was no need to elaborate. Jeff immediately knew what he was talking about. He began to laugh softly as well. But it still hurt Harry, emotionally, to know that he would never again have a guy's night out like he did that night. His laughter slowly ceased as the precariousness of their situation fell upon him once again.

Nathan was dead.

Nothing was going to bring him back. And he had to push that aside to figure out how in the hell they were going to get out of this situation. He had been staring straight ahead, lost in his thoughts that the sight before him didn't register for a moment. He shook his head in disbelief when he realized what was in front of him all along. He and Tonks had checked every door out of the floor…except one.

“Where are you going?” Jeff whispered.

“Potter?” One of the aurors said in question.

Harry ignored them and walked straight ahead a few paces then came to a stop in front of the elevator doors. He slowly drew out his wand.

“Oy, Tonks, McBride,” an auror called out to them, bringing their attentions at hand.

“Harry don't,” Jeff said cautiously as he stood by his side.

“Let one of us do it,” an auror said, firmly moving him aside.

“Wait!” Harry protested but Tonks pulled him back.

“Let him,” she said firmly. Harry relented but not before feeling like a child being babysat. “Go ahead White,” she said to the auror who, along with another, pried open the doors.

“Son of a--” White exclaimed and everyone hit the ground as a loud explosion came from elevator car. Thick black smoke immediate filled the room. “Get down!” Harry heard people yelling. The mask protected his breathing but he still couldn't see through the smoky darkness. He could hear people yelling and the sound of running.

“Grab their wands!” he heard one person say followed by a chorus of Expelliarmus and Protegos.

Harry held onto his wand, not letting it fly out of his hand. There were spells flying everywhere. He cast his own disarming charm and heard the clatter of wood but he didn't know if he disarmed a Death Eater or an Auror. It was all very confusing.

He was tackled to the ground by someone and his wand fell out of his hand and rolled away from him as he was pinned to the floor by a masked person, a Death Eater.

“Well, well, well, Mr. Potter,” the Death Eater sneered. He grabbed a handful of Harry's hair and lifted his head off of the floor only to slam it back down again. Harry blinked away the stars that momentarily danced in front of his eyes as he delivered a punch to the Death Eater's face and a hard kick to his abdomen. The Death Eater cried out in pain, giving Harry enough time to shove the man off of him. He reached for his wand and it flew back into his hand as he cast a quick stunning charm.

“Harry!!”

He heard Tonk's yell and moved toward her. The smoke was beginning to clear and he could start to distinguish robes in the smoke, although he still couldn't tell who was who. He blocked her stunning charm when she hit him.

“Wotcher!” she exclaimed at what she had done.

“Tonks!” he yelled at her. She reached out and grabbed him, pulling him close to her.

“Stay by my side!” she ordered. “Do not get out of my sight! Harry?...Harry did you hear what I said?”

Harry immediately tuned her out when he saw a familiar figure in the smoke.

“Bellatrix,” he whispered.

“Harry what are you doing!” Tonks demanded when she reached out and grabbed him, nearly throwing him against the wall.

Bellatrix reached into her robe and pulled a small object out. “EVERYBODY GET DOWN!!” Harry screamed as she tossed the object in the air.

Instantly, the room was flooded with a bright, bright light that penetrated and evaporated the smoke. Harry gasped and covered his eyes, a dull burning pain radiated through his skull behind the sockets. He heard Tonks cry out in surprise next to him. He fell to his knees and in that moment he felt a hex hit him and all went black.

~*~

Draco sat on his bed, elbows resting on his knees, fingers steepled as he rested his chin on his index fingers. He stared straight ahead at the bookshelf. Many emotions swirled within him, the familiar pressure that he was under seemed a little heavier now that Nagini and Petttigrew were under the same roof as him.

He exhaled slowly as he stood up and walked forward. He reached up to the shelf just above his eye level and pulled out a book. Ironically, it was a muggle book. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

He held it open in his left hand and with his right index finger he traced the page gently, as if he were caressing it. He flipped a few pages and there in the middle of the book was a cut out indentation. Draco reached in and pulled out a delicate gold chain with a locket that hung from it.

He stared at it. Contemplated it, before putting it back inside the book. He closed it and slid it back into its place on the shelf.

He had stolen it from a pawn shop in Knockturn Alley. Voldemort had sent some of his Death Eaters in search of it. He was lucky to stumble upon it first. Thoughts of how the Dark Lord would reward him had filled his mind. The Dark Lord hadn't said why it was important, only that it belonged in his family but a rumor, a whisper, made him hesitate to hand over the trinket. He had overheard Severus Snape talking with McNair about how Bellatrix had sworn she had seen the mudblood Granger at a pawn shop looking for the exact same thing. Was Potter after the locket as well?

Draco took the locket and hid it, not turning it over to the Dark Lord. He saw opportunity to buy his freedom. A little homework and Draco discovered that the Dark Lord had split his soul into six objects. What they were, he didn't really know but he had a very good idea that the locket he had in his possession was one of them.

When he returned to school, Hermione's forced confession that Potter was indeed after the horcrux made what he had in his possession more valuable. In his hands, he held the tide of the war. Return the locket to Voldemort and be rewarded beyond his wildest dreams or give it to Potter and rest his future on a kid his own age to defeat the greatest wizard that ever lived.

Believe it or not. It truly was a conundrum.

And having Nagini here, hunting for the damned thing didn't make it any easier. He didn't want his hand to be forced. If Nagini found the horcrux and reported back to the Dark Lord that he had it all along. He was a dead man.

*

These pensive and morbid thoughts followed him as he paced the halls of the Hogwarts, wondering where, exactly, the snake was. He passed by some large windows in the front of the castle and a small figure caught his attention.

It was Hermione.

She was running from what seemed like Hagrid's hut to the castle. He felt the familiar pang of longing that he was beginning to associate with her. He watched her for a few more moments before curiosity led him to seek out her destination within the castle.

She was in the dungeons talking to that poor excuse for a Death Eater, Peter Pettigrew. He stuck to the shadows as he heard Peter hint at a trap that Potty could very well likely be walking into at St. Mungo's. He watched her frantic reaction and he had to stifle the little flame of envy that sparked within him. What would it be like to have someone care that much about him? The only person that did was murdered by his own father.

He had been resting against the stone wall, listening to Hermione and Pettigrew's exchange. His window of opportunity came when he heard Pettigrew's proposition to retrieve Potty from the hospital.

“No deal,” he said aloud, moving from his hiding spot. The way she was looking at him filled him with elation that cut more deeply than any wound he had ever sustained. He could see the hope in her eyes. She was going to place all of her luck on him. “Pettigrew isn't the only Death Eater in the castle.”

“I wouldn't trust him if I were you,” Peter said softly. “He doesn't like Harry. He'll bring him to the Dark Lord the first moment he gets. He's a Malfoy, power hungry.”

“Are you quite finished?” Hermione said, taking her eyes momentarily off of Draco and glared at the man who murdered Harry's parents.

“I'll go and get him, Hermione,” Draco said softly, glaring over her head at Pettigrew.

“Mudblood lover,” Pettigrew hissed. “I bet your mother is rolling in her grave.”

Draco moved forward but Hermione held him back. “Don't,” she told him. “He isn't worth the time.”

“Useless sack of shit,” Draco muttered.

Peter looked up at the two teens with a smirk on his face. “I'm Harry Potter,” he mimicked and slid a finger across his throat in a mocking gesture of slitting it open.

Hermione needed to get out of here. This man was making her sick. He could see it on her face and he grinned maniacally. “There's a Death Eater out there that is so looking forward to his spoils of war when the Dark Lord defeats Harry Potter. Perhaps you've heard of Antonin Dolohov? He talks of nothing but you. The Dark Lord intends to reward him greatly with Harry Potter's mudblood.”

“You sick Son of a—“ Draco drew his wand to send a hex to Peter but the aurors were just a hair faster and quickly disarmed him by sending a strong stinging hex to his wand hand. He cried out in pain and Hermione grabbed his injured appendage, whirling angrily to the aurors.

“What are you doing?” she demanded. Peter shrieked and clapped hysterically in his prison.

“Sorry Miss Granger but we didn't know where that hex was going,” one of the aurors said with authority.

“The Death Eater shouldn't even be in here,” the other added.

“Fuck you!” Draco spat at them.

The aurors moved forward threateningly but Hermione stopped him. “Call Shacklebolt over your communicator. Tell him we have a plan to rescue Potter.”

“You're seriously not thinking of—“

“Tell him!” Hermione demanded, taking Draco's wand and dragging him out of the dungeons.

“Fucking assholes,” Draco muttered when they were in the lighted corridor.

Hermione turned around and shoved him against the wall. Draco smirked. “Well if you want me that badly, there's no need to get rough. Although it is kind of a turn on.”

“Did you mean what you said?” she demanded.

“Hell yeah,” he grinned mischievously.

She tutted and rolled her eyes. “About you going in and getting Harry.”

He looked at her for a long moment. “Can you think of any other way to get him out?”

“Why should I trust you?” she demanded.

“You shouldn't,” he replied. “But there are two other ways this thing could end badly and since I know for a fact,” he lowered his voice, “that Potter hasn't destroyed all the horcruxes, he's a dead man either way he chooses. And he knows it.” Hermione turned and looked away from him, weighing her options as she gazed ahead. She felt like a cornered animal, her nerves were all on end. Harry could stay his course and all of the hostages in St. Mungo's would surely perish, possibly including Harry. Or Harry would turn himself over to the Dark Lord, unable to defeat him because he hadn't destroyed all of the horcruxes.

“It's a one hundred percent guarantee that Potty is going to turn himself over to save whatever lives there are in the hospital,” Draco continued. “You know this Hermione.” He walked over and stood in front of her. “I'll have him turn himself over to me. I need for you to make a portkey that will take us back here.”

“Why would you do this?” she asked softly.

“I have my reasons,” he replied. She stared at him for a long time. “What other choice to you have? Time is already running out. For all we know, Potty could've already hung himself.” Hermione winced at his words. “I'm sorry but I'm not going to sugarcoat it for you. I'm the only chance you have…and you know this.”

~*~

“ARGH!!”

Harry cried out in pain at the sharp kick to the abdomen he received.

“Leave him alone!” Tonks cried out.

Harry blinked his eyes. He didn't have his glasses on but he could see the fuzzy outlines of two groups of people on either side of the room. The aurors were all grouped together, rope bound their arms and legs together so they couldn't move. On the other side were the innocents, the patients, mediwitches and wizards, nurses and other staff, huddled in fear as Fenrir snarled and growled at them to keep them at bay. Harry himself was on the floor, hands tied behind his back, his mouth bound and gagged.

McNair stepped forward and kicked Harry again. Harry groaned and rolled over on his back.

“Stop it!!” one of the nurses cried out. “Leave him alone!”

Fenrir stepped forward. “Did you say something?” he demanded of her, snarling and showing his fangs as saliva dripped from his mouth and fell to the floor.

“Mwammph!” Harry spoke out.

“Let him loose!” Bellatrix demanded. “I think the wee baby Potter wishes to say something.” McNair stepped forward and yanked the gag out of Harry's mouth.

“Go ahead Potter,” he said with a grin. “What were you going to say?”

“Fuck you,” Harry smiled up at him. McNair growled and punched Harry in the face. He felt as if his jaw had broken, as if his cheek was strained through the sides of his mouth. McNair hit him again and he could taste blood in his mouth. He spat out the red stained saliva that suddenly flooded his mouth. Another hit and he felt a blinding pain in his nose. He saw the spray of his own blood pollute the floor.

“Okay! Okay!” Harry cried out. McNair grabbed his hair and yanked his head up. “Shit, I forgot what I was going to say.” McNair snorted and shoved Harry's face back into the ground.

“Rest yourself, McNair,” Rodolphus LeStrange stepped forward. He glanced at the innocent people in the corner of the room. “There are other ways we can get him to surrender.” He nodded to a Death Eater who marched past the werewolf and grabbed the nurse who had spoken out in protest earlier. Harry squirmed on the ground shouting out protests and profanities. The aurors joined him and the other hostages just cried out and huddled closer together.

Bellatrix stepped forward. “Surrender Potter,” she demanded.

Harry looked up at the frightened young woman. She was trembling but she shook her head slightly in protest. He so desperately wanted to give in.

“Leave her alone,” he pleaded.

“I love it when Potter begs,” Rodolphus laughed. “Just surrender to us and we'll let the pretty lady go.”

“Harry don't,” Tonks said and there was a murmur of consent in the room.

“SHUT UP!” Fenrir roared bringing the room to silence. “One of you is next.”

Harry looked at the nurse. “Don't,” she mouthed to him and held her head up high. Harry turned away from her.

“I never though much of your puny Voldemort anyway,” the nurse said aloud.

“Avada Kedavra!”

With a flash of green light from Rodolphus' wand, the nurse fell lifeless to the floor. There was a silence in the room. Harry shut his eyes a little tighter, desperately trying to block out the darkness that was trying to creep in.

“Are you ready to surrender now, Potter?” Bellatrix asked. “Or do you need more convincing?”
~*~

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Ron demanded as he marched forward.

Hermione held him back. “Ron,” she said with a tone of warning in her voice, keeping her friend at bay. Draco was behind Hermione, looking at Ron with a smug look on his face. “He's going to get Harry.”

“What?!” Ron shrieked, bringing the attention of the Order to him. A few aurors looked over in their direction.

“What is going on here?” Kingsley marched over to them. “Granger. Malfoy. What are you two doing out of the castle?”

“The aurors let us go,” Hermione explained. “We may have a plan to rescue Harry. I spoke to Peter a while ago and he told us that Harry may be walking into a trap that would spring the moment he sets foot inside of St. Mungo's.”

Lupin stepped forward. “Peter said this?” he asked.

Hermione looked at him. “He was right, wasn't he? The building is sealed, no one can get in or out.”

“Precisely,” Kingsley cut in. “So how are you going to manage to get in there and retrieve Harry?”

Hermione looked up at Draco, who cleared his throat. “I can get past the barriers.”

“I bet you can,” Ron said with disgust. “Why should we trust you? You would be aching to bring Harry to You-Know-Who.”

“This could work,” Lupin said quietly and thoughtfully. He looked up at Shacklebolt and Moody. “Although I think we should send someone in with you.”

“No,” Draco shook his head. “No deal. I won't do it.”

Hermione stormed up to him. “You said you would!”

“Yeah, I said I would go and get him! I didn't agree to taking anyone else with me.”

“Tough shit, Malfoy. We have, what we could say kindly, trust issues with you. You honestly don't think we're just going to let you stroll on in there and deliver Harry over to You-Know-Who in a nice little package with a bow, do you?” Ron demanded. “I'm going with you.”

“Fuck you, Weasel,” Draco snarled.

“No, fuck you!” Ron shot back and stepped forward.

“Hey, hey hey!” Moody said aloud as Shacklebolt and Lupin stepped between the two young men.

“This argument is pointless,” Draco said, shaking her head. “The barrier won't let anyone else into the building. Only those that have the Dark Mark.”

“Oh, well how convenient for you!” Ron said sarcastically.

“He's our best chance, Ron,” Hermione cut in. She turned to Draco. “The moment Harry surrenders to you,” Hermione continued on, “the wards around the hospital will drop. Activate the portkey and the two of you will land out here.”

“We can then go in and free the hostages,” Kingsley added.

Hermione nodded. “Precisely. I'm not sure how quickly we can get an anti-apparition charm around the building to capture any lingering Death Eaters…”

“We'll do the best we can,” Kingsley said thoughtfully.

“What about him?” Lupin nodded to Draco. “Even if he retrieves Harry, we'll have to bring him in for some sort of charge.”

“We'll cross that bridge when we get there,” Kingsley frowned. “But for now, I'm willing to give this a try.”

Ron pulled Hermione to side. “Unbelievable,” Ron muttered, shaking his head. “You're doing it again,” he said to her. “You're trusting that git of a Slytherin over Harry.”

“I'm doing no such thing. I'm trying to help!” she shot back.

“And we aren't doing the same thing?!” he retorted angrily. “Don't you trust enough in the Order? In Harry to get out of this situation unscathed?”

“Of course I do,” she said agitatedly. “I'm just trying to tip the scales in our favor.”

“With him?” Ron gestured to Malfoy.

“Ron.” Hermione closed her eyes and exhaled his name with frustration. “I am so done with this conversation.”

“I can't believe you'd do this to Harry,” he snarled at her.

She swooped upon him. “I am doing this for Harry!”

“NO!” Ron pointed a finger in her face. “You're asking me to trust my best friend's life to his nemesis. An arrogant prat who is best buddies with You-Know-Who! I thought you would've learned better after all of this.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. “I have learned many things after all of this. I've learned that there isn't just black and white, there are shades of grey as well. And sometimes you have to step into the darkness to bring yourself back into the light.” Ron looked away from her and snorted in disgust.

*

“We'll get in there as soon as we can. I have aurors stationed at all entrances and exits,” Kingsley was explaining to him. Draco was pacing in agitation. “The moment we see the two of you appear outside of the hospital we'll set up the Disapparation charms and invade the building to release the hostages.”

They were standing with the Order, away from the crowd of people. No one but a few aurors had realized that they were there. Neville and Ron glanced at Hermione in worry then cast distrusting and hateful looks at Malfoy who had suddenly developed the nasty habit of chewing on his lower lip as he paced back and forth.

Lupin walked up to Hermione. “Are you sure about this?” he asked her.

“I can't stand feeling helpless while he's in there.” She rubbed her arms as she shivered with nervous anticipation. “I had to do something.”

“Are you ready?” Kingsley asked. Hermione's heart suddenly began to beat furiously and her palms began to sweat. She looked over at Draco who had suddenly become very still and paled somewhat. “Malfoy?” the auror repeated sternly, catching the Death Eater's attention. Draco exhaled sharply, glared at the auror then marched toward Hermione.

“Too late to back out now,” he whispered nervously.

She smirked. “I guess I'll just have to trust you don't I?” It was a horrible attempt at some last minute humor and her smirk was quickly wiped off of her face to let the situation sink in.

The two of them stood there in silence for a moment. Draco adjusted his cloak around him. Hermione looked down at the mask in his hand, the standard skull mask of a Death Eater. She shivered.

“Showtime, Granger,” he whispered.

“Wait,” she said, bringing her hand up. “You may need a bit of help convincing him to go with you.” She moved the sleeve of her sweater up and unclasped the delicate chain of the bracelet that Harry had given to her as a gift. She had put it on after she had gone on that broom ride with Harry. After her failed attempt to kiss him. She had gone upstairs to her room to cry for losing him, taking out the bracelet to wear as a last memento of their once wonderful love for each other.

She unclasped it and reached out for Draco's hand. “Be careful,” she whispered to him as she clasped it on his wrist. She looked up at him and found that he was looking down at her. They were standing very close together. They both looked away. Hermione looked over his shoulder at St. Mungo's in all its eerie stillness. She looked back up at Draco and saw that he was staring determinedly everywhere but her. She had chosen Harry over him. She became painfully and awkwardly aware of that. And yet, here she was, pinning all of her hopes on the person she rejected. Why couldn't she just let go of him? He gave in and looked back down at her just as she looked away. He was very aware of the fact that he was surrounded by Potty's people.

They stepped away from each other to diffuse a situation that they realized still had glowing embers. He contemplated the jewelry she had placed on him. It was a charm bracelet and he wondered what it meant to her. How it would get Potty to trust him? Did he give it to her? He lifted a small heart on the chain and read the inscription.

To Hermione

He flipped it over.

Love, Harry

Even though she was doing her best not to look at him after what he had done, he could still tell that she was blushing in the night air. Merlin, he loved her for that. He let go of the heart charm and placed the mask over his face. She suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Draco—“ She stopped.

He didn't look back at her. He didn't want her to see him with the mask on. She let go of him and he moved forward toward St. Mungo's.

~*~

“CRUCIO!!!!”

Harry cried out in pain as the curse reverberated throughout his body, setting his nerves on fire, feeling the breath leave his lungs, feeling as if every bone in his body was bending to the point of breaking. Bellatrix lifted the curse and Harry coughed as he fought for his breath.

“We can't just sit around and watch this,” Tonks hissed to McBride.

“We've got to find a way to get our wands back,” Jeff whispered.

The aurors fell silent and still as they caught the attention of Rodolphus LeStrange. He walked over to them, curious as to what all the whispering was about. Harry looked up and saw where the Death Eater had his interests at and he quickly floundered for a distraction.

“Are you ready to surrender?” Bellatrix asked. “Ready to kneel before the Dark Lord?”

“An action I'm sure you're very familiar with,” Harry spat out. “You know I'm surprised your husband is so tolerant of your…closeness with Voldemort.”

Rodolphus drew his attentions away from the aurors and back at Harry.

Bellatrix smirked at Harry before she lifted her wand again and delivered yet another Cruciatus curse. The pain was so great this time that Harry vomited. He cursed her name with a string of colorful adjectives that Mrs. Weasley would've greatly frowned upon.

“Potty hit a little too close to the mark there, Bellatrix?”

The Death Eaters whirled around, wands drawn as Draco leaned lazily against the doorframe.

“What are you doing here?” McNair asked.

Draco smirked and stepped forward. “And miss the torture of Harry Potter? No, I wouldn't miss this for the world.” He stopped at the mess before Harry and wrinkled his nose in disgust. “I see you had the roast beef for dinner,” he said lazily.

“Fuck off, Malfoy,” Harry spat. Draco shrugged.

“Peter told me what you were up to,” he said.

“Fucking rat,” Rodolphus hissed.

“I'm insulted that nobody thought to invite me to the party,” Draco frowned.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes and sighed. “There's a reason why, you incompetent fool! The Dark Lord doesn't think very highly of you right now since you have failed in your last mission.”

“This is the same Dark Lord who murdered your sister, right?” Draco turned to look at her. Bellatrix's face was impassive.

“Actually, I'm looking at her murderer right now, you righteous brat.”

“That's Righteous Death Eater Brat to you,” Draco shot back. “And to think I was willing to play nice and deliver Potter to the Dark Lord as a way of making up for that botched mission.”

Bellatrix snorted. “You?”

Draco walked over to Harry and picked his head up by his hair. “Do you honestly think Potty would just hand himself over to you like that?” he said softly.

“We have a way of…convincing him,” McNair's eyes roamed over the hostages.

“Despite what we all believe, Potty does have a brain up there in this thick skull of his.” He turned and looked over at McNair. “Unlike some of you.” He smirked. “He doesn't have the horcruxes. He knows that handing himself over would be like a death sentence.”

Draco made the mistake of turning away from Harry who took the opportunity to quickly move to his knees and knock his forehead with Draco's face when he snapped back around.

Draco cursed and grabbed his nose. Potty didn't break it but it still bled. “Son of a…”

Rodolphus had Harry under the Cruciatus again. Draco watched as he slowly got to his feet and waited for LeStrange to lift it. He wiped his face on the sleeve of his cloak and glared at Potter.

“Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” Harry gasped in pain. Draco thought he looked rather pathetic. The stink of his vomit was beginning to bother him so he cleaned it with a flick of his wand. He walked back over to Harry and knelt down in front of him. Harry glared at him and looked away.

“You'll never know, Potter…” he said softly, how much I envy you, how much I hate you right now because you have her loyalty. Her love. He raised his voice again. “To get to Potter, you can't always go through his…alleged Hero-Complex. You need to push just…the…right…buttons.” He pulled back his sleeve to reveal Hermione's bracelet to him.

Harry's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was the bracelet he had given Hermione. And it was ON THE FERRET'S WRIST!!!

“What the fuck?!” he exclaimed. “What did you do to her?”

Draco reached out and yanked Harry's head back. “Surrender to me and I'll take you to your precious Hermione,” he sneered.

Draco could see the conflict in his eyes and knew that Harry knew he was enjoying it, just a little bit. Harry turned away in disgust.

“Oh we're just wasting time!” Rodolphus said. “Bring me another hostage. That one,” he said pointing to one of the patients.

To Harry's horror he had chosen Frank…

“Longbottom,” Bellatrix grinned.

McNair was standing by the other patients, grinning.

“Just like old times,” Rodolphus said to Frank, clapping him on the back as if he was reuniting with an old friend. Frank just stared straight ahead, oblivious to what was going on around him.

Bellatrix sighed lazily. “You know the drill, `Dolphus. Although it has been awhile since we've been acquainted with the Longbottoms.”

“Leave him alone!!” Harry said fiercely.

Draco grabbed a handful of Harry's hair. “Shut up!” he said fiercely.

Harry heard Rodolphus laughing fiercely. He watched as Rodolphus made Frank Longbottom kneel then step back. “What? No loud protests?” the Death Eater laughed. “No pleading for your wife's safety or the safety of your baby boy?”

“You Son of a Bitch!” Harry screamed.

“Surrender,” Draco said to him in a fierce whisper. “Surrender to me and I'll take you to Hermione.”

Harry looked up at Draco then over at Frank. Bellatrix had her eyes greedily on Frank Longbottom as her husband slowly pointed his wand at him. He could hear Rodolphus laughing along with the other Death Eaters who were egging him on. He didn't know what would happen to Mr. Longbottom if he were hit again with the Cruciatus curse. Would he die? Would it turn his condition even worse?

“Potter!” Draco hissed. “I'll take you to Hermione.”

Harry was tired and he just wanted this to end. If Draco was telling the truth, he could see Hermione just one last time….

“I surrender.”

It was barely a whisper and Draco had nearly missed it. But several things happened at once. Alice Longbottom had attacked Rodolphus, bringing the Death Eaters attention to her and off of her husband. Taking advantage of the distraction, the aurors rushed the Death Eaters who were caught unawares, except one.

Draco looked up and saw Professor Tonks headed his way. He grabbed Harry and reached into his pocket for the portkey. Harry felt a familiar tugging sensation and he heard Tonks scream, “NOOOO!!!”
*

Hermione shivered in the night air. She was waiting, standing next to Neville, Ron and the twins who had joined the Order when summoned. Days had passed. Or at least it felt like it. It felt so helpless to be standing around waiting for anything to happen. There were wails and shouts coming from the crowd, directed at the Aurors who kept them at bay, demanding to know the status of their loved ones trapped inside the building.

She felt as if she were about to burst with impatience when Moody suddenly shouted, “IT'S DOWN!! IT'S DOWN!”

There was a swell of aurors and ministry officials swarming the building. She heard shouts, from the crowd demanding to know what was going on, from the aurors shouting directions.

“He's okay,” she heard an auror shout. There was a swell in the crowd before her…

…and then she saw him.

Harry was clinging to Malfoy. He was pale and sweaty. “HARRY!!” she screamed and Ron and Neville stepped forward. She launched herself into the crowd that surrounded him and felt him wrap his arms around her, his weight nearly crushing her as he collapsed. A camera flash went off and there was shouting all around her but she still clung to him.

“Take him to Hogwarts!” she heard Kingsley shout. “Take all the injured to Hogwarts.”

~*~

“Hermione?” His voice was barely a whisper. Was he dreaming? He slowly opened his eyes and saw her blurry outline.

“Shh. Just rest now, Harry,” she replied softly.

Where was he? He didn't know. He just wanted to sleep and keep dreaming about Hermione. So, he closed his eyes.

She was halfway sitting on the bed, holding onto his hand. There were cuts and bruises on his face and body, a result of the torture they must have put him through. She squeezed his hand gently.

“You're serious? You're absolutely saw it?” she heard Neville ask from across the room. His mother was in the hospital bed, a sleeping potion was given to her as she recovered from her wounds from a Death Eater attack. An attack that, according to Tonks, Mrs. Longbottom had instigated.

“She attacked the Death Eater when your father was about to be hexed,” Tonks reaffirmed.

Neville brought both hands up, interlocked his fingers and set them at the back of his head. He slowly exhaled. “I can't believe this,” he said softly. Hermione didn't know whether he was saying it in disbelief or a statement of self-preservation. She wouldn't blame him for the latter.

She turned back to Harry and watched him rest. The cuts and bruises would heal and he would be out of there by this evening.

“There you go Mr. Malfoy,” she heard Pomfrey announce. “Right as rain.” The mediwitch had fixed his bleeding nose. She extracted her hand from Harry's and padded softly after the Slytherin.

“Draco!” she whispered out in the corridor. He stopped and turned around. “Are you going to be alright?”

He touched a hand to the bridge of his nose. “It was nothing. I just had to wait my turn while she finished with…others.”

Hermione nodded and let the silence between them lengthen. “Thank you.”

To Hermione's surprise, he winced. “Don't,” he said.

Hermione frowned. “It was a very brave thing you did. You deserve some credit.”

He looked at her. “I didn't do it out of bravery or to get praised.”

Another silence fell between them.

“Here,” he said, walking up to her. He reached out and took her hand, turning her palms up as he placed Harry's bracelet in her hand, returning it to her. He closed her fingers around it, hesitated a moment…then turned away.

Hermione didn't know what to say. Maybe not saying anything was best. She looked once more at Draco then returned to the hospital wing. As the door closed, he saw Hermione return to Potty's bedside. The papers tomorrow would tout the Gryffindor as a hero once more, even though most of the Death Eaters escaped, Potty would be credited with saving the lives of so many others. Maybe he did deserve some credit for holding out for so long, hell, he really doubted the git would've given in. That Gryffindor bravery was a foolhardy thing. But right now, he was really hating that fact that he had to swallow the classic moral that the hero always gets the girl.

You've got your dumb friends

I know what they say

They tell you I'm difficult

But so are they

But they don't know me

Do they even know you?

All the things you hide from me

All the shit that you do

You were all the things I thought I knew

And I thought we could be

You were everything, everything that I wanted

We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it

And all of the memories, so close to me, just fade away

All this time you were pretending

So much for my happy ending

(My Happy Ending—Avril Lavign)

-->

42. Awakening

A/N: Is there anyone out there still reading this? Well, if you are, here's another lovely chapter.

Awakening

There is freedom within, there is freedom without

Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup

There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost

But you'll never see the end of the road

While you're traveling with me

Hey now, hey now

Don't dream it's over

Hey now, hey now

When the world comes in

They come, they come

To build a wall between us

We know they won't win

(Don't Dream It's Over—Crowded House)

~*~

Harry opened his eyes.

The hospital wing was lit with the sconces on the wall and the windows were dark. How long had he been asleep? There were some whispers and hushed voices and he could see he wasn't alone. Some of the beds were occupied with people huddled around them speaking in hushed tones out of respect for the other occupants in the room. He felt a little sore and tender but most of all…hungry. The fact that he was once again under the roof of Hogwarts instead of in the clutches of Voldemort and his Death Eaters for one more day, filled him with such a sense of relief.

“You're awake,” said the most beautiful voice in the world. His green eyes met hers. She was sitting in a chair next to his bed, Ron was with her. He gave them both a small grin and moved to sit up. Hermione immediately stopped him, getting out of her chair and putting her hand on his chest, gently pressing him back down on the bed. He welcomed the contact and could feel the warmth of her hand through the shirt he was wearing. “Let Madame Pomfrey look over you.”

“I'm fine,” he replied but he still didn't get up. Hermione removed her hand but still remained standing. Ron stood next to her.

“Good to see you mate,” he grinned. Harry gave him a small lopsided smile in return. Yes, it was good to see his friends. It seemed like he had woken up from a nightmare, a very realistic nightmare in which he was tortured and people were killed. The haunted look in his eyes didn't go unnoticed by Hermione. She was looking down at him with tear filled eyes and she began to tremble. She had nearly collapsed on his bed, nearly suffocating him with her bushy brown hair.

“You're alive. You're alive! I thought….I…was…you…” She became so worked up that he couldn't understand her choked sentence. He didn't really need to, he was getting the message the way she was squeezing the life out of him. She let go of him and abruptly turned and walked a few steps away. Ron went with her and he could see his friend put a hand on her shoulder as she had one hand on her hip, the other hand on her mouth. He whispered something to her and she shook her head, wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. When she turned back around, she was remarkably composed, the only hint of her emotional outbreak were her slightly red eyes.

“There's…there's something important we have to tell you,” she said. Harry winced inwardly. A statement like that was rarely followed with good news, like Voldemort had accidentally destroyed himself in a freak accident with a chicken or something along those lines. She looked back at Ron then back at him. “Nagini is in the castle.”

Sometimes, you hear things and you're so shocked and surprised by the statement that you actually question what you had heard. Your body seems to slow the connection of what you hear to how it's processed in the brain. Maybe this is done for self-preservation so that one doesn't spontaneously combust upon receiving such news.

“Er…huh?” Harry thought he had heard her say that Nagini, deadly and dangerous snake of his most hated enemy, was slithering around Hogwarts. But, he was sure he heard wrong.

Hermione leaned in closer. “Nagini is in the castle.”

Fuck.

No, he heard right the first time. He wasn't sure what the look on his face looked like but his friends looked as if they had stopped breathing. In fact, they were holding their breaths. And Ron was looking a bit frightened.

“Are you sure?” he asked. The words sounded so stupid but he was still in some sort of state of denial. Maybe Hermione had her…um…snakes crossed?

“Isis told me…”

“Isis?”

“…and then Peter confirmed it.” Hermione looked at him then backtracked. “She used the flashcards that Hagrid has been using on Grawp. She kept motioning to the snake…”

“That doesn't mean that Nagini is here,” Harry retorted. “There have got to be a lot of snakes in Hogwarts.” Right? His argument was weak, he knew it, Hermione and Ron knew it.

“Er…” Ron was at a loss for words.

“Well…” Evidently, so was Hermione.

“This is ridiculous,” Harry muttered as he threw off his covers and got up out of the bed. Hermione reached out to stop him.

“Um, maybe you should wait until…”

Her words died when she saw how determined he was. Harry pulled on his t-shirt, wincing at the pain of his tender ribcage. He grabbed his wand from the table next to the bed and with a flick of his wrist, tied his shoes.

“Harry, listen…” Ron stepped forward to say something but Harry brushed past him. There was only one person he wanted to see and even he was untrustworthy. Talking to Pettigrew wasn't high on his happy-to-do list.

He only paused a moment when he walked past Alice Longbottom's bed. He remembered how she stepped forward and attacked the Death Eater in front of her while her husband was being threatened with another hit of the Cruciatus. He remembered the faint look of awareness in her eyes. What had happened to her?

She was resting peacefully, asleep and being carefully watched over by Madame Pomfrey and McGonagall. Harry wondered where Neville was.

“He hasn't been to see her since,” Hermione said quietly, reading his thoughts. Harry continued, silently, on his way with Hermione and Ron in tow.

*

“Where is he?” Harry demanded when he walked into the darkened dungeons. The aurors on guard backed away from him as he approached the cell where Peter was being kept. The look of shock on the rat's face was not hidden at all as he scurried away to the corner.

“Is it true?” Harry demanded.

Peter sat on the bed, squeezing himself into the corner as he brought his knees to his chest. His beady and watery eyes fell over Harry's shoulder to Hermione.

“So the traitor did it, huh?” Peter sneered. “He'll pay. He'll pay.” Peter grinned maniacally as he rocked back and forth.

Harry stepped forward and wrapped his hands around the bars. “You're one to talk about traitors, aren't you Peter?” he asked in a quiet voice of authority. Peter only shrank further in the corner and looked away from Harry. The younger Gryffindor let go of the bars. “Can't stand to look at me can you?” Peter stared at the wall next to him. “I look too much like my father don't I? A conscious is a terrible thing for a Death Eater to have,” Harry tutted. He began to pace in front of the cell. “Is Nagini here?” he asked.

“How the hell would I know?” Peter sulked back.

Harry stared at him. “Hmm, so much for your loyalty,” he shrugged. “After all you've done for him, he still sends someone over to watch you, to make sure you don't muck up what you were supposed to do.”

“I don't need anyone watching over me. I'm one of his most trusted Death Eaters,” Peter announced defiantly.

“Oh, of course you are. Which is why it must sting that he sends someone else along with you. You didn't know did you?” Harry sighed. “And after all you've done for him.”

Harry had had enough of the pathetic little man. He moved away from the cell and walked down the corridor, his two friends in tow. He could hear Peter yelling out after him, screaming that he was the most loyal Death Eater of all. Denial was an easy and bitter pill to swallow.

He would know.

He had been living in it for quite some time. He was in denial that he was The Boy Who Lived, that the prophecy really had him in it,that his life and the lives of those around him were in constant mortal peril. Now more than ever. He had always acknowledged this on some level but now it was thrust into his face, the rose colored glasses had been taken off.

He was nearly in the clutches of Voldemort. He had been tortured. He had been humiliated. He had seen people murdered just because of his will to survive. He thought of the young nurse who had defiantly told him no, not to give in. She would rather give her life than see him give in to the most evil wizard he had ever known.

“So…what do we do now?”

Harry stared at Ron. His question broke him out of his thoughts. The three of them were in the Gryffindor common room. How did they get here? Was he so lost in his thoughts that he had paid no mind to where he was going, what he was doing? It was all too much to take in and he felt as if he needed a moment to gather his thoughts.

“I just…I just want to rest,” he said softly as he dragged himself up the stairs. Thankfully, Hermione and Ron didn't follow.

Even more thankful, the dormitory was empty. “Harry!” Isis hissed as he approached his bed where she was curled. He gave her a small smile.

“Isis. Feeling better?” he asked as he reached out for her. She slid up his arm, curling around the appendage and giving him a gentle squeeze.

“Your friend…Hagrid…wasss wonderful. I'm not sure about the other one though. He ssseemsss to be a little rough around the edgesss.” Harry gave a soft snort of laughter. Isis' tone became somber. “Did your Hermione tell you?”

Harry sighed and removed the snake from his arm and set her back down on his bed. He kneeled down in front of his trunk and lifted the lid. Isis slid over the top of it.

“I'm glad you are okay,” she hissed. “I wasss ssso worried. I wasssn't sssure Hermione'sss plan would work and—“

Harry slammed the lid of the trunk and Isis immediately recoiled. “It did,” he said in a terse voice.

Isis peered at him. “Harry…she wasss desssperate. She had to do sssomething.” Isis paused. “What do you think you're doing?” she asked as she eyed the map and his invisibility cloak.

“I'm going out,” he replied.

Isis flared and hissed at him. “Harry, that sssnake is dangerousss!” Harry threw on his cloak and walked out of the door.

~*~

“We'll just give him some time,” Ron murmured as he stabbed at his tart. He was lost in his own conversation, staring straight ahead even though Hermione was sitting right next to him. She sighed and put her spoon down, pushing her bowl of pudding away from her. She didn't really feel like eating.

“I suppose you're right,” she sighed. “This all must be a nasty shock to him. I just don't want him doing anything he will regret later.”

The food began to disappear from the table and people began to get up to return to their common rooms. The volume in the Great Hall rose considerably as the air filled with the chatter of the students, a busy drone of conversation that sounded like a hive of bees.

Hermione paused outside of the doors in the foyer. “You're going to find him, aren't you?” Ron asked her. Hermione's guilty look said it all. Ron sighed. “Just be careful alright? There's a big ugly snake on the loose in here.” He turned and walked away from her to find his girlfriend to escort to her common room.

Hermione went the other way, strolling through the halls of Hogwarts, on her guard and more than a little thankful that she wasn't alone walking through the halls as she passed her fellow schoolmates.

She found who she was looking for in the Astronomy tower, sitting out there by himself as if he were the loneliest person on the planet. She made her way through the amorous couples, careful not to disturb their trysts in the dark shadows.

“Hello,” she said to him as she approached. Neville looked over at her, his brown eyes met hers before he stuffed his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

“Ginny send you?” he asked.

“No,” Hermione replied. “I came looking for you because I was worried about you.”

“Don't be,” he shrugged. “I'm fine.”
Silence fell between them and Hermione stepped forward and leaned back against the wall next to him. The moon cast a pale light on the balcony of the astronomy tower creating long shadows in the corners.

“You haven't been to see your mum since they brought her in,” she said softly. Neville turned and looked at her then looked away. “I mean, I think you should—“

“Hermione,” Neville cut her off then he hung his head and sighed. “Just drop it okay?”

But she wouldn't drop it. She couldn't. Her friend was in pain and she wanted to help somehow. But she didn't know how and she found herself floundering for something to say that would make it all better.

Neville leaned back against the same wall she was resting on and slid down to sit on the floor. Hermione joined him.

*

“Sorry Sonny,” the gargoyle cackled in Harry's face. “But I can't let you in without the password.”

“Look, I'm not here to see McGonagall—“ The gargoyle fluttered excitedly and hopped up and down on its perch. “Sorry, er, Professor McGonagall,” Harry corrected himself. “I need to speak with one of the portraits.”

“And where is said portrait?” the gargoyle asked.

Harry sighed. “In the Headmistress' office,” he answered.

“And to get into the office?” the gargoyle grinned.

“I need a password.”

The gargoyle hopped up and down on its perch again. “Oh, he can be taught!” it said with glee. “So…again, go ahead and try some more.”

“I've already tried a billion words and I'm sick and tired of guessing! Now, LET ME IN!!”

“Let me in? Hmm, nope that's not it either,” the gargoyle grinned. Harry glared at it. “Do you need a hint?” it asked.

“You're going to give me a hint?” Harry asked, unsure.

“No!” The gargoyle flipped on its back on the pedestal and began to roll back and forth upon it. “Oh, you should've seen your face!”

Harry was finished being patient and he drew his wand. “Alright you overgrown, ugly bat, let me in or I'll make sure Peeves spends the rest of his days stuffing chewing gum into your eye sockets.”

The gargoyle stopped laughing and looked up at him. “Who are you calling ugly?”

Okay, that was it. His patience was definitely gone and he threw down his wand and wrapped his bare hands around the stony little throat of the gargoyle. “Listen to me you useless piece of rock…”

“MR. POTTER!”

The sound of McGonagall's voice made him jump back from the offending statue with his hands innocently behind his back.

“What on earth do you think you're doing?!” she asked him with wide eyes. Where she came from, he didn't know but it was now obvious to him that she wasn't in her office to begin with.

The gargoyle began to speak up but Harry slapped his hand over its mouth and draped an arm over its shoulders. “Just chatting,” he said casually. He felt a small sting on his finger and realized with amazement that the gargoyle had somehow nicked him.

McGonagall appraised the teen who stood before her with a big, false grin on his face. Puh-lease. She survived the Weasley's, she knew when a student was up to no good and trouble seemed to follow Harry Potter like his very own shadow.

“Well, I am pleased to see that you are out of the hospital wing…again,” she nodded at him. “How are you feeling Mr. Potter?”

Harry glared at the gargoyle as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He looked up at the Headmistress. “Do you think we could…” He nodded his head in the direction of her office.

“Of course,” she said and stepped forward.

It was still weird to walk into the office that had once been occupied by Dumbledore. Many of the old headmaster's odd and ends and little knick-knacks were still cluttered around the room. It brought back bittersweet memories of the times he had been in this place, to seek answers, to give answers, to be reprimanded lightly for breaking various school rules. It was in this very room that Dumbledore had told him of his fate, his destiny the night he had lost his godfather.

Harry swallowed loudly to squash that painful memory.

“I've been changing the passwords frequently,” McGonagall was saying and Harry forced his attention to her. She walked around the desk and sat down in the high backed chair. “What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?” she asked.

Harry's eyes flickered to Dumbledore's portrait. The former Headmaster was gazing at him with kind eyes. He scratched the back of his head, unsure of where to start.

“I am glad you are okay,” McGonagall said sincerely. “When Miss Granger and Kingsley Shacklebolt told us of—“

“Nagini is in the castle,” Harry blurted out.

McGonagall lifted an eyebrow and Dumbledore frowned thoughtfully. Maybe he shouldn't have just played it out like that but tact was never really his strong point.

“What did you say?” McGonagall said breathlessly, her hand had fluttered to her chest.

Harry looked her square in the eye. “Nagini is in the castle,” he repeated. He glanced up at Dumbledore then back at the Headmistress. For once, she didn't seem to have anything to say. Her lips were pursed together but her brow was furrowed with worry.

“You must call a meeting with the Order,” Dumbledore said gravely.

“That's one of the reasons I'm here,” Harry replied. “I have no way of tracking her without…” Harry trailed off, unable to finish what he was about to say. Unable to track Nagini without opening his mind to Voldemort, letting him in so he could see through the eyes of the snake like he had accidentally and unwittingly done in his fifth year when the snake had attacked Mr. Weasley.

“You do not track the snake,” McGonagall said stiffly. “Leave this to the Order.”

Harry stared at her. “I am perfectly capable and willing to lead this hunt.”

“Absolutely not,” she said, keeping her ground. “And I am seriously considering that you leave the castle.”

“What?!” he blurted out at her before looking up at Dumbledore. He was frowning in thought at McGonagall's words.

Harry looked at her in betrayal and disgust. “How could you do this?” he accused.

“Mr. Potter, I am the Headmistress of this school and it is within my rights to have you removed,” she said with authority.

“I am more than capable of defending myself. I need to be here.” He had to find a way to find Nagini and kill her, destroying the horcrux in the process. This was his chance that he had been waiting for.

“There are more important things at stake here,” McGonagall said firmly. “We had nearly lost you at St. Mungo's and I, personally, am in no hurry to send our only hope of defeating Voldemort down the drain.”

“I'm not leaving,” Harry stubbornly replied.

“You don't have a choice.”

“If I may, Minerva,” Dumbledore interrupted, “I shall have a word with Mr. Potter.”

Harry could see her nostrils were flaring and her lips seemed even tighter at her mouth. “Fine,” she replied shortly, before leaving the office.

Harry watched the heavy wooden door close before slowly bringing his eyes back to the portrait of his favorite Headmaster. He was looking down at him, peering at him over his half-moon glasses for what seemed like forever before he finally spoke.

“She has a fair point, Harry,” he said softly then he gave a weary sigh that was so reminiscent of his final days. “But, then again, I understand why you must stay. I believe we are, what the muggles would say, between a rock and a hard place.”

Harry stepped closer to the portrait. “We aren't going to get this chance again.”

“I know.”

“I'm not leaving,” Harry repeated, firmly.

Dumbledore looked at him again for what seemed like a long time before speaking again. “I heard about what happened in St. Mungo's,” he said. Harry dropped his head and looked away. “This war is getting more and more dangerous. We were so close to losing you…and our last chance of defeating Tom.” Harry didn't say anything. The memories of his torture were too raw to bring forth. Dumbledore changed the subject.

“There was an overly excited gargoyle at the entrance to the staircase that was having too much fun with a young man who wanted to speak with me,” he said with the hint of a smile.

Harry took a few steps forward to the chair in front of the Headmistresses desk and placed his hands on the back of it as he peered up at the portrait.

“What was it like when you died?” he asked.

He knew he had thrown the former Headmaster for a serious loop when he saw the look of surprise register on his face.

“Harry, I…”

“Was it painful? Was it like how the muggles say with the bright light and the loved ones there to greet you type of thing?”

Dumbledore peered down at him. “It is something you don't need to worry about for quite some time.”

Harry stared off in space. “I honestly don't think I'm going to survive this war.” Then he quickly added, “I mean, I'm determined to defeat him. To put an end to his terror but…” He looked back up at Dumbledore. “I want to live, so badly. But at the same time, I'm not afraid to die.”

The look on the Headmaster's face was one of resignation and sadness as if he, too, had known this possibility and was now actually having to confront it.

“That alone gives you such an advantage over Tom Riddle.”

Harry looked down at his fingers splayed on the back of the chair. His ribs were beginning to ache again and he supposed he was going to have to make a trip to the hospital wing to pick up some more potion to ease the pain.

“The Order is heading up the stairs,” Dumbledore said quietly and Harry moved to open the door for them. But as he looked back one more time at his former Headmaster, he wondered if it was at all possible for a portrait to age rapidly, its subject to seem withdrawn and defeated.

~*~

“I'm afraid to get attached,” Neville said quietly. Hermione looked over at him with sympathy. They had been quiet for some time, she let him mull over his thoughts in the silence, letting him be ready to open up to her. “I mean…it's all so surreal. It's like I don't really believe she's there.”

Hermione placed a gentle hand on his arm. “But she is,” she whispered to him.

“I can't even afford to hope for this possibility.”

Hermione didn't know what to say to this. She wasn't in his shoes, she didn't know how he felt. But she did know what it was like to lay everything on the tiniest and most fragile sliver of hope.

“Hope is never a bad thing,” she smiled softly at him.

Hermione sat with him until he decided it was time for him to get up and leave. Together they walked through the quiet halls of Hogwarts, ever alert for the sign of Filch and Mrs. Norris. They had their luck with them up until they arrived on the landing of the fourth floor.

“Shh,” Neville whispered and tugged Hermione back into the shadows with him. Hermione's ears strained in the silence for a swish of a tail, a staggered footfall but nothing came. The silence was deafening.

“What was it?” Hermione asked, stuffing the mild alarm deep down. Please don't let it be Nagini.

“I thought I heard something,” Neville whispered. They waited a few moments more until Neville relaxed and stepped out into the landing. Hermione followed him. “I think this castle is getting to my nerves,” he exhaled sharply.

“It's not the safest place anymore,” Hermione replied with a hint of sadness.

“Especially when you're out wandering at night.”

Neville and Hermione jumped at the sound of Harry's voice and whirled around to face him as he stepped out of the shadows.

“Harry, you nearly scared me to death!” Hermione scolded. Harry quirked an eyebrow at her, the trace of a grin formed on his lips. She felt herself lightly blush.

“I know how to defend myself!” Neville replied, slightly affronted. Harry's grin turned into a slight smirk before he laughed at his friend.

“Heading back to the common room?” he asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the vial of potion Madame Pomfrey had given him earlier.

“Yeah, it's been a long night,” Neville sighed.

“Tell me about it.” Harry grimaced at the taste of the pain-killing potion.

Hermione looked up at him in concern. “Are you still hurting?” she asked.

“A bit,” he replied honestly.

“Maybe you should stay one more night so Madame Pomfrey can watch over you.”

“I'm fine, Hermione,” he insisted.

She pursed her lips. “What is it with you two and the avoidance of the Hospital Wing.”

Harry heard her and quickly looked to Neville in his peripheral. “We all have our reasons, Hermione.”

His tone had a hint of warning in it, telling her to drop the subject. She got the hint and didn't say anything more until she gave the password to the common room.

There was a spattering of students still up, most of them fifth years who were panicking about their O.W.L.S. She remembered how once upon a time, she had pestered and bothered Harry and Ron to study, study, study. As if all their futures had depended on the outcome of those stupid tests. It all seemed so trivial now.

“I'll catch you guys later,” Neville said, breaking through Hermione's thoughts and she turned to see him walk up the stairs.

“He'll be alright Hermione,” Harry said next to her.

“I just thought he should see his mother while he still has the chance to,” she sighed.

“He will. When he's ready. This is huge. A lot to take in right now. Honestly, if roles were reversed, I think I would react the same way.” Hermione seemed doubtful and troubled but she nodded anyway.

“Where were you this evening?” she asked.

Harry picked at a notch in the stone banister of the stairs. His voice dropped to a whisper. “I told the Order about Nagini.”

She exhaled. “And?”

“Remus is leading the first search.”

Hermione's stare bored into him. “I want your Map,” she said.

Harry had the nerve to look amused. “Nagini doesn't show up on the thing,” he replied.

“Then give me your invisibility cloak instead.”

“I'm not going anywhere Hermione, I promise.”

“Do you really think after all this time I would believe that?” she said as she cocked her head.

Harry grinned and stepped toward her. He reached out and playfully tapped her on the nose. “Clever witch,” he said.

“You can stop trying to charm me, I'm immune to it.”

Harry stepped dangerously close to her, his nose nearly touching hers and sending her heart racing at a dangerous pace. “Shame,” he whispered then leaned forward to kiss her lips.

The kiss was soft and tentative. His lips were warm against hers. Her breath seemed to be caught in her throat. And then, just before she could part her lips underneath his to deepen the kiss…he pulled away.

“Good night, Hermione,” he whispered and then walked up the stairs.

~*~

She didn't get much sleep that night and she wasn't alone. While she tossed and turned in her bed, worrying that Harry would sneak out of the tower and search for Nagini, Draco Malfoy was wondering how to keep the snake as far away from him as possible. There was only one way to do that and it was to get rid of the horcrux. His time here on this earth was ticking away very quickly which each passing day. If Nagini were ever to discover that he had it all this time…well, Draco could only wish for the AK. Hmpf, fucker would probably send his father over to do the job. And it would be a long and tortuous one too.

Of course, he could also turn the horcrux over to Scarhead and hope, pray and beg that somehow the nitwit would manage to inflict some sort of damage on the Dark Lord. Preferably a mortal wound.

“You look tired.”

He looked over at Hermione who sat next to him in class. She had whispered it him as she scribbled notes on her paper. He looked at her tired eyes, the circles under them and the way she would stifle a yawn every now and then.

“You don't look so bright-eyed and bushy tailed either,” he muttered back. “Potter keep you up all night?” The bitter words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them and Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, her lips ready to deliver a verbal lashing. In succeeding on pushing her buttons, he was pouring salt into his own wounds. “Never mind,” he added quickly. “I really don't want to know,” he snarled.

“I was just asking,” she hissed.

He opened his mouth to reply put Professor Smith stopped in front of their table. “Something you would like to share with the class?” she asked, a perfectly shaped eyebrow arched. The two of them remained silent. “Good. Then I expect no more disruptions from this table.” She walked away and continued on with her lecture.

Hermione picked up her quill and began to scribble away while Draco folded his arms and placed them on the table, resting his chin on them. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle with the sensation that someone was watching him. He turned and glanced back, his grey eyes meeting Potter's green ones.

“What?” he mouthed, annoyed that he couldn't read the look the arsehole's face. Potter didn't answer him back, just peered at him for a few moments more before moving his gaze back to the front of the class. Irritated, tired and annoyed, Draco turned back around.

~*~

“We should hit the dungeons tonight,” Neville whispered. “We can start on the east side.”

“Remus, Fred and George searched it already,” Ron replied. “No one's searched the third floor yet.”

“Professors Tonks and McGonagall are searching it as we speak.” Hermione paused to yawn. “I say we do the fourth floor.”

Harry watched her, noting the tired look on her face. He knew she didn't get much sleep last night by the look on her face in the morning. “Maybe the greenhouse?” he offered. “It's warm in there. Isis likes to go in there once in awhile.”

“Luna and I already searched it,” Ron replied. Harry raised an eyebrow and his friend flushed red. “We did,” he insisted as he sank in his chair.

Hermione leaned forward on the table, resting her elbow on it so she could prop her head with her hand. She gave Harry a mischievous look and he smirked in return.

He moved his gaze from her and back to the others at the table. “I say we go with Hermione's idea and search the fourth floor.”

Hermione couldn't help the twinge of disappointment she felt when Harry paired himself off with Neville. Not that she didn't mind Ron's company, sort of, things were a bit strained between them. In fact, she felt as if things were strained between her and Harry as well. She felt adrift in the trio's friendship as if she had no idea where she stood in the thick of things.

The two of them were going along the walls, illuminating any dark spaces, using a charm Harry had taught them so they could see through the walls at the pipes hidden within. Thankfully, or not, they had no sign of the evil snake. She looked up over at the direction Harry and Neville had went then back at Ron, who was on his knees trying to get a better look along the baseboards.

“Ron,” she whispered his name. He stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. “I'm sorry.” He sighed softly then stood up dusting his knees off. “I've really mucked things up between us and…”

“Things began to get weird between all three of us long ago, Hermione,” he said quietly, the trace of a pained look flickered across his face. She thought of the feelings she began to harbor for their raven-haired friend when she was with Ron in their fledgling relationship. Feelings that culminated in the ultimate betrayal in their friendship, even if she and Ron had broken up, the wounds had not completely healed.

He ran a hand through his hair. “Listen…,” he paused a moment, thinking things through. “I'm sorry, too.” Even though the apology was sincere, Hermione could tell that he had changed direction. Whatever he was going to say, he decided to keep to himself. “I'm sorry that I left your side in Diagon Alley. I beat myself up for that everyday. No matter how angry I was with you, I never should have left your side.”

“Your anger was understandable,” she said softly.

“I can't budge on that and don't ask me to.” Ron frowned and looked away. “Malfoy may have pulled Harry out of that building,” he said as he knelt back down. “But a Kerfunkle doesn't change its spots.”

Hermione wrinkled her brow quizzically. Despite thinking that Ron was spending entirely way too much time with Luna Lovegood, the message came through quite clearly.

*

Neville had walked a few steps before he realized that Harry was no longer at his side. He looked back to see his friend distracted by something down a corridor.

“Harry?” he asked as he walked back to him.

Harry looked over at him. “I'll be right back,” he said.

Neville looked where Harry was and saw Malfoy standing alone in one of the balcony alcoves.

“Harry don't,” he said, reaching for his friend. Harry shrugged him off and continued forward. Neville stood there for a moment, vacillating between retrieving Harry or going back to get Hermione and Ron.

He went with the latter.

Draco heard movement behind him and he whirled around wand drawn to see Potter standing in front of him, wand drawn as well.

“A bit jumpy aren't we?” Harry asked.

Draco glared at him but lowered his wand just the same. Harry followed suit. “Was there something you wanted?” he asked irritated.

Harry took in his nemesis' appearance. Malfoy's once impeccable robes had a few wrinkles in them as if they had been slept in. And there were dark circles under his eyes, just like Hermione's.

“Sleep much?” Harry asked casually.

Draco's eyes narrowed and he turned away. “If you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone.”

Harry took a few steps closer. “You know, there are going to be repercussions for what you did…from both sides.”

“You think I didn't know that?”

“And yet you still did it.”

“I didn't do it out of the goodness of my heart if that's what you're trying to get at,” Draco sneered at him.

Harry swooped upon him. “I know exactly why you did it,” he hissed at him.

“And it must kill you,” Draco smirked, “to know that she turned to me to save your arse.”

“Not as much as it kills you,” Harry replied.

“Harry.”

He and Draco looked up turned toward Neville's voice to see that he was not alone. Hermione and Ron were standing next to him and Ron had his wand out.

“What are you doing up here all alone?” Ron demanded.

Draco grinned and spread out his arms wide. “Is it a crime to enjoy the night air?” he asked, innocently.

“In your case…yes,” Ron replied. “Get out of here, Malfoy.”

“I was just leaving anyway,” he rolled his eyes. “The company is a bit trashy.” He walked past the group, pausing briefly by Hermione before continuing on his way. She didn't look at him, her disapproving gaze was on Harry.

“Come on mate,” Ron motioned with a nod of his head. “Let's get out of here.”

“We'll catch up with you later,” Harry said, looking at Hermione.

Neville and Ron looked at each other unsure of what to do until Ron just shrugged and walked away. Neville followed suit leaving Harry and Hermione alone.

She stepped forward, rubbing her arms to keep warm from the coolness in the air. “You know, I wish you two would just stop and leave each other alone. He knows how to push your buttons, Harry.”

“Evidently, he knows how to push yours as well.” His tone wasn't mean but it was far from playful. He turned away from her and put both of his hands on the rail, bracing his weight. “Do you know what it's like knowing that the guy who saved your arse is one of your worst enemies? I mean, Merlin, the feeling I got in my gut when I saw your bracelet, the very one I gave you, on his wrist. His wrist, Hermione.”

“If you're asking for an apology, you're not getting one. I did what I had to do to save your life. You would've done the same Harry.” She leaned back against the rail that Harry was leaning against. He hung his head and sighed. “War makes strange bedfellows,” she said quietly. Harry looked up at her and frowned. “Sorry,” she quickly corrected, “wrong terminology.”

He moved away from the rail and stood in front of her. “I need to know, Hermione,” he began. “Call me insecure, maybe that's what I am but…I need to know that it's me.”

Hermione looked up at the desperate and pleading look in those green eyes that she so loved. “Of course it's you. It's always been you.”

“No more secrets. No more lies,” he said softly as he reached out and grabbed her hand.

“No more games,” she replied as she slid a hand over his shoulder. His other hand moved to the small of her back pressing her gently but firmly against him as he leaned down.

“I need to know that it's me in your heart,” he whispered against her lips. Her “yes” was nearly lost in the kiss as his lips met hers. They were a little chapped but his tongue was a warm and welcome intrusion as he tentatively explored her mouth.

She had reached up to caress the back of his neck when she heard it. A very faint, very slight rustling sound. Harry had heard it as well because he became very still, slowly breaking the kiss. Hermione looked into his eyes for confirmation that she wasn't hearing things. They weren't alone in this area. Harry slowly slid his hand down her back to her hip and then to her wand in her pocket. In a quick movement, he drew her wand and turned around, placing her behind him.

“Oh my God!” Hermione nearly shrieked when she saw the gigantic snake dart across the ledge by the ceiling. Harry blasted the ledge but it wasn't his wand and it didn't nearly do the damage that he wanted it to do.

“Your wand, Harry!” Hermione shouted. “Use your wand!”

Harry drew his and tossed Hermione's back to her as the two of them darted after the serpent. She could hear the footfalls of Ron and Neville behind them as they caught up to them.

“Damn it!” Harry cursed as the snake darted in another direction just as Harry tried to blast it. Nagini flicked her tail at the knight's armor in the hallway.

“Harry!” Hermione shouted as she reached out and yanked him away just in time before the armor went clattering to the floor, missing him.

“No, no, no!” Harry moaned as he scrambled over the metal. Nagini was sliding into a drain. “The pipes! The pipes damn it!” He loomed over it on his knees slamming his hand on the ground in frustration.

~*~

POTTER A HERO ONCE AGAIN IN DEATH EATER ATTACK

MINISTER STANDS BY AND DOES NOTHING

Scrimgeour tossed the paper angrily at Percy Weasley. “He's making a fool out of me!!” he shouted. Percy adjusted his glasses on his nose and straightened his composure only to have the minister grab the front of his robes in his fists.

“I want his head on a platter, do you hear me?!!!” he spluttered, his nose nearly touching Percy's. The minister let go of him and he fell in a useless heap into a chair.

“Sir, I—“

“SHUT UP UNLESS YOU HAVE SOMETHING HELPFUL TO SAY!!” the Minister snarled at him.

“Ahem,” came a tiny voice from the corner of the room. Delores Umbridge folded a copy of the paper and set it neatly on the table in front of her. A fat sausage finger with a painted pink tip tapped the headline. “It is interesting to me that no one, not even our aurors could get in or out of the building but Potter walks out with another student. A student rumored to be a Death Eater.”

“It was a trap wasn't it?” Percy spoke up quietly.

Scrimgeour narrowed his eyes at Umbridge. “Potter is not in collusion with Death Eaters, I can assure you that.”

“No,” Umbridge said patiently, “but you can use the boy to capture a Death Eater. Public opinion of you will rise when they see a picture of you, side by side, with Potter, working together to put a dangerous Death Eater away.” She tapped the paper again.

“And which Death Eater are you speaking about?” Scrimgeour asked.

“Why, the very one who helped him escape,” she smiled sweetly.

“Hmpf,” the Minister dismissed her idea with a wave of his hand. “We haven't been able to touch the boy all year. Malfoy loyalty runs deep in the pockets of the tribunal.”

“So have him tried by the public,” Percy stood and joined the conversation. “Place members of the wizarding public in the courtroom, those especially loyal to Dumbledore. I assure you that they'll listen to Potter with eager and open ears. And I can assure you that Potter would be more than happy to send Malfoy away.”

-->

43. The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo

What will it take to show you that it's not the life it seems?

(I'm not okay)

I've told you time and time again you sing the words but don't know what it means

(I'm not okay)

To be a joke and look, another line without a hook

I held you close as we both shook for the last time take a good hard look!

I'm not okay

I'm not okay

I'm not okay

You wear me out

Forget about the dirty looks

The photographs your boyfriend took

You said you read me like a book, but the pages all are torn and frayed

I'm okay

I'm okay!

I'm okay, now

(I'm okay, now)

But you really need to listen to me

Because I'm telling you the truth

I mean this, I'm okay!

(Trust Me)

I'm not okay

I'm not okay

Well, I'm not okay

I'm not o-fucking-kay

I'm not okay

I'm not okay

(Okay)

(I'm Not Okay (I Promise)—My Chemical Romance)

~*~

She kissed his lips, prodding them open so she could explore his mouth, its warmth was in contrast with the slight crispness in the air. She deepened the kiss, exploring him, tasting him as she brought her hand to the back of his neck. His essence, his raw scent, permeated her senses in all its familiarity. She pulled away, playfully and gently tugging at his lower lip before she kissed his chin and traced his jaw line with her kisses. His skin was rough with a trace of stubble that scratched at her, tickling her. She kissed his neck, feeling his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

Yeah, she had him right where she wanted him.

She grinned when she felt his hands rest on her hips. They stayed there only a moment before they slowly made their way up her sides, sliding over her ribcage, his thumbs teasing her as they traced the outside of her breasts. She moved her lips back to his and the exchange was a little more heated as he cupped her, caressed her, teased her, fondled her.

Her hands moved in the opposite direction, from the back of his neck, over the strong contours of his shoulders, down his chest and to his crotch. He let a slight moan slip between his lips as she began to stroke him through his trousers, feeling him harden under her ministrations.

Yes!!

She nearly purred with delight when he quickly pinned her underneath him. Her skirt bunched at her hips as a hand of his moved up her thigh to rest at her pelvis, slipping his fingers underneath the band of her knickers. He moved roughly against her, his hardness at the apex of her thighs. She was wet and ready for him to make his move, ready for him to move this encounter elsewhere.

“Fuck!” he cursed under his breath. “I can't fucking do this right now.” He moved off of her and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

She wasn't going to give up though and she sat up. “I think…this…is exactly what you need.” She moved onto his lap.

But he moved her off of him. “I'm really not in the mood for this right now.”

“You sure about that?” she cooed, reaching for his crotch again.

“Fix your skirt,” he said irritably as he adjusted his clothing and got to his feet.

“Draco…wait!” she called out after him, hastily rearranging her skirt before giving chase and nearly stumbling over someone in the dark.

“Hey, watch it!” Terry called out after she nearly tripped over his foot. He rolled his eyes then brought his attention back to the overly amorous Parvati. The two of them were tucked away in a dark corner of the astronomy tower taking advantage of the dark to fully explore the excitement of a new make-out partner.

“Just ignore them,” Parvati tutted, bringing Terry's attention back to her. He happily complied and returned to where he had last left off. Practicing his dexterity on the buttons of her blouse.

“Oh now what?” she said snappily when he suddenly stopped.

“Shh,” he replied and remained very still. The tower seemed okay but he had the weirdest sensation of being watched. And since the area was mostly used for purposes not listed in the Student Code of Conduct, it was a most unsettling feeling.

“What is it?” Parvati whispered with a hint of alarm.

He turned back to her and shook his head. “Nothing…just a little spooked and—what the hell?”

Parvati gasped at the same time as he jumped. “What was that?” she asked.

“I don't know,” he said, shaking his head. “Let's get out of here.” And together the two teens hastily got themselves together and left the premises. Terry shook his head, willing himself to clear the foggy form of a snake in the darkness.

~*~

“This way,” Harry whispered as he led the three of them quickly down a corridor to the lifts. Once again, the trio embarked upon a journey that most definitely included rule breaking and would most probably involve some sort of degree of danger.

It was just how they operated.

Tonight they were sneaking into the Ministry of Magic and, by the looks of it, it was a task that Harry had done repeatedly. She could tell by his timing and his mannerisms during this whole thing. Since the trio had been on shaky ground, Harry's nightly whereabouts had been a mystery to her. Now she had to wonder if this is where he had gone.

The three of them slid inside the lift, letting the doors close behind them. Hermione had never been in these lifts before. “Hey, don't you need special access to get to that floor?” Ron asked as Harry punched at a button. Being that his father worked in the Ministry, he was probably more aware of the protocol around here.

“Yes, you do,” Harry replied and pulled out a badge.

“Cool,” Ron grinned as the elevator moved.

Hermione couldn't help but notice that the name on the badge was most definitely not Harry's but belonging to a certain Cho Chang. How he had come into possession of said badge she would have to ask him about later but for now she swallowed her twinge of jealousy and continued on.

“Welcome, Harry, welcome!” the odd-looking wizard said. Hermione and Ron stared at all the strange objects in the mysterious room that Harry had led them to. There were various odd and ends on the shelves, strange magical objects that gave off slight humming sounds. Curious little creatures peered at them as they walked past and only a few of them Hermione had read about, the others looked like a cross between two…or three. Mysterious potions lined the shelves in a room that was like a pantry. Different colored wisps of smoke rose from the colorful vials. It was eerie and sinister and mysterious altogether.

“I see you brought your friends with you,” the wizards said, looking at each of them.

“Yes, these are my best friends, Hermione,” Harry introduced, “and Ron. This is Miles. A friend of mine as well.”

“Hullo,” Ron replied.

“Pleased to meet you,” Hermione said politely.

“Hello! Hello!” he shook their hands enthusiastically. “I don't get many visitors here. What a treat! Can I get you two anything to drink?”

“Er…” Ron replied nervously as he eyed the potions around the room. But he let out a sheepish laugh when three glasses of pumpkin juice appeared before them. Still he was cautious when he took his drink, even Harry sniffed the contents before bringing the cup to his lips.

“Oh, good news, Harry. My pheromones potion was bought by a cosmetics company,” the wizard said excitedly. “They're calling it…Desyre.” He made a grand gesture with his hands during his dramatic pause. He looked at Hermione. “Would you like to try it?” he asked.

“Oh, um…” she floundered. She really wasn't big on perfumes but she didn't want to be rude either. Years of being a houseguest of Hagrid's had left quite an impression on her.

“Maybe some other time,” Harry cut in hastily. The last thing he needed was to embarrass himself in front of everyone by attacking her, let alone probably ruin his and Ron's new and tentative friendship by strangling him if he so much as laid a finger on her. Worst of all, Hermione didn't need to enter the castle with that crap emanating from her. Malfoy would smell her in an instant and come calling. And as much as Harry would thoroughly enjoy beating the crap out of the ferret, he just wasn't in the mood to deal with such drama.

“Oh don't worry Harry. This one's much more diluted. What happened between you and Miss Chang with the stuff made me realize it needed to be watered down significantly.”

“Nothing happened!” Harry spluttered, turning red, while Ron choked on his pumpkin juice. “Nothing happened,” he repeated frantically. “I swear!” he said to Hermione as she looked at him with an odd look on her face.

“Of course you were a perfect gentleman,” Miles said dismissively. “I just underestimated the effect of the potion on those that would smell it on the wearer.”

Harry felt like he was stranded in quicksand and sinking quickly. It was best to just cut to the chase then get the hell out of here. “Miles, I need your help with a bit of a problem I have.”

The wizard raised an eyebrow. “School problem or Dark Wizard problem?”

“A bit of both actually,” he sighed. “I need to flush a snake out of Hogwarts. Not an ordinary snake though…sort of…well…let's just say this snake is very, very dangerous.”

“Basilisk?” Miles asked with wide eyes.

“Not exactly,” Harry answered, “but along the same danger lines.”

“It's You-Know-Who's pet snake,” Ron whispered with emphasis. Hermione glared at Ron, unsure of whether it was okay or not to admit something that huge to a complete stranger, regardless of how well Harry knew him.

“Oh my!” Miles jumped in alarm. “Oh, my oh my oh my. Harry what are you doing in that castle? Especially after what had happened earlier. Miss Chang told me that you barely escaped with your life!” Hermione forced herself not to roll her eyes and grimace. Honestly, did that tart spend all day talking about Harry to anyone and everyone who would listen? Harry should put a stop to that immediately, you never knew who she would say the wrong thing to next.

“I'll be fine,” Harry said dismissively. “But this snake is hiding in the pipes in the castle and we've tried to flush her out by flooding the place and it didn't work. She had to eat so we set out some bait to trap her and it's not working. Hermione finally came up with the idea of freezing her out but all of our freezing charms combined didn't seem to do the trick.”

“I told you that Hogwarts has some very powerful charms surrounding it,” Hermione said matter-of-factly in her defense. It was an idea that she carelessly tossed out knowing it wouldn't work but hoping against all hopes that the three of them would miraculously pull it off somehow.

A grin grew on Mile's face. “So what you need is something more powerful.”

“And I figured I might know just where to get such a thing,” Harry grinned back.

“And you figured correctly.” The odd little wizard turned around to walk to his collection of potions and took one of the vials down from the shelf. It was a clear, crystal vial with a clear, baby blue potion inside of it. He gingerly brought it over to the teens.

“Be very careful with this Harry,” Miles said cautiously as he popped the top of the vial, revealing a dropper that was attached to the top. “It's a very, very, very potent potion.” He let one drop fall into Ron's cup, which was resting on a nearby table, and the contents immediately froze. Ice formed outside of the cup spreading to the table that it was resting on. Icicles formed along the edge of the table as the ice raced across its surface. Hermione quickly removed her hand from her cup just as the ice reached it, freezing the juice inside.

“Bloody hell,” Ron whispered, his and Harry's eyes were wide with amazement.

“Wicked,” Harry said under his breath, the faintest trace of a grin on his face.

Hermione, seeing wild ideas form in her boys' eyes, quickly stepped in as the voice of reason. “We have to be very careful with this, we don't want to cause a serious accident with this stuff. We have to act responsibly with these types of potions.”

“Of course we will, Hermione,” Harry said, taking the vial from Miles and stuffing it into his jacket pocket. Hermione stared intently at the two of them.

“This includes using it on Draco,” she said sternly. Ron looked a bit put out but Harry shrugged.

“As long as he doesn't get between me and Nagini.” He turned and looked at the older wizard. “Miles…thank you.”

Miles peered at Harry closely. “Be careful,” he said quietly. “What happened at St. Mungo's…” he stopped as if unsure of what to say. Harry took it out of his hands.

“I know,” Harry said off-handedly, although Hermione and Ron could see the trademark darkened look that would overcome his features whenever the painful subject was brought up. “See you around, Miles.”

Hermione felt awkward walking back to the lift. Harry didn't seem upset but he was quiet and she felt as if she should say something to him. Anything. For crying out loud, it was as if a million thoughts were going through her head but she was just too damn polite to say anything until Harry seemed more approachable.

Ron, however, was less tactful.

“What did Miles mean when he mentioned you and `Miss Chang' and this hormone thing?”

“Pheromone,” Hermione corrected.

“For fuck's sake, Ron,” Harry whispered, a slight blush began creeping up his neck.

“I was just curious,” Ron said defensively, holding his hands up.

“That makes two of us,” Hermione said coyly with a grin. She believed him when he said that nothing had happened between him and Cho but it was just too funny to see him squirm like this.

“You know what? Back off you two,” Harry said with authority. “Let's just concentrate on getting out of here, okay?” Hermione and Ron shared a grin.

~*~

“Draco!” Pansy called out as she chased after him in the corridor. “Wait! Draco! Will you just stop for a moment?” she asked as she finally caught up to him.

“What do you want?” he asked, not bothering to mask the annoyance in his voice turning to face her.

She exhaled sharply with impatience. “What the hell happened back there?”

“I wasn't in mood,” he smirked.

“It didn't feel like it,” she countered.

“What can I say,” he shrugged. “I had a headache.”

“What is with you lately?” she demanded. “You look terrible, you're so tense that you snap at anyone who so much as looks at you and—“

“Are you finished?” he asked. “Because you kind of interrupted my lovely little stroll here.”

“Why won't you tell me what's bothering you?” she asked, not giving up. “If you would just open up to me and let me in…let's just sit down and talk.”

Draco stared at her as if she had grown two heads. “Are you fucking joking?” he sneered before turning and walking away.

Pansy gathered what was left of her shattered pride and held chin up high. “Would me being a bushy haired mudblood do the trick for you?”

That stopped Draco in his tracks and he slowly turned around. “What did you say?” he asked quietly.

Pansy stood defiant as he approached. “You heard me. People are talking, you know.”

“Careful, Pansy,” he cautioned.

She sulkily looked away from him. “You're our Slytherin leader. A Malfoy. The epitome of what a pureblood is. You're privileged to be the youngest Death Eater—“

“Privileged?!” Draco blurted out. “Privileged?!” He reached out and grabbed her upper arm. She winced slightly. “You just don't get it, do you? You don't see what's happening here. You just sit in your little room thinking nothing about what's going on outside of these walls. You don't know that there's a war going on out there and when the shit hits the fan, its going to hit the Death Eaters and Dumbledore's followers, just so you can sit comfortably behind these walls waiting for me to come around so we can talk about my bad day.” He glared at her then shook his head in disgust before walking away.

Tears welled in her eyes. “Draco,” she called out weakly. But he kept walking.

~*~

The common room still had a few students in it when the trio arrived back at the castle. They quickly commandeered a quiet corner to themselves so they could talk.

“So,” Ron began, “when do we start?”

“Tomorrow,” Harry replied. “It's a light day of classes. Hermione, you take this in the morning to the Gryffindor girls' lavatory. Ron and I will get the boys' when you're done.”

“Cold showers in the morning,” she sighed, taking the vial from Harry. “Lavender and Parvati will be fun to live with.” Harry smirked at her.

“Well, as much as I love hanging with you two,” Ron said as he got up from the chair, “I have a date with my new quidditch magazine.”

A pang of reluctant longing to gaze at the glossy pages solely dedicated to his most favorite sport in the whole wide world shot through him. He'd have to swipe it from Ron sometime later. It would be a welcome break, a small reminder that he was, after all, a teenage boy. Reminders like that were few and far between these days.

His attention was brought back to Hermione who was sitting across from him with a most peculiar look on her face. “What?” he asked, warily.

“You know, it's all so very strange,” she began, her gaze had moved to something else in the room. “I had the oddest dream one night that took place in this very room.”

Harry waited patiently for her to continue, unsure of where this was heading.

“You see, I was studying until you came through the door and sat down in front of me,” she said dreamily. “And then, the most strange sensation came over me.” She leaned forward and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “I found you absolutely and totally irresistible.”

Fuck.

“Er…” Harry wasn't sure what to say to that.

“I think I may have come onto you,” she continued on in a voice that spoke of scandalous disbelief. “Rather strongly, too.”

Harry remembered all too well that incident. As if he could forget the way Hermione had acted, many a night those memories served a dutiful purpose safely within the confines of his bed. The look on his face must have clearly conveyed his guilt, betrayed by the lust induced memories of that night.

“Harry! I don't believe it!” Hermione admonished. “I thought it was all a dream!!”

“Well, I kinda had to stupefy you,” he said, scratching the back of his head. Hermione let out a scoff of indignation. “You didn't want the burden of cheating on your boyfriend hanging over your pretty little conscience.” He grinned.

Hermione straightened up and stuck out her chin. “What makes you think I would've gone that far?” she asked.

Harry smirked as he approached her. Hermione backed away from him, backing into a wall behind her. He leaned down toward her “If you wanted it as much as I did that night…,” he whispered in her ear and she flushed violently. His breath was hot against her ear and it triggered tiny explosions of lust inside of her.

Harry could tell her breathing had changed, she was taking short, shaky breaths. He moved his lips lightly across her cheek and to her lips where he kissed her ever so gently. He took the time to take in the softness of her lips in contrast to his, the faintest trace of her flavored lip gloss pleasantly surprised him as he asked for entrance with his tongue.

Hermione was happy to oblige, savoring the moment as he kissed her, exploring her, delighting her. She slid her hands up his arms as he wrapped one of them around her waist, his other hand reached above her, bracing against the wall as she shifted into it.

He smoothly transitioned the kiss to its end, bringing Hermione back up from the wall. “I've got to go,” he whispered.

Hermione blinked out of her gaze. “Um…what?” she asked.

“I've got something I've got to do,” he explained as dropped his arms away from her.

“Oh, okay,” she replied as she watched him search for his wand and the map. It seemed selfish of her to want him to stay with her tonight when there seemed to me more important things to deal with than her own raging hormones.

“Be careful,” she said to him.

“I will,” he replied and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before leaving the common room.

It wasn't that he wasn't feeling the same way. It took him more willpower than she could ever know to pull himself away from her. Since getting back with Hermione, their physical relationship was staying pretty safe. Not that he wasn't complaining about their lovely little snogging sessions but the temptation to take things further, to be with her again the way he so longed to, was just getting more and more difficult to deal with.

He couldn't help the way his mind would think nothing of being inside her, to make love to her again and then the next moment have this guilt that he should be concentrating on other things. Like ridding the world of Lord Voldemort. It was like he was in a constant tug-of-war between what he wanted and what he was destined to do.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts when he stepped out into the corridor. Filch would be patrolling in about five minutes so he had to act quickly. He took out his invisibility cloak and made his way down the hall.

There were only a spattering of students that were still up, most of them heading to their common rooms from where they were dwelling before. He stopped in front of the door to Filch's office and, seeing that it was empty, made his way inside.

The room hadn't changed much over the years and Harry had to wonder why he didn't bother asking anyone to update his security. Pride, he supposed. Using the tip of his wand, he rummaged through the random papers on Filch's desk that were mostly detention records. His eyes wandered to gaze at the walls, all the while his ears trained for the slightest sound that would signal the owner's return.

Moving to the other side of the desk, Harry crouched down in front of the bottom drawer and pulled it open. It made a loud squeaking sound of wood on wood being forced to grind together unwillingly. He grimaced out the sound, wincing at how loud it was and he froze, waiting to see if it had summoned Filch's return.

He was lucky. It didn't.

Harry cast a silencing charm on the cabinet and proceeded to pry it open. Inside were rolls of parchment, some of them new and some of them yellowed and dusty. He exhaled at the chore in front of him and pulled out one of them and unfurled it. It was a list of banned items from the halls of Hogwarts for the year 1995. It seemed odd that the list seemed so much more shorter than the days when Fred and George were attending. And now that the twins had their own store, the list had grown significantly. Harry put it away and continued on.

Old quidditch schedules.

Confiscated exams that had made their rounds around the student population before the test date.

Ugh, that bloody list that Hermione had decidedly contributed to. Harry Potter: Great kisser. Amazing sex. Damn straight, Hermione.

~*~

Hermione sat on her bed reading when Lavender and Parvati entered the room to turn in for the night.
“And then what happened?” Lavender asked.

Parvati flopped on her bed. “We were interrupted by Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson in their haste to get to broom closet to shag,” she pouted.

Hermione frowned and turned the page.

“Those two are so disgusting. At least they had the courtesy to leave the tower instead of chasing everyone out by humping like a pair of dung beetles,” Lavender said in a voice of blatant distaste.

“It was just so creepy, Lav,” Parvati continued. “It felt as if we were being watched.”

“Ew, gross,” Lavender wrinkled her nose.

“No, not like that,” Parvati shook her head. “It was just…I can't explain it. It didn't feel…human.”

Hermione paused in the middle of turning the page.

“Now you're creeping me out,” Lavender shivered.

Hermione closed the book and put it away. With a flick of her wand the curtains around the bed closed and she lay down on the bed, lost in her thoughts. Could it have been Nagini in the tower that night? It was quite possible. That creepy feeling of being watched by a set of otherwordly eyes. She had felt it here and there around the castle. The whole ordeal was making her uneasy, all of this waiting and wondering why Nagini was here if not to spy for Voldemort? It would only be a matter of time before she lashed out and killed a student. Harry had to find her before that happened.

~*~

He didn't know how long he had been there sitting on the floor and going through years of paperwork to find what he was looking for. He was getting tired. He let out a big yawn then rubbed his eyes under his glasses.

He pulled out the next parchment and unrolled it. It was what he had been looking for. Faded lines crisscrossed across the yellowed piece of paper, looking at first like an odd looking maze but it was a sort of old schematic showing the layout of the pipes in the castle.

He folded the map and tucked it into his robes, closing the drawer quietly as he got up. He checked the Marauder's Map and saw that Filch was outside of the castle, patrolling the edges of the castle, probably looking for students tucked away in the dark shadows. Looking forward to a wonderful nights sleep he made his way back to the common room. He couldn't help the twinge of disappointment at the emptiness of the room. The fire cast a soft glow over the room making the shadows dance against the wall. It began to creep him out a bit since he was all by himself so he hastily made his way to the dorm.

~*~

Hermione jolted awake and sat up in her bed. The room was pitch black and she could hear the deep breathing and soft snores of her roommates.

“Lumos,” she whispered when she reached for her wand that rested under her pillow. The light from her wand cast a pale glow over the curtains. She parted them and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She slipped her feet into her slippers and grabbed her robe before she quietly left the room.

The house elves quickly and quietly made themselves scarce as soon as she made her entrance into the common room. All but one, of course.

“Miss Herminy,” Dobby squeaked. Hermione winced at the butchering of her name. “What are you doing up at this hour?”

Hermione finished tying the knot in the front of robe as she approached the little creature and knelt down in front of him. “Dobby, I need you to deliver a message,” she began.

*

Draco stirred out of his slumber, brought out of his rest by something…or someone. He opened his eyes to find another pair staring back at him.

“Holy fuck!” he exclaimed as he flung himself away from the elf. Dobby jumped off of the bed and cowered in the corner of the room. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Draco demanded.

“I was delivering a message from Miss Herminy,” Dobby trembled in the corner.

“What the hell does she want?” Draco asked grumpily.

“She asked to meet you by the humped witch,” the elf squeaked, still terrified to be in the presence of his former master.

“Now?” he complained and the elf nodded. Draco sighed and got out of bed, throwing a cloak around his shoulders as he left the room. Dobby disappeared, having completed his task and not wishing to hang around this area any longer than he had to.

Draco slipped out of the portrait door and closed it softly, taking care not to wake the portrait that was slumbering peacefully. Wand at the ready, he made his way across the castle and up the stairs to the humped witch. A rendezvous point that reminded him of the many times he and Hermione had used many times before under less than ideal circumstances.

“Over here,” he heard her whisper and he quickly darted into a darkened and empty classroom nearby.

“You know, you have to find a better way to summon me for a midnight shag than that freaky little elf,” he drawled as she closed the door behind him.

Hermione ignored him. “Why is Nagini following you?” she demanded.

“Why don't we just forego the pillow talk and get right to it?” he grinned. Hermione folded her arms across her chest and stared at him demandingly. Draco relented. “What makes you think she's following me?” he said with a sigh.

“It's more than a coincidence that she happens to make an appearance in places that you have been.”

Draco tilted his head and looked at her patronizingly. “Like where?”

“The balcony for starters. Nagini was there.”

“So was Potter and his merry band of idiots,” he replied lazily. “Present company excluded of course.”

“The boys' lavatory on the first floor?”

“I wasn't the only one in there.”

“The library?”

“You were there, too.”

“Tonight in the astronomy tower?”

He smirked. “Again, I wasn't alone.”

“So, I heard,” Hermione retorted. Draco regarded her for a moment then stuffed his hands in the pockets of his cloak.

“Potter know you're here?” he asked, looking away from her.

“If he doesn't already, I'm sure he will soon,” she replied.

“I take it he won't be too happy to find the two of us alone in an empty classroom,” he sighed in mock innocence.

“Are you spying?” she asked.

Draco let out a soft laugh. “Oh the things that clever mind of yours comes up with.”

“I mean it, Draco,” Hermione demanded. “Are you spying on us and reporting back to Nagini?”

He licked his bottom lip and regarded her. He felt a pang of hurt that she would accuse him of such a thing, although it would have been a likely scenario had things been a little different.

“No,” he said after a moment, his voice not bothering to hide its bitterness. “And even if I was there's only one person in this castle that can speak to snakes. Maybe you've heard of him?”

Hermione pursed her lips. “I'm being serious, Malfoy.”

“So am I and I don't appreciate your false accusations!” he hissed at her.

“You can't blame me!” she defended. “It is a fact that she shows up wherever you are or have been!”

“Which is everywhere in this castle that other students are!”

“You're a Death Eater!”

Draco looked as if she had slapped him. “A fact you love reminding me of.”

“I have to point out the hard facts,” Hermione said a little more gently.

“Why isn't your boyfriend down here interrogating me?”

“Because I wanted to talk to you and I was hoping you would talk to me.”

Draco ran a hand through his hair. “What is it with you birds and wanting to talk?”

“What's that supposed to mean?” she asked, insulted.

“Pansy was all over my back earlier tonight wondering why I don't talk to her.”

“I'm sure she's just concerned about you.”

Draco scoffed and turned away from Hermione. He walked to a desk and placed his hands on it. Hermione reached out and touched his shoulder. “I'm sure she was more concerned with the fact that she didn't get shagged tonight. I mean, honestly, how much of a mood can you be in knowing that some snake is about to end your life?”

Hermione jerked her hand away from him. “What did you say?” she asked.

Draco turned and looked at her then looked away. “Nothing. I've got to get going.”

She reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Nagini is after you?”

“I never said that.”

“Why?” Hermione ignored his comment.

Draco shrugged. “Devil comes collecting at some point.”

Hermione looked up at him, searching his face. “Draco, what did you do that he would send Nagini for you?”

“I failed to give him Potter from St. Mungo's,” he answered immediately.

She narrowed her eyes, slightly. “Nagini was here before the St. Mungo's incident.”

“Maybe he knew I'd botch it up.”

“Stop lying.”

“What do you want from me, Hermione?” he shouted.

“I want answers! I want to help!”

“I don't want your help!” he shot back. “In fact, why are we even talking in the first place?”

“Because, believe it or not, I do care about you!” she said crossly.

“Well you shouldn't!”

“And I agree.”

The voice startled them both and made them jump. Instinctively, Draco grabbed Hermione and put her behind him only to find that Potter was in the doorway of the classroom. He stood there legs apart, arms crossed with his wand in one hand looking very, very, pissed off.

Hermione moved away from Draco. “Harry, what…”

More people appeared behind Harry and she recognized some of them as members of the Order and aurors.

“Draco Malfoy,” Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice rang out as Harry stepped aside to let him through. “You are under arrest for the attempted murder of Harry Potter…”

“What?” Hermione gasped as a couple of aurors moved forward. “Wait a moment!” she held up her hands in protest, shielding the Slytherin. But he moved away from her.

“It's okay, Hermione,” he said as he was being magically bound. “I'm sure I've got a book somewhere on a prison break.” He gave her a smirk.

“Move away from him, Hermione,” Harry said quietly. She did as he asked moving closer to Harry.

“Harry, what's going on?” she asked in a whisper.

“I don't know,” he replied. “But something tells me this isn't right.”

Hermione read the dark look on his face. There was something that he wasn't telling her. He looked down and saw her probing look but before he could say anything, Kingsley called out to him.

“Are you ready, Harry?”

Harry gave the slightest of nods and moved forward but Hermione stopped him. “Why are you going?” she asked.

Harry frowned. “I'll tell you later.”

“But…” she moved forward after him but Tonks stopped her. She watched, helpless, as Draco was taken away prisoner and Harry tagging along. She could tell that something was bothering him in the last look he gave her over his shoulder before turning the corner of the hall.

*

It was Lupin who had woken Harry up earlier, just when he had fallen asleep. “Harry,” he had whispered.

“Remus?” Harry asked, blinking.

“Harry…we need you to come down to the ministry,” he said.

Harry looked at him. “The ministry? Why?”

“I'm not sure,” Lupin said, hesitantly. “But the order came explicitly from the Minister himself.”

That alone was enough to put him on high alert.

“I also came up here to ask you to use the map to find Mr. Malfoy.”

Harry wrinkled his brow. “Malfoy? What do you want with Malfoy?”

“Please, Harry?”

So, with great reluctance Harry found Malfoy on the map. And of course, he wasn't in his room. He was with Hermione in an empty classroom. Harry folded the Map and told Lupin where he was, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.

It became clear that the matter had turned very serious when he stepped out of the common room and into a hall with several aurors. They were here to arrest Malfoy.

“Harry, we need you to come to the Ministry on orders from the Minister himself,” Shacklebolt announced.

“Am I under arrest?” he asked, cautiously.

“No,” Kingsley replied.

So it was Draco Malfoy they were coming for. And for some reason, there was something inside of him that nagged at him, telling him that something was off.

Harry wasn't sure if he should feel embarrassed that he led a group of aurors into an empty classroom to find the person they'd come to arrest alone with his girlfriend. He felt a mild annoyance with Hermione, especially since he just happened to come in at the time when she was telling him that she actually cared for the idiot.

But there must have been a reason for her to be here.

Malfoy seemed to expect them to arrest him and he didn't put up a protest. Harry wondered if this was what a defeated man looked like. If you could call him that. The Slytherin was oddly quiet throughout their journey to the Ministry.

When they walked into the Auror division, he was greatly dismayed to see Percy Weasley and Dolores Umbridge standing among a small group of scowling old wizards.

“Separate them,” Umbridge ordered. “Mr. Malfoy will go in that room with Mr. Weasley. You, Harry Potter,” she smiled sweetly, “will come with me.”

“I really don't think so,” Harry sneered.

“I think it would be in your best interest to hear what I have to say,” a voice behind Umbridge said. Harry looked over her shoulder and saw the Minister of Magic himself standing there. He gave a look to Umbridge then Percy before he stepped forward into a room that the Minister was gesturing to.

“Close the door, Harry,” the Minister instructed as he walked around a desk to sit in a chair. “Please,” he said gesturing to another chair on the opposite side.

Harry regarded him for a moment then sat down. From the shadows, Umbridge slithered out and took a seat in the corner. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“As you know, Mr. Malfoy is facing some very serious charges,” Scrimgeour began. “I, for one, was greatly relieved to hear of your rescue by our brave aurors in the St. Mungo's incident.”

“Incident?” Harry repeated, an eyebrow raised.

Scrimgeour ignored him and continued on. “Rumor has it that Mr. Draco Malfoy was the one to deliver the Death Curse.”

Harry smirked. “Like you said, rumor has it.”

“I also have an auror who can testify that Draco Malfoy was indeed there, holding a wand to your head, as well as,” he picked up an old newspaper with a picture of the night Harry escaped St. Mungo's, “a picture of the two of you.”

“Well, it looks like you have all you need,” he said as he got up from the chair. “I guess I'll be going now.”

“Sit down, Harry,” Scrimgeour ordered. Harry obliged the man. “You are going offer your testimony of the events that night against Mr. Malfoy.”

“Don't you have enough evidence to do the job yourself?” he asked.

“Your testimony would mean a lot. The Boy Who Lived giving the evidence to at long last deliver justice to the young man, whom I have heard, has made your life at Hogwarts a living hell?”

“I'm assuming that photo opportunies and PR are a part of this illustrious package?” Harry asked, thoroughly irritated. The minister said nothing. “And if I say no?”

Scrimgeour looked over at Umbridge who stood up and walked over to Harry carrying a thick folder of parchment and photos in her arms. The woman grinned, a gleam of triumph in her eyes as she peered at him, tossing the folder down in front of him, the papers slid out for him to see.

“This little folder was nearly lost between the cracks of case archives before it caught our attention,” Scrimgeour announced.

“That is what we call…evidence,” Umbridge said in a voice that was borderline bored. “And quite a lot of it.”

Harry's stomach dropped when he saw that the folder in front of him, was the very case that had nearly implicated Hermione in the attack against the muggle jeweler. There it was before him, photos, reports, all of it. A folder that was nearly lost between the cracks because Harry himself had placed it there.

He should've destroyed the damn thing. “This is bullshit,” he said, shoving the folder away from him.

“Is it?” the Minister asked. “The evidence doesn't lie, does it?”

“She was found innocent of all charges,” Harry insisted.

“But nobody thought to question others in Miss Granger's propensity to harm human life.”

Harry was letting his rage get the best of him. “Hermione would not harm another human being.”

“Wouldn't she?” Umbridge stepped forward, her face lined with victory. Harry glared at her, cursing her audacity to bring up their fifth year.

“May I remind you of the circumstances,” he replied through gritted teeth.

“The jury can hear about that during the trial,” Scrimgeour cut in. Harry stared at him.

Umbridge moved away from him and back to the other side of the table. “No matter,” she said cheerfully. “We may not need a testimony from you anyway since Mr. Malfoy has signed his testimony against her. He confessed how he was dragged along into this sinister plan of hers, this plan of ruining the names of the oldest and most respected families in the wizarding world.”

“Did you mean naming Death Eaters?” Harry shot back, glaring at the woman.

Dolores was unmoved, her sneering smile never wavered. “Like I said…”

Harry looked away.

“I have a signed testimony against her and the evidence is extremely incriminating,” she continued on. “It was difficult but Mr. Weasley did eventually get a confession out of him.”

*

“Have I told you that I've been to Egypt?” Percy asked.

Malfoy fought very hard not to roll his eyes. The poor excuse for a wizard had been droning on and on since he walked into the room. Honestly, who really cared about the measly accomplishments of a Weasley?

“My brother used to work as a curse breaker there,” Percy continued on. “He had such a brilliant future ahead of him but he threw it all away and…now look at what's happened to him.”

Draco contemplated whether he could strangle himself with his own handcuffs.

“Well, I'll be back, I guess,” Percy sighed. “Do you need anything?”

Draco wanted to request a knife so he could stab his ears but he thought better of it and decided to keep his vow of silence that he kept up since he was placed in this room.

*

Hermione paced back and forth in the common room. She couldn't stand waiting. Waiting for Harry to come back, waiting to see what had happened to Draco, waiting for any piece of news. “Tonks, I have to go and see him.”

Tonks sighed. “Hermione….for the millionth time…”

“I know! I know!” she replied with exasperation then knelt down in front of her. “But I have to speak to Harry. It's important! I have this bad feeling.”

“This whole thing rots of suspicion. Kingsley said he didn't give the order for Malfoy's arrest, that it came directly from the minister. And I don't even know why he wants Harry there.”

Hermione listened to her as she stared into the flames of the fireplace. “He wants Harry to stand by his side,” she murmured.

“Huh?” Tonks asked, confused.

Hermione whipped her head around to look at the auror. “Tonks, it's imperative that I speak with Harry as soon as possible. There's nothing the minister wants more from Harry that the two of them side by side in the Daily Prophet, declaring to the wizarding world that he stands behind the Minister one hundred percent. He's using Harry, he's going to force him to do something stupid.”

“Hermione, I—“

“It's not like I'm not allowed to be there. Harry's not in custody or anything.”

Tonks looked at her, unsure.

“Please,” Hermione insisted.

Tonks rolled her eyes and heaved herself out of her chair. “I'm so going to regret this, aren't I?”

~*~

“Do you really think you can do this to me?” Harry asked, looking at the Minister.

“What is it that you think we're doing to you?” he replied. “Harry, we are offering you a chance to help your friend.”

“It's coercion,” he countered.

“You're helping the wizarding world. It is what you most want to do, isn't it?”

“By selling out Draco Malfoy.”

The Minister leaned forward and laced his fingers together. “I prefer to call it a trade.”

There was a knock at the door and a wizard Harry didn't recognized popped his head in. “Um, sir,” he said, unsure. “We have a bit of a…”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!” came a familiar shriek. “Where is he? I want to speak with him.”

“Could you please place Miss Granger in one of the rooms until we are through here,” the Minister instructed.

“Wait a moment,” Harry interrupted, “I want to speak with her.”

“I'm afraid that's just not possible,” Umbridge cut in.

“I'm not under arrest and she's not in custody,” he countered. “It's perfectly acceptable for me to speak with her. And if you want a decision from me, I would suggest you honor my demand.”

The minister gave the slightest nod of his head and Umbridge frowned even more. Harry didn't waste any time and he shot out of his chair and out of the room.

Hermione was standing with a group of aurors up in arms about something. She looked up and walked toward him, meeting him halfway down the hall.

“Harry, what are they talking about? Something about charges against me and the muggle jeweler,” she said.

Harry gently took her by her upper arm and steered her into an empty room. “What are you doing here?” he asked in a low whisper as he cast an Imperturbable charm.

“I came here to talk to you, to warn you that I think the Minister is up to something and to not listen to whatever he has to say and…what is this about some charges against me?” she said in a barely coherent rush of words. “Oh my God,” she breathed, looking at him, “he already said something to you, didn't he?”

“He's going to reopen the case against you about the muggle jeweler that was harmed earlier this year,” he said softly.

Hermione collapsed into a chair. Her face seemed drained of all blood. “But I thought that was all settled. It wasn't our fault, we didn't know. It was Lucius who planted it,” she looked up at him with wide eyes. Harry sighed. “He's using this against you, isn't he?”

“He wants me to testify against Malfoy so they can arrest him and put him away. He wants me to stand next to him so all our pictures will be in the paper,” he said bitterly.

Hermione stood up from the chair, a determined look on her face. “Harry, you cannot agree to this.”

“Are you joking, Hermione?” Harry asked incredulously. “They've kinda got me in a bind.”

“Harry just listen to me—“

“They're going to arrest you!” he said, his voice rising.

“I think Draco has a horcrux,” she blurted out.

Harry stared at her. “Are you joking?”

“That's why I was talking with him tonight,” she continued. “Nagini seemed to show up wherever he was. I accused him of spying and he denied it. He mentioned something about the snake wanting to end his life. I asked him what he meant by that and he said that the devil comes collecting at some point. Why else would Voldemort do this?”

Harry ran a hand through his hair. “Un-fucking believable,” he murmured.

“You can't turn him in, Harry. Voldemort's spies already know he's here. It's only a matter of time before they come after him.”

Harry turned and looked at her. “You're asking me to let you be held in custody, be held for trial just so we can take a gamble that Malfoy, of all people, has a horcrux?”

“I know it sounds—“

“No!” Harry shook his head. “I'm not doing it, Hermione.”

“We have to take that chance,” she insisted.

“I'm not choosing him over you,” he said firmly. “Don't push me on this, Hermione.”

“Harry, if they really had something on me, you or some other auror would've turned it in ages ago. We explained what had happened. We didn't know about the necklace and that's the honest truth. If they had something more damaging it would've shown up long ago, not after the case is closed.”

“Malfoy is signing a testimony against you to save his little arse,” Harry snarled.

“W-what?” she stammered.

“Yeah,” Harry nodded matter-of-factly. “Still want to give him the benefit of the doubt?”

“He has to know where the horcrux is, he's got to have it! Why else would Voldemort be so set on killing him like Draco said.”

“Because he's a piss poor Death Eater!”

“He wouldn't be the first Death Eater to cross Voldemort,” she said firmly. “Remember the letter you found?”

“But this is Malfoy we're talking about! Of all Death Eaters, why would he choose him?!” he countered.

“Maybe he didn't give it to him.”

Harry stared at her. “You're telling me that he stole it from him?”

“Either him or his father,” she shrugged. “He's not as stupid as we'd like to think.” She could see Harry struggling not to respond to her last statement.

A murmur of voices out in the hall broke their conversation and, being who they were, they moved to the door and opened it up a crack. Harry couldn't see much due to the fact that an auror was standing near the door, blocking most of his view but he could hear very clearly.

“Mr. Winfield, sir, what are you doing here?” he heard the auror ask.

“I hear you have young Mr. Malfoy in custody,” a croaky voice asked.

Harry shifted his position so he could get a view of an older wizard with white hair and expensive robes, eagerly looking at the door to the room where Malfoy was being held. Maybe a little too eager.

“That is classified sir,” the auror replied.

The wizard looked disdainfully at the younger man. “It's my vote on the council that determines the budget for your department. You would do best to be reminded of that. Now,” he straightened his robes. “How long do you intend to keep him?”

Hermione's hand tightened around Harry's arm.

“Sir, I…,” the auror stumbled.

The wizard sighed impatiently. “I distinctly remember telling you who I am to your paycheck.”

“I don't know, sir,” the auror admitted.

“You don't know,” the wizard repeated. “Well, then, can I go in and see him?”

The auror shuffled awkwardly. “Let me guess,” the wizard snapped, “you don't know.”

“I-I don't have the authority, sir,” he stammered out.

Harry closed the door, he had heard enough and turned to Hermione who was looking at him with determination.

“Call his bluff, Harry. Malfoy does deserve to go to trial for what he's done but not like this. Not with you lying about what happened that night.”

The door slammed open and Percy stood there with a frown of disapproval on his face. “The Minister wishes to continue speaking with you,” he said to Harry.

Harry gave Hermione one last look before he left the room. He honestly didn't know what to think. The thought that one of the people he couldn't stand most in this world might be holding a key to defeat his greatest enemy was too overwhelming to digest. His mind refused to wrap around it. Furthermore, in order to take the chance to procure this item, he would have to put Hermione's, the person he loved most in this world, freedom on the line.

~*~

The door opened to Draco's room and a couple of aurors stepped in. “Let's go,” one of them said briskly and he was yanked out of his chair and marched out of the room. Eldrige Winfield was standing among the small crowd and his stomach dropped. He was one of Voldemort's spies in the Ministry and he knew that he wasn't here to bail him out. His fate was sealed, Lord Voldemort would know he was here, helpless without a wand. It was only a matter of time before someone stepped forward to finish him off.

Someone else had caught his eye as well. “Hermione?” he said in surprise. She wasn't smiling at him, in fact she was looking rather anxious.

“What the hell is going on?” he demanded.

“Move along,” an auror said gruffly, shoving him forward into a room.

Ah fuck.

Potter was in the room, frowning and brooding as usual in a corner. The Minister of Magic was there as well, looking very displeased as well as an older wizard he didn't recognize but wore the robes of a judge. Umbridge was in the room, too. He had wondered what had become of her. She wasn't nearly as bad a Headmistress as some made her out to be.

“Please sit down, Mr. Malfoy,” she said to him and he complied. “I would like to apologize first of all for any mistreatment you may have received while in our care.”

“If you would like to call listening to Mr. Weasley drone on and on mistreatment, apology accepted,” he replied lazily. There was a soft snort from the corner and Draco wasn't sure if it came from Potter or not.

“You were mistakenly charged for the attempted murder of one…Mr. Harry Potter,” the judge said stepping forward. “However, due to the testimony of the alleged victim, you have been cleared.”

The air had left his lungs. He wasn't sure if he even remembered to know how to breath. Stunned he looked over at Potter who glared at him.

“That is all,” the judge said dismissively. “Now if you'll excuse me,” he said nastily to the Minister, “I have other…legitimate cases to preside over.” And with a swish of his robes he left the room.

“Am I done here?” Harry asked bitterly.

“We'll speak again soon, Mr. Potter,” the Minister said softly.

“I doubt it,” Potter replied as he stepped out of the room.

Umbridge straightened and fussed with her robes as if she were trying to regain her composure. “I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you,” she said apologetically. Draco didn't reply, his head was still spinning from this surprising turn of events.

Umbridge slid a folder toward him and he opened it. “What the hell is this, now?” he demanded as he leafed through the photographs and reports on him, Hermione and the muggle jeweler. She slid another parchment toward him.

“This is your testimony against Miss Hermione Granger,” she said with a smile as if she were handing him a present.

~*~

Hermione watched Draco disappear in the Minister's office where Harry had gone. Her heart was racing.

“…requesting permission to search the dormitory of Mr. Draco Malfoy.”

Hermione's attention was snared by this snippet of conversation. She looked over at two aurors engaged in a discussion over a piece of parchment. She tugged gently on Tonks' arm.

“I want to go back to Hogwarts,” she whispered. Tonks looked around briefly then nodded her head and the two of them quietly slipped away.

*

The first thing she did when she got back was race into the boy's dormitory and open Harry's trunk.

“Hermione!” Ron exclaimed in surprise. “What the bloody hell is going on?” he demanded. “Lavender told Parvati who told Ginny that Susan said that Hannah saw Malfoy being taken away by aurors and Harry was with them and—“

“I'll explain everything later but I need your help right now,” she said as she tossed him Harry's invisibility cloak. She rummaged around the bottom of the trunk until she found a familiar looking small box and inside, the Head Boy badge that had once belonged to his father.

“Where are we going?” he whispered underneath the cloak, doing his best to hide the two of them.

“We looking for a horcrux,” she replied.

“Here?” he nearly shrieked when he saw the portrait of the Slytherin common room.

“We've got to hurry. I don't know how much time we have.”

~*~

Draco set down the parchment he had just read and looked up at Umbridge. “What the hell is this?”

“Your testimony to put away Miss Hermione Granger,” she answered.

“I didn't say any of this.”

“Does it really matter?” she asked. “You have the chance to put away one of Harry Potter's closest confidants. To put away a dangerous half-blood who is intent on smearing the names of wizarding society's most prominent members.”

A strange sort of flame of indignation lit up inside of him and he glared at the woman. “I'm not signing this piece of shit,” he said, ripping the parchment up and throwing them down in front of her. She looked absolutely stunned as he walked out of the room.

He immediately sought out Potter. “What the hell was that all about?” he hissed at him, yanking him away from the group he was with.

“Get the fuck off me,” Harry sneered, tugging his arm out of his grasp. “Don't read too much into it Malfoy, I only told the truth.”

“Of course you did, you have this inane sense of justice. I'm talking about that piece of crap testimony against Hermione that you conjured up to test me.”

Harry stared at him. “Test you? Test you?! Why the hell would I put Hermione in danger to test your sorry arse? That was your testimony against her so you could save your own sorry self.”

“I didn't offer any testimony! I wouldn't do that to her!”

“Yeah, you would,” Harry snarled.

“I LOVE HER!” Draco shouted back.

Blind rage and fury washed over Harry. He wanted nothing more than to kill him with his bare hands. The look on his face must have given something away because suddenly Lupin and Shacklebolt's hands were on him. Glass had shattered around him and there was this strange cackle of electricity in the air.

“Harry, calm down. Let's get out of here,” Lupin said calmly but firmly.

Shacklebolt stepped in front of Harry to approach Malfoy. “We have a search warrant for your room so we are escorting you back to Hogwarts.”

“Search warrant?” Draco asked. “For what?”

“A stolen piece of jewelry,” the auror replied.

“You fuck,” Harry whispered, shaking his head. “Un-fucking-believable.”

~*~

“Nothing in the drawers,” Ron said as he dumped the contents of the drawer on the floor and began rummaging through it.

“It has to be around here somewhere,” Hermione huffed as she crawled out from under his bed. She moved to the bookshelf.

“Are you absolutely sure he has it?” he asked.

“Something is telling me that he does.”

“Oh, good. A hunch,” Ron muttered sarcastically as he began to inspect the bricks in the walls.

Hermione ignored him and began flipping through his books. But she suddenly stopped when she came to a particular title.

“It's okay, Hermione,” he said as he was being magically bound. “I'm sure I've got a book somewhere on a prison break.”

The Count of Monte Cristo stared back at her. A book about a prison break.

With trembling fingers, she pulled the book from the shelf and carefully opened it.

“Ron,” she said quietly.

He turned around to see Hermione standing in the middle of the room…with a gold locket dangling from her fingers.

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